CanadaSaint

I've heard them all say that he has a year left on his contract but never once (at least in the last month or so) heard any of them say that he is happy. Can you point to me to a recent quote? And what seems to have "passed you by" is the point of my post - that Pochettino could have headed much of this off at the pass by saying that he wants to stay and wants to keep the squad together. Instead, we have complete silence while he appoints as his agent someone close to Levy and while the "Pochettino to Tottenham" stories gather pace by the day. And the more that happens, the more some of our key players eye the exit door. All it needed (needs) was (is) some semblance of reassurance from MP that he wants to stay.

Therein rests my real annoyance with Pochettino - and it's a very big one that makes me question his character. That saddens me more than I can say because, until now, I've been a big fan of his. He is the only person in the club who had the ability to prevent this period of widespread instability from ever occurring - not Katharina or Ralph or Les Reed, but himself. Just a few words of commitment - even mild commitment - could have changed everything. Instead, he has apparently chosen to adopt a policy of silence while he pursues employment elsewhere - and he's done this not as a fall-back option but as his main option. Once embarked on that policy it's very difficult to change direction and plead for loyalty to the club from the key players. After all, he hasn't shown much himself. As sad as it makes me to say this, I've pretty much already turned the page on Pochettino and I'm wondering - and worrying - about who's next.

I expected this to be Liverpool's first bid aimed in our direction - far more so than one for Lallana. Nearly all of the big club have major issues in the middle of the back row (key players aging or leaving or falling short on the quality front), so there will probably be huge competition for Lovren. I'll be very pleasantly shocked if he starts next season in our colours, but at least we should get a hell of a fee for him if he goes.

Balotelli, for the most part, was popular with teammates - even if they were occasionally frustrated with his antics. Osvaldo, on the other hand, aims his venom at his own people and has caused internal trouble at several clubs. But you're right, the "is he worth the bother" question is much more easily resolved in Balotelli's case because he's far more likely to add than subtract value.

Osvaldo doesn't do humility, and that will forever be his achilles heel. That, rather than his talent level, is why he's not going to Brazil. As I said early in this thread, Italy would be crazy to include someone with a more than 50% chance of damaging squad harmony.

I've asked this question multiple times on this forum without ever receiving any answers, so I'll try again in this thread. Why would the intensely private Katharina (the media couldn't even find any pictures of her for quite a time) step out of the deep shadows to take on a high-profile role in one of the highest-profile sports leagues in the world if she planned on presiding over a period of cutback, stagnation and inevitable decline? And, in follow up: Why (if she wasn't that interested) didn't she sell the club when it was probably at its peak value - unless she had plans to make it even more valuable? Why would she come to games (an international trip for her) and take an obviously active role when she can hire anyone she wants to do this stuff and stay well clear of it herself?

There's a couple of questions surrounding all of this that I find rather interesting: 1) If the relationship between Cortese and Pochettino was as close as it was rumoured to be, and if Cortese had long been at loggerheads with Katharina (as he supposedly was), why didn't Cortese strike-out the (alleged) "two million pounds to leave" clause before he left or at least change it to one which only applied of he was still CEO? Granted, Katharina could have got him out of there too quickly for him to do it, but it would have been an understandable gesture for a (supposed) friend and a hell of a poison pill for Katharina. Sure, she could have sued him for "failing to act in the best interests of the corporation" but that would take a lot of proving in court. 2) Doesn't that period show that Pochettino is quite adept at posturing in his own best interests (as he may be over the potential Spurs move)? After all, when he threatened to quit if Cortese went, he must have known about the (alleged) "two million pounds to leave" clause, and he must also - therefore - have known that he wasn't going anywhere. Thoughts?

If Liverpool were going to take a run at any of our players, I expected it to be at Lovren. I'd hate to lose him but IMO he was better in the first half of the season, although he picked things up towards the end. The part that troubles me is that if we lose Lovren we might see a 20% perfomance drop in Fonte unless we splash big cash on a replacement. Those two worked well together in Pochettino's system.

I don't think there's any need for some of these comments about Krueger - he's a very good guy and he'll do good things for the club. However, the club is currently coming across to other clubs as weak and indecisive, and that's why they are circling over our players - the latest being Spurs supposedly taking a crack at Rodriguez. We don't need a return to Cortese's antagonistic style but we could sure do with a strong statement that we are not willing to sell our best players, and that any approaches will be summarily rejected. For me, given the lack of consistency in the Red/Krueger messaging, that statement now needs to come from Katharina herself - and soon. It would do a lot to clarify the situation and calm frayed nerves. But the most effective statement wouldn't be verbal - it would be tying up Pochettino. If and when that happens, everything changes.

