Would Jay-Z pass the test to be a fit and proper owner for Tottenham?
The Mailbox questions Jay-Z’s suitability to take over Tottenham. Also, a postcard from the Women’s World Cup; one Man Utd fan is chuffed with Rasmus Hojland; and, inevitably, Jordan Henderson…
Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…
Peak Spurs-Z
It looks like more trouble at Spurs with their owner Joe Lewis accused of insider trading. If convicted he may sell the club and there is already a possible buyer on the horizon.
Said buyer would be a huge test of whether the ‘fit and proper persons test’ is actually a real thing. The Premier League would not be dealing with a Middle Eastern Dictator, shady Russian businessman or a former Thai Prime Minister. Jay-Z is rapper/businessman that once stabbed someone, shot his own brother, has been arrested for gun possession, allegedly punched a female fan and has openly gloated about being a crack and cocaine dealer for 14 years.
Does this seem like a ‘fit and proper person’ to own a Premier League club? I think not.
Person McPerson
Happy with Hojlund
Some assorted thoughts on Manchester United signing an actual, proper young striker (what a concept)!
– Patience will be key. The kid is 20 years old, in a new league, has been signed for a hefty price tag and is the only “real” striker at the club (for now). There will be plenty of challenges and stumbles along the way, but Ten Hag’s track record of developing young talent gives me a lot of hope.
– It’s nice to see United sign a striker who is still a few years away from his prime. Sure the fee could be considered an overpay, but the low wages mean it won’t be impossible to move him on if, heaven forbid, things don’t work out. It’s certainly a gamble worth taking.
– Having said that, he’s a tall, fast, physical striker with seemingly excellent movement and awareness in the box – a profile that’s enjoyed a lot of success in the Premier League over the years.
– It definitely helps that Højlund is apparently a huge Man United fan, I can only imagine what a thrill it must be for him to be signed by a team he’s supported growing up.
– I don’t think this signing should significantly alter United’s pre-season expectations. Enough people will say “they should be winning the league” and try to present that as fact, but it’s simply not realistic, with the club still very much in a transitional phase. Despite the money spent, there’s still some way to go before they can be considered true contenders, in my book.
City are still the team to beat, Arsenal will be up there, Liverpool will likely bounce back strongly too. Being in the mix for the title in March, finishing in the CL spots and winning a trophy (ideally the FA Cup) are what they should ideally be aiming for. Anything more will of course be most welcome!
For the first time in a while, I’m actually excited for the start of the Premier League season. United have managed to bring in the players Ten Hag wanted before the end of the pre-season tour, and have (for the most part) not been completely fleeced either. It was a low, almost subterranean bar to clear (cheers, Ed Woodward!) but it’s refreshing to see Man United behave like a serious, competent club again for a change.
DJ, MUFC (already dreading all the extremely forced Haaland/Højlund puns come Derby Day) India
Read more: Hojlund the new Haaland? He’s not yet the new Nunez. He needs time Man Utd might not have…
Postcard from Sydney
After returning from my holidays yesterday, I took my kids to the wwc game between German and Colombia in Sydney.
It’s an event, the largest sporting event in Australia since the olympics.
The stadium was 99% of capacity and 98% of that would have been Colombian supporters.
Germany were the overwhelming favourites, but Colombia got up with a last minute (97th I think winner). And queue the party in the stands… singing, dancing, my daughter is hoarse this morning(we’re not Colombian or German, she just wanted to support Colombia).
It was an unbelievable night, a proper football night.
Brilliant, nail biting game.
And it struck me, anyone not interested… are just not that invested. If they were, none of the other reasons for not being interested are redundant.
Who cares if the quality isn’t good if your team wins?
No one at the ground could care less that you could find higher quality elsewhere when a 97th minute winner is scored for the massive underdogs.
As a side note, the first Colombian goal was a cracker from an 18 year old Caciedo. She made her debut at 14, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 15 and scored one of the goals of the World Cup at 18. Brilliant story and what the game is all about.
Anyone not watching, is genuinely missing out.
Fortunately we have tickets to 4 more games. If the Australian team finish 1st in their group, we could potentially watch their side of the draw till the semis… that will be an experience (unfortunately they need results elsewhere in their favour for that to happen).
I’d urge anyone to watch the games involving their own nation at least, I’d bet they’d be surprised at how invested they become… it’s hard not to.
