SBNation.com User Blog: Aslan the Melon

Could Ante Rebić be THE Striker?

Aslan the Melon — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:13:08 -0000

In recent weeks, Tottenham have been heavily linked with 19-year-old Croatian striker Ante Rebić. Having witnessed a full match of his and numerous short bursts from time to time, I thought I'd try to inform the commentariat as to his potential fit at Tottenham.

Physically, Rebić is the ideal target man for Tottenham. At 6-foot-1, he is good in the air and strong on the ball, aiding his hold-up play significantly. He also has decent pace which, while not spectacular, helps him latch onto through balls very well, an attribute that has impressed me highly. His technical abilities are impressive for a player of his age and his control in tight spaces is excellent, however his passing could use work as he manages to pick up the ball in good positions and waste possession with a wayward pass to an onrushing midfielder. Rebić's shooting from range also leaves something to be desired, but from within the box he appears to be a confident and capable finisher.

My longest experience of Rebić was in Split's 4-1 victory over rock bottom Zagreb, in which he scored a brace. Both of his goals came from incisive through balls and in both cases he timed his run perfectly so as to stay onside. Neither of the finishes were anything special, but his positioning for both goals allowed him to make simple finishes past a none-too-impressive goalkeeper. It was also not only his goals that allowed him to influence the match, winning a (dubious) penalty for the side's third goal and laying on multiple chances for teammates to spurn time and time again. However, what struck me most in this match was not his play, but his attitude. Seemingly every time a call went against him, he appeared to throw his hands in the air and complain to the referee or an assistant. He also managed to earn a yellow card that should probably have been a red when he kicked out at a player that had just dispossessed him. His statistics also line up with a disciplinary problem, having picked up 11 cards in 31 games this season, a somewhat large number for a striker.

My opinion is that Rebić would be a good signing for Tottenham this summer, but he is not THE striker that we need, despite his great potential. I think he fits more in the Mauro Icardi category of forwards that we should sign as understudies to a proper first choice striker. If this were to occur and the price was reasonable (anywhere short of 8 million pounds or so), it would be an intelligent move as Rebić could take over the reigns in a few years time when he is more refined and his attitude is a little better. For now, Rebić is not THE striker Tottenham need, but one day, he very well could be.

The (not quite as) Big Five of prospective RPL fans - The Runners-Up and Honourable Mentions

Aslan the Melon — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 03:41:23 -0000

So, because Eyebrow asked, I'm doing another RPL team update.

5. Kuban Krasnodar

EPL Equivalent: Norwich
Krasnodar's twin brother. They performed admirably last season, finishing in the top 8, and they have continued to impress this season. Their kits are almost as ugly as that of their neighbours and they don't play particularly nice football. There are no major stars on their team and they are largely just an average RPL squad, playing above their skill level due mostly to poor seasons from 3 of the 4 Moscow sides.

Pros:
- Improving team
- Nice region

Cons:
- No major stars
- Ugly kits

4. Terek Grozny

EPL Equivalent: West Brom
Terek started the season amazingly but flared out as the season started to progress, much like West Brom. Like Kuban, they lack major stars and have struggled of late, but they still stand barely in contention for European spots. Ugly kits all around (starting to be a trend, huh).

Pros:
- Some good points this season
- Nice-ish area

Cons:
- No standout players
- Dodgy kits
- Fading out of the season

3. Krylia Sovetov Samara

EPL Equivalent: Wigan
Krylia seem to do the same thing that Wigan do every year; pull themselves out of the relegation zone at the last minute and they look set to do the same this year. Krylia's favourite move is bringing young players from other clubs in on loan, which isn't the greatest long term strategy.

Pros:
- Their name means Wings of the Soviets
- Cool blue kit

Cons:
- They've got to go down at some point
- Only good for long enough to stay up

2. Lokomotiv Moscow

EPL Equivalent: Liverpool
Both Lokomotiv and Liverpool have managers who do absolutely bizarre things, like benching Roman Pavlyuchenko or Nuri Sahin for Dame N'Doye or Joe Allen. Lokomotiv play almost exclusively in a 4-3-3, but sometimes shift to a 4-2-3-1, neither of which is even slightly intelligent considering they are almost completely bereft of wide players with any ability. They are the smallest of the four Moscow clubs and seem to hold that small club mentality year-in year-out.

Pros:
- Super Pav and Charlie
- Promising youth coming up
- Red and green kit (it's like Christmas all year round!)

Cons:
- Small club mentality
- Slaven Bilic

1. Rubin Kazan

EPL Equivalent: Stoke (sorry LE)
Rubin Kazan are the Stoke of Russia, there is no other way to put it. The play style is identical and the home stadium is just as frightening. The similarities even go down to the misfiring strikers. The biggest difference is that Rubin have been successful in recent years, landing a title in 2008 and playing in Europe consistently since then.

Pros:
- Talented side
- League titles in near future
- European football
- Bibras Natkho (seriously, look him up)

Cons:
- Ugly, ugly, ugly football
- They will be knocked out of Europe by Chelsea

So, because Eyebrow asked, I'm doing another RPL team update.

5. Kuban Krasnodar

4. Terek Grozny

3. Krylia Sovetov Samara

2. Lokomotiv Moscow

1. Rubin Kazan

The Big Five of prospective RPL fans

Aslan the Melon — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:12:55 -0000

As requested by Little Geeber, I've put together a list of the 5 most attractive clubs to take part in the RPL this year, complete with pros, cons and EPL equivalents. However, for more comprehensive RPL content, you can visit my blog here.

5. Anzhi Makhachkala

EPL Equivalent - Manchester City
The new kid on the block, with all too much money to flaunt. Anzhi have made some quality signings in Samuel Eto'o, Willian and Yuri Zhirkov and are managed by none other than Guus Hiddink (who has to manage City at some point, right?). They have a deep forward line, but their defensive midfield lets them down an unbelievable amount. To add to their woes, they are situated in the most dangerous region in Russia, so the players train and live in Moscow and fly to the stadium for matches.

Pros:
- League title within next two seasons
- Champions League football next season (probably)
- Constant improvement of team
- Shiny new stadium coming soon

Cons:
- Can never go to games if you value your safety
- Being lumped in as one of "those glory hunting fans"

4. Krasnodar

EPL Equivalent - Swansea
The overachieving club that nobody can hate. Krasnodar have been surprisingly spectacular this season, with Yura Movsisyan becoming the surprise success story of the season in somewhat the same manner that Michu has for Swansea (although Movsisyan has already earned his move away). Located near the Black Sea in one of the warmest areas of Russia, the club has found itself a good position compared to the wastelands that are Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Pros:
- Lovable team
- Nice region
- Decent football

Cons:
- First good season in the top flight
- Somewhat inconsistent
- Ugly kits

3. Zenit St. Petersburg

EPL Equivalent - Chelsea
The original petrodollar club in the league that is liked even less than Anzhi. Makes hyper expensive signings like Hulk and Axel Witsel (I mean, what the hell?) and plays unfortunately ugly football. Some decent players like Hulk and Danny, but the team doesn't seem to get along well at all and there are positions on the pitch where they are outright poor. Also, there has been recent controversy due to racist statements from portions of the ultras groups.

Pros:
- Good title chances
- Champions League
- Decent players
- Nice kits

Cons:
- Petrodollar club
- Racist elements in fan groups
- St. Petersburg is even colder than Moscow

2. CSKA Moscow

EPL Equivalent - Arsenal
A team that has built a good side by purchasing young talent and bringing players through their academy. CSKA have been somewhat more successful than their EPL counterpart in recent years, but the ethos is the same. Focus on young, cheap players and teach them to play possession football. Very proud of certain academy products.

Pros:
- Nice youth plan
- Possession football (if you're into that)
- Igor Akinfeev and Alan Dzagoev

Cons:
- Ugly kits
- Fans gloating about recent successes

1. Spartak Moscow

EPL Equivalent - Tottenham
The team that plays attractive attacking football. Spartak/Tottenham is the little brother (arguably) of CSKA/Arsenal, but they have a much richer history than their rivals with a tradition of talented players and attractive football. The first great crop of youth players in years is coming into the first team fold now and the future looks bright for Spartak.

Pros:
- Beautiful football
- Talented youth
- Pushing for Champions League each season
- Great history

Cons:
- Heartbreaking
- Red kits (ugh!)
- Inconsistent

5. Anzhi Makhachkala

4. Krasnodar

3. Zenit St. Petersburg

2. CSKA Moscow

Cons:
- Ugly kits
- Fans gloating about recent successes

1. Spartak Moscow

New Eastern Europe football blog

Aslan the Melon — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 12:45:21 -0000

For those who are interested, I have recently started a blog all about the goings on of Eastern European football, including Russia, Ukraine and Turkey among other leagues and countries. It can be found here. I'd very much appreciate input from the community here as you guys and girls are uniquely kind for a community on the internet. Any criticism, advice or just input and discussion would be welcome.

