Is Christian Benteke the missing link for Spurs?

When Aston Villa splashed out a reported £7m on Christian Benteke this summer, many a football fan were scratching their head as to what could only have been perceived as 'a massive gamble'. However, gambles as substantial as this one often pay off and while Villa hover perilously over the relegation zone, Benteke has proved to be an unmitigated success.

In a dreary season for the Midlands side, the young Belgian has become a focal point to Villa, keeping Darren Bent out of the starting XI and the stats show why – 11 goals and four assists in 23 Premier League games, a stat made all the more impressive considering Villa have scored just 25 times in England's top tier this season.

Interest from across the continent was to be expected and it appears Tottenham Hotspur are leading the chase to sign the striker. While reports of a January were dumbfounded considering Benteke has played for two different teams already this season, the north London side are believed to have been keeping tabs on the youngster for some time now.

It's fair to say that Spurs need a striker. Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor are the club's only two recognised frontmen at present, and with the former injured and latter struggling for form and consistency; missing out on Leandro Damiao could well be the difference between Champions League and Europa League football next season.

But is Benteke the answer? His performances suggest so. Capable of bringing others into play and boasting the powerful physique to lead the frontline on his lonesome, the 22-year-old could be the man to become Spurs' primary targetman for years to come.

His goals are a testament to his capabilities, considering Villa are hardly the most creative of Premier League outfits, and with the likes of Gareth Bale, Lewis Holtby and Aaron Lennon in support of him; Benteke could be exactly the striker the north London side need to push from top four finishers to Premier League contenders.  

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Comments

[Spurred-on]

I'm not entirely convinced that Benteke is the right man for Spurs or that he's worth the £15m or so that Villa will be asking for him. Also, he might look 35 but he's still only 22; I think Tottenham should be looking for a striker who is the finished item rather than a work in progress. I may be somewhat fastideous as well but I'm not won over by 11 goals in 23 PL games. Defoe has done that much already and he hasn't scored for weeks! I think Spurs ought to show real intent during the summer and sign a marquee striker capable of 25-30 goals in a season (Man Utd did it!) and prove that their spending is in line with their ambition.

[Alicat]

Why don't we go for Rooney? Absurd as it sounds because of the cost of such a player but i'd love to see us put a bid in for him. Everyone links Bale to every club, it would be nice to just turn round and say he's staying and we'll have Rooney to come and play with him. The reason i say Rooney is because Utd are not using him effectively anymore and he's having to play second fiddle to RVP. Sure Rooney is a team player and is good enough to take on the deeper positions he's been asked to play. But i'm sure he'd still like to be in better areas for getting goals, he'd be awesome at Spurs. Fanciful and unrealistic, but i'd love to see us show that kind of nerve in the summer. But money will win out and we won't spent that much, therefore Benteke great first season, will be effective in this Spurs team, a more realistic target.

[Carlos]

I dont think that Benteke is the answer.

We have a world class keeper now, an abundance of international defenders and two flying world class wingers. What we need is someone to unlock the door as Dembele or Parker do not have the flair to open up teams.
I was quite a critic of Modric and fortunately we got a cracking deal for him but he played in tight pockets and his movement was good. We need someone who is adventurous and positive in the central role who has the eye for that ball splitting pass. I dont think Benteke is any better that Defoe or Adebayor when he is on his game so are we just trying to get some one on the cheap and then take a risk. You buy quality without the risk and that is what Man utd have done with Van Persie. We need a player up front who will bag us 20 goals a season and I think you need to spend £20 mill to get that.
To recap we need a visionary central midfielder and a top notch centre forward. Spend £40mill and we will quite possibly be able to recoup half of that by moving several palyers on

[Gazza]

No. He's the missing link for Aston Villa. We'll be after a top quality striker in the summer not a gamble.