Your thoughts - Daniel Levy expected in Barcelona tomorrow

[ackie]

Apparently Daniel Levy is expected in Barcelona tomorrow in order to present an official offer to Barça president Joan Laporta for Etoo.
It has been mentioned that this could be a smokescreen!
As a shrewd businessman that he is, Levy would probably use this trip to also look into some Spanish players that Ramos would have mentioned.
He could be scheduled to meet and discuss about Capel and other Spanish quality that we have been linked with.
Perhaps Iniesta and Deco.

What are your thoughts? Who do you think he could use this trip to lure to White Hart Lane from Spain?

Is it a smokescreen? If so... who is the REAL target?

Another point to ponder - IF RONALDO (Man U) IS TO MOVE TO REAL MADRID, Shouldn't we perhaps reconsider Robben and Sneidger.

Isn't it also safe to watch the Euro and see to talents at work?

Yout thoughts...?

 

[hughy]

Is he actually going there, or is it all paper talk?

 

[fazza]

Probably to wrap up the Giovani Dos Santos signing instead. I think now this has come to light the Eto'o rumour may have just been a smokescreen.

 

[dynamoSpurs]

why would ronaldo be leaving??

 

[llamafarmer]

Apparently according to who?

And we've been heavily linked with Dos Santos lately too, so if he were going that might be the reason.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Apparently Daniel Levy is expected in Barcelona tomorrow in order to present an official offer to Barça president Joan Laporta for Etoo.
It has been mentioned that this could be a smokescreen!
As a shrewd businessman that he is, Levy would probably use this trip to also look into some Spanish players that Ramos would have mentioned.
He could be scheduled to meet and discuss about Capel and other Spanish quality that we have been linked with.
Perhaps Iniesta and Deco.

What are your thoughts? Who do you think he could use this trip to lure to White Hart Lane from Spain?

Is it a smokescreen? If so... who is the REAL target?

Another point to ponder - IF RONALDO (Man U) IS TO MOVE TO REAL MADRID, Shouldn't we perhaps reconsider Robben and Sneidger.

Isn't it also safe to watch the Euro and see to talents at work?

Yout thoughts...?

I hope not - The geezer dives more than Drogba, smallskinnybigfatbastard

 

[TheChosenOne]

We need our SC spies out at all airports !

 

[ackie]

Apparently according to who?

And we've been heavily linked with Dos Santos lately too, so if he were going that might be the reason.

Rumours mate!

 

[ackie]

Apparently according to who?

And we've been heavily linked with Dos Santos lately too, so if he were going that might be the reason.

Dos Santos? any ideas of him? What sort of player? Age? What team?

 

[DoublePivot]

I do not think he is going to Barcelona. Feels like print filler to me.

 

[llamafarmer]

Dos Santos? any ideas of him? What sort of player? Age? What team?

There's a story on the front page and a thread in transfer rumours. Young (18 I think) Mexican wonderkid. Left footed winger/forward.

 

[joey55]

I'd like to know where this idea of a smokescreen in football transfers comes from? Am I right in thinking that it is being suggested that we are using the press to make our rivals think we are interested in one player, but are in fact after another. The only reason i could think as why we'd do that is stop other clubs knowing players are available. But, surely in this day and age, the players agent has let every club with a bank account aware of the players availability. I can't for one moment imagine there is a single player in the Barca squad, that could potentially leave that hasn't been offered all over Europe. I just think the smokescreen idea is something ITKs and the media use, to make things sound more interesting. For example, if the Eto rumours are just a smokescreen to divert attention from the fact we are after Dos Santos, what would we gain from that?

 

[fazza]

I'd like to know where this idea of a smokescreen in football transfers comes from? Am I right in thinking that it is being suggested that we are using the press to make our rivals think we are interested in one player, but are in fact after another. The only reason i could think as why we'd do that is stop other clubs knowing players are available. But, surely in this day and age, the players agent has let every club with a bank account aware of the players availability. I can't for one moment imagine there is a single player in the Barca squad, that could potentially leave that hasn't been offered all over Europe. I just think the smokescreen idea is something ITKs and the media use, to make things sound more interesting. For example, if the Eto rumours are just a smokescreen to divert attention from the fact we are after Dos Santos, what would we gain from that?

You raise a good point there. Would it be a possibilty though that Spurs had verbally agreed to sign Dos Santos a while back but asked Barca to keep it quiet and not offer him to other clubs, perhaps using Eto'o as a simple smokescreen and in turn giving Barca first chance if Berbatov were to go?

 

[joey55]

You raise a good point there. Would it be a possibilty though that Spurs had verbally agreed to sign Dos Santos a while back but asked Barca to keep it quiet and not offer him to other clubs, perhaps using Eto'o as a simple smokescreen and in turn giving Barca first chance if Berbatov were to go?

But if we made an "agreement", then why would we need a smokescreen? And if we still needed one, then surely the agreement is worth shit. And if we have made such an agreement, then how come everyone knows Dos Santos is available and he's even been heavily linked with Man City. I still think the whole idea of a smokescreen is an ITK/media invention to make is seem as though they are privy to even the most slight details of club actions.

