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.