Tottenham Hotspur

[Bender]

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has claimed a €100m (£85million) price tag is too much for Tottenham star Gareth Bale.

Real have been chasing Bale all summer with Spurs reluctant to sell him for anything less than a world record fee of £85million.

Bale is thought to be keen on moving to the Spanish capital, but Tottenham are adamant last season's double player of the year will only leave on their terms.

Perez has admitted talks are ongoing between both clubs as Real look to thrash out a deal to try and secure the Welshman's signature, but he questioned the fee Tottenham are reported to be demanding for the 24-year-old.

"We are talking with a lot of people and we will see what comes of our negotiations, I am talking about that player (Bale) and others," Perez is quoted as saying to ESPN.

"I do not want to talk about players out of respect to the player himself (Bale), the club and the chairman (Daniel Levy) who is a friend of mine and with whom I struck up a good friendship last summer because of the transfer of Luka Modric.

"If we're not talking about names, we're not talking about money either, but 100 million (euros) seems a lot to me," he said with a smile. "But I am not talking seriously because there is no need and, as I said, out of respect for the club."
link

[Cormack74]

Good, sign Suarez for half the money instead.

[Neil Young]

Tom's top hat hunter
Puts that on mother.
Run that totem shop
To that posh munter.

[Reece]

David Ornstein @bbcsport_david 1m
Spurs agree deal to sign France midfielder Etienne Capoue from Toulouse. Medical today, announcement likely tonight/Sat #bbcfootball #thfc

[Cormack74]

Hadn't thought about it but someone told me today that Spurs have already spent £60m this window and speculated they wouldn't have done so if Bale wasn't going to be sold: interesting theory.

[Neil Young]

I had the same thought.

They're strengthening before everyone knows for sure they have money to spend.

Of course it might not be - maybe they're making a bet on getting into the top 4 this season and using all their extra TV money as the stake. But I think Bale will go.

[Chazza]

Danny Rose thanks AVB and claims key players used to 'sack off' training under previous regimes

- last updated Mon 12 Aug 2013

Danny Rose claims some of his team-mates walked into the Tottenham first team under previous regimes even though they often "sacked off" training.

Having spent the majority of the last five seasons out on loan, Rose's patience was running thin, but now the left-back seems to have finally secured the starting place he has longed for ever since he broke in to the Spurs first-team squad.

If Rose had his way, he would have been starting for the north London club a long time ago.

After moving to Tottenham from Leeds as a 17-year-old, Rose did not feature under Juande Ramos and he was used sparingly by Harry Redknapp, who loaned the player to Watford, Peterborough and Bristol City while preferring to deploy Benoit Assou-Ekotto as his left-back at Spurs.

Rose feels he has only been given a fair chance by current boss Andre Villas-Boas, who appears to have installed the 23-year-old as his first-choice left-back for the season ahead after a successful spell on loan at Sunderland last term.

"This is the most I've played in pre-season," said Rose, who has been a regular in Spurs' pre-season campaign.

"It's nice to have a manager who gives you a chance and is not afraid to drop certain players."

When asked whether he thought previous managers had selected players on reputation, rather than because of the work they were putting in, Rose replied: "Possibly, sometimes it's the name on the back of the shirt as well.

"It was frustrating, yes. A million per cent. It's not nice when you train hard every day and people are allowed to sack training off and still be in the starting XI.

"Obviously I know Spurs have been in the top four or five clubs for the last five seasons or so, so I know it's hard for anyone to break through, but at the same time it is frustrating and it's great that now the gaffer is not afraid to drop people if you're not performing or training hard enough."

Rose made a huge impact at the Stadium of Light last season, turning in a series of stellar displays.

And now the England Under-21 international has had a taste of regular top-flight football, he wants more.

So if he feels he undeservedly loses his position in the starting XI at Spurs this season, he could be off, and Sunderland would be his first-choice destination.

"I enjoyed every minute at Sunderland. It's a club that I'd love to go and play for again because they're the only team at this minute which has given me a chance to play week in week out," Rose said following Tottenham's 1-1 draw against Espanyol yesterday.

"It was a great experience. Martin O'Neill gave me so much freedom, I felt that I could do whatever I wanted wherever I wanted on the pitch, and Paolo Di Canio was the same.

"I enjoyed every minute of it and now I've experienced it, coming here and sitting on the bench is not something I'd be looking to do.

"I love this club, but if I don't play regularly then I'm not going to be happy, just like everyone else wouldn't be happy.

"I wouldn't be going on loan again. If I wasn't playing then a loan's not an option for me now. I want to get settled somewhere, playing week in week out."

With Assou-Ekotto seemingly out of favour, Rose has a clear run at the left-back position, but that may change should Tottenham sign Fabio Coentrao from Real Madrid in the coming weeks.

Coentrao has been mentioned as a possible makeweight in Gareth Bale's mooted world-record transfer to Real Madrid.

http://www.itv.com/sport/football/article/2013-08-12/danny-rose-thanks-avb-and-claims-key-players-used-to-sack-off-training-under-previous-regimes/

[Chazza]

Spurs have completed the Capoue deal.

[Bender]

Transfer News Live @DeadlineDayLive 17m
The transfer fee for Étienne Capoue to Tottenham is believed to be in the region of £9m. (Source: BBC Football)

Sky Sports News @SkySportsNews 3m
Andre Villas-Boas tells Sky Sports News that Gareth Bale will not be involved at start of season #SSN

[Fosterbloke]

Spurs have completed the Capoue deal.

Any good and should we have been in for him?

[Chris]

Any good and should we have been in for him?

Incredible footballer. You combine Xavi, Mascherano and Gerrard and he is what you'd get.

[Gingawaria]

Incredible footballer. You combine Xavi, Mascherano and Gerrard and he is what you'd get.

Got a bit of the Messi's about him too I hear!

[badpiggy]

Incredible footballer. You combine Xavi, Mascherano and Gerrard and he is what you'd get.

Steady on Chris. That level of subtle but devastating satire won't be audible above the sound of the ideologically impure traitors collectively slurping on the massive (circumcised) phallus that is Tottenham Hotcock. Stick to calling everyone everywhere cunts.

[Sarb]

Capoue is the ultimate defensive midfielder/centre back. Better than Makelele and Desailly rolled into one. That's just the Liverpool fans view of him...none of whom have probably ever seen him play!

[Fosterbloke]

So we're better off with Allen then? Thanks for the feedback