Lassana Diarra

[chrissivad]

Spurs planning to rush through Diarra loan deal

Tottenham want to sign Lassana Diarra this week.

The plan is to beat the January transfer deadline by recruiting the 25-year-old French international on loan from Real Madrid for the rest of this season and secure the option to buy him on a permanent basis in the summer.

Manager Harry Redknapp knows Diarra well.

He signed Diarra for £5.5million from Arsenal while he was in charge at Portsmouth three years ago and 12 months later sold him to Real for £18m.

In his 12 months at Fratton Park, Redknapp’s man management skills brought the best from the player whose style has been likened to compatriot Claude Makelele in a holding midfield role.

Diarra had first come to England six years ago from Le Havre to Chelsea for £1m. But he became increasingly frustrated at the failure to establish himself in the first team and moved to Arsenal for around £1m in 2007.

However, he was also at odds with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger because he was not an automatic choice and within six months had moved to Portsmouth.

Redknapp has made no secret of his admiration for Diarra and if he impresses, then chairman Daniel Levy could be tempted to pay Real £10m to make him a full-time addition.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce admits that he could go back to Spurs in his search for Darren Bent’s successor.

The Black Cats boss paid an initial £10m to lure Bent from White Hart Lane in the summer of 2009 and a similar sum would land him Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Bruce admitted: “Spurs might be my begging bowl – they always have a few strikers.’’

Ideally, Bruce, armed with £18m from the shock sale of Bent to Aston Villa, would like Peter Crouch, who turned him down 18 months ago.

But Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is adamant he wants to keep the towering Crouch and the same goes for his England striking colleague Jermain Defoe.

That would leave only Pavlyuchenko and Republic of Ireland hitman Robbie Keane to choose from as Spurs have indicated both could leave at the right price.

But Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has already indicated that Keane isn’t the type of striker the Black Cats are looking for.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...-Real-Madrid-article679133.html#ixzz1BoEdIJ6q


He didn't even make the bench in the last game

 

[nedley]

If Diarra becomes available no doubt Harry will be in for him. That nobhead Barry Silkman did say he heard Harry was close to a loan signing in Spain.

 

[jonathanhotspur]

Please get it done, Levy.

 

[dvdhopeful]

He would be a quality transfer. How do you pick from Diarra, Hudd, Palacios, Jenas? Modric is a certainty, but it will be near impossible to keep everyone happy.

 

[mil1lion]

A loan with the first option to buy would make sense. See how he settles and how his attitude is before we sign him.

 

[andyw362]

We can get rid of palacios and that will make everybody happpy.

Would we have the smallest midfield ever though?

Pienaar, Modders, Diarra, Lennon

JD and VDV upfront?

 

[full-frontal-nudity]

If Diarra becomes available no doubt Harry will be in for him. That nobhead Barry Silkman did say he heard Harry was close to a loan signing in Spain.

nobhead of the highest order.

 

[chrissivad]

He would be a quality transfer. How do you pick from Diarra, Hudd, Palacios, Jenas? Modric is a certainty, but it will be near impossible to keep everyone happy.

Modric as a starter as you say, then either one of Hudd or Diarra depending on who we are playing and what we need.

Palacios pushed down due to Diarra's arrival (if he does) and pushes JJ almost out of the door.

 

[dvdhopeful]

We can get rid of palacios and that will make everybody happpy.

Would we have the smallest midfield ever though?

Pienaar, Modders, Diarra, Lennon

JD and VDV upfront?

If Pienaar gets into the first team, realistically it will be at the expense of Lennon, rather than Bale.

I'd also hope that in the not to distant future we can replace JD with a striker 6'+

But I know what you mean, I thought similar today, we are a team of short asses.

Modric as a starter as you say, then either one of Hudd or Diarra depending on who we are playing and what we need.

Palacios pushed down due to Diarra's arrival (if he does) and pushes JJ almost out of the door.

Yea, I would suspect that if Diarra were to be brought in that is pretty much the end for JJ, I can't really think of too many situations that JJ would be useful if you have Hudd, Diarra and Wilson (I'm not mentioning Luka as, lets face it, if he is fit, he plays).

That would give us an incredibly strong central midfield quartet. As long as Luka is fit, I'd be happy with any of those three partnering him. You can also put either Diarra or Wilson alongside Hudd and you'd be alright for most games too.

I guess it would also mean a loan spell for Sandro though. I'd love him to go out to a Prem team until the end of the season, if we can get another CM in.

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

He would be a quality transfer. How do you pick from Diarra, Hudd, Palacios, Jenas? Modric is a certainty, but it will be near impossible to keep everyone happy.

Lennon - Hudd - Modric - Bale
Pienaar - Diarra - Sandro - Krancjar

Two quality players in every position. Lots of flexibility and options with a 5 man midfield. Jenas, Palacios and O'Hara to depart.

Although not initially, the recent weeks of Hudd's injury have shown us why we need a 3rd top notch CM as opposed to WP/JJ.

 

[There's always next year]

Good player, but not world class and to be honest not really a priority position. But we all know Harry likes to be reunited with players from his past.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

Good player, but not world class and to be honest not really a priority position. But we all know Harry likes to be reunited with players from his past.

Kind of disagree about it not being a priority position, besides a striker or 2 it's the next position we need to improve on.

As for keeping the players happy, Redknapp must introduce a rotation policy for positions that we're a bit overloaded to keep everyone sharp and involved.

 

[raj]

if we are getting Diarra, then we certainly should offload Jenas and Palacios.

 

[Matt C]

I would be happy to see the back of Jenas, has had more than enough chances, I would keep Wilson as a back up

Bit concerned about Diarra's attitude though he has had an alarming number of clubs in his relatively short career

 

[stevenurse]

The only reason I wouldnt want this to go through is because the name looks too much like lasagne Diarrhea

 

[AUSpur]

I would be happy to see the back of Jenas, has had more than enough chances, I would keep Wilson as a back up

Bit concerned about Diarra's attitude though he has had an alarming number of clubs in his relatively short career

2 stops were to play for Mourinho. Hard to fault a guy for wanting 1st action.

THIS is why Spurs want him (has played right back as well as defensive mid, also):

"Diarra has unusually good ball control for a defensive midfielder and has been praised for his physical strength in defense.[25] Due to his versatility, Madrid’s La Sexta television commentators refer to him as a "todocampista" or "jack of all trades."[26"

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

£18m quoted in the Mail today. £18m for another midfielder would be madness. He might be an upgrade on Palacios/Huddlestone but surely that money should be going somewhere else. He's not even that good and he definitely has some 'team' issues.

 

[degoose]

he cant be worth 18 mill, he hardly plays a game for madrid but i guess if they dont want him to go they can ask for whatever they like.

 

[KingKay]

You've got yourself a deal. £6m up front, £12m based on the flight path and trajectory of Lebanese migrating swallows.

 

[danielneeds]

£18m quoted in the Mail today. £18m for another midfielder would be madness. He might be an upgrade on Palacios/Huddlestone but surely that money should be going somewhere else. He's not even that good and he definitely has some 'team' issues.

I doubt that we would have to pay £18m for him. That is the same as they bought him for, and he must have depreciated a bit as he has not been playing regularly.