aws_young
Well-Known Member
- Oct 24, 2005
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http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...pend-who-might-be-on-harry-redknapps-shopping
With the knowledge that Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has around £40 million at his disposal this summer, the news — as exclusively revealed on Tuesday by Goal.com UK — that AC Milan striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar is at the top of the club’s Champions League wishlist shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.
While the Dutchman didn’t enjoy the greatest of times at San Siro last season, he did show flashes of quality at important times — and with experience of Europe’s top competition under his belt along with impressive size and aerial ability, he would appear to tick a number of the boxes that Redknapp is looking to fill.
Reportedly available for little more than £15m, purchasing the former Ajax forward would still leave a healthy £25m available to pursue other targets. But the North London club have been linked with a number of attacking options ever since grabbing fourth spot, and all will be considered before any signings are made.
With that being the case, Goal.com UK assesses some of the leading candidates:
Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
Castrol ranking: 195
Estimated asking price: £16m
Value for money: Has a number of prime years ahead of him so should prove a decent acquisition.
Proven experience: Emerged through the ranks at Villa to become a regular Premier League scorer. Lacks much European exposure, however.
Age: 23
Suitability: Has phenomenal pace, an asset that Redknapp admires and could make interplay with the likes of Aaron Lennon potentially devastating. Finishing can be erratic — looking like a natural one week and a novice the next — and is yet to really convince he could be a major threat for a top-tier side.
Attainability: Martin O'Neill is renowned for resisting approaches for his players, and will hardly let Spurs have Agbonlahor without a fight. But he will be interested in hearing their opening offer, especially as he might feel with Nathan Delfouneso coming through he could strengthen his team significantly if the funds proposed are high enough.
Star rating:
Verdict: A unlikely acquisition. Asking price is really too prohibitive for a player that isn't deemed worthy of international recognition by Fabio Capello and hasn't yet convinced at the very highest level.
Mario Balotelli (Inter)
Castrol ranking: 841
Estimated asking price: £21m
Value for money: A gamble that could go either way. Has phenomenal potential, but has only delivered sparingly to date — and his mentality is a big question mark.
Proven experience: In and out of the side under Jose Mourinho, but despite youth has nearly three seasons of elite-level football under his belt.
Age: 19
Suitability: Has all the physical attributes to excel in the Premier League, but again his attitude is a key concern, especially considering Redknapp's fondness for rotating strikers and Balotelli's reticence at being left on the bench.
Attainability: Possible, but not probable. Inter president Massimo Moratti is a self-confessed fan of the youngster, but if Jose Mourinho had remained at the club the youngster would doubtless have been sold this summer. Will new boss Rafael Benitez — who had his own man-management issues at Liverpool — fare better with the prodigy? Let's say the odds on Balotelli being on the market next summer must be short.
Star rating:
Verdict: Redknapp will doubtless be interested in the tyro, and at an agreeable price would love to make a move. But Inter aren't overly keen to sell, and Redknapp would be brave to spend a large portion of his summer budget on a teenager who could well prove a destabilising influence if he doesn't adapt to England quickly.
Craig Bellamy (Manchester City & Wales)
Castrol ranking: 125
Estimated asking price: £15m
Value for money: Reasonable. Age is against him but he is still producing at a very high level.
Proven experience: Premier League campaigner for over a decade. Champions League experience with Newcastle.
Age: 30 — but will be 31 before the summer is out.
Suitability: Bellamy's versatility is a major asset — can play as part of a conventional strikeforce but his impact cutting in from the left was significant for City last season and Redknapp would love that as an option for Spurs (especially after City trumped him to take Bellamy from West Ham in the first place). Attitude has long been considered a problem, but Redknapp is a noted man-manager.
Attainability: If City don't inflate the price — or become reluctant to sell to a rival — a deal could be done. The Welshman is still reportedly unhappy at Eastlands, and with a number of strikers linked with the club Bellamy could easily be offloaded before he becomes troublesome.
Star rating:
Verdict: Redknapp would love to have the Welshman in his squad, and will doubtless make enquiries. But City don't need to sell for money and will, in all probability, clear the air with the veteran ahead of next season so they have no reason to sell at all.
Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United & Bulgaria)
Castrol ranking: 47
Estimated asking price: £25m
Value for money: That depends on which Berbatov model you would be getting; Spurs circa 2008 or Man United circa 2010?
