Kaboul, Ginola, Payet, Eriksen, Alderweireld, Willian, Defoe, Bale

Younis Kaboul is delighted to have stepped out in a Spurs shirt once again and wants to be fit to play in the season's opener against Crystal Palace.

"It's been a long time for me since I played last. It's been a year now so I am fully happy to be back with the team."

Younis would support his teammates by turning up for home games and sitting behind the substitutes even though he didn't have to do so. It stemmed from missing the football and wanting to be involved.

"That was very hard. I was here to support the team, but it was terrible.

"Sometimes you just want to go on the pitch, take the ball and go and score. To sit there all the time was hard for me.

"When you see your team struggling, or winning, you want to be with them. Win or lose, you want to be with them and that was a big frustration.

"I missed football so, so much. I was very angry when I tore my quad at the end of last season, but this summer I got myself right to be ready for this season and now I hope the injuries are behind me.

"I was in good form so I hope to be back even better than I was when I left. Now I feel fit but I will have a good week again before the Crystal Palace game (on Sunday). I have to be ready for next Sunday.

"We are going to have to be in the top four this season.

"Last season we missed it by nothing so this year we have to be there.

"The new signings are very good. This season is looking very good for us.

"Andre has done a magnificent job for the club. He broke the points record last season and this season will be even better for him and us."

Of of our old boys, Frenchman David Ginola is currently taking his UEFA Pro License qualification which will enable him to coach in the Premier League in 2014. All new coaches must take their badges before they can take up coaching positions.

"I will soon get my Uefa A license, which will allow me to coach in the Championship, and I hope to get my Pro License by 2014 in order to coach in the Premier League," Ginola told L'Equipe.

"I'm ready for it. I miss the smell of the grass and I miss the players. This is closer to home for me and I could not see myself returning to Clairefontaine."

He did suggest to Daniel Levy a move for Dimitri Payet would be a good idea as he would have complimented Roberto Soldado and Gareth Bale, but unknown to David Marseilles were already in for him.

"I have seen Dimitri Payet play, he was excellent last year and is a great recruit for Marseille. "He has everything you need to be an excellent player and can make the difference at any time, a little bit like Eden Hazard.

"I recently mentioned him to Daniel Levy. I said he would have a dream attack if he plays with Defoe, Soldado or Bale - but Marseille had already bought him at the time."

Plenty of made up press stories about Spurs going in for Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld, a player they have already deemed not to be good enough. Quite why you would bid for a player you consider not to be good enough is a mystery but then fortunately we haven't. According to the Dutch media, Russian outfit Spartak Moscow have.

ESPN Brazil say Man City are preparing to lodge a second offer for Willian having already had a bid in the region of £35 million turned down. At that price we won't be interested.

Reports suggest QPR have been quoted £6 million for Jermain Defoe, however reports are that they want him on loan. Just about zero chance of that happening, firstly Spurs would only want to sell ad secondly it's the World Cup at the end of the season so there is no way Defoe will want to be playing Championship football, neither would Scott Parker who they also want.

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Pablo Osvaldo In, Defoe Out?

It must have been a frustrating season for Jermaine Defoe. Anticipated to lead the line in Tottenham’s maiden Champions League campaign while expected to score the goals that would keep Manchester City at bay long enough for the club to secure their place in European football’s premier competition once more; for one reason or another it never really happened for our lad.

It could have been so different for him. Having returned from the World Cup as one of the few English players to emerge with credit from the fiasco in South Africa, football betting backed Defoe to start the season with a bang.

But with injury and selection decisions going against him, Defoe failed to register his first goal of the Premier League campaign until March, against Wolverhampton Wanders.

And so that trend continued, with the 28-year-old struggling to hold down a starting place and failing to find the net when he did manage to make it on to the field, mustering just four goals in 21 Premier League appearances.

So when the forward spoke out about his future earlier this week, it came as no surprise that he was unhappy with the way things have gone this season.

“When you feel like you are working hard, training hard and being professional and then you are not playing, it is difficult.

“I love the club and I still get the same buzz that I did when I first walked out at White Hart Lane, which is important.

"But for me, the main thing is playing football and if I am not playing football then I am not happy, because I love my football." He added.

Unfortunately for Defoe, his future at Spurs could follow a similar pattern to this season. It's obvious to all and sundry that we're in desperate need of a new striker and have already begun our search for a man to lead the line next season.

