Transfer watch (Summer 2018)

[skiathospurs]

I'm wondering if the fact that Chelsea and United have failed to improve--the chavs in particular could be absolutely fucked if they don't watch themselves--might have something to do with our inactivity. Levy's obviously gambling that we can stay where we're at without spending big in the year we open the stadium, surely the two shitshows around us in the table play into his logic.

Looking now so early in the day,its chelsea and arsenal probably we are battling with for position with united just infront.OFC liverpools money splash guarantees nothing except they have some momentum of optimism which can go a long way,and is what we should have had.

As I said before with wembley last year,reduced capacity at the lane year before,there were also plenty of reasons to be worried then and we came through,I hope this is the same this season.We have a strong team set up from poch to a dozen or so really good players with some on the cusp of being world class talent,it isnt so bad,just the squad looks thin.Maybe injury wise we will be fine,but for the cups and trophy we crave we will be taking gambles at this stage by either flogging the 1st XI all season or playing too many changes with inexperienced personnel.Foyth,walker peters,carter vickers,amos,skipp georgiou fine to put one or two into a rotated lineup with say winks,son up front,aurier rose,but start putting 4 or 5 lacking playing time or experience lads and together cups will be a gamble,especially if drawn with a decent club early rounds.

 

[Yid]

Everybody needs to take a deep breath and calm down.

We are going to be just fine.

I'm not panicking... I just don't understand how there is nothing? No info? No rumours with any sort of substance other that Grealish.

Just curious but how do you quantify that we will be just fine? I'm not saying its gonna be a disaster at all, just don't see how we are now going to be able to capitalise the ridiculously good position we have for ourselves in. That's my worry to.be honest. I can deal with not winning anything, finishing 6th, being Spursy. But it just seems like we have a chance of not letting history repeat itself and becoming a giant of a club who dominates for a long long while.

 

[Yid]

I'm wondering if the fact that Chelsea and United have failed to improve--the chavs in particular could be absolutely fucked if they don't watch themselves--might have something to do with our inactivity. Levy's obviously gambling that we can stay where we're at without spending big in the year we open the stadium, surely the two shitshows around us in the table play into his logic.

For me if that is the case then not capitalising on that position is pure folly. Hedging our bets to consolidate the value of the club instead of trying to strengthen it smacks of a financial business decision overriding a footballing one.

 

[Glenjamin]

I'm not panicking... I just don't understand how there is nothing? No info? No rumours with any sort of substance other that Grealish.

Just curious but how do you quantify that we will be just fine? I'm not saying its gonna be a disaster at all, just don't see how we are now going to be able to capitalise the ridiculously good position we have for ourselves in. That's my worry to.be honest. I can deal with not winning anything, finishing 6th, being Spursy. But it just seems like we have a chance of not letting history repeat itself and becoming a giant of a club who dominates for a long long while.

I'm of the opinion at the minute that we won't be just fine, unless we can somehow have a completely injury free season.

Wanyama is fucked - knee twice in a row is a major incident.
Dembele - suffering during every game he plays
Winks - Fuck knows
Toby - even if he does stay Sir Poch is a stubborn man and I can't see him on the field
Rose - talks to much shit
Sissoko - like playing with 10 men

Our starting 11 is great but we look weaker than last year as I've said before and really that shouldn't be acceptable now we have broken the top 4 . We could well drop out of it this season which would be a backwards step. A big backwards step when Poch says cheers Levy, but I've had enough I'm away to Real Madrid, with Kane and Hugo.

I will add this is just frustrating and I do believe we will have a good season just like last, but Spurs seem to be making it alot harder than it needs to be.

 

[Don Diaz]

I’m bouncing around atm one minute thinking we’ll be fine even if nothing happens to just being frustrated, not just that we haven’t signed anyone to keep things fresh and motivating, but more because I’m guessing Levy maybe letting Poch down. Poch is arguably our most important signing.

 

[Yid]

but more because I’m guessing Levy maybe letting Poch down. Poch is arguably our most important signing.

NAIL ON HEAD

That's why I'm pissed off and shitting myself.

 

[J.spurs]

For me if that is the case then not capitalising on that position is pure folly. Hedging our bets to consolidate the value of the club instead of trying to strengthen it smacks of a financial business decision overriding a footballing one.

I agree 100%. For me the reason its so frustrating is that I really don't think it would take that much for us to compete for the title. I'm not asking for Levy to break the bank, but surely they can identify and afford a couple of players that would make us better.

 

[Yid]

150/200 million quid in fees and 200k a week in wages and we compete. If we win something it pays for itself doesn't it?

