Transfer talk & rumours

It seems like there are many who would like to discuss the recruitment/transfer policy at Spurs and therefore I think it might be a good idea to have a dedicated thread about just that. Here is one attempt to start such a thread:

Every club has hits and misses when it comes to recruitment,some of the difference between the top-clubs and the rest might be found in their recruitment/transfers. Most clubs appear to have a set up with the roles and responsibilities clearly defined:

Manager is responsible for identifying areas of weakness in the team and to provide wish-list for strengthening those areas.
Head-scout/Director of Football is responsible for finding players who can address the weaknesses identified by the manager.
Chief negotiator is responsible for negotiating the best possible deal for the players the club needs.

Even though the roles and responsibilities appear to be well defined and skilled people might be in the right positions there might be clubs who still miss more than they hit.

What might cause failure to address weaknesses is failure to communicate clearly. As an example, lets pretend that the person responsible negotiating the price at Spurs doesn’t know much about football but does know a lot about negotiating a good deal. If that was to be the case then that might be addressed in a couple of different ways:

1. Tell him to butt out and just negotiate the price and not be involved in anything else. Depending on who it is then that approach might not work….
2. Be very clear about what kind of player is needed.

Assuming that option 2 is the one that might work at Spurs then how to move forward?

If he does not know how to tell the difference between the strikers Jermain Defoe and Lloriente?
If he does not know how to tell the difference between the goal-scoring midfielders of Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen?
If he does not know how to tell the difference between a 9 and a false 9? Winger vs inverted winger?
If he does not know how to tell the difference between the DMs Eric Dier and Ndidi?

One way forward might be to describe the player wanted by how he plays. The alternative is risking getting a Van Bissaka when someone like Trippier is wanted, or getting a traditional winger when an inverted winger is wanted etc etc
Maybe an Özil might come in while what was wanted was actually a Grealish ....

So, when discussing recruitment/transfers lets make it so easy to follow that even someone with very limited knowledge of football can follow. Keep it simple.

& I know there are people who wants to discuss missed opportunities (players not bought) and the misses (the players bought who never became good at Spurs). Maybe something can be learned from the missed opportunities, maybe something can be learned from the purchases that didn’t pan out. So go for it, share opinions & discuss.

Of the players who came in this season then my opinion is:
Lo Celso, probably a good buy.
Ndombele, if whatever is keeping him from playing can be sorted then he might be a good buy.
Sessegnon, is only 19 (I believe) and looks to be more of a winger than a defender. Might not be ready for regular starting now but as he is young then maybe he can turn out to be a good buy.
Bergwijn, I am glad to see him already playing. He looks good but early days.
Fernandes, looks good and I am glad to see him already playing.

And I do believe that a striker of the Lloriente type should have been brought in during the latest transfer-window. I am not sure why it didn’t happen, possibly it was decided that such a player might not be needed against the type of opposition in the remaining matches of the season and therefore someone like Bergwijn was brought in instead. Or some other reason.

I do like to find positives So I can’t help but like that Mourinho is playing new players already. That is an improvement on what was before. Test them early, if it works then great and if it doesn’t work then sell quickly and find another.

& my personal opinion is: In dedicated match threads then do not discuss old managers nor players not currently at Spurs, the chairman etc. The dedicated match thread is dedicated to the specific match so if at all possible, keep the discussion about the specific match. That last bit might be overstepping, if so then I apologise.

Lets hear some great ideas for players coming in

Another athletic FB? A set-piece taker? A goal-keeper dominating the box? A Kane-clone? Young talent not yet played in the EPL? Experienced senior player which the younger players can learn from?

 

So we have
A clown keeper/captain
1 recognised FB in each FB position, 1 average n steady the other a complete liability.
3 recognised CBs 2 that have quality but are past their best lacking pace badly, 1 that has pace but is a complete liability.
2 CDMs Dier who has his limitations and isn't getting better, Wanyama who's permanently injured and stealing a living.
A forward 4 AMs Son Moura Bergwijn Alli, Moura & Alli both painfully inconsistent, Son has his limitations but is effective and Bergwijn still unknown quantity but looks promising.
Kane who every season in the last 3 has had numerous spells out injured.

