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January Sales

Its that time of the year nearly but is this January transfer window more important than most? Last January we had an opportunity to consolidate 3rd Place in the League by buying one or two quality players that would have helped Spurs get through the last 3rd of the Campaign. At a time when the side were desperately in need of an element of added verve and stability, we ended up with the veteran pairing of Ryan Nelsen and Louis Saha.

Add to that the departures of Vedran Corluka, Roman Pavlyuchenko and the Lilywhites indulged in a woeful bit of January business However, we now know that Daniel Levy had other ideas and deliberately didnt go for anything near enough what we needed because he had probably already made up his mind that Harry was on the way out.

Daniel Levy, for all his fiscal nous and transfer market brinkmanship, badly let AVB down during the summer. Despite making a handful of mistakes in the early part of the season, plus a string of injuries to key players, things could have been a lot easier for Villas-Boas if it had not been for the chairman's high-stake game of transfer poker.

The summer saw us in weeks of haggling with Real Madrid over Luka Modric leaving Danny boy with near enough one solitary week to achieve what were attainable targets for Andre Villas-Boas. But the likes of both Porto's Joao Moutinho and Shakthar Donetsk's Willian were left to slip out our club's hands in the dying moments.

This January may be different though. AVB is not just Levy's choice but Levy's project. However, the club has just spent a shed load on the new traning ground and is about to shell out for the new stadium. So what room has Levy got for manouvre? What do we think the Club has available to spend?

Balance that off with who do we actually need against what can we actually buy. Lets look at the positions; Right Back. Have we got enough strength in depth? Left Back, would Danny Rose be a good returnee to cover a fit BAE? Centre Backs. When Kaboul is back and Caulker and Verts are playing together do we need Dawson?

Right Wing. Is Townsend good enough now to rotate with Lenny and would Falque also have a shout? Left Wing. Gareth Bale and.........? DM and AM; With Parker now coming back and Dembele just about getting fit do we have the cover we need in Midfield with Thudd and Siggy and Livermore giving us options?

So that just leaves us with the strikers Ade, Dempsey and Defoe? Is Daniel quite happy with the way AVB is managing with a injury hit squad. My guess is that Levy will be thinking we can press on with the PL campaign, now that the injured are making their way back, and that we dont need re-inforcements. Is Daniel right?

Are we feeling optimistic for this January? or is it going to be another January for the fans of 'put up or shut up'!

Written by OyVeh Maria

Vital F1 Prediction League - Join now for Monaco

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.

Writer: OyVeh Maria

Date:Friday December 21 2012

Time: 12:33PM

Your Comments

Personally I am not expecting any additions. That approach means I will not be disappointed and can resist a lot of pointless speculation which I hope does not leave us pointless for the rest of the season lol

Big Ron

In fairness we needed additions in summer due to several of our players being out for the long term, now it seems pointless with everyone almost back, I don't think AVB was expecting dembele to have such an impact as well he is starting to look even better than modric, we still haven't lost with him - disregarding Everton game where he was taken off before the end of the game. Perhaps we should be looking at giving youngsters more of a run out eg falque

spursnoob

I think our defence will be ok with players returning from injury. Kyle Naughton is a right back so cover for Walker. It's a big ask for him to play left back on his weaker foot and so I don't think it's fair to judge his abilities on what we've seen of him this season. I don't know why Townsend is played on the right, he's left footed so surely cover for Bale if anything? I would have like to have seen more of him this season. He made the difference in the end against Swansea, just by running direct. In terms of keeping a consistent system he is a natural alternative down the flanks to Bale or Lennon. Where I think we really need something extra is a creative central midfielder who can pick a pass like Modric or VdV used to and a real top class striker. To be honest if we got just one of Moutinho, Willian or Damiao I think it'd be pretty chuffed. All three will just never happen sadly, but my Christmas wish is to see this side line up: Lloris, Walker, Kaboul, Vertonghen, BAE, Sandro, Moutinho, Willian, Demebele, Bale, Damiao.

Kes80

We need Llorente and one of Moutinho/Eriksen (or that type of player). That is all we need.

TornadoYid

Spursnoob - I think Dembele is great but very different type of player to Modric and I think we miss having someone with that passing ability. (Except Hudd who is too slow.)

