There’s no doubt that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is nobody’s mug when it comes to wringing the last dollar out of a deal, and it should come as no surprise that the club’s apparent aspiration to pair Spain’s David Villa and Belgium’s Christian Benteke as their spearhead for next season will be entirely planned to fall in line with the Levy doctrine.
Although the deal for Barcelona’s David Villa is thought to be fairly well advanced – at least unofficially, that is – it’s inevitable that there will be a bit of fee and salary haggling before any deal can be finalised. It’s thought however that Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas, is fairly relaxed that he’ll be getting his player. With new Brazilian recruit Paulinho already in the bag, and with Levy’s adamant statements that Gareth Bale will not be leaving the club this summer, the Portuguese is happy to leave the horse-trading to his boss.
Levy’s logic on getting the best deal on Benteke appears to be based on the assumption that the Belgian striker, who had a sensational season for a struggling team last term, will not be signing a new deal with Aston Villa. After Paul Lambert plucked the unknown player from the obscurity of Genk in Belgium for a fee of £7million, Benteke’s performances have alerted the the premier League’s top club’s as to his prowess and suitability for the English game.
It goes without saying that Villa will not want to lose their star player, and the Midlands club have been busy in the transfer market already this season. As well as improving the squad, if the desire of the club to progress, can also convince Bentke to prolong his time in the second city, it will be a job well done. The problem is of course if that if no new deal is agreed, Benteke will remain on his existing deal, thought to bring him in the region of £20,000 per month. This will leave him prey to an approach from to Tottenham.
The waiting game is always a dangerous one to play, especially if some other club takes an interest in the player, but Levy is an arch-exponent, and will probably be prepared to lose the player if a deal cannot be concluded on his terms. With Adebayor apparently likely to move on this summer, a front pairing of Benteke and Villa is an exciting prospect for the White Hart Lane faithful, but if Levy overplays his hand, and Benteke’s stays at Villa, he’ll need to have a Plan B up his sleeve for rapid execution.
Source: DSX
