Would you swap Modric for Carrick?
Monday, August 24, 2009 at 3:29PM It hasn't taken long for the rumourwhores and ITK's to start suggesting that Man Utd are after Luka Modric. The maths here is easy. Harry mentions Fergie rates him, Harry mentions he has no problem re-signing ex-Spurs players and Carrick is left out of the squad for Utd's last game and therefore that quite obviously equates to a Utd bid of £10M + Carrick (28 at his peak), for our little Croatian magician (23 nowhere near his peak).
This has already been picked up by a journo. Although not sure I've seen the story hit the major tabloids just yet. Although most would ignore this as bollocks, other's would point out that life outside the Top 4 usually results in feeding the likes of Utd because players - lacking commitment to a contract they've signed - tend to know that jumping ship when the opportunity arises is impossible for them to reject (because staying at a club longer than 2 years and become part of a side building towards sustaining a challenge is far too long of a project time wise). Silverware within a season is something that cannot be ignored. The bigger get bigger the slightly less big continue to slim down to an unheathly size.
If you allowed your imagination to run wild, you might conclude that Ferguson has already began his game playing, looking to unsettle a team brimming with confidence (ok, that's just me taking the piss, because I doubt he's worried about us being a threat just because we've won 3 games on the trot). Drag it out over the course of the season, flirting in the media about the target (remember the Berbatov saga?) and then swoop in with a bid knowing full well that even if we reject the bid, it won't be long before the player agrees personal terms leaving the club threatening legal action which results in a charity donation to complete the deal. The side-effect is that a key player has gone, meaning other key players would consider doing the same which leaves us in a position of uncertainty and (Jesus wept) another transition.
With thanks to yid-soldier over at GG.co.uk for the visual
The irony is, some Spurs fans are actually hoping this rumour is based on fact. Personally, I can't see Michael making a move back down to Spurs from Champs League considering he left us for that in the first place. He's won three titles there and the biggest prize of them all. He left Spurs because he had no faith in us challenging for 4th spot. The Redknapp factor might play a part in swaying his opinion but isn't the whole point to retain some form of consistency? Carrick is excellent. But how would you go about replacing Modric? Huddlestone will once more stagnate. And let's face it, if we have aspirations for the Top 4 - and Carrick is a Top 4 player, then would Utd really let him go considering (away from the hype of the Ronaldo's of this world) how vital he's been for them since moving up there? Nothing fits, other than subjective chitter-chatter that may well come back to bite (me) us in the backside if we slump and finish 10th.
Only way to banish this would be to finish in the Top 4 and then maybe we can tap up Carrick, with the offer of Champs League and the bright(er) lights of London.
Don't you just love football? Now where's that bottle of Absinthe?
Reader Comments (104)
no
fookin
way
F^^^K that ! I'll pay fergie a visit if he unsettles Modric. Levy would probaby hire a bountyhunter to take care of him tho.. I fear the worst but believe it wont happen.
no way!!! Modric is Spurs!!!
In a word: "Fuck Off".
Okay, that's two, but who's counting?
Really beginning to get sick of this. Whether its internet geeks wanting to be worshipped as ITK Gods making up bullshit or agent talk or the usual drivel from the press, you know it won't help us or the player out even if Utd are not genuinely interested.
Modric is a decent player, we get there first and it's frowned upon by all. Too good for Spurs, so Fergie HAS to be interested.
Wish they would all just fuck off and shut the fuck up.
Thought Modric has been looking a bit fed-up lately, especially as we have been winning!
The only way to kill these situations off completely is to finish above the "top 4". At the moment, Utd and Liverpool look the 2 most vulnerable teams in that group, just as Utd. did before we sold them Carrick. let's hope we slam them 4-0 at our place and give this rumour some legs!!
I think the weakness of the original article was shown when the writer failed to pick-up on Harry's pending deal to swap Bentley for Messi and 40 Tesco points.
