Statement of intent
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 12:05PM Brace yourselves. It seems Sam Wallace of the Independent is privy to an imminent statement from Luka Modric concerning the players future at the club. The statement will no doubt be apologetic spin to limit any further damage made by the perfectly scripted quotes made from his boat to a Daily Mail reporter. Something lost in translation no doubt, he’ll say. It’s almost a certainty that Luka will be positive towards the club he’s currently contracted too and perhaps we can all move on and hope that Levy follows up his blockbuster statement from the other day with one pertaining to a new signing (or two).
Kia Joorabchian was/is (according to the Independent article linked above) involved with the Luka bombshell which more or less explains the shady developments of recent days. It’s looking more and more like they were testing Levy and the clubs resolve, possibly knowing deep down it was a long shot but giving it a go regardless - be it for a transfer or further improved wages (worked with Rooney). I guess had Chelsea bid £40M from the off, we might have found ourselves in a different position today. But they only bid a laughable £22M. Proving I guess that their ambition hardly matches Modric’s, if they don’t rate him highly enough to pay his worth.
To repeat what I said in my previous blogs, Levy’s devastating hand to face statement is one that allows zero wriggle room to go back on his word that the player is not for sell at any price (in addition to Luka’s comment that he would not hand in a transfer request). Levy knows the move is fantasy and I don’t blame him for taking advantage of this. He’s made sure he gets maximum impact out of making a mockery of the Chelsea bid. Flexing muscles for all to see. Using the ilk of language that shows off his strength in refusing to buckle.
Luka/agent/Joorabchian might want something else out of all this but they’ll have to wait another season at the very least.
It's been theatrical from all concerned. More so once the Luka statement is released. Because regardless of what he says in terms of appeasing the disgruntled and disappointed Spurs fans, it’s all been akin to a father taking a belt to his rebellious son to then have said son return from his bedroom after reflecting on his behaviour and apologise to the family for being out of line.
He was never going to get away with it.
Reader Comments (52)
It'll all blow over. It's good to show some balls for a change though
Well if Luka does want to go, no point keeping an unhappy player.
Rumours they will come back with Essien as a makeweight surfacing this morning - how about Essien (one of the most underrated players in the Prem IMO) and Drogba plus a (relatively) nominal fee?
Then we can shift some other fringe players on and buy one or two young prospects leving mr Levy with a happy bank balance and a squad capable of challenging still. Too much change is bad, we've seen it before too often at WHL
Now sit down with Luka and perhaps he can point the board and Arry in the right direction for new signings!! No has beens, ex-spammers or free bees......we do need to make a stand and move on or be left behind. Let's get our business sorted now and buy to improve and cut the deadwood for reasonable prices! I read on Newsnow that Pobolski could be avialable for ten million and could be worth a shout and then spend 20 million plus on the 20 a goal out and out striker that can play up there on his own
That world class striker that we all crave for has recently let it be known he would like to come to the EPL Eto Eto Eto just go and get him Mr Levy. Simples !!
We'd be crazy to get on his back about this little episode - who wouldn't be open to a move that would earn you 50k-100k more A WEEK than you're currently on. Plus who knows what he really said, what his agents have said.
If he does stay, we should just be thankful.
Players should have it written into their contracts that they're not allowed to talk about transfers to other clubs.
Modric will leave and Levy will play the 'unhappy player' card.
Levy's and Redknapp's combined failure to buy a striker last season has fucked us over, not Modric wanting to leave.
They've only themselves to blame.
For sure, our team needs strengthening, and it's hard to see what our intentions are.
Folkestone - do you been Podolski? If so, he signed for some Italian team last week on a free.....
you mentioned the rooney saga in there yourself spooky, ever thought that it might of all been a ploy to get the same result as that did. My feeling on the rooney mess was that sir alex had a little word.
"Wayne, think i might have a way of doubling/tripling your wages and getting a limitless transfer pot so that we can bring in some players similar to your level, you just need to be in the middle for a couple of weeks and then resolve it with the fans."
"i didnt understand any of that. but yes boss, whatever you say."
"just read this statement"
Could possibly of been a chat between harry and his best mate alex regarding this cheeky way of getting the board to bend over backwards to show intent to there star player. seems like both of there styles.
just a thought.
