Tag Archives: Spurs

TOTTENHAM DEAL FOR DEPAY RUBBISHED BY DUTCH JOURNALIST

The Mirror report of a Tottenham Hotspur bid of €10M plus Belgian winger Nacer Chadli for World Cup starlet Memphis Depay has been rubbished by leading PSV Eindhoven journalist Rik Elfrink.

The problems with the reports seem to stem from the fact that there has been no bid and PSV also want more money for the 20-year-old. Elfrink also went on to state that Depay is a probable starter tomorrow night when the Dutch side meet SKN St. Polten tomorrow night in a Europa League qualifier. The young Dutch forward is in Austria with the squad, which would be strange if a bid had been received and accepted.

Depay, who was named on the short list for young player of the tournament at the World Cup, scored two goals for his country during the group stages and has already appeared 60 times for PSV tallying 17 goals in the meantime.

It is no secret that he is highly sought after and White Hart Lane might be an ideal destination for the next stage of his development but in this instance of speculation it is simply a rumour.

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Tottenham linked to young Ajax defender

Prior to the World Cup and before every other player in The Netherlands squad was being linked with moves away, Ajax Director of Football, Marc Overmars issued a warning to Premier League clubs that Joel Veltman would not be leaving the Amsterdam ArenA. Despite the hands-off warning, the 22-year-old and links to the Premier League just won’t go away writes Robbie Dunne.

The Dutch centre-back is seen as a long term solution to Spurs’ issues at the back and amid growing worries over Younes Kaboul’s fitness, it appears they need youth and depth in their ranks. Their other centre-half options are Vlad Chiriches, who had a very good debut season in the Premiership, Michael Dawson, won is almost 31 and has injury woes of his own, and Jan Vertonghen, who is an Ajax Academy player himself and has been linked with moves away, along with not being happy to have been played out of position under Tim Sherwood and Andre Villas Boas.

Veltman played 25 times for Ajax last season and had more impressive stats than every centre-half option in the Spurs’ squad aside from Michael Dawson, who played seven more games.

Veltman moved to Ajax in 2001, having grown up in Velsen, Holland. He made his debut for the first team in 2012 and has been involved in their last two campaigns, last campaign his time on the field saw a dramatic incline, having only featured seven times in in the 2012/13 season. With Ajax having won the Eredivisie yet again, they are set to play Champions League football and with this exposure to the European game, Veltman’s rise is set to continue.

While he possesses the same characteristics that seem innate in so many young Dutch footballers, like being comfortable on the ball, being able to pass out of defense, he is also good in the air and strong in the tackle.

Having spoken with many Dutch experts, they see it increasingly unlikely that a summer move from Ajax will happen, seeing as Veltman is set to anchor Ajax’s first team yet again and needs more time to develop to the demands of the Premier League.

So, all the links to teams such as Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs are just wishful thinking? That remains the pressing question. Can Veltman afford to perhaps spend a season in the middle of his development on the bench? Would Arsenal, Spurs or Manchester United be better off allowing him to develop his talents further, arrange a fee perhaps in January and allow Veltman transition into his role as a superstar in the Premier League.

While the development of such a player remains a priority, it would be wise for the clubs looking at the classy centre-back to arrange a fee before the €3.5 million he is valued at turns into a fee that is astronomically higher.

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Miracle if Eriksen does not move to England next week

Dutch journalist Jaap de Groot, whom writes for De Telegraaf, has stated that it will be a ‘miracle’ if Ajax’s Christian Eriksen does not move to an English Premier League club this coming week.

Now the transfer window is closing and the clubs across Europe start to panic buy, De Groot assumes that Eriksen will leave Ajax this coming week: “The signs are showing now that a miracle must happen if the Dane not move to England over the next week. Perhaps to Liverpool, but another club could steal in to take him.”

Over the summer, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool have been strongly linked to the Danish international but it is understood that Tottenham Hotspur have also been involved in talks with Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars over a transfer.