NO WAY! If Levy sold Modric than he is the biggest mug ever!!!!
If he has a great season it will be Man City who will come knocking so at least we can milk them for a ridiculous fee.
But that wont happen. We'll finish 4th and then people will look at London as an option.
< dreaming :)
No Way! He's moved on, let us try and move up! Keep hold of him, he seems happy now and it's showing in his and the teams football!! COYS!
If we beat Utd and ram it down their throats we can look at really challenging for 4th spot. I still think 6th is realistic, but the longer the season goes on (much like 2005) you start to belief a little bit more.
Carrick is class, but it makes no sense to even consider selling Luka when we won't have a direct replacement for him.
Beautiful.
Three games in, top of the table is all it takes to have our best players unsettled.
Used to be that in the old days, when a team was playing well at the top of the league the other teams would try and play better and then beat that team when they played each other. Simpler times eh.
...and I'll answer the question with another question;
can Carrick play on the left of midfield?
Nah! Don't deal with them. We bought Modric for good money so there is no way we should let him go, even for £35million would be far too little. Carrick wasn't commited to our cause which is why he left. I wish him well at United and I think he's a good player, but I don't think we need that type of player anymore.
LOL at the Circle of Failure. It rings so true.
We need to fight our way into the Top 4 more than ever. I'm not worried regardless. He'll stay, the story is bullshit and the same goes for Wilson.
I'm surprised to see you giving this the time of day Spooky. A destabilising rumour that we should pay no mind, lest the paper monkies start to run with it. Personally I think you should be running the story about how unsettled Berbatov is and rumours abound that leaving the Lane was an unmitigated mistake and he has contacted Spurs about a return... I heard it down the pub from a Pearly King that used to babysit the young Harry Redknapp when his ma went out for pie and liqour.
Answer to post title:
No, no and no again.
Followed by no.
Regardless of who the players are, I'm not in the thinking that we let Man United cherry-pick our vital players every time we show signs of becoming anything approaching a force.
My genuine feeling, despite being incredibly dramatic, is that regardless of fee, if Manchester United are to take any one of our 'top' players then after twenty nine years of being a deeply heartfelt Tottenham Hotspur supporter, I will no longer follow football. I'm not outraged. No banging of fists. It will just be confirmation of a pointless pursuit with no concern toward football.
Some fans would be disgusted at that and tout phrases in blind adoration. Not more blindly paying money to my club or any club. Why would I want to? Blindly being a fan and making myself poorer to the greater good of the bigger teams? That's what it boils down to.
I'm sure that financially our books will look great, but somehow the modern supporter has found that to be an interest also. Touting profits made as cheaply as any failed, moronic Apprentice contestant. Why? I'm a football fan. I can concern myself with my own finances.
I'm not the furious, knee-jerk supporter who threatens to tear up his season ticket, red-faced in anger. That just will be it for me. Door closed. Quietly as that.
Nope.
How long did it take to get over losing Carrick when he left?!
Not happening again (fingers crossed)!! Hopefully these lessons have been learnt!
when seeing this in the media today my immediate reaction was .......f off!
after some consideration and thought..................................f....off!
media mugsgame........should all be shot at dawn............
sure its run by gooners and mancs who undermine our progress
just as it all starts to come together the best players we have are stuck in the
media reaction game........
for petes sake what a load of tosh
Carrick left Spurs for "greener pastures".He showed us the type of loyal character he is.He had no faith.
Now this season their might be a change.Man U.do not appear to be the club they used to be.(They sold their best player Ronaldo).Even if Carrick is keen to come back,we should make no bid for him.Loyalty has its place.
Frankly he is not wanted at White Hart Lane.
WookieD - I did think about it before posting.
On the Berbatov story (lol), you know if someone posted about that in a forum and then I wrote about it here - it would take all of 3 days before it ended up on SSN.
I guess, ironically and rather obviously, I've given this shit more air time when it deserves nothing less. You're right, I'm wrong. Live, learn, all that jazz.
