fazza
Well-Known Member
- May 5, 2004
- 17,285
- 490
I don't know why but I nearly spat my tea everywhere then and had tea streaming out my nose Eek
An Excellent Window! Here's why...
- Thread starter journeyman
- Start date
I don't know why but I nearly spat my tea everywhere then and had tea streaming out my nose Eek
saintlyspur
Well-Known Member
- Mar 27, 2006
- 718
- 526
im well happy with the transfers,would like to have seen pav replaced as i dont rate him at all but step forward mr levy 12 mill for crouch amazing!
whatsappnin
Well-Known Member
- Jun 9, 2004
- 1,981
- 258
are you fucking for real, if you dont rate Van der Vaart you should fucking go watch baseball or something, you are not worthy!
Good window! kept our best players and fucked of Chelsea.
SpurSince57
Well-Known Member
- Jan 20, 2006
- 45,213
- 8,229
It's a problem, but I don't see a real solution. I agree, from the target man viewpoint it would have been preferable to hang on to Crouch, but Pav does have a much superior goalscoring record, even if he doesn't offer a great deal else. As we found out five years ago, keeping four strikers happy, fit and match-sharp isn't easy, and we're essentially in the same situation, the question now being 'What happens if Adebayor gets crocked?' rather than 'What happens if Berbatov gets crocked?'
I've only seen him the once, but it strikes me that Kane could be a solution.
SpurSince57
Well-Known Member
- Jan 20, 2006
- 45,213
- 8,229
You've probably caused several SCers to run a warm bath and open their wrists. Hope you're really happy.
steve
Well-Known Member
- Oct 21, 2003
- 3,503
- 1,767
Yes agreed, although the Europa isn't as important as the UEFA was back then (in Berbatov's first season - our return to Euro footy) so the option to rotate is a very real one that H will embrace I expect. This could help keep strikers happier.
Maybe Kane is ready although I suspect he isn't quite ripe yet...only one way we'll find out...
sussexyid
Well-Known Member
- Mar 21, 2004
- 1,541
- 945
I've had 24hours to digest what happened now.
We sold nearly £30m of dead wood... Great work.
We also got approx £250-£300k per week off the wage bill... Great work.
We got the essential decent striker... Good work.
We retained our best player... Good work, so long his head isn't mashed up!
We got the footballer of the year... Great work.
We have competition for keepers... Great work.
Yes, we didn't sign Kaka, Rossi or hulk but we have Improved the squad, cut our wage bill, got some cash back in and by the sounds of things, we have improved our chances of getting the NDP moving very soon.
Until we have circa 60k seater to generate another £30m a year in revenue, we can't look to work at the level of the other top teams.
To summarise, I'm actually quite happy with how things turned out.
Oh, wait, I've broken the cardinal rule of SC... I've made a rational and grounded post
We sold nearly £30m of dead wood... Great work.
We also got approx £250-£300k per week off the wage bill... Great work.
We got the essential decent striker... Good work.
We retained our best player... Good work, so long his head isn't mashed up!
We got the footballer of the year... Great work.
We have competition for keepers... Great work.
Yes, we didn't sign Kaka, Rossi or hulk but we have Improved the squad, cut our wage bill, got some cash back in and by the sounds of things, we have improved our chances of getting the NDP moving very soon.
Until we have circa 60k seater to generate another £30m a year in revenue, we can't look to work at the level of the other top teams.
To summarise, I'm actually quite happy with how things turned out.
Oh, wait, I've broken the cardinal rule of SC... I've made a rational and grounded post
Locotoro
Prince of Zamunda
- Sep 2, 2004
- 9,400
- 14,087
We need to view this window with a bit of perspective, because those that do will soon realise this window has been more positive than negative:
Firstly, a key aim was to retain Modric, Bale and VDV. We have achieved that aim despite Chelsea's best efforts. On the one hand it will discourage players from thinking they can force a move away and other sides from thinking they can pinch our talent every now and then. Simualtaneously, it may also give some of those big players the impression thT we are less likely to be agreeable to them using us as a stepping stone to bigger things.
Secondly, have we improved our first team? Arguably yes. We have a potentially more potent striker in Adebayor than we had in Crouch whilst maintaining an aerial threat, a genuine physical target man. Does it matter that he is on loan? No, why should it? Would anyone complain at bringing in Messi on loan? I think not.
Freidal is a steady goalkeeper. He has a calming influence on the defence, something which Gomes does not have. Is he an improvement? Possibly, he definately as good as Gomes. Should we be concerned about his age? No. Van der Saar retired last season at the age of 41 whilst performing as one of the best in the league.
Parker is a great player to have. Is he an improvement on Palacios? I believe so. Parker is more disciplined, more tactically aware, he has a better pass percentage and is more dynamic on the ball. Palacios in the last year has lost his focus and we had to continue improving with this in mind. There are those that believe that Parker will be a backup for Sandro and Parker. I believe he will be a first choice with Sandro with Vdv moving to the right in place of Lennon. It would make us far more difficult to break up and we would be better placed to compete against defensive sides with Modric and Vdv closer to goal.
