Loic Remy’s first introduction to Premier League football was in January of 2013, as the over-priced potential messiah of a QPR side who were in the mix of a relegation dog fight which was eventually doomed to fail.
Fast forward to the end of last season and after a successful season-long loan spell at Newcastle United and a failed medical at Liverpool, Remy had racked up nine goals in 29 appearances for Chelsea as second choice striker to Diego Costa.
The summer transfer window saw the departure of an ageing Didier Drogba, choosing to see out his final days as a professional footballer in the glitz and glamour of MLS, meaning the the Blues needed to strengthen their forward line. Mourinho’s signing of choice Radamel Falcao, on a season long loan, thus relegating Remy to third choice striker.
As third choice Remy’s appearances will be extremely limited. Two games into this season and he is yet to get a single minute of competitive football under his belt. Which begs the question why hasn’t he asked to move?
Rumours of interest from Swansea, Crystal Palace and West Ham have not been followed by formal bids and Remy is stuck in-limbo. Handing in a transfer request could be the only way to encourage potential suitors, a come and get me plea of sorts.
His ability is not at question, he would be main man for the majority of Premier League sides but his reported £80,000 a week wages could be a stumbling block. So with this in mind, which club would he suit?
The perfect match for the Frenchman would be Chelsea’s London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. After allowing Roberto Soldado to end his torrid time at White Hart Lane and with Emmanuel Adebayor, seeming to be a forgotten man, Spurs are left with only youngster Deli Ali to back up last season’s goal machine, Harry Kane.
With Kane only having one full season under his belt, he could easily suffer from second season syndrome and struggle to rekindle his form from last season, leaving Spurs with no consistent source of goals.
The former QPR striker, has a Premier League career total of 27 goals in 63 games during his which works out at a goal every 2.3 games. This scoring record would contribute greatly to the Spurs cause who will, no doubt, be chasing silverware both domestically and in Europe, all while trying to be a front runner in the race for fourth place.
Strength in depth in the goal scoring department is something Tottenham are severely lacking and if the right deal could be struck, Loic Remy would be the perfect fit for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
A pacy forward who is comfortable playing as a lone striker, something Harry Kane did a lot last season, in a partnership or out wide in a front three. Remy can offer versatility as well as goals and in the modern age of football this is something that is invaluable. The futures of Aaron Lennon and Andros Townsend are still in the balance and Eric Lamela yet to live up to his hefty price tag, Remy could provide some instant success that Spurs fans are no doubt craving after their stuttering start to the season.
Pochettino has shown in his previous jobs that he likes to have fast forward players who play off a more central target man, at Southampton his strike partnership of choice was Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert. Kane and Remy could easily share this formulate a similar link up with Remy possessing the movement and speed to get in behind defences and work off flick ons from Kane, who has shown in the past he is no slouch in the air.
Although this would essentially knock Harry Kane from his current number one striker status it would take take some pressure off him to follow up his ground breaking season last time out with one that equals or betters it. Remy would, if injuries were avoided, guarantee at least another 10-15 goals domestically plus a couple more in Europe, meaning Kane could hit low double figures and still be a success as the weight of goal scoring responsibility is halved.
There has been an argument that promising young players are played too much in the early stages of their career and suffer from a ‘burnout’ in their mid to late 20’s, a time period where many players hit their peak. The signing of Remy would aid Harry Kane to avoid this fate. Kane is looking likely to be a Premier League regular for Tottenham, or a big money buy for one of the current top four, so naturally Daniel Levy will be looking to protect his prize asset. This would be achieved by bringing in Remy to share the workload.
To be capped over 30 times by France, a side who have numerous front men to choose from including the likes of Real Madrid hotshot Karim Benzema and Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud, is not an easy task. Remy has accumulated said figure and will be no doubt looking to add to his international tally and with a European Championships in his home country on the horizon, first team football is a must if he wants to be in the squad, something Spurs can offer him.
He has proven his natural ability to score goals throughout his time in England. Although as previously mentioned his reported £80,000 a week wages would be a sticking point for anyone out side the European spots.
Pricing himself out of a move for the bottom half of the league, and with the clubs who have previously had an interest already strengthened, Swansea signing Andre Ayew and West Ham benefitting from a returning Mauro Zarate. Spurs looks like the only team who could feasibly offer regular first team football at a price that suits both player and club.
Chelsea are unlikely to let him go cheaply, a reported £15 million price tag has been attached to the third choice man at Stamford Bridge, however for the good of his career, will not want to be sat around letting time pass and not racking up any first team games.
Tottenham Hotspur and Loic Remy seem to be the perfect match for each other. Sharing the goal scoring responsibility with Harry Kane, providing some versatility in an attacking line-up that needs a refresh and with the experience of playing at the highest level, could pass on the lessons he has learned to the developing Harry Kane and Spur’s newest prodigy Deli Ali.
