Spurs allegedly still after Carroll but Boro not after Xisco

Posted on January 29th, 2011 | 77 Comments |

Andy Carroll, Newcastle United
Not for sale FFS
It seems that Spurs can’t take no for an answer as they launch a last gasp £25m bid for Newcastle United’s Andy Carroll.

When Alan Pardew said “I will say this one more time – Andy Carroll is not for sale” it seems that Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy wasn’t listening because, if reports in The Sun are to be believed, Levy has lodged a new £25m bid for Carroll directly with Mike Ashley.

Of course anything that contains the phrase ‘if reports in The Sun are to be believed’ should be treated with the same sort of caution you’d show if a psychistrist asked you to slip into a pair of wraparound pyjamas for ‘fashion reasons’. But you never know, maybe The Sun is correct. We know Harry Redknapp is keen on Carroll – I suppose it’s a matter of whether or not he’s keen enough to persuade his Chairman to fork out £25m for him.

I doubt any move will happen though. Ashley has more sense than to sell our number one striker and leave it to chance that we’ll pick up a worthy replacement in the frantic hours leading up the transfer window being closed on Monday.

Meanwhile Alan Pardew admits that he’s looking to offload Xisco but pours cold water on Middlesbrough’s alleged interest in the player, saying:

“I’ve not heard any news on Xisco, I was surprised to hear the story.

“There has been no contact with Middlesbrough at all.

“We have contacted a number of Spanish teams to see if they are interested.

“He’s a lovely lad and popular with players here. He’s lost his way a bit.

“I’ve sat down and told him that if nothing comes out in the transfer window this time, he will stay and we will try to get him back on the scene again.

“We’ll work with him. Sometimes it’s not about the attitude of the player, it’s about the attitude of the club as well, and we’ll work him. If he’s prepared to change things a bit, I’m prepared to as well.”

The January transfer window is, in my opinion, a farce. It fuels an awful lot of speculation and unrest and yet rarely do major transfers take place within its bounds. I think if we were to do away with it, we’d hardly miss it.

At the very least it could be reduced in length. I’m sure a week would be more than enough to deal with mid-season transfers.

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

Related Posts:

Posted on by Hugh de Payen in category: Alan Pardew and Andy Carroll and Hugh de Payen and Transfers and Xisco , with tags:
Comment on this post

77 Responses

  3. If we had an owner that backed his manager and the full £25m was all used to fund new players I would say sell him.
    No way is he worth that sort of money,Bent went for £23m and he is ten times the player Carrol is.
    My only fear is MA will sell and not reinvest like we have seen happen time and time again just as a window closes shut.

  5. Can someone tell me how we spend 25M for Carroll replacement. Who will come for us with the same quality as Carroll ?

  7. 25million has the world gone mad! Yeah Carroll is a good player but he is only in his first full PL season I agree with the previous post if money was to be reinvest then we could get 4 decent players. I think we have to
    Look at Ashley model he is looking make profits on player is it likely Carroll will ever be worth more than 25 I doubt it also Ashley had his chance to invest now we have let a players who could massively improve our first team in Keane surely all of us see the spin being rolled out by the club about Shola and Best we had 1 good goal scoring performance from best against a shocking West Ham team and Shola has been the same for years never delivers so we are meant to believe we didn’t need a Striker. But back to my point I would personally take 20 and Keane and with time that is left try to sign a creative midfielder, right winger and right back but feel we have left it late. Sadly whole thing comes down to ambition and Ashley is not going to invest so we have to look at big picture.

  8. These stupid Spuds reckon that money will conquer all. Well let me explain for the umpteenth time to anyone south of Gateshead who has any designs on Andy Caroll.Not only is he NOT FOR SALE, he does NOT WANT TO LEAVE. So Mr Leavy, you can poke your cheque book where the sun don,t shine. You could however swop places with our beloved Mr Ashley if you want to chuck ya wonga aboot. Fact is , thats about as close as you may get to the Big Lad. Never moynd eh, we,ll all ave a larf when N17 don,t qualify for naffin for next season. By the way The toon had two years in the Champions League and you aint got that far yet. Just outa your reach I reckon. HOWAY THE LADS.

