Freund first of many changes under AVB
Iwas interested to see Steffen Freund appointed as Andre Villas-Boas’s assistant manager at Tottenham. He’s obviously Daniel Levy’s man, over Villas-Boas, which is a little bit peculiar.
That’s not to say that it won’t work, but you wonder about the chemistry between them if that’s the case. Freund has already been heavily involved in coaching, but Villas-Boas has got a lot to prove this year.
It’s not hugely different to Roberto Di Matteo being his number two at Chelsea – having someone in his dressing room with a knowledge of how the club operates. But it looks to me as though Villas-Boas hasn’t got the same power he once had at Chelsea and, incidentally, even if they have different roles, Levy runs the club similarly to Roman Abramovich.
Following Freund in to the club could be a new goalkeeper, by the looks of things, even though Brad Friedel’s done fantastically. France’s Hugo Lloris has been linked and if they want him he’ll have to start every game. He’ll be very expensive, though he’s high in quality. If he comes in, someone will have to go – they’ve got Friedel, Carlo Cudicini and Heurelho Gomes. In the long-term it’s the right thing to do, but whether Spurs have that money on that position right now is another case.
If Luka Modric goes, they’ll have to replace him. He can only really go to one of Europe’s top clubs, but it’s a key position that would need to be filled. I’m sure they’ll be scouting a replacement. I know they’ve signed Gylfi Sigurdsson, but he’s not of Modric’s quality.
Equally important is signing Emmanuel Adebayor permanently, because he’s done very well. The problem with him is that after his start at a club, he goes off the boil, but he’s now at the point in his career where he’ll look to stay put, so Spurs should get the best out of him.
Jan Vertonghen, the £10m defender, also looks to be a good signing. They needed to replace Ledley King, and the ageing William Gallas. The priority now has to be a striker and a replacement for Modric.
Trevor Steven is a former England footballer who played in both the 1986 and 1990 World Cups and the 1988 European Championships.