Kes80

To me, there HAS to be a striker signing. As we stand, we have a choice of one of Defoe and Ade, with one on the bench. Or both start with no striker on the bench. With Ade injured, we have no striker on the bench anyways. With Ade of to African cup of nations, we have the prospect of a Defoe injury causing us to play Dempsey up front, with no striker on bench. Either way it is far from normal, let alone from ideal. With Ade almost 29, and Defoe 30, we need to invest in a long term striker choice. Someone who does not need to produce immediately (Jan signings tend to take a while to settle), but if he does, then all the better. But he has to be 27 years old or less, otherwise we will be back to square one before not too long. Who we should sign, I don't know, but I am sure AVB has a set of targets. Other positions are fine in my opinion. We have a lack of LB cover at the mo, but with to come back at end of the season, we should wait and see what develops from that.

TonyRich

...with Rose to come back...

TonyRich

So we didn't get third because we didn't buy players - the new Spurs urban myth. We were 10 points clear in third, all the players needed to do was maintain average form and we would have walked it. Instead they sufered a collective melt down. This points to a mental weakness at the club, unless that's sorted out it doesn't matter how many players we buy.

jod

It's going to be tough to get the players we want in January due to being half way through the season and the settling in period, AVB did say if there is any business then it will be towards the end of the month which seems to suggest he'll have a look at the squad once everyone's fit then decide who we can ship out and who we can get that he wants. If we sign one player in January that improves the 1st eleven then great! If not then we have to look at it again in the summer.

Jantheman

I think Llorente will be the most likely signing if we were to bring in a striker. Can get atleast a good 5 years out of him which cannot be said of either Defoe or Adebayor, which I think Levy will have his eye on. £5-£7m on him would be a good deal. If that can be achieved, I wouldn't be suprised to see Defoe shipped out if a big bid in the region of £7-£10m was to be received. Would absolutely love to see Moutinho turn out for us, I just love watching him play, in much the same way as Modric, but how will we keep Sandro, Dembele & Moutinho content if Siggy & Demps are occupying the advanced midfield role? Should be interesting & I can't imagine there will be no movement whatsoever this year. As much as some of you like to think Levy is a tight arse.

Mex_yiddo

I should of said a player that improves the main core of the squad.

Jantheman

I think you'll be seeing Dawson and Hudd out for 10 Mil and Demba Ba in for 10 Mil. That's it nothing else. That should just about pay Ba's wages so a wash. Would love to see Moutinho but really doubt DL will want to spend 25 Mil or the player would want to move in Jan. LLiorente/Damiao more likely to go to powder puff leagues than EPL!!

jvd

AVB and Levy are "happy with the squad" which means they're happy with 4th. Where's the ambition?? Why dont they say "we're 4th but with 1 or 2 we could challenge for the title". Typical Levy

mattspurs1982

mattspurs1982 - We have bought: Siggy, Dempsey, Ade, Dembele, Lloris, Vertonghen.... Where is the ambition? Do you want us to sign 6 players every window? The last window WAS ambitious - signings in every department, plus Naughton came back. I expect there to be at least one or two more to come in. When you have a new manager, it is probably best to be a little cagey, because you want to judge his performance rather than the signings making him look good.

TonyRich

If ENIC are serious about backing AVB then we need to buy three players this January. Benteke, Eriksen and a versatile, athletic defender that can play in various positions across the back, a player like Micah Richards. We can ship out one of Friedel or Cudicini. Huddlestone isn't good enough for the PL. I would like us to keep Dawson but can see him going to QPR. If we could also get rid of Bentley and Jenas then all the better. Do this and do this early in Jan and we will be much stronger than we are today.

SpuriousLife

Why would "happy with the squad" equate to happy with 4th when we have been playing with about what I would deem an 80% team. With Kaboul on the way back, BAE back and Vert playing his position, the defense is sure to be better. With Parker back to relieve the strain on Sandro and youngsters beginning to blossom (carrol and Townsend for 2). I see us able to compete for 3rd easily and with a lot of good fortune maybe even for 2nd. Yes I would love to see Ba come in as I don't have much faith that Defoe can continue his streak (hope I'm wrong). I think Ba comes in at the end of Jan after ANC. Better to spend big early in the summer.

jvd

SpuriousLife - why do you want us to stock pile CBs? We have too many. No need for more. Ok, you don't like Hudd, but his 30-odd apps for Spurs' 4th place season proves that he is more than good enough for EPL... Perhaps not suiting Spurs right now. Benteke is good, but optimistic to prise him away from Villa just as he is getting going...

