AVB’s Tottenham

Article by e-Spurs Writer Matt Tumminia (USA)

A look at what our squad may look like next term

Now that we have all gotten over the manner in which we missed out on the so-called promised land of Champions League football, we can get back down to business and work out the problem areas and which players may be brought in to strengthen and allow us to really push for a top four spot and possibly some silverware. AVB is a smart guy who knows exactly the type of player he needs to really implement his preferred 4-3-3 and I don’t think this window will be another where we miss out on our targets during the last few minutes. But the bottom line remains, we need to strengthen and it will be tougher to upgrade without the allure of the Champions League so we may be forced to pay a bit more than the players are actually worth. And no, I am not over it.

Left Back

God, I love Benny. He is a character unlike any other I have ever seen on the pitch. I would love nothing more than to hang with him 24/7 and go LOL’ing all across London. Unfortunately, he has not had a great season due to injuries and a loss of form, therefore it is widely understood that he will not figure into AVB’s plans next term. I will be sad to see him go but I am sure he will end up at a good club and I will still follow him on Twitter, unless he goes to Arsenal. That would lead to a full blown hatred of the afroed one. Danny Rose did well at Sunderland and I do believe that he will be our starter next term. I cannot see AVB spending big money on an LB when there are other pressing needs, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we were able to snag a guy like Cissoko from Valencia on the cheap. Danny, this will more than likely be your chance. Grab that sh*t with both hands, son.

Deep Lying Playmaker

 I would really love a player such as Ilkay Gundogan from Dortmund as I think he could definitely be the type of player we’ve needed since that little Croatian rat left. The odds of us getting him from Dortmund? Slim to none. Why would he leave a team that may win the Champions League to one that isn’t even in it next term? Unless it was for stupid money, which I cannot see Levy going for. That is why I think it will be Tom Carroll to take this position for next year and the long-term future. The young lad has shown all the necessary traits needed to play this position and although I feel that he should have been given more playing time this past term, it is impossible for one not to see the talent and calming influence he has on the squad. It’s as if he says, “Chill guys, I got this” and then plays nasty balls through the tiniest of spaces. He does need to get a little bit stronger, nothing a few weeks at the gym and a copious amount of protein shakes cannot fix. Erikson from Ajax is also an option but as he has already had talks with Dortmund to replace the outgoing Mario Gotze, I think that ship has sailed.

Enforcer/ Sandro-Clone

I really wish that we could clone humans because I would totally steal Sandro’s DNA and build an army of Brazilian monsters to take over the world. But seeing as we do not have this technology as of yet, which is probably good news for the rest of the world cause I would run this place with one hell of an iron fist, we must look elsewhere for someone to deputise for the “Beast”. Parker is not the player we need. He was perfect for our previous manager as he played a very simple role of shielding the back 4, winning the ball and then playing it to rat-boy. Simple as it gets, right there. The good thing is, we now have a leader in AVB who expects more from the players and needs them to be talented on both sides of the ball. Step forward Odil Ahmedov. This young man currently plays at Anzhi Makalakadaka (or whatever their name is) and is able to act as an enforcer as well as a deep playmaker. He is big, strong and smart who also boasts a nasty shot from distance. We could grab him from the Russians for not much, but again, I think AVB and Levy will not be too concerned with this position as we have other holes to fill. So I think when the “Beast” needs a break from football to save the world, we could use Dembele, Carroll, Holtby or Kaboul as a stop-gap and have them act as the deepest central midfielder as opposed to an out and out defensive midfielder.

Winger

As we will have Andros Townsend coming back into the frame next term after impressing at QPR, I think it may be a little silly to go out and grab another winger, but I’m sure we will be linked to almost every single singer in the world. Christian Atsu of Porto has been mentioned as has Martinez, also of Porto, but I still feel that we will stick with what we have. 
 
Striker or anyone who can hit water falling out of a boat

That may be a funny thing to say but when you have 16 league goals between two strikers, one being one of the highest paid players in the squad, it’s not that funny. Anyone who can be a real striker, not a guy who is anonymous for 80 minutes and then chip in with a goal, not a guy who spends the majority of time running up the channels and slowing down our play, someone who can really lead the line and really grind with the big, physically imposing defenders of the league. Unfortunately, this type of player is rare and even when they are available, they end up costing a whole lot more than what they are really worth. Just to rattle off some names who fit the mold; Negredo, Soldado, Gomis, Lisandro Lopez, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and that Brazilian kid Damiao. Needless to say, at one point or another we have been linked to all of these players but the two I would prefer would be Soldado and Aubameyang. The positive thing about both of these two players is that Soldado would probably be inexpensive as Valencia are in major debt trouble so a bid of around 12 million should be enough to temp the Spanish club to sell. As for Aubameyang, he is extremely versatile and capable of playing on either wing or up top, perfect for AVB and his preferred 4-3-3. AVB loves inverted wingers and Bale coming in from the right with Aubameyang on the left with Soldado up top would be deadly. 
 
Final Thoughts

I do believe that Levy will finally be forced to spend a lot more than what he wants as we were only one point off of fourth and only 6 behind second, so the time for action is now. Hopefully, we are able to bring in our players early in July as this will give them time to understand the complex system that AVB runs. I can see us making those two strikers our big signings with a few other minor purchases, which in my eyes should be enough for us to contend for a title, let alone a Champions League spot.

On a side note, I just moved into a new house, our first home, and if anyone mentions the words “paint”, “sander” or “polyurethane”, I am just going to lose it. But thanks for reading and until next time people…..COYS!

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