West Ham manager Sam Allardyce revealed this week he couldn’t ‘get a decision’ out of Winston Reid as the centre-back remained tight lipped over his future. But the club have now finally announced they have tied him down to a long term deal today. It was reported by several sources in January that Reid had already unofficially agreed to sign for Tottenham. But would he have been the right man to add a much needed boost to Mauricio Pochettino’s backline? How would Reid have stacked up to Spurs’ current crop of defenders?
At 26 years of age and in his fifth year in the Premier League, Winston Reid is beginning to reach the top of his game. Strong, athletic, composed and competent on the ball, the New Zealand skipper is a great all-around defender with plenty of top flight experience. In the past couple of seasons he has begun to put the pieces together and proven himself as a very reliable player in the heart of defence. Spurs weren’t be the only club interested.
Source: whufc.com
It’s expected that club captain Younes Kaboul and Vlad Chiricheș will be shown the door, with neither doing enough to earn a spot in the squad. That leaves one space open for another player to come in to complete a four man rotation at centre-back. The other three spots are of course already filled by Jan Vertonghen, Federico Fazio and Eric Dier. In the summer, Spurs seem certain to add at least one more centre-half to their ranks. But would Reid have been the right man to fill that spot?
Aside from a tendency to pick up cards, he posts solid numbers in the qualities he needs to fit into Pochettino’s backline. His passing completion (80%), aerial duels won (67%), clearances (10 a game) and interceptions (1.85 a game) don’t look out of place amongst Vertonghen and co. He lines up well against them statically and adds a steel and toughness that even they may be missing. A lack of errors to his game is another positive.
Tottenham would have done well to sign Winston Reid in the summer, particularly on a free. But with each transfer window the club should be looking to decidedly improve the squad and Reid would seem to add more of the same. He’s a very solid Premier League player and would have been welcomed warmly but he wouldn’t add anything more than what the club already has at their disposal. If you want to crack the Champions League, you need more than solid.
It could be a sign of Levy’s ambition whether a cheap deal for a player similar to Reid is sought out, or the club instead looks to sign a top tier centre-back to command a starting spot from the off. A world class stopper rather than a potential squad filler. Signing Reid would have been a smart but unspectacular deal. It wouldn’t hurt Tottenham to aim their sights a little higher. Missing out on Reid could be a silver lining – it could adjust Levy’s thinking. It could even force his hand to seek something much greater.
Lachlan McIvor
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