Think back a few years. The Premiership champions have just made a £30 million signing of an eastern European striker. He starts slowly. “Things will get better” everyone says. “He just needs one, then he’ll explode” they carry on. He starts to look sad, unhappy. He tries things that used to be successful at his old club. They don’t come off. He looks a lonely man on the field. [Read the rest of this entry »]
The incredible sulk is off for what looks like a good price for Tottenham, but it throws up the question of who (or is it whom? Damn my common ways) Spurs should buy.
With most of the Spurs population currently in shock after the announcement that Robbie Keane is set to follow striker Dimitar Berbatov out of White Hart Lane, fans must be wondering if there is any life after their lethal partnership.
However, Tottenham’s manager Juande Ramos seems unphased at losing his two stars, having always managed to recover from similar situations in his successful two years at Sevilla.
Upon joining the Andalusians, his first task was to replace star-players Julio Baptista and Sergio Ramos who had been sold for a combined fee of £35million to Real Madrid that summer. With the help of his technical director ‘Monchi’, Juande Ramos used that money to great effect, winning 5 titles in 2 seasons:
Federic Kanoute – signed for just £5.1m from Spurs, revived his career with 44 goals in 64 games under JR, helping Sevilla fans get over the loss of Baptista.
Luis Fabiano – after a poor season with Porto, he repaid the faith shown in him by Ramos, scoring 56 in 119 appearances for Sevilla.
Javier Saviola – brought in on loan to further strengthen their attack in 2005, he was pivotal in their UEFA Cup triumph, scoring 6 goals.
Ivica Dragutinovic – part of the famous Serbian defence that only conceded 1 goal in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, ‘Drago’ was a surprise replacement for Sergio Ramos but has been a key figure in the Sevilla defence ever since his signature.
Andres Palop – being Canizares’ understudy for so long at Valencia, Palop was seen as a gamble to replace Esteban in the Sevilla goal. However, he soon became a fans favourite, most significantly in the UEFA Cup final against RCD Espanyol where he saved 3 of 4 penalties.
His knack of signing the right players in the right mould, in addition to bringing up youth players (Puerta, Navas, Capel) can assure Tottenham fans that Juande Ramos knows what it takes to create a successful team, regardless of whether his ‘stars’ are there come August 16…
After brushing away Manchester United’s £23m bid for star striker Dimitar Berbatov earlier this week, Tottenham brass have made it clear to anyone out there dreaming of a move for the Big Bulgarian, that anything less than £30m will be considered a laughable offer.
[Read the rest of this entry »]
Spurs fans will hope that this is the case. It appears that Manchester United may have burned their bridges with the [Read the rest of this entry »]
Sir Alex Ferguson hasn’t got a long shopping list of players for next season. In fact, he’s not even got a shortlist [Read the rest of this entry »]
Spurs have managed to reach the fixture publication date and still have Dimitar Berbatov on their books [Read the rest of this entry »]
If you believe everything you read, then Chelsea are going to play with 11 strikers come the start of the season. The latest player to be linked to Stamford Bridge is Cristiano Ronaldo. No, I don’t believe it either. [Read the rest of this entry »]
Just when it appeared that Tottenham had seen off the many potential suitors of Dimitar Berbatov, along come Manchester United, rearing their undeniably ugly head. Whether or not the potential loss of Cristiano Ronaldo has jolted the English champions into action is hard to tell, although The Times reports that the Bulgarian has already been left in tears when the initial chance to join the Red Devils was rebuffed by his club.
LAST SUMMER, when Dimitar Berbatov learnt that Tottenham were to rebuff attempts by Manchester United to sign him, he was tearful. Spurs were on tour in sunny South Africa but clouds settled over their striker. Should Berbatov be back in South Africa six weeks from now the skies will be brighter. United play exhibition games there between July 19 and 26 and Sir Alex Ferguson is considering trying to get Berbatov in a red shirt by then.
Ferguson offered £25m for the Bulgarian a year ago and a similar sum may be sufficient now to prise him from White Hart Lane. Daniel Levy, Tottenham’s chairman, would strike a hard bargain, but Berbatov has just two years remaining on his contract and has indicated he will reject an extension, worth £70,000 a week, mooted by his employers. AC Milan are interested and Berbatov likes the idea of playing in Spain, but United are a long-held dream. Ferguson, having done background checks, is not put off by doubts about his temperament.
Indeed, when you have managed the likes of Wayne Rooney and Eric Cantona, the Bulgarian striker’s sullen demeanour would be taken with a pinch of salt by the Scot. The acquisition of Berba would go a long way to compensating for the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, if indeed the Portuguese forward leaves for Madrid. Can Spurs cling on to their jewel in the crown any longer?
Although plenty of clubs have shown an interest in Dimitar Berbatov since he (or should that be his agent) declared that his time at White Hart Lane was up, none have been forthcoming in terms of lodging a bid for the Bulgarian striker. Which has obviously come as welcome news to Tottenham Hotspur, who have made sure that the player is only going to leave in the summer if it’s at the right price.
The fabulous read that is the Sofia Echo report that Spurs have offered Berbagol a brand new contract to continue his good work with Robbie Keane, with the forward getting £10k extra in his weekly pay packet if he signs on the dotted line. Fingers crossed Spurs fans…
The prospect of Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov leaving current club Tottenham Hotspur in one of this summer’s blockbuster transfer moves appears increasingly less likely with every passing day.
Despite serving as fodder for numerous transfer gossip column inches in the closing stages of the Premier League season, talk of Berbatov leaving the White Hart Lane club has quieted down, with none of the interested parties apparently putting in a bid for the striker.
Valued at 30 million pounds at one point by head coach Juande Ramos, Tottenham seem to have successfully scared off potential suitors, among them the freshly-crowned European champions Manchester United and Barcelona.