Then there's a catalogue of players that no one really knows what they do or what they're any good at starting with Foyth then Winks Sissoko Lamela Sessegnon and after them there's little else depth wise.

I would put N'dombele and LoCelso in the Bergwijn and not quite sure their positions category of looking promising but still unknown quantities.

Depending on where you set the bar does this squad with these weaknesses and the sheer unbalance of it scream a serious challenging side?
Remember this is also expected to cover in the region of a 60+ games a season calendar?

Weve seemed to sell players in positions where we needed upgrades and then not upgraded in those positions we were weak in already thus making us weaker.

There doesn't seem to be any logical rationale or reason behind the majority of our transfer buisness.

 

We have the same problems as we have had for a while and it needs addressing before we improve:
LB - Ben Davies is not good enough to get up and down the line and occasionally makes odd decisions
RB - Aurier can’t defend and often gets caught out of position leaving others to cover him
CDM - The only player that I think is close to what we need is Sissoko however his passing/shooting/crossing ability means he really should only be a back up in that spot
CF - Anyone with some pace that is actually a CF would be good

 

So much for chatting about a transfer policy and forget tonights game. This showed how poor our transfer policy has been. I am now getting worried about Mourinos comments about how proud he was of the players really?? Totally given a footballing lesson and if it wasn’t for lloris we would have suffered another Munich.We lack strikers but that does not explain the way we were dominated in midfield and the complete lack of tactics.Please give Parrot a game he can’t be worse than Moura who is a wide player who can’t retain the ball.Also bring in Taranga for the walking disaster at right back who was caught out of position at least ten timesI personally am fed up with the comments about being tired because of playing two games in a week .Try doing a proper job for the minimum wage. and count your blessings.wWe have no chance of progressing which may be a good thing as the poor boys can have a rest

 

I think we have done well with some of the recent signings. Obviously very early yet but I think Lo Celso is going to turn out to be a steal, Ndombele is definitely class but my worry would be that he becomes a bit like Pogba has become at United. Also I think Stefan is a good buy, he has hit the ground running and in a full strength team would he preferred to Moura as a starter
I’m not convinced about Sessegnon yet, he was flavour of the month a year ago but I’d say the jury is out on him still

 

Mourinho 0 - Ndombele 1

Did someone see the difference once Lamela and Ndombele came on for Gedson and the very poor Dele ? I hope Mourinho see it... Nothing added !

 

I didn’t see the game but reading on other forums, a lot of people saying Sanchez had a great game, any agreement?

 

Sanchez was our best defender. The only problem he has is his passing abilities. But he is clearly the best player in our defense !

 

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho: "I'm not worried with the 1-0 - we can go there and win. What worries me is that these are our players for the next however many matches.

"Moura was absolutely dead, Bergwijn was absolutely dead, Lo Celso was absolutely dead.

"We are really in trouble. If it was just this game I'd say 'no problem' but we have FA Cup and Premier League games.

"I know Lamela could only give us 20 minutes and I knew Ndombele could not play for 90 minutes. I tried to manage the pieces I had."

Jose Mourinho says Tottenham loss to Leipzig was 'going to fight with a gun without bullets

The squad is not fit for purpose, same every season

(Before someone feels threatened the bolds are from copy & paste)

 

I agree with a lot of the positivity and negativity on this forum. I just believe the reality is probably somewhere in the middle. I do not believe that the negativity is unique to our club. I would say that Liverpool probably set the bar on how a football club can be run when everyone is on the same pathway with the same vision and they are reaping the rewards. The owners, chairman, coach, players and fans seem to be one big symphony of perfection. Which other clubs would fall into this category right now throughout Europe? Our squad is not up to scratch but I'm pretty sure bar Liverpools no one else's is either. We are rebuilding I'm sure in the summer window alot of our issues will be put right. For me I'm just not sure in Jan there was anyone available in the striker department worth taking a punt on. It don't see Jose taking a player that he's not keen on unlike Poch. Maybe the match made in hell which is Levy and Mourinho might just work out in the long term.

