Transfers January Transfer Thread 2024

[scarletjim]

If you are an adult you recognize there has to be a balance and acknowledge that Levy has done a great job building the foundations of the business to become a revenue machine. This has helped performance some seasons as well.

If you are an adult you also have to acknowledge that it's a football club built on the good will and faith of customers (fans). Those fans have been the collateral the business has been built on, the business that makes the board members millions. It's not unreasonable that those fans want to see a bigger priority placed on results over the occasional slight overpay to reduce the risk of dropping points.

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Again I think I probably agree with all of that. I would challenge though that those 'occasional slight overpays' should be for something either team-changing, or urgent. If Dragusin were to sign next week instead of yesterday, and that saved us (say) £2m, is one FA Cup tie against Burnley really worth spending an extra £2m on a single player? He might have a great impact, he might score the winning goal, but there are 22 players on the field, often 30 feature in total, so statistically it's unlikely that he would be the difference between winning and losing.

The problem is that many of the posters on here with less sense than your good self seem to want us to overpay for every transfer - JUST GET IT DONE YOU BALD CUNT* they say for pretty much every player who we are linked with and someone on the internet told them was good. So I agree with you that, just like in other businesses, occasionally you may overpay for something really special or really crucial, but not every player as some want, and I'd argue not Dragusin here.


* slight aside - why is it ok for people to attack Levy for being bald? I can think of plenty of other characteristics that he could have that if you put them before 'cunt' everyone would be seething - his skin colour, his age, a disability, perhaps his weight etc - why is it ok to use his baldness specifically when insulting him? I just have no idea what the 'rules' are any more... :/

 

[nicoclaesen]

The extra few million could easily be recouped when you consider the riches of CL qualifications

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We make that in one go kart race

 

[LeParisien]

Football isn't a normal business when it comes to transfers and money.

Paying the extra 2million happens more often for teams that place greater value on results than money.

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I still don’t understand why you’re acting like we are going to buy a pint of milk and a loaf of bread.

There is NO PRICE for a player. This is a NEGOTJATION.

Coughing up the extra 5m doesn’t guarantee that’s the final price. The selling club has to:
A) find the figure acceptable
B) feel that you will not go another euro higher

There is always another million euros they can screw from a large premier league club for a top talent. So part of the negotiation is letting the selling club know what your limit is. That takes time and it takes time for every club.

Edit: TheGreenLily too.

 

[GOAT]

I still don’t understand why you’re acting like we are going to buy a pint of milk and a loaf of bread.

There is NO PRICE for a player. This is a NEGOTJATION.

Coughing up the extra 5m doesn’t guarantee that’s the final price. The selling club has to:
A) find the figure acceptable
B) feel that you will not go another euro higher

There is always another million euros they can screw from a large premier league club for a top talent. So part of the negotiation is letting the selling club know what your limit is. That takes time and it takes time for every club.

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Oh shut up.

 

[Jaynola]

It will bankrupt us if we begin to routinely overpay for players and hence get a reputation for doing so. Whether you like it or not, I can guarantee to you that ENIC and Levy see THFC as a business as well as a football club, and they will make decisions with both hats on to the best of their abilities (of course that doesn't mean they will always get it right). If Daniel was convinced that getting Dragusin in on1st Jan would be the difference between us winning the FA Cup or not winning it, then I can promise you he would have ensured the club did everything in its power to make it happen - why wouldn't he? Whatever anyone might say about him (and there have certainly been lots of valid criticisms over the years), he definitely does want to make Spurs richer, and if that's through CL qualification etc, he'd be delighted with that. So, why do YOU think he hasn't paid the (currently mythical / unsourced) £2m extra to get Dragusin in yesterday? Surely the only answer must be that in his opinion, it wouldn't guarantee success worth more than that £2m, it wouldn't even increase our chances of such success enough to be worth £2m.

