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Player Ben Davies

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Don't reckon we'll see him play for us again. But the guy 100% deserves all our respect for his many years of effective service. The no-nonsense Ronseal player of his age. Never any fuss. A real pro.
Why wouldn't we keep him for another year? He is a great asset to the club as well as the team. When his contract runs out he is a free agent, he could come back or move on depending on the situation. There would be no shortage of takers if he decides to move on a free.
 
Why wouldn't we keep him for another year? He is a great asset to the club as well as the team. When his contract runs out he is a free agent, he could come back or move on depending on the situation. There would be no shortage of takers if he decides to move on a free.
I don't have a problem with it personally but I think we'll be looking to replace him.
 
We should definitely bring in another left back who can compete with Udogie, but Ben covers two positions and doesn't make any fuss when he doesn't start. With (hopefully!) a lot more games to play next season that is worth a lot.
I think we really need another speedy left-sided CB with Ange. VDV is fantastic but he looks like a guy who'll miss a few games and we'll need someone similar to cover (or challenge when he's going through a dodgy patch).
 
Davies is and has been a great asset to us. Deserves to stay around and provide cover but I agree with others that we need to find someone that suits the Angeball system better. We've been considerably worse without Udogie at times this season.
 
I think Ben is far more capable of playing Angeball than Emerson. He is very tidy on the ball and when given the licence to get forward he does it quite aggressively. Underrated player.

I’d rather get a player who can cover RB/LB to replace Emerson and keep Ben.
 

Ben Davies reveals how key Tottenham staff are helping squad focus on ending 'desperate' wait​

The Tottenham left-back has been speaking about his time under various managers and the structure within the north London club

Alasdair GoldTottenham Hotspur correspondent

  • 18:00, 8 JUN 2024
Ben Davies admits he really believed Ange Postecoglou's first year at Tottenham was going to end the club's long trophy drought and has spoken about the structure within the club.

The 31-year-old Welshman can boast - although he won't - that he arrived at Spurs back in 2014 as a trophy winner. He lifted the League Cup at Wembley that year as Swansea City's starting left-back, but Davies has not been able to add to that piece of silverware in his career in his decade in north London.


In a long and insightful YouTube appearance for The Business of Sport, Davies delved into his time at Tottenham and admitted that he thought Postecoglou's work since arriving was going to end that wait for a trophy this year.

"I think the thing that we're always going to have put back at us is lack of trophies and that's far from the want of trying. It's been something that we've been desperate to do for a long time, but it's the biggest thing that we all want at this club. It can be very frustrating for us as players but at the same time you always appreciate that the club has gone through a lot of change," he said.

"We've moved stadium, we spent a couple of years at Wembley. It all felt a bit crazy at the time but I really feel like we've built that foundation now. Things aren't going to happen overnight but we've built that foundation and we have an opportunity in the next couple of years.

"I really thought that this year was our time, but football is an incredibly challenging industry to win. Just spending the biggest money doesn't guarantee you the results. It's about building that team and getting it right. It's probably the hardest thing to do in sport."

The Wales international was also asked about the role of the sporting director within a football club. Over his 10 years at Spurs, Davies has been exposed to plenty of such types within the club as people have come and gone with Johan Lange the current technical director at Tottenham, after moving from Aston Villa last year.

"At Tottenham, it's changed a lot since I first arrived. I'm probably a good person to speak to in that sense in that I've seen it when there was no real link between the board and the players, whereas now we've had sporting directors come in and I think they have really bridged that gap," said the defender.

"It bridges the gap between the players and [club] management at times. It's a difficult one because ultimately I think it's a better structure to have a sporting director in place. They are linked with the business side of sport, with the needs and wants of the ownership and management of the club, and are somewhat related to the players and the playing side.

"When you're a player in a club, your sole interest is to win games. You shouldn't have any other thoughts about the finances of the club, whether they're going to be ok with financial fair play, who's going to be the manager. You should be in your bubble of 'this is our team, this is our manager and coaches and this is where we're going to stay'.

"Having that link gives you an idea as to where you want to go as a club. I think a sporting director can come in and set up processes that are going to be stuck to, whatever manager you have. I've been at clubs, at Spurs and Swansea, where when a manager came in they had sole discretion on transfers and the way we're going to play and that can change manager to manager.

"Having a sporting director in place, a technical director, or head of recruitment, all those job titles can be quite interchangeable, it puts in a place a framework of how we're going to do it as a club. It would probably sound strange in another business that a new manager could come in and change the whole shape of the business."

He added: "From my experience as a player, I haven't had too many dealings with a sporting director. I've obviously had conversations and semi-serious discussions with some of them, but I've never been in those situations where I get to see the actual day to day. As players you're really put in your bubble and when the sporting director really wants to talk to you it tends to not be so good!"
 
If he was called Benji Van De Vies or Benny Davinho or Benoit David, he'd sure have a lot more fans.

The guy is a top pro, nice & genuine & clever bloke too. Proper loves Spurs. Great influence in the dressing room. Always gives 110% on the pitch so he'll always have my respect. Of course he's no Maldini, but we don't need him to be. He's a very good utility man, defo good enough to deputise for Micky/Udo/Cuti for 10-15 games next season...and for sure there's plenty others who need to go before Gentle Ben.
 
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