The Gareth Bale transfer rumour thread

[carmine]

There you go. Knock yourselves out

[plopmeister]

He is going to star in the next "Planet of the Apes"...No makeup needed....

[mad mary]

Is there any truth in it ?

[smokie36]

Add a poll mate.

[theblether]

Real Madrid or bust. I must say though that Daniel Levy is a sharp operator, if he goes it will be on his terms, no one else's.

Truthfully though, I think Tottenham should cash in.

[smokie36]

Make the poll public.

[MrRed]

You have folded Carmine ....tut tut....

[plopmeister]

He is going to star in the next "Planet of the Apes"...No makeup needed....

Just so that I don't appear racist he will be sharing the star role with a Ugandan motorcycle policeman...

[uptheos]

Daniel Levy will probably put the 50 mil in his pension fund, never to see daylight again and Spurs fans will lose one of the best players on the planet, in exchange for two Real Madrid cast off's......shame

[carmine]

Make the poll public.

I doubt there will much interest now its not on the Spurs thread.

And what about all those hurtful comments made smokes!!!

Anyway, i'm going out for the evening with an extremely attractive young lady. Let me know tomorrow if Gareth's still with us....cheers

[carmine]

Daniel Levy will probably put the 50 mil in his pension fund, never to see daylight again and Spurs fans will lose one of the best players on the planet, in exchange for two Real Madrid cast off's......shame

Are you making this thing personal?

Nevermind, let me know tomorrow

[MrRed]

Make the poll public.

I doubt there will much interest now its not on the Spurs thread.

And what about all those hurtful comments made smokes!!!

Anyway, i'm going out for the evening with an extremely attractive young lady. Let me know tomorrow if Gareth's still with us....cheers

Damning were they not! .....

[uptheos]

Daniel Levy will probably put the 50 mil in his pension fund, never to see daylight again and Spurs fans will lose one of the best players on the planet, in exchange for two Real Madrid cast off's......shame

Are you making this thing personal?

Nevermind, let me know tomorrow

Did I respond to something?

[jellydog]

I hear they just fished AVB out of the Thames. When asked what was going on he said,"I can't talk about it".

[uptheos]

I hear they just fished AVB out of the Thames. When asked what was going on he said,"I can't talk about it".

[MrRed]

Make the poll public.

I doubt there will much interest now its not on the Spurs thread.

And what about all those hurtful comments made smokes!!!

Anyway, i'm going out for the evening with an extremely attractive young lady. Let me know tomorrow if Gareth's still with us....cheers

Understandable in times of turmoil you will take solace in a lady of the night,fill you boots mate just like your boy.

[MrRed]

Daniel Levy will probably put the 50 mil in his pension fund, never to see daylight again and Spurs fans will lose one of the best players on the planet, in exchange for two Real Madrid cast off's......shame

Are you making this thing personal?

Nevermind, let me know tomorrow

Did I respond to something?

You could always follow Madrid Carmine.

[StevieH]

good a place as any for this i imagine. rory smith in the times.

Daniel Levy’s defiance leaves Spurs a work in progress

http://blogs.thetimes.co.uk/section/the-game/104400/dogged-daniel-levy-leaves-spurs-a-work-in-progress/?shareToken=d80674b8c13ccc6238a7fd372032ef80

Rory SmithJuly 29 2013 12:07PM

Deep in the bowels of the Santiago Bernabeu, a force is being readied. Blacksmiths sharpen swords, farriers shoe horses, and wives and daughters and mothers issue tear-stained goodbyes to their husbands and fathers and sons. With nothing more than their wits, their courage, and allegedly the tacit financial support of the Spanish government, these brave souls must sally forth from their concrete fortress, and dare to confront the greatest foe of all.

No better squadron could have been mustered. No better men could have been gathered for this noble mission. Florentino Perez, the leader, 5’6” in his Cuban heels, pockets bulging with 50 Euro notes and the economic rights to Angel di Maria.

Zinedine Zidane, his trusted consigliere, brooding, monastic presence. And Ernesto Bronzetti, the Italian “super-agent” who everyone thinks is a super-agent because he continually claims to be in public but actually he probably isn’t.

