2021/2022 English Premier League

[MegaErtz]

City will still win the league by twenty points, but great to see Spurs win today. Brilliant match.

[devo22]

leave poor Pep alone. Impossible to get results with a squad like this

[Senator Clay Davis]

I think today showed if City don't get Kane they probably aren't winning anything, everyone else has figured out the false nine approach. Grealish is a great player but getting him solved nothing, they always needed Kane far more.

[devo22]

not only happy to see City lose, I'm also happy for Tottenham fans, in all honesty. Not a fun summer at all with that farcical manager search and all the Kane rumours, so enjoy that one!

[d_phaneuf]

City had 850m in their lineup and bench today

How do they not have a striker with that amount of money spent

If anything the price just went up today seeing how they couldnt create anything

[Slava]

Originally Posted by d_phaneuf

City had 850m in their lineup and bench today

How do they not have a striker with that amount of money spent

If anything the price just went up today seeing how they couldnt create anything

I don’t know. City is damn good. Sure, we got the better of them today, but that could’ve quite easily not worked out and we could’ve lost 2/3-0 and it wouldn’t be entirely shocking. I get that making fun of how much they’ve spent and not winning the CL and all that, and I’m kind of on board. But it’s also one game. We didn’t need Kane today either, but I still think we need a legitimate striker (or two) to make progress this season.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by Slava

I don’t know. City is damn good. Sure, we got the better of them today, but that could’ve quite easily not worked out and we could’ve lost 2/3-0 and it wouldn’t be entirely shocking. I get that making fun of how much they’ve spent and not winning the CL and all that, and I’m kind of on board. But it’s also one game. We didn’t need Kane today either, but I still think we need a legitimate striker (or two) to make progress this season.

It's nothing to do with today's game though, not saying they arent the most talented team in europe probably

But to have spent over a billion euros in 5 years, and have 850+ in the squad today, and not have a striker? That's horrible planning and execution

Even buying graelish, such a luxury purchase, when that money could have gone towards kane or any other striker

[Slava]

Yeah it’s an astounding amount of money. There are a few clubs who have just spent unreal amounts this year and it’s hard to see how clubs that can’t can even stay in the same conversations.

[d_phaneuf]

I'm not even complaining about their money, just how poorly they've spent it

4 right backs, 0 decent left backs, zero decent strikers, bought Ake just so he wouldn't go somewhere else?

[devo22]

it's mind-blowing how the British press have treated the Kane case. They would have slaughtered every other player for only half the stuff that Kane has done, but because it's good old 'Arry, they push completely different narratives. There's a Telegraph article today that could have pretty much been written by Kane and his brother themselves, complaining about Levy and how unfair it is that Kane's reputation has been damaged by all of this. Pathetic stuff, really.

the Souness/Richards stuff about this on the weekend was pretty telling too. Not that I agree with everything that Micah is saying here, but Souness' reaction is a disgrace. He really is the worst imaginable pundit.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1426973790202961926

[Slava]

Originally Posted by devo22

it's mind-blowing how the British press have treated the Kane case. They would have slaughtered every other player for only half the stuff that Kane has done, but because it's good old 'Arry, they push completely different narratives. There's a Telegraph article today that could have pretty much been written by Kane and his brother themselves, complaining about Levy and how unfair it is that Kane's reputation has been damaged by all of this. Pathetic stuff, really.

the Souness/Richards stuff about this on the weekend was pretty telling too. Not that I agree with everything that Micah is saying here, but Souness' reaction is a disgrace. He really is the worst imaginable pundit.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1426973790202961926

Well to me, Kane has really damaged his relationship with Spurs supporters. Even the "gentlemens agreement" portion doesn't absolve him. I mean sure, you want to leave and that's fine. But if there are no bids at the value the club wants, you're not going anywhere. Even if the club committed to sell you to City, it doesn't mean that if they come in with a 75m bid plus add-ons (which is one rumoured bid I saw yesterday!) that they should take that.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well to me, Kane has really damaged his relationship with Spurs supporters. Even the "gentlemens agreement" portion doesn't absolve him. I mean sure, you want to leave and that's fine. But if there are no bids at the value the club wants, you're not going anywhere. Even if the club committed to sell you to City, it doesn't mean that if they come in with a 75m bid plus add-ons (which is one rumoured bid I saw yesterday!) that they should take that.

Absolve him?

It makes him look like a first-rate idiot.

If you want to be able to leave to go to a contender you negotiate a release-clause.

Full stop.

The fact that he hired his brother to take 10 minutes out of his day job to negotiate the next 6 years of Kane's life is nobody's fault but his own.

Dont go pointing the finger at Levy now, this is 100% on the Kane family.

[Senator Clay Davis]

The fans hate a guy like Raiola, but things like this are why his clients love him. No way would he leave one of his guys exposed to a "gentleman's agreement". Look at Haaland, Raiola got a crazy below market release clause negotiated in and didn't rely on something that isn't in writing. Harsh lesson for Harry, but another reminder of why you don't do business with family.

[devo22]

to be honest, you don't even need a guy like Raiola to not trust a "gentleman's agreement". Every third-rate agent is smarter than that.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by devo22

to be honest, you don't even need a guy like Raiola to not trust a "gentleman's agreement". Every third-rate agent is smarter than that.

If Levy were in a bad mood he could just shrug his shoulders and say "what gentleman's agreement?"

First Class of Intro to Business Law taken ~13 years ago:

"Verbal agreements arent worth the paper they're written on."

[Slava]

Originally Posted by devo22

to be honest, you don't even need a guy like Raiola to not trust a "gentleman's agreement". Every third-rate agent is smarter than that.

Well Charlie isn't really an agent. He has one client and I think this scenario is showing why that is.

I don't even know what the best course of action is for Spurs now though. Let's say City walks in today and says "OK, we'll pay the $150-170m". Can you even do enough deals to put that money to work before the end of the window? Then again, you get Kane shifted and if he is stuck honouring his contract for the next year or however long, how invested is he in terms of playing for the club?

[Locke]

I think if you want to sell him you have to sell him now and take your lumps until the next window.

He's already an oft-injured 28, if you wait another year I doubt you're going to get anywhere near the valuation that Levy wants and you're probably going to be stuck with a sulky and disinterested Kane.

Worst of both worlds.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well Charlie isn't really an agent. He has one client and I think this scenario is showing why that is.

I don't even know what the best course of action is for Spurs now though. Let's say City walks in today and says "OK, we'll pay the $150-170m". Can you even do enough deals to put that money to work before the end of the window? Then again, you get Kane shifted and if he is stuck honouring his contract for the next year or however long, how invested is he in terms of playing for the club?

Wonder if they could start signing his replacements now with an agreement to sell him in January if City meets the asking price.

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Wonder if they could start signing his replacements now with an agreement to sell him in January if City meets the asking price.

I hope so, and this time Levy will pinky swear on it.

[devo22]

anybody got a clue what Arsenal are doing? I mean, Odegaard is fine, but splashing £24m plus add-ons on Aaron Ramsdale feels pretty crazy.