Berbatov Fumes

Possibly an explanation why Berbatov seemed to fade out of some games? Perhaps he is unfamiliar with Ramos' fitness regime. Maybe it's just as well that he finds another team. Ramos is rebuilding Spurs with pace to counterattack. Berbatov will never offer that option as a smoker. Time to grow up and act like a professional athlete, Dimi.

Bentley Signing Today

The Telegraph reports that Bentley is expected to sign today with Paul Robinson headed in the opposite direction to Blackburn. A domino effect is expected to follow with Friedel headed to Villa.

Also reported today is the news that Manchester have offered only 18 million plus add ons for Berbatov.

Done

Reports indicate that Dunne, Bostock, and dos Santos are now Spurs.

Head Spinning Transfer News Day

The early news was that Moreno signed with Shaktar Donetsk instead of Spurs. Perhaps this shouldn't have been too much of a surprise as there were questions about the third-party ownership of the player's rights (like Mascherano and Tevez) and related requests that the full transfer sum be paid up front. Moreno looks like a quality player who can play with his back to goal, and it's disappointing that he won't be a Spur, but other transfer activity may negate the impact of this loss.

Plenty of news outlets indicate that Barcelona's dos Santos has either signed to Tottenham (Daily Mail), or is about to sign (Sky, Guardian, Mirror, Telegraph) .

Goal.com is also reporting that Tottenham have matched Diego Capel's release clause in his contract and only settling the tax bill remains as the Sevilla left wing player has agreed to a four-year contract.

Additionally, it is being reported in the Daily Mail that Chelsea have failed in their attempt to hijack the transfer of John Bostock from Crystal Palace.

And finally, Getafe defender Cata Diaz is rumored to be headed to the Lane says Setanta and Goal.com.

Transfer Targets Resource Center

We've updated the site to track the latest transfer news and gossip. We will continue to update this list on the left navigation bar. The links on the player names goes to the player's football-lineups.com profile which provides good info on where on the pitch he played and how often he started or substituted. Articles will have dates from this point going forward to help readers track developments. Some of the identified targets have not generated much press recently, but were cited as targets in the January window.

Keeper
1. Carlos Kameni, Espanyol, Video
2. Joe Hart, Manchester City, articles 5/14/08
3. Gregory Coupet, Lyon, articles 5/25/08
4. Heurelho Gomes, PSV Eindhoven, articles 5/24/08
5. Hugo Lloris, Nice, articles 5/26/08

Left Back
1. Andrea Dossena, Udinese
2. Adriano Corriea, Sevilla, articles 5/18/08

Center Back
1. Dani Jarque, Espanyol: Video,
2. David Abelda, Valencia
3. Carlos Cuellar, Glasgow Rangers, articles 5/14/08
4. Richard Dunne, Manchester City, articles 5/17/08
5. Torrejon Mayo, Espanyol, articles 5/13/08
6. Daniel van Buyten, Bayern Munich

Right Back
1. Miguel, Valencia

Left Mid
1. Diego Capel, Sevilla, Video, video, video, articles 5/7/08 5/14/08
2. Stewart Downing, Middlesborough
3. Esteban Granero, on loan at Getafe from Real Madrid

Center Mid
1. Luka Modric, articles 5/6/08 video video
2. Yaya Toure, Barcelona
3. Lassana Diarra, Portsmouth, articles 5/19/08
4. John Bostock, Crystal Palace, articles 5/15/08

Right Mid
1. David Bentley, Blackburn, articles 5/26/08 5/27/08
2. Valon Behrami, Lazio, articles 5/27/08

Striker
1. Andrei Arshavin, Zenit St. Petersberg, articles, video
2. Diego Milito, Real Zaragoza - video video
3. Fred, Lyon - video, video
4. Marcelo Moreno, Cruzeiro, articles 5/24/08, video video
5. Giovani dos Santos, Barcelona, articles 5/20/08 5/27/08, video video
6. Tarik Elyounoussi, Fredrikstad, articles 5/27/08, video

Socks

I'm not really sure about these new socks for next season's home kit.

Modric: Great Times Profile Piece

The Guardian has a great piece on the No. 10 position and the declining importance of playmakers in European football. It features Riquelme as the prototypical traditional No. 10 and Modric as one of the new breed. Here's a snippet:

He's maybe not going to push players around, but with his quickness of feet, and his balance and his vision he'll cope. He's really special. He's a player who's really comfortable on the ball. People enjoy having him in the team. He's quick of thought. Good with both feet, can run all day long, and he plays football. He's got a great future."

Kaboul Complains - Provides Insight Into Ramos Management Style

Kaboul, who could not handle the pressure of central defense in the Premier League, has gone on the offensive against Ramos who refuses to play him. His main complaint? Ramos focuses too much on tactics and isn't the father figure that Jol used to be.

