It is time to think about football, Daniel Levy

For once, Daniel Levy appears to share the ambition of the supporters, trying his uttermost to retain unarguably their best player in search for a more glorious season ahead.

On the other side, the continuous failure to lure a top-class striker seems to suggest he cares about business more than football.

It will be utterly unfair to conclude Levy does not bother about football. The deals that brought Sandro, Moussa Dembele, Jan Vertonghen, or more recently Paulinho and Nacer Chadli to White Hart Lane have strengthened the squad in the right direction, which also are of good values.

Levy always ensures every deal is well thought through

The Yids could also enjoy the extra credit of teasing the North London rivals on their embarrassing additions, Djourou, Santos, Chu-Young Park, Bendtner, you name it.

This summer, when Arsene Wenger is loosening the chequebook to bid for Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez, Tottenham's campaign seems more concern whether Gareth Bale is still with them in the coming season.

However much they want Bale to stay, it has slowly become a fact that he will leave for Bernabeu one day. it is almost impossible to resist the prospect of playing alongside some of the best players in the world with a Real Madrid jersey. This is why Luka Modric, though being dropped to a bit-part role, still enjoys his football being a Los Blancos.

What Spurs urgently needs now is a quality striker. Under Harry Redknapp, they once trailed the league leader by a small margin in January. For two consecutive seasons, they demonstrated the quality to beat the top four. However, against teams who are determined to defend, they lack a clinical striker to turn stalemate into a victory. The 29 goals scored at home was worse than West Ham's 34. It is obvious that Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe are not adequate to inspire Tottenham to the next level.  

Levy did try to address this, but after a long battle with Internacional, he decided to surrender in bidding for Leandro Damiao, a potential star who is yet to prove his talents in the European stage.

Will they miss out twice?

And here came David Villa, who was no longer favoured by Barcelona. Levy lost out to a very sudden and surprisingly low transfer bid by Atletico Madrid. David Villa may prefer to stay in Spain, but you would wonder how Barcelona could reject Tottenham's offer if Levy pulled the plug at a quicker pace.

Spurs fans did not wait long to see how lightning strikes twice. Investing £25 million on a proven and young Christian Benteke still looked a bit risky to Levy. Paul Lambert only spent a day after the training resumed to persuade Benteke to stay. Levy, and the Spurs, have lost their second battle in two weeks time.

Now it comes to Robert Soldado, a prolific international, though six years older than Benteke. Purely looking in the perspective of investment, why would Levy put £26 million on Soldado instead? Only if he has learnt the lessons from his recent failures.

Frustration is growing among the loyal supporters of Tottenham. They are no longer content to challenge the top four. They want to be one of the top four. If the last minute sales of Luka Modric help swell the bank account, Spurs would instead exchange for a more stable August, where just a single extra point could have sent them to Champions League instead.

With their rivalry strengthening, there is little time to spare

Daniel Levy may be rewarded with a couple of millions savings by forcing a transfer to ultimatum, but it is also his unwillingness to take a gamble that has seen Tottenham miss out on over £20 million of financial benefits from Champions League football for two seasons in a row. It will not be long when they eventually lose Bale, then Andre Villas-Boas, and finally their loyal supporters. It is time for Levy to put aside the business part of football and wholeheartedly equip Tottenham to be a serious contender.  

It's Rooney who needs United, or United who needs Rooney?

If Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are the South American representatives of this summer transfer market, Wayne Rooney ensures United Kingdom also has two of those. On the day of league title celebration, reports surfaced that a transfer request has been submitted by the 27 years old England striker, joining Gareth Bale to be global clubs' transfer targets in Premier League.

Since then, David Moyes has provided more twists and turns to the rumours, clouding increasing uncertainty over the future of Rooney at Old Trafford. After all, this does not seem unfamiliar to United fans.

In 2010, Rooney threatened to leave United after a thundering season, scoring 34 goals in all competitions. Having already seen Christiano Ronaldo departed to Bernabeu 12 months ago, Sir Alex Ferguson could not afford to lose another prolific striker. Soon, the case was closed as Rooney was made Manchester United's most well-paid player in history.

