Join me here from 11 (BST) as I attempt to keep track of all the ludicrously far-fetched Spurs transfer rumours inevitably flying in from left, right and centre. I’m hoping for a slightly better return than Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen this time around, but knowing the craziness that’s deadline day, literally anyone could rock up to White Hart Lane. Although hopefully not Michael Owen.
The page won’t auto-refresh (what do you think this is, the BBC?), so you’ll need to refresh manually to see new updates – the most recent update will appear at the top of the page, underneath all this jabbering. I promise not to post them too prolifically, unless we sign several players in rapid succession; so a refresh every ten minutes or so should do the job. Although don’t be afraid to pound that refresh button relentlessly if it makes you feel better.
You can also harrass, harangue, and heckle me on Twitter at @AEFSpurs if that’s the kind of thing that you think you might be into.
CONFIRMED DEALS:
- Danny Rose joins Sunderland on loan for the remainder of the season.
- Giovani Dos Santos joins Real Mallorca on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
- Rafael van der Vaart joins Hamburg for a fee of £10 million.
- Hugo Lloris joins from Lyon for £7.9 million.
- Clint Dempsey joins from Fulham for £6 million.
23:30 - In all honesty, this Moutinho story could run and run until morning without a definite answer. I think it’s time to shut this down. There’s been a mixed reaction to the deadline deals, mainly due to the disappointment in not signing Joao Moutinho, but overall it’s been a pretty successful day for Spurs. A sad note with the departure of Rafael van der Vaart, but some of the deadwood was shifted on with Giovani Dos Santos leaving permanently and Danny Rose on loan. Dempsey will undoubtedly bring goals, and Lloris should bring security in the goalkeeper’s position for years to come.
In summary, I think this is the best advice: ask yourself not, “Have Spurs strengthened enough?”. Rather, ask, “Have Spurs strengthened more than Arsenal?”. They’ll more like than not be the club we’re competing with for fourth place, and when you contrast the successes of our window with theirs, it’s pretty clear who emerges with more credit. Will it be enough? That’s what the rest of the season is for – to find out.
A big thanks if you’ve stopped by to read this; I hoped it’s provided some entertainment in what was a pretty crazy day. Cheers, and goodnight.
23:20 - Reports that Fulham accepted lower bids from Villa and Spurs for Clint Dempsey than they were willing to accept from Liverpool. I’ll bet whoever was responsible for publishing Dempsey’s profile on Liverpool’s site prematurely earlier in the summer is feeling pretty small right now. Fulham clearly punishing Liverpool for driving Dempsey to leave in the first place.
23:10 - There’s no way of knowing, but was Rafael van der Vaart sold on the assumption that Moutinho would be incoming? If so that would be the one oversight of Levy’s dealings today.
23:05 - Still awaiting news on Tom Huddlestone and Harry Kane as well, both of whom looked set to move away on loan. So stuff’s still happening. Stop sneaking out at the back there.
23:02 - …Though, of course, that doesn’t mean it’s all over. Far from it. I’m going to hope against hope, and stick around for another half an hour or so to see if anything else crops up. Money-wise, there’s little doubt that Spurs have had a stunner of a window. Even if Moutinho doesn’t come through, you can say that.
23:00 - THE TRANSFER WINDOW IS NOW CLOSED.
22:58 - It could be worse. At least we haven’t signed Michael Owen yet.
22:55 - I think at this point, the lack of noises coming out of Spurs Lodge suggest that a deal for Joao Moutinho is extremely unlikely to be on the cards. It’s a shame, because it would have been the icing on an exquisite cake of a transfer window. The one niggling question is, have Spurs strengthened where they needed to strengthen? Dempsey will get goals, but he’s not an out and out striker. And there’s no direct replacement for Modric in the absence of Moutinho. Time might be the judge of how much of a success today’s signings will be.
CONFIRMED: CLINT DEMPSEY JOINS FROM FULHAM (£6M)
22:45 - FIFTEEN MINUTES UNTIL THE WINDOW CLOSES.
