Thread: Pienaar, Gallas, Diarra

In addition to strouds comments IF we do sign a whopper of a striker, where do they come from when he gets a knock or is suspended?

I think we have to be lookin long term too and finding a diamond in the rough, like this Remy lad.

think i would agree with most people that i would snap up diarra for a price like that . i do think someone would have to be on the way out tho

Originally Posted by stroud_jm

I like all these moves, tbh. Hallmark of a top 4/good team in Europe to be loaded with CMs, especially DMs. Just a reality in today's game. Willy'd probably still get to play lots, especially as we don't know how Sandro will fit in right away. The one that would certainly be a memory would be Penas, who actually looked like a professional footballer at times today, IMO.

However, I'm just going to repeat what others have said- who the f--k is going to score for us? If these transfers go through, even some of them, I'm seeing a side that will be very difficult to break down centrally with tons of pace and ability on the flanks. Plus some craft with fellas like Modders and Niko. But I just don't have a lot of faith in our strikeforce right now, even with the tons of service they would be getting from some of these players.

This is an interesting point. When I was watching the Stoke game I began to wonder: Over the last couple of seasons Aaron and the coaching staff have done a wonderful job of improving his work rate ( in particular tracking back) and his final ball. This year they really need to focus on his confidence in front of goal. He had a couple of opportunities to put his foot through the ball and put the game beyond Stoke's reach.

Now, and I apologise in advance for the essay, I do not believe that we can have too many DMC's (obviously within reason). Say we buy in a top striker and he gets injured. If we were using a 4-5-1 formation like we did on Saturday we need goals from the midfield. To be fair we could do with a few goals from midfield regardless of whether our top striker is injured.

Imagine this.

------------Gomes------------
Corluka -- Dawson -- King -- BAE
------------Diarra ------------
------ Hudd ----- Modric
Lennon--------------------- Bale
------------Striker-------------

The above formation would allow us to have a system that is very similiar to what Ancelotti is using to success currently with Chelsea. Diarra sits there all game. Pure ball winner. Hudd is used as a second ball winner and playmaker. Modric has freedom to roam and the wingers contribution is obvious. It equates to there being 5 defensive players but a constant threat from both counter attacks and general play. If Lennon improved his ability in front of goal even a little then that team has the ability to score goals whilst remaining tight at the back.

I know, I know... If Harry does take the England job I guess I'll step up to the plate :-)

The Guardian


arry Redknapp has made a move to sign Lassana Diarra from Real Madrid and talks with the midfielder are believed to be progressing positively.
The Tottenham Hotspur manager signed Diarra for £5.5m in January 2008 when he was in charge at Portsmouth and, 12 months later, the France international joined Real for £20m. Redknapp continues to rate Diarra not only as one of his best ever pieces of business but as a high-quality player and, having failed in his attempt to bolster his midfield options with the £7m bid for the West Ham United captain Scott Parker, he has turned to Diarra – who could follow William Gallas in playing for Chelsea, Arsenal and now Spurs.
Real do not want to loan the 25-year-old and his value as a permanent transfer would be in the region of £10m. Although that would represent a loss to the Spanish club, the president, Florentino Pérez, could attribute it to the previous regime.
José Mourinho, the Real manager, who signed Diarra for £1m from Le Havre when he was at Chelsea and then sold him to Arsenal for £2m, has to trim his squad to 25 senior players to comply with the regulations. At present, his new midfield signing Mesut Ozil, who has joined for £12.4m from Werder Bremen, does not have a recognised squad number and so Mourinho must lose at least one of the players who currently occupy the numbers one to 25. Ozil was forced to wear No26 in a pre-season friendly.
The players who are most vulnerable are the two Diarras – Lassana and Alou – Rafael van der Vaart, Fernando Gago and Royston Drenthe but Mourinho has come to appreciate Lassana Diarra's versatility in pre-season, when he has filled in successfully at right-back. Diarra, though, knows that Mourinho is blessed with an abundance of midfield options and he fears that his starting opportunities will be limited.
Tottenham have attempted to sign Diarra on previous occasions – ironically, they lost out to Redknapp in January 2008, when Arsenal made it clear that they would not sell to their neighbours. Redknapp has signed the Brazil midfielder Sandro from Internacional for £6m – he arrives later this week, having been crowned as a Copa Libertadores champion – but Redknapp is always on the lookout for players that he thinks can improve his squad.
Diarra is one and Gallas is another. The central defender, who has joined on a one-year contract, warmed up with his new team-mates for the first timethis morning yesterday, before he broke away to work on his own fitness programme.
Gallas is ineligible for the second-leg of the Champions League play-off against Young Boys of Bern, having not been registered ahead of the first-leg, which Tottenham lost 3-2, but he is eager to settle and put the controversy of his move behind him. "It was not an easy decision [having played for Arsenal] but I am here now and I will give my best," he said. "Finishing fourth last season shows Spurs have improved a lot and I hope this season we are going to finish even higher, maybe even win the Premier League. We just have to believe in ourselves."
Tottenham have also confirmed that the midfielder Jamie O'Hara will undergo surgery on Thursday to address the stress fracture in his back that he suffered last season.

I really hope we get him!

Btw does the article mean Mamadou Diarra and not Alo?

Tottenham transfer news: Everton plot Peter Crouch swap for Steven Pienaar - News - MirrorFootball.co.uk

Everton boss David Moyes is heading the chase for Peter Crouch - and will let Tottenham have contract rebel Steven Pienaar in exchange.

Moyes has been chasing England target man Crouch for a month after finding out who could be available as Harry Redknapp wheels and deals to get the men he wants.

Now the clubs are in advance talks about brokering a move that would see South African midfielder Pienaar go to Spurs - with the size of fees being discussed and decided.

Redknapp likes Pienaar and his chief scout Ian Bloomfield watched him at the weekend. He has gone to the top of his wish list because West Ham will not part with Scott Parker and Stephen Ireland chose Aston Villa ahead of them.

Moyes wanted to keep Pienaar, but he will consider trading him for the right fee in this window as he would be a free next summer - and virtually worthless in January.

The Goodison boss is desperate for a new striker as Louis Saha has failed to fire, Yakubu is still on West Ham’s list and new boy Jermaine Beckford is being asked to be the number one after joining on a free from Leeds.

Moyes is a big admirer of Crouch and thinks he would bring a new dimension to his side. The fact that he played for Liverpool does not put him off.

Crouch is aware of Everton’s interest and has his doubts about the move. However he also knows that Redknapp could be leaving him out of the Spurs team when he has his other strikers fit.

The tall striker’s wages will also be an issue for Everton solve, but he could be paid off by Spurs in his part of the deal to keep him within the Goodison pay structure.

The move is described as ‘close’ by insiders although Redknapp would have to land a striker to make up for Crouch’s absence. He was the only fit forward available at the weekend.