In my previous article I suggested 3 strikers that Tottenham could buy in January to help give them the firepower they need in front of goal. However, it’s all very well and good buying a striker but if they don’t have a supporting cast good enough to give him a consistent supply of chances, then what’s the point?
Only the best strikers in the world can create chances for themselves but they’re are either unavailable or too expensive. So Tottenham should just out and buy a good playmaker alongside a decent striker to avoid the hassle of having to enquire and bid for a player they are most likely to not get. If they do that then they could save a bundle of money which could go to improving other areas of the team. Although, having said that, Spurs do already have Cristian Eriksen, Lewis Holtby and Gylfi Sigurdsson who can play that role, but at the end of the day you need to be ruthless if you want to challenge for the title so if any of those players don’t perform then they can be shifted to the reserves to make way for a new playmaker that can perform.
So here is a list of 3 playmakers that can improve Tottenham.
1. Dusan Tadic
The Serbia international is one of the most underrated players in Europe in my eyes as he has stats that most players would be jealous of and has been for a number of seasons. His performances should have gained more media attention and, subsequently, more interest from the big guns in Europe.
This season he’s already on 6 goals and 7 assists and in the previous campaign he recorded 12 goals and 15 assists. The season before it was 7 goals and 10 assists. So, since the start of the 2011/2012 season, he has registered 25 goals and 32 assists. Some quite remarkable statistics.
2. Juan Mata
He was heavily linked with a move from Chelsea this summer, Manchester United are Arsenal at the forefront of the interest, but Mourinho kept him at the Blues and insisted that he wasn’t going to be sold on the grounds that Mata was going to play a huge role for the club.
So far that hasn’t been the case as the Spaniard has only featured in 7 games this season in the Premier League, which comes as a huge shock considering how crucial he was last season for Chelsea and Spain. He featured in 75 games across all competitions; domestic and international plus any international friendlies, and scored 22 goals and grabbed 39 assists in the process.
Simply astounding statistics there.
3. Javier Pastore
The Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder has been kept out of the team by Lucas Moura and Ezequiel Lavezzi this time round. The Argentinian is, of course, unhappy with his contribution this season as he only has 8 appearances in the Ligue 1, which is a very disappointing total for a player of his standard.
He claimed 10 assists last season, 13 goals the season before that proves that he’s as efficient in setting up goals as he is scoring them. If he manages to regain his form at Tottenham, should he move, the north London club could have a hell of a player on their hands.