Still no left winger, Still no prospects for left winger, Still no word about Appiah(who to me seems like a much better deal for a Mid than Palacios).

All of this craziness before the tie with Pompey this weekend, and coming off the tail-end of our defeat last week should make for an interesting tie at the Lane. Not to mention the vengeance that most Portsmouth fans will wish to inflict on Defoe and Redknapp, but we all knew that would be coming.

Most reports on the progress of England international Stuart Downing’s move to Spurs have been less than motivating as of late. The most recent of which stating that ‘Borough have rejected the 3rd(That’s right 3rd!) bid for the player, this one said to be valued at 14.5 million. Officials from his club have stated that Spurs should not hold out hope for a last minute transfer, as they are quite stern on keeping the player. Stating that “he owes it to the club to help fight clear of relegation”. I personally still see this deal being totally up in the air. I doubted the Defoe deal was gonna go through and sure enough Harry went and proved me wrong.

So what other options do Spurs have right now? I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, I like Jamie O’Hara in the left winger spot. Not to mention Giovani Dos Santos could also play up the left side in an attacking role but it would seem that Harry wants someone who has a lot experience, and who could blame him? So could N’Zogbia be the answer to our problems?

At 22 years old the winger has definitely seen his share of games in the Prem. Since joining Newcastle he has been capped 116 times. But after 4 years he has stated that he has “…ambitions that can not be met here.” Enter Spurs, Villa, and supposedly ARSEnal(but 22 seems a little old for the voyeurs taste). Martin O’Neil’s side seem a little far-fetched as well considering James Milner has been playing quite well on the left side. Tottenham seem like a nice fit to me albeit a little unlikely to happen, but again stranger transfers have happened. What do you guys think?

Another one to add to the rumor mill is our supposed link to Brazilian striker Fred from French side Lyon. The Player has been linked with a move away from France with Spurs seemingly the highest likelihood due to his aspiration to play in the EPL. The 25 year old has been valued at 4.5 million, and has a decent scoring record with 34 goals in 81 appearances.

Again, I don’t see this one going through. We got Defoe, and already have Pavlyuchenko, Bent, Dos Santos, and Campbell(till the end of the season). Unless we see our summer Barcelona signing go to Club America I don’t think we should spend the money.

If any more updates about whether Stephen Appiah or Sebastian Przyrowski will actually sign for Spurs appear, I’ll be sure to let you all know. Also whispers of Joe Cole coming to Spurs have recently surfaced here, and here. Interesting story, but isn’t January full of them?

Until then COYS!!! Wigan repeat this weekend!?!?!

So what does this mean for Spurs? Have we signed Giovani Dos Santos as a forward or as an attacking mid? Though the Mexican wonder-kid could feature at either spot I’d say the latter is the more likely as Dos Santos has shown quite a knack for creating for his teammates as his performance at the U-17 Championships in 2005 showed.

The talent is undoubtedly there. How this is fostered under Junade Ramos is another question. If media reports leading up to the signing are to be believed it would seem that Ramos himself was the determining factor, as it was with Luka Modric. It will be interesting to see exactly what Ramos’ vision of our beloved THFC is going forward. Obviously the club looks to be stronger in the midfield, an area all Spurs fans were hoping would improve. That being said this still feels as if it’s only the tip of the iceberg for the Spaniard as more players will be going through the turnstile at N17 this summer. What do you think Yiddos?

The latest name to be banded around as possible Tottenham Hotspur suitor by the tabloids is Portsmouth central midfielder Sulley Muntari. It is reported the Ghanaian playmaker is valued at £14 million by Pompey boss Harry Redknapp. Is he having a laugh?

“Pompey now value him at double the fee after an outstanding debut season in England,” the Sunday People claimed. I fail to see what has been so outstanding about the African’s contribution to Portsmouth’s season. Maybe my opinion is misinformed but my view on the Premiership rookie does not concour.

He scored two stunners at Aston Villa, sure, but on the other occassions I have seen him in action, he has flattered to deceive to say the very. Perhaps I have just missed his better games, but even if I have I would not pay that kind of money for a therefore inconsistent performer.

And, if the Fratton Park side have been so impressed, maybe they should keep hold of him and deam the £7 million they paid for him last summer as a bargain.

I’d say a big ‘No’ for the signing of Muntari at that valuation.

The People reports Spurs chief Juande Ramos is eyeing up using wantaway centre-half Younes Kaboul plus cash to seal the deal. I would prefer to earn straight cash in the disposal in exchange for the services of the Frenchman.

And, after splashing £20 million on Luka Modric, I hardly feel an attacking central midfield player should be top of the Spaniard’s shopping list. But, maybe it isn’t. I hope anyway, that this deal, is just paper talk.

