Transfer thread for 2016-17 season

Random link of the day: PSG U19 winger Nanitamo Ikone - which doesn't in any way sound like his agent trying to chisel a better deal out of PSG by suggesting Spurs, Juventus, Man City and Liverpool are all interested in his services...which not only instantly brings The Adrien Rabiot Saga to mind, but also begs the question why any academy player would want to remain at PSG given the sheer number of them that never break into the team.

Meanwhile, here's an example of how the tabloid ****ehawks operate.

In an interview with Argentine site TyCSports Lamela said the following: "Honestly, I feel comfortable in Tottenham, I'd like to stay one more year here. We are a brave group, very competitive. Hopefully everyone can stay together so we can improve and win some [form of] title. This year it was not possible but we were close and we will play the Champions League now...The balance is good. We are second, and a draw is enough for us to be the runner-up. It's very positive. Before starting, we just wanted to finish well. We are a young team that will continue to work hard to win the title next year.”

First of all, the likes of the Standard and Mirror ignored 99% of what he said to get the clickbaity headline of him wanting to leave at the end of next season. Secondly, and more importantly, from what I can gather from a remarkably shoddy trip through Google translate is that Lamela was responding to being asked if he would return to River Plate - and they completely omitted the part where he said he is happy at Spurs and wants to continue playing for us.

Here's the original article: http://www.tycsports.com/futbol/erik-lamela-me-gustaria-seguir-un-ano-mas-en-tottenham

Finally, I have found the best reason to sell Bentaleb: he's the featured player for May in the 2016 Spurs calendar, so he obviously jinxed our last two fixtures.

 

More chance of Wilshere playing a full season than us signing Lahm to be honest, CK.

 

If the claim was actually on record as opposed to the usual stupid 2+2=22 football journo nonsense,
then if Spurs to this point have never had any interest in the player I would be very happy for the
club to issue a press release to that end. And warn the person on record not to make such claims ...

 

My initial thought was some journo was mistaking a regen on Football Manager for a real player - as the article said we were interested in Jonathan Ikone...who doesn't exist.

 

Lallana would be the first name on your team sheet.

 

Did John Bishop write that for you? It's funnier than his usual stuff.

 

Skylarkted ?? Looks like a name change caused by an end of season lost wager ...

 

Correct, under the section headed 'Substitutes'.

 

Ted is a regular priest that visits our board and blesses us.

God loves you (Ted does too)

 

Hilarious.

 

It would be for him!

 

You can tell the season's winding down, here's another bunch - brought to you by the bottle on junmai sake I had during dinner...
* After two years of the papers deciding that because Jay Rodriguez played for Poch at Southampton that he must be a Spurs target, they switched to Adam Lallana. Thank **** they all forgot about Dani Osvaldo...
* Mundo Deportivo haven't forgotten that we were linked with Mateo Musacchio a couple of summers ago. Since we got lumbered with Fazio due to third party shenanigans, neither have we...
* Lassana Diarra has admitted there is a good chance he may leave Marseilles this summer. This is probably because he's out of contract in six weeks
* As talks between Leeds and goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell have broken down, we have quite conveniently been linked - and, yes, I did Google his name, because I couldn't believe Mr and Mrs Peacock-Farrell existed, let alone had a son named Bailey
* The Daily Record has decided we'll be loaning Onomah, Winks and CCV to Rangers next season, without bothering to ask us first
* Bild are linking us with Hoffenheim striker Kevin Volland. Well bugger me backwards with a blunt root vegetable, I made up a rumour linking us with Volland on here this time last year to see how long before the papers reported it - at least when I made up a link with Alen Dzagoev it was in The Wail within 72 hours....
* Juventus may be considering activating their buy-back clause for Sassuolo striker Domenico Berardi, who we've been linked to since January. It's the circle of bastardry: Los Ladrones are looking to activate their buy back clause for Alvaro Morata, so in order to plug the gap Juve use theirs to re-sign Berardi - meaning the losers are Sassuolo because Los Ladrones suck Franco dong

Lastly, out good friends at The Sun have spotted Poch and Jesus Perez having lunch with Bacon Face



I though their hearts were set on Moronho taking charge?

 

So Onomah goes from starting against Dortmund to playing against Dundee.
How demanding is Pochettino of Academy talent for that to happen ??

 

Well the Llana interest is serious.

 

He is versatile and could play in either the Dembele role or Alli's

 

That's where the rumours start to unravel for me: £20m for somebody to understudy Alli and/or Dembele?

...nobody remembers how I was all for spending that in January so Axel Witsel could understudy Dembele and/or Dier, right?

 

Lallana isn't too surprising a link. Seemed to have a great relationship with Poch at Saints. Strong off either foot, grafter, good footballing head on his shoulders...goal return isn't to great but perhaps one of those players where you really notice the difference in the team when he doesn't play, but other fans aren't so appreciative. I haven't seen enough to make a true judgement TBH, though he also captained Saints for a year or two and has worked his way up the English league ladder, so he's got a bit about him in that sense clearly.

He's 28 however so the financials might be an issue (the fee Liverpool paid, and what his wages currently are) and I don't think he would immediately command a starting slot, unless he's going to to displace Lamela - who is now starting to look like he might make something of his time at Spurs. Probably more similar to Eriksen as a player but the Dane outclasses him IMO, and has 4 years on him.

Playing Lallana deeper could be an option but as far as I know he's usually occupied a more advanced role and despite his graft I don't think he quite has what it takes physically to play the role as Poch wants it. Like Mason, who I think he'd replace (and/or Carroll) if we were to sign him. Or possibly Chadli could be the one to make way.

 

Definitely an upgrade on Mason/Tom and Chadli, with the added bonus of having a decent amount of experience with 4 years PL under his belt. I don't think Poch will ever sign a player who isn't the sunny side of 30, so 28 really is the upper limit of brining in someone who the younger players can learn from. £20m is quite steep and his wages are likely to be quite high but both of these facts are irrelevant when stacked up against the fact that we're talking about a player who the manager knows and trusts very well.

 

Pass the shovel, another pile of headlines incoming
* Barca have told Sandro Ramirez to look for a new club this summer, so naturally we've been linked once more
* Various sources are reporting we are willing to make Saul Niguez our highest-paid player in order to secure a transfer - although they have yet to report which of Dier or Dembele will lose their place in the team, or how we broke the news to Harry Kane that he was going to be our highest-paid player but now he isn't
* Oostende left wing back Jordan Lukaku has been linked - which given our interest in all the Dembeles this summer, plus our past dalliances with the Maghoma family, makes me wonder if we're taking the idea of being a family club too literally
* On the subject of the Dembele collection, Ousmane has outright snubbed Leicester, no doubt because he found their football too exciting for him to comprehend...

 

Admittedly not as entertaining as the cage fighting at the bridge, where you unfortunately bottled it and carried it on at home to Saints who I think, if my memory serves me well we turned over !