Category Archives: Transfer Stuff

Satay House lol lol

Posted by on December 7, 2011 5 comments

Benoit Assou EkottoHow can anyone dare to question the abilities of my favourite Satay House fan Benoît Pierre David Assou-Ekotto? Not to be confused with the wife and child killing wrestler Chris Benoit, Assou-Ekotto has been one of our best players this season as far as I’m concerned. That is in addition to having the world’s biggest head of hair and saying ‘lol satay house’ on the majority of his tweets. Obviously he’s playing in a very good team, but their aren’t many better left backs in the Premiership currently. His link up play with Bale is consistently excellent and some of his cross field balls are so accurate it’s scary. Ekotto was labelled as a weak link by some idiot this week and while I wasn’t his biggest fan a few seasons ago, Pierre has improved out of all recognition and is also such a likeable character.

I had to come up with three transfer targets for a piece I was writing for the Metro this week and while I found it hard to think of any players that would better what we already have at the club, a new left back was certainly not on my mind. Carlos Tevez was however and while I knew it was a massively long shot, I didn’t expect Milan to say they were having a nice little chat with him an hour later. I might have to re write that now eh?! Maybe we could do with a top class centre half the right side of 30 to cover our hugely talented but equally injury prone mob. Christopher Samba was my weapon of choice but Gary Cahill would suffice. Oh and I like the look of a chap by the name of Fernando Llorente. Scores for fun if you’re reading Harry, he’d be worth a little bid in Jan.

I’m doing the Paddy Power podcast tonight, it revolves around Spurs and betting, the only two things I know much about…arguably anyway. Spurs’ chances of winning the title is the theme I believe. I feel their quote of 16/1 is on the stingy side, but we are less than half the odds of Arsenal so maybe Paddy has got it about right.

You can listen to my Clive Allen interview at The Fighting Cock website. I couldn’t work out the uploading procedure properly. I will at some point learn how to do it, but at the time I was busy trying to volumise my hair to Assou-Ekotto proportions before visiting my local satay house….

If players were valued in inches

Posted by on July 12, 2011 8 comments

£27m would be a decent offer for Luka Modric. The fact is they are not, and that sort of price still isn’t enough for our top commodity. It might seem foolish to call any player priceless, but that’s what Modric is to most Tottenham Hotspur fans. Harry Redknapp described the earlier £22m offer as a joke. I didn’t find it all that amusing and the improved one is still not making me laugh very much.

I understand why he’s tempted by the move to West London. Chelsea are very likely to be challenging in both the Premier League and the Champions League next season. Spurs definitely won’t be doing one of those and are unlikely to be doing the other either. The problem biggest problem I have with this situation is selling your best player to a team you are trying to close the gap on is a massive mistake. The fact the Premier League is now arguably the biggest league in the world means these sorts of transfers will happen more and more often. We have already seen how Arsenal are struggling to hold onto their stars even though they did qualify for the Champions League.

With the reports of Michael Essien being unavailable for up to six months due to a knee injury, Chelsea are even more likely to keep coming back until they get their man. Modric is probably going to official request a transfer soon enough and that will make the club’s position pretty impossible. I like that we are showing resolve and not just rolling over but when a player decides they want to move, it’s pretty pointless trying to force them to stay.

At what is likely to be the peak of his career, a player like Luka Modric should be competing at the highest level possible and winning major honours. It’s just unfortunate for us Spurs fans that he probably won’t be able to do that while playing at the Lane.

The Bojan Krkic Puzzle

Posted by on July 4, 2011 6 comments

Bojan KrkicWhile he looks arguably a better prospect than Giovani dos Santos was, is Bojan Krkic going to be another over priced disappointment from the fringes of the Barcelona squad? A £14m price tag would suggest this 20 year old is a bit special but as he’s yet to do it on a consistent basis at the highest level, this transfer would be a very risky one.

Maybe Dos Santos is an unfair comparison. For one thing, he only cost £5m and for another, he probably wasn’t in the same league as this kid ability wise. Although Bojan has failed to break into the first team on a full time basis, he has still managed to net 41 goals in 163 games for the Catalan giants since 2007. After winning the European U21 Championships with Spain recently, the young Spaniard will no doubt be looking to play first team football. Four years of being a fringe player, even at his relatively young age, is no good for any footballer’s career.

