Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy erred with his first move in the Luka Modric transfer saga. Levy, a notoriously bullish negotiator has categorically stated that Modric is not for sale at any price and that is the end of it. It seems hard to be clearer. But Levy’s fear of Tottenham being perceived as a selling club or seemingly taking a backward step is misjudged and his stance is adrift from the modern game.
Luka Modric can be bought, no matter what Levy says. This does not make Tottenham a selling club, it makes whoever forks out the vast amount required a buying club. No-one would dream of calling Manchester United a selling club and yet they sold Cristiano Ronaldo when the price was right.
Luka Modric can also be sold. The club will survive. Although he was Tottenham’s best player last year, they still dropped short of their top-four target. His transfer fee could always be wisely re-invested. He is important to the club but not vital.
Levy’s hardball stance helps no-one (perhaps it shows he has the fans and clubs interests at heart). He would have served everybody’s interests far better if he had just set a high price, one that represents good business for Tottenham without obviously and deliberately denying Modric progress in his career. £35 to 40 million, Spurs get their money, Modric gets his move and everybody can feel happy about a good bit of business.
Of course, this is not the first time Daniel Levy has refused to sell. Darren Bent and Dimitar Berbatov both had to wait until Levy was convinced he had the best deal before he let them go, and he seems to have no qualms with causing unrest in the dressing room while driving up his price.
Modric may represent a fantastic piece of business, to shut down the possibility so bluntly was heavy-handed and now Levy has angered and disappointed Modric and placed himself in an unpleasant position: his best option may be to eat his words and sell.
This is a players’ market, just look at Samir Nasri toying with Arsenal. Levy has overplayed the strength of his hand, a move that may provoke Modric into flexing that player power. Nobody wants a player that doesn’t want to be at the club, similarly nobody should want to see a talent like Modric sitting on the bench or in the reserves. Nowadays, the player can force the move, they’ll be plenty of interested parties.
The negativity is constantly growing around this deal, largely due to Levy’s seemingly inflexible stance. As the accusations escalate Spurs fans must think they could cash in on Modric, restore the harmony and invest well. It is not too late for Levy to see the light and loosen his iron grip just a little.
Written by Phillip Wroe for FootballFancast.com.
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Modric should not be sold!!!! Levy should make it clear to everyone that we mean business and we want trophies!!
The short answer is NO.
HAS DANIEL LEVY’S HARDBALL STANCE DAMAGED TOTTENHAM?
No, bad reporting, making up stories and media hounding has damaged Tottenham.
you’ve come close to making a good point here, but you’re missing one vital part. Spurs are on the edge of the top teams, they are good but not that good yet. They are striving to be a top 4/champions league/title challenging side. How is selling their best player, for whatever amount, going to enable them to achieve that?
Sure let’s all lie down and let some billionaire with more money than us , walk all over us.
Great article…what do you consider as an alternative for Levy? Giving Abramovitch oral sex?
I can see the 300 Spartans now: Give up!! we are going to lose. Go buy some cochones!!!
or yes
No he hasn’t harmed Spurs at all. What Levy has done is shown the rest of the leagues chairmen that is about time they started to stand up to the arrogant modern day footballer and held them to the contract they should honour. He has also shown how he wont be out-maneuvered or slyly bullied by a club which THINKS it’s bigger and better than its london neighbour. Spurs took a chance on Modric, he should show the club and its devoted fans some loyalty and honour. Mr Levy i applaud you!
Its not just that it would weaken our team
Its not just that it would strengthen our hated rivals chelsea
Its the perception that we are lacking in ambition……Top players like Bale are expecting quality additions not getting rid of our best player. Bale would follow Modric.
Getting in quality replacements is a lot easier to type than it is to achieve….Selling Modric is not selling our club to any potential replacement. Its just giving the perception that we are an also ran club
The problem is not Levy. Remember unlike the Nasri situation where he only has a year left on his contract. Modric was more than happy to sign an extension last season. As has already been mentioned Levy is trying to make Spurs compete at the very top of the EPL, but how is he going to do that by first selling our best players, but more importantly sell our best players to our rivals……..please explain?
Levy & co f##ked up in January 2011 by not splashing the cash to strengthen. If they had done, we’d be looking at Champ Lg football again and a happy Modric. Instead, we’re back to the Carrick/Berbatov saga days. Levy will dig his heals in until the last minute, get the money he wants but no replacement=yet another season at Spurs without Champ Lg football and then losing Bale, Van Der Vaat and Sandro next summer….and so on! Well done Levy.
No it hasn’t damaged Tottenham. Levy has been consistent throughout. When the deal is right for Tottenham, not Modric not Abramovich or anybody else for that matter, then and only then will he sell Modric. If that means Modric is in the stands for the next four years so be it. The next time a Spurs player throws his toys Levy will just point at the stands. Should have done it with Berbatov. A contract is signed by two parties, not one.
My only thought on the potential damage this could cause is on the signing of some top class players to compliment the team. Lets be honest here as Spurs stand we are considered by most to be a stepping stone to the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea (based on the Berbatov & Carrick sales as well as the fact we are not consistently in the champions leage) Potential targets may be put off wanting to sign for Spurs if they think that any contract they sign is water tight and they will be held against their will if a Champions league contender comes in with a bid. Of course this will fall by the wayside if we can consistently hit the top4 – almost a catch 22 scenario.
