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Harry Kane MBE
- Thread starter thfcsteff
- Start date
...or "A million and 25" as he put it, the stupid clam.
Last edited:
braineclipse
Steve Sedgley
I think a break, then prep for Olympics then roll right into a short preseason cab be easier than straight to Euro prep, then Euros then a break and then short preseason.
Other than that I agree with everything you said.
If getting back to training when planned to isn't the right thing to do our training must be the worst ever.
Club saying very little says a lot when credible rumours are saying that Kane didn't return as planned. I would be shocked if the club or Kane could truthfully have put out a statement saying "no, that's actually not true" and then didn't.
Club is keeping their options as open as they can by saying very little. Only right thing to do.
Legohamster
Ian Walker
Wouldn’t even have him in the squad.
Probably isn't easy but others seem to manage it, Shaw and Maguire started today with Sancho coming off the bench. Sako came off the bench yesterday. Why couldn't he have flown back earlier so his 5 days isolation didn't cut into this week, he could have relaxed at home for 5 more days with his family.
Gazza Dazzla
Chris Perry
so far only Philips hasn’t featured this weekend, he was an unused sub today. Fully expecting the City boys to all feature tomorrow as well.
Saka and Sancho were on the bench though. I expect Kane to be as well
Mikey10
Pedro Mendes
Because he couldn’t give a brick about us anymore and it’s all about Harry?
SteveAWOL
Barry Daines
Dragon 1
It is most definitely not done they offered 95 plus add ons
we do not want to sell but he wants to go so if they pay 160 or 150 plus Silva depending what mood Daniel is in that day we may trade
Kane already played his cards with his no show
after the statement he made that I’d never refuse to train he can’t now refuse to play or train , his brother. Advised him badly and did not have city ready at the right level when they pulled the stunt , they foolishly thought we would buckle
It is most definitely not done they offered 95 plus add ons
we do not want to sell but he wants to go so if they pay 160 or 150 plus Silva depending what mood Daniel is in that day we may trade
Kane already played his cards with his no show
after the statement he made that I’d never refuse to train he can’t now refuse to play or train , his brother. Advised him badly and did not have city ready at the right level when they pulled the stunt , they foolishly thought we would buckle
AjaxDeSuperYids
Drama queen
Fwiw The Times are reporting that kane is beginning to accept the move wont happen and that levy wont take less than £150m, especially as city have left it so late in the window.
Yeah right!
thfcsteff
Garth Crooks
I don't think we will see him until his future is settled.
I have also come to the conclusion that no price at this point is high enough. Levy now needs to hold firm. No sale. Give him his contract bump and onwards. If he buckles now, it would be poor IMO. The only possible reason would be that the squad have turned on him, and I cannot see that as being the case at all.
But rest assured, one man and one man only holds all the cards. And it will be down to what he perceives leaves him in the best light with the supporters that will ultimately make the final decision...
I have also come to the conclusion that no price at this point is high enough. Levy now needs to hold firm. No sale. Give him his contract bump and onwards. If he buckles now, it would be poor IMO. The only possible reason would be that the squad have turned on him, and I cannot see that as being the case at all.
But rest assured, one man and one man only holds all the cards. And it will be down to what he perceives leaves him in the best light with the supporters that will ultimately make the final decision...
JerusalemMan
Chris Perry
Here's the article. It contains a bit of a throwaway line - it is thought Kane is close to accepting no move this year. Bit of a puff PR Piece for Spurs and Levy but it's quite something to see that right now at a time when most print and digital media is lining up to try and encourage Spurs to just hand their player over to Emirates Marketing Project at a price agreed by Pep and Kane.
"When Martin Jol joined Tottenham in 2004, it was as a modestly-paid assistant manager. He stayed in a series of hotels near Spurs’ former training ground in Chigwell, moving from place to place to keep getting discount rates. His wife and young daughter were in tow; they needed a proper home. Yet Chigwell was expensive. Daniel Levy stepped in.
A house was for sale on the road where Levy’s parents lived and though he had a football club to oversee, Levy took charge of negotiations, going back and forth until talking the owner into selling for a knockdown price. Seventeen years later, Jol still has the house and Levy the knack for advantageous deals. This personal touch, which he uses to run Tottenham, gets overlooked in portrayals of Levy as an unfeeling numbers man.
After 20 years in his role, and having given next-to-no interviews, the Premier League’s longest-serving chairman is much-discussed yet little truly known. He remains the inscrutable figure near the centre of English football and could be about to pull off another coup: keeping Harry Kane
It is increasingly likely Kane will be Tottenham’s player for at least another year. Emirates Marketing Project’s money was expected to talk, but Levy feels City have left it far too late in the transfer window to come to the table for a talent it would be so hard to replace. He has his valuation of Kane, which is far beyond the £100 million City signalled they would pay, and Levy doesn’t budge on valuations.