When you look at it like above, football is actually a lot more 'like every other business' than perhaps we like to think. Well certainly to those who have the most power to impact the club anyway.

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As far as I'm concerned, and I think that's what our boy Richard Arlison is saying too...we ain't saying we should routinely overpay. Of course we don't wanna be seen as a club you can always get a few extra mil out of, we don't wanna be the next United or Chelsea or PSG and see selling clubs demand a special Spurs price. We don't wanna get into FFP troubles either...course not. I'm glad we have a board that looks after the club's financial viability and long-term health...and if that means walking away from certain deals, then so be it.

But on the other end, we wanna see our board, on occasions, go that extra mile or two. That whole CB episode is one such occasion. We're down to the bare bones now...and as Richy pointed out yesterday, we still would've been with Dier and Sanchez still on the roster. That Radu deal should've been worked on and finalized weeks ago, with only minor adjustments made over the festive break and boom, he'd have landed here Jan 1st or 2nd. Say that'd have cost us an extra 5 mil...I totally get your earlier posts about investment/return etc but...in my opinion that'd have been 5 mil worth spending in the long run, especially for a club as wealthy as ours and who's not a regular overpayer

 

[LeParisien]

Oh shut up.

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Great contribution.

The fact is many people never display any empathy. It’s like selling clubs have no agency or they’re all dumb as shit rather than rational actors trying to maximise the return on their assets.

 

[scarletjim]

If that's true, well thanks for the memories, big lad...and very best of luck in Bavaria.

He'll play good minutes there, win trophies. Might help his England chances, he's still young enough.

Nice one, Eric.

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For me he's one of those players who fell into the category of just not being good enough for us, but that's no fault of his. I can understand why people might give insulting nicknames to players like N'Dombele, players who are lazy, don't care, don't try, shit on the club etc, but I can't understand the mentality of our own fans calling players like Dier cunts and all sorts of other unwarranted stuff. Most of us have had a bit of fun at his expense in recent years, but some of what has been said about him is just disgusting.

Hence echo your feelings - absolutely wish him all the best.

 

[GOAT]

Great contribution.

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Cheers!

 

[Shadydan]

As far as I'm concerned, and I think that's what our boy Richard Arlison is saying too...we ain't saying we should routinely overpay. Of course we don't wanna be seen as a club you can always get a few extra mil out of, we don't wanna be the next United or Chelsea or PSG and see selling clubs demand a special Spurs price. We don't wanna get into FFP troubles either...course not. I'm glad we have a board that looks after the club's financial viability and long-term health...and if that means walking away from certain deals, then so be it.

But on the other end, we wanna see our board, on occasions, go that extra mile or two. That whole CB episode is one such occasion. We're down to the bare bones now...and as Richy pointed out yesterday, we still would've been with Dier and Sanchez still on the roster. That Radu deal should've been worked on and finalized weeks ago, with only minor adjustments made over the festive break and boom, he'd have landed here Jan 1st or 2nd. Say that'd have cost us an extra 5 mil...I totally get your earlier posts about investment/return etc but...in my opinion that'd have been 5 mil worth spending in the long run, especially for a club as wealthy as ours and who's not a regular overpayer

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We don't need to overpay though, that's kinda the point - we're not in a desperate situation at the moment, we don't need him to beat Burnley and the next Prem match against Utd is on the 14th.

It's very easy to spend other people's money isn't it.

 

[TheGreenLily]

They'll never forgive Harry, for this.

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It was the plan to get him back and dump Eric on them.

 

[Fattynomates]

What happened to the £150 mil levy put in through a share rights issue last year

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Exactly what I was gonna say when I saw that post

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[Gatsby]

Bald headed c**t fucking around as usual. Should have just paid the asking price Genoa wanted, around 30 million if the rumours are true.

The bald headed cunt, dicking about with a critical area that we desperately need depth.

A fucking loan, and I wouldn't be suprised if the Napoli rumours are true too.

