Who Is This Pini Zahavi Chap, Then?
Sunday, 28 September 08, 02:57 AM · Comments (264)
The slow but steady influx of foriegn investors in English Premiership Clubs only to gathers momentum. Unless you happen to be a rejected, rotund retailer of course. Speculation that Tottenham would 'eventually' be sold to fabulously wealthy suitor has been doing the rounds for some time.
The Guardian piece HERE is interesting. And in the words of The Wonder Pet's Ming Ming, I would suggest 'this is serious.'
Pini Zahavi is not your usual football agent and to confuse him as such would be a mistake.
His client list is impressive enough but it is the manner in which he conducts his business that separates him from what is generally acknowledged a pretty down at heel herd.
It was Zahavi was the man who organised Ferdinand to United. He put Defoe in Portsmouth. He brought Dos Santos to The Lane. But those are just a few notable player deals.
He was the man responsible for brokering the aqusitions of Chelsea FC by Abramovich and Portsmouth FC by Gaydamak.
His cultivation of relationships with some of the most improtant football people on the planet are well documented, but it is his constant presence as a vanguard of football business that puts him in a bracket of his own making.
So who is Pini Zahavi? At times a controversal character. He was a broker for Media Sports Investment, the outfit behind the whole Tevez and Mascherano affair. He was also named in the Stephen's enquiry. But Zahavi would undoutedly argue when you're blazing a trail things happen to you and situations arise. If you want anonmity and peace don't become a king maker.
My conclusion is that if this guy is genuinely involved in any takeover discussions at Tottenham then this is real, this is happening and the as yet unnamed Asian billionaire would be an interesting prospect. I would say sound, but who can predict the future?
Besides, anyone who described Ken Bates as 'a revolting character' can't be all bad.
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Reply to JimmyGrieves:
This is good news, I think. We're in real danger of being left behind unless we get some serious outside investment. Some might bemoan a lack of stability that this might bring but we've not exactly been steady in the past few seasons. Just look at the number of players we buy and sell each season...
I can't halp but feel that for all Levy's stealth we wouldn't be harmed by an operation that didn't fanny about with money.
The wheels fell off this window allegedly due to 'agent activity'. This, in English, translates as 'the money being short' and probably by buttons.
Reply to yidango:
without doubt all these foreign multi billionaire owners of our premiership clubs are going to destroy the premiership. there's already talk of Man city willing to pay the likes of Gerrard and Essien £500,000 per week. how long before we see the first £1m a week player. I for one would find it hard...
You talk sense, but no team containing either of those players is very likely to find itself in a relegation scrap.
More likely to find some clowns who sold their top players the clubs they play for in such a mess.
Jimmy Grieves? He probably does when people don't spell his name correctly.
Agree with Yidango. This will tear the league apart. I'm sure we would all love to have that kind of money, but it will reach a point where it really doesn't make a difference. If there were 20 clubs in the PL with billionaire owners there would still be only 4 CL spots available and 3 clubs would still be relegated.
I think we should wait to see who this Asian is before we pass comment or start celebrating.
As a club we need to stay in touch with reality, and the reality is Money talks, it think levy has taken us as far as he can go, can we become the next Citeh ? and be able to buy anyone, sounds good to me.
264 Comments · Add yours
This is good news, I think. We're in real danger of being left behind unless we get some serious outside investment. Some might bemoan a lack of stability that this might bring but we've not exactly been steady in the past few seasons. Just look at the number of players we buy and sell each season compared to, say, Villa. And as for all you Levy lovers out there pointing out how well the club is doing financially my mum could turn a profit at Spurs if she stuck the season tickets up by 10% and sold our best players without stumping up for adequate replacements.
Can Lionel Messi play on the left?
without doubt all these foreign multi billionaire owners of our premiership clubs are going to destroy the premiership. there's already talk of Man city willing to pay the likes of Gerrard and Essien £500,000 per week. how long before we see the first £1m a week player. I for one would find it hard to keep my season ticket whilst watching my team struggle at the wrong end off the table whilst drawing these obscene wages at the end of the week