January 2020 transfer thread

[sudoku]

I dunno whether Bergwijn is better than Bowen. But Bergwijn is mustard.

I hope you're right 'n' all!

 

[BangkokSpud]

But it didn't need 120M of investment at that time did it? It was incremental improvements in our weak positions. It was adding another MF so we had competition and cover for Dembele. It was adding a suitable second striker from a position of strength so we could rest Harry and potentially avoid those 2 long injuries. It was addressing the HG issue before the Sammy-summer so moves could be made without the excuse of no foreign slots. It was the maintainence and gradual evolution of the squad to obviate the need to 200M+ investment which is what is needed (including the 120 from this year).

So no need for a magic money tree...though Poch did deliver that with 4 successive CLs which was money supposedly not budgeted (so should have been gravy) since we were told time and time and time and agin by DL that the stadium would not affect transfers. So where's that 400 million? Sounds like a real damn money tree to me no magic needed.

Except we were funding 350m into building a stadium ... a fact you ignore every time ... the accounts show where the money went, it really isn't that hard to look them up

Annual Reports | Tottenham Hotspur

If your whole argument is based on a lack of knowledge about our finances maybe you should read the accounts first and then realise where you're a bit off. Saves repeating the same mistake over and over.

Hindsight is wonderful, but changes nothing, the last two windows have seen 220m spent, nearly as much as Man Utd and more than City, Liverpool, Woolwich, Chelsea and every other EPL club. Focus on the positives not on the negatives that you can't change anyway ....

I wish we'd signed TAA, Sandro and Haaland for 10m each two years ago ... but that didn't happen either and no amount of wishing will change that.

 

[spurs9]

He was always highly rated but I have always heard he was a cm at youth level.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's versatility allowing opportunities in Liverpool first-team - Liverpool FC - This Is Anfield

... 0

www.thisisanfield.com

Yeah, prior to the U16s, then he changed to RB whilst playing for the U16s.

I believe KWP was also an attacking mid in his early years but believe this was prior to the U16s.

 

[Spaniel]

The window finished in true Enic fashion.

A future value for money signing we didnt really need, bullshit rumours about trying for a superstar and leaving a manager desperately short in a crucial area.

The pattern has been there for years and numerous managers have got the blame for it, yesterday I saw people blaming poch but if course there has always been a constant.

I'm not mad, I expected it just like I expect people to reply to me with odd defenses of them but it does feel like we all need to either accept that were run by an investment company who put profits before anything or actually start putting pressure on them.

I'm baffled though. Why bring in the most lauded demanding manager in the world to then not back him? And yes we did some good stuff but to have no striker for a manager who clearly needs a target man / battering ram for his system is insane. I mean levy wouldn't get rid of a his accountants and tell the board to just get on with it would he?

Bankrupt made the excellent point on twitter yesterday that we clearly want players who we can add value too. Ones we cant take a punt on, why not do that with a striker then? We have spent the month seemingly chasing average over priced strikers and then refused to pay for them, which I understand but why chase them in the first place?

I think we got lucky with Poch. Whether you want to give poch the credit it for it or not we hit gold. It all came together. The centre backs gelled brilliantly. The full backs were turned from brainless athletes into machines, dembele was better than anyone thought and were still suffering from his absence now, dele took the premier league amazingly and of course kane went from millwall reject to megastar. I'm not saying we didnt earn it but to have all those things go right at once was brilliant and its helped us pay for this amazing stadium and actually build a brand. But we have to keep it up.

Were now probably going to lose 100 million in TV money next year so you think were going to invest properly ? Are we fuck.

I like levy and am thankful for this beautiful stadium but it isnt one way. We pay the most ridiculous ticket prices in europe. Prices that have ensured I can barely afford to go and I'm sure that's the same for thousands. Being that we pay through the nose, being that we have the best football stadium in the world, best training ground, most successful manager why the fuck dont we have one fit striker over the age of 18? Why do we now only have one senior specialist right back, why do we have these debates every transfer window? It's crazy that he runs every other part of the business with such precision and efficiency and yet team building the thing that the whole business relies on is seemingly treated like an afterthought. The cheeky so and so actually moaned a few weeks ago about the obsession with spending money on transfers whilst he charges his customers some of the highest prices in the world.

