Tottenham’s preparations for next season
Since Tottenham crashed out of the UEFA Cup on penalties back in March, its fair to suggest that cruise control mode has set in a White Hart Lane. The north London club are guaranteed a spot in next season’s UEFA Cup following their Carling Cup victory. But with just two games of the season remaining, the height of the club’s current ambition is to leap frog West Ham into tenth position in the Premiership table.
Spurs’s league form has been consistently inconsistent throughout 2007/2008 and to emphasise the point, Juande Ramos‘ team have managed just one win in their last eight games. It’s hardly the kind of form expected from a side talked about in many quarters as being top four material last summer.
Having seen their former boss Martin Jol sacked after 14 matches, captain Ledley King start just ten games and star man Dimitar Berbatov linked continuously with just about every major European club, Tottenham’s season hasn’t been without its distractions. That kind of explanation for Spurs’ mid-table mediocrity is hardly likely to wash with the club’s ambitious manager, board or fans though and a summer of major change of in N17 is inevitable. The UK football media has revelled in speculating the players likely to arrive and depart at club, with the list of individuals mentioned seemingly endless. London’s Evening Standard this evening touted a potential swap between Spurs and Barcelona involving strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Samuel Eto’o. Whether or not there is any truth in that story is yet to be established. What is already known is that Tottenham will be never far from the back pages throughout June, July and August.
Juande Ramos’ Spurs makeover has started in earnest. Back in January, the Spaniard brought Jonathan Woodgate, Gilberto and Alan Hutton to White Hart Lane in order to stabilise Tottenham’s defensive frailties. This week he also secured the services of much sought after Croatian player maker Luka Modric for a fee of £15.8m from Dinamo Zagreb. Ramos allowed Jermain Defoe to leave in the last transfer window and in a recent press conference, he went as far as suggest fellow forward Dimitar Berbatov could also depart this summer - if the price is right. Pertinent questions remain over the future of Ledley King, given the injury problems that have plagued him over the last three or four years. Retirement has been mentioned in some newspapers - Ramos denies these claims but concedes he is considering replacing King as captain next season, given the sparse amount of starts he has completed this season.
One Spurs centre-back that seems destined for the departure door is Younes Kaboul. The Frenchman was outspoken in his criticism of Juande Ramos in the press this week, claiming his boss has brought the club nothing apart from tactical changes and that the Spurs would have still won the Carling Cup with Martin Jol as manager. He added that ‘communication doesn’t exist with him (Ramos)’. Paul Stalteri and Anthony Gardner look likely to exit alongside Kaboul this summer, having been allowed to join Fulham and Everton respectively on loan this season. Lee Young Pyo is also unlikely to be in north London after August, especially with the return from injury of Welsh left back Gareth Bale. Paul Robinson, Radek Cerny, Darren Bent, Adel Taarabt and Dimitar Berbatov complete the list of players linked with a move away from White Hart Lane so far in 2008 - and the second transfer window isn’t even open yet.
On the incoming, forwards David Villa (Valencia), Iaquita (Juventus) and Bruno Fornaroli (Club Nacional de Football) have been suggested as possible replacements for Berbatov, should the Bulgarian leave Tottenham. Carlos Kameni (Espanyol), Santiago Canizares (Valencia) and Robert Green (West Ham) have been spoken about as becoming the new Spurs number one, while Diego Capel (Seville) and even Ronaldinho have been mentioned as new midfielders.
Spurs midfield has been significantly boosted by Luka Modric’s signing. The Croatian is to join the club after the Euro 2008 championships, a tournament in which he is expected to shine. Tottenham have been particularly wise in completing a deal for the 22-year-old playmaker now, aware of way his value could soar after he represents his country over the summer. They faced stiff competition for his signature with Chelsea, Newcastle, Bayern Munich and Juventus all rumoured suitors for the Dinamo Zagreb player. Juande Ramos lavished praise on Tottenham’s board for concluding the deal early claimed ‘We (Tottenham) had to speed things up because if not we could have lost him… the chairman acted very quickly’.
Similar swift movement in the summer transfer window will be a must, as the ‘Special Juan’ continues his detailed rebuilding programme at White Hart Lane.
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Discussion - 9 Responses
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However written this is just a current aggregation of the news so far. Any comments on the style of footie we have been playing where in your mind needs strengthening and why. Anyone else out there we should be going for that has not been mentioned that should be considered. Maybe a consideraton and comment on Ramos or should i just read the papers, Your article on the points we have thrown away was a better researched piece this ones just to pay bills i guess and get hits.
