Mousa Dembélé

[StripiestPilot]

The right time would be end of season..Not now.

This is our only chance to get a fee. We were never going to turn down £11m for someone who has barely played and will otherwise leave for nothing.

The team has already moved from Dembele, the question now is whether we make a signing or trust Skipp to step up.

That's fair enough. But it's still an indictment of our recruitment policy that the replacement of one of our best and most vital and important players is merely circumstantial rather than carefully planned. Wanyama was never intended as a replacement, Sissoko was signed as a powerful wide right player and Winks was a kid who was extremely injury prone.

That’s how it goes sometimes. We didn’t sign Dele Alli to play as anything other than a central midfielder but now he plays as a roaming support striker. We signed Danny Rose to play on the wing. We signed Dier as a right back. Sissoko has now taken Dembele’s role in the team. Just because it wasn’t planned doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

 

[Boltonspur]

It's only a mistake if we don't sign anyone. We would be silly to turn down £11m for an injury prone 31 year old who has barely played this season. I love Mousa but now is the right time for all parties to move on, especially with Sissoko playing so well. The team has already adapted to his absence.

If we signed someone, who is to say they hit the ground running without any Poch pre season? Mousa slots right back into the team with no fuss. He doesn’t need to learn a new system. He doesn’t need to get used to new team mates or a new country. He knows his job & his role inside out.
I maintain taking £11m now is a mistake. It’s nothing to a club our size, when we are still in 4 competitions.
The cost to the club of taking £11m now could be getting the wrong player in, or no player at all. Wanyama is still unfit and looks like his knees have gone. Dier isn’t an adequate Dembele replacement & he’s coming back from an appendix operation anyway. An injury to Sissoko and we could be down to Skipp as our only viable option. As much as I rate him, it’s too big a responsibility. For his services to the club, the Moose deserves to be part of the challenge if he wants to , before he goes off to a non competitive league, playing out his career in relative ease.

 

[TomHotspur]

Calm down it's not a "major indictment" of anything. You make it sound like MD wasn't always in and out of the team for varying reasons.

Amazing player on his day; but making him out to be some go-to, stalwart, lynchpin is romantic revisionism.

...And Winks isnt "injury prone". He had a serious injury that has slowed his development. Hardly one and the same thing.

Bearing in mind Eriksen and Dele both play there at times now too.... How many CMs do you honestly think we should have on the books?

...Inc. those two and Skipp i count 8!

I'm perfectly calm mate, I think you should probably take your own advice.

Dembele was absolutely a go to lynchpin in both 15/16 and 16/17, we were a totally different animal with him in the team and most certainly would not have challenged for the title either season without him. There's absolutely no "romantic revisionism" here. By the same token, your post would suggest he was a bit part, show pony luxury player.

Since the Summer of 16/17 we've been supposedly actively looking for his long term replacement, yet somehow we still haven't one signed. I don't see how this cannot be put down to poor recruitment, that's all I'm saying.

 

[BAE32]

11m for Moose is madness regardless of contract situation. The bloke is pure class and even if he only plays a third of the season he is easily worth double that. What a player.

 

[B-0-Sspurs]

If we signed someone, who is to say they hit the ground running without any Poch pre season? Mousa slots right back into the team with no fuss. He doesn’t need to learn a new system. He doesn’t need to get used to new team mates or a new country. He knows his job & his role inside out.
I maintain taking £11m now is a mistake. It’s nothing to a club our size, when we are still in 4 competitions.
The cost to the club of taking £11m now could be getting the wrong player in, or no player at all. Wanyama is still unfit and looks like his knees have gone. Dier isn’t an adequate Dembele replacement & he’s coming back from an appendix operation anyway. An injury to Sissoko and we could be down to Skipp as our only viable option. As much as I rate him, it’s too big a responsibility. For his services to the club, the Moose deserves to be part of the challenge if he wants to , before he goes off to a non competitive league, playing out his career in relative ease.

I agree but it makes sense to get a fee now, on the grounds we are making a signing this January.

Despite Sisokko coming good, It would be unfair to expect skipp and winks to be our midfield choices when we are battling in four competitions. Added to the fact Wanyama seems injury prone and Dier is still out......

 

[Clynelish]

This is our only chance to get a fee. We were never going to turn down £11m for someone who has barely played and will otherwise leave for nothing.

'Barely played' is a bit of an exaggeration though, he has started 10 times this season (after coming back late from the World Cup), got injured in November and is now on his way back, I think he would easily start another 12-15 matches this season if he stays with the amount of games coming up in the next 4 months.

 

[Achilles]

Even if we sign a CM this window, I except it will be a lot like Moura. He may play in the odd match here and there, but the rest of the season will be their time to bed in with the rest of the squad.

Winks, Sissoko, Skipp & Dier it is. If Vic comes back all the better, like others have mentioned Dele and Eriksen can both play deeper to quite good effect as well... Lets now just hope that Dier, Lamela and Moura aren't out much longer.

 

[scott]

Will never understand this thinking, anyone we sign should be a "starter" then you let the players fight it out, minus Kane who's the best forward in world football, any position could be improved on.