I clicked on the link (on the circle of failure) and can't believe some of the comments in that thread. People would actually consider this transfer? Really???
Strange.
Silly season continues with the media. Fergie has probably nowt to do with it but knows he will be able to use it if need be a year from now.
No worries mate, scrub both my posts, I'm off to GG to talk about Burger King;)
Carrick for Moric no way. If Fergie wants to offload Carrick we could straight swap Bentley for him and save them 10 million.
Modric is pure class and will be one of the
best in europe.
NO Fookin way i would let him leave
There is only one place moderic will go and that is real madrid and we would get robynn utd have no chance of getting moderic berbatov whas different he stopped scoring . We would no miss moderic has much has berbatov thats a fact the little man his quality but we are blessed with midfielders that could do a job against prem players given an extended run.There are players that would make my blood boil if we sold them and that includes lennon defoe palacios .i will bet any spurs fan that we would miss them more than moderic if he got injured it happend last year and we still won .So its somthing we will need t to get used to other teams coarting our players lets look forward to bostock and mason and there english lennon palacios huddlestone bostock .He can only benifit from playing around the likes of moderic he is athletic tall skillfull can pass shoot and dribble .coys
Enuff fucking already. This apparently started as a joke post on a Spurs forum, and now very Spurs blogger this side of Beijing is giving it credence. Shut the fuck up the lot of you, or you'll start the ball rolling and bring it about.
I'm a Utd fan and I'd like to say that Modric is a player brimming with class. The good news is that he is also brimming with loyalty and commitment for Spurs, he has even declared how happy he is that he joined. Modric could play at any club in europe, even Barca, and you are lucky to have him; appreciate him and he'll stay no worries
its a media circus ......!
bring back tv and sports presenters with ordinary ties! who are not robots and replace the ones
who have never had the ball in the bllx on a cold winters morning (ouch)
and newspaper reporters not repeaters who know something about football....
the ball is round!......its got to the point where Harry says only one word not to give anything
as it gets taken out of context ie:Triffic.....the way we passed it .....Triific ....coles back pass!
triffic........ about my garden hose going off in the miidlle of the night!
Q,youve done a good job since you have been here harry has it been difficult with all the changes?
A,Triffic and far as my efforts ..are concerned its been.......................................................triffic.................
Thx Harry and back to the studio.......!!
Well said Dougie, Top 4 clubs carry huge debts but seem to be above common decency. Liverpool played mindgames re Barry to disrupt Villa. Glad in a way that Citeh are now in this ring, they will take points off the big 4.
Transfer window not closed yet, Levy must be resolute, success on the pitch etc will fill new stadium. If spurs are whittled down by unwanted player approaches etc, Modric unsettled, I will just support my local, local team B. Stortford.
Of all my mates, those that support Man Utd are the worst, the gloating bastards. How they chirped when they bought Carrick and crowed when they signed Berbatov. £48m doesn't represent bad business on Levy's part, but imagine if we'd kept hold of those lads in our current set up. We have to resist the money and force the players to somehow stay, or we'll never improve
Very nice of Mr Ferguson to offer to take Luka off our hands and give us back a player we didn't want to sell and 10mil. WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS??? When Carrick was sold most Spurs fans would have said that it wasn't a good move and that he was just starting to look good in the central midfield role but he also showed no loyalty. As normal Fergie taps (allegedly) up the player gets his man then leaves him on the bench. When he does get a run he then gets injured drops out of the national reckoning and now as he isn't a regular starter for Utd Fergie decides that his once prize asset isn't worth keeping so he trys to off load. I liked Carrick when he played for us but he isn't the player he was, he went where the money was better and we haven't seen the best of Modric yet. Fergie go LUKA somewhere else!
