By Mark Murphy

Tottenham’s recent striker swap may seem to some observers as the best bit of business of the transfer window to date. But the White Hart Lane outfit’s major headaches remain at the other end of the pitch.

As predicted some weeks ago, Spurs go into Sunday’s opening Premier League fixture at home to Liverpool this coming Sunday without the services of centre-backs Jonathan Woodgate and Michael Dawson, although Ledley King is currently considered a likely starter.   Woodgate this week underwent minor surgery in Germany on the groin injury which has kept him out of Spurs’ pre-season. A statement from the club did not give a date for his return, simply saying: “Jonathan will now begin a rehabilitation programme with our physios.”

Dawson is out with an Achilles injury. But manager Harry Redknapp was busy in the transfer market and last week signed central defensive cover in 23-year-old Frenchman Sebastien Bassong from Newcastle for an estimated £8m.

It was thought Bassong would miss the Liverpool game having picked up a two-match suspension after being sent-off in Newcastle’s penultimate game of last season.

Sebastien Bassong missed the Magpies’ last-day defeat at Aston Villa. However, the FA concurred with Spurs’ claim that the suspension should apply to Newcastle games.

So Toon’s visit to West Bromwich Albion in the Championship last Saturday served as that second game, even though Bassong had signed for Spurs four days earlier.

In contrast, the Lilywhites go into Sunday’s encounter with a plethora of in-form strikers. Jermaine Defoe, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Peter Crouch and Robbie Keane could well be fighting for two places in Spurs’ starting eleven.

Both Defoe and Pavlyuchenko scored on international duty on Wednesday. Defoe grabbed a match-saving brace for England in Amsterdam, while Pavlyuchenko scored a late consolation in Russia’s 3-2 home defeat to Diego Maradona’s Argentina.   Fans will certainly feel Tottenham got the best of the deals which saw Crouch replace Darren Bent in Harry Redknapp’s strikeforce, despite Bent top-scoring last season with 17 goals.

Bent moved to Sunderland for a Wearsiders’ club record £10m, while Crouch was picked up from cash-strapped Portsmouth for a cut-price £9m, a deal which allowed the South Coast outfit to eat into their huge bank debt.

“I’m feeling relief more than anything” was one of Bent’s more polite parting comments, while Crouch was a tad more positive.

“With the ability we have in the squad, there is no end to what we can achieve,” he declared, after impressing in Spurs 3-0 home victory over Greek champions Olympiakos last Saturday.

The form of the strikers sparked rumours that Keane might be looking for his next “dream move” in a remarkably mobile career.

But Redknapp commented: “We have four strikers and they are all top players. If people need a rest, I’ve got options, and that’s important.”

Meanwhile, off-the-field, midfielder David Bentley has been charged with drink-driving after an incident in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire early on Thursday morning. He has been bailed to appear at St. Albans Magistrates Court on August 28^th.