Capel snub leaves left-side blank

By: Gary | July 8th, 2008

Spurs have added some fairly exciting names to their ranks this summer.

But Diego Capel’s refusal to move to White Hart Lane ahead of the new campaign is one which should leave a long-lasting bitter taste in the club’s mouth.

The gifted 20-year-old turned down the opportunity to team-up with former Sevilla boss Juande Ramos in N17 earlier this week, insisting life in Spain could not be much better.

I do not sense a great disappointment amongst the fans so far after Capel chose to prolong his La Liga career over a move to north London. But I fear time will tell on what a massive signing we have missed out on.

The left-sided starlet would have provided us with exactly the tonic for our woes over the last decade.

I am not for one second suggesting the absence of a top quality left winger has been the ultimate factor in costing us consistent Premier League success in recent times.

But the failure to fill a massive void left by the departure of our French master David Ginola back in 2000 has without doubt contributed to eight seasons of average achievement.

Players have come and gone trying to emulate the buzz of Ginola - who must be regarded as one of the finest wingers the club has ever seen.

Natural left-footers have failed to follow in his daunting shadow while the makeshift solutions have only ever provided a limited remedy.

The last two summers saw Martin Jol miss out on the captures Damien Duff and Martin Petrov at the hands of bigger wage offers at Newcastle United and Manchester City respectively.

And I cannot help but feel, we have again missed out on the jigsaw piece which has been missing for so long.

Giovanni Dos Santos has been touted by many as the answer to our problem down the left - but this is merely wishful thinking. He is not the out-and-out flanker we really need. He is a striker come wide man. The two are completely different.

To think another summer could go by without addressing this area which has plagued us for so long now - is simply fatal.

There is still time though. And maybe a look back at left wingers since the Ginola days will prove just how much we need to find our man.

Oyvind Leonhardsen had the first crack of filling the Frenchman’s boots switching to the left-side role just a season after joining the club. A bright start was soon tainted when it was clear to see his discomfort there. It was not a natural function for the Norwegian who looked far more effective on the right.

Matthew Etherington was the first player to be signedn to take the mantle. The former Peterborough man was picked up dirt cheap and immediately looked the real deal as he broke on the scene with his blistering pace and ability skip past full-backs at will. But his impact soon faded. His poor crossing limited him to just 45 outings in his three seasons at White Hart Lane. He was swiftly shipped to West Ham deemed out of his depth.

Christian Ziege just came a little too late in his career to be a Spurs great. He always performed when he pulled on the jersey but in fairness his better days were long gone. We caught the end of his time.

Johnnie Jackson sadly produced his better Tottenham displays from the left-side of our defence rather than midfield. He was a young gun with a sweet left peg when he burst into the first-team. The fact that we never saw him beat a man suggested he was never Premiership material. He is now with Colchester United.

Paul Konchesky enjoyed a brief loan spell making 12
Spurs outings on the wing. We all knew the feisty full-back was more accustomed at the back and this was proved further with this stint.

Stephan Dalmat is still the closest we came to producing the next dazzling Ginola. He was pure magic in his loan spell at the Lane. But a training ground bust-up denied him a permanent move.

Andy Reid was the big-money answer to our troubled position. £7 million was lashed at Forest for his services. His quality of final ball was an instant hit but a lack of top flight fitness meant becoming a pivotal cog in the Spurs machine was always unlikely.

Reto Ziegler was and still is a quality player. But thrust into the deep end of the English game at such a young age thwarted his development. In just 24 appearances it was clear he was not the answer, but now at Sampdoria the slower paced game could suit him well.

Timothee Atouba takes the biscuit as the worst ever attempt of filling the void. In his first ever game at home to Liverpool he showed glimmers of quality but he turned into the ultimate Spurs clown. What a joker. All tricks but no end product.

Danny Murphy even had a go. It was the same old same old. Another quality central or right-sided player who failed to adapt on the left. After a flurry of form at Charlton Jol bought in another possible answer. He did not cut the grade.

Adel Taarabt still has a long way to go in proving he can cure our problem. He has penty of energy and all the raw talent but is merely a show pony. He needs to be moulded into a viable option.

Gareth Bale was arguably the closest we came to seeing balance and danger restored down the left. He flourished in his first ten club games until injury stalled his progress. He could still return with a bid though.

Steed Marlbranque more often than not landed on the left-side last season after the arrival of Ramos. The French schemer was one of the squad’s better players over the course of the term but it did not hide the fact he was only a short-term answer.