Some Crucial Transfers for Spurs this Summer

Article by e-Spurs Writer Jimmie Lyden (UK)

As we all know, last summer was a transitional time for Spurs as a club. There was a new manager and new players, coupled with the loss of arguably one of the finest players to grace the lilywhite shirt in the past decade to Madrid. This summer could largely be the same story (as we all know Spurs have never far from the headlines during transfer windows). AVB looks set to stay but there has been supposed interest in him from abroad (The dreaded M word again) whilst we have been promised an influx of new players although Gareth Bale could be on his way out this summer to deal another crippling blow to our squad like last summer when Luka left. Bearing that in mind, here are 5 ins and 3 outs that are necessary for spurs to finally secure that coveted Champions league place we have all craved:
 
INS
 
1. Roberto Soldado – Whilst I understand and am excited by all the hype around Damiao, I really believe the Valencia forward could be our striking lynch pin for the next few seasons. Being 28 years old and in the prime of his career, Soldado’s record speaks for itself. Somehow always ignored by Spain for most internationals, his goal record for “Los Che” is better than a goal every two games and this is in, technically speaking, the best league in the world (although I love the Premier League more for excitement). Soldado has always remained cagey on a move away but realises Valencia’s perilous financial state and has never ruled out a move away from the Mestalla. I wanted Soldado at Spurs before he even moved to Valencia and at a rumoured price of £15 million, I believe Levy will be getting one of the bargains of the season.
 
2. Leandro Damiao – Nothing new here right? Throughout the last 3 or 4 transfer windows, every Spurs fan has suffered and been frustrated by our inability to lure this man to the Lane. Whether it has been Internacional’s reluctance to sell or his apparent lack of interest to move to Spurs (and I am sure there are those who blame Levy for the whole ordeal), this Selecao striker has been on our list for years. Apparently this is the summer where we finally snap him up for a reported £20 million. I think that he would be good for us as he is big and strong but mobile on the ball and wins his share of headers in the box. His showing at London 2012 did him no harm either. However, the reason why I put Soldado before him is because, well, his scoring record isn’t actually that good, 28 goals in 72 appearances in frankly a poor league isn’t exactly prolific but it would still be good for Spurs to sign him up, if only to put an end to the constant stories and speculation....
 
3. Pierre Emerick Aubayemang – I am very excited about this young man and would rejoice if Levy brings him to N17. A talented striker who couldn’t quite make the cut
at Milan, his record at Saint Etienne is very impressive. The quality of the French league has decreased severely over the years in my view hence why in the last 6 years, there has been a different winner each time but this should not count against Aubayemang. Like Soldado for Valencia, his record is better than a goal every 2 games for “Les Verts” and this year he was voted best African player in Ligue 1. Blessed with lightening pace, he could play as the striker or a winger to supplement the team and with a rumoured price tag between £10-20 million, this would be a move to excite and delight Spurs fans everywhere.
 
4. Younes Belhanda – Moving away from forwards, this firecracker of a player could be the final cog in our midfield puzzle. Described as a player who possesses "vision, technique and intelligent decision-making", this would make him a perfect fit for Tottenham. Drawing comparisons to Robert Pires, he has the ability to play attacking and defensive midfielder so AVB could use him as the deep lying playmaker we crave to play alongside Sandro and Mousa/Paulinho in the 3 man midfield. There are questions about his temperament with many believing him the share the personal qualities of a certain Adel Taarabt and he has had a few bust ups with managers and players. However, he has unquestionable talent and with the Montpellier chairman saying he wants only £8 million for him, we should get in there and bite his hand off before other top clubs become interested.
 
5. A young backup to Lloris – I think every Spurs fan has been impressed by the way Hugo “The Boss” has adapted to the Premier league in his first seasons. Personally, I believe if we had replaced Brad with Hugo earlier in the season, Hugo could have been named best keeper in the league and we may have conceded less goals. That sounds quite harsh on Brad as he played out of his skin the first few games of the season but the fact is we need a young, hungry goalkeeper to challenge Hugo for the jersey. A few names spring to mind but I could not see us getting the likes of Courtois or (my personal favourite) Marc-Andre ter Stegen so any young, quality backup to Hugo that would be happy to sit on the bench would be ideal for Spurs.

OUTS
 
1. Heurelho Gomes – The time is finally up for Gomes from whom so much was expected when we signed him after a brilliant performance against us in the Europa League for PSV. Too many mistakes and costly errors made Gomes fall down the pecking order at the lane (leading many to believe now he is 4th choice behind Hugo, Brad and young Jordan Archer). However, he impressed on loan at Hoffenheim before an injury sent him back to us and they are believed to be keen on signing him up permanently. One thing I believe he had was his shot stopping ability as he often made brilliant saves out of nowhere when playing for us but his poor catching and lack of communication means that he will be one of the main clearances at the Lane this summer.
 
2. Jake Livermore – As much as we all wanted our academy graduate to succeed for us, the simple fact is Jake isn’t top level Premiership quality. A passionate and enthusiastic player he remains though but he lacks the quality and skill to ever become a mainstay member of our team (although he somehow was capped by England). He would do well at a lower level Premier League or High level Championship club though and we could get a decent amount of money for Jake which would be better spent elsewhere, even though I would wish him the best of luck in his career outside the Lane.
 
3. Tom Huddlestone – There are a few contenders for the 5th and final spot in the outs section. However, I have opted for Tom Huddlestone who was simply just awful in my view as we came towards the close of the season. Honestly, the games I saw that Huddlestone played in were just painful to watch as he always managed to pass the ball straight to the opposition or get dispossessed with alarming ease. A few years back, I thought he was brilliant but the fact is he has not progressed as we all would have liked and we should sell him now to get a decent amount of money for him that could be used to strengthen the side more productively than keeping “the Hudd” lumbering around in midfield playing one beautiful pass then giving away the next nine.

Jimmie Lyden
 
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