These are the men who must journey deep, once more, into hostile territory. These are the men who must climb mountains and ford rivers and get the ferry at Calais if the Eurostar is booked up. These are the men who must pick their way up the Victoria line, forever watched by the bright, burning eye. These are the men who must steel their hearts and gird their loins and do board-room battle with Daniel Levy, the Sauron of the Seven Sisters Road.

Everyone in football has a role to play. That is the effect of the game’s mutation from harmless pastime into the nation’s most popular, least realistic soap-opera. Wayne Rooney’s story arc, for example, has been rich and textured: the boy-next-door made good; the fall from grace; the fame and wealth going to his head; the hubristic denouement, where he loses all his friends. We can only presume that his Damascene moment – that soap staple – will arrive at the age of 32, when he returns to Everton and discovers he should never have left in the first place.

Jose Mourinho, of course, is the seductive, twinkly-eyed charmer, always keeping another iron in the fire, always wondering where his next opportunity is going to come from. He is, basically, a salt-and-pepper haired Paul Robinson, the entrepreneur-lothario so expertly drawn by Stefan Dennis in Neighbours; Under the Bridge, Chelsea’s on-site nightclub, essentially functions as a proxy Lassiter’s.

Levy, though, has landed an absolute plum of a part. The Tottenham Hotspur chairman is a sort of mix between Sir Alan Sugar – the one in The Apprentice, not the one who used to run Tottenham – and Deborah Meaden, with a dash of Jabba the Hutt thrown in. He is the ferocious negotiator, the hard-nosed businessman, the master of the transfer market, the King of the Dragons.

He is a man whose reputation is so powerful that, in the narrative accompanying Real Madrid’s £86 million bid for Gareth Bale, the Spanish side look, if not quite the good guys, then at least the underdogs. This is some doing, given Real’s previous on these matters, how public Jonathan Barnett, Bale’s agent, has been on the subject and the fact that Marca, Real’s willing puppet, have been dropping hints and preparing the ground for the best part of two months.

That Levy is seen in such a way says a lot about football. When it comes down to it, Levy is just a sensible, competent businessman. He likes to buy low and sell high; he is aware that, regardless of how many headlines there are or how many shirts Zidane has printed off or how much Barnett mewls and hisses, the selling club in a transfer is always in the strongest position.

Footballers are better regarded not as employees – though some might say they should be, and as such entitled to do what they want, when they want, for who they want, much like the rest of us – but as assets. In a transfer, one club possesses an asset somebody else desires. In most industries, that leads to a process of negotiation before a mutually agreeable price is set. If no compromise can be reached, then the buying party does not succeed in its purchase. The car or the factory or the shop does not agitate for a move.

Levy simply applies this logic to football. If someone wants something he owns, they have to pay for it, and at a level that he deems fitting. If they refuse, then he keeps hold of that asset. He knows, deep down, that the number of players who will go on strike and actively refuse to play is miniscule. That this approach is so rare is testament not so much to Levy’s business acumen, but to how badly football is run, how in thrall to players most clubs are, how knee-jerk decisions can be, and how much power has consolidated in the hands of agents.

Levy should not be the exception, he should be the rule. If Liverpool do not want to sell Luis Suarez, then they shouldn’t. If Manchester United think Rooney is behaving like a spoiled child, then sit him down and tell him that he is not for sale, and that if he doesn’t shape up, he will not be playing regular football. It’s a World Cup year, after all. Even with the paucity of talent available to Roy Hodgson, it’s impossible to think he would play Rooney in Brazil next year – if England make it – without any competitive action under his particularly capacious belt.

That is not to say that Levy is perfect, that everyone should seek to ape his methods, though. Far from it. There is no question that, from a financial point of view, Levy’s tenure at White Hart Lane – his own personal Mount Doom – has been a wondrous success. If football was about finance, then he would have a number of awards sitting on his mantelpiece. Happily, it is not. And sadly for Spurs, they have no awards, anywhere, at this point. For all Levy’s work, they are not even in the Champions League.