 

Defending deep is ok away from home, however, when playing at home it gives away too much initiative and gives away the advantage of the home crowd.
RB were allowed to get comfortable and not put under any pressure in the opening 20mins. Thus giving up the crowd energy. RB had a makeshift defence with an 18yo playing yet no pressure was applied, all it takes is a few miss placed passes and the home crowd on your back, and players start making mistakes.

Spurs need to be on the front foot for 1st 15-20min period of games at least it will get the crowd going. Playing deep is a tactic that should be mixed in with periods of playing a high line when the opportunity presents itself. At the moment Spurs are conceding unnecessary ground, and giving too much respect to teams who haven't earned it. When spurs started to push forward RB didn't look anything special.

 

The issue for Sanchez is that he is on the same side of the defence as Aurier

 

Anybody else not happy with the Mourino comments after the game.We all know that. we are short of strikers but the continual whining is getting to me and I assume some of the players.Surely it’s the job of the manager to lift the squad morale not give them an excuse to lay down and die.I wanted him in because I thought his man united period was a blip but he is reverting to his old blame anybody else mode.I can think of managers who would see the lack of strikers as a challenge to create a way of playing to minimise the damage.We do have good attacking players not being used to the best of their abilities.How can you have a European cup game at home and be lucky not to be 3 do down in 10 minutes.I would rather lose giving it a go than the sterile rubbish we are currently playing.Finally how can Mourino not see that Moura is not a centre forward he is a wide man and should only play there. Give Parrot at least a place on the bench

 

Lb, Rb, DM, CF, Wf

 

It's a statement of fact, he asked for a striker in the window and was not given 1, his back up plan who's not a striker but our only other consistent goal threat then gets injured.
In any form of work if you don't have the tools at hand how are you supposed to achieve top end results? (CL is top end competition)
What would you say in the same position under the same circumstances?
Our next 2 available goal threats are Alli & Moura who have scored between them 2 in 20.
These situations don't creep out of nowhere, can't continually bemoan bad luck.
A proper club or buisness as some like to call it prepare for most reasonable eventualities, it's a 60+ game season injuries are part n parcel so you need depth and you need quality if you're being serious.
JM picked up a side that couldn't buy a win for a year n a half on its knees, he's took us from 14th to 5th won the last 3 prem games back to back including City without his star striker, cut him some slack.
We were outplayed & beaten by a Leipzig side that are blowing teams away in the Bundesliga packed with quality.
We know Alli & Moura are inconsistent and more often than not useless, we know winks is a sideways merchant, we know we don't have pacey reliable wing backs to help push going forward, we know the defence is shakey and lacks protection in front none of this is a mystery to anyone in the real world.
Only the previous regime and current ownership should be held accountable for these facts they allowed that situation to fester.
What's JM done in (3 months) whittled out a few bad eggs (rose CE), moved on the pointless KWP, brought in legs in Gedson to make up for loss of Sissoko added Bergwijn to give some pace n change dynamic from CEs departure, asked for a striker because his only striker is out and didn't get one, couple that now with Son out.
Seriously what do people expect ? What would you have done differently ?
He's done what looks logical to me so far, I could not see Pochettino having done half these things personally we'd still be listening to some drivel about how brave it all is while everything burns around him.
I've seen people talking about the free flowing football under Poch well unless you've got a time machine back to 2016 then this was all a distant memory we were abysmal for the last year he was at the club.
You need to ask have we improved since he left ? The answer is yes the results speak for themselves.
Gotta let JM build his team before jumping on him what he's currently doing is shoring up a mess which is how he should be judged currently.

 

Thoughts.....after a very painful watch last night.

