Bale for £85 million...Any takers?

[dimexi]

Before I begin let me be clear that I do not want us to sell Bale, for any price! What I would like to see is some careful investment to boost our squad and improve our chances of challenging the top 3-4 clubs.
However the talk of real bidding the world record fee £85 million will surely make it difficult for the club to refuse. Man Utd did when they sold Ronaldo, after all.

So if it happened, what could we get in return? No need to talk about Levy/Lewis keeping it. Just thinking if it was all invested how would our club then look?

Going to have to speak hypothetically, but let’s say the chairman has earmarked £30 million to invest already (which is only 2 £15 million ok, but not the great players we were hoping for.) This can also be added to the kitty. Giving us £115 million to spend.

Wages will have to be considered with Bale our top earner on £100,000 per week.  If we need to go above this, it would have to come off the kitty money. For example every £10,000 per week extra = approx £1.5 million (for a 3 year contract)

So an example shopping list may look like:

Leighton Baines = £20 mill (no extra for wages)
Fellani = £25 million + £6 mill extra wages
Lewandowski = £25 million + £7.5 mill extra wages needed to tempt away from Man U
Eriksen = £15 million
Benteke = £11 million
Change for Mr Levy = £5.5 million – agents fees = £1.00

I am not saying this would necessarily be my list, but it is the first that came to mind.

Would this be enough to make the Bale transfer a little easier to take?

[dimexi]

There are some good targets on here with guide price to help you...

(may not match estimates in above example)



http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/gallery/2013/may/30/football-50-top-transfer-window-targets

[RiffHard]

Well, none of these players play the same role as Bale, so it would mean we'd have to change our system and tactics. But, this has happened before, so it would not be a tragedy. I would like to see most of them play for us (except Benteke), though I cannot see the first three coming to us - Baines and Fellaini would rather follow Moyes to Man United, though I wouldn't be surprised to see them remain with Everton (especially Baines), Lewandowski will go to a CL club and at the moment he's very bitter at Dortmund's chairman who won't sell him to Bayern München, I think that says it all. If you ask me, Eriksen and Benteke seem to be the only serious candidates, and I would welcome the first one with open arms.

[dimexi]

Well, none of these players play the same role as Bale, so it would mean we'd have to change our system and tactics. But, this has happened before, so it would not be a tragedy. I would like to see most of them play for us (except Benteke), though I cannot see the first three coming to us - Baines and Fellaini would rather follow Moyes to Man United, though I wouldn't be surprised to see them remain with Everton (especially Baines), Lewandowski will go to a CL club and at the moment he's very bitter at Dortmund's chairman who won't sell him to Bayern München, I think that says it all. If you ask me, Eriksen and Benteke seem to be the only serious candidates, and I would welcome the first one with open arms.

I agree with all you said, but was highlighting the depth and quality that could be added to the squad were we to lose Bale.

Problem is there are not many players that can play in the Bale role i.e. all over the park. On reflection I would have Villa over Benteke. I know that Baines and Fellani are unlikely as is Lewandowski but we need players to fill those roles. Any suggestions who could play in Bale's position? 

[RiffHard]

Well, none of these players play the same role as Bale, so it would mean we'd have to change our system and tactics. But, this has happened before, so it would not be a tragedy. I would like to see most of them play for us (except Benteke), though I cannot see the first three coming to us - Baines and Fellaini would rather follow Moyes to Man United, though I wouldn't be surprised to see them remain with Everton (especially Baines), Lewandowski will go to a CL club and at the moment he's very bitter at Dortmund's chairman who won't sell him to Bayern München, I think that says it all. If you ask me, Eriksen and Benteke seem to be the only serious candidates, and I would welcome the first one with open arms.

I agree with all you said, but was highlighting the depth and quality that could be added to the squad were we to lose Bale.

Problem is there are not many players that can play in the Bale role i.e. all over the park. On reflection I would have Villa over Benteke. I know that Baines and Fellani are unlikely as is Lewandowski but we need players to fill those roles. Any suggestions who could play in Bale's position? 

To be honest there aren't many players who could take over. Lionel Messi springs to mind, but we all know it's an unrealistic thought.

[RSS61]

Well, none of these players play the same role as Bale, so it would mean we'd have to change our system and tactics. But, this has happened before, so it would not be a tragedy. I would like to see most of them play for us (except Benteke), though I cannot see the first three coming to us - Baines and Fellaini would rather follow Moyes to Man United, though I wouldn't be surprised to see them remain with Everton (especially Baines), Lewandowski will go to a CL club and at the moment he's very bitter at Dortmund's chairman who won't sell him to Bayern München, I think that says it all. If you ask me, Eriksen and Benteke seem to be the only serious candidates, and I would welcome the first one with open arms.

I agree with all you said, but was highlighting the depth and quality that could be added to the squad were we to lose Bale.

Problem is there are not many players that can play in the Bale role i.e. all over the park. On reflection I would have Villa over Benteke. I know that Baines and Fellani are unlikely as is Lewandowski but we need players to fill those roles. Any suggestions who could play in Bale's position? 

