LUKA TO THE LANE

The Club is delighted to announce that it has reached agreement with Dinamo Zagreb for the transfer of Croatian midfielder, Luka Modric.

Personal terms have been agreed with the player and he will now undertake a medical and apply for a work permit.



http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/lukatothelane260408.html



Now Spurs need to keep hold of Berbatov + 2 or 3 more top quality signings and they will have top side for next season.

So Tottenham beat Newcastle? Expect some heated 'debate' tomorrow. Quality player, will definitely strenghten their squad, congrats!

No seen much of him, but has looked good from what little I have. Judging from what alot of people say on here, sounds a huge buy.

Congrats

Congrats , Ramos starting with the right area.

Obviously, I'm very irritated that, once again, after we look close to signing a player, he ends up going elsewhere. It is hard to feel that we haven't been used again in some sense, whether to increase bidding, or to increase interest and then the player has gone to a club he actually wants to play for, or to an area he wants, because I think it is true that a lot of top players today are much more interested in playing in London.

What makes it worse is that he is the type of player that we really need, and there are probably few players of his quality around and available for a club not in the Champions League. And that, besides from having qualified for the UEFA, I genuinely don't think Tottenham are better than we are, or that they have more potential, or that Ramos is a better manager than Keegan - I expect the two clubs to be a little higher in the league next season, and I expect that they'll be fighting for similar positions. It is the second time, after Woodgate, that this has happened, and that isn't nice - especially when it's two very good players, and when, in this case, I actually think he might have fitted us better, and that we might have built around him a bit more.

From our perspective, it makes me wonder whether we were so bright in failing to cover what went on earlier in the week. On the one hand, I can understand Keegan doing his best to win Modric over, and so taking him to the training ground and so on; on the other, we never seem able to do things discreetly, and for me this is a significant blow at a time when things seemed on the up at the club - obviously it won't change that in the long term, but it isn't good to publicly go after a play only to be rejected for a rival. I realise that they can't be criticised too much for this, but ultimately, we have failed to land a player we wanted, and so it doesn't endear me to Wise and co. either.

Sorry Bash dont agree , Tottenham generally maynot be a bigger club then Newcastle but at the moment is a more high profile one , a close rival to top in recent year , winning the Carling Cup being in Uefa and that counts alot having players like Berbatov.
Secondly Juande Ramos maynot be a better manager then Keegan but is certainly is a more high profile one meaning winning the Uefa cup etc ,challenging for the La Liga title and people may ask what has Keegan done and who knows him outside England specially as a manager.

I agree it is a blow ,Alex is still avaiable though and he would be an excellent buy for you.

I think their place in the UEFA Cup is important, and I'd agree that they are more high profile than us at the moment, they've been finishing higher than us in the league, and they have a more internationally respected manager. I certainly understand why Modric has moved to Tottenham ahead of us, and I think Tottenham are undeniably, and rightly, obviously, so on, going to be seen as a more attractive option than us at the moment. I don't think that they actually have a better manager than we have; we have players in Owen and Martins who are just as well known as Berbatov; and I think we have just as much potential as they do, and will match them in the coming seasons - the nature of the club, the fact we have such a big support, such a large and potentially noisy stadium, that we haven't won things for so long, and that we have Keegan back as manager, all means that the club can make big strides quickly and really get on a roll.

So I can understand Modric moving to Tottenham, and would agree that it is a wise decision based on how things are at the moment - at the same time, I am obviously disappointed, and I think Modric could really have flourished with us.

Are you talking of Alex from Fenerbahce, DS?

$h!t.

Dont forget the London factor Bash:

players from abroad are more likely to want to live in London than Newcastle. Even faced with the prospect of shtting into bags during a drought

Im delighted with this signing. Absolutely delighted.

Its come out of nowhere too. I thought Newcastle had this one done and dusted. My heart goes out to you and Kimmy, its a bitter pill to swallow, reminds me of how I felt when we were supposedly signing Petrov and he chose Man City. Irritating.

Now for Ronaldinho and Eto'o, and that'll do nicely

Bashmachkin wrote:I think their place in the UEFA Cup is important, and I'd agree that they are more high profile than us at the moment, they've been finishing higher than us in the league, and they have a more internationally respected manager. I certainly understand why Modric has moved to Tottenham ahead of us, and I think Tottenham are undeniably, and rightly, obviously, so on, going to be seen as a more attractive option than us at the moment. I don't think that they actually have a better manager than we have; we have players in Owen and Martins who are just as well known as Berbatov; and I think we have just as much potential as they do, and will match them in the coming seasons - the nature of the club, the fact we have such a big support, such a large and potentially noisy stadium, that we haven't won things for so long, and that we have Keegan back as manager, all means that the club can make big strides quickly and really get on a roll.

