Player Watch Player Watch: James Maddison

[archiewasking]

I really hope they can get this over the line - fully understand why theyre reportedly asking for £60m. He’s an elite player and very astute - as Kane is - understands gaining the advantage in the prem, which someone like Lee Lang-In, may not immediately.

Would love to see Madders link up with Kane. If it doesn’t get done could it be the fee?

If we were happy to pay that for Richarlison, we should definitely be happy to pay that for Maddison.

 

[TheWook]

I just hope we don’t try and get this done at the expense of the positions we need to improve on most, no point having Maddison if we’re stuck with Dier defending

 

[1882andallthat]

Why do we still have this narrative when we recently paid £60m for a back up striker and £45m for a right wing back?

Because we didn't pay £45 million straight away for Porro. We lowballed them first and it was dragged out and protracted and very nearly lost out. If another club had been serious about him alongside us him they would have beaten us to him I'm fairly sure about that.

Citing one example of paying £60 million for Richarlison doesn't detract from the fact that there are many more examples of lowballing for players as we have done in the past and it leads to us not getting them. It will continue in the future all the time Levy is here and poking his nose in.

Deny it all you like and claim I'm wrong and inaccurate but there's a mountain of evidence that suggests otherwise.

When a player is of obvious quality and there are competing clubs going in for them history over the years proves time and time again that the club who prevaticates longest and messes around with lower insulting offers more often than not ends up losing out to the more bold and decisive club who don't mess the buyer around.

 

[Russ1201]

Raya, Laporte, Hatate and Maddison would be fantastic business with also Udogie coming in.

We could then look to shift the large amount of players that no longer deserve to be part of the squad.

Dependant on how much we recover in sales we could then bring in another CB towards the end of the window.

Would love this to happen. But really can't see 3 big signings under Levy more likely 1 -2 max.

 

[Danny1]

Would love this to happen. But really can't see 3 big signings under Levy more likely 1 -2 max.

I agree unfortunately mate. Personally I’d love to add another CB and then someone like Kang-In Lee aswell and that would allow us to get rid of an awful lot of toot.

 

[Led Revolver]

I

We need to buy first to get our targets then work on selling who we don’t want.

Ridiculous the other way.

Also helps the players you sign get settled in and helps the show the ones you don’t want, they have been replaced and won’t get game time.

In a perfect world yes, but it’s not how businesses work. You can’t keep dishing out contracts for players without taking others off the wage bill at the same time.

Although it’s frustrating, it always has to be that way. I don’t get so many fans getting annoyed about it, personally.

 

[Flobadob]

I just hope we don’t try and get this done at the expense of the positions we need to improve on most, no point having Maddison if we’re stuck with Dier defending

15th for goals conceded last season and 5th for goals scored. Defensive solidity and control of the game from the deeper midfield positions is our problem, not scoring goals or creativity.

 

[arunspurs]

Because we didn't pay £45 million straight away for Porro. We lowballed them first and it was dragged out and protracted and very nearly lost out. If another club had been serious about him alongside us him they would have beaten us to him I'm fairly sure about that.

Citing one example of paying £60 million for Richarlison doesn't detract from the fact that there are many more examples of lowballing for players as we have done in the past and it leads to us not getting them. It will continue in the future all the time Levy is here and poking his nose in.

Deny it all you like and claim I'm wrong and inaccurate but there's a mountain of evidence that suggests otherwise.

When a player is of obvious quality and there are competing clubs going in for them history over the years proves time and time again that the club who prevaticates longest and messes around with lower insulting offers more often than not ends up losing out to the more bold and decisive club who don't mess the buyer around.

Lowballing occurs when Levy stupidly assumes he has the leverage - example Grealish or several other good players we lost out from relegated clubs

It’s not lack of spending that’s our downfall it’s arrogance & stupidity

Levy didn’t want to pay 30m for Mane but same window on deadline day got Sissoko for same 30m on same wages

what do you call this ? Lowballing & not spending or spending but spending it stupid ?

None of the clubs were bidding 55m on Ndombele or 45m for GLC. We were the idiots who did it

So it’s a lazy narrative to say we don’t spend. We spend , we spend stupid

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Because we didn't pay £45 million straight away for Porro. We lowballed them first and it was dragged out and protracted and very nearly lost out. If another club had been serious about him alongside us him they would have beaten us to him I'm fairly sure about that.

Citing one example of paying £60 million for Richarlison doesn't detract from the fact that there are many more examples of lowballing for players as we have done in the past and it leads to us not getting them. It will continue in the future all the time Levy is here and poking his nose in.

Deny it all you like and claim I'm wrong and inaccurate but there's a mountain of evidence that suggests otherwise.

