German giants Bayer Leverkusen have completed the signing of Tottenham defender Vedran Corluka on a season long loan. The 25-year old Croat had spent most of the season on the bench and was believed to be angling for a move away after having fallen down the pecking order behind Englishman Kyle Walker. First choice at right back when he joined White Hart Lane, Corluka made more than 100 appearances for the club. But the progress of Alan Hutton last season and Kyle Walker this one has seen the more defensive minded Croatian lose out to players capable of racing up field with the ball and providing a bigger threat in the attacking third.
However, even though he was only a fringe player for Spurs, one can’t help but feel that Harry Redknapp could miss Corluka, especially since he could’ve been deployed as a centre back as well and would’ve provided some cover, especially with likes of Ledley King, William Gallas•and Michael Dawson prone to injuries.
Corluka started his career at Dinamo Zagreb and was brought into England by Manchester City in the summer of 2007. He played for the Citizens for just over a year and made 44 appearances for them, following which he was snapped up by Tottenham. His fall from grace at White Hart Lane has been very gradual, testament to which is the fact that he made a total of 77 appearances in his first two seasons and has added only 27 to that tally in the following two.
Given his age, the Croat still has lots of time left at the very top level and is a good acquisition for Leverkusen, with their defence looking a bit shaky and having conceded 25 goals in 19 games, the second highest amongst the top 8 in the far from prolific Bundesliga.
In fact, the player will also be eligible for the Champions League and could come in handy against Barcelona, Bayer’s round of 16 opponents. The loan move will prove to be beneficial financially as well, especially at a time when top quality players cost an enormous amount of money.
The move is absolutely vital for Corluka personally, with Croatia having qualified for Euro 2012, and the defender facing the sad prospect at missing out due to the lack of first team opportunities available at White Hart Lane.
(TheSportsCampus)