TonyRich

Jvd - I agree that Summer is always the best time to spend. I doubt that we will compete for 3rd because we simply are not performing well enough. We usually are second best for 45 mins each game (e.g. Liverpool), and if not the whole game (e.g. Everton). Luck is keeping us 4th. Arsenal are harder to beat than we are, and ultimately I fear that that will put them above us....let alone Utd & City & Chelsea.

TonyRich

firstly, levy did not cost us third last january, harry did due to his poor squad management and some ludicrous decisions (bringing on parker to defend the draw against villa when defoe was on the bench). secondly the notion that we just need to buy a couple of players and we will be challenging for the title and will guarantee CL is total nonsense. as for players, I don't expect any, but if we can really improve on a position then great. my wish list would be damiao and isco, but would also be thrilled with eriksen and llorente. I think we have enough to challenge for fourth with so many key players coming back though. If we buy it should be to secure young talent for the future, which damiao, isco and eriksen would certainly represent

Guernman

TonyR - bear in mind we also SOLD Pienaar, Kranjkar, Pav, VDV, and Modric so donwe have to get some players in. Did i say 6 players? Think my post said 1 or 2

mattspurs1982

If Llorente is available at a knockdown price as his contracts up in the summer i'd be all for it. Make a bid. However, January is a generally not a time to buy big so no Moutinho or Willian this time round. There has to be money and AVB is only saying he doesn't need to buy to keep the current players happy. Dear God just don't let it be like the horror show that was last January...

TopSpur13

A very famous coach in the NFL once remarked that your league position is indicative of your capability [words to that effect]. I completely subscribe to that view TR. There's no such thing as luck, it doesn't exist. Hard work, focus, execution bring success. Mistakes, lack of concentration, fatigue, key injuries, lack of fitness, allof these things result in failure. We are where we are because the present squad is playing at that level. An improvement in personnel providing they play focused football and execute better that their opponent will bring greater success.

jvd

Apparently Benteke cannot come because a player cannot move twice in one year. I too think he would be great

Big Ron

The only one in i think is a possibility would be Joao Moutinho considering how close we were to signing him. Also if reports are to be believed he was keen to join us too. If so I'd expect Hudd to leave. Demba Ba would be the only other one potentially as he's clearly not that happy at Newcastle right now and were clearly in the market for another striker. Think he's a class player personally. Still think we need another player with real pace. We suffer massively when either Lennon or Bale are out the team. I'd still like to see Forrest at WHL. Get to see a lot of him as the family are all Celtic fans and he's class.

oi.you.there

Llorente is off to Juve, we need to ship Hudd, Cuc, Rose, (never going to be good enough), Jenas, Bentley and Gomes. Wages saved and they are never going to play regularly! We need a forward, ideally who can play wide and Mountinho. Get AVB's men in. We need to back him or it will end up like last year.

RAF Yid

Rumour out this morning is that Newcastle have signed Remy which opens the way for a move by Ba. I believe Ba is playing in the ANC in January. Interesting in light of the comment from AVB that they won't be doing anything until late in the window! Obviously I'm jumping to conclusions but wouldn't it be sweet!!

jvd

If we can get a striker who is better than Adebayor but with a better attitude that would be great investment .
Papi$$ Cisse last january was a massive missed trick ,love that player .
Aarron Lennon is poor so a right winger who can assist & score more can really help us push for 4th .Left side is far superior to the right .

We must consolidate our position & that means trying to buy better than we already have ,or no point .
Competition for right side & Striker is a must .Moutinho would be a bonus .
BAE & Kaboul coming back will feel like new signings .

big cockeral

not sure if this has been mentioned but with our europa cup matches and the chance of european silverware,levy has no choice but to buy a few players next month.lyon and then inter millan......?it's a bit of a no brainer.he has to get players in to strengthen the squad.he's always banging on about "ambition",lets see if the powers-that-be put their money where their mouth is....and before people say,'we did inter and a.c milan in the champions league'. ....very true but we had modder VDV,a fully fit scotty,ledley,and BAE.....time to losen the purse strings a little,levy!

g. roberts testes

This is funny ,,, sports pictures .Harry tells Luka .....haha
,br>http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=YRAIK1DclGo&NR=1

big cockeral

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=YRAIK1DclGo&NR=1

big cockeral

Tony Rich I don't want to stock pile CBs ut I do believe that Dawson will go to QPR in January. In my opinion Gallas isn't good enough now so that leaves us a little light in quality CBs if we get an injury like that suffered by Kaboul. The advantage of a playr like Micah Richards is that he can play full back as well as CB. He is flexible, a good athlete, a talker and shouter on the pitch and he will keep Walker either at the top of his game or out of the team. As for Benteke I think January is our best chance of getting him. If not and he continues to have a good season he will go to Arsenal in the summer. Remember that when he signed for Villa late in the summer he actually thought they were based in London.