When a player is of obvious quality and there are competing clubs going in for them history over the years proves time and time again that the club who prevaticates longest and messes around with lower insulting offers more often than not ends up losing out to the more bold and decisive club who don't mess the buyer around.

We had competition for both Richarlison and Ndombele and arguably paid over the odds to secure them.

It’s pointless citing historical negotiations. Since we’ve seen revenues increase due to the new stadium we’ve spent money. That is an undeniable fact. Check the stats - we’ve been one of the highest spenders in Europe over the last few years.

EVERY club bar a few financially doped clubs haggle and negotiated for players. In fact even Man City, with all their nation state wealth, walked away from deals for Maguire and cucarella as they didn’t value them what they buying club was demanding. So it isn’t just us who apparently ‘mess the buyer around’.

 

[felmani26]

I just hope we don’t try and get this done at the expense of the positions we need to improve on most, no point having Maddison if we’re stuck with Dier defending

We also desperately need creativity and nous further up the field coupled with being a set piece specialist.

Maddison and by extension that remit, is very much a priority as well as defensive reinforcements.

 

[parklane yid]

I just hope we don’t try and get this done at the expense of the positions we need to improve on most, no point having Maddison if we’re stuck with Dier defending

I would argue Maddison is more important than a CB

 

[Trix]

.

EVERY club bar a few financially doped clubs haggle and negotiated for players. In fact even Man City, with all their nation state wealth, walked away from deals for Maguire and cucarella as they didn’t value them what they buying club was demanding. So it isn’t just us who apparently ‘mess the buyer around’.

You are right all clubs walk away from deals that they deem are too much. Not every club agrees on a fee or terms and then tries to completely change the deal at the last minute to fuck over the other party though. We have a lot of history of doing just that.

I know you view things through a state of, let's put it, "ignorant bliss" as far as Spurs are concerned but we have an awful track record of being very difficult to deal with. I don't know how many chairmen of other clubs, ex players, agents, pundits, journalists and ITK have to say it before some take on board we do not operate like other clubs when it comes to transfers. There's a reason Base have been doing the majority of our negotiating of late, and it's not because they are overly brilliant at it.

 

[dontcallme]

I would argue Maddison is more important than a CB

I think we're in real need of quality. The obvious targets don't always become available. If we're more attractive than the other clubs interested then I'd love for us to sign Maddison.

However, if I was going to rank positions of most need to buy, goalkeeper and centre back would top the list.

 

[Trix]

I would argue Maddison is more important than a CB

Good luck with arguing that case.

 

[Johnny J]

You are right all clubs walk away from deals that they deem are too much. Not every club agrees on a fee or terms and then tries to completely change the deal at the last minute to fuck over the other party though. We have a lot of history of doing just that.

I know you view things through a state of, let's put it, "ignorant bliss" as far as Spurs are concerned but we have an awful track record of being very difficult to deal with. I don't know how many chairmen of other clubs, ex players, agents, pundits, journalists and ITK have to say it before some take on board we do not operate like other clubs when it comes to transfers. There's a reason Base have been doing the majority of our negotiating of late, and it's not because they are overly brilliant at it.

I don't understand why Levy, who is in many ways a good businessman, can't see the downside in operating this way.

If you constantly try to change the terms last-minute it might work in the short term, but long term you're fucked because people don't trust your word and will straight up avoid dealing with you.

At this level the football world is quite small and I think Levy's reputation is probably so widely known now that it's creating real problems for us.

Also I bet Levy hates it when people do the same thing to him.

I hope this summer we spend wisely, whether on Maddison or whoever.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

You are right all clubs walk away from deals that they deem are too much. Not every club agrees on a fee or terms and then tries to completely change the deal at the last minute to fuck over the other party though. We have a lot of history of doing just that.

I know you view things through a state of, let's put it, "ignorant bliss" as far as Spurs are concerned but we have an awful track record of being very difficult to deal with. I don't know how many chairmen of other clubs, ex players, agents, pundits, journalists and ITK have to say it before some take on board we do not operate

like other clubs when it comes to transfers. There's a reason Base have been doing the majority of our negotiating of late, and it's not because they are overly brilliant at it.

But yet we still manage to sign good quality players regularly from other clubs. Surely if our rep was that bad we would rarely get deals done for the standard of player we need? Especially when we face competition? And yet we have a squad full of internationals.

I accept that when we were in the old stadium Levy had a rep for being a tough negotiator, which actually benefitted us by getting some bargains, but also selling our deadwood at high prices. But since we’ve been in the stadium the opposite is arguably true - we’ve over paid for some players and struggle to sell many (there are other macro factors involved here though admittedly).

