As Andre Villas-Boas continues to assemble an exciting new-look Tottenham side for the upcoming assault on the top four, is there still room for some steely British determination in his Premier League team?
Michael Dawson is as close as Spurs have come to a club legend in the wake of Ledley King’s retirement. A man who week in week out gives his all for the common cause, engendering the sort of spirit that fans desire at their club. Last off the field, Dawson understands the relationship between player and fan that is often lost in the modern game. Surely this kind of attitude should be treasured by a club like Spurs rather than hounded out?
Since his move from Nottingham Forest in 2005, Dawson has made over 200 appearances for Spurs and was afforded the honour of captain following Robbie Keane’s move abroad. The longest-serving player at Spurs currently, the 29 year-old has seen first-hand their transition since the early days of Martin Jol at Spurs.
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Don’t get me wrong Spurs have far better defensive options than Michael Dawson. The ball-playing onus of Andre Villas-Boas often appears lost on the Englishman who seems more intent on launching the ball skywards ahead of anything else. That being said I still think there is a place for the unrefined Dawson amongst Villas-Boas’ reshuffled forces. The manager said so himself when reflecting upon his near sale last summer:
‘Yes. I think we appreciate the fact we were able to hang on to him. We ended up being on the better side by the fact he agreed to stay with us. We were lucky in that sense.”
Now perhaps Villas-Boas feels fortunate that Dawson was around as short-term cover for an injury riddled backline, but maybe he too understands the premium that should be placed on a player like Dawson.
Dawson gives a club like Spurs its identity; too often clubs become a revolving door of faceless foreign talents. Dawson and perhaps Defoe to a lesser extent represent continuity and exhibit a genuine passion for the club, priceless in today’s world. You only have to witness the kind of ovation that they both get to realise the importance of such a factor.
I am not suggesting that Dawson should be retained to solely keep fans happy, but for his importance to the club as a whole. I still think an English spine to any side in the Premier League still holds importance. What does it say to rising Academy stars when the first team is littered with purpose built foreign talents that will simply usurp them in the future? When the marketability of sides is all about image, I think even someone like Daniel Levy can see the importance of a player like Dawson beyond purely footballing traits.
As it stands Dawson will not be leaving Spurs, the departure of Caulker has the left the club desperately short at the back. Until a few new names are brought in, questions over the position of Dawson at the club are unlikely to gain much momentum. When Spurs do start to bring in more defenders I wholly expect them to be better than Dawson, and in that sense Spurs probably have done or soon will outgrow Michael Dawson purely as a footballer.
Even on Sunday where he was required to fill in for an unfit Kaboul he looked out of touch with the slick passing style of his team-mates. That being said he still offers effective cover for the side and for me that is enough to justify retaining him as a footballer.
Maybe I am being a little sentimental here, but as Spurs continue with their mainly foreign acquisitions this summer I believe retaining most of the remaining English core would be a shrewd move. Villas-Boas has already commented on the relative premium there is for English footballers in the transfer market, so do Spurs cash in here or not?
I think Spurs will soon be at a level above Dawson the footballer, but Dawson the clubman? I don’t think the club will ever outgrow an asset like that, to me he is totally irreplaceable.
Does Michael Dawson still have a place in the future of Tottenham?
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