The only statement of intent so far is the signing of a 40 year old keeper. Words are just words where Levy is concerned and its time for new owners with some ambition, not empty promises.
I don't think Levy's response was theatrical in the least - just crystal clear. Both Arsenal and Manchester United have held on to players after they've expressed a desire to leave. If we're to compete then that's what we have to do to. With Modric and Sandro we have the makings of a world class central midfield. With Huddlestone and VDV also on the books we have strength in depth. Why throw it away and start again?
To Spang : "Thankful"? Only if I can give him a kick in the bollox first.
I love you TMWNN. I sometimes consider stopping the medication for a couple of days and regressing back to that angry old skool Spooky persona, negative to the bone and blood thirsty.
No doubting that actions speak louder than words. Benefit of the doubt at the moment because anything less than 2/3 top class players this summer will have me tag teaming up with you and burning N17 to ashes.
do like the Eto'o shout though, didnt we almost sign him years ago!? and he said he really liked spurs.
im sure i heard a few things like that a little while ago.
Here's the scenario currently facing Levy:
We currently need to shift the likes of Bentley, Jenas etc. to free up some wage space. Until those sales are made, Levy won't sanction a big money signing.
Now, Luka has allegedly come out and said that he wants to go to Chelsea and challenge for the CL & PL. Firstly, Chelsea have to get through the qualifier......
Harry has said that we will sign 2/3 top notch players to show Luka our ambition. This means Levy needs to add approx £180k per week to the wage bill.
Given the choice of banking £30+ million or adding £9 million to the annual wage bill, which is he HONESTLY going to do.....?
We shouldn't have to add new players just to placate someone who allegedly wants to leave. We should be signing these players regardless of that fact.
Bye bye Luka....... (and Bale, VdV and Sandro)
levy is more concerned about the fact he got beat too a brand new stadium by basically a couple of pimps!! he is wasting valuble time and effort and most importantly money on trying too save some face.....LEVY OUT!!!
Pobolski [sic] ?????
is he any better than Pavlyuchenko?
Sell Pav for £10m, buy Podolski for £10m....not sure that improves us. We want to be replacing our strikers with top quality otherwise whats the point. A player available for £10m is not top quality!
Rumours of a deal involving cash plus either Bassong or Kaboul for Gary Cahill.....
I want to believe Spooky that this is the end but football nowadays , well you know what it's like. He had me fooled that young croatian , i was convinced that for once a player was a decent teamplayer but alas ...
I should stop linking the clubs with its players and supporting the players in stead of just the club. He has ambition , he wants more money ... can't blame him for that. Just the way to get there wasn't all that decent ...
Frankly, I blame whichever idiot thought up that shitty Bananarama song for luka. Change it NOW, before it's too late!
I've avoided Stratford for a while but not forgotten about it and although Levy has done his bit over the Modric transfer 'saga' he's hardly forgiven for matters off the field of play with the NDP. Unless he's still playing political games to make the non viable project viable again.
Oh and I've got my German strikers mixed up - it wasn't Podolski who moved on a freebie, it was Klose.
Tusekn...is this the story you mean? http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11675_2237943,00.html
The problem with the Modric saga is that the real fuss developed from a statement apparently made to a Mail reporter. This third hand reporting is suspect at best due to language subtleties, and the way the reporter wants to 'spin' the story.
So we all react and the story spins out of control.
If Chelsea had a 22 million bid repulsed thats fine, its their's and Spurs right, however, if Chelsea then broke that news that seems to me to be against what little ethical framework that exists in the FA, and the FA need to act. It is clear that unprincipled clubs are out of control in the way they use the media. The media, in its various forms are part of the fabric of soccer and if they cannot police themselves with a code of conduct, then the FA should get involved. That won't of course happen as the FA are about as inept as Sepp Blather and his crowd.
Maybe you'll consider, when you step back and look at the situation as a whole taking into account the facts and whats gone before, that these quotes from that bastion of publishing The Mail could actually be fabricated 'quotes.' Let have a look at the facts here;
First off it was published by The Mail, after a few questionable 'quotes' from that other great fountain of knowledge and truth... the Daily Star.