 

[Chavhater01]

I’m gonna reserve judgement until the transfer window closes, saying that, I find it impossible to believe, that we won’t have at least 1 new signing in. If we don’t, then it’s bordering on criminal and sends completely the wrong message to the manager and our big gun players and that could...nope, I don’t wanna think about it!

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

I'm not panicking... I just don't understand how there is nothing? No info? No rumours with any sort of substance other that Grealish.

Just curious but how do you quantify that we will be just fine? I'm not saying its gonna be a disaster at all, just don't see how we are now going to be able to capitalise the ridiculously good position we have for ourselves in. That's my worry to.be honest. I can deal with not winning anything, finishing 6th, being Spursy. But it just seems like we have a chance of not letting history repeat itself and becoming a giant of a club who dominates for a long long while.

The way I quantify it (and this may prove to be wrong) is that I am a massive advocate for getting as many games into a particular group as possible (ergo, by having them play together as often as is practical). I am a big believer that a well-drilled team should be better than the sum of it's parts and when you make sweeping changes the points dropped whilst bedding in new players are very difficult to recover. I don't care who it is, whether it is Messi, Ronaldo or a 22 year old Pele (well maybe not Pele, he was the greatest that there will ever be),I have seen little evidence that teams instantly improve when you add a superstar or two. It takes time for new players to become familiar with those that are already there...and vice-versa.

I understand the need for squad rotation and depth to cover the stupid number of games and competitions that we are in but how do we know, for example that if we were to spend a fortune on Gareth Bale that his style would be cohesive with what we have currently? If we are going to speculate, then I would rather we speculate within our means.

I guess this perspective comes from a lifetime of watching my own national sport/competition, the AFL which has a salary cap. This cap forces teams to develop their youth and less expensive players. History in this competition at least shows that the best teams have relied on the best balance of players and that it is more often that not the "bottom" few players on the list that determine the success or failure of their team and not the superstars. In 2013 the best team in the AFL (Sydney) convinced the best player in 30 years to defect from the 2nd best team in the AFL (Hawthorn),signing him to the biggest contract in AFL history. The net result of this is that Hawthorn went on to win the next 3 titles and Sydney have won nothing since. This is only one example of where spending stupid money has come to nothing.

I love the way that Daniel Levy goes about it. I do not believe the long held capitalist notion that something is worth as much as someone is prepared to pay for it. That is a nonsense. Neymar is not worth double or even triple what Christian Eriksen is worth. I just do not believe in paying more than a player is realistically worth and when we inevitably win something I want to be proud of the idea that we haven't gone down the City/United/Chelsea route and simply stockpiled players at silly money to lift trophies. Leicester's recent title win has more merit than every other title won in the last decade. Combined.

So, when I say that we will be just fine I am looking at the trajectory of the club, from where we were a decade ago to where we are now and more importantly, where we are heading. We might struggle for the first couple of months given the lack of preparation and new stadium which will take our players some months to get used to but we will be just fine.

Cheers.

 

[J.spurs]

The way I quantify it (and this may prove to be wrong) is that I am a massive advocate for getting as many games into a particular group as possible (ergo, by having them play together as often as is practical). I am a big believer that a well-drilled team should be better than the sum of it's parts and when you make sweeping changes the points dropped whilst bedding in new players are very difficult to recover. I don't care who it is, whether it is Messi, Ronaldo or a 22 year old Pele (well maybe not Pele, he was the greatest that there will ever be),I have seen little evidence that teams instantly improve when you add a superstar or two. It takes time for new players to become familiar with those that are already there...and vice-versa.

I understand the need for squad rotation and depth to cover the stupid number of games and competitions that we are in but how do we know, for example that if we were to spend a fortune on Gareth Bale that his style would be cohesive with what we have currently? If we are going to speculate, then I would rather we speculate within our means.

I guess this perspective comes from a lifetime of watching my own national sport/competition, the AFL which has a salary cap. This cap forces teams to develop their youth and less expensive players. History in this competition at least shows that the best teams have relied on the best balance of players and that it is more often that not the "bottom" few players on the list that determine the success or failure of their team and not the superstars. In 2013 the best team in the AFL (Sydney) convinced the best player in 30 years to defect from the 2nd best team in the AFL (Hawthorn),signing him to the biggest contract in AFL history. The net result of this is that Hawthorn went on to win the next 3 titles and Sydney have won nothing since. This is only one example of where spending stupid money has come to nothing.