To be honest there aren't many players who could take over. Lionel Messi springs to mind, but we all know it's an unrealistic thought.

All of this assumes we still have a manager by July !! An even bigger problem than Bale if you ask me.

[RiffHard]

It's all gossip at the moment, but should Levy cash in on Bale and Villas-Boas, I would probably give up following club football for good. Seriously. I know that no man is bigger than a club, but this move would just prove even more that football is rotten and run by hard businessmen (which we already know, of course).

[taimedowne]

The question nobody seems to ask is does Bale want to leave ? He has a new baby and his Girlfriend has said she doesn't want the upheavel of moving abroad. He has praised AVB and his team mates. He is a big fish at Spurs he'd just be another player at Madrid with a huge burden of expectation on his shoulders. And he is under contract with us we cant sell him if he doesn't want to leave. I guess he is on holiday at the moment but when he returns we will probably find out he wants to stay. Lets hope so.

[RiffHard]

The question nobody seems to ask is does Bale want to leave ? He has a new baby and his Girlfriend has said she doesn't want the upheavel of moving abroad. He has praised AVB and his team mates. He is a big fish at Spurs he'd just be another player at Madrid with a huge burden of expectation on his shoulders. And he is under contract with us we cant sell him if he doesn't want to leave. I guess he is on holiday at the moment but when he returns we will probably find out he wants to stay. Lets hope so.

Sadly, football is all about money and should Levy want to sell him, he'd find a way to make Bale say that it has been his life-long dream to play for Real Madrid, PSG or bloody New York Red Bulls, and move on. I don't think businessmen are interested in what someone's old lady has to say.

But, I don't want to be a pessimist and therefore I think Bale will stay with us. 

[Glenn R]

That is a lot of money to turn down. I would prefer that Spurs kept him and built around him. Besides he might not want to go. However, that is a lot of money that could be used to build a great team; providing that all the money goes to build the team plus more.

But to have a great team you need a great manager; and I believe we've got that in AVB. If Bale goes AVB might go. Then we start all over again. Then you can forget about this season coming. It would be used to embed new players..... then the process starts all over again the season following. Other clubs come in for our players and manager (providing we built a great team) and then...... sell? Or stand your ground? If we stand our ground then we might as well do it now.

[spursjoolz]

IF Bale goes (and there is a big IF),  and AVB follows, which is likely, we will be back to square 1, new manager and team to rebuild. The questions are: Who do we appoint as our new coach and who do we buy to replace Bale, assuming that anyone is willing to come to the club?

Who said: "assumption is the mother of all F**ups?"

 

[RSS61]

IF Bale goes (and there is a big IF),  and AVB follows, which is likely, we will be back to square 1, new manager and team to rebuild. The questions are: Who do we appoint as our new coach and who do we buy to replace Bale, assuming that anyone is willing to come to the club?

Who said: "assumption is the mother of all F**ups?"

 

The more I think about this, the more I think we are at a crossroad in the history of our club. For the first time since 1991 we are in the position of having a top coach in place, a world class forward, and a few other top class players, with the opportunity to really challenge for the top 4 or even higher next season.
All we need to do is keep Bale, and therefore AVB and add the players that we all know we need. If Levy cannot see this, then he really should not be running our club because to lose those two right now would set us back maybe another 20 years, or even worse. I really think its that serious.

[Glenn R]

IF Bale goes (and there is a big IF),  and AVB follows, which is likely, we will be back to square 1, new manager and team to rebuild. The questions are: Who do we appoint as our new coach and who do we buy to replace Bale, assuming that anyone is willing to come to the club?

Who said: "assumption is the mother of all F**ups?"

 

I've always said; that to build a good team you need to start with the manager. To be honest I haven't been impressed with any manager since Bill Nicholson was sacked, up and until now. AVB can bring us glory providing Levy backs him. If not then he will be gone and we start all over again.

[RiffHard]

IF Bale goes (and there is a big IF),  and AVB follows, which is likely, we will be back to square 1, new manager and team to rebuild. The questions are: Who do we appoint as our new coach and who do we buy to replace Bale, assuming that anyone is willing to come to the club?

Who said: "assumption is the mother of all F**ups?"

 

I've always said; that to build a good team you need to start with the manager. To be honest I haven't been impressed with any manager since Bill Nicholson was sacked, up and until now. AVB can bring us glory providing Levy backs him. If not then he will be gone and we start all over again.

What about Burkinshaw and Venables?

[Glenn R]

I must admit Burkinshaw wasn't a bad manager, as for Venables; over rated and a big head. I was glad that Sugar sacked him. At the time he was manager I was writing for a couple of Spurs magazines and I was one of a few people who openly criticised him and supported Sugar (I also publicly criticised TISA for supporting Venables; at one time I got a letter from their lawyers threatening to sue me unless I retracted what I had said). If he would have won in his battle with Sugar then Spurs would no longer exist today.