Saturday Afternoon Round-Up: Sky Andrews can do one

Hello. Muggy weather today. Muggy headlines too. The one that has probably caught your attention is the rather dramatic headlines suggesting Spurs might be docked points for shady transfer dealings. Daily Mirror and The Sun are amongst several covering the story.

The Saint Sky Andrew, the paragon of truth personified in the form of a football agent, has won a high court ruling in his favour to cite phone records for evidence to establish whether several key people (Levy, Storrie, Redknapp) were contacted at any stage in the midst of the transfer that took Defoe to Portsmouth.

For those who don’t know, Jermain had sacked Andrews and was without an agent. Mitchell Thomas (unlicensed) acted as an adviser with Stuart Peters (rep from Spurs) helping the transfer on.

Ok, someone’s going to have to explain a few things to me here because I’m a little confused. What does this have to do with Spurs potentially having points deducted?

Andrews is upset that he was cut out of the deal. Wrongly cut out. Surely this is an issue between Defoe and his former agent. If payments by either Spurs of Pompey were made to anyone (legally) then the most probable reason Andrew didn’t get a penny was because Defoe sacked him before the deal happened. Am I missing something here?

I can’t say I understand the logistics of these types of dealings between clubs, with player + ‘representatives’ in the middle. If the underlining argument here is that Thomas is unlicensed and played a bigger part than he’s legally allowed – I still don’t get why Spurs are liable. The player was leaving Spurs and signing for Portsmouth. He played for them and not us after the deal was concluded. Sorry, pointing out the obvious there, but it seems to have been ignored by the press coverage.

Only two words come to mind. Sour grapes. Andrew was cut out and thus missed out on a cut. What's wrong Sky? You spunked all the millions you made from the deal that took Campbell across to the cesspit?

If anyone understands the complexities, please share.

Elsewhere...

Blackburn have been linked to Ruud van Nistlerooy. Gone a bit quiet hasn’t it, our raid on Madrid? Our interest in Ruud has cooled, and I heard whispers a day or so ago that Klass-Jan Huntelaar is being looked at by United. At least we can now all rest easy with the news that Cisse is on his way to Panathinaikos. That alone is worthy of cracking open the champagne and hiring out an escort girl for at the very least, two hours. The news that Daniel Levy wants at least £18M for Darren Bent will spoil the party and have you rolling up your sleeve and tapping a vein.

Now I know that the transfer market has turned into a complete joke in recent times and we are just as guilty as one or two other clubs for paying out over inflated fees. We did it with Bent in the first place bringing him to the Lane for £16M. Then again, maybe we shouldn’t panic too much. Anything you read anywhere should be taken with a pinch of salt. I guess if Sunderland want £20M for Jones then Bent’s value is more near the £25M mark. In reality, £10M – £12M for Bent is more likely (he’ll score a bundle for a club that will accommodate him). Jones isn’t worth more than £6M and I pray Harry keeps well clear.

The alleged Huddlestone bids have been rejected, allegedly. I’m so glad we have clarity on that. Spurs are refusing to sell him. Using the ITK formula to create insight, this means either we are playing hard-ball and want more for him than the £8M offered or we rate him and simply won’t sell. Thank me later for setting that one straight.

Changed your mind on the yellow-flashed home shirt yet?

Over 2000 people have signed the petition. Club don’t care, and I guess neither do I as long as we do well on the pitch. But the point being made (by myself and the 2000) is that we dislike the yellow streaks. Its feedback being offered to the club, much like when they send us surveys by e-mail about what we might think about the idea of having Tarquin seats installed at the club. We are simply having a say.

Finally, we are in pole position for Bassong. He’s the ‘player to join Spurs’ player of the week. It's the second time he's been on the rotation. Tinged with irony this one. Mainly because he is yet another ‘player of the moment’ type of signing that we do so very very well with being linked with. And £15M is the bog-standard Levy approved offer that works like magic when we desperately want someone (Bentley the key example).

