Transfer Window - An analysis

Those of you who wanted an exciting close to the transfer window were not disappointed yesterday even though the late striker arrival was not quite what we expected.

The window has been a busy one for Spurs once again. People forget when over one summer with Christian Gross in charge all we had to show was a left back called Tramazzani so the comings and goings during this window and the last two have shown the intent by the board and the manager that they really do mean business.

The transfer dealings actually started in January when we announced that Tainio was to arrive on a free transfer. I hadn’t heard of him myself but his displays in pre-season and in the opening matches show we have a player who is quick, can pass well and, most importantly, is better than what we already have. Our second Bosman transfer was Stalteri, a Canadian international with Champions League experience. He has already shown that he is not afraid of a tackle and can get forward. Whether he will be better in the long run that Stephen Kelly is not yet clear although he has added strength and depth. Tom Huddlestone arrived from Derby and is one very much for the future as is Aaron Lennon, a very quick, talented youngster who adds a lot of pace to the wings. Routledge joined as well who adds pace to the wing. He is better than Simon Davies but needs to improve his final ball.

The final day then became interesting. Kanoute had left a week before so we were all hoping for a striker. First to be signed was Jermaine Jenas from Newcastle. A full England international who is an attacking midfielder he does provide something that maybe our midfield lacked and that is hopefully goals. Lee followed him and is a highly rated left back. Clearly better than Edman he will slot into the team nicely. Speaking of Erik, he left for Rennes in a surprising move as it does leave us a little short in the left back position. Finally Grzegorz Rasiakn was signed in the very final minutes of the window. It was quite a surprise and I have to admit that I know very little about him. Looking at the stats he has shown he can score goals in the Championship and has international experience but he wasn’t the massive name we were all hoping for. However I think the move makes sense. Kanoute was let go for a number of reasons. His attitude about Mali and pre-season tours was the thing that ultimately finished him at Spurs but his ability to not show up in more matches than he did was another contributing factor. The chance to make a profit on a player who offered so much but in reality delivered much less was a chance we could not refuse. Jol and Co then looked at options. Kuyt would have been amazing but with Feyanoord asking silly money and Kuyt deciding to show some loyalty to his club it meant that that signing was not going to happen in this window. This left Spurs with a few options. Blow a lot of money on someone they didn’t really want or go for a back up option. They clearly assessed what we had. Two world-class strikers in Defoe and Keane and Mido, a big guy that either of the other two could play off. First choice is going to Mido and Defoe so we had to get a tall man in to provide cover. Spurs made their move for Grzegorz Rasiak to provide that cover for Mido. Rasiak will be happy to warm the bench while providing something different to Defoe and Keane. He will be fourth choice striker and will be happy to fill that role. This buy allows us to keep a large wedge set aside for further strengthening in January when we can hopefully get who we actually want without being held to ransom.

So this leave Spurs with cover once again in the forward positions with a much stronger squad overall. Kuyt would have been a great signing and would have meant that Levy and Co deserved an A+ for their dealings. It wasn’t to be but the window has still been a success and I think the sensible option of providing cover at a low cost while we wait for who we really want means that Levy and Jol still deserve a B+ score for their dealings.

COYS!