Spurs European push takes a blow

Tottenham Hotspur’s push for European football next season has taken a blow with the news that influential midfielder, Didier Zokora, has left for Spain to join Sevilla. Zokora has signed for the Spanish side on a long-term contract and for an undisclosed fee and it is news that has put the breaks on any hope of European football next season that Harry Redknapp currently has.

Redknapp had stated his intent to keep his most influential players at the club while adding in a number more in the hope that Spurs could challenge for a Champions League place in the coming campaign. Zokora was the sort of player that could have played a big role in this push as he has the ability to play in a number of positions outside of the midfield.

They will also miss his aggression and although at times his temperament was questioned, he was loved by the Spurs fans for his headless running around and launching into tackles that reminded many of an English centre back and not an Ivory Coast play maker. It is this very sort of mentality and player aggression that led to his name being roared out around White Hart Lane on a weekly basis and it will definitely be a quieter place for his departure.

However, Spurs should take some light out of the transfer because firstly Sevilla matched the asking price that Spurs wanted for the player, which is thought to be a lot more than the Spanish side originally wanted to pay. This means that they will have even more funds to use when buying players once Redknapp has decided, which summer transfer targets he wants to go for.

It has also created a space in the middle of the spurs midfield that will allow a congested part of the squad to ease slightly. It provides an opportunity for a better and more high calibre player to come to the club and walk into the squad, filling the position with little ease.

However, it is very difficult to replace such an influential player who made over 100 appearances for his side. Zokora was the sort of player that we all love to see coming to the Premier League and making a name for himself. He did not appear to be an egotistic man and he did not appear to be afraid of any thing. He flew around the pitch putting himself on the line on more than one occasion.

It may have been the arrival of Wilson Palacios from Wigan Athletic in January that tempted Zokora to make a move, as they are both very similar players. However, the point is that in a squad pushing for a Champions League place you need a lot of players that are of a high standard and are ready to walk into a side whenever someone else picks up an injury or has a bad run of form.

It will be unlikely that Zokora will be bitter about the way things have unfolded at Spurs but it could turn out that he is the exact type of players that the club needed if they pick up one or two injuries during the early part of next season. Sevilla on the other hand should be very happy at this moment in time because they have signed a player that will help them move forward in Spain.

Zokora arrives there with all of the knowledge and technical ability that he has picked up playing in England. The Premier League is a lot quicker than La Liga so Zokora should fit in nicely to Sevilla’s side. He will be sharper than a lot of the other players though he may have to learn that you cannot launch into tackles over there in the same way that you can do here because the referees do tend to protect the players a lot more.

When a club has a clear vision of where it wants to go during a close season period then sometimes you just have to make sacrifices. Zokora was a well liked player and person by both the fans and the clubs but it just panned out that he does not fit into Redknapp’s plans for next season when Spurs will be going all out to finish in the top four.

It seems that all parties are happy and there is no distinct sign of bitterness so each will happily wish the other well. Zokora gets to go and ply his trade in what Cristiano Ronaldo recently called the best league in the world and Spurs have an opportunity to bring an exciting player into their team that they otherwise would not have had the chance to sign.

The move may also allow Zokora to realise any international ambitions he has because the Ivory Coast do have a lot of talented players playing in leagues all over Europe. This means that competition for places is fierce and he would have had no chance of an international slot of he was not at a club that was playing him every single game.

This was not always the case at Spurs whereas at Sevilla he has a chance to make a first team place his own, meaning that the powers that be at the Ivory Coast FA would see this and realise it. So whenever an international match comes around he would be one of the first names on the list in terms of players that would be the sharpest and the most match fit.

He will be a sad loss to the Premier League. Every English fan loves to see an unsung hero running out on the pitch every week and haring around like a headless chicken for 90 minutes. It will be sad to see him go as we have to watch a game that has so many egos and players that so often abuse their gifted positions, it would be great to see more Didier Zokora’s coming to the Premier League but sometimes the ambition of a club is too great to play to the fairy tale.