Martin Lol

I think we will lose this battle. I think you're right, it's only confirming what the Bolton press were saying a couple of days ago. I tend to be philosophical when these things happen. After all, it's not as though there's no other defender available that you could go after as an alternative.

It's a way short of what the bingo club have offered. More like a public show to Bent saying don't sign for a club that you don't want to go to. The problem with that is Charlton can still take him down to the cahmpionship with them if he doesn't sign. My gut feeling is that he will still go with Egghead

Surprised about the doubt of an £11m bid tbh. It was 3 weeks ago it was widely reported (1 of numerous links below) about the £10m bid which was turned down. The only thing I'm surprised really is that the improved bid wasn't accepted. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=457495&in_page_id=1779 Chelsea's £10m bid for Chimbonda is tempting for Jol By SIMON CASS Last updated at 16:56pm on 25th May 2007 Chelsea have lodged a £10million bid for Tottenham’s Pascal Chimbonda. Jose Mourinho has identified Chimbonda as the man to fill the problem right-back position at Stamford Bridge after being impressed by the France defender’s debut season at Spurs. And while Martin Jol would be reluctant to lose his talented defender, Sportsmail understands that the chance to make a £5m profit on the player who moved from Wigan last summer may be too good to turn down. Mourinho has turned to Chimbonda after uninspiring performances at right back by Paulo Ferreira, Khalid Boulahrouz and Geremi this season. Although Glen Johnson will return to Chelsea after a season on loan at Portsmouth, he is likely to play understudy to Chimbonda should the bid be successful. Chimbonda has been a regular in Jol’s starting line-up this season, making 49 appearances in all competitions, and he has revealed his desire to stay with Spurs. He said: "I’m very happy at Tottenham and really enjoyed my first season with the club. I hope that continues next year. I’m totally focused on Tottenham and have three years left on my contract." Meanwhile, Tottenham’s path to the £6m capture of Southampton left back Gareth Bale appears to have been cleared with Manchester United unwilling to match their bid. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is a committed fan of the 17-year-old Wales defender, but considers a transfer fee which could rise to £10m to be too expensive.

Disappointed?............... yes. Upset?..................... no. These things happen, there are other strikers about. Bent was Spurs' #1 option because he has a proven record in the premiership but there are another 4 or 5 on the pecking order list, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, maybe in that order? Maybe Bent still has a view on his destination? The Independent seems to think so. http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2656140.ece West Ham and Spurs compete to lure Bent By Sam Wallace Published: 14 June 2007 The future of Charlton Athletic striker Darren Bent is set to be decided in the next week but while the player himself favours a move to Tottenham, it is still West Ham who are prepared to offer the bigger transfer fee. The relegated Premiership side yesterday discussed the strategy for selling their most prized asset. Bent, 23, is a target for West Ham who are prepared to pay as much as £18m. With Carlos Tevez set to leave - and no prospect of an immediate deal for either Craig Bellamy or Andy Johnson - West Ham would be prepared to pay wages of around £60,000 a week. Their offer, not yet official, would be much more financially attractive than the one from Tottenham. Not only would Bent be offered around half West Ham's pay but the White Hart Lane club are unlikely to go above a £12m fee. They are keen to sign a player whose profile is in line with their policy of buying young British talent but they are also unprepared to break their cash parameters to outbid West Ham. The decision will ultimately come down to where Bent wants to go but he will have to dig his heels in if he wants to go to Spurs. Charlton are naturally keen to sell to the highest bidder and, with him contracted until 2010, are in a strong position. Bent's move is seen as something of a lynchpin to the summer transfer market and could dictate the future of a number of players including Jermain Defoe, Alan Smith, Bellamy and Johnson.

One good reason why he wasn't included in the deal then!

I was told Harewood refused to move to the Fizzy Pop, so they settled on £16m + Mullins. No matter how the money is made up, it's lunacy.

