Statement of intent

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.

Redknapp

Some general musings and observations from today.

Sky Sports News constantly running the 'Luka Modric wants to leave Spurs' story then breaking the Daniel Levy statement response and then still continuing to run the original story like it was completely irrelevant that the club had shut up shop over any possible transfer.

Harry Redknapp on TalkSport. Never listen to this station (I guess only idiots do) but tend to look for relevant interviews or sound bites when told to do so and our gaffer post-Levy statement gave one of his routine interviews to the station.

Read this article for a general overview.

Do you think he makes it clear enough that it's Daniel Levy's promise that the player will not be sold?

He's relentless with it. Okay, so Levy does have the power to buy and sell but once more Harry hardly endears himself with his disassociation tactics. Seems hellbent to get the message across that if anything hits the fan it's not going to projectile from his backside. It will be Daniel in urgent need of Imodium.

But then it's no great surprise. Harry looks after Harry. He's hardly one to talk about loyalty. But clearly his agenda is to always come out smelling of roses so in case you've not quite grasped it: IF MODRIC IS SOLD, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HARRY.

@fizzyswizzle

Daniel Wynne of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust was also on TalkSport and mentioned how he believes Harry should be more positive about the club when speaking to the media. The same Harry that uses 'them' when referring to us? Disassociation tactics, invisible divide...no matter how you wish to describe it that's how he operates. At least that's how he began to operate last season when the pressure was on. Said it many times, he does great PR that will always appease his pals in the press but he can't quite master the relationship with the fans when things get a little pricky.

I agree with Wynne, Harry needs to be far more positive. But to do so he has to be consistent. I lost count of the times last season when we were in the race and out the race according to Harry. He don't half contradict. He talks like a consultant to THFC rather than our manager (to quote a nail on the head tweet). Perhaps that's all he is. Steady the shape, get us into prime condition for a younger more long term appointment post-2012.

Probably doesn't really matter what Harry says as long as he gets his message across clearly in the dressing room. He loves to have a word on camera, in a mic, so he's hardly ever going to shut up. So he'll continue to churn out the sound bites. Harry should have kept it short and sweet today.

Alas, just roll with the punches.

Love him or hate him, he's worked wonders for us. He has a chance to do so again this up and coming season.

Modric. Again.

Late last night I was drowning in delusions and denial. We all speculated and attempted to work through the Dail Mail 'exclusive' concerning several paragraphs worth of quotes directly from Luka Modric via his holiday boat, very politely informing us of his ambitious plans to leave us for another that can offer him an immediate challenge in the top tier.

As much as it pains me, deep down, we all know footballers are hardly loyal to the club they play for unless said club is giving them exactly what their heart desires. The likes of Giggs and Scholes never looked to move. But then they were products of Man Utd and have played through one of the most successful periods for a club in modern times that any player could ever wish to be a part of.

Other successful players (i.e. Ronaldo) enjoy their success then want to move on for something different for a number of reasons (lifestyle, new league, new challenge, more money).

Then you have the clubs that are not quite top tier, but wish to be. The problem is said club (us) ends up being nothing more than a stepping stone simply due to the fact that even though we might be confident to challenge again for a Champions League spot next season we'll have to wait for the season after to be involved in it. Patience is not a virtue most players possess. Perhaps they look at their peers, believe themselves to be as good if not better and question why they're sitting amongst the chasing pack rather than in the leading pack. Not an excuse, it's a harsh fact. As much as we kid ourselves that some players are different, they all want to play at the very top.

I tend to wish (dream) that they can see the bigger picture. Spurs are trying to build something, create history and perhaps become a permanent fixture in the top four. We'll be the ones forever plucking the cream of the crop from whatever team(s) fall out of their lofty positions. And that's the crux of it. We look at it from the clubs perspective as fans. Fans who will always be here. Unlike players that come and go. They tend to look at what the club can give to them from a personal perspective.

Modric has a winners mentality. He wants to win. Sadly, much like so many of his peers, he might not want to be part of a team building up to something rather just move into one that has already been completed.

