So without any game this weekend, the right decision in my opinion, there is little else to do but wait another 10 days until Spurs take on Manchester United next Monday.
With the transfer window still over two weeks away from closing, this is, what can be called, ‘Levy time’. The chairman loves a last minute bargain and you can be sure that there will be another one this month.
Last year, Van der Vaart parachuted into White Hart Lane in what some have labelled the signing of the season. So, who will it be this season that’s makes his way to North London with just seconds to spare? It’s time to rate that rumour.
Name: Hulk
Position: Striker
Club: FC Porto
This one has come right out of the blue hasn’t it? The Brazilian international, aptly named due to his physical resemblance to the green Marvel.
A hatful of goals and plenty of assists as well has seen the 26-year-old’s value rise dramatically in the last 18 months.
And that is where the problem arises. Hulk has a release clause of, as some papers report, £88m. Now there is little chance of Levy forking £8.8m on a player with any real sell-on value so paying, what would be a world record fee, £88m is out of the question.
Reports suggest the Portuguese side would be willing to do business for around £35m, a figure that would eclipse the record £17m we spent on David Bentley *shudder* back in 2008.
Rumour rating: 2 (out of 5)
Can’t see it happening unless Spurs shift at least two of either Defoe, Crouch, Keane or Pavlyuchenko in the next two weeks time especially with Levy telling Redknapp he has to sell before he can buy.
Still, stranger things have happened in football right?
Name: Fernando Llorente
Position: Striker
Club: Atletic Bilbao
The giant 6’5 striker man has really put his mark down in La Liga the past two years. Links with Barcelona and Real Madrid have fizzled down to nothing more than rumours as the Spanish international continues to lead the Bilbao line in emphatic fashion.
His 19 league goals, one more than all our strikers combined, lead the Basque side to Europa League qualification so, naturally, the Spanish outfit would be loathe to losing their prized asset.
Llorente, however, is said to want to test himself on a grander stage i.e. The Champions League and while we may not be able to offer that to him next season, a similar season to last years may see Spurs guaranteed a place in the 2012/13 competition.
The main stumbling block appears to be the, aforementioned, reluctance to sell their star man on the cheap. And that is exactly what they are doing. Reports suggest they would let the 26-year-old leave for a penny less than the £31.6m release clause currently set in Llorente’s contract.
Rumour rating: 3
A greater chance of signing the Spanish international than Hulk due to the fact that negotiations have been, reportedly, ongoing for sometime. The fee will again be a hurdle but if anyone can swindle a deal, it is Levy.
Name: Lassana Diarra
Position: Midfielder
Club: Real Madrid
The Frenchman has been linked with a move to Spurs since Redknapp took over in 2008, having manager Diarra during the FA Cup season before his move to Madrid.
However, he is reported to be earning £120,000 per-week with the Spanish giants, a fee that Spurs simply cannot match. A fee of £15.8m is what Madrid want but Levy isn’t willing to go over £12m by the sound of things.
Would bring a bit of steel to the centre of the park and the thought of him and Sandro marshalling the midfield is a scary thought. Nonetheless, a move appears to hinder on Palacios leaving White Hart Lane.
Rumour rating: 3
Same rating as Llorente, any move has the potential to he scuppered due to finances. Some may argue that we don’t need another combative midfielder but with Sandro still over a month away from full fitness, Diarra will go a long way to filling that large void.
Name: Giuseppe Rossi
Position: Striker
Club: Villarreal
Strikers are the theme today and it’s hardly surprising that we are, once again, being linked with the Italian international.
Rossi was said to be holding out for a move to Barcelona and then back to Italy with Turin side Juventus. Both moves, evidently, failed to materialise and the 24-year-old finds himself back with the Yellow Submarines and, according to this agent, that is where he will be staying.
That hasn’t stopped Spurs being linked with him, especially after Redknapp admitted that could have had him for £18m almost a year ago. Now valued at almost double that, it really does leave one scratching their head in disbelief that he wasn’t coaxed into moving to North London sooner.
Rumour rating: 1
Staying at Villarreal for now and with a fee over £30m, I can’t see Levy taking this any further especially after he turned down a move to White Hart Lane back in January.
Name: Emmanuel Adebayor
Position: Striker
Club: Manchester City
The Togolese strikers’ name regularly pops up during the transfer window and this summer has been no surprise.
Claims he came close to joining Spurs before plumping for Real Madrid in January would have gone some way to mending the burned bridges between player and fans but the Spurs faithful are still sceptical about signing a former Arsenal striker that is known for being a disruptive force in the dressing room.
However, it is a known fact that he enjoys scoring at White Hart Lane and has the ability to play up front his own. The only obstacle seems to be the £175,000 weekly-wages which is almost £100,000 more than Spurs current wage limit.
Rumour rating: 4
Despite his wages, Adebayor still appears to be one of Redknapp’s main targets. Levy is attempting to persuade City to pay a chunk of his wages. Despite being keen on a move back to Madrid, chances are he wouldn’t say no to moving back to North London.
Name: Christopher Samba
Position: Defender
Club: Blackburn Rovers
The giant Congolese centre-back has long been linked with a move to rivals Arsenal but Spurs appear to stolen a march on the Gooners to bring the 27-year-old to White Hart Lane.
Some fans feels defence isn’t a problem area as such but I beg to differ. Dawson is the only centre-back that is, touch wood, the least likely to be missing through injury.
King has his knee problems, Woodgate has gone, Kaboul spent a major chunk of last season out injured, Bassong looks set to leave and Gallas is the wrong side of 30.
Spurs could do a lot worse than the Blackburn Rovers defender and, after expressing his desire to leave, would be a top addition and provide some decent competition to the back-line.
Rumour rating: 4
Spurs are now ahead of Arsenal in the queue for the 27-year-old, who look to have switched their attention to Scott Dann. Finances shouldn’t be a problem especially since Spurs are willing to allow Bassong, Bentley or Keane move the other way in order to sweeten the deal.
Name: Scott Parker
Position: Midfield
Club: West Ham United
The FWA Player of the Year was linked with a move away from Upton Park before West Ham’s relegation was confirmed in May.
Redknapp is a big fan of the 30-year-old and attempted to sign him in January, only to see his offer re-buffed. Reports expected him to be an early signing at White Hart Lane but no move ever materialised.
Has been linked with a move to Spurs from time-to-time but the Redknapp looks to have cooled his interest in the England international.
Rumour rating: 2
Spurs are looking at signing Diarra ahead of Parker, a move which has seen interest in the West Ham captain cool in recent weeks. However, reports began to surface once more that the North London side may make a late move for the midfielder after Diarra’s valuation rose in recent days, this being the sole reason why the rating is a 2 instead of a 1.
So, there we go in the rumour section. Fresh faces are a must ahead of the new season, which for Spurs is now a week late, while the deadwood has got to be shipped.
Until the new campaign gets underway, we can always laugh at Arsenal as they look to lose Fabregas and Nasri in the space of a week.
COYS