I'm hearing that the bingo club have agreed a fee with Charlton, £16m + Haydn Mullins. Charlton have told Bent if Spurs don't equal the bid (£18m) then he either goes to the bingo club or stays with them in the championship. As levy won't pay anything like that, Bent is bound to go to WHU. Shame, because we know he wanted to join Spurs (same agent as Daws and JJ) but not at any price. He can console himself with £80k pw. Oh well, life goes on.

........... for Chimbonda to £11m. It's been turned down but Levy thought a long time about it. Won't take much for him to say yes. A lot of money for a RB who is nearly 30.

"I wasn't entirely happy that the offer represented value. We wish him well, we enjoyed parts of the three years he was here." Don't suppose now is the right time to ask Steve Gibson what those grapes taste like?? I wasn't entirely happy................ we enjoyed parts of the 3 years................. Jesus, Gibso is normally one of the more sensible chairmen, but those comments are pathetic tbh.

I never said that, or anything like that. Read it again and it may sink in the second time around. Well that definitely looked to me like you were suggesting that the only reason you aren't going for him is because of money. Even if you did offer the same as us who's to say he'd choose you? I said Spurs weren't pursuing because of the player's required wages, not the player was pulling out because Spurs wouldn't offer enough. If all the interested clubs offered identical money, it would be down to the player where he went. Not suggesting that Giuly has a preference for Spurs because I have no idea where his preferred destination would be.

If Bent doesn't end up at Tottenham after all of the ITK claims they have been making it would be unreal. They would officially rank as the most delusional fans ever! The 3 best informed are still saying we are still saying we are still in pole position, awaiting Bent's return from holiday. They also say Bent has told WHU he will not be joining them, something confirmed by 2 WHU ITK's on KUMB. If the bingo club really have offered £18m (or £15m + Harewood depending on which paper you're reading), it could tempt Charlton to tell Bent he's not going anywhere unless there is an £18m bid on the table and that could force Bent's hand, go to the bingo club or go to the championship. There is no chance whatsoever of Spurs putting in a bid even remotely close to £18m. The last bid from Spurs was around £10m rising to £12m.

:lol:

Which is about what you'd pay Ben Haim over a 5 year contract. Davies Fee: £8m Signing on fee £500k Wages: £25k x 5 years = £6.5m Total: £15m Ben Haim Fee: £0 Signing on fee : £2m Wages: £65k x 5 years = £16.9m Total: £18.9m All guess work, but in the end him at £65k pw isn't worth it imo. And after 2/3 years they would have revised contracts offered to prevent the spectre of a Bosman walk out a couple of years further down the line. Davies goes up to £35k (no problem), what the hell would Ben Haim be looking for?? The figures you came up with seem reasonable and the conclusion spot on! Seems about right imo, his contract would go up, but even with a steady £35k over the 5 years he's cheaper than Ben Haim at Chelsea's offer. The fact he's younger and English would also see Davies as a better buy for the club in the long term, Chelsea may come in for him at £30m with Ben Haim as part ex desperate for 1st team football So, end of the day, no real worry about losing out on Ben Haim at £65k, if that's what Chelsea are offering then he'll just be adding to the near £300m debt their in and rising. I think this is more to do with Pini Zihavi and his relationship with Abramovich than Ben Haim's footballing ability tbh. Ben Haim is a pretty good player for sure, but £65k?? That's a lot of money for someone of his ability. And if the Chelsea debt grows because of it, Abramovich isn't bothered, he can afford it. I think Newcastle would be well off without him tbh.

I never said that, or anything like that. Read it again and it may sink in the second time around.

Which is about what you'd pay Ben Haim over a 5 year contract. Davies Fee: £8m Signing on fee £500k Wages: £25k x 5 years = £6.5m Total: £15m Ben Haim Fee: £0 Signing on fee : £2m Wages: £65k x 5 years = £16.9m Total: £18.9m All guess work, but in the end him at £65k pw isn't worth it imo. And after 2/3 years they would have revised contracts offered to prevent the spectre of a Bosman walk out a couple of years further down the line. Davies goes up to £35k (no problem), what the hell would Ben Haim be looking for?? The figures you came up with seem reasonable and the conclusion spot on!