The balance has always been off but now so more than ever. You fired the manager that finally got you regularly to the top table , did it whilst filming a shitty documentary so his humiliation will probably be filmed and brought in this megastar manager which lets be honest has left a sour taste in many people's mouths and now you still dont support the new manager and leave him trying to explain your baffling transfer policy.

Whether you anti poch or pro poch, whether you love Mourinho or hate him and especially whether you think levy is the football god or a parasite we should all agree that our squad building and investment choices have to be improved.

Good post but how can you say you like Levy? I'm baffled!

 

[bus-conductor]

Honestly, no I don't remember you saying that. Honestly. The first convos as far as xfer I remember re:GLC were the CL final and his Betis time. But that doesn't mean you didn't. But again just mentioning someone like "I like this guy" doesn't deserve credit as it is not really putting your balls on the line.

Ok, even if you don't, you don't recall me suggesting or flagging up many other reasonably priced players from France and Germany ? We've even had conversations about them.

But I'm not even sure what this, or your original comment about GLC has to do with the point you are making? In fact it supports my point about what players can achieve if given proper chances to develop, and how we end up then overpaying for that development rather than doing it ourselves.

Sometimes that is a preference or luxury we can afford, but not when that player turns out to be no better than average.

Yes, we have those but surely we've heard about more than the 4 that are with us now right? I think the championing of players does them a disservice as it raises expectations of supporters leading to ultimate disappointment.

See what you did there...good one..."Championing". In the same way your championing of donkeys like Sissoko raised my expectations and lead to ultimate excruciating disappointment, that kind if championing?

In reality the only thing I'm championing is some common sense where our resources are concerned.

But how do you know he had 'no intention' of doing it? The answer cannot be 'because he didn't' as we are talking about 'intentions'. I intended to be a billionaire but I'm not. I still 'intended' it though.

No, we are talking about actions. So we can talk about didn't, because by doing it or not doing it, as opposed to fucking talking about it, is how we actually judge people's true intentions. Poch talked the talk, spent a whole book talking "Brave" about youth, but ultimately couldn't walk what he talked.

I don't know and I am not to know. Pretty sure passing stuff like that around could be cause for action against a team. But we do know that things didn't go well at Norwich right? And we sold him because of these things, right? All that matters.

So why say it then. Especially strange for someone "championing" Ndong every day, who's made a career of behaving like a cunt.

 

[Spaniel]

No. I'm claiming you're a fucking fraud for suggesting I bet £500 that our attendance will be less than 50k, when I've just shown you that fans will continue to watch their team irrespective of their opinion of the owners.

I'll be there John. At least there will be 2 of us....

 

[Spaniel]

Having been told some of the amazing shit they've had access too I have to agree Joe ... who the feck thought this was a good idea ... will reserve judgement until it comes out, the Sunderland fly on the wall was really good ... but right now I'm with you it's bloody insane.

How much did Amazon pay to make the programme?

 

[The Mercurial No.10]

How do we not need a full back, a right back especially with Foyth away to Sampdoria and KWP to Saints?

Aurier's still not reliable enough, with Rose away as well, we do look light at fullback. I don't see it as Tanganga's best position to continue his development.

We're actually slightly weaker again after the window, Bergwijn is an exciting signing, but brand new to English football is always a risk. Let's hope he hits the ground running.

Signings still seem to be about prospective value rather than what the manager particularly wants/needs tbh, which is desperately disappointing after bringing in a manager who has a history of being able to win things when given what he needs.

 

[todd1882]

Except we were funding 350m into building a stadium ... a fact you ignore every time ... the accounts show where the money went, it really isn't that hard to look them up

Did DL not repeat his mantra that the stadium would not affect transfer funds? Answer me that. Would you like me to show the quotes from the ST meetings? And beyond that CL money was not budgeted for the stadium. Are you saying that if I read those accounts that DL assumed qualification and was banking on CL money? Of course not as that would be negligence of the highest regard. So I need not see those accounts because the things I am asking about come directly from the horses mouth and are easily sourced.

And to say that any supporter is somehow ignoring the stadium build is silly. I'm not ignoring it but taking DL at his word it wasn't supposed to matter.

 

[Park Lane Mark Twain]

How do we not need a full back, a right back especially with Foyth away to Sampdoria and KWP to Saints?

Aurier's still not reliable enough, with Rose away as well, we do look light at fullback. I don't see it as Tanganga's best position to continue his development.

We're actually slightly weaker again after the window, Bergwijn is an exciting signing, but brand new to English football is always a risk. Let's hope he hits the ground running.

