GlastonSpur

I don't know whether or not Spurs will offer up Defoe for sale (probably they will, but personally I hope they won't), or whether Defoe wants to leave Spurs (probably he does, on balance, given the competition for starting places against Berbatov and Keane), or whether Villa would bid for him if he was available, or whether he'd sign for Villa if you did make an offer (perhaps he would), but I do know two things: First, if he leaves, Defoe won't sign for any club outside the top 4 unless he's convinced that the buying club wants him as a first-choice, first XI striker for every match. Second, you may (or may not) think that he won't suit your playing system, or won't fit in with your current strikers, but those who think that Defoe is somehow not good enough for Villa are in serious need of a reality check.

4 goals against Port Vale, Milton Keynes and Southend... ...SIGN HIM UP!!!! He also scored against Seville and two goals away against Dinamo Bucaresti. The bottom line is that you can only score in the games in which you play ... Defoe doesn't get to choose the opposition.

Bent and Defoe I meant who would be MON's first choice strike partnership if Defoe was the only new striker to sign for Villa since (obviously you won't be signing both Bent and Defoe)? Does no one have a view on this?

Just out of interest, why limit the stats to just league goals? Do cup goals not count? Defoe has scored 18 goals this season.

Do Villa normally play with two strikers up front, and if so, what would be MON's first choice strike partnership if Defoe came to Villa?

Call it whatever pleases you. We'll all know the outcome soon enough.

I don't claim to know any 'guy'. Every club, including Villa I imagine, has people who from time to time leak info. to particular outsiders - someone they know and trust not disclose their identity. That info. is sometimes posted on certain club-related message boards by the outsider concerned - someone who in due course becomes recognised as having a track record of occasional access to advance info. If you want to dismiss such info. as nothing more than 'gossip' - no problem. Of course the the knowledgeability of the source can vary, and even if accurate the info. may sometimes only be about a partial aspect of an overall situation and therefore be misleading. There are no absolute guarantees of it being correct. In the case of Bent, there are several different sources saying the same thing, which is why I give it a lot of credence. Charlton have just been relegated ... he's an ambitious player who wants play regularly for England and to win club trophies, so of course he wants to move. It's fairly well known that he likes Spurs. I can't speak for what you have heard. Besides, right now it's Spurs that are pursuing him, not Arsenal.

I've explained in another post a while back why he would fit very well in with the current Spurs set-up (and therefore why Spurs want him), so I won't clog up space by repeating that. In terms of why it's likely, there are several reasons: * Info. from various Spurs sources with a good track record of usually being correct. * He is known to like Spurs a lot * He would probably prefer - all things being equal - to stay in the London area if possible * He would certainly see Spurs as a big step-up in his career so far (which is not to say that he wouldn't regard Villa in similar terms). I'm not saying it's a 100% certainty. But if pushed I'd put it at 90%+. However, if a top 4 club come in for him, then all bets are off, but they'll have to show their hand quickly if so.

This info. may well be correct (not the timing necessarily, but the deal itself). It's looking more and more likely that Bent is signing for Spurs, in which case Villa looks far and away the the most likely destination for Defoe.

This Times article is poorly researched and mostly rubbish. Apart from anything else, it doesn't even say whether or not the predicted figures relate to net spending (i.e. money spent after subtracting money received from player sales). Let's take the case of W.Ham, for example. Sure they now have a wealthy owner, but they've already spent a load on new players in January in their desperate efforts to stay up, to say nothing of the huge wages they've committed themselves to in the case of several of their new signings. They've also just been fined 6m by the FA over the Tevez and Mascherano 'registrations'. And on top of that they'll receive something like 6m less than Spurs (for example) in league prize money due to their final finishing place (if they stay up). Yet despite all this, and the despite the fact that Spurs have had a bumper income this season from all their cup runs (TV money, gate receipts etc.) and have a big wadge of cash saved up from their low net spending during the last 5 transfer windows, we're supposed to believe that W.Ham will spend perhaps three times as much as Spurs this summer (10m versus 30m) as we push for top 4 next season. It just doesn't add up. Here's another example of why the article is largely nonsense in the article: It's very likely that Spurs will shortly (next couple of weeks) finalise a deal for Younes Kaboul (a French U-21 centre-back from Auxerre) for 7 - 7.5m. So that's possibly 70 - 75% of our summer budget gone already if you believe the times article. Sunderland to spend 30m? I strongly doubt that. Derby (Birmingham, W.Brom etc.) to spend 3 times the small amount that Portsmouth can supposedly only afford? Portsmouth now also have a wealthy owner, so it doesn't seem very likely. I'm not saying that all the figures in the article are wide of the mark (from what I read on this board it seems that your wealthy new owner will spend big this summer, so maybe the 40m for Villa is correct - I wouldn't know), but a lot of the figures seem to me like they've plucked out of the air with very little substance to back them up..

