Pleat's new-age belief

The seeds of Pleat's vision were first seen when he brought in Simon Davies from Peterborough and Anthony Gardner from Port Vale. Their success helped persuade Levy that banking on youth made perfect business sense and the doctrine now seems so integral to the Spurs blueprint that even the arrival of the new coach will not disrupt it.

The new man's job will be, literally, to coach and make the most of the young talent at his disposal. He will probably have the freedom to add one or two of his own men, but the nucleus is in place. When he moves on, the next coach will have to work with a similar pool.

This doesn't mean that the club have not discussed potential signings with their new coach.

Levy admits as much, which makes it all the more interesting that all their serious targets have been English. How much does Giovanni-Trapattoni know about Defoe, anyway?

But if the signing of Defoe will be welcomed in Milan, where the Italian is still poring over his contract, and Tunis, where Freddie Kanoute will presumably relish the chance to team up with his old striking partner on return from international duty, there will be more disquiet nearer home. Portugal striker Helder Postiga is entitled to feel rather confused about the new arrival despite Pleat's insistence that his future at White Hart Lane is secure.

The 21-year-old has struggled to find his form since arriving for a hefty £6.25m from FC Porto in the summer, scoring just twice, and has been linked with a loan move - denied by Spurs - to Celta Vigo.

Whatever his long-term future, Postiga seems certain to be relegated to fourth-choice striker once Kanoute returns.

Postiga was ineffective in Saturday's 2-1 defeat against Fulham when the weather conditions cried out for the use of a good, oldfashioned centre-forward in the shape of Bobby Zamora, who impressed when he was finally given his chance 10 minutes from time.

What Spurs cannot afford to do is allow Postiga to turn into another Sergei Rebrov who, under Hoddle, was allowed to rot in the reserves where his £11m value decreased daily. Pleat knows it is better to play a struggling £6.25m striker than have him sit on the bench where his sell-on value will diminish with every game.

Yet Postiga's chances will surely be limited if, as expected, Kanoute and Defoe form the attacking double act with Robbie Keane asked to adopt a supporting role behind them.

Not surprisingly, Pleat chose his words carefully when asked where Defoe would fit in.

He said: "I can't be categorical about that. I have Stephane Dalmat who is playing wide right at the moment and we also have various other players to consider. These include looking at where Ledley King's best position is and whether Simon Davies should play in the middle or out on the right.

"We must also consider whether we need a left winger and there are all sorts of permutations but it is something we will sort out quite adequately, I'm sure."

More immediately, he will have to answer why they have chosen to buy another striker when most observers know that their most pressing need is for a commanding midfielder.

Pleat's private view is that, with Michael Brown's arrival from Sheffield United, the current players can cope sufficiently until the summer when the new management team can reassess the situation. But, as ever, the messages emanating out of White Hart Lane are mixed, and it is difficult to square Pleat's wait-and-see policy with the recent move for Nicky Butt.

What will not be negotiable is the new transfer policy. Buy 'em young with the potential to sell 'em high is here to stay.