Ostracized Spurs frontman targeted by Middle Eastern club in big money move

Upon entering this transfer window, it was believed that Tottenham Hotspur were looking to unload at least one of their surplus strikers, whether it be Roberto Soldado, who is now linked to Villarreal CF in La Liga, or Emmanuel Adebayor, who is once again linked to a club in the United Arab Emirates.  The website GulfNews.com seems to believe that Al-Ahli Dubai (not to be confused with Egyptian giants Al Ahly) was on the verge of signing Brazilian footballer Luis Adriano and have now turned their attention to Adebayor. There's a lot more to unwrap in this source, even though that one sentence might bring tears to your eyes with laughter.

Normally, our #BatCountry links don't even have quotes and are generally just speculation, but this article has a direct set of quotes from the president of the club, Abdullah Al Naboodah, who states the following in the article:

Abdullah Al Naboodah, President, Al Ahli said that he was hopeful of a big signing soon, even as "early as within this week".

"We can’t afford to waste time. We do not have the time. We need a striker as soon as possible," Al Naboodah told Gulf News during the road cycle races held as part of the Third Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Ramadan Sports late on Friday.

"Yes, I’ve heard that he [Luis Adriano] has agreed to sign for Milan," Al Naboodah said in answer to a query.

There is truth in what was going on in this article, as sources even at ESPNFC.com claim that Al-Ahli Dubai and Shaktar Donetsk had an agreement in principle for a transfer fee until AC Milan stepped in and snatched the Brazilian away from the UAE-based club.

So where does Adebayor come into all this?  That's where the #BatCountry portion comes into play, as the only portion that talks about the Togo striker is this small excerpt towards the end:

With the Adriano deal falling through, the buzz is that former Togo and Tottenham Hotspur star Emmanuel Adebayor is now being wooed by Al Ahli.

It would appear that this is a club that could afford Adebayor's wages as they were willing to splash the cash for Adriano, who ended up signing a contract worth £5.7m annually.  Depending on what outlet you read, this is right around what Adebayor's salary is listed as (Google search will tell you that his salary is £5.84m as of 2012) so if he only cares about making sure his wages don't take a hit, then this is a move that would suit him.

The problem with this rumor, of course, is the standard #BatCountry checklist:

• No quotes regarding Adebayor
• No sources other than a writer saying "The buzz is...."
• This is the only outlet reporting anything about the move