Tottenham Hotspur need to buy a striker.
I'll just give you a moment to catch your breath...
That's right. Let's not shy away from that fact. We've needed a striker ever since Berbatov left us in a rather unkind fashion. Many have tried to fill the void he left (Bent, Pavlyuchenko, Saha... fuck it, even my Virtual Pro on FIFA) but few have succeeded. There's one man I would ideally want to see leading our line for years to come. And that man, is Christian 'Bentekkerz' Benteke.
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| AVB sees a good striker. |
Look, AVB knows a good striker when he sees one. Just check my expert diagram above. I believe the ever-reliable Daily Mirror are reporting that we're willing to part ways with Jermain Defoe and a sum of money in an attempt to lure Benteke to the lane. I for one would be thrilled if such an event occurred. We're getting rid of an inconsistent striker who offers little to the team for a hungrier player who can hold the ball up, score goals and has 8 years on Defoe. It's a no-brainer. I doubt Villa would be stupid enough to accept but Lambert, if you're reading this... I can assure you that it's a good deal. Lol.
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| Let's keep this slide going all the way to Villa Park |
Let's take a look at Benteke as a player. I think I can sum him up in one word - beast. No, I'm not attempting to impersonate KSI or any other YouTube commodity with about as much personality as Shia LaBeouf. Benteke genuinely is a beast, there's no other word for it. I remember watching him before he went on a hot run of scoring form and thinking; "This bloke holds the ball up brilliantly". It is his sheer size and strength that allows him to effortlessly retain possession while under pressure from defenders, an attribute we have sorely missed since Adebayor disappeared sometime last summer. That's not to compare the two. Adebayor does hold the ball up well, but Benteke keeps it with more purpose and panache, without ever appearing overly erratic like the former. This is before I've even touched upon Benteke's aerial prowess. The guy is an absolute monster in the air. I've seen Aston Villa quite a few times live this year and he honestly must win nearly every header he goes up for. Maybe it's something to do with his somewhat angry head shape, but Benteke just doesn't seem to lose out in the air. Knockdowns, flick-ons, even scoring powerful headed goals. He's dominant.
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| Just look at that leap. Daym. |
Then we come to Benteke's shooting. No striker is complete without a sense of finishing or a powerful shot. Benteke has both. I've seen him score both one-on-one chances and powerful strikes from outside the area. Although you may cry; "But Defoe can do this too!", it's the level of consistency Benteke offered at Villa. 19 Premier League goals in his debut season. That's two more than the much heralded Romelu Lukaku who was also playing in a better team.
Of course, I'm not saying Benteke is the perfect forward. I'm not saying he'll score 19 goals again next season. But if we sign him and he starts 30+ games up front, it'll make us a much better team. The shape a player like Benteke adds to your side is priceless. I wouldn't call him a one-season wonder either. His play warrants more respect than previous one-season wonders like James Beattie or Grant Holt.
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| That's why they call him 'Bentekkerz' |
£10mil or £15mil + Defoe sounds good to me. Clears an older striker off of the wage bill and adds a regular starter to the side. Sign another striker, possibly David Villa if he's interested and we should be good to go.
Let's see what Levy is planning.
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