It’s a done deal. Today might be the day when Roberto Soldado bids farewell and adieu to his three seasons as Valencia’s most important forward. An effective striker that achieved the impressive feat of making David Villa’s absence less poignant. But now, it’s time to find the next scorer. A man who has the opponent’s goal in his mind 24/7.
Tottenham’s bid has been too good to say no. Impossible to resist. Valencia needed cash, and while Baldini and Levy’s plan is to pay the money in several installments, it seems the 15 million will be transferred inmediately, and the other 15 will be paid before next summer. All in all, as we said before, a bid that Amadeo Salvo couldn’t refuse.
Someone much wiser than me said once that, in this kind of scenarios, the mark a man leaves in a club becomes as big as his successor allows it to be. Soldado was, in 2010, the perfect replacement for Guaje Villa’s antics. Manuel Llorente and Braulio hit the bullseye with his signing –and Aduriz’s aid, obviously-. Now, Salvo and Braulio have a task as difficult to complete. Portuguese Helder Postiga will be this season’s Aduriz, a forward that can yield his effort, sweat, tears and a few key goals this year. Never the starting striker for an ambitious squad as this season’s Valencia hopes to become.
So, who’s going to fill that spot? Several strikers have been offered in the last couple of weeks. Well, a few more than ‘several’: we’re talking about forty players, more or less. Madness. Fred, Chicharito Hernández, Giroud… Yes, some of them are undeniably attractive and may sell lots of t-shirts. But scoring another bullseye isn’t something to be played with.
If Valencia ruins it and signs an underwhelming forward, the house of cards may come crashing down. Salvo and Braulio are in the spotlight. God help us if they blow it.
Paco Polit (@pacopolit)
VLC NEWS – Sports