No 'war' between Spurs and West Ham

I see that Football Fancast have got things rather wrong again, 'Spurs in transfer talks to obliterate bitter rivals West Ham in £30m transfer war' he shouts.

Well firstly West Ham are not bitter rivals, Spurs may be to West Ham fans but West Ham are just another club to Spurs fans, no different from Brentford, QPR, Charlton, Fulham or Everton or Sunderland.

Secondly, Lacazette has already stated he wants UEFA Champions League football and the reality is that no player who wants Champions league football is going to sign for West Ham, who aren't even guaranteed Europa League football yet, a minimum requirement for ambitious players.

West Ham fans may not have liked that truth but that doesn't change it. we at Tottenham have seen season after season of links to top players, none of whom came without first waiting for a Champions League club. Money didn't dictate that they went to Italy or Germany or Spain, the possibility of Champions League football did.

There is no war because there is no battle, there is no comparison. People think I'm putting West Ham down when I say they will have to wait until there is no chance of a player getting a move to a Champions League club and that they have guaranteed their participation in the UEFA Europa league. I'm not, I'm just stating what we Spurs fans have had to see for ourselves, to think West Ham are a special case and the same thing isn't going to happen to them because they have TV money (so does every other club) is delusion.

The Olympic Stadium isn't going to make a jot of difference. If you can't provide the standard of football, nothing else matters. Southampton can offer guaranteed Europa league football so like it or not they are a more attractive proposition at the moment. You can throw money at a situation but everyone else has TV money too.

There is no chance either Michy Batshuayi or Alexandre Lacazette will sign for them without first talking to Champions League clubs and there is little doubt that is where they will end up, be it in France, Italy, Germany, Spain or England.

Spurs have previously held talks with Lacazette's agent before so this is nothing new, just further ongoing talks to keep everyone in the loop as it were. he is just one of several possibilities. Morata is no doubt at the top given the phone calls Pochettino has made to him and it is anyone's guess in which order Pochettino has the others in.

All will be revealed as the transfer window goes on but it isn't hard to see what will happen if you look at things with an open mind rather than with a pointless emotional hatred that affects nobody but yourself.