Robbie Keane’s future at Tottenham appears to be in doubt, after the Irishman reportedly claimed this week that he would love to work with Martin O’Neill.
The 29-year-old has been in and out of the Spurs line-up this season, which prompted a loan move in the January window to Scottish giants Celtic. His move to Celtic proved to be a great one, with the player appearing 16 times and netting a brilliant 12 goals in the process. Keane impressed so much in Scotland that in April he picked up the SPL player of the month for March 2010. On April 19th, Keane was announced as Celtic’s fan’s player of the year…not a bad accolade to pick up after just 3 months at the club.
With the form the striker has been in lately, surely Harry Redknapp has to, and should consider giving the forward a bigger part to play at Spurs next season?
Robbie Keane may warrant another chance after ending his season on a high, but this is up to the manager to decide. However, Redknapp may want an injection of new blood and a more deadly striker for next season’s assault on Europe.
As we all know, the club achieved fourth place this season, and with it comes a potential Champion’s League spot, which means Redknapp will have sufficient funds to utilize during the summer. The uniqueness about this summer is that the club have never been in a position where they could dip their toes into the top end of the transfer market.
With this all being said, if Keane were to depart from the Lane this summer, who could Redknapp acquire to bolster his attacking options next season?
Well, here are 5 reasonable and great targets for the Spurs boss to look into this summer:
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (A.C Milan)
Spurs have been in hot pursuit of the Dutch striker for sometime now, and maybe this is the summer they can finally land the A.C Milan man.
Huntelaar has experience in Europe from his time at Real Madrid, a great target man and can score goals when given the chance to do so.
Huntelaar is not a regular first-team starter, having made 30 appearances for the club (16 from the bench) and will be keen to have more of a starting role. Despite all this, A.C Milan have told admirers (including Spurs) that 26-year-old hitman will not be leaving the Rossoneri at any price this summer. However, Spurs will have money to spend in the window, and a great offer from the North London club may sway the Italians into letting the striker depart this summer.
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Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg)
The 24-year-old Bosnian striker is one of the most highly rated stars in football at the moment. The Wolfsburg forward had an unbelievable season for the Bundersliga side, where he made 33 appearances and netted 23 times, which made him the leagues top goal scorer this year. Dzeko is light on his feet, has a piercing eye for goal and also has exceptional balance.
Many top clubs in the Premier League have expressed their interest in the striker, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool are to name a few. Spurs have been linked with the striker also, and fans of the club would love to see Dzeko play his club football at the Lane next season. With Champion’s League football at their fingertips, Spurs do have a real chance of signing one of Europe’s hottest properties this summer. A perfect signing for the club if Redknapp could pull it off this summer.
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Continue to page 2 to find out the last 3 strikers on the list
Falcao (Porto)
Falcao is a young, talented Colombian striker that is making a name for himself as one of Europe’s most lethal forwards out there at present. The 24-year-old has been in outstanding form for Porto this season and its no wonder why managers around Europe are standing up and taking notice of the Colombian.
Falcao made 28 appearances for his club and managed to bag a staggering 25 goals along the way. Although, the Portuguese Liga is not the most competitive in the world, Falcao has also shown Europe what he is capable of. The Colombian featured in the Champion’s League this season and helped his side reach the last 16 before being knocked out emphatically by Arsenal.
With this all being said, Falcao would be a great replacement for Keane this summer, should the Irishman depart from Spurs. He is young, deadly and most importantly has European experience at the highest level. Redknapp this month expressed his interest in the forward and is likely to put a bid in for the Porto man this summer when the window opens.
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Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina)
The striker has put his name firmly on the map this season with goals for his club in both Serie A and the Champion’s League.
At only 20 years of age, the Fiorentina striker has already established himself as a regular for his club. Jovetic’s record in Serie A may not be impressive to some (6 goals in 23 appearances), but you have to consider his age, and like wine, he can only get better with time.
The Champions League is where the Montenegrin striker shined brightly this season for his club. Jovetic made 6 appearances in this year’s competition and managed to bag an impressive 5 goals along the way.
Jovetic is a great young talented footballer who already has European experience under his belt, and is a striker known for his work rate. Redknapp has a great chance of acquiring the forward this summer after Fiorentina finished 11th in Serie A this season.
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Oscar Cardozo (Benfica)
Manchester City, Everton, Sunderland and now Spurs are in the chase for Cardozo’s signature this season. The Paraguayan striker has recently stated that he will be looking to leave Benfica this summer after having an incredible season for the Portuguese side. Cardozo made a total of 42 games and netted 36 times, quite simply an outstanding record this season for the 6’ 5’’ powerful striker.
Clubs are already weighing up the possibility of signing the 27-year-old when the window opens in July, and Spurs are among the favourites to capture the Paraguayan due to the prospect of Champion’s League football next season.
Cardozo is strong, fast and more importantly, the striker is a goal machine, everything Spurs need to take on Europe next season.
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Who would you like to see brought in at White Hart Lane this summer, should Keane decide to move on?
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