Mortgage done, survey done, transfer on

After a couple of articles on Daniel Levy, the masterstrokes he has played in the development of Tottenham Hotspur and in the transfer market this summer we'll have a look at why transfers take so long.

Previous Articles:
Daniel Levy - you're hired
Transfer Window Masterstroke

Wherever you go around the net you see thousands asking why hasn't player X signed yet or player Y had his medical when it was reported he would be. The answer is simple.

Buying s footballer is not like popping into your local supermarket and buying a pint of milk, not is it like getting a bunch of quotes for replacement windows and making a purchase. It's more like buying a house.

Let's use the Bale saga as an example. We are selling Bale, we don't want to but we are. Real Madrid have to sort out a method of payment, just as you would sort a mortgage, over a period of time. We want it over a short as possible period, they want to pay over as long as possible. Then there are medicals which are like surveys, you agree everything and then make sure nothing is wrong you can't see before finalising the deal.

If Bale is moving 'house' to Madrid then we need someone to move into his vacant place. It was thought that Erik Lamela would only arrive when Bale goes and that may still be the case but we wanted Willian as well before we sold. That deal fell through so Bale has had to wait, Madrid have had to wait.

Lamela, currently with Roma, would need replacing and Fiorentina's Adem Ljajic is their choice. He has a medical tomorrow which allows Roma to let Lamela have a medical with us and Bale a medical at Madrid.

Fiorentina need a replacement for Adem Ljajic and have lined up 19 year-old Croatian Ante Rebic from RNK Split.

So in this deal we have a chain of at least 4 players. If we are going to want two players in then we'll have two chains where something can always go wrong.

When you buy a house you are part of a chain and football transfers when they involve big players are often the same. We have a chain here. Each has to sort finance (mortgage), sort a medical (survey) before they buy. One goes wrong and it messes the chain up, you either lose your purchase or you have to wait longer. Willian was the piece that went wrong so nothing has been completed.

Going the other way Madrid need to recoup some of the money they are spending. They have sold players but spent that money already on other purchases so are making players available which the likes of Arsenal are interested in.

Now players don't want to leave Madrid, why would they, tradition has them as the number one team in the world, just ask Bale. I wrote earlier about the masterstroke of our main rivals for fourth not having bought anyone but hoping to sign Madrid players surplus to requirements. Bale not arriving yet is scuppering that and nerves are starting to jangle with only 6 days to go.

Fiorentina have completed the negotiations for Rebic , “The negotiations have now been concluded,” confirmed FIFA agent Mauro Cesarini on Radio Blu.

That has allowed Ljajic to move and he has a medical booked at Roma tomorrow. Assuming he passes that then Roma will release Lamela to come to London and have his medical with us. When it is convenient to us we will then release Bale to have a medical for Real Madrid and finally when he has passes that medical Real Madrid will look to offload a couple of their players.

There is no rush on our part, we don't need to. We are the ones sitting with the prize asset, the key to the chain for others still wanting to buy Real Madrid players.

We got Rafael Van Der Vaart on a last day late transfer from Real Madrid, perhaps levy will pop back there again and see who he can pick up. Fabio Coentrao wants to stay in Spain but who knows perhaps on transfer deadline day he'll have a change of heart. Perhaps Levy will grab another bargain although I remain convinced he is waiting for Damiao on deadline day.

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