Giovani Dos Santos

[alex3]

Sell now so we dont lose money

 

[Misfit]

Right and he's welcome to do so. Everyone has wasted 4 yrs. Just time to cut ties I think. It's a lovely thought that AVB can turn him around and he can go on to be a star for us and then turn around, completely forgetting all the feelings, derived from whatever injustices or justices, of the previous 4 yrs and sign a new contract at the very same club.

This isn't a Mighty Ducks film.

 

[SpurSince57]

But… But… Jasper said AVB loves him!

 

[Misfit]

Should have thrown a few sheckels our way for him when he was in charge of chelsea then. I mean, assuming that AVB lurves him and wants to be his baby daddy isn't slightly off-target.

 

[yanno]

Virtually the whole pro-dos Santos argument is based on his international form, not what he has done at club level—specifically, at top club level.
.........
Lennon was out for a large chunk of last season, though, and dos Santos got very little airtime. Harry clearly didn't fancy him. By the same token, he wasn't loaned out and did get a few cameos, so he wasn't cast into the outer darkness.

This discussion is based on a very incomplete knowledge of the facts.

No. it's not based on a very incomplete knowledge of the facts.

Gio played 28 times, mainly as a sub, for Barcelona as an 18-year-old. He was largely the right-sided attacker understudying a certain Leo Messi. Barca are clearly a "top club".

Gio then moved to Spurs for what are believed to be a combination of factors:

i) Gio idolized Ronaldinho, and when Guardiola replaced Rijkaard, he decided to move out the circle around Ronnie, which also included Deco. Spanish press reports suggest that Pep decided that this group had a party/celebrity mindset. Guardiola is a disciplinarian who takes great stock in players preparing properly and being focused on the club.

This is what caused Pep to drop Pique repeatedly late last season because of his off field celebrity liaisons. However, Ronnie and Deco were grown men and highly experienced players, Gio was an 18-year-old kid still living his dreams;

ii) Gio wanted first team football and knew he would not get ahead of Messi in the Barca pecking order. Super agent Zahavi brokered a deal with Ramos, Levy and Spurs. Chavski also wanted Gio but his handlers believed that he would get more playing time at Spurs. This plan was scuppered once Ramos was sacked and, for whatever reasons, Redknapp clearly didn't have faith in Gio;

iii) Gio had a congenital ankle problem, which needed careful managing but which it was believed he would grow out of as he got older. This has been reported, on and off, particularly in the Spanish press;

iv) related to ii). By moving to Spurs, the then 19-year-old Gio was clearly dropping down a level (anything after Barca is down a level) to play regularly. He was also a kid, who'd been used to the controlling regime of Barca's academy which he joined at the age of eleven.

I remember stories about Mourinho at Chelsea with John Obi Mikel. Mikel initially couldn't adapt to the freedom of life in his own home, with ridiculous wages, and a structure of only a couple of hours training a day in London. Mourinho recognized Mikel's talent and stuck a minder on him. Someone to make sure he ate properly, turned up for training on time, didn't spend every evening out in nightclubs looking for skank.

I first drew this comparison a couple of years ago.

Gio was a prodigy - Barca superkid, voted 2nd best player in the U17 World Cup (winner Anderson now of manure, third was Sahin now of Real Madrid), voted third best player in the U20 World Cup at the age of 18 (winner Aguero). This 19-year-old prodigy was then transferred to a new country, on big wages, and without his "Barca family" watching his every move.

In short, when he signed for Spurs Gio was a kid who'd spent his entire life doubtless feeling he was blessed as a footballer. Early reports from pre-season under Ramos was that he was a bubbly and highly talented footballer. Then, a few weeks later, Ramos was sacked, Redknapp was appointed and quite correctly took a pragmatic approach to improving on "2 points from 8 games".

However, somewhere along the line, Gio seems to have been forgotten about. Frazier Campbell was picked ahead of him for the bench. Gio found himself out in the cold, not even making the matchday squad.

None of us know what happened. Perhaps he did drown his sorrows too much. Perhaps he's the kind of character who needs an arm round the shoulder rather than a kick up the ass. Perhaps he needs both.

I do remember that Kevin Prince Boateng got no game time under Redknapp (ditto Jol) and ended up getting glassed in nightclubs. Boateng is a good enough footballer to now play regularly for AC Milan.

Whatever.

Redknapp has acknowledged Gio's talent with qualifications:

“It's been hard for him, he's got talent and ability but he has to work harder in training and get fitter.
“He had a real opportunity to play here, he's a very good player, but it's always difficult when you have got players like Bale and Lennon ahead of you.”

Fine.

