One that got away: Tottenham Hotspur will regret not signing powerhouse striker Christian Benteke

The past four seasons have seen Tottenham Hotspur challenging for an automatic Champions League place within the highly competitive Premier League.

And having broken their transfer fees paid record multiple times this summer, recruiting the likes of Paulinho, Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela, it is clear that Spurs’ route into Europe’s most high-profile, celebrated and revered competition, is still of paramount importance.

Gareth Bale’s departure to sunnier shores enabled a plethora of talented attackers to stride through the doors of White Hart Lane this summer.

So now, backed with one of the club’s most technically gifted squads for some time, André Villas-Boas is tasked with guiding Tottenham to a top-4 position come May.

Their lavish indulgence on some of Europe’s most sought after talent should be commended; a clear sign of intent to would-be challengers.

However, with Paul Lambert’s affirmation that Spurs approached Aston Villa this summer over the possibility of signing talented striker Christian Benteke, should Villas-Boas have finalised the deal?

“I was on holiday. I was not bothered. I knew what was happening, I was never really bothered because I knew he was never going to go anywhere,” said Paul Lambert, as reported by the Birmingham Mail. “I didn’t worry about it. I knew myself what was going on, so I was not going to get caught up in something that was never going to transpire. Are you talking about when Spurs came in for him?”

Since his reported £7 million transfer to Aston Villa in 2012, Christian Benteke’s attributes have been clear to all. The 22-year-old Belgian is blossoming into a complete forward, capable of overpowering the strongest and most experienced defenders that the Premier League has to offer.

Benteke had the fifth highest Attack Score last season.

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During his debut season, Benteke achieved the fifth highest Squawka Attack Score (1295) of any player in the league, behind Luis Suárez, Gareth Bale, Santi Cazorla and Robin van Persie. Additionally, the former Genk player won the most duels (358) – 16 tackles, 23 take-ons and 268 headers – throughout a 2012-13 campaign that saw him finish as the league’s fourth highest goalscorer with 19 goals.

Aston Villa certainly recouped their modest transfer outlay.

With 3334 completed passes to their name – the fifth highest total in the league (see below) – Tottenham Hotspur’s first team is perhaps the last place that you would expect to find a combative and robust centre-forward in the mould of Christian Benteke.

However, you only have to scrutinise Fernando Llorente’s role under Marcelo Bielsa, and Mario Mandžuki? under Pep Guardiola – the Croatian striker has won the most headers (26) for Bayern Munich during this season’s Bundesliga – to appreciate how powerful forwards can be integrated into a tactical system centred on imaginative individuals.

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the fifth highest number of passes this season.

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Target men may not be heavily involved in patient build-up throughout the varying stages of transitions, however their sheer physicality keeps opposition players occupied, acting as a reliable emergency outlet.

Llorente was utilised in this manner for Athletic Bilbao while under the guidance of the eccentric, yet tactically astute, Bielsa. The giant Spaniard would cushion the ball to on-rushing midfielders, as well as maintaining a physical presence for crosses throughout the attacking third.

If Bilbao’s defenders were under pressure when attempting to play out from the back, Llorente was often used as a figurative safety-net, due to the high probability that he would win headers, thus maintaining possession.

Tottenham Hotspur could have utilised Christian Benteke in this manner; a constant aerial threat who would have acted as a passing shield/wall for ingenious onrushing midfield playmakers.

Aston Villa’s striker has won the most headers during this campaign.

Of course, obtaining one of Belgium’s most promising strikers would not have been cheap. And there’s always the possibility that players perform exceptionally throughout a debut season, before fading into the shadows the following year.

However, Benteke’s consistency shows no sign of diminishing, as he continues to dominate opposition defenders by winning the most headed duels (52) in the league, in addition to scoring four goals in six appearances.

A talented individual who may end up at one of André Villas-Boas’ rivals in the coming years. Will Christian Benteke be the one that got away?