The Daily ITK Discussion Thread - 14th January

[Misfit]

Under FFP, stadium debt is not counted against you. No need to link the two, other than us possibly needing to keep back a percentage to cover ongoing costs etc. So for instance, were we to get £40m in from players sales, we might need to shave off £10m on future signings leaving us with £30m to spend. I can totally buy that. Not buying the "we need to wait for next week's giro" line. If that is the case then frankly, DL is not a great chairman. He'd be just like so many before him. Overspending and living beyond the club's means.

But yeah, we get the stadium finances sorted. Loans etc. No reason why that would impact our transfer budget going forward.

 

[Parkie]

Levy knows we will fill a big stadium. As a club we have a large historical fan base and as fans we can't help but support no matter what happens

When Bale was cursed, we had 33,000 on the season ticket waiting list. We sell out every game. We will fill a larger stadium even with a less impressive team. Currently, we have a good squad but can see the gaps - much as other clubs can. Yes, we look at the players in the other "top" teams and wish we had Oscar or whoever. Yes, we look at the squad and can see that a creative midfielder or a world class striker would have a positive effect.

But, if they are not available at the rates we can afford, we cannot afford them. Simples. You can say what you want about Levy but he keeps a keen eye on the financial viability of the club.

The fact is that we are paying wages to the Bentleys and Jenases of the squad and this is taking up a chunk of cash that could otherwise be paid elsewhere. Someone suggested the Football Manager route of releasing them: if you terminate a contract it has to be paid off - we have to spend the money anyway. The chances of anyone offering to match their wages is non-existent so we are stuck with them.

As for the stadium - I'm pretty sure I remember ITK in the summer explaining that the squad costs and stadium costs were kept separate. I think the case is that there is some money for players but not a bottomless pit. If Moutinho or Damiao or anyone else of that ilk were available for sensible money then the cash would be found. It is not about to be spunked on someone whose price and wage demands are unreasonable because of the point in the season.
'Arry said: you don't buy in January if you can help it because clubs do not want to sell their best players mid-season - it puts the prices up because they have to buy a replacement (again at inflated prices).

I would love to be wrong on this but feel that Levy will take a decent deal if it falls in his lap (maybe something is in the offing for Negredo as Sevilla seem to be touting him about) but is not about to throw a bucket load of cash at someone who will be cheaper in the summer. We are firmly in the top 4 at the moment and have played most of the top teams away already. We have a manager with a plan B and a decent squad.
I'm annoyed to say it, but I think that is the case.

Rant over.

Now, get me Falcao, Moutinho, Damiao, Willian, Isco, that Dutch defender someone mentioned a few days ago, Sneijder, Balotelli, Huntelaar, Pjanic, Holtby now and oil Angelina Jolie up and have her waiting for me when I get home.

 

[Spurger King]

I am posting this to calm the weak of heart down. We are not broke, we have money and we are searching.

I don't have inside Spurs knowledge. I have links with 2 reputable European agents. What I have been told and am usually informed fairly well is that Spurs have "been asking questions" about two or three prospects across Europe. There belief and it is purely speculation is that Spurs are very close with Damiao but that he is very overpriced by Inter and the gameplan is to try and get that price down by targeting other players. That is the ideal, plan B is find a back-up striker to sign in this window at which they have been identifying targets. Any agent worth their salt knows the game Spurs play and as they typically use one of two agents - their bluff is pretty obvious. The concenus is they want Damiao and want inter to drop the fee.

Trust me Spurs will sign a striker before window closes.

As for WS, everyone is kicking the tires but don't expect him to come to Premier League as things stand as the tax is making it very hard for anyone to get close to his wage demands.

Is that you Daniel?

 

[The Cimmerian]

Once again, I am forced to offer (re: Stockers):

 

[Mouse!]

In times like these, where there is so much BS flying around, you can only trust common sense.

Common sense says we will sign a striker and a creative player. Common sense says Levy will have learned from last January. Common sense says Gomes and Bentley will be moved on (Jenas is injured so not sure about him). Common sense says Hudd will be sold if we can get a better midfielder.

Common sense says we are in too precarious a position to risk standing still in this window if all our rivals improve.

