Blink, and you'll miss someone else blink...
Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 9:57PM Evening.
Carroll bid rejected, ho hum. Remember when Sunderland wanted £25M from us for Jones. And where is Jones now? There's a Bentleyesque risk about it for sure. Although you wouldn’t scoff at say £15M for the Geordie, especially if he got the goals that took us back into 4th and consolidated another Champions League finish. And we sort of kinda want some consolidation. The running theme since the summer continues its march forwards. Although it’s hardly a march. More of a drunken waddle.
From the outside looking in, you wonder how reactive and chaotic our search for ‘the answer’ is. Do we have a list of players that Levy and Harry agree are viable targets? I reckon so. Are they in agreement that say, player 1 is the priority but player 2 and player 3 will also be good signings. I reckon yes. Are they shifting from one to the other in a constant merry-go-round, flirting with player/agent/opposing club and using in addition using the media to perhaps aid manipulate and work their way to a resolution? Hell yeah. Considering how focused Levy is I doubt there’s much dithering going on behind the scenes. The issue, as frustrating as it appears, can be blamed on circumstance. Mainly, transfer fees and wages and genuine availability (from club and the player). You can't force the issue, especially if others are also playing the waiting game.
If none of the targets we want are going to join for any amount of reasons, then bidding £25M for Carroll might be the only way we can attempt to force some home made consolidation to arrive before the month of February begins. Or, if you like the left-field, Levy is making a bid for a player that Newcastle don’t and won’t sell in order to perhaps send out a message to one of the other targets and the club that currently owns said targets contract.
Last minute deadline day transfer shenanigans can sometimes appear to be frantic opportunistic desperate risks. Equally so, clubs can end up with 3rd of 4th choice players. I prefer to think that the links, the connections – they are there and when you get towards the last grain of sand in the hour glass both opposing clubs wait to make a final move, their best interests at heart.
Not to say mistakes don’t happen. Pav being one of them. £14M for one of the most apologetic forwards I’ve ever seen. And we’ve hardly thrown him in at the deep end and asked him to play ten straight games. Proved vital, ironically, last season with some important goals. But the point being – we need someone several ‘levels’ of upgrade above the Russian.
Caveat here: More irony, Pav almost felt like the second prize (player) signed and delivered because the Arshavin transfer never materialised, what with Zenit going loopy with their demands. Sometimes, your number one target ends up being tagged as a lucky escape. There's always an element of risk. You don't ever quite know. But if we spend, would rather a player that's young and has potential but can do a job here and now. Both aforementioned Russians flatter to deceive.
Great movement, good in the air, runs like the wind...cheeky bid?
I wouldn’t believe any statements anyone makes either as we edge closer to end of the month. Especially Harry who (as tehTrunk pointed out) resembles a footballing version of Comical Ali at the minute, constantly contradicting and deflecting. Other clubs are hardly going to welcome us in with ease and agents will always tell their clients to not appear too overly keen and eager.
When a call comes in with a final offer...it’s time to make up your mind. For all concerned. And deals tend to be made far quicker with the deadline in sight. The early part of the month is just teaser.
If Harry is truly sharing with us the truth, it’s an insane amount of transparency (i.e. ‘we can’t afford the wages of certain players etc etc’) so personally, there’s an agenda to all the soundbites. And the chairman is in on it. Just my opinion.
I'm actually disappointed that world football only appears to have four or five available forwards for us to flirt with.
Since the window opened there has been around 5-6 viable transfer targets based on history of prior stories, quotes and windows. I’m sure you’ve all been following the ITK updates as they move from one player to another. Reactive to what is actually being reported elsewhere. One of them is bound to strike lucky at some point. What a mess of love that will turn out to be.
Only piece of ITK I've been told (and asked not to share at the time) turned out to be true, even if the timing of it was off by several hours (and no, I’m not sharing it – it’s happened now so it hardly matters, but out of respect to the person it’s best left alone). The point is, the info was precise, unlike some of our esteemed friends (including the ones that have now retired thanks to the rotten fruit thrown in their direction after one too many tall tales).