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Do you genuinely believe the first thing you read? If so, can I introduce you to my Nigerian uncle?


But seriously, what are you on about? Johan Lange and Scott Munn are in charge of transfers now, with Paratici advising. Levy isn't on this.

When have you ever seen a club not haggle on a transfer fee unless there's a release clause?

 

[Gatsby]

They'll never forgive Harry, for this.

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H is playing to long game..

Join Bayern, convince them to sign Dier, and then rejoin Spurs himself.

Only way we were ever getting rid of Eric.

 

[Richard Arlison]

As far as I'm concerned, and I think that's what our boy Richard Arlison is saying too...we ain't saying we should routinely overpay. Of course we don't wanna be seen as a club you can always get a few extra mil out of, we don't wanna be the next United or Chelsea or PSG and see selling clubs demand a special Spurs price. We don't wanna get into FFP troubles either...course not. I'm glad we have a board that looks after the club's financial viability and long-term health...and if that means walking away from certain deals, then so be it.

But on the other end, we wanna see our board, on occasions, go that extra mile or two. That whole CB episode is one such occasion. We're down to the bare bones now...and as Richy pointed out yesterday, we still would've been with Dier and Sanchez still on the roster. That Radu deal should've been worked on and finalized weeks ago, with only minor adjustments made over the festive break and boom, he'd have landed here Jan 1st or 2nd. Say that'd have cost us an extra 5 mil...I totally get your earlier posts about investment/return etc but...in my opinion that'd have been 5 mil worth spending in the long run, especially for a club as wealthy as ours and who's not a regular overpayer

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That is exactly what I'm saying mate.

We don't need to overpay though, that's kinda the point - we're not in a desperate situation at the moment, we don't need him to beat Burnley and the next Prem match against Utd is on the 14th.

It's very easy to spend other people's money isn't it.

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Actually, no. We have already been in a desperate situation. Full strength we were top of the league and then injuries and suspensions at CB cost us big time because we didn't prioritize the depth in the summer. Burnley and UTd are additional risks not the first risks.

When you are serious about winning the premier league, you don't risk points instead of paying up for a third CB.

 

[Fattynomates]

FFS can people please stop talking about a couple of million quid like it doesn't matter! My last job was at an organisation with an annual global turnover of more than £100 billion, yet if one of our UK Finance Directors had ever dared to suggest that losing out on £2m somewhere didn't matter, they would have been shown the door pretty sharpish! Wealthy companies don't stay wealthy by being frivolous with money. They may make mistakes - a takeover that didn't deliver what was expected (for football read N'Dombele) - but they don't just routinely knowingly pay over the odds for assets instead of negotiating an appropriate price. They might do so once in a blue moon for an acquisition that they really think will change the world (for football some might read Van Dijk) - but not for 'normal' transfers.

It never ceases to amaze me how little people on here seem to understand about business / money.

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Of course thats True, but you also need to factor in whether getting a player in Before the United game gives us a better chance of getting Champions league football, you also need to factor in that Ange has said he wants his players in Early.
If you take into account the above suddenly a couple of million quid seems like a risk worth taking to keep arguably our best manager in years happy and also increase our chances of generating more revenue by qualifying for the CL.
There should be no excuses that we couldn't get a deal done in time for the player to be ready to face united in our next league game, there is still time for this of course and one of the reasons why i think this deal gets done today or at the latest by Monday,

 

[Richard Arlison]

I still don’t understand why you’re acting like we are going to buy a pint of milk and a loaf of bread.

There is NO PRICE for a player. This is a NEGOTJATION.

Coughing up the extra 5m doesn’t guarantee that’s the final price. The selling club has to:
A) find the figure acceptable
B) feel that you will not go another euro higher

There is always another million euros they can screw from a large premier league club for a top talent. So part of the negotiation is letting the selling club know what your limit is. That takes time and it takes time for every club.

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I'm not saying pay up any specific amount.

