Kostic would be a solid signing, plenty of experience and if the rumours are true and Conte doesn’t really fancy Regulion, we’d probably about break even as Kostic is out of contract next summer. Bellingham would be one hell of a signing but I’d worry about our ability to compete with Liverpool. He’s a complete baller though.
Spot on. For once I don't think this is ENIC reactionism. Yes, this was the investment Poch deserved, but not the one we could give him due to the new stadium coupled with the unforeseen reality that his progress was minimally two years ahead of schedule (i.e. we weren't 'meant' to be challenging for the title 1-2 years before we'd even left WHL). So it never materialised and by sheer force of will, he dragged us on for another two years largely on fumes (Spurlock's analogy of the diluted soap at the bottom of the fairy bottle remains my favourite), achieved the odd miracle (top 4 and CL final with a pivot of Winks-Sissoko) and somehow kept us competitive. I believe we saw the beginnings of this level of investment in Poch's final window, where we had an unprecedented net spend of close to £115m, but it was by then too little, too late and he got the sack. Then Covid hit and it became impossible to give either Maureen or Nuno that kind of spending power simply because the stadium wasn't delivering it. Things got even bleaker when we missed out on CL money to mitigate Covid losses. Now that things are hopefully back to a semblance of normal and with 2 NFL fixtures plus concerts, boxing and more scheduled in the year to come, the purse strings can be loosened again. In all honesty, if all goes well (it won't, we're Spurs), I can see this level of capital injection becoming the norm every 2-3 year cycle as the stadium revenue increases and (hopefully) CL money starts to flow again. It's still not the level of City, Chelsea or Newcastle, but it is miles ahead of Arsenal and almost on par with United and on par with Liverpool. That is what the next step looks like.
Sky Sports News reporter Paul Gilmour: "Following the news that Tottenham have put in £150m of equity funds into the club, the club are clearly backing Antonio Conte in the transfer market this summer. "They will target several positions including goalkeeper, centre back, wing back, central midfielder and a striker. As many as six or seven players could arrive. They will need to find the right balance with home grown players. There is currently an imbalance in this area. "Conte wants more depth in the squad, and he also wants to add experienced players, a shift from recent times when Spurs targeted younger players. "There are some at the club who feel it's inaccurate they didn't spend in the past but there is an acknowledgment they didn't always get recruitment right. "Fabio Paratici can do no wrong at the club currently. Additions of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski have given belief that they are finally getting it right in this area. "Extensive homework is being carried out on player ability and character. Spurs recently rejected the chance to sign one talented Premier League player because their research highlighted concerns he could be a disruptive influence."
Rumours are that it was Pogba on a free. As I heard said on a podcast today, it’s somewhat hilarious that Juve may end up having picked up Pogba on a free, sold him back to United for an extortionate fee, then got him again for free
Pogba? On his day a good player but always comes across a bit Adebayor-ish, only turns up when it suits him. Don’t think he’d fit in too well with guys like Hojbjerg, Skipp and Bentancur who seem intent on hard graft every single game. Or possibly Toney? Proven he can hack the Prem but some of his antics such as slandering his own team is a joke. Complete lack of respect to a very decent football club that have done wonders for him.
I thought Pogba but the notion that one would need "research" to come to the conclusion that he "could be a disruptive influence" is farcical. Like DH said, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Toney. Or here's one from left field: Tielemans. Leicester fans very upset with his attitude and general demeanour this season. Sounds like he decided he wanted out months ago and has been sulking/downed tools ever since. Not the kind of attitude Conte suffers.
Romano says Forster will be announced soon. “Was considered the best backup option on the market”. Not entirely convinced that’s true but he’s likely a solid option nonetheless.
I wouldn't mind us picking up Tarkowski on a free. Good cover for Dier and Romero, could play in the cup games. I think he would be a great backup.
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Great news. Not sure I remember the last time the club giving an 18 year old academy player a 4 year extension. Clearly shows they have huge hopes for him.
It might be hard to improve some of those positions but we need equal back-up. In the past we've said or accepted the back-up to be below the level but now with 5 subs, it will be a totally different game. It is rare that a GK or defender is subbed off. So with our system , we could potentially sub the whole front 3 in a game and the 2 wing backs. This means that a top striker who in the past was not willing to come as back-up to Kane, as he wouldn't get enough minutes, will now consider joining as they could play every game .
Pretty sure he’s signed multiple threes as a teenager prior to the five the other month. Big commitment from the club, I back it though, we’ve lost too many good young players for peanuts in recent years so this safeguards us a bit.
And as we announced one of our top prospects committing to a new deal, Arsenal announce an extension for Elneny
Giving Elneny a new deal is a marker for where Arsenal truly are. He's not a Top 4 player and along with Xhaka, Cedric, Holding, Pepe and Nuno Tavares, he needs upgrading, but due to poor squad management, they just don't have the funds to do it. Add to that there are 3 nailed on starters who have very poor injury records - Partey, Tierney, Tomiyasu and that would be 8 holes in the squad...before you even get to the real issue...that they have no forwards. There are suggestions that Nketiah might be offered another deal, because the chances of them landing quality replacements for Aubameyang, Lacazette and Nketiah are very slim indeed. They're in some deep **** and the thought of Arteta and Edu doing their recruitment would worry me, if I was a Gooner.
I think they were banking on getting top 4 and attracting a decent striker, theirs no contingency or forward thinking at Arsenal. They should of got rid of Elneny years ago but he has an alright game at Chelsea so they give him another contract.
Charlie Eccleshare now says he’s having his medical today at Hotspur Way. Sounds like we could get an announcement around tomorrow I’d imagine.