By the way, yes I am aware that this is blatant self-advertisement, but I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite like that. Sorry a01chtra

Thor Rising - Why Gylfi Needs a Change of Position to Salvage his Tottenham Career

Aslan the Melon — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 07:49:11 -0000

As many of you know, I avidly follow the Russian Premier League and national team, who took on Gylfi Sigurðsson's Iceland last night. Much to my surprise, Gylfi lined up as the deep lying playmaker in Iceland's midfield and created by far the most dangerous chances for his side all night. His ability in a deeper role truly surprised me and he was the most effective Icelandic player on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.

Unfortunately for Gylfi, Iceland succumbed to their opponents 2-0 and went home empty handed, but a very important lesson can be learned from his performance; Gylfi can succeed outside of his preferred attacking midfield slot. Whilst his chances of earning consistent playing time either in a deeper position or behind the striker at Tottenham seem incredibly slim, his versatility allows him to threaten for places elsewhere on the pitch, as we have seen over the course of this season. Having filled in as a sub on both wings, the Icelandic midfielder has been incredibly unlucky this season, with notable near-misses against Everton, Stoke and Norwich. Nevertheless, his playing time has been severely limited and his development has slowed, but he still has time to turn things around.

Gylfi is still a very talented individual, and to write him off after only a few appearances, mostly off the bench, would be a terrible mistake. At only 23, Sigurðsson could very well go through something of a renaissance by trying out another position, and that is where his and Tottenham's needs overlap. Tottenham need a striker and Gylfi needs a new position. Now, before you laugh me out of here, let me explain why I think this would be a good idea. Gylfi is decently sized and a capable header of the ball, yet he is also excellent with the ball at his feet and has an excellent shot on him. Also, as the best set piece taker on the squad, some effort should be made to fit him into the starting XI so that Tottenham can add a new dimension to their attack and find extra ways to break down resilient defences.

I recognise that this may be an odd viewpoint to take, but I'd like to point out that my belief that Gylfi would make a good striker is quite removed from those who believe that Gareth Bale should be given a go up front. Firstly, Bale is first on the team sheet every week and does not need a shift in position to get playing time, whereas Sigurðsson is the complete opposite. He will probably see very little time on the pitch as Clint Dempsey and Lewis Holtby battle it out for the attacking midfield position for the rest of the season. Secondly, Sigurðsson could not possibly be worse than Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor have been in recent months. Our strikers have failed to score a goal in more than a month, yet we have not lost in that time, as we have been getting goals from other parts of the pitch. If Gylfi can come into the striker slot and score just a few times, results would improve, assuming those goals from Bale and other players keep on coming.

I'm not saying that Gylfi is our world-class striker signing and I still believe that Daniel Levy should splash money on a good striker in the summer, but for the time being, Gylfi is a solid and capable player who could do well on his own up front. Right now is one of the most important times in his development, so he needs playing time one way or another. Gylfi Sigurðsson is a player whose future is in flux, so now is the perfect time for him to reinvent himself and gain a place in Tottenham Hotspur's line-up, both now and for the future.

Poll

Where do you feel Tottenham should play Gylfi Sigurðsson?

As a lone striker

7 votes

In the hole

6 votes

On the wings

8 votes

As a deep-lying playmaker

13 votes

34 votes | Poll has closed

A Predictable Way to End a Satisfying Window

Aslan the Melon — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 05:24:06 -0000

January 31st has yet again left a sour taste in many a Spurs fan's mouth, but in reality it was a predictable end to a decent transfer window. It is important to remember that Tottenham's two main signings this window are a major upgrade over the two main signings last January and we not only let go of deadwood, but we also sent promising youngsters out on loan.

Incoming:

Zeki Fryers from Standard Liege for £3 million - Levy finally secured a player who had interested us since the summer, whilst screwing United out of £6 million, which is a good thing on any day of the week. It really is a good example of a Levy signing, but it's nothing compared to Spurs' other signing of the window.

Lewis Holtby from Schalke 04 for £1.5 million - Levy did his thing early in the window and secured a pre-contract for Holtby and he then proceeded to hold Schalke to ransom. Holtby is one of the best talents in the game and this is the ultimate example of a Levy signing. Possibly the most important transfer to Tottenham's season

Outgoing:

Jermaine Jenas to Queen's Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee - Jenas is finally gone from Tottenham and our wage bill is about £50k lighter. What makes this even more impressive is that Levy managed to get a fee for the out-of-favour midfielder, although it's likely to be an insignificant sum.

Andros Townsend to Queen's Park Rangers on loan - This is probably the worst move that Spurs made this window, but it is by no means a bad one. Townsend is Spurs' most capable backup on the wings, so his temporary departure means that Andre Villas-Boas will have to rely onClint Dempsey and Gylfi Sigurðsson in the event that Gareth Bale or Aaron Lennon get injured. However, Townsend was barely getting any playing time, so a loan to a team that could use him is a good chance for him to get first team football and continue his development.

Heurelho Gomes to Hoffenheim on loan with an option to buy - The controversial goalkeeper has finally departed Tottenham, albeit only on loan. The loan contract reportedly has a purchase clause and Levy would do well to get a fee for the Brazilian.

Adam Smith to Millwall on an extended loan - Adam Smith is playing consistent first-team football in the Championship with Millwall and there is realistically no place for him in the Tottenham first team right now. A loan extension is a smart move for all parties.

Iago Falque to Almeria on loan - At 23 and still struggling to find playing time, Falque needs the sort of first team football which he won't find at Tottenham. Almeria is well within a promotion race in Liga Adelante and could use a player of Falque's quality, while Falque could use it as a stepping stone to first team football, whether at Tottenham or another club.

Souleymane Coulibaly, Alex Pritchard, Tomislav Gomelt and Ryan Mason to Grosseto, Peterborough, Espanyol and Lorient respectively on loan - Good moves all around to get our young talent playing different styles of football to develop their talent. Signing Alex Pritchard to a new 2 and a half year contract was a bonus and it will be interesting to see how he and Coulibaly will handle senior first team football. Gomelt may struggle to get playing time at Espanyol, but even a single late game cameo is more than he would get at Spurs.

The Big One:

Leandro Damiao from Internacional for £20 million - Ah yes, the longest transfer saga in Tottenham history. As always, the Brazilian was constantly linked with Tottenham over the transfer window, and yet this time, it almost seemed like the move was going to happen. Almost. The move reportedly failed due to third-party ownership, similar to that which prevented Joao Moutinho's transfer in August. Whilst Levy probably should have dealt with this better, he certainly made an effort to sign the Brazilian and any claims that he intentionally failed to sign Damiao to simply give the appearance that he was trying to do something is completely unfounded. Levy doesn't want us to not have a world class striker.

All in all, Tottenham by no means had a bad transfer window. In fact, the club purchased a player that could solve the team's creativity issues for only a tenth of his value, whilst also clearing off deadwood and securing loans for young prospects. While deadline day was largely disappointing for Tottenham fans, it should not be forgotten that this January transfer window was one of Tottenham's most productive and constructive windows in a long time. Maybe it's time we take a step back and praise Levy for what he did do, rather than criticise him for what he didn't.

Incoming:

Outgoing:

The Big One:

Daniel Levy's imaginary shortlist: Zhano Ananidze

Aslan the Melon — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 11:27:04 -0000

So guys, I'm doing a write-up for my favourite player, Zhano Ananidze, which is a dangerous idea. I touched briefly on his abilities in my Modrić Replacements & Dembélé Backups piece a few months back, but I believe it's smart to go a bit more in depth for a player who I believe could fill a role and fit in well at Spurs. Also, this is my last 'Imaginary Shortlist' article, so thank you all for reading them.

The Basics

Name: Zhano Ananidze

Age: 20

Team: Spartak Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Central attacking midfielder

Can also play: Wide attacking midfielder, central midfielder

Ananidze first became notable as an attacking midfielder for Spartak, but has had to play a bit-part role from the left wing for most of this season. His performances for the Georgian national team prove that he can play a deeper role as well.

The Specifics

Ananidze is a small, overly creative player, much in the mould of Luka Modrić. Like Modrić, his early career has been plagued with uncertainty over his long-term position, both drifting between attacking midfield and the left wing. The similarities don't stop there, as Ananidze is a talented playmaker whose key asset is his incredible passing ability. Ananidze is also a capable dribbler and his pace allows him to reliably beat his man and make a smart pass.

The Georgian made his debut in 2009 and became the youngest ever goalscorer in the Russian Premier League (at the age of 17 years and 8 days). That was arguably his best season of his first three, with Ananidze struggling for first form and then fitness in the 2010 and 2011-12 seasons. This year however, Ananidze has undergone something of a renaissance, featuring commonly for Spartak, albeit out of position. The huge number of wingers and midfielders would seem to be a restricting factor for Ananidze's playing time, but an injury to Sergey Parshivlyuk has caused squad-wide shifts and opened up spaces on the left wing, although the Georgian has still had to battle for playing time with Ari and Aiden McGeady.

The few problems present with Ananidze are mainly to do with his physicality. Whilst not injury prone, the Georgian finds it hard to complete a full 90 minutes and his small size means he is not able to hold off large players when challenging or being challenged for the ball. Despite his physical deficiencies, Ananidze also has competent defensive skills and is capable of coming back to add an extra body to the defence.

The Verdict

Likely price: Transfermarkt rates him at £2.2 million, but my best estimate for a transfer is about £8 million.

