Transfer targets

[nav007_2000]

With January close by and us being linked to Ince and Zaha, I was wondering what are your opinions of us making a move for them?

Both are Levy type players (with potential whose value will definitely increase). I think these two players are more realistic targets than Moutinho and Willian.

Looks like half of the premiership is also looking at them.

 

[mattyspurs]

I don't want to even look at Zaha. His chairman has said that the bidding starts at 20m. I'm afraid the young lad will be staying in the Championship.

 

[nav007_2000]

No one will pay 20m for him. I'm sure it will go down to about 10m with a few add ons

 

[mattyspurs]

To be honest though, our kids are looking like the best crop for such a long time, we really need to be looking at these. It could save us a fortune.

 

[dontcallme]

I think it is important to look at players who fit how we play as much as ability.

We have a lot of talented players who don't fit our current way of playing and they are either not playing a part or are playing but not getting the best out of them.

No problem with Ince and Zaha if they fit our squad and come at the right price but especially in midfield I'm hoping we concentrate more on the talent we already have.

 

[Hot-Spur]

Paul Ince? Isn't he a bit old now?

Sorry

 

[brasil_spur]

IMO there are three critical positions that we need to address in Jan. Without getting players in at least two of those 3 positions we are undermining AVB's chances as manager.

1.) Striker - Ade will be at the ANC and as such we need a striker. Sell Defoe or sell or loan out Dempsey and bring someone in. Could be a loan signing but needs to be a recognised goal scorer.

2.) AM/RW and/or LW- We have no cover for either Lennon or Bale and Sig isn't quite getting into the AM role as yet. Dembele could perhaps get pushed further forward if we sign a quality CM, but we need someone that can play AM/RW and/or LW.

3.) CM - a playmaker. Dembele is good, but there is an argument for pushing him further forward. Either we bring in a CM like Moutinho or an AM that can play in front of Dembele but who is a top class player.

So onto potential targets:

CM: Moutinho, Ganso, Cabaye
AM/RLW: Willian, Hamsik, Remy, Isco
ST: Huntelaar, Leo Baptistao, Leandro Damiao

Just a few suggestions...

 

[van_Pommel]

IMO there are three critical positions that we need to address in Jan. Without getting players in at least two of those 3 positions we are undermining AVB's chances as manager.

1.) Striker - Ade will be at the ANC and as such we need a striker. Sell Defoe or sell or loan out Dempsey and bring someone in. Could be a loan signing but needs to be a recognised goal scorer.

2.) AM/RW and/or LW- We have no cover for either Lennon or Bale and Sig isn't quite getting into the AM role as yet. Dembele could perhaps get pushed further forward if we sign a quality CM, but we need someone that can play AM/RW and/or LW.

3.) CM - a playmaker. Dembele is good, but there is an argument for pushing him further forward. Either we bring in a CM like Moutinho or an AM that can play in front of Dembele but who is a top class player.

So onto potential targets:

CM: Moutinho, Ganso, Cabaye
AM/RLW: Willian, Hamsik, Remy
ST: Huntelaar, Leo Baptistao, Leandro Damiao

Just a few suggestions...

Dreaming. For the first time I am going to force myself not to be taken in the the bullshit rumours and champ man fans talking about players that will niether come to non CL team, nor will our chairman pay the transfer fee or wages for. It's just not going to happen.

The best we can hope for is another VDV situation, but they're pretty rare.

As has been said, let's put faith in our youth rather than spend 5mill here and 5 mill there on average. Then pay a top scout 5mill a year to find us some gems.

 

[dontcallme]

Dreaming. For the first time I am going to force myself not to be taken in the the bullshit rumours and champ man fans talking about players that will niether come to non CL team, nor will our chairman pay the transfer fee or wages for. It's just not going to happen.

The best we can hope for is another VDV situation, but they're pretty rare.

As has been said, let's put faith in our youth rather than spend 5mill here and 5 mill there on average. Then pay a top scout 5mill a year to find us some gems.

In general I agree. I decided not to get too involved in talks about transfers in the summer but it was hard as we sold so many good players and needed to bring in many players.

I'm still hoping for quieter transfer windows where we buy some good, non high profile talents from abroad and quietly implement them into our team without huge expectations and threads deeming them failures after 10 games because so much is expected of them.

 

[WestBelfast Spurs]

we need a world class number "10" that can unlock things

 

[brasil_spur]

In general I agree. I decided not to get too involved in talks about transfers in the summer but it was hard as we sold so many good players and needed to bring in many players.

I'm still hoping for quieter transfer windows where we buy some good, non high profile talents from abroad and quietly implement them into our team without huge expectations and threads deeming them failures after 10 games because so much is expected of them.

Apart from Sandro, i can't think of the last time we did this unless you go back to the days of Comolli.

Berbatov, Modric, VdV, Corluka, Crouch, Keane, Deofe, Pavlyuchenko, Palacios, Parker, all this summers signings etc... have all been high profile players.

The number of non-high profile players we've signed in the last 4+ years is very few. And frankly if we want to keep improving (or at least challenging for top 4) then we need to invest in quality players.