There has been no negotiating between the clubs in recent days, despite reports, and it is thought Kane is close to accepting there will be no exit this summer. “Daniel is unbelievable,” says Jol of Levy’s tendency to get his way. “How does he do it? He is like Napoleon. There is always a strategy. He waits and waits and he is tough. Others try to wait but at some point you get bored and go a little soft. Daniel will wait longer than you.”
The Kane saga comes at a pivotal point in the development of the club Levy helped acquire by wearing down Sir Alan Sugar into selling the controlling share for a larcenous £22 million in December 2000. Levy represented the English National Investment Company (ENIC), an offshore investment firm bankrolled by the billionaire Bahamas-based currency trader Joe Lewis. Levy, the whizzkid son of a friend, proved his acumen to Lewis soon after ENIC’s formation, when he paid £6 million for 4% in an internet start-up then sold the stake for £160m.
Initially, ENIC was supposed to focus on textiles but soon moved into football. Levy was taken by a great-uncle to his first game, Spurs v QPR, wearing a rosette, aged around eight. He later recognised football’s potential to grow in value but realised that “a football club is one of the hardest things to run” as he told Cambridge University’s newspaper last year.
State educated, Levy admits being unathletic at school (his favourite sports were skiing and abseiling). At Cambridge he eschewed student partying to focus on his degree. “I thought I had been given a great opportunity and was determined not to mess it up.” He graduated with a first in land economy, where you study not just the value of land but the politics around developing it. He started talking about rebuilding White Hart Lane, and delivering world-leading facilities, in 2001.
It took seven years and three planning applications to construct the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre in Enfield, and a decade of work, including 80 separate property deals, to open the £1.2bn Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019. Spurs’ valuation has increased almost 100 times, in his tenure, to over £2bn with revenues hitting a record £460 million before the pandemic.
“The smartest transfer policy in football, the best youth system, probably the best training ground and the world’s best stadium,” is how Crystal Palace chairman, Steve Parish, evaluates his rival’s work.
Transfer trading has underpinned Spurs’ rise. Unique to major clubs, they have grown without owner-funding – with Levy (who holds 29.9%, with Lewis holding 70.6%) raising every penny he spends. In 20 years, Spurs’ net spend is more than £1bn less than City’s, over £700 million less than Manchester United’s and almost £450 million less than Chelsea’s. However, constructing the new arena has left the club with £831m of debt (albeit mostly in long “mortgage-style” loans) and Covid saw it last year post a first loss (£68 million) since 2012.
Against the backdrop, Jol – Spurs manager from 2004 to 2007 – believes the old Levy would have cashed in on Kane but today’s Levy may not. “He has grown into his role,” says Jol, meaning that what started off as business has become something in which Levy invests emotionally, like a supporter. His four children, particularly eldest son Joshua, are Spurs fans and, according to someone who was a key Spurs employee for more than a decade, “he definitely ‘feels’ it – especially the north London rivalry and need to finish above Arsenal.”
In Levy’s office at Lilywhite House (he has another at the training ground) is a former street sign from Paxton Road, on which the old White Hart Lane stadium sat. On the wall are family photos and gifts from friends.
His ability to listen and absorb information is what most impresses those who have worked with Levy. He is a quiet man “but can be blunt and honest”, says the former employee. He reads every email he is sent, and even those where staff reply on his behalf. Though he cares little for public perception, Levy, now 59, is said to be across everything that is said and written about Spurs in the traditional media and on social outlets.
His grasp of detail is formidable. On his early-morning commute to work from his estate in Hertfordshire, Levy changes his route to drive whichever one of his club’s properties or projects is on his mind. He is a member of a club WhatsApp group with senior aides and if anyone spots something out of place at a piece of Spurs estate they take a photo and share it.
JerusalemMan
Chris Perry
(continued)
Recently Levy has been driving past a plot on which he plans two artificial pitches for use by the community but also for scouting youngsters. With most clubs now siting academies in leafy suburbs, hard to access for inner city kids, Spurs believe they can steal a march by building this new facility.
Levy chooses unusual ways to reward staff. When Jol took Spurs back into Europe for the first time in seven seasons, Levy bought him a silver grey Porsche and when he achieved back-to-back fifth-place finishes (Spurs’ best league performance in 25 years) he took Martin and wife Nicole to dinner at the Dorchester. There was a charity auction in which the star prize was Christmas dinner cooked personally at the winner’s home by Gordon Ramsey, and Levy exclaimed, “I’ll get that for you, Martin”. However another lot was a piece by the leading English sculptor, Sean Henry, which Jol – an art collector – really wanted. He asked Nicole to have a subtle word and went to the toilet and when he returned Levy had bought the sculpture – for £40,000.