This is the downside of the character he plays. Yes, Levy is wonderful at extracting value from his assets – the sales of Dimitar Berbatov, Luka Modric, Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios and many others would attest to that – but too often his hard-line negotiating stance means departures drag on too long in the summer. Rafael van der Vaart left on transfer deadline day last summer; it was not until Lewis Holtby arrived in January that Spurs could be said to have replaced him.

Financially, that makes sense. In footballing terms, though, it contributes to the sensation that Spurs can never quite make that final leap, competing not just with Arsenal for fourth place and the chance to be eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League, but going toe-to-toe with both Manchester clubs and Chelsea for the title. Levy’s determination not to waste a penny means his side are always, by definition, a work in progress: there is always someone to replace, something that needs fixing.

He may resist Real’s overtures for Bale, of course (though turning down £60 million plus Di Maria is so pig-headed as to be foolish; Bale is better than the Argentine, but not by that much), and the Welshman may well stay. History tells us that more likely is Levy holding on until the end of August, eking every last cent from Perez, before Bale departs with the window about to shut. Another triumph for the transfer market Sauron; another set-back for Spurs.

[mad mary]

"But if Levy really wants to bargain with Real then he could insist on a part exchange. Bale and Ronaldo play in near-identical positions these days, so it's not easy to see them fitting into the same starting XI. So how about Levy asking for a part exchange of Bale for Ronaldo plus €30m.

That really would be a steal."

Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/225755.html#yhcHg4ej6wsfykBc.99

[jellydog]

good a place as any for this i imagine. rory smith in the times.

Daniel Levy’s defiance leaves Spurs a work in progress

http://blogs.thetimes.co.uk/section/the-game/104400/dogged-daniel-levy-leaves-spurs-a-work-in-progress/?shareToken=d80674b8c13ccc6238a7fd372032ef80

Rory SmithJuly 29 2013 12:07PM

Deep in the bowels of the Santiago Bernabeu, a force is being readied. Blacksmiths sharpen swords, farriers shoe horses, and wives and daughters and mothers issue tear-stained goodbyes to their husbands and fathers and sons. With nothing more than their wits, their courage, and allegedly the tacit financial support of the Spanish government, these brave souls must sally forth from their concrete fortress, and dare to confront the greatest foe of all.

No better squadron could have been mustered. No better men could have been gathered for this noble mission. Florentino Perez, the leader, 5’6” in his Cuban heels, pockets bulging with 50 Euro notes and the economic rights to Angel di Maria.

Zinedine Zidane, his trusted consigliere, brooding, monastic presence. And Ernesto Bronzetti, the Italian “super-agent” who everyone thinks is a super-agent because he continually claims to be in public but actually he probably isn’t.

These are the men who must journey deep, once more, into hostile territory. These are the men who must climb mountains and ford rivers and get the ferry at Calais if the Eurostar is booked up. These are the men who must pick their way up the Victoria line, forever watched by the bright, burning eye. These are the men who must steel their hearts and gird their loins and do board-room battle with Daniel Levy, the Sauron of the Seven Sisters Road.

Everyone in football has a role to play. That is the effect of the game’s mutation from harmless pastime into the nation’s most popular, least realistic soap-opera. Wayne Rooney’s story arc, for example, has been rich and textured: the boy-next-door made good; the fall from grace; the fame and wealth going to his head; the hubristic denouement, where he loses all his friends. We can only presume that his Damascene moment – that soap staple – will arrive at the age of 32, when he returns to Everton and discovers he should never have left in the first place.

Jose Mourinho, of course, is the seductive, twinkly-eyed charmer, always keeping another iron in the fire, always wondering where his next opportunity is going to come from. He is, basically, a salt-and-pepper haired Paul Robinson, the entrepreneur-lothario so expertly drawn by Stefan Dennis in Neighbours; Under the Bridge, Chelsea’s on-site nightclub, essentially functions as a proxy Lassiter’s.

Levy, though, has landed an absolute plum of a part. The Tottenham Hotspur chairman is a sort of mix between Sir Alan Sugar – the one in The Apprentice, not the one who used to run Tottenham – and Deborah Meaden, with a dash of Jabba the Hutt thrown in. He is the ferocious negotiator, the hard-nosed businessman, the master of the transfer market, the King of the Dragons.

