Harry Kane MBE

[Finney Is Back]

Villa valued Grealish at £80M last summer with a year more on his contract, his market value is estimated at £65M, City has overbid by anyone's estimation.

That's why the "City want Kane" and "City have offered £100M for Kane" don't quite add up.

We don't actually know that Emirates Marketing Project really did bid £100m for Grealish or what that £100m bid was made up of....

 

[AdamB]

Good article by Delaney

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/harry-kane-transfer-tottenham-man-city-b1895763.html

independent.co.uk
Harry Kane considers transfer request but ill-judged tactics only rile Daniel Levy
5-6 minutes
Harry Kane is considering an official transfer request, as he attempts to force a move to Emirates Marketing Project.

Some close to Tottenham Hotspur believe it could come in the next few days. The striker will at least return to the club in that time, in what will naturally be perceived as a u-turn.

Not many think any of this will have any tangible effect on the situation.

The truth is that only one thing changes that. That is Emirates Marketing Project putting in the kind of bid that Daniel Levy would find acceptable.

It is why, if the big question right now is how likely it is that Kane gets his move, many say the answer is that it just isn’t happening.

On City’s side, the hierarchy are currently considering what type of bid to submit. The club do have to balance Financial Fair Play requirements, and several sources say they can’t currently afford both Jack Grealish and Kane if it comes down to straight cash offers.

That might be different if City manage to off-load a player or two, and they had previously made all of Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Aymeric Laporte available.

In a market where there is so little cash, though, all of the big clubs are struggling to sell players. It is why the expectation is that City will eventually submit a bid worth up to £150m, but with the value made up by players.

Two further factors complicate this, showing how far Kane is away from his dream move. One is that most of those players mentioned don’t want to drop out of the Champions League to play for Spurs. Why would any player willingly go? There are also questions over whether Spurs would even find them palatable.

When reports came out last week that the London club would agree to a sale, some senior figures appended laughing emojis to messages linking the stories. It was seen as preposterous.

Levy didn’t respond with laughter. He is said to have been furious, with his resolve to keep Kane only strengthened. The player is likely to be fined.

Many in the game have wondered about the tactics of the Kane camp throughout this.

One of the biggest questions is why his brother Charlie, who is his agent, hasn’t sought some outside help. It isn’t even necessarily a question of experience.

A super-agent with a lot of clients and influence, for example, could have gone to Levy with a lot more leverage. Agreements could have been struck about future deals. That’s how these agreements are generally struck. Personal favours and relationships are leaned on.

As it is, the Kanes have no leverage - beyond the notion of “a gentleman’s agreement”. That is just never going to trump the realities of contract law, and it remains baffling as to why the player agreed to a six-year deal in 2018.

It seemed woefully ill-advised at the time, no matter how good Spurs were under Mauricio Pochettino.

When it was announced, one elite coach - who has long coveted and admired Kane - quipped to a colleague: “congratulations, you’ve just signed up to six years of winning nothing.”

It seems like this might have belatedly dawned on Kane, his ambition for trophies only fired by how close England got in Euro 2020.

It has left a situation where the striker didn’t show up to the first two days of training. These were tactics that were just never going to work with Levy.

It is not just the attempt to strong-arm him. There’s also the potential precedent. It might even make this the important refusal of Levy's entire time in charge.

Given how strong the Spurs chairman has been in terms of holding wantaway players to contracts - as this situation brings to an extreme - it would set completely the wrong example to show that all they need to do is not turn up for training.

This is why Monday’s move was so baffling, particularly for a player seen as diligent and responsible as Kane.

To put it into context, it is not something Paul Pogba has ever considered - and that despite all of the comparatively unfair criticism he has received over his own desire to leave Manchester United. It should maybe change perceptions of both. Kane has certainly lost a lot of goodwill.

Monday’s move might have even upped any potential sale price by about £50m.

There’s another side to that, though.
City obviously greatly rate Kane and would love him at the right price. It’s just that "the right price" might be some way off Levy’s exorbitant demands when you take into account the fact that the striker is 28, in this market. City could just be better off waiting.

There’s also the fact that Pep Guardiola now wants a straight number nine, but Kane is really a “9.5”, who actively seeks to drop back into the areas that players like Kevin De Bruyne occupy.

Would this really be worth such an outlay?

Are the potential gains really worth the events of the last few days, and maybe putting in a transfer request?

It doesn’t feel like it. Many supporters are already enraged. Levy is emboldened.

The problem is that, right now, nobody sees Kane being a City player at the end of this window.

Very good article, a lot of which I agree with....apart from the last line: "The problem is that, right now, nobody sees Kane being a City player at the end of this window"

Silva + £100m or something like that and its done

 

[Finney Is Back]

Perhaps he's doing this as a final grand gesture. Two weeks wages fine every day he doesn't show up = £2m a week. 6 months down the line and he's paid for Romero. Thanks Harry, a Spurs legend

I doubt we could fine the player any more than two weeks wages in any two week period.

