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Spurs’ Grand Transfer Plan

Bill_Oddie

Everything in Moderation
Staff
Feb 1, 2005
19,120
6,003
Who’s in. Who’s out. And how the rules on squad size and composition are directing our transfer activity. Plus, why 17 is the magic number this summer...


Spurs activity in the transfer market this summer has – a reserve keeper aside – followed a very clear strategy. We’re after young, technically sound players whose value is likely to grow significantly. In fact, this has been our strategy for a long time, as witnessed by quadrupling our investment in Yago Falque this week despite him appearing in a grand total of one first team match. You can imagine Daniel Levy lying back in a bathtub and barking at an acolyte to toss in another bundle of new fifties for him to swim around in like Scrooge McDuck after that one.

But it’s not all about the money (although you can appreciate where Spurs fan Jessie J got that idea following a club run by Levy). There’s also a need to conform our squad within the Premier League 25-man squad limitations, and – more specifically – the 17 man limit on players who are not homegrown or under 21. For the coming season, under 21 players must be born on or after January 1, 1993.

Our concluded business this summer has so far seen Dier (under 21) and Davies (both under 21 and homegrown) sign, with possibly Lascelles (also both), and maybe Schneiderlin (homegrown – just) possibly coming too. But it’s the 17 non-homegrown players where we really need to get it right as when you look at that list, there isn’t a lot of room for manoeuvre.

Currently, according to the Spurs official site, we have exactly 17 non-homegrown first team players born before January 1, 1993:

Goalkeepers – Friedel, Vorm, Lloris

Defenders – Kaboul, Vertonghen, Chiriches, Assou-Ekotto

Midfielders – Paulinho, Lamela, Dembele, Chadli, Eriksen, Holtby, Capoue, Sandro

Strikers – Adebayor, Soldado

That means if we are to sign another player, who does not qualify as homegrown or under 21, we have to replace one of the above.

Easy enough for the mooted arrival of Mateo Musacchio, who would presumably just swap in for the ostracised Assou-Ekotto. Good luck finding a new club, Benny.

Outside of that list, currently the Spurs first team squad contains nine players that qualify as homegrown and over the age limit: Walker, Rose, Naughton, Dawson, Fryers, Lennon, Townsend, Mason and Carroll.

(Note: Kane, Bentaleb, Davies and Dier are all not yet old enough to need naming in the 25-man squad. Amazing when you think of how good they already are.)

So, with 17 non-homegrown and 9 homegrown, at least one of those names above will miss out. Presumably Carroll and/or Mason will go on loan to make that happen. But for any other arrival, they’d have to guarantee to be better than the above. Suddenly it’s easier to understand why we’ve considered offers for Chiriches and Dawson, or even Sandro and Holtby.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on the development squad. Hall, Khumalo, Ceballos, Fredericks and Obika are all of the age where they’d have to be named but it’s unlikely any would. Presumably this means all will be forced to find a loan or permanent deal to set up the rest of their careers (and give Levy the chance to top up that bathtub of cash of his).

The limitations on the squad explain Spurs’ moves in the transfer market. We aren’t likely to be after many players over 21 unless they are a significant, proven upgrade on a specific member of the existing ‘complete’ squad. Selling a couple of players is possible if their value is at its peak – which it probably is for Kyle Naughton, Michael Dawson or Aaron Lennon. The only question would be whether their replacements can be found either cheaper or in a player that will produce more profit down the line, whether bought in or brought up from the development squads.

Our owners aren’t afraid to spend big money but only if they see a likely large return on their investment. Pochettino doesn’t seem to mind this as he likes working with young talent (hard to tell but doubtful he’d have come to Spurs if he did).

When seeing us linked with names in the press, it’s worth bearing this in mind. What kind of return would Micah Richards offer on a transfer fee in 3 years when he is 29? Or Remy when he’s 30? Schneiderlin and Rodriguez on the other hand are bound to retain their value at the very least in a few years time. Football won’t suddenly stop being rich or investing silly money in players and, whatever you think of Daniel Levy, his approach is an excellent way to ensure Spurs remain competitive and produce enough revenue to grow the business on and off the pitch.

Last point on ages. With Benny as good as gone and Dawson clinging on, that would leave Adebayor, at 30, as our oldest player. Soldado is the sole 29-year-old. We will have a first team squad with more than 10 players aged 23 or under. That’s exceptionally young and also worth remembering if we struggle for form or concede silly, late goals at any stage during the coming season. Maybe it is worth keeping Dawson after all. Friedel is unlikely to see any significant game time this campaign, so where do we turn for leaders?

