Tottenham Hotspur today finalized a transfer agreement that will bring Jermain Defoe back to White Hart Lane. The complicated deal is reportedly worth £15 million, a few briefcases more than the reported £7.5 million that Portsmouth paid to lure Defoe away from Spurs only 12 months ago. How the diminutive Englishman became at least twice as good as he previosuly was in his year at Fratton Park is slightly beyond my comprehension. What is not beyond anyone's comprehension (except, it seems, the Tottenham front office's) is that this is a very stupid purchase by a club that has made a number of iffy purchases recently (See below). Despite a rather impressive track record during his time at Pompey, 17 goals in 34 games, it is important to remember that Defoe played in a starring role, a luxury he will not enjoy at Spurs. The price that Spurs reportedly paid for the striker is absurd enough (Something Spurs have become rather good at recently), but what is more ridiculous is what Spurs could have done with the money. Euro 2008 superstar Andrei Arshavin has recently made it clear that a move to England from current club Zenit St. Petersburg is inevitable. While I understand that Spurs claimed to have ended their interest in August, the same also goes for Arsenal, and they are now considered the favorite to land the Russian. What I'm saying, is that with Arshavin looking to move to the exact same part of London, why don't Spurs use the £15 million spent on Defoe towards a £20 million purchase of Andrei Arshavin? Imagine a potential Tottenham front line that would include David Bentley, Luka Modric, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin. IMO that team could easily compete with the best in Europe, nevermind the Premier League. In adding Defoe, the London side have improved their squad marginally, but it will not have a great affect on their season.
Having mentioned the £40+ million trio of Spurs summer signings, Defoe's signing presents us with a good opportunity to examine the individual performances of Bentley, Modric and Pavlyuchenko through the first half of their first season with the club.
David Bentley, signed from Blackburn for £15 million in July 2008:
Apart from a couple of highlight-reel specials, Bentley has largely dissapointed for the White Hart Lane outfit. Having quickly raised enthusiam and his own price-tag with a very impressive season for Blackburn and and couple of dazzling displays for England, Bentley's move to Spurs seemed to be a perfect match. Spurs were about to bring in a couple of top-class attacking options to get on the end of his picture-perfect deliveries, and Bentley would not have the pressure of carrying an entire team on his back (as he did for Rovers during much of his last season there). The 24-year-old has struggled to find his feet at Blackburn, scoring only two goals and provding only 3 in his first year at the club. Bentley's well-known bent, dangerous balls into the box have all-too-often gone astray, and his trademark runs down the right wing are no longer a regular feature of his game. If you ask me, Mr. Bentley needs a long overdue haircut...the buzz worked at Blackburn!
Luka Modric, signed from Dinamo Zagreb for £15.8 million in July 2008:
Modric had terrific Euro 2008, and also generated much excitement when he and his creative playing style moved to the Lane last year. Modric was brought in as the player meant to anchor a free-flowing, goal scoring Tottenham attack. The Croat started off very poorly under then manager Juande Ramos, but given more freedom by Harry Redknapp, he is quickly becoming the player that many Spurs fans hoped he would. Despite having only recently scored his first Spurs goal, Modric has followed it up with a classy header from his belly and is now controlling Tottenham's game with ease from his supporting striker role. Look to see Modric improve even more as he quickly becomes one of the best attacking midfield players in the world.
Roman Pavlyuchenko, signed from Spartak Moscow for £13.8 in August 2008:
Pavlyuchenko, much like his eastern European teammate, generated much hype with his Euro 2008 performance. Pavlyuchenko was hailed as an athletic target man with great aerial abilities and a solid eye for goal. He too, did not play to his potential, but has picked up his act under Redknapp (the entire Spurs team have). The Russian locomotive has scored 10 goals in 20 appearances for Spurs, including 8 under the new manager. I expect the big man to continue to get better as he adjusts to the English game, a process that has historically taken time, especially for foreign strikers.
In short (and I know the article has been everything but), Spurs' summer signings look to be finally producing for the club. Despite a recent lack of form, Tot has managed to overcome a historically dreadful start to the season and climb out of the relegation zone and into 16th place in the Premiership. They seem certain to return to the Carling Cup final after today's 4-1 domination of Burnley and are still alive in Europe. If they play up to their enormous potential, the possibilities seem endless.
What will happen with Spurs and their superstar signings this season? Will they finish in a respectable position in the league? Defened their cup title? Can they even win the UEFA cup?
