Not the most reliable of sources (http://www.football-rumours.com/) but the rumour is "at the end of the Premiership season, Spurs defender Paul Stalteri will return home, moving to Toronto FC in MLS on a free transfer (he's from Toronto suburb Etobicoke, and at almost 30 is no longer quick enough for the Premiership - if he ever was)"
We're always happy to see any of Canada's top players come home. Still, he's not quite 30, and still a bit young to be going into wind-down mode.
I'm not surprised...I believe he only played in 6 games for the spurs, and only started 1 of them. I'm sure he'd love the playing time he'd get here.
he was moving pretty fast when he scored a goal for spurs a couple of months back. it was a fantastic shot! love to have him back! thanks chop! so now stalteri, radz and de ro have all been linked in the last few weeks. this could work out quite well. team canada right here in toronto!
it would help TFC a lot if this rumour is true, but until we hear from a reliable source then it's just rumours.
are we gonna have enough money for everyone??? even though they're all coming home they'll still demand max salary
This is what i wrote on the Voyageurs board: #1) Stalteri has 2 years left on his deal at Spurs. If Spurs are going to let him go on a free transfer then they are giving away free money since atleast a handful of EPL, Bundesliga and CCC teams would fork out atleast high 6 figures for his contract. #2) Those 2 years are probably paying him atleast BP1M so unless TFC decides to use their DP at approx. $US2M a year, then we're not seeing him here. #3) This is a site where people make up rumours, it's like the National Enquirer of football rumours. So don't bother wasting yours or anyone else's time on this...
Rumor on the Blog is that TFC is considering using their DP this season. Could this be the player they have targeted? Hard to know about what will and won't happen with the Cap for a new team. MLS has Jello Rules . If the League wants to throw you a bone the other owners will vote you a pass on the Cap for a season or two to get you up and running. MLS=Jello Rules
This would make absolutely no sense from a TFC point of view. Stalteri is a right back, you don't go paying $2M to an EPL squad player that plays right back. Even if Mo is pissed at Robinson and decides Paully can play D-mid, it still makes no sense! $2M a year can buy you a hell of a #10 or forward. Not to mention that Tomasz Radzinski is out of contract this summer and plays in an advanced role and still has gas in the tank and would probably cost less than Stalteris' current wages. If Stalteri comes to TFC it would be beyond stupid. p.s. Soccer Doc the vitriol is not directed at you.....just saying, just in case.
Stalteri can play attacking mid & striker as well & has done so in the past for the National team. He could do that at the MLS level, if required. That's not to say that I think it will happen or that other choices for DP wouldn't be better, just that I wouldn't dismiss the possibility as easily as that. Personally I will be surprised if Stalteri comes back at this point when he could still be playing in Europe & not on Fieldturf (which he's spoken out against in the past).
He was very quick on that goal. Much of his problem this season have been injury related. Knock after knock after knock. Neverending. He'd be crazy to come here right IMO. He'd have no trouble making a lot more money in Germany and I'm sure they'd love to have him back. B
That was a LOOOONNGGGG time ago. He last played striker in the 2003 GC because we were in a pinch. Holger had moved him back to d-mid around that time. His last game playing midfield for Canada was last Sept. in Montreal against Jamaica and he looked awful.
I'm with jpg on this one. I call it BS. Tomasz Radzinski makes the most sense right now. He plays a position they need and will be out of contract.
Rumour update from www.football-rumours.com re. Spur's Summer sales: "Stalteri (750k-1.5mil) Lower prem/ championship", which suggests he's unlikely to cross the water to Toronto? Pity, but they're not going to let an asset worth that much go for nothing.
I don't agree at all that he looked awful in that game and I attended that match. But it's beside the point - Stalteri has proven his versatility over the years, I've no doubt he could do it again playing at the MLS level (were it ever to happen). When you see players like Jim Brennan adapting well to a new position they've never played in their life in the MLS, we shouldn't dismiss outright the possibility that Stalteri could play in a position he plays at the national team level for TFC. It's all likely moot given that I don't think he's coming home any time soon.
Stalteri did not look good at all in Montreal, he constantly made poor first touches, lost the ball a couple of times and alot of his passes did not make it to their intended targets. That's not what you want from a holding mid. But this is a moot point, it makes no sense to bring him to TFC...
Rumours are just that so no sense getting ourselves all worked up...We still have to get a GOAL and at that kind of money they can get alot more than one rumour...lol That goal is going to happen this week-end RIGHT...GO RED...