Tottenham Hotspur have finally sold Luka Modric after two summers of constant rumors, false reports and consternation from the club's supporters. The club announced on Monday that they have agreed to sell Modric to Real Madrid. No transfer fee was announced.
"Luka has been a terrific player for us and, whilst we preferred not to part with him, we are pleased that it is to Real Madrid, a club with which we now look forward to sharing a long and productive partnership," Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said in a club release.
That partnership was included in the club's announcement that Modric had been sold, but they did not do much to clarify what the partnership includes. They will work together in coaching, playing, front office and commercial business. Exactly what that means is unclear, but the real news is the sale of the Croatian.
Nobody is surprised that Modric has been sold. If there is any surprise it is that it took this long. Maybe the delay was in sorting out exactly what this "partnership" with Real Madrid is, but it hasn't done Spurs much good.
Levy now has until Friday to spend the money that Real paid Tottenham for Modric. Odds are that it is for about £30 million with add ons that could push it higher. That's a big chunk of change, but it is only as good as what Tottenham do with it.
Spurs still need a striker to backup Emmanuel Adebayor, could use another central midfielder and young depth at almost every position wouldn't be a bad idea. Whether the buys are Leandro Damiao, Willian, Joao Moutinho or someone the club has not been linked to, Levy now has to move and move quickly.
Finally, the Modric saga is over. The Croatian was nothing short of brilliant for Spurs and now he moves to one of the biggest teams in the world. Best of luck to him at the Bernabeu, but Tottenham don't have much time to wish him well. They have their own problems to fix and not much time to do it.
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