David Villa: Do You Think Arsenal or Tottenham Will Win the Race for £17Million Star?
Speculation is rife that Spanish hotshot David Villa will be joining his striking international team-mate Fernando Torres in the Premier League next season. His club side Valencia are reportedly in financial difficulties which have enabled talents such as Villa, Joaquin and David Silva to be made available for sale. However, in terms of Villa’s much sought-after signature, it would seem that both North London giants and bitter rivals Arsenal and Tottenham head the queue.
Throughout the summer Premier League clubs Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea have all been linked with the 26-year-old. This shouldn’t be of any surprise as Villa’s scoring record is quite magnificent. He’s scored an impressive 59 goals in just 101 League appearances for the club which includes 18 goals in 28 League games last season despite Valencia struggling in mid-table. In fact, throughout his career the diminutive hitman has a superb goals per game ratio of 142 goals in 289 League appearances for Sporting Gijon, Real Zaragoza and Valencia. In each of his 8 seasons Villa has scored double figures and surely at just 26 wouldn’t be much of a gamble for any Premier League side. He has expressed an interest in joining the Gunners in the past but whether Arsene Wenger would spend a huge amount on one player is highly debatable whilst Spurs don’t seem to have any problem spending lavishly but cannot offer the Spaniard Champions League football.
In his homeland Villa is rated more highly than Liverpool’s Fernando Torres who took England by storm last season so you can see why the Gunners and Spurs are so keen. Despite his stature he scores his fair amount of headed goals and like Torres can create his own chances as well as finish of moves with devastating affect. He has a far more impressive international scoring record than the former Atletico Madrid striker as Villa has scored 14 goals in 30 international compared to Torres 15 goals in 47 caps. The Valencia man will spearhead Spain’s Euro 2008 bid and is surely going to enhance his reputation at the tournament and with his club reportedly asking for £17million for his services it would be advisable for both clubs to make their offers sooner rather than later.
The question remains whether Villa will be attracted by the Ramos factor at Tottenham or whether Champions League football with Arsenal will sway the Spaniard’s decision. What do you think?
Would you like to see this Spanish sensation in the Premier League? Would he be the answer to Arsenal’s title ambitions or would he allow Spurs to surpass their old rivals and to finally break the top 4? Let’s hear your views.
Tags: Arsenal, David Villa, Euro 2008, Premier League, Spain, Tottenham, Valencia
June 4th, 2008 at 10:19
The Juande factor is important here as it has already won us Luka Modric and Woodgate…you can see the club mean business in the transfer market and if he wants to be part of something big then SPurs is perfect. If he wants cash and no atmosphere with a bunch of whingers than Arsenal it is!
June 4th, 2008 at 10:30
He’ll never go to the SPuds, like Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Eto’o and the rest…stick to championship players and overrated nobodies!
June 4th, 2008 at 10:35
No race here, Arsenal will NEVER pay that kind og money!
June 4th, 2008 at 10:37
Neither. He will go to Chelsea when Drogba leaves for Inter.
He won’t join Spurs as we haven’t got CL football and AArsenals STAR players are leaving after winning nothing for 3years. What message does that send out.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:37
If he’s any good, he’ll go to Arsenal. If he’s rubbish he’ll join the tiny totts and play in the mickey mouse UEFA cup. Pretty obvious really. Players who are satisfied at tottenham are either not good enough for a big club, or lack ambition.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:38
If arsenal manage to get rid of ade then we can land him if we want to because i cant really see him choosing spurs over the gunners if it came down to that decision. Champions league vs ……. ?????, Top 4 team vs……11th place nobodies.. You do the math
June 4th, 2008 at 10:40
It is obvious he wont go to spurs, they lack ambition inspite of their huge spending. It is the dream of any good atar to play in the ECL and his case will not be an exception. Arsenal is the right place to be. Wenger will add more flair to his game and he will make in England.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:46
Why would a player with any class choose spurs over the gunners, if villa has any class he will not go to spurs. The only big thing spurs look forward to is getting a big mac on their way to the carling cup game.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:48
He will join Manu and replace Saha. He is a winner and will join champions. Not two london clubs who basically are just also rans !
