The Rumour Mill

Schalke looking to cash in on Holtby

13/01/2013 |

Comments (25)

Although Lewis Holtby has signed a pre-contract agreement to join Spurs on a free transfer when his deal with the Bundesliga club expires at the end of the season, it seems Schalke would like some money for Holtby and are prepared to let him go this month — if the price is right.

That apparenly means Everton could steal the player from under Spurs' noses in a cut-price deal, especially as the player and his Merseyside-born dad are both lifelong Everton fans. A Spurs spokesman said: “He has signed an agreement to join us in the summer and that's that. We don't know what the Schalke people's agenda is on this.”

Schalke managing director Horst Heldt said his club would sell Holtby this month as long as they had time to find a replacement. “And we are prepared to speak to Tottenham about it,” he said.

Holtby fuelled the speculation by admitting he is an avid Everton fan whose family's loyalties are with the Toffees.

Original Source: Sunday Express Rumour source ranking:
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Reader Comments

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Peter Leslie
362 Posted 13/01/2013 at 07:42:46

Cobblers, if he's signed with THFC that's a done deal. If Schalke sold him to anyone else he and probably the buying club would be sued. Sounds like a bluff from Schalke to get a few euros from Spurs.

Sam Hoare
363 Posted 13/01/2013 at 07:49:44

No chance.

Greg Lambden
364 Posted 13/01/2013 at 07:51:49

It's very clear from the article quotes that Schalke are trying to get Spurs to take him now for a fee. He's signed an agreement with Spurs so it's a non-starter!

Oh and we have no money to spend nor can we afford the reported £90k-a-week wages.

Dan McKie
374 Posted 13/01/2013 at 08:59:18

I'm not sure exactly how this works, but surely Schalke still own the player and can do what they like with him during this window. He has signed an agreement to join Spurs when his contract runs out, but surely that doesn't take away the rights from the club who pays his wages, to sell if an offer comes in this month? That would be like saying he now belongs to Spurs.

Anyway, if they are after cash for him, good luck in trying to get any out of Everton!

Eric Myles
379 Posted 13/01/2013 at 09:10:34

What Dan said, the pre-contract agreement is between Spurs and Holtby and would only be valid IF the palyer is available in the summer. If his club sell him before then then any agreement would be void.

Kev West
382 Posted 13/01/2013 at 09:14:41

He has only technically agreed in principal to sign for Spurs in the summer. They have obviously discussed how much he will be paid etc, but It isn't a firm contract.

Spurs have no rights to him until his contract expires with Schalke and he signs an actual contract with them. He is free up until that point to speak to any club to do the same or even sign a new contract to stay at Schalke if he wants to. It was the same when we had an agreement to sign Beckford.

All of those comments from Holtby are at least a year old now, so I wouldn't read too much into it. It would be great to stick one to Spurs but everyone knows we have no money. Although the transfer fee could probably by covered by selling a fringe player like Gueye, it would just be the massive difference in wages.

Ian Bennett
383 Posted 13/01/2013 at 09:33:23

Eric - has this ever happened before?

Jon Ferguson
387 Posted 13/01/2013 at 09:39:43

I'm not sure of the legalities of Schalke being able to sell him, but even if they could, we wouldn't offer him the sort of wage Totenham have and I imagine Totenham will have given him a giant signing on fee. Judy cos hey can sell, Holtby doesn't have to move. Maybe someone else will come in and steel him, but for us this is dead in the water.

Steve Burgess
388 Posted 13/01/2013 at 09:40:03

Let's be honest, if he wants to go to Spurs and they can pay him more wages and outbid us in the open market, under what circumstances would he come to Everton this January?

Only one scenario I can see and that is that Fellaini leaves and we have a lump of cash burning a hole in our pocket. On that basis, would we really want to blow cash on a player who none of us have a seen a great deal of and his only tangible link is that his dad is an EFC fan?

Let's get real and hope there are more gems (Gibson, Mirallas etc) below the radar.

Jon Ferguson
390 Posted 13/01/2013 at 09:43:55

Stupid auto-correct.