The one weakness in our current transfer strategy is that it makes it very hard for us to purchase proven, experienced performers who inspire and command respect from those around them, who have been there and done it before.

But that just means we have to develop our own players that fit that description. And that is what excites me most about this season ahead and those beyond under the current regime. Maybe we already have a new Ledley King or Steve Perryman in our squad and don’t know it yet.

With Spurs, you can always rest assured it’ll be fun finding out.
 

Armstrong_11

Spurs makes me happy, you... not so much :)
Aug 3, 2011
8,572
19,108
I kinda agree, buying young and having the ability to sell/flog them off in the future is a viable business strategy... After all we spent so much on the training facilities...

But at the end of the day, results matter, we need to make it to the champions league, we need to fight to break into the top 4. And fight harder to stay there. The longer we stay as a "contender" the tougher it will be with other teams starting to muscle in on our turf...

Hopefully, Poch is the man we have been waiting for and we will have a few great seasons under him, and with the new stadium, come a new dawn for Spurs...

But it all starts with the first game... Everything we hope for, wish for and work for will be thrown out the window if we don't get the results.

Fingers crossed....
 

arunspurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
8,807
35,543
Key this season is to keep the expectations down with top4 finish;

We need to look long term and establish a base - interms of style of play; Let's be honest - we cannot compete with spending power of the top4 this season or next 4 or 5 seasons.

Alternate strategy would be to have a stable squad & a well defined philosophy. We got to do this Atletico Madrid way. But for this Levy, board & fans have to show patience with team & manager.

I would be happy if we finish 5th , compete well for top4 or 3 and win a trophy. Its time we win something. Ideally, Europa league victory could be massive - not only it establishes us one of top European clubs but als give us the pass to CL football next season.
 

slartibartfast

Grunge baby forever
Oct 21, 2012
18,320
33,955
Has anyone else noticed that the media seem to be struggling to realise that, with Man City now a big boy, Liverpool back on form and ManU seemingly certain to finish top four if you buy into the hype, five into four doesn't go?
Even some fans seem to fail to realise. For us to finish 5th we need to finish above either Chelsea, Liverpool, Citae, ManU or Arsenal.
To get top four we need to finish above 2 of them.
Now read the article above, realise what a young developing squad we have which is still without a King or Perryman type leader and seriously ask yourself where we can expect to finish.
We had our chance at securing a top four spot and blew it. I say we. The blame for that lies at one mans door imo but thats another story.
It's going to be fun though to see which one of
those powerhouses doesn't get to go to the party.
Arsenal on Channel 5 Thurs nights, LMAO.
Edit- Thinking about it I agree with Avonspurs. Europa back door pass into CL maybe the most realistic chance.
In the back door??? Ohh Matron :sneaky:
 
Last edited:

Indisguise

Well-Known Member
Jun 9, 2012
7,996
23,386
Bill matey, genuine question, I was under the impression that Dier doesn't qualify as home grown. Does his England under 21 performances qualify him as such?
 

Armstrong_11

Spurs makes me happy, you... not so much :)
Aug 3, 2011
8,572
19,108
Bill matey, genuine question, I was under the impression that Dier doesn't qualify as home grown. Does his England under 21 performances qualify him as such?

Think he was refering to the restrictions from the League not in Europe so homegrown players are the ones who are eligible to play for England... Which is slightly different from Uefa rule that the person must be train at the club... Not 100% sure.

Anyway, i think we have a good business model. We do not have a sugar daddy, or the marketing power of man utd or Liverpool. Hope our gamble pays off.
 

FibreOpticJesus

Well-Known Member
Aug 14, 2005
2,788
4,991
Now read the article above, realise what a young developing squad we have which is still without a King or Perryman type leader and seriously ask yourself where we can expect to finish.

Bang on name a top six side which doesnt have a spine of leaders down its spine....Manure and us.

Who are our must have players in our starting line up which have Spurs in their hearts?

Last year Manure lost theirs and we only had Dawson. Who is our Kompany, Rooney, Gerrard, Whiltshire, Mertsucker, Toure, Vitic, Ferdinand. Where is our Ledley?

We have no leaders with Spurs in their hearts. You must have one in goal, one in defence and one in midfield. Not going to happen overnight but that is what Spurs need to foster and grow if we want to be succesful.

And who is going to be our team captain?
 

