When a Premier League team, or any team for that matter, recruits an influx of new players, there are always going to be losers. Whether it is the club who signs them as they turn out to be utter rubbish on the field, or whether it’s the player himself whose reputation takes a battering, life in football is never a fairytale. In this case, however, it has been two players that were already at the club – Gylfi Sigurdsson and Lewis Holtby at Tottenham.
Andre Villas-Boas was a busy man this summer. The sale of Gareth Bale allowed the White Hart Lane to strengthen numerous areas of their squad, and although Tom Huddlestone and Scott Parker left the club it is now the central midfield berth which looks the strongest, if not a little overcrowded.
Etienne Capoue, Paulinho and Christian Eriksen have come into the club to join the likes of Sandro and Mousa Dembele, as well as the aforementioned duo.
Holtby has missed out on the start of the current season due to an injury, so it’s hard to tell whether AVB sees him as a key player in the squad, but he offers more, in my opinion, than Sigurdsson.
Although the Iceland international scored three goals in his 33 games last season – Holtby failed to score in his 11 – Sigurdsson’s 25 chances created (1.32 per game) is a lower average than Holtby’s 12.
Holtby held a higher pass accuracy as well as a better duel completion, but it doesn’t hide the fact that the two are seriously up against it if they want to hold their place in the side.
Villas-Boas’ preference towards a flexible 4-3-3 sees Sandro, Paulinho and Mousa Dembele/Christian Eriksen control the middle, and you wouldn’t fancy Sigurdsson nor Holtby to play more games than any of those if they all stay fit.
What do you reckon Spurs fans, do the pair have a future in north London?
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