Summer transfer wish list - 2018

[danielneeds]

I just think Bale is overkill because we'd have about 4 world class players all demanding first team football. We can't drop Eriksen, we can't drop Alli, so that would leave Bale competing with Son, Lamela and Lucas for effectively one position most weeks. The only possible way it could work is if we change the shape and play Dele and Eriksen as number 8s in a 4-3-3 in my opinion.

I just think this would all be an unnecessary accommodation to sign an ageing Bale though. We don't need him at this stage, we need a midfielder or two to make us tick.

See @BringBack_leGin post above. Poch has been edging towards the 433 with Eriksen deeper, for a while, but he likes his two holders security blanket.

Bale is not ageing, he's 28. There is risk involved, but if there was no risk he'd be staying at Real, and priceless. I'm totally sure that his body would respond to new ideas, a new environment, and crucially getting out of the negative cycle he's trapped in at Real. As Poch says in his book, football is holistic, you feel good, your body feels good.

 

[danielneeds]

I can't stress enough how wrong this theory is when applied to Bale. Bale's mentality isn't what turned Real into a winning team. Bale's a "winner" because he went and played for a winning team, full of outstanding players. He didn't turn Real into winners and his lazy unwillingness to work for the team is why Real were great in cups but invariably fell short in the league in the last few years.

We have already beaten Real, Chelsea away, ManU, Liverpool and outplayed Juve. It's good coaching, good tactics, combined with good players that will win us games, not a very expensive lucky charm.

No-one is saying Bale is some Roy Keane, Vieira, or Davids type, dragging his team over the line, but he has scored big goals in finals for Real, crucial goals. Yeah, we outplayed Juve, but we didn't beat them, because we didn't kill them when on top. Big players effect the game in decisive moments, and if we can add another big player, we're more likely to get over the line.

 

[dtxspurs]

The only way it makes sense is if the financials fit in our model and we move Eriksen to a deeper role. That gives you the creative CM we're all looking for and keeps you at 5 across the 3 behind Kane. This is a pretty simple concept. Or you play a 4-3-3 in the mold of City and have Dele and Eriksen play next to each other and Son and Bale on either side of Kane. It's really not that hard to fit him in. This is the kind of upgrade to the first 11 we all say is so difficult.

 

[WiganSpur]

See @BringBack_leGin post above. Poch has been edging towards the 433 with Eriksen deeper, for a while, but he likes his two holders security blanket.

Bale is not ageing, he's 28. There is risk involved, but if there was no risk he'd be staying at Real, and priceless. I'm totally sure that his body would respond to new ideas, a new environment, and crucially getting out of the negative cycle he's trapped in at Real. As Poch says in his book, football is holistic, you feel good, your body feels good.

By the time we sign him he will be 29 and the problem with Bale is whilst his footballing brain and technique is decent, it's his physical attributes that has taken him really far in the game, especially his acceleration. If he loses any part of that then he just becomes an expensive liability that is no better than the likes of Son or Lucas.

There's enough firepower in our attack. We've got goals from everywhere in Kane, Alli, Eriksen and Son. I personally would be reluctant to disrupt that understanding those 4 players have. Where we have come unstuck this season is often been the midfield and at full back.

Our future success isn't going to depend on whether or not we sign Bale, it's going to be whether we can get the right balance in midfield and whether Trippier or Aurier can take their game to the next level and make the RB spot their own. To a lesser extent that may need to happen at LB too, although i'm a fan of Davies.

 

[danielneeds]

By the time we sign him he will be 29 and the problem with Bale is whilst his footballing brain and technique is decent, it's his physical attributes that has taken him really far in the game, especially his acceleration. If he loses any part of that then he just becomes an expensive liability that is no better than the likes of Son or Lucas.

There's enough firepower in our attack. We've got goals from everywhere in Kane, Alli, Eriksen and Son. I personally would be reluctant to disrupt that understanding those 4 players have. Where we have come unstuck this season is often been the midfield and at full back.

Our future success isn't going to depend on whether or not we sign Bale, it's going to be whether we can get the right balance in midfield and whether Trippier or Aurier can take their game to the next level and make the RB spot their own. To a lesser extent that may need to happen at LB too, although i'm a fan of Davies.