Only exception to the rule has been Palacios who has looked every bit a £14M player. Modric too. And Bassong did look tasty last season, but then again, so would I at the heart of Newcastle’s defence when surrounded by so many hopeless teammates.

Do do do...Nigel Reo-Zokora

Afternoon.

This is one of those 'what I'm currently reading' type of blog posts. I like to share the wealth.

Who: HoofHarted
Date: 25 June 2009
Site: COYS

The Transfer Windows opens next Wednesday.

I can confirm there will be activity at THFC within the first week, both players arriving and players leaving.

I am not going to name, names, in case of jeopardising any potential deal, except to say most of the names have already been mentioned on here.

- The most important piece of ITK info this week (so far), collected in a thread over at GG.co.uk with various other gems. Also, expect tomorrow to arrive at some point soon. Keep an eye out for the moon followed by the sun.

"For Tottenham, it is a fixture of far greater significance, a match against a key rival that, over the years, has emerged from Tottenham's shadow and started to stake a claim to replace them as London's third biggest club"

- The Games Gone Crazy, a West Ham United blog about Tottenham, talking about the rivarly between us and the 'ammers. Bless. I'm not going to link to the article or the blog. You can easily find it in amongst the Tottenham News Now listings.

"Sadly for Arsenal fans, their club haven’t been able to sustain the success they enjoyed as our rivals, failing to win back to back titles under Wenger and reaching just one European Cup final. They have been “in transition” since 2005, like United were, however they haven’t managed to develop out of this period yet"

- The Republik of Mancunia tells it how it is. Transitional Arsenal? Alas, they have no need to fret. They have the kids. You know the kids, right? They had them last year and the year before and the year prior to that one. In fact they always have the kids. I'd expect to find Peter Pan playing in their academy side, kidnapped from Never Never land and now living in Never Again land.

Zing.

"Tottenham want Reo-Coker?! Is that official or supposed ITK's? It saddens me to say as I really thought he would go far but he is an English version of Zokora. He had so much potential when he burst onto the scene - the fact he captained every club he played for, especially us at his age shows that - but he has just never kicked on like he should of. Majorly frustrating when you see him make an unbelievable tackle inside his own box, power his way past the opposition three quarters of the way up the field and let himself down with a wayward 10 yard pass. If he can't do it now, I don't think he ever will"

- The progression of Harry Redknapps side discussed here, including some decent insight from an almost decent West Ham fan concering the rumours of Reo-Coker signing for Spurs. You can't see me, but I'm shuddering.

Robbie Keane off on 'loan' again?

Morning. If you frequent the Tottenham message boards and various other blogs, including this one, you'll know that there's been this pesky little rumour about Robbie Keane being unhappy. It changes from one day to the next. Apparently he wants out, then he doesn't (its exaggerated) then he does again. Others disapprove citing the fact that he has recently become a father again and that moving all the way up to Sunderland is simply out of the question. I'm more curious as to the reason (behind the sad face). Does he feel that having returned from the his shattered Anfield dream that he is somehow tainted back at Spurs? It doesn't quite feel the same as it did before? If you believe he is off, you might also believe he has a clause in his contract that states he has to play every game (and not get subbed).

I don't know. Personally don't want to believe this is true. I like him and regardless of the fact that he did not shine as bright as he did for us before he moved to Liverpool, he was still instrumental in that initial upsurge of determination that got us out of trouble.

If he is genuinely unhappy and he only ever returned to us because we offered him the only viable escape route at the time, then it's all a bit of a mess and the depression might be partly down to him knowing deep down he should never have left int he first place.

From pure football logistics, the reason why we might consider selling him is that Keane returning to Spurs was a little on the panic side of things. Redknapp prefers Defoe, or at least a player of his ilk, partnered up with a big tall striker. So Harry might simply decide that there is no room for the both of them. Something Spurs fans have always argued (the two little men can't play together).

I guess we sit back and wait for the 'Crouch to Spurs' rumours to hit the message boards.