Next, These quotes happened while Modric was on Holiday, nay in fact on his HONEYMOON. I'm sure the first thing he'd happily do on his boat is to shun his Wife tell her to put the Champagne back in the minibar while he has a nice chat with this Journo. Course.
Now the fact they happened while he was on Honeymoon, which if you researched his whereabouts thoroughly you find various lower key Croatian publications (not obviously visible to the general public) telling us of his holiday and how he enjoyed a meal with his wife and pals etc. Doesn't this strike you as the perfect time to put out a 'quote' from him? You can try to add some credence to it telling you he's on his boat, which is little known to anyone at the time. And also he's out of the country, on a boat and unavailable for his reaction.
Next the nature of the quotes sounded iffy to say the least - stating the little gems the tabloids have been trying to fill our heads with such as i.e: we've not qualified for the champs league, we've sold players before - the Berbatov fiasco. More someone speaking on his behalf and not mincing his words so much.
Then take into account, the trusted sources he's been quoted over the last year and since the turn of the year as well as his reputation as a non trouble maker, and as Harry has said many times that he's 'good as gold' and not a jack-the-lad flash upstart. Total contrast to these quotes.
By the time the storms brewed up so that people now take the quotes being true and as a given and Modric finally comes off his holiday and is available, anything he would then say would sound like backtracking or trying to make excuses.
Now I'm not saying his heads not been turned a little and he wants to know where the team is going etc. But to suggest its been turned to the extent of these 'quotes' is to say that all we've heard is true.
Thankfully, learning from the past (and in particular the Berbatov and Keane situations) Levy has moved to knock it on the head.
It still wont stop the gutter press and rivals fans creating a stir and questioning his standing. But lets hope Levy can learn from last summer also, and move to tie up some deals fast, not quibbling over the odd couple of mil and just getting in what we need and out what we don't.
Press can hardly get anything right. 40k per week Luka is meant to be one, yet apparently he's on 60-70k.
40k was what he started on. You really think a player of his quality and importance (and one who's well sought after) would be OFFERED a 6 YEAR deal on 40k a week? Let alone would he ACCEPT it!! These journos are getting thicker. Love how they make it 42K like the 2K makes it sound more accurate and that they know exactly what he's on because it say 42K and not a rounded off 40K.. Muppets. And people thought Jack-a-nory ended years ago.
If nothing else, our Chairman will be furious that Luka was quoted lauding Cheatski's 'ambitious owner'. It's not a good call, implying that Levy lacks ambition (even if some fans might agree).
I can see DL now, reclining in the leather chair, mulling over the slur with silent rage as he strokes the white cat and contemplates which button to press - the pool of sharks or the pit of molten lava.
Have we ever held on to a want-away player?
No. But will be first time we keep one for an extra season.
Well actually, second time. First time was Berba. Which was a mess. Think Luka still has plenty to play for in Lilywhite if he still wants his move season after next.
Something I forgot to cite in article, re: Modrics agent.
We get loads of quotes from Vuksan - who is apparently not his agent. Now it's Mamic.
Anyone?
"Jun 20, 2011 at 12:58 PM | Timo
Frankly, I blame whichever idiot thought up that shitty Bananarama song for luka. Change it NOW, before it's too late!"
I agree with Timo. I'm sure if he had a better song he wouldn't have entertained the idea of leaving. Clearly all that cock and bull about Chelsea being a big club, winning things, etc. was merely a smokescreen as his head was really turned by the millions in song writing royalties that Abramovich could offer.
So in order for Spurs to match his ambition the manager and the chairman need to sit down with Luka and thrash out a new improved Modrić song. And this should be done early in the window so that it gets a full pre-season in. We don’t want the usual scenario of that mad deadline day scramble to sign a world class song as that leaves little time for it to hit the ground running ;)
PS: I do blame the board for allowing Chelsea the space to engineer this situation. Didn’t they realise Roman always moors his yacht off the coast of Split at this time of the year?!