Still no definitive say on Moutinho. Duncan Castles says an FC Porto source has told him that the Portuguese is more likely to stay with the club than leave – but that a deal is still possible. Leaving it late doesn’t even come close to describing this.
22:42 - Here’s some completed transfer chat from new signing Hugo Lloris:
I’m here because I believe in Tottenham. I think everything is okay for the future of Tottenham, we have great players in the team and a great coach and everything is alright and in place to get to the Champions League next year. I think we have to prove ourselves on the pitch and I’m here because I believe in, and am ready to give my best for, the team and also the fans.
22:40 - Huddlestone could be heading for a cosy reunion with Martin Jol at Fulham along with Stoke’s Wilson Palacios it seems. Helicopters swirl overhead at the Lodge. This could be some finale. Although it’ll be a deflating, anticlimactic one if Moutinho isn’t a part of it…
22:32 - According to The Sun, we’re trying to sign Moutinho from ourselves. That’d certainly explain a lot of the confusion.
22:30 - THIRTY MINUTES UNTIL THE WINDOW CLOSES
Interesting developments afoot. SSN show Harry Kane coming into Spurs Lodge, and there’s speculation that he could be being used as a makeweight in the deal for Clint Dempsey. It’ll most likely be a season loan if so.
22:27 - Things are hotting up heading towards the last half hour, it seems. Tom Huddlestone has left it ridiculously late, but apparently he could still be on his way out of Spurs – at least according to SSN. To where? Not a clue.
22:25 - Sorry, had Dempsey down as confirmed, but it appears it isn’t quite done yet. Surely isn’t far off though – I don’t think that’s the deal we’re sweating on right now.
22:23 - Meanwhile, the Moutinho ‘will he, won’t he’ continues. Current opinion seems to be falling on the side of ‘he won’t’. But it’s been a pretty mental transfer window so far, so who knows?
22:15 - 45 MINUTES UNTIL WINDOW CLOSES.
So the fee for Lloris has been confirmed as £8 million, rising to £12 million based on appearances. Dempsey is being mooted as £6 million, which isn’t bad all things considered.
21:42 - Dempsey really is a bit of a curveball – none of the Twitter ITKs saw that coming. The question is whether he’s a plan B due to the failure to snare Moutinho, or whether Moutinho is still incoming. Dempsey as competition for Lennon, with Moutinho coming in as well, I could appreciate. Dempsey on his own? Definitely seems to be the poorer man’s option. He’ll get goals though, that’s for sure.
21:32 - Clint Dempsey has apparently just rolled into Spurs Lodge. Can’t help but feel that it’s a case of him OR Moutinho… so, no Moutinho?
21:22 - Lloris is a quality signing, but I’m sure we can all agree that he wasn’t highest on our list of priorities today. No-one really seems to know whether a deal for Moutinho is on or off, and there’s no word on whether there’ll be another striker incoming. Nervy times for Spurs fans all over.
CONFIRMED: HUGO LLORIS JOINS FROM LYON.
21:10 - Latest word on Clint Dempsey is that he could well end up staying at Fulham. Liverpool refuse to bid any higher, and Tottenham seemingly never made a bid despite expressing an interest.
21:00 – TWO HOURS UNTIL THE WINDOW CLOSES.
Of course Spurs haven’t finalised any deals yet. Really, what were you expecting? The ITK types on twitter are saying that Lloris, Moutinho, and a mystery striker will all be confirmed by the end of the day, but you know they’re just telling you what you want to hear. It’s all up in the air.
20:45 - Daniel Levy has arrived at Spurs Lodge. Shit just got real.
20:40 - One thing to add – BBC Sport are adamant they’ve been told there will be no incoming transfers at Liverpool tonight. Where does that leave Clint Dempsey? More’s the point, where does that leave Tottenham’s supposed interest in Clint Dempsey?
20:35 - Still not much progress with Lloris or Moutinho, but Rafael van der Vaart has taken to Twitter to thank Spurs fans for their support during his time at the club. Bit of a hero.
