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The summer window may have just slammed shut but we at Football Fancast are already looking forward to it’s winter counterpart.

Tottenham were by no means anonymous in the transfer market this summer – they spent £30million bringing in the likes of Ben Davies, Michel Vorm, Federico Fazio and Benjamin Stambouli in a bid to re-emerge as top four contenders after a disappointing 2013/14 Premier League campaign.

But the squad isn’t quite complete just yet, and after welcoming a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino earlier this summer, the Lilywhites will be keen to make further additions to help the Argentine implement his philosophy at White Hart Lane.

With that in mind, here’s a list of the FIVE January deals Spurs already have one eye on.

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JAY RODRIGUEZ

The combination of an ACL injury which saw him miss the World Cup and Southampton’s staunch public resistance prevented Tottenham from snapping up England international Jay Rodriguez over the summer.

The 25 year-old flourished under Mauricio Pochettino at St. Mary’s last season, with 15 goals making him the third-top scoring Englishman in the Premiership after Daniel Sturridge and Wayne Rooney. Here’s a look at Rodriguez’ highlights from last term:

Likewise, Spurs are in desperate need of added quality on the left-side of their attack. Failure to sign Danny Welbeck on deadline day for that role could allegedly cost Franco Baldini his job.

The north Londoners were strongly linked with Rodriguez on deadline day too:

…suggesting a revival of interest in the next transfer window is more than likely. But Tottenham may struggle under the competition for the winger-forward’s signature, with Premier League champions Manchester City also emerging as suitors:

ANDRE AYEW

One potential alternative to Jay Rodriguez, available for considerably less cost, is Marseille star Andre Ayew, who rejected a move to Hull City on deadline day – allegedly due to interest in his services from Arsenal and Spurs.

The Ghana international has emerged as one of the French top flight’s leading widemen over the last few years, racking up 49 goals and 16 assists in 164 appearances for L’OM. He also enjoyed strong form at the World Cup, as detailed below:

Ayew isn’t the most conventional winger but he would suit the left -forward role well at White Hart Lane, being strong defensively and notoriously versatile. He’s also outrageously good at heading for a 5 foot 9 winger, as shown in the below video:

The 24 year-old has been doing the rounds in the tabloids recently because his contract at Stade Velodrome expires in the summer. And after Marseille’s horrendous form last season, a new deal is becoming increasingly unlikely.

That could see him arrive in North London for a nominal fee, but the Express claim Liverpool and Manchester United are currently leading the race for his signature.

Morgan Schneiderlin

Another Southampton star the Lilywhites could return for is midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin.

Spurs struck up a deal for Benjamin Stambouli on deadline day as an alternative to the French international, but Schneiderlin remains the midfield general that would help Pochettino successfully implement his philosophy at White Hart Lane.

He’s also been in absolutely ridiculous form since his infamous bust-up with the Saints management this summer, as viewable below:

This curler against Newcastle at the weekend particularly stood out:

But with Southampton allegedly valuing their star performer at around £27million, it remains to be seen whether Tottenham will be prepared to invest such a large sum in a department they’re already blessed with quality and depth in.

Antonio Candreva

Tottenham are just one of a number of Premier League sides linked to Lazio star Antonio Candreva:

The 27 year-old is more commonly considered a No.10, but his rave reviews over the last few seasons have been earned by impacting from wide positions. This World Cup assist to Mario Balotelli against England is a classic example:

The Italy international was in lethal form last season, as detailed below:

And has carried that into the current campaign too:

But there are a host of clubs baying for Candreva’s services. In addition to both north London sides, Liverpool and Juventus have been linked, whilst other reports claim Lazio are about to offer their £24million-rated talisman a new deal:

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

Tottenham desperately need a new striker in January – in a combined eight appearances this season, their front-line of Emmanuel Adebayor, Roberto Soldado and Harry Kane have found the net just once.

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Resultantly, the Lilywhites are one of many Premier League sides to have been linked with Schalke assassin Klaas-Jan Huntelaar since the end of the summer window:

The Netherlands international doesn’t offer too much to open play, as shown in the statistics below:

But he’s absolutely lethal in front of goal, with returns of 35 goals in 65 appearances for Holland and 93 in 142 for the Miners. That includes this Champions League goal against Chelsea from yesterday evening:

Here’s some more goals from the 6 foot 1 forward:

Huntelaar’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and although Schalke want him to sign a new deal, he’ll have to take a considerable wage cut.