Thirdly, we have sold a number of players that were of no use. Hutton, Keane, bentley and O'Hara were going to struggle to make the bench. Jenas, Palacios and Crouch were useful back ups but not imperative and can be replaced by youth player, especially in Jenas' case. 7 players iirc off the wage bill without damaging the strength of the first team or squad.
Finally, is the fact we haven't spent relevant? No. We brought in the players we needed to move forward. Yes mancity and man u have moved forward. However I think Arsenal and Chelsea will struggle during this season. Arsenal for the loss of Cesc and Nasri and replacing them with lesser players and Chelsea because Avb is trying to play a system that he doesn't have the players for and Chelsea will drop many points.
Others also ask why this business wasn't wrapped up sooner. It's quite simple, the WBA chairman recently said that the last few days are always when it comes to life. Every chairman is waiting for the prices to go down and waiting for other moves to happen. We had to wait because others were waiting. We were also trying to bring in our first choice players. When they fail we turned to our second choice. I don't buy into all this Levy leaving it late. Look how much business was done in the last 2 days by all the chairmen and tell me that everyone wasn't calling each others bluffs. It's the way transfers work nowadays. Waiting to the end of the window has many financial benefits for the moneymen.
One negative thing that has come from this window is that Levy/Redknapp relations are not great. That is clear from the failed attempts to sign players in the previous windows. Levys urge to spend big coupled with Redknapp's reluctance on targets was clear for me to see. Whilst as has been stated Redknapp seems to be playing a few digs at Levy regarding salary range and the Modric scenario.
I'm sure we will compete this season and we will be there at the end. The season is long and much can change from game to game.
Firstly, a key aim was to retain Modric, Bale and VDV. We have achieved that aim despite Chelsea's best efforts. On the one hand it will discourage players from thinking they can force a move away and other sides from thinking they can pinch our talent every now and then. Simualtaneously, it may also give some of those big players the impression thT we are less likely to be agreeable to them using us as a stepping stone to bigger things.
Secondly, have we improved our first team? Arguably yes. We have a potentially more potent striker in Adebayor than we had in Crouch whilst maintaining an aerial threat, a genuine physical target man. Does it matter that he is on loan? No, why should it? Would anyone complain at bringing in Messi on loan? I think not.
Freidal is a steady goalkeeper. He has a calming influence on the defence, something which Gomes does not have. Is he an improvement? Possibly, he definately as good as Gomes. Should we be concerned about his age? No. Van der Saar retired last season at the age of 41 whilst performing as one of the best in the league.
Parker is a great player to have. Is he an improvement on Palacios? I believe so. Parker is more disciplined, more tactically aware, he has a better pass percentage and is more dynamic on the ball. Palacios in the last year has lost his focus and we had to continue improving with this in mind. There are those that believe that Parker will be a backup for Sandro and Parker. I believe he will be a first choice with Sandro with Vdv moving to the right in place of Lennon. It would make us far more difficult to break up and we would be better placed to compete against defensive sides with Modric and Vdv closer to goal.
Thirdly, we have sold a number of players that were of no use. Hutton, Keane, bentley and O'Hara were going to struggle to make the bench. Jenas, Palacios and Crouch were useful back ups but not imperative and can be replaced by youth player, especially in Jenas' case. 7 players iirc off the wage bill without damaging the strength of the first team or squad.
Finally, is the fact we haven't spent relevant? No. We brought in the players we needed to move forward. Yes mancity and man u have moved forward. However I think Arsenal and Chelsea will struggle during this season. Arsenal for the loss of Cesc and Nasri and replacing them with lesser players and Chelsea because Avb is trying to play a system that he doesn't have the players for and Chelsea will drop many points.
Others also ask why this business wasn't wrapped up sooner. It's quite simple, the WBA chairman recently said that the last few days are always when it comes to life. Every chairman is waiting for the prices to go down and waiting for other moves to happen. We had to wait because others were waiting. We were also trying to bring in our first choice players. When they fail we turned to our second choice. I don't buy into all this Levy leaving it late. Look how much business was done in the last 2 days by all the chairmen and tell me that everyone wasn't calling each others bluffs. It's the way transfers work nowadays. Waiting to the end of the window has many financial benefits for the moneymen.
One negative thing that has come from this window is that Levy/Redknapp relations are not great. That is clear from the failed attempts to sign players in the previous windows. Levys urge to spend big coupled with Redknapp's reluctance on targets was clear for me to see. Whilst as has been stated Redknapp seems to be playing a few digs at Levy regarding salary range and the Modric scenario.
I'm sure we will compete this season and we will be there at the end. The season is long and much can change from game to game.
- Jan 14, 2004
- 15,105
- 9,122
- Staff
- #132
Yes and a poor pipe dream at that.
Wiener
SC Supporter
- Jun 24, 2005
- 1,194
- 321
Price and age isn't always a good indication of quality.
The 3 experienced players we have signed are all quality and provide something extra. I think they will greatly improve our team.
Lastly, right now we are not top eight but bottom of the league.
brett.spurs
Banned
- May 22, 2007
- 7,388
- 2
Of the significant deals I agree, but I was pleased that we finally shifted Keane and Hutton. Can we stop adding a "u" into Adebayor though? I thought we'd finally see an end to that when we sold "Palacious" :-x
steventhfc
See man driving a german whip.