2009/2010 Tottenham Summer Transfer Sweepstake

Day 29 since the end of the season. And still absolutely nothing has happened. This is becoming a weekly ritual and I apologise if I'm beginning to sound like a broken record. I guess I'm anxiously waiting to see one piece of ITK info leaked online hours before a transfer happens, so that we can all sit back knowingly knowing that we knew it was going to happen before it actually (officially) happened. But this is a little bit like expecting Zokora to hit the target. It's crazy talk, sheer crazy talk.

I'm afraid to say it's all gone a little Big Brother on us. Couple of million people watching, nothing going on and no signs of any new housemates.

There is of course the cute distraction of the Confederations Cup, which has provided some light-hearted entertainment. But I can't take any tournament that makes Robinho look world-class seriously.

So instead, all we can do is speculate and read between the lines. Just like last week and the week before that. Cue a quick round-up...

Plenty of air miles covered with Levy out in Madrid. Although why he was out there is uncertain to most. Was it to speak to Real Madrid about their available players for transfers (or loans)? Was it conduct talks with Sevilla over the transfer of Zokora (yes, I know my geography, but maybe their reps travelled to meet him). Only thing that's happened is that Didier for the minute isn't going to La Liga, thanks to our overpriced evaluation. Comolli rated him because of his engine and athleticism and some how missed the lack of the all important first touch and passing qualities during his scouting missions. Which is a little like watching The Deer Hunter and calling it an excellent movie, disregarding that never-ending wedding scene that for me wrecked the whole experience. Ok, that analogy sucked but I've been wanting for an outlet to slag off the Deer Hunter for a while now and I'm going to take it. Apart from the Russian roulette scenes its shit. It's just not that great a movie. There are better options out there.

Moving on.

It's gone quiet on Ashley Young too. And no news on Bent to Sunderland. Huddlestone is still with us, and his moment in the spotlight last week was when a photo-shopped photo of him sporting a gut and holding a McDonalds takeaway bag (standing topless alongside Lennon and others in a holiday snapshot) found itself the centre-piece of a Daily Mail article that pointed out that it was more than likely a fake. Cheers for that. I desperately found myself needing confirmation.

Elsewhere, I can still only find circumstantial evidence that Pascal Chimbonda is a Spurs player, and I'm waging it will be proved for certain when he's sold and we get the money from the transfer fee. Reckon that would qualify as hard evidence that he is (was) a player under contract with the club. Until then, we live in darkness. Gomes is happy at WHL, and why not? He rammed all the negatives back down the throats of the critics so long may his good form continue.

Roman is also hanging around according to his agent who told everyone last week he was going but apparently it was one of those zany mis-quote interviews and thus, the player is actually content at Spurs. Can't say the same for this time next Monday. Talking of mis-quotes, nothing much on Bentley over the weekend and no apology from The Sun over their alleged fabricated interview which according to someone who was with David, he (Bentley) never gave the interview. Controversy. Which is neither here or there because as discussed last week, he will probably end up at Villa anyhow.

But when? When will we dance a jig of joy and punch the air upon hearing the news that there's a new Lilywhite? Considering there are just a few days to go before the club unveil the new yellow on white home kits, we'd going to need a hefty piece of good news to help with equilibrium and avoid unrest.

So with the continuing lull, it's sweepstake time. I don't have anything to give away, although if you happen to hit the right day and right player, you'll be able to buzz off the fumes for a week thanks to the prestige bestowed upon you.

When will Tottenham Hotspur announce their first summer signing? Date and time and players name.

I'm pencilling in the 3rd July as the day of glory. Player? Huntelaar. Time? Around 5pm.

First player to be sold? Me thinks Bent, on the 1st July to Sunderland, 10pm.

Let the games begin...

Robben's dad is not the Real problem

There are moments, dark moments, when we Spurs fans get a little too giddy for our own good. We forget where we are momentarily and start to drool uncontrollably, talking in tongue, blacking out and awaking to find a tattoo of the latest transfer target on our backside. We become delirious, confused and say and do things we don't mean just to feed an addiction. Cold turkey is not an option. We just need a really big fix to sort us out.