 

[Diewhingywenger]

Everyone needs a reality check. Yes, we could do with more attacking options, but at over half way point through the season we are fourth, have built a lead over the Goons and lost once in ten games (even that being a freak collapse). I agree a striker is required, but it can't just be chance that every team feels January is a bad time to do business. We have been fine with out Adebayor (effectively) this season, and it's only a few games that he is absent for. We have a great training ground, a new stadium on the way and a bright young manager. We lost the leader of our team and our two most creative players in the summer, and changed manager - yet we are still up there, doing well at the moment. I personally thought with all those losses and changes in personnel, after our start to the season and the scums start that we would be mid table and having a transition season, so where we are now is a huge positive. Who cares if we haven't gambled and offered ridiculous sums of money to an unproven striker with a dodgy injury record - we aren't desperate mugs like QPR / Newcastle either, and those suggesting going for a player like Remy should share what they've been smoking.

Not saying I don't want us to make signings, but things are hardly too terrible for us and we seem to be getting a lot of key players back from injury. Chin up.

 

[steve]

WS isn't fit - between now and the end of the season his contribution would be minimal and for the money he wants it's not viable.

I don't think we really tried to sign Mouts in the summer - I think as JJ has said it was Levy doing his best to keep AVB onside whilst making sure it didn't happen.

How did we pay for the new training centre? How did we buy all of the land and properties around the ground? What about all the money spent on the failed OS bid? When you factor all these in and the fact that our existing wage bill is higher than ever then I don't think we have lots of money. Being optimistic we might go £15m on LD but we're more likely to get a cheapy in if anyone.

Talk of Willian and Moutinho is fantasy stuff I think. If a deal like VDV came up again we'd be in like a shot but it won't happen realistically, not in January.

 

[Spurs Chink]

What? I thought it was more like £7.5?

3.7million is the release clause I know Demba Ba had a release clause for 7.5million.

Realistically we could improve our squad whilst getting some players off the wage bill in this and the next transfer window


This window I'd very much would like us to sell

Sell Huddlestone for 6m

Bring in Diame £3.7m

Loan out Livermore demand loan fee £500 Gs

Sell Bambi for 500 grand

Bring in Holtby with money from Livermore loan fee and Bambi in a deadline day deal.

With the money left over take a gamble on Adam szalai.

We can worry about shifting Jenas and Bentley etc in the summer. I think it'd be hard to sell in this window.

 

[mattyspurs]

To be honest with you all, i am.not going to.get myself worked up.on any of this. ITK's all seem to.be contradicting each otet more than any other time. I've always been inclined to listen to JJ, mainly because of how on the money he was with Nelsen and how embarrassed he was at bringing us the news nearly a year ago. But from listening to.him.tonight, maybe he is not as nearly connected as we thought he was. Going by what he was saying about waiting for a phone call, i.think.it is safe to say that we all thought he was right in at the club. Going by what he has said tonight maybe he isn't, but he does hey great info from.time to time.

I.think that the leaks have really been.plugged this time and we are going to struggle to.get any really decent info. So.i am.just going to.enjoy/or cry at the titbits we get, and then make my mind up.on.the 1st Feb.

 

[steve]

In times like these, where there is so much BS flying around, you can only trust common sense.

Common sense says we will sign a striker and a creative player. Common sense says Levy will have learned from last January. Common sense says Gomes and Bentley will be moved on (Jenas is injured so not sure about him). Common sense says Hudd will be sold if we can get a better midfielder.

Common sense says we are in too precarious a position to risk standing still in this window if all our rivals improve.

Common sense says this is unlikely to happen in January.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

aren't we supposed to b e getting an extra £70mil in TV money alone next season. Surely some of that must be available for a quality player?

 

[beats1]

In times like these, where there is so much BS flying around, you can only trust common sense.

Common sense says we will sign a striker and a creative player. Common sense says Levy will have learned from last January. Common sense says Gomes and Bentley will be moved on (Jenas is injured so not sure about him). Common sense says Hudd will be sold if we can get a better midfielder.

Common sense says we are in too precarious a position to risk standing still in this window if all our rivals improve.

Levy may be looking at the point of view

that our immediate rivals wont improve their first 11 anymore i.e. Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton
We are currently on course to get 4th with already a big squad, yes most of them arent wanted but we have alot of players, jenas, Bentley, Gomes and etc.
If we can make it to the summer we then have guaranteed CL money to play with
Saving money helps the pay the bills and fund stadium, and putting more money in it now would mean less risk after is built and hopefully mean we would be more competitive unlike Arsenal who slowly gone the other way

 

[Spurger King]

In times like these, where there is so much BS flying around, you can only trust common sense.

