Dig Dig

Mostly likely outcome- he signs for Spurs. We will continue to grumble about the agreement we are convinced that Atleti have broken and will end up with some compensation further down the line or there may be some form of sanction for them eventually, all whilst Toby is happily playing Premier League football at Spurs. If the player wants to go to Spurs there is little we can do, regardless of any contractual dispute.

Are you sure Einstein is the right avatar for you?

You may not have heard of him but that doesn't mean that he was an unknown quanity. If we don't sign him, I'd be delighted if we signed a player you never heard of who has been part of the current 2nd ranked National team in the World for a long time and plays for the third most successful team in Spain and played against Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Been reported a few times that he is. Not sure how essential it is to get the deal over the line but maybe we need to get Ralph out there ASAP.

Ha, didn't see this when I posted

Billy Sharp's first against Portsmouth springs to mind. The second was ruined a little by the delay between the lino and the ref. Best recent celebration wasn't at a game. I was in Cape Town watching last seasons game at Old Trafford surrounded by loads of plastic Utd fans. I was wasn't the most popular lad in the bar that day.

Depends what you mean by old sh1t. Soldado has a proven track record in Spain and Lamela in Italy. They may not have been big hits at Spurs but I wouldn't rule out their players being in demand elsewhere.

From what I've read, Spurs are looking for a DM rather than a CB and are looking at him as an option. Obviously he could easily play at CB ahead of most their current CB's anyway because he is better.

Shocking. How can someone who clearly violated his contract end up costing the club so much?

They are a big club and players there have a better chance at silverware and Champions League than with the likes of us but the whole history stuff is tiresome. It's probably way down the list of priorities for someone like Clyne.

Yes, and the way that similar comments regarding Clyne's contract situation last year were fobbed off as the usual suspects working themselves up into a lather over nothing.

ITK?

A figment of his imagination

It would be nice to extend a deal for at least one of the players who will be attracting interest from top clubs. It doesn't mean they will stay for too much longer but at least it gives us a good opportunity to get a good deal. I wonder if we offer buy out clauses as part of our offers? Seems to be how lots of other clubs manage contract extensions for their best players.

As Batman rightly pointed out though, they can afford to make expensive mistakes and many of them. How many Osvaldo or Ramirez type signings can we afford?

Man Utd, one of the biggest football clubs in the world, can sell players almost always on their terms and have the clout to almost guarantee replacing quality with quality. They certainly don't lose 6-7 of their best players in a year. We are operating in a completely different World altogether. Bizarre comparison.

U Whether we want to or not is irrelevant really. The question itself is still valid. Can we continue to sell out best players and be smart enough to continue to do well? So far so good but we're only judging over a relatively short time frame.

Here go....

Have you seen the posts about this being a fire sale?

This. Why would anyone worry about spending a small amount on a player who will add a bit of depth to the squad?

I'm sure they are pretty well informed, more so than under the previous regime anyway. I can't see anything in what they have written which doesn't make sense?

I think that is more to do with how he conducts himself and the exposure he gets to the press through the FA and Saints more than anything else.

The trouble with JWP is off the ball really. He lacks physicality, aggression and runs like a toddler. The Portugal midfield went past him like a knife through butter the other night.

Except that when you read about Slattery as an example, he, his parents and his representatives are using other clubs interest in him in order to push him into the first team set up.