- in JM we have one arrogant b*****d, never wrong, always got an answer-back, like your kids when they’re young....does he really think, given the current striker dearth, that Parrott is “not yet ready”.....was Kane, was Rashford. FFs we’re bleeding here and you choose not to risk him, in ANY games. Big mistake IMO.

- Aurier, Davies....how painful was that. I’d bench Aurier and play Tanganga there, no doubt. He’s thirty yards from his winger and the action most of the game.

- The various postering from The Special One I assume to be tactical, attempting to shame DL into spending in the summer. I wish, we wish. Will it make any difference....I’d have to believe that DL will be saying “Sell before you can Buy”.....

- Lo Celso looks a player

It was so painful to watch the toil last night, and I can’t help feeling he’s going to destroy Dele’s confidence. Was he right to pull him. Personally I’d have gone 3 at the back, pulled Aurier and kept Dele on, but I’m not The Special One.

COYS

 

Nope not at all I would rather have a manager who states facts rather than one that talks in rhymes and harps on how happy they are with the squad and there no one who would make it better back to the actual point of the thread yeah the new signings look ok Gedson struggled to get in the game last night Lo Celso got better as RBL allowed him more room Ndombele did a few nice things but it appears he is struggling to play for more than 30 minutes Stevie B looks quite tasty think he will improve Sess not sure he has any idea what is expected from him has looked lost not sure if he should attack or defend so does neither very well at the moment

 

felon I am not criticising what Mourino has done so far but I do not like the defence of that performance last night saying he was proud of the players and that is what to expect for the rest of the season.That is excusing a poor performance.The players need inspiring not given reason to lose.I believe we have enough attacking players in our squad to improvise with a false 9 as city have done in the past.Make no mistake that I am glad that Pochetino has gone because him and levy are responsible for the mess were in and I dread what rubbish he would be coming out with now.Watch Sheffield United and see what can be done with less good players than Tottenham but a manager who does not go looking for excuses and uses his resources imaginatively.Although we have won more games under Mourino we have had more luck than our performance deserved.We beat Norwich and villa but we’re definitely second best in the football skills and these are probably going to be in the championship next year

 

I do agree with alot of this , I'm not an excuses get out kind of guy it actually pains me the excuse/apologist culture so deeply embedded in the club.
But I'm just saying that it's a fact we needed a striker , JM asked for one and like all before wasn't given what he needs.
He's then unfortunately had the fall back/make do plan go tits up aswell so is now having to muddle through top end fixtures with what can only be described as inconsistent at best players who've produced 2 goals in 20 between them.
Then fans are criticizing his selection and methods plus reporters taking digs.
He's being honest, you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

 

Mourinho is fool of shiiit. Nothing new, that is the way he is. He declared the season lost totally. He would have done that injuries or not (!!!) at some point in time. Mou needs that to look genius, if Spurs win something or just win. That is how he operates: low expectation, great result would be any then.
Kane and Son out made that job easier for him. It is simply preposterous to think that striker signing would change anything, its a lame excuse.Even, if FA would allow him to sign Kun or Vardy this Tuesday, JM would have played the same football yesterday, where the hope is that opponent will miss all of many chances, whilst Spurs wont the one they got. RB would have battered Spurs exactly the same way. It is the same football Spurs played against City. It will be all the same all the time. Spurs were told by Mou to play last 20 minutes. So they did. Lamela was just the signal to start playing.
Can Spurs win? There is no chance against Leipzig, sorry. But outside UCL? Sure. It will not be palatable whatsoever, we knew it when Levy hired Mourinho. Our only hope that Chelsea would fall apart, as they should by now, and Spurs could sneak into top 4.
Spurs could have won against RB, if not for Davies mishap and, if LoCelso hit a bit higher from Free Kick. That is what to expect in the future. A 2016 Ranieri LCFC football. Tony Pulis would be proud .
Would Klopp have played the same dross, if he was Spurs manager yesterday? Here we go... You know the answer.