As for your ‘ignorant bliss’ comment - if trying to remain balanced and not buy into hysteria and outrage at every turn, or do mental gymnastics to paint Levy as a villain over every dubious tweet or ITK snippet is now being seen as ‘ignorant’, the definition of the word must have changed since I last checked…

 

[McGoose]

I would argue Maddison is more important than a CB

Given that we basically have one quality CB - bringing in at least one quality CB is a significantly higher priority than JM imo.

 

[1882andallthat]

We had competition for both Richarlison and Ndombele and arguably paid over the odds to secure them.

It’s pointless citing historical negotiations. Since we’ve seen revenues increase due to the new stadium we’ve spent money. That is an undeniable fact. Check the stats - we’ve been one of the highest spenders in Europe over the last few years.

EVERY club bar a few financially doped clubs haggle and negotiated for players. In fact even Man City, with all their nation state wealth, walked away from deals for Maguire and cucarella as they didn’t value them what they buying club was demanding. So it isn’t just us who apparently ‘mess the buyer around’.

We may well have paid the price on some players but the point you are missing big time is this. No-one was really and seriously competing with us to sign Ndombele or Richarlison.

The point you are missing or refusing to acknowledge is this - When players like Maddison become available there will be several clubs interested and that is when we will be bottom of the pile. I'm not talking about losing in competitions with clubs like Man City or Chelsea.
We will lose out to the likes of Villa or Newcastle or even possibly West Ham or Brighton if they are all interested, and why is that ? It's because of Levy, clubs will not want to deal with us in preference to others because they know in comparison to us they won't be messed around ad much or lowballed and have the goalposts moved and neither will they dither and quibble a out shaving off £1 or £2 million off the asking price.

I'm not saying we won't end up getting players we will generally only get ones no-one else has a serious interest in. We will lose out to clubs that aren't moneybags clubs because of one factor and one factor only. So when players like your Ollie Watkins or James Maddisons come along if we're in a race with other PL and I'm not talking about your Man City / Man Utd's Chelsea's et all we will lose out because of Levy's reputation and penny wise pound foolish thinks he's being smart strategy. Those other clubs will be more decisive and won't try to pull the predictable stupid tricks that Levy pulls.

Those who want to dislike it go ahead and dislike or disagree....but I'm fairly confident that there overwhelming evidence to support what I'm saying.....

 

[Trix]

As for your ‘ignorant bliss’ comment - if trying to remain balanced and not buy into hysteria and outrage at every turn, or do mental gymnastics to paint Levy as a villain over every dubious tweet or ITK snippet is now being seen as ‘ignorant’, the definition of the word must have changed since I last checked…

Because what you are doing is taking every comment on its individual merits instead of thinking we'll surely the whole football fraternity can't be wrong can they?. As I've said before if even only 25% of what comes out is actually true(and that figure is very very conservative imo) it's still far far too much. You say you are being balanced, I'd say you very much to tip the Ballance the other way. There can't be "what ifs" and truth in hypothetical workarounds for everything the club does badly, when we are in the state we are. Yet you seem to come up with one for every scenario.

You think you are providing balance, you're not, your providing excuses based on there not being 100% cast iron proof.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

We may well have paid the price on some players but the point you are missing big time is this. No-one was really and seriously competing with us to sign Ndombele or Richarlison.

The point you are missing or refusing to acknowledge is this - When players like Maddison become available there will be several clubs interested and that is when we will be bottom of the pile. I'm not talking about losing in competitions with clubs like Man City or Chelsea.
We will lose out to the likes of Villa or Newcastle or even possibly West Ham or Brighton if they are all interested, and why is that ? It's because of Levy, clubs will not want to deal with us in preference to others because they know in comparison to us they won't be messed around ad much or lowballed and have the goalposts moved and neither will they dither and quibble a out shaving off £1 or £2 million off the asking price.

I'm not saying we won't end up getting players we will generally only get ones no-one else has a serious interest in. We will lose out to clubs that aren't moneybags clubs because of one factor and one factor only. So when players like your Ollie Watkins or James Maddisons come along if we're in a race with other PL and I'm not talking about your Man City / Man Utd's Chelsea's et all we will lose out because of Levy's reputation and penny wise pound foolish thinks he's being smart strategy. Those other clubs will be more decisive and won't try to pull the predictable stupid tricks that Levy pulls.

Those who want to dislike it go ahead and dislike or disagree....but I'm fairly confident that there overwhelming evidence to support what I'm saying.....

How do you know ‘No-one was really and seriously competing with us to sign Ndombele or Richarlison’ ? Or have you just come to that conclusion because it doesn’t fit your argument?