Considering the amount of work that goes into transfers (ground work especially) the detail, the granularity of the details these ITK's go into can only possibly be known if they know someone at the club who sits on Levy's lap whilst he phones up chairman of clubs on the continent inquiring about the availability of target(s).
If I was a betting man, I’d wager on another vdV type ‘omg where did that come from?’ signing.
No new blood up front would be disappointing. We never consolidated in 2006 (remember that particular window?). Considering how the Prem is beginning to shape up, both chairman and manager must appreciate what is required to level things out. If we’re discussing it, so are they. And at the end of the day – literally – if something is going to happen, it will do so regardless of whether we know about it hours before.
Speculate to accumulate. We’ve got the money.
So who out there has the testicular fortitude to spearhead our attack?
Anyone?
Reader Comments (79)
LLORENTE?
Ellis - I wish. I doubt.
I struggle to see us signing the player we want. We tried in the summer if you believe what you read and with days left we appear to be no closer to finalising a deal. Unless Levy is waiting until the last second because reasons explained above about getting the best deal and forcing the hand of the other club. Way way too risky for me.
Not sure we have a scouting system in place, at least Comolli signed players we hardly expected to be linked to.
Benzema
What the fuck is this? Not a single mention of Stratford? Blog has been hacked!
i wouldnt baulk if someone like elmander was to turn up if im honest
Ill do it.
Harry coming out and saying there is no chance of us signing a striker was slightly unsettling. Eto'o, Benzema, Suarez, Fabiano - would have taken any of these, although they were arguably not available options. Carroll would be second choice at best. In Harry we trust, hopefully the Olympic Stadium and the courting of Beckham were not seen as high a priority as our (ongoing) striker problem.
Hold on, just seen Benzema at Stanstead.........no wait......not him, it's LASSANA DIARRA.......not him either.......was Dave Benson
ITK have suggested that spurs staff will be at Craven Cottage tomorrow, suggestions of zamora, johnson, or dembele ;P
Benzema is a no no< paying well and scoring for Real who are short up top.
One thing I don't undertand is why we wait until 2/3 days before the end of the transfer window to bid for a player we have obviously wanted for a while. Would put in down to Harry dithering and not really rating a forward that can actually score/head the ball. He seems to not know who he wants or why he wants them, just wish we were a little more discret (Harry please listen) and do things out of the spot light
Rasiak
Madrid are hardly going to allow Benzema to leave when they only have him and Ade as their only two fit 'forwards'. Unless they sign Llorente, no chance, not a chance and he would want to go to a bigger club than us if he was allowed to leave.
oh god Rasiak, almost as good up top as gary doherty was :s
Anelka?
We have bid somewhere around £26m for Llorente...
Mido, he's just gone back to Egypt but something tells me he would jump at the chance to come back to us now.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1351791/Spurs-boss-Harry-Redknapp-bids-26m-Athletic-Bilbao-striker-Llorente.html
Joe Cole : )
Anelka would be a step down, overrated and lazy
Eto'o, Benzema, Suarez and Fabiano lose a bit of credibility for signing now as none of them would be eligible for chamsp league. As for the dodgy geordie, l seem to remember the last one we signed didnt work out too bad so lets have a fog on the tyne 2011 remix, the talent isnt in doubt and with the amount of failed strikers weve had in recent years at least the board could say they tried if the magic doesnt materialise
The fee a club asks for a player is one aspect and the salary a player is going to get it's another. Spurs have a problem paying a high salary to their players (according to the international standards). This is the main problem Spurs are facing in their effort to sign a world class player. To this we should add that world class players prefer to play for world famous clubs who became famous by their frequent participation to high level international club competitions or/and have won repeatedly domestic/international championships. So if we really want to follow this path and become a world class club we need at least a world class stadium. Technically speaking most of us know that Spurs don't have, for decades now, an adequate and efficient scouting system which would allow them to find young talents or useful players who still have a potential to develop further and they are not front liners in the news but still can help the team improve its current level and they don't cost a fortune. Besides that it is obvious that we lack a proper programming and timely implementation of a transfer policy.
