England midfielder Carrick leaves Tottenham
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What has otherwise been a fairly satisfactory off-season for English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur turned sour today as the protracted move of midfielder Michael Carrick to Manchester United has been finalised.
United's original £10 million bid for Carrick during the World Cup was resisted by Tottenham. But, it became clear after England were knocked out of the tournament that the deal was going to be done. Carrick, a member of England's World Cup squad, rejected Tottenham's contract offer and the club were not willing to break the salary structure to accommodate him.
The silver lining, or more like it brass lining, is that Spurs got the transfer fee up to £18 million, a profit of over £15 million. That's the second highest fee paid by a Premier League over the summer after Chelsea's purchase of A.C. Milan striker Andrei Shevchenko for about £30 million.
Cash in the bank for Tottenham is welcome and could be used to further strengthen the squad, but Carrick leaves a big whole in the centre of midfield. Time is running out in the transfer window to find a suitable replacement.
On the positive side, Spurs have signed a couple of quality players over the summer. Didier Zokora, Ivorian midfielder, adds class and unpredictability. Up front, Dimitar Berbatov replaces the ever popular Mido and keeps up the competition for the two striking positions. Man United have also been linked with England castoff Jermain Defoe who spent the best part of 2004-5 on the bench for Spurs.
Source
Date
Fri 07/28/06, 2:23 pm EST
