Home > Football > The 'new Berbatov and Keane' who can save Spurs
by Luke Durkin on 08 October 2008
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Spurs are currently falling short in the striker department as far as depth is concerned. They will be without Roman Pavlyuchenko for up to a month, which will have repercussions regarding their poor start to the new Premier League campaign. Juande Ramos must be looking for replacements in all parts of the field, but not necessarily those of a high celebrity profile at this point in time.
As opposed to shelling out money for a player's high-profile reputation Spurs must be willing to take a calculated risk, as they did when Dimitar Berbatov first arrived at White Hart Lane from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for an estimated £10million under Martin Jol.
Spurs have two options at the moment up front – three if you count the injured Pavlyuchenko – and this is in no way a strikeforce worthy of winning major honours. The loss of Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Berbatov have all clearly had a massive impact on Tottenham’s goalscoring form which we have laid awestruck eyes on in previous seasons.
There could be a solution to this problem in the form of two players currently plying their trade within Europe. Current Bundesliga side TSG 1998 Hoffenheim currently have a player of Bosnian nationality called Vedad Ibisevic. The 24-year-old is the top scorer of the Bundesliga so far with seven goals, which is impressive in such a demanding league.
My solution regarding Tottenham is that the player looks very much like Berbatov in playing style and his goal awareness is very similar to that of the Bulgarian, yet he has far more pace. He does not look lazy in any way and his composure in the box is outstanding. Standing at a sturdy 6ft 2in, Ibisevic is of a similar height and frame to Berbatov, and signing him would not break the bank.
Zenit St Petersburg striker Andrei Arshavin has been touted for a move to Spurs but Andre-Pierre Gignac, of French side Toulouse, might be a better bet. Gignac has yet to make a name for himself but his pace, awareness and goalscoring form in the French league could be compared to that of Keane. He has the ability to outwit defenders and the confidence to attack players directly, just like Ibisevic.
Either one of these would be great additions to the squad, but Spurs must be looking early to acquire players in necessary positions as opposed to panic buying at the very last second.
Tactically, there are many positions that need strengthening and now is the right time for Spurs to be looking at potential recruitment candidates to avoid another botch-up come January.
Comments (4)
on October 08, 2008 on October 08, 2008
You are a dreamer mate! Firstly in case you havent realised we currently lie rock bottom of the league, the managers job is uncertain, the team gets booed off the pitch every week and the club looks like it may well be on the market! hardly the most attractive option for young upcoming players. Secondly people seem to be forget that it isnt just this season weve been crap, we have been playing relegation style football since we won the carling cup and both Keane and Berbatov were present then, they are not the only reason for our poor start!
by Andy Bassey on October 08, 2008
We've improved the defence somewhat. It's just up front where we are lacking. We have the creativity but no one other than the loan striker seems to want to get inside that box. It can be infuriating to watch, but it can be easy to rectify.
by Ino itall on October 09, 2008
Good article. Don't know the players you refer to but sounds good nevertheless. What I don't like is the first reply - typical of the scum that jump on the banwagon and booo everyone from Sol through to Ramos. Eeeejit. Whether we're top or bottom of the Premier League, we are still in Europe and should be able to attract some more good quality players - hopefully in Jan. As for the second reply - buddy - we're also missing a quality midfield enforcer. Doh.
by custa sarajevo on November 02, 2008
Ibisevic extra. 13 goals
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