da stake casino： With the January transfer window now closed, it’s time for Tottenham to start planning their summer recruitment – and before anything else comes the Bosman market.
da apostebet： The rule, first created in 1995 by the European Court of Justice to allow footballers to move freely upon the expiration of their contracts, has completely changed where power lies in the beautiful game. It’s now the players – not the clubs – that have the upper hand.
Not that clubs like Spurs can’t benefit from picking up players on free transfers – in fact, quite the opposite. And with that in mind, we’ve listed the FIVE contract rebels the Lilywhites should be looking to add to their squad this summer.
YEVHEN KONOPLYANKA
One coveted contract rebel Tottenham fans will already be familiar with is Dnipro winger Yevhen Konoplyanka, who was heavily linked with a White Hart Lane switch last season and again in the January transfer window.
Having monopolised the Ukrainian Player of the Year award between 2010 and 2013, winning it thrice, and also claimed the Ukrainian Premier League’s Player of the Year award for 2013, the 25 year-old is widely considered to be one of the top talents outside of Europe’s five leading top flights – originally gaining continental notoriety for his stunning goal against England at Wembley in 2012.
He boasts an impressive return of 32 goals in 149 league appearances for Dnipro, but the Ukraine international is better famed for his playmaking abilities, often drifting into the channels from wide positions to create scoring opportunities.
Konoplyanka’s best position remains the left wing – which is exactly what Tottenham need this summer. Although many have been impressed with the goalscoring form of Nacer Chadli this season, the Dnipro talisman represents an unequivocal upgrade in that department, and a more feasible option long-term.
He turned down a move to Roma during the January window according to the Daily Star, likely leaving the Lilywhites to battle it out with fellow suitors Liverpool for his signature this summer.
ANDRE-PIERRE GIGNAC
Despite the recent heroics of Harry Kane, Tottenham’s front-line desperately requires a reshuffle this summer, bringing in new faces to replace the unwanted Emmanuel Adebayor and £27million flop Roberto Solado – who have netted just thrice between them in the Premier League this term.
One bosman-based solution comes in the form of Andre-Pierre Gignac, currently amid the best for of his career with 16 goals in 24 appearances across all competitions for Marseille. That includes a 14-goal haul in the league, which has fired L’OM to second in the Ligue 1 table.
In terms of strength and height, the 6 foot 1 striker – once heckled with jeers of ‘un Big Mac pour Gignac’ regarding his weight – is perfect for the Premier League, and would certainly offer something a little different to Tottenham’s attacking line-up to the comparatively slender Kane.
The 19-cap-five-goal France international’s age, 29, might muffle Spurs’ interest somewhat. But available on a free contract come the summer, he could prove to be an astutely cheap short-term addition for the Lilywhites until a more permanent understudy to Kane is found.
LUIZ ADRIANO
Offering an equally costless alternative to Gignac is Shaktar Donetsk star Luiz Adriano, who’s currently leading the Champions League’s scoring charts with nine goals in just six appearances, eight of which came in back-to-back drubbings of BATE Borisov.
Throughout his career with the Ukrainian Champions, the Brazilian boasts a potent return of nearly one-in-two, or more specifically, 122 goals in 253 appearances – including 20 goals in just 25 league outings last season.
More than just firepower however, Adriano offers all the power, pace and directness one could want in a Premier League striker, and his recent form has earned a place in the Brazil national team, suggesting he could be on the verge of advancing his game to a higher level.
That also would likely require a move to a more competitive league and there’s plenty of clubs reportedly willing to offer him that opportunity, including Arsenal, Liverpool and Roma.
Tottenham would be wise to weigh in, but a lack of involvement in the Champions League does put them at a significant disadvantage.
WINSTON REID
Now into the final six months of his contract and unlikely to qualify for European football with eighth-place West Ham this season, star defender Winston Reid will almost certainly be plying his trade with another Premier League club next year.
In fact, some sources claim he’s already agreed a move to White Hart Lane and although the New Zealand international may not be the most talented centre-back to represent the Lilywhites in technical terms, he’s an undisputed master of the nuts and bolts of the defensive trade, bringing a new sense of grittiness and physicality to Tottenham’s backline.
Whether the rumours prove true, however, remains to be seen. The 26 year-old has also been strongly linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United throughout the season, so the Lane is hardly the only Premier League destination on his radar.
FABIAN SCHAR
Although Winston Reid remains an impressive centre-back option for any top half Premier League club, in my opinion, FC Basel prodigy Fabian Schar, also yet to extend his contract past the summer, constitutes a far superior potential signing for the Lilywhites.
Indeed, the 23 year-old recorded the best statistics of any centre-half involved in the Champions League last term, averaging a near incredible 3.3 tackles, 4 interceptions and 6.7 clearances per match, and continued to impress in the tournament this year with a Man of the Match performance against Liverpool in Group B.
That impressive form, combined with a front-footed style, the confidence to bring the ball out of the back with striking similarities to Jan Vertonghen, and some decent performances for Switzerland at the World Cup, has generated plenty of interest in the Bebbi star however, with Arsenal, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Spurs all linked to his signature throughout the season.