Bale
It's too humid to think. Got just about enough energy to smile at the news Gareth Bale has signed a new contract. He will progress this season I'm sure of it, with far greater discipline tactically than he experienced last time out. Nothing wrong with switching flanks, cutting in, playing like an inside forward but has to remain effective from the wings with his crossing. With more men in the box, we'll score more goals. Football is simple. He just needs to be controlled and developed for the good of the team, because if he plays well in a team playing great he'll get better. Football really is simple.
Sorry, really obvious statements shared there that we're lost in the hyperbole of season 2012.
A win win for the club. We keep our most potent of weapons and if the CL dream fails to materialise at the end of next season then Barca/Madrid can pay up to buy out the worth of his contract. But let's not think too far ahead. Especially with thoughts of such a negative type. Bale signing a new contract will shatter some of the tabloid hacks who haven't stopped crying their eyes out and spewing spite towards us for the disgraceful sacking of Redknapp. Carry on lads. You'll have plenty to sick your teeth into in the coming months.
ITK INNIT
It's all actually very quiet at the moment aside from all the predictions and rumours of when x y and z will happen. The new manager and new players have been perpetually predicted to happen every week for weeks now. So law of averages, any day now. It's like a competition with the ITK's and club insiders. Twenty blokes all standing feet away from a dart board all wearing masks all throwing for the bullseye.
Can I play too?
I saw this posted over at the epic ITK collection thread (clicky click) at The Fighting Cock (the actual source is 'Ryan' via FTL). I feel cheap and dirty doing this. Probably should have added a question mark to the article heading.
"Some ITK news for you from a VERY reliable source:
Vertonghen WILL be a Spurs player come July 1st
Sig WILL be a Spurs player come July 1st
Loic Remy WILL be a spurs player come July 10th (delays in agreeing terms)
Modric WILL be sold to Real Madrid (?30m + Sahin) by July 9th
AVB WILL be Spurs manager on July 1st
we WILL be signing with our MAJOR sponsor/investor for naming rights on July 15th
Stadium work WILL be commencing July 27th after the signing of the final contracts.
2 x more MAJOR signings WILL be made before July 18th"
Covers practically everything being discussed currently.
My thoughts?
Vert will end up signing. Predicting something that everyone knows is 99% done is hardly ITK. The player, Ajax, everyone involved (apart from Spurs) have more or less confirmed it's happening but there are snags to do with money owed. Well, money the player believes to be owed, his current club disagreeing. I'll favour it happening because in principle, it's done. The technicality is pretty much bullied into the corner (99% v 1%) and Spurs, as quiet and professional as they are on this saga, won't allow the deal to die if we are truly serious about making him one of us.
Sig is a done deal. Again, it's been shared publicly. Okay, so you might argue it's been shared by foreign websites equally as dubious as some of our English based red tops, but it all fits in quite well with one or two official feeds confirming the deal. Quite happy with this one. Young, attacking midfielder. Cracking shot, forward rather than deep and gives us options. Rotation when required is imperative this time out. We need the quality to sustain it.
Remy. Don't know. He's been linked all summer, it's probably worth a punt. Steady that hand when throwing that dart. I personally think (as per the usual template of surprise) that any further signings will come from left-field and surprise us. No, no, when I say left-field I don't mean left-footed by the way. No cryptics here. Just a gut feeling. Then again, once the manager is appointed, our targets might become far more apparent and with any luck happen far quicker than how the summer has crawled along so far. More likely Adebayor than Remy (I'm using the logic of 'he played for us last season' as my reasoning there).
Modric? Of course he's going to Madrid. Where else is he going to go? No chance Levy will let him sign for another English club. Madrid only possible club that can afford him. Levy won his battle with Chelsea and with the Croatian being at his prime to be sold on for a massive profit, the club will take that quite easily. It's a massive shame we're losing him. Honestly think retaining him + new manager and new players would galvanise us. But new beginning, the player wants his wage packet and CL football now, so selling him abroad makes it easier to swallow.
Sahin as part of the deal? Think this is probably based on the fact that Luka would push Sahin further down the pecking order and what with our 'relationship' with Madrid, 1+1 calculators are working over time. Think we need someone far more prominent and high profile as our 'new playmaker'. Very much dependent on the style of football we play next season. Do like us being Madrid's feeder side though. Better than selling our best players to Utd.
AVB on the first of July? Again, very well documented. Plenty of whispers about contractual obligations and such. The silence is deafening. Worst kept secret in football. I'll welcome him, I'm buzzing about it. As long as he scraps the side line squatting, I'll welcome him with open arms. Just make sure you're not squatting because I'm not bending down to hug you. He likes his three up top, two inside forwards with a lone striker. Holding midfielder (or two), Sandro could play a massive part this up and coming season. Some media training, a few post-match smiles and the pressure won't be half as as bad as long as the Lane sing a song or two in his name. We've got the quality, we'll consolidate it with new blood. We just need to learn to be shrewd, heartless and cut throat, killing teams off.
Sponsor/investor and stadium, would welcome it. Haven't got much to say on this other than its fairly imperative the club outline times-cales for the NDP. We know it's going to happen but it's not quite happening but it can't not happen. So here we are waiting.
Two more major signings? No sh** Sherlock. You think Levy isn't going to give AVB a war chest? I'm sure in the coming weeks we'll be linked with every other top star at Porto.
That was fun. I might do this again.