Apparently Gary mabbutt has backed up what I mentioned last night. Holtby is coming, which suggests that it will be done this week, like the "twits" said. It's supposedly 2 players in, but I can't work out if that includes holtby or not. He also said there will be a striker. A few comments about wilfried bony have been mentioned now. Apparently there are options for each eventuality which will keep AVB "happy". Looking at things as closely as I have, it's time of death on Mouts and Damiao. Once again it's the cheap options, and possibly loans. And to top it off, there is supposedly truth in the arsenal/goetze rumors. Lets hope we're doing enough. Still a long way to go.
I don't want Gary Hooper, just for the pure fact that in recent years, every top scorer out in Scotland generally flops in England - Miller, Boyd, McDonald, Samaras etc. The SPL is about the equivilent to Npower League 1 in my opinion, so forking out £8m for someone in that sort of league is way over priced. Besides, the last £8m signing from the SPL we got has been loaned out by a shockingly poor Aston Villa side... Says it all.
Our former chief scout, Ian Broomfield, told me Gary Hooper was a bit "anti" Spurs because we rejected him as a kid.
Not too fussed over Mouts to be honest, Damiao I've always said I don't know enough about so if these ITK's are right that there are options that'll please AVB then lets hope they're right. Surprised we haven't lodged a bid for Diame, he has a £3.5m release clause and would be good cover while Sandro's out, a cheaper alternative to M'Vila and has Prem experience, plus it'd piss the Hammers off Wilfred Bony hits goals for fun in Holland and done well when he was at Sparta too, I reckon he'd be a decent buy. Doesn't play for one of the Dutch power houses either so I reckon we could get a decent price, though Vitesse would probably be desperate to hang onto their star asset so who knows. Maybe Negredo is a distinct possibility? Like I said yesterday I think I'd rather him over Damiao, he's coming from a better league and looks to be suited for the Prem from what I've seen.
I'm sick and tired of the entire ordeal. We won't ever get those players as we'll never spend the cash. Levy clearly has the fee's for the the likes of Bentley and Bent at the back of his mind and doesn't want to make the same mistake again. Unfortunately, the likes of Luka Modric fall into that category too, so it works both ways. If levy isn't prepared to back his new manager (who he's brought in for the future of the club), with the players he wants.. these deals will never happen. It might not sound like it, but I don't have a problem with any of this as we've got the new stadium to think about. As i've said before, it's fine if levy's not going to demand and expect 4th. - or worst case scenario, sack AVB if he doesn't manage it. But it's a fine line we're treading by adopting this approach AGAIN, when there's players like Bale and Sandro who the big boys have their eyes on. especially if we don't make the CL - not to mention that AVB might become a bit baffled that he's not got the players he wants, and his current players are being sold (potentially). - is that what he signed up for? - Some of this could happen. Not only do we sell just like we did with Modric, but AVB doesn't even get to choose the replacements. There's a long way to go yet and this time last year everything was looking very rosy for us. I know it's unlikely that we'll get a baron spell like we did last season, but football throws up all sorts. At the moment, for me the first 11 is 2-3 players away from being top dollar. (like Spurfs thread). But the squad is either weak, or young + inexperienced. The latter is fine, but there are some players that need to be shifted and better quality being brought in as we push on. Anyway. SOS, I havent seen enough of Diame to be honest. only seen him a few times for Spam this season, but he did look like a powerhouse. perhaps this'll be Levy's deadline day adrenalin rush? Again, I havent seen Wilfried Bony. Perhaps Cove can shed some light on him? (it is cove who's the Dutch guru isn't it?) But from what i've seen, a 6ft weapon similar to Lukaku would be very handy and give us a different option. we might actually pose some sort of attack when a cross is put in!! Negredo is supposedly the most likely according to the twits, but they have said there's a few options for what ever scenario arises. - Don't know what to think about that one. I think he's a bit of a last resort again to be honest, as he's all that's left after you take away the ones that are too expensive or unavailable.