I agree, that signing him is not do or die, but I believe it's an opportunity to add a quality player, who could give the squad a shot in the arm, and belief that they are a serious player in the PL and CL. As, I said earlier in the thread, teams would look at Kane and Bale, and quite a few would be beaten before a ball is kicked. Cheap points, and energy saved to concentrate on the big games.

 

[WiganSpur]

I agree, that signing him is not do or die, but I believe it's an opportunity to add a quality player, who could give the squad a shot in the arm, and belief that they are a serious player in the PL and CL. As, I said earlier in the thread, teams would look at Kane and Bale, and quite a few would be beaten before a ball is kicked. Cheap points, and energy saved to concentrate on the big games.

Although i'd still be reluctant for a multitude of reasons that I outlined a few pages ago, him or Malcom would make slightly more sense if we failed to secure the ideal midfield player. Signing Bale could then be a good plan B so we effectively go 4-3-3 and give less game time to Wanyama/Dembele/Sissoko in midfield where we are probably weakest when Dembele isn't fit.

Even so that brings about a lot of questions. Do Alli and Eriksen have the discipline to play the CM role together every week? And do we even want to give them that more disciplined role? Especially Eriksen. We need to give him a degree of freedom to do what he does best.

 

[coy-spurs1882]

Although i'd still be reluctant for a multitude of reasons that I outlined a few pages ago, him or Malcom would make slightly more sense if we failed to secure the ideal midfield player. Signing Bale could then be a good plan B so we effectively go 4-3-3 and give less game time to Wanyama/Dembele/Sissoko in midfield where we are probably weakest when Dembele isn't fit.

Even so that brings about a lot of questions. Do Alli and Eriksen have the discipline to play the CM role together every week? And do we even want to give them that more disciplined role? Especially Eriksen. We need to give him a degree of freedom to do what he does best.

in recent matches you can see eriksen dropped deeper to have more space using the ball, especially playing against a parked bus and i think it worked well for him
dele played cm for mk dons and he also played as cm for us several times, i can remember him bossed citeh as a cm with dier, forgot which year though

 

[RichieS]

Although i'd still be reluctant for a multitude of reasons that I outlined a few pages ago, him or Malcom would make slightly more sense if we failed to secure the ideal midfield player. Signing Bale could then be a good plan B so we effectively go 4-3-3 and give less game time to Wanyama/Dembele/Sissoko in midfield where we are probably weakest when Dembele isn't fit.

Even so that brings about a lot of questions. Do Alli and Eriksen have the discipline to play the CM role together every week? And do we even want to give them that more disciplined role? Especially Eriksen. We need to give him a degree of freedom to do what he does best.

Alli started his Spurs career as a CM and a large part of the reason he's scored fewer goals this season is because he's been playing in a more withdrawn role. Eriksen spends a lot of time playmaking from CM as it is, so with a disciplined Wanyama or Dier behind them we'd look very similar to how Man City have this season.

Edit: @coy-spurs1882 got there just before me.

 

[MyNameIsNicolaBerti]

I think think this Bale discussion is pointless. Levy isn't going to buy a £70m player even if by some miracle Bale agrees to £150k a week. I just don't think the sheer cost for the potential return is worth it. Reminds me of Alexis Sanchez. Does anyone really think the return on Sanchez has been worth it so far for United? And they, unlike us, can afford to piss away millions just to stop other sides having players.

 

[Ossie85]

I can't stress enough how wrong this theory is when applied to Bale. Bale's mentality isn't what turned Real into a winning team. Bale's a "winner" because he went and played for a winning team, full of outstanding players. He didn't turn Real into winners and his lazy unwillingness to work for the team is why Real were great in cups but invariably fell short in the league in the last few years.

We have already beaten Real, Chelsea away, ManU, Liverpool and outplayed Juve. It's good coaching, good tactics, combined with good players that will win us games, not a very expensive lucky charm.

