Transfer Rumours transfer thread fact and fiction

Those ever-reliable Turkish sources now claim that Galatasaray have upped their offer for Ndombele

€8.5m over three years, instead of their previous offer of €8m over four

Come on, Saudi league, you know you want to...

 

Listening to podcast Gold & Guest talk Tottenham today and Ally Gold remarked that Bayern's stance is completely in line of what they normally do when they want a a player, but that's from the Bundesliga. This time its the premier league and Levy and they they really don't like being told to go do one as their bully tactics won't work. However now they have sold Mane to the Saudis there's a bit more cash to wave about.
It's been reported that if no agreement either way is made by the time we play Brentford then Harry will stay and possibly sign a new contract.

 

Fabhino and Henderson was their glaring weakness last season…a slow midfield was costing them. That was their conundrum like ours is the CB position

They got the replacements in before the two were replaced so I don’t get your point apart from highlighting the fact that we don’t prioritise our weaknesses and get the job done.

Liverpool under Klopp always do their key business early as they have done this Summer.

They are still a Football club first and everything else after…we are not.

good effort tho mate

 

On the other hand, Liverpool have seen five CMs leave this summer and signed two, which has drastically reduced their depth

So why are they posting on the front page of their website that their players are arguing about seeing Oppenheimer or Barbie instead of concentrating on signing players, because apparently the PR wing of football clubs is also involved in conducting transfers judging by the belief that us having an tie-in event with the latest TMNT somehow has any bearing whatsoever on our transfer activity or was only arranged this week and not months ago when the film's release date was set?

Because that's the point: this even has nothing to do with transfers because they are not organised by the same part of the club. That's like blaming train drivers for there being leaves on the line

 

...wait a minute, Daichi Kamada is still a free agent?

Even if creative midfielders are not a priority after signing Maddison, considering he's versatile enough to play as a CM, AM or LW and is just 26 surely he's worth exploring?

 

At the end of the day…I’m not here comparing us to Liverpool

Thats your ploy…let’s compare to some other club to make a point of our own.

We have our targets…I don’t need Levy’s approval to confirm this.

I watch us and I know this.

Liverpool are a football club first…we are not…we are a sports and entertainment complex of which football is one aspect of…therefore those amongst us who are at a further stage than yourself when it comes to noticing the drop off in our football priorities won’t have much time and patience for TMNT promotions or even Barbie promotions to help fund the kitty.

However if the job in hand is done first…which for me will always be the football club…then Levy can dress up as Leanardo and sell pies outside the ground himself for all I care.

Connected or not…there is a clear unbalance at our club compared to your chosen example of Liverpool. Plus let’s be frank….the Liverpool board can do all this and also remind everyone of their last 6 years of great success ON THE PITCH….Levy hasn’t earnt that so it’s tough titties for him and his fanbase.

There’s a different dynamic so it’s pretty bad example by yourself tbh.

Our rebuild was supposed to start in 2019…we are still looking for a new CB pairing.

Liverpool have been rebuilding since Mane left and Firminho confirmed his impending departure a season or two ago.…their replacements in Gakpo and Nunez were already at the club. This season the midfield replaced.

Do you see the clear strategy at work here?

I expect them to finish well above us.

 

What "ploy" ??

There are rivals are doing better than us in the PL.
We equalise for the following :

- coach/manager
- transfer/wage funds

and assume the state of affairs is solely due to being better in the transfer market.

Then we ask specifically what they are doing that Spurs are not.
So what do you contend that Citeh / Poool / Man Utd are doing
that Spurs are not ??

I would start with :

1. better scouting (for every million spent, they are getting players
that will deliver on pitch for various formations/systems)

2. optimal clear-out of existing squad to allow for new signings
(getting the bottom line balance right on taking a lesser transfer
fee vs savings on the wage bill etc)


Feel free to add extra dimensions to the above as you see fit.

