150m EUR is about 128m GBP. If City are willing to put that much money on the table (and that's not even necessarily a final offer), I think this deal gets done. Take the money Daniel!
150m EUR is about 128m GBP. If City are willing to put that much money on the table (and that's not even necessarily a final offer), I think this deal gets done. Take the money Daniel!
At some point Ndombele should no longer be counted on, no?Will be fun to see how this team comes together when GLC, Romero, and Ndombele (maybe?) are integrated. Lots of fun pieces to work with.
He needs a loan, maybe back to Ligue 1, to get himself sorted out. He was so, so good as a 21yo, doing everything as box-to-box mid should at a high level. That kind of talent doesn’t just evaporate. He needs game time and support to rediscover it.At some point Ndombele should no longer be counted on, no?
This is the 4th manager he can't quite seem to jibe with. Maybe it's him.
Rumors are that he's looking for a move--not sure if Spurs are willing to acquiesce. SoMe SaY tHaT's A M.O. oF tHe ClUb...At some point Ndombele should no longer be counted on, no?
This is the 4th manager he can't quite seem to jibe with. Maybe it's him.
This is not wrong. I liked the aggressiveness of defense creating more quick transitions, that seems like a more sustainable way to play against these kinds of possession hungry teams than getting fewer of those chances with a Jose defense and betting on Son/Kane's ruthlessness.I think people are getting a little carried away with the quality of the performance yesterday. It was much better than anything from the second half of last season and the fighting spirit and more aggressive tactics were nice but Spurs still wasn't that good. Spurs still weren't able to get any kind of control in midfield, either with or without the ball, and really struggled to deal with the City press. The attack relied entirely on quick transitions, and when those didn't come off they couldn't really create anything. Sanchez continues to be a real weakness on the ball and neither PEH nor Skipp offered anything in possession. City spurned 2 or 3 great chances that were better than anything Spurs created (e.g. Mahrez skying over from 10 yards out) and probably deserved to get something from the game.
It's a good result but this is still very much a work in progress.
In the past their counter-attack hinged on Kane dropping deep, picking up the ball, turning and then hitting a long pass towards one of the wingers. City eventually adjusted to that over time by sticking to Kane and often cynically fouling him before he could make that pass. Under Nuno (and without Kane) they came up with a different plan and that meant more pressure on the ball (while still conceding possession) and relying more on the dribbling of Lucas/Son/Bergwijn to launch the counter and they did that successfully.This is not wrong. I liked the aggressiveness of defense creating more quick transitions, that seems like a more sustainable way to play against these kinds of possession hungry teams than getting fewer of those chances with a Jose defense and betting on Son/Kane's ruthlessness.
The next two matches should be interesting, being a team Spurs should be significantly better than and a team Spurs should be somewhat better than. That'll help get a more complete picture of the new style than just a City match, which is its own beast.
Their latest:Carty Free's coverage of the Kane saga has been embarassing.
But he’s trying to force his way out of a club at the peak of his abilities while three years into a six year contract to one of the richest clubs in the world who are still trying to low-ball the price. In short, he’s trying to have his cake and eat it too, except it isn’t really his cake, it’s Daniel Levy’s cake, and Levy isn’t giving it up until Manchester City pay full price for it.
That's accurate.Kane might still get his move, but it won’t be due to anything that he, or his brother, does to facilitate the process. Positions have clearly hardened now to the point where the ONLY way this transfer goes through is if Manchester City come through with a bid that is acceptable to Daniel Levy. Thus far, they haven’t even come close. Levy is perfectly within his rights to ignore City’s calls until they do.
Yeah, that was the one that finally got me to hit the unfollow button. Acting like jilted lovers.
So you think Kane has handled this well and fans shouldn't be upset?Yeah, that was the one that finally got me to hit the unfollow button. Acting like jilted lovers.
I think Kane’s been handling this like someone who’s dipshit brother is his agent rather than anyone competent.So you think Kane has handled this well and fans shouldn't be upset?
What Dele did do, though, was look to get stuck in. A lot. Twelve true tackles — that is, tackles + challenges lost + fouls when attempting a tackle — is the most he’s ever had in a Tottenham shirt. His win rate in those challenges was on the low side, however — he cleanly won the ball just three times.
