Luka Modric / Signs for Real Madrid

Croatian newspapers are referring to GOAL.com news about Man Utd stopping pursuit of Modric
 
Guti is nuts. Modric is better than some of the players that have played for Real Madrid recently.
Diarra, Khedira, Sahin and much better than Gago.
 
Imo Modric and Spurs prefer Madrid over Chelsea and Madrid knows this very well - so they could be trying to lower the price.
 
I'm sure they won't sell him for £50m. That's basically Levy saying that he wants a lot of money and he wants Modric to be overpaid for, but it won't mean that he's going to demand that. Watch him accept and sell if Chelsea go in with £36/37m or something similar to that.
 
I'm sure they won't sell him for £50m. That's basically Levy saying that he wants a lot of money and he wants Modric to be overpaid for, but it won't mean that he's going to demand that. Watch him accept and sell if Chelsea go in with £36/37m or something similar to that.

They didn't put up that much last year. There not going to put that up this year. Nothing has changed.
 
Real Madrid 'cooling their interest' can only be a good thing for us (providing we're interested of course)
 
We arent ever going to spend 50m on a player.

35m at a push perhaps, but Levy is living in cloud coo-koo land if he thinks people will pay that.
 
Imo he isnt worth the 40m that keeps getting mentioned.
Spurs dont want to lose him, they have set a high asking price. Thats fine.
If it stays that way, Mordic will still be at Spurs next season.
 
He's a good player but nothing exceptional. £20m is tops. But I fear once again SAF might dig his heels in and do a Berbatov by overpaying.

I say no to baines and Modric - we should be looking at doing more Kagawa type deals - guys who are on the cusp of developing into real world class talents and are young.
 
He's a good player but nothing exceptional. £20m is tops. But I fear once again SAF might dig his heels in and do a Berbatov by overpaying.

I say no to baines and Modric - we should be looking at doing more Kagawa type deals - guys who are on the cusp of developing into real world class talents and are young.

20 million would be a steal for him imho. He's a player that can dictate games very well, and is about to enter his peak years. Also, as he has several years on his contract left, we can't use that situation to lower his price. Levy holds all the cards, because he doesn't care if Modric hands in a transfer request.

There's not really many players like Modric who can dictate a game so well, like him, and are still in their mid 20's are there? I mean, okay, he's not as good as Pirlo or Scholes, and maybe not even Alonso, but the worst of those 3, Xabi, transferred when he was almost 28 (Modric is almost 27, just over a year younger) for 30 million quid.

Players who can dictate a game like him are very very rare, and very essential to dominating other teams. Xavi, Scholes (and Carrick to an extent), Pirlo, Xabi etc. are all hubs of their teams. None of them are great defensively (bar Carrick, but he's not as effective a passer as the rest who are 'unbelievable'), but as DLP's with real quality in passing completion and passing range they set up their team to actually do something when they get the ball. Something no amount of Scottie 'lionheart' parkers can do.

The supply of them is so low, that a price of 30 million is definitely justified.
 
20 million would be a steal for him imho. He's a player that can dictate games very well, and is about to enter his peak years. Also, as he has several years on his contract left, we can't use that situation to lower his price. Levy holds all the cards, because he doesn't care if Modric hands in a transfer request.

There's not really many players like Modric who can dictate a game so well, like him, and are still in their mid 20's are there? I mean, okay, he's not as good as Pirlo or Scholes, and maybe not even Alonso, but the worst of those 3, Xabi, transferred when he was almost 28 (Modric is almost 27, just over a year younger) for 30 million quid.

Players who can dictate a game like him are very very rare, and very essential to dominating other teams. Xavi, Scholes (and Carrick to an extent), Pirlo, Xabi etc. are all hubs of their teams. None of them are great defensively (bar Carrick, but he's not as effective a passer as the rest who are 'unbelievable'), but as DLP's with real quality in passing completion and passing range they set up their team to actually do something when they get the ball. Something no amount of Scottie 'lionheart' parkers can do.

The supply of them is so low, that a price of 30 million is definitely justified.

He's no way as good as you are making out.

Moutinho looks to be just as good. Sahin has won titles. Carzola is at least as good as him.

