Players to watch… at the back

The temptation is, always, to concentrate only on the new signings but it is worthwhile having a look at some of the under- utilised players from last season and past buys. With Ledley out for the beginning of the season and, if he’s smart, possibly taking it easy till January we need a new man at the back to play with Dawson.

Rocha had a rough start to his Tottenham career with some bad luck which hurt his confidence but whenever I saw him on the ball something said he was class. In the pre-season game against Prates at Loftus he looked pretty good and he probably has a better footballing brain than Kaboul, only 21. I say Rocha is a man to watch alongside Kaboul who I am already certain will make a solid impact.

Benoit Assou Ekkotto is a forgotten name at The Lane right now. Our Chinese veteran did such a good job toward the end of the season that alternate options were forgotten for a while. But Wipey approaches 32 now and the pace will start to go more and more. A-K looked great going forward, better than Wipey but easily conned and beaten going backwards. He needs a King-like mentor to help develop his game. Yet I believe this is his year to shine. Good crosses for Bent and Berbatov and a couple of goals.