Levy needs to strike right balance for Spurs

[Cavehillspur]

Decent article:

Levy needs to strike right balance for Spurs

​

​

By Alan Robins

Monday 06 August 2012​

Thirteen days to their first match and Tottenham still only have one experienced striker on their books. In this area at least, Daniel Levy's transfer plans have not gone according to plan. Everything looked different a few weeks ago. Within the space of a week, Gareth Bale had signed a contract extension, André Villas-Boas was named manager and Jan Vertonghen and Gylfi Sigurdssen were signed. There was a momentum and Spurs fans were hotly anticipating more signings to swiftly follow, in particular Emmanuel Adebayor.

Fast forward four weeks, Emmanuel Adebayor has still not signed, and if anything looks no nearer to doing so. Alternative target Salomon Rondon has signed for Rubin Kazan and Santiago Cazorla has joined rivals Arsenal. Now Spurs are being linked with a striker that has been rumoured to be coming/not coming to White Hart Lane since at least the January transfer window. So why the apparent inability to sign a striker?


Levy has been rightly praised for the way that Spurs are run financially, as the club in comparison to many others is healthy in this respect. This is reflected in transfer dealings. Levy is a notoriously tough negotiator. Ask Everton, who have just bought Steven Pienaar back 18 months after they sold him, for £1.5m more and in between have paid Spurs a loan fee. Levy seems also not to pay more - both in transfer fee and salary - than a player is believed to be worth. Of course, Spurs have missed out on targets, but have not been forced to pay over the odds for their arrivals.


The Adebayor situation is an unfortunate one, but perhaps one that is a product of the ridiculously high salaries some clubs have paid to sign or keep players. Somewhere in the salary negotiations, transfer fees, signing on fees and golden handshakes, the truth is buried, but it would seem reasonable - given his history - that Levy is standing firm over salary. In some ways he has to, as Spurs have a wage structure that cannot or should not be broken for one player, leading to unrest amongst others.


Whilst it may be prudent for Spurs to look elsewhere at other targets, at some point Levy might just have to bite the bullet and compromise - whether on salary or transfer fee. Not necessarily regarding Adebayor, but maybe with Leandro Damiao or another target. The cost to Spurs in fees or salaries will be more than offset by failure to qualify for the Champions League. Good strikers are a premium and the race for the top four may be tight. Can Spurs afford to start the season without at least one more forward? In the summer of 2008, Dimitar Berbatov was sold at the end of the transfer window leaving Juande Ramos without a main striker. Spurs collapsed, and it would be unreasonable to put the new manager in a similar situation. To challenge for the top four and the title can Spurs wait for another striker?


There should be other targets and other negotiations, but Levy needs to strike the right balance between tough negotiating and what is good for the team.

 

[StartingPrice]

There was never absolutely anything remotely ITK linkinig us with Rondon, and any links with Carzola were very quickly shot down.

We haven't signed Adebayor, yet = it's Levy's fault (easy lark signing players who are on twenty gazillion pounds an hour).

We haven't sold Modric yet = it's Levy's fault (easy lark this selling players for low-ball offers while trying to make a club competitive and debt free at one and the same time).

 

[dontcallme]

Pretty decent article. I think Levy is right to not pay over the odds. We've only been in the CL once and don't have the same revenue or sugar daddy funds to financially compete with the other sides in the top 6.

I'm very happy with the quality of our squad but concerned with our lack of strikers. I don't think AVB needed to assess our squad to know we need a striker. Actually we need two. There are decent strikers around that we could have bought. I'd have liked us to have bought one striker then continued our negotiations for Ade or Leandro by now.

Bit worried that we are about to start a season lacking a striker. Defoe is playing well but not really suited to playing up front on his own.

 

[StartingPrice]

Pretty decent article. I think Levy is right to not pay over the odds. We've only been in the CL once and don't have the same revenue or sugar daddy funds to financially compete with the other sides in the top 6.

I'm very happy with the quality of our squad but concerned with our lack of strikers. I don't think AVB needed to assess our squad to know we need a striker. Actually we need two. There are decent strikers around that we could have bought. I'd have liked us to have bought one striker then continued our negotiations for Ade or Leandro by now.

Bit worried that we are about to start a season lacking a striker. Defoe is playing well but not really suited to playing up front on his own.

I am absolutely unconcerned as I would find it incredible if we didn't revamp our strike force this Summer.
For a start, I think Levy has been gearing up to it for a while and just wants to do it at the right time with as much chance of getting the right players as possible.
I also think, if you look at it, Levy doesn't just pump funds at his managers, but he does seem to always back them when they first come in - kinda like, here are the players, now build a team.
For these reasons, I expect to see a shiny new striker or two.

 

[dontcallme]

I am absolutely unconcerned as I would find it incredible if we didn't revamp our strike force this Summer.
For a start, I think Levy has been gearing up to it for a while and just wants to do it at the right time with as much chance of getting the right players as possible.
I also think, if you look at it, Levy doesn't just pump funds at his managers, but he does seem to always back them when they first come in - kinda like, here are the players, now build a team.
For these reasons, I expect to see a shiny new striker or two.

I mostly agree. I'm a huge fan of Levy and believe his way of doing business is massively beneficial to our club on and off the pitch.

I'm sure by the end of the transfer window we'll have a new striker or two. I just don't think we are going about it in the right way.

I think we need two strikers. If we buy one who can play as a lone striker and is Premiership proven then we should have someone who can fit into our team relatively quickly. I don't believe this striker needs to be world class. Stephen Fletcher or Demba Ba would be fine.