Seriously.

Here's the article reprinted from So Foot. Clearly Kaboul offers a lot of excuses, but he also some interesting insights into Ramos' managerial style.

"Martin Jol was a person," Kaboul told So Foot. "For us he was a father whereas Ramos is about tactics . . . .

"At training we do a lot of XI against zero and blackboard work to work on the ball.

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"Ramos brought that to us, but nothing else. The Carling Cup win saved our season. . . .

"They say we won it because Ramos arrived at the club, but it is nothing to do with him. We would have won it with Martin Jol."

I'm sure few would support this last point as Ramos has distinguished himself from Jol with the ability to change the outcome of games with smart substitutions and tactical adjustments. There is no doubt he has taken Spurs to a new level and the silverware proves it.

And the emphasis on tactics is a continental way of managing. I'm surprised the frenchman is not more familiar with this style.

The one thing Kaboul was not prepared to do was to accept any blame for the team's leaky defense.

"We have had a difficult season. We score many goals but for sure we concede too much. More than half of the goals were from free kicks. . . .

I was defensively okay and scored goals. Finally I never gave up so I do not regret anything. . . .

"I played all the first part of the championship and since the manager changed I do not play anymore. I have not been told why. He does not speak. With anybody. Communication does not exist with him.

It's safe to say that Kaboul is pretty serious about getting transfer-listed.

Ramos Wants Funds

In today's Guardian, Ramos sends the message to the Spurs board that he will need a serious influx of funds to get the players necessary to break into the top four.

With plenty of speculation about which players Ramos will bring to the club during the summer transfer period, a couple interesting points emerged from the Guardian article.

First, Ramos seems to challenge Levy and the board's emphasis in buying only young players in the transfer market:

"[The budget] is an internal situation we have to look at. The teams in the Champions League are there because they have the highest budgets and the best players.The best of the best are not the oldest, experienced or youngest. It is not about the players' ages if they are good enough."

And, somewhat worryingly, he seems not to have directly conveyed this to the Spurs directors:

The Tottenham manager has yet to meet his executive chairman, Daniel Levy, to discuss next season's budgets, but if his ambitious target is to be achieved, it will require finacial backing.

Tottenham's pursuit of rising young talent has left the team with a lot of potential after three years, but many players have yet to develop. Instead of hitting its stride with high impact transfers, the team seems always to be waiting for its young players to turn the corner in their development.

Moreover, without experienced veteran leadership, Spurs youngsters are less likely to adopt the work ethic and determination that is required of championship contenders.

Ramos' silverware addition to the Lane should hopefully give him some latitude with the board to pursue the type of transfers he is seeking. Spurs will need players who can make an immediate impact if they want to break into the top four.

Darren Bent: Highest Paid Spurs Player

The Daily Telegraph has posted a document, apparently photocopied, which lists the 40 highest paid players in the world. Curiously, the salaries are in pounds not euros. It is impossible to measure the authenticity of this document, but the Telegraph thought enough of it to print it on their pages.

There are a few surprises in there, but none more so for Spurs fans than Darren Bent's purported weekly salary of £94,669, substantially higher than any other Tottenham player. This figure appears well in excess of what West Ham reportedly offered Bent and considerably more than reported in the press. It would also be far beyond any publicly reported salaries for Berbatov, Keane or King.

If true, this document would signal the end of Spurs' infamously rigid wage structure. That could only portend well for Juande Ramos and any summer signings he has planned.

I wouldn't hold my breath, though. This is so out of character for Levy and the Spurs board it seems preposterous.

No one is untouchable at Spurs

Perhaps because he wants to keep the Tottenham players performing at their peak, or perhaps because its true, Spurs coach Juande Ramos has suggested that no single player on the squad is guaranteed their position. The Telegraph discusses the planned upheaval to take place in the summer. In the Daily Mail, Ramos explains his high expectations of player performance:

'What I am interested in is to see how my players respond to the other night in Europe and how they perform until our very last fixture,' he said. 'These matches are important. There are many games yet to play, enough for the players to show what qualities they've got and what kind of standards they can achieve.

This comes on the heels of rumors that Aaron Lennon's position is not safe at Spurs and that he may actually be transferred at the end of the season. Clearly Ramos wants to see development by Lennon whose crossing should show better improvement by this stage. With Inter Milan interested in moving for the young winger, this story cannot be immediately discounted.

Someone to Bale us out

If I learned anything from our disappointing performance today against PSV, its that we desperately need a healthy Gareth Bale in the lineup. Between Gilberto's horrendous errors and spot kick taking that would rival my own, it was obvious that the glaring deficiencies that plagued Spurs today could have most certainly been remedied by him. Bale seems to be a class act on and off the field and we shall keep our fingers crossed for his speedy return.

