With every newspaper, television channel and in the know pundit suggesting who may and may not be in the mix to join Harry Redknapp’s band of marauding entertainers, one of his summer signings, Rafael van der Vaart, has decided he would like to throw his two cents into the pot.
Van der Vaart would not be the first Dutch Premier League star to offer his opinion on team and squad composition throughout the history of the division. Stars like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and most notoriously, Pierre van Hooijdonk have previously “suggested” certain players to their clubs in the past.
There is, of course, no suggestion that the former Real Madrid man’s opinions are anything but observations, however that he has earmarked his international captain, Mark Van Bommel, as a potential signing is certainly interesting.
Van der Vaart’s seal of approval for Van Bommel is hardly a surprise given their close proximity during the Netherlands’ run to the World Cup final over the summer, however has the in form playmaker misread the current feeling within the league towards the acquisition of a player such as the Bayern Munich man?
Recent weeks have shown an unwelcome return of two footed challenges, and whilst it would be lazy and inaccurate to simply write Van Bommel off as a dirty footballer, his appearance in English football would do little to quieten critics who believe bad and malicious tackling is not being eradicated as it should be.
The Dutchman’s contribution to last summer’s feast of football will certainly live with fans for a long time, however very few of his performances will be remembered with any great fondness by anyone not wearing orange.
At 33 a move into an environment as intense as the English game, might be construed by many as a risky purchase for Spurs, with such little time for the former Barcelona hardman to make an impact on the division. Cynics might suggest the only real impression the pragmatic Dutchman could leave on English football would be in terms of the amount of tackling controversies he causes.
Arsene Wenger will be one manager to quietly cry inside should Van Bommel make the move to the white half of North London, as his own personal crusade to stamp out aggressive tackling will have hit a one man roadblock.
However, van der Vaart would be right to suggest that his fellow countryman would bring added steel to a Tottenham engine room that has looked lightweight at times so far this season. Harry Redknapp has already shown a willingness to bring in players who, regardless of age, he believes can do a job for the club and as a result a bid for Van Bommel should not be completely ruled out.
It may be simplistic to paint Van Bommel’s performances alongside Nigel de Jong in South Africa as being “anti-football”, and I for one would be hypocritical to slam his on field conduct having appreciated the need to play in such a robust fashion when the situation demands. However, would the arrival of a 33 year-old defensive midfielder with a less than pristine reputation add a great deal to the division? He certainly would not excite the purists, but were he to prove the missing piece in the Tottenham jigsaw, concerns about his methods would be forgotten quicker than you can say; “Arsene, what did you think of the challenge?”
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