From Barcelona’s point of view, it looks to be a no lose situation. Bojan is highly unlikely to be able to break into their team due to the current abundance of talent at Pep Guardiola’s disposal and a big money transfer fee for a player that is basically surplus to requirements makes sense. Should Krkic turn out to be a superstar, Barca will no doubt be back to sign the player at some point and he would quite likely want to return to his boyhood club, as is the case with Cesc Febregas.

This is another example of a signing that Spurs can make without the lure of Champions League football. He’s undoubtedly a player of limitless potential who has superlative technique and would be a good addition to Tottenham’s front line options. On the negative side, he’s short, likely over priced, hasn’t played enough regular first team football at the highest level and might struggle in a very physically demanding Premier League.

North London Divide

If you’re a Spurs or Arsenal fan, be sure to pop over to the North London Divide and say hello. It’s basically a site where both Spurs and Arsenal fans can get together for some friendly banter. I write the Arsenal articles and Wrighty7 does the Spurs stuff.

Emmanuel Adebayor could be Tottenham Bound

Posted by on June 30, 2011 27 comments

Emmanuel Adebayor TottenhamHe is talented but hugely unlikeable and not just because of his stint at Arsenal. I couldn’t understand a word that came out his mouth during the World Cup when he was helping diversify the BBC’s panel of pundits. He puts in 110% for a few games a season but is largely lazy. I think that pretty much sums up Emmanuel Adebayor. While I might sound a bit negative about the current Manchester City misfit, I would also say that on his day, Adebayor is still capable of being one of the best strikers in the Premier League.

Early in Adebayor’s Manchester City career, he faced former club Arsenal at the City of Manchester Stadium. It was a game in which he was later to receive a ban for violent conduct and he also chose to run the length of the pitch to provoke the travelling Arsenal fans. That wasn’t what stuck in my mind about that match however. What did stay with me was the way Adebayor played. He was quite simply breathtaking at times and while the majority of Arsenal fans were happy to see the back of the Togolese attacker because of his questionable attitude, they were probably also left wondering who in their squad could produce such a meaningful performance.

It doesn’t look like Real Madrid want to retain Adebayor’s services and he has rejected talk of moves to Blackburn and PSG in recent days. Could he be the man to solve our striker issues or would he just create more of them? City are unlikely to want to sell to Tottenham but it could be a possibility if the price is right. Also, Harry isn’t scared to take ex Arsenal players to the Lane if he thinks they are good enough as was the case with William Gallas.

Personally, Emmanuel Adebayor wouldn’t be a player I’d consider for anything like the £25m valuation that is being banded about but if we could bring him in at a cut price, I think he is possibly worth taking a punt on. Without the lure of Champions League football, the world class players that we can attract are all likely to come with some baggage.

Where does Pienaar fit in?

Posted by on January 21, 2011 12 comments

So it looks like Harry Redknapp has pulled off yet another coup in the transfer market by signing Everton’s star midfielder Steven Pienaar on the cheap. Admittedly, his contract was going to expire in the summer, but paying Everton a couple of million to secure his services now makes sense. The only issue is, where exactly do we accommodate him?

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a great singing and addition to the Tottenham squad. I just don’t see him getting much game time. Obviously, an injury or two and things could change dramatically, but is Piennar going to be happy spending more than 50% of his time warming the bench? I don’t think so. While he can play anywhere across the midfield, his preferred position is as an attacking left winger. Gareth Bale could probably do with a rest from time to time, but I can’t see that being enough game time to satisfy the South African.

An option in center midfield would be playing him instead of Palacios but I don’t really see that working when we are already a bit too attacking in that area as it is. We can generally get away with it at home but in away games especially, I think Palacios should be starting the majority of games despite what his uneducated detractors say. The fact Pienaar is capable of playing across the midfield means he does give us a great option but does this only serve to make him more of a bit part player?

The player’s record at Everton has been impeccable and even this season when there has been so much doubt over his future, Pienaar has continued to give his all. If he sows the same type of commitment and desire at White Hart Lane, I’m sure he will quickly become a favourite with the Spurs fans.