I'd be very sad to see Jermaine go and very worried about the boost he'd give to a rival team. The man is class. The thing with him is he doesn't bottle it - he may often miss quite a few chances, but he self-creates loads of them and always has a crack when other strikers would look for an easier option for fear of failure. No, I'm not a season ticket holder ... live too far away for that and have family commitments. If Defoe could play as well with Keane as he can with Berbatov, then I'd stick with him in preference to Bent. Tough choice, but Defoe gets the nod for me. However, crazy as it may seem (and probably is), I haven't entirely given up hope that we may sell only Mido, sign Bent and keep both Defoe and Keane along with Berbatov. Jol has recently spoken of wanting to keep Defoe, but we also know he wants Bent ... could both things happen? Very unlikely, but you never know .... Berbatov, Keane, Defoe and Bent all at one club: the most feared strike quartet in the Prem. I can always dream ....

The statistics you quote are highly misleading. For a start they take no account of minutes on the pitch, and secondly they take no account of cup goals. For example, for 04-05 you say '13 goals', when actually Defoe scored 22 goals in all competitions (top scorer). PS. The 06-07 tally now reads 9 goals (and 17 in all competitions): add on the extra one for another 10 minutes played tonight :winkold:

Actually Defoe is a model professional: great attitude, hardly ever complains and is a very motivated, stable character.

No, because he could effectively partner Keane or Berbatov, whereas Keane and Defoe are relatively ineffective together. With Spurs in the UEFA Cup again next season, that may well mean another season of close to 60 games. Figure in injuries, the need to rest players, suspensions or just rotations due to loss of form, and Bent would get plenty of starts .. maybe even more than he gets in a normal Charlton season.

I believe you're misunderstanding the situation with Defoe at Spurs by calling him 'left-overs' and regarding Bent as 'step-up' from Defoe. As I've said before, the reason we want Bent is because he could play effectively in partnership with either Berbatov or Keane (or Defoe), whereas if Berbatov is injured the Keane/Defoe partnership is not so effective. In other words it's not because Bent is a better striker than Defoe (or Keane), but simply for tactical/formation reasons in relation to the current Spurs set-up and our options if Berbatov is injured. Neither is Keane widely regarded as significantly better than Defoe - it's a marginal decision either way and on that margin Jol seems to have plumped for Keane, again largely because of the way that Spurs are set-up to play.

He's already scored 16 goals for Spurs this season (3 games still to go), despite not starting or even playing in a fair few games, and he scored 22 goals for us the season before last.

Sorry, it's partly my fault. I responded to a transfer speculation post about Berbatov, explaining why in my view he won't be sold. This necessarily involved details of Spurs finances, his contract length, our top 4 aims etc. The problem is I then got caught up in responding to comments about these details ... kind of hard not too ... but maybe I shouldn't. If you'd prefer I didn't then I won't if you tell me not too. Still, along the way we've had some interesting discussion about player contracts - what they mean in terms of players easily leaving if they want to (or not easily leaving, as the case may be), so maybe some of it is relevant to the thread?

All managers at all clubs are under pressure to deliver. Luckily for Jol he has delivered so far, tho' even more will be expected next season. He's moved the club up from 14th placed finish (the season before he took over) to two top 6 finishes (5th last season, very likely top 6 this season), including good cup runs this seasons in 3 competitions. I don't know about you, but that sounds like excellent progress to me. I'm sure the board want CL as soon as possible (just like Villa's board must) but I doubt very much if they expected Spurs to finish top 4 this season whilst simultaneously learning to cope with all the extra European games. That's not realistic for a first season in Europe after a long absence. BTW, it's not really in doubt that we'll qualify for UEFA again. Look at the table and fixtures remaining. The only real question is whether we'll finish 5th again or not. This is complete nonsense. What counts is net expenditure (transfer spending minus money coming in for players sold): Spurs have spent around 20m net during the period covered by the 5 transfer windows of Jol's reign so far. That's an average of 4m net per window - not much, especially not for a club with a large income-base like Spurs. Since your figures are all wrong, so is the conclusion you draw from them.