 

[fazza]

But if we made an "agreement", then why would we need a smokescreen? And if we still needed one, then surely the agreement is worth shit. And if we have made such an agreement, then how come everyone knows Dos Santos is available and he's even been heavily linked with Man City. I still think the whole idea of a smokescreen is an ITK/media invention to make is seem as though they are privy to even the most slight details of club actions.

I guess we will find out sooner or later if we did indeed make an agreement :up:

 

[joey55]

I guess we will find out sooner or later if we did indeed make an agreement :up:

In which case we'll have to be signing someone other than Eto, Ronaldinho, Deco or Dos Santos. Because we've been linked with those 4, thus making them smokescreens. If we were to buy one of them, it would seem we were creating a smokescreen to buy another earlier created smokescreen and not even one of the itks have yet claimed that.

 

[yanno]

But if we made an "agreement", then why would we need a smokescreen? And if we still needed one, then surely the agreement is worth shit. And if we have made such an agreement, then how come everyone knows Dos Santos is available and he's even been heavily linked with Man City. I still think the whole idea of a smokescreen is an ITK/media invention to make is seem as though they are privy to even the most slight details of club actions.

I think it's almost always the case that "smokescreens" are a bit of media nonsense. However, very occasionally, they may exist.

For instance, it's been rumoured that Ramos' real CB target at Espanyol is not Jarque, but Torrejon. Now, Ramos would know about Torrejon from his time as Espanyol coach. Ramos also knows that he's competing with coaches such as Benitez for Spanish talent. And of course Benitez gazzumped us for Kuyt, after Jol had spent months singing his praises.

Hypothetically, if Torrejon has a low release clause which Juande is aware of, Espanyol may not want this publicizing because they want to keep the player (or renegotiate his contract with a higher release fee). And we wouldn't want our interest in Torrejon being public knowledge in case a CL club come in, or we get into a bidding war over Torrejon's salary and signing fee.

I'm also pretty sure Comolli was keen to wrap up the Marcelo Moreno business before anybody knew we were interested in the player. There wasn't a single piece of ITK or press about Moreno until the Cruzeiro president shouted his mouth off about our bid being too low. Of course this has prompted a bidding war - which is in Cruzeiro's interests, but not ours.

Smokescreens or not, I'm sure we want to keep our real targets out of the public eye. And in the case of Modric, as with the likes of Defoe & Carrick in the past, we succeeded splendidly.

 

[fazza]

In which case we'll have to be signing someone other than Eto, Ronaldinho, Deco or Dos Santos. Because we've been linked with those 4, thus making them smokescreens. If we were to buy one of them, it would seem we were creating a smokescreen to buy another earlier created smokescreen and not even one of the itks have yet claimed that.

Damn your right, we are signing Messi :grin:

 

[joey55]

I think it's almost always the case that "smokescreens" are a bit of media nonsense. However, very occasionally, they may exist.

For instance, it's been rumoured that Ramos' real CB target at Espanyol is not Jarque, but Torrejon. Now, Ramos would know about Torrejon from his time as Espanyol coach. Ramos also knows that he's competing with coaches such as Benitez for Spanish talent. And of course Benitez gazzumped us for Kuyt, after Jol had spent months singing his praises.

Hypothetically, if Torrejon has a low release clause which Juande is aware of, Espanyol may not want this publicizing because they want to keep the player (or renegotiate his contract with a higher release fee). And we wouldn't want our interest in Torrejon being public knowledge in case a CL club come in, or we get into a bidding war over Torrejon's salary and signing fee.

I'm also pretty sure Comolli was keen to wrap up the Marcelo Moreno business before anybody knew we were interested in the player. There wasn't a single piece of ITK or press about Moreno until the Cruzeiro president shouted his mouth off about our bid being too low. Of course this has prompted a bidding war - which is in Cruzeiro's interests, but not ours.

Smokescreens or not, I'm sure we want to keep our real targets out of the public eye. And in the case of Modric, as with the likes of Defoe & Carrick in the past, we succeeded splendidly.

I definitely agree we like to keep our targets out of the public eye and I love it when they come from nowhere and make the itks seem silly, which happens most of the time. But, I just don't think smokescreens are feasible in reality. the thing about Moreno is kind of the reason why. Whilst it is in our interest to keep things quiet, it is very rarely, if ever, in the sellers interest, unless of course there are buy clauses, as you already mentioned, but then the agent would still want to see if higher wages can be found at an alternative club.

 

[nickspurs]

I do think there's something in smokescreens. I know it's all a bit of fun for the media but I think they can be helpful too.

Keeping eyes looking one direction and doing discreet business in the other direction makes sense to me. If everyone is getting hung up on Eto'o and Ronaldinho then I think there's (marginally) less chance our real targets are all over the press.

False ITK fed out of the club tends to self-perpetuate as we've seen in the past. WUM's often sprinkle someone else's publicised ITK with theirs to appear genuine, etc. If memory serves Ramos publicly stoked the Ronaldinho fire and Gus the Eto'o fire. Given what we know about the way the club tries to run its transfer dealings Ramos and Gus must know the rules on non-disclosure of targets.