Home » The Curious Business Of Mousa Dembele [+video]

The Curious Business Of Mousa Dembele [+video]

By The Boy -

There will be plenty of requiem and naval gazing generally as the old war horse sails off for South East Asian seas.

Our biggest Belgian is yet another departing player with apostrophes either side of the word great, because he never won anything with us.

What is curious though, is how Spurs never made any plans to replace him.

I’ve made the point endlessly about the club being poor at dealing with change, and here we have an instance of change that was so slow, such a long time coming that any village idiot would have seen it coming.

Was Victor Wanyama really the succession plan, or was the plan just to see what transpired along the way?

Anyone asserting that the club knew Harry Winks would come good and between him and the comedic Sissoko we’d muddle through er…be fine is clearly fibbing.

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paul
paul
4 years ago
Reply to  paul

And for our corporate customers we have the truly terrifying Daniel Levy Transfer Experience. ‘So bad you’ll only ever ride it once’.

paul
paul
4 years ago
Reply to  Harry Hotspur

The Daniel Levy Car Crash Experience

Is Gascoigne gonna have a crac
Is Gascoigne gonna have a crac
4 years ago

Slowly watching a once a generation team dismantle with a whimper unfulfilled.

Is Gascoigne gonna have a crac
Is Gascoigne gonna have a crac
4 years ago
Reply to  Harry Hotspur

Isn’t it thrilling?

paul
paul
4 years ago
Reply to  Tappaspur

Tappa, you can’t see Poch letting Levy weaken us.. What happened during last Summers transfer window then? What’s happened since. We should have had targets identified and wrapped up the minute the January window opened, Cheatski did. This has ALL happened on Poch’s watch and he has been meeker than an old testament sheep.

chrism090861
chrism090861
5 years ago
Reply to  OrganicPaper

I agree totally here, i loved Dembele, and always felt that our chances of winning a match were far better when he was on the pitch, but the issue is the replacement. We were told that there were no more squad places, well they knew he was leaving, and must have known for a while. I would have much preferred they kept him until the end of the season to assist us with our objectives, then said a nice goodbye to him and let him have a free to wherever he wanted to go. I reckon Levy would much rather have boiled his own head than let him go for free, and instead took 9 million and left us short. Cue us sitting around in the last hour of the last day of the transfer window, watching the lights being turned off at Hotspur Way !!

Brian Howes
Brian Howes
4 years ago

Sick of it all. The plan/aim appears obvious – successful business fuelled by a nearly successful football team. Top four, tantalising hopes of soon being able to challenge for the league title, losing cup semi-finals… top four, tantalising hopes etc etc and on it goes. Part of me thinks, how dare I complain? I’ve been Spurs since the late 70s, and never before have I seen such a consistently good team. But that’s what makes it worse, infuriating, demoralising, frustrating… so many words could be used. We’re so close, but if we truly wanted to do it we’d have actually tried by now. When I say ‘we’, I suppose I must mean the money men at the club. Thing is, the manager, coaches, players and us fans ARE trying our damnedest, but the club isn’t. And I can’t help feeling (who couldn’t tbh?) that the new stadium is either a) just a means of raking in more cash in the long term, or b) just a means of raking in more cash in the shorter term by making the club more appealing to buyers. And lastly, being linked with Origi, whether true or not, is driving me f***ing mad. Finished above that vile lot in eight of the past nine seasons, and suddenly we’re meant to make do with one of their cast-offs. Bollocks.

chrism090861
chrism090861
4 years ago
Reply to  Tappaspur

I’m wondering if there was a newspaper reporter standing outside Levy’s office, and Poch came out after a meeting and said to him ‘Daniel’s just given me 50 million to spend’ !!! the mind boggles as to how they decide that ‘This’ is how much Spurs will spend !!

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
4 years ago
Reply to  delboy denmark

Morn min spurs venner.

Harry Hotspur
Harry Hotspur
4 years ago
Reply to  delboy denmark

Aren’t you enjoying the ride?

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
4 years ago
Reply to  Tappaspur

Who wouldn’t want to learn mandarin 🙂

paul
paul
4 years ago
Reply to  Cabspur

sadly..

