Tottenham Hotspur got the job done against Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon but the north London outfit were forced to work hard in the second half in order to make the all-important breakthrough.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men, well fancied to beat newly promoted Newcastle at St James’ Park, were handed a lifeline after Magpies captain Jonjo Shelvey was sent off for stamping on Spurs midfielder Dele Alli.
After a spell of sustained Tottenham pressure, it was Alli who opened the scoring. A short while after, Ben Davies doubled Spurs’ lead and Pochettino’s men were in complete control but this one could easily have got away from Tottenham.
Harry Kane’s August woes continued – he is yet to score a Premier League goal during the first month of any Premier League campaign. In time, he will get off the mark but added support in attack would help to ease the pressure on the Spurs star.
Harry Kane’s 11 Premier League games in August:
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❌Not his favourite month. pic.twitter.com/CClabQQGf6
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 13, 2017
With that in mind, Spurs should go all in on Manchester United forward Anthony Martial before the end of August. Martial, one of United’s best performers in recent years, notched a goal and an assist despite coming off the bench with less than 20 minutes remaining.
Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho won’t want to sell Martial to a direct title rival but the United boss has never really seen eye to eye with the France star.
Since the Portuguese took over at the helm, Martial has found himself sitting on the bench most weeks and a fresh start at another Premier League club could be exactly what he needs to regain his mojo.
For the right price, Martial is a plausible target. According to various reports, Spurs placed a bid earlier this week but their approach was instantly rejected. The Red Devils won’t want to part ways but Tottenham may convince them with a lucrative offer.
The Frenchman is worth a lot more than that and, whether he likes it or not, Daniel Levy is going to have to fork out heavier sums of money to attract the best players; that is just the way football is these days.
Martial’s versatility could prove useful for Pochettino throughout the campaign. Capable of leading the line as a striker or playing out wide, the United man is a real danger in attacking areas and he could help Spurs in their pursuit of the title.
As of August 14th, Tottenham are priced at 12/1 to win the title. With the Premier League now more competitive than ever, punters wary of a six-team fight for the title can take advantage of free bet offers, such as Paddy Power’s on Oddschecker, to limit risk.
A front three of Kane, Martial and Alli would strike fear into any Premier League defence and Pochettino should push Levy to provide the funds. Spurs look set to make Ajax defender Davinson Sanchez their first signing of the summer but Tottenham need offensive help to stand any chance of lifting the English crown.
Martial has got it all and Tottenham could do a lot worse than go big on the Manchester United man. With pace, power and precision, he is close to the full package and at just 21 years old, he is only going to get better. Convincing Mourinho and United to part ways could be tricky but for the right price, Martial could be gettable.
Over to you, Mr Levy…