 

[Raziel]

Note quite.... We wanted to keep Eriksen and sold him (too late and for way less than he was worth due to selling too late).
The club that sold Berbatov was a Europa League club.... that is the same club that we have become again (actually slipping one level further than that this season).

Prior to the neglect from the owners of the club that happened under Pochettino we had been a genuine challenger for the big trophies. While we were properly challenging for the big trophies our players good enough to play for teams that challenge for the big trophies had no reason to leave. All footballers want to play at their appropriate level. Kane knows that his level is a vastly above the level of THFC right now.

I am less confident than you are that having Levy on our side is a good thing. I think it is better to get the business done early and get in reinforcements that the manager can integrate and use this season, hopefully from the very start as opposed to us squeezing a few more £s out of the sale but doing the deal late so that we go into the season with question marks and perhaps without adequate replacements. I hope that Levy has learned from his previous mistakes but unfortunately am not holding my breath on it.

Mate, there is a £30M-50M difference in valuation right now, that isn't the difference in ok, we will get it done early money.

Kane is vastly above THFC? fudging hilarious mate, THFC has put Kane is 2 PL title fights, a CL final and a Carling Cup final, not to mention 6+ more semi-finals, and guess what, he did fudge all. A prime Bale, Modric or Berbatov would have won those for us, him winning a trophy at City isn't Kane accomplishing brick, it's him letting others do the work for him.

Let me re-iterate, I have no problem selling Kane today, next week, whenever. But I have a real problem with letting him fudge us on the way out, and I see no leverage that he has that says we should. He wants to go, get City to pay up (I don't fudging care about their cash flow, or FFP position or if they can afford Kane and Grealish)

 

[NaijaSpurs]

The biggest indictment on Harry Kane today is that even if he started coming in for training as from tomorrow I would not even consider selecting him to play against Emirates Marketing Project on the 15th, even if he were match fit, because now I simply do not trust him to apply himself enough in that match.

 

[SpurMeUp]

Not really though. If his original stance was to dig his heels in and not come back until the transfer was agreed, then the coverage has been in proportion for a big story about one of the world's best goal scorers trying to force a move away by effectively going on strike, and in a window when not a great deal else is happening. If he comes back now because he and the club have agreed a face saving way out for both of them, that doesn't make the original coverage out of proportion. It certainly doesn't seem like he had the club's permission to stay away.
Either way, it will be good if he shows up later in the week, with the intent to train. (Although come back Thursday/Friday, it will be covid testing then fitness testing, then the weekend. So he might never train with us again anyway).

His behaviour is no different to last year ultimately. Conjecture is just that, conjecture.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Not sure how you come to that conclusion

- Why would Kane not turn up for training, get fined, ruin his reputation if the deal is agreed?

If paperwork is done, just keep quiet (see Grealish training at Villa) until agreed point.

Why would City pay a fee we would accept and not want him immediately?

Not saying this is the same case but back when Bale was apparently 'refusing to train' he had actually been told by the club to stay away from training.

 

[Raziel]

Very good article, a lot of which I agree with....apart from the last line: "The problem is that, right now, nobody sees Kane being a City player at the end of this window"

Silva + £100m or something like that and its done

If that was the case -> it would be done already.

 

[Gazza Dazzla]

I know some here really hate Levy, but trying to make out that this is all Levy's fault and he is the bad guy here is beyond pathetic.

Dont think anyone is?

yes @Legohamster, yes they are!

 

[Raziel]

We don't actually know that Emirates Marketing Project really did bid £100m for Grealish or what that £100m bid was made up of....

It's all speculation but lets use logic

- No City player will go to Villa (not even their cast offs), so it's likely to be mostly cash
- We know last summer Villa was saying £80M-£85M when a few clubs sniffed around
- We have two leaked numbers for Grealish and Kane (that are the same)
- City has come out and stated they will pay nothing close to a £140M/£150M

the reason the pressure is on Kane (fudge, even Carragher is backing Spurs here) is City's offer isn't anything near a "real valuation"

If Kane leaked to the press, City has offered £140M (for me, still low) and big bad man Levy was holding him hostage, it swings the pressure around, but he can't, because it doesn't seem like there was one and City will probably publicly shoot it down (as they did earlier in summer when Pep did his "anyone should be happy with £100M" brick)

 

[Finney Is Back]

Why on earth would Levy say "give me one more year" when he still had 4 years contract?
Kanes camp have released it that there was a gentleman's agreement, sources from the club are saying there was no such agreement.
If there was one I can guarantee it didn't involve selling Kane at way below his market value.

Because it is never good for a club to have a player going public on trying to leave (as we are seeing right now). Once we missed out on the CL that season though Harry absolutely asked to leave and would've put in a written transfer request. It's not a stretch to think that Levy felt that with his dream manager Jose Mourinho in charge and the fact that Jose had got a decent points haul for his part of the 2019/2020 season we would find ourselves properly competing in season 2020/2021.

