Walk On Bye
Kyle Walker to City for a cool £53M. Cue the usual passionate debates relating to how we've weakened ourselves and strengthened a rival. I stated the following earlier in the week:
Although one player looks certain to be gone. Kyle Walker. I guess this one is paradoxical. It's been made clear by manager and chairman we don't sell our best players unless Pochettino approves. It's easy for me to consider this statement as a sly, diplomatic way to do just that (sell our best players) and disguise it as a transfer out we can easily live with. Maybe we can do with the £40M - £50M we'll probably get for him? It's either going to the war chest or the shoe box under Levy's bed. Maybe Poch feels the amount City are willing to pay is so much more than he's worth. The player might be homesick (which is the polite way to say he wants to earn a ridiculous amount of money) and that this syncs perfectly with the money we'll gain from his ambition to be elsewhere.
In the end, it's two separate things converging into one to suit both sides. Accidentally or otherwise, the only relevant factor is the conclusion.
Walker was infamously injured whilst at home (in the garden?) before the Southampton match. There was a blatantly obvious breakdown in the relationship he had with Pochettino. We could all see it. It meant it made it easy for him to move on when Poch made the footballing decision to let him go. But then for all we know we could have been blessed with another transfer request saga had there been no such incident between the gaffer and the right back.
City would have got involved either way. Alas, we'll never know. In our universe he's been sold and he's more than content to leave. Let's not pretend he never considered it and wanted it - fall out or otherwise. In a parallel dimension it might have all been amicable and he remained loyal to our momentum. In this one, Poch sensed enough to sacrifice him. If your heart aint in it etc etc.
No doubt we'll be right back here again next season when clubs look to do the same with the likes of Dele, Eric Dier and perhaps one or two others. We'll be tested. The new stadium, the extra revenue and the potential for actually claiming some silverware between now and then means we might be in a better position to defend any external or internal strategic (agent) movement. If you can triple your money, quad your earnings thanks to sponsorship...away from N17, it will be all you ever think about. The task ahead of us remains monumental. To avoid disbandment, to avoid a reboot of our core mechanics...we have to go out there and create history. We've fighting against every one of our rivals and the demonic structure of modern player power.
One thing is for certain, either way, Tottenham are not going away. We're balls deep regardless of the obstacles and threats. If we had the financial clout of a City, nothing would stop us. Hence that monumental leap of success that's required on the pitch.
It's done. He's gone. I thank him for his services. Top player, top man, his ambitions don't align with ours. I think we'll be fine.
