3 Players I Wouldn't Mind Tottenham Selling in January

Let's face facts. We have a pretty big squad at Tottenham currently and it's highly unlikely that we will go through the January window without shipping a few players out. We're also light in a few areas (like striker) so it makes sense we'd shift some dead weight to raise funds for purchases too. As such, take a look at my way too early look at four players I wouldn't mind seeing sold in January. Note, this doesn't mean I want them out of the Club, just that I wouldn't hate seeing a sale at a decent price.

1. Nacer Chadli-The Dolphin is simply a lesser version of Clint Dempsey who we sold without a modicum of fanfare. He contributes the occasional goal but contributes very little else. With the recent acquisitions of wide men in Son and N'Jie I can't see a place for him here long term. Originally, I thought he'd serve as our backup striker but our Korean import has stolen that role as well. It might be best to get rid of Chadli while there's still significant value in him across Europe.

2. Tom Carroll- I hate to break it to you and Tim Sherwood, but the diminutive midfielder won't be playing for Barcelona any time soon. He isn't a bad player, but his size really limits his ability to play week in, week out for a top level Premier League Club. He is neat and tidy on the ball, but who do you see him playing in front of...Dier? Mason? Bentaleb? If the answer to those questions is no (which it should be) then you have to be ok with selling Carroll for a nice profit.

3. Federico Fazio- We just have to admit we missed out on this purchase. His lack of pace is ill-suited for our high line, high press system and he failed to start in the Europa League this week. He's clearly not a part of Pochettino's long term plans and I think he can contribute at a lesser team. Much like Chadli, January might be the time to sell while we can still recoup considerable value.

Disagree? Let me know about it in the comments section or on social media. Also, don't bother with the criticism for discussing the transfer of current players..I'll just ignore it.

How crazy should Tottenham fans go for Dele Alli?

Tottenham fans have officially initiated the Dele Alli hype machine. Whether you fell in love with the 19 year old midfielder after his diving header for goal against Leicester or one of his many nutmegs the affection is undoubtedly there. This begs the question, how crazy should Tottenham fans go over our young starlet at this point?

Most often I'm accused in this space of being a "happy clapper" but this piece may be characterized more as trying to pour cold water on the Tottenham player. I say this even though I've developed a pretty healthy man crush on Alli already.

I'm a sucker for a good nutmeg and if nutmegs were a statistic, Dele Alli would lead the world.

Unfortunately nutmegs and tricks do not make the world go round. If they did, Nathan Oduwa would be Messi. As of right now, Alli's style is ahead of his substance by just a hair. He has a little more flash than substance. The idea that he is a must start player ahead of the likes of Christian Eriksen that I've seen flying around Twitter today need to be tempered quite a bit. I like the lad's potential quite a bit, but the worst thing we could go for his long term success at Tottenham is to rush him into being an every week starter too soon.

Right now, Alli should continue to be involved in the squad no matter who the opponent might be. He is even entitled to continue on as a starter for the time being while Eriksen, Mason and Bentaleb deal with their injury issues. When everyone is fit, he should remain involved, but isn't a lock starter. He should be deployed as a dynamic super sub to preserve his fitness, confidence and emotional wellbeing throughout the long Premier League grind. We don't even really know what Alli's best position is yet. He has functioned at a high level as a No 10, but may very well be better suited as a CDM given our team's current needs.

Now I may have thrown cold water on some fans are spectators for Alli this year, but I am definitely not cooling down anyone's long term ideas. I think he has the potential to be Tottenham's best player. I say that with zero qualifications. I believe Harry Kane is a world class striker, Hugo Lloris a world class keeper and might even put Christian Eriksen in that same category. Dele Alli has the ability to play for any club in the world if his development continues at the current pace. I think he could walk into England's midfield right now over someone like Jonjo Shelvey and should own their midfield in a few years. The phrase the sky is the limit gets thrown around an awful lot, but it rally is true for the precocious Alli.

So go crazy Tottenham fans. Let's not bury our young midfielder this year with crazy expectations though. Let's wait until next season to put him on the cover of our Under Armour ads and FIFA 17.

Why Hugo Lloris can't be a Tottenham legend

Hugo Lloris is a world class keeper who we should all be proud to have at Tottenham. Furthermore, he captains our side with dignity, class and we never have to worry about him putting the Club in a negative light. So why do I, and many other Tottenham fans, struggle to feel the same connection with him in comparison with many of his less talented teammates? 

Don't believe that Lloris and Tottenham fans have a disconnect? Let me ask you, do you believe that Hugo Lloris is committed to Tottenham? Do you believe he cares about the Club in the same way as Ryan Mason or Danny Rose do now? How about Sandro a few years ago? Of course not, we see his measured statements and responses as a clear sign that he will leave us sooner rather than later. We do view him as more of an employee as opposed to being one of our own.

The first thing many will jump to as the reason is Lloris' French nationality. There is no denying that a certain rift exists between France and England ideologically for a variety of reasons that aren't worth going into here. Yet, I don't see that ideological gap preventing other Premier League fan bases from embracing French players. Newcastle and now, Palace fans, have been quite supportive of Yohan Cabaye for example. Even at Tottenham our fans have formed a very special connection with midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, who only recently chose to represent Algeria over France. In short, Hugo Lloris being French is not to blame for the distance between he and our fans.

So we must get to the real reason of the disconnect. Hugo is just too much of a politician. His comments in the media drain our affection for our keeper over time. He is the subject of frequent transfer speculation and never comes out with a firm denial of interest in other clubs. Nor does he ever come out and fully commit his future to Tottenham. Instead, his comments always stop just short of what we want to hear. Our captain never says I'm fully committed to Tottenhan without the phrase "at the moment" follow quickly behind. He won't say in the press that he is not interested in playing for Manchester United without ruling out future interest. His comments always leave the door cracked just enough for him to be able to leave Tottenham without being accused of lying. It's this measured rhetoric that builds that wall between he and fans.

That carefully worded communication doesn't make Hugo a bad person or even a player I don't want to stay at Tottenham. All but the most ridiculous of our fans can recognize his quality. What that hesitancy to fully commit does mean is that our fans won't ever attach themselves to Lloris like we do other players. He will be regarded as one of our best keepers ever, but barring a significant philosophical shift he will never be a Club legend.

What must Erik Lamela do to succeed at Tottenham?

Erik Lamela arrived at Tottenham two years ago with a huge price tag hanging over his questionable haircut. The results since then just haven't been there for the Argentinian starlet and Spurs fans have almost all given up on the Club's record signing. Nonetheless, he has continued to factor into the squad and most recently provided a sparkling assist to Ryan Mason's game winning goal at Sunderland. Still, Tottenham fans remain down on him which begs the question: what must Lamela do from this point forward to succeed at Tottenham?

Success means different things for different players. While Academy products like Tom Carroll or Harry Winks can succeed by coming part time starters for Tottenham the same cannot be said for high priced imports like Lamela. Our standard for his success must, justifiably, be higher. On the other hand, his price tag is now a sunk cost. To continue to judge him by his superstar purchase price seems a bit silly and unfair. Susequently, it seems logical that we should place his expectations somewhere in between those of an unheralded academy product and a player recently compared by Pochettino to Messi.

As always, the real devil is in the details. Lamela should be judged a success somewhere in the middle of that vast gap. I believe for him to succeed he must first, become a consistent starter. This does not mean he regularly starts Europa League and Cup matches, it means he must assert himself as a first choice attacker in our starting XI in the biggest games. This isn't to say that we should expect this to happen immediately. On the contrary, it's quite logical to use our lesser fixtures to build up his confidence in the immediate future. Ultimately he must become first choice to be a success at Tottenham.