Very few of Dele’s touches came in the attacking third — 11 in total (his lowest in a 90-minute game is seven in a 4-1 win against Liverpool in 2017).
He could have even had his cake and eaten it if he wasn’t following the advice of the galatically stupid.The most naive aspect of this from Kane is that he both wants to leave but also wants to protect his reputation with the fanbase. You can't have it both ways, Harry.
In my mind Tottenham lost Kane when they hired Jose, spent money unwisely on players who have offered minimal help and had a complete circus in finding a new manager. This is the game, Kane is looking out for his own interests because Levy certainly hasn't done that over the past few seasons have Tottenham have bottled away a promising core and Kane has nothing to show for it.So you think Kane has handled this well and fans shouldn't be upset?
How does that justify coming in camp late, essentially missing the opening match by his own will, and now barely getting ready for match 2?In my mind Tottenham lost Kane when they hired Jose, spent money unwisely on players who have offered minimal help and had a complete circus in finding a new manager.
The Extra Inch talked about this on the pod earlier this week. Their take was that NES looked at Dele and recognized that whatever limitations he has in training (per Mou--what an ass) don't exist on matchday and that he's a willing runner and capable of being a B2B MF. Having him as the AMF in a MF3 still lets him be the late arrival to the box and utilize his attacking skills. After a few seasons without having a best position, it's surprising and possible that this is the fit. If so, what a huge turnaround, albeit one that should be reasonably expected coming from the Mou shitshow.Intriguing note about Dele’s performance from the Athletic:
Man City is who Kane should be mad at in this. They spent 100 on a luxury player like grealish (they have 5 high priced players in that spot), but have made lowball offers for Kane, the position they need the most.First time reading that Man City is relenting to Levy's price tag on Kane:
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2021/8/18/22630451/tottenham-hotspur-transfer-news-rumors-manchester-city-preparing-150m-bid-start-negotiations
"Now THAT’S more like it. Less than a day after Harry Kane’s camp reportedly “threw down the gauntlet” in a one-sided Telegraph article by Jason Burt demanding that Tottenham Hotspur sell him to Manchester City, there’s now a new report in the Independent from Miguel Delaney stating that City are preparing a £150m bid for Kane in the last two weeks of the transfer window."
The striker is also being left out of the Spurs squad for the Europa qualifiers in Portugal this Friday.
It makes sense if you think less about it as "what do Man City need?" and more "what does Pep want?". The man loves an attacking midfielder and is deeply suspicious of a striker. I imagine they've had to show him a lot of video of Kane dropping into the midfield for him to even entertain the idea.Man City is who Kane should be mad at in this. They spent 100 on a luxury player like grealish (they have 5 high priced players in that spot), but have mad lowball offers for Kane, the position they need the most.
Levy was always going to sell once it got around 150/60m.
I don't think this is quite right. For some reason Pep seems to be single-mindedly fixated on Kane, to the point where it looks like City are going to overpay by quite a lot compared to other strikers out there given Kane's age and injury history. Like if you're going to spend that much on a striker, just buy Haaland or Mbappe.It makes sense if you think less about it as "what do Man City need?" and more "what does Pep want?". The man loves an attacking midfielder and is deeply suspicious of a striker. I imagine they've had to show him a lot of video of Kane dropping into the midfield for him to even entertain the idea.
Eh, Pep certainly doesn't like Gabriel Jesus that much as an every day player, but he also oversaw peak Lewandowski years at Bayern and Augero scored a million goals for him.It makes sense if you think less about it as "what do Man City need?" and more "what does Pep want?". The man loves an attacking midfielder and is deeply suspicious of a striker. I imagine they've had to show him a lot of video of Kane dropping into the midfield for him to even entertain the idea.
It makes sense if you think less about it as "what do Man City need?" and more "what does Pep want?". The man loves an attacking midfielder and is deeply suspicious of a striker. I imagine they've had to show him a lot of video of Kane dropping into the midfield for him to even entertain the idea.
My conspiracy theory, that I'm not sure I fully believe, is that Man City is trying to buy English relevancy so people don't just think of them as the middle east oil club.I don't think this is quite right. For some reason Pep seems to be single-mindedly fixated on Kane, to the point where it looks like City are going to overpay by quite a lot compared to other strikers out there given Kane's age and injury history. Like if you're going to spend that much on a striker, just buy Haaland or Mbappe.
