After Another Derby Day Defeat, Are Tottenham Missing The Final Piece To Their Puzzle?
The longest running transfer saga this summer ended on transfer deadline day, and with it came the most obvious move in football. Gareth Bale had joined Real Madrid.
Whilst this was all happening, Tottenham were preparing for the inevitable by splashing out on several players to try and fill the void about to be left by the Welshman. A hard task it is so how did they do?
These were their summer signings:
Erik Lamela (Winger) – 26.5m
Christian Eriksen (Centre/attacking midfielder) – 12m
Vlad Chiriches (Centre Back) – 8.5m
Etienne Capoue (Defensive Midfielder) 9.7m
Roberto Soldado (Forward) – 26.4m
Nacer Chadli (Winger) – 7.2m
Paulinho (Centre midfielder) – 17m
The blue side of north London have strengthened the entire squad and with the sale of Gareth Bale and a few other players have actually managed to make a couple of million pound profit as well.
Soldado will be the man they look to fill the goal void and he could easily get 15/20 goals a season for them. Lamela and Eriksen will be seen as the men to provide these chances and as we saw last season at Roma, Lamela can score them as well. Capoue and Paulinho will be the enforcers. They will win the ball and give the previous three every chance to get the goals that Bale could and would often to get on his own. Chiriches and Chadli will be good versatile squad players, and it seems that Andre Villas-Boas has bought shrewdly this season.
But after a poor performance against rivals Arsenal, why does it seem like there is something missing? Seven potential first team players bought in for the coast of one player out seems great especially when you’ve strengthened in every position, but what everyone is thinking is clear. There are no Gareth Bale’s.
Granted, where else to find a player similar to Bale. Ronaldo? Messi? Being realistic, Tottenham are unlikely to get them. But none of these players are the type of player who you expect to pick the ball up 30-yards from goal and bury it in the top corner. Bale has now become someone you always expect to produce a piece of magic, something that will win games as he did so often last year. Goals against West Ham in the league and Lyon in the Europa League spring to mind.
Lamela and Eriksen are good young players but they aren’t good enough to do that just yet, if ever, and Soldado is a poacher, the man you want the ball to fall to in the box in the final minute of a games that’s deadlocked at 0-0.
If Tottenham fans are feeling very smug this year at the fact that they have strengthened more than there rivals Arsenal, then I advise them to think again. Arsenal have signed what they needed and even what Manchester United. A bit of magic and a genuine match winner is what new Gunner, Mesut Ozil, is.
Yes, Tottenham have bought some very good players, but I’m sorry, they are not in the same class as Gareth Bale and I think come the end of the season that will be more and more clear.
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