He is a man whose reputation is so powerful that, in the narrative accompanying Real Madrid’s £86 million bid for Gareth Bale, the Spanish side look, if not quite the good guys, then at least the underdogs. This is some doing, given Real’s previous on these matters, how public Jonathan Barnett, Bale’s agent, has been on the subject and the fact that Marca, Real’s willing puppet, have been dropping hints and preparing the ground for the best part of two months.

That Levy is seen in such a way says a lot about football. When it comes down to it, Levy is just a sensible, competent businessman. He likes to buy low and sell high; he is aware that, regardless of how many headlines there are or how many shirts Zidane has printed off or how much Barnett mewls and hisses, the selling club in a transfer is always in the strongest position.

Footballers are better regarded not as employees – though some might say they should be, and as such entitled to do what they want, when they want, for who they want, much like the rest of us – but as assets. In a transfer, one club possesses an asset somebody else desires. In most industries, that leads to a process of negotiation before a mutually agreeable price is set. If no compromise can be reached, then the buying party does not succeed in its purchase. The car or the factory or the shop does not agitate for a move.

Levy simply applies this logic to football. If someone wants something he owns, they have to pay for it, and at a level that he deems fitting. If they refuse, then he keeps hold of that asset. He knows, deep down, that the number of players who will go on strike and actively refuse to play is miniscule. That this approach is so rare is testament not so much to Levy’s business acumen, but to how badly football is run, how in thrall to players most clubs are, how knee-jerk decisions can be, and how much power has consolidated in the hands of agents.

Levy should not be the exception, he should be the rule. If Liverpool do not want to sell Luis Suarez, then they shouldn’t. If Manchester United think Rooney is behaving like a spoiled child, then sit him down and tell him that he is not for sale, and that if he doesn’t shape up, he will not be playing regular football. It’s a World Cup year, after all. Even with the paucity of talent available to Roy Hodgson, it’s impossible to think he would play Rooney in Brazil next year – if England make it – without any competitive action under his particularly capacious belt.

That is not to say that Levy is perfect, that everyone should seek to ape his methods, though. Far from it. There is no question that, from a financial point of view, Levy’s tenure at White Hart Lane – his own personal Mount Doom – has been a wondrous success. If football was about finance, then he would have a number of awards sitting on his mantelpiece. Happily, it is not. And sadly for Spurs, they have no awards, anywhere, at this point. For all Levy’s work, they are not even in the Champions League.

This is the downside of the character he plays. Yes, Levy is wonderful at extracting value from his assets – the sales of Dimitar Berbatov, Luka Modric, Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios and many others would attest to that – but too often his hard-line negotiating stance means departures drag on too long in the summer. Rafael van der Vaart left on transfer deadline day last summer; it was not until Lewis Holtby arrived in January that Spurs could be said to have replaced him.

Financially, that makes sense. In footballing terms, though, it contributes to the sensation that Spurs can never quite make that final leap, competing not just with Arsenal for fourth place and the chance to be eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League, but going toe-to-toe with both Manchester clubs and Chelsea for the title. Levy’s determination not to waste a penny means his side are always, by definition, a work in progress: there is always someone to replace, something that needs fixing.

He may resist Real’s overtures for Bale, of course (though turning down £60 million plus Di Maria is so pig-headed as to be foolish; Bale is better than the Argentine, but not by that much), and the Welshman may well stay. History tells us that more likely is Levy holding on until the end of August, eking every last cent from Perez, before Bale departs with the window about to shut. Another triumph for the transfer market Sauron; another set-back for Spurs.

"Bale is better than the Argentine but not by much".

[uptheos]

Bale Outgrows Spurs

I like Spurs fans, and why shouldn’t I - after all I’m one of them.

In general we’re a knowledgeable bunch. We know our club, we know our football and on the whole are realists…that is until you add the name Gareth Bale into the topic of conversation.

Aside from the obvious football related discussion that the potential departure of the Welshmen throws up, this weekend has highlighted a remarkable lack of understanding and a general naivety about the modern game, footballer and club.

