Toby Watch I tried not to laugh after Roma director Gianluca Petrachi said the following... "I realise there is a release clause for Toby Alderweireld, but Franco Baldini has a strong rapport with Spurs directors, he worked there for many years and can support Roma in signing Toby Alderweireld. If you want to say that Franco Baldini negotiates on our behalf, then that is incorrect. I want it to be clear that he is of support to Roma and in the specific case of Toby Alderweireld is an idea to help us save a bit of money. We’d be happy if we could sign him tomorrow without paying the release clause." It's fascinating to watch the exact microsecond where Levy decides that the other club won't be allowed to ask for lubricant, really it is...
Trying to be both objective and charitable here ... Roma are right to assume that : 1. Spurs would be happy to sell Toby overseas at less than the release clause price, if it meant a PL rival does not get their grubby hands on him. 2. there could be a fair degree of goodwill between Levy and Baldini. but even with all the above, Roma must be mad to think they can sign Toby for 0-50% of the release sum, unless they make a Faustian pact involving at least one of their current decent players / future prospects.
I very much doubt any degree of goodwill between Levy and Baldini, considering to date The Baldini Seven have put the club £65.3m in the red
2-3 of the seven have probably repaid at least that (courtesy of their on-pitch performances for the club) .
Eriksen and Chadli were value for money. Despite his slow start to life here, were it not for injuries I think Lamela could be added to that list (i.e. no one least of all Baldini could've foreseen him missing a combined total of 3 entire seasons) The rest were barely worth the ink in their signatures.
Either some journos are telling porkies (I know, who’d have thought it?!) or we really are looking at going to a 2-6-2 formation this season: Reports in Spain saying Poch has convinced Ceballos to join us on loan. Other reports are saying Lo Celso has told Betis he wants to play CL football next season. And reports in Italy are saying Zaniolo’s entourage have told us he’d be interested in joining after we offered a €3.5m a year salary.
You just knew this was gonna pipe up again: According to Marca, we’re willing to pay €50m-€60m for Bale but only pay half his wages and Real are supposedly ‘considering it’.
Waste of money. I wouldn't risk anything more than a subsidised loan tbh. And I think the longer no-one blinks and the closer it gets to D-day, the more seriously Real will start to see that as a decent option. We just need to sit on our hands and hope for a last-minute VDV type deal.
Less than 4 weeks to go, and Bale is obviously NOT the solution to any fundamental issues the current PL top 6 have in their squads. He is a "nice to have" . Madrid were screwed the moment the gossip claimed Bale was more than happy to take paid 'golfing leave' if Zidane was going to be an ass about using him (assuming he is being professional and training hard, playing on pitch as instructed to etc) . Enough people have been saying the above. As far as Spurs go, some of us stated that if Bale tells Madrid that if he is to be sent to the PL on loan then Spurs is the only club he will consider, that will be that. As far as the potential Levying goes, I have no doubts that the talks to date between the clubs has involved any combo of Eriksen/Ceballos/Bale being loaned +/- bought/sold, during the next 3 transfer windows. Meanwhile, if Spurs get Lo Celso (or Zaniolo as some hacks are claiming is a possible) , then Madrid are in an even weaker position.
It will boil down to Florentino Perez and the question of is it worth it paying Bale £350k a week to stroll around a golf course just to save face? I highly doubt it, especially as Neymar is now available and Zidane is apparently a fan. What worries me is that Bale seems to have adopted a bit of a prima donna persona down the line, apparently comes free with a man-bun so they say. I worry because Defoe was interviewed as saying that in his last season with us, Bale didn't bother training and had the attitude of 'I'm world class so you can't tell me what to do'. I hope he's grown up since then but the golf course comments were ill-timed and petulant imo (even if they did come from his agent, the player himself should've got straight in front of a camera telling the press how eager he was to fight for and keep his place in the side.) I'd much prefer a young player like Ceballos who Poch can mould in his image than a petulant prima donna with a man bun.
Say whatever you will about Bale, I'd still have him back, but only on Levy's terms, meaning it'd be a deal that suits us. Either way, in Levy I trust.
That would be a financial win. But what would coming back to Spurs mean for Bale himself ?? What would be the driving motivation ?? 1. To be anywhere but Madrid ?? 2. To resume his 2012-13 season ?? 3. To try and help the club from where he made the final step to serious silverware/wages, to make their final step to greatness, even if that means sacrificing your ego ?? The on-pitch personnel (manager, squad, squad ethos) is VERY different from May 2013. Any mindset other than #3, and I would rather decline regardless of what Levy can do on the financials.
I'm not sure it would be good for us to have Bale back. We have moved a good deal forward since he left us and towards the end he was dominating our play and becoming a bit of a one man band. Although he was an excellent footballer and game changer, the way we play now requires a fully committed team player. Is Bale that? What is the reason Zidane want's him out? Football is best played by a team not a Marradona plus 10 or a Bale plus 10. I am not at all convinced we need him except as a super sub to turn games around and he is extremely expensive for that.
I think you're right for the most part, but I don't think Levy will be even slightly involved if he is extremely expensive, so no problem either way. I think Bale, or anybody coming into the Spurs team now, knows that we have become a strong squad of relatively humble players verses pre-madonnas. Plus, I believe that Pochettino has what it takes, if any manager does, to bring Bale into line if needs be. If not, he'll just get rid like he has many who he considered mavericks. I think between Levy and Pochettno, they know all of the risks and costs, if the deal is to costly, it simply won't happen, and rightly so. It'd have to be such a sweet deal for us that it would minimise any risk.
As CK has already said, a loan move is the best option. Bale’s no doubt a world class player but £50m+ on a 30 year old who’s had more than their fair share of injury problems is a huge risk, especially for a team like us, who despite now having a bit of dough, aren’t in a position to be wasting it. That’s why the smarter big money purchases lie with the likes of Ndombele who’s 22 and has plenty of time to improve if he’s not an immediate hit, likewise with the possible move for Lo Celso. A loan however takes away a lot of that financial pressure with Bale, the wages will be on our terms so it’ll be affordable whatever we agree to pay whilst a £10m or so loan fee is chump change in today’s world for top premier league sides. So yes I’d take Bale back but purely on a loan basis, possibly even a two year loan, similar to what Bayern had with James Rodriguez but I don’t think I’d be keen on an expensive permanent deal.
So, less than 4 week to go, and what is missing from the squad ?? NEW CM ?? NEW RB ?? Other ?? IMHO tis NEW CM. We need to start building the attacking framework for the next N yrs. If Eriksen is staying, it will raise competition, provide alternative options, and give him some well deserved rest via squad rotation.
Lots of noise this morning about Trippier to Atletico for £20-25m. Would be a good move for all involved I think, although the Italian league probably suits his style of play best. I think it will be revealing to see who doesn't travel to Singapore tomorrow.