SpuriousLife

Not expecting to see Adebayor involved vs stoke (injured).....this should be another nudge to mr.levy for january and what is required. Personnally...Aubameyang ..i feel fits our criteria. As for settling for 4th position......We can still win the premiership, from the position we are in and it only being before xmas. Aim high, achieve high. "let's smash them potters to pieces" !!...pred' 4-1.

82spursdebut

OK 32m, yes £32,000,000 profit on players over the past two years so let's see if we're serious about the 'project' or if we're just blowing hot air....

shedboy2

@82, Aubameyang has stated that he would never sign for us as we used agents to speak to his dad...cross that one off the list...

shedboy2

Llorente, Leandro, soldado, Negredo...schurle, Lamela....

shedboy2

JVD- I think you are jumping to conclusions....I might be as well but I think Ba is off to le Arse....

shedboy2

since when has Dempsey been a striker?? did he even play one game up top on his own before? at 29 it's a bit of a late switch....you normally go backwards down the pitch as you get older...he's an attacking mid...

shedboy2

shedboy...i read that too....but he said that months ago. If we dangled the carrot to st' etienne and Aub'....he'd be a fool not to give it serious consideration. I believe we could get him in jan'..if we try...no more than £14 mill' £70k per week should do the trick and the spurs project. I would accept any decent striker....as long as we get one, i'm not paying...lol

82spursdebut

82- that's where you're wrong...you are paying!! whether it be through tickets, merchandise, Tv revenue or advertising revenue if you're a fan you're contributing...as for Aubameyang I wouldn't bother he's unproven and with a mindset like that I think we can do better..

shedboy2

Yes, i know..lol.. I don't know how much we have available to spend.......so i was trying to suggest a reasonable target...to our criteria. If we have £20 mill'...that would bring others into consideration. But i'm doubting that mr.levy would go above £15m, at present. As always....i do expect it to be a exciting transfer window.

82spursdebut

cant see why wverybody was so adamant on gettin loic remy in the summer but now that newc look like gettin him he wouldnt be worth 10million

ghulamville

If Mr.Levy was magician ..he could perhaps do a deal that throws in Mr.Jenas & Mr Bentley...into the pot. Food for thought.

82spursdebut

shedboy2 - Dempsey played 5 games for Fulham as the main striker last season and scored 5 goals. Of course he also played every other position in the attacking half of the pitch.

jod

I see Redknapp is back on form, talking the usual drivel and in for 33 year old has-been Anelka. Quoted on BBC ""He is a top player so we would be interested, I think the chairman knows Nicolas's people, It depends, how expensive the whole package comes to." LOL!! So its started, Rangers fans won't be so happy once Harry has stock-piled 30-odd players and taken the average age of their squad to over 30 with no long-term future. Best thing Levy ever did getting rid of him.

StillRickyVilla

Eriksen, Moutinho, Willian...HAHAHAHA..... back in the real world, we have 3 topnotch 'new signings' already secured to look forward to. and thinking about the striker situation overnight, I'm not even sure anymore we need a backup striker... I think it would be useful to use Bale as a backup forward in Ade's absence, and use/rotate left-footed pacy Townsend (for Bale Mk.II) with Siggy/Demps/Flaque.... Bale has the height, power, pace and shooting to be a top player as a central attacker and I'd be amazed if it aint occured to AVB to use him so.... so I'm with AVB, just the 3 'new signings' in January will do ...

Viyyash-Ramosh

i feel Bale could do the striker role, occaisionally. More entertaining on the left though. But still that's not addressing the fact that we have ageing strikers and no striking youngsters coming through.

82spursdebut

....on a minor point.... it would be interesting to note how many games most of the buy-buy brigade have actiualy seen the likes of Eriksen, Damiao, Aubameyang, and Willian actually play.... and within context, thats not even too many uses of the word 'actually' actually.... NO NEW PLAYERS REQUIRED IN JANUARY 2012.

