Let’s face it, it was only a matter of time before I ended up talking about potential transfers and targets. Sorry to those who are waiting for some good old fashioned nonsense, that’s a few weeks away but will be coming!
The article is pretty self-explanatory. What do you think is the most logical step for our club to take? Who, if anyone, do you think we could realistically bring in to improve what we currently have? Should we (the board/club) perhaps keep the cheque book in Mr Levy’s desk drawer because of the uncertainties as to how we’ll perform, or not perform at Wembley, thus maintaining funds for when we return to our new, but permanent home?
I honestly don’t know what is the best answer to any of that, which is why I’m glad I don’t have to make such decisions. It really can’t be easy to decide what the best course of action is!
The most obvious thing that springs to mind, is we literally cannot stand still. Nobody else will, so maybe I’ve actually inadvertently answered my own question there? I’ve already seen stories suggesting Antonio Conte will be given some £200mil to improve his current league winning crop of players, whilst we can also surely expect the likes of Man Utd, Man Citeh, Liverpool & maybe even Master Splinter, AKA Arsene Wenger, to be splashing similar amounts of money. But can we do the same?
Just for a second, let’s imagine that we can indeed make similar investments to improve upon what we currently have, who on earth could we possibly, realistically sign that would be better than what we have at our disposal right now? Before this season, I’d have happily taken a David Silva type of player, as we seemed bereft of such a creative & imaginative player. However, this season, Christian Eriksen has well and truly stepped up & has shown me he can do just as much as Silva does, but also works twice as hard. That said, if/when Eriksen gets injured, do we really have a viable alternative to step in and do a similar job? I honestly don’t know! So perhaps another intelligent, creative type of player is required? Then again, that would mean him or Eriksen would have to be happy to sit on the bench, which is not realistically likely.
Again, before this season, I thought Dembele didn’t offer us much. He didn’t create much, didn’t and doesn’t score enough goals, kept holding onto the ball for too long & was forever running down blind alleys, conceding possession. However, after a year of coaching by Poch and his staff, Dembele is a different animal altogether. He is unrecognisable from that frustrating player that we had before Poch took over. Even our old coaching staff were left frustrated by Dembele, with Les Ferdinand saying…
We used to say to him: ‘You’re the next person to go to Real Madrid, you’re the next guy to go to Real Madrid from this club.
‘He`s got great ability, yet you just don’t see enough of it. He leaves you frustrated because you know he’s got more and you want to see it. He can get forward. He’s got a great shot on him but you just never see it.’(full article HERE).
As I said, though, Mousa is a whole different beast now. He’s been nothing short of brilliant & thanks must go to Poch and his coaching team, as they’ve made him realise the potential he always had. So, with Dembele, Wanyama, Dier, Eriksen, Alli, Son, and also Lamela (remember him?), are we really in need of anything else in midfield? Who on earth could we sign that would not only be better than those guys, but would also be willing to come to THFC?
Defence – As covered in another article, it does appear that Walker is off. I’d imagine that would mean we really do need another RB? Or has Poch and his staff seen something in one of our talented youngsters? Again, who would be a realistic & viable option for us to sign?
I don’t think we need to concern ourselves in the CB department? The 2 first choices speak for themselves, Alderweireld & Vertonghen ARE the best CB pairing in the league, full stop! Of course, Dier can also slot in there & is a bloody good option. Then there’s Wimmer, who we’ve not seen a great deal of but, when he’s been called upon, he’s been pretty damn solid for someone in their first year in the country. I guess the actual question when it comes to Wimmer is, will he be happy to stay, or will he want to move on so he can get regular games under his belt? I think we’d be crazy to let him go, but we can’t keep him if he does want to. An unhappy player is not what this squad accommodates! You’re either happy to be part of it, or you’re shown the door. Poch has made that perfectly clear for everyone & I think he’s absolutely spot on.
What about the LB department? I’ll probably get pelted for this, but I firmly believe that no other club in the league has 2 better LB options than we do at THFC. I spent years on here championing Danny Rose, whilst others proclaimed him as ‘will never be good enough.’ Well I’m not one to blow my own trumpet but, paaaaarrrrppp. There’s a reason Man Citeh are linked with Rose, as well as Walker, it’s because he’s bloody good! Then there’s Davies. He is to Rose, what Trippier is to Walker. Both Rose & Walker are fast and athletic, and will bomb up and down the line for 90 minutes. However, end product can often be a glaring issue, though Rose is still streets ahead of Walker in that department. Rose ‘can’ put in a wicked delivery, he just doesn’t do it enough. With Trippier & Davies, it’s the flip side of the coin. Not as fast or athletic as Rose or Walker, but have more football intelligence & a better end product, in my opinion, of course. So, are we covered in the LB department?
I guess the just leaves the striker department. There’s no doubt about it at all, that Kane fella who ‘will never be good enough to play in the PL, let alone for THFC’ is absolutely the main striker & has earned the right to remain exactly that. But what about his competition? Does he have any? Is Janssen a busted flush? Or is he simply needing a bit of patience whilst he acclimatises to life in the UK and the Premier League? I can’t answer that because I’ve never seen enough of the lad to be able to form any sort of opinion. His hold-up play is top notch, I have seen that much. However, a striker`s job is to score goals, so it’s over to Poch and his team, I guess?
Personally speaking, as great as Kane is (and he WILL get better) I’d love to see a ‘worldie’ come in. I have no idea who on earth we could possibly target, but finding and bringing in a truly world class striker would surely only be a good thing? Someone that could not only push Kane for his spot, but also teach him a thing or two along the way. That can’t be a bad thing!
So, what do you think? Should we sit on the cheque book & get the season at Wembley out of the way? Or should we do what appears to be a necessity & look for improvements because we can bet our Lilywhite butts that our opponents will absolutely be doing precisely that? Over to you – COYS
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