Roberto Soldado: Will Transfer See Spurs Finish Season Ahead of Arsenal?

Roberto Soldado—is he the man to ensure that Tottenham Hotspur finish in the top four this season?

The North London club has agreed a £26 million deal with Valencia for the transfer of the 28-year-old, according to this report on the BBC Sport website.

Soldado, who will become Tottenham's record transfer signing, is expected to sign a four-year contract after undergoing a medical on Friday.

Spurs came within a whisker of qualifying for the Champions League last season.

Ironically, the club recorded their highest Premier League points total yet finished the season one point behind North London rivals Arsenal.

The previous year, Spurs were cruelly denied a berth in the European competition after finishing fourth. Chelsea, having won the tournament, gained entry despite finishing sixth.

But what does Andre Villas-Boas’ side need to do to ensure they qualify this season?

There are several variables, but the most important of which is signing a world-class striker. Consider it done.

In Soldado, Spurs have brought a genuinely exciting talent to the Premier League.

The 28-year-old scored 24 goals in 35 La Liga games for Valencia last season.

Compare that to the combined total of 16 strikes from Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor for the entire 2012/13 Premier League campaign.

Gareth Bale’s prolific strike rate saved the team’s blushes last season. The Welshman weighed in with 21 top-flight goals.

But, with his future anything but certain at White Hart Lane, Spurs need new blood.

To find an out-and-out striker who has scored more than 20 league goals in a season for Spurs, you need to go back as far as the 1994/95 season where Juergen Klinsmann notched 21.

A club with top-four aspirations needs a first-class finisher who can weigh in with 20-plus strikes over the course of a campaign.

Soldado is a classic No. 9 who can slot into a number of formations. At Valencia, he was the centerpiece of Los Che’s attack, normally playing as a lone striker in the side’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.

He’d been brought in to replace the Barcelona-bound David Villa, who had put away 126 goals in his five years at the Mestalla.

Last season, Soldado’s 24 La Liga goals made him the league’s second-highest-scoring Spaniard behind Alvaro Negredo and saw him build on the 17 he’d scored the previous term.

One of the Spain international’s main characteristics is his ability to find space. He’s a hard worker with blistering pace and is a classic "fox in the box" poacher.

So much so that all of his 24 goals last season were scored from inside the area.

Villas-Boas has played around with formations at Spurs, testing out a 4-4-1-1, 4-4-2 and 4-3-3. But a 4-2-3-1 seems to work best.

Last season, Defoe was used as a lone striker, with Villas-Boas’ most effective combination being Bale, Clint Dempsey and Aaron Lennon across midfield and Sandro and Mousa Dembele in the holding roles.

Paulinho and Nacer Chadli have also arrived over the summer, which will provide cover and offer Villas-Boas a number of options to play with in midfield.

If Soldado is used as the focal point of attack, as he was at Valencia, his prolific strike rate could see Spurs as genuine contenders for a Champions League spot.

Soldado has reached the knockout stages of the Champions League twice with Valencia, scoring 15 goals in 20 appearances in the tournament.

Spurs also have stability on their side. Andre Villas-Boas is entering his second season at the helm of the club, while so many other teams are in a state of flux.

New and returning management at Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea could see a bedding-in period and slow starts to the season in which Spurs can strike.

If Arsenal fail to attract any world-class strikers to the Emirates this summer, Tottenham could be in a very good position to finish ahead of them.

Whether Bale stays or goes, this is the season for Spurs to go for the jugular.

And in Soldado, they have a new hero in the making.