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
4 years ago
Reply to  paul

Dembs do you want to stay and play a hand full of games and damage your body more or go to a less physical league and smash it while trebling your wages? Either way you have my blessing. the conversation may have went

Cabspur
Cabspur
4 years ago
Reply to  paul

Spot on.

paul
paul
4 years ago
Reply to  Harry Hotspur

here we go here we go here we go

Exile
Exile
4 years ago

We appear to have reached a crossroads. Levy views everything through an accountants eye and all spend is an opportunity cost. To him finishing top four and getting the cl money, whilst spending f.ck all on players is the ultimate result. If the opportunity rose to buy a £40 million player and not just finish fourth ,
but possibly win the league he would put it on his excel sheet and calculate that its not worth it and of course there as in all sport there are no guarantees.
The truth is even if the new stadium hadn’t been the levyfuck up it is it wouldn’t have changed his outlook. Whilst we can’t compete with the oligarch clubs or the cash rich sides like Man Utd we are never going to be a big spending club, it’s just not in his dna.
His problem is we could be a middling club in the old whl because there are probably 30,000 loyal fans of the club. In the new match day experience he’s got to sell 60000 plus at exhorbitant prices. If the player/manager exodus happens that just won’t happen. Using a restaurant analogy people won’t come even if the decors nice but the foods shit

paul
paul
5 years ago
Reply to  Cabspur

I truly believe that (apart from no longer having a workable/credible scouting system) it is Levy, personally, that is the problem. No-one wants to deal with him, he’s toxic beyond categorising now and worse, he’s far too proud and self regarding to show he has any need of anything or anyone. He simply will not pick up the phone or engage in any process whereby anyone might be left with the impression that he has needs. That would inherently suggest the other party in the deal/conversation has value in the process and should be treated accordingly. So what we’re left with is the few agents that do call him up trying to shift the N’doo-doos of this world.

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
5 years ago
Reply to  OrganicPaper

Its either poch has a replacement lined up or he knew dembs couldn’t reach the mad energy levels needed for his systems. I cant see poch letting the w a n k e r s weaken the squad for a little £10m. Malcon coming 🙂

Is Gascoigne gonna have a crac
Is Gascoigne gonna have a crac
5 years ago

*good to see

Ronan
Ronan
5 years ago
Reply to  paul

Very true, well said.

eddie
eddie
4 years ago
Reply to  delboy denmark

Levy never has a plan B he always wings,it imbued with his own self believe.Well we all know how that has turned out for us.It gets ever more depressing.

Cabspur
Cabspur
4 years ago
Reply to  paul

I’ve been watching this happen,need something?? Get it. Any other owners bar enic would see this!

Is Gascoigne gonna have a crac
Is Gascoigne gonna have a crac
4 years ago
Reply to  paul

Aye

OrganicPaper
OrganicPaper
4 years ago

Great player, one who’s importance to the team will probably only be felt in his absence. One always got the feeling he was extremely highly though of in the dressing room as well as being a beast on the pitch.
I dont blame he club for letting him go. 9mil for an ageing and injured player with 6 months left on his contract is a fair deal.
HH is spot on, this was an inevitable situation that we failed to plan for – or deliberately did not plan for!

With no signings, we are not just treading water. We are getting weaker. All around us getting stronger.
There is no £50 million to spend. There is no short-term loan option. There is a 16yr old Irish kid and a few eager 20 somethings, the component parts of the players we are missing. Sadly we can not create Frankin-Levys monster and stitch them all together as one player.

We will be OK in the very short term but we need to be brave. Berry, berry brave

Is Gascoigne gonna have a crac
Is Gascoigne gonna have a crac
4 years ago

Should have been dealt with 2 summers ago. Truly astonishing again from Levy. *winging it since 2001*
The perpetual joke roles on as Chelsea A G A I N take a player we could really have done with. Higuin on loan. I’ve lost count now. What a farce. What’s the point of sacrificing real achievement for Champions League places when it doesn’t make a piss of difference to players being attained? Once again , Chelski ain’t in the CL!? Of course its just about filling the duffel bags.
Goad to see Bielsa digging in, they are clearly going to mess with Leeds though, there were no wire cutters it was all bollox, the whole thing was blown up and it won’t be the last….

paul
paul
4 years ago

I have a different take. Don’t accept the 9 million and play Mousa as much as possible between now and the end of the season to help us out of shitstorm we’re sailing into. Then give him the send off he deserves standing in the middle of the new lav soaking up the admiration of players and fans alike for what he has given to us.

Elevenstonedidiots
Elevenstonedidiots
4 years ago

To replace the quality of Dembele in todays market would cost €50m. Unfortunately Levy is like me Granny who thinks £20 holds the same value as it did 50 years ago.