- May 20, 2009
- 2,059
- 818
It's pretty long so I don't expect much responses from this but a bit of input would be nice.
A few months back I did a bit of research into the wages of some of our fringe players. The thought then was that with some of them moved we would be able to take on larger contracts in the summer transfer window. Obviously, in the wake of another disappointing window and deadline day, that didn't happen. I still maintain we could have, we just didn't. While we didn't add any marquee players, we did do good business in shedding our most crippling contracts. The players that left on loan, while they were a burden on our wage bill they weren't as pressing a concern as other players. I'm not sure what the terms of our two biggest loans were (Bentley & Jenas), whether the contracts have loan options in particular. If they don't finding buyers for them next summer shouldn't be as daunting a task as this window was, presumably we will have less deadwood so we can focus on those sales and getting good prices.
As I said though they weren't the concern this window, players like Crouch, Keane and Woody were. Each made over 60k and besides Crouch their wages didn't justify their contribution. Some would argue Crouch's wages weren't justified but for as much as he started, I think he had a legitimate case for being one of the clubs top earners. I know Crouch wasn't the most popular guy amongst our fan base, but he was at times a focal point of our attack, so I wouldn't classify that contract as "bad" necessarily. I disagree with the figure but the way our team was configured that's just how was. Keane and Woody I don't think anyone can legitimately make a case that their wages were justified. I know people are disappointed that we let Woody go because he's started a few matches but I can't find much fault in 'Arry or Levy for cutting ties. Same with Keane he just wasn't capable of contributing enough to ever make those wages reasonable, I don't think anyone disagrees with the decision to let him go.
So in one since this window was really about atoning for past transfer sins. I mean the damage was done but at some point we had to cut ties with the players and eat our losses. We still have a few players that we'll need to move on in Jenas and Bentley but it was a good start. Please note, like last time my numbers are estimates based on reported wages through the media. All totaled up and not counting reserve team players or youth players moved on I estimate around £385k in per/wk wages -- £80k in the two loans, which is roughly £20m in annual salary -- £4m being short-term loan. So we shed about £16m annually off our wage bill, which brings our wage bill down to £59m, roughly 49% of our turn over (Figures do not account incoming players, they will later). We didn't pick up many transfer fees but the ones we did were at or above market value you would assume, possibly Hutton could have gone for a bit more, but what are you going to do. We had 6 players leave for a fee Peter Crouch, Robbie Keane, Alan Hutton, Jamie O'Hara, Wilson Palacios and Paul-Jose M'Poku totally for approximately £30.5m. Which for 5 fringe players and a reserve team player isn't bad. I know that figure is going to drive a few crazy because we didn't re-invest.
The in-comings in a word 'disappointed' after some thought I've found some positives, which admittedly are hard. First let me re-iterate something I said in another thread. The line of Levy/Lewis not acting while selling all our fringe players to make personal profit does really wash IMO. I've said this many times before but because of how THFC is structured they don't necessarily benefit from selling our players. ENIC and Levy benefit the most financially when they field a strong team, not just strong but a strong marketable team that's playing in the best competitions, namely the CL. When those benchmarks are met they make the most money though trading of the asset and merchandising, domestically and internationally. I know this window at first glance may seem counter-productive but let me make what I assume would be their case. I would imagine Levy and Co feel while we didn't take a huge step forward we did the right deals which in the long run will help us take that next step.
During last season I identified what I thought were our most glaring areas of need, there were 5.
A #9 striker was at the top of everyone's list. A strong player who could hold up play, link up with VDV and above average with his feet. I think we accomplished this signing Adebayor, now it's only a loan, and recently an ITK suggested there's no loan fee which I'm not too sure about (especially after the window just passed). Even so name another striker that we could have feasibly signed of Adebayor's quality and experience, that makes 100k plus? I can't think of any. As far as making the deal permanent, if there indeed is no loan option it might be a good thing. Reports suggested that Citeh were willing to let him go on a free, which to me is reasonable. Citeh's bad business practices and approach to contracts make it really hard to sell a player that's fallen out of favor. I rate Ade highly but he isn't worth what he makes and I think everyone knows that, so whenever he renegotiates I think he understands he will have to take a pay cut. From Adebayor's point of view why would he accept lower wages when he had options, namely Madrid and Spurs. Madrid weren't going to pick him up, but a Spurs loan deal was always an option, and being in London it's a city he would happily play in. So it's possible when this loan deal comes to an end, and if Spurs are pleased with Adebayor, we could negotiate a permanent deal. I think if we can get Adebayor to sign permanently Citeh would sell him to us on a free because they know they'll be in the same situation, with Adebayor's transfer destinations limited. If we can offer Adebayor £100k (I believe we can now) and we take a portion of that reported loan fee and give him a hefty bonus then I think a deal could get done. After this season's loan Adebayor will have two years left on his contract which he makes £175k per/wk. If we offer him a deal making £100k that would be £75k per/wk less then what he currently makes, around £4m in annual salary, and £8m less then what he would have made over the next two years of his Citeh deal. So if we can assume that his situation would be similar to what it is now, limited options and desire to play in London. Also if there's no loan fee, or if we could negotiate down the loan fee (or just not pick up the loan option and renegotiate), we can offer him around £4m-£8m signing bonus. Which would cover part to all of his lost wages in the final two years of his contract with Citeh. I think it would be ideal for all parties involved provided we are his preferred destination after the loan, if not we can look elsewhere.