Signings still seem to be about prospective value rather than what the manager particularly wants/needs tbh, which is desperately disappointing after bringing in a manager who has a history of being able to win things when given what he needs.

Foyth didn't go to Sampdoria mate. He along with Aurier & Tanganga give us enough depth whilst KWP goes and gets himself minutes to prove he's good enough and us the right to demand a relatively good fee for his abilities.

If we can muster £10m-£15m for him it'll be a great move from our side.

 

[todd1882]

Ok, even if you don't, you don't recall me suggesting or flagging up many other reasonably priced players from France and Germany ? We've even had conversations about them.

Of course. Sorry I didn't explicitly mention/give you credit for that. Of course you did even if you miss or dismiss some really important ones now playing at Dijon.

But I'm not even sure what this, or your original comment about GLC has to do with the point you are making?

The point was/is you ACs are saying now that the youth are a good way to save money blah blah blah. We wasted almost 30M on GLC because of whatever but I don't hear yall banging on about that...that is, if your main concern is a few pounds saved here or there. BuLi.

In the same way your championing of donkeys like Sissoko raised my expectations and lead to ultimate excruciating disappointment, that kind if championing?

No, we are talking about actions. So we can talk about didn't, because by doing it or not doing it, as opposed to fucking talking about it, is how we actually judge people's true intentions.

Not really. He could have had every intention of playing them when risks got tolerable but our early game bumbles never really put games to bed. Still could have had good intentions paving the proverbial road. BuLi.

Poch talked the talk, spent a whole book talking "Brave" about youth, but ultimately couldn't walk what he talked.

No 'Brave' complaints here my friend. I'd be the first to pull him up on that as exemplified by the CL final. I want to see some youth players but i also want them to be good. Why aren't you ACs pulling DL up on not investing in actual quality youth players? Why aren't you complaining that we didn't stockpile before Brexit? Is that a harder stone for your axe to find? Don't tell me Poch is just a convenient punching bag for all your youth frustrations.

Still waiting on that list of 'generational world beaters' Spursidol

Especially strange for someone "championing" Ndong every day, who's made a career of behaving like a cunt.

Sorry BC but I'm gonna have to quote cretinousgoat here...you shut your whore mouth now!!!! Never a bad word should be spoken about The Dong. He was good today. And, career? How about jsut at Sunderland where a court found him innocent of all charges or whatever and hasn't had a problem since. And beyond that Allardyce was interested in having him at CP so perhaps it was all Sunderland's problem. And he's still better than any actual or pretend DM we have in the squad right now.

So why say it then.

Is it not true? Has he not had problems where he has been? Did the coach at Norwich not address it publicly? Did Poch not address it publicly? The point in bringing it up is to say the kid didn't get his chance because of his behavior and not his ability. Simple.

 

[Airfixx]

Did DL not repeat his mantra that the stadium would not affect transfer funds? Answer me that. Would you like me to show the quotes from the ST meetings? And beyond that CL money was not budgeted for the stadium. Are you saying that if I read those accounts that DL assumed qualification and was banking on CL money? Of course not as that would be negligence of the highest regard. So I need not see those accounts because the things I am asking about come directly from the horses mouth and are easily sourced.

And to say that any supporter is somehow ignoring the stadium build is silly. I'm not ignoring it but taking DL at his word it wasn't supposed to matter.

I think yours & BCs arguments are cute as hell so I don't wish to get in the way of that, but a fair few on here repeatedly insist that DL & ENIC are taking profits out of the club (rather than them being invested in the stadium project and infrastructure). You'd think that would be easily evidenced by the club accounts if this was the case.

Now maybe we did go over budget and it in turn impede our ability to spend during the year that we moved in (or as much as fans had convinced themselves we would during the whole build period), but in the grand scheme of things are Levy's reassurances really a 'crime' worth vociferously clinging to...?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not dismissively saying forget about it, but this broken pledge (for want of a convenient phrasing should one actually deem it that way) is far less severe than much of what casually gets leveled at him by his more vocal detractors.

TLDR? .....You're defending some particularly blinkered people with that comment.

 

[todd1882]

I think yours & BCs arguments are cute as hell so I don't wish to get in the way of that, but a fair few on here repetedly insist that DL & ENIC are taking profits out of the club (rather than them being invested in the stadium project and infrastructure). You'd think that would be easily evidenced by the club accounts if this was the case.

