Spurs captured their first major signing of the summer with the arrival of Paulinho over the weekend but the deal sparked an inevitable spate of speculation as to who would be leaving through the White Hart Lane exit door.
Gylfi Sigurdsson seems to have been identified as the man most likely to depart but one suggestion is the possibility of a loan deal to former club Swansea as the Icelander is keen to impress head coach Andre Villas-Boas and to prove himself as a long term prospect for Spurs.
Other stories claim that the Swans, together with Liverpool, are about to make a bid for a permanent signing but is there any truth in the rumour or are these simply easy links to make?
Sig enjoyed a productive spell at the Liberty Stadium in the 2011-12 campaign, scoring seven goals in 18 league matches while his former manager Brendan Rodgers seemed set to take him to Anfield before Spurs stepped in last summer.
If Reading, who are said to have made a bid back in January, hadn’t been relegated, maybe the Royals would also have been linked with 23 year olds’ signature.
AVB may be reluctant to lose a player who scored some vital goals for the team at the end of last season but with game time set to be restricted next year, what is Gylfi’s best option?
At least Siggy can play a couple of roles in the team and would be a useful squad member. If anyone from the midfield should go apart from Hud and Parker, it should be Dempsey, as he does not have the technical ability, vision or positioning to contribute to the attack.
PS what the hell is Levy doing about a striker or two ? As we wait and haggle, players are going elsewhere leaving us a reduced pool of players to choose from ! Damiao gone ! Villa gone ! Soldado & Negredo to expensive !
Huddlestone, Parker, Livermore, Townsend and Lennon will be sold before Sigurdsson unless he wants to leave. If he does want out Spurs will name their price.
AVB will need competition for 5 midfield players.
The time has come for Livermore to leave.
He should go to a team that is not inept in the transfer market
I would be happy to see any of the following players leave the club this summer:
Dempsey-£8m
Huddlestone-£7m
Livermore- £4m-£6m
Adebayor-£8m
Falque-£4m
Dawson-£7m
BAE-£6m
I know many of you may be shocked to see Dawson on the list, but after his impressive, initial, form upon returning to the side last year, his performances tailed off alarmingly towards the back end of the season. Poor displays against Everton, Basle and Sunderland highlighted the flaws (we should all know by now) he posses. Lack of pace, struggles with (his own, and others) mobility and can appear EXTREMELY uncomfortable in one-on-one situations, often becoming too square when facing his opponent, making it too easy for a (mildly) clever attacker to beat him.
Yes Dawson is a fan favourite, and rightly so. He is a whole hearted player, who reads the game VERY well and is excellent in the air. His commitment, loyalty and passion towards Tottenham Hotspur could NEVER be called into question.
However, I just don’t think Michael is going to improve any further as a player. And with young talent like Caulker in need of more first-team opportunities to develop his game and fulfil his obvious potential, I just don’t see where the committed, but limited Dawson fits into next seasons plans as anything more than a back-up.
Don’t get me wrong, I am in NO rush to see Dawson leave the club, but if I was manager next season I would make it clear to him (before the end of the transfer window) that he would be starting the campaign as my fourth choice CB. If he was happy (enough) to accept my decision, stay and fight for his place in the side knowing that, then I would be delighted to keep hold of him at the club. Otherwise, out of respect for the years of service he has given to Spurs, I would let him leave rather than see him rot on the bench (especially with it being a world cup year).
I think the rest of the names on the list more or less speak for themselves, as players worth selling to bring in extra funds.
But Gyfil Sigurdsson should NOT be amongst them!!!
It’s happening again!
Remember how happy everyone was when they announced Vertongen and Siggy early in the transfer season, but then radio silence until the end of the transfer period!
Poor AVB and Bale are going to get screwed – along with all of the fans, but, DL have never been to concerned about us.
