RealGM

Adebayor is going to AFCON...****. We're going to be super short on attacking talent.

Was reading this on another Tottenham forum, would you rather have Damiao or Moutinho? Personally I'd say the latter, but we really need both. Not necessarily Damiao (don't think he's all that great, Ade with more potential) but a prem league level striker will be essential for backing up Defoe.

Whom would I rather have? Moutinho. Hands down, 10 times out of 10, without a shadow of doubt, and so forth. He's got tons of champions league and international experience, has won trophies, and has already played under AVB. I think he suits our needs in that he's a very fluid and creative player, and even outshined Ronaldo in Portugal's Euro 2012 campaign.

I rate Damiao as a prospect, but he's mostly played well against weak opposition and his goalscoring record isn't really all that impressive. Plus I'm very warey that he could be another Rebrov, Pavlyuchenko or Postiga... big money forward that can't adjust to the Premier League. They're different players, but I feel that Moutinho's transition would be similar to David Silva's for City. Not terribly physical players, but their class shines through regardless of pace or style because of their immense technique and creativity. If we do buy Damiao I won't be disappointed mostly because of Ade going to ACON, but I would hold little hopes of him having a large immediate impact.

In the event that we can get Holtby to sign in this window (as has been rumoured), I'd be happy with Holtby and Damiao in this window. RB cover would be nice too, as I feel that Walker's form has really dipped this season and he needs competition.

Can we recall Rose? IIRC he plays RB and has been in good form for Sunderland.

Moutinho would be fantastic for us and I see it the same way. As a Portugal fan I definitely agree with your assessment, he was outstanding for country and I had no idea who he was before euros. There are so many times where I can just see we are that one incisive pass away from breaking through the back line. Moussa is many things, but creative passer is not one of them. I'd say the best playmaking mid we currently have is Huddlestone, but his fitness is awful.

How great would Sandro, Moussa and Moutinho be in the midfield? Yeesh, thats's perfect for AVB's system as well.

and1GS wrote: I had no idea who he was before euros.

You gotta be kidding bro.

Eh, knew of him, but I don't really follow non-EPL teams or leagues other than Inter and wherever Cristiano goes.

Danny Rose is a left back, but he's having a pretty nice season for Sunderland. He'd make a quality backup for Assou-Ekotto.

I've been following Moutinho since his early Sporting Lisbon years, when him and Miguel Veloso (what happened to him?) were the crux of the Sporting midfield that won back-to-back Portuguese cups. Even back then, when he was in his early 20s, he looked like a brilliant player. I'm convinced Spurs and AVB could get the best out of him.

I hope Tottenham takes it easy on Ryan Nelsen this weekend.

Ryan will be alright, he's tough as nails. He's a good leader, but I'm not sure how he'll perform in a managerial position, though I suppose he can't do much worse than the other Toronto coaches. Lasting for longer than 6 months would be progress.

I'm just ignoring any transfer rumours right now. I don't believe any of them until they materialize. Negredo, Damiao, Belhanda or Moutinho, just get one of them signed already. It seems like we'll get something done, but being linked with seemingly every player under the sun is getting pretty stressful.

In other news, AVB wins manager of the month! Where's that mug Paul Merson now? I remember him saying on Sky Sports that AVB would be sacked before Christmas. He trumps even the mighty Jamie Redknapp in the useless analysts sweepstakes.

Sandro out, could be for the rest of the season...

With how he was playing this is a terrible blow to our top 4 hopes, but at least we have good cover in the form of Parker.

It's a shame that we haven't really had a chance to see Sandro, Parker, and Dembele together all season.

Sandro/Parker/Dembele together is too defensive for my tastes but wow, this is a massive blow. With Defoe, Bale, Lennon and Jan , Sandro was one of our best players this season. He's integral to what we do but thankfully we have Parker getting back in shape, an he plays more or less the same way.

I think having the option to field all three together would have been nice even if we didn't start games out that way. We've given up a few leads late in second halves this season and shoring things up with Sandro, Parker, and Dembele could have helped us avoid that.

I also like the idea of occasionally playing Dembele at 10 without expecting him to be a creative genius. Not because it's ideal, but because i'm not a big fan of the alternatives. There was a brief period before Darren Fletcher was sidelined when Sir Alex used him in that role. Sometimes it's good to have a physical presence there who can provide resistance and link up the lines.

Do you guys think there's any chance we'll bring forward the Holtby signing to this window for midfield cover?

I think we should, but Levy loves a good deal so I doubt it.

It may happen but agents tend to get bigger pay-offs on Bosman moves. Considering Levy's obsession with bargains, he might refuse to give Schalke a small sum and still pay the agent what he wants.

I watched Schalke vs. Hannover earlier, and wow, Holtby is the real deal.

The game finished 5-4 to Schalke (I guess Massimo was right about Bundesliga defences ) and he had a goal and two assists. He was instrumental in Schalke's play in the second half. I wasn't expecting much from the game from Holtby or anyone else to be honest but boy was I proven wrong, check out the highlights if you can.

Oh no man. What the hell are you talking about? Bundesliga is where the best defensive mentality teams are playing. Even better than Serie A.

Anyways, I am going to Caribbean for a week. Take care guys.

Baphomet wrote:I watched Schalke vs. Hannover earlier, and wow, Holtby is the real deal.

The game finished 5-4 to Schalke (I guess Massimo was right about Bundesliga defences ) and he had a goal and two assists. He was instrumental in Schalke's play in the second half. I wasn't expecting much from the game from Holtby or anyone else to be honest but boy was I proven wrong, check out the highlights if you can.

Because EPL defenses never have 7-3 results?

Yeah there have been some crazy scores in the EPL too.

Haha, you guys are right. I was just kidding anyways, it's just kinda funny that one of the Bundesliga games I tuned into this season would end up being a 9-goal thriller given the recent debates on here.

I don't know why I'm excited about the Man United game tomorrow, I personally don't think we have much of a chance without Sandro, but somehow we beat them last time at Old Trafford so who knows...