Football bets have backed Espanyol’s Pablo Osvaldo to join the club this summer already and could even make a £13 million switch in the next month should Fulham’s overtures be rejected by the Argentine born striker.

A new boy in town is exactly the opposite of what Defoe needs, but after a season in which none of the three main strikers were able to stake a convincing claim for the role as leader of the front line, fresh blood is inevitable.

While Defoe was busy declaring his discontent to the world’s media, it was perhaps the comments of one of his team-mates to the media on the same day which could spell trouble for the diminutive striker’s future.

Rafael Van Der Vaart confirmed he was happy to stay at Spurs for the remainder of his contract, and should Osvaldo join the club to link up with the Dutchman playing just behind him, it is difficult to see where Defoe fits in.

With Harry Redknapp’s insistence of playing Peter Crouch up front on his own in Europe, should Spurs secure Europa League football for next season, Defoe’s opportunities look to be even more limited than ever.

He remains a dangerous striker with a natural instinct for scoring goals. Had his season not been disrupted so badly by an Achilles injury he may have been able to replicate the form that saw him force his way into England’s summer plans in the first place.

But with the pressure on Redknapp to match Man City blow for blow and the failure of the club’s front line to fire in the second half of the season, Defoe may find himself marginalised – Redknapp must be seen to do something about the lack of goals and show ambition with a big name striker joining the club in an attempt to match City.

So where does this leave Defoe? Unfortunately the man who has endeared himself to the Spurs faithful may find his best days at White Hart Lane have been and gone.

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Has Defoe become the complete striker?

This season has seen Jermain Defoe go from the high of helping Spurs to secure qualification to the Champion's League proper, to the low of fearing that a large chunk of the season was going to be spent on the sidelines through injury.

So although he has shown in his recent performances for England that he is well on the way towards becoming a complete striker, rather than just an excellent poacher with an eye for goal, he has also reconfirmed nagging doubts that this season could go either way for him on a personal and professional level.

Defoe is not an indispensable member of the Spurs side but in order for Spurs to compete in both the Champion's League and the long Premier League campaign this year, Tottenham will need to ensure that they have as strong a group of players at their disposal as possible. Indeed, Spurs can be pretty pleased with the squad they have. The Aston Villa betting suggests they will be one of Tottenham's rivals for a top four place, but Spurs are able to call on a much greater wealth of talent.

Still, with our North London rivals Arsenal already clearly demonstrating the frustration that a brilliant yet injury-prone striker can bring, Spurs will dread having to cope with the same problem.

However, if Defoe can remain fit and continue to improve his all-round game, then Harry Redknapp's dream of challenging for both domestic and European honours may not be as far-fetched as some commentators like Andy Gray have suggested.

But, with the season in its early stages, Defoe and Spurs have a long way to go if we are to build on our early season promise.

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When was the last time this happened?

There's no doubting it; Jermain Defoe is on fire at the moment. His 3rd hat-trick this season against Leeds proves that.

So, my question is; which Lilywhite-wearing striker managed to notch up 3 hat-tricks in one season?

In other news, Ledley has been talking up the re-signing of Kaboul. To be honest with you, I agree with him. Kaboul will definitely be a better player upon his return, than when he was first with us.

Only thing is, Harry kept on about the headache he encountered when having to select two strikers from Defoe, Crouchie, Keano and Pav. What's he going to do when all our centre-backs are fit?

Fair enough, King can only play once a week. But what happens when Dawson (who should go to the World Cup in my opinion), Kaboul, Bassong and Woodgate are fit?

Five, definitely doesn't fit into two.


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Redknapp: "I like Brown"

So then, Harry likes Celtic's combative midfielder, Scott Brown.

Has anyone seen this guy in action? I've been told that he's a Sgt. Wilson type player; the type that wears his heart on his sleeve and takes no prisoners.

I thought Tom Huddlestone had a great game and with a few more games under his belt, could build a great understanding with Wilson Palacios.

If Jenas is to be sold to Villa and by the looks of things, they need him, then bringing in a midfielder in the Palacios mold wouldn't be a bad bit of business.

Brown's definitely on Harry's radar. Could be one to watch?

On another note, wasn't it a shock to see both Keano and Defoe starting the match yesterday?

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Harry's January panic buys cause problems

The signing of Peter Crouch is an excellent one. He will provide goals, assists and good link-up play. He has the skill and finesse to flourish in Spurs’ passing game and his obvious physical attributes provide the team with something different. He will also form a good strike partnership with Jermain Defoe. And there lies the problem.

