Why It's Time for Tottenham to Cut Their Losses with Roberto Soldado in January

Roberto Soldado arrived at Tottenham in 2013 to virtually unanimous acclaim.

Since the sale of Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United in 2008, Spurs had lacked a genuine central striker. Darren Bent, the returning Robbie Keane, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Peter Crouch (each signed for eight figure transfer fees) had all failed to convince. Emmanuel Adebayor had been successful in his first season but delivered little after signing permanently in 2012. 

Now Spurs had broken their transfer record to secure an established international striker. A man that had not scored fewer than 20 goals in a season since 2008-09 appeared to be the perfect spearhead for Spurs in the post-Gareth Bale era. 

Soldado scored on his Champions League debut for Real Madrid in 2005 but failed to really establish himself in the Spanish capital. There is no shame in failing to establish himself in the original Galacticos lineup and his move to Valencia (via Getafe) showed the esteem with which he was held in Spain. Soldado was chosen to replace World Cup winner David Villa as he moved to Barcelona. 

Soldado made a slow start to his career but left Spain with over 100 La Liga goals to his name. 

Spurs' signing of Soldado seemed to be perfect. A pure finisher, instinctive and inventive; a genuine goalscorer. YouTube highlight reels showed stunning volleys and lethal ability in front of goal. The biggest concern seemed to be his aggression. A Mirror scouting report worried that the prolific striker would let himself down with his lack of discipline.  

Unfortunately for Soldado and Spurs, this move simply hasn't worked out. Soldado was supposed to be the safest of Spurs' signings in 2013. With that in mind, it's arguable that he has been the biggest disappointment. There hasn't even been a sign of that aggression. A timid and, at times, seemingly disinterested Soldado has delivered precious little.

Soldado was hardly alone in being poor for Spurs in 2013 and, given his nominated role as a pure finisher, it is no surprise that he was unable to leave his mark in the first months of the new season. He then suffered personal tragedy when his wife miscarried in December. That would be enough to distract even the most earnest professional but he struck a hat-trick in Tottenham's next match. 

That flash of form faded, though, and when Andre Villas-Boas was sacked soon afterward, new boss Tim Sherwood dropped his Spanish striker in favour of Emmanuel Adebayor. Adebayor hit a rare patch of good form so Soldado was left on the bench through the new year. He eventually finished the season with six league goals, four of which came from the penalty spot. 

This season has yielded little suggestion that Soldado's form will improve. 

Towards the end of the 2013-14 season, Soldado began to demonstrate a capacity as a playmaker. His neat touches and clever flicks, once his preferred method of scoring, began to supply assists and chances for his teammates. That surprising development has continued this season but not to the extent that it makes up for his lack of goalscoring. 

It is time for Tottenham to move on from Soldado for several reasons. The least palatable and most realistic of those is that he is 29 years old and, regardless of his form, likely losing value with every passing week. 

Tottenham invested €30 million in Soldado. Much of that is gone but some could be recouped from the right buyer. Soldado's form is not such that Spurs should reject any reasonable transfer offer. Adebayor is equally hit-and-miss but, given his perceived "attitude problems" and significant wages, is unlikely to attract significant bids. In short, Spurs are stuck with the Togolese striker. 

Another motivation to sell Soldado is that Mauricio Pochettino seemingly feels compelled to give him playing time. He, Adebayor and Harry Kane have played almost the same number of minutes across all competitions this season. Pochettino speaks often about the necessity of allowing all his players the opportunity to play. The departure of Soldado would open significant opportunities for Kane. 

Soldado is significantly more popular with fans than Adebayor and his departure would likely be met with a mixed reaction. Many still harbour the belief that the Spaniard will find his form. The fact that he seems to bring out Erik Lamela's best form is also another reason to refrain from selling him but 18 months of consistently poor displays is surely ample proof that he is not worth his place. 

According to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, Spurs have accepted the reality that Soldado's time at Tottenham is over but they are struggling to find a club willing to take him. 

Soldado could move to Italy, following Fernando Torres to the retirement ground for disappointing strikers. He could even return to Spain where his former club are third in the league and suddenly flush with cash. Whether Paco Alcacer and Alvaro Negredo could be ousted by Soldado is another matter, but the fact remains that there are options.

It is hard to accept the reality that Soldado is ready to join Sergei Rebrov and Darren Bent as Tottenham's record signings that were just not good enough. Soldado has been seemingly cursed with unbelievable bad luck. The number of stunning misses from a previously clinical striker is hard to make sense of.

Soldado will not reach a level of form to justify his transfer fee at Spurs and he is standing in the way of progress. He is not particularly well-suited to Pochettino's style of play and he just doesn't score goals. 

Spurs can find a club to buy Soldado and they should.