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Are Tottenham about to be a selling club?

3 min read
by The Fighting Cock
Berbatov, Carrick and now Modric – all leave a little bit of a sick taste in the mouth. Whilst we may be financially rewarded for letting these players go in their prime, the stigma attached to being a selling club leaves a nasty after taste. Tottenham should not be selling their best players if we […]

Berbatov, Carrick and now Modric – all leave a little bit of a sick taste in the mouth. Whilst we may be financially rewarded for letting these players go in their prime, the stigma attached to being a selling club leaves a nasty after taste. Tottenham should not be selling their best players if we ever hope to compete with the top clubs in Europe. However, everything has its price, and quite frankly with the money on the table Levy would be a fool to turn it down.

If the now hourly rumours are true, significant investment is just around the corner. Not the odd £20M to spend on a new midfielder, more like hundreds of millions. Whether this is coming from AEG, rich Kuwaiti investors, from the naming rights for the new stadium, or possibly a combination of all three, is still anyones guess, but the money will be able to build a new stadium, keep our best players, and remain competitive in the transfer market.

But hang on, isn’t Financial Fair Play meant to prevent huge investors playing real life Football Manager? Yes, it is, and whilst most of the money is going to go on the new stadium, Daniel Levy will still have to keep an eye on our expenditure to make sure that our income is kept at a high enough level, particularly until the new revenue from a larger stadium comes in to play.

With shifts going on backstage at the club, with Tim Sherwood apparently taking on the title of Technical Director, we have a hint at what Levy might be planning. Creating a huge academy of young players, picking the best talent from around the world and training and nurturing it. This appeals to the Football Manager in us all – ‘local boy done good’ etc But it could also have a big impact on Tottenham’s finances.

[linequote]There would seem to be quite some talent in the current Spurs development squad, yet, as much as we would like them to, probably only one or two will ever make an impact.[/linequote]

The success of the loans of Walker, Caulker, and to a lesser extent, Naughton, Kane and Townsend is great for the club. Whilst these players may only ever skirt around the fringes of the first team during their careers they serve to be very good for financial purposes. Firstly, they save us spending money on squad players. Their wages will be significantly less that buying already established Premier League players. Secondly, when the time comes, there is a nice tidy profit to be made.

There would seem to be quite some talent in the current Spurs development squad, yet, as much as we would like them to, probably only one or two will ever make an impact. Danny Rose is a good example. Already a Spurs legend for his debut goal, but is he really good enough to play for our first team? He will most likely go out on loan next season, with Vertonghen able to cover at left back. However, a successful loan spell could see us get £3-5M from a future transfer, which is a pretty good return from one of our academy players.

One or two players being sold for this kind of sum each summer may not seem a lot, but the few million generated actually goes quite some way to paying for wages and helping to balance the books. It is entirely possible that this train them, loan them, keep or sell them football factory model could well be what we end up seeing in the next few years. Hopefully it will produce another Ledley King or two, but if not I would settle for a few more Danny Rose’s, if only to balance the books.

[author name=”Sibs” avatar=”http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/1991260449/image.jpg” twitter=”SibsTHFC” tag=”Sibs[/linequote]

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

36 Comments

  1. 78spur
    29/06/2012 @ 7:52 pm

    Totally agree, if we’re going to run the club like a business a quality development squad can pay for itself and create a few gems for the future.

  2. Morgan.
    29/06/2012 @ 8:09 pm

    Yeah, cause signing Bale on a 4yr contract. Walker on a long term contract. Sigurdsson passing his medical and Vertonghen all but signed are true signs of us being a selling club. Jesus you lot write some real shit!

  3. Northspur
    29/06/2012 @ 8:09 pm

    Simply NO if we were a selling club Modric would have gone last year but there is only so long you can keep players who want to leave, if you apply your logic to every club Man U must be considered a selling club

  4. Sibs
    29/06/2012 @ 8:12 pm

    Clearly didnt read

    • Northspur
      29/06/2012 @ 9:39 pm

      What part did i miss ? you asked “Are Tottenham about to be a selling club” think that clear really

  5. spurs guvnor
    29/06/2012 @ 8:13 pm

    Sell Modric the little shit. Man Utd sold Ronaldo they werent labelled a selling club.
    Sell the runt to anyone but not Chelsea or Man Utd.

  6. spurs guvnor
    29/06/2012 @ 8:15 pm

    Sibs, arent you the Doumbia man in the photo on Harry Hotspur a few weeks ago? The one with the old merc!