£20-25m if pushed even though I dont think he is what we need as we have signed Kagawa.

I think someone who can play deeper is who we need.
 
20 million would be a steal for him imho. He's a player that can dictate games very well, and is about to enter his peak years. Also, as he has several years on his contract left, we can't use that situation to lower his price. Levy holds all the cards, because he doesn't care if Modric hands in a transfer request.

There's not really many players like Modric who can dictate a game so well, like him, and are still in their mid 20's are there? I mean, okay, he's not as good as Pirlo or Scholes, and maybe not even Alonso, but the worst of those 3, Xabi, transferred when he was almost 28 (Modric is almost 27, just over a year younger) for 30 million quid.

Players who can dictate a game like him are very very rare, and very essential to dominating other teams. Xavi, Scholes (and Carrick to an extent), Pirlo, Xabi etc. are all hubs of their teams. None of them are great defensively (bar Carrick, but he's not as effective a passer as the rest who are 'unbelievable'), but as DLP's with real quality in passing completion and passing range they set up their team to actually do something when they get the ball. Something no amount of Scottie 'lionheart' parkers can do.

The supply of them is so low, that a price of 30 million is definitely justified.

You're really overstating how good he is. No doubt is he a good player, but £20m is a good price for him and he's not worth a lot more than that.

He's a player who makes himself look better than he is whenever he comes up against some of the smaller teams in the league. Because he's comfortable on the ball and doesn't make too many mistakes with it, he looks like a very good player and one who is of the same ilk as others you mentioned. He's really not. Just watch him in the bigger games to see what I'm talking about. Look how many heavy defeats Spurs had last year, largely because of how often they would find themselves being overrun in the midfield. Modric was unable to compete in these games and suddenly looked incredible average when up against midfielders who could give him a good match. It was no coincidence that this happened to be honest.
 
I don't think we're desperately in need of modric but he is unquestionably worth at least 25mil in my opinion. There are few players of his ilk at the moment and that alone makes him valuable.
 
The idea that Modric goes missing against the best teams was blown out of the water once again last week when he played against the best midfield in the world. And nobody is getting him for close to £20m.

No, it really wasn't. He did it all of last season against the big teams and I stand by my opinion on the matter. One game doesn't change anything.
 
That 40m bid report came from what Harry said on the last day.
And I remember watching that interview/bit on SSN. It seemed like he was saying Levy wont sell and was referring to some reports suggesting Chelsea were putting in a 40m bid and how that would get turned down.
Dont remember how it went, but I didnt think Chelsea had really bid that much for Modric last summer.
 
If (as it feels inevitable that it will) it transpires that we don't find the money for Modric and he goes to a club that is prepared to pay for him, is there another Modric in the making, perhaps more suited to our youth / value policy?
 
He's no way as good as you are making out.

Moutinho looks to be just as good. Sahin has won titles. Carzola is at least as good as him.

£20-25m if pushed even though I dont think he is what we need as we have signed Kagawa.

I think someone who can play deeper is who we need.

:confused::confused:

Have you watched him play / read what I wrote?

He's a deep lying playmaker.
Play him much deeper and he'd become a 3rd CB.



He's how scholes has been playing in the last few years. Sitting next to Carrick, setting up the play. That's why I've compared him to Pirlo / Xavi / Xabi. That's what he'd do for us; set the tempo next to Carrick and behing Kagawa. Getting Kagawa doesn't solve our midfield crisis much.

He's not as good as them, but quite close to Xabi. He does the same thing they do. He's not an attacking midfielder. A deep lying playmaker. If you don't know what that is, either search it up or consider a player who spreads the ball out from a deep position (i.e. closer to the defence), and dictates the play. For us, both Scholes and Carrick do this role, and get the ball to players like the wingers or Rooney who can do better with the ball at their feet/more goal threat.

They tend to have high passing percentages, and are able to hit long passes generally quite well, but do not tend to score that many goals, or even get many assists.
 
If (as it feels inevitable that it will) it transpires that we don't find the money for Modric and he goes to a club that is prepared to pay for him, is there another Modric in the making, perhaps more suited to our youth / value policy?