Of course he didn't make them winners. The same would apply for Modric. But they both absorbed that mentality. They both have experience and know how to win a cup. Bale didn't become a winner only because he played there. He scored the winning goal in the 2014 final that started their run of cup wins. He basically paid off what RM paid for him with that goal.
Having experience in a Cup Final is not a lucky charm. How can you underestimate something as invaluable as experience? We've improved over these years because of the experience we acquired. We learned from playing in the CL and for playing the big games. If we ever get to a CL final (or even a semi final), Bale will know what to expect. None of our players will know. Not even our manager
We beat all of those teams yet we won nothing. Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy with how things are going, but we need to translate the good things we are doing into trophies. We outplayed Juventus but who progressed??

 

[dtxspurs]

I think think this Bale discussion is pointless. Levy isn't going to buy a £70m player even if by some miracle Bale agrees to £150k a week. I just don't think the sheer cost for the potential return is worth it. Reminds me of Alexis Sanchez. Does anyone really think the return on Sanchez has been worth it so far for United? And they, unlike us, can afford to piss away millions just to stop other sides having players.

Bale is a better player than Sanchez. Bale is still (when he plays) just hovering in the range of top 10 midfielder/attacker in the world. We could have 2 of those at Tottenham! I just think it's fun to discuss, after all this is the wish list thread. I don't think its likely to happen but its nice to dream and figure how it would work.

 

[Ossie85]

That’s fine. But the reality is we live in a world where financials matter. Spunking 70m on a 31 y old Suárez and paying him 300k a week would also give us something extra and the mindset of a winner but the financials just don’t make sense.

The same claim is being made about Bale. All deals must be seen in the context of their costs and benefits. His wages would be huge, the price tag large and the game time hindered by injury. His value to the team and the club are likely to be less than Malcom’s by the end of their respective contracts.

If all you want is some winners with big game experience then you could get several in for less money.

If a 31yr old Suarez makes us win the league or the CL, then those 70m are worth it. And you'll recoup that in other ways.
Not all the deals you make need to have a resale value. Someone like Bale or Suarez will depreciate their value but they will improve the others. It's a discussion I also have in my hometown club. Everyone is thinking about resale value. Yet River won everything when they signed experienced players. The financial benefits came from the prizes and from the increase in the young players value. So at the end those experienced players value eventually decreased, but they indirectly valued the rest of the team. That's how a winning team works. Buying only young players thinking about their resale value is how developing teams work

 

[RichieS]

I can't stress enough how wrong this theory is when applied to Bale. Bale's mentality isn't what turned Real into a winning team. Bale's a "winner" because he went and played for a winning team, full of outstanding players. He didn't turn Real into winners and his lazy unwillingness to work for the team is why Real were great in cups but invariably fell short in the league in the last few years.

We have already beaten Real, Chelsea away, ManU, Liverpool and outplayed Juve. It's good coaching, good tactics, combined with good players that will win us games, not a very expensive lucky charm.

Of course he didn't make them winners. The same would apply for Modric. But they both absorbed that mentality. They both have experience and know how to win a cup. Bale didn't become a winner only because he played there. He scored the winning goal in the 2014 final that started their run of cup wins. He basically paid off what RM paid for him with that goal.
Having experience in a Cup Final is not a lucky charm. How can you underestimate something as invaluable as experience? We've improved over these years because of the experience we acquired. We learned from playing in the CL and for playing the big games. If we ever get to a CL final (or even a semi final), Bale will know what to expect. None of our players will know
We beat all of those teams yet we won nothing. Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy with how things are going, but we need to translate the good things we are doing into trophies. We outplayed Juventus but who progressed??

Well, apart from that one time that he scored the winning goal in a CL final. Or that other time where he scored the winning goal in the Copa Del Rey final. Or that one time, at band camp...

 

[chinaman]

The same arguments have been brought forward umpteen times for or against signing Bale. If the club were to do so, it means that we can afford him and the ripple effects of raising wages for other players. Moreso, it means that Poch would have devised a plan to accommodate him in the squad.
I see no point in repeating things all the time and let's wait patiently to see what happens in the TW which will come soon.

 

[Vulcan10]

I can't stress enough how wrong this theory is when applied to Bale. Bale's mentality isn't what turned Real into a winning team. Bale's a "winner" because he went and played for a winning team, full of outstanding players. He didn't turn Real into winners and his lazy unwillingness to work for the team is why Real were great in cups but invariably fell short in the league in the last few years.