Viyyash-Ramosh

82SPURS... I think Bale as a 4th choice forward to fill in for absences coiuld well be used not more than occasionally... thats what normally happens with 3rd or 4th choice.

Viyyash-Ramosh

I think the Bale going into striking position..is a IN the game option, choice..............rather than starting him in the striking position. I would still like at least one decent striker on the bench, as a option.....always. Not convinced on dempsey..plus he is ageing ....siggy may become good but never great, but not betting on it.

82spursdebut

V-R i think you are right in that we won't buy in January. But that doesn't mean AVB wouldn't happily take the likes of Moutinho, Willian if it was possible to sign them! An attacking central midfielder to rotate with Dembele, and 2 forward players to rotate with Bale, Lennon, Ade and Defoe would significantly improve our chances in the 2nd half of the season. I agree with you though that it won't happen and AVB's bench options will remain limited compared to the other top teams.

StillRickyVilla

I think dempsey may go like vdv..i.e...run out of steam, during games. I don't think he will get any better.

82spursdebut

StillRickyVilla +1

big cockeral

StillRickyVilla +1

big cockeral

Another midfielder.......maybe in the summer. But you never know....always a deal can be done anytime. We do have young promising youngsters though.

82spursdebut

So the answer is and what position is that player or players required to take up? Straight into the first team or bench warmer? Everything considered, it can do more harm than good, one player who is outstanding for his current club, can die on his arse @ SPURS. http://www.youtube.com/user/thespursshow follow this link and listen to steve perryman, it is amazing what he says about tottenham and also what he says about martin chivers. We all think, me included Llorente could be a bargain for around 7m+, but he is then moving to another country, different climate, finding and has to settle down in a new home, new faces, new system, any of you who play half decent football, think about your first ever game in the first team? It happened to me, i trained two nights a week, all of us together, then into first x1, second x1 playing in the reserves, then i was told i was training with the first team, i knew all of them really well, suddenly I'm sub, my first game, at the time only one sub was allowed, when i was told to warm up, I was between the devil and the deep blue sea, wanting to do well and not wanting to let my team mates down, it's not that easy to just change and be a big hit, i got into the first team, my first full game i was full of nerves, but giving my all, i got through it and played many more, without fear, but trying my hardest; Dembele/Vertonghen have hit the ground running, Dempsey/ Siggy it's taking a little longer, but they are very good player and slowly getting to grips with our club, listen as mentioned to steve perryman it's worth it. His a fantastic person to talk to, i had that pleasure after playing against him in a charity match. Everything has to right for the club and for the players mindset, ability wise, we wont sign anyone who can not do a job for us, be that in January or the summer AVB is a very clever coach.

spu 4 life

Nasri is out til January... Citeh will therefore have the mighty James effin Milner to replace him with.... now sober up you bunch of buy-buy experts.

Viyyash-Ramosh

stillRV... there is not a coach on the planet that will not welcome as many quality players to choose from as possible, who wouldnt.... so of course he'd like Willian, Moutinho etc... heck, why not throw in Messi and Garth Crooks too, while youre at it..

Viyyash-Ramosh

...............Llorente?/Adebayor/Defoe/Dempsey..................
......................................................................................
..........Sneijder?/Moutinho?/Alexis Sanchez?/Isco?..............
......................................................................................
Bale/Siggy/Ince?...............................Lennon/Falque/Towns
......................................................................................
.............Dembele/Carroll..........Sandro/Parker...................
.......................................................................................
BAE/Naughton.............................................Walker/Cover?
......................................................................................
..................Verts/Dawson........Kaboul/Caulker..................
......................................................................................
.......................Lloris/Brad/Gomez/Carlo............................

Yidmarks

a major signing that can play CAM, or out wide....

Alexis Sanchez... Isco... Sneijder..... Moutinho...

Ince Jnr as Bale cover....

Yidmarks

Ince is going to Liverpool, Willan is playing CL on big money. I just think its a bad time to buy, Moutinho might come but only because of his relationship with manager. We need to get 4th. The other factor is injuries, don't want to talk them up but we will lose players. A forward please Mr Levy.

