Spurs Missed Out on Chicharito

By Ryan Wrenn | Dec 15, 2015

Jul 1, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Mexico forward Javier Hernandez (14) plays the ball as Honduras defender Henry Figueroa (5) defends during the first half at NRG Stadium. Mexico and Honduras played to a 0-0 tie. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Newcastle’s successful stifling of Spurs’ attack in the second half on Sunday exposed a need for a player the club that many have ruled out: a pure goalscorer.

The club is full of players who can score goals and do other things, and indeed that’s been the most successful characteristic of most of the midfield and attack so far this term. Even Harry Kane himself has proven capable of doing a lot more than simply scoring goals.

Spurs’ transfer talk has tended to center such players who nominally fit in one position but actually do a lot more. Saido Berahino, for instance, isn’t just a pure striker – he’s typically involved in play in and around the box as well as being a shot producer. Back in August we here at Hotspur HQ speculated that that specific quality would make Berahino – or a player like him – a better option than Queen’s Park Rangers Charlie Austin or Manchester United’s Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández.

None of those options ever materialized, of course. Spurs skipped out on bringing in a ‘proper’ striker as back up for Harry Kane in favor of acquiring Bayer Leverkusen’s Hueng-min Son, another jack-of-multiple-trades kind of attacker. Overall, it was a gamble that paid off. Kane’s been reliable, especially since he found his goal-scoring form again, and it appears as if Berahino or another player like him would have been superfluous to Spurs’ needs anyhow this season.

More from Tottenham Transfer Rumours

There have been other surprises, however. Austin never left QPR and has remained consistent in his goalscoring record, netting eight so far this season, but it’s Hernández who has become the standout.

The Mexican international earned a move away from United at the end of August, transferring to Bayer Leverkusen on a permanent deal worth about €12 million. He was brought to the club, in part, to make up for the goals they lost in Son’s transfer to Spurs, and he has more than delivered. In 17 starts and two substitute appearances, Hernández has scored fifteen goals for Leverkusen in all competitions.

In our assessment of Hernández back in August, we – incorrectly – assessed him as an impact bench player and not someone who could meet the demands and playing style of a team like Mauricio Pochettino’s. He simply lacked the chops to play in a modern pressing style and was much more suited for teams in need of a conventional center forward, or so the argument went then.

Embed from Getty Images

So it comes as some surprise that he’s done so remarkably well for Leverkusen, a team that plays in much the same style as Tottenham. Hernández, simply put, shouldn’t be as good in that system. He’s shined brightest as a utility target man for Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, finding his way past opposition centre-backs and reaching lofted balls with his head.

Now, he’s playing in a different style, occasionally alongside a second striker, infrequently being played for his aerial prowess, and yet still somehow managing to be a consistent goal-scoring threat. Players Hernández’s age – 27 – shouldn’t be able to adapt quite that well.

It’s hard to compare Hernández’s evolution since the days when he semi-regularly started for United. He was mostly a substitute for both David Moyes’ United and Real Madrid last season, and therefore his numbers can’t be trusted in the same way a regular starter’s could be.

Next: Ball Believes Loan Will Help Him Earn First Team Chance with Spurs

So what’s happened? It’s hard to say. The numbers don’t tell the whole story, as ever. Hernández plays like a conventional centre-forward, occupying that imaginary rectangle that stretches out from the goalposts out just past the penalty marker box’s D. There he waits, usually as the highest Leverkusen player up the pitch, not so much a vital part of the build up play as he is its end result. A quality finisher to cap off the efforts of his teammates.

In games like the loss against Newcastle, Spurs seemed to have lacked such a obvious focal point. Having the option to field a player like Hernández there, either from the start or as a substitute, would have been a boon. Having a team full of Swiss army knives is great and has obviously served Spurs well so far this season. Sometimes, though, all Spurs need is a blade.