Should Tottenham Hotspur target Hulk?

Hulk

Every year the British press attempt to bring Brazilian striker Hulk to the Premier League, but as the years tick by he becomes less and less attractive as a transfer target.

At one point he was a certainty to move to Chelsea, but following his move from Porto to Zenit St. Petersburg for a whopping £33.8 million, that story was put on the back-burner.

This summer he was the “ideal” candidate to join Tottenham Hotspur, and the fact that Gareth Bale had been sold for a world-record £86 million simply paved the way for a reasonable, logical argument in favour of the forward rejoining his former boss, Andre Villas-Boas.

But no move has ever materialised and rightly so, as Hulk remains one of the most overrated individuals on the world football market.

He catches the eye easily, and to the lazy football fan, one who makes his mind up on players via a youtube video, he appears a world beater. His consistency and attitude most of time begs to differ, though.

His nickname “Hulk” is derived from the incredible physical presence he boasts, and despite weighing a whopping 12 stone of pure muscle at a height of just 6 foot, he brings dynamism, athleticism and genuine fleet-footedness to any forward line.

Capable of playing as an out-and-out forward or from either flank, he is a monstrous twist on the modern inverted winger; capable of bullying full-backs, running directly at defenders and scoring goals.

Hulk – Goals scored

His record this season, in the Russian Premier League for Zenit, has been phenomenal; Seven goals and four assists in eight starts is inhuman, but it’s the national stage where the holes in his game become clear.

Many would prefer to see Lucas Moura take his place in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s starting XI, with Hulk showing wild inconsistencies, lack of penetration and extreme wastefulness at the most inopportune of times.

He totalled 12 shots during the 2013 Confederations Cup—good for an average of 2.4 per game—but failed to record a single goal. His pass completion percentage of 78.6 was disappointing given his “simple” role on the opposite flank to Neymar and Marcelo.

His statistics remind you of a young, emerging wide talent already situated at Spurs: Andros Townsend.

They play the exact same position and play in near-identical fashion; Townsend has garnered a reputation for inaccurate shooting while he finds his feet, and his one goal this season, at Villa Park, was actually a cross.

To target Hulk this January would be madness. Price-wise we’re talking £25 million plus, yet Spurs have a Hulk version 2.0 sitting readily on the roster. Why eat into his playing time, and further disrupt Erik Lamela’s difficult start to the season?

??Football graphics and stats from Squawka???