Probability that valuation is wrong: Low. Spartak have the money to refuse a lower fee, but their abundance of wingers and other young prospects might mean they would be willing to part with the player.

Team's willingness to sell: In 2009, Spartak's director of football claimed that they would not sell Ananidze until he was in his 20s. Having turned 20 in October, Ananidze could be leaving Moscow sooner rather than later. The return of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov to fitness would also increase competition on the left and, combined with Jose Manuel Jurado and Demy de Zeeuw taking up central spaces, Ananidze may want to leave to get more regular playing time, which Spurs could probably provide.

Fit at Tottenham Hotspur: Excellent. As a pacey and creative utility player, Ananidze could fill any number of roles at Spurs. He could be seen as a backup for the wingers or Mousa Dembélé and his pace and energy would make him an effective super-sub to hurt tired defences, although he would struggle against teams like Stoke and QPR.

Possibility he ends up at Spurs: Good. Daniel Levy loves his bargains, and Ananidze is certainly that. He has great potential and, while Spurs are certainly stacked in attacking midfield, the side could certainly use creativity other than Mousa Dembélé.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: A

The Basics

Name: Zhano Ananidze

Age: 20

Team: Spartak Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Central attacking midfielder

Can also play: Wide attacking midfielder, central midfielder

The Specifics

The Verdict

Likely price: Transfermarkt rates him at £2.2 million, but my best estimate for a transfer is about £8 million.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: A

Daniel Levy's imaginary shortlist: Aleksandr Kozlov

Aslan the Melon — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 01:15:13 -0000

Because no one is reading these anymore, I'm just going to pump out my last two (which have already been written for a couple of days) over the course of today.

The Basics

Name: Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kozlov

Age: 19

Team: Spartak Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Striker

Can also play: Nothing of note

Kozlov has never played away from striker, but his physical and technical skills show that he could probably succeed a bit deeper or on the wing.

The Specifics

Kozlov has long been a hyped member of Russia's youth setup. He is pacey, very strong for his small stature and good with both feet, but his best trait is his close ball control, which lets him squeeze into tight spaces and make killer passes or powerful shots. As I mentioned earlier, he is a fairly small player, and thus doesn't head the ball particularly well. He has spent most of his time with the Russian youth teams (where he has seen the majority of his playing time) alongside another, larger striker, so that Kozlov himself is allowed to be the more mobile of the pair. As such, it is hard to judge his hold-up play, but based on his strength, it is hard to imagine it would be particularly poor.

Kozlov has struggled for playing time in striker-heavy Spartak Moscow, so most of his playing time has come in the Russian national youth teams. He has impressed in each of the U-17, U-18 and U-19 categories (20 goals in 18 games for the U-17s, 2 in 2 for the U-18s and 2 in 3 for U-19s), but he has primarily seen a role as a late game sub in club matches, starting just one game for Spartak (against Žilina in the Champions League). He also saw a loan to second division Khimki fail earlier this season, as he started two games for the club, but reportedly asked to end the loan prematurely. Now, just because he can't get minutes at Spartak doesn't mean that he's not good enough for Spurs. In fact, his playing time is not limited by his quality, but by the fact that Spartak have 5 times as many first team strikers as Tottenham, about half of which are above him on the pecking order.

The success of a transfer for Kozlov depends entirely on where the club sees its young striker prospects. If Harry Kane, Souleymane Coulibaly and Shaquile Coulthirst are all believed to fit into the first team eventually, a transfer for Kozlov would be completely pointless, but if none of them are good enough according to Daniel Levy, Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood, Kozlov would be a good third choice for the rest of the season and an excellent prospect going forward. Whilst he's not the marquee striker signing that many want, he'd be a good step in replacing the aging Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor.

The Verdict

Likely price: £5 million

Probability that valuation is wrong: Low. Kozlov hasn't exactly starred for Spartak, but his international youth performances and his potential keep his price up slightly.

Team's willingness to sell: High. Spartak have an excessive amount of strikers and are probably looking at Waris Abdul Majeed and Pavel Yakovlev (a guy who I really don't rate at all) rather than Kozlov to be their strikers for the future.

Fit at Tottenham Hotspur: Decent. Whilst he's definitely a player for the future, he could still have an impact right now, as his strength and energy make him a perfect super-sub while he hones his skills. As he develops, further refinement of his technical skills could combine with his immense physical ability to make him an incredible player.

Possibility he ends up at Spurs: Good. Spurs need a striker and Spartak need less strikers. The asking price is fairly low for a player of his quality and he could do a job for Tottenham.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: B-

Because no one is reading these anymore, I'm just going to pump out my last two (which have already been written for a couple of days) over the course of today.

The Basics

Name: Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kozlov

Age: 19

Team: Spartak Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Striker

Can also play: Nothing of note

Kozlov has never played away from striker, but his physical and technical skills show that he could probably succeed a bit deeper or on the wing.

The Specifics

The Verdict

Likely price: £5 million

Probability that valuation is wrong: Low. Kozlov hasn't exactly starred for Spartak, but his international youth performances and his potential keep his price up slightly.

Possibility he ends up at Spurs: Good. Spurs need a striker and Spartak need less strikers. The asking price is fairly low for a player of his quality and he could do a job for Tottenham.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: B-

Daniel Levy's imaginary shortlist: Georgi Schennikov

Aslan the Melon — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 05:59:30 -0000

Now for something a little different. Presenting a left back for the future in case all of Kyle Naughton, Danny Rose and Zeki Fryers aren't good enough. Also, this'll be my third last one as I realise that no one else is doing these any more. Keep an eye out for the last two over the next few days.

The Basics

Name: Georgi Mikhailovich Schennikov

Age: 21

Team: CSKA Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Left fullback

Can also play: Left wing

Schennikov's attacking abilities, especially his dribbling and crossing, give him the chance to shine further up the pitch, which he has done on the few occasions that he has played there.

The Specifics

Schennikov is a very capable left back who seems almost Bale-esque with his dribbling and crossing ability, but he lacks the shooting that has made Bale an unstoppable force over the past three years. Where Schennikov outdoes Bale is his defensive ability. Schennikov's ability to track back and recover after an attack is incredible and his tackling leaves little to be desired.

Schennikov has spent all of his career so far at CSKA and has done well to make more than 120 appearances for the side since his debut in 2008. Schennikov is the obvious choice to replace Yuri Zhirkov as the national teams left back over the long term, but Yevgeni Makeev will prove to be tough competition for the spot. Unfortunately, Schennikov has been marginalised by Kirill Nababkin (don't ask me why. Nababkin has been absolutely useless) and has seen limited playing time.

The suitability of Schennikov at Spurs depends on the potential of Naughton, Rose and Fryers, as it is clear that Tottenham will need a replacement for Benoit Assou-Ekotto sooner or later. In my honest opinion, Schennikov is better than any of Tottenham's young left backs and would fit in well with Tottenham's already pacey squad.

The Verdict

Likely price: £8 million

Probability that valuation is wrong: Low. Schennikov is still young but is not playing much. CSKA really can't ask for more.

Team's willingness to sell: Moderate. CSKA seem to be sticking mostly with Nababkin, which I believe is a big mistake, but they could be happy to get his wages off their hands and receive a decent fee as well.

Fit at Tottenham Hotspur: Good. Schennikov would be a good understudy and backup for Benny in the short term, before taking over in the first team after a season or two.

Possibility he ends up at Spurs: Moderate. This all depends on how well the club rates Naughton, Rose and Fryers.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: B+

The Basics

Name: Georgi Mikhailovich Schennikov

Age: 21

Team: CSKA Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Left fullback

Can also play: Left wing

Schennikov's attacking abilities, especially his dribbling and crossing, give him the chance to shine further up the pitch, which he has done on the few occasions that he has played there.

The Specifics

The Verdict

Likely price: £8 million

Probability that valuation is wrong: Low. Schennikov is still young but is not playing much. CSKA really can't ask for more.

Fit at Tottenham Hotspur: Good. Schennikov would be a good understudy and backup for Benny in the short term, before taking over in the first team after a season or two.

Possibility he ends up at Spurs: Moderate. This all depends on how well the club rates Naughton, Rose and Fryers.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: B+

Daniel Levy's imaginary shortlist: Gökhan Töre

Aslan the Melon — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:08:54 -0000

Yes, another winger. I promise this is the last one (but probably not).

The Basics

Name: Gökhan Töre

Age: 20

Team: Rubin Kazan

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Wide attacking midfielder

Can also play: Central attacking midfielder

He has received limited playing time as a central attacking midfielder, but in his time there, he has appeared to be a good creative presence behind the striker rather than a goalscoring number 10.

The Specifics

Gökhan Töre is yet another player in the Hulk mould to be starring in Russia, in a similar manner to Balázs Dzsudzsák. Töre is similar to Dzsudzsák in many ways, being a left footed right winger who is happy to cut in and shoot with his favoured foot. However, Töre has an advantage over his Hungarian counterpart in one major way; he is happy to play centrally rather than just wide, and is actually quite competent at it, being a clever and creative player on the ball. Notably, Töre also finished last season as Europe's best dribbler, based on dribbles per game.