And it's happening again at the moment thanks to the Real Madrid second coming of the Galacticos. Several Dutch players are apparently surplus to requirement which obviously automatically means that we are going to be interested regardless of whether we actually are or not but in all likelihood we will be, because that's us. People can point and laugh at Spurs fans claiming we are not a big club but outside of the Top 4 (and I guess Man City) we can show an interest in players of a certain quality because there is a chance they may consider joining. If Levy sells the idea of joining a non-Champions League side to the player (which is a difficult task considering how we are the perpetual 'next season' club) then they are quite willing to sign on. Players of the quality of Modric and Berbatov, for example, have no issues signing for us. Both probably won't go anywhere near the rest of the non-Top 4 clubs (except for that pesky Eastland's club) and as seen by Berbatov, when they move on they move upwards. Modric, no doubt will do the same if we stagnate again.

We do have pulling power. The question is whether the players we are currently courting are willing to take a hefty vanity hit. Even if they seem to ignore the fact that for pure footballing reasons if we are offering them first team football then its surely better than earning millions sitting on the bench. But the delusion we suffer is that we assume that just because a player is suddenly available then Spurs must be their only viable destination and how dare they not join. Usually we are simply used as a tool in the bidding war the agents orchestrate. We are forever ambitious and I hope we always are. Not everyone is going to feel comfortable joining a club in a state of continued flux. At least not the high-end players who believe they've already made it big.

Levy is (or was or still is) out in Spain. Ruud was the first target, apparently now pushed aside for the younger version (Huntelaar) and Henize (hasn't been any good for a few years now) has been added to the must have list according to the ITKs, message board slaves to transfer news and the trustworthy tabloids.

The 'target' that is making us break out in a cold sweat is Arjen Robben. His dad, informing all, that his son will almost certainly not be joining Tottenham. Injuries aside, on form, he's an immense talent. Which is why some fans are drooling. But if you can't remember allow me to remind you that the last time he played at WHL he spent most of his time diving and falling over and deservedly getting abused for it. A detestable, insufferable little man.

It's at this point you might find yourself asking - who cares if he's a hate figure? All the top sides have two or three (Chelsea have 11), although that's probably by virtue of being successful. But to be a winner, shouldn't we be signing winners? Regardless if they are c***s? But I guess the fundamental problem is, why would a winner join a team of losers? Which is what we are in their eyes.

Ironically, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him join Man City much in the same way he joined Chelsea. Both us and City want the same things, but we can't afford to offer anyone 100K + a week. Seems our history means little, with it sitting in the distant past of the early 80's and the almost mythical black and white 60's.

Robben's dad (and the player) will see Spurs as a downwards step. The challenge of being part of (yet another) re-vamped side that has a remote chance of making it into the Champs League is way too much effort for players who believe to be at the top of their game. You can't blame them. For the money they are on, why take a pay cut or a status-drop? Unless nobody else out there wants to take a gamble - which means that if Spurs are the only interested party then the player would need to decide on whether Madrid on the bench is still a better option than Spurs fighting for 5th spot. Fact is, players - in the modern game - are bigger than the clubs they play for. At least in their heads they are. It's a subjective argument this, but nobody can deny that in this day and age with football being fragmented the way it is, players have no patience. Why would they when they are offered riches to play for the biggest clubs in the world? Isn't that the whole point? People banged on about the G-14 and how it was going to have a detrimental effect on the game but the Champions League (what we all hope to get our feet in) has made it nigh impossible to challenge domestically, let alone bully our way into the monopoly.

Christ, it's depressing.

Money wise, we can’t compete, but I guess scrapping the reserve team allows Levy a little more room to manoeuvre on the bargaining table with more money now available. Robben's dad might be saying what he's saying just make sure Spurs come back with a more beefy offer.

But after a hot drink, and the giddy shakes under control, reality bites.