To put the record straight. I’ve been heavily accused this weekend of all sorts. Ranging from wanting the club to sell Bale and championing the fact that Real Madrid want the player, to not being a Spurs fan. In honesty you can think what you like, that fact it happens to be total nonsense is neither here or there.

The fundamental misconception amongst so many, is that today’s professional footballer lives and breathes the club like we do. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. Our very own Ledley King is a prime example. In general however, players are just that, employees of the club. Once you take the emotion out of it, really is black and white.

Gareth Bale is no different…

Shortly after his signing, I was sat in the players’ lounge at White Hart Lane with the father in-law. The young Bale sat alongside me, with the also fresh faced Kevin Prince Boateng.

He was a nervous young man, far more interested in talking about XBOX, than Real Madrid. He was a rabbit caught in headlights and this emphasised exactly just what a gamble Spurs had taken.

A product of the excellent Southampton academy, he was offered the opportunity to join Spurs at 17. He reportedly had other options too – this wasn’t a player that was unknown after all - he had already represented his club 40 times and every manager, chief scout and tea lady was aware of his potential. Spurs took a gamble where others hesitated and the rest is very much history.

Bale’s progression has been phenomenal, nothing less. His rise to super stardom has in truth taken everyone a little by surprise, certainly by its speed.

Last season’s efforts have rightly put Bale on a par with the Messi and Ronaldo’s of this world. Unfortunately for Spurs, to be on a level with those before named, you need to be playing in the elite club competition!!

As I blogged towards the end of last year and numerous times since. Our failure to secure Champions League football for a second consecutive season, have made Spurs vulnerable.

Real Madrid have just been sitting, waiting and biding their time...

Spurs have been hit with a full on assault over the last few months. The difference with the last few weeks is the Spanish giants have just ramped it up. The very public admiration for Bale is all part of the grand plan. It’s what they do. It works. Madrid don’t go to this much effort if they don’t believe the deal can be done. In truth, once it gets to this stage - the deal with the player and his advisers have been concluded anyway!!

This public love-in is purely about putting pressure on Tottenham Hotspur. MARCA’s involvement is pivotal of course, but do you honestly believe what’s printed doesn’t get the green light from Bale’s people? Nothing comes out of that paper without careful planning and thought. What can look on the outside to be total fabrication and rumour, is all part of the well-oiled process.

This is all about the fee now, nothing more. Tottenham Hotspur and the powers that be are fully aware of the players desire to leave. The change of stance from Villas-Boas in the space of a few days over in Hong Kong, makes that abundantly obvious.

Yes, Spurs hold the cards currently. Bale is contracted to the club and IfDaniel Levy digs his heels in the player doesn’t leave of course, but such a bold stance doesn’t come without risk either.

Up to now, Bale has kept a low profile. The player has let everyone else take centre stage. ‘Brand Bale’ is hot, in truth it couldn’t get much hotter.

Bale, his advisers and Real would prefer that clean cut image was to stay intact!!

That once shy 17 year old has outgrown Tottenham Hotspur, as he did Southampton.

Everyone has a price, even the best players in the world – that fact that his is £100 million, makes the disappointment a little easier to take.

COYS!

http://spursdreamer.blogspot.com/2013/07/bale-outgrows-spurs.html?

Edited July 29, 2013 by uptheos

[smokie36]

You have folded Carmine ....tut tut....

Nah he has fluffed his duvet.

[StevieH]

"Bale is better than the Argentine but not by much".

not a particularly unfair comment is it? di maria's very good.

[StevieH]

damn. double.

Edited July 29, 2013 by StevieH

[smokie36]

"Bale is better than the Argentine but not by much".

not a particularly unfair comment is it? di maria's very good.

Plus £100m and he is looking better certainly.

[Chicog]

I think paying 30 million euros for a 28 year old might be a sign that they're expected an influx of cash.

One thing is for certain - try and buy him after selling Monkey Boy and his price will rise sharply (a la Higuain).

[bigbamboo]

Bale Outgrows Spurs

I like Spurs fans, and why shouldn’t I - after all I’m one of them.