20:15 - So, coming up to two and a half hours remaining, and we’re still reading a 0 on the Levy-meter (see 16:55 – yes, I’m determined on pushing this). It’s getting dark now, so SSN can start cracking out the ‘the lights are still on at the Lodge’ cliché soon. Hurrah.
20:05 - The trouble with the Super Cup game being tonight is that now it’s on, everyone has stopped caring about the transfer window, so there’s no word on anything, anywhere. Everyone’s too caught up in Falcao demolishing Chelsea. Which is actually quite impressive, to be fair.
20.00 – THREE HOURS UNTIL THE WINDOW CLOSES.
19:48 - Certainly seems as though Lloris and Moutinho are the two signings we’re waiting on this evening. If Daniel Levy has anything else going on, he’s going about it very quietly. There were whispers of Willian being in London earlier, but they seem to have been unfounded given the lack of mention since.
19:35 - The Lloris deal is looking close to completion. Reportedly he’s passed his medical, and only the formalities remain.
19:25 - Sky are adamant the Moutinho deal is going places, 20 minutes after it was definitely off. Anyone else feeling a little bit like there’s more than a little bit of sensationalism being practiced at SSN today? Mark Lawrenson says it’s done and won’t fall through too. That’s a relief. Mark Lawrenson is obviously very much in the know, right?
19:10 - The Moutinho deal is flopping all over the shop like… a flopping thing. I’ve been doing this for too long today now to come up with creative metaphors. Sorry. Anyway, Sky are now saying that Spurs are trying to resurrect the deal by offering the player better personal terms. Hmm.
19:00 – FOUR HOURS UNTIL THE WINDOW CLOSES.
Squeaky bum time, some might say. After having shipped out Van der Vaart earlier in the day, it’s looking like we could be left short in midfield unless the deal for Moutinho gets an unlikely looking resurrection. It’s also looking a bit sketchy on the striker front – rumours of Llorente haven’t materialised into concrete evidence, and there don’t seem to be too many other forwards being linked with Spurs…
There could be yet more departures as well. Although it’s Jermaine Jenas being linked with a move to West Ham, so I think I speak for us all when I say it’s fine if that one goes through.
18:50 - Anyway, here’s some better news. Hugo Lloris has apparently passed his medical at Spurs Lodge, meaning that a permanent deal shouldn’t be far away. Goalkeeper might not be our priority, but I think we’ll take what we can get at the moment with no incoming transfers confirmed with just over 4 hours of the window remaining. The French keeper has also been left out of Lyon’s squad for their weekend fixture.
18:45 - Elsewhere, Chelsea’s pursuit of some-time Tottenham target Loic Remy is apparently stepping up. Still nothing official on that one either. There’s nothing official anywhere. It’s all rumour and conjecture. Damn, deadline day is frustrating.
18:40 - A lot of journalists now claiming the Moutinho deal is off. Sky seem to have jumped the gun big time earlier by claiming a fee had been agreed…
18:15 - So, as it stands, a deal for Hugo Lloris still looks to be on the cards. A deal for Joao Moutinho is looking increasingly unlikely – Spurs now seem to be scrabbling around for alternative options, with Clint Dempsey seeming to be in pole position. If we only end up signing Lloris, can we call it a successful deadline day? I’m not sure we can…
18:00 – FIVE HOURS UNTIL THE WINDOW CLOSES.
17:55 - Meanwhile, Joao Moutinho’s deal is still stalling on personal terms. The midfielder has travelled with the Porto team as normal for their game tomorrow, so things perhaps aren’t looking as promising on that front.
17:45 - Well, something happened. Reports coming in that Spurs have bid for Fulham’s Clint Dempsey along with Liverpool. Interesting.
17:35 - Still no signings, so I think I’m going to take another short break whilst not a lot is going on. I’ll pop back if anything of note, you know, actually happens.