RAF Yid

a striker. my kingdom for a striker.

dazzwater

Given our manager stating publically that he is happy with the squad, given that we are lying fourth with several injured first choice players to come back, which suggests we may be able to consolidate in 4th, and given that Levy is naturally reluctant to invest properly to take the club to the next level (yes we signed 6 players in the summer, but we also sold several, and still made a profit on our dealings, and reduced the quality of the squad), I can't realistically see us making any signings in the January window. We may go through it hoping, whilst watching others making signings and strengthening i.e. Loic Remy to Newcastle for £10M, whilst we make do with what we have, and hoping we get no further injury crisis.

Frank

Just on the "new training ground", we have always been told that this, and the alleged and long awaited stadium build would not affect the team improvement budget, and neither should it. You cannot run a competitive PL club without investing in player improvement at every opportunity, i.e. every window, especially if you are in the 15th richest club in the world list, so lets not get sucked into the bollox arguement that we can't afford to invest.The truth of the matter is that we can't afford not to invest, that is if we truly have the desire and ambition to maintain, or indeed improve, our position as leading contenders for year after year CL qualification. Many of us doubt whether in fact this desire and ambition actually exists.

Frank

Happy Xmas Frank, signings made now are difficult. Did you really want Remy?

RAF Yid

No RAF YID I didn't want Remy, but it shows the intent at Newcastle. They are expecting to lose Ba, so they have a contingency plan in place to replace him, exactly opposite to the way that we ignored the inevitability of Modric leaving, and did nothing to replace him, until a predictably fruitless attempt to sign Moutinho in the last hours of the window.

Frank

Who to purchase is always a difficult question. Easier to start with who to sell. Cudicini to LA seems a real possibility. Gallas to QPR, wouldn't be shocked. Hudd to Reading, why not? I like him but would rather see Carroll as 4th choice. Rose could well be sold too. I think Jenas is in his last year, so a sale would not be out of the question. Bentley will only go if we subsidize hugely.

Needs are the same, a striker who does more than score in bunches. A creative midfielder. A quick winger who can play either side and who scores, and another back, preferably comfortable on either side. Isco would be fabulous. Just can't see it happening. Eriksson is more likely, though Schneijder is where I'd throw the cash. Would love Dzagoev and Willian, though Srna would be more versatile than Dzagoev and what delivery. Leandro, for me, is still the best young striker out there. So my (highly improbable wish list) is Leandro, Isco, Willian and Srna. Too much to ask? Absolutely. Then again, those four would make talk of third legit and title aspirations as soon as next season. How about bricks going up on the new stadium? COYS

peterballb

Isco would be a sublime signing, unlikely though. I fear the biggest in europe are looking at him. Willian is much more likely but with Shaktar going well in europe its unlikely in January - Moutinho the same. On a more realistic front i'd like to see us try nick Demba Ba if his get out clause is still there, he'd be great competition for Defoe & Ade. Thomas Ince or Wilfred Zaha are just 2 excellent prospects in the championship who would be great additions to our squad too. COYS

HuddersfieldYiddo

I'm still surprised no one has mentioned a left back, BAE has improved but I don't think he is calm enough when the ***** hits the fan...

Dynamite Boots

Yids, why do you persist on playing left footed players on the right? come jan when Ade goes to ANC ... we will have one striker Defeo gets injured and we have the mighty Dempsey ....wow exciting huh ... I Defoe wont be leaving that is for sure. Gallas has to leave before Dawson and Friedel has to go too.

E17YID

Firstly, I am not sure about levy backing avb, he did not in the summer and we made a profit. However, I hope he does. Can not see why avb's August wish list of moutinho and William would have changed. Although personally I would rather a young eriksen than moutinho and avb clearly see's this as an area to strengthen (especially given our heavy reliance on dembele now). However, we don't need too many ins, maybe a few outs - Gomes and Bentley for starters and if Sunderland can buy rose, reinvest. Hoping for a win today coys

Windlespur

we are just scrapping 4th in a poor league and some would be happy not to invest in quality players during the window...it's called a window for a reason, it's limited opportunity...yes opportunity, something that should be grabbed...especially when players get injured, suspended, suffer poor form and just generally aging the improvement of the squad has to be a continuous process....forever slowly going forward otherwise you end up in a position where you have no alternative but to buy 4 journeymen, unsettling the squad and reducing it's quality....

shedboy2

Nice article but I would add that just because we've invested £45 million on a new training centre, it doesn't mean that money isn't available for new additions. Everyone seems to forget that Chigwell property prices are massive, so selling the Lodge will bring in far more than the £45 million invested on the new site. Remember guys that Levys real expertise lies in Land Economy.