Aside from all the reasons that Adam should consider, there is the distinct likelihood that it will fall apart because Liverpool are unwilling to meet our valuation. After deducting the Bournemouth cut (and possibly even before), he's worth more to us than he is to them, and I can see the club digging its heels in for a much higher price than Liverpool are willing to pay. That's risky if you're dealing with a petulant prima donna, but Lallana is a million miles from that.

I believe that KL is willing to invest, but invest responsibly. I'm still waiting for some kind of credible response - any response, actually - to a question I have posed several times on here: Why would the intensely private Katharina (remember, nobody could even find a picture of this mega-rich heiress at the start) take a high-profile position in one of the highest-profile sports leagues in the world if she planned on leading it to stagnation and then a downward spiral? The club was extremely valuable and extremely salable when she took over but A) she didn't sell it, and B) she stepped out of the shadows to lead it. Let's not confuse want-away players and end-of-season instability with lack of ambition. I have no idea what our club will look like in August but I think it will be pursuing a carefully considered and well-funded plan to improve on this year's progress.

It's not difficult to foresee a situation in which clubs aren't willing to meet our valuation - especially with the Bournemouth cut being such a key factor, so I'd say the odds are on him staying even if he'd like to go. And I don't think he's the sort to go sulky on the club if things don't work out.

Given his positioning for Mata's free kick, he was probably in the car park.

Some of the personal interpretations people are attaching to Krueger's recent comments are ridiculous. We never, never ever, intended to compete with the big boys in the transfer market - not under Cortese and not under Krueger, so why are some people viewing that comment as the end of an era? We've always said that we'd mix Academy-grown talent with shrewd acquisitions. The Academy side of the equation we've got right - more so than any other club. The side we've screwed up is the transfer side - some big money for some low-commitment talent, the very kind that doesn't fit our style. On the other hand, relatively cheap players have been vital for us. If players go this summer it won't be to balance the books, it will be because they want to go. Or possibly, in the case of Luke, because Pochettino and the management team feel that the resultant 25-30 million inflow (on top of the planned transfer budget) will buy us a much better all-round squad despite a quality decline at LB. Do people seriously believe that the intensely private Katharina has taken such a public profile with Saints because she doesn't care if it all goes backwards? I know it's a lot to ask but I think we all need to take a chill pill and see what unfolds, even if the early stages involve one or more of Lallana, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Lovren and Pochettino leaving.

Lallana for me because he has attributes you just can't teach. People far less biased than us see him as one of the most creative players England have selected in years. Schneiderlin is second because, while he's a tremendous talent, that section of our midfield requires players with superb fitness levels, an ability to tackle, an ability to "read" play, a willingness to create pass options by running off the ball, and the ability to hit crisp, shorter (often one touch) passes. That skill set is demanding but there are far more of that type of player around than Lallana types. Moreover, those are "coach-able" skills, as the improvement in Wanyama since the start of the season demonstrates. Steven Davis is nowhere a level one talent, but he fits extremely well into our midfield and the way Pochettino wants us to play. I'd hate to see Schneiderlin go but he's replaceable. Luke is third - not because I don't rate him (he's a fabulous talent) but because I think we can replace him (albeit with somewhat of a downgrade) and use the money to strengthen where we desperately need to strengthen. We can emerge from the Summer as an all-round better squad without him.

Perhaps Pochettino and the players are working to the same script - they all want to stay but only if A) Pochettino stays, B) all the key players stay, and C) there's decent money for squad strengthening. That's one side of what seems like an impasse, and uncertainty works in their favour when it comes to putting the pressure on the other side. Katharina and Krueger would very much like all of them to stay but they probably want to sell Shaw in order to make A) and C) happen. That's the other side of what seems like an impasse. But it's not really an impasse at all - at least yet, because those things can't really be resolved before the end of the season. Unfortunately, trying to sit in the middle is Les Reed, who might be more of a liability than an asset when it comes to big decision times like this.

I hope you're right - the thought also crossed my mind when I was trying to process the accelerating signals concerning Lallana. If this is a joint pressure tactic aimed at getting Pochettino tied up for the longer term and giving him a decent transfer budget, it's a somewhat dangerous but actually rather encouraging situation. In a lot of ways it makes perfect sense for them to stay together, and they must know that it's far from certain that the same people would enjoy similar success (never mind satisfaction) elsewhere.

