The Lads Are On Their Way

More news that will raise the eyebrows of Spurs fans today, though not in a bad way. Having seen Adel Taarabt go out on loan to Queens Park Rangers this morning, we now have news that fellow 19 year old Giovanni Dos Santos has been loaned to Reading until the end of the campaign, and is in the squad to play tomorrow, as is Taarabt for QPR.

I say this raises eyebrows because of how quickly this went occurred for both players. Chris Gunter's loan move had been speculated on since January, and had reached fever pitch this week before he went out on loan to Nottingham Forest. Neither Taarabt or Dos Santos had been mentioned as going out on loan, but I think this is very good for both players.

I talked in an earlier post today about how having regular first-team football will benefit Taarabt, and I believe the same is the case for Gio. His confidence has been destroyed this season, and even though he scored a good goal in our last UEFA Cup game, he often disappeared on the pitch, when he was there at all.

Taarabt has a lot of flair, but needs to become acquainted with the physical nature of the English game, and playing in the Championship will certainly do that for him. For Gio, he needs to get used to the physicality of the English game as well, but he must also get used to the speed at which the game is played. He has pace aplenty, but hasn't seemed to use it when we've seen him this year, and by playing with Reading he will get a chance to "stretch his legs" so to speak.

My question is, where will he play? Stephen Hunt occupies the left wing for them currently, and most Spurs fans remember him being linked with the club in January because of his good form. Could Gion play out wide right, or as a withdrawn striker? Gio's main competition for the right wing position would be the Mali international Jimmy Kebe, and his competition up front would be Shane Long, Kevin Doyle and Leroy Lita.

It was clear with the number of fixtures that we had remaining in the season that Gio, Gunter and Taarabt would not be playing regularly, if they even made the bench, so this works well for the club. Send out three 19 year-olds to get some experience and hopefully they can make an impact on the club next year, or in Gio's case make him more attractive to potential buyers. Good move by Harry and the chairman, this will help the club.