thfc1882whl

Bet the profits from the sale of the Chigwell site ends up in the ENIC back pocket.

thfc1882whl

chamak malouda benayoun dowining bryan ruiz henderson so many cheap good player available....comon levy buy these top clas talent...

shlok27

thfc1882whl, nail on the head posts! And let's not forget the 50 million Under Armour kit deal which is going straight into big Joe's back pocket. So there is the sale of the Chigwell site, the profits made on the selling of Modric, VDV etc etc, and the 50 million quid from the Under Armour kit deal, so that Danny Boy can dress his team like jokers on the road! And what about the 50 million Enic earned out of OUR club in the CL season 2 years back? Where did that go? So the money is there even if without Joe Lewis (3.5 billion personal wealth) and his politician mate on the board, who is worth a cool billion, spending a single penny of their own personal wealth on their very own team! The big question is... did Charles Dickens invent the scrooge as his principal character in his famous 1843 novel or was it Joe Lewis??? Happy Christmas Big Joe!

pelebro

I find it crazy the way people say that Levy didn't back XXX manager over the last 6 years, yet it's hard to argue against the manner in which the club has ben run, even considering the mistakes. RE. Moutino, people are talking about millions of pounds as if they're a few chips thrown onto a roulette table ''what's the matter Levy!?, we've made a profit!?'' The Moutino and the modric deals are huge, and uncomparable with Ba/Remy; Remy is a risk, Moutino is recognised by both selling and purchasing parties as almost riskless, yet we know Levy and it is probable that he will get his man at a GOOD price - this is the reputation he has built and it SERVES US WELL. Why would he start to jeporise this reputation by paying more than he believes is right? This reputation paints the club as one with a vision and determination to be a success, and the most probable club to cement a place in CL by replacing one of the T4. Dembele has covered Mods well and we'd be in the same situation if we still had mods and he had been injured as MD has been - making do. Levy gained another trump when he got AVB as a bargaining tool to attract players, and if you can't see that the transfer game is as important in resulting in profits as it is in football, then you don't see what football is today. Levy is a profound strenght at the club, not a weakness.

ardone

I've seen the various quotes for the new training centre cost.....anything from £30 mill' to £45 mill'. I think nearer the £30 mill' mark sounds more realistic. I think they got the land realatively cheaply.

82spursdebut

While Levy must be commended for his running of THFC nobody can argue this. But i will say and its pretty clear to everybody Levy doesn't always get his man...why? because he will cut his nose off to spite his face! he has a number in his head and that's it, if the selling team who usually hold all the cards dont want to play Levy's game then we don't get what we want and we usually settle for a late second best i think this is quite apparent in what we replaced Mods and VDV with. Dempsey and Dembele are solid good players but to the level of VDV and Mods they are not. we still lack cover for Ade and Defoe...Dempsey doesn't do it for me and Dembele although a solid good player isnt the pass master we need to replace Mods these two areas are a must to be looked at in Jan or ready for the summer.

only 1 spurs

Transfer window time...driving fans mental since SSN turned it into a soap opera ;)

only 1 spurs

shlok27 - you are joking right? downing? ... downing!?! ... DOWNING!!??!! the only decent player you mentioned there was brian ruiz.

rahn DMC

Downing is a good player in a similar position to when Bale couldnt get a game.... I'd love us to get him, very talented player for yrs, seasoned England player with great left peg and still not lost his pace.. great hidden-value for the club astute enough to get him.

Viyyash-Ramosh

he's so poor it's unreal. Do you know how many premier league assists and goals he got last season?... none... zero... zilch. He is only hyped by the most delusional of Liverpool fans. He was also signed for 20M which makes him one of the most overpriced wastes of money ever (no wonder he fits in well at Liverpool)... hardly "hidden-value"