New Transfer News

The Daily Mail is reporting that Carlos Kameni talks with Spurs are at an advanced stage and a deal may be near completion. Kameni has already indicated to Espanyol that he will not re-sign and his escape clause gives Tottenham a chance to secure his transfer. Interesting point to note: Football-Lineups.com lists Kameni at only 6' 1/2" tall.

Sky Sports is reporting that Spurs are tracking Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero who is currently on loan at Getafe. For what it's worth, the news appears to be coming from Granero's agent. Apparently, player and agent are waiting to see if the 20-year-old will feature in Madrid's first team next year before making a decision to seek a transfer. Madrid value the player at 24 million Euros.

give them an inch and...

Seems that after Juande Ramos gave the squad some room to enjoy themselves after Sunday's fantabulous victory over Chelsea, some of players, highlighted by Captain King, had quite a good time.

The Daily Mail has reported that Mr. King did not take well to being thrown out of a club after becoming too drunk to stand. He reportedly "grappled with bouncers as he tried to force his way back in." Way to go Ledley! At least the man knows how to celebrate in style. I mean, really, who the hell grapples anymore?

I think that Gus Poyet, acting in his official role of interpreter in chief, should have made it clear that when the gaffer let them off the leash for the night he really just meant they should enjoy a light sangria and a cigar.

Eh, really, who cares? We just beat Chelsea in a final! As long as none of them wound up in jail or injured then, in my mind, the night was a total success. Rock on boys!

Tottenham Set to Announce Plans for New Ground

The Telegraph is reporting that an announcement from Tottenham is imminent about plans for a new ground.

Link.

Poyet Identifies Transfer Targets: Video

Citing a Catalan publication Sport, the Daily Mail quotes Gus Poyet identifying two Espanyol players as transfer targets. This confirms what we have been tracking here on DCSpurs. Talking about keeper Carlos Kameni and central defender Dani Jarque, Poyet explains "we haven't yet taken a definite decision to bring them in. But we will try to do a deal for them in the future."

The full Daily Mail story with video highlights.

Spurs Headed Up

A few stories circulating affirming Spurs are headed in the right direction:

Ramos rejects parade. Spurs manager declines a Carling Cup parade celebration insisting that the team not lose its focus with the the UEFA Cup and the Premier League. The Spaniard insists Tottenham are not yet a top team and wants the team to continue to fight for greater glory.

On the good news front, it looks like Berbatov is poised to sign a new a contract. While a new deal doesn't preclude a transfer, it should quiet speculation of a summer move.

Bubble boys. Fitness training in a sealed, oxygen-depleted chamber helps Spurs replicate high-altitude conditions optimal for endurance, Daily Mail.

Keeping it in the family

BBC is quoting The Sun in saying that:

"The Spurs fan who gatecrashed his team's photo as they celebrated winning the Carling Cup at Wembley has been revealed as the cousin of Chelsea star Joe Cole."

Well damn, not even the family of Chelsea players likes Chelsea. It certainly feels nice to not have a gaffer that has lost the plot. Juande Ramos, we salute you.

Songs from the Lane

In case you missed it on YouTube, here's a compilation of chants from the Lane.

Transfer Targets and Results

OK, so everyone needs a month-long break right? Back to business then. Now that the transfer window has closed, it's a good time to size up Spurs signings. Below is a purely subjecting ranking of our transfer targets, some of which may be speculative based on wide-ranging reports. Clearly we have further acquisitions pending, but from my perspective, our January window actions were pretty fruitful.


Keeper
1. Carlos Kameni from Espanyol, Video
2. Maarten Stekelenburg from Ajax
3. Robert Green from West Ham

Left Back
1. Gilberto from Hertha Berlin
2. Andrea Dossena from Udinese

Center Back
1. Dani Jarque from Espanyol: Video,
2. David Abelda from Valencia
3. Ezequiel Garay from Racing Santander
4. Jonathan Woodgate from Middlesborough
5. Tal Ben Haim from Chelsea
6. Wes Brown from Manchester United
7. Daniel van Buyten from Bayern Munich

Right Back
1. Alan Hutton from Rangers
2. Jose Bosingwa from Porto
3. Miguel from Valencia

Left Mid
1. Diego Capel from Sevilla, Video, video, video,
2. Stewart Downing from Middlesborough

Center Mid
1. Yaya Toure from Barcelona
2. Tiago from Juventus

Striker
1. Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St. Petersberg
2. Fredi Kanoute from Sevilla
3. Fred from Lyon