I was more joking than proposing a serious theory, but he did seem to want to move on from Aguero his entire tenure there, it just kept not working.Eh, Pep certainly doesn't like Gabriel Jesus that much as an every day player, but he also oversaw peak Lewandowski years at Bayern and Augero scored a million goals for him.
Mbappe doesn't play the middle as well as the other 2, and while Haaland is the MF truth, I'd rather have Kane for the next 2 seasons if I can put City's supporting cast around him.I don't think this is quite right. For some reason Pep seems to be single-mindedly fixated on Kane, to the point where it looks like City are going to overpay by quite a lot compared to other strikers out there given Kane's age and injury history. Like if you're going to spend that much on a striker, just buy Haaland or Mbappe.
I wouldn't put too much stock in all the noise in the press. I think Levy will ultimately sell and is just holding out to get the highest price he can. I suspect Spurs already have targets lined up for spending the money. I think the Romero deal was an example of this. It'd be better to get the business done faster, but getting full value for Kane is critical. City have already reportedly gone up from 100m to 125m, so the strategy is working, and I suspect they will go higher. It's a negotiation and ultimately we can only judge these things by the result, not by the posturing and leaks in the press in the meantime.I wouldn’t. I’d rather pay 300 million or 400 million for Haaland. What he’s doing at his age is absolutely absurd.
I venture into the Spurs thread in peace—I wouldn’t expect any of you to be happy to sell your talisman to City and of course you’ll have anger toward City. The British media don’t make it easy in the way they report on bids being in or bids never happening. Bid amounts are always being fabricated and the daily news cycle churns to drag the process out in this excruciating manner. This situation seems even worse because for some reason it has been decided that Kane’s brother is the incompetent villain here and that narrative seems to really cause Spurs fans to froth at the mouth. I remember some of that happening with Sane supposedly related to his mother. It’s all just too protracted and difficult for fans to process.
In the end I think it is certain that City are offering well above the British transfer record for a 28 year old striker. Although it wasnot quite the case by end of last season I think Levy generally plays the PR game well and has managed to work this situation well to his advantage. I don’t have many Spurs fans in my real life circle but I think I’d be talking with them about why fans should be rooting for the winning of negotiations as the measuring stick. Yes, Levy managed to keep Modric, Bale, etc for marginally longer and build his hard man reputation but what is he accomplishing? In the end he often sells the player late in the window and then you don’t have time to spend the money that comes in.
The player wants to go and the offer isn’t insulting. It is fine for Spurs to value him even higher than Citys offer but the constant leaks to the press and the overall posture is often so combative. Maybe the market for Kane is there in Jan or next summer, I can’t say, but while it is never easy to sell your top player once that was out there in the open I can’t help but feel that Spurs best interests were in minimizing the impact of losing Kane more than maximizing the return. Levy should have been focused on negotiating a clean exit and having good targets to fortify the squad. Instead the sides may or may not be negotiating and many of the targets you’ve been linked to haven’t wanted the move. Of course maybe that’s what has happened and the British media is just creating this storm, of course
Levy hasn’t leaked anything to the media other than “our striker with 3 years left on his contract isn’t for sale”. Which is what every chairman of every club ever says during every transfer window.I wouldn’t. I’d rather pay 300 million or 400 million for Haaland. What he’s doing at his age is absolutely absurd.
I venture into the Spurs thread in peace—I wouldn’t expect any of you to be happy to sell your talisman to City and of course you’ll have anger toward City. The British media don’t make it easy in the way they report on bids being in or bids never happening. Bid amounts are always being fabricated and the daily news cycle churns to drag the process out in this excruciating manner. This situation seems even worse because for some reason it has been decided that Kane’s brother is the incompetent villain here and that narrative seems to really cause Spurs fans to froth at the mouth. I remember some of that happening with Sane supposedly related to his mother. It’s all just too protracted and difficult for fans to process.
In the end I think it is certain that City are offering well above the British transfer record for a 28 year old striker. Although it wasnot quite the case by end of last season I think Levy generally plays the PR game well and has managed to work this situation well to his advantage. I don’t have many Spurs fans in my real life circle but I think I’d be talking with them about why fans should be rooting for the winning of negotiations as the measuring stick. Yes, Levy managed to keep Modric, Bale, etc for marginally longer and build his hard man reputation but what is he accomplishing? In the end he often sells the player late in the window and then you don’t have time to spend the money that comes in.