“It’s very nice,” says Jol, “though I had it valued last week and it’s worth £12,000. It’s a little figure of a man…it actually looks like Daniel.”
Gifting should not be confused with largesse. Jol notes that Levy preferred presents to paying bonuses and says, “it would be wrong to describe him as a ‘warm man’ – he’s a businessman – but he wants to make you feel good, if things are going well. If things are not going well, it’s different. But I had a good relationship with him.”
Jol still likes Levy despite being sacked summarily (he was in the dug-out during a game when he was told) and the same is true of Mauricio Pochettino, the boss Levy was closest to. They went on wine-tasting mini-breaks together, retreats at Levy’s home in the French Alps and a bonding trip to Argentina which involved quad-biking, paintballing and a river journey during which the boat capsized and “Poch” pulled his chairman to safety. At the training ground they would often eat together. They still text.
After José Mourinho’s acrimonious departure, and the messy search for his replacement, it remains to be seen what bonds Levy will establish with his new manager, Nuno Espírito Santo. But Nuno is also a quiet, publicity-averse man with a human side hidden underneath a hard exterior. Like Levy, he’s a listener: he is said to be fascinated by Tottenham’s motto, To Dare is To Do, and has been asking key people what it means to them personally.
He, and new sporting director Fabio Paratici, have already been allowed to reshape the squad, recruiting Bryan Gil for £22.5million and Cristian Romero on a year’s loan from Atalanta with option for a £46.7million permanent deal. Spain’s Pau Torres is the next target. Contrary to the perception that Levy wants to influence who the club signs, allies say the opposite is true. However, he does take charge of negotiations and is “the worst to deal with” if you want to bargain, confides one manager. Sir Alex Ferguson said dealing with the game’s most stubborn negotiator was “more painful than my hip replacement”.
One agent who has sat opposite Levy says his method is simple. “He has a number in his head and just doesn’t deviate. He just relentlessly says, ‘that’s it’ while delivering his logic for why the valuation is right. Rebecca Capelhorn, a lovely woman [Tottenham’s director of football administration and governance] often sits in the middle of the process and will come back to you politely: ‘No, I’m afraid Daniel won’t do that.’”
When Spurs signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Levy decided – given his age and length of contract – he was worth £15 million and when informed Everton were willing to pay £18 million just dug in, pointing out Spurs was the Dane’s preferred destination. He got Hojberg for £15 million – though the technique doesn’t always work. A year ago he offered Brentford a “take it or leave it” £20 million for Ollie Watkins and they left it, with Watkins going to Aston Villa.
But Levy sticks to his valuations with such conviction, says the agent, “that you can come off the phone saying ‘he has a point’ – before you pull yourself back.” Everyone, from allies to those who have been on his wrong side, agree his guiding principle is “what he sees as best for Spurs” and sometimes transfer sagas are simple: if that means Kane not leaving, he won’t leave."
Recently Levy has been driving past a plot on which he plans two artificial pitches for use by the community but also for scouting youngsters. With most clubs now siting academies in leafy suburbs, hard to access for inner city kids, Spurs believe they can steal a march by building this new facility.
Levy chooses unusual ways to reward staff. When Jol took Spurs back into Europe for the first time in seven seasons, Levy bought him a silver grey Porsche and when he achieved back-to-back fifth-place finishes (Spurs’ best league performance in 25 years) he took Martin and wife Nicole to dinner at the Dorchester. There was a charity auction in which the star prize was Christmas dinner cooked personally at the winner’s home by Gordon Ramsey, and Levy exclaimed, “I’ll get that for you, Martin”. However another lot was a piece by the leading English sculptor, Sean Henry, which Jol – an art collector – really wanted. He asked Nicole to have a subtle word and went to the toilet and when he returned Levy had bought the sculpture – for £40,000.
“It’s very nice,” says Jol, “though I had it valued last week and it’s worth £12,000. It’s a little figure of a man…it actually looks like Daniel.”
Gifting should not be confused with largesse. Jol notes that Levy preferred presents to paying bonuses and says, “it would be wrong to describe him as a ‘warm man’ – he’s a businessman – but he wants to make you feel good, if things are going well. If things are not going well, it’s different. But I had a good relationship with him.”
