The club has made its first major signings of the summer after completing a deal for defenders Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker from Sheffield United for undisclosed fees.
Naughton, 20, looked set to sign for Everton last week after the Merseyside club had an offer accepted for the Under-21 international. This prompted Harry Redknapp to firm up his interest with an offer for the right-back, who can also play in midfield and on the left-hand side of defence.
A key player for the Blades last season, Naughton has made 50 appearances for the South Yorkshire club. So successful was his first full season that ee earned a place in the PFA Championship team of the year.
His teammate, Walker, 19, and England Under-19s defender, is the less experienced of the two. Both are naturally right footed, though Naughton showed his versatility by filling in at left-back when Walker broke into the side in the games running up to the club's play-off defeat.
Both players excelled in that game, and, were it not for an electrifying last gasp run and tackle by Walker, Burnley surely would have extended their winning margin.
As part of the deal, the younger of the two defenders will return on loan to Sheffield United. The Championship club will also look to take several of our players on a temporary basis. A fee of £8m for the two Kyles had been suggested by several national newspapers last week.
It is thought Naughton has the ability to break into the first team this season and the Blades fan will now challenge Vedran Corluka, Alan Hutton and Pascal Chimbonda for a starting berth. He might even be utilised on the left, as a backup for Benoit Assou-Ekotto.
In a scouting report for the Guardian last year, former Portsmouth striker Steve Claridge described Naughton as “no ordinary right-back”.
He impressed with his passing and crossing ability. “He then hit a cross-cum-half-volley, also with the outside of his foot, which fizzed across goal, and finally he received the ball just outside the box and flicked the ball to his winger in mid-air - skill you don't associate with a defender,” Claridge said.
It was noted, however, that he needed his right winger to “bail him out” at times and that Naughton sometimes shys away from the ball.
Despite his potential, the signing of the precocious right-back goes against the message Harry's been pedalling in recent interviews. Not normally one to keep his hand close to his chest, Redknapp seems adament that just one or two signings were needed and that he would even be happy if he started the season with the squad as it was.
Yet in recent days he has done little to hide his admiration for Portsmouth's Peter Crouch. It's clear both player and manager are keen to reunite but the stumbling block remains Crouch's £80,000-a-week wages, with Daniel Levy unwilling to break the clubs wage structure to sign the towering striker.
Although SpursMad wasn't overly impressed with Roman Pavlyuchenko last season, we don't think Crouch is too much of an improvement. Harry's better off giving Roman a chance to prove himself than adding a player who is unlikely to take us to the next level. That said, Crouch's hold up play is certainly better than anything we have at the moment, so it might add a dimension to our game we have been lacking since the Bulgarian one left (though Dimitar mk II he certainly is not).
Meanwhile, Naughton made his first appearance in a Spurs shirt this evening during a Spurs XI side's 3-1 defeat against Aldershot Town.
Despite the loss he manage to salvage something from his “debut”, which included appearances by Gomes and Adel Taarabt, after digging out a cross for Danny Rose to head home from 10 yards.