Ok now onto my 4th player on my shortlist but I'm going to him second because he's the only other "marquee" player we signed, Scott Parker. A rotation midfielder, someone who can provide depth. Honestly I was never for the Diarra transfer which I made clear in some of my posts. I didn't doubt he was a great player but for our specific needs, I thought it was an unnecessary expense. Also I just couldn't see him fitting into a rotation, which I think is very important for us. With Sandro emerging and our other young midfielders knocking on the door of the first team (Luongo, Ceballos, Livermore, Carroll, etc.), having a quality midfielder that won't demand to start every game will do wonders for development. Parker is quality but he's not Diarra, so I can see Parker accepting rotation. Our outgoing transfers and our one addition our midfield it puts a clear picture on how we intend to run a midfield. I reckon we will switch between 4-4-1-1 and 4-5-1 (When VDV doesn't play or plays RW/CM).
On to the next, Goalkeeper. Now this was a bigger area of concern to others then it was to me to be quite frank. I understand Gomes had a shocking season last year, one of the worst I can remember, but he did still have flashes of brilliance sometimes in the same game as an egregious error. So while others were calling for us to break the bank on a keeper, I'm content bringing Friedel in and giving Gomes a chance to regain some form in the future. It's happened before with keepers, I see no reason why Gomes couldn't be the same. It's not an ability thing, it's mental, concentration to be precise. My only issue with Friedel is his poor choice in schools.
My last two areas of need unfortunately were left unresolved, versatile forward and center back. Now the Versatile forward in my opinion was vital for a few reasons. Rotation, someone would can play multiple forward positions, would get more time and hopefully help compensate for dips in form. Injuries, we're pretty thin at some of the forward positions RW is an area of concern. A few key injuries and our season can really go downhill, bringing another player that can play a few positions would have been wise. Flexibility, tactically speaking adding another player that can fit multiple ways depending on the game plan and specific opponent. Philosophy, I was hoping this player would be a ST/RW/CAM. Typically players that can play all those positions have a tendency to play the ball on the ground, which would break up the most annoying aspect of our game. Get the ball out to the wings, whip crosses in, hope for a header in or knockdown to another player. More flexibility is something this side desperately needs.
Early in the window, I felt we should be going for a player like Gervinho or Lavezzi. Often times their play isn't reflected in their stats but what they offer go beyond goals and assists. We didn't get that player, but trying to stay positive as others have suggested it could be an opportunity for GDS to prove himself, I have doubts he will but I think he'll get it. I don't know much about the loan we got from Juve Iago to be quite honest, but it could be the case that's how our staff scouted him. The fact that it's a loan doesn't excite me and I've never heard any suggestions of a permanent fee. Hopefully if he does well we can make it permanent because if not it just seems like a stop-gap signing to me.
Moving on to the my last player on my short list a CB. Now this miss is a true disappointment. I'll be honest though I would have been happy with Samba, Cahill is good but I think he's a bit overrated. People talk about him like he's the best young CB in football, I would put Sahko ahead of him. Anyways, I don't want to make this about him, the point is we needed a CB IMO and we got nothing. This isn't a reaction to the latest string of bad results, I highlighted the need for fresh blood on the backline months ago. We have an aging injury prone back-line, which is subject to dips in form. Adding another quality CB to the mix will have helped us compensate for these weakness. As far as the Cahill debacle and the deal falling apart, I actually don't blame Levy. I like others have suggested think Bolton did over price him for having one year left on his contract. At the end of the day I'm not going to blame Levy for not capitulating to unreasonable demands. We aren't Citeh, we can't just pay overvalue because we really want the player. That being said though I think if we had more time an agreement could have been reached. I don't think this was necessarily a case of Levy leaving it till the last minute. It may have been a bit of gamesmanship from Arsenal and Liverpool. Both clubs reportedly had interest, those same reports suggested he would prefer both clubs over Spurs, which makes sense they can offer him more. So if Spurs had a chance with this player, it was going to be dependent on whether Arsenal or Liverpool got into the game. Even if they didn't want the player, I would imagine neither club wanted Spurs to have him either, especially Arsenal. Which would explain why they kept the story alive to the final days. Only after we got word that Arsenal wasn't interested, we could go in for the player in earnest and unfortunately we didn't have enough time to do a deal.
So that's disappointing but even more disappointing was that it seemed to be our only option. We didn't even try for Samba. This is my main problem with our coaching staff, our scouting really seems to be below par, which could also be 'Arry being close minded. I'm of the opinion our problems go beyond 'Arry and our scouts are letting us down, with 'Arry contributing. How is it that other clubs are able to find non-domestic center backs that perform well and are cheap, Vermaalen for example. To me the whole Cahill thing smacks of him being our only option because he's the only one they rate, because he plays in England. If our options are really that limited how are we ever going to progress. We don't have the financial clout to only buy domestic with how the market on home-grown players has been inflated. Because of our status/financial standing we should really be investing in a top scouting network similar to that of continental sides. What happened to players like Mangala, did we even look at him? He went to Porto, but besides CL football do they really have more to offer? Disappointing, really hard to put a positive spin on this missed position.