It is hard to envisage a regular starting place for Robbie Keane. It is well-known that Keane and Defoe cannot play together and it is obvious from their success at Portsmouth that Crouch and Defoe are natural partners. Keane appears to be little more than back-up to Defoe and that is without putting Roman Pavlyuchenko into the equation.

Crouch, like Defoe, Keane and Pascal Chimbonda is in his second spell at the club and it could well be that we have two ‘misses’ to go with two resigned ‘hits’. The return of Defoe and Crouch feels right; Chimbonda and Keane’s homecoming does not.

The decision to bring back Keane was questionable at the time, largely because of the massive fee. His £20.3m move to Liverpool felt like good business; giving £15m of it back did not. It makes even less sense now.

Harry must have foreseen a major role for such a big signing, but then he must have done in lavishing a similar amount on Defoe. He is the only man at the club who is not aware of the pair’s unsuccessful attempts to forge a partnership in their first spell at the club.

The signing of Keane was in a way understandable. We were in a relegation battle and the manager was concerned by the lack of leadership on the pitch; he cited this as Keane’s main attribute when bringing him back.

Harry might also have panicked slightly when buying Chimbonda. Vedran Corluka was having a decent season at right back and the manager would surely have overlooked the lack of cover if we were not in such a perilous position, especially as Alan Hutton was on the way back from injury.

Chimbonda can provide cover in other positions (he might well start the season as the first choice centre back) in much the same way Keane can. However, the captain is wasted on the left wing or in central midfield and he is unlikely to relish the prospect of filling in in alien positions.

Darren Bent is on his way out of the club to balance the books. Could it be that Keane will follow him in order to balance the squad? Football betting on that one may well be interesting...

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Would you sign Michael Turner?

I personally think all this talk about us being interested in Michael Turner has only circulated because Hull are also playing in the Far East and more importantly, because we need to sign a defender.

Michael Turner is a great centre half. I've seen him play a few times and the lad means business. Whether we can get Hull to part with their star player is another matter as they're having problems of their own in signing anyone decent.

If it was a tussle between us signing Turner or Bassong, I'd definitely go for Turner. He's stronger on the ball and scores a few to.

On another note, it seems that Darren Bent has made his way back down south after Sunderland agreed and then disagreed on the amount we want for him. Depending on what you read, Levy was holding out for around £15 million. That's a decent price for a striker that will most definitely get them 20+ goals a season.

Robbie Keane and Villa have also been mentioned in the same sentence. As I've said before, I cannot see Keano starting many games in the Premier League now that Crouchie has signed. Would I be sad to see the lad go? Probably not.

Oh, and apparently, we're still interested in Huntelaar. Real Madrid need to submit their 25 man squad for the season soon and the talk in Madrid is that he won't be a part of the new-look squad. That will signal a race to sign him at a knock down fee.

If we do end up getting him and he scores a few, expect Defoe to be unhappy. Everyone says that you need four strikers, but no one tells you how you can keep them all happy!

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Does Keane know that he'll be warming the bench?

I wonder what Robbie Keane must be thinking at the moment especially with Peter Crouch just having signed up?

It looks as though our captain could be warming the bench for quite a while as it's plain to see that Harry likes using his own tried and trusted players. With Defoe and Crouch, he'll get exactly what he wants.

Unless we're planning on using the 4-3-3 formation, I can't see how Keane is going to fit into Harry's plans. A few mates have said that Keane will play in the hole behind D & C; but where does that leave Modric?

Pavlyuchenko should also start worrying to, for if Defoe and Crouchie strike up a good partnership (and Harry thinks they will), both Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko won't get a look in.

I understand that today's football is based on a squad game, but don't fool yourself into thinking that Harry will chop and change the front two every other game. Keane and Pavlyuchenko may get a look in only during our cup-ties.

I suppose Keane could ask for a move up north to his other boyhood team, Celtic?

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Huntelaar is still plan A

"There's a lot of talk about who I may or may not be after but Huntelaar is the one I like", said Harry.

This is interesting. All the talk has been about Crouch joining us, but it looks likely that Klass-jan Huntelaar may be our first significant signing of the summer.

Harry Redknapp summed the player up by saying "The lad is a very good goalscorer". He sure is, or was in Holland.

Talk around the place at the moment is that Arsenal are interested in him to, so if we are to sign the lad, Harry's got to move fast.

If we do get him, we'll have 3 out-and-out strikers in Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent & Klass-jan Huntelaar.

