Amid the free-flowing football that has given rise to renewed optimism among supporters this pre-season there has been a worry that, for all the attacking flair the club possesses, we are woefully short on quality defenders beyond those that would ideally make up Juande Ramos' first choice back four.
Of those players, not one player is guaranteed to be fully fit for the trip to the Riverside in a little under two weeks time. Big question marks remain over the fitness of club captain Ledley King, who looked off the pace in the friendly against Norwich City and is likely to play just twenty or so matches again this season. Jonathan Woodgate, like King, missed the 3-0 win over Dortmund on Sunday afternoon but is more likely to be fit for the start of the season.
The situation is no more positive on the flanks. Of the two wide defenders, Gareth Bale is gradually returning to full match fitness after a long lay off last season and was impressive in the second half of the win over Celtic. It is, however, unclear whether Ramos will choose to wield him on the left side of midfield or in defence, with the injury prone Beniot Assou-Ekotto likely to play at left-back if Bale's services are needed further forward.
At right back, the marauding Alan Hutton has sat out our pre-season matches so far, having picked up an ankle injury that is likely to shackle him to the sidelines for around three weeks. In matches against Leyton Orient, Celtic and Dortmund various temporary replacements have been tested with the likes of Chris Gunter and Didier Zokora performing adequately. If no replacements are found beforehand, it is likely that Ramos will favour the Ivorian come August 16.
Of the replacements available to Ramos, not one fills the heart with confidence. Michael Dawson has proved that, in the absence of Ledley King, he cannot yet be relied upon to cope with the rigours of Premiership football. It could not have helped that he had an understandable lack of faith in his goalkeeper, Dawson is a raw talent who is yet to grasp the subtleties of the message Ramos has been instilling within his players during the summer. As the Spaniard preaches the importance of keeping the ball, Dawson is still prone to launching it 75 yards to no one in particular.
It's a similar story when our other defensive reserves are assessed. Raw, unproven talent who you would be distressed to see lining up against the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal or Liverpool. At right back Chris Gunter has shown promise and willingness to get forward but is not yet ready for regular first team football. Tom Huddlestone, primarily a midfielder, is not mobile enough to cope against the likes of Fernando Torres and, alas, Robbie Keane. Then we have Ricardo Rocha and Younes Kaboul who have been told they have no future at the club.
With all this in mind, it was heartening to open The Times this morning to the news that Ramos is close to agreeing a deal for Manchester City defender Vedran Corluka.
|
Last summer the now departed Sven-Göran Eriksson persuaded Corluka to swap Dinamo Zagreb for Eastlands and since then the Croatian, who is a close friend of Luka Modric, has impressed on the right side of an improving City defence. He has also been praised for his versatility after excelling in brief stints as a centre-back and in the heart of the Citizen's midfield.
That new boss Mark Hughes would countenance selling one of his best defenders is all the more surprising given that the general consensus is that the Welshman has a wealth of funds with which to strengthen his squad. That appears not to be the case and Hughes is believed to be willing to sell Corluka to finance a move for Roque Santa Cruz, who excelled during his tenure at Blackburn Rovers.
Corluka is a defender with experience on the international and European stage and his signature, from anything between the £6.8m quoted by The Times and a figure closer to £10m, would be a significant coup for Jaunde Ramos and a huge fillip ahead of the new season. The 22-year-old's versatility would be a vital addition to a defence that looks brittle when key players are absent and his technical ability would compliment Ramos' focus on possession football perfectly.
Whether a deal goes through remains to be seen, although it has been reported on several reputable Tottenham forums that personal terms have been agreed with the player and that the two clubs have settled on an acceptable fee for his services.
In other news fans can breath a sigh of relief at the news that a move for Derby goalkeeper Stephen Bywater has collapsed.
Watch Corluka impress in midfield against Newcastle last season