Just saw the Llorente story on Daily Mail, a) I question the validity of it & b) Real Madrid have tapped that up already, although if it did happen it would be a massive coup.
Any drunken fool who can put the ball in the net.Sorry we had them,still do just they are that drunk now they can't see the bloody net.Not sure it has to be the 6' 5" striker just someone who knows how to score and has a lot of tricks in his locker.I would take two if we could get them but hell we can't get anyone at the minute.The problem with VDV is he changes the way we play and now Harry looks set on only playing that way no matter who or what.I watched Falcao on make me look a star u tube and yes i know anybody can look a star on there but he does look a lot better than anything we have .Guess at the minute that's no big deal.We make plenty of chances just not putting them away.With Bale out resting for a week or so a new jack in the box striker has become even more important however what happens if having bought him he gets a injury thats why i say two.I know you could get two injuries but at the minute none of our great strikers look like scoring so selling two (if you could) and bringing in two new faces might just be what we need.We need to do something as if we don't we will fall behind and i feel Villa,Pool and Sunderland will all only get better as this season and next goes.Now is the time when we are strong to do the deal not next year when we have missed fourth and are fighting to keep our best players.What will missing CL do to all our players having felt the lift of this season.Deals must be done and soon or we will start to drop again having reached so much.
Transfers are a balancing act. Move too soon with too much money, you can overpay. Don't show enough interest, you can get left out. Levy is good at this stuff and I'm sure he's working the deals, but often things don't happen until the pressure of the deadline is added in. This Levy's job and it's crazy to think he is just lazing about.
The bloke from Bolton would do me fine.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1351831/Spurs-boss-Harry-Redknapp-bids-80m+Jenas-Barcelona-striker-Messi.html
I'm not getting my hopes up about a big name signing. I want to see the highly paid lads we already have step it up. Defoes had enough come back games now, time for him to explode. People need to take a reality check. If we were to sign say Luis fabiano, and send Defoe off to a villa or Sunderland, you know full well Defoe would bang in double figures for the remainder of the season, while LF, out of shape, under motivated, missing the sunshine, sulks his way onto the bench are sees our season peter out. New signings really arent always the answer. Sure there are some fail-safes if you can afford them (Torres to chelsea a no brainer) but we're not in that league financially.
We've got a decent bunch of strikers, harry's job is to get them going again. It's not like we've got Carlton cole up front on his own. Let's get crouch and Defoe back together again, VdV behind, modders cutting in from the left, Lennon tearing it up on the right. We've got a really good side, seriously, these are fantastic players. They haven't really fired this season but they'll be back.
Honestly the only guy I can see coming in and making a difference is benzema. Less of it happening are slim in the extreme, but I'd imagine that's where our efforts are being spent. £25m for fat uruguayans unproven at any serious level ain't for me. I still remember the last south American scoring sensation from the Dutch league. His name was Alfonso Alves.
We could loan Carroll and loan them Pav and Dosantos and If we then get fourth pay the thirty Million they want if Pav and Dosantos keeps them up we can trade . Or we can tell them to fuck off and keep there Man because he will end up in jail with Barton and Nolan alongside him.
Any of you boys coming...............................................................to the game tomorrow? HHXX
Let's re-sign our four current strikers and see if pretending they are at a new club gives them the 'new signing' bounce.
If Harry and Daniel are trying, and I agree they probably are, then they need to be trying harder.
Llorente is going to Real Madrid.
Benzema is like Bent but in slow motion.
Suarez has gome to Liverpool. Why?
Torres immediately up sticks and tries to go to Chelsea.