Jol still likes Levy despite being sacked summarily (he was in the dug-out during a game when he was told) and the same is true of Mauricio Pochettino, the boss Levy was closest to. They went on wine-tasting mini-breaks together, retreats at Levy’s home in the French Alps and a bonding trip to Argentina which involved quad-biking, paintballing and a river journey during which the boat capsized and “Poch” pulled his chairman to safety. At the training ground they would often eat together. They still text.
After José Mourinho’s acrimonious departure, and the messy search for his replacement, it remains to be seen what bonds Levy will establish with his new manager, Nuno Espírito Santo. But Nuno is also a quiet, publicity-averse man with a human side hidden underneath a hard exterior. Like Levy, he’s a listener: he is said to be fascinated by Tottenham’s motto, To Dare is To Do, and has been asking key people what it means to them personally.
He, and new sporting director Fabio Paratici, have already been allowed to reshape the squad, recruiting Bryan Gil for £22.5million and Cristian Romero on a year’s loan from Atalanta with option for a £46.7million permanent deal. Spain’s Pau Torres is the next target. Contrary to the perception that Levy wants to influence who the club signs, allies say the opposite is true. However, he does take charge of negotiations and is “the worst to deal with” if you want to bargain, confides one manager. Sir Alex Ferguson said dealing with the game’s most stubborn negotiator was “more painful than my hip replacement”.
One agent who has sat opposite Levy says his method is simple. “He has a number in his head and just doesn’t deviate. He just relentlessly says, ‘that’s it’ while delivering his logic for why the valuation is right. Rebecca Capelhorn, a lovely woman [Tottenham’s director of football administration and governance] often sits in the middle of the process and will come back to you politely: ‘No, I’m afraid Daniel won’t do that.’”
When Spurs signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Levy decided – given his age and length of contract – he was worth £15 million and when informed Everton were willing to pay £18 million just dug in, pointing out Spurs was the Dane’s preferred destination. He got Hojberg for £15 million – though the technique doesn’t always work. A year ago he offered Brentford a “take it or leave it” £20 million for Ollie Watkins and they left it, with Watkins going to Aston Villa.
But Levy sticks to his valuations with such conviction, says the agent, “that you can come off the phone saying ‘he has a point’ – before you pull yourself back.” Everyone, from allies to those who have been on his wrong side, agree his guiding principle is “what he sees as best for Spurs” and sometimes transfer sagas are simple: if that means Kane not leaving, he won’t leave."
glasgowspur
Andy Thompson
What happened to the £100m bid?
So we knock back £100m and city come back £95m, very believable.
These guys are unreal.
JerusalemMan
Chris Perry
I thought the early £100 million bid was for a total deal of cash plus player(s) deemed by City to be worth £100m - i.e. not really.
Sounds like he's claiming a subsequent cash only bid but still at an unacceptable level
JerusalemMan
Chris Perry
I did just go have a bit of a look at some alleged ITK, the Hercules joker has posted this informative snippet most recently:
"A lot of activity going on for next week hopefully. But not revealing anything! Due to information being used creatively. Apologies if it sounds a bit weird."
At least he has enough of a modicum of self-awareness to apologise. Which won't stop people falling over themselves to thank him for this latest blinding insight.
Still, at least he'll be able to confirm deals once they are announced on the official site, or break in the media.
Caught that Neville overlap thing yesterday.
Keane quite pro Levy/Spurs.
Carragher quite pragmatic: “They’ve won nothing WITH Kane, so it might be the right time to sell. Referenced victims not winning the title with Gerrard, then having a shake up with the Coutinho money.
Which got me thinking - Now is not really a good time for us to have spending power. When victims twice had money - I think I’m right in saying they were still in the CL on both occasions: On one occasion they got Salah/Mane. On the next they got Allison/VVD.
We simply don’t have much of a pull at the moment. Those kind of players you want to be replacing Kane with are probably looking for CL football. I actually don’t see us breaking into the top 4 this season, but it might be worth keeping Kane for one more year and seeing if we can position ourselves so that we can attract the players needed to replace him.
Keane quite pro Levy/Spurs.
Carragher quite pragmatic: “They’ve won nothing WITH Kane, so it might be the right time to sell. Referenced victims not winning the title with Gerrard, then having a shake up with the Coutinho money.
Which got me thinking - Now is not really a good time for us to have spending power. When victims twice had money - I think I’m right in saying they were still in the CL on both occasions: On one occasion they got Salah/Mane. On the next they got Allison/VVD.
We simply don’t have much of a pull at the moment. Those kind of players you want to be replacing Kane with are probably looking for CL football. I actually don’t see us breaking into the top 4 this season, but it might be worth keeping Kane for one more year and seeing if we can position ourselves so that we can attract the players needed to replace him.