Greenspur

Very old member
Sep 1, 2004
2,681
3,090
Has anyone else noticed that the media seem to be struggling to realise that, with Man City now a big boy, Liverpool back on form and ManU seemingly certain to finish top four if you buy into the hype, five into four doesn't go?
Even some fans seem to fail to realise. For us to finish 5th we need to finish above either Chelsea, Liverpool, Citae, ManU or Arsenal.
To get top four we need to finish above 2 of them.
Now read the article above, realise what a young developing squad we have which is still without a King or Perryman type leader and seriously ask yourself where we can expect to finish.
We had our chance at securing a top four spot and blew it. I say we. The blame for that lies at one mans door imo but thats another story.
It's going to be fun though to see which one of
those powerhouses doesn't get to go to the party.
Arsenal on Channel 5 Thurs nights, LMAO.
Edit- Thinking about it I agree with Avonspurs. Europa back door pass into CL maybe the most realistic chance.
In the back door??? Ohh Matron :sneaky:

When Sky announced their live games up until November they stated, "Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea will all be shown at least six times and every club will be on at least three times".

So, even before the season begins, Sky has determined who will get the most money. This makes top 4 (or even 5) more and more difficult each year.
 

bigspurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2005
3,193
2,419
We had our chance at securing a top four spot and blew it.

Great article Bill!

I'll never get over the fact that Man City effectively stole away our Champions League spot. We had earn't that 4th spot after years of careful building and patience, only to see those bastards come out of nowhere and cheat us out of it. We would have been top four for about five years. God knows how many quality players we would have seen at the Lane by now?! But I'm not bitter of course... ;)
 

prawnsandwich

Well-Known Member
Jul 19, 2014
6,035
4,064
Who’s in. Who’s out.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on the development squad. Hall, Khumalo, Ceballos, Fredericks and Obika are all of the age where they’d have to be named but it’s unlikely any would. Presumably this means all will be forced to find a loan or permanent deal to set up the rest of their careers (and give Levy the chance to top up that bathtub of cash of his).

I have a hunch MoPo may take a punt on Fredericks.
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
Who’s in. Who’s out. And how the rules on squad size and composition are directing our transfer activity. Plus, why 17 is the magic number this summer...


Spurs activity in the transfer market this summer has – a reserve keeper aside – followed a very clear strategy. We’re after young, technically sound players whose value is likely to grow significantly. In fact, this has been our strategy for a long time, as witnessed by quadrupling our investment in Yago Falque this week despite him appearing in a grand total of one first team match. You can imagine Daniel Levy lying back in a bathtub and barking at an acolyte to toss in another bundle of new fifties for him to swim around in like Scrooge McDuck after that one.

But it’s not all about the money (although you can appreciate where Spurs fan Jessie J got that idea following a club run by Levy). There’s also a need to conform our squad within the Premier League 25-man squad limitations, and – more specifically – the 17 man limit on players who are not homegrown or under 21. For the coming season, under 21 players must be born on or after January 1, 1993.

Our concluded business this summer has so far seen Dier (under 21) and Davies (both under 21 and homegrown) sign, with possibly Lascelles (also both), and maybe Schneiderlin (homegrown – just) possibly coming too. But it’s the 17 non-homegrown players where we really need to get it right as when you look at that list, there isn’t a lot of room for manoeuvre.

Currently, according to the Spurs official site, we have exactly 17 non-homegrown first team players born before January 1, 1993:

Goalkeepers – Friedel, Vorm, Lloris

Defenders – Kaboul, Vertonghen, Chiriches, Assou-Ekotto

Midfielders – Paulinho, Lamela, Dembele, Chadli, Eriksen, Holtby, Capoue, Sandro

Strikers – Adebayor, Soldado

That means if we are to sign another player, who does not qualify as homegrown or under 21, we have to replace one of the above.

Easy enough for the mooted arrival of Mateo Musacchio, who would presumably just swap in for the ostracised Assou-Ekotto. Good luck finding a new club, Benny.

Outside of that list, currently the Spurs first team squad contains nine players that qualify as homegrown and over the age limit: Walker, Rose, Naughton, Dawson, Fryers, Lennon, Townsend, Mason and Carroll.

(Note: Kane, Bentaleb, Davies and Dier are all not yet old enough to need naming in the 25-man squad. Amazing when you think of how good they already are.)

So, with 17 non-homegrown and 9 homegrown, at least one of those names above will miss out. Presumably Carroll and/or Mason will go on loan to make that happen. But for any other arrival, they’d have to guarantee to be better than the above. Suddenly it’s easier to understand why we’ve considered offers for Chiriches and Dawson, or even Sandro and Holtby.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on the development squad. Hall, Khumalo, Ceballos, Fredericks and Obika are all of the age where they’d have to be named but it’s unlikely any would. Presumably this means all will be forced to find a loan or permanent deal to set up the rest of their careers (and give Levy the chance to top up that bathtub of cash of his).

