New Blackburn Rovers boss Paul Ince is interested in two Tottenham players and they could well form part of a swap deal that would see David Bentley move the other direction, but surely Juande is on the losing end of this deal?

David Bentley is moving closer to a £15m move to Spurs after new Blackburn boss Paul Ince indicated he could agree a part-exchange deal involving Aaron Lennon. Ince is also eyeing striker Darren Bent - still an £8m target for Sunderland. (The Observer)

I don’t see this deal as being much of a fair swap. Whilst both Aaron and Darren didn’t have the ideal of seasons, Lennon has a great deal of potential and is on his day one a feared winger. Bent too has a great deal to offer, albeit his future may lie away from WHL he’s surely better than just a makeweight in any deal. Do Spurs fans think that JR should rethink about this potential swap? Should Lennon and/or Bent stay at the club?

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon and Manchester United chief executive David Gill will be holding talks in Switzerland about the Cristiano Ronaldo problem.If the talks break down they’re going to solve things using plan B - shown above.

Well, well, well, that didn’t take long did it?

With Spurs fans getting excited about the performances of their new midfield playmaker at Euro 2008, Arsene Wenger has allegedly scoffed at the lad’s chances of settling into the Premier League due to his weak, baby-like body. According to Martin Samuel at the Times Online,

Wenger has studied Modric’s spindly legs and twig-like frame first hand and visualised him being snapped in half by an opponent twice his size in the depths of an English winter. Isn’t that a shame?

No quotes there from Samuel, which makes the whole story dubious at ideal, but he continues nonetheless,

Yet Wenger, arguably the most sophisticated thinker in the Premier League, wouldn’t take a chance on him.

Having delivered his verdict, it was pointed out that Cesc Fàbregas, Arsenal’s playmaker, isn’t exactly the first person one would call on to get a book off the top shelf in the library, but Wenger saw it differently. He mimed Fàbregas by sticking out his chest and his chin to indicate a pocket general. In Wenger’s opinion, Fàbregas is one of those short, stocky items, a compact unit that can’t be easily knocked over, like those Mexican boxers who operate in the lower weight divisions, whereas Modric was one of those awkward challengers from Europe that always end up on the canvas.

Ouch. Thoughts/insults on a postcard (the comments).

After tracking player’s from La Liga for the last couple of weeks, Tottenham boss Juande Ramos is apparently now interested in bringing in someone with a bit of Russian flare to the club. It’s just too bad the striker’s current employer isn’t interested in making a deal.

The Daily Mirror is reporting that Juande’s move for Spartak Moscow man Roman Pavlyuchenko will remain nothing more than a pipe dream for the time being after Spartak rejected a £10m offer.

Tottenham have had a £10m bid for Spartak Moscow striker Roman Pavlyuchenko rejected by the Russian side. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham it seems has been linked with everyone under the sun recently, so like most rumours, I’d probably take this bid with a grain of salt. However, with the rumours swirling around about Robbie Keane moving to Liverpool, you’ve to wonder if this could be Juande’s contingency plan if he does decide to move.

Would Tottenham supporters welcome a move for the Russian striker? Do you think he’s worth more than his £10m+ valuation?

” Barcelona have made it clear that their priority this summer is signing a striker with physical presence, after sanctioning the departure of Samuel Eto’o.”

I never thought about Adebayor as a physical presence. Yes, he’s tall and he does play with his back to goal but an adjective such as physical is an inaccurate descriptor. He is no Viduka or Drogba. He does not bull his way through or possess a rasping shot that catches a goalie out of position. In fact, there’s a languid sort of quality which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. His long legs add a deceptive dimension to his less than blazing speed, enabling him to direct in a memorable goal after a nifty Fabregas pass against Man Utd a couple of seasons ago.

Ade’s style is indirect and more finesse. When he’s sharp, he can kill defenses with well timed deflections or re-directions through opportunities created by Arsenal’s busy midfield. It resulted in a 30 goal breakthrough season. He was more productive than Ronaldo who had far more chances. However against more aggressive defense, Ade frequently shows a heavy first touch which results in a number of balls taken away. At a crucial time last season, Ade’s output deserted him. Arsenal couldn’t purchase a win as their reliance on moving through the middle rendered them predictable and stacked up defences successfully isolated Ade. As demonstrated many times over, Ade’s success is contingent on Arsenal’s midfield ascendancy.

Thierry Henry’s transfer had less impact than anticipateed. With Deco moving to Chelsea, good luck to Barca if they believe Ade can provide the Terminator role.