They have done well to get a potentially great player in modric but lets be honest, spurs are still a second tier team which means that a great player like villa would not give them a minutes thought. maybe after a good year they could go for a villa or an eto’o, but for the moment they are dreaming of the transfers that only arsenal, m united, chelsea or liverpool could pull off in the premiership. Maybe a uefa cup place for the shadow team of north london, maybe ramos has done better than jol but is still nothing on wenger or ferguson.
“Maybe a uefa cup place for the shadow team of north london, maybe ramos has done better than jol but is still nothing on wenger or ferguson”
Well done Sherlock, for pointing that out
noticed we have been linked to simuvic & madlung as well now,we do need a centre half as younis seems to have talked himself out of the lane??? as for the midfiel? we do neeed a graham roberts type of player???? gattuso springs to mind here! dont know much about makoun though so i will hold back my thought’s regarding him. as for the left side i would go for pranjic and not capel! i have watched a lot of paella football and he does go to ground easily!!!! as for the right side? i would welcome bentley with open arms! for one he is a spurs fan and a lot better player than our lenny i.e see’s the pass, picks the pass and delivers the pass!! as for the keeper, although he is a good keeper (kameni) i would go for mcgregor from rangers looks a top keeper, as for cover i have a mate who play’s for peterborough and he has raved on and on about joe lewis reckons he is the best young keeper around by a country mile.
I believe that the mid-teams (as I like to call the ones other than the big 4) in the EPL need really to scout for talents in smaller clubs in south america, africa and middle east to bring a variety of style into their game. And also introduce a mid to long term plan to improve the quality in their youth academies with some exchange programs to give the English children a different development of their abilities. That could be a possible solution
RE: Stephen Byron.
What exactly are ‘mid teams’. I am not sure whether that is uninformed ambiguity or absolute nonesense. I am a Spurs fan, however clubs such as Everton, Aston Villa and ourselves are really pushing the top four without the measures which you suggest. Are Liverpool to be considered in the ‘top four’ when they are, and have been throughout the season, completely off the pace. They have actually been battling with Everton, who in turn have now been pursued by Aston Villa.
Spurs have had a poor League season, but a cup win and European competition is enogh to suggest Spurs are pushing aswel. What needs to be done, and what will inevitably take time, is for clubs such as the aforementioned three to build squads of good players, not merely starting 11’s. There is no need to go backwards, if such clubs can, with a bit more depth, compete throughout the season and not just in spells.
It is not variety but depth that is needed. All you need to do is look at the lackluster substitutes that Spurs can bring on, compared to, say, Liverpool or Arsenal.
Stephen Byron: Easier said than done. There is a work-permit rule, you know, so English teams can’t just bring in every Brazilian prodigy that has a few good games.
However, Peter, although Liverpool have not made any challenge for the title, you must admit that they will finish fourth comfortably, and with a few more signings in the summer will probably be even harder to eclipse. Everton, Villa and the like will need to spend serious money to break into the Champions League, which Liverool can do because of the TV revenue from that comptetion. It’s unfair, and it’s because of that that a “big four” has emerged in British football.
Hopefully either Everton, Spurs or Villa will doit though. My money would be on Everton, especially if they can bring in a world-class player, but Spurs look just as likely to do it. Which is to say, not very likely at all.
Spurs will always be a mid-table team with the odd UEFA Cup european excursions once every 2 years or so regardless of who they bring in and kick out.
Stephen Byron..having a great youth system wont really make a difference. West Ham, Porto and Ajax have one of the best youth systems in the world. Yet they’re nowhere close to being the big guns of europe. Their best players that surface are simply signed by the big clubs.
However..yeah spurs do look well equipped to challenge liverpool…the weak link in the top four…should liverpool not make many significant signing. But liverpool are a bigger club and a bigger team..and it doesnt seem like theyl be really challenged. Its a tough job to break in the top 4…and even if in 1 season a team does break in..its destined to go back out next season…like everton.
That apart…tottenham have a great team..no question. Berba and Keano are one of the best strike combo in the EPL and if berb can raise his game to the level that we know he has the potential of..then tottenham have a great chance
Modric is an excellent player and they need aaron lennon to utilise his awesome talent too..and for jermaine jenas to be consistenly good and king to be fit.king and woodgate are an excellent defensive patnership and hutton is an excellent fullback.I think its the central midfield which may need strengthening up