Real Madrid are on the hunt for an England international right-back, and are prepared to spend £16.5m to sign either Spurs' Kyle Walker, 21, or Liverpool's 27-year-old Glen Johnson. (Source: The Daily Star) Well, if £16.5 million is all they are offering, they can forget about Walker!
He seems like a Real Madrid kind of full back..as in loves attacking and can be found wanting at times when it comes to defending..however i will remind the RM set up and everyone else that wants any of our players ever...that Andy Carrol cost 35 million
I just wish the hack-journos of our gutter press would inject some realism into their articles. So that when (assuming it's true) Real Madrid tell the various press agencies that "we are prepared to offer £15.5 million for Kyle Walker" the journos respond with scorn in their articles, with something like, "Even if Spurs would ever even contemplate selling such an important young first team player, anything below £30 million is a piss-take!" I'd have more respect for them... No, change that... I'd actually have some respect for them!
Let's start with the fact this article is posted in The Star. Then move on to the part where £16.5m for one of Walker or Johnson - if those bids rejected, will they move on to the next English right back on the list? If so, Micah Richards better get a Spanish phrasebook pronto.
It's not the first time this has been mentioned by the press though. I do know Harry and Mourinho do have dialogue, but I think in the main it's because Harry is after one of the Madrid players (Diarra). For what it's worth, Walker seems to be a pretty level headed guy. Although he's not really been around the club on a daily basis for very long, considering much of his time has been away on loan, he does seem very pro-the club. I watched our NextGen home games and at those held at Leyton Orient and Spurs Lodge, he was the only first teamer there to support the youngsters. Plus, he was very patient in posing for photos for fans and signing autographs, which is more than can be said for a couple of the fringe players who were also there. I saw him play for QPR and was concerned he wasn't all there defensively, and after that he was at Villa and again vulnerably when defending. Since those days, he is such a vastly improved footballer. Every area of his game has come on in leaps and bounds. He is a better player now than in February, and in February he was a better player than he was at Christmas. We would be stark raving bonkers to even consider selling this player, and if there is any truth in this press report, then Mourinho should be quickly told to go forth and multiply.
If we are to stay in contention in the medium term he is exactly the sort of player we shouldn't sell.
Agreed - I think we'd sell him for not much more than £16.5m (probably about £20m) though, if Real came calling.
Kyle Walker is our established, first choice right back / winger and plays for a team who's approach suits his play. He might be a bit suspect defensively but he is young and will learn from regular first team experience. Whilst he may play for a better squad in RM, he knows that he cannot be guaranteed first team football with them and may end up on the bench week in week out playing in a league that he is not suited for, in a country that he cannot get settled in. The Spurs fans love him and he is clearly enjoying his football here. He hasn't reached anywhere near as far as he can with Spurs, so why end the journey before it has even started? On another RM related topic, did anyone see Pepe's theatrics against Valencia? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5E8ntsoRL4 Hilarious!