There may be a change in the situation if the Bolton press is to believed: http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/wanderers/wanderersnews/display.var.1466451.0.tal_set_for_dream_chelsea_move.php Tal set for dream Chelsea move By Gordon Sharrock TAL Ben Haim is all set to seal his dream move to Chelsea. The wantaway Wanderer, who was on the verge of a lucrative transfer to Stamford Bridge in January, is expected to make an announcement on his future next week - and Jose Mourinho is tipped to win the bidding war. Ben Haim is also wanted by his old boss, Sam Allardyce, at Newcastle, but the Geordies are struggling to match his financial demands. Chelsea have no such worries and can offer the 25-year-old Israeli international instant Champions League football and better prospects of challenging for the game's major prizes. Ben Haim is represented by the so-called "super agent" Pini Zihavi, who has strong connections with Chelsea, and was bitterly disappointed when his proposed move to the Bridge in the mid-winter transfer window collapsed when the Blues refused to match Wanderers' asking price, believed to be £3million, knowing they could sign him on a free transfer in July once his contract had expired. He has been silent on his future since Bolton chairman, Phil Gartside, made a last-ditch attempt to keep him at the Reebok when he offered him a new deal at the end of the season. And, although, Sammy Lee has expressed his desire to keep the talented centre-back, the Whites' boss was speaking more in hope than expectation, knowing he could not compete with the likes of Chelsea, who are believed to have offered the former Maccabi Tel Aviv captain a contract worth £65,000 a week. Allardyce is now understood to have lined up a £2.5m deal for Paris St Germain's 26-year-old Czech centre-back, David Rozehnal, a player he was keen to bring to Bolton before he resigned in April. Wanderers, meanwhile, are among a number of clubs linked with MK Dons' former England Under-21 striker, Izale McLeod, who has been told he can leave the League Two club. Gavin McCann's move from Aston Villa has been rubber-stamped after the 29-year-old midfielder completed the medical formalities of the transfer, which takes him to the Reebok on a three-year contract. Former Wanderers favourite, Jason McAteer, has announced he is hanging up his boots after being told his player-coach contract at Tranmere Rovers would not be renewed. The Merseyside-born Republic of Ireland international made 145 appearances for Wanderers in the mid-nineties before joining Liverpool in August 1995 in a record-breaking £4.5m deal, which still stands as the biggest transfer fee the Whites have ever received. He later played for Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland and went on to win 52 caps for Ireland and played in the 1994 and 2002 World Cups.

I've been told that Spurs are not pursuing their interest in Giuly. Newcastle, Boro and Celtic are all offering 'significantly' more in wages than Spurs are prepared to offer. My guess is Spurs were offering around £40/45k and yourselves and Boro and Celtic are around the £60k mark. Spurs in the meantime have €20m (£13.5m approx) bids on the table for David Silva and Wesley Sneijder. Levy would be happy to get one but is prepared to fund both if we can get both. Personally, would be delighted with either or both but I'm a bit dubious whether they would go to a team with CL aspirations rather than a CL team.

For Barton, certainly. Could sign for Newcastle to tomorrow but apparently he cares more about money. For Newcastle, not for me to say. For City, not for me. Not embarrased over this one bit. I'd be embarrased if were willing to pay the odious little spacker. In fact I'll go as far to say that if City agree to pay him this, without being forced into it by a court of law, they'll never see another penny of my money again. I don't want you to think you're alone on this forum who think City have every reason to stick to their guns on this one... The actual clause itself implies a transfer request should a bid of 5.5m be lodged. It's like a transfer request written into the contract A contract law specialist would make a better case than me, but I would imagine a decent barrister would make it not so cut and dried as some posters here think. I'm sure I'm not the only Toon fan with a bad taste in his mouth after these "loyalty payments" revalations... There was discussion on this topic on a Spurs forum and the general consensus amongst the legally minded was that City may well have the stronger argument. Also, a high percentage of posters were with City and their standpoint. Maybe Spurs fans have seen it a bit more with agents wanting to break the salary structure and in the end, we've just let the player go, not quite the same scenario, but agents wanting the best of both worlds is nothing new. Hope it goes to court, City win and Barton cops a huge legal bill. Greed is poisoning football.

