Photo: Dail Mail
Written by Joe Pielago
CroatianSports.com’s rookie reporter Joe Pielago attended Tuesday night’s Tottenham Hotspur vs. Los Angeles Galaxy friendly at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California in search of Spurs new manager, Andres Villas-Boas’, honest opinion on Luka Modrić and his future at the club. Numerous rumors have been flying around about his transfer status to European giants Real Madrid, as well as PSG.
All video devices were asked to be turned off so I turned my phone to record the session via voice memo. AVB was calm, cool and collected while answering questions about taking over as Tottenham manager, but the moment I asked about Modrić, the questions flooded in.
Villa-Boas talks Luka Modrić @ 1:34
Quotes:
CroatianSports: “Andres, how much will you miss Luka Modrić?”
Andres Villas-Boas: “Of course he is an extremely good player that has brought Tottenham to reach success in the last couple of years. I think the fact that has been difficult for us to deal with and with clubs is because of Luka’s dimensions as a player and what he did for the team. So, ya of course he is an extremely good player, anybody or any coach would like to count on a player of that dimension. He’s still our player at the moment and at the moment I am counting on him.”
SkySports Reporter: “Where is he at the moment, is he coming out here to join the squad?”
Andres Villas-Boas: “He is in London. I decided for him to stay in London.”
Skysports: Will he come out at all for the tour?
Andres Villas-Boas: No I don’t think so, it’s something that I have to judge. The game against Liverpool is going to be played in the tremendous heat. We’re going to have three days of training for that game. Then eventually we have the last game against the New York RedBulls and that doesn’t give us a lot of time to train. At the level the others are at the moment, I think it will be insensible to bring Luka back.
SkySports: “Has he apologized at all for not coming?”
Andres Villas-Boas: “Well he has spoken to me and the chairmen and I think his apology is well welcomed and now the player is training and hopefully we can make the right decision in the future and we just have to wait on the bidding clubs to offer the right value for the player.”
SkySports: “What do you want for him, what is your value?”
Andres: “[Chuckle] I’m not the chairmen. I’m sorry.
[Chuckles form the whole conference]”
With his Tottenham career behind him, new Dynamo Kiev signing Niko Kranjčar slammed his old club in Soccernet this week. Kranjčar claims that management lied to players and set unreasonably high price tags on them when they wanted out.
There you have it CroatianSports nation. Straight from AVB, we have learned that Luka is going to train in London until the right offer comes in. But for now, he is still a Tottenham player and AVB is counting on him.
Levy is a horrible piece of shit.
Luka Modric Hopes of Real Madrid Transfer Dashed As Club Says They Won’t Pay 40Million
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/336296/Luka-Modric-hopes-of-Real-Madrid-transfer-dashed-as-club-says-they-won-t-pay-40m-
Igor Štimac objavio svoj prvi popis kao izbornik!
http://sportski.net.hr/nogomet/reprezentacija/igor-stimac-objavio-svoj-prvi-popis-kao-izbornik
Transfer done for 36 mil for Modric.
Off he goes to Madrid.
@mate…..slap me for what??? Being correct. You wouldn’t slap me. In fact, I’d buy you a beer if we ever met because I feel sorry for you being from cleveland.
@Mate Cleveland
Hallelujah!!!!!
You go and fly now Luka! Awesome f@#$%$# news for him and our national team!
And Ziva, I’m going to slap you if I ever meet you
http://www.caughtoffside.com/2012/07/29/tottenham-agree-36m-real-madrid-deal-to-sign-midfielder-luka-modric/
Free at last free at last, thank God almighty free at last
Let’s hope this isn’t bogus
@ Ziva- thanks for the info. Didn’t know about that.
@SeattleNate………I know the MLS rule, it has zero to do with my point…….there was a tax code that was changed a few years ago in Spain and in Spain its known as the Beckham tax rule. When Real was going after Beckham, plus Barca (because they have foreigners as well) had backers in the country’s national assembly who voted for a change to reduce taxes on foreign athletes playing in Spain. Since the change came at the time Beckham arrived, it was and is known as the Beckham rule.