17:15 - Spurs goalkeeping coach Tony Parks has been chatting to Sky Sports News, and had this to say about the ongoing Lloris saga:
I think he’s in the offices with the club secretary, but my understanding is that it’s far from a done deal. It’s time to go home and prepare for the game tomorrow and make sure the lads who are involved here at the club are ready. If Hugo joins us, great. It will be a fantastic addition to our squad.
I think he is a quality keeper. Added to what we’ve already got in Brad Friedel, who I think is one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League, as he showed again last weekend, it strengthens the position. Brad will fight tooth and nail to keep the position and it’s up to Hugo to get it off of him.
17:00 – SIX HOURS UNTIL THE WINDOW SHUTS.
Interesting twist with regards to Loic Remy. BBC’s live text is suggesting that Chelsea may have swooped in with a £15.8 million offer. Any move to Spurs has looked to be dead in the water for a while at any rate.
16:55 - Since we’re in a bit of a quiet patch, I’d like to introduce a concept I came up with at 2 o’clock morning. I like to call it the Levy-meter (patent-pending). It ranks number of players signed by Spurs against Daniel Levy’s facial expressions. Yeah, it seemed funnier at the time, but I’m going to roll with it anyway.
16:40 - Entering a little bit of a lull again, it seems. Lloris is having his medical at Spurs Lodge around now, so with any luck we might even have an incoming player announcement in the near future. Although, knowing Spurs, they’ll leave it right until 22:59 this evening.
Switching back to conversation about the Europa League draw, and you’ll recall Spurs drew Lazio in their group earlier on today. Paul Gascoigne played for both clubs, and has been invited to Lazio’s stadium for the meeting between the two sides. Which is nice.
16:30 - Not that any deal to bring Yann M’Vila to Spurs has looked like being in the offing today after reported interest earlier in the week, but Rennes have confirmed that the player won’t be moving to England during this transfer window – which also rules out mooted moves to Manchester City or Arsenal.
16:25 - As an alternative theory, some are suggesting that a deal was, in actuality, not yet agreed with Porto, and Sky are just trying to cover their arses after jumping the gun too soon and claiming it was essentially a done deal. Seems feasible, with a lot of journalists claiming there’s still been no agreement on a transfer fee. Could be a pretty embarrassing climb-down for Sky if so…
16:20 - Sky are now reporting the Moutinho deal has hit a hitch over personal terms. Hopefully they can get any problems ironed out; it’d be a bizarre end to the window if Moutinho failed to complete the move to Spurs he’s been pushing for all summer because he couldn’t agree on wages.
16:15 - Still no real word on a striker, bar hearsay. The longer this goes on, the more I worry that Levy will just plump for Michael Owen at the end of the window.
On an unrelated note, Spurs supporters outside Spurs Lodge haven’t missed a trick after the signing of Maicon by Manchester City. A taxi just pulled up into the SSN shot, with ‘Maicon’ scrawled on a placard held up to the window.
16:10 - Apparently, Jermaine Jenas is Manchester City’s back up option if a deal for Javi Garcia falls through. Most recent reports suggest City have managed to agree a fee with Benfica, so Jermaine might not get that highly unlikely move after all…
Also, I’ve forgotten to mention it up until this point, but Spurs apparently had a bid rejected for Marseille’s Loic Remy earlier this morning. There doesn’t seem to have been any further development on that front since, however, and Remy himself doesn’t seem to be pushing much for a move either, insisting he’s happy to remain at Marseille.
16:02 - Reports that a fee has now been agreed for Lloris – and this guy’s usually a fairly reliable source on this kind of thing. That said, he’s still of the opinion that no fee has yet been agreed for Moutinho. Who to believe, eh?
15:55 - In a highly amusing twist, Goal.com reckons that Manchester City have been offered Jermaine Jenas. No, I’m not making this up, though, in all fairness, Goal.com probably are.
Back in the real world, Hugo Lloris is being shown arriving at Spurs Lodge by Sky Sports News, despite the fact that Spurs and Lyon have still reportedly been unable to agree on a fee.