And i'm not talking about massive investment, i'm talking circa. £20m per season plus whatever we generate from player sales.

 

[dontcallme]

Apart from Sandro, i can't think of the last time we did this unless you go back to the days of Comolli.

Berbatov, Modric, VdV, Corluka, Crouch, Keane, Deofe, Pavlyuchenko, Palacios, Parker, all this summers signings etc... have all been high profile players.

The number of non-high profile players we've signed in the last 4+ years is very few. And frankly if we want to keep improving (or at least challenging for top 4) then we need to invest in quality players.

And i'm not talking about massive investment, i'm talking circa. £20m per season plus whatever we generate from player sales.

I'm not sure Berbatov was a high profile signing. He had a good goalscoring record in Germany and was a Bulgarian international but when we signed him none of my friends who support other clubs really gave the signing much thought.

Corluka, Crouch, Keane, Defoe, Palacios and Parker weren't particularly high profile either. No one's head was turned by these signings. Other than Parker I'm not sure they were particularly great signings either. Most of them were good and ok for the expense paid on them but limited in ability.

VDV was an excellent signing as was Modric but Pav was a flop (whether you blame him or the management I don't think what he did on the ptich was worthy of an international £14m striker).

 

[dontcallme]

In the last 3 seasons if we'd signed any of Ba, Cisse, Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Jelavic, Michu or Lallana I'd have been perfectly happy and believe coming to us for a fair price without the huge expectations that were put at the feet of Bentley, Bent, Pav etc would have resulted in good performances.

 

[brasil_spur]

I'm not sure Berbatov was a high profile signing. He had a good goalscoring record in Germany and was a Bulgarian international but when we signed him none of my friends who support other clubs really gave the signing much thought.

Corluka, Crouch, Keane, Defoe, Palacios and Parker weren't particularly high profile either. No one's head was turned by these signings. Other than Parker I'm not sure they were particularly great signings either. Most of them were good and ok for the expense paid on them but limited in ability.

VDV was an excellent signing as was Modric but Pav was a flop (whether you blame him or the management I don't think what he did on the ptich was worthy of an international £14m striker).

Umm, Berbatov had scored 50 goals in the two previous seasons for Leverkusen and finished 2nd top scorer in the Bundesliga in 2005/06 and 3rd in 2004/05 - that's pretty high profile.

Corluka was one of the PL's most coveted RB's at the time we somehow signed him, Crouch was an England international, Keane was one of our best ever Strikers as was Defoe, Palacios was one of the most coveted PL DM players at that time and Parker had won player of the year. You're living in dream land if you think that any of those players weren't high profile at the time we signed them.

 

[dontcallme]

Umm, Berbatov had scored 50 goals in the two previous seasons for Leverkusen and finished 2nd top scorer in the Bundesliga in 2005/06 and 3rd in 2004/05 - that's pretty high profile.

Corluka was one of the PL's most coveted RB's at the time we somehow signed him, Crouch was an England international, Keane was one of our best ever Strikers as was Defoe, Palacios was one of the most coveted PL DM players at that time and Parker had won player of the year. You're living in dream land if you think that any of those players weren't high profile at the time we signed them.

I think I acknowledged Berbatov's goalscoring record in my post. When we signed Modric and VDV many fans were acknowledging these signings as a really big deal, I don't remember the same for Berbatov. Having a good goalscoring record abroad is not the same thing as a high-profile signing.

Corluka was a good right back but not seen as one of the top in the Prem

I think the difference is our definition of a high profile signing. You define it as an international player who cost a fair amount of money or someone with a bit of a profile. I define it as a signing that turns people's heads a little. A signing that is viewed as bigger or better than the normal signing the club would make.

I don't see Crouch, Keane, Defoe etc as fitting my definition of a high profile signing.

 

[Mr.Writer]

To be honest though, our kids are looking like the best crop for such a long time, we really need to be looking at these. It could save us a fortune.

Sound a bit like Levy!

It's amazing how we spoke of Llorente, Willian, Leandro (...etc) in the summer. As with the past four seasons, I would say we need a top class striker.

Someone to play behind the striker (sorry, but Dempsey just isn't good enough) wouldn't go amiss either, though I wouldn't mind seeing Dembele promoted up the field to play there. Given everyone is fit, I'd like to see us try:

Sandro Huddlestone
Dembele

 

[sunnydelight786]

Anyone cheap, coming towards the end of their contract or loans. That's what we will get but don't stress we will make a deadline day move for a world class player only for the bid to fail due to time constraints/selling club messing up paperwork/etc...

 

[nav007_2000]

Anyone cheap, coming towards the end of their contract or loans. That's what we will get but don't stress we will make a deadline day move for a world class player only for the bid to fail due to time constraints/selling club messing up paperwork/etc...

That is so predictable. Typical Levy.

 

[Graysonti]

Anyone cheap, coming towards the end of their contract or loans. That's what we will get but don't stress we will make a deadline day move for a world class player only for the bid to fail due to time constraints/selling club messing up paperwork/etc...

Yep but Levy is great don't you know

 

[Gbspurs]

Isco should be a priority. But won't be.