The transfer window and Levy.
Read social media, and you will see the talk is about Levy, transfers… followed by abuse.
At this present moment in time we haven’t bought anybody, but then that isn’t really surprising as Levy is true to form, or will be true to form and wait until the final minutes before unleashing purchase(s) to the baying public.
Daniel Levy has always been a very cautious and financially astute businessman. And a hard one to boot. Other directors usually shake in their boots when dealing with him. He would squeeze the last pip out of an orange if it benefited Spurs. And there is an added reason this time around, he has a £900 million debt hanging over his, or should I say, Tottenham Hotspur FC’s head. Granted, it is well financed, but that doesn’t mean he can be frivolous with the clubs money.
According to reports Spurs have £150 million in the transfer kitty and whatever Pochettino can sell. As somebody who has an eye on the inside I can tell you it isn’t that big, and to be honest Pochettino doesn’t need to buy big, he just needs to complement his talented team.
Of course, there are a few players where there is a question mark hanging over their heads (i.e. whether they are staying or going), such as Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld, Moussa Sissoko, Mousa Dembélé, Fernando Llorente, to name but five. But nobody will be going if they are not covered, or Levy doesn’t get the money he wants for them.
How the transfer policy works at Spurs; at the beginning of every season, or just before, Pochettino & Levy draw up a list of players they feel will fit into the squad. Both know that there is no guarantee that they will get any name from that list, but try they will.
Now, I hear you scream, but other clubs, such as Liverpool, have already purchased players, that may be so, but those players have been bought at inflated prices. And that doesn’t mean they’ve now completed their purchase, as they still have other players on their wish list… and the waiting game also applies to them.
Buying a player isn’t as simple as it seems. Once the haggling is done, and it could take anything from days to weeks to months, the player's terms have to be met. If they are going to go to a big club, their agent inflates their worth and another set of haggling begins. Even though the clubs have agreed, that doesn’t mean it is a done deal. At the player's agent stage, they can still throw a spanner in the works. If everything goes smoothly, then the third stage comes into play. And that is the fitness of the player. There have been many occasions when the player's fitness has been called into question while being processed with their potential future club’s doctor. While all this is happening the clock is ticking down. If all that fails then it will be back to the drawing board to see who is next on the list, or maybe nobody else is on the list, and if desperate then see who is around they could purchase (Moussa Sissoko was a perfect example of this).
But don’t panic. We will be purchasing somebody soon. As for the comments allegedly made by Pochettino, that he demands a quick purchase, isn’t entirely accurate. He was a professional player, now manager and knows how it works. Because of his poor English, he doesn’t always have the proper vocabulary to outfox the English press, and any slip-up/ mispronunciation is taken as gospel to get the best headlines.
As soon as I hear, which means that such and such a player has signed, it is immediately given to the press. In other words, Daniel Levy, Pochettino or even my good self won’t be sure until the ballpoint pen has hit the paper. There have been cases before when news was leaked, and everybody was ecstatic (or not), only to find out that there is actually no deal.
We/ the fans may not like how it all rolls out, but until we get on to a better footing (financially), then that is the way it will be for some years to come.
Also, remember this: Levy, Pochettino and staff all know what is at stake and will do everything they can, as quickly as they can, so that the wheels can be put into motion and be ready for the up and coming season.
And if you still don’t like that… well… Carry on Regardless (in the best tradition of the Carry on films), it is what it is and will be for many years to come. And to be fair, if they (the Levy haters)got what they wished then they will find something else to moan about… maybe they won’t like the cut of his hair (J), or how he strokes his white cat… in the fashion of the villainous Bloefeld. Sometimes it can be too much to put the brain into gear and actually see how it is.
Don Scully
This article can be found on various platforms of The SpursWeb and my Facebook (same name as the blog) & the Twitter account @HotspurVoice.
Levy is a wonderful chairman. Strategically he is spot on! Built the new training ground, for academy players and squad. Now the new stadium (will miss the lane).
ReplyDeleteI am 70 now so I have seen it all. There were times when I thought my beloved club was going to cease to exist!
Financial stability is in Levy's hands; I am willing to trust him.
I do have one criticism of him, but it's more an observation really:
Hard to justify the our past wage limit when Daniel is the highest paid Premier League Chairman. Personally I think he is worth it.
Save your hate for 'Woolwich Wonderers'!
antigooner