Bye-bye to the beast?

Throughout the summer there have been rumours that Sandro is on his way out of White Hart Lane, with his most likely destination being Serie A. In the last 24 hours the speculation has been ramped up however. Napoli boss, Rafa Benitez, supposedly wants the Brazilian to bolster his midfield after Marouane Fellaini’s expected move stalled due to the Manchester United midfielder picking up an ankle injury.

Whether it is his commitment to the cause on the pitch or his weird and wacky nature off it (you only have to look at his beard and hairstyles over the years), Sandro had become somewhat of a cult hero at White Hart Lane. However, it appears he has become the forgotten man in recent months and in all honesty, losing ‘the beast’ shouldn’t cause Spurs fans too many sleepless nights.

Out of favour

Tim Sherwood may not have been everyone’s cup of tea and fans aplenty berated some of his decisions when it came to the team selection, but one thing it appears that Tim and new Spurs boss, Mauricio Pochettino, have in common is that they don’t rate Sandro all that highly.

Former manager, Sherwood, publicly declared that Sandro wasn’t good enough to get in the Tottenham side at the back end of last season, and our new man in charge tends to agree with Sherwood’s views.

Sandro wasn’t even named in the squad for Saturday’s victory over West Ham and was an unused sub in last night’s game in Cyprus against AEL Limassol.

Lacking in quality

When I think about Sandro in a Tottenham shirt, wonder goals against Chelsea and Manchester United spring to mind instantly, but my next best memory of him is thanks to an Instagram post in which he sent a chilling message to Stoke City midfielder, Charlie Adam, after his tackle left Paulinho on the sidelines for at least a month.

The Brazilian hard man posted a picture of himself ominously staring into a camera with the message: ‘Charlie Adams – THE BEAST IS WATCHING YOU’. Perhaps another reason why Sandro became such a hit with the White Hart Lane crowd!

For me personally, his tough tackling and dogged spirit is not enough to make him a great player though, and as a result, I think it can be classed as good business if we sell the 25 year old midfielder to Napoli, and in doing so trim our rather large squad.

Looking at the midfielders we currently have on our books, it would not be a shock to see a couple of faces depart before the end of the transfer window.

Talks surrounding Lamela leaving on loan have thankfully disappeared in recent weeks and it looks as though Pochettino wants to try and get the very best out of his fellow Argentinian. The tricky winger shone after coming on for the final 20 minutes in the Europa League on Thursday night and it is exciting to see how he will progress over the coming months.

Players like Lamela and Andros Townsend (another rumoured to possibly be heading for the exit) are the kind of players I am desperate to see us keep hold of. After 81 appearances for Spurs, I am more than ready to say bye-bye to the beast.

 

I would hope Sandro stays and plays a lot this season.
Pochettino may well rate him but simply has to sell players to buy players.
He'd be one of the last players from Tottenham's midfielders I would be inclined to sell.

But he is an asset that other teams would be interested in acquiring and my guess is it will be up to the player himself whether he accepts any offer to move abroad. Napoli would probably suit him and he would be getting a good deal to entice an exit.

To my mind he's one of the few really class players to have played over the past few seasons. Last season was a one off where many players underperformed badly. He'd be better judged on this season and should he remain and become really fit Pochettino might find it quite impossible to leave him off the pitch as the season progresses. So, I won't judge him on last season's debacle and I trust Pochettino will discover just what sort of a player he has on his hands in due course. I'm also glad to see Capoue's presence making good options within the squad but I am likewise inclined to promote Sandro as being capable of offering impressive and tough fighting qualities to Tottenham's cause this season.

 

Sandro is one of the only players who isn't afraid to get stuck in. We need a hard man in midfield. He was a rock before he got injured in 2012. Keep the beast!

 

I'm excited about Bobby and Coco this year they seem to building a good partnership on and off the pitch. Every team photo at the moment they are together. Hopefully this will continue to grow this season

 

I have always enjoyed watching Sandro, but if I had to place a bet, I'd say he is the one wanting to leave.

Everyone knows that the Premier League is the fastest and 'toughest' league in the world, and with the major injury that he had, I think the Serie A would be the place to take best advantage of his skills. If Sandro has one more major injury, he could be done for good!

If he stays, I'll enjoy watching him, and if he leaves, I'll wish him the best and follow him at his new home.