Coming to 2013, Rooney does not have the bargain power anymore. His total appearances for the season is all-time low since he has arrived at Old Trafford. He still scored 16 goals, including 12 in league, but Rooney was no longer Sir Alex's boy. Already not the first-choice striker, he was even benched in important matches, most notably the second leg against Real Madrid in Champions League.

Rooney was no longer Alex's boy

There were times he appeared to be the perfect partner to Robin Van Persie; there were times he looked expendable to the team. With Shinji Kagawa and Danny Welbeck maturing, it is questionable Rooney will still be the automatic starter under David Moyes. Even the central midfield role, which Rooney is also capable of playing, Moyes is looking externally, trying to tempt Fabregas back to England, to fill the void left by the retired Paul Scholes.

He is no longer indispensible to United. However, one would expect his place in England's team remains well secured. Jose Mourinho claimed Rooney could not afford to be benched in the season prior to World Cup, but does Hodgson have any better option? How likely will an England player of Rooney's calibre arise in the next 12 months to displace his berth in the national squad?

Entering the tenth season at Manchester, Rooney does possess affection towards Manchester United. If he were to discover new challenge in his career, going to a foreign country before the World Cup may not be the best option, particularly after a season of ups-and-downs.

Following Ronaldo to go abroad may not be the best option

How beneficial would a change of environment within the country be to Rooney? Though showing a great deal of interest, Jose Mourinho is still yet to reveal his game plan this season, let alone the future of Fernando Torres, Demba Ba, and Romelu Lukaku still remains in doubt. Will Rooney be guaranteed a place in the first-team, if not his preferred striker role, and how quickly could he adapt to a new playing style under a new manager?

United knows they have the initiative this time. They definitely love Rooney to be back, but are well-prepared to sell if he is no longer passionate to be a Red Devil. If Rooney is looking for a more lucrative contract, this might not be his year. It is time to show his professionalism and focus to bring his best game back, while the nation still counts on him for the World Cup dream. He will still be only 28 next year and could yet reach the peak of his career. No matter he is thinking about moneyball or Rio De Janiero 2014, proving his status as one of the best players in the world in a familiar ground would do no harm to either his country or market value.  

The Exemplary Club Owner - Dave Whelan

Premier League is like a golden egg. Prize money, TV broadcasting revenues and tickets sales bring significant profits which can finance the team to the next level. On the flip side, being over-ambitious could mean a long way back, should a team lose their place in one of the most popular football leagues.

If Leeds and Portsmouth demonstrated the worst way to fail, Wigan is following the textbook in operating a football club.

Roberto Martinez advocated attractive football and brought an unexpected trophy to the JJB Stadium. Although failing to bring Wigan back for the ninth season in the top flight, Dave Whelan could not have asked for more from the Spaniard, who has already delayed his departure to a bigger club by rejecting Liverpool last summer.

Welcome to JJB, Owen Coyle

Owen Coyle has slotted in. He had some previous success in Championship with Burnley, but his recent disastrous spell with Bolton will be amplified by Wigan supporters, questioning his ability to bring Wigan back on the right track.

Being fair to Coyle, he was left with a mess at Bolton when they relegated. Having lost half of their first-team regulars, including the retired Fabrice Muamba, Irish international Keith Andrews and Liverpool youngster Jay Spearing (loan) were the only notable acquisitions. Bolton experienced a turbulent transition period but believed they were better than the 18th place Coyle had put them in.

Looking at the summer activity of Wigan, you could almost say Dave Whelan is pulling all the right plugs. He has brought Scott Carson back to England to solidify the goalkeeper mix consisting of the eccentric Ali Al-Habsi and inexperienced Lee Nicholls. Losing Alcaraz, Figueroa and Ronnie Stam at the back, Whelan smartly acquired utility-man James Perch, who also had previous experience in Championship.

On the other side of the field, Arouna Kone joins Martinez at Everton. Di Santo is also released after his contract expired. They have lost two technically very gifted strikers, who were also fan favourites. However, Grant Holt and Marc-Antoine Fortune, the two forwards Wigan has brought in, could be more efficient goalscorers in the Championship.

While Holt has already proven his ability to score in all levels of competition, his superior physicality, so as Marc-Antoine Fortune's, will become Wigan's invaluable assets in the more direct style of football in Championship. Moreover, they only cost a total of £2 million, £3 million less than the profits from selling Arouna Kone.