Then Levy could work on a bigger signing like Adebayor, Leandro or Remy. We know these deals take longer.

I trust Levy to buy players but concerned we aren't going to be properly prepared for the season.

 

[Lilbaz]

Worst comes to worst we can always spring Demba Ba's release clause.

 

[StartingPrice]

I mostly agree. I'm a huge fan of Levy and believe his way of doing business is massively beneficial to our club on and off the pitch.

I'm sure by the end of the transfer window we'll have a new striker or two. I just don't think we are going about it in the right way.

I think we need two strikers. If we buy one who can play as a lone striker and is Premiership proven then we should have someone who can fit into our team relatively quickly. I don't believe this striker needs to be world class. Stephen Fletcher or Demba Ba would be fine.

Then Levy could work on a bigger signing like Adebayor, Leandro or Remy. We know these deals take longer.

I trust Levy to buy players but concerned we aren't going to be properly prepared for the season.

I don't mean to be flippant, but I would love to know what the right way is.

Okay, I understand what you are saying, and I don't think the idea of signing someone like Fletcher is as bad an idea as some on here do. But, if you could look into your crystal ball, and see two outcomes - one where we sign Adebayor and Fletcher, and another where we sign Adebayor, Leandro and maybe someone even more exciting (so ITKs might be saying, but I wouldn't know ), which would you prefer? Again, if you could look through your crystal ball and see an outcome where we get our business begun NOW by signing Fletcher, but then can only sign Adebayor, or just let Levy go ahead as planned and we sign Ade, Leandro and, maybe, someone even more exciting, and be in good shape in time for Newcastle (even if we haven't finished our business by then), which would you choose?

I'm not saying it's not nerve-wracking, and I'm not saying it is impossible that it could all go tits-up, it is just my opinion that I would prefer to believe that Levy will get this right and it will push us on in a way that even taking a sensible suggestion like your won't.

 

[sbrustad]

Worst comes to worst we can always spring Demba Ba's release clause.

The release clause was only valid till July 31st. I guess we could still get him, but not at 7.5m.

 

[dontcallme]

I don't mean to be flippant, but I would love to know what the right way is.

Okay, I understand what you are saying, and I don't think the idea of signing someone like Fletcher is as bad an idea as some on here do. But, if you could look into your crystal ball, and see two outcomes - one where we sign Adebayor and Fletcher, and another where we sign Adebayor, Leandro and maybe someone even more exciting (so ITKs might be saying, but I wouldn't know ), which would you prefer? Again, if you could look through your crystal ball and see an outcome where we get our business begun NOW by signing Fletcher, but then can only sign Adebayor, or just let Levy go ahead as planned and we sign Ade, Leandro and, maybe, someone even more exciting, and be in good shape in time for Newcastle (even if we haven't finished our business by then), which would you choose?

I'm not saying it's not nerve-wracking, and I'm not saying it is impossible that it could all go tits-up, it is just my opinion that I would prefer to believe that Levy will get this right and it will push us on in a way that even taking a sensible suggestion like your won't.

Fact is, we don't know how advanced our negotiations are. If this week we sign Adebayor and Leandro then I'll happily say I was wrong. In the past though I have seen us be linked with top players only to sign no one and be left short at the beginning of the season.

We are in a tough position. We have the smallest revenue of the top six clubs but we have a very talented team. It's not easy improving our squad with our finances. I'm glad Levy is trying to sign the likes of Adebayor and Leandro it shows ambition and we have successfully bought players like Modric and VDV in the past.

My concern is we are clearly in need of a striker. HR was very good at filling in the gaps in our squad and he did it quickly and efficiently. Because of the good balance in our squad we competed with sides with better players than us.

At the moment I think a safe player like Fletcher then continue negotiations for better strikers is a good way forward. Happy to be proved wrong though.

 

[StartingPrice]

Fact is, we don't know how advanced our negotiations are. If this week we sign Adebayor and Leandro then I'll happily say I was wrong. In the past though I have seen us be linked with top players only to sign no one and be left short at the beginning of the season.

We are in a tough position. We have the smallest revenue of the top six clubs but we have a very talented team. It's not easy improving our squad with our finances. I'm glad Levy is trying to sign the likes of Adebayor and Leandro it shows ambition and we have successfully bought players like Modric and VDV in the past.

My concern is we are clearly in need of a striker. HR was very good at filling in the gaps in our squad and he did it quickly and efficiently. Because of the good balance in our squad we competed with sides with better players than us.

At the moment I think a safe player like Fletcher then continue negotiations for better strikers is a good way forward. Happy to be proved wrong though.

Like I said, I don't mean to sound flippant - I do understand, and, to a certain extent, share, your frustrations.
I do think, however, that he ended up holding fire because he didn't fully trust RatKnip (though, TBH, I did say last Summer he had to start trusting him or get rid if it was preventing us from strengthening ). We finished 4th for the second time in 3 seasons last season, and, but for the most improbable CL victory by the Chavs, we would be in the CL again this season. That will have undoubtedly raised our profile - I believe we are a far more attractive proposition than many on here are allowing. And I suspect AVB will have sought certain assurances before joining us. So, like I said, I think we willhave a much imrpoved strikeforce this season - and there are far more targets out there than some folk pretend, and plenty of better targets than Rondon (no offence to the lad).

Like I said, we all know it can go wrong, but I won't start worrying for another 10 days, yet.