AUDERE EST FACERE: Zokora Poised To Sign. Bye Bye Carrick.
June 25th, 2006 by Alan HylandsWith Didier Zokora telling the News of the World newspaper that his club St. Etienne have agreed a deal with Spurs to bring him to White Hart Lane and that he already feels like a Tottenham player I’m able to get over some of the paranoia I felt last week and look to the new season with a renewed appetite for the game.
The Zokora signing, which isn’t one of those classic “signed after watching him on TV in the World Cup” style Spurs signings, means two things to me: 1) Damien Commolli has been quietly doing his job in the background and is now making the moves to prepare us for next season. 2) Michael Carrick’s proposed move to Manchester United will be announced after England’s participation in the World Cup ends.
The first makes me a little happier and since I’ve had time to consider the second I just want the ?15m for Carrick ASAP so we can go out and buy some quality reinforcements for the areas we looked underdeveloped in last season (the traditional left wing problem and full back areas).
The rumours of Damien Duff keep coming back but I can’t honestly see it and don’t know whether I’d welcome an injury prone player like Duff who blows hot and cold at such an inflated fee and wage price as he’d command. A cheeky request for Ryan Giggs on a free as aprt of the Carrick deal was turned down as well and would have been interesting for a year or two anyway.
I think it shows how entertaining the World Cup has been in many respects that we’re already totally engrossed in our clubs’ spending habits before the tournament has even really got started. The World Cup is ok but you can’t beat the real thing.
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June 25th, 2006 at 11:17 am
just because we have signed zokora, it does not mean that carrick will be off, if we have been tracking him for as long as certain sourcses make out, then we have been trying to sign him for 6 months or so, thats before there was talk of carrick going…. fingers crossed anyway
June 25th, 2006 at 11:21 am
Not sure why you think Carrick will leave just because Spurs sign Zokora. They play different roles in the team. Carrick is a creative midfielder, not a defensive midfielder. Carrick is not a good tackler and is better in the middle bringing the other midfielders and strikers into the game. Zokora is thought to be a Makelele type player who can sit infront of the back four and protect the defense, but can still get forward and is comfortable with the ball. Nobody wants to see Carrick leave and there is no reason to sell as he has 2 years left on his contract. Man Utd are in a tug-of-war with Chelsea over Torres, which will cost them 25 million, which would rule them out of a 15 million pound move for Carrick.
June 25th, 2006 at 11:32 am
I think that a midfield marshalled by carrick and zakora would be fantastic, but at the same time I think Carricks move is only a matter of time. In terms of players we could bring in from Manchester United (it feels so weird typing that!) In a swap, I for one would love for us to try and get Ji-sung park off them, I think it wouldn’t be too unrealistic and he would be fantastic down the left flank, even if he isn’t a conventional winger. I think the way he plays would compliment the side very well, and after seeing South Koreas world cup he has shown that he doesn’t need to be in a world class side to perform. We’ll see, But I am definitely excited about Zakora.
June 25th, 2006 at 11:36 am
Zokora is a replacement for Davids, who wont have the fitness to kick people into the air for every game next season, NOT Carrick. Carrick is the heartbeat of our team, if he leaves we will be lucky to finish in our traditional mid-table slot
June 25th, 2006 at 11:46 am
I personally would not sell carrick untill zakora is a proven prem player, if we spend 8million on a player who is playing in a resonably poor french lg and he turns out to be a flop and we sell carrick 2 man utd where would we be then? and as for buying duff from chelski who will most prob miss 10 - 15 games a year due to injury maybe there are better options out there.
June 25th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
I think Jenas has more cause for worry than Carrick, regarding a place in the first team. We should offload Davids ASAP, with his hefty wage bill. And, I ask you, what the hell his going to happen with Tainio, Reid, Murphy and Ghaly et al? We still need to address the left-wing issue.
June 25th, 2006 at 1:04 pm
Sell Carrick - Big Mistake
To sell Carrick would be a big big mistake. We a splashing out 11 million on a striker and now 8 to 9 million on a midfielder, it just would not make any good business “just getting” 15 million for the heartbeat of the team. Carrick is worth 25 million, but we should “spend” this on him, meaning giving him an acceptable new wage contract - and for all the tea in china - KEEP HIM !
June 25th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
I for one have been a spurs fan all my life, and being 27 i never saw the fantastic spurs of old only slight glimours of their former selfs! Now we have a team that should be playing cl footy next season but had to settle for eufa cup footy instead (one step at a time). We have now a top team, and to pull out one of our main mid-fielders would in my eyes be suicide, yes Zokora looks a good signing and could be a great addition to the team, but NOT a replacement. We need to build a squad that can challenge, so there for we need competion in every position. As for the left midfield position. I MJ has something special up his slieve for that position, Routledge maybe!!!!!
June 25th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
To sell Carrick would effectively end our hopes of being a to club.Regardless of opinion of him, he represents our best player.Just when we are making ground on the top 4 we our trying to emulate, to consider selling our best players to one of them, regardless of the price it would END our hopes of success.Yes another season of mediocrity
June 25th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
if we sign zakora for the reported 8 mill and man u table the big for 20 mill since they won’t sign torres. that leaves us 12 mill to spend on another new player perhaps a left winger from the reports duff which leaves us a further 5 mill to spend. good business i’d say especially for the amount we paid for him.
June 25th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
it would not be that bad if carrick goes, for one thing i hate that a player is holding the club to ransom,with zakora as a def mid we need a geniuse in front of him who can supply the bullets for defoe and co, so get the money and invest it on a world class play maker.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:51 am
Face it. Carrick has gone - he is a Man U player now. the sooner you realise this the sooner we can move on and decide who else would play in his position.
Spurs have been completely quiet over all recent speculation about the improved offer. Hughtons recent babble that he “wouldnt think its inevitable” is talk for the fans while we buy replacements considering 3 weeks ago Jol himself was saying “Carrick is not for sale”.
Jenas, also in the England camp, replying instantly to speculation that he was unhappy at spurs, denying it entirely - whereas Carrick has stayed completely quiet.
Selling one of our best players to a team who we should be in direct competition with next year is stupid though, but 15 million? Thank you very much. (Although I guess it`ll be 8 million + ruud)