Hang in though, simply being one of our starters still isn't enough to brand Mr. Rabona a Spurs success. He must thrive in that role to a certain degree and become a well above average Premier League player. To do this he must contribute double digit goals and/or assists for a successful Tottenham side. To provide a comparison he must reach the level of impact of a James Milner or In-form Kevin Mirallas to be considered good enough to be a success. He must become a player that strikes fear in the opposition and frankly, solicits praise and bids from opponents throughout Europe.

I must admit that prior to his substitute appearance at Sunderland my flicker of Lamela hope was all but extinguished. With his creativity in the game's closing moments he at least stoked the fire a bit. There is still a long way for him to go if he is to become a regular, above average starter for Tottenham and she his label as a flop.

Can Andros Townsend adapt and thrive for Tottenham?

Andros Townsend made his season debut for Tottenham earlier today against Sunderland and made a very positive impact. The English International looked confident, assertive and even unselfish on the ball. Could his brief substitute appearance be a definitive sign that Townsend has turned over a new leaf?

Before this season began I would have been happy to see Townsend sold to any of a number of his alleged suitors. Instead, while wide man Aaron Lennon was shipped off to Everton, Townsend remained at White Hart Lane. His Tottenham career may have even be saved by the mild injury he picked up that delayed his season debut. Now, after just one substitute appearance that did not see him score or assist, I'm bullish on his chances at being a key part of this team. 

My criticisms of Townsend are pretty basic. He can be a very selfish player whose focus on scoring can blind him to the presence of his teammates. His errant shooting can be a danger to anyone within the first thirty rows from corner flag to corner flag. There is a fine line between self belief and delusion and by my standards Andros frequently falls on the delusional side. While these deficiencies can be maddening, they are also infinitely correctable. If Mauricio Pochettino could reign him in and make him a creator as well as a finisher, then we could have a brilliant young player.

The winger we saw come on as a substitute and mauraude down the right wing was not a selfish player. He balanced his forays equally between heading down the flank to cross the ball in for Harry Kane and cutting inside in search of shooting opportunities. He created multiple chances for others and could have easily seen his subtle ball to the back post converted by Kane. In all honesty, he deserved an assist and on most days, would've seen Kane bury the chance. He found the perfect balance between looking for his shot and looking to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. It was as if Mauricio Pochettino and the coaching staff had managed to provide Townsend with a brain transplant. If he continues to play with this attacking balance be might be the answer to Tottenham's attacking needs.

The real question is whether or not this was an isolated change or a harbinger of a new Andros Townsend. If it's the latter, there is certainly ample opportunity for him to find a place in the starting XI. Given Nacer Chadli's lack of impact against Sunderland, Townsend could certainly impress Poch enough to get a start in his stead. While we all wanted to see Son and N'Jie infuse pace and creativity in the Tottenham attack, Andros Townsend may have been the solution right under our collective noses.

Ten Jobs Adebayor Could Still Perform for Tottenham

We've all been shaken by the news that Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has informed striker Emmanuel Adebayor that he has no future at the club. I couldn't disagree with Poch more. In fact, I think there are plenty of jobs that Adebayor could still perform to earn his keep at the club. Here are the top 10 jobs that he could fill to earn his wages:

1. Ju Ju Identification Specialist- You never know when some random elements of Ju Ju could be lurking in a dark corner of White Hart Lane. Fortunately for us, Adebayor is an expect in the dark arts of the African continent and could really be valuable at helping us finding any miscellaneous Ju Ju. Unfortunately, he's shown no capability to combat the Ju Ju so we would have to hire someone separately for that.
2. Barber- This is clearly a skill of his as evidenced by the myriad of hair styles he's utilized throughout his time at Tottenham. Whether you want braids, an afro or a close shave Ade could take care of it for you.
   
3. Accountant- Anyone who makes that much money and has that type of time on their hands surely spends a great deal of time counting it right?
4. Security Guard- I believe the old saying says that if you want to catch a thief, then you should hire one. Do you know anyone who's stolen more money from Tottenham? If this adage is true, he could save the club millions.
5. Heart Surgeon- Adebayor has somehow managed to not only survive, but also play Premier League football with no heart for several years now. Opening a clinic where he could teach others to do so would save millions of lives annually.
6. Military Officer-Because you know, he likes to salute.
   
7. Immigration Officer- As many times as he has failed to return to Tottenham on time from international duty I can only assume he's an expert on immigration and travel.
8. Dress Maker- This might shock a few of you, but true Tottenham fans know that Adebayor frequently wears a dress as part of his native garb. He could bring these same stylings to White Hart Lane to help fans stay cool during the warmest of days.
   
9. Daniel Levy's Replacement for Early Transfer Dealings- We all know that Daniel Levy waits until the last minute to start his transfer negotiations so we could just use Adebayor as a stand in for the first half of the window. Nothings's getting done anyway and that is his specialty.
10. Plumber- This is perhaps the perfect job for Emmanuel Adebayor. He is simply phenomenal when it comes to being full of shit for long periods of time and coming out smelling like a rose.

Hope you've enjoyed this list, please share and comment!

When will Son Rise for Tottenham?

I have to admit that the International Break has taken a toll on me over the last two weeks. I've had way too much time without the opportunity to see our beloved Tottenham compete on the pitch. The time apart has caused all of us to spend way too much time dreaming of how our new signings can impact our squad for this weekend's match at Sunderland. Perhaps the most speculated upon player is new attacker Son Hueng Min. Simply put, I'm worried that two weeks of dreams commingled with YouTube views have blown our early expectations for the Korean forward way out of proportion.

Let me clear one thing up right off the bat: I'm optimistic that Son will prove to be a very good player/signing for Tottenham. He has an outstanding record internationally for South Korea and in the Bundesliga for both Bayern Leverkusen and HSV. What I am not convinced of is Son's ability to walk right into the squad and infuse life into what has been a moribund Hotspur attack.

The first thing about Son that gives me pause is his slight frame. He measures at barely six feet tall, which is no problem, but he weighs in at just 168 pounds. The Premier League might be the most physical league in the world and I worry about his slight frame being knocked off the ball easily. Certainly, slight players can make up for their lack of girth with skill and speed (ie Christian Eriksen) but it's the exception rather than the rule.

Secondly, I just worry that expecting a player to sign, go away on international duty, come back to training for a few days and be ready to start the next weekend is too much to ask for almost anyone. We could've signed Messi and I'd still worry that his talent would be significantly hidden by the lack of understanding he would have with his teammates. We can't really expect Son to mesh with our attack immediately. This adjustment will be made more difficult by the fact that we don't exactly have established continuity amongst our attacking midfielders. We don't know if Eriksen will be fit and the early returns from Chadli, Dembele and Lamela have been mixed at best. We cannot expect Son to come in and flourish in our unstable attack.

Maybe Son will come in and prove to be the anecdote for what is troubling the Tottenham attack. The much more likely scenario is that he will show flashes of ability as he becomes more comfortable with his surroundings, teammates and competition. Remember to be patient with him and hopefully we can avoid a Tottemhamesque meltdown on Sunday.

Well Done English FA: Livermore Deserves Compassion

It's easy to criticize England's Football Association (FA) for its high profile flops and failures, but this article isn't about one of those unfortunate incidents. This is a compliment to the English FA for showing compassion to a man in his time of need.