It is no secret that Manchester United is also in the hunt for a central midfielder. David Moyes has asked his old club Everton to allow Belgian international Marouane Fellani move to Old Trafford after already rejecting a bid from Moyes. The Toffees chairman Bill Kenwright rejected the joint bid for Fellani and Leighton Baines earlier this week, so Moyes may have look elsewhere. Anyone who has watched Eriksen in his time at Ajax would agree that the Dane would fit right in behind Robin van Persie.

However only yesterday, it was reported in Italy that Serie A giants AC Milan have joined the race for Eriksen after the player turned down a move to Germany with Bayer Leverkusen this past week.

Milan have turned to the Ajax playmaker after admitting defeat in their pursuit of CSKA Moscow’s Japanese playmaker Keisuke Honda, while AS Roma are also thought to be contemplating a bid if they lose Argentine midfielder Erik Lamela to Tottenham.

According to MilanNews.it, Italy, Spain and England remain the only likely destinations for the Dane, who has ruled out moves to Germany and Russia, despite strong interest from Leverkusen and Zenit St Petersburg. The website reports that Eriksen is open to a move to Italy after spending his recent summer holidays in Venice.

As previously stated, Eriksen reportedly wants Champions League football, a demand that would appear to rule out a move to Spurs and Liverpool.

That would appear to leave Manchester United or Milan in pole position for Eriksen providing the Italians are able to progress to the competition’s group stages this Wednesday night after drawing 1-1 with PSV in the first leg of their qualifying match last Tuesday.

Milan’s move for Honda has been one of the most protracted sagas of the off-season, but both sides now appear to have reached an impasse.

Juventus, who have automatically qualified for the Champions League group stages, were also previously credited with a move for Eriksen but AC Milan could beat their Serie A rivals to the 21-year-old’s signature as soon as next Wednesday when the second leg of their play-off against PSV takes place at the San Siro.

Wherever his destination, his assists, key passes, set-piece plays and powerful shooting will add something special to any team across the globe but the defending Eredivisie champions Ajax will miss him terribly. The Dane has already notched two goals in four games this campaign, even though the Amsterdammers have dropped points to currently sit fourth in the division.

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NEWS: Adam Maher… Holland’s hottest property!

Adam Maher – wanted by the Premier League’s best

It is no surprise to many following the game in the Netherlands that AZ attacking midfielder Adam Maher is perhaps most coveted Dutch footballer at the moment. 

Earlier this year in the January transfer window, English Premier League clubs knocked on the door of AZ Alkmaar, and now as the season ends and clubs around Europe await the opening of a new window, the English superpowers are ready to rumble throughout the summer for the Ducth international.

The Morrocan-born Oranje star is wanted by Eredivisie giants PSV and Ajax but the top clubs from the Premier League are in the market and they very well may tempt the playmaker to head to the British Isles.

British newspaper The Mirror have reported that Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are some clubs that Maher would like to attract.

In AZ, they are only too well aware of the foreign interest. On Maher, as what happens with many young Dutch talents an excessively high price tag has been slapped on so that AZ can make some major profit. It is rumoured that interested clubs can tempt AZ to sell him for around £15.4m, which is approximately equivalent to €18m.

But which club is the preference for Maher?  Maher himself does not except anything to happen and says to he will wait until the summer. “I look to see which clubs are interested but nothing will be discussed until the summer. “

But as friend of the site, Scottish-based Dutch football expert Peter McVitie added, Maher has said over and over that he wishes to stay in Holland: ‘He has maintained since January that he wants to stay in Eredivisie and, since February, he has made clear that he wants to join one of Ajax or PSV in the summer. He lives in Amsterdam and has praised Ajax several times in recent weeks and he has actually said that he has an idea which club he would prefer to join.’

For Maher, who would like to leave with his ailing club, it is hoped that when he does leave this summer, AZ make as much as they can so they use the funds to be a force in the Eredivisie again.

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