I love the way that Daniel Levy goes about it. I do not believe the long held capitalist notion that something is worth as much as someone is prepared to pay for it. That is a nonsense. Neymar is not worth double or even triple what Christian Eriksen is worth. I just do not believe in paying more than a player is realistically worth and when we inevitably win something I want to be proud of the idea that we haven't gone down the City/United/Chelsea route and simply stockpiled players at silly money to lift trophies. Leicester's recent title win has more merit than every other title won in the last decade. Combined.

So, when I say that we will be just fine I am looking at the trajectory of the club, from where we were a decade ago to where we are now and more importantly, where we are heading. We might struggle for the first couple of months given the lack of preparation and new stadium which will take our players some months to get used to but we will be just fine.
Cheers.

I don't disagree with this, but it doesn't seem to me that anyone (at least on here) is calling for megatransfers, or even a major influx of players. I also think that if Poch hadn't said what he did at the beginning of the summer, people would be far less anxious about the lack of activity.

 

[NiceOneCyril]

You are quite correct that the addition of a megastar would probably not transform us into title winners. But the addition of a capable sub or two might give us a little cushion in the event of injuries, so we don’t have to rely on Sissoko, Llorente or some of the untested youth. The despondency here stems I think from the fear that finishing outside the top four will see us lose Poch. I’d like to believe that Levy has it all sussed out, but history suggests he may not.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

I don't disagree with this, but it doesn't seem to me that anyone (at least on here) is calling for megatransfers, or even a major influx of players. I also think that if Poch hadn't said what he did at the beginning of the summer, people would be far less anxious about the lack of activity.

See, this is the thing though. Levy is damned by supporters either way.

1) If he sees nothing of value in the transfer market and doesn't make any significant purchases he is seen as being a tight prick, lacking ambition and not backing his Manager.

2) If he buys players for depth like Paulinho, Soldado, Janssen, Sissoko, Stambouli or Chiriches then he is seen as lacking ambition AND heaven forbid, wasting money on mediocre players.

3) If he buys a superstar he risks de-stabilising the team, overpaying on salary and creating a jealousy among the playing group.

I am not at all suggesting that you (or even most fans) do this but seriously, there are ignorant people around who would be happy if Levy signed anyone. Anyone at all. The reality is that Levy can only sign players that fit a very specific profile. He can't sign a world class striker because there is literally nobody that he can sign that isn't going to be a Cup player only and occasional sub or injury cover. So we are left with, at best another Soldado or Janssen type, or a young and talented striker who will leave for greener pastures in a couple of years looking for opportunity. And this goes for most positions that we are looking to buy cover for.

It's a rather delicate balancing act.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

You are quite correct that the addition of a megastar would probably not transform us into title winners. But the addition of a capable sub or two might give us a little cushion in the event of injuries, so we don’t have to rely on Sissoko, Llorente or some of the untested youth. The despondency here stems I think from the fear that finishing outside the top four will see us lose Poch. I’d like to believe that Levy has it all sussed out, but history suggests he may not.

I suppose that is where I see things a little differently. Unless we have a horrific run with injuries I cannot see any way that we don't improve again this season. Notwithstanding the teething problems that will come with playing on our new deck, I am supremely confident that we will finish in the top 4 at the very least.

The reason I am confident of this is detailed in my previous post. The more often that a specific group of players are on the same team-sheet then the more improvement we will see. Add to this the age profile of our squad then we really should be better than we were last season. Of course, we will need to be but I think people underestimate the unity that comes from stability.

 

[Glenjamin]

I don't disagree with this, but it doesn't seem to me that anyone (at least on here) is calling for megatransfers, or even a major influx of players. I also think that if Poch hadn't said what he did at the beginning of the summer, people would be far less anxious about the lack of activity.

To be honest I think we need 2 really.

A Martial/ Zaha type player that can play up top and in the advanced 3
A tough midfielder that can drive forward. More the Dembele type than Dier.

 

[Chavhater01]

So looks like Grealish ain’t going anywhere. So pretty much the only guy we’ve been constantly linked with, we won’t be getting. Despite thinking he’s just not good enough for us, I was just starting to look at the positives of signing him and the fact he’s a really forward thinking passer of the ball and the development he could make under Poch, oh well back at square one...brilliant!!

 

[BrooklynYid]

Good news! I have just read that we have that we are "monitoring" Stanislav Lobotka from Celta Vigo. Not too familiar with the transfer vernacular, but I'm pretty sure "monitoring" means pretty much signed. I Googled him and saw a picture of him with his boots on kicking a ball, so it seems he is indeed a real footballer. Plus he's Slovakian, and you know what they say about Slovokian footballers.