Now maybe we did go over budget and it in turn impede on our ability to spend during the year that we moved in (or as much as fans had convinced themselves we would during the whole build period), but in the grand scheme of things are Levy's reassurances really a 'crime' worth vociferously clinging to...?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not dismissively saying forget about it, but this broken pledge (for want of a convenient phrasing should one actually deem it that way) is far less severe than much of what casually gets leveled at him by his more vocal detractors.

TLDR? .....You're defending some particularly blinkered people with that comment.

Yeah, I'm not implying that level of treachery. Thanks for pulling me up on this so I get the chance to be clear. I'm just saying that money was supposedly there to make a quality addition/year. For me, they own it they can do whatever they want with the profits if that's what they want to do. And if it went all into the stadium then great. My issue is the foresight and planning of the sporting side going amiss and trying to square that with what I was lead to believe of money being there...then where was the f*cking planning. You know?

Your points here are why I think BangkokSpud and I are missing each other. He must think I'm saying what you are implying others have said but I'm not. I'm sort of just bitching that balls were dropped on someone's watch. And I don't exclude Poch potentially protecting favorites or being picky either.

 

[BangkokSpud]

Did DL not repeat his mantra that the stadium would not affect transfer funds? Answer me that. Would you like me to show the quotes from the ST meetings? And beyond that CL money was not budgeted for the stadium. Are you saying that if I read those accounts that DL assumed qualification and was banking on CL money? Of course not as that would be negligence of the highest regard. So I need not see those accounts because the things I am asking about come directly from the horses mouth and are easily sourced.

And to say that any supporter is somehow ignoring the stadium build is silly. I'm not ignoring it but taking DL at his word it wasn't supposed to matter.

DL said it wouldn't and the reality is that we've just spent 220m ... did we have money in 2018? well both Levy and Poch have said we did, so why we didn't spend it only they know, 100% it was a mistake.

You seem to want us to spend 2019 money in 2018 ... possible but unrealistic we simply don't gamble our future like that, if you want to go with your take on interpretation of media coverage rather than what DL actually said ... OK that's your call.

But if you listen to what Levy said in 2019 - "With a debt of £637m, subject to reasonable assumption on interest rates, the net spend on players would not be affected"

and back in 2016 "no player will be sold to fund the stadium…[and] said the intention is to strengthen the squad and to do so as early as possible"

Real quotes not media flannel ...... he has according to his words stuck by what he said.

I'm not arguing at all that under the transfer panel in 2018 we screwed up severely, I'm just not at all convinced this was down to money, all the evidence shows we had money (about 120m) available why we didn't spend it seems down to poor management rather than austerity ... but who truly knows.

 

[pleb]

I hope you're right.
ITK said we had a deal for Bowen but JM blanked him in favour of Bergwijn.
If true then I sincerely hope JM is right.
There is also talk of cancelling VW's contract. He is odds on to be dropped from the ECL squad to accommodate SB.

If SB is better than DB how come we sold SE cheap and then DR but did not buy TS instead of SD?

 

[Kristeva]

If SB is better than DB how come we sold SE cheap and then DR but did not buy TS instead of SD?

SB, DB, SE, DR, TS, SD

 

[Joe Clash]

Mourinho will be gone by Christmas.

I don’t agree with that John. His relaxed demeanour suggests to me that he’s got the hierarchy’s backing. And unless we lose every game 5-0 he’ll get a pass.

 

[Joe Clash]

Tommy Smith

And the DWP took away his disability allowance after they saw him score a charity penalty at half-time during a cup final.

It remains, to this day, the only recorded case where a scouser failed to beat the system - although he did beat the keeper (bottom left iirc). Martin Peters (RIP) was terrified of him.

 

[BangkokSpud]

He's not a specialist left back, he's a central defender who was forced to play there because of our lack of options.

He's played left back for Belgium over 100 times, the FIFA ranked number one Country in the world ... think that probably qualifies him as a specialist ... surprised you and all the agrees didn't know that.

 

[skywalker68]

And the DWP took away his disability allowance after they saw him score a charity penalty at half-time during a cup final.

It remains, to this day, the only recorded case where a scouser failed to beat the system - although he did beat the keeper (bottom left iirc). Martin Peters (RIP) was terrified of him.

I knew he was on crutches but didn't realise that he lost his benefit fucking hilarious