    • Sibs
      29/06/2012 @ 8:17 pm

      Yep. Keep it quiet though. Don’t want everyone getting too excited. Haven’t played for a while and I’m a little rusty

  7. BIB
    29/06/2012 @ 8:17 pm

    BOO HOO HOO HOOBOO HOO! WE ARE A SELLING CLUB SNIFF SNIFF WE SOLD CORLUKA SNIFF SNIFF SNIFF AND NELSONS GONE BOO HOOO ITS OVER FOR US! ITS OVER! FUCK IT WHERES MY GUN IM GONNA DO IT AAAAHHH!

  8. akshayaalase
    29/06/2012 @ 8:18 pm

    I wat spure star players stay with posiible secod chance to harry redknapp season 2012-2013 new budget to 1.gk -(krul or llhoris or vivino or vorm or hadovic ) 2 .cb any 2-(vertoghen or san jose or hangland or chivu or howdos or dede or mexes any2) 3.-cdm- (diarra or m villa or sacko or ) winger- ( j.farhan or hoilet or bastos or valbuya or reus or ) 5 striker any2 (strudige or damiao or berbatov or adabayor or remy& higuin or huntller or rossi or nilmer or m.sow)

  9. Ray
    29/06/2012 @ 8:19 pm

    What a load of bollocks, complete shit article. Because we sold Berbatov and Carrick to ManU does that constitute Spurs being a selling club. What about Arsenal selling Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Geal Glichy, all in quick succession too. Thats 5 players to our two by my reckoning. Why are’nt Arsenal being called a selling club? Get my drift you knob.

  10. Sibs
    29/06/2012 @ 8:23 pm

    Lol… Except for 78Spur no one has read it!

    It’s about bringing through academy players, such as Danny Rose, and then going on to sell the ones who arent talented enough to make the first team.

    But, hey, read what you want…

    • Ray
      29/06/2012 @ 8:36 pm

      It goes both ways, perhaps you didnt read what I wrote correctly either. I reiterate, why arent Arsenal considered/regarded a selling club or any other club for that matter? Why single out Spurs on the stength of selling two highly regarded players never mind the fringe players who didnt make the grade such as Corluka and Pav.

      • spurs guvnor
        29/06/2012 @ 10:20 pm

        … I read it ok but like your last piece on here it was a load of bollocks.
        What a stupid answer btw for the Doumbia comment! Its strange how you use the photo used on Harry Hotspur a while back!
        I like this site but not you, i wont be reading your crap again you dumb mug.

    • reno
      29/06/2012 @ 8:47 pm

      To be fair Sibs your first paragraph refers to the sale of our great players in their prime which is what brands a club as a ‘selling club’.
      I do get the drift of your article, however selling your ‘nearly’ players to finance other areas is not what most think of as a ‘selling club’. Therefore should you not be questioning the title of your well written and relevent piece rather than accusing others of stupidity.
      But then inflamatory titles get people to read articles……..

    • Colin SC
      30/06/2012 @ 7:24 am

      he he … yup … I quite liked the article.
      IT bodes well for team development in the future. Unfortunately some of our fellow Spursites seem a little jumpy and as you say just read the title rather than the article itself.

  11. smokey
    29/06/2012 @ 8:28 pm

    absolute pathetic article,so that must make arsenal (adebuyor,arshavin,nasri,fabregas and possibly rvp) a selling club????
    man u sell ronaldo – does this mean their a selling club???????
    players come and go,they don’t stay forever,to me modric is well overrated anyway so good riddence
    we had great midfielders before him and im sure we’ll have great midfielders in the near future

  12. Peter4Spurs
    29/06/2012 @ 8:29 pm

    ALL clubs are selling clubs without exception. Man U sold Beckham, Ronaldo etc. you name me a club that has not sold ‘so called’ best players … stop making a big thing out of it. We have sold the occasional player and some have come good others have not. The bottom line is people for various reasons want to move on, let them, no person is bigger than a club and EVERYONE to a man can be replaced.If Mod’s wants to go then Levy’s job is two fold, get the best price for him and try and make sure the sale does not impact on the club i.e. sell him overseas.

  13. Sibs
    29/06/2012 @ 8:30 pm

    And another one…

    • Peter4Spurs
      29/06/2012 @ 9:26 pm

      ???