It's great we are in for players of this ilk, even if some of the players are completely unlikeable. Robben is no doubt one of the best left-wingers on the planet. He's had problems at Madrid, possibly of a disruptive nature in the dressing room as he appears to have fallen out with one or two of the players there. But considering his quality, he's not going to help out a side that wants to be challenging for the Top 4. He'll wait for a side big and bad enough for him to make a bid that already sits with the elite.

But don't fret. There's always Downing.

One thing being underlined by all these verbal shenanigans played out in the press is that the supposed club insiders only claim to know what's happening behind the scenes only react with information after a development has been made known in the newspapers first. It's almost July, and nobody knows nothing. No big fix in sight. Maybe cold turkey is the only option. I need a distraction that won't pull me apart emotionally and have me worried about what way we might turn as we attempt to build-up on swagger in time for the next challenge that awaits us.

When do The Ashes start?

Oh, and in case I was too subtle...it's time for a salary cap on player wages.

100% Nailed on and done and dusted

We all love reading through message boards and finding snippets relating to possible transfer deals from the cryptic people who are in the know or have deep throat connections to the club. So it brings me much pleasure to share with you some exclusive extracts from the soon to be published book 'Diary of a ITK'.

Day twenty-three

Still in bed. Can't confirm for sure. Bed sheets not covering me so might get up shortly. 80% chance of shower. But it's touch and go with breakfast. This is the bottom line and we just have to wait and see what happens.

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Ok for all you doubters. I got up. Don't expect an announcement until later whether I'm still going ahead with the shower. Might wash my teeth. Mouthwash a real possibility.

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My sources say it's happening. This is nailed on. Sausage toasted sandwich. Can confirm its HP and I'll be eating this whilst reading the morning paper.

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Walking down the high street towards the bus stop. Just saw Tom Huddlestone in Burger King.

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Currently at bus stop waiting for a bus. Cant say anymore at the moment. Confident of getting on the bus as it's better than walking. Taxi is well down the pecking order as its too expensive.

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There's a girl on the bus and she's looked over at me a couple of times. Don't ask me how or why or where it came from. Let's just see what happens.

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She's still staring. I would love to talk to her but it aint that simple. I can't go into things but its complicated so will need a little longer to assess. Hopefully she'll be here tomorrow. I expect this to play out a little longer.

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Here comes the bus. Hope it stops so I can get on. There's a real chance of this happening.

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Just spoke to my friend on my mobile and he knows someone and have been told the girl at the bus stop likes me but would expect a dinner date rather than a trip to the cinema. He's a pretty crediable source but what often happens is - the blind date is 100% lined-up and agreed and then either she or her mates pull the plug which is why these things sometimes don't work out. Always a better deal elsewhere.

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Got off at my destination. Just need to do a little bit more walking. Confident this will happen. Otherwise will stand motionless.

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I'm now at The Lodge. Weather is overcast. Might rain. Might not. Don't shoot the messenger.

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Spurs players are training. There appears to be some activity in the car park. I need a closer look. Will climb that tree over there to get a closer look.

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Hanging from branch. Can't see a sodding thing from here.

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It's a bit nippy out. Just seen a plumber arrive at the Lodge. I fancy a cup of tea and a bit of Football Manager 2009. Will start making my way back home now. Should be done and dusted in the next hour.

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Later that evening, posted in a Tottenham message board:

CRUISE HAVING MEDICAL AT LODGE DEAL ALMOST DONE SIGNED SEALED AND DEILVERRED 65% DONE EXPECT CONFERENCE TOMORROW OR MAYBE DAY AFTER IF IT DOESN’T HAPEN PERSNAL TERMS THE ISSUE

The diary will be available from all good book shops in June. Maybe July. Possibly August. Cost? £4.99 but might rise to £7.98.

Scott Brown is a little bit of a grey area

Scott Brown is apparently on his way to Spurs. So say the assortment of ITK characters living up in Scotland and the ones who are said to be privy to inside information down South that confirm the Celtic midfielder is set to move to N17 for a cool fee of around £10M. You'll have read this already I'm sure on one or two blogs out there along with the usual busy forums that churn out this type of transfer tat long before the red tops get wind of it.

Except this time, it's not so much tat but tangible possibility.