Don't be surprised if we sign Huntelaar and Crouch. If that happens, I can't see Pavlyuchenko or Bent sticking around.

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The Kyle show

The recruitment of Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker is an exciting development for the club. Not only do fans have the pleasure of having two more same-named players to confuse with their encouragement or abuse to go alongside Jermain Defoe and Jermaine Jenas, but it seems the two former Blades are ready for first team duty.

It seems a safe football bet that the fact they have chosen Spurs is significant. The smaller squads of Everton and Aston Villa, rumoured to be interested in the pair, might have seemed a more attractive proposition for players seeking first team football.

Both cannot have failed to notice they joined in the week that another Spurs full back, Chris Gunter, returned to the Championship after failing to make a breakthrough. The fact that both specialise at right back does not help their chances.

Vedran Corluka, Alan Hutton and Pascal Chimbonda have recently arrived and will provide tough competition. This suggests the manager is not truly happy with any of the incumbents, with his repurchase of Chimbonda particularly puzzling.

It also suggests Gareth Bale, often touted for a move away from the Lane last term, is indeed on his way out. Some other big clubs are rumoured to be interested and I would only want to see him leave for a major profit – he played with more confidence at the end of last season and is still a better long-term prospect at left back than Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

Both Naughton and Walker have made England representative appearances (U21 and U19 respectively) and the former, older by a year and a half, should make more of an impact this season.

He can play as a right winger as well as at left back and is clearly a good man to have on the bench. He featured in the PFA Championship team of the year last season.
The last double signings from one club were Michael Dawson and Andy Reid in January 2005. We had a hit and a miss on that occasion and it is hoped at least one of the Kyles proves to be an excellent long-term investment.

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Pav is part of the plan

Our Russian strikers' agent says that he is confident his client will be part of the Redknapp plan this season.

Can anyone shed some light on what this plan entails? I only ask as it looks like we really are linked with every player. Today I read that Beckham will join us or City. Give me a break.

Does this plan state how Crouch (possibly), Defoe, Bent, Keane & Pavlyuchenko will all be vying for a place up front? What about a left winger? We haven't had one of those since Ginola.

A lot of you have said that there will be some definite action in the next two weeks. I'll believe that when I see it!

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It looks like Crouch will be joining us

The scenario being played out at the moment with both Harry Redknapp and Jermain Defoe sending love sonnets to Peter Crouch can only mean a deal is on the cards.

I thought we would end up with Crouch, I just didn't think it would be this soon.

Harry himself said that he was after 2 or 3 players that could add class to our current squad. If that statement meant anything at all, can someone please explain to me then, how, and in what way Peter Crouch can accomplish this?

We're apparently waiting on Huntelaar to decide if he wants to join us not. Let's hope Crouch is plan B and the option of signing Huntelaar is plan A.

Hell, I'd even want Negredo, a player that's never played in the Prem, above Crouch.

With all this business about us being linked with strikers, I think it's pretty obvious either Bent, Pavlyuchenko, or both will be on their way.

If we hear another word from Harry on Crouch, expect it to be a done deal.

COYS!!!

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Fill in the blanks

Honestly, I am lost for words. What are we trying to achieve here? I am actually not too bothered about Robbie Keane coming back, after all, he was the main driving force in the changing room and was known to rally the players together prior to kick-off and at half-time.

I am though, troubled at the "mish-mash" transfer policy that has been installed after the dreadful tenure of Comolli ended.

It looks as though Redknapp had taken a look at Defoe and knew that we needed a goal scorer and so signed him. Then Robbie Keane's agent called Redknapp, informing him that the former Spurs vice-captain had become available and would welcome a move back to Spurs. We know how that turned out.

The problem I have foreseen is that it's clear Harry doesn't know what his best 11 is. How do you play Pavlyuchenko, Defoe and Keane in the same side; a side that will also accommodate the lightweight Modric, Bentley and Lennon?

Please don't use the Palacios card here. He's clearly a good player, but he can't anchor our midfield alone. If we were playing in a fantasy league, then the line-up of;



would look like a tasty one, especially with Cudicini, Bale, Dawson, Jenas, Modric, Dos Santos, & Bent warming the bench. The reality is that the above line-up does not have the steel and grit needed in it to force us out of our current predicament.

Why didn't we sign Reading's, Stephen Hunt? He may not have the flair and pace of Lennon, but he's a fighter.

I really do worry about the lack of determination and drive that is sadly lacking in our current squad.

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