Tottenham maintained their push for Champions League football on Sunday with a 3-1 win at home to champions Manchester City. Goals from Dempsey, Defoe and Bale helped Spurs come from a goal down with just 15 minutes to play, to win at White Hart Lane.
After winning one of their toughest fixtures remaining, the club will be in high spirits ahead of their final push for the top 4 spaces. With an expected financial boost of £25million if the club can qualify for the competition, Andre Villas-Boas will be looking to strengthen the depth of his squad in preparation for playing Europe’s finest. One player linked with the club is former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song. The Daily Mail have reported that Spurs will bid for the Barcelona midfielder, if the club can qualify for the Champions League. It would also see Scott Parker, Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone all being sold by the London club.
Song has struggled to make an impact at Barcelona after his £15million switch from the Emirates. Making just 16 league appearances this season, Song is yet to be credited with an assist in his La Liga matches, and was voted alongside Luka Modric as the flops of the transfer window by Spanish paper Marca. Failing to impress the fans or media at the Catalan club, the midfielder could be prepared to cut his losses short and leave Spain.
A controversial move to Tottenham could be possible. His red roots wont deter Villas-Boas, and neither will Song’s season at Barcelona. Despite struggling at the Spanish giants, his impressive displays in his last few years in England will be enough to tempt the Portuguese manager into signing Song or not. The midfielder enjoyed a fantastic relationship with Robin van Persie at Arsenal, linking up to score some memorable goals, notably against both Liverpool and Everton. Song assisted 14 goals last season, 11 of which were in the Premier League. Villas-Boas will look at Song’s quality at Arsenal, not at Barcelona.
But Song will also face a fight against the fans. A few impressive displays will make the supporters forget about his Arsenal origins. But the Cameroon international will come to replace three popular players at White Hart Lane. Tom Huddlestone, who has been at the club since 2005, is set to make way for Song. As is Jake Livermore, who at just 23-years-old, has started to impress in his first team football with the club, making 11 appearances for the London side. Finally, Scott Parker looks set to move aside for the Barcelona man, despite being popular with the fans for his energetic style and passion for the club. Song will know he will have to do well to win over some supporters, who will be sad to see the trio leave in his place.
The 25-year-old midfielder could repay the fans instantly though, if he can find the same form he left the Emirates with. His ability to pass a ball precisely, coupled with his happiness to sit back and hold the midfield, could push Spurs to a new level. With a more accurate attack, and an extra body protecting the defence, allowing wing-backs Assou-Ekotto and Kyle Walker to get forward, Tottenham could become a difficult ship to sink in the Premier League. With the club set on signing a new striker in the summer, Spurs could be just two signings away from a team capable of reaching the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite competition, a feat the club achieved two years ago in their first and only spell in the Champions League limelight.
With the pace of Bale and Lennon able to latch on to Song’s through balls, and the Cameroon international’s ability to pass the ball to the exact requirements of a striker, Song could become a popular man at White Hart Lane. He will face a battle with Sandro, Dembele and Holtby for a regular starting place, but his solidity in midfield and eagerness to turn defence into attack with one pass could turn Tottenham Hotspur into a regular top 4 team, leapfrogging rivals and Song’s former club, Arsenal.
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