David Villa, Damiao, Benteke, Soldado or Negredo – Who should be Spurs’ next striker?

Spurs are actively looking for a striker in the transfer market this summer. Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor have certain qualities, but neither of them have shown that they can be consistently reliable. Defoe can be spectacular and scores goals in bursts, Adebayor has all the talent he could possibly need but none of the application he requires. If Spurs are going to break in to the top four, or even make a title challenge, they need to find a striker who can be relied upon to find the back of the net regularly. It can’t just be Gareth Bale who scores the winning goal if they are to take advantage of the wealth of talent in defence and midfield and push up the league. They’ve got class all over the field, so what they need is an elite striker to finish things off. So among the five they have been linked to most frequently, who will be the best bet?

David Villa – Barcelona

David Villa

What would he bring to Spurs? David Villa has been a world class striker for many years. He’d still be the main man at Barcelona if not for some injury problems and the emergence of one Lionel Messi. Villa has the tactical discipline and intelligence to either act as the penalty box predator or, if given license by Andre Villas-Boas, to roam around making space for Bale and the newly acquired Paulinho to get forward into goalscoring areas. Still very capable of getting 20 goals a season with his excellent technical skill and finishing. Very consistent. Arguably Spain’s star man in winning the World Cup in 2010.

How much? £8-10m. Good value, only reduced by his age and some injury issues.

How likely? 9/10 – It seems that they are getting close to an arrangement. He has said that he wants to try playing in England and he has a World Cup starting spot to win with Spain. If he can score 20-25 goals being supplied by the likes of Bale, Holtby and Paulinho he can work his way to the front of the queue.