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Player Paulo Dybala

JayB

Well-Known Member
Aug 24, 2011
6,652
26,046
My gut feeling is that this has essentially fallen into our lap with Juve offering him around, and we're weighing up how it might affect our other plans.

By all accounts we were already willing to keep Eriksen and bring in GLC for somewhere in the region of ~60m. I could see Levy considering being willing to chuck in an extra £20m to bring in an established world class player as opposed to a rising talent who would represent something more of a gamble. Dybala could feasibly make up the difference both in terms of how much he raises the profile of the club and in terms of the the prize money that his contributions on the pitch might generate.

What I can't see is us buying both Lo Celso and Dybala and not selling Eriksen or another major asset. Surely it's either we keep Eriksen and sign one of the two, or sell Eriksen and possibly try to sign both. Basically it'd boil down to whether we seek to bolster our squad depth in the CM playmaker position, which Poch has wanted to do for years now, or forego that in favour of bolstering our attack because a one-off opportunity fell into our lap.
 

chinaman

Well-Known Member
Jul 19, 2003
17,974
12,423
Great post, and I agree with 99.99999% of it, the only exception is that I don't think DL "lucked" into Pochettino. I can't imagine that someone like Levi, or any other top Chairman/Owner, or other exec in football, doesn't have their finger on the pulse of the game. It is, after all, their bread and butter, their playground, and it is in their very best interests to know what's going on, specifically on the business side, and who the potential rising stars are in the coaching world because a top coach will help make the club successful. I beleive, rightly or wrongly, that DL knew/heard of Poch even when he was at Espanyol, if for no other reason than our own Argentinian connection with Ossie and Ricky. I think he kept an eye on Poch, and other up and coming coaches, and the payoff came when Southampton took a chance on him and DL could see first-hand how he measured up to the PL. I think the only fortuitous part was when the chairman (can't remember his name) resigned and Poch said he wouldn't stay at the club and work for the new guy and was willing to look for a new project.
Just my onions.

Loved your earlier post as well, spot on (y)


There was talk about Levy favouring one of the Dutchman, but Joe Lewis was advised by one of his business associates in Argentina to go for Poch and Joe took the advice.
 

robertgoulet

SC Resident Crooner Extraordinaire
Jul 23, 2013
3,610
12,552
My gut feeling is that this has essentially fallen into our lap with Juve offering him around, and we're weighing up how it might affect our other plans.

By all accounts we were already willing to keep Eriksen and bring in GLC for somewhere in the region of ~60m. I could see Levy considering being willing to chuck in an extra £20m to bring in an established world class player as opposed to a rising talent who would represent something more of a gamble. Dybala could feasibly make up the difference both in terms of how much he raises the profile of the club and in terms of the the prize money that his contributions on the pitch might generate.

What I can't see is us buying both Lo Celso and Dybala and not selling Eriksen or another major asset. Surely it's either we keep Eriksen and sign one of the two, or sell Eriksen and possibly try to sign both. Basically it'd boil down to whether we seek to bolster our squad depth in the CM playmaker position, which Poch has wanted to do for years now, or forego that in favour of bolstering our attack because a one-off opportunity fell into our lap.
Could also be down to Poch not wanting to sell anyone but also really wanting Dybala and having a crisis over what to do. I’m sure he does really care about the players and has told guys they’re in his plans but also could never have guessed Dybala would be available.
 

JayB

Well-Known Member
Aug 24, 2011
6,652
26,046
Could also be down to Poch not wanting to sell anyone but also really wanting Dybala and having a crisis over what to do. I’m sure he does really care about the players and has told guys they’re in his plans but also could never have guessed Dybala would be available.
I think so too. Could be that one of our other attackers, say Dele or Son, might be sold in order to finance the deal if Dybala indicates he's willing to come. That would have to be an excruciating choice for Poch.
 

robertgoulet

SC Resident Crooner Extraordinaire
Jul 23, 2013
3,610
12,552
Maybe there’s also a gambling aspect with the GLC deal too knowing they can’t afford he and Fekir. Say we buy Dybala now for 80 and play even harder with Betis and hope we can get him for 40. That still nets Betis 10M or so over the purchase of Fekir.
 

Ben1

Well-Known Member
Jun 22, 2015
2,130
8,411
I think so too. Could be that one of our other attackers, say Dele or Son, might be sold in order to finance the deal if Dybala indicates he's willing to come. That would have to be an excruciating choice for Poch.
I don't believe this scenario, but nevertheless I don't think it would even be worth it. In Dele we have a HG talent with ridiculous stats for his age and in Sonny we have a marketing star and one of the best in the league. Not worth it for Dybala, despite the incredible hype in here.

We need to improve not replace. Signed instead of GLC with Lamela/Lucas possibly in trouble sounds most likely to me. Even though its all very unlikely.
 

robertgoulet

SC Resident Crooner Extraordinaire
Jul 23, 2013
3,610
12,552
Yea I don’t think there’s any way Son or Dele would be on sent packing. It’d have to be Eriksen (to RM) Lamela or Moura. Honestly could see Moura if push came to shove and this really was an opportunity.
 

rossdapep

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2011
21,907
78,648
I don't believe this scenario, but nevertheless I don't think it would even be worth it. In Dele we have a HG talent with ridiculous stats for his age and in Sonny we have a marketing star and one of the best in the league. Not worth it for Dybala, despite the incredible hype in here.