So who is Scott Brown? What type of player is he? And are we over-spending? If, of course, this is actually happening. But for the sake of it, let's pretend it is.

I haven't seen enough of him and there is plenty of debate to be found at the minute where people throw around the usual 'Scottish football is shit' argument to validate their opinion that Brown is over-rated whilst other say he is a robust far more competitive and mentally strong version of Jermaine Jenas. He had an off season recently due to personal issues which affected his goal-scoring ratio (and has increased his yellow-card tally), but otherwise is highly rated and can handle himself more than most - which isn't a bad thing considering the thunderous nature of the Old Firm derby games.

It's easy I guess to spew out countless (recent) Scottish players who have failed to impressive in England (Barry Ferguson anyone?). Hutton hasn't done badly for us and looks more than suitable for the Prem and I'm sure that will be the case once he is back to full fitness.

Brown has a great motor and can run all day, capable of making effective runs into the box. He can track back and tackle. But apparently also gives the ball away needlessly and is young and still needs to develop his all-round game.

Bleeding 'eck, he is the Scottish version of Jenas.

For the price being quoted you'd except him to start alongside Wilson giving us a proper hard nut central midfield pairing. So what of Huddlestone, O'Hara, Zokora and of course JJ?

One of the ITK side-rumours relates to a £6M deal rising to £10M with a player moving to Celtic. Can only see Jamie making that move, if there is any truth in it.

Celtic fans obviously rate Brown but seem fine to take £10M off us. I need more in the way of opinion to understand if this is the right type of player we need. Apparently his first touch isn't great (Zokora anyone?) and doesn't have the passing range of Huddlestone. But his drive and passion is unparalleled.

So is Harry looking towards having a fighting midfield rather than a creative one? Or will Wilson and Brown boss it, allowing Modric to conduct offensive play?

Or are we paying Celtic £10M for a Palacios understudy - which is something we do need if we are working towards a strong squad. But £10M?

Is this a risk too far?

Willie McKay is his agent by the way.

Done and dusted then.

'Messi to Spurs' because I read it on the internet, innit

Someone asked me what happens to football bloggers in the quiet summer months. I answered, 'Quiet? Are you f*cking kidding me?' Once the transfer window opens, it's a little like the finale to Buffy the Vampire Slayer when Sunnydale is obliterated by a hellmouth.

And ground zero for our particular summer transfer hellmouth is the internet.

Once the tabloids exhaust all their football agent information they look towards the various message boards and copy and paste any in the know stories they deem worthy of the back pages…i.e. all of them. You'll be surprised how many message board threads end up on the Sky Sports ticker as 'exclusives'.

We've already been linked to Muntari, Upson, Cisse, Tevez, Ballack and Drogba (I kid you not), Cruz along with rehashes of Jones and Downing. And that's just a quick overview. Add to them the various continental players that have cited Spurs as a possible destination and you're just getting started. And it's still May. But all of these are your bog standard examples.

The In the Knows have yet to awake from their winter slumber.

We all know (bullshit radar on full pelt) that most of the players mentioned above (about 97% of them) are not genuine targets. Agents and players are in the habit of using our name just to put themselves out there. Others are just desperate for any kind of media coverage to get their current club to offer them a better deal. Others are simply delusional (yes, that's you Cisse, you fruitcake). The 3% are probable targets in the way that logically we could see them in a Lilywhite shirt because they fit the profile - i.e. affordable, required, Spurs type signing.

Others are likely because they fit Harry Redknapp's transfer target profile. Which might or might not be a good thing. Though he did strike gold with Wilson.

I got a lot of stick several months back for 'having a go' at the In The Know culture that exists and the quite prominent grapevine of whispers that many of us our privy to by simply being a member of any given Spurs forum. ITK's are people who are, well, obviously in the know. Whether its because they know people at the club or know people who know people or have some other deep throat connection that results with information about a possible transfer being shared online.