Jake Livermore faced a possible two year suspension after testing positive for cocaine use in May of this year. Normally I am happy for the FA and any Club to drop the hammer on a player who tests positive for a banned substance. Only in this case there was an extremely large extenuating circumstance. Livermore had just suffered the death of his newborn child before the failed test.

Yesterday, BBC Sport broke the story that after the FA's disciplinary hearing the provisional suspension against Livermore had been lifted. This means that he is now eligible from the FA's perspective to play immediately. The 25 year old midfielder has not been reinstated by Hull City as of yet but I expect that's just a formality.

In today's world where everyone seems to be against showing compassion to any human being I was relieved to see Livermore receive just that from the FA. As our social media timelines are filled with our fellow citizens arguing about whether or not to extend aid to immigrants it was refreshing to see this small kindness paid to a man in need. 

As a father I can't imagine what I would do if I were to lose a child. Using an illicit substance would probably not be my therapy of choice but I can't really know since I'm never been in that position. Maybe I would go that route. Perhaps my vice would be something legal, but it might be even more morally reprehensible. The point is that thankfully, few among us can know how we'd react. He underwent a terrible tragedy at a young age and made a substantial mistake. His punishment was a several month suspension and having his name dragged through the mud in the press. That seems a sufficient price to pay for a moment of weakness after a tragedy.

So well done to the English FA for making the right, compassionate call on the Livermore case. Your stock just went up a tick in my book.

Top 10 Premier League Managers I'd Want at Tottenham

We've seen just enough of the Premier League season to make wild assumptions about all of its managers. I don't look at managers in a vacuum though, I view them all through potential Tottenham lenses. As such, let's take a look at the ranking of the top 10 current Premier League managers that I'd want to coach my beloved Club.

1. Jose Mourinho- Look I get it, he's a complete prick. He might have the easiest job in the League currently given Chelsea's finances to boot so I can understand why some would question his managerial ability. However, this game is about winning trophies and "the special one" does that on a regular basis. Add in the fun he'd with Arsene Wenger and the Scum and he tops the list for me.
2. Garry Monk- I love his style. I love that he's English. More importantly, I love that he has Swansea punching significantly above their weight. He's also a reported lifelong Spurs fan so that has to move him up the list for any supporter. He made Gylfi Sigurdsson look like Messi so he must be doing something right.
3. Mauricio Pochettino- A lot of fans have taken to criticizing Poch over his lack of a plan B, emphasis on youth, etc but I think he's done a fair job so far. Time will tell whether or not he'll take us from good to great, but I still think he has a fair chance. Don't forget how much we all loved him when he had Southampton playing beautiful football. We've seen glimpses and I think we'll get there.
   
4. Roberto Martinez- I know that Everton haven't exactly clicked on under Martinez, but I still like the cut of his jib. He's an affable fellow who is engaging with the media and also with his players. He has instituted an attractive style of football for the Toffees and knows how to work with a Club that isn't super rich. He might not be a sexy choice but he's a proven winner.
5. Ronald Koeman- Southampton still play really attractive football despite the departure of Pochettino. The real question is, is Koeman just carrying on the Pochettino tradition or has he added his own style to the Saints? I think it's a combination of both and that's good enough to hit fifth on this list.
6. Manuel Pellegrini- This man is underrated as a manager. He might not be a tactical genius, but he is able to meld a very diverse group of egos into a coherent team more often than not. This is a skill that most managers simply don't have. My concerns for him and Spurs would be that he has no clue how to work with a budget. Not sure he'd have us punching above our weight.
   
7. Alan Pardew- I know most people don't like him and I agree, he's an a#$hole of epic proportions. However, he has Crystal Palace playing great right now and you can't question his managerial prowess. He's sort of like Mourinho lite in that respect. Add the fact that he's on his best behavior right now in hopes of getting the England job and it'd be a good time to have him at Spurs.
8. Louis Van Gaal- This is quite a drop for a man that many of us wanted Spurs to hire just over a year ago, but his style hasn't exactly lit the Premier League on fire. He is a quality manager tactically, but his arrogance and rigidity have caused him to fail for United at times. I think if he were at our help we'd finish fifth every year despite playing a variety of crazy formations.
9. Tony Pulis- This no-nonsense manager wouldn't mesh well with those of us who crave stylistic football, but we wouldn't be in any danger. He'd sort out of our defense and make us a really difficult task to defeat. Unfortunately we would finish 10th every year and die of boredom in the process.
   
10. I don't think he is a particularly astute tactical manager and he's been found out after Suarez's departure. However, he does preach an attacking, attractive style of football and seems capable of conning management to spend loads of money despite a lack of results. I think our entertainment factor under Rodgers would be high, but our results would be uneven. Ironically, I think he's got a little Harry Rednapp to him. Make of that, what you will.

Hope you've enjoyed this. Please share wherever possible and comment away. I want to hear your reactions!

Tottenham's Missing Link: What's Wong with Nabil Bentaleb?

It's early in the Tottenham season but something has clearly been missing from the promising side we saw at the end of last year. A certain spirit that flowed through the Hotspur squad has gone missing. There are a number of potential reasons for this absence but for me the most likely culprit is Algerian midfielder Nabil Bentaleb.

It's been a pretty miserable start of the season for Bentaleb. He was quickly dropped from the starting 11 in favor of Eric Dier who is quite possibly playing out of position and still being selected first. How could this happen to a player who last year was arguably the team's best midfielder?

My theory is that the youngster simply has experienced too much success too fast. It's easy to forget how young Bentaleb really is. He won't turn 21 until November and that makes him easily one of the youngest members of the squad. He is significantly younger than his typical midfield pairing Ryan Mason despite looking to be the eldest of the pairing. Still, only a short time ago Bentaleb was a largely unknown player who was thrust into the first team amid critical cries of being Tim Sherwood's pet.

Fast forward that fresh faced lad who looked to have been thrown to the wolves to the player we have now and quite a lot has happened. He has played extensive minutes for Tottenham and has frequently been our emotional leader. Perhaps even more impressively he played big minutes for Algeria in the Workd Cup. His exploits for both Club and country have made him a sort of cult hero amongst fans. And did I mention that he is still just 20 years old?

It is folly for us to expect a player so young to be the model of consistency. I look back to the level of responsibility I had at Nabil's age and I was barely able to keep my dog alive. I certainly couldn't have handled the money, fame and pressure that Bentaleb has experienced over the past 12 months. Yet we, as fans, forget about the personal lives of our favorite athletes despite our yearning to know about their personal lives. We forget he is still a kid with lots to learn about life, his profession and himself.

The good news is that young Bentaleb could bounce back into form as easily as he lost favor. If he does, expect Tottenham to rediscover the drive in the middle of the pitch that unlocked our creativity late last season. With all due respect to Eric Dier and Ryan Mason, an in form Nabil Bentaleb puts them both in their proper secondary places.

The Real Beal Deal: Why the Wizards haven't maxed Bradley Beal...yet

I have to give it to the Washington Wizards, they fooled me at first. I read the headlines about them struggling to reach an extension deal with young star Bradley Beal and quickly scoffed at the incompetence of the Wizards front office. Upon further review, they fooled me and many others with a media smoke screen all designed to aid their quest for Kevin Durant next offseason.

I don't think many of us would doubt that Bradley Beal is a max player in today's NBA. He is, after all, just 22 years of age and plays a position (SG) that lacks high quality, young talent throughout the League. The former Florida Gator is coming off a year where he shot just over 40% from three despite battling some injuries throughout the year. Add in his apparent chemistry with franchise point guard John Wall and the Wizards front office should be highly motivated to lock Beal up long term no matter the cost.