When you try and sign players for depth you end up with pointless players like Nkoudou and Njie. When you sign starters you get pple like Sanchez and Moura, even though we already had toby and jan cb and son, lamela, dele in the attacking areas, you sign quality to compete with them, then when you have injuries like we've had at cb this season, we've still got quality to cover. Competition gets the best out of players, Son playing out of this world, with Moura breathing down his neck if he is to slip up.

Totally agree. There are so many games & what with injuries you don't have a best 11 who play nearly every game. Poch would be lucky if his best 11 even started half the games in a season. So instead of just 11 players who are good enough to be best 11, you want at least 15 really. Having 11 starters & then some average squad players is very outdated.
That "well who do you drop" barely has any relevance any more.
For example you can play 2 CB's & still have enough games for Sanchez, Toby & Jan. Even foyth is getting games.
Most of the new signings should be good enough to start, unless they are a young prospect. No more n'pointless type signings please.

 

[pointSPUR]

Love the guy

 

[For better or worse]

there are very few players on their day that are truly unplayable. He was one, the opposition couldn't get near him. Apparently his ability to hold player off came from the type of street football he played as a child, I would love to see this taken into our training sessions if this is the result.

Was sublime at times but also frustrating with a lack of goals and forward passes. I've enjoyed watching him but £11m to me is still a wedge of money.

 

[Boltonspur]

I agree but it makes sense to get a fee now, on the grounds we are making a signing this January.

Despite Sisokko coming good, It would be unfair to expect skipp and winks to be our midfield choices when we are battling in four competitions. Added to the fact Wanyama seems injury prone and Dier is still out......

Sorry. We are one misfit signing away from regretting this for a very long time. I think taking the money now is a potentially huge misjudgment. A club our size, fighting on 4 fronts probably needs additions that Poch can work with and integrate as and when, not replacements who will be expected to make an immediate impact if needed & may struggle in the early months. We can stand the risk of an £11m hit. We signed Janssen & N’Koudou ffs.

 

[HyNdZee]

I will miss the moose. I hope we don't regret this.

 

[Boltonspur]

I'm perfectly calm mate, I think you should probably take your own advice.

Dembele was absolutely a go to lynchpin in both 15/16 and 16/17, we were a totally different animal with him in the team and most certainly would not have challenged for the title either season without him. There's absolutely no "romantic revisionism" here. By the same token, your post would suggest he was a bit part, show pony luxury player.

Since the Summer of 16/17 we've been supposedly actively looking for his long term replacement, yet somehow we still haven't one signed. I don't see how this cannot be put down to poor recruitment, that's all I'm saying.

There are not many players in the world like him, & those that are will either not be available in January because they will be helping their current clubs, or way out of Levy’s price range, or not good enough.
People have written him off for longer than I care to go back through this forum. Every season he has played an important role and I can see no reason why a fully fit Dembele can’t play an important role this season.
And I’m guessing that if a club is willing to pay £11m for a player who will be free in 6 months time, he must be fit to go, no?

 

[TomHotspur]

.

There are not many players in the world like him, & those that are will either not be available in January because they will be helping their current clubs, or way out of Levy’s price range, or not good enough.
People have written him off for longer than I care to go back through this forum. Every season he has played an important role and I can see no reason why a fully fit Dembele can’t play an important role this season.
And I’m guessing that if a club is willing to pay £11m for a player who will be free in 6 months time, he must be fit to go, no?

I agree entirely. Even if he didn't start a single game for the rest of the season, having him on the bench to come on for even 10 minutes at the end of games would be worth so so much more than selling him for a measly 9 million and inevitably not replacing him.

 

[Boltonspur]

.

I agree entirely. Even if he didn't start a single game for the rest of the season, having him on the bench to come on for even 10 minutes at the end of games would be worth so so much more than selling him for a measly 9 million and inevitably not replacing him.

It’s £9 million now?
Just checked. Yep. £9 million. Scandalous.

 

[iz futbal]

Good luck to him. And if he is really wants to go for the last payday, then fair enough. Silly decision to let him go just for the sake of 11m though. We dont need to act like a relegation contender who have to sell their players to survive.

Fighting on 4 fronts with Dier and Wanyama injured, winks not as good as some think . Skipp hopefully makes it but not quite ready for big games . We are lucky Sissoko has turned into a superstar all of a sudden, otherwise it just seems like a silly cashgrab, not very well thought out.

 

[Thin Lilywhite Duke]

> This thread might get moved to 'general football' in the next couple of days.

Fuck, guys.

 

[Biff]

Absolutely brilliant player on his day. I watched from the back row of the Paxton for those seasons where he bossed games, calming controlling everything that came his way and recycling it. The 50/50s, the 40/60s always became his, and then always became Spurs.

What he did never translated well into fantasy league points, that's the only reason I can think that he is not more highly regarded by the mass mong media. Those who know, know. He was one of the very best.

Not quite sure what is happening now but it would make little sense to sell. He could still play a vital role.

 

[Doom Funk]

you can dress it up all you like but if we let dembele go for 9m and do not sign a replacement in january it is complete negligence from the club , especially when you consider wanyama and winks injury record

 

[ArtyB]