Elsewhere in the press today, former manager Martin Jol is apparently chasing the signature of Kevin-Prince Boeteng for his new Bundesliga side Hamburg. And, on that note I would like to take the chance to wish both MJ and ‘The Prince’ all the best for the future. Maybe, a meeting in the UEFA Cup next season would be a nice sentimental touch.

In other stories, with French custodian Coupet and Manchester City’s Joe Hart being linked with a move to the Lane over the last week, it has meant the potential deal for Cameroon keeper Carlos Kameni has gone rather quiet.

The Espanyol stopper has issued a ‘come and get me’ claim to Spurs it is reported, urging Ramos to trigger his £4.8 million sell-out clause in his contract.
With goalkeeper a definite arrival this summer, it looks as if we could be spoilt for choice with possible suitors.

The Whites are also supposed to be one of seven Premiership clubs in the race to sign Brazil midfielder Edu.

If the Sunday Mirror are confident the Valencia midfielder is set to move to England, they have certainly covered their options, claiming Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Everton, Portsmouth and Liverpool are all in the hunt.

So, the rumour mill is heating up as usual and expect to develop with Euro 2008 on the horizon.

Who knows who will sign onto the ‘Ramos Revolution’ this summer, but I can say one thing for sure – Muntari for £14 million, No Thanks!

*** I love the Gennaro Gattuso rumors that are swirling. I don’t see it happening because of salary issues but from my own personal point of view it sounds great. With Flamini signing a four year deal to play at the San Siro I think it’s safe to say that Rino could be on his way out of Milan, no suprise there. Our need of a defensive Midfielder makes him an obvious choice, but our need of fire, determination and true toughness makes Gattuso even more attractive. After all, if there’s one thing Spurs do lack it’s fire.

*** All the Berbatov out and Eto’o in rumors are getting stale. With Berba rejecting a 90,000 pound a week offer from Spurs in order to move to a team in the CL, Spurs will be looking to add another forward to the squad…. But is Eto’o the answer? I suppose it will really just depend upon his play should he make the move, but one thing is clear to me, should we bring in players with the experience of a Samuel Eto’o or a Rino Gattuso we would be bringing in proven winners at the highest level, something Spurs may well have been lacking over the past handful of seasons.

*** Why… WHY WHY WHY WHY are we ever linked to Anton Ferdinand? I think this makes it twice in the last two years that there have been at least some grumblings to the effect of Rio’s brother coming to the Lane. I can do without seeing that happen.

*** Gilberto looked very good Saturday. In fact he’s looked a little better each time he’s played… Of course his debut v. PSV started the bar very, very low for the Brazilian International.

*** I was hoping Spurs could secure the services of Lassana Diarra in January, though it was no surprise that Arsenal would prefer to deal with just about any other team on the planet before sending a player to Spurs. Now it appears we could once again make an effort to bring the Midfielder to the Lane. I’m sure Pompy would stand to make a profit on their January purchase since Arsenal sold the Frenchman at a cut rate. He could still stand to be a bargain for Juande Ramos as he’s both talented and young.

COYS!

Is there even a shred of truth to what Younes Kaboul has said about his manager Juande Ramos over the past few days or does the entire thing just stink of ‘player upset over not being good enough to get first team football’?

Kaboul hasn’t appeared for the first team since Spurs were thrashed 4-1 away v. Birmingham. Let’s just say that again: Pissed player has not seen first team football since we lost 4-1 to a team we should realistically have a chance of beating on the road. With Kaboul and Dawson as the center back pair Spurs conceded goals left and right and looked unorganized during set pieces. Enter Jonathan Woodgate and exit Younes Kaboul and we suddenly allow less goals… and that’s without even mentioning how we have improved when defending set pieces, once our real Achilles heal.

Kaboul’s comments are just moronic and only serve to highlight his own ignorance. “I played the entire first half of the season but since the change of manager, I have not played.”…. Really? Does it even dawn upon him that it may well have been HIS play that made us a poor defending team? Here are a few more gems:

“Tactically it has changed a bit, perhaps,” said Kaboul. “But then, in terms of personality, Martin was a character. For us, he was a father-figure, whereas Ramos, it is just tactics and nothing else. In training, we do a lot of 11 v 0 and stuff on the blackboard to work on our progress with the ball. Ramos has brought us that, but nothing else. What has saved us this season is the Carling Cup. People say we won the Carling Cup because Ramos arrived at the club, but that has nothing to do with him. We would have won it with Martin Jol.” -Apparently Younes longs for some sort of father-son relationship. I can’t speak for what sort of programs are available in London but here in the States there are many big brother organizations for children that are fatherless. Perhaps Younes would be a prime candidate?

