Martin Lol

Interesting. I guess that might mean the Australian kid has turned a few heads. Massimo Luongo? Is he like a deep lying play maker of some sorts. Pretty excited about him in Australia, mainly due to the lack of quality youngsters coming through. Noticed Ipswich got pumped on the weekend though and he was starting. No, I meant the young Australian keeper we had on trial (Ryan or something?). Not sure what's happening with him. Luongo looks good but like ML says he's a couple of years away. Was MOTM the game before Blackpool, but was taken off in that game after an hour or so, with the score 0-5. Long way to go, but think he's a goodun. Oh Matt Ryan .. according to the Australian press, there have been no bids for him from neither Spurs or West Brom. Hes still young so they might watch him for another season to see if he develops more. I think you're probably right. There was something on one of the forums that he looked decent but not great. It's one of those positions where you have to play to get experience, you can train hard but it's still not the same. There's another Aussie with Sherwood in the development squad, Giancarlo Gallifuoco. Younger than Luongo but highly rated, came from Sutherland Sharks

I'll believe it when I see it! Benzema is far too much like the player we need, not the ones we seem to be going for

Interesting. I guess that might mean the Australian kid has turned a few heads. Massimo Luongo? Is he like a deep lying play maker of some sorts. Pretty excited about him in Australia, mainly due to the lack of quality youngsters coming through. Noticed Ipswich got pumped on the weekend though and he was starting. I think it was just a bad day at the office for all of them. He has been getting good reviews on the Ipswich forum and Sherwood in an interview said that the hope was for him to go a Championship Club on a season long loan this season (gone to Ipswich), a season with a PL team next season and return to Spurs the season after. Basically following the progression of Walker and Caulker hopefully. There's no doubt Sherwood believes he can become a good quality MF.

I guess Friedel knew he was a short-term option for them, he'll still have enjoyed it. Last season he still dominated the penalty area. Just two matches in and it's already obvious that he's not commanding like he was. I'd never knock him though, he's had a fantastic career. Age catches up on everyone in time.

Seems like Brad will be getting the elbow. All the talk is Lloris is definitely on his way.

Not on massive wages, but we can't keep em all. There's a kid called Button who's hopefully going to be good enough (homegrown etc etc) and Gomes is supposed to be on his way back to PSV. Personally I'm amazed we didn't go for Vorm, but there you go. Maybe we're working towards an entirely French-speaking defence. I know the man says you have four massive days, but I think ours are even more crucial. You have a settled squad and manager, with a couple of obvious issues. We are in transition, with s***-loads of money burning a hole in our pocket, and also squad issues. I'm terrified we'll f*** it up. ........ or maybe not thought to be good enough for the future ....... http://www.southlondon-today.co.uk/Sport.cfm?id=29543&headline=Charlton Charlton close in on Tottenham keeper Tuesday, 28 August 2012 By Richard Cawley CHARLTON are chasing a deal for Tottenham goalkeeper David Button. The Addicks are hoping to conclude a permanent transfer for the 23-year-old shotstopper before Friday’s transfer deadline. Button has not made a senior appearance for Spurs but he has gained first-team experience during loan spells at 12 clubs.

If this the only partnership Spurs had signed up for I might have agreed with you. But as this the 5th partnership (iirc) that Spurs have got running, I think Spurs must think they are getting something out of it as well. Admittedly, the one with Internacional on the face of it doesn't seem to be working well with Leandro's transfer but it did get us Sandro. The links with clubs from Brazil and Croatia seem to be producing players, the American and Chinese ones may benefit marketing/exposure. There was talk of links in Mexico and India as well, Spurs in partnerships is nothing new.

Better to feed RM than Citeh like the scum do I suppose. The fact is that we're not big enough to keep Modric, Bale or Sandro and they will go after a while. I think RM loan or sell with buy back clauses, I'd rather get something if we're going to lose the players anyway.