You would wish for Modric to wake up and smell the rose of our reality that can allow for his destiny to be one of far greater value in terms of allowing him to gain the success he aspires to and fulfil our ambitions as supporters. If it wasn't for dropped points here and dropped points there perhaps a more clinical finish or control of the ball or the right pass instead of one a yard off...we'd have finished 4th. Or higher. There's a fine line at work.

Our failure last season is one of a collective responsibility. So I guess what with recently signing a new and improved contract (5 years left?) Luka should have perhaps looked at how the Prem played out, how close we actually were and simply worded his 'exclusive' to be more of a challenge (a throw of a gauntlet) to the chairman in terms of matching his ambitions.

'Prove to me how ambitious Tottenham are'

Instead we got a rather apologetic thanks but please please please let me go. Which I guess is better than a sulk and a strike.

Fact is the club has to now show its ambition by signing the players that will aid us with pushing onwards, to galvanise the squad further. To truly show our unity and that we are here to stay to continue to dick off the media and the clubs that enjoy looking down and bullying us every summer.

Levy's statement was powerful. It's one thing telling interested clubs sniffing around Luka to go away, it's another to inform them and the world that there is next to no chance of him being sold. For any price. Now my thinking has been that we would play a game, one that Levy is pretty much the master of. Deflect and manipulate the situation to our favour to maximise a potential transfer fee. Have the likes of Chelsea breaking British transfer records (again) to sign him.

Remember this concerning Berbatov and Keane?

"I have absolutely no wish to sell either player and to date we have not accepted any offer for either. However, when a player's head is turned and their commitment is absent, particularly when they occupy key positions such as that of striker, they become a negative influence in a team dressing room in which they were once a positive addition and influence.

This is the situation we now have on our hands, with both Dimitar and Robbie having made it clear that they wish to leave for Manchester Utd and Liverpool respectively" - Daniel Levy

Difference? I guess two things. Contract length and the fact that today isn't yesterday. Where we currently in terms of position as a squad means that if we don't fight to retain the spine of our team then the message to the squad and everyone else is that if you want to push us over go ahead. We'll stumble and fall and pick ourselves up. Then you can wait. Then push us over again.

I know it's dangerous committing yourself to words that never speak louder than actions, but when you read the statement from the chairman it's abundantly clear to me that Daniel Levy has supreme confidence that there is utterly not a chance in hell the player will be sold or bother to continue to engineer a fruitless move away. It's worth repeating.

Which means this is end game. Final boss defeated. No lives lost.

So what now? I said yesterday that what happens post-Daily Mail article would be important to how things shape up for THFC and the player. Levy has done his bit. It's now over to Luka Modric. We still don't know how the events leading up to yesterdays bombshell came about. Perhaps it was as simple as agent/player using the media to pressure the club into accepting talks with Chelsea. Someone pointed out to me the timing of the statement. Why had Levy waited to inform us about rejecting the bid post-bombshell? I guess I would have done that. Makes you look even more kick-ass, standing in the face of adversity and sticking up two fingers.

Rooney was practically done and dusted at Utd before he signed a new contract there. Some took a while to forgive him. Seems like a ploy in hindsight, a stupid one, to earn more money. Modric was ill advised and naive to do what he did. It's happened but I'm not going to allow any part of my heart to darken over it. He's just a player that plays for my team. This has always been about intent to finally buck the trend. Modric on the pitch in Lilywhite epitomises what is so great about supporting Spurs at this moment in time. We can't allow a key player to leave.

I will just have to readjust my expectations of footballers and remember they are not Tottenham Hotspur. We are, the fans. If we happen to balls up next season, then next summer will be grim. But we're not going to balls it up and this summer will be looked back on as the turning point.

So Luka. Man up and send Daniel a box of chocolates and a card. Because he's the daddy.

My name is Luka

I'm probably being fuelled by delusion and denial (and large quantities of rum), but something stinks. Something other than the perspiration soaking my t-shirt.