Don't ever think about it. Carrick is the past.. so is Berbatov. F**k off fergie. You are nothing but a piss. Always getting Spurs top player. Serve you right, now that you lose Ronaldo.. miss him ya..
blah blah blah……red nose day
(mirror report)
blue peter have got a new hamster called harry shnappy who bears a remarkable resemblance to bobby charlton……also there was a pram left outside the south tier
last wed, police are mystified
Look at the kids face every game, it lights up whenever he scores, he's always there celebrating with whoever else has scored, he's happy as punch, and Harry or Levy are no mugs, and Luka himself knows he's loved at the lane, plus its not as if he's part of a struggling team, spurs are going from strength to strength,
i think he'll stay and fight, this is all getting out of proportion,
saying that id love to meet the little media turnip who started all this talk in the first place.
fergie whos top of the table u tw.t
Super Luka nuts are we, we are Luka loopy!
Fergie's bricking it. He knows his midfield is a mess and that they've gone back to the Djemba-Djemba days. Tell him to shove it whether the story's true or not. Can't stand the man.
Wilson 25, Lennon 22, Luka 23, Hudd 22... can you imagine how good this unit will be in a couple of years if they stay together?
This is ridiculous, firstly modric has more class in his big toe than carrick has in his whole footballing ability, ok carrick can pass and has vision but modric has everything and is still young, this is probably bull shit anyway, shitty mind games from that hypocrite ferguson, he moaned when mardid tapped up winker.
coys
No thanks.
If Carrick is surplus to requirements up there and we want him, then just make a straight cash bid for him.
If Modric leaves I will be furious, if the club let yet another player go to United, Levy and co can have my season ticket back.
lets never mention this again spooky, unfortunately by writing about it your make it grow, so never speak of this again. or we may just loose him before we want to.
And become Man Utds official feeder club? No. I enjoy your blogs normally, but I am quite disappointed with you on this one. You are fueling the fire by even commenting on this speculation, which could eventually unsettle Modric.
Spooky commentating on this is neither here or there. More people read Spurs forums than they do blogs, so this story is already out there. It's in the papers for a start. And looking at that GG thread it seems some of us would consider a swap deal, which I find crazy. Modric is 23. Carrick is 28. Would be plain stupid to swap.
http://www.kumb.com/report.php?id=488
"An hilarious read. Give Gordon "Vivid Imagination" Thrower my congratulations on his fantastic sense of humour.
We'll keep on beating you every single time and you keep on putting up these fantastic bitter rants. Deal?"
no way, fuck off utd
Carrick +30ml a figure we like from united would be a figure that might tempt Levy nothing less but who would replace him on the left not sure maybe Bastos at Lyon as a possible .That way we could also buy Joe Cole and C Cole and let Pavs go to roma on loan.10ml for joe and 12ml and 8ml for bastos still would not be happy but hell its united and they normally get our best players of us.
"How they chirped when they bought Carrick and crowed when they signed Berbatov. £48m doesn't represent bad business on Levy's part, but imagine if we'd kept hold of those lads in our current set up."
Yep. I can imagine what it would be like if we still had Berbatov. He'd still be standing in the 18 yard box with a stroppy look on his face, vaguely waving his leg at any balls that are coming in like some kind of disabled foul-tempered ballerina. Then sulking when it doesn't hit his boot at the right angle and speed to score a goal. He'd also have spent the last month being tapped up by Real Madrid and we'd have had even more bollocks in the press about the players we are going to lose to other clubs.
My name is Luka
I live outside the box
I pass either side of you
Yes I think that Tottenham rocks!
This is bollox.. The fact is that who would be ManUre's holding midfielder - Hargreaves...????
What about Carrick +30ml then we could sell Jenas to Villa for 10ml and give them Bentley +Hutton +5ml for Young and with the other 5ml from Jenas we could buy Parker from the spammers.We would still have 30ml so we could loan Pavachenko to Roma and buy Carlton Cole for 10-15ml and still have money for Joe Cole thus costing us nothing and we get rid of some of our players we don't want and as always sell our best players to that poor half of manchester to keep old red nose happy.