That's all I've got for commentary on our areas of need, if I had to give us a grade I would say B-. Good but we could have done better. If we would have signed a CB, I would give us an A-. Versatile forward and CB A+.
Actually from a business stand point this has been a positive window. Which for some may be upsetting to hear but it's true. I'll bring it up again but some have suggested this was just Lewis/Levy cashing in on our success from the past couple of years, for reasons previously explained I don't think that's the case. I do think there's room to be optimistic if we perform well this season. Levy did a great job freeing up wage space which will enable us to restructure our wage scale and give our key players pay increases. It's speculative but it makes more logical sense then Levy screwing the club to make a bit of personal profit. Once again I don't have exact figures but going off personal research and projections made earlier in this thread. Our wages (not considering the 4 new 1st team players) are down to around 50% of our turnover. I estimate those 4 players added around 180k in per/wk wages -- £9.3m in annual salary, roughly raising our wage bill to £68m -- 56% of our turnover. That's still a very healthy wages-to-turnover ratio, clubs fighting relegation routinely have a 70% plus wages-to-turnover ratio, it highlights what a well run club we are. Now I know it's speculative, but we can comfortably operate in my opinion with wages 65-70% of our turnover, the amount is depends on our ambition which is a given.
Depending on how we perform, and who stands out, we have flexibility to offer more progressive contracts to our key players. I'm looking at Modric, VDV, Adebayor, Dawson, Benny etc. It's hard to tell two games in who would be deserving of a pay raise. That 10-15% increase in the wage bill from 56% to 65-70% is roughly £12m-£16m available in salary -- £230k-£305k per/wk. So as those numbers reflect we would be in a good position to offer more competitive contracts. I conservatively estimate 6 players would be due significant pay increases. If we use Adebayor as a benchmark who if stays I think would be offered around £100k among other sweeteners previously discussed, that represents a 25% increase. For argument sake we're going to assume all those players average £55k in per/wk wages -- all 6 totaling £330k -- £17m in annual salary . A 25% increase roughly amounts to an increase of £13.75per/wk wages (£69k) -- £82.5k total weekly wages (£412.5k) -- £4.5m (£21.5m). Most of the numbers are interesting to nerds like me, but in bold is the key portion. Our overall salary would only increase roughly £5m which leaves around £7m-£11m in available salary for future purchases. That leaves room to keep everyone we have while adding one 100k-ish contract and add a few other players (Cahill/Leandro maybe). Which provided everyone performs how I expect would be enough to make us competitive for Top 3. All this doesn't account for more dead-weight shifting which is possible after this season.
Anyways, that's ways that's where I think things stand right now. I'm as disappointed as anyone all our needs weren't met but after a lot of thought, it's not the worst thing in the world. I still think we have the potential to take that next step. If this is the course Levy has taken it may mean he doesn't see 'Arry as the man to do that. I'm a fan of 'Arry but if the relationship is truly fractured and Levy is changing how we do business to accommodate a new man coming in then so be it. I just hope we can get this done quickly.
That's my Quasi-positive spin on the current situation, COYS.
Thanks to this thread.
http://www.tottenhamhotspurs.tv/forum/players-lounge/23697-positve-spin-transfer-window.html
A few months back I did a bit of research into the wages of some of our fringe players. The thought then was that with some of them moved we would be able to take on larger contracts in the summer transfer window. Obviously, in the wake of another disappointing window and deadline day, that didn't happen. I still maintain we could have, we just didn't. While we didn't add any marquee players, we did do good business in shedding our most crippling contracts. The players that left on loan, while they were a burden on our wage bill they weren't as pressing a concern as other players. I'm not sure what the terms of our two biggest loans were (Bentley & Jenas), whether the contracts have loan options in particular. If they don't finding buyers for them next summer shouldn't be as daunting a task as this window was, presumably we will have less deadwood so we can focus on those sales and getting good prices.
As I said though they weren't the concern this window, players like Crouch, Keane and Woody were. Each made over 60k and besides Crouch their wages didn't justify their contribution. Some would argue Crouch's wages weren't justified but for as much as he started, I think he had a legitimate case for being one of the clubs top earners. I know Crouch wasn't the most popular guy amongst our fan base, but he was at times a focal point of our attack, so I wouldn't classify that contract as "bad" necessarily. I disagree with the figure but the way our team was configured that's just how was. Keane and Woody I don't think anyone can legitimately make a case that their wages were justified. I know people are disappointed that we let Woody go because he's started a few matches but I can't find much fault in 'Arry or Levy for cutting ties. Same with Keane he just wasn't capable of contributing enough to ever make those wages reasonable, I don't think anyone disagrees with the decision to let him go.