Yeah, I think you are reading a little too much into it. J-Rod has been excellent this season but he was competing with some established international talent and would probably have been a certain (but late) cut. Still a tremendous accomplishment. Hodgson's saying it could happen to anyone, including shoo-ins. As for Lambert, he brings things to the table that Carroll couldn't bring in a million years - on and off the pitch; some of those things are "key imponderables" in the cauldron of a World Cup. I think he'll go.

Hodgson's frequent presence at our recent games suggests that one or two of our guys are right "on the bubble". Lallana's close to 100% to go in everyone's eyes, so that leaves Shaw and Lambert. Lambert offers so much more than Carroll and he's shown that in recent weeks; add to that the positive impact he'll bring to the dressing room (unlike Carroll), which is a key element at World Cup time, and I reckon he's at 80% now. Shaw has continued to show solid form and amazing maturity, which should push him up to 60% vs Cole; pressure from inside the FA to take some "players for the future" probably notches him up to 80% as well. I think all three will go; they'd be near-certainties if they were at bigger clubs. Like you, I think Corky offers a stamina, work rate and efficiency that would benefit the midfield (much more than several of the "easy" choices he's made up until now), and Clyne's display at the weekend can't have gone unnoticed. However, Hodgson hasn't included either of them in the build-up (which he probably now regrets) and he won't have the gonads to include either of them now. Other than that I agree with your squad.

The most troubling element for me is the major increase in speculation that Lallana is looking to move, because I'd always had him pegged as someone who was very keen to stay. Until now I've felt that most of the key members of the squad were reasonably committed, although Shaw was almost certain to leave. I was happy to accept that Pochettino was using brinkmanship to pressure Katharina and Ralph into coming out with the best possible salary and incentive package and - just as important to him - a significant transfer budget. But the increase in speculation surrounding Lallana is really starting to make me think that he knows something we don't know, and that this has resulted in more "come and get me" signals, whether or not we see them. Having said that, Pochettino is a smart man. While there's major appeal in going to one of the "big clubs", he's unlikely to do it if the key players in their squad are not the kind to play his kind of football. Few stack up better than us on that front. Something else he really likes, I suspect, is the ability to bring young players through who play football "his way", and - again - few clubs (if any) stack up better than us. With the salary and transfer budget issues resolved, he has more reasons to stay than to go. Pochettino is the key piece in this jigsaw of speculation because if he were to commit to us, most of the key players probably would as well. Until then the speculation will continue to run riot, which makes it all the more surprising that Katharina and Ralph haven't brought this to a head. The longer they allow it to remain up in the air, the harder it will be to resolve it if things go pear-shaped. Anxious times - all the more so because his decision could trigger a major exodus and a return to the scary drawing board.

Either that or we will.

It's going to be interesting but I'm sure that some key facts will play a big part: This management team inherited a transfer deficit that they made quite a big deal about. We don't know whether they did that to discredit Cortese or dampen fan expectations for the Summer. Probably both. Our success rate in bringing Academy players into the first team (and keeping them there because they're doing well) is far, far better than our track record for doing the same thing with high-price stars (who have largely fallen way below expectations and probably lost value). Hardworking players have fitted much better into Pochettino's system than high skill/lower-energy/often-fragile stars who usually cost a lot of money. The club has expressed its commitment to financial sustainability time and again. Ralph Krueger comes from a sport in which players are not sold to other clubs for cash; they are traded for comparable player value. Looking at all of that, I suspect that there will be a modest transfer budget and, while Pochettino "won't be forced to sell any players he doesn't want to sell", he'll have to sell someone (most likely Luke) if he wants a larger transfer budget. The big question for me is not how big the transfer budget is, but whether that will be acceptable to Pochettino.

It's quite striking when you watch the international games and see our guys alongside some talented kids from other clubs who are already too self-absorbed and petulant for their own good. We must have some amazing but largely anonymous people back there, working away every day at the academy. And I'm hoping that this side of the club is going to be a powerful force in convincing Pochettino that he doesn't really want to go anywhere else.

Couldn't agree more.

Don't disagree with most of that, but the attraction of playing at one of the big clubs must be powerful in their eyes - Schneiderlin must fancy his chances of replacing Arteta, Lovren must fancy his chances in either central spot at Liverpool or Man U, and Shaw must fancy his chances at pretty much any one of the Big Four (Liverpool included). And that appeal increases if Pochettino leaves us. Yes, we've had a good season but everything is relative. We haven't "won anything" (big in the eyes of players) and the manager at the heart of our progress (and theirs) is undecided about his future. If I was Krueger /Katharina, I'd recognize the vulnerability and do everything I can to sign Pochettino to a contract extension ASAP. That's the key piece in this jigsaw of rumour. At least until then, all the other pieces are in play.