Töre spent 3 years in Chelsea's youth teams but never made a competitive appearance for the team, before transferring to Hamburger SV in Germany in the summer of 2011. Töre starred in his first season in Germany, however injuries cut his season short and he struggled for fitness as the year went on. All in all, Töre impressed enough in his 23 league appearances to allow a £4 million move to Rubin in the summer.

Töre, like Dzsudzsák, has struggled to adapt his game to the tough Russian league and has only managed to make 4 league appearances for Rubin, failing to score or make an assist. The talent is still obvious for all to see whenever he plays, but he often appears nervous, unconfident and is bossed off the ball fairly easily due to his small stature. Despite his shortcomings at Rubin, Töre has broken into a solid Turkish national team and made 10 appearances for the side after his debut in August 2011.

The Verdict

Likely price: Transfermarkt lowballs his value at £5.3 million. A more correct value would be about £10 million.

Probability that valuation is wrong: Low. Whilst Töre is a player with unbelievable potential, his struggles in cracking the Rubin first team could lead them to accept a bid in the region of £10 million.

Team's willingness to sell: Töre is far from being a key player for Rubin, and whilst he is certainly a prospect for the future, a decent profit on the Turk would be a good incentive for them to sell.

Fit at Tottenham Hotspur: Töre would provide a good backup all across the 3 in a 4-2-3-1, bringing energy off the bench. He seems to be a far better prospect than Andros Townsend, but his transfer would almost certainly spell the end of the Englishman's time at Spurs. To be honest however, signing Töre would probably prove to be redundant.

Possibility he ends up at Spurs: Low. Having only recently transferred to Rubin, Töre has shown no indication of wanting to leave Russia. However, keep an eye on him over the next 2 or 3 transfer windows as he becomes a stronger player and looks to move to a higher rated league.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: C+

Yes, another winger. I promise this is the last one (but probably not).

The Basics

Name: Gökhan Töre

Age: 20

Team: Rubin Kazan

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Wide attacking midfielder

The Specifics

The Verdict

Likely price: Transfermarkt lowballs his value at £5.3 million. A more correct value would be about £10 million.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: C+

Daniel Levy's imaginary shortlist: Balázs Dzsudzsák

Aslan the Melon — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:46:47 -0000

For the first time, I am discussing a player who has not really been linked with Spurs in the past, but could be available during the current transfer window. Balázs Dzsudzsák is a talented Hungarian winger who has been hyped up for many years and has yet to break into a top league, but looks set to do so in the near future.

The Basics

Name: Balázs Dzsudzsák

Age: 26

Team: Dinamo Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Wide attacking midfielder

Can also play: Piano accordion

Don't ask me why.

The Specifics

Dzsudzsák is a very capable utility winger with a rocket of a left foot. He plays as a right winger who cuts in constantly for Dinamo, yet plays wide left for Hungary and switches play between pinging in crosses and driving in from the touchline to act as a goal threat, similar to Gareth Bale's play for Tottenham. As a right winger, Dzsudzsák would serve the "Hulk" role were AVB to transition to his preferred 4-3-3. Whilst serving this role, he could also serve as a more than capable backup to Bale, and a trio of wing players consisting of Bale, Dzsudzsák and Lennon would account for almost any type of wing play that Villas-Boas would want to play.

Dzsudzsák first broke into senior football at the age of 19 in 2006 for Debreceni VSC in the Hungarian top division. Consistent impressive performances led to a transfer to PSV Eindhoven in January 2008, where he instantly became a part of the first team. Over the next three and a half seasons, he missed only 5 league games, scoring 44 league goals in the process. This impressive spell in the Netherlands gave Dzsudzsák the chance to move to Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia, although he took time to slot into the first team. After only half a season at Anzhi, Dinamo paid his £16 million release clause.

Since joining Dinamo, the Hungarian has become automatic first choice for the Moscow-based team, but injuries hampered his first half season at the club. So far this season, Dzsudzsák has missed only two games and scored 4 goals (and provided 6 assists) in the process, a not-unimpressive tally for a player of his style who is still learning to fit into Dinamo. The issue that Dzsudzsák has had is that he has struggled to replicate his Eredivisie tallies in the more physical Russian Premier League, although the less physical English game could come as a relief to him.

The Verdict

Likely price: £17.5 million. Transfermarkt reports £12.6 million, which is entirely too low.

Probability that valuation is wrong: Moderate. Whilst Dzsudzsák has a reported release clause of £25 million, Dinamo are not exactly a rich club and a fee of, at most, £20 million would probably be enough for Dinamo to cash in.

Team's willingness to sell: Moderate. Dinamo have enough coverage through the wings to be able to cope without the Hungarian and a decent fee should be enough to convince Dinamo to sell.

Fit at Tottenham Hotspur: Dzsudzsák would be a good injection of goalscoring ability, versatility and depth to Tottenham and would give options to AVB when Spurs need to break down rough defences, and the Premier League could serve as his personal playground after having experienced the very rough Russian league.

Possibility he ends up at Spurs: Moderate. Dzsudzsák has already signalled his intent to leave Russia in the winter transfer window, with a preferred destination of either Germany or Spain. Despite this, both Benfica and Fenerbahce are keeping tabs on the Hungarian and Spurs are arguably a more attractive prospect than either of those two. A move could happen providing no German or Spanish teams come calling.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: B

The Basics

Name: Balázs Dzsudzsák

Age: 26

Team: Dinamo Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Wide attacking midfielder

Can also play: Piano accordion

Don't ask me why.

The Specifics

The Verdict

Likely price: £17.5 million. Transfermarkt reports £12.6 million, which is entirely too low.

Team's willingness to sell: Moderate. Dinamo have enough coverage through the wings to be able to cope without the Hungarian and a decent fee should be enough to convince Dinamo to sell.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: B

Daniel Levy's imaginary shortlist: Seydou Doumbia

Aslan the Melon — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:08:43 -0000

Hey guys, this is the big one. Seydou Doumbia, long linked with a move away from Russia, is arguably the best player in the Russian Premier League and one of the best strikers in the world on his day. Despite reported interest from Arsenal and Newcastle, Daniel Levy should do his absolute best to secure Doumbia, no matter the fee. Plus, who doesn't want to have a guy with "doo doo" in his name?

The Basics

Name: Seydou Alan Doumbia

Age: 25

Team: CSKA Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Striker

Can also play: Wide attacking midfielder

Doumbia has, on occasion, played out wide to accommodate Tomas Necid as a lone striker and has shown ability in cutting in from the flanks and torturing defenders with his exquisite footwork, but it should not be seen as a permanent position for the Ivorian. His hold-up play is far too good for him to remain on the wing and he should be seen as the side's primary attacking outlet.

The Specifics

Doumbia arrived in Moscow from BSC Young Boys in the 2010 summer transfer window and made an immediate impact in his first season, scoring 12 goals in 15 games in all competitions. It was not until the next season, however, that he came into his own as the best striker in Russia. Scoring 37 goals in 53 games (28 in 42 in the league) and a further 11 assists. So far this season, Doumbia has been restricted to only 3 appearances due to injury, scoring only 1 goal, however he has begun light training and is slated to make his return against Krylia Sovetov Samara when the Russian winter break ends in March.

When fit and on form, Doumbia is the perfect blend of pace, power and technical ability. Although of average stature (5'10"), Doumbia has sufficient if not overly spectacular heading ability, scoring 5 of his 28 league goals with his head. Where Doumbia really shows his talent is when he takes on defenders on the break. His pace and footwork are almost unmatched in European football and he has the ever-useful ability of being able to score shots from almost any angle or range. His hold-up and link-up play is very underrated, but spectacular nonetheless, as his 11 league assists attest to.

The most unbelievable thing is that his 28 goal season isn't even the best league tally of his career. His final season in Switzerland saw him score 2 more goals in 10 less games. If he comes to Spurs, don't be surprised if he puts up more than 20 goals in his debut season and improves year after year. Doumbia is an unbelievably talented individual who can best any defender in the world on his day and could almost certainly do it on a cold, rainy Tuesday night in Stoke.

The Verdict

Likely price: £20 million

Probability that valuation is wrong: High. Presently, CSKA might be partial to a bid in the £16-18 million range due to his injury status (he was in fact linked with Arsenal and Newcastle for £16 million early this season), but if he returns to form and fitness over the second half of the Russian season, that price could skyrocket, potentially reaching £25-30 million.

Team's willingness to sell: With CSKA leading the Russian Premier League without the services of Doumbia, they seem to be more open to bids. This window for Doumbia's availability will probably end when the league returns from its winter holiday in March, meaning a summer transfer is increasingly unlikely.

Fit at Tottenham Hotspur: Perfect. Spurs could use a world-class striker right now and Doumbia is just that. While his link-up play would be useful for Tottenham, his main job would be to score copious amounts of goals, which he currently does like nobody's business in a very physical league.