Proven experience: Champions League finalist with Bayern Leverkusen and Manchester United, and has already shown he can do the business at White Hart Lane.
Age: 29
Suitability: Scored 12 and then 15 goals in his two league campaigns with Spurs — he knows how to find the net. The big question for Redknapp is whether his 'regression' at United is a product of the team's tactics or the striker's own diminishing skills, and if he can play the traditional big man in the 'little 'n' large' strike combos he seems to prefer.
Attainability: United, along with the player's agent, have repeatedly insisted that the Bulgarian is not for sale despite a disappointing individual campaign. But it seems hard to imagine they would not accept a blockbuster offer for a player who isn't necessarily first-choice in the big games.
Star rating:
Verdict: They say never go back, but Redknapp might be tempted. But Berbatov never played under Redknapp (who joined the club about a month after his departure) and the manager may feel his money is better spent on a less phlegmatic option.
Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid & Uruguay)
Castrol ranking: 140
Estimated asking price: £20m
Value for money: In Spain he guarantees goals, in England his short-lived spell was infamously barren. Would be a big gamble.
Proven experience: Back-to-back top goalscorer awards in Spain — with different clubs — and international experience to boot. Goals in Europa League triumph last season shows he can deliver when needed most.
Age: 31 - Forlan can adapt his game to drop deep or play on the last man, but either way you are only getting two or three great years from him.
Suitability: Proven goalscorer, difficult to see how he would link up with Jermain Defoe, although could well get some joy working off an aerial threat like Peter Crouch. As mentioned before (and every time Forlan crops up in the English press) he didn't really cut the mustard in his spell in Manchester.
Attainability: For the right sum, Atletico would be prepared to part with their star striker. It is just a case whether that sum — upwards of £20m — is right for Spurs.
Star rating:
Verdict: On the cheap Redknapp would snap him up, but Forlan is going to cost a pretty penny and the move only makes sense for the player if the Uruguayan is determined to prove he can score in the Premier League, and get back in the Champions League.
Klass-Jan Huntelaar (AC Milan & Netherlands)
Castrol ranking: 1500
Estimated asking price: £15m
Value for money: Good. Has many years of football ahead of him, and will have resale value even if things go wrong.
Proven experience: Banged in goals for fun in the Dutch league, but struggled in the big time at Real Madrid and more recently Milan.
Age: 26
Suitability: Spanish and Italian football hasn't been great to him, but perhaps the lesser technical demands and increased physical aspect of the Premier League could prove a revelation for him. Definitely could play the big man alongside a Defoe or Gudjohnsen, and knows where the goal is if Redknapp could get him confident in his abilities.
Attainability: Reasonable. Despite their money troubles AC Milan are reluctant to let go of their biggest stars, but conversely might be willing to offload fringe players like Huntelaar to ensure they don't need to. Might depend on what the new manager-elect, Cagliari's Massimiliano Allegri, wants when he arrives at San Siro.
Star rating:
Verdict: Could well happen. Both clubs have reason to be interested in a deal — which is always a good start — and the price will not be considered a real risk for Spurs. Only Huntelaar's potential preference to fight for his future in Milan might scupper a move.
Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City & Paraguay)
Castrol ranking: 1692
Estimated asking price: £9m
Value for money: Bargain, considering what City paid for him last summer. Extortion, considering his recent form.
Proven experience: Has scored goals (generally in bunches) at Premier League level with Blackburn and City. Long spell at Bayern never quite turned out how many hoped.
Age: 28 - 29 when new season starts.
Suitability: Has shown he can score in the Premier League, and has the physical presence and technical ability to give Redknapp an extra dimension up front. But the 63-year-old will wonder why City, and even his national side, have regularly left him on the bench in recent times.
Attainability: Easily signed, despite player's repeated assurances he wants to fight for his place at the club. Manager Roberto Mancini is clearly unconvinced, and the Paraguayan is likely to be available for around half the £18m he moved to Eastlands for 12 months ago.
Star rating:
Verdict: Perhaps the last resort. Has a decent track record, and would add a bit of Champions League experience to the squad. But Redknapp is unlikely to be too keen on taking City rejects after proving superior to them in the league last season, so will pursue other options first.