I'm perfectly happy for AVB to take a cold, hard and fresh look at Gio in pre-season and during the Olympics. I'm also very happy for AVB to put some off field structure into Gio's life - if that's what's needed.

However, it's not correct to say that Gio's been given a proper chance at club level for Spurs.

Last season he made 7 substitute appearances in the PL and didn't start a single PL game. Most of the sub appearances were for a few minutes only.

Perhaps this season he will get a proper chance in the Spurs first team.

Alternately, perhaps we'll sell him to the likes of Europa League champions Atletico Madrid, perennial suitors Sevilla or moneybags Malaga.

Gio is clearly a talented footballer, and I hope he gets to play somewhere.

 

[HappySpur]

A few more Malaga connections in the media today. But don't know how much I believe them.

 

[Berglad]

get. him. out. of. here.

 

[SpurSince57]

Well, you've assembled a great many facts about dos Santos before he joined Spurs, but very few about what happened subsequently. 'None of us knows what happened,' you say. Quite.

You've rather misrepresented what happened with Boateng. It was Ramos who froze him out completely and didn't even give him a squad number for 08-09; his relationship with the club was probably fractured beyond repair when Harry took over. (He was also getting almost universally rubbished in Spurs Chat, remember.) Campbell was actually a more effective player than dos Santos in the 08-09 season, starting with Ramos' bringing him on in dos Santos' place against Wisla. Given that the best one could say of Campbell was that he always showed plenty of enthusiasm and ran around a lot, that's not a huge recommendation for GdS. And again, looking at dos Santos' first-class career, internationals excluded, it's not been spectacular.

 

[Misfit]

Not every player that leaves Barca is a bad payer, some of them are stunningly talented and have had hugely successful and trophy-laden careers before and after their Barca careers. However, GDS came through La Masia, was given chances in the first team and at the first sign of someone coming in for him, took the deal for €6m.

Not the greatest endorsement tbf. Technically he has all the tools. He's not slow. I dunno. Maybe we're just not the right club for him. Maybe the premiership or England isn't the right environment. Whatever it is, it hasn't happened for him here.

His loan sell at Racing seems to suggest he will go on to another club in another league and find success.

 

[daryl]

I was looking on the FIFA website earlier,I was completely amazed to see some numpty rates Gio as the best player in the world behind Ronaldo n Messi

 

[PrettyColors]

Update: he played left wing today for Mexico U23s v. Spain U23s and, by all accounts, didn't do so well. A lot like Bale playing on the right I think.

Obviously that won't change anyone's opinion of him just wanted to tell you where he was.

 

[donny1013]

A few more Malaga connections in the media today. But don't know how much I believe them.

They haven't paid their players in 3 months or something like that, plus admitted needing to get rid of Cazorla and Isco. Seems the well has run dry at Malaga.

 

[Francis Gibbs]

not made for the PL imo ...... move him on asap abroad

 

[YiddoInPoland]

I am not sure if he is made for the PL or not, but in a new system we could actually get something out of him. Not everything here can be blamed on Redknapp, he didn't feel that Gio was putting the right amount of effort in to training to force his way into the squad, and that's fair enough.

There is now a new person in charge, new ideas and maybe he has a different aspect on the "squad" game that you need to play now. The only old school manager that seems to know this fact is Sir Alex, his management has evolved, IMO, an he utilises his squad and i don't think its a coincidence that Man U have a lot left in the tank come the end of the season.

I think we will see a more squad game being played by AVB, so if Gio is still around, he will get time to play and maybe, and i mean maybe we might get some of his quality out of him...

 

[Graysonti]

Sick of seeing his name.

Useless, get rid.

Four years of fuck all

 

[degoose]

Sick of seeing his name.

Useless, get rid.

Four years of fuck all

thanks for the educated opinion, very insightful.

 

[Graysonti]

thanks for the educated opinion, very insightful.

Yep, straight to point.

Done nothing for Spurs except be permantly linked away.

Get me

 

[moomin]

i really dont think we'll sell him now after how he's been doing in the olympics.

 

[RJ1882]

i really dont think we'll sell him now after how he's been doing in the olympics.

Hope you are wrong.
Too many false dawns before, all in preseason, and mainly for Mexico.
For that, I hate him. Obvious talent, but major attitude issues and lack of application. Has shown no desire to play for our club. Had an opportunity to leave to Italy but rejected it as it was easier to sit about and get paid for scratching his plums if he wasnt getting a move back to Spain.
Get rid.

 

[specspurs]

Went to the Senegal v Mexico quarter final on Saturday and watched Gio closely.
All the skill,vision and ability you could want but none of the effort or heart that you need.
Must sell and the sooner the better.