15:47 - Fernando Llorente is still odds on to join Spurs before the window closes, apparently, despite the rather paltry looking nature of the supposed £12 million bid that’s been submitted. Still nothing more than speculation on that front.
15:35 - Manchester City will assumedly be hoping Pablo Zabaleta doesn’t suffer an unfortunate injury before they face Spurs in the league, as they’ve just signed Maicon from Inter Milan as back up. Somewhere, Gareth Bale rubs his hands in gleeful anticipation.
15:30 - Here are those quotes from Lyon’s president. I think it’s probably fair to say he isn’t Daniel Levy’s biggest fan.
We have had people speaking all night with Daniel Levy. He talks a lot and goes back on what we’ve agreed in writing.
The things as they were at 5am were not the same at 10am. I think we have to make sure we get a certain amount of value because it’s important that Hugo can go to a quality club that allows him to do himself justice from a value point of view, so that he can feel right about it.
At the moment we’re talking about whether he can come back to say his goodbyes to the supporters, to his team-mates, so we can honour him, this truly great player and brilliant man. I would put it at 50-50 that Hugo goes to Tottenham. Although from the outset we’ve submitted to agreements I would now put it at 50-50 that he’ll be going there.
Agreements have not at all been respected. We’ve done what we can. Hugo has been troubled by the difficulty in these negotiations.
15:25 - Meanwhile, there’ll be no return to White Hart Lane for Dimitar Berbatov. Despite his location being seemingly unknown to anyone for most of the day, Sky are now reporting that he’s signed a deal with Fulham.
15:20 - Not a whole lot else going on. The Lloris deal still seems a little up in the air, with the Lyon President complaining about being torn a new one during the negotiation process by Daniel Levy. Nothing new there then.
14:53 - It seems I didn’t miss much else in my absence, but there’s a mischievous rumour that Spurs have offered a deal of £12.5 million plus £5 million in potential add-ons for the services of Spanish international Fernando Llorente…
CONFIRMED: RAFAEL VAN DER VAART TO HAMBURG (£10M)
Back, and here’s a confirmed deal to go with it. Hamburg have confirmed the re-signing of Rafael van der Vaart from Spurs, for a fee of around £10 million. Apparently this underexposed photo taken in what looks like the German team’s gym is Hamburg’s official unveiling. They could probably take a few lessons from Spurs on that front.
13:55 - Right, I’m going to take a lunch break. Whilst I do, here’re some pre-match stats for tomorrow’s game against Norwich for you to mull over. You’re welcome. I’ll be back within the hour – don’t miss me too much, now.
CONFIRMED: GIOVANI DOS SANTOS TO REAL MALLORCA (UNDISCLOSED)
13:50 - More outgoing news – whilst Jermaine Jenas seems to be stuck in a feedback loop which sees him never actually leaving Spurs, ever, Giovani Dos Santos looks like he’s finally been shunted out. Real Mallorca are stating on their website that they’ve agreed a deal for the Mexican midfielder, on a four year deal for an as yet undisclosed fee.
13:42 - Worth pointing out that Porto haven’t send anything on the Moutinho deal. They’ve also named the midfielder in their squad for their game tomorrow. The plot thickens…
13:38 - So, our line-up could be looking something like this come the end of deadline day. Tasty.
13:30 - Sky now seem more definite on the Moutinho fee. How does £22 million grab you? The manner in which it’s being reported seems to suggest it’s not just idle rumour…
13:28 - Agreed fee for Lloris now confirmed on Lyon’s website. Slight correction to the fee – it’s actually £9.5 million, with £3-4 million in add-ons.
13:20 - Better news! French paper L’Equipe are reporting that Lyon and Spurs have finally come to an agreement on a fee for Hugo Lloris. They report it’ll stand at around £12 million, with a potential £3-4 million in additional bonuses.
13:16 - Well, that immediately jinxed it. Sky now reporting that Jenas to Sunderland is now off.