So in one since this window was really about atoning for past transfer sins. I mean the damage was done but at some point we had to cut ties with the players and eat our losses. We still have a few players that we'll need to move on in Jenas and Bentley but it was a good start. Please note, like last time my numbers are estimates based on reported wages through the media. All totaled up and not counting reserve team players or youth players moved on I estimate around £385k in per/wk wages -- £80k in the two loans, which is roughly £20m in annual salary -- £4m being short-term loan. So we shed about £16m annually off our wage bill, which brings our wage bill down to £59m, roughly 49% of our turn over (Figures do not account incoming players, they will later). We didn't pick up many transfer fees but the ones we did were at or above market value you would assume, possibly Hutton could have gone for a bit more, but what are you going to do. We had 6 players leave for a fee Peter Crouch, Robbie Keane, Alan Hutton, Jamie O'Hara, Wilson Palacios and Paul-Jose M'Poku totally for approximately £30.5m. Which for 5 fringe players and a reserve team player isn't bad. I know that figure is going to drive a few crazy because we didn't re-invest.
The in-comings in a word 'disappointed' after some thought I've found some positives, which admittedly are hard. First let me re-iterate something I said in another thread. The line of Levy/Lewis not acting while selling all our fringe players to make personal profit does really wash IMO. I've said this many times before but because of how THFC is structured they don't necessarily benefit from selling our players. ENIC and Levy benefit the most financially when they field a strong team, not just strong but a strong marketable team that's playing in the best competitions, namely the CL. When those benchmarks are met they make the most money though trading of the asset and merchandising, domestically and internationally. I know this window at first glance may seem counter-productive but let me make what I assume would be their case. I would imagine Levy and Co feel while we didn't take a huge step forward we did the right deals which in the long run will help us take that next step.
During last season I identified what I thought were our most glaring areas of need, there were 5.
A #9 striker was at the top of everyone's list. A strong player who could hold up play, link up with VDV and above average with his feet. I think we accomplished this signing Adebayor, now it's only a loan, and recently an ITK suggested there's no loan fee which I'm not too sure about (especially after the window just passed). Even so name another striker that we could have feasibly signed of Adebayor's quality and experience, that makes 100k plus? I can't think of any. As far as making the deal permanent, if there indeed is no loan option it might be a good thing. Reports suggested that Citeh were willing to let him go on a free, which to me is reasonable. Citeh's bad business practices and approach to contracts make it really hard to sell a player that's fallen out of favor. I rate Ade highly but he isn't worth what he makes and I think everyone knows that, so whenever he renegotiates I think he understands he will have to take a pay cut. From Adebayor's point of view why would he accept lower wages when he had options, namely Madrid and Spurs. Madrid weren't going to pick him up, but a Spurs loan deal was always an option, and being in London it's a city he would happily play in. So it's possible when this loan deal comes to an end, and if Spurs are pleased with Adebayor, we could negotiate a permanent deal. I think if we can get Adebayor to sign permanently Citeh would sell him to us on a free because they know they'll be in the same situation, with Adebayor's transfer destinations limited. If we can offer Adebayor £100k (I believe we can now) and we take a portion of that reported loan fee and give him a hefty bonus then I think a deal could get done. After this season's loan Adebayor will have two years left on his contract which he makes £175k per/wk. If we offer him a deal making £100k that would be £75k per/wk less then what he currently makes, around £4m in annual salary, and £8m less then what he would have made over the next two years of his Citeh deal. So if we can assume that his situation would be similar to what it is now, limited options and desire to play in London. Also if there's no loan fee, or if we could negotiate down the loan fee (or just not pick up the loan option and renegotiate), we can offer him around £4m-£8m signing bonus. Which would cover part to all of his lost wages in the final two years of his contract with Citeh. I think it would be ideal for all parties involved provided we are his preferred destination after the loan, if not we can look elsewhere.
Ok now onto my 4th player on my shortlist but I'm going to him second because he's the only other "marquee" player we signed, Scott Parker. A rotation midfielder, someone who can provide depth. Honestly I was never for the Diarra transfer which I made clear in some of my posts. I didn't doubt he was a great player but for our specific needs, I thought it was an unnecessary expense. Also I just couldn't see him fitting into a rotation, which I think is very important for us. With Sandro emerging and our other young midfielders knocking on the door of the first team (Luongo, Ceballos, Livermore, Carroll, etc.), having a quality midfielder that won't demand to start every game will do wonders for development. Parker is quality but he's not Diarra, so I can see Parker accepting rotation. Our outgoing transfers and our one addition our midfield it puts a clear picture on how we intend to run a midfield. I reckon we will switch between 4-4-1-1 and 4-5-1 (When VDV doesn't play or plays RW/CM).
On to the next, Goalkeeper. Now this was a bigger area of concern to others then it was to me to be quite frank. I understand Gomes had a shocking season last year, one of the worst I can remember, but he did still have flashes of brilliance sometimes in the same game as an egregious error. So while others were calling for us to break the bank on a keeper, I'm content bringing Friedel in and giving Gomes a chance to regain some form in the future. It's happened before with keepers, I see no reason why Gomes couldn't be the same. It's not an ability thing, it's mental, concentration to be precise. My only issue with Friedel is his poor choice in schools.