 

Liverpool are putting something completely unrelated to football front and centre, which apparently has something to do with their transfer activity

The comparison is more than valid, given both teams have marketing departments which have nothing to do with the club's transfer activity

Also, Liverpool's rebuild overlooked their midfield for a season and they're only just getting around to that, plus both TAA and Robertson had mares of a season which suggests they may need replacing if opponents are figuring out how to nullify them

 

Phillips Watch
Nazaar Kinsella says he'll be wrapped up this week once his £2m escape clause activates on Friday

Blackburn well and truly ****ed it if this happens

 

The trouble with your argument is that it's only because of ENIC and Levy that we can even compare ourselves with Liverpool at all.

 

And perhaps therein lies the rub.

Without meaning to belittle Martin L. King by quoting him about something so mundane, the general perception of them is that thanks to them we can see the promised land, but they do not know how to take us in.

 

Worth noting that Wolfsburg seem about to sign a CB from Sassuolo, which could be the domino effect that has been part of the VdV holdup. Here’s hoping anyway.

 

It’s not really the trouble with my argument though is it.

But it’s clear that the trouble with your thinking is that you feel as though we owe some eternal debt of gratitude to ENIC/Levy…so regardless of how a fair few think regarding the runnings of the club…we should always remember we had Alan Sugar once.

I choose to see it from another angle

they purchased us for £21 mill and today value us north of £4 billion…so sell up and pissoff out of here because they clearly don’t run us with any great ambition to succeed on the pitch.

Don’t really need to justify my thinking

its all panning out in front of you and all the others anyway who see no wrong in Levy’s antics with our obvious regression. I’m not even talking about oil and state funded clubs as is the usual retort to justify Levy. I’m talking clubs like Villa and Brighton and Brentford are rubbing shoulders with us.

so crack on and enjoy the mediocre mind set of our club just because once in the 90’s…but I and a growing number of others don’t feel that level of gratitude for our dodgy owners….oh yeh but at least they don’t chop off heads so we can’t say that they are dodgy can we.

 

Reflecting on it, Arsenal's show of strength really, really bothers me. Their average net spend to back Arteta and the amount of time and good grace they've given him to build a project there puts us to shame.

I can cope with being regularly outmuscled by the likes of City, United and Chelsea, but we've finished above Arsenal 6 of the past 7 seasons and have had a higher revenue than them for three years running.

In simple, purely financial terms, why can't we keep pace with them?

 

As with everything, there's as much yes, no and maybe involved here

Technically Rogerio isn't a straight replacement, as he's a LB instead of a CB

On the other hand, Wolfsburg have signed two CBs already this window (Moritz Jenz from Lorient and Cedric Zesigner from Young Boys) and seem to be using their preseason friendlies to experiment with variations of Maxence Lacroix, van de Ven, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Kilian Fischer and Zesigner (plus a couple of youngsters getting run-outs) - but what sticks out is Jenz wasn't in either squad, which looks like he's picked up a knock (or worse)

 

Although I appreciate your main point about our transfer activity putting Spurs to shame in comparison (especially as you've outperformed us since 2016/17 up until last season), I'm not convinced we're allocating our funds proportionately or entirely wisely.

£65m on Kai Havertz is a monumental risk considering he's flattered to deceive for 3 years at Chelsea. This is a huge gamble and, whilst he's scored a few goals in pre-season, he'll need to adapt to a brand new role if we're permanently planning on using him as an '8' to replace Xhaka. If it works out, then Arteta is a genius, but right now, it's a hugely unpredictable signing.

I rate Declan Rice very highly and wanted him for a while, but £100m+ is a bonkers fee. You usually pay that sort of money for a certified level-raiser who will transform the trajectory of the team. And although he's been West Ham's best player, shone at international level too, the expectations and demands of him at Arsenal will be something he's not experienced before.

Timber seems like he's a snip, but again, can he adapt quickly enough?