Next season there will be an unprecedented number of teams with cap space and not enough free agents to soak it all up. As a result, even if the Wizards have some concerns over Beal's health moving forward, they would still be motivated to offer him a maximum extension to retain him as a part of their young core. If they let Beal walk they'd be powerless to replace him with a shooting guard anywhere near his ability. Add these factors up and he's a must max guy.

That's why it caught me by surprise when media reports started to leak out that described friction between Beal and the Wizards. How could Washington even contemplate letting him become unhappy with the franchise by messing around with his extension? Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a clearly inferior player, just got taken care of by the Hornets, so the natural next step would be for player's of Beal's capability to start to receive max offers. Instead, media reports claimed that the Wizards front office hadn't yet made up its mind to max out Beal. Something about this just didn't seem right with me.

My initial reaction was to question the sanity of the Wizards front office. Had they lost their minds? Were they really trying to play hardball with Beal and his camp in a year where players with much less upside would receive max extensions? I even thought maybe there had been a rift between John Wall and Bradley Beal that we would hear about in the upcoming days. Only something seismic like a beef or insanity could explain this level of GM incompetence outside of Sacramento.

And then it hit me. This is all a smokescreen. The Wizards have all but taken out an ad in the Washington Post to let Kevin Durant know they are going to pursue him by all means necessary in the off season. While they will have maximum cap space no matter what they do with Beal to offer KD, they are cleverly waiting to extend Beal until they know the outcome of their Durant pursuit. Next summer, Beal's cap hold for the Wizards should be approximately 7 million dollars less than a maximum salary based on his rookie deal. In other words, if the Wizards wait to sign Beal until after they are finished chasing Durant (or any other high profile free agent) they can preserve maximum flexibility.While it's unlikely that this sum will be the difference in acquiring a player of Durant or Al Horford's quality next summer it simply doesn't make sense for the Wizards to give up that flexibility. Provided Beal is comfortable playing this game in the media with the Wizards it's a smart play. They can fake difficult contract negotiations with Beal in the media deep into next summer. Then, as their last move in free agency they can sign him to the same max contract he's wanted (and they've been willing to provide) all year long. 

It's a ruse similar to what San Antonio pulled with Kawhi Leonard this summer. There was never any doubt on the Spurs' side that he was a franchise cornerstone and a max player, but there was no advantage to moving quickly to lock him up. He could only hit restricted free agency, so even if he was an unwilling participant in the ruse he had no leverage to change the situation. The Spurs played this game so well it landed them LaMarcus Aldridge as a result (in concert with other moves). The Wizards hope their version of the gambit ends up in Kevin Durant.

Only time will tell whether or not the Wizards media ploy will pay off in a third star to pair with John Wall and Bradley Beal. The only sure thing is that Bradley Beal will sign a max offer with the Wizards whenever Washington's front office has pursued everyone else.

Does Tottenham Really Miss Gylfi Sigurdsson?

There is quite a groundswell among Tottenham fans that argue that selling Gylfi Sigurdsson to Swansea as part of the Ben Davies transaction in July of 2014 was a large transfer mistake. This is an easy argument to buy into as Gylfi plays well for the "in form" manager Garry Monk and Tottenham's midfield largely underperforms. However, further examination pokes quite a few holes in the theory that Gylfi would play a large role for Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino.

If your argument is that hanging on to Gylfi is that he should have been sold for more money or that Ben Davies wasn't a worthy exchange player then I can't find fault with you. At the time it certainly seemed that Davies was a great target and the rumored 7M valuation seemed fair. As it turns out, neither of those things may have held true. My beef isn't with you.

If your belief is that we should have held on to the Icelandic midfielder because he would be a starter for our favorite Club....well my beef IS with you. Personally, I like Gylfi and his game. I'm a sucker for players with an eye for goal who contribute in other areas and he fits the bill. As a matter of fact, I find Sigurdsson to be a superior alternative to Nacer Chadli. Unfortunately, as my regular readers have surmised, I don't find Chadli to be a worthy starter. 

Gylfi Sugurdsson just doesn't move the needle for a Mauricio Pochettino side pushing for the top four. This isn't because he isn't a high quality player. Instead it comes down to a matter of fit. An industrious attacking midfielder who poaches goals but lacks the ability to press high up the field just isn't what Tottenham needs. Tottenham's most recent purchased of Son and N'Jie highlight what Poch is looking for out on the wings. His system needs players who can stretch the field with their pace out wide and cut inside with an eye for the net. In case you've forgotten, Gylfi out wide is not exactly a blur of speed. The only place that he could occupy in Pochettino's system is as a number 10.

Unfortunately for the Icelandic Swan (this nickname should totally catch on by the way) Christian Eriksen resides in this spot for Spurs. Eriksen is a superior player in almost every aspect. He is faster, has a higher work rate, and features more incisive passing than Sigurdsson and also is the better of the two on set pieces. Would a player of Sigurdsson's caliber really be happy with the occasional substitute appearance and Cup starts? No, and nor should he be. That's why he made the best move for his career and moved to Swansea City.

It is typical of Spurs fans to love a player once he is gone even in spite of the presence of superior options on the current squad. In just this way, the absence of the Icelandic Swan has made our hearts grow fonder, while our heads should tell us that both Club and player are made better by his departure.

Eight Things Every Tottenham Fan Should Do During International Break

Like it or not, the dreaded International Break in the Premier League season is upon us. While we know  that we can't derive maximum enjoyment from a weekend without Spurs football, it doesn't mean that we should let the weekend pass us by. Follow these eighg steps to get the most out of your International Break!

1. Do something with your significant other/family- The trick is you want to do something memorable at the exact time slot you usually devote to Spurs. That way, you can always point back to it if your family tries to say you always put Tottenham first. Don't tell your family that Spurs aren't playing due to the break, let them believe you just chose them first for the weekend.

2. Adopt an international side to watch- Preferably choose a nation other than your own. This will distract you while you watch the match and also increase your world football knowledge. Think of how impressed your friends will be when you speak knowledgeably on some Icelandic youth that we have reported interest in during the next Transfer window. The more obscure the nation you choose to adopt the better. Bonus points for choosing an Eastern European side.

3. Detox- You probably indulge in some sort of alcohol, drugs or gluttony as part of your Spurs fandom. Give it a rest this weekend so you can come back prepared once the season kicks into high gear. Remember, the Premier League season is a marathon, not a sprint.

4. Work on a new song- We have some new players that are devoid of popular songs inside the stadium. This is your chance to make your mark! Imagine your limerick resonating throughout White Hart Lane applauding the efforts of Clinton N'Jie!

5. Research Ju Ju- You can never be too careful. Ju Ju has ruined Emmanuel Adebayor's career at Spurs so there's no telling what it might do to your own life. Knowledge is power so safeguard yourself against the dark arts.

6. Troll Arsenal fans- I really shouldn't have to tell you to do this because you should delight in this practice all year round. Pick up your efforts this weekend. Whether or not you choose the full kit wanker down the street or just want to tweet at Jack Wilshere's injury riddled body, do it with gusto!

7. Learn something about Tottenham history- Pick up a book on the history of the Club or watch a documentary on the career of Ardiles. Part of the beauty of being a Tottenham fan is connecting with the Club's rich, proud and colorful history. It's all well and good to know everything about Tottenham in its current form, but if you don't know the history you're cheating yourself out of the full fan experience.

8. Browse the great selection of Spurs blogs/podcasts, etc in the web- Of course I hope you read my blog and other published works regularly but there are a lot of other good Spurs fan content out there as well. Start out with The Fighting Cock, HotspurHQ.com and branch out from there to see what you really like.