I still can't work out if this Murphy to Newcastle thing is a windup or not. First instinct is to say it is, but some of the folks here seem quite keen on the idea. Murphy hasn't been a success at Spurs because he doesn't want to be a squad player, he wants to start. If he's not starting, he's not terribly interested. There has been serious interest for Murphy from Wigan, a bit from Brum and Fulham have generally asked about his availability. That's it. Wigan, Brum and Fulham. If you honestly believe he can offer Newcastle something I must be missing something because I can see very little benefit for him being on your books other than you haven't got great numbers in the squad and numerically you want the squad to be given a boost. Improvement abilitywise, look elsewhere. It's not as though you can't afford it.

Spurs one of the newly-rich?? We haven't got our very own Icelander with money to burn. Can't see Man Utd spending any more, Liverpool's new owners haven't opened their wallets yet, Chelsea's owner has shut his and the scum haven't got the money unless they sell Henry as they have their debt on their brand new refurbished rubbish dump. Don't think Torres will settle for a Uefa team so Italy would be my guess for his destination.

...... so the BBC are saying: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sunderland/6740687.stm Sunderland manager Roy Keane is close to making Reading utility player Greg Halford his first summer capture, BBC Sport understands. Halford had a medical over the weekend and Sunderland are awaiting the results before pushing through the deal. The move comes as a surprise as the 22-year-old only joined Reading from Colchester in January in a £2m deal. The fee is thought to be about £3m for Halford, who played at right-back, midfield and striker for Colchester. He was part of the Colchester side that got promotion to the Championship in 2005-06. His form for the U's and the England Under-20 side saw him linked with a number of Premiership clubs, including Manchester United. Colchester turned down a bid from Sheffield United for him and dismissed his transfer request during last summer. With his deal set to come to an end this summer Colchester opted to sell him in January. Halford, who scored 24 goals in 154 games for the U's, made just three appearances for the Royals after his arrival in January. But he was thought to be part of Reading manager Steve Coppell's long-term plans. However, providing there are no problems with his medical and the two parties can agree personal terms the club could make an announcement on Monday. Keane is expected to be busy in the transfer market this summer, with the club vowing to back him with significant funds as they prepare for life in the Premiership. Defenders are a priority with Danny Simpson and Jonny Evans - a key part of last season's Championship-winning side - both returning to Manchester United after their loans ended. Apologies if it's been posted here before.

While Chelsea's scouts are looking at the u21's, Wenger has been out to Norway to sign Haugesund's CB Håvard Nordtveit. Only 16 but has a huge future in front of him. Pissed off about that news tbh.

Excellent thread Dimitar Berbatov - Spurs Thierry Henry - Milan Samuel Eto'o - Barcelona David Villa - Valencia Javier Saviola - Real Madrid Fernando Torres - Ath. Madrid Jan Klaas Huntelaar - Ajax Carlos Tevez - Inter Nicolas Anelka - Bolton Djibril Cisse - Marseille Louis Saha - Lyon Alan Smith - Man Utd Diego Forlan - Villarreal Craig Bellamy - West Ham Darren Bent - Spurs Jermaine Defoe - Aston Villa Yakubu - Middlesbrough David Nugent - Everton Benni McCarthy - Blackburn Obafemi Martins - Newcastle Michael Owen - Newcastle

I'd agree with that view. There is an argument for signing a youngster after having seen him at the World u17 Championships, there may be a kid there who has slipped through the radar, but at the Euro u21's?? Any scout worth his salt would know all the players in all the squads.

A Turkish website which I believe is the official League site is saying Birmingham, Man City and Spurs have made offers to Tuncay and other clubs are monitoring the situation. http://ligtv.com.tr/Default.aspx?r=1&hid=20921