We have already beaten Real, Chelsea away, ManU, Liverpool and outplayed Juve. It's good coaching, good tactics, combined with good players that will win us games, not a very expensive lucky charm.

That's very harsh. I guess it depends on your perception of being a winner. He single handily dragged us over the line in games many times & kept going in the first CL final he won to finally get the winner, scored perhaps his best ever goal to win a cup final against Barca out of nothing and dragged Wales to a Euro Semi, the boy is a 100% winner IMO.
I don't know if our hard work, pressing style is a great fit for him now but he is a winner & could make a huge difference in big games or tight games IMO.

 

[Trix]

If you watch him for Wales you'll see that the majority of that is down to the way Madrid play. Their main attackers are quite separate to the rest of the team on the pitch. For Wales Bale looks very much the same player that carried us in our final season.

The deal seems impossible to do but if it weren't I'd hope we'd be all over it.

We play different now to when Bale was here with us.

 

[Trix]

The only way it makes sense is if the financials fit in our model and we move Eriksen to a deeper role. That gives you the creative CM we're all looking for and keeps you at 5 across the 3 behind Kane. This is a pretty simple concept. Or you play a 4-3-3 in the mold of City and have Dele and Eriksen play next to each other and Son and Bale on either side of Kane. It's really not that hard to fit him in. This is the kind of upgrade to the first 11 we all say is so difficult.

Even if the financials were right it's still a position where we have enough players, and we would still have more pressing needs in other areas of the squad. Even at a cut down price it would still be a huge chunk of the Summer budget. Eriksen is at his best when he's allowed to find the space between the lines being fed easy balls by the CM's, a disciplined CM role would take a lot away from his and our overall game.

 

[Setzthree]

Can we please let go off the Bale discussion? It's not gonna happen.

 

[LeParisien]

If a 31 Suarez makes us win the league or the CL, then those 70m are worth it. And you'll recoup that in other ways.
Not all the deals you make need to have a resale value. Someone like Bale or Suarez will depreciate their value but they will improve the others. It's a discussion I also have in my hometown club. Everyone is thinking about resale value. Yet River won everything when they signed experienced players. The financial benefits came from the prizes and from the increase in the young players value. So at the end those experienced players value eventually decreased, but they indirectly valued the rest of the team. That's how a winning team works. Buying only young players thinking about their resale value is how developing teams work

That’s a fair view. I think it’s a question of strategy and there is no one correct answer.

Until our stadium is paid off I don’t think we can afford to splash big on marquee signings whose impact is indeterminate. I think signings like Llorente and Aurier were made to not just fill positions but add to squad bonhomie and insight into a winning changing room.

I think we have struck a good balance in our signings recently but I would now look to be competing for the best young talent in the world which we have not previously been able to do (Sanchez marks a turning point I think..).

 

[Guntz]

Malcom > Bale

Malcom update. He has upset the Bordeaux fans and was whistled off the pitch at the weekend. They see him as being a Billy Big Time who is no longer committed to the cause. This has come from him saying he wants out in the summer and open courting EPL (arsenal, spurs) and Bayern Munich. Bordeaux are struggling and he has posted pictures of himself grinning on instagram and sought a selfie on the pitch with Neymar after they lost to PSG.

However he hasn’t lost the respect of his team mates or manager. They openly refer to him as their best player and say that if they are going to get results then they need him to play well. There’s a quote by one of them saying something like they rely on Malcom to do anything positive going forward. Gus Poyet is very positive and talks of his ability to win games for them.

By his own admission his level has dropped over the past few months but he is still getting assists - 9 goals and 7 assists this season in a struggling team. Compare that with Zaha who is also depended on by a struggling team (and is 4 years older) who has 5 goals and 2 assists. (Malcom has played 6 more games).

In brief - Malcom is itching for that move but by far the best AM out there we could realistically get. For less than 50m it would be a great deal.

You've been playing too much FM mate, Bale is a serial winner and world class player.

Imagine the confidence and knowledge he'd bring to the squad just by being there, let alone his footballing ability.