Tottenham open to offers for midfield misfit, but nobody's bidding

Tottenham Hotspur are open to the idea of selling fringe midfielder Benjamin Stambouli, according to Sky, but nobody has yet formally bid on the player. This comes on the heels of a report that Marseille had expressed interest in signing the French central midfielder, and quotes from the player that indicated that he wasn't interested in leaving England.

That leaves some openings for new rumors! According to Get French Football News, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Benjamin Stambouli has caught the eye of Watford, as the newly promoted side begins to bolster their squad for the upcoming season.

We're not inclined to believe anything about his transfer just yet, but GFFN is citing an earlier L'Equipe story as its source, so make of that what you will. L'Equipe's word is not bond, and we can't find the original story online anyway, but it is not like this is the Mirror making things up.

What should influence your belief in this story, however, is a key line found at the end of this update.

The newly promoted Premier League side have made contact with the player's entourage and the player is supposedly not against the move. More undoubtedly to follow.

This sums up how transfer rumors start quite nicely.

Allegedly, Watford hears that Stambouli is unsettled but prefers an England stay, contact his agent (or maybe the agent contacts the club), his agent sees an opportunity to drum up interest, and, subsequently, the discussion is leaked to the press. Voila, a rumor.

It does not speculate on the probability that Watford can negotiate a fee with Tottenham, that a wage deal can be brokered between the player and club, or that selling Stambouli is even a priority for the Lilywhites. While this is a good bit of transfer rumor fun, I would not get hopes up quite yet. However, this seems like particularly juicy fodder for future rumors, so expect Benji to be a transfer target from here on out.