Thus, a January switch looks on the cards but, as previously stated, Liverpool and Arsenal appear to be monitoring his situation too.

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Queens Park Rangers have signed Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Sandro for in fee around £10million, Sky Sports reports.Sandro penned a three-year deal with the Hoops after the two clubs agreed on the price on deadline day.WANT MORE? >>ÂTottenham HotspurÂTransfer NewsÂ|ÂQueens Park Rangers Transfer NewsHe now rejoins former coach Harry Redknapp at Loftus road, who stated: “Sandro’s a proper footballer and a top class professional – he’s an absolutely fantastic signing for us. I couldn’t be more pleased.”He’s been a massive target of mine all summer and I honestly didn’t think we’d be able to pull it off – it’s a real statement from the club, from the owners, to bring in a player of his undoubted ability.”He brings energy, aggression, power and quality. They call him the Beast. He’s not only a top quality footballer, but a fantastic boy as well. He’ll lead by example for us. Tottenham fans loved him and I’m sure the QPR fans will too.”The Brazilian has found it hard to break into the first team under Mauricio Pochettino at White Hart Lane after previously making 60 starts for his former Spurs managers.”I like new challenges and this is one I’m really looking forward to,” said Sandro.”Working with Harry again, who I share a great relationship with, is very special to me. Football is in my heart and I’m very happy at this moment. I’m very pleased to be here and I’m looking forward to meeting my team-mates.”I had a good relationship with the fans at Tottenham Hotspur and I will try my hardest to get the QPR fans to like me. I will give everything on the pitch and fight for every minute. I’m ready and raring to go.”

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In a week where top-level international football was embroiled in a horrible pitch invasion incident involving Serbia and Albania, we thought it would be nice to look back at some more jovial incidents involving the weird and wonderful world of ‘things that don’t belong on the turf’.

Through the years there have been some mad, bizarre and plain odd incident of pitch invasions, and here are FIVE that have stuck in our memory…

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West Ham’s answer to Pirlo…

We’ll start with a recent one in the shape of a cheeky West Ham fan. Jordan Dunn ran onto the pitch at Upton Park earlier this season during the Hammers’ clash with Spurs, before taking over free-kick duty for the away side. The Londoner chipped his effort towards Adrian in the home net, but the Spaniard saved with ease… He was later fined £305.

The Anfield cat

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In a drab draw between Tottenham and Liverpool at Anfield, a bewildered cat strolled into Anfield and onto the hallowed turf. The incident well and truly stole the show and sparked the ‘AnfieldCat’ Twitter account.

The squirrel of Arsenal

This writer recalls an incident of being distracted in his Maths GCSE exam by a squirrel on a window ledge, and it seems the furry critters have a habit of stealing the show. In a 2006 Champions League clash between Arsenal and Villarreal, one of the tree-dwellers made it onto the pitch and TV screens across the world.

The Beach ball…

//www.youtube.com/embed/rPKPZchZitg

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Not strictly a pitch invader, but ‘beachball-gate’ in 2009 is one of the Premier League’s most hilarious moments. A Liverpool fan, who was later given a hard time at school, threw the offending inflatable onto the Stadium of Light pitch only to see his antics backfire as Sunderland’s Darren Bent’s low shot cannoned off it and past Pepe Reina…

Greaves in messy incident

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Way back in 1962 during the World Cup quarter-final between England and Brazil, Jimmy Greaves was on the wrong end of some dog piddle. A stray canine made it onto the pitch before evading a host of players, except for the Three Lions man. Greaves captured the dog, but saw his heroic act repaid with a large urine stain. Rumour has it Garrincha found the incident so amusing that he later adopted the pup.

When Arsene Wenger first arrived in the Premier League in 1996, he was a revolutionary – an intellectual one at that. His once-unique views on diet, fitness, training, philosophy and transfer policy that went on to be adopted by the entirety of the English top flight, combined with the attire and demeanour of a maths teacher, earned Wenger the well-fitting nickname, Le Professeur.

But like many revolutions headed by intellectuals, like every figurehead of revolt against the old order, Wenger is now an outdated, stubborn, dogmatic and seemingly immovable tyrant, with the persistence of his ideology holding Arsenal back.

Indeed, Le Professeur once came with connotations of an all-knowing, ever-anticipating visionary. Now however, it forms the moniker of a dreaded dictator, like Colonel Gaddafi, General Stalin or Chairman Mao.

