Not Long Now…

So the start of the season is nearly upon us. However, unlike in previous seasons we’ve done a lot of deals before a competitive ball is kicked.

From the looks of it though we’re not done yet. Director Keith Mills has recently come out and said: “There are others in the pipeline. Strikers are very high on AVB’s list of priorities and Daniel is trying hard to make sure we have strength up front. It’s a really exciting time to be at the club.”

So it looks like the good times will just keep on coming and we may very well have all our business done by the NLD on September 1st.

There is, of course, one bigs issue that still hangs over the club. But, from the looks of it, it doesn’t actually seem to be hampering our preparations for the new season in any way. Well unless, that is, you believe some reports that Mr Bale has gone on strike and has fallen out with AVB. Before you panic it’s worth noting some of these reports are coming from the same sources that claimed the players were revolting against AVB on the morning of our infamous away win against United.

Bale has remained completely silent on the situation leading to questions as to how some media outlets can claim he has said he is unhappy at Spurs.

Note that before the Madrid propaganda came spewing out of the Marca, all the english sources were claiming Bale was happy and that he was about to sign a new deal.

So has anything actually changed? Personally I don’t believe so. He’s still got a lot to learn as a player and he knows the best man to help him develop is AVB. There was talk that if Bale was to stay then we would need to show our ambition in the transfer market…I think we have more than done that.

Not only is Bale looking to develop as a player, but as a marketable asset. He recently trademarked his heart celebration and is now the face of NBC’s Premier League coverage with the billboard in Times Square extending the campaign by another two weeks after it proved so popular.

The club have also made it very clear that the Welshman is not for sale at any price with Executive Director Donna-Maria Cullen the latest official to claim Bale is going nowhere.

Levy has also stated on several occasions Bale is here to stay. Recent history would give anyone reason to be sceptical. However, it seems we’re dealing with a different Levy this time around.

It now seems he has a manager who he is willing to trust. The signing of Soldado embodies this perfectly. Not only has Levy smashed our transfer record (and for the 2nd time this window) but he’s done it for a 28 year-old. We’ve definitely never seen this from him before. The recruitment of Baldini surely has a lot to do with this.

So with just over a week to go there’s a lot of reason to be optimistic for the new season. Regardless of whether the Welshmen stays or not I firmly believe we will be up there come the business end of the season. We have the right men in charge to take us to the next level.