Perhaps the least said about Roberto Soldado’s ill-fated time at White Hart Lane, the better. For one reason or another, the man Tottenham Hotspur managed to shell out £26million for back in the summer of 2013, has ultimately turned out to be a complete waste of time for Spurs and their loyal fan-base.
In scoring over 30 goals last season in all competitions for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, 21-year-old Harry Kane has certainly put his fellow striker’s shortcomings into perspective – and that is something that really doesn’t bode well for the former Valencia and Real Madrid man ahead of the 2015/16 campaign.
Along with the equally expensive Eric Lamela and Paulinho down at White Hart Lane, the now 30-year-old Spaniard just hasn’t performed adequately enough considering his incredibly hefty price tag. With the Spurs hierarchy also reportedly targeting VfB Stuttgart’s young striker, Timo Werner, as back up for their forward line next season, it seems Soldado’s time in Tottenham colours is finally approaching its end.
So then, does the out of sorts Spaniard still have a future in North London with the 2015/16 campaign already fast approaching, or is Roberto Soldado inevitably never going to match his performances with his £26 million price tag out on the pitch for Spurs?
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The answer seems pretty obvious enough in the cold light of day. Whilst it may not make for easy reading for the likes of Daniel Levy and co. behind the scenes at Tottenham Hotspur, the ex-Mestalla Stadium favourite was simply never actually worth the staggering amount Spurs eventually paid out for his services.
It was a gamble of the highest order – and as Roberto Soldado has barely managed to have much of an influence since first joining up at White Hart Lane two summers ago – his signing has certainly proved a risk that hasn’t paid off. Obviously such a statement is easily made with the use of hindsight, but a club the size of Tottenham should ultimately be certain of what their paying for when deciding to front that kind of money in the transfer market.
It just goes to show that the Premier League may be a tougher nut to crack than its equivalents across the rest of Europe. Sure La Liga certainly plays hosts to some of the best talent the world has ever seen these days, but because Soldado has nonetheless failed to do the business in England, the level of overall quality throughout the Spanish league can be viably called into question.
The 30-year-old front-man once scored over 50 goals for Valencia before he made his ill-fated switch to North London. The struggling no. 9 certainly seemed like he knew where the goal was back then – and in representing his national side during the height of Spain’s dominance in world football at the time – Tottenham fans can certainly be forgiven for expecting a great deal more from Roberto Soldado than what they have so far witnessed.
However, as many of the other new recruits brought to White Hart Lane on the back of the Gareth Bale money have also failed to live up to their potential at Spurs, maybe the former Valencia hot-shot ultimately doesn’t deserve all the blame for his recent poor form.
The aforementioned likes of Eric Lamela and Paulinho certainly haven’t done themselves many favours since first pulling on the Tottenham shirt – and as Vlad Chiriches and Etienne Capoue have also subsequently struggled since moving to North London – maybe the club themselves need to address the way they do business in the transfer market. With a clear lack of Premier League experience under the belts of such signings, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are now regrettably reaping what they initially sowed.
In meeting inflated price tags that were obviously well over the odds for Roberto Soldado and co, Spurs lifted their statuses to a level that could never be obtained – and as the Spanish forward was never likely to produce the form of a £26 million player for Tottenham even if things went truly according to plan – players like Soldado ultimately fell by the wayside as a result over being over-hyped and grossly over-valued.
Lessons must therefore be learnt by the Tottenham board this summer as the club approaches the 2015/16 campaign. As time seemingly no longer resides on the side of Roberto Soldado however, it seems the once promising striker doesn’t have much of a future left at White Hart Lane looking ahead to the future.
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