Steven Pienaar’s drawn out transfer saga was finally put to bed on Tuesday as the player confirmed he would be joining Tottenham and not Chelsea through his Twitter account.
“To end speculation, I am going to Spurs. I’ve had brilliant years at Everton. It will always be [a] special place in my heart.”
The two clubs have been battling it out for the South African midfielder after it became apparent that he wanted to start a fresh chapter in his career and, with his contract up at the end of the season, it seems that Everton Manager David Moyes was keen to cash in on the 28-year-old.
Never one to turn down a good deal, Tottenham Manager Harry Redknapp seemed happy with his capture:
“I think he is a good player. He can play left or right or down the middle. I like him. I would not want to be putting the chairman under any pressure to buy him, but at £2m or £3m, he’s certainly not dear is he?”
The Statistics
After playing the early years of career in his homeland of South Africa and then Europe, having mixed success with Ajax and Borussia Dortmund, he moved to the Premier League with Everton in 2007 initially on loan and then permanently for a pre-arranged fee of around £2 million. He was an instant success at Everton and ended up playing 3 season in Liverpool where he became a fan favourite.
In Fantasy Premier League (FPL) terms he was most potent in 2008/2009 where he managed to pick-up 119 points, not bad for a player valued at £5.5 million at the time. Although picking up 3 less FPL points last season (116), it was arguably his best at Goodison Park and this was duly noted by the FPL Bonus Point judges who dished him out an impressive 27; he was also named Everton’s player of the season for 2009/2010.
Pienaar hasn’t been quite so prolific this season though, managing just a single goal and zero assists, with 48 points to his name. But with Everton having a mixed season and the player possibly having his mind on other things; Pienaar is still highly rated and has not lost any of his praised creative ability, teamwork or work-rate.
The Prospects
For Spurs, who already boast a plethora of midfield talents, it is difficult to see where Pienaar will fit into their current formation. He had formed a good partnership with Leighton Baines down Everton’s left flank in recent seasons but with Gareth Bale currently flying high, he would be hard pushed to get a look in on that flank. Even Bale’s ability to play left back, it would be extremely unlikely that the Welshman, who has made the left wing his own this season, would be pushed back to accommodate Pienaar.
Pienaar is a versatile asset though and certainly able to fit in and around any of the attacking midfield roles. But this leaves positions occupied by Aaron Lennon, Luka Moric and Rafael Van der Vaart, none of whom you would expect him to oust immediately. It is most likely that Pienaar will have to make do with a squad role, coming in for the likes of Modric and Lennon on occasion and making appearances from the bench. A great option to be able to bring on late into matches and it just goes to show how far Spurs have come in recent years under Redknapp.
Another scenario could be that Pienaar has been brought in as a replacement for an imminently departing Luka Modric who has been linked with moves to Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona. But the Croatian has quashed these rumours and has reiterated that he is committed to Spurs. So it seems Pienaar will be at White Hart Lane as cover (benchwarmer) and he’ll certainly push the likes of Niko Kranjcar and Jermain Jenas even further out of the team. It will probably be worth waiting until Pienaar gets a continued run in the first team before you splash £6.5 million FPL notes on him, but there’s no denying that once on form, he is a big talent.
Back at Goodison meanwhile, and with the left-flank now freed-up, there will be a number of potential suitors eyeing up the role. With Leon Osman, Victor Anichebe and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov all able to play their part, Moyes will not be short of choices. Bilyaletdinov in particular will want to make the most of the space having played just half an hour of Premier League football since November 10. It is worth keeping an eye on this situation because at just £5.6 million, and owned by just 0.3% of FPL managers, the Russian could be a budge option when fixtures fall kindly. The player has been coy about his chances:
“Maybe Steven going will be good for me, but I’d prefer to play with him because he’s an intelligent player. Just because he’s gone it doesn’t mean I’ll start the next game, but who knows?”
Seamus Coleman can now continue his duties safely on the right side of midfield, with Leon Osman’s attention switched to the opposite flank. Priced at just £5.1 million on the FPL game the youngster is now a first-team regular and the fact that he is classed as a defender on the FPL game means that you don’t have to make room for him in your busy midfield. Coleman is certainly a notable FPL asset and his ownership of 14.6% will surely only continue to rise.