The limitations on the squad explain Spurs’ moves in the transfer market. We aren’t likely to be after many players over 21 unless they are a significant, proven upgrade on a specific member of the existing ‘complete’ squad. Selling a couple of players is possible if their value is at its peak – which it probably is for Kyle Naughton, Michael Dawson or Aaron Lennon. The only question would be whether their replacements can be found either cheaper or in a player that will produce more profit down the line, whether bought in or brought up from the development squads.

Our owners aren’t afraid to spend big money but only if they see a likely large return on their investment. Pochettino doesn’t seem to mind this as he likes working with young talent (hard to tell but doubtful he’d have come to Spurs if he did).

When seeing us linked with names in the press, it’s worth bearing this in mind. What kind of return would Micah Richards offer on a transfer fee in 3 years when he is 29? Or Remy when he’s 30? Schneiderlin and Rodriguez on the other hand are bound to retain their value at the very least in a few years time. Football won’t suddenly stop being rich or investing silly money in players and, whatever you think of Daniel Levy, his approach is an excellent way to ensure Spurs remain competitive and produce enough revenue to grow the business on and off the pitch.

Last point on ages. With Benny as good as gone and Dawson clinging on, that would leave Adebayor, at 30, as our oldest player. Soldado is the sole 29-year-old. We will have a first team squad with more than 10 players aged 23 or under. That’s exceptionally young and also worth remembering if we struggle for form or concede silly, late goals at any stage during the coming season. Maybe it is worth keeping Dawson after all. Friedel is unlikely to see any significant game time this campaign, so where do we turn for leaders?

The one weakness in our current transfer strategy is that it makes it very hard for us to purchase proven, experienced performers who inspire and command respect from those around them, who have been there and done it before.

But that just means we have to develop our own players that fit that description. And that is what excites me most about this season ahead and those beyond under the current regime. Maybe we already have a new Ledley King or Steve Perryman in our squad and don’t know it yet.

With Spurs, you can always rest assured it’ll be fun finding out.



BO, BO, BO. You had us all the way until the "maybe we should keep Dawson because we need leadership".

Last season I watched a phase of play where Townsend gave the ball away stupidly then stood and watched, instead of trying to win it back, as the person he'd given it away to ran at Dawson high up the pitch, forcing Dawson to bring him down and take a yellow.

A leader would have immediately given Townsend a verbal kick up the arse for his stupidity and laziness. Dawson just grinned and retreated to his box.

He has never been a leader. He's too nicey nice. I'd rather see Kaboul, Vertonghen, Lloris, hell even Walker who, although a bit of a loon, is at least vocal and not scared to bollock people, as captain.

Some of the best skippers of recent years (Terry, Gerrard spring to mind) were home grown. Bentaleb is meant to be quite a strong character ?
 

prawnsandwich

Well-Known Member
Jul 19, 2014
6,035
4,064
19 non-homegrown first team players born before January 1, 1993:

Goalkeepers – Friedel, Vorm, Lloris
Defenders – Kaboul, Vertonghen, Chiriches, Assou-Ekotto, Khumalo
Midfielders – Paulinho, Lamela, Dembele, Chadli, Eriksen, Holtby, Capoue, Sandro, Ceballos
Strikers – Adebayor, Soldado

11 homegrown and over the age limit:
Defenders - Walker, Rose, Naughton, Dawson, Fryers, Fredericks
Midfielders –Lennon, Townsend, Mason, Carroll
Strikers – Obika

That is the full list-let the cull begin!
 

barry

Bring me Messi
May 22, 2005
6,505
15,345
Now read the article above, realise what a young developing squad we have which is still without a King or Perryman type leader and seriously ask yourself where we can expect to finish.

Bang on name a top six side which doesnt have a spine of leaders down its spine....Manure and us.

Who are our must have players in our starting line up which have Spurs in their hearts?

Last year Manure lost theirs and we only had Dawson. Who is our Kompany, Rooney, Gerrard, Whiltshire, Mertsucker, Toure, Vitic, Ferdinand. Where is our Ledley?

We have no leaders with Spurs in their hearts. You must have one in goal, one in defence and one in midfield. Not going to happen overnight but that is what Spurs need to foster and grow if we want to be succesful.

And who is going to be our team captain?

BEST USER NAME EVER!!!!!!!
 
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