Common sense says we will sign a striker and a creative player. Common sense says Levy will have learned from last January. Common sense says Gomes and Bentley will be moved on (Jenas is injured so not sure about him). Common sense says Hudd will be sold if we can get a better midfielder.

Common sense says we are in too precarious a position to risk standing still in this window if all our rivals improve.

You're going to be very disappointed. Common sense says that we'll do exactly what we've done in pretty much all of the last few windows, which is unfortunately....not enough.

We did sign Holtby though so that's a plus. Shame Bale won't be here by the time he joins though, after we finish outside the top 4. With the rare exception, it seems to be 1 step forward 2 steps back these days.

*edit

That's not a moan by the way. From what I've seen/read of Holtby I think he's a fantastic signing. Getting him on a free is even better. It's just frustrating that we're so close and yet so far. I honestly think Levy feels the same way and would spend the cash if he felt he could. It's just too easy for me and others to say 'speculate to accumulate' when it's not our heads on the blocks.

 

[Gedson100]

Levy may be looking at the point of view

that our immediate rivals wont improve their first 11 anymore i.e. Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton
We are currently on course to get 4th with already a big squad, yes most of them arent wanted but we have alot of players, jenas, Bentley, Gomes and etc.
If we can make it to the summer we then have guaranteed CL money to play with
Saving money helps the pay the bills and fund stadium, and putting more money in it now would mean less risk after is built and hopefully mean we would be more competitive unlike Arsenal who slowly gone the other way

Or... we got 4th last year despite our manager falling asleep at the wheel.

Common sense, results, form, players returning from injury may all suggest to Levy 'Keep doing what we're doing'.

The one banana skin would be injuries to key men. Even then we coped with just that til now.

You can see how Levy might think, 'we're ok' but you know he'll wanna be trading on the 31st.

NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF DOING NOTHING MERELY AN OBSERVATION!

 

[hoose]

it does seem that we are saving some cash up (maybe for the big signing we're all after/the new shiny stadium) we all do it to get every once in a while, beats smashing the credit cards up and then struggling to pay it all back.

also i think jj is returning the favour for the itk we got off of the liverpool itk forum about harry.

 

[Snarfalicious]

3.7million is the release clause I know Demba Ba had a release clause for 7.5million.

Realistically we could improve our squad whilst getting some players off the wage bill in this and the next transfer window


This window I'd very much would like us to sell

Sell Huddlestone for 6m

Bring in Diame £3.7m

Loan out Livermore demand loan fee £500 Gs

Sell Bambi for 500 grand

Bring in Holtby with money from Livermore loan fee and Bambi in a deadline day deal.

With the money left over take a gamble on Adam szalai.

We can worry about shifting Jenas and Bentley etc in the summer. I think it'd be hard to sell in this window.

I believe the release clause figure has never really been established. Some "reports" state it is 3.7m, others state more around the 6m mark. Either way, it's a deal. But, I'd rather go for Moussa Sissoko on around 3m Euros since his contract ends in the summer, he's younger, and he's got a skill-set that can see him realistically cover both Dembele and Sandro's position.

 

[hoodlum]

If WS wants the PL yet won't drop his wage demands to a reasonable level, then fuck him. Let him kick a frozen ball in the Ukraine for his £200k.

 

[wishkah]

If WS wants the PL yet won't drop his wage demands to a reasonable level, then fuck him. Let him kick a frozen ball in the Ukraine for his £200k.

you have to remember in reality we know fuck all about this

more we having an ongoing fictional commentary.

 

[beats1]

Or... we got 4th last year despite our manager falling asleep at the wheel.

Common sense, results, form, players returning from injury may all suggest to Levy 'Keep doing what we're doing'.

The one banana skin would be injuries to key men. Even then we coped with just that til now.

You can see how Levy might think, 'we're ok' but you know he'll wanna be trading on the 31st.

NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF DOING NOTHING MERELY AN OBSERVATION!

Of course Levy will be looking to improve at all times but I dont think he would want to break the bank

 

[SandroClegane]

aren't we supposed to b e getting an extra £70mil in TV money alone next season. Surely some of that must be available for a quality player?

pretty sure it's not an "extra" £70mil. This year I think we made a minimum of £45mil from the TV deal. So the new TV deal would net us around £25mil. This definitely won't be a lump sum, and teams aren't just going to throw that straight into transfers. It's probably used for a large portion of operating expenses. I'd say if anything we'd have an extra £10mil to spend because some of it's probably going to the stadium.