Apparently we just pocketed £1 million because Falque moved from Genoa to Roma. Love a good sell-on fee clause coming in to roost, even if its peanuts in footballing terms. Someone, I can't remember exactly who - summed up Lamela for me when they said that he is at his best when he isn't given time to think and has to play on instinct, like with the rabona goal. As soon as he has a moment to get his head up he seems to lose it a bit, and never consistently makes a good decision IMO, unlike Kane or Eriksen or Chadli. You'd like to think he'd really push on this season, but I'm not overly optimistic.
Some reports stating Harry Winks is set for a new long term deal, good news for me, one our best youngsters, think he's a Spurs fan too which is always a bonus. He's also been linked with a loan move to Rangers, not sure how I feel about that, Rangers are a big club but Scottish football is ****e, let alone it's second tier. Would much rather he went to someone like Swindon where a lot of our lads have enjoyed good game time and grown as players in recent seasons.
Levy apparently on his way to Madrid. We'll see!.. http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...for-10m-toby-alderweireld-talks-10357447.html
Non-Spurs related but Stoke have agreed a fee with Inter for Xherdan Shaqiri... **** the bed, what a signing for them if it goes through.
Official confirmations... Paulinho: http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/paulinho-transfer-complete-300615/ Holtby: http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/holtby-move-made-permanent-010715/ Maybe there was something to the rumour that Konoplyanka was spotted in Madrid not so he could join Atletico, but so Levy could wrap up the signings of Kono and Alderweireld at the same time. I guess we'll soon find out.
"Non-Spurs related but Stoke have agreed a fee with Inter for Xherdan Shaqiri... **** the bed, what a signing for them if it goes through." Excellent for them. Obviously the last game of last season has made them realise that with such a signing, they could easily usurp the current 6th placed PL team.
An odd story popped up regarding Benteke, with him saying that he'd refuse to join us even if Villa accepted a bid, as he wants to play for Liverpool. What's odd about it is that, if he joined Spurs, it's a straight choice between him and Kane to start games - yet at Liverpool it would be a fight between him, Sturridge, Firminho, Origi and Ings (and if that were the case, Ings looks set to waste a year of his career)
Considering we paid £1.25m then we've done pretty well I'd say. On Shaquiri - we should be all over that! He's a good winger!
Thought Holtby would've been a Poch player. Gutted he's gone but can see it's almost impossible to fit him in this side.
Benoit signs for St Etienne on a free. Good luck and thanks for the memories. I liked you and I wish you well.
I think the same about Lennon. Can't see why Poch doesn't fancy him: fast, excellent at tracking back (the key criterion for a Spurs forward nowadays). Perhaps he doesn't like natural wingers - players who instinctively want to provide width goes against his philosophy of narrowing everything and not allowing other teams to attack you on the counter?
So glad he's back playing (since he loves the game so much ). Our best LB since for many years and was bafflingly thrown on the scrap heap IMO. It just shows how important the intangible things are in football. Players like BAE can go from hero to zero so quickly and fans think he's useless. Same with Sandro - one of the best players at the club then he leaves and is talked about as one of the worst players in a relegated team. Some managers seem able to get great performances out of some players where others fail. I hope Poch can prove to be one of those managers - so far I think he succeeds in getting more out of the whole of the team than the sum of its parts but I also hope he has that knack to make players perform individually perhaps better than the sum of their skill sets would suggest. Of course making them run around a lot will give you more from each player so that's a start. And perhaps we've seen in Rose, for example, that Poch's approach can bring more out of players than what we might expect to be their limits.
Unlikely to be us. Media are all saying he'll reject us for Liverpool. Not quite sure what Brendan is doing to make all these players want to go there. In other news Levy is still working hard on Alderweireld (despite ITKs saying it won't happen)
The poor are getting richer, for once. Stoke and Swansea were good last year, and should be better this year. There’s a further advantage in adding one big player to your team, as opposed to sorting through a mixed bag of half a dozen, as Liverpool is doing, again, and as we did. On top of not being able to understand why Lennon has been frozen out of the team (other than the decent point that he’s past his very best), I remember he looked good in the exhibition games. For that matter, Rose on the left, the other outside footed winger I’ve seen Pochettino use, also looked quite good (though did he use Lennon on the right? Not often, I think...) . Having spent far too many words on the subject, I’ve come the conclusion the one thing which would be an unadulterated plus for us would be a right sided attacking player who could provide width, pace and an end product. I’ll be disappointed if we don’t get a genuinely good one, especially when teams below us are getting players I’d be happy to get. It would provide attacking depth and balance, and let Lamela and Townsend play in the center and on the left, where they’re more effective. A new young striker, another CB and a DM all might be very nice, but they’re all much bigger risks, I think.
