If Man Utd can try grandstanding by saying they won't sell De Gea to Factitious unless they get Sergio Ramos, how about this: Spurs won't sell Hugo Lloris to Man Utd unless they give us their stadium.
Two problems with that, Old Toilet from row ZZ looks like a game of Subbuteo rather than a live match and Old Toilet may be full of Londoners but it is not in Tottenham. Oh and a third thing, they close the bars when the Spurs fans start singing. Not a good place to watch football.
That would be a horrific move for both parties anyway. Mourinho doesn't like centre backs that aren't 6'4" and don't stand on the edge of their own area all game. Stones would end up marginalised like SWP. Meanwhile Delph's not handled his move at all well, although City have made a good signing there. It'll be interesting to see whether he can make an impact on their first 11.
A quick update on the Lloris To X narrative: - Factitious have signed Kiko Casilla - PSG have signed Kevin Trapp - De Gea will be heading to Factitious a year from now for £0.00 Next!
Lloris was never going to go, in any event. The idea that Levy is simply sat in his office waiting for United (or whoever) to ring up and tell what players of ours they want is an idea dreamed up in the idiotic minds of wumster Gooners!
...as well as the offices of Sky Sports News and The Sun. One day journalists at other publications might consider something: just because the Murdoch Empire said something, that's no need to regurgitate it as fact. If anything, it's a good reason to ignore the story completely and do some actual reporting...
"Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has warned Everton he will not stop bidding for England defender John Stones, 21, despite having one £20m offer rejected" ...or, as the headline should actually read... "Chelsea boss Jose Moron has revealed that his approach to clubs not wanting to sell their players is remarkably similar to Bill Cosby's approach to women who have rejected his sexual advances. In response, Roberto Martinez has demanded his coaching staff check all Lucozade bottles at their training ground for traces of rohypnol."
Interviewer: "Everton say that John Stones is not for sale, at any price. What do you have to say to that?" Mourhino: "It is not acceptable. This is a player I want but I don't want to have to pay the kind of money that will force Everton to part with him." Interviewer: " So, what do you plan on doing?" Mourhino: "I will keep tapping up this player, until he goes on strike and forces a move from Everton. This is what I do. It worked well with that rat-boy player from Tottenham." Interviewer: "True, but Spurs ended up selling him to Real Madrid, because Chelsea was the last place on Earth Mr Levy would sell him to, after your dirty tactics." Mourhino shrugs his shoulders and looks smug. End of interview.
As I have been told on the Chelsea board, this is NOT tapping up. Apparently you have to actually sit down with a player (a la Ashley Cole) for it to be tapping up. Speaking to him through the press is NOT the same thing. Apparently.
Tapping a player up is very difficult to prove, but unsettling a player through yapping to the media is a lot easier to prove. In my view, Mourinho is guilty of bringing the game into disrepute with his comments over Stones.
According to the Collins English dictionary... noun (British, informal) (esp of a professional soccer club) the illicit practice of attempting to recruit a player while he is still bound by contract to another team And they should know, given HarperCollins is part of Newscorp, the source of the majority of all tapping up in the Premier League