  14. 78spur
    29/06/2012 @ 8:37 pm

    To the didn’t read crew – it’s not about us being a ‘selling club’, it’s saying that we should work harder to develop home grown talent. We can unearth occasional new players who are good enough for the first XI but also develop players that we can sell on to lesser prem and championship teams, this could lead to a situation where the development squad pays for itself and creates players good enough for the first team saving us millions, potentially!

    Following that line of logic, because we’re selling these type of players it should help us to have more financial clout to retain the bigger players.

    • Northspur
      29/06/2012 @ 9:43 pm

      I did read it and it makes no sense at all, to title it “Are Tottenham about to be a selling club” and then list the last 2 high priced players sold is asking for the reply’s.

    • Colin SC
      30/06/2012 @ 8:28 am

      If I remember rightly the training facilities create allowances within the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. Not that it matters because most of the billionaire owned clubs are flouting these rules anyway .

      • Colin SC
        01/07/2012 @ 12:22 pm

        Is there a limit on how many youth players can play for the team during Premiership games. What I mean is .. if they are younger than 21 and still in the academy do they count towards the 25 man squad? if so we could have loads of reinforcements. Just curious?

  15. smokey
    29/06/2012 @ 8:41 pm

    the only player we sold in recent years that was of high quality was berbatov,we robbed manure of 18 mill for carrick,and we will rob the next club of 40 mill for ratboy

  16. Sibs
    29/06/2012 @ 8:47 pm

    Did Not Read… Lol.. Etc

    • reno
      29/06/2012 @ 8:52 pm

      Try reading the title and first paragraph and you’ll see what people are responding to. A ‘selling club’ is one that sells its best players not academy players, your article is inconsistent even though it makes good points.

  17. reno
    29/06/2012 @ 8:59 pm

    Maybe the title should read “Are Spurs about to become a developement club?”

  18. TMWNN
    29/06/2012 @ 9:32 pm

    Good points, but I’d have to agree with one or two others; that first paragraph under that heading would confuse the hell out of most people, but obviously not someone as clever as me ;-)

    The sheer scale of the new training facilities would indicate we’re soon to get very serious about development. A proper little football factory but, hopefully, without the naughtiness.

    • Colin SC
      30/06/2012 @ 8:40 am

      I think Sibs develops his statement well the first part iterates the need for football as an entity to realise not only is it a sport but also a huge business. Of course all clubs sell players otherwise they would be tripping over the zimmer frames. However after stating we dont like selling out better players he went on to show how to mitigate this. He stated with our training facility we have choices about which players we keep and which go. This is as some of you said a piece about development and as such is in my mind a great step forward from merely being a selling club. All good ta very much.

  19. Northspur
    29/06/2012 @ 9:48 pm

    Clearly the writer likes to think they are a cut above everyone else

  20. bobble job
    29/06/2012 @ 10:51 pm

    Instead of writing articles…..you should invite some of the people who have responded to this one to the local boozer and stand on an old orange box and get your point accross verbally…..then lets see who is brave enough to use words like wanker, knob etc to your face.
    Just love people that are only brave behind a keyboard !!!
    This is a place for spurs supporters to bounce views around – go swear at gooners – have some respect for your fellow fans
    ….knob arse twats !!!!

  21. stuart senior
    29/06/2012 @ 10:53 pm

    no one seems to remeber that other rat shitty little sheringham solt to the manure but on the bright side we sold a lot of crap to the manure in the past

  22. Daniel
    30/06/2012 @ 12:30 am

    I don’t want to get in the habit of selling our best players, but if someone offers crazy money for one of them — take it. No player is worth more than the team and if — for example — we got 40 mil for Modric we get Moutinho and still have 10-20mil left over to go towards a needed forward. Spurs gain.

    About developing and investing in academy players, the sale of such players do bring in some nice fees that help pay wages, but the real value that I see is it lets us invest in players (Coulibably, as an example) who might be amazing in a couple of years while gaining — rather then spending — for the gamble.

    • Colin SC
      30/06/2012 @ 5:41 pm

      All of course dependent upon the style and methodology of the coaching staff, Strategies against opposition and health of the players. I do hope there has been a beefing up of the sports heath facilities a couple of years ago we were plagued with injuries incurred during our own training sessions, or so the media led us to believe.

  23. matspur57
    30/06/2012 @ 7:16 pm

    apart from anything else, what are these “hourly rumours” where do they originate?

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