The player wants to go and the offer isn’t insulting. It is fine for Spurs to value him even higher than Citys offer but the constant leaks to the press and the overall posture is often so combative. Maybe the market for Kane is there in Jan or next summer, I can’t say, but while it is never easy to sell your top player once that was out there in the open I can’t help but feel that Spurs best interests were in minimizing the impact of losing Kane more than maximizing the return. Levy should have been focused on negotiating a clean exit and having good targets to fortify the squad. Instead the sides may or may not be negotiating and many of the targets you’ve been linked to haven’t wanted the move. Of course maybe that’s what has happened and the British media is just creating this storm, of course
Come on this is a naive take. Kane wasn’t leaking that he was supposed to return to training and Kane’s side isn’t leaking all these “Levy won’t sell at any cost but heres the cost he would sell at “ stories. All parties in this are using the media for their purposes but you’re so white hot angry about Kane’s brother you can’t see the restLevy hasn’t leaked anything to the media other than “our striker with 3 years left on his contract isn’t for sale”. Which is what every chairman of every club ever says during every transfer window.
every leak has been by Kane’s camp to try and force a move and they’re doing it in the worst way possible as absolute amateurs. If Kane had real reps the move might be done already.
I don’t think it’s overblown how bad his team has been. Forcing moves happens all the time without turning a country against their captain.
I agree it’ll all mainly be forgotten though with the media cycles moving on after the window shuts.
The only naivety here is by Kane’s team on what they think a gentleman’s agreement is.Come on this is a naive take. Kane wasn’t leaking that he was supposed to return to training and Kane’s side isn’t leaking all these “Levy won’t sell at any cost but heres the cost he would sell at “ stories. All parties in this are using the media for their purposes but you’re so white hot angry about Kane’s brother you can’t see the rest
I mean, you said you thought his brother was fine. Maybe that doesn't mean "handled it fine", but I just happened to disagree that Charlie Kane has been anything other than a disaster for Harry, with the biggest issue being not adding any out clauses to his contract, but also this amateur way of forcing a move.I think his brother is not optimal but fine. Theres nothing Mino would be doing differently here if Levy didn’t want to sell. This is how players engineer exits, unfortunately, and I think it’s better if clubs don’t get into these messes in the first place.
I completely agree that he'll get welcomed back eventually if he stays and performs. Fans will be the goldfish. The Gerrard comparison is apt.I'm a relatively new yid, so take this with a grain of salt but I'm not as bothered by this Kane saga as others. I do think Charlie Kane is an amateur playing a sophisticated game and getting outclassed, but other than Kane's relationship with Spurs fans and maybe some England NT fans I don't think it will matter much.
More importantly, I think Levy/Paratici 1) want to extract as much value from Kane's sale, 2) while still leaving enough time to bring in another striker, and 3) didn't want Kane to play for City or perhaps even be a City player for GW 1. IOW, I think this gets resolved in the next week with a fee of £ 140-160M, with the delta made up in add-ons.
And if Kane ends up staying, Spurs win the EPL and all is forgiven. For you Ted Lasso fans, the scene where Jamie Tartt was about to make his return debut for Richmond and the announcer says "fans can be a fickle bunch, not sure if they'll accept him back" and then there's a cut to the pub with the fans singing the Jamie Tartt tune is instructive here.
Yes, IIRC Levy spent that whole summer denying that Bale was for sale at all. This is to avoid the situation Barca got into post-Neymar with Dembele and Coutinho where you get robbed blind because your counterparties know you are flush with cash and need to buy immediate replacements.You never really know with transfer business. Its entirely plausible to me that the clubs have already agreed a fee in principal but they're keeping it quiet until Spurs sign some players or the whole thing is contingent upon Spurs being able to bring in certain replacement targets. For example, if they can't bring in Lautaro or Vlahovic, a Kane sale this summer probably looks a lot less attractive.
If I recall, this is essentially what Levy did with Bale. They had the deal agreed for weeks but kept it under wraps while Spurs spent the money, then Bale was formally sold on one of the last days of the window.