In general we’re a knowledgeable bunch. We know our club, we know our football and on the whole are realists…that is until you add the name Gareth Bale into the topic of conversation.

Aside from the obvious football related discussion that the potential departure of the Welshmen throws up, this weekend has highlighted a remarkable lack of understanding and a general naivety about the modern game, footballer and club.

To put the record straight. I’ve been heavily accused this weekend of all sorts. Ranging from wanting the club to sell Bale and championing the fact that Real Madrid want the player, to not being a Spurs fan. In honesty you can think what you like, that fact it happens to be total nonsense is neither here or there.

The fundamental misconception amongst so many, is that today’s professional footballer lives and breathes the club like we do. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. Our very own Ledley King is a prime example. In general however, players are just that, employees of the club. Once you take the emotion out of it, really is black and white.

Gareth Bale is no different…

Shortly after his signing, I was sat in the players’ lounge at White Hart Lane with the father in-law. The young Bale sat alongside me, with the also fresh faced Kevin Prince Boateng.

He was a nervous young man, far more interested in talking about XBOX, than Real Madrid. He was a rabbit caught in headlights and this emphasised exactly just what a gamble Spurs had taken.

A product of the excellent Southampton academy, he was offered the opportunity to join Spurs at 17. He reportedly had other options too – this wasn’t a player that was unknown after all - he had already represented his club 40 times and every manager, chief scout and tea lady was aware of his potential. Spurs took a gamble where others hesitated and the rest is very much history.

Bale’s progression has been phenomenal, nothing less. His rise to super stardom has in truth taken everyone a little by surprise, certainly by its speed.

Last season’s efforts have rightly put Bale on a par with the Messi and Ronaldo’s of this world. Unfortunately for Spurs, to be on a level with those before named, you need to be playing in the elite club competition!!

As I blogged towards the end of last year and numerous times since. Our failure to secure Champions League football for a second consecutive season, have made Spurs vulnerable.

Real Madrid have just been sitting, waiting and biding their time...

Spurs have been hit with a full on assault over the last few months. The difference with the last few weeks is the Spanish giants have just ramped it up. The very public admiration for Bale is all part of the grand plan. It’s what they do. It works. Madrid don’t go to this much effort if they don’t believe the deal can be done. In truth, once it gets to this stage - the deal with the player and his advisers have been concluded anyway!!

This public love-in is purely about putting pressure on Tottenham Hotspur. MARCA’s involvement is pivotal of course, but do you honestly believe what’s printed doesn’t get the green light from Bale’s people? Nothing comes out of that paper without careful planning and thought. What can look on the outside to be total fabrication and rumour, is all part of the well-oiled process.

This is all about the fee now, nothing more. Tottenham Hotspur and the powers that be are fully aware of the players desire to leave. The change of stance from Villas-Boas in the space of a few days over in Hong Kong, makes that abundantly obvious.

Yes, Spurs hold the cards currently. Bale is contracted to the club and IfDaniel Levy digs his heels in the player doesn’t leave of course, but such a bold stance doesn’t come without risk either.

Up to now, Bale has kept a low profile. The player has let everyone else take centre stage. ‘Brand Bale’ is hot, in truth it couldn’t get much hotter.

Bale, his advisers and Real would prefer that clean cut image was to stay intact!!

That once shy 17 year old has outgrown Tottenham Hotspur, as he did Southampton.

Everyone has a price, even the best players in the world – that fact that his is £100 million, makes the disappointment a little easier to take.

COYS!

http://spursdreamer.blogspot.com/2013/07/bale-outgrows-spurs.html?

At last..... Bale's value has now hit the magical 100 million!

Amazing to think it's doubled during the summer whilst he's been playing football on the beach.

Edited July 29, 2013 by bigbamboo

[smokie36]

A hunnerd plus a player <deleted>.....don't sell us short now.

[smokie36]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbMlHGEICuY

[jellydog]

"Bale is better than the Argentine but not by much".

not a particularly unfair comment is it? di maria's very good.

I'm beginning to hope the deal goes through where Spurs pick up Di Maria. One moment Spurs fans will be loving him, and the next they will want to reach through their TV screen and choke the life out of him.