Superstar names not needed at Tottenham
The headline of an ESPN article reminds me of the limited thinking of some fans who can't seem to see beyond the signing of designer labels names. It asks, Can Tottenham still compete despite not making any superstar signings?
A superstar signing offers no guarantee of success, Alexis Sanchez has made no difference at Arsenal, they haven't progressed as a club as a result of his signing. Manchester United bought Angel di Maria for £61-million and sold him a year later. They bought a German World Cup winner but they still were nowhere near the Champions League. Chelsea has a team full of designer names and they finished below Stoke City. Manchester City were woeful away from home and they have superstars, they probably have more who flop than any other side.
It is frustrating that that is all some fans can see, they assume that if a player has a name and is expensive they must make a difference. It doesn't work like that. The only thing that makes a difference is how the player fits in with the team, the squad and if they have the mentality of a winner, as opposed to a footballer who just wants to win games. For many names it is all about them, no good when you have the team ethic Tottenham have. Many names have to be a big fish in a little pond or they sink, their mentality rather than their name dictates how they will perform.
If you have a player who wants to improve every day he is worth far more than a player who thinks he doesn't have to because he is good enough. Both Leicester City and ourselves showed last season you don't need these designer label players, why should it be any different this season?
Our rivals are buying, so what. We have a young team who can only improve and we are buying players to make the squad stronger with more depth, players who appear to fit our system. Holland have pinned their future to the Vincent Janssen mast and we have snapped him up before he makes his name and rockets in price.
Is Harry Kane not one of the superstar names some fans would want us buying, do they think we need to replace Eric Dier with a name, or Danny Rose or Kyle Walker, Alderweireld, Lloris, Dembele, Eriksen?
Were any of them superstar names when they were bought?
People need to let go of viewing transfer success by the cheque book. The most important thing in football is having a manager who can make the difference, who can improve players while improving a team. Have that and you can achieve and Spurs have that. Sir Alex Ferguson won the league with a mediocre group of players, and look what has happened to them since. He made a significant difference. Unless you have a cheque book where you can buy a host of designer label players who can then be knitted together and played off against each other for the common good, then the one superstar name can do more harm than good.
The right player is more important than the expensive player and there are plenty out there who are simply way overpriced. Spurs policy of trying to find the right players has been such a success story so far, so why change it.
A superstar signing offers no guarantee of success, Alexis Sanchez has made no difference at Arsenal, they haven't progressed as a club as a result of his signing. Manchester United bought Angel di Maria for £61-million and sold him a year later. They bought a German World Cup winner but they still were nowhere near the Champions League. Chelsea has a team full of designer names and they finished below Stoke City. Manchester City were woeful away from home and they have superstars, they probably have more who flop than any other side.
It is frustrating that that is all some fans can see, they assume that if a player has a name and is expensive they must make a difference. It doesn't work like that. The only thing that makes a difference is how the player fits in with the team, the squad and if they have the mentality of a winner, as opposed to a footballer who just wants to win games. For many names it is all about them, no good when you have the team ethic Tottenham have. Many names have to be a big fish in a little pond or they sink, their mentality rather than their name dictates how they will perform.
If you have a player who wants to improve every day he is worth far more than a player who thinks he doesn't have to because he is good enough. Both Leicester City and ourselves showed last season you don't need these designer label players, why should it be any different this season?
Our rivals are buying, so what. We have a young team who can only improve and we are buying players to make the squad stronger with more depth, players who appear to fit our system. Holland have pinned their future to the Vincent Janssen mast and we have snapped him up before he makes his name and rockets in price.
Is Harry Kane not one of the superstar names some fans would want us buying, do they think we need to replace Eric Dier with a name, or Danny Rose or Kyle Walker, Alderweireld, Lloris, Dembele, Eriksen?
Were any of them superstar names when they were bought?
People need to let go of viewing transfer success by the cheque book. The most important thing in football is having a manager who can make the difference, who can improve players while improving a team. Have that and you can achieve and Spurs have that. Sir Alex Ferguson won the league with a mediocre group of players, and look what has happened to them since. He made a significant difference. Unless you have a cheque book where you can buy a host of designer label players who can then be knitted together and played off against each other for the common good, then the one superstar name can do more harm than good.
The right player is more important than the expensive player and there are plenty out there who are simply way overpriced. Spurs policy of trying to find the right players has been such a success story so far, so why change it.
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