Nhau News Online News that is accurate, reliable, trustworthy!!
- Interest from Spurs, Aston Villa left striker’s value skyrocketing
- Kadewere linked with Spurs at a time Mourinho revealed love for African strikers
- Injury-prone Kane leaves Mourinho on edge
- Premier League jump blocked, but it’s no dead end
Nhau Correspondent
Tino Kadewere’s Tottenham Hotspur links before the Lyon move this year gave rise to murmurs that the player could be part of Jose Mourinho’s ‘big striker from Africa’ options.
Mourinho has been open about his preference for African strikers, saying they have brought him much success in his career.
Reality though is even if Kadewere was on the Special One’s options list, Mourinho would not let the cat out of the bag for fear that other clubs could pounce.
Kadewere attracted interest from a number of Premier League teams before his move from French Ligue 2 side, Le Harve, to French Ligue 1 giants, Lyon.
This week, his brother Prosper Kadewere, who had a big say in the transfer deal, said they concentrated on “concrete bids” when the player moved.
“No, there was nothing official from them (Spurs). We just read about it,” said Prosper.
The Birmingham Live, however, reported that Spurs were one of the clubs eager to sign the Zimbabwean.
“The latest name linked with a move to Aston Villa is Le Havre striker Tino Kadewere. Kadewere is also said to be interesting Villa’s Premier League rivals Norwich City, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United,” said the publication.
Kadewere would go on to snub the interest from Premier League to join Lyon, and Prosper was on record saying he need his brother to take one step at a time.
Sources close to Nhau say a Tottenham or Aston Villa deal could have been a big money move for a striker that had scored at least 19 goals in French Ligue 2 halfway through the season.
“But such a move could have been detrimental to him if he was to go and sit on the bench. Guarantees for game time could have changed the situation. The player got that from Lyon,” said the source.
Whichever way you look at it, Kadewere ticks every box for the kind of player Mourinho prefers; built, skill, positive attitude and hard work.
But Mourinho is not the type to promise you uninterrupted game time.
But that the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss has not hidden his love for African strikers, however, keeps Kadewere on the radar.
“My success is always based on having an African striker. Without an African striker I feel like I won’t succeed,” Mourinho was quoted by several media outlets recently.
“My belief about African strikers started with Benni McCarthy at FC Porto whereby he scored more than 20 league goals to help me and FC Porto to win the Portuguese League title.
“In that same season he scored very important goals for me in the UEFA Champions League (UCL). That helped our careers to be well known in Europe by winning my first Champions League as a coach.
“From Portugal to Chelsea in England, I find Didier Drogba. He was a great African weapon to win with me an English Premiership. I wanted Benni McCarthy to join me to partner Didier Drogba up front but at that time he was at Blackburn Rovers and he was the only hit man there. So they refused to give us Benni McCarthy no matter the offer I put on the table.
“From Chelsea to Inter Milan, there I wanted to win the UEFA Champions League (UCL) so badly…
“So I sat down and thought hard about having an African striker again. I approached FC Barcelona and they willingly sold to me the best signing of my career – Samuel Eto’o and the same season with Eto’o I won Champions League.
“From Inter Milan to Real Madrid. There at Real Madrid I had all talents but the reason I didn’t win the UEFA Champions League (UCL) was because I had no African striker. I tried Emmanuel Adebayor but it was a loan move so Madrid does not like to use loan players.”
So, could Kadewere be one of a few strikers that Mourinho had on his list?
The Standard UK perhaps best explains why the Kadewere deal was far from being ripe, even if Spurs had made an official bid. Strikers across Europe understand that chances of getting game time ahead of a fit Harry Kane are far-fetched.
Yet, Mourinho insisted that any striker worth one’s salt should take on Kane head on.
“The point is not me convincing the striker, it’s the striker convincing me,” Mourinho was quoted as saying by the Standard.
“And if the striker is afraid to come to Tottenham and the striker is afraid of competition, then I don’t want the striker.”
Although Spurs were interested in many strikers, and this maybe a bit out of context, Kadewere’s handlers were also very clear about the issue of game time and how it influenced their decision.
“So it’s not for me to convince him, it’s for him to convince me. If he says, ‘I don’t want to go because I don’t want to be in a squad where we have Harry Kane and Sonny, Lamela, Lucas, I don’t want to go to that squad’, then goodbye.”
It is believed a number of strikers on Spurs list, when Mourinho was clamouring for such a signing, didn’t entertain a Spurs move to go and compete with Kane or be his cover, to put things into perspective.
Last week Kadewere proved how important he can be as he gave African champions Algeria a lot to think about in back-to-back AFCON matches.
He scored one and created another. This was against some of the very best players in Africa.
Also, what is certain is Mourinho harvests from where people least expect.
“It’s up to you, mate. Players decide who plays, it’s not me. I know that we have the best striker in this country, there is no doubt about it, but the striker that comes here has to come with his own ambitions.”
That is Mourinho’s message, for now. Nhau/Indaba
