Luka Modric Leaving For Chelsea Would Shatter Daniel Levy's Reputation

Until the transfer window is officially shut, the talk about Luka Modric going to Chelsea just will not die. Fight it all we'd like, that's the truth. In reality, the transfer window closing won't really end the talk about Luka moving to Chelsea. The talk will just shift to whether or not the Croatian will move to Stamford Bridge in January, but let's keep things limited to this transfer window. Chelsea have bid for Luka and the player has said he'd like to move, but Spurs' chairman Daniel Levy has said time and time again that Luka will not be sold no matter what. You know what that means? Levy, not Luka, is the one whose reputation is most on the line right now.

Even those who do not rate Luka as highly as most or believe that Chelsea have already bid more than the midfielder is worth are not advocating his sale at this point. Two months ago? Sure. Last week? Makes sense. Maybe even three days ago a sale made sense, but now? Even if Chelsea come in offering £40 million or £50 million, Spurs cannot be better off by selling Modric right now because they will not be able line up adequate replacements and turn whatever they get from Chelsea into quality buys before the transfer window closes.

At this point, if Levy decides to sell Modric it would not be to strengthen the squad now, but because he had a price all along and his insistence on not selling was all just a negotiating tactic. The entire summer would have been a lie and it would be a slap in the face to the supporters of a club that would have to watch a team that is worse on September 1 than it was on August 31.

At the beginning of the summer, Levy said the following: "In respect of Luka Modric, we are not prepared to sell, at any price, to Chelsea or any other club."

There it is. That hasn't changed. Now, as the clock counts down to the close of the transfer window it better not change. Spurs would move on from the sale of Modric. Scott Parker is coming in so the team wouldn't be short on midfielders, even if they would be short on class. Eventually more players would come in, Tottenham will continue to build and Luka Modric himself would not go down in Tottenham lore as the one who got away or the evil Croatian. Modric's sale would not even be remembered for Modric. It would be remembered for Levy.

If Modric is sold, August 31, 2011 will go down as the day Spurs supporters could no longer trust Daniel Levy. He's always been known as a shrewd negotiator willing to play whatever media game necessary to get the best price for Tottenham, but the Modric saga is different than most. He insisted that Modric was one of several key players who had to stay with the club for the club to continue to compete in the top part of the table. Sell him now and what is he saying?

Levy's reputation is on the line here. If Modric goes, he will have lost the trust of the Spurs supporters for good. Nothing he says will ever be taken seriously. The supporters will not trust him to do the right thing. Modric may go, but Levy stays and his reputation will be in tatters. Mr. Chairman, should we ever trust or believe you again?

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