Pushing the boat out
While all those options would cost Spurs up to £25m, the £40m kitty at Redknapp's disposal will still be partially intact for further acquisitions in other important positions.
But with current strikers Roman Pavluychenko and Robbie Keane linked with an exit from White Hart Lane, it could well be that the north London decide to go all out and spend nearly the entire starting budget on one marquee signing, one that would really get the fans talking and opponents worrying. Who might that be?
Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid & Argentina)
Castrol ranking: 56
Estimated asking price: £40m
Value for money: Slightly less than average — you are paying a premium for his undoubted potential.
Proven experience: Has been prolific in La Liga, and in his brief Champions League experiences has scored against the very best.
Age: 22
Suitability: Intricate, ball-playing footballer would link well with the likes of Luka Modric, but isn't going to run on to the flick-ons of Peter Crouch and would operate in similar areas to Defoe. Signing might require a re-think of Spurs' attacking play.
Attainability: Madrid will certainly sell at the right price — but the right price for them is about £5-10m more than the right price for the buying clubs. And will Aguero really want to join a club that isn't challenging for domestic titles, even if it can offer Champions League football?
Star rating:
Verdict: A dream, but an unlikely one. The true titans of European football will come calling first.
Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg & Bosnia Herzegovina)
Castrol ranking: 49
Estimated asking price: £35m
Value for money: Clever insertion of a £40m release clause (which has now expired) has raised Dzeko's price higher than perhaps it should be.
Proven experience: Looked dangerous in Wolfsburg's Champions League campaign last term, scoring at Old Trafford. Is a proven Bundesliga goalscorer.
Age: 24
Suitability: Outstanding in the air, Dzeko would be an ideal target man for deliveries from the likes of Modric, Bentley, Kranjcar and even Lennon. But the Bosnian is also reasonable on the deck and could provide a great foil for Defoe with more of a lethal touch than Crouch.
Attainability: At the right price, even if new Wolfe boss Steve McClaren has said he is determined not to sell. Other than Manchester City most big clubs have been scared off by the current price tag (and even they have had their doubts), which could open the door for Spurs if they put their money where their mouth is.
Star rating:
Verdict: The luxury option. Would require the spending of most of the budget, and would be a disaster if the move didn't pay off. But as one of the hottest properties in European football, Dzeko could legitimately make Spurs long-term top four contenders.
Robinho (Manchester City & Brazil)
Castrol ranking: n/a
Estimated asking price: £29m
Value for money: For his talent, very good value. For his temperament? Not so much.
Proven experience: Influential, at times, for Real Madrid in La Liga. But doesn't seem to be a real fan of England.
Age: 26
Suitability: Talent and unpredictability on the pitch would make him a phenomenal asset — if he could be relied upon to produce the majority of the time. Inability and unwillingness to defend would make him something of a risk in the truly big games.
Attainability: Manchester City will countenance a sale, but to their rivals? With other clubs around Europe likely to be more attractive to the Brazilian (or even a permanent return to Santos) Spurs have to be considered long-shots.
Star rating:
Verdict: Too much of a risk, at too much of a price. And even if those two stumbling blocks weren't high enough, Robinho's distaste for England is another major issue.
Luis Suarez (Ajax & Uruguay)
Castrol ranking: n/a
Estimated asking price: £30m
Value for money: Not really. The Uruguayan's price tag seems to have escalated out of all proportion with his achievements to date.
Proven experience: Scored eye-watering numbers of goals in the Dutch league. But that's the Dutch league for you.
Age: 23
Suitability: A crafty performer, Suarez can play anywhere across the attack and even do a shift on the left or right flanks. A decent creator of chances as well as a deadly finisher if given the chance, the major question is how quickly he could adapt to the vastly superior standard of Premier League and Champions League defences.
Attainability: Ajax know they cannot keep hold of their stars forever, but Suarez has a recently-signed contract with the club and seems in no hurry to leave. He may well prefer to wait for an elite side like Barcelona or Chelsea to come in — a risky move in itself — then plump for Spurs if they are the first to come calling.
Star rating:
Verdict: At his current price tag, it would be too much of a risk for Spurs as they would be left in a dire situation if, as is emminently possible, he quickly struggled with the physical nature of the Premier League. His talent is worth monitoring, but until the price tag drops his signature can't be a priority.