There is a whole load of negativity on these posts and i'm struggling to understand all of it. Is it anger towards the club or Modric? Yes i'm a bit annoyed with Modric and i feel a wee bit let down , but do we know the real story? How can we be sure that those quotes were not taken out of context? Both Levy and harry have done everything right so far in handling this situation and us fans are fully aware of both of their stances. Modric is ours, he's on a 6 year deal and he is probably the top earner in the team. He is not in a position to leave or try and put through a move , particularly now that Levy has stated he won't be selling him now. The reprocusions of actually selling him now would very damaging for the club and could set us back 2-3 years , plus we'd lose the manager and followed closely by our 2 other best players. So.... is it worth hanging onto a player who may be unhappy but will have to get on with it...... Absofuckinglutely.
TMWNN.
Spurs are the 4th or 5th highest spenders in the league with an average spend of £15m a season since the EPL began.
Levy has managed the clubs finances brilliantly, and there is no one who could squeeze more out of our potential income than he and the Board has. The only way things can change would be if the club were bought by a private individual , who was prepared to invest 10s or 100s of millions into the club. So if you are hanging ouyt for a sugar daddy then you are a pathetic soul!
Without a viable stadium, there will be no one out there who would invest in a club which needs £400m spent on a stadium. Roman considered Spurs before Chelsea but was put off by the need for a new stadium, and the cost (plus the shitty location). Fans like you want it all but have no realistic idea of how to achieve it:
TMWNN wants:
1. New stadium
2. But not a souless bowl
3. And not one outside of Tottenham
4. without bankrupting the club
5. and wants THFC to spend on super stars
6. and pay what ever it takes in fees/wages to get them
7. even if that means over paying to attract players to a team that is traditionally smaller than the likes of Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal
7. enabling Spurs to be giants of world football
8. and all of this has to be done now, or should have been done in January
9. and without increasing ST prices too much
10. and if Levy & Co. cannot do this then someone else needs to come in a do it, someone with very deep pockets.
If i were you i'd think about what you want for THFC and realistically think how THFC could possibly achieve it, because I can see no way of achieving much more than we currently are in terms of the quality of our squad
The irony is that the best way to achieve the success that so many demand, and buy and keep the top players, and pay their huge wage demands, is to move to Stratford because that site would fast track the club to a financial position that is vastly superior to the current position, one that would be on a par with the likes of Arsenal and Utd, and one that could catapult Spurs to a global super-club status. An option that you dismiss out of hand!
If you ask me there is no difference between selling your soul to a sugar daddy owner and moving to Stratford as a viable business living within its means.
Overall I simply tire of your continual negativity.....god knows what you were like when we were midtable and worse and going nowhere!
Was at my local shop the other day, when some chav mother came in with her two rugrats, whilst stood at the counter she beckoned ('oi chantaaaalle') to her daughter to pick up a copy of the mail on her behalf ('get us a daleey maaail luv').
I looked across, trying not to appear like some complete judgemental middle class wanker of a snob and thought to myself 'that's about right, god help us if she ever gets an interweb'.
I have failed you all, it turns out that I am a judgemental, middle class, wanker who believes that the mail (and it's online version) are nothing more than a means to assist in defining the inevitable future requirement for selective culling (a la douglas adams) for the sake of the gene pool (and the eradication of those swimming in the shallow end).
Accordingly, I would advise to avoid the mail 'online' or otherwise, just in case I do ever rule the world.
I apologise for my candour, douchebags.
ps. it's not long until the mirror, the guardian, the sun, bits of the times, the express (if it is still around in the near future), the beeb (the way thing are going), the telegraph, the observer and bits of the independent are soon to follow with their 'lowest common denominator'. In fact, just stick to reuters, private eye and the FT just to be on the safe side.
i think that we should have a concerted effort at starting our own bullshit rumours in an attempt to unsettle players from other clubs and sucker the ridiculous journo's who have fabricated this shit.......if others can create transfers then why not us.....so then who knows Robbo's phone number? i'm sure he would happily join us in upsetting the goonercart......wilshere to city anyone? Works well along side the fabregas to barca transfer, gerrard and terry to madrid? Tevez to Barca? Rooney to milan......?
whoooooo-wannnttttsssss-to-play- I-T-K (wheeling round my own little playground here with my arms out!)