............. and Spurs sign partnership agreement with RM. Bale on his way there next season. Don't get what you'll benefit from this. Not really a mutual willingness to help eachother, more likely that Real will pick some of your best players every now and then while you loan Callejon and Granero. May ease sorting out a fee for Bale, the saga with Modric has been tiresome to say the least. We want £40m, we'll pay €25m .......... it never was going to be quick even though both clubs wanted it to happen. Maybe we get first options on players not good enough for RM, loans, could be anything tbh. This is what it says on the OS ....... CLUB ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH REAL MADRID AND TRANSFER OF LUKA MODRIC The Club can announce that it has signed a partnership agreement with Real Madrid FC and reached agreement for the transfer of Luka Modric, subject to medical, to the Spanish club. The partnership agreement will see the two Clubs working together in respect of players, coaching, best practices and commercial relationships. Real Madrid FC President, Florentino Perez Rodriguez, said, "The strong relationship and affinity between our two clubs has resulted in the cementing of a longer-term partnership and the successful transfer of Luka Modric. We are delighted to welcome Luka and look forward to working closely with Tottenham in the coming years." Daniel Levy, Chairman, Tottenham Hotspur, commented, "Luka has been a terrific player for us and, whilst we preferred not to part with him, we are pleased that it is to Real Madrid, a club with which we now look forward to sharing a long and productive partnership." Luka made 160 appearances for the Club, scoring 17 goals after joining from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer of 2008.

............. and Spurs sign partnership agreement with RM. Bale on his way there next season.

Huddlestone going to Stoke on a season long loan. Too slow to fit into AVB's system.

Nothing agreed yet though quite likely. Stoke want an option to buy, Spurs want to leave it out at this time. If Luongo does as well at Ipswich as everyone expects, Hudd could go next summer and Luongo take his place in the squad. Rated as highly as Caulker was this time last year.

Sunderland have been asking about half of our squad. They bid for Dawson, got turned down because it was far too low. QPR and Stoke both offered more and their bids have been accepted and given permission to speak to Dawson.

The saga continues apparently ..................... http://www.vecernji.hr/sport/vijesti/neocekivani-preokret-madridu-mourinho-odustao-luke-clanak-442907 Rough translation: Claims a source close to Modric has said that Mourinho stopped the transfer after Levy tried to move the goal posts. The clubs agreed on a fee (they claim to be 35m euros), but Levy countered with new demands. They go on to say that there is still time until August 31st, but that for now the deal is in jeopardy and that Modric is on his way back to London.

You're right, he did say he didn't want to move to the PL, said he wanted to fight for his place at Real Madrid. Since then Mourinho has said he does not expect Sahin to play a significant part with RM. Maybe Sahin has had a change of heart? As I said, I'm not saying it is or isn't BS, but I'm hoping there is an element of truth in it.

Are you sure about that? Because BEN say something else!!1!!!11!!!!1!!!!1! Not really, it's been rumoured to be coming to a conclusion for about a week. I'm more intrigued by this on twitter ........... @Realmadridplace Florentino Pérez have contacted Tottenham's chairman, Levy, and offered a new deal for Modric that includes Şahin Not saying it's not BS but he's got nearly 17000 followers, maybe there is an element of truth in it. It's reckoned that Modric will be gone in the next week or two and Levy will get his deal worth £40m to Spurs. €32m + Şahin isn't £40m but it could be close enough to make it a possibility.

Are you sure about that?

Totally agree with that. Livermore was a decent improving squad player who got opportunities last season but no more than that. Caulker has impressed in the U21's, the Olympics and on loan at Swansea, if Hodgson wants to look at a few youngsters, Caulker would be a realistic pick, as would Bertrand who I think is a very talented full back. Being stuck behind Ashley Cole has done him no favours at all.