  9. Erland look at Bents stats you clearly have not been following the premiership for a while.

  10. Can someone tell me how we spend 25M for Carroll replacement. Who will come for us with the same quality as Carroll ?

    Casino Chips and a new helicopter.

  11. Bent 10 times better than Caroll? Bent who has sulked and not performed, who engineered a transfer to a poorer team fighting relegation for money, who looked poor in both encounters against the toon, dont make me laugh, comparing Caroll to Bent is a disservice to the lad, something Id expect from a makem. I watch Caroll at the st James’ cathedral week in, week out and I know who I would prefer at the toon and who is the better player with the better prospects. £25M? his potential is worth £40 – £50 at today’s going rate.

  12. Kev I think you must be watching AC from some satelite orbiting round Mars mate to think AC is anywhere near the player Bent is.
    All players have off days but if you check the stats on bent he seems alot more goals per pound than AC.

    The fact that Bent has played for Sunderland is irrelevant I was using him as an example of a player recently sold for a similar figure and what you can expect to be getting for £23-25m…it could have been anyone-so get down off your black and white high horse :lol:

  13. 25 mil without a doubt would be good business but could you trust Fat Cash to re-invest I dont think so. Where was all the re-investing from the money from the Zog, Duffer, Martins et al.

  15. Hi guys, Spurs fan in peace. It does annoy me the way we do business after Pardew stated the player is notfor sale. It smacks of desparation on our part after being linked with Suarez, Forlan, Fabiano and Benzema for weeks and it now looks as though all of those have fallen through so we have gone back to Carroll again. Just a thought though, how would you guys feel if you got cash plus Keane or Pavlyuchenko?

  16. Spursman, I think if Spurs were to get him they’d have to offer another striker in return otherwise we’d be relying on the dying moments of the transfer window to get a replacement, and I don’t think they’d risk that.

    I don’t think Carroll wants to leave and I don’t think Pardew wants him to leave. I think the only thing in question is whether Spurs’ offer is too good for Ashley to refuse.

  17. Hugh agree 100%, everyone has their price, and at the end of the day it’s a question of whether MA decideds to cash in now, or wait a few years until AC’s worth goes ballistic. I mean Suarez 25 mill, Bent 23 mill !! Madness ! From another perspective, will upcoming legislation regarding the financial state of clubs have an effect on the future transfer market and player prices in general, or will transfer fees just continue to be crazily exorbitant ?

    I must admit that the whole media fascination with Spurs is getting on my nerves. They obviously have money to spend, but the constant attention in other clubs player is belittling to the clubs in question, and can only have the end result that opposition fans develop a dislike for your club. Maybe I’m a blinkered Geordie, but I consider my own club on a par, if not above Spurs in terms of potential. Why on earth should AC want to move ?

    Sirjasontoon…you should reduce your medication mate, it’s not good for you…

  18. sjt carrol has a lot more aboot his game than scoring goals ,i could see him gettin in any aof the top 4 sides which bent wouldnt

  19. Spursman… Its always hard to say with Mike Ashley in charge. But as you might know, Carroll is more than just a goal scorer, there is a romantic aspect to it as well as he is right now tynesides favorite son. For that reason i doubt he would be sold for anything other than crazy money since you would have to pay for the romantic aspect as well, meaning that you would get more value for money somewhere else… I reckon 40 million might be the magic number, altho it could be even higher.

  20. No top 4 sides have bid on AC to my knowledge so that is maybe not the case our Kid :lol:

  21. If he goes at some point, it will be to real madrid or man city i reckon… He is Newcastle through and through but if Man City offer 200k+ a week he would have to take it for his family’s sake.

    You can never know these days tho, allot of it depends on agents as well and what they might whisper in his ear.