If not, just watch the Colombians, and absolute joy.
Liam
Some questions
Some very dull mailboxes recently so thought I’d email some half baked questions that hopefully will stimulate some discussion that isn’t about Henderson.
Do young teams ever fulfil their potential?
Everyone is very excited about arsenal’s future with some very exciting young players, with the prevailing view being that they can only get better over time with the team improving. My question is have there been any examples in the last 20 years of young teams that have progressed in that way and reached their potential? Off the top of my head you’ve got spurs under poch, Monaco with Mbappé, previous young arsenal sides, all of whom either got picked apart by bigger clubs or didn’t reach the ceiling expected. Who have I missed?
What’s going on at City?
City seem to be selling some of their key players with either no replacement or what feels like a downgrade (kovacic), city fans what’s the plan there? Is Pep so bored of winning he’s setting himself a challenge, or will his system continue turning every small, technical footballer into an efficient cog in his winning machine
Do transfer fees matter?
Each year the cost of an average-good player seems to go up by £10m. I remember the huge amount of piss taking when spurs signed Sissoko for 30m (which was fair enough, he was crap) but there’s now players I’ve never heard of going for £70m+. Are clubs banking on the fact that if you sign an ok player for £60m now, 2 years ok players will be worth £80m and overpaying won’t matter? If so, why is levy still refusing to pay £25m for someone to replace dier
What’s happened to Mane?
He went from one of the best & most consistent player in the prem to moving to Saudi Arabia, what’s going on?
Louis THFC
Henderson and Kane
I’m sick to the back teeth of the Henderson debate. Yet here I am. Again. It’s like one of those car crashes you want to look away from but keep peeping to see how it ends. Or a movie that’s so bad it’s actually quite good?
Anyhoo…Hendo fangirls keep making the dumbest excuses for why he’s now bending over to get Saudi riyals. The latest being that we should hold judgment until we see what he does with his riches…what?
These people are trying to paint Hendo as some latter-day champion of the downtrodden. A Robin Hood, stealing from the homophobes to rescue the alphabet peeps. *rolling eyes emoji*
Why can’t these people simply accept the simple fact that Hendo has turned his back on the very people he purported to champion? Plus, he’s a grown @$$ man who has every right to change his mind. And play fast and loose with his moral judgment. After all, it’s a free country where he comes from…
ION, Harry Kane ought to grow some gonads, tell Daniel Levy that he would be leaving on a free transfer at the end of the season, and then rock up at Old Trafford to lead us back to the glory glory days…
Money Magnet
Not everything is for sale
Atleast Seb responded. Thanks.
After writing “I can honestly – hand on heart – say that I would not gas a single human being for any amount of cash in the world.” Can you now stop with the insistence everything is for sale?
In addition, running a concentration camp in Nazi Germany was perfectly legal, it was a government job.
Just as playing football is completely legal and at the top 4 Saudi teams are also a government job.
I’m glad we could put that to rest though and agree… not everything has it’s price.
Liam.
Laws in Zimbabwe
Losing my mind at Dominic’s mail claiming that Zimbabwe merely “frowns upon” being homosexual rather than the reality:
– same-sex marriage is constitutionally illegal, which means if your partner is unwell you don’t have hospital visitation rights; if your partner dies or is incapacitated you don’t have right of attorney; your partner cannot immigrate into the country if they are a non-citizen, etc etc. All because the law says you cannot marry.
– all “actions perceived to be homosexual” are illegal. Good luck holding hands with (or god forbid, kissing) your partner in public: that’s 14 years imprisonment + a fine if you’re a gay man.
Dominic, I beg you to talk to a single queer person in your country. There’s no such thing as “a victim of hypocrisy by the LGBTQ”, given that most of our siblings worldwide are afforded even fewer rights than in Zimbabwe. Grow up.
Ajax (she/her)
And another thing…
Love that the law understanders have all written in to say that it’s not big deal for homosexuality to be illegal in the law books because nobody’s actually enforcing those laws, right?
Really betrays a lack of understanding how laws selectively target persecuted minorities rather than well-to-do tourists who can write in from their comfortable lives to wonder what all the fuss is about.
“I, a heterosexual, have never experienced these anti-gay laws being enforced!” Yeah, no shit.
Jordan “how could I go somewhere where the people I love couldn’t watch me play?!” Henderson is a hypocrite, end of.
Ajax