Personally i would prefer the annoying t*** to still be injured, couldnt give a s*** about the Olympic vs Spurs side of it tbh. Spurs' explanation why Bale was pulled out. Easy to see why there wasn't a complaint made to the FA, The Club considers the recent comment and accusations regarding Gareth Bale's fitness relating to his non selection for Team GB's men's football team to be wholly unacceptable and unjustified. For the avoidance of any doubt and on a point of absolute clarity and transparency - Gareth sustained an injury as he built up his fitness ahead of joining up with Stuart Pearce's side. MRI scan reports were sent to the FA medical team on 29 June (2012). He was subsequently not selected on the basis of this injury and the inability to predict recovery time. This decision was not taken lightly and made only after consultation with Team GB's medical team, who were in agreement after seeing the medical reports. At no time was Gareth made unavailable for selection. Indeed, Gareth made clear publicly on numerous occasions his desire to compete for Team GB and was extremely disappointed on hearing the news he would not be fit to participate. He is now focused on and determined to get fit for the season ahead and to this end we have brought out an additional member of our medical team on tour, dedicated to Gareth's recovery. We are dismayed that some have sought to make wrongful assumptions about Gareth's particular situation and that such positive news surrounding his recovery is being highlighted in this manner. We trust that this statement now clarifies this matter once and for all. We look forward to following the progress of our other players in the Games - Danny Rose and Steven Caulker along with Sandro and Giovani dos Santos.

Metro are saying Spurs have had a bid for Jese Rodriguez rejected but it's probably rubbish . He was the one that RM wouldn't offer in p/e for Modric, there's been talk about Joselu or Morata being available though one is in talks about going to Germany but JR was the one that AVB wanted. I don't really know too much about any of them tbh.

Haven't seen it anywhere else but Newcastle have been signed up by EA Sports as an Official Partner ............. EA SPORTS JOINS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR AS OFFICIAL VIDEO GAME PARTNER Posted 19 July 2012 4:00pm Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club today announced they have agreed to a three-year partnership that will make EA SPORTS™ the Official Video Game Partner of the English Premier League club. “We are extremely excited to join a world class football club like Tottenham Hotspur as an Official Club Partner,” said Matt Bilbey, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Football, EA SPORTS. “This is an opportunity for us to create a deeper connection with their passionate, global fan base, and use our game as a platform to engage Spurs supporters all season long.” Speaking about the announcement, Daniel Levy, Chairman, Tottenham Hotspur said, “Over the course of the past few years we've seen the international profile of the Club rise significantly, especially across key markets in Asia and North America. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with EA SPORTS, one of the world's leading entertainment brands, and provide them with the opportunity to reach our global fan base." Tottenham Hotspur will visit the United States for a three match pre-season tour that will see them play LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls on July 24 and 31, respectively, as well as taking on Premier League opponents Liverpool in Baltimore on July 28. While in New York, EA SPORTS will be conducting 3D head scans of Tottenham Hotspur players at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Station. This will enable the FIFA development team to capture high-quality and authentic 3D digital player models for future versions of the FIFA videogame. Over the course of the partnership, Tottenham Hotspur and EA will develop a range of initiatives to entertain and engage fans both at White Hart Lane, the club’s home pitch, and more widely across their media channels. This includes exclusive videos featuring Tottenham Hotspur players, the ability for fans to predict match outcomes using the EA SPORTS game engine, and exclusive tournament footage taken from the club’s Training Center to determine the best FIFA 13 player in the squad. In addition, EA SPORTS will create a special Tottenham Hotspur game packaging sleeve for FIFA 13, which fans will be able to download from the club website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com) prior to the games launch. At selected home matches over the course of the season, the EA SPORTS Dugout, a mobile gaming trailer, will be on-site so fans can play EA SPORTS games. Tottenham Hotspur joins seven other English Premier League teams that have become club partners with EA SPORTS. The other club partners are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Newcastle, and Manchester City.

VI, how bad is Malaga's financial position? They ought to be ok but it is true the owners are cutting back on their investment?

Spurs signing Grant Hall, out of contract with Brighton. Fee to be assessed by tribunal.

By no means a spurs expert, but am I grossly overestimating Modric's importance to that team or does it sound insane to say he wants to target the title in the same breath he says Luka is getting sold? You're right, it does sound insane. Modric isn't irreplaceable but those who could replace him are way out of our price range. We haven't got a bad place in the food chain but if a player is good enough, the bigger clubs will get them eventually. All we can hope for is the best possible price for the player leaving and not get stitched up when trying to get the replacement.

Spurs miss out on Zak, gone to Barca .................. http://www.news.com.au/sport/soccer/barcelona-recruit-zak-gilsenan-9-living-in-australia-when-asked-to-trial-with-club/story-fndkzvnd-1226428224466 We have got a couple of young Aussies that are coming through found through these camps. Current score is Spurs 2 Barca 1