In summary, I consider Steven Pienaar to be a great acquisition for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Only time will tell whether he can carve out a regular place in a midfield already over flowing with talent and options.

Bargain Borrowing

Posted by on August 3, 2010 11 comments

Tottenham Loan DealsSo, no players want to sign for us on a permanent basis then! The fact we can’t tie any of our top transfer targets down is a little disheartening but it’s probably also an indication that Harry Redknapp isn’t prepared to buy second rate players just to bring in bodies. He seems very much of the opinion that if the price isn’t right, we should just move on.

Redknapp has been quoted in the press today saying loan deals are probably the way forward for Tottenham in the current transfer market;

“I can see loans happening. I’ve got three players in mind that would not cost a lot of money.

“If we can pull off the deals you are talking about £8million or £9million for three players. Loans would certainly be a real possibility.

“People are going to loan players from all over the world, there will be loads because clubs are struggling to pay the wages. There will be high earners they have to loan out.”

I’m not really sure how I feel about loan deals. Part of me thinks it’s a good thing. You get the player in for the season just paying wages and if it doesn’t work out, you don’t have to retain their services. Often, these players are looking to put themselves in the shop window and put in decent performances throughout the season.

Usually where loans are concerned, it’s players from the top clubs going to smaller outfits. A side in the Champions League having to bolster their squad with loanees seems a little ridiculous. However, with the new rules regarding squad sizes, times may be changing. The wealthiest clubs are going to have a number of players surplus to requirements and loan deal may be the only viable financial option.

The only issue I can see is whether these big name stars are going to have enough hunger coming to Spurs on a temporary basis. Will they just rest on their laurels? If you take Jamie O’Hara’s spell at Portsmouth as an example; he worked his socks off week in week out. I can’t see many of those on the fringes of the Manchester City squad doing the same for Tottenham. Only time will tell I suppose. I’d imagine some business will be done one way or another this week.

Other news;

I’m going to be the Spurs contact for Ian Wright’s Saturday football show on Absolute Radio.

I’ve been asked to share this Arsenal story with you all;
Arsenal Celebrations

You can join our Fantasy League for this season below
2010/11 Fantasy Football

Once you have chosen your team, click on leagues then enter the following code to join the EBA League:
163104-47048

And finally, you can follow me on Twitter here
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Players Please

Posted by on July 24, 2010 21 comments

Tottenham TransfersSo where are these summer signings then?! I expected Tottenham to be very active in the transfer market by now but it just hasn’t happened. It sounds like Harry expected to get Joe Cole but I still thought we’d have three or four new squad members by now. Our boss was quoted in the press today talking about Man City’s resources, claiming fans would not care if ‘Saddam Hussein’ owned their club so long as he was pumping ridiculous amounts of money into it.

City’s spending power is incredible and eventually, I’m sure they will manage to buy the Premier League title and possible even the Champions League, but I believe we still have another season or two before the Abu Dhabi United Group complete their mission! Although it must be exciting times for City fans, I’d imagine it must also be a little tedious being able to basically go out and get anyone. As a fan you want success, but just buying it in that way makes very little appeal to me personally. If Spurs paid the type of transfer fee and wages that are being quoted for James Milner, I’d feel more than a little sick!

‘There’s still value in the transfer market, but you’ve got to be a genius. You’ve got to go and find somebody, but top players, they want top wages. That’s your problem.’

While Redknapp does have a point with regard to the transfer market being a tougher place to unearth bargains than it has been in years gone by, it’s not impossible. If anyone can come up with a couple of gems for fair money, it’s Harry. I think wages are an issue but there is a balance you have to find where that issue is concerned. The club have that balance about right at
the moment.

It just doesn’t feel normal being a Spurs fan this Summer. Champions League football and not being linked with every player under the sun while buying and selling lots of others. Maybe this is the new Tottenham, a more settled and stable one hopefully. That being said, two or three new faces before we kick off our campaign proper would be very welcome.

Will Joe Cole tip the balance?

Posted by on July 21, 2010 7 comments

Joe ColeA few days ago, I wrote an article discussing the online betting for next season’s Premier League title. I found it puzzling that Liverpool were a significantly shorter price than Tottenham going on last season’s form, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding the future of their star players. Gerrard was to be joining Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid and Torres was also allegedly keen to move, that is if anyone is brave enough to risk millions of pounds on a player that looks to have serious issues if his World Cup performances are anything to go by.