“I have had no explanation from him. He doesn’t talk, with anyone. Communication doesn’t exist with him. He isn’t playing me? That is his choice – I respect it, I am a professional.” -I was unaware that the term “professional” could be used to describe an unhappy employee who airs all his dirty laundry via the press. Great job here by Younes… Just hand in a transfer and do us all a favor. Spurs paid 8 million pounds for a defender that can’t defend, yet it’s the defender that is pissed?? Grow up please.

“Ramos has not really given me a chance. When a player doesn’t have the confidence of his coach, he can’t do much on the pitch. But when a coach has confidence in you, you take the handbrake off and you race away.” -Please… race far, far away.

I think it’s safe to say that we have a grade A flop of a signing on our hands. I think it’s also safe to say that Younes Kaboul will be playing elsewhere in 08/09. COYS!

Nothing like swooping in and grabbing the player you want right off the bat. If you missed it, Tottenham Hotspur have signed Dinamo Zagrab and Croatian Attacking Midfielder Luka Modric for a fee reported to be around 15.8 million on a five year deal, though many sources report the fee will climb a bit over the 20 million pound mark once a few clauses pay out.

So there you have it. We’ve begun to address the need for a few quality midfielders with Modric. He has the ability to play both on the left as he does with Dinamo Zagreb or in the middle as he does with Croatia. Odds are he will be playing in the middle for Spurs, where we need help desperately.

Modric pointed out Juande Ramos as the main factor for coming to Spurs. “I am very lucky and proud to be here in London at Tottenham. I am also happy that the coach Juande Ramos wanted me, it is the most important thing that the coach wants you as a player. I want to show that I have the quality for Tottenham and the English Premier League and help the club achieve big results.”

Spurs beat out Newcastle United for the signature of the 22 year old as well as a few other, as yet, unnamed teams (Chelsea?). ” It is right that many clubs in England were interested in taking me, but my favourite from the first meeting was Tottenham because I am a big fan of coach Ramos.”

There you have it. Spurs have yet again splashed the cash in hopes of breaking into the Champions League. Is Modric the answer? Well, he may be part of the answer as Spurs midfield is definitely the area of need. Now for a new tackling midfielder and left wing! COYS!

P.S. I’m not going to touch our fourth lackluster 1-1 draw in a row… Though I was upset with the play of Jenas in particular… Funny that news of Modric’s signing came the same day as yet another disappointing outing by Jenas…. hmmmmm

-The pitch at the JJB was just unacceptable Saturday. I have parks around the block from me that have a better quality playing surface. Still, Wigan have created a bit of a stronghold there making it surprisingly difficult for visiting teams to walk away with many points. I just wonder how much of that is created by their sub par pitch?

-Gus Poyet had made mention after the Middlesbrough draw a couple weeks ago that Spurs needed to take advantage of their chances and develop a bit of killer instinct when they are already up a goal. Well, they failed to add to the scoreline again Saturday. What ever happened to the team that couldn’t stop scoring but had a tough time stopping other teams? Remember the horrid defense on set pieces? Well, Juande, with some help from the arrival of Jonathan Woodgate and Alan Hutton, has remedied that ill. So why now are we struggling to put the ball in the back of the net with any regularity?

-Aaron Lennon looked great Saturday. It’s been awhile since he’s looked that confident and impressive overall. It seemed ridiculous that rumors of his departure had started circulating, after all, how many players are there (that Spurs could realistically acquire) that could be a drastic improvement?

-Spurs don’t have a single player (active/Gareth Bale) that can put a free kick on goal. The opportunities are wasted as soon as they’re given.

-Samuel Eto’o has been linked to Spurs… which means he’ll sign an extension to stay at the Nou Camp for four more years in a week or two.

COYS!

Goalkeepers:
P.Robinson; R. Cerney
Cerney’s contract is up and I’m sure Spurs would have extended him by now if they wanted to keep him. His goal-kicks are just horrid anyway but he did provide some stability when Robinson’s confidence was floundering. Paul Robinson needs to move on at this point. He may well provide some other top flight club with a solid presence in goal but his time with Spurs is really at an end.
Returning Players: 0/2

Center Half:
L. King; J. Woodgate; M. Dawson; R. Rocha; Y. Kaboul
Everything hinges on Mr. King. If he’s healthy I think he’ll be back. Should that be the case I think we’ll see Micheal Dawson move on as Spurs will undoubtedly make a move for a third central defender to work in with King and Woodgate. If King moves on there will be a more pressing need to acquire a top flight defender to work with Woodgate, this could well increase the probability that Michael Dawson will stay. In other words if Dawson is part of the three man rotation at the heart of the defense I can see him remaining with the club, if not he’ll be playing elsewhere. Kaboul is still young, so unless Ramos sees nothing in him he should be with Spurs. Last, has Rocha played this year? Or at the least under Juande? What a horrible signing. He’s gone.
Returning Players: 3/5