Good point Jonty although a minimum release fee, used extensively in Spain, or a clause written into the contract (rather than a verbal “gentleman’s agreement”) would overcome that quite easily.
to a rival club^^
I agree that spurs cocked up in jan by not bringing in a decent forward to score the goals needed. with wins over the smaller teams we would have easily qualified for the champ league, instead we played 4411 to accomodate rafael vdv. If we werent going to buy a striker then we should have played 2 up front, maybe Defoe could and Crouch could have scored more then!!
Levy has done exactly the right thing. He’s under a six year contract – Hello! That means that Russians can’t just turn up with a wad of cash and sign him. It smacks more of dirty tricks than anything else, because a serious attempt would have been a bucket load of cash for the club and huge wages for the player. This idea of a bucket of cash for the player and 20p for the club was always going to be a loser and I’m sure Chel$ki new it.
What is this article trying to suggest? Sell Modric at whatever price that Chelsea quote!
In fact, by taking a hard stance, Levy is also potentially warning other clubs which may be eyeing some other Spurs players to give up their pursuit.
Has Wenger’s stance on Nasri, Fibregas hurt Arsenal? I don’t think so. Levy is only doing his job – letting star players act like operatic divas and getting their own way would only hurt the club.
Maybe Chelsea have suffered some damage for their relentless badgering and bidding for Modric. It must come as a shock to Abramovich to learn that in this case money might not buy everything.
Absolutely not. When are you Chelsea loving sweeties finally going to write some sensible comments. If the Russian stands up for his rights as the Chairman of his club and says a certain player is not for sale under any circumstances, will his decision be questioned like Levy’s is? You clowns are trying your best to undermine Daniel Levy and Spurs when you know that Levy is perfectly within his rights to do exactly what he is doing.
Both Levy and Redknapp have said repeatedly on the Modric case that they are trying to build a team that can challange for top honours, not dismantle a team with so much promise and ability. A very short while ago Modric was singing from the same hymn sheet proclaimed his love for Spurs and his determination to help drive us to the top. Any bets that since then he has been gotten at?
As for negativity constantly growing, have you seen any pictures taken lately at Spurs lodge where Modric has been training with his colleagues? Lots of laughter, hugs etc, no sign of a little boy sulking on his own as some in the no class media have suggested and if Modric wants to get away so badly do you think that he will go on strike at the club who gave him his chance in the EPL when all others ignored him because of his apparent frailty or will he get on with the job as a true professional and perform like the top knotch player we all know he is.
The Modric scenario is very different to the Berbatov situation whereby he had one year remaining on his contract and Levy had very little room to manoeuvre but got the best deal possible for his club as a result of ManU’s urgent need and greed I may add.
May I remind you that Modric still has 5 years remaining on his contract without a buy out clause or gentlemans agreement inserted.
I dare say you clowns hope that Levy will leave it to the very last minute an go for the cash this time as well.
The Russian does not like it when he cant get his own way does he? Even tries to get the friendly press to do his bidding it would appear.
What your suggesting in your latest installment on the Modric saga, is for Daniel Levy to drops his pants and take it up the rectum. Your articles are eloquently written I give you that but very transparent none the less and it’s plain to see where your allegiances lay. You mentioned Ronaldo from ManU to Real and you are right in that each and every player can be sold if the right price is put on the table but if and it’s a very big if, Daniel Levy decides to sell Modric, i’m sure that he will do everything in his power to sell him overseas as opposed to a competitor despite any sweetners that Chelsea may include in any deal purely by the way that the Russian has gone about this with his underhanded tactics.
Why do you suggest a price of £35m as being acceptible? Are you saying Modric is worth the same as Andy Carroll? Are you saying he is only 60% of a Torres? Fking Robinho was £32m for Christ’s sake!
I kind of agree that Levy should have set a price and simply stuck to it – he could then have told Modric / the world that he’s not being stubborn, its just that Chelsea arent willing to pay what he’s worth. My instinct says such a target price would have been £50m – enough to deter buyers without seeming to take the piss (afterall, Chelsea themselves set that benchmark with Torres). However, lets be clear: the only purpose of this would have been to give Levy an easier climb-down opportunity when Modric leaves. It would not have changed anything that has gone on this summer. Chelsea would still have made the same bids, Modric would have made the same demands to go.
Chelsea have executed this same process with Steveee Gerard and Cashley Cold. I do not like their tapping up and press manipulation but we should only let Modric go for 40 million plus. One has to consider the effect on the other players if Modric is marooned to the reserves if his head is not in the right place and what the other players think about the club if the best player is treated as a spoilt child – lets face it, most of them are and we would probably be the same in their situation – money talks and changes ones perception of reality. Team spirit is more important than individual talent and we should get rid ASAP, What have Liverpool done since the Gerrard saga with Chelski? We can live without Modric and could buy a top class striker. I may be wrong but this is how I feel right now!!!!