5 Sneaky Tottenham January Transfer Targets

The Transfer Window slammed shut for Tottenham fans yesterday and left the Squad short on talent and depth in the eyes of many fans. Let's not wallow in despair, enjoy this look ahead at 5 potential stealth targets for January. Note, these are only off the radar ideas, I'm deliberately omitting obvious targets such as Saido Berahino.

1. Daley Blind- We remain short of cover in the midfield and the current Manchester United product has a great deal of experience playing there. He is playing significant minutes at center back for the Van Gaal side right now, but he is hardly a world class option there. It is entirely likely that United spend big in January to acquire a big name there and push Blind back into a crowded midfield. I don't think he would be first choice for them there and while he would still be a useful squad piece, he would become surplus to requirements. Enter Spurs to swoop in with money to spend and assurances of first choice status as a CDM. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but it's an easy ideal to construct.

2. Fabian Delph- I am not convinced that Delph will be happy sitting on the bench in Manchester City. He is a terrific talent who can be an engine in the midfield for almost every side in the Premier League. Unfortunately for him, Manchester City just has too much talent in the midfield for him to secure regular playing tune. If he grows discontent quickly then Tottenham would be wise to launch an aggressive bid. It's likely that City purchased him partly as insurance in case they were not able to sign De Bruyne. For the right price they would likely let him go and he would be happy to move to a side where he could play regularly and secure his international status.

3. Barrie McKay- This is likely the first time many of you have run across the name of the young Rangers winger. The tricky player features for Rangers ahead of Nathan Oduwa for Spurs confidant Mark Warburton. My rationale on this is pretty simple. If they have a young player who is better than Oduwa then he is surely destined to move on. Spurs will see him a great deal watching our loanees and the relationship between the two clubs would make a deal relatively easy. Perhaps McKay is not the right young Rangers player to make this list, but I think we will be in a position to acquire sum premium talent leaving the Scottish power.

4. Leroy Fer- I am amazed that he is still at QPR despite questions over his fitness (he failed a medical at Sunderland last month). He proved he can compete at the Premier League level and he would be available for a pretty modest fee. If QPR isn't in a dog fight for promotion I'd look for them to move players in January. Charlie Austin isn't the only one on their side who could help Spurs, Fer would compete for a starting spot immediately.

5. Viktor Fischer- He appears to be the next in a long line of Ajax products to move on in a big money deal. Given Tottenham's obvious need for cover at striker why shouldn't they go to the Ajax well once more? Fischer fits the same sort of profile as Harry Kane while also being able to play out wide. He would cost us a significant fee but Ajax has proven to be a reasonable negotiating partner in the past. Perhaps Eriksen could even help coax the starlet to move to the Lane.

5 Worst Tottenham Fan Diseases Today

After today's 0-0 draw at the Lane against Everton the Tottenham Twitter fans are out in full force. As much as we hate to admit it, our fan base has our share of stupidity. So without further delay, read the five diseases of stupid Spurs fans out there today and how to diagnose yourself as one. If you are suffering from any of these conditions please seek help immediately.

1. PochOutitus- Those suffering with this affliction constantly find themselves complaining about a lack of Plan B and frequently romanticize past relationships; particularly with AVB and Harry Redknapp. Symptoms often occur one with Levy Out and an obsession with 4 4 2. The best treatment plan is to listen to interviews with Brendan Rogers and look at Arsene Wenger photos until your view of Poch has clarified.

2. LevyOut Disorder- Characterized by obsessions with net spends and backing the manager this is most frequently found as a chronic condition. Often patients will find themselves obsessed with money and upon occasion, anti-Semitic. Best course of treatment is to study the history of Leeds United.

3. OneYearWonderaphobia- Poor souls suffering from this acute condition find themselves obsessed with Harry Kane and his conversion rate. They will annoy those close to them with blind attention on results and no attention to the subtle aspects of process. This condition latches on to Spurs fans suddenly and is usually transmitted from jealous fans of other clubs. The condition can only be cured by consistent Kane goals from open play.

4. Champions League Syndrome- Fans suffering from CLS are prone to flashbacks from the past and mutterings about what could have been. Patients are unable to gain enjoyment in their day to day lives and have their minds entirely consumed by League Table positon. There is no cure for CLS but it can be treated with too 4 finishes or Europa League titles.

5. Closet Arsenalitis- There is no treatment or cure. If you feel you may be suffering from this condition pursue euthanasia immediately to protect your loved ones.

Follow the Money: The Truth About Tottenham's Transfer Spending

Fans of Tottenham have taken to Twitter by the thousands to debate the merits of Daniel Levy's transfer policy as of late. Our Club boasts one of the lowest net transfer spends of any Premier League side in recent years. Those who feel that the Club lacks the talent to challenge for the top 4 point to this as the chief reason why. While I feel that fans are right to criticize the lack of investment from ownership in the transfer market I think many have taken it way too far. These fans forget that the transfer market is only one way that ownership can invest in the Club.

It's easy to look at just the net transfer spend and become irate at the Club's ownership. In the current window we all have a great deal of frustration at the lack of incoming players at the moment that makes us look hard at ENIC's dealings. Add in the failings of the "Baldini Era" and there is plenty of blame to go around and precious few to criticize. However, if we want to judge Tottenham's progress during this low net spend we have to dig deeper. We have to follow the money. For most of our competitors the whole story is in the Transfer market. For Tottenham it goes deeper.

There are two giant expenditures that have to be considered when evaluating this period of time. The first is the construction of our state of the art training centre. The top notch facility reportedly cost the Club somewhere around $45m. That's the price of one hell of a central midfielder. Instead of using those funds to make a splashy purchase that may or may not have worked out, Tottemham chose to invest in its youth system. Was this the right play? I think so, but it's certainly open for debate. Would an expensive signing have pushed us into the top 4 and opened up a huge Champions League revenue stream? I am inclined to say yes, ENIC made the wrong choice here.

While I think it was the wrong choice, it is certainly a defensible one. The building of the training centre has begun to pay dividends with better youth player purchase and development. It's hard to quantify those benefits financially but it doesn't mean they don't exist. Our current young core of Kane, Mason, Bentaleb, et al might not have signed or stayed with the Club without its construction. Perhaps Dele Alli's head was turned by the impressive facility and eased his acquisition. Maybe the right move was to clinch Champions League qualification with the right player purchase (assuming we bought the right player which history shows us is far from a sure thing) but instead the choice was made to build the you system up and hope that paid long term dividends. We will continue to see better youth players coming through our system as a product of this large cash out lay. We will be evaluating this debate years into the future.

The second expenditure is obviously the construction of a new stadium. Once built, it will allow us to produce ticket and sponsorship revenue at much higher levels than we enjoy currently. We hope this will put us on equal footing with all of our Premier League rivals. In that sense, it's s long term investment that I think all of us agree will pay off (how long it will take to pay for itself is debatable).

The stadium cost comes into play with our transfer policy because there will be some initial cash payment to begin construction. None of us outside the Club have a real idea of what the payment structure will be. I believe it is a reasonably safe assumption to say that the Club will pay some sort of down payment followed by debt service over some measure of years. The initial cash infusion is a huge piece of this. Just as when you buy a car, the down payment goes a long way when determining your interest rate and payment amount. While much more complex, stadium financing shares the same principles. The more money we can spend up front, the better our cash flow will be in future years. No matter what payment ownership envisions paying to defray the borrowed amount, that money has to come from somewhere. You have to think the lack of cash infused in the transfer market has helped increase that down payment. Again, you may think increases cash in the transfer market would have caused revenues to explode and you might be right. I'd be inclined to agree. We must acknowledge the fact that lowering stadium debt will allow us greater financial freedom sooner than financing it all.