So I can understand Modric moving to Tottenham, and would agree that it is a wise decision based on how things are at the moment - at the same time, I am obviously disappointed, and I think Modric could really have flourished with us.

Are you talking of Alex from Fenerbahce, DS?

Yes , very creative player someone you could built a team around and not at a big club.
Other good creative midfielder I have seen is Javi Martinez who would be costly.

Pele:

Yes, it wasn't the nicest thing to read not long after waking up this morning. Like I said earlier in the week, whilst delighted with our progress regarding Modric, I was expecting there to be a few twists - Newcastle in particular seem regularly on the verge of signging players only for the moves to break down or for the players to go elsewhere. Apparently, Keegan has given a list of players to our new network of scouts and strategists and advisors and whatnot, and they will be largely responsible for contacting players and working out deals - given that, I'm not overwhelmed with the way our contact with Modric has leaked this week.

I haven't seen Modric play that often, but when I have seen him I've been very impressed. I think he will be a great buy for you. Do you expect him to play wide in a 4-4-2, or do you reckon the formation might change for next season?

DS:

I'd love us to bring in Alex, though in most cases I'm not a huge fan of spending on players who are 30 years old. He has looked excellent whenever I've seen Fenerbahce play. However, I'm not sure Keegan will go for a player of that age, and I'm not sure whether Alex is available, or whether he would leave a club in the CL, which he is captain of, which is already built around him, for us.

I'd want more players bringing in obviously, but personally I'd love to bring Viana back to Newcastle - he's one of few players with a left foot as sweet as Alex's. He doesn't seem to have been successful with Osasuna this season, but I know I really rated him in his first spell with us, and I'm convinced that there is a lot of quality waiting to come out given the right circumstances, given confidence and faith.

I'm a little surprised by this signing, not as much by him going to Spurs, but I expected him to have a long, tedious transfer battle between a few English clubs. I didn't envisage him signing for someone so quickly. He should be a good signing for Spurs. I really enjoy watching him play so I'm a little disappointed he has gone to Spurs!

Any reliable figures for the transfer fee? Sky Sports are saying in excess of £15m. Looks like Spurs' huge spending spree is set to continue this summer, although I guess they must be looking to sell some players to finance such costly deals.

Eduardo factor as well.

Have to question why Liverpool or Arsenal weren't in for him, especially Arsenal. Going to be struggling to find a better non superstar winger that moves this summer.

Congratulations Spurs you have just won a fantastic player.

To be honest I thought Dynamo Zagreb would hold onto him until July in the hope that he has a good European Championship and spark a huge bidding war.

I wonder if he will be used centrally or as a left sided player.

£15.8m, thats what we will probably end up selling Hleb for.

GET IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Note how this news has come so quickly after he visited Tyneside

The Coolest wrote:

GET IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Note how this news has come so quickly after he visited Tyneside

It seems the prospect of shitting into a bag was more appealing than living in Newcastle

@Bash,

I would expect Modric to play the Jenas role, he played in the centre against England at Wembley and made everything tick from an attacking point of view. I expect he will probably partner Jenas, who will play a more contricted energetic defensive role. Or he may play wih Huddlestone or Zokora in the at position. I expect it will remain a 4-4-2, with Berbatov and Keane up front.

There types of signings may also indirectly persuade Berbs to stay

The Coolest wrote:

GET IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Note how this news has come so quickly after he visited Tyneside

I know you're jesting a little bit, but it isn't great from our perspective to consider that the decision seems to have been relatively straightforward - certainly, it has gone through very quickly. I guess the argument is that Tottenham clearly have more to offer than we do at the moment. The Times suggests that we bid £16 million, whilst you bid £15.5 but another £5 million in potential add-ons. And there was some suggestion that we were failing to meet his wage demands, though such suggestions may simply have been to hide the fact that he preferred a move elsewhere.

Maybe we can go for Arshavin now.

Bashmachkin wrote:

The Coolest wrote:

GET IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Note how this news has come so quickly after he visited Tyneside

I know you're jesting a little bit, but it isn't great from our perspective to consider that the decision seems to have been relatively straightforward - certainly, it has gone through very quickly. I guess the argument is that Tottenham clearly have more to offer than we do at the moment. The Times suggests that we bid £16 million, whilst you bid £15.5 but another £5 million in potential add-ons. And there was some suggestion that we were failing to meet his wage demands, though such suggestions may simply have been to hide the fact that he preferred a move elsewhere.