  22. Carrol just 22 and start his career in first PRM season then someone compare his stat with Bent ? What the stupid formular.

    Someone lose the plot. It’s not all about money or offer too good but it will show club ambition for another players too. If we sell Carrol, we will not lose just 1 player but we will lose team spirit and anything we have built since last season. Tottenham ? They will not finish in Top4 this season. For my opinion, ManU Mancity Chelsea and Arsenal will qualify UCL next season.

  24. £40mil for AC FFS man :lol:
    Great potential I hope we don’t sell him whatever the price as no reinvestment would be made to get excited about.

    Romance and Heritage do not figure in MA’s masterplan.

  25. valle says:
    January 29, 2011 at 9:46 am
    Carroll have more to his game than Bent… end of

    Except proven goalscoring record season in season out in the prem yup !

  26. sirjasontoon says:
    January 29, 2011 at 9:44 am
    No top 4 sides have bid on AC to my knowledge<<<< sjt the shite your coming oot with iam wondering if you have any football knowledge at all m8 :)

  27. sirjasontoon,
    Take a look at carroll’s assists, 6 I think it is, and this is carroll’s first season in the premiership and we don’t even know yet what his goals and assists tally ends up as, he’s a more useful player to have for sure.

  28. Useful NAGT I agree but not a £25mil player by any stretch of the imagination.
    Assists are all well and good but a Striker is mainly judged on goals scored….well unless you are Heskey.

  29. Sirjason… Bent is a poacher with a bit of pace, but if you wanna look at stats from seasons past then be my guest… That would make Owen look like an attractive option tho, wouldnt it?

  30. Yes, but its not like he’s not chipping in goals too is it? And yes they may be judged on goals but if 6 assists win 6 games as well as his countless he’s been very important for us as a club and leads to him being worth at least the 25m mooted. Again this is just two views, and I do like bent and think they should have built the side round him initially when they bought gyan, but still I view carroll’s current ability added with his potential worth a lot of money!

  31. sirjasontoon says:
    January 29, 2011 at 9:44 am
    No top 4 sides have bid on AC to my knowledge so that is maybe not the case our Kid<<<< so the spuds arnt in the champs leauge ,soz i thought they finished 4th m8 must be wrong

  33. Harry Redknapp. An excellent manager, and champion of fair play, decency and integrity. A leader of men and a chirpy cockney sparrer. A man I think we all agree on whom successful management models should be forged.

    But if he came up here, with his cockney rhyming slang, waving 25 million and offering to take our prize northern asset off our hands, then I’d say:

    Oi,Redknapp!

    Noooooooooooo!

  34. If Bent desreved 25m tag, I think Torres and Bale price is 50-60m and Messi around 200m. Carroll for 10-15m is reasonable ? Even Chamberian have 7-8m tag. World gone mad.

  35. Excellent move by Villa to purchase Bent behind Steve Bruce’s and Sunderland’s back, and especially so close to the end of the transfer window, when Bruce himself admits he wasn’t looking to reinforce his front line. Anything that get’s Bruce flapping is all good for me !

    I also rate Bent, and consider that him moving on will weaken Sunderland in the short term, which is also all good !!

    But compare Andy Carroll to Bent, and it’s a no-brainer for me, even considering Bent’s excellent PL scoring record. Hopefully the makkems won’t replace Bent’s 20 goals per season any time soon.

  36. People who are saying not to sell for 25million are not in the real world. That is great money for Carroll. He is not worth that. He may develop into a world class talent, but he is not one at the moment. I’m sorry, but I think we should sell up.

  37. Just read that we have rejected the bid. I am honestly quite shocked about that. 23 to 25million for Carroll is good money. What do people say about the owner now?

  38. ~ El Toro ~ ~ El Toro ~ says: “23 to 25million for Carroll is good money.”

    —

    Ashley described it as ‘paltry’.

  39. What about what’s important to Carroll? As a born and bred Toon fan, has said all he ever dreamed of was pulling on the B+W and playing at St. James’s.

