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The preseason has began for Tottenham Hotspur and the club has still yet to actually purchase a new player (Brad Friedel was free, remember?). Harry Redknapp and Daniel Levy have, thus far, managed to sell Jamie O'Hara, loan out Steven Caulker, and release Jonathan Woodgate, but other than those things the side remains largely unchanged.
Pretty much every single Spurs fan could tell you that simply standing pat this offseason was not going to help the club. We needed to make a couple of signings, even if they weren't the big flashy signings most of us hope for. Last night Harry Redknapp went on Sky Sports (Check out Dear Mr. Levy's coverage of it here) and practically begged the Club to go out and sign Giuseppe Rossi.
I stand by the assertion, which I've now made at least 5 times, that Rossi is not the player we need. He is certainly an excellent player could do a job for any team, but he doesn't really fit into Harry's "tactics". The same is true of Mirko Vucinic who Tottenham are also being linked quite heavily with. They're second strikers. We need a player that can lead the line. Bring me Fernando Llorente!
To be perfectly honest, this has been another slow week for transfer rumors and what rumors there have been seem to be recycled from earlier in the summer. It seems we've reached that point in the summer when only an unexpected signing will shake things up.
We Want A West Ham Midfielder: Despite being relegated West Ham United have managed to hang onto almost all their players from last year. Not sure if that's a commentary on their collective lack of quality or the Club's unwillingness to sell. Either way, Tottenham are interested in signing Jack Collison. The 22-year old Welshman has been linked with Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion, and now Tottenham. I'd prefer Spurs not purchase anyone from West Ham, because they're awful, so I'll pass on this.
More rumors after the jump.
#WeNeedAStriker: Sunderland have been making headlines this summer. They've already pipped a number of bigger clubs to sign Connor Wickham, but could Asamoah Gyan be on the way out? Many believe that striker is happy and settled and the Stadium of Light and would be reluctant to move anywhere, but the player's agent is telling a different story. His agent refuses to say whether Gyan will stay or go, but does "confirm" that one club has had an offer tabled for the Ghanian striker. This seems like it would be a pretty good addition to Tottenham's stable of strikers, don't you think?Hell No! He Won't Go!: Benoit Assou-Ekotto is a unique fellow. Sure, he plays football for the money, but that doesn't mean he'll be leaving Tottenham Hotspur for greener pastures. Nouveau riche club Paris Saint-Germain and several other clubs have been looking to sign the Cameroonian left back, who yesterday put the kibosh on such a move. That's good news for the club, if for no other reason than we don't have a replacement for him. Sure Danny Rose and Gareth Bale can play left back, but neither are as good at the position as Assou-Ekotto.
Player We're Not Being Linked With But Should Be: I have a feeling people will be upset with me about his, but hear me out. Manchester City have a huge squad with a lot of players. Emmanuel Adebayor is not an option for Tottenham Hotspur because of his wages, but what about Roque Santa Cruz. He's certainly a player that can play on his own up top and Manchester City might be willing to loan him to us or at least sell him at a discount. Is he the type of elite striker that's going to put us into the Champions League? No probably not, but can he come in and do a job for us? Certainly.
Player We're Actually Going to Sign...This Week: The Club seems to have been priced out of a move for Bolton Wanderer's Gary Cahill, but Birmingham City's Roger Johnson remains an option. I'm not sure why the club continue to look at these English central defenders, especially given our current depth at the position. Johnson isn't bad, but is he much better than Younes Kaboul, who is likely our fourth choice central defender? I don't think so. He'll be much cheaper than Cahill though and that certainly makes him attractive. I'm not interested though.