Either I'm not quite grasping the tactics at hand between the interested parties for Luka Modric aided by the media's onslaught to continuously link him away from White Hart Lane and his football agent or we're knee-jerking because of the completely transparent and hardly ambiguous direct quotes the Daily Mail have shared with us. Which doesn't actually make it a knee-jerk. Just a nightmare.

This (Daily Mail) is a publication that is usually avoided by most of us because of their lack of substance on any given day. But behold, a day after Modric's agent tells the Guardian that there is no attempt to engineer a move and that the player is happy and would not seek to leave unless the club accepted an offer - we are to believe that someone phoned Luka on his boat, and pretty much got the perfect response that the likes of Chelsea and probably Man Utd have been waiting for. That's a massive turnaround of direction from one newspaper to another that is just about passable as a 'newspaper'. Not that I trust football agents.

I guess if you're going to engineer a move, you don't select the more esteemed outlet. If this is playing out as a genuine ploy of forced departure, then someone (guess who) is holding the hand of Luka's agent allowing for a  damaging response to the initial rejection of the ridiculous £22M bid.

I can see a hefty penalty payment transferred to the Tottenham Foundation coming up in the near future.

I'm basically conflicted because Luka and his agent have been pretty straight up thus far. We've all been saying how a Berbatov scenario would not be birthed because our little Croatian is simply not of that ilk. But here we are. Naivety on my part?

He wants out. We're not ambitious. We're a stepping stone. He's not asking for a transfer but has made his position unattainable and as a result will push us back into that re-building transitional period that allows the survivors of Sky Sports monopoly to continue to stay that one step ahead. The suggestion from the narrative of the Mail's article is, go and agree a deal and let me go. On paper, it's pretty clear cut because you fancy even the Mail wouldn't print and then credit the person without them not believing it to be true. Would they? Bit naughty if they have.

Although if you re-read the article, it's nothing new - he's said most of it before - until the last couple of quotes. Reading it within the context of how the article is shaped up, it sounds fairly final. But it might not be.

Man, I'm hanging on for dear life.

Regardless of any of the above, it's what happens next. A Harry sound-bite, a Levy statement and a show of strength or perhaps a follow-up from either agent or Luka himself.

He has a lengthy contract and we can only pull a 'Cesc' and keep him hostage here if we remain strong to our word. If the player's heart is not in our Hart then it's a case of tagging him with a price (say £45M) and then it's up to Chelsea to prove how ambitious they are. Although if you're going to leave Spurs, you'd think you'd just wait for our parent club to make a bid first.

For now, I'm embracing my delusions (and polishing off the rum), and will blindly hold the hand of hope as I fall asleep and dream that come September 1st, Luka Modric will still be a Spurs player.

Modric

If it's true, if a bid has been made (debatable - if they truly have bid, they don't appear to be very serious about it), Levy needs to show some true grit here. Laugh it off. Tell Luka Modric he's going nowhere. He's got a job to do. Make a statement of intent.

Simply put - if he's sold, we'll never shift out of this perpetual state of flux. Two steps forward, one back, one forward, one back. No one player is bigger or more important than the team. But the reattainment of our best players is vital. We're not mid-table Spurs pushing for top 5. We're top 5 Spurs pushing for top 3. We have to believe that, starting with the players. If you sell and the power is for you to retain, then you're more or less giving up and starting over. I don't want to hear about the fiscal aspects of profit. Retain your top players, cement and consolidate a top four position...then you'll have all the money in the world. We've also got enough deadwood to start a fire that will burn for centuries.

We're not a selling club, right? So says our chairman.

Anyways, Sky Sports News understands usually translates to one of their in-house producers reading something on a message board or Twitter then gleefully running the yellow ticker. £22M? Arrogance and cheek. Has Roman lost his wallet and is only bidding with the loose change in his back pocket? Their bid is better suited as a donation to the Tottenham Foundation. You can get a Henderson for £20M.