13:15 - Jermaine Jenas apparently left Spurs Lodge within the past hour to head up to Sunderland. It’d be rather typical of Jenas’s career if he didn’t manage to make it up to Sunderland in time to complete a move, and ended up staying at Spurs until January. But let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
13:08 - Goal.com are reporting that the fee agreed for Moutinho is £22 million. Others saying under £20m. Sky don’t really seem sure what they’re saying – some kind of mangled amalgamation of thirteen and thirty. I think it might be because no-one actually knows.
13:00 – TEN HOURS UNTIL THE WINDOW SHUTS.
So, Danny Rose has kicked off what’ll hopefully be a cascade of confirmed deals, as he hot foots it off to Sunderland for the rest of the season. Elsewhere, M’Vila of French club Rennes could apparently be moving to Manchester City. The player was linked with Spurs over the past week, who apparently baulked at the £12 million asking price.
CONFIRMED: DANNY ROSE TO SUNDERLAND (SEASON LOAN)
12:55 - The Europa League draw is now complete, and Spurs have been paired with Panathanaikos of Greece, Lazio of Italy, and Maribor of Slovenia. Not bad group, especially when you consider Liverpool got drawn against Young Boys, Anzhi and Udinese.
Back to the Moutinho rumours, and Sky reckon that the fee will be around the £30 million mark. If true, that’s a hell of a lot of money for Levy to be splashing out – I wouldn’t be surprised if Moutinho is the only new signing today if that’s the case.
12:48 - A lot of speculation that Tottenham may well have attempted to hijack Dimitar Berbatov’s move to Fulham. No reliable confirmation either way, but Berbatov would be a cheap, goal scoring striker… Still, I suspect he’d have to face a lot of ire from Spurs fans for the manner of his departure to United if he did return.
12:40 - The Europa League draw has placed Spurs with Panathanaikos, and Lazio so far, with one more team yet to be drawn.
12:35 - SSN also reporting that a fee has been agreed with Sunderland for the permanent signing of Jermaine Jenas. Jenas signed a new contract at Spurs over the summer, so looks like that was a tactic to increase his sell-on value.
12:30 - Whoah, whoah. Hold the press, there. Sky Sports News are reporting that Spurs have agreed a record fee for Joao Moutinho from Porto.
12:25 - The closest to concrete confirmation of the VDV deal we’ve had yet; his wife, Sylvie, tweeted the following:
12:20 - Any links to Leandro Damiao of Internacional have looked dead in the water for a while now, with the transfer fee being requested for the Brazilian forward apparently too great. However, today, Liverpool have been linked with a season loan for the forward, with the option to buy for £15 million at the loan’s conclusion. Either this is a complete fabrication (probable), or Internacional really don’t like us despite the partnership agreement between the two clubs. They were holding out for over £20 million from us for Damiao, and we missed out on signing Oscar from them too…
12:14 - The DFL have released their list of players who can still be signed before the closure of the German transfer window – Rafael van der Vaart’s name is on the list. Looks like the deal won’t be far off being confirmed.
12:07 - If you’re looking to pass the time, the Europa League draw has just kicked off. Assumedly it’ll be just as tediously drawn out as the Champions League draw was yesterday, but when Spurs’ group is eventually revealed, I’ll include it here.
12:00 - ELEVEN HOURS UNTIL THE WINDOW SHUTS.
Looks like we’ve entered out first lull of the day, guys. If you were thinking of grabbing a bite for lunch, or a cup of tea, I’d say now’s the time. Not a whole lot of anything going on. The Spurs Official twitter account has announced new arrivals this morning – but in the form of kittens.
11:55 - A note on the Van der Vaart to Hamburg deal: any transfer has to be confirmed by 17:00BST, as that’s when the German transfer window closes. Still nothing official being stated by either club.
11:50 - This season it looks like Spurs will once again be competing with Arsenal for the fourth Champions League spot – and the good news in that regard is that the BBC reckon Arsenal won’t be making any additional signings today. Arsenal play Liverpool this weekend, and you can actually get amusingly good odds on Pepe Reina being the man to break the Gunners’ goal duck with an own goal after his howler against Hearts for Liverpool last night.
