Tottenham Hotspur fans will undoubtedly be pleased with the acquisition of Brazil star Paulinho – the stocky midfielder produced a good account of himself during his country’s successful Confederations Cup campaign, with two goals to boot.
But more than simply a club in need of added quality signing a player of a high enough standard with further potential to develop over the next few years, the £17million purchase also represents a much welcomed change in tact at White Hart Lane, with an early summer signing in sharp contrast to previous years, where Chairman Daniel Levy, who headed transfers under Harry Redknapp, often waited for deadline day to make bargain bucket deals.
The deviating path in the transfer market has undoubtedly been influenced but two clear factors; firstly, the appointment of a new technical director, former England assistant Franco Baldini, which has in effect modified the structure of the Tottenham hierarchy and Levy’s role when it comes to sourcing new talent, and secondly, PSG’s pursuit of Andre Villas-Boas, which has allowed him to claim a greater authority amongst the corridors and backroom meetings at White Hart Lane.
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There is something to be said for the old approach. Despite the tendency it had to leave Spurs fans in a nervous wreck as the transfer window edged ever closer to closing, in fear that the Lilywhites roster would not be substantially improved by new signings, Levy’s manner of holding off until the last minute saw them capture Rafael Van Der Vaart, Scott Parker and William Gallas in recent years, whilst last summer the North Londoners brought in Moussa Dembele on the 29th of August, and Clint Dempsey and Hugo Lloris on the 31st.
But the method quite clearly had its flaws – had Levy not been so concerned with getting the best deal possible, Joao Moutinho would have become a Tottenham player last summer, whilst the club also let their pursuit of Leandro Damiao peter out – and considering the situation during the current off-season, the change in transfer policy couldn’t have come at a better time.
Andre Villas-Boas and his employers are desperate to keep a-hold of Gareth Bale for as long as possible. Although both club and player have insisted the Welsh wizard is going nowhere this summer, it’s not hard to imagine a situation where Bale’s head could be easily turned as we approach the end of August by the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid, especially if secured signings of added quality at such a point in time were few and far between.
But the early acquisition of Paulinho has already gone some way to curb the threat of Tottenham’s talisman winger making a last-gasp dash for the Spanish sun. The Brazilian will undoubtedly not be the club’s only big signing this transfer window, as the Lilywhites attempt to surround Bale with as much quality as possible, before he feels he’s outgrown his surroundings and team-mates at White Hart Lane.
Similarly, the signal of intent is clear to see. £17million is a lot of money, even by modern standards, and whilst local rivals Arsenal attempt to trump them with their £23million pursuit of Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain, Paulinho’s capture sends out a clear message that Daniel Levy and Andre Villas-Boas are very much interested in overcoming last season’s final day heartbreak of missing out on Champions League qualification, putting the club’s money where their mouths are in the process.
But the deal spans further beyond that in terms of what it symbolises. The ambition for this season was always breaking into the top four, although Paulinho’s costly purchase makes the target seem that little bit more realistic. The difference is however, Tottenham are now conducting themselves like an elite Premier League club, rather than simply the best of the rest of the English top flight, scavenging the transfer market for the scraps of other major European clubs.
Instead, Spurs have focused on the player they want and need, that will bring specific skills to the first team whilst also raising the quality, without dithering over ideas of whether or not there’s a more cost-effective target out there, and losing out on players over the pride of a few extra million. It dictates to the fans that the Lilywhites are now capable making the big signings, but furthermore, that they are able to attract the right quality of player, without having to rely upon mitigating transfer circumstances working in their favour.
Furthermore, with the coming Premier League season set to be the most unpredictable yet following the change of the managerial guard at Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United – David Moyes’ appointment at the latter symbolising the end of an era and great uncertainty at Old Trafford – Tottenham can only benefit from getting their deals done as early as possible. Every club in the top flight is hell-bent on taking advantage of the insecurity all-round, and whether their ambition is to maintain or improve upon their current league standing, all will be investing heavily in the transfer market this summer.
Liverpool have made four key signings already, and are set to make their biggest purchase of the summer in Shaktar’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan, valued at £25million, whilst Manchester City have already spent £54million on two players, but will also be looking to bring in a new, high quality forward. You know it’s an important transfer window when even Arsene Wenger breaks a decade-long habit in spending big, and leaving purchases to the last minute, in the manner which we have seen from Daniel Levy in recent years, will undoubtedly have left the club a long way behind it’s divisional rivals.
The change in philosophy couldn’t have come at a better time – Paulinho is a fantastic addition to the Spurs roster and feel at home in the Premier League, whilst this summer more than ever, it is vitally important that the Lilywhites are seen moving forwards rather than backwards, which in itself is no easy task considering strong investment all-round in the English top flight, and the constant murmurings that Gareth Bale could be leaving for a higher calling at some point over the next two months.
But the purchases cannot stop there. For all of the positivity in this article, Spurs have often made a select few early signings, only go silent until the final week of August. Paulinho is a good start and a strong foundation, but Tottenham must continue to bring in further quality, as early as possible, not only to guarantee a positive start to the season – something which undoubtedly scuppered the club’s chances of Champions League qualification last year – but also to prevent their targets being lured away by other clubs.
David Villa’s potential move is becoming more and more of a likely possibility by the day, whilst Ibrahim Afellay, youngster Bernard, Jackson Martinez and Fabio Coentrao have also been heavily linked with a relocation to White Hart Lane. The club will not be able to secure the signings of all, but Tottenham fans will be hoping at least two can be attracted to North London this summer, and furthermore, like Paulinho, they will not be purchased in the final hours of transfer deadline day.
Will Spurs benefit from doing their business early this year?
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