Toby Alderweireld and his 25m release fee... For ages I've almost assumed he was joining Man Utd. It just seemed inevitable. Why would he go there? They're awful from the board down to the tea lady (she's actually the worst of the lot). So where - or might he have a think about whether the grass really would be greener?
if it's about ambition (major trophies), Munich, Madrid, Barca, Juve and City are places where he'd be indisputably more likely to succeed. If it's about money, he'll have a whole lot more options, still, for 'greener grass'. I remember when we first qualified for the Champions League back in 2010. once we'd done it, players like Modric, Bale, and one or two others went on to higher wages, straight away.* we broke our wage structure as soon as the increased revenue streams were secured. I'm hoping that, once we secure another year's CL place, once our income from this CL is known, and once the matchday revenues from the new stadium are clearer - that is, at the end of this season - we'll see Levy breaking our existing structure and splashing the cash necessary to keep some players who would otherwise be expected to move on. or maybe that's just wishful thinking. *I think.
it all feels on a knife's edge, doesn't it? I mean, we've held on to a lot of these really, really, good players for a longer stretch than you'd've thought we could a few years back. think of all those images of Poch with his arm around whoever had signed his new contract. but we kept on moving in the right direction - showed signs of progress - and they stayed on board. well, after finishing second twice (I know, I know) we then dropped down a bit, and we've not challenged for the title like we had, and you start to think, 'ok … maybe these guys think they've gone as far at Spurs as they can'. then you look up and … hey, we're in with a shot at a champions league final. so maybe there is more to be had here, and maybe there's a little more money to go around, too. so maybe, just maybe, we can keep players like toby and Eriksen. kane and sonny are world class, but every sound they make is how much they love it at Spurs. so maybe we can keep moving forward. but then you realize there's a real possibility that those guys move on … like, now. and you have to think, 'there's a real step backward that it'll be tough to re-gain in a season or two'. and what about the likes of kane and sonny, then? it's all too much. right now, I just want a good performance v Ajax.
It's Eriksen that I'm really worried about. He's a great player, we have nobody to replace him, and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. I sure hope he can be persuaded to stay. And in the short term, I hope he isn't getting worn out. I can't remember the last time he didn't play all 90 minutes for us.
For once I will disagree with pook, a bit. It feels like Pochettino has built some critical mass, where he's been here long enough to change the culture of the club, or the dressing room at least. It feels a bit more stable than when we relied on the talent of a Bale or Modric or Berbatov to keep us competitive. Kane is the closest we have to a standout now, and we have learned to get by without him, temporarily at least. The biggest risk to the project is losing the boss, and that seems to have passed for another season at least. The group of players has something more than $$$ holding them together. I love the spirit between the players that you can pick up from social media. Think of those dressing room videos after the second leg against City. Can you imagine anything like that in the Chelsea or United or City dressing room? Plus they win often enough, and are close enough to trophies even if one hasn't arrived yet, to keep the endorphins flowing (CL run could help enormously). At what point do handsomely compensated young men think about how happy they are at work, and value that as well? Against this tentative hope is the ingrained Spurs fan attitude of waiting for the next thing to go wrong, which we all have. But right now, for me, the hope is winning... just.
I agree with all but the bolded. But most ambitious players will look to a club that they think has a better chance at getting a trophy. See Bale and Modirc. This team really is two or 3 players away from that (mostly for rotation). But there are some, like Alde and Eriksen who really could move on. I wouldn't be surprised to see a silly offer for Son, but I doubt he will move.
All good points but ultimately it comes down to wages. Toby is pushing 30 and this is his last chance at a big payoff. Forget Man U, any of the top European clubs would be happy to scoop him up at his bargain release clause. Right now Kane is #1 on our wage list at 200K a week, followed by Dele at 150K. Eriksen has been offered in the 200+ range. I believe the Toby camp was looking for something in the 150-180 range, and Levy was not willing to go beyond 130. We were looking to sell him last summer - just imagine where we would be right now without him. I don't know if there is still any hope of re-signing him, but the fee and wages you would have to pay to find a suitable replacement will be far higher than the cost of keeping him. The players and their agents are not stupid - they have all seen the Deloitte reports that show the club generated record revenues from the 2 seasons at Wembley. The new stadium and our (hopefully) continued presence in the CL will enable us to surpass Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea on the money list. They will also see that Daniel Levy is making 6 million pounds a season.
Seems like it would make sense to pay our guys what they are asking, rather than pay a big transfer fee for a replacement and then pay them about as much, anyway. When you see him out on the pitch, Toby does not look like a guy who hates playing for Spurs.
sure Levy could sell eriksen this summer and make some good cash to reinvest in 2 or 3 new players, but I don't have a lot of confidence that even one of those 2 or 3 players (whoever they may end up being) would have both the quality and the play style to replace what eriksen brings keep eriksen if you can, cuz there just isn't that many out there like him that you can buy
I was rather impressed at the joy and excitement he displayed in the locker room post Man City CL loss.