    Some of the loyalty of our other players now, as well…committing to the club and fans. Look at Ben Arfa…says he wants to be a world class footballer, but playing for us. We can build a top 6 side around commitment/ability like this.

    How short are memories on here when it comes to remembering what it was like when half of the team were mercenaries who didn’t emotionally commit, or even break sweat in some cases. Flying off in a helicopter to their new club paydays.

  40. El Toro…Carroll is worth what someone else will pay for him…be it ten bob or 25 million, as crazy as it may be. Good call by Ashley…”paltry” in my opinion, the seller always has the upper hand. No good having money in the bank if you cannot spend it on good replacements..

    Quite interesting that AC has done a lot of travelling this transfer window, Dubai and now Arctic Sweden…but the agents can track him down wherever he may be !

  41. Antmanbee…good call.
    Ben Arfa is hopefully going to bring a whole new dimension to the team when he gets his fitness back.
    Diffrent class.
    Loved him from day one Hurry back Hatem we fookin miss ya !
    :lol:

  43. El Toro…I reckon MA is holding out for £25.5 haha so he can get a nice new chopper to impress his casino chums.

  44. Funny how many supposed Newcastle supporters are eager to sell up for 23 million and some even saying 10-15… Who do you suppose we buy instead to socre us 11 goals in half a season? Keane? a 32 year old for 4+ million pounds.

  45. Anyone reckon we should give xisco some match time maybe a few appearences as a sub see what he can do?

    Never got my head around him or gonzalez transfers complete waste of time…..Xisco has got to be worth a few minutes at the end of games to prove what he is made of ??

  46. Antmanbee… 100% correct mate, you cant buy a replacement for Carroll and what is truly crazy about this is not the value qouted. Its the fact that every footballer have a price these days, and that some clubs are prepared to actually PAY that price… thats crazy.

    We wanna keep him and he wants to stay, to leave us the feck alone Arry

  47. sirjason: I’d like to see a bit more of Xisco…but it would seem he’s not good enough to start, or for anyone else to take off our hands.

    I read he was on loan at R.Santander last season and he scored 3 in 23 appaerances. If this is true, then that’s a canny shocking indication of how he would do in this league.

    This bloke is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum ! ;0)

  48. Doesnt matter what we think, Carrolls conract is Ashleys property and can be traded as such at his whim.

  49. Wow we have got you lot mad lol….Im going to be honest I know everyone is saying Carroll wouldnt go and Ashley wouldnt sell but face facts, Daniel Levy handles all transfers and he is a very astute business man he wouldnt persist with bids unless he thought there was a chance it could get done, espiecially as it has become public he tends to get the players.
    We signed Modric and VDV in private and there was no linked speculation all I would say is Ashley would sell at the right price so you have to be worried by that….we are entitled to buy who ever we want if we offer enough so we shouldnt be reported thats just madness, do you think Wolfsburg wanted to sell Dzeko? no but money was offered in exchange its how football works.

    I personally feel we wont get him as it seems from ITK’s Benzema is signing on initial loan, we have a good relationship with Madrid cant see us signing both but you never know, personally I think this is Carroll madness is a smokescreen

  50. This bloke is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum ! ;0)
    haha

    Yup can’t get my head around it either….deffo worth a few minutes a game see what he is made of…clean slate and all that !

  52. Spot on Valle…the business/money model these days shows no loyalties outside of business/money. Unfortunately, that’s the bottom line.

    Look at the meandering and seemingly arbitrary moves Steve Bruce has made in his management career. Or, indeed Dick Van Redknapp. Even if ‘arry got hold of AC in this window, he’s chance to be after the Man City or Chelsea job in 6 months.

    I don’t mind a bit of ambition, like, but I hate seeing it naked !!

    ;0)

  53. Jay @ 49: That Levy/Ashley connection has definately got me worried in the persistence in coming back with further offers, like he knows it’s a starter at the right price.