The socialist comparisons may seem superficial, but there is something very 1980s USSR about Arsenal at the minute. That was the period where Eastern Europe’s controlled economy began to stagnate whilst the standard of living continued to improve in the West, and in perfect parody, the Gunners haven’t finished higher than third or lower than fourth in the Premier League in the last nine years.

Already 13 points behind league leaders Chelsea, it seems Champions League qualification is yet again the only achievement – if it even counts as one anymore – Arsenal fans can hope for this season.

There’s nothing wrong with consistency but consider the financial powerhouses that have developed in that period. Chelsea are very much the capitalists to Arsenal’s communism and it speaks volumes that the Gunners haven’t won a league title since their London rivals’ first in 2005. Manchester City have now overtaken them too.

Wenger apologists will be quick to point out the financial obligations of the newly-built Emirates stadium, but blaming it all on the powers of the purse is a complete fallacy. Arsene Wenger has never beaten Jose Mourinho in a Premier League fixture from twelve attempts – that has nothing to do with transfer budgets.

In reality, the philosophy that once made Arsenal so great has manifested into a bizarre dystopian version of it’s former self. The Invincibles were the best technical side of their generation in the Premier League, but they were also blessed with strength, power, resilience and leadership. Now, the Gunners’ lack of variety, with almost every player following a similar model of being lightweight, diminutive and creative in nature, makes them worryingly one-dimensional and dangerously predictable.

Mourinho worked how out to beat Arsenal a decade ago and printed out the cheat codes for the rest of the Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson has a whole chapter devoted to exploiting the Gunners’ philosophical flaws in his latest autobiography, yet the lack of evolution to Wenger’s ideology – the constant ignorance to essential Premier League requisites such as athleticism and power – sees the north Londoners concede the same types of goal and make the same mistakes on an almost weekly basis.

Arsenal fans know this already and they’ve made their feelings perfectly clear. Yet Wenger, perhaps stubborn, perhaps arrogant, continues in his defiance like an ideological fanatic determined to live or die by his sword.

One could argue that about plenty of managers in Premier League employment; Louis van Gaal, Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez, amongst others, are equal in their purist idealism. But all of those can be held to account when things go wrong, all of those would eventually get the sack for poor results or a lack of long-term progress.

Wenger however, despite Arsenal’s stagnation, has continually held onto power. He should have left in the summer on the high of the FA Cup, but instead agreed a new three-year contract. The lingering concern is that, once again, like a dictatorship, Wenger’s 18-year run has seen the north London club institutionalise itself around him.

Consequentially, rather than considering the possibilities of potential success with another manager, the vast majority of Arsenal fans have spent the last decade fretting what life would be like without Le Prof and how debasing his departure could be. Only recently have they decided a change in the dug-out, compared to the prolonging of their fourth-place purgatory, is probably a risk worth taking.

It’s the biased propaganda, so far removed from reality, that I personally find the most grating. This week, Wenger argued that Arsenal have ‘fought many times for the title. People always remember who won it but the fight has been very tight for long periods in each of the last eight or nine years.’

But when exactly? In the space of the last nine seasons, the Gunners have finished on average 16 points off the top, and their closest campaign was way back in 2007-08, finishing five points behind Manchester United.

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Even last season, when the north Londoners were seven points short of Manchester City and spent 128 days in pole position – the most of any Premier League side – there was always a feeling that their title bid would inevitably, all-too-predictably crumble. Arsenal’s FA Cup, their first trophy in nine years, was seen as a major triumph, but to Chelsea, Liverpool or City last season, it would have been viewed as a disappointing consolation.

The problem with tyrants is that when they’re eventually overthrown, it’s always bloody and they often leave an enormous mess behind them. Wenger’s recorded sensational success and created fantastic memories at Arsenal, but he’s now at a point where he’ll eventually be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

A metaphorical public guillotine is still unlikely, but do not be fooled – Wenger’s dogmatic, stagnating tyranny is continually pushing supporters towards revolt. Eventually, something has to give.

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A move to Real Madrid from Manchester United may “tempt” David de Gea, according to Spanish football expert Graham Hunter.

The Spanish goalkeeper has been one of the Premier League’s standout stoppers so far this season, with his heroics between the sticks key in the Red Devils’ current top four berth.

However, with 18 months remaining on his contract, Real Madrid are believed to be keen.

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Los Blancos have been linked with a staggering Gareth Bale plus cash swap deal for the ‘keeper, while there have even been suggestions that they could wait until his deal runs out before launching a free raid.