I think the problem with money at the moment mate is the fact Levy's trying to save every possible penny on the new stadium, which surely he told AVB about prior to him signing with us. Parting with lots of money after the Bentley/ Bent etc situations could also play a part like you said so I don't blame him really for being a bit over cautious, even if it can get frustrating for us fans. I agree RE being 2-3 players short of genuine top notch, in Spurfs direction thread I said I think we're a quality RB and 2 quality ST's away from being true title challengers. Bony does seem an older version of Lukaku, which is a good thing. The fact he plays for Vitesse as well means he probably hasn't had the exposure as others that play for Ajax/ PSV/ Feyenoord/ Twente etc yet has a goal record that matches anyone in the league. Diame impressed me at Wigan and my old boss is a massive Hammers fan and thinks Diame is absolute mustard. Even if Negredo's a last resort he's a still a good striker, arguably better than both Defoe and Adebayor.
Although a head case, very surprised we've not made a move/ tried harder for M'Vila, even prior to Sandro's injury, he's a great player and would add competition and quality amongst the squad. At the supposed £6m/£7m asking price, he was a player that Rennes wanted £15m-£20m for in the summer, it's only down to the fact he is a bit of a nut job and wants out that they're willing to sell for a relatively low price.
Thing is Roo, assuming our wage bill is still around the same mark as before, it's gone up by £20+mill since we first got CL football and so for the past season and a half we've paying a much higher level of wages without the CL football income. I don't think it's a great surprise we're not throwing money around like we have in the past. Another thing I thought of is that Modric's £33mill was likely involving a chunk of performance related fees which at this rate we'll never get back. I do think it's important that we back AVB on a signing but the guy clearly has expensive taste, Oscar would've cost us £24mill and Willian and Moutinho would cost us similar. The big problem for Levy is that with the other teams around us able to outspend us(except Everton) we need every penny to count and spending £20mill on Willian does look wasteful when we've already got 2 top quality wingers and 2 attacking mids that have been recently bought and with another on the way. That's not even taking into account that we could wait 6/12 months and if we feel like we need him then there's a chance he'll be available at a smaller price with his contract running down. If you look at our squad I think it is bigger than we need it to be in places, we have all these young players who we're all excited about but most of the time they don't even get near the bench so what's the point of buying more players to go infront of them and further marginalise their chances? Ultimately we've got a squad that has been good enough for 4th so far so can we really justify bringing in new players in the first place? Unless a bargain comes up for a player that we actually want(and not just because he's cheap) then sticking with what we have until the summer might be the smarter risk to take. If we get in the Champions League we have a cash boost as well as allowing us to pick from a higher quality of player and even if we miss out on top 4 we still have the advantage of better buying and selling conditions. My one problem with it is that we rely on Dembele staying fit, our record without him in the side really is so bad that if he got injured for any longer than last time we'd be lucky to get a Europa League spot but with him we could definitely finish 3rd. That's why I think Moutinho's such an attracitve prospect to Levy but really we should probably be looking to get in a similar player that's a lot cheaper. That's why we could really do with getting Holtby in now to work out whether playing him in a deeper role like Dembele would infact work, if not we definitely need someone because Huddlestone and Carroll don't inspire me as backup.
