Tottenham’s Striker Search

It is well documented that Tottenham Hotspur suffered last season because they could not rely on any of their relatively high profile strikers to provide the goals necessary to emulate their success of the 09/10 season. With Robbie Keane, Roman Pavyluchenko, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch at Harry Redknapp’s disposal, pundits and fans alike would have suspected that Spurs might have enough ammunition in the offensive ranks to conjure yet another 4^th place Premier League finish, which would have delighted the majority of spectators (excluding Manchester City obviously due to their most recent financial fortune).

Incorrect. It may have gone quietly under the radar of media attention, but Defoe’s form had abandoned him completely mid-way through the 09/10 season; the campaign had begun in delightful fashion for the explosive striker with a hat-trick against Hull preceding a consistent series of single goal contributions until November when he lit White Hart Lane alight with 5 goals to his own name against Wigan, and then once more contributing further goals before a drought materialised toward the end of February. From this period onwards, JD only managed one goal in open play for the remainder of the season.

Redknapp may be forgiven for remaining optimistic that JD’s form would return for a season involving Champions League exploits however, as January crept ever closer and VDV was clearly hoisting Spurs to victory almost single-handedly, the gaffer really should have reacted when his 4 strikers could only muster 22 goals between all of them in all competitions by the end of January. Failure to qualify for the Champions League for a second consecutive season tells the story from there on in; no signings, no sudden burst of form (from any of the front men) and certainly no genuine threat to Manchester City or even Arsenal come the 22^nd May 2011.

Reaction. Redknapp is renowned for his honesty with the media. On Jermain Defoe, “he hasn’t played well enough to play regularly, that’s the top and bottom of it” and then his front quartet altogether, “it would make a massive ­difference to us if the front men went on a run and started scoring goals in the Premier League.” So we would all expect some serious hunt in the summer transfer window but as yet, rumour (and nothing more to date) is all the Spurs fans can muster hope from for the coming season.

High profile candidates for that role in the Spurs starting line-up include: Rossi, Llorente, Forlan, Damiao, Zamora, Drogba, Vucinic, Gyan, Adebayor and so on. Unfortunately though, without the inclusion of Champions League football, Daniel Levy seems to be clutching at straws in the pursuit of such names, especially when outrageous wage demands provide the final stumbling block that Tottenham Hotspur clearly won’t budge on. We have to admire Levy’s stubborn attitude in an industry where players are clearly pulling the strings so that ambitious clubs are left out to dry financially, but for Spurs to really push on and challenge big-spending Manchester City, Chelsea,  Manchester United and Liverpool, regrettably Levy must give in and make the dollar available.

Candidates.

Rossi, Llorente, Forlan, Vucinic, Damiao- All face the daunting task of adapting to the ‘fast-paced’ nature of the premier league. Both Forlan and Rossi have already tried and failed (in the eyes of SAF); will Redknapp give either another chance? Damiao, a relatively unknown figure in football would be considered a gamble but Redknapp has history of scouting talent from Brazil, Sandro eased into the Spurs side last season and clearly feels his national compatriot would “do very well here.”

Gyan- Had a blistering start to his career in England with Sunderland but I suspect his fortunes would turn for the worst in a move to the Lane. Similarly to Bent, Gyan relies on pace, scraps, confidence and defensive errors to really prosper. I’m not convinced that Spurs’ style would suit the vivacious Ghanaian, possession football and one-touch technique (to which Berbatov adapted masterfully) might be just a step beyond his ability.

Drogba- How much longer does this veteran have before all of his key attributes desert him? Chelsea’s asking fee could range from £8m to £18m and the latter seems a hefty fee for a player who may not provide the goods in 18months. A return to Marseille would seem the more likely destination if a move were to materialise anyway.

Zamora-Injury prone and yet to prove consistency in the Premier League. Didn’t make the cut in a previous spell at Spurs and one would suspect history might repeat itself if Bobby did make a return to the Lane.

Adebayor-A proven premier league striker with undeniable talent, purchased by Jose Mourinho on loan to Real Madrid so Redknapp need not have any qualms about quality. He would fit perfectly into a system where width from Bale and Lennon would utilise his key attributes, height, strength and heading; a better footballer than Crouch, thus able to hold the ball up for the creative genius that is Luka Modric. Attitude and temperament have hindered him in the past but Redknapp is one of few managers that would merely yield the best of his talent and get him scoring goals. Levy, fork out the cash for inevitable wage demands!