Now and again, some strike gold with their information. It's rare, and equally interesting how other signings come out of the blue and are never picked up by the very same people who would have you believe Kuyt (we ended up with Berbatov) or Torres (like this was ever on the cards) is about to sign. You'll always spot a bit of ITK info as they usually sign off with 'take it or leave it' or 'believe it if you want to' and talk in percentages (i.e. He's on his way, deal is about 87% done, likely to happen but you never know, might be a last minute glitch, wants more money than we've offered, but looking good).

It's a 'don’t shoot the messenger' ethos they live and die by. Although some do take it far too seriously. Not that they are always solely responsible for the info as sometimes they are simply passing on something that has been given to them. The problem is that there is no way of knowing whether the info has been dressed up or has been given to the ITK as a joke/dis-information.

True ITK's, you'd think, would not want to share any information, for reasons as to avoid placing the deal at risk and being discovered by other possible would-be-interested clubs.

People who spot a player arriving or leaving the Spurs training ground is altogether a different kettle of fish. That's not really ITK, is it? If you see someone out and about. Then at that point it's not really something that the club are trying to keep under wraps.

Guess this where the necessity to know something before everyone else drives people to extreme measures to get hold of said information (climb trees overlooking the Lodge) that might suggest who is about to sign for us. Even though it wont change the fact that said player may well sign. Is there a difference between knowing something 24 hours before it happens and just waiting for it to happen?

I guess, what is far more interesting is transfer deals that fail and the reasons behind the failure (remember the epic 'Diego' tug of war with Santos?). The Duff saga is a perfect example of when ITK info is far more interesting, although there is nothing to suggest any of it is ITK. Anyone could have told you he signed for Newcastle for the money.

I offended one or two people several months back because I criticised the culture (some people who dare to be critical of ITK people are banned from forums). I'm not going to stir up trouble again. I do think the obsession with some ITK's who post cryptic messages that could be translated to mean absolutely anything is tragic. But do agree that the information is there…take it or leave it. Take it seriously or don't. It's probably on par with anything you read in the tabloids anyway. And like I said, sometimes, one in two hundred, get it right.

Any ITK info posted on this blog during the summer months will be credited to the originator and will only be posted if the original 'rumour' was posted in the public domain. Anything that’s privately shared will stay that way. Wouldn't want another fatwā issued my way.

So, hold onto your hats, and expect to drown in a flurry of sightings and medicals and morning press conferences.

Here's to signing the new Zidane. That's Zidane, not Zokora. Thank you very much.

Can you tell I'm far more mellow with all this now?

Spurs transfer dealings according to 'club insiders'

As a direct follow-up to my previous blog entry, I'd thought I share some perfect examples of message board In The Know information. As I referred to it earlier, the cryptic style is an art form I'm sure you will appreciate.

If you are interested, for further updates, visit the originating source for the complied and up to date list of current ITK information at www.spurscommunity.co.uk (put together by Stoff who collates the info from various sources).

Alternatively you can browse to Glory Glory which tends to have random ITK info copy and pasted from the more exclusive Spurs forums as well as Stoffs complied lists.

Both of these forums are open communities and are not exclusive (which I think FTL and COYS are).

I've left the info below in it's original state.

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[Update 70] Dragon1 on Lennon and Keane
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:11:33 GMT
who dragon1
date 29/01/09
time 10:52
site COYS

scousers wanted lennon for keano, we told em to do one

he is one of the few harry actually rates!

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[Update 69] jurgenthengerman on ?
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:29:59 GMT
who jurgenthegerman
date 28/01/09
time 17:56
site COYS

Levy is negociating three situations that involve additions one is a match (that involves a player going the other way ) two are straight additions subject to change !!!! Of these three two have a reasonable chance
Don t shoot

and

The road to redemption is very long with Harry

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[Update 68] Ben on Appiah
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:18:37 GMT
who BEN
date 29/01/09
time 09:13
site FTL10 AM TODAY

APPIAH GETS TOLD IN MEETING

IF YES OR NO

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[Update 67] Arigold on Keane, N'Zogbia and Hunt
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:17:23 GMT
who arigold
date 29/01/09
time 09:12
site SO

Big interest in Keane and either N'Zogbia or Hunt will sign, hopefully before Saturday. Hunt is waiting to see if we'll match two bids already in, but (surprise surprise) Reading are getting sick of dealing with us dithering.