This piece isn't intended to be "happy clappy" or pro-Levy. I don't think I am either to be quite honest. What I do want this piece to do is to shed more light on where the Club has spent money as of late. Maybe ENIC botched it, maybe not. Just don't sum up the Club's financial history with just one small piece of the puzzle. Follow the money and evaluate the whole picture.

Kane Reign? How long will Harry Kane and others stay at Spurs?

If you have been a Tottenham supporter for any length of time you've had to deal with the pain of player loss. Whether it was Gareth Bale's move to Real Madrid or Michael Dawson's sentencing to Hull you have seen a beloved Spur leave your Club of choice. With that in mind, what's the career expectancy of our current first team? Who's here for the long haul and who might be gone sooner rather than later? Enjoy our Blog's predictions on every current first team player!

Goalkeepers

-Hugo Lloris- Much speculation has centered around the French captain's future in Lillywhite, but I am more optimistic than most about him staying for the long haul. I believe we are a Club headed towards Champions League qualification and if that's true, Hugo will be hard pressed to find a better situation. A seismic move to PSG, Real Madrid or the like would pry him away from us, but I think there's a fair chance that he remains our starting keeper for five plus additional years.

-Michel Vorm- Vorm gets too much stick from our fans for not being Lloris, but he's a solid keeper in his own right. I can't see him being satisfied to be a second choice keeper for very long and I think he was brought here to protect against a Hugo departure. As soon as one of our young keepers is ready to ascend to the second spot, I think Vorm is a goner. Put his life expectancy at two years.

Defenders

-Kyle Walker- I get that Kyle Walker isn't exactly a cerebral defender, but most are way too hard on the guy. He's a freak athlete at right back who provides real width and can put in a good challenge in defense. He'll always be prone to switching off, but honestly, if he was 100% in focus all the time he'd be playing with Bale in Madrid. He will last at Tottenham five more years until at the age of 30, his elite athleticism begins to wane.
-Jan Vertonghen- Another sometimes enigmatic defender, I believe Vertonghen's status has been settled quite well after the addition of his Belgian teammate, Toby Alderweireld, to play along side him. There's always the chance he could run off to a bigger club, but I think he's safe for one more contract at Spurs so let's put his expectancy at four years.
-Danny Rose- He was a revelation for Spurs last season after he was given a contract extension that was universally maligned by fans. I think his status is safe through the remainder of that five year contract, but perhaps surprisingly, I think he's done after that. His diminutive stature coupled with his lack of skill on the ball makes him particularly dependent on his speed. Once that starts to go, he will go downhill quickly and be sold off. Call him safe for four years provided his health holds up.
-Eric Dier- I think the 21 year old is set to be a Tottenham cornerstone. I feel his future is definitely as a starter at center back as opposed to the midfield role he is currently immersed in. I've surprised myself even with this prediction, but I feel as if his expectancy is about eight years. He's one of the guys I'd feel most comfortable letter your kids become attached to.
-Ben Davies- He had high expectations coming in from Swansea, but he's been underwhelming at best. I think he's got one more year until we find a younger, cheaper deputy for Danny Rose. I think he's better than he's shown thus far, but he's a short timer.
-Federico Fazio- Not as bad as he's looked for us, but he's a ridiculously bad fit for Pochettino's high line. I realize the West Brom deal has apparently broken down, but I can't see him here past January and he certainly could leave in the next week. I'll call his expectancy six months.
-DeAndre Yedlin- I am not one of the people who believe the American was purchased just to sell shirts. I think the US fan base is more sophisticated than that now in terms of who they will support. They can see the games easier than most Brits given the available TV platforms. I think he's a three year Spur though. He will likely spend at least this season out on loan and then I think he's got a chance to serve as a back up right back until a youth team player knocks him off. Give him three years in our shirt and then back to MLS or a lower Premier League club.
-Kieran Trippier- This will surprise some people. I think his expectancy is capped at two years. His lack of athleticism keeps him behind Kyle Walker and ultimately, DeAndre Yedlin. He's a really skilled player and will be sold for a nice profit, but if Walker and Yedlin progress as we expect, they will pass the youngster by.
-Kevin Wimmer- Despite our recent ineptitude at signing center backs I think Wimmer has a chance to stick around. I don't think he's an every week starter, but I believe his expectancy is at three seasons until a Bundesliga Club overpays for him. He'll be good business and a solid backup, no more, no less.
-Toby Alderweireld- I'm afraid I don't see Toby at Spurs long term. He's shown a willingness to move around (three clubs in the last three years) and his skill on the ball will be attractive worldwide. Expect him to join the litany of players sold for a large profit after two years starring for Spurs.

Midfielders

-Erik Lamela- I want to like Lamela sooo badly, but I'm almost entirely out of hope. He will go to a softer league and light it up and people will argue for the next decade about whether or not we should've held on to him, but it's not working at Tottenham. I believe he has this year to build up some value and will show more flashes, but still be sold at a loss next off season. If you like the young Argentine, enjoy him this year, he's gone after one more season.
-Andros Townsend- While I still have a sliver of hope left for Lamela, I'm over Townsend entirely. His problems are 100% related to his selfishness. For a while I gave him the benefit of the doubt in calling it confidence, but his desire to shoot at all times has annoyed me, and more importantly Pochettino, to the point where I think a departure in January is likely. His expectancy will be six months of cup games.
-Mousa Dembele- We all keep waiting for Mousa to kick on, but we've waited too long. He's a serviceable squad player, but he will want more of a role than that. After this season we'll oblige him and someone else will overpay for his flashes of quality. His expectancy is one more year of never dribbling into the final third.
-Nacer Chadli- The Dolphin causes fans to cheer and curse almost at the same time. He can go through games entirely anonymous then pop off for a meaningful goal. I don't think that's enough given his time and location on the pitch and I suspect Poch doesn't fancy him all that much either. Put his expectancy at two years and then he'll be sold for a nice profit. He's more Clint Dempsey than Jay Rodriguez and that means he'll be out in 24 months.
-Christian Eriksen- Good news for all those who criticize the Dane for not being physical enough. You won't have to watch him past the next three years because he'll be playing for a bigger club after being sold for 40M. Enjoy our midfield standout while he's here, but I don't think he will finish his contract.
-Ryan Mason- This is one of the tougher predictions. At times, he looks physically over matched for top flight football but his determination and craft make him a standout at times. His longevity at Spurs, perhaps more than anyone else's, depends on what we're able to do in the transfer market. If we spend heavily in the defensive midfield and crowd him out, someone will make an offer too good to be true. Otherwise, he could be a regular starter for the next eight years. I'm going to land in the middle at four years with the thought that he'll be good when healthy, but injuries will make him surplus to requirements. Someone will overpay for the English midfielder to be an every week starter and Levy will make a deal to benefit all parties.
-Nabil Bentaleb- The Algerian star had a great run of form last season, but I'm not entirely convinced it was more class than form. I think he is a quality player, but I wonder if his opinion of his own abilities are higher than that of Pochettino's. I'm betting that's the case, and he will play a significant role until he is sold for a hefty profit in two years. Might be wrong here, but he just doesn't seem settled despite the new contract.
-Tom Carroll- He won't be at Tottenham long and despite Tim Sherwood's prediction, it won't be because of a sale to Barcelona. I think Carroll is a Premier League squad player whose tiny stature makes it almost impossible for him to compete in the midfield every week. Still, he's got some use, and my bet is that in January or next summer, he'll end up playing a prominent role for a newly promoted Premier League side. Set the expectancy at one year.
-Dele Alli- The first of hopefully many Mitchell signings at the Club, he has the look of a world class midfielder. I will put his expectancy at seven years and that might not be enough. If I had to bet on who our best midfielder will be when we open our new stadium I'd be sorely tempted to bet on Alli over any of his current competitors. I'll put the mark at seven years and hope it's even longer.
-Aaron Lennon- He's been a great servant to Tottenham, but his time has passed. I'm not a great fan of his unceremonious exit (ie not being given a squad number) but there may be more to Pochettino's disdain for Lennon than we know. At any rate, his expectancy stands at about two weeks.
-Alex Pritchard- His projection is a little like Ryan Mason's. It's difficult to project because of his youth and the possibility of others being bought at his position. Pritchard, just today, signed a four year extension and I think he'll be able to see that out at the Club. After that, he'll likely be replaced by a better and/or cheaper option. Set the expectancy at the four years his contract allows.
-Clinton N'jie- Speaking of difficult projections, it's really hard to make a call on this one. He ticks all the boxes of a Mitchell quality signing, but we've seen very little of the Cameroon native to know whether or not he'll stick. He signed a five year contract and I'll set the expectancy there as a testament to my confidence in Mitchell and his black box.