Grant Holt is a bargain purchase of Wigan

Having also snapped up ex-captain of Burnley Chris McCann, Wigan has retained the core backbone, like Ben Watson, Shaun Maloney, Jean Beausejour and Jordi Gomez, who played together at the top level last year, also adding some veterans with experience playing in the Championship. Although they are looking set to part way with promising winger Callum McManaman, the extra profits may be even more useful for Dave Whelan to address any shortcomings in the squad. 

Anyhow it is only July. To say Wigan will be back to Premier League next season is an immature prediction. One thing for certain is Dave Whelan runs a football club as a sensible businessman to some degree of success. He has avoided financial disaster and squad dismissal after relegation and has gifted Martinez's successor decent assets to attempt the comeback. To manage European football amidst the tight fixtures of Championship would be some challenge. It will be down to Owen Coyle to prove he is not the Whelan's worst acquisition this summer. 

Tottenham will be the ideal destination for Christian Benteke

Entering July, the transfer market has once again dominated newspaper headlines. The never-ending rumours around Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez have started to bore the audience. Christian Benteke has chosen the right moment to steal the limelight by submitting a foreseeable transfer request, despite only arriving at Villa Park a year ago.

Benteke is a big fish eager to get out of the small pond. Although Paul Lambert demonstrated that he can get the best out of youngsters, the long-term project at Villa, which he hopes to build around Benteke, will not match the ambition of the big man, who definitely has his eyes on the World Cup next year.   

Who will be his teammate next season? Dembele (left) or Hazard (middle)?

Tottenham and Chelsea quickly emerge as the front-runners to secure the service of the Belgian. The prospect of playing Champions League football with national teammates Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku appears to be more appealing than going to White Hart Lane, but Tottenham should be the sensible option for the 22 years old striker.

A package combining strength and technique, Christian Benteke undoubtedly possesses the quality to compete at top level of football. To be nurtured by one of the top coaches in the world, Jose Mourinho, can only benefit his game.

Lukaku will be Benteke's main rival in national team

However, Benteke should realise playing time on the pitch is incredibly crucial at this stage of his career. Unlike the young Lukaku who first arrived at England, his ability to perform in Premier League is beyond doubt. What he needs now is the opportunity to play alongside top-class players to bring his game to another level.

He may relish the challenge to compete against Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Romelu Lukaku, but how confident is Benteke in winning a starting spot at Stamford Bridge, when Mourinho usually relies heavily on a core group of players as well as a lone striker formation? Marc Wilmots – the current manager of Belgium – certainly does not want to see Lukaku and Benteke both warming Chelsea's bench for the coming season.

At North London, he will be treated as the no-brainer first choice striker. Adebayor's late resurgence seems short to convince Daniel Levy and AVB to retain him. With the failure to capture David Villa, so as the aging Defoe who is more suited to come off the bench, Benteke will not have to worry about the lack of first-team opportunities, as long as he can maintain his form. Even if Levy's long term target Leandro Damiao is really arriving, Benteke still holds the advantage of his proven track record in England. With Andre Villas-Boas also taking the Europa League seriously, Benteke can also have a shot at European football.

Benteke needs Tottenham, and Tottenham needs Benteke too. Adebayor may be more polished in holding up balls with back to goals, but the younger, stronger and more direct Benteke will be an upgrade to Tottenham's frontline. More importantly, Benteke's mobility and flexibility would allow Gareth Bale to continue flourishing in his free role, just as how Andres Weimann benefited from his presence last season. With Paulinho also in the mix, the potential attacking line-up already sounds very threatening and exciting.

Now it is down to Daniel Levy to pull off the deal. His reluctance to dish out £25 million could be the deal-stopper, even though Benteke appears to prefer a new white jersey rather than a blue one. Tottenham could not afford to miss out on another top-notch striker. Rather than swapping an unwanted player to save a couple of millions, Levy should consider the potential return from the investment on a player who can only get better and also, make the team better. AVB would hope technical director Franco Baldini can play a part in the deal to put Spurs in a stronger position in securing Champions League football, something that may keep Gareth Bale and potentially Benteke in the team for a long spell.