What will I do with the free Tottenham hat that was given away to all the media members during the San Jose-Tottenham friendly? I like the look of the hat and can wear it to work sometimes.
I was always a Fulham fan so of course I will be cheering against Tottenham.
Real Madrid come into town next week, lets see if we can make anything happen.
Joe,
Good stuff my man! You did well for your first time watching the game from the media box. Thanks
Ziva – The “Beckham Rule” is the MLS Designated Player rule. It doesn’t have anything to do with taxes.
That said, you’re dead on with the French tax thing.
Levy will never make 40+ mil off another player while he’s still in charge. I’m sure future top talent are taking note of his conduct. He may seem like he’s in the driving seat and knows what he’s doing, but, this will damage his ability to draw top talent in the future.Saying he’s worth 40+mil yet paying him like he’s worth a fraction of that proves at least that Levy knew he woefully underpaid Modric for what he got in return.
…and I don’t buy that Bale being loyal to Tottenham is the reason he stayed. I didn’t really see much interest in him and his injuries from other clubs…especially at 40+ mil. It probably took him and Levy by surprise.
Can’t wait to cheer against Tottenham this upcoming season 🙂
I Don’t think Spurs will ever find a replacement for Modric on such short notice. Once they lose him and Bale, the team will fall off the map.
True – but the sooner he sells Modric, the more time and money he has to find a replacement.
Levy is playing this perfectly. He knows he won’t have Modric, so he really doesn’t care when he sells him as long as he does sell him by the end of August.
correction 42 million????
http://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/ipak-kraj-sapunice-real-dize-ponudu-za-modrica-na-42-milijuna-eura/628330.aspx
Aukcija se nastavlja: Real sad nudi 38 milijuna eura za Luku
http://www.nogometni-magazin.com/newspro/coranto/viewnews.cgi?id=EFuFuEAFAlmJnZCQhW&tmpl=coranto_eng_news
What the hell are yout talking about???? I understand you are from Cleveland and people are kind of slow out that way.
This conversation is about Modric. What does this have to do with Bilic?
Tell that to Bilic when he didn’t leave West Ham until he saved them from relegation….I have to school you in history
In Spain there is an exemption, the “Beckham rule”. Foreign athletes only have to pay 25% tax rate.
The current tax rate in France is above 40% right now, with some liberals calling for a 70% tax on individuals who earn over one million and increasing the tax rate to 45% for everyone making over 100K per year.
Again, I don’t think Modric will go to PSG. But, its not because he would be making less money in Spain and show it as a committment “to win throphies”. These guys play the game to get paid at this level.
Sorry Ziva, not 100% sure about that….not that I don’t believe you, just not 100% sure about that….I believe something has to do with being a foreign national
Not really, you should get your facts staright before making such comments…..
5 million at Real is still more after taxes than $6 million at PSG. France has a much higher tax rate and is about to go even higher. It’s the same thing LeBron james did with the Miami heat. he took less money in Miami than he could have received in Cleveland, but in reality it was not less money because there is no state income tax in Florida. Same this here.
If Modric ends up at PSG, they will have to pay him between $7-8 million
I just read that Modric would get paid 5 million euros at Real vs 6 million at PSG…Modric still wants to go to Real; I don’t know if he’ll get more opportunity at side bonuses or commercial contracts to make up the gap or more at Real, but him taking the less lucrative offer tells me he has class, that he strictly wants to go to win trophies, tko bi sad pricao protiv njega!
bravo to Niko Kranjcar for blasting Levy. Niko is well spoken and quiet dude, so you know if he blasted Levy – there has to be some truths to it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZoYUQSU38E
Do what you do man, 26 years old with a big choice, fucken exciting and i wish him all the best, although being a Man united fan i know what he should do!