Possibility he ends up at Spurs: Low. Providing CSKA are willing to accept an offer that Daniel Levy would actually consider making, there are probably clubs who are willing to offer better wages. However, if the list of suitors remains at just Arsenal and Newcastle, a transfer to Spurs could be on the cards, especially given that his wage demands (reported to be £60,000-70,000 pounds per week) are just within Tottenham's budget.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: A+++

The Basics

Name: Seydou Alan Doumbia

Age: 25

Team: CSKA Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Striker

Can also play: Wide attacking midfielder

The Specifics

The Verdict

Likely price: £20 million

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: A+++

Sunday Football Open Thread - 13/1/2013

Aslan the Melon — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 13:41:21 -0000

Today we've got United v Liverpool right now and Arsenal v City at 3pm GMT, but those Serie A fans amongst us might want to keep an eye out for Parma v Juventus at 1pm and Sampdoria v Milan at 6:45. Also, Malaga hosts Barcelona at 7 in the late La Liga game.

Feel free to discuss whichever football or non-football stuff you'd like to with those of us who have nothing better to do but sit around on a computer all Sunday. Whatever floats your collective boats.

Daniel Levy's imaginary shortlist: Alan Dzagoev

Aslan the Melon — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:30:20 -0000

Hey guys. With Kevin's permission, I've decided to use my knowledge of the Russian Premier League to help out with Daniel Levy's Imaginary Shortlist. I have a few particular players in mind that I may cover over the coming days, but I'd like to begin with a player who was linked to Spurs almost daily over the summer, Alan Dzagoev.

The Basics

Name: Alan Yezbarovich Dzagoev

Age: 22

Team: CSKA Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Wide attacking midfielder

Can also play: Central attacking midfielder, striker

Dzagoev is very widely renowned within Russia as a brilliant creative player who can break down stubborn defences with a single pass, yet he is also a very capable goalscorer as well. Having been forced out to the right by the form of Keisuke Honda and Rasmus Elm, Dzagoev has still pitched in with 3 goals and 4 assists in 13 league appearances this season and he was by far Russia's best player when he performed on the right for them over the summer at Euro 2012, so it is clear that the Ossetic superstar could have a future on the wing.

The Specifics

Dzagoev has been very prominent since he made his debut in 2008. That season he was joint fourth goalscorer in the league with 8 goals, an impressive return for an 18 year old. However, Dzagoev has yet to live up to that stunning debut season, and he has scored one goal less in each season than he did in the previous. This statistic seems concerning at first, but he has been impressive in every season assists-wise, with his lowest tally in that category coming in 2009, with 7.

Dzagoev could probably fit comfortably into Spurs side as a winger, but the main issue in recent seasons has been his discipline. Although he shows no sign of any poor attitude off the pitch, his aggression on the pitch is very concerning, having been banned for 5 matches after punching Dinamo's defender, Luke Wilkshere, in the face after a poor challenge from the Australian earlier in the season.

The Verdict

Likely price: £20 million

Probability that valuation is wrong: Moderate. His price will fluctuate in the market after his amazing summer and then crazy antics in the match against Dynamo. This is an average figure. It could swing from £15 million to £25 million.

Team's willingness to sell: Moderate. Leonid Slutskiy seems to be growing tired of the 22-year-old's poor attitude on the pitch and a reasonable bid might persuade him to part ways with the youngster.

Fit at Tottenham Hotspur: If Andre Villas-Boas decides that Aaron Lennon is not the future for Tottenham's right wing, Dzagoev would be a great upgrade. His attitude would need to be sorted, but he could prove to be a key player for Spurs.

Possibility he ends up at Spurs: Moderate. Spurs were linked heavily with him over the summer, but most of the hype seems to have cooled off. AS Roma now look favourites to sign him, but Spurs could still be in with a shout.

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: A-

The Basics

Name: Alan Yezbarovich Dzagoev

Age: 22

Team: CSKA Moscow

League: SOGAZ Football Championship (Russia)

Primary position: Wide attacking midfielder

Can also play: Central attacking midfielder, striker

The Specifics

The Verdict

Likely price: £20 million

Grade if this transfer goes through at likely price: A-

The Russian Solution - Trawling the World's Oddest League for a Striking Answer

Aslan the Melon — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:31:48 -0000

Firstly, I'd like to preface this with an explanation of how inexplicably odd Russian football is as a whole. It is a league in which Hulk has struggled and Roman Pavlyuchenko has looked like a world-class player. Teams can hardly be relied on to play the same team from week to week and key players can go for ridiculously low prices. Nonetheless, it is also the home of many extraordinarily underrated strikers, and it is for that reason that I am writing today.

The upper levels of the Russian Premier League contain both vastly overrated and underrated players that, as a whole, ending up balancing out. The bottom half is basically consistently mediocre, however gems pop up from time to time. The most notable of these gems in recent years is Yura Movsisyan, an Armenian target man who has kept Krasnodar mere inches away from mediocrity this season. The 25 year old is currently joint top scorer in the league and is strong, tall and has terrific hold-up play, which would make him the perfect lone striker or partner to Jermain Defoe up top for Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately, he has been snatched out of the mouths of circling teams by Spartak Moscow, who have approximately 47 first team strikers, none of whom are particularly brilliant. Shockingly, the move went through for only 6 million pounds; a steal for a player who has notched 9 goals in only 13 appearances this season.

With the delicate nature of Spartak's striker corps, it is likely that one of the players will have to make way and any interested teams could take their pick of any of the 6 first team strikers on offer. At worst, these players would all make decent third choices at a top English team like Spurs, whilst one or two could offer slightly more. In particular, Welliton catches the eye. Welliton arrived at Spartak in 2007 and was seen as Roman Pavlyuchenko's long term replacement (at a time when Pav was undoubtedly the best striker in Russia). After spending a year or two settling in, Welliton went on a two year scoring spree, during which he was the top scorer in the Russian Premier League for two years running. However an unfortunate incident in which he collided with and badly injured CSKA keeper Igor Akinfeev led to the Brazilian being banned for four months and he has struggled to regain form since. A change of scenery would do him well, especially as he drops further down the pecking order at Spartak.

One of the men who has moved above him in Emmanuel Emenike. The 25-year-old is strong, fast and has a brutal right foot. Last season he bagged 13 goals in 22 appearances and he looks well set to match that this season. Since joining from Karabukspor (via Fenerbahçe) in 2010, he (along with lanky Artyom Dzyuba and vastly overrated Ari) has ousted the once-brilliant Welliton and installed himself as the focal point of Spartak's attack. However, with Spartak's acquisition of Movsisyan, it is likely that he will find minutes restricted and could be had for a fee somewhere south of 10 million pounds, which is well below his true value and a swoop for the Nigerian would be a smart move by Daniel Levy.

Moving across town, CSKA's trio of highly rated forwards sits in wait. The most prominent of the three, Seydou Doumbia, has been mentioned alongside other illustrious names as a potential solution for Spurs' striker issues and would indeed mark a major improvement over both Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor. Unfortunately, for all his good features, injury has hampered his season thus far and he will only manage to make fourth appearance of the season when the league comes back from its winter break in March. Also suffering from injuries this season is Czech hitman Tomáš Necid, who has failed to make an appearance this year. Necid represents what a less selfish Movsisyan would look like and his link up play has long helped players like Keisuke Honda and Alan Dzagoev into play and made CSKA an effective and fluid unit. With solid scorers in midfield such as Clint Dempsey and Gylfi Sigurðsson, Necid would thrive and rack up assist after assist, although his asking price (likely on the upside of 10 million pounds) and his fitness may scare away potential suitors.

The man who has benefited most from the absence of CSKA's two best strikers is Ahmed Musa. Usually a winger, Musa has been moved to centre forward whilst Alan Dzagoev has had to move to the wing. Musa's performance this year has looked somewhat surprising statistically, but in reality, his play has been average at best and the vast majority of his goals have come from being in the right place at the right time, in stark contrast to the skilful play that he demonstrated on the wing in the second half of last season. In essence, he is a very poor man's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Pato and would not prove a sizable improvement over either Emmanuel Adebayor or Jermain Defoe.

Where the Russian league is coming into it's own is the development of several talented youngsters. The trio of Aleksandr Kokorin, Maksim Kannunikov (on a side note, I can't wait to hear Mechanick try and pronounce this) and Aleksandr Kozlov are all very highly rated and have starred for Russia's youth sides in recent years. Whilst Kokorin is the only player to have been playing club football consistently so far in his career (and he's even broken into the senior Russian side in recent months), both Kannunikov and Kozlov are slowly breaking into their respective teams (Zenit and Spartak) even though neither side have a particular dearth of strikers. Their development gives the national team quite some hope after an era in which the side only had the deceptively solid Roman Pavlyuchenko and Pavel Pogrebnyak and the outstanding Aleksandr Kerzhakov. Were Daniel Levy to go for one of this trio, whose asking prices are all on the lower side of 10 million pounds (Kokorin and Kannunikov would probably go for 8-9 million, whilst Kozlov, who has debatably the most potential, would only be about 6 million), it should turn out to be a smart and solid investment that could pay dividends for Spurs in the future.

Searching for strikers in Russia is practically a game of Russian roulette. For every Seydou Doumbia or Yura Movsisyan, there are 5 players that are just as overrated as Ahmed Musa or Ari. If Daniel Levy is to return to the Russian market to solve his striker problems, he must be careful to avoid the not-quite-strikers and the overrated national forwards and keep his search limited to the talented if slightly overpriced foreign imports and the under-21 up-and-comers, or else this expedition to Russia could end up even worse than his last.

