Transfer Triumph: The Levy Way

From happiness to heartbreak, we can't overlook our fantastic transfer window

When the final whistle blew on that dreaded day in May, we were all aware that Champion’s League football would not be attained for the coming season. We also knew that this could be the end of Gareth’s stay in North London. As we had moved into the transfer window, Andrè was promised that our talisman would not be sold, and he made this very clear in the media. Regardless of these statements, I was still very skeptical because of prior statements by Gareth on his dream to play for Madrid. Yet, the summer progresses and we make our signings. After the first three, I still felt as if there was a chance we could retain our star player, but as the window got closer, and Gareth stayed more silent, I knew his fate.

            Gareth’s agents have now confirmed that they had been talking to Madrid for “110 days.” This means that this whole summer we had been spending Bale money, even though we had an ambition to keep him at the club for the remainder of his contract. Clearly, we weren’t able to do that as it was his desire to play for Madrid and as Levy stated: “Gareth would not be sufficiently committed to our campaign this season.” If you have read or watched either of Bale’s interviews with BTSport or RMTV, then you would see that indeed, he always wanted this move since May.

Roberto shows his appreciation for the fans

            I think we must not focus our attention on this player, regardless of how you feel in the manner he left our beautiful club. We must look at our first signing, Paulinho. Thankfully, due to the expertise of our Chairman and newly acquired Director of Football, we were already in talks with Corinthians and the player before he steamrolled his way to a Confederation’s Cup trophy with Brazil. He showed his domination throughout the tournament in the midfield and we were able to snatch him up under the noses of big European clubs.

            Our second transfer was Nacer Chadli, a tall, strong winger, with an eye for goal. He was brought in to provide competition for Lennon on the wing as well as possibly fill Gareth’s boots on the left. Thus far he has proven to be a decent signing, and will contribute more as the lads begin to gel and learn tendencies. At only age 23, he is a steal for the future.

            Third, and maybe the fan favorite, is Roberto Soldado. No one needs to tell you about this guy, his career speaks for itself. He’s fast, dominant in the air, and a hit a ball anywhere out of the air and volley it into the back of the net. While he might not have wanted to leave Valencia, he was exactly what we needed: a true striker. Thus far we have not seen him have the impact we need, but that’s solely due to the fact that he is not getting the ball in crucial positions, and he doesn’t speak any English.

Our new signings show we can be title contenders

            Fourth, probably the signing that has had the biggest impact in our first three games, is Etienne Capoue. He is a great defensive midfielder who wins the ball back with ease, not needing the tough slide tackles like Sandro uses. He is a great replacement for Parker, with stellar tackles and excellent interceptions. Unfortunately, he is already injured, but will have a major impact when he returns.

            Since the last three were signed on the same day, and partly because this article is already quite long, I’ll cover the last three in one paragraph. First off, Vlad Chiriches(kir-i-kes), when Daniel Levy mistakeably sold Steven Caulker, there was immediate speculation that we would bring in a CB. Boy did we get a good one. This guy looks very promising. He’s big, strong, and has a knack to get forward with the ball, which helps with the high back line we tend to play. While I still believe Vertonghen and Dawson will be the main boys at the back, I’m excited to see Vlad in cup matches. The second of the trio is Christian Eriksen. Through the first three games of the season there has been one glaring missing piece: a creative player to service Soldado in the final third. Christian is the perfect #10 to provide competition with Holtby. He is fast, young, and has an incredible amount of flair in his game. He is truly my favorite signing of this window. A lot of big clubs had him on their radar in the spring and then we were able to snatch him up, and he’s the biggest piece we were missing after we signed Roberto. Last, but certainly not least, our final signing of the summer transfer window: Érik Lamela. Nothing needs to be said about Érik, except that he is one of the hottest young talents in Europe and is our replacement for Gareth. He is only 21 years of age, but has the eye for goal like he’s a veteran of the game. No matter where the ball is, Érik is always getting into space to shoot, and more than likely, score. If there was one prospect to replace our talisman, who commanded the highest transfer fee in football history, then Érik is the one I would want. After a couple weeks together, these guys will implement themselves into the squad and I truly believe we can be title contenders this year with our current squad. None of this would have been possible without Gareth. So thank you, Gareth, we were good with you, but we’re better without you.