Strikers

-Emmanuel Adebayor- Barring a massive Juju reveral he's on his way out the door. He's been banished with the youth and I am not even sure that's far enough away from the first team. The sooner he's gone the better but of course, his wage demands make any move complicated. Our best hope is that a high dollar club loses a striker to injury and panic loans Adebayor for cover. Think this may happen in January though I hope I'm wrong. Set the expectancy at six months.
-Harry Kane- Many of you will disagree with this. I think Kane has the largest expectancy of any of our current first teamers. I'm going to put his expectancy at a whopping twelve years. I suspect that many of you think he'll be snapped up well before then, but I disagree. First off, I don't think he's going to hit 31 goals in a season again any time soon. Even when he scores say, 20, this season it will be viewed as sub par and will cool his stock. He will never be a hotter commodity than he was this summer and we seem poised to hold on to him through that. Secondly, I buy into the belief that Harry truly is one of our own and will be happy to be a one club player. Perhaps I'm falling in love with a narrative, but he seems a much simpler man than Gareth Bale or Luka Modric. He isn't worldly and that's part of his charm. I don't think Real Madrid or Barcelona is his dream like they are for so many of his peers. That leaves large English clubs ie Manchester United as the only real competition and I think Levy sees so much value in Kane that he'll refuse to sell. I believe that deep down Levy regrets selling Bale even at the massive price for which he was sold. He can understand the value that a superstar like Kane brings to the Club and as a result, he'll want to hold on to that as we move into the new stadium. That should buy enough time for the rest of the squad to catch up talent wise and compete for Champions League on a regular basis. Once that's done, United's position won't be superior enough to unsettle our Harry Kane. Book him for twelve years.

The Forgotten Rookie: What will Cameron Payne mean to the Thunder?

We have reached the doldrums of the NBA season. Minicamps are still six weeks away and Summer League is just a distant memory. For the Thunder, the offseason has seemed extra long. On top of the disappointment at the early end to last season the injury of Cameron Payne served to bore OKC fans this summer. While other rookies showed their wares this summer, Payne's injury kept him out of sight and out of mind. Let's examine what the rookie will mean for the Thunder in this pivotal year for the franchise.

At first glance it seems that anything Payne gives OKC this year is a bonus. His primary position, PG, is masterfully filled by All Star Russell Westbrook and the other guard slot is occupied by a conglomeration of more experienced players. Many fans might look at this and assume Payne will be sitting with Mo Cheeks a lot this year. I see another possibility though, a path where Billy Donovan thrusts Payne into an important role off the bench.

Scotty Brooks is not walking through that door. That fact is a point in Payne's favor because it is overwhelmingly likely that Donovan will provide the rookie more minutes than he could have seen under Robot Brooks. The question the is obviously, where can Payne fit in? I believe he will see the majority of minutes at point guard due to his lack of size. Simply put, he can't guard 2's in the NBA. Know who can guard 2's in the NBA though? Russell Westbrook. His versatility opens up way more options for Payne than a more traditional PG. Westbrook, in addition to being the Thunder's best PG, is also OKC's best SG. Think about it, wouldn't you rather play Westbrook at the 2 than Andre Roberson, Dion Waiters or Anthony Morrow? I'm not saying those guys don't have value, but in a vacuum Russell kills them all. Given that, the challenge may be to find a way to play Russ at the 2 with an above average point guard to maximize the Thunder lineup.

Then the question becomes who to play with Russ: Payne or veteran DJ Augustin. We know what DJ brings to the table. He can get the Thunder into the right sets and space the floor due to his quality jumper. We also know what he can't do. He is a below average defender and doesn't provide much in the way of creating for others. Certainly Payne's upside is higher. His quickness and inventiveness on offense should allow him to be a quality two way player. He can stay in front of quicker point guards that Augustin simply can't compete with and also is a better creator off the dribble. A more dynamic point guard could be a perfect tonic to cure the Thunder's stagnant offense. He also provides more spacing than any of the two guards other than Anthony Morrow. If the idea is to get your two best guards on the floor together then I believe you could see more Payne and Westbrook than you might think.

By no means do I expect this to be a starting lineup at any point nor do I think it is a combination that you will see early in the year. It may even be two years early to commit to this lineup in any real way. Just remember, the Thunder have been most dangerous over their time in OKC when Westbrook and Kevin Durant have played alongside another primary ball handler. I don't see another player who can perform that role a la Reggie Jackson or James Harden on the roster other than Cameron Payne. Maybe the baby faced guard from Murray State can be the difference this team needs to get over the hump and fulfill its championship destiny.

Anybody wanna Lallana? Should the Spurs make a stealth bid?

Spurs fans have been focused on adding attacking options for the majority of the transfer window, but the majority of that attention has been paid to the striker position. To be sure, cover for our boy Harry Kane is required, but are we really that much more settled in the three attackers behind our star striker? I would say that we have lots of room for improvement in the attacking midfield as well. After all, are any of you entirely satisfied that Lamela, Dembele, N'Jie, or Alex Pritchard should play big minutes this year? I thought not, here's my crazy idea: submit a stealth bid for former Pochettino star Adam Lallana.

Let me disclose that the chances of this actually happening are approximately 1,000,000 to 1. This is an exercise in the "what if" not the "what will." So suspend your disbelief a moment and let's look at the pros and cons. 

The Pros: There are quite a few obvious reasons why Lallana would be attractive to Tottenham. The first, is that he is a former Pochettino player who blossomed under our current manager who clearly knows how to utilize his strengths. Secondly, he is young and English. If you don't think that matters to Spurs then you clearly have not been paying attention over the past 18 months. Thirdly, let's not forget the lad is very talented. He was a borderline star for Southampton only two years ago and his performance catapulted him into the senior English squad. What's more, is that he would fit very well into our current collection of attacking midfielders. Imagine the possibilities of Eriksen and Lallana attacking the opponent in unison. Their interchanges would be as deadly as their strikes towards goal.