Full Backs:
G. Bale; A. Hutton; P. Chimbonda; C. Gunter; Gilberto; Y.P. Lee; B. Assou-Ekotto
Bale and Hutton are going no where and are our two finest young players. Once our weakness, full back looks to be a strength for years to come. Hard to figure out Chimbonda, but I’d say he’s done with us as he’s grown very inconsistent. Gunter and Gilberto, both being Ramos signings, will be with the team for the near future no doubt. Lee seems to be headed for PSV this summer as he’s featured less and less under Ramos. Benoit Assou-Ekotto should be done with Spurs… My happiness over this stems from never having to try to spell his name again… And the fact that he’s NEVER healthy. Adios!
Returning Players: 4/7

Midfielders:
A. Lennon; J. Jenas; D. Zokora; S. Malbranque; T. Huddlestone; J. O’Hara; K.P. Boateng; T. Tianio; A. Taarabt
I can’t even pretend to know what’s going to happen here but I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to the players that have featured most under Ramos in the midfield: Lennon, Jenas, Malbranque, Zokora and Huddlestone that at least a few will see fewer minutes or perhaps be on a different club altogether as new talent comes in. Lennon, though there have been rumors to the contrary, should stick. He’s too young with too much potential. Zokora has proved valuable, but more so as a defender during our mid-year injury crisis. Huddlestone may never develop into the player they envision due to his lack of quickness when defending. Malbranque should remain and is a constant worker. Hard to see Jenas’ future but he would make an excellent backup to the type of attaking midfielder Spurs will be looking to acquire this summer. O’ Hara has done all that’s asked of him under Ramos and it’s a plus that he’s left footed. Tainio has been a nice piece, should there be room for him on the squad is up in the air. Taarabt is still one for the future at only 18. Boateng seems to be a failed signing. New signings will definitely displace the spots of many players when it’s all said and done.
Returning Players: 6/9

Forwards:
R. Keane; D. Berbatov; D. Bent
Keane is a Tottenham Hotspur for life (I hope). Bent has been showing signs and it’s doubtful that Spurs could recoup much of what they paid for him, so he should remain. Berbatov seems set to force a move to a Champions League squad. If Spurs can get their valuation of the Bulgarian in return it would give Ramos a massive amount of transfer funds to work with. I just see it as an inevitable move and at this point I just hope he lands in Spain or Italy so that I can still cheer for him.
Returning Players: 2/3

So there you have it. These are all just my opinions of course, that being said I’m open to hearing from other Spurs fans. Do you see something I don’t? One thing is clear, moves will happen.

COYS!

I’m sure this isn’t breaking news to most as the rumor was circulating pretty well as of yesterday but I still have to see it in print, take my time and read every single syllable just to begin to understand. Thierry Henry rumored to return to North London. All right, that one I can understand. Thierry Henry rumored to go to Spurs this summer. See, I don’t get that one. It just doesn’t make sense. Sure I can see the logic, should we loose Berbatov and rake in a major transfer fee there’s no question that someone will have to take the Bulgarians spot. But THE man who has stabbed countless Spurs fans right in the heart over and over again?

The image of Henry running around and scoring goals at White Hart Lane isn’t at all strange, but seeing him wearing all while while he’s doing it would certainly be. Think about how difficult it was for Spurs fans to embrace George Graham a few years back. He helped Spurs win the League Cup in 1999 but that wasn’t enough to forget the years that he managed and played for the Scum.

Players seem to carry a bit of a different image then managers of course. If Henry were to score 30 goals in a Lilywhite shirt and win a cup or two next year the pain MAY go away, but even that is doubtful. No, the ultimate opportunity for a former Arse player like Henry to earn a bit of respect from Spurs fans could only come during the North London Derby itself. Wear the shirt and beat the Gooners, then MAYBE.

It’s so difficult to even consider this a possibility that I had to write about it. Spurs are very rarely, if ever, not linked to a player. That being said this tabloid trash has little to no real value but if a rumor such as this could get such a strong negative reaction from many Spurs fans just imagine the shock were it to happen.

Rumors such as this one and the Ronaldinho rumor are just the tip of the iceberg… Hang on Spurs fans. This is going to be a tumultuous summer! COYS!

– On a side note I just want to be the first to congratulate Arsenal, Arsene Wenger and the rest of his boys on winning zero cups this year. I couldn’t be happier!