Quick Spurs Update

Evening folks, well after my Tweet about an ITK account using the information you guys get and claiming "sources" or "I've been told" etc etc, the account who recognised those remarks promptly blocked me, demonstrating a clear guilty conscience.

They would read my posts as soon as they came out and then tweet fees, wages etc. 

They will of course still be reading the blog to get further information!

Ok, you all knew there was not a problem with the Japhet Tanganga talks and nothing to worry about there, well he has duly signed.

You all knew months ago that Eric Dier was in contract talks while the main media were suggesting we were looking to sell him and then read that there was no problem with contract talks and he has duly signed.

I wrote that he is a future captain of Spurs in the making and that has been endorsed since by José Mourinho in a press conference and copied by Football London.

You all know the striker Mourinho wants, Anduz Milik, only wants to join Juventus and now Sky Sports are reporting that he has agreed personal terms with them with just a fee with Napoli to resolve.

Once again the media, out of touch with what is really happening have still been telling our fans Spurs are in the hunt for him, realistically we have never been.

There are still some fans who can't grasp this striker situation so a quick recap.

Factors working against us:
Harry Kane - strikers know he will be picked for all big games and don't want to sit on a bench and watch him play. He is world class, every club does not have a world class striker like him.

No Champions League - players today want Champions League football before money.

If it is easier to get Champions League football abroad, and it is, then they will go there instead of come to Spurs, as we have a 6/7 team fight for four places.

Juventus have no competition, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in Germany, PSG in France, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid in Spain all virtually guaranteed Champions League football.

There are seven teams a player can go to where it is easier to obtain than Spurs.

Beyond that there are clubs in Spain, Italy and France who expect to get Champions League, like Inter Milan. That makes them an easier route to Champions League football than Spurs and the Premier League.

Europa League/ The Europa League is the second tier European competition and players wait, if necessarily until the end of the window, to secure a Champions League team, thus we have to wait for those options to fall through or go for a lessor player.

Either way the same tier 3 agenda driven fans will complain about either decision.

Wages. Post pandemic we have to keep our wages under control and I have written several posts showing our transfer position viz-a-vis transfer and wages correlation.

Relegated strikers give us an option as they have Premier League experience and we could offer someone like Troy Deeney Europa League football.

It is not a simple as selling them our project, players are not interested in our project, they are interested in themselves, what's in it for them.

That is what their decision comes down to, what is best for THEM, not what is best for us, yet our tier 3 lot can't seem to understand that.

Moving on, you have been asking me about all sorts.

Eberechi Eze you have all read agreed to join Spurs last summer and reiterated that desire in January. 

Personal terms don't need to be discussed as they were already agreed in principle.

As I have said, his arrival is dependent upon how the window goes, but this window, with a depressed market and fees therefore lower, does present an opportunity,

It is now or never but Luke Amos is wanted by QPR, the player everyone had forgotten about so can help reduce any fee.

He has been on loan at QPR and  nobody had him on their transfer list, that is until I kept pointing out they had forgotten him..

There have been a few talents to come out of the Championship recently, David Brooks at Bournemouth, James Madison at Leicester to name just two so I'm all for a gamble on him as we could recoup the fee should he not reach the levels we would like.

If he arrives it will be later rather than sooner in the window and I wouldn't be going above £20m, indeed I wouldn't even go that far but then I wouldn't pay more than £20m for any Championship player, particularly in this current climate.

Kim Min-jae was not selected for the opening Chinese Super League game and his club are unhappy that the giant South Korean centre-back is adamant wants to join Spurs.

Again, reports elsewhere suggest there is no deal, that a deal isn't close, that he doesn't want to join Spurs, all shown to be nonsense now.

Confirmation he is a strong target, if confirmation were needed for you guys.

We are just a couple of million away on price, as you know, and I stand by my first week in August prediction.

I was going to write a complete post on him looking at his play and the Chinese League but the enthusiasm isn't there for it yet.

Suffice to say, he is a player who requires development.

He will have to adjust to live in London, adjust to a new country, new language, new level of football (Chinese Super League is attack orientate with little pressing and a poor standard), new food, new facilities, new manager, new style of play, new training facilities, new pace of game.

We will need a compliment of centre-backs while he develops, hence when he arrives he will be 5th choice.and you won't see much, if any of him next season.

David Brooks isn't an option yet, however later in the window if Eberechi Eze joins Crystal Palace he could become an option at the right price, but only at the right price and that is a cheap price.

Don't get your hopes up.

Callum Wilson and Troy Deeney are options as back up strikers but I haven't yet looked into those possibilities or the several Norwich City players we have been monitoring.

You all know about Max Aarons, but there is Ben Godfrey (centre-back\), Jamal Lewis (left-back) and Todd Cantwell (left-midfield) too.

I have probably been asked more but forgotten so I'll have to look those question up.

For now I'll leave you salivating over your dinner.

It's Toad in the Hole for me with Irish sausages (in deference to my Irish readers) and bloody tasty sausages they are.

You could always add some mushrooms to the batter mix or some onions or even bacon pieces and talbacon, have you ever tried Toad in the Hole with a hunk of bacon instead of sausages, delicious.

Get a packed of bacon pieces with gammon like slices of bacon.

Herbs of course can also be added to your batter mix.

Well happy eating, now I have you salivating already!