There are no guarantees at all here unfortunately. The only people who know what was agreed are Levy and Harry.

 

[DTA]

Very good article, a lot of which I agree with....apart from the last line: "The problem is that, right now, nobody sees Kane being a City player at the end of this window"

Silva + £100m or something like that and its done

Far too cheap, more like 100m + Silva, Laporte and Delap and we have a deal.

 

[Lilbaz]

Not near the same mate, Bale and Madrid weren't in the papers talking about lowball numbers everyday.

Levy has made it clear, he sells our bets players for the best prices, and with two offers on table he will go with lower one if it means non PL rival sale.

This is the mix that doesn't work for Kane, we aren't going to take a lowball offer +sell to PL rival at same time.

Weren't they?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/f...eady-to-quit-Tottenham-Hotspur-for-Spain.html £40m.

http://sportwitness.ning.com/main/index/locked £60m.

 

[Raziel]

Far too cheap, more like 100m + Silva, Laporte and Delap and we have a deal.

Even that is low .. £120M +bonuses, Laporte +Silva (anyone really see Pep letting Silva go?) maybe

 

[Raziel]

Weren't they?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/f...eady-to-quit-Tottenham-Hotspur-for-Spain.html £40m.

http://sportwitness.ning.com/main/index/locked £60m.

Paywall and 2nd site broken ...

I certainly don't remember RM saying to the press "any club would be delighted with x amount" or "strikers are too expensive, who can afford that", brick the Pep has directly said to the press in last month.

In the end, they paid a world record fee, if City offered anything close to a world record fee I'm sure we would quite happily say yes. (and that's the disconnect. Madrid has always been willing to pay top dollar for the best, City pays well, but never top bracket)

 

[DTA]

Even that is low .. £120M +bonuses, Laporte +Silva (anyone really see Pep letting Silva go?) maybe

You are forgetting about Delap, he is going to be a player.

 

[Raziel]

You are forgetting about Delap, he is going to be a player.

Perhaps, but I think there are optics on this deal, it will be £120M++, Laporte and Silva would likely walk right into the first 11.

Delap may have all the promise in the world but we have Parrot & Scarlett in that category.

 

[Finney Is Back]

fudging hell mate, is there anything that doesn't come back to a Levy problem for you? does your dislike of Levy go so far that you think he should give away the most valuable asset the club has? for who's benefit, City need a hand out?

Lets say they agreed Kane could leave this summer

Do you really believe the club agreed (gentleman's or in any way)
- To sell him for way below market value at £100M (his market value at the time of that conversation would have been £150M)
- To sell him to a PL rival for said way below market value?

Would you have told Kane he could leave for £100M to another PL club? would anyone have agreed to that?

The only way your "Levy reneged" flimflam has legs is if City has an offer on the table north of £150M right now, and if they did it would be all over the press, because that would be genuine pressure.

This is Eriksen and Toby all over again, yes you can go, if someone actually wants to buy you, your overestimation of certain clubs actually wanting you is not Spurs problem.

No. I don't think that Levy should give away our most valuable player at all.
I also don't think that this is a Levy problem (you are reading that from my post yourself).
If Levy has reneged on an agreement from last summer then that is his prerogative. We saw the same situation with Modric several years ago, who also believed he had a gentleman's agreement that wasn't honoured. I suspect a good, hardnosed business man like Levy wouldn't give a toss about gentleman's agreements.
But yes I do think an agreement was made last summer. Harry did ask to leave last summer and was asked to give another year and that was kept unusually quiet. The only question for me is whether or not a price was agreed, Harry's camp seem to think that a price was set. Levy probably just thinks 'sucker - if it's not contractual it doesn't exist'.

Would I have told Kane that he could leave for £100M in 12 months' time a year ago? Perhaps, if I thought it could buy me a year of not having to go through a rebuild, though I think I would've set a fee 20 or 30 million £ above £100m (as perhaps Levy has done).

Remember here that we don't actually know what numbers Emirates Marketing Project have actually spoken to Spurs about.... maybe they have offered £130m and Levy still isn't budging. It's just that knowing Kane asked to leave 1 year ago and being requested to give another year and also viewing Kane's actions here as being rather strange and out of character, I'm putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with what I think looks more likely to be 4 than 5. I really don't see any other reason why Kane would refuse to come back and train at this stage.

 

[DTA]

Perhaps, but I think there are optics on this deal, it will be £120M++, Laporte and Silva would likely walk right into the first 11.

Delap may have all the promise in the world but we have Parrot & Scarlett in that category.

I think Delap is a different animal to both of Parrot and Scarlett. Of course you never know for sure how young player turns out but he has the physical attributes, the technique and by all accounts the attitude, to reach the very very top.

 

[elyid]

Apparently Inter turned down £85m for Lukaku…

Makes only £100m for Kane almost impossible to justify which is good.