Tuesday 3 July 2012

The Chairman's Dealing With It

André Villas-Boas has today been confirmed as Tottenham Hotspur's new Head Coach on a three year contract. I know, you know that already. By now I'm sure you also know everything else that every other blog and media outlet has regurgitated and forced upon you.
  • 34 years old.
  • Opposition scout for José Mourinho at Chelsea and Inter Milan.
  • Won four trophies in his solitary season with FC Porto and remained unbeaten during their successful league campaign.
  • Bought out of his Porto contract for 15 million euros by Chelsea.
  • Sacked from Chelsea less than a year into this three year contract.
  • Glaring failure outside of Portugal and doomed to fail before he's even begun at Spurs, or so the nation's media would have you believe.
What does all this mean for Spurs then?

The thing that has stuck out for most people since the appointment is 'AVB''s job title; Head Coach.

Harry Redknapp was the first man in charge of Spurs for many years without that title, gone was the meddling Director of Football, Harry was in charge of everything. Wasn't he?

Chairman Daniel Levy has seemingly been in charge of overseeing the ins and outs at Tottenham since Damien Comolli left back in 2008. Every interview from Harry during the summer or January  transfer windows also seemed to end with his faithful Spurs catchphrase; 'The chairman's dealing with it.'

Could we now see a change to how things are done at Spurs. Will AVB be working with a new Director of Football or will the rumours of a transfer committee turn out to be true?

Talk that Technical Co-ordinator Tim Sherwood would be appointed AVB's DOF seems to have cooled, but it still seems apparent that Sherwood will be handed a more senior role within the Club, and could be involved with the transfer committee. But who else? AVB will obviously have a say in who the Club signs, with the apparently imminent signing of Gylfi Sigurðsson likely to have been at his request. Daniel Levy is also likely to take part in any decision making. While Club Secretary Darren Eales also seemed to have heavy involvement in any purchasing done by Spurs.

A new head scout could be appointed, to also consult with the board. Graham Carr of Newcastle United, and once of Spurs, would have been an excellent candidate for this role. But after signing an 8 year contract extension recently, it seems unlikely, which is a huge shame because his track record for the Magpies in recent seasons has been superb.

Villas-Boas is likely to add to his backroom staff, with fitness coach Jose Mario Rocha and opposition scout Daniel Sousa already on board. Any further additions are likely to give us an idea as to how transfers will be handled.

I will also be interested to see who is appointed as AVB's assistant head coach. Could this be the post for Sherwood? Clive Allen is also still with us, surviving Redknapp, Bond and Jordan's dismissals. If Sherwood moves up, he could return to his previous role of working with the reserve team, or the Development Squad as it is now known.

Various sources and journalists are reporting that AVB will be handed a hefty war chest to mould the team how he wants to and we've already been linked with lots of names.

Moutinho, of Porto, a player once bought by Villas-Boas, seems to have timed his recent quotes well, mentioning how he'd work with AVB again in the morning. If Luka Modric, as expected, ships off to Madrid, he would be an ideal replacement. There are sure to be other names linked with us in the next few weeks, including a few we might not expect.

Tom Huddlestone is the latest Tottenham player to be linked with a move away from the Lane. Ex-Spurs Head Coach Martin Jol is rumoured to be keen to bring Huddlestone to Fulham, likely as a replacement for the departed Danny Murphy.

I think it would be a huge mistake to lose Tom from our ranks. He's one of the best passers in the Premier League and he's so effortless with his shooting. He's undoubtedly deadly from long range and when the ball falls to him outside the penalty area, most fans are expecting something special. He doesn't always find the net, but he usually succeeds in leaving a few opposition players crumpled in a heap.

He looks like he could fit into AVB's tactics, employed in either of the deeper lying midfield slots, and his eye for a pass will definitely be a required weapon if Modric does leave.

AVB is likely to get a proper look at the majority of our squad when they return to training next week, and who knows who will suddenly find themselves as a major part of his plans, or not as the case may be.

Giovani Dos Santos? Jermaine Jenas? Heurelho Gomes? David Bentley? Rafael van der Vaart? Jermain Defoe?

One thing is for sure, today, exciting as it has been, is unlikely to be the most eventful day at White Hart Lane this summer.

No comments:

Post a Comment