Good morning!
We've missed out on Michy which has led to two major schools of thought. One, the #EnicOut brigade who think that Daniel's constant pushing of the negotiation envelope is the cause for everything bad ever to happen to our team obviously blame him for dragging his feet. Two, the crowd who aren't all that mad that we didn't spend big money on a guy who may not start many games for Tottenham when the squad is healthy.
Sure, it's nice to have a backup striker to bring on and change games or keep the level high for the 18-20 matches he starts, but let's face it, the money is tough to spend on a part time player. People will point to Sonny as a counter to this narrative, but he was not purchased last summer with a backup role in mind. Erik Lamela jumped almost two levels of performance, and while I've always loved him, we never thought Dele Alli would be playing in the hole and even as a vertical threat on the counter. Sonny's lot in life just kind of happened.
We all agree with me now. Good. Back to Michy.
The all important piece of information here are the actual wages he wanted. You ever know someone who was "house poor"? If unfamiliar, that means they could afford the massive four bedroom and three bath home, but then figured out that they had to furnish that behemoth and, well, that wasn't in the budget. So while things look good from the outside, things on the inside, away from the public eye, are less than desirable.
Michy was reported to want big wages, which means that we would have to give every one of our players big raises, and with perennial Champions League far from guaranteed, and a new stadium to pay for, the deal started to be less appealing. And now he's off, but as always, it's probably not as simple as it seems.
And now for the "news":
The article that begat a Hoddle| The Times
You can look at my article as the remix. And like the Remix to Igniton, the much better version.
Eric Dier was sick against Iceland| Mirror
No, not "sick bro". He was f****** ill. It's ok, Eric, come home to us; we'll take good care of you, not like that nasty Uncle Roy.
Marcus Willis played Federer and has a blast| SB Nation Tennis
This is how all footballers who aren't Eric Dier should address Dele Alli before and after matches. Just give in to his greatness. Eric gets to keep his routine, epic as it is.
The end of Spain's golden generation| SB Nation Soccer
Seriously, how much do the roosevelts/Salmon fawn over Andi Thomas articles? We are pathetic, but at least with good taste in football writers.