Keane, as I've said for 6 weeks repeatedly, wants to come back. Liverpool are looking at other targets as well.

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[Update 66] Smudgemeister on Keane, Santa, WP and Appiah
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:16:13 GMT
who Smudgemeister
date 29/01/09
time 09:11
site FTL

Keane was never a target.

Harry looked at Santa Cruz but Rovers want too much (City in so Rovers want a bidding war and we aint going there)

Not terribly impressed with Appiah and not required now WP is on board

Who knows?

Ben. The man in the tree at Spurs Lodge has passed on this information to one of the inane Spurs forums that worship 'inside information'.

APPIAH IS PLAYING IN A TRAINING GROUND MATCH RIGHT NOW... AND LOOKS TERRIBLE, BOTTLE JOB APARENTLY, REALLY SH*T - BEN IS UNSURE WHO THE OPOSITION IS

PALACIOS - VERY GOOD CHANCE WILL HAPPEN

ADRIANO - 50-50 DEAL IN THE BALANCE,

NO WAY WE ARE LETTING BALE GO AND WE TOLD INTER THAT

So Appiah looks terrible, but the use of the (misspelt) word 'apparently' would suggest Ben isn't witnessing the training ground game, so surely this is dismissive as need-to-know info?

As for the rest, nothing that can't be guessed by reading the tabloids and hoping. Sad to say this really, but the likes of The Sun and Daily Mail are pissing all over the Tottenham ITK's currently. Just no creativity at all. Much like the Spurs midfield.

ZING.

Arshavin to the Arse

No surprise here then. Wenger's required 'spark' will cost them £20M or so, but like most transfers of this ilk, clubs never pay the full whack upfront. £14M, the rest in clauses dependent on performances and silverware. Deal has yet to be concluded, but more than likely to be done and dusted within 10 days. At least this means we won't be witnessing any more embarrassing whoring of the player.

But for £5M more we could have had him rather than JD, considering we lack a forward player of his ability. But then again, we could have had him in the summer had we meet Zenit's valuation then. No problem do we have spunking £15M or so on Bent and the same more or less on Bentley, but a genuine world-class player for a few extra shillings? No sir. Not us.

Don't fret though. He's over-rated innit. Will probably flop. A Woolwich Rebrov (Reyes) if I've ever seen one.

Sigh.

UPDATE:

From Gutter Boy (GG.co.uk) who claims to be ITK about this one:

It'll take 20m Euros (c.£18.5m) all up front immediately (no installments) to match what we've agreed with Zenit. Our agreement has to be matched or exceeded by 16 January, otherwise it automatically kicks in (hence Lachter's desperation to whore him out at the moment). If someone matches it it'll be up to the player to decide. We can of course enter into a bidding war as Zenit will sell to the highest bidders irrespective of Arshavin's wishes.

I guess that explains SSN stating that all will be done within 10 days (which will be the 16th Jan). Hand's up if you think Arsenal will win this much like they did with Petit? When we win, we get Zokora. When they win, they get the likes of Bergkamp and we end up with the Armstrong's of this world. No Comolli, yet somehow nothing looks like changing.

I'm also uncertain on the ITK info being, well you know, true. And if it's not then Arsenal are in for the player all on their own, and the only loser will be Zenit, who probably won't get anywhere near the amount offered to them in the summer by us.

The nightmare after Christmas

Latest ITK info:

My friend knows someone within the West Ham medical team and has been told he is signing for us for approx £8m.

I think its a pretty credible source but what often happens is that the deal is 100% lined up agreed and then either club pulls the plug (the selling club because they receive a better offer or the buying club because they have a better deal in place elsewhere) hence why some ITK turns out not to be true.

Not sure if this is as well as or instead of Defoe.

RIP Tottenham Hotspur.