5 Potential Striker Replacements for Roberto Soldado at Tottenham
The time has come to end the Roberto Soldado experiment.
The formerly prolific Valencia striker has failed to adjust his game to the style of the Premier League and been a largely disastrous signing.
Spurs broke their transfer record to sign Soldado in the summer of 2013, but he has made little positive impact in the ensuing two years.
He has managed just 16 goals in 71 appearances.
The emergence of Harry Kane has reduced the potential negative impact of Soldado's poor form, but it is time for the club to move on.
The good news for Spurs is that they don't need to gamble with a big fee because they aren't searching for a starting striker.
Kane needs support, and Spurs must find players who can help him continue to flourish.
Transfermarkt now values Soldado at just £10 million.
Assuming master negotiator Daniel Levy can extract at least that fee by selling Soldado, that amount will be available to reinvest in the playing squad.
Who can Spurs bring in for a similar fee to make a greater impact next season?
Stuttgart Starlet Timo Werner
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The presence of Harry Kane means that Spurs are not desperate to find a star player. Instead, they just need players who can help out in shorter bursts.
A young player with potential is perfect for that role.
Stuttgart's Timo Werner fits the bill.
The Daily Mail has reported that Spurs are interested in Werner and are considering a £7.5 million bid.
Werner is not particularly explosive but he is well-polished for a 19-year-old and would be in the perfect position to grow as Kane's understudy.
He has a nice burst of pace and moves well with the ball. He has yet to enjoy a prolific season, but he has chipped in with some useful goals in a poor Stuttgart side.
If the £7.5 million reported fee is to be believed, Spurs could replace Soldado with an exciting youngster and turn a small profit.
Austrian Youngster Marcel Sabitzer
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Spurs have shown that, under Mauricio Pochettino, they possess an excellent situation for young players with potential to improve.
Players like Nabil Bentaleb, Kane and Christian Eriksen have grown in their single season under Pochettino, and this will resonate with other young talents.
RB Leipzig attacker Marcel Sabitzer spent the last season on loan with Red Bull Salzburg and showed a great deal of promise.
Sabitzer scored 27 goals and made 21 in his season in the Austrian Bundesliga.
It is a famously high-scoring league, but those numbers are noteworthy.
Given Sadio Mane's rapid adaptation to the Premier League after making the same move from Austria to England, Sabitzer's potential makes him worthy of consideration.
Not the same player as Soldado, Sabitzer has pace and undoubted finishing quality, meaning he would be valuable in a different role.
He could help to stretch opposition defences and afford Kane more space to exercise his creative talents.
Transfermarkt values Sabitzer at less than €3 million but Mane's £12 million move in 2014 is probably indicative of his market value.
Den Haag Big Man Michiel Kramer
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A very different option for Spurs to replace Roberto Soldado is to find a specific role-player like Den Haag's Michiel Kramer.
Kramer is enjoying a prolific spell after stepping up from Dutch second division side FC Volendam, but it is his strengths that set him apart as a potential transfer target.
At 6'5", Kramer is a big man and his 12.5 stone mean he is no physical pushover.
Despite his size, Kramer moves very well and can broadly be described as a poor man's Edin Dzeko.
Dutch source Omroep West (via TribalFootball) suggests that several English sides are interested in Kramer and that he could be available for as little as €2.5 million.
Whoscored.com's statistical analysis shows that Kramer is effective at set-pieces and uses his size to bring teammates into play.
Kramer's 17 Eredivisie goals wouldn't necessarily translate to a similar number in the Premier League but he would be a useful player in certain situations and almost certainly be more effective than Soldado at a fraction of the cost.
Champions League Runner-Up Fernando Llorente
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A far more ambitious—and consequently less likely—target for Spurs is Juventus striker Fernando Llorente.
The former Athletic Bilbao forward has been a qualified success in Turin and scored eight times last season.
The Guardian reported in May that Spurs are among his suitors in the coming transfer window.
The fact that Juve have signed Paulo Dybala to join their strikeforce for next season suggests that Llorente could be available.
His physical strength and ability to bring players into the game mean he would be perfectly suited to Spurs' style.
He could form an excellent partnership with Kane given his ability to play others in and Kane's intelligent runs.
However, their similarities could be problematic.
They might become frustrated with each other's tendency to hold possession and bounce off defenders while looking for a shooting angle.
With Alvaro Morata and Carlos Tevez also demanding significant playing time alongside Dybala, Llorente could find himself playing a reduced role next season.
If he could be sold on the prospects of helping take Spurs to the next level, it is possible that he would be willing to make the move.
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