If not UTD then Chelsea who are now regarding as the top team in london.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:00
What can I say not really sure on this one would love him to be at Spurs he is an excellent player and it seems quite clear that he is leaving but i think at the moment we only have a 40% chance of getting him can’t really see arsenal going for him possibly Chelsea but I hope he is at the lane next season along with modric, dos santos, capel, berbs
June 4th, 2008 at 11:02
i thought he was the one who said it himself that he wanted to join arsenal cause he was attracted to the one touch football they play. remember there were all those commotions that his choice would either be arsenal if not liverpool? i dont understand what the argument on which one he would rather chose is about. this coming from a football fan who loathe both team equally!
June 4th, 2008 at 11:22
People underestimate how highly Juande is rated throughout Europe and particuarly Spain…you may all be surprised when Villa joins to link up with Dos Santos and Modric in a new look creative Spurs outfit packed with attacking quality!
June 4th, 2008 at 11:25
Yeah no wonder he said he admires and would like to join the Gunners.. lol
June 4th, 2008 at 11:31
Sorry to all you Gooners out there but werent you after Luka Modric? Where did he end up? Oh at Spurs! You think you can lord it over Spurs and I suppose you can in terms of the last 18 yrs or so. But unfortunately for you ur time is at an end. Ramos is the new Wenger in many respects. Arsenal are a club on the down. They havent won anything in the past 3 years and are the only top 4 club to not win anyhtin for that long. You take pride in your youth but you need more experience in your squad to help bring them players through. Your not exempt from the rules of development just because you have Wenger as a manager. Everyone with half a football brain knows investing in youth is sensible but you need experience on the field no matter how talented the youngsters are to really achieve. Spurs are finally realizing this and in 2 seasons will be pissing all over you lot. Weve already done you over once this season just wait till next season when you win nothing again. Villa if he has some sense of perspective will come to Spurs. If he wants a very shortsighted view on his career then hell go to Arsenal. Although in all honestly hell probably end up at Chelsea.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:33
He’ll go to Spurs and I’m saying this as a Gooner. It’s just the story of Arsenal these days, Arsene wants the big players and not big names, hence we miss out on big players who also happen to be big names (MOST big players). I’m utterly fed up with this policy and more so because with every scathing comment from a bitter CC-loving Spud the growing feeling gets stronger that this time, they might actually be right…
June 4th, 2008 at 11:40
It is debatable that either of the teams mentioned will sign David Villa, and I say this as a Tottenham fan. While I agree that if its a straight choice between Tottenham and Arsenal there seems to be no case for us. Considering that Ar5ena1 have CL footy and we only have the Uefa Cup. However Juande and Daniel Levy mean business in this transfer window and anything can happen. The perfect one does prove to be a massive draw to potential targets especially Spanish ones. Will just have to wait and see.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:43
Just a side note, there are very strong rumours circulating that Spurs are preparing to make a triple signing announcement this week. With Dos Santos almost certainly one of them and then any 2 from Villa, Capel, Dunne, Milito, Veloso, Tiago, Colloccini and Anton Ferdinand. You never know with Spurs. COYS
June 4th, 2008 at 11:47
As much as i’d like to see him at Spurs, I think he’d definetly go Arsenal if they was to pay the money.
As much as I hate Arsenal, I can’t help but have repect for what they’ve achieved under wenger, but if they were not so tight with funds, they could have been where man utd are now. Never mind. I don’t think i’ll be losing any sleep over it
June 4th, 2008 at 12:06
Wenger has publicly said he’s not interested in D. Villa, so I guess that means he won’t be joining the Gunners
June 4th, 2008 at 12:07
I love this…all the Arsenal fans are saying how sh*t Spurs are yet they have won F all in 3 years and half thier players are leaving. Wakey wakey boys. Change the record!!!
He’ll go to niether but for crying out loud can the gooners on here stop being such stereotypical tw*ts please!!!
At least make yourselves look half intelligent by contributing something other than mindless “Spurs are rubbish” comments.. or at least start passing that brain cell round your mates a bit!