11:44 - So, I think we’re about caught up on the happenings so far today. Looks like we’ll have confirmation of a few outgoings in not too long – hopefully some new arrivals will follow. I’m going to stick my neck out and say there’ll be two new players at White Hart Lane come 11 this evening, but don’t just take my word for it; polls are fun, so let’s have a poll:
11:36 - In other news, that cheeky scamp Dimitar Berbatov seems to be trolling his way around Europe. First he almost signed for Fiorentina – then didn’t, prompting this angry outburst:
He’s not worthy of our city, our shirt and the values it represents.
Then he almost signed for Juventus. Then didn’t. Yesterday evening he was linked with Fulham, but today Sir Alex Ferguson commented:
He has not gone yet. I do not know anything about it. There’s not been any contact from him. He could be anywhere. I really mean that. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was at Tottenham. There are rumours going around. I do not think it is settled at Fulham.
11:32 - As a note of caution, it’s worth pointing out that AVB had this to say on Moutinho yesterday:
This volume of money is out of Tottenham’s possibility. Bearing in mind that this is a key player for club and country, you wouldn’t say that you would get him at half the price and half the price is already bigger than Tottenham’s record fee.
He also played down the possibility of a deal for Shakhtar’s Willian:
We had initial contact with Shakhtar, again a club in a position with wealthy owners (who are) not easy to deal with. We can’t say that it’s over but we have approached the club and at the moment it’s a deal that doesn’t seem to be happening.
11:25 - Meanwhile, the Moutinho rumblings are growing louder. If Van der Vaart does indeed depart from Spurs today, along with the departures of Jenas and Rose, you’d imagine that’d mean another midfielder incoming… Sky reported earlier than Zenit could dive in with a £25 million deal, but that looks to have been merely conjecture. Still, no solid evidence one way or the other as yet.
11:20 - The links to Hugo Lloris have been the most intriguing over the past 24 hours. Reports suggested that Spurs had an offer accepted on 26 August, and after discussion with the French international goalkeeper, agreed personal terms yesterday. However, Olympique Lyon then accused Daniel Levy of moving the goalposts, and trying to submit a new offer, lower than the original – an accusation Spurs have denied. The post on Lyon’s official website carrying the accusation then disappeared. It’s all very mysterious.
11:15 - Shifting our attention to potential incoming signings, and, well, it’s safe to say there are a few rumours floating around out there. Essentially, if you’ve ever been within ten feet of a football, you’re probably being linked to Spurs somewhere. Here’s a succinct list of the more heavily linked players:
Loic Remy (Marseille), Leandro Damiao (Internacional), Joao Moutinho (Porto), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Willian (Shakhtar Donetsk), Alan Dazgoev (CSKA Moscow), Yann M’Villa (Rennes), Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United).
11:10 - In news that will probably be greeted with slightly less sadness, Jermaine Jenas is reportedly discussing a permanent transfer to Sunderland. Joining him up north could be Danny Rose, who’s supposedly close to agreeing a season-long loan with the Black Cats. So, it’s certainly looking like they’ll be more cash in the pot for Levy before the day is done…
11:05 - Despite the length of that outgoing list, it looks like more departures are on the cards today. Chief amongst these is that of Rafael van der Vaart, who looks to be returning to Hamburg for a fee of around £10 million. Nothing official yet, but his agent has apparently confirmed he’s flying out to Hamburg for a medical, so it all looks rather grimly inevitable. Here’s a video of Rafa’s memorable moments against Arsenal for you to watch whilst I sit in the corner, wiping away manly tears.
11:00 - So, with 12 hours of the transfer window remaining, let’s kick things off with a little re-cap, shall we? Here are all of the incoming and outgoing transfers at Spurs so far:
A quick bit of maths shows that we’ve currently spent £36.7 million, whilst receiving approximately £50 million in fees (based on media estimates for the undisclosed fees). So, Daniel Levy still has a cool £13.3 million burning a hole in his pocket – surely we’ll see at least some of that spent today?
