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Will Tottenham’s £40m gamble pay-off?

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As nine-man Liverpool were brushed aside by an in-form Tottenham side yesterday, there was one man at the centre of the North London’s side performance who many Tottenham supporters may not have expected to be around after the transfer window shut.

Croatian international Luka Modric was caught up in a long-running transfer feud between Spurs and Chelsea throughout August, with the Blues even tabling a bid worth £40m, but to everyone’s surprise Spurs chairman Daniel Levy rejected any advances and Modric remained at White Hart Lane.

For most of the summer it had looked inevitable that Modric would be making his ‘dream move’ to join Chelsea, and it appeared that Levy was fighting a losing battle. However Levy did not once change his stance after insisting he would not sell the player, and as a result of his gamble Spurs are now reaping the rewards. Modric turned in a majestic display on Sunday in a game that could be vital at the end of the season.

Modric said after the Man City defeat that ‘he didn’t feel ready to play’ and was indeed invisible during the game – but on Sunday he returned to form with a magnificent performance, spraying passes around, linking up well with Scott Parker in the midfield and scoring a contender for goal of the season.

He was in splendid form, reducing Liverpool’s central midfield pairing of Charlie Adam and Lucas to committing fouls in order to break up play; the Reds pair chipped away at the ankles of their opponents which eventually led to Adam’s dismissal. Modric’s stunning strike after seven minutes to open the scoring set the tone for the performance of his side, and the celebration that followed suggests that his focus had once again firmly returned to life in north London.

Modric’s creative flair found its perfect partner in the combative Parker, making his home debut following his deadline day switch from West Ham. The Englishman created more space for Modric to exploit and gave Spurs far more options than Nico Kranjcar was offering alongside Modric.

Spurs surely have one of the most talented squads in the Barclays Premier League and having beaten off constant interest in star turn Modric, Redknapp has also strengthened in key areas. They now have a realistic chance of bringing UEFA Champions League football back to White Hart Lane next season and the dominant performance against one their rivals showed that they are well-equipped for the season ahead.

If they were able to secure the highest level of European football, there would even be a slim chance of keeping Modric at the club past this season. If Modric and the rest of the team can continue this fine form then there is every chance that there can become kings of North London for the first time in 21 years and achieve a top-four finish above rivals Arsenal.

Levy has faced some criticism for keeping an obviously unhappy player at Spurs against his will, when the club could have reinvested the money made on his transfer – but his display on Sunday showed why Levy was right to take this risk. A worthy gamble for the future of Tottenham Hotspur.

Did Sunday’s performance prove Levy was right to keep Modric or would Spurs have been better selling the Croatian? Let me know your thought below and follow me on twitter @aidanmccartney for more thoughts and views on the biggest issues in football

Written by Aidan McCartney for FootballfanCast.com#

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  • Sean says:

    It wasn’t a gamble – THFC will benefit from this statement in innumerable ways for years to come whether Modric performs like the greatest player ever or sulks in the stands.

    There was no ‘transfer feud’. Daniel Levy made a statement that this player was not for sale at the end of the season, and with five years on his contract that was it, really. Chelsea, knowing this, insisted on tapping him up, making their derisory offer public and continaully trying to unsettle him. It didn’t work and doesn’t cinstitute a feud.

    Any offer chelsea did make was woefully inaccurate. With Liverpool paying £20 million for Henderson, anything less than double that for one of the top midfielder’s in the game, ATM, with five years left on his contract, would have been inadequate. Add to that the money Spurs will get if they qualify for CL and Modric is the main difference…let’s get real, eh! Chelsea wanted to unsettle him and get him on the cheap. It was as much about shwoing they can compete with Citeh in the ‘big bully in the playground with a big stick stakes’ as it was about getting a specific player. That and knobbling a rival team…which they pretty much did with the pre-season atmosophere at SPurs and the first two games of the season – and that is something the FA should be having a good look at.

    Otherwise, I agree.

  • Phil says:

    ‘Spurs surely have one of the most talented squads in the Barclays Premier League????’
    You’re kidding right? Spurs (like most if not all of the ‘chasing pack’) have a few class players, but this one match is not going to boost Spurs into the top 3. I expect Spurs to come back down to earth with a resounding crash when they play the stuttering Arsenal. Against Liverpool, Spurs played as well as they can while Liverpool played as badly as they can. You can take credit for making the most of it but it won’t happen often that a side will lie down and be rolled over.

    • Anti Phil says:

      Obviously a gooner!!

      • nonfickle says:

        Spot on. What a saddo Phil is!!! A gooner in deep denial. Must be gutted to see Liverpool’s two visits within a month to North London. A 2-0 victory at the Emirates and a 4-0 drubbubg at Whaite Hart Lane.Phil, obviously, doesn’t want to be confused by facts when he’s made his mind up. Given Arsenal’s recent results against Spurs in the league and current form it’s a brave man or .in this case, a cretin wh posts “I expect Spurs to come back down to earth with a resounding crash when they play the stuttering Arsenal.” Hope he runs down to Paddy power and bets the lot on an Arsenal victory!! Good to see such an in depth analysis “You can take credit for making the most of it but it won’t happen often that a side will lie down and be rolled over.” I wonder is that comment also appropriate in respect of Liverpools victory over the Gooners?? LMAO.

  • Roy Singh says:

    I say, we “now” have a squad that can deliver against any other in the EPL with the proviso that we are not hit by further injuries. Management is now determined to give those a piece of the action on their performance. Rotation is put into perspective. We need to put more emphasis on our players fitness levels for the 90 min duration of the game.
    I feel confident with their performance.

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