rahn DMC

Ardone, how can you say that there is no arguement re. the success of the ENIC, Levy tenure at THFC. In the early days some 12 years ago they stated that the priority was to increase match day revenue, with the enlarging or re-builing of WHL, 12 years on we are still waiting for the first brick to be laid. In the mean time Levy has hired 8 managers and sacked 7, we have systematically sold our best players i.e. Carrick, Berbatov, VDV, Modric being the most notable recent examples, and have failed in every case to sign an adequate replacement in time to prevent a lowering of the squad quality. They have presided over the leanest 12 year period of success in terms of trophies, that I can remember in over 50 years of being around Spurs. Their notable success, if that is the right terminology, has been to enhance the value of the club as a piece of Nth London real estate, and a profit opportunity should Lewis wish to sell, but to suggest that they have succeeded as owners of a PL football club, given the healthy state of the owner's finances, is a nonsence, almost every opportunity i.e after reaching the CL last 8, and when lying in 3rd place last season at the time of the January window, to invest properly in the future, has been frittered away through lack of ambition, will, and bottle to go to the next step. A more ambitious committed ownership would have seized the opportunity to take the club onwards and upwards to the next level. So lets see the new stadium become more than propoganda, or a dream, and let's see Levy back his 8th choice of manager better than he has most of he previous 7, and provide the resources needed for the club to really compete. Lets see that when he finds the offers for Gareth Bale become irrisistable, that the whole fee is immediately re-invested in the tam, we probably will never be able to compete with the UTDs, Citys, or Chelseas in spite of the billionaire status of our owner, but we should be able to be confirmed as the best of the rest, with regular CL qualification, providing the will is there, which unfortunately looks to be unlikely.

Frank

We have proved yet again toay that we have a dire need for a locksmith creative MFer to open teams up, and a decent finisher.

Frank

only 1 spurs, you write "While Levy must be commended for his running of THFC nobody can argue this." Cant argue this? Daniel Levy has the worst trophy per season percentage of any THFC chairman in over half a century with by far the richest owners in the clubs history! No new stadium (never will be with ENIC) and our best players continually sold to line the pockets of the Enic Corporation! None of the CL money re-invested in the team, nor the Under Armour money, nor the profits for the sales of all our favourite players! Levy commended? LEVY/LEWIS/ENIC OUT!!!

pelebro

OyvehMaria I ommitted to mention, great article, but perhaps we shouldn't be providing Levy with excuses not to spend, i.e. training ground, and stadium etc. h is well able to make his own, an frequently does.

Frank

Frank, your 100% correct, we have a dire need for a locksmith creative MFer to open teams up! Only problem is that the THFC director of football Daniel Levy personally bought (before the AVB even arrived) on the CHEAP a player named Sigurðsson. Yes Sigurðsson is loser Levy's new VDV, and Moutinho AVB's choice to replace Modric is to expensive (my boy). Loser levy only sales players for top money!

pelebro

I'm afraid pelebro you are absolutely right.

Frank

Pelebro i simply meant he runs a steady ship and doesn't overspend for this he must be praised. im just as frustrated into our transfer dealings as most on here and as i said we have lowered the quality of players by selling Modric and VDV and replacing with "lesser" talent so to speak lets not forget Levy simply works for the bigger fish i don't think Levy is the one to blame...Enic are!! Big Joe should sell the club if hes not willing to push us on, Levy simply holds the reigns while Lewis holds the money.

only 1 spurs

The skipper of the Birkenhead ferry robably runs a steay ship, and has probably won as many trophies as THFC under Lewis/Levy in the last 12/13 seasons. We are a PL football club for Christ's sake, not a savings bank, we should be concerned with winning football matches, like te 15th richest club in the world ought to be, not resisting the need to invest on every occasion, or trying to get away with spending a shilling when a pound will do.

Frank

The problem deepens, according to SSN AVB has now stated that "there is no need for us to spend in January, he is happy with the squad", if he genuinely believes that, I fear we have no chance of a top 4 place and CL qualification. If he doesn't think we need at least 2 (a locksmith MFer, and a quality striker ) then I have to doubt his judgement, and fear that yesterday's result will become the norm against strong, negative, well organised teams, like Stoke City. We are just not good enough, or inventive enough to break them down.

Frank

While we are on the subject of strikers, the question has to be asked as to what our scouts do, or more accurately don't do, whether we have any decent contacts on the continent, as our performance in finding "gems" that are out there is dissappointing to say the least. When are we going find our Ba, Cisse, Benteke, Michu all were bought for peanuts, while we were kidding ourselves about signing the likes of Rossi, Huntelaar, Lloriente etc.etc. all were out of our league in terms of fees, wages, and ambitions. Given our reluctance to spend surely these "bargain basement" signings would suit us, who was the last one we found.

Frank

Happy Christmas Frank and all other ENIC sceptics. Champagne aspirations and lemonade pockets, with the business acumen that locks out 20,000 every home game, I do wonder if Lewis, Levy and Co aren't Woolwich supporters and plants by a certain D. Dein?

lordjohnny

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