Ronan
Ronan
4 years ago

Seems very odd to be moving him when there is still no replacement in sight, esp with Dier and Wanyam now out injured. The Moose would surely have been a huge stabilizing influence on the team as the business end of the season approachesd. It was only this time last year he was in arguably the most imperious form of his career, bossing that daunting run of fixtures against Man U, Liverpool and Arse that ultimately clinched top 4. He also bossed Juve on their own pitch. Absolutely untouchable, yet we are being asked to connive in a fiction that winks and skipp are his equals if not upgrades.

paul
paul
4 years ago

Fare thee well Mousa, you more often than not were an absolute joy to behold and there’s many a match we wouldn’t have won without you. With the ball at your feet you struck fear into the hearts of the opposition and pride in the hearts of Spurs fans. For me you have been one of the best midfielders i’ve watched wearing the chicken badge. I’m just sorry that you never got to lift a meaningful pot with us and can’t help but feel that being hocked off to China for a pittance, without the opportunity to say goodbye from the pitch is an ignominious end for such a faithful and talented player.

delboy denmark
delboy denmark
4 years ago

Sorry but I dont get it. We are slowly falling apart, Eriksen wont sign, Alder and Verty had clauses extended. We are screwed at the mo unless Levy has a plan B.

Cabspur
Cabspur
4 years ago

Enic suck my salty balls you utter cants.
Laters dembele ,taken every midfielder on in europe and done them with his double pirouettes,a joy to watch on his day.

Nick
Nick
4 years ago

The thought I’m left with is how long has Dembele been fit,while we’ve had to accept sissoko?

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
4 years ago

Dems when your pockets full come back do your badges then coach our youts. And you toby. Defensive coach midfield coach. Oh lorentte you can come back too striker coach. Love your work with kane (technical) 🙂 🙂

paul
paul
4 years ago

Cheatski had/have a main striker problem and even though they have far more capable options to cover, (than us), they took the view of why would they let an obvious and solveable issue like this disrupt their momentum, table position and possibly whole season? So they set out to solve it; unencumbered by thoughts of there being nobody out there of requisite quality, unfazed by having to find someone within a budget and lo and behold, solve it they did. Cheatski have signed Gonzalo Higuain on loan from Juventus for the rest of the season.

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
5 years ago

Is the £50m levy has given poch enough to buy david alaba malcon isco and calam wilson? Add them into our mix cups galore

Nick
Nick
5 years ago

Most skillfull player at the club since ginola.sad to see him go.Poch has said we’ve got to sell to buy,so there’s a squad place & £80k pw to get someone in now

Exile
Exile
5 years ago

We appear to have reached a crossroads. Levy views everything through an accountants eye and all spend is an opportunity cost. To him finishing top four and getting the cl money, whilst spending f.ck all on players is the ultimate result. If the opportunity rose to buy a £40 million player and not just finish fourth ,
but possibly win the league he would put it on his excel sheet and calculate that its not worth it and of course there as in all sport there are no guarantees.
The truth is even if the new stadium hadn’t been the levyfuck up it is it wouldn’t have changed his outlook. Whilst we can’t compete with the oligarch clubs or the cash rich sides like Man Utd we are never going to be a big spending club, it’s just not in his dna.
His problem is we could be a middling club in the old whl because there are probably 30,000 loyal fans of the club. In the new match day experience he’s got to sell 60000 plus at exhorbitant prices. If the player/manager exodus happens that just won’t happen. Using a restaurant analogy people won’t come even if the decors nice but the foods shit

Brian Howes
Brian Howes
5 years ago

Sick of it all. The plan/aim appears obvious – successful business fuelled by a nearly successful football team. Top four, tantalising hopes of soon being able to challenge for the league title, losing cup semi-finals… top four, tantalising hopes etc etc and on it goes. Part of me thinks, how dare I complain? I’ve been Spurs since the late 70s, and never before have I seen such a consistently good team. But that’s what makes it worse, infuriating, demoralising, frustrating… so many words could be used. We’re so close, but if we truly wanted to do it we’d have actually tried by now. When I say ‘we’, I suppose I must mean the money men at the club. Thing is, the manager, coaches, players and us fans ARE trying our damnedest, but the club isn’t. And I can’t help feeling (who couldn’t tbh?) that the new stadium is either a) just a means of raking in more cash in the long term, or b) just a means of raking in more cash in the shorter term by making the club more appealing to buyers. And lastly, being linked with Origi, whether true or not, is driving me f***ing mad. Finished above that vile lot in eight of the past nine seasons, and suddenly we’re meant to make do with one of their cast-offs. Bollocks.

paul
paul
5 years ago
Reply to  Cabspur

sadly..