You only have to look at the most recent Spurs annual accounts (in the black) and then figure in (a) the bumper income we've had this season from extended cup runs and lots of TV coverage and ( our serious top 4 ambitions, to see that money is not going to be a particular obstacle for Spurs this summer. Of course I don't know for a fact that we'll actually spend all the money we have available, but I do know that it is available. Don't know about 'very easily', but anything is possible of course. Right now we're just two points off 5th place, with a game in hand, better goal difference than the club currently in 5th (Bolton), two home games to come and significantly easier fixtures than most of the teams in 9th - 5th place. Have I ever said that we won't have Villa to contend with? I don't know why you seek to turn everything into a Villa-Spurs slanging match. Why is a top 4 ambition for Spurs a fantasy? Of course it will be very difficult to get there (I've never remotely it described it as a 'formality') and we may not succeed, but I think we are not badly placed for the attempt. I've already explained in previous posts why Carrick was a one-off situation, so I won't go over all that again. One swallow does not make a summer and Spurs have little or no history of being a selling club. No, the player is under contract, so he will go only if the club concerned decide to let him go. Right now, with Man. U obviously. But Berbatov is not your average character. He has already played in the Champions League, so it's clearly not the be all and end all for him or else he wouldn't have signed for Spurs in the first place. Besides, for all you know he may relish the challenge of trying to help our team gate-crash the top 4 party rather than joining an already-established team. In any case, he's only been with Spurs for 10 months and has a long contract period ahead. I'm still waiting to hear the slightest shred of evidence that Spurs will sell or that he wants to leave. No, I said there's a very good chance we'll sign Bent (and sell Defoe), not that it's definite. As for our defence, yes we need to focus on improving it, and yes we've shipped loads of goals, but that's partly because of: * Our attacking style of play (99 goals this season so far), which leaves spaces at the back . * Ledley King being injured for much of the season (luckily he's back now) * Our still unfilled search for a quality, left-footed LM (which leaves our LB a lot more exposed than might otherwise be the case). A Defoe - Barry swap would suit us well, but I doubt Villa fans would approve.

He isn't unhappy or unsettled, but even if we assume that he is (for arguement's sake) , there's the small matter of a signed contract running until 2011. You seem to think it's simply up a player when they leave. It isn't. The club decide. If they don't want or need the money and they want to keep a player, then he stays. Well, anything is possible. I don't want to get involved in a slanging match.

I agree with this, but put your bottom dollar on Defoe ... there is not the slightest possibility of Berbatov being sold.

Well, 'he's being linked' in the same way that everyday we all read dozens of media-froth speculations about player X being pursued by club Y ... most of them are based on little or nothing and are simply efforts to gain attention/readers/viewers. The chances of Berbatov being sold this summer are zero. Spurs are not some struggling, cash-strapped club that needs to keep making profits on player sales in order to survive. On the contrary, we are wealthy club that may well finish 5th for the 2nd season running. Far from selling Berbatov (who is probably one of the five or six best strikers in the whole of Europe), this summer you will see Spurs spending big to significantly strengthen the squad. The player himself is happy and not unsettled (unlike the Carrick situation): he's scored loads of goals and has been voted into the PFA team of the season. He knows that Spurs have top 4 ambitions, can see that we are knocking on the door, knows we have a substantial war-chest to spend this summer and knows we are likely to mount our strongest challenge yet for top 4 next season. Plenty of reasons there to want to remain part of a developing team. His agent says he definitely wants to stay at Spurs next season (and agents are notorious for touting deals if they think it might be a possibility). Apart from anything else, Berbatov is a complicated character. Shows loyalty (he turned down a late offer from Man. U last summer because he'd already given his word to Spurs, despite no signed contract). Reads a lot of books, likes driving around London to explore obscure neighbourhoods, paints pictures for a hobby. Not yer average follow-the-money footballer. Spurs have a contract with Berbatov that runs - should the club so choose - until the summer of 2011. So there is no contract-expiry pressure to sell (unlike the Carrick situation). In the summer of 2008 or 2009, if we haven't made top 4, then maybe Berbatov will be sold. But not now, pretty much regardless of how much dosh is offered.

In one of those England matches he was played on the left (to accomodate Lampard in CM, with Gerrard being displaced into RM), whereas he's far stronger on the right. In any case, how many England players played better than him in those two games? I've seen Lennon play lots and he has much, much more to his game than just pace, acceleration and an ability to beat/go round/past players. If you'd prefer Milner, then fair enough, but I do wonder how many neutrals would agree with you. BTW, good luck in the match tonight ... Villa will be doing Spurs a big favour if they can stop Everton from leap-frogging us into 6th place.

To do that he'll have to displace Lennon first ... not an easy task.