Redknapp is behind this. If Luka leaves, he has the perfect excuse for when we lose i.e. blame the sale of the player. Also, he can use the Modric tale to cover over his own inadequacies as a manager and force Levy's hand into signing more players. Why manage what you have better when you can instead buy new players? Our squad is good enough to get into the top 4. Our manager isn't. He won the FA cup with Portsmouth by buying several international players for a league 1 team and paying them Man-U esque wages. Other than that, his management record is less than impressive. I loved the interview given by the chairman of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust on TalkSport today. If you haven't listened to it yet, I urge you to do so. The manager's job is to sell the ambition and dream to all his players and take them with him. Either he is not doing that or Luka has no faith in him as a manager. I know which one my money is on.
I hope Levy gets to publicly pull a Don Logan sometime soon, even if Modric is eventually sold this summer, because this getting buffaloed by players has to stop and it's time for Spurs to sh*t or get off the pot so far as wanting to win is concerned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z_Qqnq8pI8&feature=related
Strong words from Levy..sadly that's all they are..
He can't really lose here now...Modric stays: he's applauded for telling them to f*ck off...Modric leaves: Levy did all he could.
Probably has already been mentioned but I heard that the 'reporter' who quoted Modric was the same one Levy BANNED from WHL a couple of seasons ago???????????
P.S Kia fucking Jorabbchian or whatever he's called...parasite...
Looking forward to Modric's statement though...
Dear Devonshirespur,
A tip. If my comments tire you so much, don't read them. It's quite simple.
It was only a matter of time until the Stratfordites reared their ugly heads in an attempt to protect their God of any accusations of wrong doing and use the current situation to further their support for the OS.
We needed just one player who could have sored around 10 league goals.
@jonnyb - thats exactly the one mate yes, been storing that one away in your archives to make you smile on a sunny day?
dedicating embarrasing judas cunt to us,...what more can you want from a player!! SIGN HIM UP!
Big difference between Carrick & Berba and the Luka situation is the first 2 had 2 years left on their contract and refused new deals.
If we had held on we would have had a player with 1 year left and worth half of what they were last year, or lost for £0 a year later. Potentially between £25m and £50m of forgone income. And who is to say that Berba and Carrick would have been committed to the cause during the season if forced to stay.
At least with Luka we can afford to take that risk because if he stays and shows a lack of commitment he wil be worth the about same next winter/summer as this summer, with 4 years left on his contract.
Not sure what the score was with Keane. He had a new 5 year deal and then wanted to leave 3 months later, i think the Board decided that £20m for a 28 year old on top wages was a good deal...and I tend to agree. Although we spent £12m to get him back, that equates to LFC paying £8m to borrow him for 6 months.
New kits are on club shop website!!!!
To use a Texas Holdem analogy, Luka raised with Queens, Levy has gone all in. Does Luka think Levy has Aces? Let's hope he folds!
Levy's bluffed before and Modric knows so he'll call.
The away kit is horrible........ At least it's simple, but still, it's horrible.
TMWNN
I am no Stratfordite, but I am a realist.
You want the moon, but at no cost! You put nothing constructive or positive out there, you simply criticise!
As I suggested, why don't you set out where Spurs should be, where they should be going and how we go about it. According to you the manager is crap half the players are crap and the Board is crap (this in a time when we have been more "successful" than at any other time in the last 20 years or so!). You must have some ideas, something to back up your criticism of everything THFC.
I suggest you look at Everton, a club of similar size and repute as Spurs, a club trapped in an aging stadium of similar size to WHL. Look how much money they have to play with, look at the sorts of players they have bought it...I see nothing to the quality of Modric, Bale, VDV, to name a few....That could be Spurs if we were not run so well.
If he calls then Levy has to say, " Well son you better get a passport, because it's Real or Barca. You pick".
Devonshirespur,
All I wanted was the club to sign a better striker than the current imbeciles.
In an unprecedented season, one which could have gone a long way in consolidating the club's status as a CL team, was that too much to ask?
My posts will always be critical, I find it therapeutic. When I'm happy with Spurs I have no need to write anything. If it's only sunshine you want, stick to the official site.
Did I miss Luka's 'imminent' statement then??????????