Cabspur
Cabspur
5 years ago
Reply to  paul

Spot on.

paul
paul
5 years ago
Reply to  The Boy

here we go here we go here we go

Is Gascoigne gonna have a crack?
Is Gascoigne gonna have a crack?
5 years ago

Slowly watching a once a generation team dismantle with a whimper unfulfilled.

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
5 years ago
Reply to  Tappaspur

Who wouldn’t want to learn mandarin 🙂

Is Gascoigne gonna have a crack?
Is Gascoigne gonna have a crack?
5 years ago
Reply to  The Boy

Isn’t it thrilling?

Is Gascoigne gonna have a crack?
Is Gascoigne gonna have a crack?
5 years ago
Reply to  paul

Aye

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
5 years ago
Reply to  paul

Dembs do you want to stay and play a hand full of games and damage your body more or go to a less physical league and smash it while trebling your wages? Either way you have my blessing. the conversation may have went

paul
paul
5 years ago
Reply to  Tappaspur

Tappa, you can’t see Poch letting Levy weaken us.. What happened during last Summers transfer window then? What’s happened since. We should have had targets identified and wrapped up the minute the January window opened, Cheatski did. This has ALL happened on Poch’s watch and he has been meeker than an old testament sheep.

paul
paul
5 years ago

I have a different take. Don’t accept the 9 million and play Mousa as much as possible between now and the end of the season to help us out of shitstorm we’re sailing into. Then give him the send off he deserves standing in the middle of the new lav soaking up the admiration of players and fans alike for what he has given to us.

Is Gascoigne gonna have a crack?
Is Gascoigne gonna have a crack?
5 years ago

*good to see

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
5 years ago
Reply to  OrganicPaper

Its either poch has a replacement lined up or he knew dembs couldn’t reach the mad energy levels needed for his systems. I cant see poch letting the w a n k e r s weaken the squad for a little £10m. Malcon coming 🙂

Is Gascoigne gonna have a crack?
Is Gascoigne gonna have a crack?
5 years ago

Should have been dealt with 2 summers ago. Truly astonishing again from Levy. *winging it since 2001*
The perpetual joke roles on as Chelsea A G A I N take a player we could really have done with. Higuin on loan. I’ve lost count now. What a farce. What’s the point of sacrificing real achievement for Champions League places when it doesn’t make a piss of difference to players being attained? Once again , Chelski ain’t in the CL!? Of course its just about filling the duffel bags.
Goad to see Bielsa digging in, they are clearly going to mess with Leeds though, there were no wire cutters it was all bollox, the whole thing was blown up and it won’t be the last….

chrism090861
chrism090861
5 years ago
Reply to  OrganicPaper

I agree totally here, i loved Dembele, and always felt that our chances of winning a match were far better when he was on the pitch, but the issue is the replacement. We were told that there were no more squad places, well they knew he was leaving, and must have known for a while. I would have much preferred they kept him until the end of the season to assist us with our objectives, then said a nice goodbye to him and let him have a free to wherever he wanted to go. I reckon Levy would much rather have boiled his own head than let him go for free, and instead took 9 million and left us short. Cue us sitting around in the last hour of the last day of the transfer window, watching the lights being turned off at Hotspur Way !!

paul
paul
5 years ago
Reply to  paul

And for our corporate customers we have the truly terrifying Daniel Levy Transfer Experience. ‘So bad you’ll only ever ride it once’.

Elevenstonedidiots
Elevenstonedidiots
5 years ago

To replace the quality of Dembele in todays market would cost €50m. Unfortunately Levy is like me Granny who thinks £20 holds the same value as it did 50 years ago.

paul
paul
5 years ago
Reply to  Cabspur

I truly believe that (apart from no longer having a workable/credible scouting system) it is Levy, personally, that is the problem. No-one wants to deal with him, he’s toxic beyond categorising now and worse, he’s far too proud and self regarding to show he has any need of anything or anyone. He simply will not pick up the phone or engage in any process whereby anyone might be left with the impression that he has needs. That would inherently suggest the other party in the deal/conversation has value in the process and should be treated accordingly. So what we’re left with is the few agents that do call him up trying to shift the N’doo-doos of this world.