"Tottenham Hotspur gave me my chance in the Premier League and I want to go on to achieve great success here with them. Yes, there have been enquiries from other big clubs, but I have no interest in going anywhere. Last season's Top 4 finish was an indication of where we are as a Club and I feel I can continue to improve and go on to achieve everything I want to at Spurs"

- Luka Modric, May 2010, 6 year contract signed

Don't want to be overly dramatic, but we'd only sell the player if we gave into it. Would be soul destroying. This is not a Berbatov saga. The lad is not attempting to engineer a move away, neither is his agent.

How about this for a slice of ITK. My heart says, no chance. The club has to rise above it. The media and one or two 'interested parties' will continue to do their best to destabilise and unsettle. Wouldn't put it past someone else (go on guess) starting this rumour for their own agenda and benefit to drive a bidding war. It's a dirty game. They want everyone talking about it, they want Luka thinking about it. The irony, not lost on any of us because we're all doing the same thing. I'm writing it, you're reading it.

Stand strong Tottenham. It's going to be a long hot summer with the possibility of a brooding storm or two.

Six reasons why the Parker pen has no ink in it

I’m struggling at the moment to think of anything relevant to write up for the blog. Not even inspired to go to town with a satirical spin on...whatever. See? I can’t even think of a target to aim at. I’ve landed so many body blows to the In the Know community, it’s almost become borderline obsessive. Such is my boredom I’ve began to study strange activity relating to people I follow on Twitter, fighting off random fits of paranoia. I’ll start worrying once the voices in my head subside. Or am I not meant to have voices in my head? I forget.

If we sign Scott Parker as back-up or as a replacement for Luka Modric I will kill myself. How’s that for a dramatic and a wholly unnecessary twist on attempting to light-up that missing fire in my blogging belly? By ‘kill myself’ I mean metaphorically speaking. I haven’t quite figured out the logistics yet. I was pretty much emotionless when I read the story at breakfast concerning how the Football Writers player of the year is holding out for a transfer to Tottenham. I spent the rest of the morning trying to hold in my breakfast.

Without access to Andy Gray’s interactive touch-screen technology (it’s probably sitting boxed up next to the Lost Ark of the Covenant in a warehouse) let me simplify it:

Modric. Sandro. Bale. van der Vaart. Huddlestone. Lennon.

That’s excluding bench warmers; Piennar, Kranjcar, Jenas, Palacios – amongst others.

Might as well elaborate.

So that’s six ‘first teamers’ that need to fit into either a four or five man midfield (depending on the main forward we have playing upfront with vdV just behind him if we opt for a 4-5-1 that actually works without glitches).

We’ve got a ton of games on the horizon. Rotation will play a part for sure (Rose and Walker cannot be loaned out and both can cover flank positions) and injuries will happen – it’s the hard unavoidable fact of life. We just have to hope it’s not to key players, but then when you have a side that is practically glistening with players you could tag as being vital and one or two that are beyond vital (they’ve got a skeleton key around their neck such is their importance of unlocking the opposition in offensive and closing the door shut back in defence) losing anyone will hurt.

However, Harry being Harry, you always get the feeling he quite can’t make up his mind. He spent a lot of time adjusting and changing last year where we lacked cohesiveness that meant fragmented consistency with the balance of the side. If you throw in another name, it’s going to lead to further tinkering.

That’s Parker or any other midfielder we’ve been linked with. How does one delegate priority if we signed him or Adam (Liverpool bound thank God) or <insert average player name here>?

Look at what we have.

Modric – Makes us tick, dinks and crafts and creates. Keeps the ball moving, recycles it with a touch of a Catalan.

Sandro/Huddlestone – One is better at defensive duties, breaking down play and chasing the ball with timely interceptions added for good measure. The other allows for another dimension to our play with disguised passes and cross-field fright for the opposing defenders. Both are swappable dependent on the opposition and the tactic for the game at hand.