The Cons: The largest argument against this is that Lallana isn't really as good as he was two years ago for Southampton. His time in Liverpool has been lackluster so maybe he simply isn't as good as we once thought. He would also command a very high transfer fee given Liverpool's lack of desire to sell to Spurs coupled with the investment they made in the young starlet. Some would even argue that Lallana is too similar to Eriksen and would leave Tottenham too vulnerable on the defensive side of the pitch. The pitch against Lallana would center around his price tag and him not being "exactly" what the side needs (aka a striker).

Conclusion: While the price tag for young English players has been ridiculous of late, I think getting Lallana for around 20M would be a coup. There is some truth to the argument that he and Eriksen playing together would leave us light on the defensive end, but I think the addition of a stronger defensive midfielder would rectify this issue. We would have a squad weighted towards the offensive end of the pitch, but we're Tottenham..to dare is to do, remember?

Tottenham's Leverage Problem: Why Spurs may pony up 25m for Berahino

Saido Berahino is not worth a 25m transfer fee in a vacuum. A reasonable fee for him would likely be somewhere between 15 and 18m. For much of the transfer season I've been convinced that Tottenham would be able to purchase the young West Brom forward for a fee within that range. After this weekend's events on the pitch and today's news from Jeremy Peace I think we may be forced to meet their price.

That's right folks, I'm telling you that I believe Daniel Levy will be defeated by Jeremy Peace in these negotiations. The fact of the matter is that West Brom are armed with almost all of the leverage in this transfer tussle. Let's examine the undisputable facts. Working in West Brom's favor are quite a few key factors. They are in possession of the prized commodity (Berahino) and are under very little pressure to sell him. This could change if the player were to turn in a transfer request but as of yet that has not occurred. They also are not under pressure to move quickly since they have already signed Rondon as his replacement. In this game of chicken, West Brom has no need to blink first. They can comfortably wait until deadline to finish a deal prior to Deadline Day. Peace's statement today was also a master stroke by the West Brim chairman to make sure fan opinion doesn't turn against him and mitigate his advantages. He has solidified his base of fan support by publicly rejecting the Spurs' opening bid. This ensures his ability to continue negotiations without being criticized by fans as rolling over to Tottenham.

 On the other hand, Daniel Levy is entirely under the gun. Tottenham's need for strikers was obvious when the Window opened and the need has only grown since then. Emmanuel Adebayor has been banished, Roberto Soldado has been sold and now Harry Kane has been declared unfit by manager Mauricio Pochettino. Nacer Chadli and Erik Lamela are the squad's current backups at striker and both are entirely unqualified. Perhaps Clinton N'Jie can exceed immediate expectations, but surely the youngster can't be counted on for such a prominent role so quickly after his arrival. Every Spurs fan can agree that more strikers must be added to threaten the top 4.

While Jeremy Peace quelled fan pressure in advance, Daniel Levy's inaction has done the opposite. I suspect he was betting on West Brom's valuation for Berahino to drop as the window's close neared while the opposite has occurred. I'm not saying it wasn't a smart bet on Levy's part, but it hasn't paid off. Fan pressure has justifiably increased on the notoriously slow acting Spurs chairman which further compromises his negotiating position. 

The only card Levy can hope to play to turn things back in Tottenham's favor is the potential sale of defender Federico Fazio. Media reports have speculated the Baggies are hot after Fazio at a fee of around 5m. I'd expect Levy to hold up Fazio's sale to push Peace to negotiate more liberally for Berahino. I can't imagine this tactic being a huge success, but I can't see Levy giving an inch that could possibly help him.

So what should we expect to happen with Berahino in the next two weeks? My guess is that you will see reports of heightened Spurs interest in QPR forward Charlie Austin and likely some new striker targets as soon as tomorrow. No time can be wasted in scaring West Brom into thinking there is competition. As a reaction, count on more sabre rattling by West Brom too. Expect renewed Berahino to Man City rumors to increase and we may even see more public rhetoric from Peace about holding on to his starlet.

But what does it all mean??? Tottenham will end up paying very close to 25m for Berahino contrary to Daniel Levy's wishes. Fans will criticize the fee but will take some satisfaction at the addition of a young English talent with experience in the Premier League. Enjoy the next two weeks, it's going to be a wild ride.

Truth, Fairness and Daniel Levy

Daniel Levy is an easy target. He is tasked with operating Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in a responsible financial manner in an age where transfer fees and player wages sky rocket. He has an uncanny resemblance to Dr. Evil of Austin Powers fame and rarely engages the fans in any meaningful way. I understand why he frustrates us and becomes the punch line of a variety of jokes. The man even deserves serious criticism for a variety of his choices as Chairman (red on the kit, bowing too much to corporate interests, etc) but I am sick and tired of the venom directed at his negotiation tactics.

I am writing this on the eve of our match against Stoke and the story dominating Spurs at the moment is the possibility of Arsenal swooping in to hijack our long rumored purchase of Clinton N'Jie. This has produced a wave of anti-Levy sentiment citing his penny pinching as the reason for us losing out. The truth is we as fans are likely correct that Levy refusing to cave in on some relatively minor point of negotiation has caused this stress in the deal. Where our fan base is wrong, is when we classify this as some horrible character flaw of Daniel Levy that exemplifies his lack of ambition. 

Let's face some facts here. We are not blessed with the financial advantages of our competitors at the top of the League Table. ESPN recently released their kit valued for the season and we finished sixth in the revenue produced from sponsors. Our stadium size limits our revenue. We are not owned by an individual obsessed with winning at all costs. For us to have the type of success we want (aka competing for League titles and regular Champions League appearances) we have to punch above our weight. This isn't a death sentence but it is a reality we must recognize. It's part of what makes us Spurs.

Daniel Levy realizes this. He, more than any of us fights against this financial reality on a daily basis. He and the Club have taken very logical and systematic steps to address these issues. We built one of the finest training centers in the world to attract young (and therefore relatively cheap) talent. Whether we sell them for a profit or incorporate them into our First Team they help us compete financially. We are moving forward with plans to build a new stadium that will drastically improve our capacity for ticketing and sponsorship revenue. The stadium plans likely hamstring Levy's spending even more than normal in the short term but still will provide financial benefit in the long term.

So why do we repeatedly curse Levy's financial conservatism? It's not as if we are not investing money we save on transfers and/or wages back into the Club. Our training facility and upcoming new stadium are the clear benefits of our conservative finances. The millions of dollars that Daniel Levy saves the Club on multiple transfers throughout each season add up and pay for these things. The shirt sales that Khumalo sold in Africa? Those sales may have paid for the physio room in the training center. The money we got out of selling Lewis Holtby after just one season? Perhaps that's a concession stand in the new stadium. The point is that these "little negotiating points" add up to things that Levy sees are crucial to the future elevation of Tottenham.

Him working hard to save us money has undoubtedly cost us players who could have helped our squads over his tenure. Maybe an aggressive bid for Morgan Schneiderlin would've secured us a Champions League place last year. Those criticisms are fair and I will often join other fans in them. What isn't fair, is to paint Levy as a Chairman who doesn't care about winning. He likely cares more than you or I but sees a different path for long term success. He sees a new stadium as the key to making us financially strong enough go challenge any Club in the Premier League. That is why he is a miserly negotiatior. His savings go to strengthen the Club's foundation; not to the pockets of ENIC.

If after the new stadium is built and paid for we still lag behind our competitors in transfer fees and wage structures then by all means, let's fire away at Daniel Levy's ambition. Right now we don't have any reason to doubt his desire to help the Club we love be the world's best. Moving forward let us appreciate the cut throat negotiations that Daniel Levy presides over because each one gets us one step closer to an even playing field. 

There are plenty of justified reasons to criticize Daniel Levy. Lack of ambition for Tottenham just isn't one of them.