Forlan is staying put. Pity he's a genuine, class, Spurs type player.
Carroll is staying put.
So Doyle it is then.
Has Keane actually gone yet? Check his locker, he could be hiding in there.
lol @ LemonadeMoney nice one.
why do we need llorente is just a poor mans peter crouch smaller in height, equally crap scoring rate 1 in 3. Benzema record is poor as well, 1 in about 2.5 for lyon (french league scoring must be easier than premier league), and 10 goals in 46 games for madrid hardly setting the world alight. carroll record isn't great, hulk's record for porto is fairly good, 46 goals in 106 games, but falcao has a record of 54 goals in 68 games. He clearly knows how to score a goal or two.
Carroll, gotta be Carroll
What about Fred?
Fernando Llorente has been at bilbao all his career, and I think he is a basque himself, I dont think he will want a move to Real Madrid, I would love him at spurs, watching him play makes you think how he would love playing for spurs, linking up with Modric, VDV, Bale. Watching Carroll, not so much.
If we really want to know what's the real inside track on transfers at Tottenham then someone needs to access Daniel Levy's voicemail. However that would clearly be a criminal activity and I am in no way condoning such action. May I also point out for legal reasons that Andy Coulson has always denied any knowledge of phone hacking. And when it comes to the accuracy of football stories in the News of the World I'm inclined to believe him.
Do people want us to sign Llorente because he's got a name that starts with two L's? He is not the type of player we need. We have to sign a player that will score 25+ goals. Get on the end of crosses battle and fight in attack. I'd pay £20M for Carroll to do the job and just give them one or two players as make weights.
totally agree boxed in, a nice exotic name no doubt with a lovely you tube package to give with it. he looks like crouch mk II, yet to prove any consistent goalscoring capacity. I know people are mentioning that madrid are in for him, the point being that they already have a prolific scorer in the shape of ronaldo who is averaging a goal a game for them, so there probably looking for a plan B forward, were as we need a plan A forward just to score goals.
PLY - Spot on.
Plan A = Carroll. Young, homegrown, looks like he will thrive in the Prem and cause problems to European teams.
I think if we don't get him now he will remain a long term target for us. No way Newcastle are going to get near European competition short to medium term, so the current bidding, paper talk etc is typical January fare, you always pay over the odds.
Plan B = Forlan. Proven goalscorer in Spain but do we need another smaller player? But if we can't get Carroll he will do. So send Harry to Spain tell a story about it to get Newcastle thinking...........
Plan C = Don't think we have one, Llorente I can't see happening, think that one has paper BS all over it. Leak a story make Newcastle think that £25million with their name on it could disappear to Spain.
Newcastle are just holding out as they have him on such a long contract. Half a season in the Prem and £25million is good money, look at Bent and Suarez goalscoring records long term and their transfer fees.
I'm sure Harry has faith in JD even if we get no-one new in, so he won't be forced into doing anything.
I have a really bad feeling about this one, I think we're about to do our 'NUTS' on AC......Please God, if so....let him rip up trees !
harry and his myriad of coaches can fuck off.
was that knee jerky enough?
bunch asshole time wasters
Lads, lads, lads....
Whats going on?
I feel a bit sick.
Fecking pissing myself laughing at the moment. How can a team play so well one game, be so shite the next?
Haven't turned up at all and even their fans are givin' it! It is one sick joke...
It's the kit. I blame the kit.
Are Fulham the new Brazil? Discuss:
;)
Spurs, every so often, are more than capable of making anyone look like Brazil.
Hiccup. Glitch. Wake-up call.
Label it as you so wish.
We imploded. Shameful really.
Did Spurs play today?
Didn't think so ...
teams no that our strikers aren't going to hurt them so it's easy to keep us out
No need to panic, we have Diarra and Benzema coming to WHL! Oh wait, they're playing in north Spain tonight... ;)
Bloody ITK's; yes, that's aimed at you Spurs Community you c***s!