 

[NiceOneCyril]

Good news! I have just read that we have that we are "monitoring" Stanislav Lobotka from Celta Vigo. Not too familiar with the transfer vernacular, but I'm pretty sure "monitoring" means pretty much signed. I Googled him and saw a picture of him with his boots on kicking a ball, so it seems he is indeed a real footballer. Plus he's Slovakian, and you know what they say about Slovokian footballers.

I was under the impression that "monitoring" means that we've had him in for a medical, asked him if he's a pacy black winger from France,found out he's not, so "moved on to other targets". Could be wrong though.

 

[skiathospurs]

Fuck this,I`m off to support city........................

 

[NiceOneCyril]

Wash your mouth out...

 

[Dorset]

I don't know why anyone is worrying, Levy always leaves his deals up until just before midnight on the 31st August.

Foyth, Moura, Onomah, Wniks, KWP, CCV - all going to be like new signings when they return from loans/recover from injury/get more match time. I am looking forward to seeing more of Moura and Foyth, they could have good seasons - Levy is still a cunt though, even if he does sign Grealish, Sessegnon and Brozovic tomorrow. I suppose we're more likely to get John Terry and Benny, I think they're both available for free?

 

[NiceOneCyril]

See, this is the thing though. Levy is damned by supporters either way.

1) If he sees nothing of value in the transfer market and doesn't make any significant purchases he is seen as being a tight prick, lacking ambition and not backing his Manager.

2) If he buys players for depth like Paulinho, Soldado, Janssen, Sissoko, Stambouli or Chiriches then he is seen as lacking ambition AND heaven forbid, wasting money on mediocre players.

3) If he buys a superstar he risks de-stabilising the team, overpaying on salary and creating a jealousy among the playing group.

I am not at all suggesting that you (or even most fans) do this but seriously, there are ignorant people around who would be happy if Levy signed anyone. Anyone at all. The reality is that Levy can only sign players that fit a very specific profile. He can't sign a world class striker because there is literally nobody that he can sign that isn't going to be a Cup player only and occasional sub or injury cover. So we are left with, at best another Soldado or Janssen type, or a young and talented striker who will leave for greener pastures in a couple of years looking for opportunity. And this goes for most positions that we are looking to buy cover for.

It's a rather delicate balancing act.

Looping back to this, I'm sure you're right, Levy can't come out of this smelling of roses no matter what he does. I don't really give a toss how he smells (probably of cheese),he'll be a stinking rich man in any event. But if your listening, Daniel...

1. The Cryptkeeper is right about strikers, a good one will be unhappy and we don't need another crap one, so leave it as it is.
2. In central midfield, Luke Amos and Oliver Skipp are probably not ready if Wanyama, possibly Winks and occasionally Dembele are out. Not sure what is going on with Onomah - any clues? Lewis Cook seems like a relatively inexpensive prospect, and you could probably get Joe Allen for a 3-pack of crunchies. May not work out to be a long term solution, but would give you some options.
3. Listen to Poch, we all like him.

 

[NiceOneCyril]

Oh, and please don't buy Grealish - he's the next Bentley, I can smell it

 

[J.spurs]

WTF?

 

[Don Diaz]

WTF?

Honestly Danny Rose Schmoze, I think he’s had it and lost it all in one go. Was brilliant potential 1 year ago, now appears more headless chicken and rabbit in headlights. Run out of animals....see ya Danny good luck.

 

[J.spurs]

Honestly Danny Rose Schmoze, I think he’s had it and lost it all in one go. Was brilliant potential 1 year ago, now appears more headless chicken and rabbit in headlights. Run out of animals....see ya Danny good luck.

I get that, but a loan to Schalke? Strange one for the club, who'd I have expected to cash in, probably great for him.

 

[wilson]

Honestly Danny Rose Schmoze, I think he’s had it and lost it all in one go. Was brilliant potential 1 year ago, now appears more headless chicken and rabbit in headlights. Run out of animals....see ya Danny good luck.

I agree but a loan move makes no sense? He’s 28 so if he’s not in Poch’s plans, which he surely can’t be if he does get loaned, then just sell him. To anyone. For anything. He could have a blinder for them all season and still won’t add much value to him leaving us with a similar situation to Janssen, GNK, etc. Plus it frees up no money for us to sign a replacement which we would def have to do.

Don’t care if he goes but would like it to be permanent and earlier in the window too!

 

[wilson]

I get that, but a loan to Schalke? Strange one for the club, who'd I have expected to cash in, probably great for him.

Ha, beat me to it.

 

[J.spurs]

Ha, best me to it.

great minds, etc.

 

[skiathospurs]

Poch: "It's difficult to understand for people that Tottenham didn't sign or sell players, but sometimes in football you need to behave differently. If we are happy with our squad and cannot improve it, sometimes it's better to keep our squad together."