My last two areas of need unfortunately were left unresolved, versatile forward and center back. Now the Versatile forward in my opinion was vital for a few reasons. Rotation, someone would can play multiple forward positions, would get more time and hopefully help compensate for dips in form. Injuries, we're pretty thin at some of the forward positions RW is an area of concern. A few key injuries and our season can really go downhill, bringing another player that can play a few positions would have been wise. Flexibility, tactically speaking adding another player that can fit multiple ways depending on the game plan and specific opponent. Philosophy, I was hoping this player would be a ST/RW/CAM. Typically players that can play all those positions have a tendency to play the ball on the ground, which would break up the most annoying aspect of our game. Get the ball out to the wings, whip crosses in, hope for a header in or knockdown to another player. More flexibility is something this side desperately needs.
Early in the window, I felt we should be going for a player like Gervinho or Lavezzi. Often times their play isn't reflected in their stats but what they offer go beyond goals and assists. We didn't get that player, but trying to stay positive as others have suggested it could be an opportunity for GDS to prove himself, I have doubts he will but I think he'll get it. I don't know much about the loan we got from Juve Iago to be quite honest, but it could be the case that's how our staff scouted him. The fact that it's a loan doesn't excite me and I've never heard any suggestions of a permanent fee. Hopefully if he does well we can make it permanent because if not it just seems like a stop-gap signing to me.
Moving on to the my last player on my short list a CB. Now this miss is a true disappointment. I'll be honest though I would have been happy with Samba, Cahill is good but I think he's a bit overrated. People talk about him like he's the best young CB in football, I would put Sahko ahead of him. Anyways, I don't want to make this about him, the point is we needed a CB IMO and we got nothing. This isn't a reaction to the latest string of bad results, I highlighted the need for fresh blood on the backline months ago. We have an aging injury prone back-line, which is subject to dips in form. Adding another quality CB to the mix will have helped us compensate for these weakness. As far as the Cahill debacle and the deal falling apart, I actually don't blame Levy. I like others have suggested think Bolton did over price him for having one year left on his contract. At the end of the day I'm not going to blame Levy for not capitulating to unreasonable demands. We aren't Citeh, we can't just pay overvalue because we really want the player. That being said though I think if we had more time an agreement could have been reached. I don't think this was necessarily a case of Levy leaving it till the last minute. It may have been a bit of gamesmanship from Arsenal and Liverpool. Both clubs reportedly had interest, those same reports suggested he would prefer both clubs over Spurs, which makes sense they can offer him more. So if Spurs had a chance with this player, it was going to be dependent on whether Arsenal or Liverpool got into the game. Even if they didn't want the player, I would imagine neither club wanted Spurs to have him either, especially Arsenal. Which would explain why they kept the story alive to the final days. Only after we got word that Arsenal wasn't interested, we could go in for the player in earnest and unfortunately we didn't have enough time to do a deal.
So that's disappointing but even more disappointing was that it seemed to be our only option. We didn't even try for Samba. This is my main problem with our coaching staff, our scouting really seems to be below par, which could also be 'Arry being close minded. I'm of the opinion our problems go beyond 'Arry and our scouts are letting us down, with 'Arry contributing. How is it that other clubs are able to find non-domestic center backs that perform well and are cheap, Vermaalen for example. To me the whole Cahill thing smacks of him being our only option because he's the only one they rate, because he plays in England. If our options are really that limited how are we ever going to progress. We don't have the financial clout to only buy domestic with how the market on home-grown players has been inflated. Because of our status/financial standing we should really be investing in a top scouting network similar to that of continental sides. What happened to players like Mangala, did we even look at him? He went to Porto, but besides CL football do they really have more to offer? Disappointing, really hard to put a positive spin on this missed position.
That's all I've got for commentary on our areas of need, if I had to give us a grade I would say B-. Good but we could have done better. If we would have signed a CB, I would give us an A-. Versatile forward and CB A+.
Actually from a business stand point this has been a positive window. Which for some may be upsetting to hear but it's true. I'll bring it up again but some have suggested this was just Lewis/Levy cashing in on our success from the past couple of years, for reasons previously explained I don't think that's the case. I do think there's room to be optimistic if we perform well this season. Levy did a great job freeing up wage space which will enable us to restructure our wage scale and give our key players pay increases. It's speculative but it makes more logical sense then Levy screwing the club to make a bit of personal profit. Once again I don't have exact figures but going off personal research and projections made earlier in this thread. Our wages (not considering the 4 new 1st team players) are down to around 50% of our turnover. I estimate those 4 players added around 180k in per/wk wages -- £9.3m in annual salary, roughly raising our wage bill to £68m -- 56% of our turnover. That's still a very healthy wages-to-turnover ratio, clubs fighting relegation routinely have a 70% plus wages-to-turnover ratio, it highlights what a well run club we are. Now I know it's speculative, but we can comfortably operate in my opinion with wages 65-70% of our turnover, the amount is depends on our ambition which is a given.