Not someone that is anywhere near ready for that position. The deep lying playmaker position is one that you start peaking later than other positions; much like the CB position. It's about positional awareness and refining your game and being a mature player. For a defensive minded DLP like Carrick, even more so.

But yeah, not really. That alone makes him valuable.
The fact that a player in his position will give your team a massive advantage makes this even more important.
 
:confused::confused:

Have you watched him play / read what I wrote?

He's a deep lying playmaker.
Play him much deeper and he'd become a 3rd CB.



He's how scholes has been playing in the last few years. Sitting next to Carrick, setting up the play. That's why I've compared him to Pirlo / Xavi / Xabi. That's what he'd do for us; set the tempo next to Carrick and behing Kagawa. Getting Kagawa doesn't solve our midfield crisis much.

He's not as good as them, but quite close to Xabi. He does the same thing they do. He's not an attacking midfielder. A deep lying playmaker. If you don't know what that is, either search it up or consider a player who spreads the ball out from a deep position (i.e. closer to the defence), and dictates the play. For us, both Scholes and Carrick do this role, and get the ball to players like the wingers or Rooney who can do better with the ball at their feet/more goal threat.

They tend to have high passing percentages, and are able to hit long passes generally quite well, but do not tend to score that many goals, or even get many assists.

:lol: Modric gets forward a lot, he's nothing like a deep lying playmaker and he doesnt need to be. He's playing next to Parker or Sandro who do the deeper more combative job Modric does not. He gets over 2 shots per game and 2.7 key passes per game and this is because he's well, well involved in their attacking moves in the last third. Nothing deep about that.

He is in the main a controlling midfielder though yes averaging 70.4 passes per game last season. Carrick had 73.1 but was nowhere near as offensive.

Modric was actually the 4th most frequent (accurate) longballer last season beaten only by 2 keepers and Ashley Williams, playing 7.6 per game. Carrick was at 6 per game.

As a combination I think thered be about the same control as Carrick and Scholes together... As Scholes had 66.9 passes on average so not far behind Modric. But Modric was of course more involved in the final third... In fact Modric had more shots per game last season than Nani or Ashley Young :eek:
 
:lol: Modric gets forward a lot, he's nothing like a deep lying playmaker and he doesnt need to be. He's playing next to Parker or Sandro who do the deeper more combative job Modric does not. He gets over 2 shots per game and 2.7 key passes per game and this is because he's well, well involved in their attacking moves in the last third. Nothing deep about that.

He is in the main a controlling midfielder though yes averaging 70.4 passes per game last season. Carrick had 73.1 but was nowhere near as offensive.

Modric was actually the 4th most frequent (accurate) longballer last season beaten only by 2 keepers and Ashley Williams, playing 7.6 per game. Carrick was at 6 per game.

As a combination I think thered be about the same control as Carrick and Scholes together... As Scholes had 66.9 passes on average so not far behind Modric. But Modric was of course more involved in the final third... In fact Modric had more shots per game last season than Nani or Ashley Young :eek:

That's only because we had a 2 man midfield. In a 3 man midfield he's obviously going to have more license to roam. But his position remains the same. Go watch his season review; he's literally playing like Scholes does; available for every pass from defence or attack, but he's playing as a DLP. The fact that spurs play with 3 midfielders mean he's going to be given more license than a static 442.

With us, he'd play in a 4231 which would again mean he has more license, but just because 2 players are DLP's doesn't mean that they both occupy the exact same average position on the pitch.

Modric was the hub of the team as a DLP. Just because he has Scottie Parker behind him, as well as another attacking midfielder, doesn't mean he's not a DLP. It just means he has more license than say Scholes or Carrick did in a 442.

Go look at Yaya Toure or something, just because they can and do get forward doesn't mean that they aren't regarded as a DLP or what not.

Does Carrick not play deeper than scholes? Yes he does. Modric plays just ahead of Sandro, too. Lastly, Modric is 26. Scholes is 37. Of course he'll get more key passes and shots. He's A) Got more license to as part of a 3 man midfield B) He's got younger legs on him.

Look through the previous pages. He's considered a DLP, and would definitely play the Scholes role for us for the majority of his games and would do it very well. Silly to suggest otherwise.
 