Bale – Every so often we hear the quote ‘his future is at left-back’. Basically, the premise is that with a clever left-winger in front of him to allow for the over-lap, Bale is better suited in defence rampaging forward on said over-lap. I’d agree if Gareth was a better defender than he is a left-winger, which he isn’t. Which means sacrificing him to make way for some convoluted midfield selection is a no-go for me. BAE with Danny Rose covering left-back is the future. Three’s a crowd and all that.

Lennon – Is probably due another good clean and crisp season without the dips and lulls. Perhaps Kyle Walker will deputise as a RM on occasions to aid with progression in his development that will allow him to ‘do a Bale’ unless it’s already decided he’s ‘the future’ at right back meaning he covers Corluka (and we work out where best to play Kaboul – note how we have plenty of quality at the back but can’t seem to work out the best line-up). Regardless, Lennon is our outlet on the right. But is probably the one that would be sacrificed in that theoretical convoluted middle (with the chap directly below replacing him on the flank to make way in the middle).

vdV – If he loses the extra pounds he was carrying across the entirety of last season and also focus without distraction at leading from just behind the front and just ahead of the midfield (rather than losing himself in the depths just ahead of the backline) then his galvanising force will be even more telling. As long as the player just ahead of him is as good as he is. Unless of course a fully fit 90 minute version of Rafa is a fallacy.

Add a new one into the above fold, one that expects to be first choice, and you’ll have a congested bloated feast that will leave you holding your gut in agonising pain.

In a world of complexities and elaboration, I’ll go back to simplifying it. Any midfielder we sign has to be a replacement for one that currently warms the bench because we will not be selling any of our key players. Scott Parker might have endearing battle cry qualities (debatable in terms of when these qualities are applied successfully - does it count when it's at West Ham?) but at Spurs, is he a viable option simply because of circumstance? And if so, at what cost*?

*See all of the above.

If he's happy to sit the bench, I won't complain.

Guess I’m not struggling after all. I gone and wrote me a blog article.

Tottenham's Got Talent and the Daniel Levy connection

For reasons which will become obvious, I can't reveal my full identity.  But let me just say that, I am involved with Tottenham Hotspur and have many years experience within the football industry, at clubs and for sporting agencies.   My work involves close liaison with Daniel Levy’s ENIC (that’s the English National Investment Company) and, as a result, I have seen what goes on from the inside and this has left me increasingly uncomfortable about the integrity of Tottenham and particularly the workings of their chairman.

It's long been known that there is quite a degree of "wheeling and dealing" at White Hart Lane (You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5fwFba59lQ )  But press reports on "wheeling and dealing" are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to  ENIC’s manipulation of, not only potential transfer targets and the fans expectations, but also the media and hopefully, in this email, I can shine some light on the smoke and mirrors trickery of Levy.

Take the last transfer window as an example. Shambolic you’d think? No. It was expertly planned right down to the finest detail, nothing was opportunistic or desperate, everything was staged. Spurs purposely waited until the last hour to bid for Charlie Adam because they knew it would fail but at least the endeavour would gain press coverage, allowing Redknapp to perpetuate a ‘hard nights work’.

In the previous one, they were always going to sign van der Vaart. The player did not become available last second. Levy know a forward would propel Spurs into the top four, so avoided this and signed a midfielder which would generate excitement but also limit the team and confuse tactics.

It's no big secret amongst the fans that Spurs have been looking for a centre forward who could crack the top four push again, particularly in and around the penalty box.  At least that’s the illusion Levy has created to appease the hungry Tottenham faithful. The reality is, there were no true targets, just frivolous bidding and political statements where everyone pretended Spurs were busy trailblazing across La Liga bidding for anyone with two legs and an eye for goal when in reality Spanish club presidents gained kudos for rejecting bids for their star players. It was all pre-planned and agreed. A gentleman’s agreement.

So far in the history of Levy and Harry Redknapp, no one has ever signed who has not been a "buy then sell at profit" signing, and it does sadden me that, all those thousands of linked players, lining up via message board ITK threads, often behind a members only error message, are basically wasting their time. 