Tottenham fans will certainly be dancing in the street if this one comes off. There’ll be children swaying and records playing if the Bulgarian decides to be part of the Ramos revolution, while he’s bound to get some decent service from Keane and new signing Luka Modric. Go on Dimitar, you know you want to!
Just a shame for Spurs fans that it’s not Dimitar Berbatov, although it must still be great news to hear that Robbie Keane has pinned his colours firmly to the Tottenham mast. The striker had a very strong season for the North London club and the Daily Telegraph reports that the Irishman is loving life at White Hart Lane and is a firm part of Juande Ramos’ plans for next season.
“I’m very content with my life and my time at Spurs.
“I want to play there as long as I’m happy and as long as I’m wanted.
“Over the last three of four years there has always been speculation that I’m going here, there and everywhere.
He said: “I’m having a summer off without people ringing saying ‘Are you going here, are you going there?’
“So I’m looking forward to a nice break and then going back to Spurs next season.”
It remains to be seen who Keano’s strike partner will be next season, although it’s all gone quiet on the Berbatov transfer front, despite the Bulgarian’s agent giving Hleb’s counterpart a run for his money in the flirtation stakes. Tottenham fans, who do you want to see partnering Keane next season?
There’s not yet been any indication as to whether Dimitar Berbatov is 100% leaving White Hart Lane, nor where he’s likely to end up. Sure, there’s been the usual links to Manchester United and Barcelona in the press, while the latter have also been linked to selling Samuel Eto’o to none other than Spurs.
The Daily Mail report that Juande Ramos has recently given up the ghost as far as the Cameroonian international is concerned, chiefly because Tottenham refuse to pay an astronomical £107,000 a week to a player who is widely thought to have seen better days. It’s clear that the Spurs manager is going through various squads in La Liga with a fine toothcomb in a bid to acquire some decent stock and another striker is now thought to top his wishlist.
The attempt to sign Eto’o shows Ramos’s ambition for next season, having already bought Croatian Luka Modric for £15.8m but he will probably now turn to Real Zaragoza’s Diego Milito.
Zaragoza are looking to sell the Argentine, who scored 17 goals this season, to ease their debts following their relegation to Spanish football’s second division.
It’s clear that the north London club will be giving Liverpool a run for their money next season as far as a healthy Spanish contingent is concerned. Ramos is extremely knowledgeable about all things Primera Liga, and it would be no surprise to see him pick up some bargains from abroad, as opposed to Tottenham’s previous policy of recruiting young English talent.
It’s goodnight from him as far as Dimitar Berbatov’s Tottenham career is concerned, one of the most talented players ever to wear a Spurs shirt. It’s now crystal clear that the Bulgarian is leaving White Hart Lane in the summer and, although Manchester United have reported interest, it could well be that the player moves to Italy or Spain instead due to an astronomical price tag.
The Times reports that Juande Ramos is starting to adjust to life without his star striker, although surely he doesn’t see Darren Bent as someone who can come in and replace Berbatov like-for-like? Who do you think the Spaniard should sign as a replacement?
“It depends on what the offer is and whether the club will accept that,” Ramos said. “I know big clubs want to sign him. The player will only go to a club if he wants to. We want the player to be happy. He has the key to this and it is up to him.”
Ramos admitted that he has considered several replacements who would be capable of building a partnership with Robbie Keane. “Obviously, we have to cover our backs in case the player decides to leave and we have to have options to replace him,” Ramos said. “There are great players in Europe that can do just as well as Berbatov.”
But how many of them want to sign for Tottenham? Magic Juande has shown he has pulling power by attracting the likes of Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Hutton and Luka Modric to Spurs, although to sign a top-class striker when all you have to offer is UEFA Cup football will prove to be a tricky test for the Tottenham manager. There’s a good chance that a forward will be snared from a Spanish club, where Ramos has an in-depth knowledge after his time at Seville.
It’s been a memorable two seasons for Tottenham fans, not least because Dimitar Berbatov has lit up their lives with some excellent goals and all-round silky performances. However, all good things come to an end and the Daily Mail have reported that contract talks between player, agent and club have irrevocably broken down.
Agent Emil Dantchev said: “His future will be decided in the next couple of months. We have twice given up talks about Berbatov’s new contract and this is due to the fact that Tottenham are unwilling to fix Berbatov’s transfer price.
“He is 27-years old and he needs to win trophies. It is time he was transferred to a club that regularly plays in the Champions League. There are seven to eight clubs in Europe interested and we know them well.”
Tottenham fans, what is your favourite memory of Berba? Without him, it’s probable that Spurs wouldn’t have won the Carling Cup this season, especially as it was his penalty that brought him level against Chelsea. What are the chances of him joining another Premier League club such as Manchester United or even Chelsea?
Juande Ramos may have done a good job turning the creaking Tottenham ship around with his fancy continental fitness regimes – witness tub o’ lard Tom Huddlestone, he now looks like a stick insect – but he hasn’t really issued any juicy soundbites….yet.
Juande is clearly just warming up with this effort against Dimitar Berbatov’s sh*t stirring, bottom feeding, scummer of an agent, Emile Dantchev who is angling for a Berbatov move with practically every breath he takes. Juande said:
‘It is the obligation of the agent to try to sell their player so they can get paid as much as possible.
‘Berbatov is a great player and it is normal that clubs are interested in him. It is normal that an agent tries to do business in the transfer market.
‘But Tottenham are very happy to have him and he is very happy here.’
The disappointing thing about this rant is it barely qualifies as one, I don’t even support Spurs and I have more fire in my belly than Ramos about this situation. Grow a pair Ramos – and whilst I’m at it stop wearing those terrible white trainers!
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