If he continues to do what he did in the past, DL is going to offload Hudd, Livermore, Parker, Defoe, Ade, and others to ‘cover’ Paulinho’s fee, and the best we can hope for is some 17 year old that had a good year in high school!Every day, I keep seeing people that we are supposed to be negotiating with sign for other teams –
Remember we need MORE than two strikers, not just replacements for Defoe and Ade!
All this talk about spending 30M on Benteke when he has had ONE good season is NUTS! I’m not saying that he won’t be good, but thinking that he will be the Spurs golden ticket for Champions League is crazy.
If DL doesn’t bring in TWO quality strikers ADDITIONS – early enough to be ready for the season, you can kiss Bale and AVB good bye!
Of course he’s not concerned about you, he’s concerned about the club, quite rightly. There is a business plan in place and the club follows it.
The irresponsibility the fans expect, especially when they don’t know what happening (Bale & AVB comments demonstrate that) is not an option.
You work within the means you have and you don’t just buy for buyings sake, you only buy if it improves you and if agreement can be reached with all parties.
Supporters seem to forget a player can say no, a selling club can say no!
I don’t disagree with your comments regarding that he’s concerned with the club and not myself, as an individual, but my point was not about myself, instead ‘us’ as in paying ticket holders, tv viewers, and Spurs product buyers.
If he continues to sell/buy/keep players just based solely on cost/value, he is the one who is not getting the picture.
IF he had bought ONE striker last summer, that striker would have had to score just ONE goal during one of the many draws, and then, the Spurs would be in 4th place and the Champions League!
With that in mind, DL could have spent anywhere from 5M on Michu, 7M for Benteke, to 25M on Damaio, and in exchange, he would have gotten more than 40M+ in guaranteed revenue from both C/League and being in 4th place vs 5th! If he had just keep VDV until January, you know that VDV would score at least 1 goal at a key time (not to mention, the assists he would complete). To me, that makes COMPLETE financial sense for the club!
Look at DL’s season ending letter to the fans. He talks about how much the fan base has grown, and while I understand that he didn’t want to mention why specifically, there are TWO reasons why that happened: Gareth Bale and Clint Dempsey. Bale got world wide acclaim, and Dempsey has put the spotlight on the Spurs in America.
If AVB & Bale lose confidence in DL’s commitment to bring in at least one great striker (be it a Jese, Bernard, or Soldado), I think that they will leave – if not before the season starts, then in January, but even if they leave at the end of next season, the club will go into deep financial hole that will take a decade to come out of!
If that happens, then, what do you think will happen to the Spurs’ tv coverage, the sale of Spurs products, and the fan base?
would only keep dempsey can pop up with important goals
It didn’t create any debate, everyone knows Huddlestone and Parker have been told they can leave.
We need at least 2 players for each position and while we may want world class for the first team, we need a backup that:
1. isn’t such a top player they’ll be whining about lack of playing time,
2. is good enough to warrant being in the team
3. young enough that they have time to develop into first choice.
Sigurdson is that EXACTLY. If we get rid of him because he’s not good enough — like so many people are wanting — who replaces him?
You’re not going to get Pjanic, Belhanda, or Eriksen (or whoever) to happily sit on the side and wait their turn. Or do we get someone worse?
Siggy has shown glimpses of real talent, he’s young, can cover a variety of positions, and hasn’t been (unreasonably) whiny. Perfect.
Dempsey is also that except for his age.
Livermore is that also — not great, but we don’t need him to be.
Considering we’re aiming to become a team with heavy involvement in Europe, we need a big squad, especially in midfield and that means some good players (such as Sigurdsson) need to either play slightly out of position, which he seems happy too, or to improve, which he is, I’d say if we are to get rid of a midfield player, its likely to be someone like Huddlestone or Parker, who want first team football but are very unlikely to get it.
Huddlestone hasn’t played a decent game in years. He, Townsend, and Parker should make way for new talent. I wouldn’t mind seeing Siggy have a more regular role in midfield (n Parker’s role) and Holtby is the perfect more permanent replacement for Huddlestone