Sunday Football Open Thread - 6/1/2013

Aslan the Melon — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 11:50:22 -0000

Because I haven't seen one yet and I'm bored, here's an open thread for anyone who wants to talk about today's fixtures.

Udinese are currently hosting Inter Milan, and a trio of FA Cup fixtures will begin over the coming hours. Swansea host Arsenal at 1:30pm GMT, whilst Liverpool travel to Mansfield Town at 4:00pm. Also, Spurs find out who they will play in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup when the draw is made at 3:30

Other notable fixtures include Milan vs Siena, Juventus vs Sampdoria, Napoli vs Roma, Barcelona vs Espanyol and Gio dos Santos' Mallorca vs Atletico Madrid.

Fingers crossed for Swansea and Mansfield wins and an easy home draw for Spurs in the FA Cup

Roman Pavlyuchenko - Magical, Mercurial or Maniacal?

Aslan the Melon — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 08:24:31 -0000

It's me again. Since my last FanPost, my slightly disappointing and embarrassing story of how I became a Spurs fan has come to light (as well as the fact that I am not actually a melon). For those who don't know, I was born in Australia and am currently living there, but I have always been proud of my Russian heritage. For many years, I have been a Spartak Moscow fan and avidly followed the national team, so when Roman Pavlyuchenko transferred to Spurs in August 2008, I followed. As the man who brought me to Spurs, I have a deep appreciation and gratitude of him, similar (but more extreme) to how many Americans feel about Robbie Keane.

From the off, Pav was under pressure to perform. He came in as the cheapest of three "big money" signings for Tottenham in that transfer window (the others being Luka Modrić and David Bentley) and he was immediately given the job of replacing the brilliant Dimitar Berbatov. Whilst giving Pav this sort of job may have been unfair considering he had never played outside of the Russian Premier League, the similarities between the two were striking. Both had been given the #9, but neither fit the role in the classic English definition of the sense, both having a somewhat average height and a laid-back play style. The problem with this comparison is that while Berba always had more natural skill, Pav was more energetic in his play.

Pav's first season in England did not go to plan. After only 2 points from 8 games, manager Juande Ramos and director of football Damien Comolli were sacked and replaced with Harry Redknapp. Meanwhile, Pavlyuchenko struggled for form. Scoring his first goal for the club in a League Cup game against Newcastle in late September, but failing to score until Redknapp's first game in charge, almost a month later. It was in these early stages of his Tottenham career that his heavily underrated aerial game became apparent. His first two goals for Tottenham (and Harry Redknapp's first in a 2-0 win over Bolton) came off accurate headers, and an impressive diving header against United that followed in January. Despite impressing early in Redknapp's time at Spurs, Pav never really got consistent playing time in the league as he struggled for a starting place with Darren Bent. Nevertheless, he was excellent in the cups, scoring in every domestic cup game except for the League Cup Final, which Tottenham lost to United on penalties. Pav ended the season as Tottenham's second best goalscorer, with 14 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions.

The 2009-10 season was worse for Pav, but Spurs saw an upturn in results as they advanced from 8th to their first ever 4th place finish in the Premier League era. The returns of Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane and the arrival of Peter Crouch pushed Pav down to fourth on Tottenham's depth chart and he only managed to score 5 league goals that season, coming over the course of 3 consecutive games in February and March (braces against Wigan and Blackburn, with a goal against Everton in between). Pav ended that season as Spurs third highest goalscorer, behind Defoe and Crouch, yet it was in this season that much of the criticism aimed at the Russian originated.

With the return to European football came Pav's return to playing time and, despite much criticism, he was fairly impressive for Tottenham. The arrival of Rafael van der Vaart led to the introduction of a 4-4-1-1, with Peter Crouch preferred as the lone striker, however squad rotation (yes, you heard right) led to the Russian playing 26 games in all competitions. Despite playing 19 games less than Crouch, Pav scored 3 goals more, and was Tottenham's second highest scorer behind Rafa. In his few games, he managed to seal a brace against Birmingham City on the final day of the season. These two goals sealed fifth place for Spurs, whilst also relegating the Blues.

And now on to the disappointing 2011-12 season. The arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor led to Pav only playing in 14 games in all competitions. By all accounts, the Russian was poor and failed to have any major impact besides his winners against Sunderland and Rubin Kazan. In January, Pav departed to Lokomotiv Moscow after a reported training ground bust-up with Kevin Bond. He cost the Railwaymen a reported 8 million pounds.

Since his return to the motherland, Pav has been spectacular. His link-up play has improved massively as he has been deployed as both a second striker and a winger under Slaven Bilić. He has largely returned to the form he once had as the Russian Premier League's top scorer in two consecutive years.

Generally, while it is true that his work rate was incredibly low for Spurs, it is quite unfair to call him "bad" or "useless". His penchant for brilliant long range goals and excellent volleys was almost unmatched at Tottenham and his skill level was much higher than one would expect. Given his goalscoring rate was the highest at the club in the 2010-11 season (151 minutes per goal), one can only wonder what he could have achieved if given consistent playing time at Spurs, like that which he had received at Spartak.

Now, I'd like to thank and congratulate anyone who bothered to read that much text. I have to apologise for the length of both this and the "Modric Replacements" piece. It seems I'm not very good at keeping things short. I'm all for any constructive criticism and I hope for a friendly discussion in the comments. My aim for making this article was not to say that Pav was brilliant for Spurs, or even that he should have stayed, but I was simply trying to assert that he was certainly far better than many (especially within the commentariat) give him credit for.

See y'all in the comments

Modrić Replacements and Dembélé Backups - The search for a deep-lying playmaker, and why it begins and ends in Zagreb.

Aslan the Melon — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:03:19 -0000

In August 2008, Tottenham Hotspur paid 16.5 million pounds for a 23-year-old Croatian playmaker. His name was Luka Modrić. You may have heard of him. Modrić spent 4 years stunning the White Hart Lane faithful, becoming the heartbeat of the side after an average first two seasons largely spent on the left wing or the injury table. During his stint in North London, the diminutive Croatian scored 17 goals and assisted 26 more. Whilst numerically not a brilliant output, it has often been said that Modrić's impact could not be measured statistically and, indeed, it became somewhat rare to see a Tottenham goal that did not flow through the playmaker. When Modrić departed Tottenham and travelled to Real Madrid for approximately 32 million pounds, the Croatian was not on the best of terms with chairman Daniel Levy and many fans were becoming tired of the long transfer saga that had begun with Chelsea's interest the previous summer. It came as no surprise that Levy and new manager Andre Villas-Boas decided it was time to cash in on the little wonder.

However, what immediately surfaced as an issue for Tottenham was how to replace him. Not many players in the world have the sort of passing range that Modrić does and of those that do, even fewer would be willing to play for Tottenham. Names like Joao Moutinho were tossed around, but it was no surprise that Villas-Boas was unable to bring the star from his days at Porto to North London. Eventually, the club decided on Mousa Dembélé of Fulham, and Levy paid the Belgian's 15 million pound release clause. Dembélé has been a revelation in the short time he has spent at Tottenham, scoring on his debut and partnering Sandro in the best double-pivot in the Premier League. However, several issues with the Belgian have also come to light in recent weeks. Dembélé's play style, whilst similar, is not the same as Modrić's. Dembélé uses his strength and ball control to dribble through and around defenders, whereas Modrić was a brilliant passer and preferred to let the ball do the work for him. Whilst Dembélé's differing abilities are not a hugely serious issue, Tottenham's playmaker depth is. An injury to Dembélé on international duty has kept him out for several weeks and Tottenham have suffered for it. Home losses to Chelsea and Wigan in the league and a 2-1 away loss to Norwich City in the Capitol One Cup have proven that for all of their abilities, Tom Huddlestone and Tom Carroll do not currently have the ability to electrify Tottenham's attack and midfield like Dembélé and Modrić. In fact, both before and after the Wigan loss, there was some talk on the site about Spurs needing a deep-lying playmaker. I could not agree more.

Andre Villas-Boas has a system. That system uses a midfield that contains a destroyer, a passer and a runner. Even when Tottenham's midfield is fully fit, having a midfield composing of Mousa Dembélé, Sandro and one of Gylfi Sigurðsson or Clint Dempsey, who have both been poor since signing for Tottenham. Right now, Tottenham is staying clear of AVB's system because it lacks the personnel to correctly operate it. Neither Clint Dempsey nor Gylfi Sigurðsson are deep-lying playmakers. At this point, Mousa Dembélé is essentially playing in AVB's passing role, yet one cannot help but feel he is better suited to being Spurs' runner due to his stunning dribbling ability and his tendency to get up and down the pitch. What Spurs need now is a true deep-lying playmaker in Modrić's mold. They need a guy who they can develop, a guy who won't break the bank. In essence, Tottenham need a Xavi to Dembélé's Iniesta. This article will document my search for that elusive pass-master as I look from Russia to Mexico and everywhere in between.