If we spend £35m+ on Raya, to me, that isn't a smart distribution of resources when a midfielder, cover for Saka and a centre forward are more urgent needs than a goalkeeper who isn't a massive upgrade on our current #1. I also feel it's not sustainable to have two goalkeepers of starting quality competing for that spot. A backline needs stability and consistency, not chopping and changing frequently.

Maybe it's my scepticism, but the jury is still out on a lot of our business. I'm not convinced what we have is sufficient to compete for the league or that we've covered all the areas we needed.

 

The patience is one thing. All clubs should try and show that. Chopping and changing constantly rarely works for consistent success even with massive resources. There are usually as many misses and hits.

The financial disparity I’m curious on. Perhaps linked to the fact that we’ve been awful at selling players recently? I don’t think there’s a massive disparity in commercial revenue from sponsorships etc, though we never wrapped up that stadium deal did we. I just scanned through Swiss Ramble’s analysis of the PL 2021/2 and over the last 10 years though and based on my illiterate quick read there isn’t anything obviously that would be hamstringing us in comparison. Even on the net spend front. So it does seem odd. Maybe they’re loading up in anticipation of covering transfers over a few years of CL revenue? Risky if so, look at Barca.

 

Part of it comes from them trimming a lot of fat and giving youngsters the stage, meaning they got some hefty wages off the wage bill (i.e. Ozil, Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan) while using the Europa League as a proving ground for a batch of youngsters who have stepped in, and that saving can be invested elsewhere - aided and abetted by Everton being Everton and giving them £28m for Alex Iwobi

That's why the suggestion that Poch had us progressing too fast does carry a certain amount of weight, but not in the way people assume: because Poch had us in the CL and chasing the title that limited the chances for raw talents outside of the cups but also meant he was bringing in talents who had first team football in their legs but needed that extra direction to turn them into potential worldbeaters (with Sonny the best example of this), but that meant we weren't saving cash by giving an Edwards or a Madueke or a Carter Vickers a platform, and that's where Poch's policy about not loaning youngsters hurt us almost as much as our ability to identify talent going awry and we started paying increased fees for players with glaring flaws in their game starting with the £65m we paid for Aurier and Sanchez in the summer of 2017 which set the stage for 2019's following that trend

 

The main issue with Arsenal signing Raya for me is that it's going to make the most demented section of our online fanbase ****ing unbearable for weeks

Sorry, let me be a little more specific: it will be something shrieked by the most demented section of our online fanbase that will become ****ing unbearable for weeks due to its incessant repetition as they ignore how we, Man Utd and Bayern all walked away from Brentford's grandstanding and entirely focus on the one team he did sign for that makes them sound uncannily like the worst AFTV pondlife while also ****ting on Vicario before a ball has been kicked in his direction in anger

 

BILD Watch
BILGE are back to their usual tricks of making sure Bittburger sales significantly drop in the Croydon area with their latest one-two

The first is claiming that Daniel Levy is far less angry with Bayern than he was earlier in the summer due to Uli Hoeness' mouth so, by that logic, he is more likely to strike a deal instead of, say, utilise his tranquil fury to waste the time of the Bayern's delegation for the next two weeks in order to see if Florian Plettentwerp commits seppuku

The second is BILGE casually mentioning, oh yeah, Harry Kane is happy to drop his wage demands in order to play for the mighty and glorious Bavaria München if that's what it takes to make the inevitable happen...which is an interesting take, suggesting that Bayern want him so much (regardless of their inability to match the stated fee to even open negotiations) that they really, really hope he drops his wages to do so. Because that's the best way to appeal to prospective employees, having your medienschlampenjungs telling the world that they hope that you help their darlings out by demanding a pay cut...

Scott Watch
John Percy at the Torygraph claims that Bournemouth Country Cricket Club are in negotiations with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Bristol City to sign Alex Scott for £25m, though Percy does say we have been asked to be kept in the loop

Given their previous bid of £15m was flat rejected out of hand, either this is going to run on until somebody else comes in (hint hint) or we should resign ourselves to paying £40m+ for him in a year or two...