Dalmat's arrival is a tonic for Hoddle

14 April 2012

Stephane Dalmat signed a season-long loan with Tottenham today after passing a medical at White Hart Lane.

The 24-year-old, described by manager Glenn Hoddle as a player who has got a "bit of everything", joins Spurs after struggling to make an impact at Internazionale.

"He's a good footballer," said Hoddle. "We've been looking for a certain style of midfielder and I think we're still going to have to search for that in the winter window. This lad has got a bit of everything and has certainly got two good feet, which is unusual nowadays in players."

Dalmat made just 11 appearances for Inter last season and 16 the year before that, in his second spell at the club following a season at Paris St Germain.

A former French Under-21 international, he first moved to the San Siro after catching the eye playing for Marseille and Lens. Although he can play anywhere in midfield, Dalmat prefers a role on the right.

His arrival is timely, after Spurs were tactically outwitted in their 3-0 defeat by Fulham on Saturday.

It was a former non-league player and Tottenham fan, Barry Hayles, who caused much of the havoc and gave Spurs that familiar, early-season sinking feeling. Hoddle again insisted he was "scratching his head" to understand-where such a poor performance had come from.

The biggest shortcoming is the lack of a defensive midfielder. Hoddle did try to land Emmanuel Petit from Chelsea but failed to go back with a further bid.

It was also a mistake to let Steffen Freund leave in the summer. The German may not be the best player but he provided the bite and tenacity so lacking in Hoddle's team.

Fulham were as excellent as Tottenham were shocking, and in two-goal Hayles they had a player who knew where the net was.

Tottenham had £12million worth of new talent - Helder Postiga, Bobby Zamora and Freddie Kanoute - leading the attack in the second half but Hoddle should insist they watch a video of Hayles's display. He was outstanding, and Hoddle had no answer to Fulham boss Chris Coleman's 4-2-3-1 formation.

Hayles, who set up the third goal for Luis Boa Morte, said: "I wanted to get a hat-trick, especially as I'm a Spurs fan. I've got a lucky streak against them.

"I think I've failed to score against them only twice in about seven games. This is the last year of my contract, so hopefully they might talk about a new one now."

Hoddle claimed his side were "fatigued" but their plight was not helped by some suicidal defending from Darren Anderton and Dean Richards, but Jamie Redknapp was more accurate. "We got what we deserved," he said.

Dalmat's arrival is a tonic for Hoddle

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