Depending on how we perform, and who stands out, we have flexibility to offer more progressive contracts to our key players. I'm looking at Modric, VDV, Adebayor, Dawson, Benny etc. It's hard to tell two games in who would be deserving of a pay raise. That 10-15% increase in the wage bill from 56% to 65-70% is roughly £12m-£16m available in salary -- £230k-£305k per/wk. So as those numbers reflect we would be in a good position to offer more competitive contracts. I conservatively estimate 6 players would be due significant pay increases. If we use Adebayor as a benchmark who if stays I think would be offered around £100k among other sweeteners previously discussed, that represents a 25% increase. For argument sake we're going to assume all those players average £55k in per/wk wages -- all 6 totaling £330k -- £17m in annual salary . A 25% increase roughly amounts to an increase of £13.75per/wk wages (£69k) -- £82.5k total weekly wages (£412.5k) -- £4.5m (£21.5m). Most of the numbers are interesting to nerds like me, but in bold is the key portion. Our overall salary would only increase roughly £5m which leaves around £7m-£11m in available salary for future purchases. That leaves room to keep everyone we have while adding one 100k-ish contract and add a few other players (Cahill/Leandro maybe). Which provided everyone performs how I expect would be enough to make us competitive for Top 3. All this doesn't account for more dead-weight shifting which is possible after this season.
Anyways, that's ways that's where I think things stand right now. I'm as disappointed as anyone all our needs weren't met but after a lot of thought, it's not the worst thing in the world. I still think we have the potential to take that next step. If this is the course Levy has taken it may mean he doesn't see 'Arry as the man to do that. I'm a fan of 'Arry but if the relationship is truly fractured and Levy is changing how we do business to accommodate a new man coming in then so be it. I just hope we can get this done quickly.
That's my Quasi-positive spin on the current situation, COYS.
Thanks to this thread.
http://www.tottenhamhotspurs.tv/forum/players-lounge/23697-positve-spin-transfer-window.html
StartingPrice
Chief Sardonicus Hyperlip
- Feb 13, 2004
- 32,568
- 10,280
mg:
Spurger King
can't smile without glue
- Jul 22, 2008
- 43,881
- 95,149
Good post steventhfc. I feel like I deserve a cub scout badge for reading it all though :lol:
I agree with you on Adebayor, and I think you argue the merits of the loan deal very well. That certainly sounds plausible. A number 9 really was our priority, and Adebayor fits the bill perfectly. I can't help but think that if he had been announced at 22:55 as done on Sky Sports News, a lot of Spurs fans would be feeling far more upbeat about the window.
We do need a versatile striker. Vucinic sounds like he would have fitted the bill well. Suarez would have done as well :wink:
As for the spending issues...I'm beginning to agree with those that think Levy was holding back the cash to an extent, because he's not sure about Harry's long term future at the club. Whether it's the court case, the England job, or our poor league form at the end of last season (that doesn't look shit hot so far either), I'm not sure...but I expect Levy knows that it would be easier to bring in a top class manager if he can offer them a war chest to sign new players.
I agree with you on Adebayor, and I think you argue the merits of the loan deal very well. That certainly sounds plausible. A number 9 really was our priority, and Adebayor fits the bill perfectly. I can't help but think that if he had been announced at 22:55 as done on Sky Sports News, a lot of Spurs fans would be feeling far more upbeat about the window.
We do need a versatile striker. Vucinic sounds like he would have fitted the bill well. Suarez would have done as well :wink:
As for the spending issues...I'm beginning to agree with those that think Levy was holding back the cash to an extent, because he's not sure about Harry's long term future at the club. Whether it's the court case, the England job, or our poor league form at the end of last season (that doesn't look shit hot so far either), I'm not sure...but I expect Levy knows that it would be easier to bring in a top class manager if he can offer them a war chest to sign new players.
Lilbaz
Just call me Baz
- Apr 1, 2005
- 41,363
- 74,893
All of you seem to forget that we've just spent £60m on what will be (for the long term future of the club) more important than any signing.
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/futureplans/trainingcentre/gallery.html
Use the money to clear the debt and stop paying interest. Read in the Guardian how Man Utd over the last few years have spent £300m on interest of their debt and only £100m on reducing that debtmg: Next season we can either sell Spurs Lodge or develop the land, could be a nice little earner that we can then either spend on players or put towards building the new stadium.
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/futureplans/trainingcentre/gallery.html
Use the money to clear the debt and stop paying interest. Read in the Guardian how Man Utd over the last few years have spent £300m on interest of their debt and only £100m on reducing that debt
mg: Next season we can either sell Spurs Lodge or develop the land, could be a nice little earner that we can then either spend on players or put towards building the new stadium.
StartingPrice
Chief Sardonicus Hyperlip
- Feb 13, 2004
- 32,568
- 10,280
That is an interesting possibility.
I certainly don't attach any credibility to the notion that Levy would state his intention of making us competitive at the very top of English and European football again, get us right on the cusp of achieving it, and then just decide not to spend money because he is tight - it defies logic.
All of you seem to forget that we've just spent £60m on what will be (for the long term future of the club) more important than any signing.
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/futureplans/trainingcentre/gallery.html
Use the money to clear the debt and stop paying interest. Read in the Guardian how Man Utd over the last few years have spent £300m on interest of their debt and only £100m on reducing that debt
Again, interesting.
