Butt could be the end of all the jokes

Without wishing to pile any real pressure on the board, they must do all thay they can to try and lure Nicky Butt away from Manchester United and down to London to White Hart Lane. According to some reports, Butt does not want to move away from the North of England, making Everton, Newcasle and Middlesbrough more likely options but with footballers if the price is right they will consider anything. The forgotten man of Sir Alex's midfield, Butt is a player who gives his all, one of the 'you know what you're gonna get' men that all clubs should have. He is fit, strong and also creative and would end years of neglect in the Tottenham midfield. Sure, Darren Anderton has been a top performer at times while Simon Davies is a valuable asset but the Spurs midfield has been missing a real leader since, well, David Howells maybe and he was nowhere near in the same class as Butt. Steffen Freund was an undoubted leader and it seems that the midfield is missing a figure like that but he did just lack the ability to make it in the Premiership. He would never shirk a challenge and got the players and the crowd going at times, but it was almost as if we needed eleven players and Freund on the pitch as a motivator.

Gazza was a leader in a different sense, he was constantly pulling the strings and getting stuck in but he could not be relied upon to mentally lift the team when it was struggling. Butt is able to patrol the midfield, organising those around him with his experience and ability. His tenacity would bolster the centre of the park and crucially, would allow for much needed protection to a defence that has extremely competent players but is lacking the support from the men in front. Over the last decade we have seen men such as Howells, Sedgely and Popescu attempting to lead the midfield, and while all of them did have certain qualities, none were the complete package. There are very few players that can carry the 'complete package' banner, Vieira and Keane are certainly two, and Nicky Butt could become that type of player for Spurs.

The shaky start to the season cannot solely be put down to a lack of strength in the midfield but it is certainly a crucial area. The capture of Nicky Butt would not only be a boost to the midfield and the club but would also be a sign to the rest of the league that Spurs are still able to attract the best.