OrganicPaper
OrganicPaper
5 years ago

Great player, one who’s importance to the team will probably only be felt in his absence. One always got the feeling he was extremely highly though of in the dressing room as well as being a beast on the pitch.
I dont blame he club for letting him go. 9mil for an ageing and injured player with 6 months left on his contract is a fair deal.
HH is spot on, this was an inevitable situation that we failed to plan for – or deliberately did not plan for!

With no signings, we are not just treading water. We are getting weaker. All around us getting stronger.
There is no £50 million to spend. There is no short-term loan option. There is a 16yr old Irish kid and a few eager 20 somethings, the component parts of the players we are missing. Sadly we can not create Frankin-Levys monster and stitch them all together as one player.

We will be OK in the very short term but we need to be brave. Berry, berry brave

Ronan
Ronan
5 years ago
Reply to  paul

Very true, well said.

Cabspur
Cabspur
5 years ago

Enic suck my salty balls you utter cants.
Laters dembele ,taken every midfielder on in europe and done them with his double pirouettes,a joy to watch on his day.

Ronan
Ronan
5 years ago

Seems very odd to be moving him when there is still no replacement in sight, esp with Dier and Wanyam now out injured. The Moose would surely have been a huge stabilizing influence on the team as the business end of the season approachesd. It was only this time last year he was in arguably the most imperious form of his career, bossing that daunting run of fixtures against Man U, Liverpool and Arse that ultimately clinched top 4. He also bossed Juve on their own pitch. Absolutely untouchable, yet we are being asked to connive in a fiction that winks and skipp are his equals if not upgrades.

Cabspur
Cabspur
5 years ago
Reply to  paul

I’ve been watching this happen,need something?? Get it. Any other owners bar enic would see this!

chrism090861
chrism090861
5 years ago
Reply to  Tappaspur

I’m wondering if there was a newspaper reporter standing outside Levy’s office, and Poch came out after a meeting and said to him ‘Daniel’s just given me 50 million to spend’ !!! the mind boggles as to how they decide that ‘This’ is how much Spurs will spend !!

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
5 years ago

Is the £50m levy has given poch enough to buy david alaba malcon isco and calam wilson? Add them into our mix cups galore

eddie
eddie
5 years ago
Reply to  delboy denmark

Levy never has a plan B he always wings,it imbued with his own self believe.Well we all know how that has turned out for us.It gets ever more depressing.

Nick
Nick
5 years ago

The thought I’m left with is how long has Dembele been fit,while we’ve had to accept sissoko?

paul
paul
5 years ago
Reply to  The Boy

The Daniel Levy Car Crash Experience

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
5 years ago
Reply to  delboy denmark

Morn min spurs venner.

delboy denmark
5 years ago

Sorry but I dont get it. We are slowly falling apart, Eriksen wont sign, Alder and Verty had clauses extended. We are screwed at the mo unless Levy has a plan B.

Nick
Nick
5 years ago

Most skillfull player at the club since ginola.sad to see him go.Poch has said we’ve got to sell to buy,so there’s a squad place & £80k pw to get someone in now

Tappaspur
Tappaspur
5 years ago

Dems when your pockets full come back do your badges then coach our youts. And you toby. Defensive coach midfield coach. Oh lorentte you can come back too striker coach. Love your work with kane (technical) 🙂 🙂

paul
paul
5 years ago

Cheatski had/have a main striker problem and even though they have far more capable options to cover, (than us), they took the view of why would they let an obvious and solveable issue like this disrupt their momentum, table position and possibly whole season? So they set out to solve it; unencumbered by thoughts of there being nobody out there of requisite quality, unfazed by having to find someone within a budget and lo and behold, solve it they did. Cheatski have signed Gonzalo Higuain on loan from Juventus for the rest of the season.

paul
paul
5 years ago

Fare thee well Mousa, you more often than not were an absolute joy to behold and there’s many a match we wouldn’t have won without you. With the ball at your feet you struck fear into the hearts of the opposition and pride in the hearts of Spurs fans. For me you have been one of the best midfielders i’ve watched wearing the chicken badge. I’m just sorry that you never got to lift a meaningful pot with us and can’t help but feel that being hocked off to China for a pittance, without the opportunity to say goodbye from the pitch is an ignominious end for such a faithful and talented player.

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