It was only natural for me to start my search at Modrić's former club, Dinamo Zagreb. It should come as no surprise to fans of Croatian football that the capital's big club has brought up 3 of the players that caught my eye. Dinamo's youth system has been tireless in recent years, pumping out wonderkids by the truckload. Some of the more impressive non-playmakers to come out of Dinamo's academy include Ivan Kelava, Simé Vrsaljko and Mario Situm, but that's a discussion for another day. The first playmaker to pique my interest is an 18-year-old central midfielder by the name of Mateo Kovačić. Kovačić made his first team debut in the 2010-11 season, and he has scored 7 goals in all competitions since then since then. One criticism that is common among members of the commentariat when bringing up potential Modrić replacements is that the player mentioned is indeed not a deep-lying playmaker, but a traditional number 10. However, those that make these arguments fail to mention that Modrić himself was a number 10 for most of his early career. In fact, when he came to Tottenham, Modrić was a man without a position. He was able to play behind the striker or on either wing, and the Croatian's versatility caused him to suffer throughout his first season in North London, as he fought for a position that truly did not suit him. It was not until the 2009-10 season that Modrić started to stake a claim for a more central and deeper role in the squad, and his defensive abilities increased to the point that he was crucial in not only attack, but defence as well, in the 2011-12 season. Mateo Kovačić, however, is not a man suffering from a positional identity crisis like the 23-year-old Modrić was, but it is very important to remember that number 10's can evolve into deep lying playmakers. Despite the slight positional difference, the 18-year-old has drawn comparisons to Modrić, and with good reason. He is always looking to get on the ball and make smart passes to start off attacking plays, whilst physically he is almost identical to Modrić; his small stature making it easy for opposing defenders and midfielders to underestimate his ability to dictate play. Unfortunately, Kovačić is not known for his defensive abilities, which is not particularly uncommon for several players on this list or, indeed, Modrić himself before the 2010-11 season. Also fighting against Kovačić is Dinamo's board, with their asking price in excess of 10 million pounds likely to scare off financially prudent vampire Daniel Levy, who would likely not want to spend such money on a player only proven in the Croatian league.

Moving on to another Dinamo graduate, Milan Badelj now plies his trade at Hamburger SV, where he currently teams up with a departed member of Tottenham's "Redknapp era", Rafael van der Vaart. Badelj has impressed over the past few years and, in earning a move to Hamburger, has already begun to prove his ability on a bigger stage than the low-key Croatian league. Numerically, Badelj is vastly superior to Modrić; with his league tally of 11 goals in the 2009-10 season only 2 goals short of Modrić's league total over his entire Tottenham career. However, as previously mentioned, Modrić's impact transcends statistics, and it has yet to be seen whether Badelj can ever match Modrić's "X-factor". Badelj is more capable defensively than several members of this list, and has featured often in Hamburger's double pivot this season. With the combination of his defensive abilities, his solid if unspectacular passing and his undoubtable attacking talent, Badelj seems like the perfect replacement for Luka Modrić and could definitely start in a 3 man midfield with Sandro and Dembélé, especially as his presence would free the Belgian midfielder to push further up the pitch into a free role. Signing Badelj would be a smart move by Levy and AVB, especially considering the issues that Tottenham have had when neither Scott Parker or Sandro are on the pitch, most notably in the last 70 minutes of the Wigan game. However, it is hard to see Badelj transfer away from Hamburger so soon after arriving in Germany. In fact, it is safe to assume that when Badelj finally does leave the German side, it will be for quite a large sum and to a club like Manchester United or Chelsea, both of whom still lack solid defensive midfielders and have far more bargaining power than Spurs. The chances of Tottenham landing the 23-year-old seem to be quite low, unless Hamburger suffer a major financial blow in the near future or Manchester United sign someone along the lines of Hector Herrera, who I will briefly discuss later in the piece.

With Badelj's chances of a transfer seemingly close-to-none for the near future, my mind turned to someone in the opposite predicament. Seemingly unhappy at Roma after only a season there, Miralem Pjanić is likely looking to make a move elsewhere. Tottenham have been linked to the 22-year-old by every rag under the Sun, and it is not hard to see why. Pjanić is a very versatile central midfielder, similar to Modrić, and his passing abilities are undisputed. Pjanić has received criticism for his poor defensive work rate and while he is not as defensively proficient as Badelj or even Modrić, but he is no Rafael van der Vaart either. None of the options that I am presenting are identical to Modrić, but each of them offers something that Modrić would have were he still present. In Badelj, it was a solid passer who is surprisingly good defensively. With Pjanić, it is the ability to control possession and play smart balls to Dembélé, Lennon, Bale and whoever the striker is at the time. The thought of a midfield trio containing Sandro, Dembélé and Pjanić is scary, as all 3 players are solid passers and are very good at getting forward when necessary. Pjanić, if he were played as a number 10 at Tottenham, would certainly bring more to the table than Clint Dempsey and Gylfi Sigurðsson currently do, and it is not hard to see that the Bosnian fits Villas-Boas' system far better than either the American or the Icelandic fisherman. Roma's reported asking price of 14 million pounds seems steep at first, until one considers that Mousa Dembélé's purchase put Tottenham 15 million pounds out of pocket and Dembélé is in fact 3 years older than Pjanić. Dembélé may seemingly be the more complete player at present, Pjanić simply has bags of skill, and the sky really is the limit for the Bosnian midfielder.

At this point, it became obvious to me that the Balkans are crammed with current or potential deep-lying playmakers with massive skill, however I finally got sick of diacritical marks and looked for someone from a more "exotic" area of the world. What I found stunned me. Hector Herrera debuted for Mexican side Pachuca in July 2011, and was linked to Manchester United and Liverpool after impressing at the Olympics in London. Since then, Liverpool have loaned Nuri Şahin from Real Madrid and Sir Alex Ferguson has yet again refused to buy a defensively solid central midfielder, leaving Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur as the two most notable side vying for the Mexican's signature. Herrera is a very strong box-to-box player and is proficient at playing as part of a double pivot or a 3-man midfield, as well as being more than capable of filling in as a number 10 should the formation require. Whilst not the brilliant creative force that Kovačić or Pjanić are and not as defensively proficient as Badelj, Herrera is very capable as both a creator and a protector of the defence. It is also not uncommon to see Herrera shuttling back-and-forth and side-to-side on the pitch to facilitate play, and he would become a crucial part of starting counter-attacks at Tottenham. However, Herrera is not exactly the passing player that is ideal to partner Mousa Dembélé and, as such, he far better suits the runner role in AVB's midfield, similar to Ramires at Chelsea, simply due to his energy and box-to-box ability.

Heading back across the Atlantic, I found it hard to think of options that had both the right play style and price. I eventually decided to look at the players Tottenham currently has. Tom Huddlestone is nowhere near his best right now, Tom Carroll is not ready and is seemingly out of favour with AVB and Jake Livermore is, well, Jake Livermore. And so, despite my efforts to get away from Cyrillic languages and diacritical marks, I was forced to return to Eastern Europe. I decided to look at Russia, where there is a talented generation of attacking midfielders coming up, but none of them seemed to be the right fit. Alan Dzagoev is a name that has been linked with Spurs almost excessively since the Euros. Dzagoev began his career at CSKA Moscow as a central attacking midfielder, but at times deputized in a deeper role in the centre of midfield. Unfortunately, the Russian has been converted primarily into a winger to facilitate Keisuke Honda and Rasmus Elm as CSKA's primary playmakers. Were Dzagoev to transfer to Tottenham, he would seemingly be a replacement or back-up for the reborn Aaron Lennon, rather than a replacement for Luka Modrić. Zhano Ananidze, a Georgian international, has a similar play style to Modrić when he first arrived at Spurs, primarily playing behind the striker or cutting in from the left. Ananidze has a very high potential, however there have been concerns about his fitness and strength for long stretches of the 20-year-old's career. Ananidze's numbers are similar to those of Modrić, and he often seems unable to have the goalscoring impact on a game that other players might. However, this side of his game is improving quickly and the Georgian has scored 2 goals in 9 games in all competitions this season, including Spartak's 4th in a 5 goal demolition of Krylia Sovetov Samara. Ananidze is still raw however, and is finding it hard to break into the Spartak Moscow first team every single week, having to battle players like Aiden McGeady, Dmitri Kombarov and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov for a starting spot. However, given time, Ananidze looks capable of developing into a quality central or attacking midfielder in the future, and a deal for between 7 and 10 million pounds would be a bargain in the long term.

Continuing my search in Spartak, I came across another Croatian that could fit the "Modrić mold". Filip Ozobić is currently playing for Hajduk Split on loan from Spartak and is yet another player that brings back memories of 2008-09 Luka Modrić. In a similar position to Ananidze, Ozobić is a bright talent and has represented Croatia at every youth level. The 21-year-old, having only played 12 league games so far in his career, has yet to score, although he has shown promising ability when getting forward. Unfortunately, he has the defensive work rate of Roman Pavlyuchenko and, as such, is almost useless in a midfield that would give him a responsibility to cover the pitch and press players, as AVB's almost certainly would.