June 4th, 2008 at 12:23
Not sure what Carlos is going on about - Not seen any Gooners slagging of Spurs on here. Maybe mentions of us having CL football but not much else - Greekos, don’t remember us actually ssaying we were after Modric, seems the top 4 clubs tend to get linked with players they’re not interested in just to bump up the prices. Don’t ever recall us making a bid for him or trying to sign him - I may be wrong - It’s all very well spouting off “we’ll finish higher etc” but it only takes a start like Spuds last season and it’s surprising how difficult it is to recover from. Villa, I’d love to see at the Emirates, but if not then I’m not going to lose sleep over it.
June 4th, 2008 at 12:24
Think the pecking order for foreign players goes something like this
1 Man U – Trophies
2 Chelsea- Money
3 Arsenal-Pretty Football/Live in London
4 Liverpool- History
If they think they’re good enough to play first team football in a champion’s league team that’s where they will go, the chasing pack are left to live of the scraps. The worrying thing for Arsenal and Liverpool is that they are becoming the also rans of the top four, they’re better than the rest but while finishing 3rd and 4th will keep the accountants happy but after they’ve made a few million quid players want to win things.
I hope things change because it’s getting a little tedious, Arsenal made the running in the Premier League playing some exciting football, but ended up loosing from a winning position.
I expect three of the top four to take both domestic cup competitions a lot more seriously next season because Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool really need to win something and quick.
June 4th, 2008 at 12:29
He wont join Arsenal because Wenger has said that he don’t need a new striker. He wont join Tottenham because he is to good for a bellow average team. He will join either Barca or R madrid because both of them need a new striker, Eto is injury prone and he will problabky leave and Thierry isnt that good any more
Both of R madrids striker are pretty old R V Nistlerooy and Raul are both over 30……. Despite all the fact I still hope he will join Arsenal FC……
June 4th, 2008 at 12:35
AFC ain’t got the nasri money yet.So def not got 17m for someone not needed, the player wants real madrid.
June 4th, 2008 at 12:38
He’ll come to a club with history…Liverpool to play alongside Fernando…unlucky cockneys!
June 4th, 2008 at 12:44
Lets just wait and see we have the money and we are a team with history - albeit a very long time ago, but we definitely have history - come to think of it I’m pretty sure every club has history.
He may go to Liverpool, just hope that Torres doens’t break his leg in the euro’s.
June 4th, 2008 at 13:11
Villa and Torres with Gerrard would be unstoppable trio…better then Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez by far!…as if these top player want to go to also rans from North London!
June 4th, 2008 at 13:18
if i had to put money on it….id say real or barcelona or chelsea. would love to see him at spurs but doubt ramos is special enough to attract a 26 year old to a team with no cl footie. would be a major coup if we did. still think arsenal have a better chance though considering he went out in public and said how much he loved them. bit of a hint there
June 4th, 2008 at 14:56
I dont mind it when opposition supporters believe that they will sign a player over Spurs, it does annoy me when we are written off completely and knuckle heads from scouse land say as if top players would go to Tottenham. Now lets refresh our memories, isn’t Modric a top player? How about Berbatov, Keane, Klinsmann, Woodgate, Bale (who we signed ahead of Man Utd), Lineker and Gazza back in the day as well as Ardiles and the Villa?
Northern Monkeys should do their research before slagging us off. COYS.
June 4th, 2008 at 21:59
Africian nations or a european based team, you do the maths
June 5th, 2008 at 00:32
I think if he wants to win silverware it woud have to be at the mighty spurs. I would just like to point out that we are the only London team in the prem to bring home a major trophy this season. where were arsenal? O yea 5-1 nearly forgot about that…
June 5th, 2008 at 09:40
Regardless of what Bobby C says - We still took the all important 6 points from the Spuds.
June 5th, 2008 at 18:29
Bobby C please remind me when you last won the premiership (have you ever, will you ever?) the answer being no to both of those, remind me when you last play in the champions league, lol yet again thats a never have and never will, and you class the carling cup as a MAJOR trophy lol, no wonder spurs are the laughing stock of london football, let alone the premiership, you mugs become more deluded every season, keep dreaming
always in our shadow