I genuinely thought Joe Cole would end up at Tottenham this summer. If the internet and newspapers are to believed, Spurs offer of wages was the lowest of his suitors, and significantly lower than those Liverpool where willing to pay. The way I see it, Liverpool were willing to pay over the odds for a player like Joe Cole as a statement of intent. They are not in the Champions League currently, have appointed a very talented but arguably low profile manager and looked like a club in serious regression last season. Cole’s signing not only shows they are still able to attract players of world class

All this being said, I don’t think it’s the end of the world that Spurs missed out on Cole. We already have a wealth of talent in midfield and paying 100k a week or more for a player in his late 20s who has a very poor injury record probably wasn’t the right move for us in hindsight. I think he was a lot more important for Liverpool than he was for Tottenham.

Do I think Cole’s move to Liverpool will propel them to mount a challenge for the Premier League title this coming season? Not a chance. Do I think he will tip the balance in their favour over Spurs where the battle for a top 4 spot is concerned? I doubt it, but I fully expect them to be better than last season. The only problem for them is, Spurs will be too!

The truth about Joe Cole

Posted by on June 8, 2010 23 comments

For the best part of two weeks, every Arsenal fan I know has been very keen to tell me that Joe Cole has agreed a deal to join the Gunners. I did find it slightly hard to believe, I just couldn’t see him wanting to go there. Not solely for footballing reasons but I just can’t imagine him fitting in very well there. He strikes me as a guy who needs to have a laugh and a bit of banter and I don’t think Wenger and co are going to provide any of that. Maybe now he’s got a kid he’s his thinking is different but I can see no reason why he’d want to go there rather than come and work with familiar faces at Tottenham.

When Harry Redknapp said last week it looked like Cole had already agreed a deal with a club, I started to think that maybe the Arsenal rumours were true. The fact Redknapp has done a U-Turn in the last couple of days and declared his interest in signing the Chelsea and England star makes things very different. Something must have happened to make Redknapp change his position so dramatically. Last week he basically said there was no chance, he’d been told Cole was off the market but now he’s made his intentions very clear.

The only negative I can see from Cole’s point of view where a move to Spurs is concerned is the fact we still have to qualify for the Champions League proper. Also, the fact we aren’t Champions League regulars and it’s going to be no easy task to repeat the feat next season would mean his contract would likely contain a lot of conditions, but I don’t really see any problem with that. Being one of the most desirable free agents in recent years, his wage demands will be huge but there are ways around this with signing on fees, bonuses etc so we wouldn’t necessarily have to destroy our wage structure!

A good World Cup for Cole may create new interest from abroad for his signature but from a neutral point of view, I honestly believe Tottenham to be his most likely destination. Obviously I’m also hoping that is the case but the lure of working with Redknapp again coupled with the fact he would feel very much at home with a number of friends and England team mates at the club must make Tottenham a very attractive proposition.

Can we finally offload David Bentley?

Posted by on January 4, 2010 10 comments

The stories currently doing the rounds are that both Sunderland and Athletico Madrid are interested in the most disappointing Tottenham signing since Helder Postiga.

David Bentley was meant to be the man to take Spurs to the next level. Arguably the best right sided player in the Premier League at the time of his arrival at White Hart Lane in July 2008, he was expected to oust Aaron Lennon and become Spurs’ star man. Unfortunately for Bentley and fortunately for Tottenham, neither scenario materialised.

Rumoured to be on around 60k a week, a Bentleyless wage bill would certainly be a good thing for Tottenham Hotspur. It’s unlikely we will recoup anything like the £15-£17m paid for his services, but I’d imagine someone will take a punt on him for around £7 or £8m in the January transfer window.

While Bentley’s goal against Arsenal was probably worth a couple of million to Spurs fans, we more than paid them back with the chunk of the transfer fee they got from Blackburn.

David Bentley will be best remember for kicking a ball off a roof into a skip and his drink driving charge than anything he contributed during his time on the pitch whilst a Tottenham Hotspur player. I hope he can mature a bit and get his career back on track elsewhere but I have the feeling he will go down in the history books as a player that never managed to fulfil his potential.