Although nothing official has come from De Gea indicating that he would like to join the European champions, Hunter believes that he would be “tempted” should they make a strong move:

“It’s definitely the objective of Real Madrid to buy this extremely talented young Spanish goalkeeper,” he told talkSPORT.

“I know that, having spoken to people at the Manchester United training ground, while they understand fully that De Gea respects and enjoys playing there, that there are some personal things that might be balanced out by a move back to Spain.

“He was a little bit thrown by the arrival of Victor Valdes, who he regarded as a role model. I think the word from people around him is that, if he was offered Real Madrid, it would severely tempt him.

“The ball is in Manchester United’s court, they can take these doubts away. They are a powerful enough club to persuade him it is the right time to stay.

“For his development it is the right time to stay, but anybody who doesn’t think he’d be tempted by Real Madrid is missing the point a little bit.”

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Real currently have Iker Casillas and Keylor Navas as their main goalkeeping options.

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Celtic have already secured the League Cup, with a comfortable 4-0 win over Dundee United. Now, Ronny Deila’s side are on course to win the Scottish Premier League as well. Celtic are at the top of the table, with a three goal lead on second placed Aberdeen. Celtic also have a game in hand, and a nineteen plus goal difference.

Not bad for Deila’s first season in charge after taking over from club legend Neil Lennon. Lennon himself secured the Scottish Premier League three times during his four year tenure, but could not snag the League Cup.

Here are FIVE players that Ronny Deila couldn’t have done it without:

Stefan Johansen

Johansen is Celtic’s top goal scorer this season, and Deila himself has called the player ‘unbelievable’.

Johansen bagged the fourth goal in the 4-0 league victory over Aberdeen, and it was one of Johansen’s best performances of the season. Fans are falling in love with him, and hopefully Johansen can keep finding the back of the net to bring Celtic more silverware.

Kris Commons

Costing only £300,000, which is nothing in modern football, Kris Commons has once again proved to be a valuable team member in the Celtic side this season.

Commons has 56 league goals in his 117 appearances for The Hoops – an incredible stat considering the player spends most of his time in the middle of the park. Again this season, he is sitting in the second highest goal scorer position, and is one of the players Deila told Sky Sports he is hoping to keep at Celtic Park this summer, despite the likelihood of interest from elsewhere forming.

Craig Gordon

With Fraser Forster’s departure to Southampton last summer, Craig Gordon has filled Forster’s boots this season.

Gordon managed a run of eight consecutive clean sheets between the end of 2014, and the beginning of 2015, banishing all memories of Forster firmly to the past. The Times have suggested that Premier League leaders Chelsea have their eye on Gordon as a replacement for Petr Cech, who has fallen out of favour since the arrival of Thibaut Courtois.

Virgil Van Dijk

Van Dijk is another player Deila is keen on keeping at Celtic during the next transfer window. His performances on the pitch have received praise from former Celtic man John Hartson, who claims Van Dijk is good enough to play in a top six Premier League side, according to Yahoo Sport.

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For Celtic’s sake, here’s hoping Van Dijk stays put and keeps putting in the kind of performances that have put Ronny Delia’s side in such a commanding position.

Leigh Griffiths

Griffiths has only been a Celtic player for just over a year but has made a real impact in his short time at the club. Scoring in three consecutive games, twice in the 6-0 win over Partick Thistle, and getting his name on the score sheet in the first Old Firm game since 2012 is not bad for your debut season at the Scottish Champions.

Not bad at all for the 24-year-old.

You might not think it from their current league standing of eighth in the Premier League, but West Ham and Sam Allardyce have always been somewhat of an unholy partnership. The former, a once-hotbed of technical, attacking home-grown talents, to such an extent their youth set-up is known as simply ‘The Academy of Football’, the latter, an inextinguishable beacon of attritional, pragmatic play, always acknowledging results over performance.

To give credit where it’s due, there’s been significant compromise on the manager’s part this season. A £28million summer spend has completely transformed the quality and nature of the Hammers squad and, implicitly accepting the complaints of the Boleyn boo-boys, Allardyce has accordingly set up his side in a more progressive and ambitious manner. They’ve started most games this season with two strikers, compared to the none at times last year, averaged more possession and shots per match and increased their short passes by 20 per game.