Hi Lads, I'll reply to both of you in 1 if that's ok? I completely agree about the stadium situation and the prices we've paid for players in the past. I'm not suggesting that we can/could have been looking for Willian/Oscar/Moutinho and be getting or got all of them (60-70mill is ridiculous), but Moutinho for example is that exact player that we're missing, IMO, YV, for the reason you suggest. (dembele getting injured). Willian and Oscar were/are just too expensive and weren't/aren't a total necessity. However, the loss of VDV and Modric, only being replaced by the quality of Dembele, isn't enough, IMO. Top CM's cost money and a player of Moutinho's ilk falls into that category. - Modric had a high price tag when we bought him and a higher one when we sold him. In order to have the class we once had, we need to replace it. and as i've already mentioned, it costs money. - Hopefully Holtby can do the same. However, I feel he looks like a quality option, but not for the creative role we crave. (quality option referring to my previous post about replacing the likes of Hudd and Jake, so the squad is stronger. - out with 2 average players, in with 1 with a bit more about him). The same applies for the striker. Goals are so valuable. Every club around us has at least 1 top striker. That's all my issue is really. Getting The overall hole that Modric and VDV left, replaced properly. - Dembele is half of that job already done. And then a Striker, which we've needed for ages. Both options will cost us, but we need to do it IMO. they are the final pieces in the puzzle which will make the difference. The only other concern that I have is the quality on the bench. we've only got Sandro and Kaboul out, but our options against united were totally limited. going back to my point about Holtby, this is where I think we've got it bang on with a cheaper quality option. We're rotating a lot and when the EL kicks in again, we'll see more of that again. Even if we signed Moutinho and he started over someone like holtby, there's another option midway in a game to change things up. in the next game, Holtby starts as he has fresher legs and someone else makes way. We've done a lot of that with our defence this season. The CBs of Caulker/Verts/Gallas/Dawson have all rotated, as well as Naughton/Verts at LB. I just want to see that with our midfield too, but at the moment i have no confidence in the subs we have, as I feel they weaken our 11, despite having fresh legs. it's about having quality options, rather than an abundance of midfield numbers. - holtby is a prime example of the quality option (starting or not, just an example) and he's cheap. But for me, it still doesn't take away the fact that the "Modric/ VDV quality" hole needs to be filled, as well as the top striker for that department.
Spot on! Steven Fletcher being another, and he wasn't tested at a european level like Jelavic and Hooper have been. I gather that the majority on here know exactly nothing about Scottish football, It's not a great league by any stretch of the imagination, But Celtic are still a great team! I'm ecstatically happy that Spurs are interested in Hooper, With Spurs being my second team. This is the level of team he should be aiming for not Norwich. Hooper would excel in our set up with the service he will recieve, He'll bang the goals in. I wrote this for the Norwich section of this forum so i'll copy and paste it here: He's not the tallest but of a stocky build and is extremely strong, Outmuscles his fair share of defenders and can hold up the ball really well and can pass fairly good as well.He doesn't score many goals with his head or outside of the penalty box, can only remember a few from outside the box and only 2-3 headers. Definitely not his strong points. Loves to play on the shoulders of defenders, Also drops deep quite a lot to support his midfield with breaking up attacks and building our own. His first touch is superb and has the composure to go with it, He always seems to be in the right place at the right time, Some say luck, others would say his anticipation is spot on. If you give Hooper supply he will score, and score a lot at that. Finishing: 9 Scores a hell of a lot everywhere he's played. Heading: 6 doesn't attempt many headers as the balls usually at his feet and at corners he usually stands in front of the keeper. First touch: 8 More often than not the ball sticks or goes where he wants it to. Technique: 7 Won't score amazing 30 yard goals, passing is strong though. Pace: 7 quick over the first 10 yards. No theo Walcott though Teamwork: 10 Fights for the shirt every single game. I've yet to see him be lazy in 2 and a half seasons. Transfer Value: £8-9M This is the general figure most Celtic fans believe he I worth with what's left on his contract. He scores vital goals and in the unlikely chance we overcome Juventus, His name will undoubtedly be on the score sheet. 30 games this season and 20 goals speaks for itself, Regardless of how poor you guys see our leagues, Cups. It's still pretty damn impressive. Hopefully it's true and with him being a Spurs fan himself, You'll know he'll give 100% every game!
Hooper is a goalscorer. He seems to be of those players who instinctively takes up the right positions and finds the target. Like Defoe or Hernandez but not as quick. He's scored plenty of goals for Scunthorpe and Celtic, but doing it regularly in the PL is a different matter. He may be worth a punt at £8M, but Jordan Rhodes would be a better option IMO if you want a gamble on an unproven striker.