We need to improve not replace. Signed instead of GLC with Lamela/Lucas possibly in trouble sounds most likely to me. Even though its all very unlikely.
Yeah, can't see either of Dele or Son been cast aside. I still think Lucas is the most vulnerable despite his quality and the goals he scores. When push comes to shove he's the one who is benched when everyone is fit. I also have reservations about our fluidity with him, we've arguably been less fluid up top when he plays, it's more sporadic.

I feel terrible saying this especially after the Ajax game but I do feel if Poch had to sacrifice one player for his dream team itd be him.
 

JayB

Well-Known Member
Aug 24, 2011
6,652
26,046
Yeah Dele and Son would have to be extremely unlikely, I was just throwing them out as an example of the type of choice Poch might be considering in order to facilitate a potential Dybala transfer. Ultimately do think it'd be far more sensible to re-examine our otherwise planned transfer business rather than shake up the squad at the eleventh hour.

It raises an interesting question as to whether adding Dybala at the expense of having a more well-rounded squad would leave us in a better or worse position than bringing in GLC or keeping Eriksen. Dybala might be the best player of the three but would he be worth not having cover for the playmaker position? Perhaps Kane would be seen as an option there if we had more firepower up front.
 

frost14

Smell my cheese
Aug 22, 2017
94
164
De Boer did an interview I believe so it possibly could be him.

I'll be honest at the time I prefered De Boer. Shows how much i know(y)
 

piedpiper

Well-Known Member
Aug 14, 2008
3,758
6,763
It waa Van Gaal, if i remember correctly. He instead couldn't resist the opportunity to manage Man United.
 

TwanYid

Well-Known Member
Aug 1, 2013
1,223
3,484
(Sorry OT I know...) Guys the story was: Levy wanted Rafa Benitez, Baldini wanted De Boer and Lewis wanted Poch. At the end of the day, the boss won out.

This I know from COYS ITKs and I'll never forget the info because I, too, wanted Rafa, a guy I've always admired (despite the stick he gets from everyone- you know- the "Fat Spanish Waiter"-garbage...). I clearly recall that it was those three in the mix and if I'm honest Poch would've been last on my list; indeed, I was quite underwhelmed when we got him. Three months into 2015 I realized what a know-nothing fool I was and said so publicly (http://spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?threads/i-was-wrong-about-poch.122471/). But yeah- Baldy wanted Benitez.

Anyway re: Dybala- I don't like it. Getting in an established star just ain't us these days. Poch makes stars-- he doesn't deal with them. I guess if the kid is 0% prima donna then fine- go for it- but do we really need another striker?

Anyway, just my onions...
 

thefierycamel

Well-Known Member
Dec 31, 2014
2,015
5,128
Rather spend that sort of money on the defense and DM. Build a complete squad rather than something completely top-loaded.
 

The Legend of Tanguy

Well-Known Member
Jun 18, 2019
111
853
(Sorry OT I know...) Guys the story was: Levy wanted Rafa Benitez, Baldini wanted De Boer and Lewis wanted Poch. At the end of the day, the boss won out.

This I know from COYS ITKs and I'll never forget the info because I, too, wanted Rafa, a guy I've always admired (despite the stick he gets from everyone- you know- the "Fat Spanish Waiter"-garbage...). I clearly recall that it was those three in the mix and if I'm honest Poch would've been last on my list; indeed, I was quite underwhelmed when we got him. Three months into 2015 I realized what a know-nothing fool I was and said so publicly (http://spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?threads/i-was-wrong-about-poch.122471/). But yeah- Baldy wanted Benitez.

Anyway re: Dybala- I don't like it. Getting in an established star just ain't us these days. Poch makes stars-- he doesn't deal with them. I guess if the kid is 0% prima donna then fine- go for it- but do we really need another striker?

Anyway, just my onions...


Re Dybala: He’s much more than a striker. He plays a ton at #10 and at right wing. He’s an elite passer as well and a top 25 young player in the world. I’d love for it to happen, though the lo celso signing is more important IMO.
 

Spartan Spurs

MOLLON LAVEH
May 20, 2015
279
905
(Sorry OT I know...) Guys the story was: Levy wanted Rafa Benitez, Baldini wanted De Boer and Lewis wanted Poch. At the end of the day, the boss won out.

This I know from COYS ITKs and I'll never forget the info because I, too, wanted Rafa, a guy I've always admired (despite the stick he gets from everyone- you know- the "Fat Spanish Waiter"-garbage...). I clearly recall that it was those three in the mix and if I'm honest Poch would've been last on my list; indeed, I was quite underwhelmed when we got him. Three months into 2015 I realized what a know-nothing fool I was and said so publicly (http://spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?threads/i-was-wrong-about-poch.122471/). But yeah- Baldy wanted Benitez.

Anyway re: Dybala- I don't like it. Getting in an established star just ain't us these days. Poch makes stars-- he doesn't deal with them. I guess if the kid is 0% prima donna then fine- go for it- but do we really need another striker?

Anyway, just my onions...

Didn't Levy visit Van Gaal at his home trying to entice him to take over but LVG chose ManU
 
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