The directors at Spurs are not looking for the talented players, they already have those. The reality is that the producers are hunting out oddities, freaks and, I'm ashamed to say, mentally ill people, to act as amusing fillers on News Now. They are nothing more than made up transfer targets and they don't even qualify for medicals and work permits! 

It's quite disgusting and shameful really, how the board and Levy operate.  People come from all over the country, often at great personal expense, standing outside the Lodge waiting to see a major signing because they think Tottenham is a talented team missing one or two key signings that would stand them a chance of realising their dreams. 

I can tell you from the inside that Spurs is no more a "contender", than I am an astronaut.  Nothing is left to chance at Spurs, everything is micro-managed, choreographed, manipulated and planned down to the last detail including, the chaotic deadline day transfer madness and average obvious signings that can sometimes prove disruptive or warrant scratching of the head. Recent South African signings for example are simply there to aid the clubs promotion and awareness in Africa.

The ability to manipulate Sky Sports News opinion is vital if you are to control fees and indeed get the required transfer value for a player and an agreeable donation to the Tottenham Foundation. Levy sees this as essential to the success of the club and are very open about fact; signing and selling players of quality is impossible for an investment company if it purely looks to retain them and not sell them on for profit the moment their value doubles. if it was purely left to the fans, as Harry recently said  "They’re idiots".  Everything at Spurs is geared towards telling you who you we should be signing with misinformation and planted sound-bites with the media and sports writers, particularly via Harry Redknapp who acts as the protagonist for the chess game Levy is playing.  It's an art really, which they have honed to perfection and Spurs are now world leaders at.

The micro-management of Dimitar Berbatov’s transfer was incredible.  I was really quite shocked at how the club let him go up to talk to City when he was always going to be picked up at the airport by Utd.  From a starting point of wanting Berba sold, Levy had totally screwed Fergie in the process to the tune of £30M. But it looked like it was Utd and Berba controlling the destiny of the Bulgarian. Levy looks like he put up a gallant fight and looks better for it when he lets us know the money the club have received for the player. But what did we get in return? Frazier Campbell. Levy hardly interested in plugging the hole that was left. Money earned, job done.

In the present, as a footballer on the flanks, Gareth Bale has a relatively short shelf-life.   Levy knew he was going to have to hit the ground running to maximise Bale’s transfer potential, particularly if they go ahead with a planned sale to La Liga or Italy.

If you think Bale was bad during that run of games when Spurs failed to win with him in the side, you haven't got a clue.  With an "anything goes" attitude all morals have long since gone out of the window.  There  was no allowance for Bale’s age and he was expected to perform before he got injured which he did, rising hopes for his return. When he did, they then strategically played him in games that Spurs would possibly fail to win in order to generate negative hype around the player being jinxed, building up a body of disgruntlement. Then they pretended to offer him out on loan to other clubs, waiting patiently for BAE to get injured and then start Bale, first at left-back then left-wing. They always knew he would be a star, and this way it was rags to riches with an impact that has left the Welshman with a £30M+ valuation. The story its self, worth its weight in gold.

And if he gets exhausted, there's always some other youthful player in the Championship to pluck from a team right under their nose. I've seen it a million times.

Of course, once Bale’s pace goes, it's game-over and he will be commercially redundant for a few years until he re-signs for Spurs as a player in his mid-30s.  By the time he gets through that, the world will have moved on and his  fan-base will have moved onto the next big thing.  Will he make a successful comeback?  In my experience I'd say probably not. Because before Bale’s pace goes, he’ll have been sold to Man Utd or City. His return to Spurs will be nothing more than a sham, a player on his last legs earning a few more dollars.

