Blame the Trust
Fazio, Yedlin, Bentaleb, Mason, Chadli, N'Jie - gone
Waynama, Janssen, N'Koudou, Pau Lopez - in
Complain when we don't spend, complain when we do.
The Spurs faithful bleating on about needing a 'big exciting player' are forgetting we have many of them already. Sure, some of them are hungover but I'm certain they'll find form soon.
What is it about the transfer window that has supporters jumping out of it?
We've sold players that are clearly no longer in our plans. We've perhaps not signed a replacement deemed to be world class for each one (not exactly a necessity or even possible). Maybe we don't need replacements. How can you replace someone that isn't an option? 'Upgrades', that's a better choice of words. We've upgraded. Pochettino recently cited the Barcelona academy as an inspiration - something that is likely to spur some of our fanbase into a crazed frenzy. "Citing youth is a ploy for the club not to spend money on players and simply rely on youth promotion" (the cheapskate Levy strikes again, pitchforks and fire at the ready).
Assumptions made on failed attempts to sign players are also always the chairman's responsibility, even though none of us have a clue what happens behind closed doors. To actually believe that Levy is sat on his own, in his office, bidding low on targets he's pulling out of a hat is a joke that is now so thin it casts no shadow.
"He always leaves it late and then pretends to try and do some last minute business and fails", they say whilst pretending we didn't swiftly solve the issue of depth in CM (Wanyama) and striker coverage (Janssen) fairly early on. Now add N'Koudou (width, pace) and the hope it works out better than N'Jie. The Lopez loan is functional rather than essential. There's no need to take a risk in terms of cover for between the sticks.
Paul Mitchell leaving has left plenty confused (even though plenty might not be able to explain the exact influence and success Mitchell has had at Spurs). We tend to believe he was an irreplaceable cog in the system because of the weight of importance we placed on him in our brave new world of player identification and acquisition. For some, his departure suddenly means we have no clue who to sign.
It might seem like there's no control but we don't know what's happening behind closed doors. If Levy truly just waits until the last day to do business because there's less chance of completing deals, then he's a sociopath with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, inflicting abuse on Tottenham and their transfer disability. Poch would surely feel like he would need to quit because of lack of support/direction/common sense. The harmony would be a sham. We always said Poch was perfect for Levy because of his focus on young in-house players and their development. A marquee type of signing does and will always get fans excited but what's better? A marquee signing or seeing someone like Harry Kane smashing his way from obscurity to fame?
I struggle to believe so much of what happens in the final day and hours on the last day of the window. Sure, sometimes there are opportunistic targets that become viable because they're too good not to enquire about (Isco being one, with Real Madrid not having any room for his talents, supposedly). So naturally, you might look to take advantage. Is this broken logic? Why the interest if the interest in a player of his style wasn't a priority one month ago? Is this a quintessential Levyism? Are we only interested because it would most definitely do no harm? Or is the reality siding with the fact that we could comfortably live without him? It's easy to see why some supporters think there's no composed planning at play.
The truth is usually a lot easier to digest: Most of the targets and bids are absolute nonsense made up to push the hype with 24/7 rolling news tv stations churning out betting propaganda whilst websites publish rumours about rumours just to make some coin on their shallow soulless blogs. Yellow journalism retains its grip mainly because there's an audience that are desperate for an information fix. Like a crack head looking to score a high before they return to their low. A low that they've chosen to exist in by giving up altogether.
The Sissoko 'saga' was borderline ludicrous.
In a matter of hours he went from almost signing for Spurs (break down in talks due to payment structure). To then Chelsea being interested in yet another player they would no doubt steal, sign and loan out then sell. To then head towards Everton for a medical and a cheap £30M fee. It's like connecting the dots with a chewed up crayon.
I would have welcomed Sissoko to Spurs as a decent addition. Bit of pace, power and box to box guile. A player in need of focus and discipline, a challenge for any manager wanting to maximise his potential. But the club were mocked (by our own) because we weren't aiming higher. Inconsistent, over-rated according to someone. And whilst 30 million is the new 15 million, it all gets confusing when (after the deal failed according to the constant breaking news) that our own mocked the club again for its failure.