Maybe we can go for Arshavin now.

This was my thinking for us - if we had lost out on Modric, then Arshavin was the next best prospect. Its hard to call who is the better player from the limited times Ive seen them play, however Modric is younger, so in that respect worth more. However, Arshavin has long impressed me from what I have seen of him. Plus he has a brilliant name

Yeah, I've mostly seen Modric play in a more offensive role, but from what I've read, he can apparently play well in the centre and can defend decently too.

I know Arshavin suggested he would be keen on a move to Newcastle in January - obviously, that may have been to stir up interest, but I think he is a possibility. Zenit have money, but they seem willing to sell players who want a move, and the English league would obviously be a step up for him. In this respect, maybe I should hope for Zenit to falter against Bayern next week, and that we make a move before the European Championships.

They're both very classy players from what I've seen, but I prefered Modric as he's left-footed. If Newcastle get Asharvin, that's another gem too

Hopefully the "middling" teams will continue to strengthen and genuinely upset the big 4 applecart.

Yes, disregarding the irritation at being trumped by Tottenham once again, and the slight worry as to what this does for our sense of optimism and well being (I think it is important that we move on quickly - I imagine from what Keegan said earlier in the week that we will have other targets, and I think we need to look to make progress in these) - disregarding this, if Modric isn't coming to us, there is no club I'd rather see him at than Tottenham, because it is nice to have a talented player in England, outside the top four, in an attacking team.

I think the league will be very interesting next year, and I think the top four could be under threat - on the other hand, the situation could be such that all of Newcastle, Tottenham, Portsmouth, City, Everton, Villa invest, and that we could end up with a much better team but finish ninth, little better than this season (not that I think we will finish ninth, but I think the top half of the league will be very competitive).

Definately a player that can strengthen their squad and certainly help with their ball-retention.

Still suprised that there was no move from a big, BIG club in the form of Inter, Barca or Milan.

Great player, would have preferred him at Newcastle, but Spurs could use him as well. They really needed a traditional playmake, get rid of Keane and you might actually go for 4th place next year

Bashmachkin wrote:I think their place in the UEFA Cup is important,

Spot on. That is the most important criteria (after money) for ambitious players joining foreign leagues, playing European football, preferably CL football.

The Coolest wrote:They're both very classy players from what I've seen, but I prefered Modric as he's left-footed. If Newcastle get Asharvin, that's another gem too

Hopefully the "middling" teams will continue to strengthen and genuinely upset the big 4 applecart.

Modric is right-footed.

He looks like a mixture of Cruyff and Messi...in looks that is.

Senor Woody wrote:
Its come out of nowhere too. I thought Newcastle had this one done and dusted. My heart goes out to you and Kimmy, its a bitter pill to swallow, reminds me of how I felt when we were supposedly signing Petrov and he chose Man City. Irritating.

I'm not that bothered 0trick. i've said in the past that the prices put around for him are madness. Not getting him is no biggie for me.

Kimbo wrote:

Senor Woody wrote:
Its come out of nowhere too. I thought Newcastle had this one done and dusted. My heart goes out to you and Kimmy, its a bitter pill to swallow, reminds me of how I felt when we were supposedly signing Petrov and he chose Man City. Irritating.

I'm not that bothered 0trick. i've said in the past that the prices put around for him are madness. Not getting him is no biggie for me.

Typical tight fisted Geordie.

Good luck strengthening your squad with real quality for less then

Senor Woody wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Senor Woody wrote:
Its come out of nowhere too. I thought Newcastle had this one done and dusted. My heart goes out to you and Kimmy, its a bitter pill to swallow, reminds me of how I felt when we were supposedly signing Petrov and he chose Man City. Irritating.

I'm not that bothered 0trick. i've said in the past that the prices put around for him are madness. Not getting him is no biggie for me.

Typical tight fisted Geordie.

Good luck strengthening your squad with real quality for less then

My point was that near £20m for a bloke from the Croatian leagues, who most of us have only seen a few times for Croatia, is a bit of a gamble. And i still think it. Would you not agree?

And yes, tightfisted, not everyone is backed by Nazi-Jew gold. That's about £80 million in the last 10 months or so that you've spent now.

do spurs have the second richest owner in the league woody ?

I don' t know a lot about modric. I'm guessing most people just think he is great because he is Croatian

You now need some power in your midfield