Right let’s cut straight to it as we’ve a fair bit to get through today.
The ITK comes in two parts.
The first part which is contained in this blog, relates to our advanced negotiations for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the second part will follow later today is in relation to the stadium, specifically the funding of it.
Zlatan’s name is being bandied around by all and sundry right now. The 34 year old has already been linked with a number of Premier League clubs and it is no coincidence that Spurs (as yet) haven’t been one of them.
Earlier this month, discussions between Spurs and Ibrahimovic reached a point whereby a 2 year contract, complete with details of payments and terms was drawn up.
This took place in the Far East and so it was only fitting that it was THFC’s non executive director Kevan Watts that spearheaded the initiative.
The official site tells us that Mr Watts is ‘Vice Chairman, Banking, HSBC. He is based in London but travels regularly to Asia maintaining and developing HSBC’s corporate and banking relationships at a senior level drawing on over 15 years of experience of business throughout Asia.’
The player would ostensibly come to The Lane on a free, but make no mistake here, Zlatan’s agent Carmine ‘Mino’ Raiola and Watts agreed amongst other matters a signing on bonus and salary.
Back in January, Mino told Sky “I would like to see him in the Premier League. I think it’s a game that is made for him with his strength. his ability, his technique, the stadiums with fantastic atmosphere and how football is lived.”
So now it is down to the player, and of course his agent to see if he can perhaps attract a better offer. To which extent I have the figures of the bonus and the salary but refuse to publish them.
If another club wants him, then they can go in blind.
So to the pros and cons, then.
He’s old and he’s perhaps the very antithesis of the Poch philosophy.
However, at Spurs he would be coming to enjoy himself and sell a bazillion shirts, opposed to land at say Manchester United and find himself having to play 90 minutes every week and the weight of the world on his shoulders.
I think it would be a masterstroke, and it would have the greatest impact since we signed that German in 1994.