You keeping up with the rules of engagement?
Leicester did manage to bag themselves a dirty thirty (million) in Islam Slimani, a twenty-eight year old. That's basically all I know. Is it okay for me not to know who the player is? Finger on the pulse over here. If he actually cost only £15M I wouldn't have even registered this particular transfer at all.
Hold on a second...BREAKING NEWS...the medical at Goodison Park wasn't the end of Sissoko's musical chair jig because Spurs matched Everton's offer and the midfielder has actually SIGNED FOR US.
For £30M.
*faints*
Thoughts and prayers with Everton.
[They] had agreed a £30m fee, they had everything ready, a plane to fly him up, they then couldn't get hold of him to confirm the arrangements. In the meantime Daniel Levy came in at the last minute and agreed the same fee. Now Sissoko has one choice after Everton withdrew their interest - Phil McNulty, BBC
Peak Levy.
UPDATED: Waynama (DM), Janssen (Forward), N'Koudou (Left Wing), Pau Lopez (Keeper), Moussa Sissoko (Right Midfield, Central Midfield)
So Spurs get that additional CM that can play (and has played mostly) RM and add extra depth to the squad. The cycle of disappointment will no doubt continue. How does the saying go again?
Complain when we don't spend, complain when we do.
Poch was apparently on 'holiday' whilst all these dramatics were on-going. I suspect there must have been a meltdown about that and how Levy was no doubt power-playing all on his own.
"But did Poch want Sissoko?"
"It smacks of desperation"
"He's got no first touch and his decision making is poor"
"Where is he meant to play? He's not really a winger"
Shame we don't live in a world where our manager could use one of those magic boxes that allows spoken words to travel vast distances and thus be able to converse on any potential transfer deal. If he so wishes to transcend the stars. I guess every club doing business on the last day were equally in a state of blind panic. A consequence of the idiocy that the window creates.
Maybe we should wait and see what type of player Sissoko turns out to be FOR SPURS before we lose our sh*t and let low level banter from rival clubs p*ss on our parade. It wasn't that long ago that some of us wanted Demeble gone ('he holds onto ball for too long, too indecisive') and now he's a pivotal player and possibly our most important with regards to the teams working dynamic.
It also wasn't that long ago that Spurs bid for Zaha at Palace. After our sluggish performance at home to Liverpool and the heavily discussed lack of tenacious tempo, the accusations of desperation seem a little daft when you begin to connect the dots with a sharp pencil. I read one suggestion that Spurs 'change of heart' was because Poch wanted the player so Levy went back in - regardless of the extra pennies we had to pay. Tag team special. I guess we can't blame the chairman for this one if it turns out to be an expensive mistake. He's backed his coach. In a dark corner somewhere, Harry Redknapp is shaking uncontrollably.
Round-up:
N'Koudou is an option on the left, Sissoko can play right-sided midfield. Both. Have. Pace. Waynama covers the defensive duties in the middle. Janssen the coverage we need upfront. Lopez, emergency cover.
Not too shabby Tottenham. Not spectacular or sexy but not to shabby indeed.
And as for the smiling Georges-Kévin; was the delay simply a matter of contractual obligation waiting for incomplete paperwork and other formalities, for the sake of politeness (although it's maddening to see that he's been training at Hotspur Way). Or was it another conspiracy? Holding off till the last day so that the club had something to shout about - with no desire to sign or do any other business before the deadline kicks in?
In the end, it didn't matter. We did do other business. He was the first of three to officially sign on the final day.
Tin foil hats in the bin.
Regardless it was worth it just for this:
https://twitter.com/SpursOfficial/status/771033068937351169?s=08
Go on, click on the link. You won't regret it.
The video to announce Kevin is genius, unintentional or otherwise (the former for the love of God the former) because it perfectly illustrates the utter buffoonery the people and the media place on that fix for something sweet when in the end everyone chooses to swim in their salty tears instead. Bless the Spurs Official social media account for their satire. That's the social media account of a football club that's probably run by an agency or an individual that doesn't even support us.
To dare is to self-deprecate. They've got the memo.
N'Koudou is laughing.
...and I'm laughing along with him.