To see where Harry Kane’s tactics to push through a transfer away from Tottenham Hotspur are headed, one only has to look at what happened with Luka Modric.
Sitting across a table from one another in Dubrovnik, the wonderful walled city in southern Croatia, Modric made what he considered a “gentleman’s agreement” with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy in 2010, when signing a new long-term contract, that if a bigger club made an offer for him, Spurs would accept. It was an informal chat. Nothing put in writing. No legally-binding clauses.
Twelve months later, Chelsea tested Levy’s word, bidding £22million. Levy refused. Why would he sell his star midfielder to a rival? Certainly not if he didn’t have to.
Modric was, understandably, furious. He gave an interview to a Croatian newspaper saying he still expected to move and that Levy had threatened to keep him on the bench or in the stands if he refused to train. Modric stayed.
A year on, the midfielder knew that Real Madrid were interested and assumed Levy would finally honour his word. Levy refused again, initially. It was only when Modric, who had not turned up to board the plane for a preseason tour of America and was training alone at Spurs Lodge, confronted the Spurs chairman that he relented.
Modric had just had a shower and was leaving the changing room when he spotted Levy in a corridor. “He seldom went to the training ground, this time he couldn’t avoid me,” Modric later wrote in his autobiography. “He was typically dry and cold during this short conversation that began with a question: ‘How are you? Nervous?’
“‘I’m begging you to keep your promise. I’d like to play in the Super Cup against Barcelona. Don’t take that away from me.’ Then he told me, ‘I’ll let you leave on Monday.’”
Modric admits that he “resented” Levy at the time, feeling that he had broken several promises to let him leave. “For me, one’s promise and one’s word are more important than anything,” he wrote.
Yet, remarkably, after he had flown on a private jet with his parents to Madrid to seal the £33m transfer and was greeted by a hoard of supporters, Modric still phoned Levy to thank him.
“I felt obliged to call him and, despite everything, express my thanks to him,” Modric wrote. “’Thank you, Mr Chairman, for letting me go. It’s a great opportunity for me. I’m sorry it had to end this way, but I’m thankful for the four years and I wish you and the club the best of luck in the future.’
“He is a man who rarely shows his emotions or gives away much. He was strictly professional: ‘Thank you for everything you did for Tottenham and best of luck at the new club.’”
Even so, how many more agents are going to fall for Levy’s “gentleman’s agreement” trick? It is what Kane is convinced he has, even though Spurs are adamant they will not sell.
The next time a star player expecting a big move in the proceeding years is signing a new long-term deal, they would do well to get any such agreement in writing. A transfer clause, perhaps? If a fee is met – the player can go. Is it really that difficult?
As it stands, Kane signed a six-year deal in 2018 so for the next couple of years Levy holds all the cards. And they are crucial years: Kane is 28, the clock is ticking on that big move Tottenham’s previous stars have craved.
Spanish newspaper Marca suggested that Levy also threatened to stick Gareth Bale in the reserves if he refused to train when the Welsh winger insisted on a move to Real Madrid. In that instance, the Spanish side made a world record offer, and that was enough for Levy.
Which all points to two outcomes: a club stumps up a world record £150m-plus for Kane, and Manchester City are one of the only clubs able to afford that, or the striker is angry for a bit but ends up playing at Tottenham next season.
Either way, Levy will get his way – you can take his word for it.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2TQvBKu
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