Tottenham Transfers: Grading Spurs' Acquisitions as the Transfer Window Closes

Well, that's it. The transfer window is officially closed, and Tottenham Hotspur are coming out of the deadline with a whopping three signings to their name.

Three signings total, that is. In case you thought I meant three signings today.

Still, three signings could be more than enough if a club is already on pretty solid ground to begin with. But does Tottenham really fall into that category?

To find out, check out Tottenham's transfer season report card, and let me know how you'd grade their acquisitions this summer.

Brad Friedel

Date: 03 June

Transfer Type: Free Transfer

Spurs got off to a very quick start to the transfer season before ultimately becoming eerily quiet for about two-and-half months. Their first move was to address the glaring issue of their goal-keeping situation, as Heurelho Gomes was seen to fall out of form, and out of favor, at White Hart Lane.

Their solution? The 40-year-old American goalkeeper from Aston Villa, Brad Friedel.

It's little wonder why Spurs were so eager to sign Friedel, as he's been a consistent wall between offensive players and the back of the net for Villa for three years, and recorded massive saves statistics for Blackburn before that.

Not the mention the added benefit of signing him quickly and without the hassle of a transfer fee.

While Friedel has already recorded some huge saves for Tottenham in their first two outings, and his effort can certainly not be blamed for their disheartening defeats against the two Manchester clubs, the question is whether or not Friedel really constitutes a long-term solution for Tottenham's goalkeeping needs.

At 40-years-old, how many seasons does Friedel really have left in him? In all honesty, it seems that Friedel is little more than a short-term patch to fill the position until Spurs can see what's available in the transfer market next time around.

Grade: C+

Emmanuel Adebayor

Date: 25 August

Transfer Type: One-year Loan

Spurs fans waited for the majority of the summer to hear the news that Tottenham had signed a player to the position that everybody knew needed a fresh face: striker.

As the weeks dragged on, Spurs took their sweet time in locking in somebody that they thought could actually score goals, an issue that faced Tottenham's previous group of forwards for much of the last campaign.

Finally, in the dying days of the transfer window, the announcement was made: Spurs landed Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from Manchester City.

B/R writer Arun Krishnamurthy summarized the deal particularly well:

"

If this deal goes through, it will be a major transfer coup for Daniel Levy and will once again reinforce the belief that he is a extremely tough negotiator and a strong operator in the transfer market.

To put things into perspective, Tottenham will be landing the man who scores at will against them, from one of their rivals, in a loan deal in which their rival pays for him to play for them.

"

One commenter summarized the other side of the argument equally well: "The fact that you're resting your hopes on Man City's fifth choice striker shows why you will not compete with them."

In any case, Adebayor is likely to be a huge improvement over the strikers Spurs were previously fielding before the loan was finalized, and is probably one of the better options that Spurs could've hoped to acquire during the summer months.

Still, this is another case of poor planning for the future, as Spurs will be back to the drawing board when it comes to their striker needs next summer when the loan is complete, whether Adebayor performs well this season or not.

Grade: B

Scott Parker

Date: 31 August

Transfer Type: Purchase (£6 million)

On Transfer Deadline Day, Spurs made their final acquisition of the season and brought in Scott Parker from West Ham.

Spurs had been rumored to be interested in Parker for some time, and finally finished the deal in the dying hours of the transfer season.

The initial speculation was that Parker was being considered as a potential replacement for Luka Modric if he ended up moving to Chelsea, but Modric did not end up leaving White Hart Lane after all, as Parker really just becomes another name on a long list of Tottenham midfielders.

While the 30-year-old England International brings a level of maturity and experience to Tottenham's squad, the question has to be asked whether or not Redknapp and Levy would have been better off spending the last day of the window trying to bring in a more directly defensive presence.

Parker has spent the past several seasons providing a consistent and reliable level of skill and pace for West Ham, and was rumored to be linked to several clubs throughout the summer.

But given the obvious needs of Tottenham, which should have been more than clear on deadline day, I can't help but think that Spurs' priorities were terribly misplaced in this signing.

Grade: C

Final Grade

I started writing this article fairly early on deadline day right after the Scott Parker signing, with the honest expectation of adding a number of new names to the list. That did not happen, and Spurs are leaving the transfer window still depressingly far away from repairing any of the gaps that needed to be addressed.

English clubs have a strategic advantage in the final days of the transfer season, in that their domestic season starts several weeks prior to the deadline, giving them the opportunity to fully identify whatever needs to be fixed before the window closes.

Granted, not every club is going to have the means to make their squad perfect once those issues are identified, but a club that fancies itself as one of England's top sides should at least be able to make a respectable go at it.

Spurs absolutely did not in making only three signings that are all questionable in their own way and utterly failing to address the glaring needs of their squad.

When they needed a legitimate fix to their goal-keeping situation, they opted for a 40-year-old in the final seasons of his career. When they needed a reliable striker they could count on for years down the road, they invested in a cheap and short-term loan arrangement instead.

And when it became obvious that Spurs needed a dramatic restructuring of their defensive game after the blows they faced against both Manchester sides, Spurs spent deadline day chasing a 30-year-old midfielder who may or may not hold a consistent spot in the starting lineup.

There's no doubt about it in my mind. If the transfer season is a test, then Spurs' utter lack of movement throughout the summer and disinterest in acknowledging the problems that faced them in the early matches of the Premier League season mean that they did not achieve nearly as much as they could have.

Final Grade: C -