I've also met Luka Modric privately a few times over the past couple of years.  He's a really nice bloke with a generous, warm personality and the most wonderfully cute, girlie-giggle.  There's nothing to not like about Luka.  He's a really sensitive soul and this comes across as him being a bit effeminate.  But in a world of thuggish chavs, Luka’s a real breath of fresh air really and a real delight to chat to.  Do I think Luka is gay?  No, is the short answer to that. Levy and Redknapp have got a lot to answer for in their initial styling and image for Luka

Like many Spurs midfielders,  Luka may have issues in coming to terms with sometimes having to play alongside Jermaine Jenas but in a year or so he’ll also be sold to Man Utd.  But right now, he's just a great midfielder...a bit different, I admit with the hair and the dainty baby elf type frame ...but a great lad just the same.

I hope Luka and Bale are not damaged by Redknapp’s tactical and formational shuffles geared to keep Spurs from a permanent spot in the top four, fortunately, history warns otherwise...but whatever, the genie is already out of the bottle and come this summer or next, their lives will change  forever.  Whether it's a good or bad experience being a superb player at Spurs in this day and age, only time will tell.  But as an football insider I have serious reservations about what is  about to happen at White Hart Lane and I doubt the home fans are ready for what's coming.

Thanks to my friends on Twitter and Facebook for getting this email out.  Without you my voice would be silent.

** If you want to help expose the lie which is Tottenham Hotspur FC and ENIC, please feel free to republish this article or post a link to it**

Anon
THFC

Spurs are not willing to sell Modric AND Bale

Tottenham will not be entertaining any bids for their key players this summer, news that will disappoint the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea along with dozens of journalists and sports writers across the country.

Luka Modric and Gareth Bale - both on long term contracts will remain at White Hart Lane as the North London club look to reignite their push for a Champions League spot next season.

Dearmrlevy.com understands that chairman Daniel Levy will only sell players considered to be surplus to requirements. The likes of Alan Hutton and Jamie O'Hara, more viable transfer targets for any one looking to spend some cash in N17.

The main focus for the chairman and manager, Henry James 'Harry' Redknapp, is to pin point new recruits with a centre-forward the main goal for the club. Daniel Levy has already reiterated they will not be selling any of their key players and are in a strong position to once more battle for a top four place if they strengthen their squad accordingly.

A source within the walls of White Hart Lane revealed, "I think people are using their hands to count up numbers in the dark rather than a trusted calculator in the light of day. £20M-£25M for a player Spurs paid £16.5M for is laughable considering his form and quality and even more so that Levy would be willing to entertain offers from a Champions League club as though we're sat 10th in the table with no hope of further progression".

The source also stated '...you wouldn't sell someone a twenty pound note for a quid'.

Luka Modric himself recently spoke about his desire to stay, "The fans are amazing, the club is amazing. There are Croatians here. I really do enjoy it here. I’m not missing anything. I think this club can achieve a lot of great things. I think we can challenge for the Premier League and the cups".

Welsh wizard Gareth Bale also pledged his loyalty to the Lilywhites in an Interview with Sky Sports News. But there are suggestions from some quarters that perhaps CGI and audio manipulation were used in both instances by Tottenham to hide the reality that both players are desperate for a move away.

Elsewhere, tabloid newspapers will wait another three days before rehashing the same quotes with additional ambiguity and citing Modric and Bale as £18M targets (value will drop with each exclusive) as they continue to unofficially broker a deal for any Champions League side that might be theoretically interested. Along with Juventus.

Potential replacements for Modric will only cost around £8M because it's the right amount of money to spend when replacing a player that is worth anywhere between £30M - £40M in todays inflated market.

In other news, if Manchester United or Chelsea or Manchester City for that matter do not sign Modric or Bale this summer, they most definitely will the following because Tottenham can't possibly finish back in the top four and retain their key players a second successive summer if they return to Europe's elite competition. That is simply not a viable scenario and we shall not speak of it again.

Choke on your cornflakes

Sports writers, if you're going to make up some sh*t about Luka Modric and suggest a proposed transfer figure can you please have the common courtesy to do the player and his club some justice with something far more realistic.

£20M for a player arguably the best midfielder in the country, currently on a long term contract?

Jog on and stop trying to appease United.

It's going to be a long summer.