If the Irons consequentially claw their way up the table by one place come May-time, Allardyce will have equalled the club’s second-highest finish of the Premier League era. But his contract is set to expire at the end of the season and even if Big Sam does guide the Hammers to Europa League qualification, in my opinion, it’s time both parties parted company on amiable terms – because the anti-Allardyce sentiment subtly persisting around Upton Park will never go away.

Despite their improved form this year, there remains only one target of criticism when anything goes wrong for the Hammers – Allardyce. Admittedly, sometimes it’s impossible to ignore his role in certain results, such as a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in January that included a performance and a matchday squad – returns for Kevin Nolan, Joey O’Brien, Carlton Cole and Guy Demel – that felt frighteningly familiar to the West Ham of last season, visiting Premier League grounds with seemingly little interest in playing actual football.

Just as the display paid homage to less unified times at Upton Park, so did the reaction, and as long as Allardyce has those battle-hardened bruisers at his disposal, he’ll always be tempted to call upon them in the hope of doggedly-fought scoreless draws – especially away to the Premier League’s top sides. The 2-2 draw to Tottenham at the weekend is another example; West Ham were in control and playing the better football, but eventually got punished for batting down the hatches and reverting back to type in the last twenty minutes.

To some, it will seem a logical strategy for arguably a lesser side, but the fact of the matter is that a significant portion of West Ham fans don’t like that mentality – it’s not what they were brought upon. Likewise, with the East London outfit moving to the Olympic Stadium in 2016, the club needs a brand of football that attracts the bigger names and subsequently, enough fans to fill what will be the fourth-largest capacity in the top flight. There’s certainly some weight to the argument that whilst Allardyce is an expert in top flight survival, he’s not the cailbre of manager who can ensure European qualification year upon year.

Big Sam has broad shoulders and an arrogant mindset, which I do not use in derogatory terms, and proved last season that he’s more capable than most of achieving results whilst under immense pressure from the fan base. I’m sure we all remember his ear-cupping reaction to the chorus of boos around Upton Park as the Hammers limped their way past a ten-man Hull City.

Yet, such fractures between board, manager and supporter can eat away at a club. Alan Pardew became somewhat a character of jest during his time with Newcastle, but it’s indisputable that the turbulent nature of their support, further amplified by their wholesale hatred of the now-Crystal Palace boss, contributed to countless poor results under his leadership. I’m not suggesting dissonant feeling towards Allardyce has reached the same degree in East London, but if his contract is extended and the Hammers struggle to perform next season, we could see widespread protests re-emerge.

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Pardew made the wise choice on leaving on his own terms, and although Allardyce’s fate will be at the discretion of the West Ham board, he has the opportunity to leave the club with his head held high. As Alan Curblishey once said as he announced his resignation after 15 years at Charlton Athletic; “I’d rather be clapped out the front door than booed out the back.”

Should Allardyce leave this summer, it will be with his reputation enhanced from four years at West Ham, leaving an exceptionally solid platform for the next manager to work from. Should he stay on however, in my opinion, it can only end in tears for both the club and the manager.

Mauricio Pochettino believes Harry Kane is a similar player to Argentine legend Gabriel Batistuta.

The Spurs ace has enjoyed a staggering breakthrough season, notching almost 30 goals for the London club despite starting the campaign as third choice behind Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor.

He has also won recognition on the international stage and netted on his debut for the Three Lions – within two minutes of coming on against Lithuania – before being handed a first start against Italy earlier this week.

WANT MORE? >> Spurs transfer news | Latest transfer news

His all-action playing style has won Kane many fans, with Pochettino, his manager, firmly in the camp of his admirers.

And the Argentine believes that his forward is not dissimilar to Batistuta, who is considered to be one of his country’s best ever strikers and a Serie A champion:

“Harry Kane has skills that are similar to different players, including Batistuta. The challenge is doing it all again next season,” he is quoted by the London Evening Standard.

“Now it is up to him. Harry knows the way to improve his ability. He is in a very good moment to keep working hard and develop his game.

“You need to wait for the right moment to give a player the responsibility because sometimes we can see a player is ready, but not quite complete to assume the responsibility and keep the same level.

“Big players always have a good first season – like (Wayne) Rooney, after his first season a lot of people maybe had doubts about the next one, but this is football.

“It is not easy when the player goes down, this is our challenge, but not only with Harry, with all players.

“There may be people who doubt him about next season, but the people that know him understand, like us, know that Harry can keep the level he has shown.”

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Kane is one of a few players in the mix for the Player of the Year award after banging 19 Premier League goals – the joint highest tally in the division.