  54. Jay… I would be more worried if Man City came in… You guys might be a buying club, but you cant go crazy like they can.

  57. …apparently it may be a fake account. I’ve just been called an idiot twice on the evil blog. gona have to do some Columbo work……

  59. nice one antmanbee, always good to see players coming back. Mega important game on Wednesday. Be great if we can get 3 points. Our main hurdle for 6th place is keeping players fit in our threadbare squad. Hopefully we’ll see another 2 coming in before Monday eh. Personally I’d like to see a RW and LB, but although Ireland is CM and not every fan’s choice, I’d be chuffed to see him in a black and white shirt.

  61. Aye, definately Rodzilla…it would be a massive 3 points in the bag on Wednesday if we can manage that. I hope so for Monday also, and would settle for one if he’s going to threaten the first team…

    Interesting that AP said that the incoming wouldn’t necessarily be a R/winger…it’s Ireland, isn’t it? ;0)

    God it’s sh*te being out of the cup in the 3rd round, like….:0(

  62. antmanbee, yeah mate I reckon, hope so anyway, he’d be a steal now that he’s gone quiet and no other clubs seem interested. It took Barton about a season to re-gain his form, no doubt in my mind Ireland would be a fantastic aquisition (I can hear the anti-Ireland brigade shuffling from under their rocks ;)

    batty, alreet butt nugget!

    ..reet, am off te clean the bike. Later…….

  63. Laters Rodzilla :0) I’d take him on loan like, under the circumstances…see how it went. Mebbe’s our fans would teach him something!

  64. Benzema ain’t going to Spurs, what is this guy on about!? As if Mourinho is going to moan all year about a lack of strikers, sign Adebayor on loan and then let Benzema go. Stupid rumour. I agree with you about the smokescreen part, though. Spurs will get nobody this window and they are just trying to make it seems as though they are doing all they can to bolster their squad.

  67. There’s some two face bar stewards on here today. You cry at your mams apron when players leave for other clubs for the money and moan in your pints of ex when we’ve bought players like Owen. And yet now you want to cash in on Andy Carrolls rising star.
    Pathetic.
    To have a local talent like Andy is priceless and we should do everything we can to keep him at the club.
    Look at it another way, Ben Arfa. We are all willing him to get well soon and come and play for the club. So, if Arsenal offered £10m, would you be happy for him to go? Even after all the tears you weeped and the bile you directed at Man City?

  70. Cons against selling carroll

    He’s young
    He works hard
    He comes back effectively at corners and set pieces.
    He has 11 goals
    He has good skill and pace for a big man, but is very under used in the ”style” we play.

    Pros for selling carroll,

    25-30M is an extortionate amount to receive.
    We could move away from the long ball game.
    Will he always be prone to the type of recurring injury he has now ?
    Is he a one season wonder?
    We are unbeaten in 4 matches without him.
    Will his off field antics always be a concern ?

  71. Nick Dryden… Seems to me that your Pros are dead certain but your cons are all speculative.

  72. Make that the other way around of course… Cons against selling are dead certain, but the pros for selling are all speculative… Sigh i miss an edit funktion

  74. Agreed Micky T. Yesterday I said Fatman knew the price of everything but the value of nothing and maybe some of us should think about that too?

    £30m is a lot of money but what will we do with it ? It wont go on new players in this window thats for sure. So we take Spuds money and slip further behind them in the pecking order to try for the fourth spot ? Maybe we’d slip even further down the table without another ten goals from AC this season and then possibly back into the Championship. Then how much is your £30m worth ?

  75. man u payed 25mil for rooney with no england cap when money was not as made. so 25mil for england international is toooooooooo lowwwwww

  76. well ‘uncle fester’ at milan has certainly done a lot of good business this winter window.

  77. AC, £25m, pfffttt,
    & the rest.
    22 years old, already a Geordie legend & international player?
    :)
    Auld ‘arry trying to get a bargain, early.
    ;)