I just don't agree with those saying he's quite close to Alonso if I'm being honest. They are quite similar as players, but Alonso is just a much better player in my opinion.
 
Alonso is a completely different player. He defends as well as he attacks.

Modric does not. He makes some interceptions but he makes half as many tackles as Alonso. There are other players far more similar to Xabi Alonso than Modric is

He's closer to Iniesta
 
That's only because we had a 2 man midfield. In a 3 man midfield he's obviously going to have more license to roam. But his position remains the same. Go watch his season review; he's literally playing like Scholes does; available for every pass from defence or attack, but he's playing as a DLP. The fact that spurs play with 3 midfielders mean he's going to be given more license than a static 442.

With us, he'd play in a 4231 which would again mean he has more license, but just because 2 players are DLP's doesn't mean that they both occupy the exact same average position on the pitch.

Modric was the hub of the team as a DLP. Just because he has Scottie Parker behind him, as well as another attacking midfielder, doesn't mean he's not a DLP. It just means he has more license than say Scholes or Carrick did in a 442.

Go look at Yaya Toure or something, just because they can and do get forward doesn't mean that they aren't regarded as a DLP or what not.

Does Carrick not play deeper than scholes? Yes he does. Modric plays just ahead of Sandro, too. Lastly, Modric is 26. Scholes is 37. Of course he'll get more key passes and shots. He's A) Got more license to as part of a 3 man midfield B) He's got younger legs on him.

Look through the previous pages. He's considered a DLP, and would definitely play the Scholes role for us for the majority of his games and would do it very well. Silly to suggest otherwise.

:lol::lol:

Who cares what he's considered, factually he's nothing like what a deep lying playmaker was considered when it was coined. You're just tagging him with it because it sounds cool, he plays lots of passes and it takes the light off his low goalscoring and assist numbers.

A deep lying playmaker sits behind the other midfielders. Modric was the most adventurous of the Spurs CM whether playing in a 2 or 3.

Scholes is not our deep lying playmaker. Thats why he was able to get on the scoresheet a few times last season. Carrick was sitting deeper instead. Scholes averaged 1.2 shots per game last season, the most of our midfield. Scholes was just playing a general CM role, not as offensive as he used to be perhaps but he was the one joining the attack.

And yeah Modric could of course sit there like Scholes was doing before he retired and just play the ball around, but although it was nice to have Scholes passing in there he wasnt worth £30-40 million. We were just using what we already had in the squad. We didnt go and buy him to do that job.

Modric has other skills Scholes did not have and he also lacks some of the things Scholes did and to some extent still does have. He's just not a deep lying playmaker.
 
I don't really get the issue. Modric can clearly do the box to box role and be a creator in that sense, as well as lending a hand defensively. Or he can play a deeper role. He's done both commonly for spurs. When they usually line up Modric isn't really going end to end, he's usually in a deeper role behind VDV orchestrating things, which is why he usually doesn't make the final pass but more so the penultimate one. Scholes was more box to box and as his legs declined he took up a more deeper role but also as more and more teams took up a three man central midfield it meant that for teams playing two in there, they had less scope to get up and down.

Although I think we have other priorities, if Modric were to sign he could go straight in and would help us a lot. Scholes may have got forward at times last season but generally he played pretty deep and because he needs protection it meant that Carrick had to stay quite deep as well, which often left a fairly big gap between the midfielders and the attackers. Not an issue in games we dominate but can be problamatic in tougher games. Modric, in the same way as clev/ando/fletch has the legs that means he can handle himself better defensively than scholes and so can push higher up, closing the gap between the midfielders and the strikers and forcing the opposition midfielders back a bit.
 
I think its a quality thing - Modric coming in would raise our game on many levels. He'd increase competition and compliment any of the existing CMs in the squad, he'd open up a number of possibilities tactically and he'd provide an instant improvement in arguably the most important area of the pitch. I don't see why splurging c. 35 mil on Jones and Young last year, two players who we didn't 100% need, is anyway different to spending 35 mil on Modric to make an instant improvement to our central midfield on a regular basis and indeed raise the quality of the whole team.