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Having lifted both the Coppa Italia and the Serie A in the last few weeks, Juventus also find themselves in the Champions League final. But do the Serie A giants have what it takes to do the treble?

No other team in Italy got a look in with Juventus this season. They won the league with a huge sixteen point cushion – and we thought Chelsea were good. Their team is one of the best in Europe, with so many big players like Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, Patrice Evra to name just a few.

When it comes to Europe, Juve absolutely deserved their place in the final. Their dramatic draw at the Santiago Bernabeu was enough to send them through, thanks to the all important away goal. The goal in question coming from Alvaro Morata: the player deemed not good enough for Real Madrid’s standards. You couldn’t make it up, could you?

But what a battle Juve have on their hands and they could not face a stronger side. Barcelona themselves have won the La Liga title, and are in the final for the Copa del Rey. So, by the time they face Juventus, Barcelona themselves could be looking to complete a treble of their own.

With the front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, they could spell trouble for Juve. They’ve spelled trouble for just about everyone else. If a strong Barcelona side is fielded (is there even a weak one?) Juve will have a tough time stopping them.

Andrea Pirlo has said he would love to lift the Champions League as a fitting send off to his Juventus career. But, now that Xavi will not be staying at Barcelona – he will be leaving the Catalan giants at the end of the season for Qatar – would it not be a the perfect end for him too? Of course it would. He has been vital to Barcelona’s successes and will be a huge loss to them. Unfortunately, both players cannot snag a Champions League medal at the end of full time.

Juventus are worthy contenders for the title. If they can stop the best side in European football on the 6th of June, it will go down in history. For right now, they are the underdogs.

Who doesn’t love a win for the underdog?

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‘The idea of the sign of a good team is when they grind out a result from not playing well is b******s.’ 

These are the words of Oxford educated Brentford and FC Midtjylland owner Matt Benham.  A former professional gambler, Benham hit headlines when former manager Mark Warbuton announced he would be leaving Brentford despite reigning over a period of success.

After leading them to promotion from League One, and ultimately a place in the Championship play-offs, Warburton was cast aside after a disagreement over the ‘long term direction’ of the side.  Having been met with dismay from the Brentford fans, Benham calmly replied: “I am single minded in my resolve that we can leave no stone unturned in our quest for sustainable Premier League football.”

Now, Warburton – a fans favourite and a seemingly nice bloke – will be replaced by a continental structure with both a head coach and a sporting director.  It is a common sight in football to see an owner ruthlessly kick a manager to the curb, as Carlo Ancelotti will tell you.  The image of a cold hearted owner acting on his impulses is one of the most recognisable in football.

The same can’t really be said about Benham.  Though the mathematical approach to football will rattle the diehard romantics, perhaps Benham’s approach is truly the more beautiful.  Speaking to the Guardian in February 2015, Rasmus Ankersen (the man Benham appointed chairman at Danish side FC Midtjylland) quipped: “No one wants to say they were lucky when they win.”

Is this not more of a romantic approach to the beautiful game?  Nothing is knee jerk.  In Benham’s statistical revolution key performance indicators (KPIs) over the long term are more indicative of success.  He is not interested in signing a flash in the pan striker, in fact he ‘does not care’ about such a player’s goal scoring record and is far more interested in how ‘the team do collectively, offensively and defensively within the context of the individuals performance.’

Rather than sit back and park the bus, Benham is driving it straight into a new era for football.  The systematic approach is not quite as cold hearted as you might think.

In the Premier League, the vibrant Southampton had their own statistical revolution.  Using a complicated recruitment system, they were transformed from would be relegation fodder to Champions League contenders.  Their statistical approach to measuring how a player feels each morning, through the use of saliva tests, seems to have paid off.

How often has your club wasted millions on a signing?  Perhaps the cliché shattering, statistical based way of running a club can rectify the age old problem of signing a stylish South American superstar with tricks to boot, only for him to freeze up on a cold night in Stoke.

Imagine where Manchester City would be if they had applied their multi millions in such a way.  Southampton expertly reinvested their cash, as Liverpool paid £20million pounds for Dejan Lovern.  That’s right.  Twenty.  Million.  Pounds.

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As a result, they had an excellent season and can look forward to European competition next year.

‘When there’s a question, I trust the numbers.  The numbers don’t lie.’  When a visionary like Benham says that, he is not being as cold hearted as it sounds.

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