Speaking of Comrade Vroom, a young Lokomotiv player by the name of Magomed Ozdoev drew my interest and I was impressed with his defensive abilities, although his passing left a lot to be desired. Feeling that the well had run dry in Russia, I decided to continue my search by looking further to the East. Germany impressed and I was left amazed at the number of talented central midfielders there. Borussia Dortmund was particularly mesmerizing, with both Ïlkay Gündogan and Moritz Leitner standing out there. Neither player came up through Dortmund's academy, instead following the German tradition of transferring from a smaller Bundesliga club for a criminal price. Both players are impressive in their passing and solid in defence, yet Leitner is younger, slightly more versatile (being able to play on either wing and in central or attacking midfield) and would likely come cheaper than Gündogan. Both Gündogan and Leitner are talented and versatile playmakers who would slot into Tottenham's passer role perfectly, however Dortmund would probably be reluctant to part with two of their young and talented prospects after selling Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United. Before finishing my German search, I stopped by the other Borussia, Mönchengladbach that is, and noticed young Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka. Xhaka impressed last season at FC Basel and earned himself a 7 million pound transfer to Germany.

Finishing in Germany, I decided to look over some of the more popular names linked with Tottenham. A transfer for Joao Moutinho went right down to the deadline, yet ultimately the deal was not completed. Seemingly the perfect replacement for Modrić, it seems unlikely that Daniel Levy will re-enter the market for Moutinho in January due to his 25-30 million pound asking price that will only increase in January. Another touted option is Yann M'Vila, who is simply a glorified defensive midfielder, only has a passing range slightly better than that of Tom Huddlestone, meaning that the transfer would be essentially pointless. Looking further north, one comes across the Eredivisie, which contains two players important to my search. Kevin Strootman is a solid box-to-box midfielder who was recently told that he would be allowed to leave PSV in January if a team can meet his club's 20 million pound valuation. Jordy Clasie is also an important figure in the Eredivisie, being labelled as the "Dutch Xavi". Clasie impressed for Feyenoord last season, proving a crucial member of the side that finished second only to Jan Vertonghen's Ajax side. Concerns have been raised with regards to Clasie's size, but with a midfield that also contains Mousa Dembélé and Sandro, the young Dutchman would not be asked to do a huge amount of heavy lifting.

Looking towards the playmakers that Tottenham could have used in a swap deal for Modrić, the list is truly upsetting. Nuri Şahin ended up going on loan to Liverpool, who are almost certainly offering the Turk less in wages than Daniel Levy would have. Esteban Granero transferred to Queen's Park Rangers. God knows why. A playmaking duo of Fernando Gago and Sergio Canales transferred to Valencia for incredibly small fees given their skill levels. Looking at another side that is packed with creative talent, Shakhtar Donetsk has an unbelievable wealth of attacking ability. Players like Willian and Douglas Costa fit into other holes in Tottenham's first team, but are not the deep-lying playmakers that Andre Villas-Boas could use to perfect a 3-man central midfield. Henrik Mkhitaryan has been the revelation of the 2012-13 season so far, yet he would not be at his best for Tottenham unless he was at the centre of an attacking midfield trio, which would build further into the 4-2-3-1 system that AVB is using as a stepping stone. An interesting player to look towards is Fernandinho, who has, at times, beaten Sandro for a place in Brazil's double pivot. The problem, however, is with Shakhtar. Shakhtar would likely push the price tag of any of its key players through the roof, which is a sure-fire way to not negotiate with Daniel Levy.

Thinking back to the early stages of my search, I realised that the most likely playmakers to come to Tottenham for a reasonable price originate in Croatia, just like Modrić himself. My thoughts drifted back to Dinamo and I felt that I had skimmed over something in my haste to find the ultimate deep-lying playmaker. Taking one last look at Dinamo's squad list, I couldn't believe what I had missed. The biggest story in football over the past month. Alen Halilović. For those who are not aware, Halilović became the youngest ever player for Dinamo, having debuted at the age of 16 years and 120 days. A week later, in only his second professional game, he came off the bench and scored. This made him the youngest ever goalscorer in the Croatian league, beating none other than Mateo Kovačić. Known as "the next Modrić", Halilović has been linked with sides such as Manchester United and Real Madrid and looks unlikely to be sold for less than 10 million pounds. Notably, Halilović looks far more like the present Modrić than the former Spurs man himself did when he made his debut for Dinamo (Modrić was actually 19 when he made his professional debut), and his development appears to be progressing much faster than Modrić's ever did. Halilović is seemingly the perfect Luka Modrić replacement, with his impressive dribbling and eye for a pass making waves throughout Europe. 10 million pounds is a bargain for the 16-year-old, especially if he is sold for a figure similar to that which Real Madrid parted with to attract Modrić.

My search reached from the Balkan Peninsula to the Gulf of Mexico and it was finally clear that Croatia, in fact Dinamo in particular, has some sort of specialty when it comes to producing world-class creative players. Whilst La Masia and the Ajax Academy are often lauded for the wealth of talent they produce, Dinamo's academy is criminally underrated outside of Croatia. With a list of graduates that include Luka Modrić, Niko Kranjčar and Vedran Ćorluka, it is clear that Tottenham has a tradition of purchasing the best of Dinamo's youth products so, when looking for a Luka Modrić's replacement, why not poach just one more?

Poll

Considering ability, potential and price, who do you believe is the ideal replacement for Luka Modrić?

Joao Moutinho

13 votes

Yann M'Vila

0 votes

Mateo Kovačić

7 votes

Milan Badelj

0 votes

Miralem Pjanić

15 votes

Alen Halilović

12 votes

Hector Herrera

0 votes

Zhano Ananidze

1 votes

Moritz Leitner

2 votes

Ïlkay Gündogan

4 votes

Other - They are already at Tottenham

1 votes

Other - Not mentioned

2 votes

Other - We don't need one

0 votes

57 votes | Poll has closed

The Importance of the Cartilage Free Captain

Aslan the Melon — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:25:56 -0000

The 1-1 draw with Chelsea was the first time this season that Tottenham has not taken all 3 points with the almighty Ledley King on the field (barring the match against Newcastle when he came off injured). This raises an important point; just how important is the King of the Lane to Tottenham?

There is no doubt that Ledley is the best defender on Tottenham Hotspur's payroll, and there is no doubt that he has many skills that contribute to his brilliance. But what exactly is his strongest suit?

King is without a doubt the best tackler that Tottenham have available to them, and he is arguably one of the best in the world. He is well known for his tackling ability, which he is able to bring in the big games. He tackles with confidence and precision, rarely getting it wrong. Arguably his best tackle came over Arjen Robben in the match against Chelsea on the 6th of November, 2006:

Ledley also has an exemplary disciplinary record, not being carded since the 3-1 loss to Manchester United on September 12, 2009 (37 games as of 24 December, 2011). For a player, even one who plays as sparsely as King, to not go carded in more than 2 years is a magnificent feat. On top of this, Ledley has only been carded 8 times in his career and never sent off, a testament to his discipline.

Ledley can also read the game brilliantly and make interception after interception. He also manages to block many shots that would seem to be certain goals without his presence. He is particularly brilliant against Liverpool (as though he saves his best for these games), stopping sure goals from players such as Luis Suarez, Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy. Also noteworthy is his tackle/block of Clint Dempsey's shot earlier this season:

King, on top of his tackling and discipline, is a wonderful header of the ball, both in attack and defence. He wins aerial duels game after game and can easily put the ball into the net off set pieces, as he has done many times in his career.

Also, Tottenham is a noticeably better side with him in the lineup. In fact, we have not lost with him in the side since August 28th, 2010, which is a wonderful record. King's leadership also noticeably raises the confidence of the players around him, and he is certainly integral to the development of our younger players, who should be inspired by his talent and commitment.

He is substantially better than all of his competitors for the centre-back position, no matter how Michael Dawson, Younes Kaboul, William Gallas and, ugh, Sebastien Bassong can be on occasion. He balances his skills better than any of these players, and is a truly fantastic leader. Were it not for his chronic knee injuries, he would start every single match for Tottenham regardless, and could have been a legend for England. His international career still has time, with Euro 2012 being the most likely chance (especially seeing as he probably won't make it to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil). However, unless he can stay fit and prove himself superior to his competitors for the rest of the season, he probably won't be headed to Poland and Ukraine with the national team, which is unfortunate for both Ledley and England.

And all of the above points are nothing compared to the fact that he only trains one day a week. As you know, his knees swell up following a match and do not come down until about 6 or 7 days later and he often only trains with the team on the day before a match. In fact, Ledley playing against Chelsea after also featuring against Sunderland is stunning, seeing as the games were only separated by 4 days. He keeps fit mainly by swimming, which is better on those cartilage-lacking knees, but is also a stark contrast to the draining fitness schemes that most football players go through.

Harry has claimed that King will not be given a contract extension when his contract expires at the end of this season unless he manages to play 20 games or more this season. Fortunately, this looks very achievable at this point of the season, having played in 11 of Tottenham's 16 matches so far, and barring a long term injury, we should be seeing the Cartilage Free Captain wearing the number 26 at the beginning of next season.

So, I say to you all, on Christmas Eve, that Ledley King, our eternal hero, deserves our Christmas wishes. If there is one thing you wish for tonight, let it be Ledley's continued fitness.

After all, we do need our Cartilage Free Captain.