I am saying prioritize the business and get it done instead of making excuses. Of course, it's a negotiation and there are always excuses/reasons why transfers can't happen. January is difficult but this isn't a January problem, this is a summer problem.

Much like Van Dijk was a summer problem for Liverpool and they didn't make any extra excuses for it in the January window. They just found a way to get it done.

 

[scarletjim]

As far as I'm concerned, and I think that's what our boy Richard Arlison is saying too...we ain't saying we should routinely overpay. Of course we don't wanna be seen as a club you can always get a few extra mil out of, we don't wanna be the next United or Chelsea or PSG and see selling clubs demand a special Spurs price. We don't wanna get into FFP troubles either...course not. I'm glad we have a board that looks after the club's financial viability and long-term health...and if that means walking away from certain deals, then so be it.

But on the other end, we wanna see our board, on occasions, go that extra mile or two. That whole CB episode is one such occasion. We're down to the bare bones now...and as Richy pointed out yesterday, we still would've been with Dier and Sanchez still on the roster. That Radu deal should've been worked on and finalized weeks ago, with only minor adjustments made over the festive break and boom, he'd have landed here Jan 1st or 2nd. Say that'd have cost us an extra 5 mil...I totally get your earlier posts about investment/return etc but...in my opinion that'd have been 5 mil worth spending in the long run, especially for a club as wealthy as ours and who's not a regular overpayer

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Similar to my response to RA, I agree with the vast majority of that, I think the only bit where we must agree to disagree is Dragusin being one of those special occasional exceptions. I won't repeat everything I've said in my reply to RA, but in summary I can't see having Dragusin in a week earlier being worth several millions pounds.

Perhaps some fear we will lose him completely for that reason - I don't - if we want him, I think we'll get him, they can't compete with what we can offer financially, and if the player decides in his heart that he doesn't want to come, then that would be the same now or in a week's time. (Of course we shouldn't ignore the possiblity of us actually wanting someone else - that seems to be Paratici's MO...)

Nice to have this discussion between the 3 of us and end up finding lots of common ground, whilst pin-pointing the main specific on which we don't agree, and why. If only all debates on here were like that.

 

[LeParisien]

Of course thats True, but you also need to factor in whether getting a player in Before the United game gives us a better chance of getting Champions league football, you also need to factor in that Ange has said he wants his players in Early.
If you take into account the above suddenly a couple of million quid seems like a risk worth taking to keep arguably our best manager in years happy and also increase our chances of generating more revenue by qualifying for the CL.
There should be no excuses that we couldn't get a deal done in time for the player to be ready to face united in our next league game, there is still time for this of course and one of the reasons why i think this deal gets done today or at the latest by Monday,

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If I am Genoa, I only accept a couple of million extra if I feel that’s your limit. If I feel you really like the player and are willing and able to go higher then I don’t step there. I don’t sell 30m assets every transfer window.

I see what you’re saying about the possible benefits but I don’t know how you calculate the positive impact a 21 year old might have in their first game a week after the arrive in the country. How sure can anyone really be that they will make the difference (cold hard points) in that first game?

 

[Sir Archibald Crooks]

Ange said if you wait to buy until the end of January then that player wont be upto speed and ready you play until mid February so i highly doubt even if we sign Dragusin he will play at Old Trafford. He wanted another CB in the summer and he's made it clear he wanted one early this window. All i care about is not pissing off yet another good manager.

 

[Herclueless]

Football isn't a normal business when it comes to transfers and money.

Paying the extra 2million happens more often for teams that place greater value on results than money.

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It's also not your standard purchasing process though, players don't have a handy price-tag around their necks and a barcode to scan at checkout.

Genoa don't have any interest in making a purchase nice and straight forward for us, they want what's best for them, and as much as this makes some scoff, if we had gone in on Jan 1st with a 30m offer, then they would more likely counter by asking for 35m than simply accept.