da wazamba： Tottenham’s recent £26million acquisition of Roberto Soldado smashed the club’s record transfer fee by £9million, set earlier in the summer with Paulinho’s £17million transfer from Corinthians.
da bwin： But as well as breaking the Lilywhites’ inward signing record, Daniel Levy has broken every decree in his transfer rulebook in order to bring the Spain international to White Hart Lane. Ever since the Tottenham chief’s ill-fated attempt to sign Brazil icon Rivaldo in summer 2002, that ended in the rather humiliating ‘Dear Daniel’ letter fiasco, Levy, barring a few exceptions, has administered his transfer duties with the utmost discipline, constantly keeping one eye on the future and anticipating the resale value of every purchase a few years down the line.
Soldado bucks that trend in its entirety. Previously, the Spurs chairman saved his hefty investments on young talents, or those that could be sold on to a higher calling a few years down the line. Squad players, or those already at optimum age, would be sourced at budgetary amounts, such as Clint Dempsey, signed from Fulham last summer for £6million and sold to MLS outfit Seattle Sounders for an almost identical amount ten days ago.
But now the Spaniard has arrived at White Hart Lane for his whopping £26million fee, despite being already 28 years of age and the chances of Levy recovering any of his record-breaking investment remaining incredibly slim. It’s a deviation from Tottenham’s typical transfer policy in the biggest way possible, so it’s time to ask – Is Soldado worth bending the Tottenham transfer code for?
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The Spain international, who recently gave an uneventful account of himself at the Confederations Cup, comes with a preceding reputation from La Liga. A product of the Real Madrid academy, Soldado failed to make a name for himself at the Bernabeu – although that can hardly be held against him considering the wealth of competition – despite recording 63 goals in 120 appearances during his four years with the Los Blancos second string.
Upon joining Osasuna on loan in 2006 however, Soldado’s career began to hit full swing. Since, spells with Osasuna, Real Madrid, Getafe and Valencia has generated an impressive record of 101 goals in 207 appearances, throughout nine years in the Spanish top flight. A one-in-two ratio is always difficult to argue with in terms of quality and consistency, and for those unconvinced of the 28 year old’s pedigree, Youtube is filled with Soldado compilations jam-packed with aesthetic efforts on goal.
But in La Liga, it’s easy to look good, especially if you’re a club’s star striker, and I have my concerns whether Soldado can successfully transition last season’s form of 24 goals in 35 league appearances to England. The striker comes with great energy and tenacity, but could struggle in the Premier League due to his lack of physicality, with his 5 foot 10 frame bearing no particular height, pace or power to Soldado’s advantage.
Fair enough, Soldado lets his feet do the talking, but will he be provided with such an accessible platform to do his bidding at White Hart Lane? A fair share of the Spaniard’s successful strikes come from crosses converted into glamorous volleys. It’s a unique skill that’s hard to master, but in England, despite crosses being aplenty, defenders are far more naturally inclined to deal with them in comparison to their Spanish counterparts. Similarly, regarding Tottenham in particular, Aaron Lennon on the right, and new signing Nacer Chadli on the left, are hardly known for the ability to provide accurate deliveries on the flanks on a consistent basis.
That being said, there’s far more in Soldado’s arsenal than putting away a few crosses. His ability to find the net from a variety of chances and a variety of ranges is undeniable, and if he’s given space and a clear sight of goal, he’ll easily punish opposing defenders with near perfect technique when it comes to striking the ball. But overall, I can’t see Soldado breaking the twenty goal barrier in England, considering last season it was only breached by Robin Van Persie, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale, and it will be his first season in the Premier League.
But even so, it’s understandable why Daniel Levy has taken such an uncharacteristic risk this summer. With Leandro Damiao turning the opportunity down to sign for Tottenham the last two transfer windows, rumoured target Klaas Jan Huntelaar signing a new contract with Schalke in January and David Villa rejecting both sides of North London to join up with Atletico Madrid, by the time of Soldado’s signing, there weren’t too many options on the horizon for the Lilywhites, who desperately needed to bolster their attack after Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor managed just 16 top flight goals between them last term.
At the same time, Levy has been desperate this summer to fill his roster with as much quality as possible, preferably with continental experience, firstly to make Tottenham’s strongest bid to date for Champions League football, and secondly, to surround Gareth Bale with talented players that not only possess great pedigree but also strong reputations, that could convince him to stay at White Hart Lane for at least another year.
And with Europe’s top strikers already jumping ship this summer for unprecedented fees, and even the next crop of the continent’s leading forwards, the likes of Carlos Tevez and Mario Gomez, making their moves relatively early in the off-season, there was little chance of Valencia backing down from Soldado’s £26million release clause.
There’s little doubt however, that Soldado’s record-breaking move is still a sizeable risk on Daniel Levy’s part. He’s the only player of considerable value the Lilywhites have purchased in recent years that won’t come with a guaranteed contingency plan to move on for profit, or at least to cover costs, and there are no assurances that he’ll acclimatise to life in North London quickly or with ease, on and off the pitch.
None the less, why the Tottenham chairman decided to go all in for Soldado is more than understandable; the Spaniard is a player of great quality, and if his move had come two years ago, it would have been immediately viewed as a fantastic coup, rather than a transfer with the potential to backfire.
The proof remains in the pudding however in regards to whether the Lilywhites’ record-breaking investment will be historically viewed as a success or failure – being Tottenham’s top scorer next season will be automatically assumed from the Spain international should Gareth Bale depart for Real Madrid this summer, but the ultimate litmus test will of course be whether or not Soldado can push his new club into Champions League qualification. If not, Daniel Levy has an unsellable £26million striker on his hands, who can’t make a difference to Tottenham’s final league standings.
Is Soldado a worthy exception of Tottenham’s traditional transfer policy?
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