Nick Entwistle
391 Posted 13/01/2013 at 09:44:43

He himself has decided on Spurs, if he was motivated to join Everton he would wait till the summer without the need for a pre-contract. His destination of choice won't change because of a bid coming in and his club can't force him out either.

Steve Guy
400 Posted 13/01/2013 at 10:27:06

A contract is either a contract or it isn't. Under English Law unless there has been some exchange (usually money) you don't have a legally binding contract. So unless Holtby has received money from Spurs or Schalke have, then it's probable there is no contract in Law. The pre-contract agreement is a statement of intent which gives a moral / ethical commitment which can be revoked very easily. Given the way football works you could see it happening but personally I can't see it.

Tony J Williams
403 Posted 13/01/2013 at 10:38:48

Flashbacks to contract law...... consideration and the Cadbury wrappers come to mind. As you say Steve, if it was only a letter of intent it can easily be side stepped.

Barry Rathbone
406 Posted 13/01/2013 at 10:54:57

"Kenwright outmanoeuvres Levy for Holtby"

Keep me going all afternoon that little gem.

Winston Williamson
421 Posted 13/01/2013 at 11:52:32

As has already been commented...a pre-contract agreement is a verbal agreement stating that, in this case, Holtby will sign when his current deal ends. Spurs could sue Holtby if he doesn't sign, but only for rescission... i.e. the costs involved in drawing up the pre-contract agreement.

However, should Bullshit Bill offer money for Holtby this month, and Schalke accept, Holtby will no doubt reject the contract offer... He has no obligation to sign for anyone.

Winston Williamson
422 Posted 13/01/2013 at 11:56:55

Sorry, a pre-contract agreement can be a verbal or written agreement.

James Stewart
426 Posted 13/01/2013 at 12:17:29

I'm confused why we didn't sign him up in the first place if he is a blue!

Pete Anthony
435 Posted 13/01/2013 at 13:00:07

Find the money, Bill! Problem could be that Bill's financial backers are seemingly mostly Spurs fans! However, if the money men are in it for money, surely it makes money for them to fund Bill and get Moyes's Everton into the CL, then (ceteris paribus) they have better options on their financial table in terms of offers for their shares....

Coin it in, Spurs fans Green and Earl, as The Pride of Merseyside chase European Glory... You know it makes sense!

John Shaw
475 Posted 13/01/2013 at 16:40:11

Yeh right!

Are people forgetting — we haven't got any money!!!

Al Reddish
479 Posted 13/01/2013 at 17:21:28

With some papers reporting that each Premier League club being between £20-40m better off with the new TV money, I expect to see either a big influx of players coming in over the summer, or our debt pretty much eradicated in one fell swoop.

My worry is a set percentage of the TV money is allocated to paying off loans and once again we will fail to build on a (hopefully) really good season. Maybe this is the reason Moyes is waiting to sign his contract. In the meantime, we are missing out on some decent players.

Peter Davies
499 Posted 13/01/2013 at 18:50:50

It depends what you mean by an 'agreement'... Are we talking 'contract'? If we are, then by definition there has to be some 'consideration' for a contract to be enforceable.

For example, if I offer to put your bins out while you are on holiday and you agree to this in writing, if you come back and your bins are still full and smelly then you can't take action against me. However, if I'd agreed to put you bins out and you'd agreed to pay me in return, then this is enforceable if I don't keep my side of the bargain, so you can sue.

So, if Holtby has just agreed to sign for Spurs at the end of the season, then I can't see where 'consideration' comes into it, so I don't think this is enforceable.

Si Cooper
501 Posted 13/01/2013 at 18:41:34

What holds together the deals that are loans with first refusal to buy? There has to be some penalty to pay for breaking a pre-contract agreement otherwise people wouldn't bother with them at all.

I love the way some people envision footballers as somehow the vassels of their current football club. Clubs can only partially manipulate players who have at some time for their contract to run and a hankering to be elsewhere. Schalke can't force Holtby to sign for anybody, nor can they terminate his current contract prematurely without reasonable cause. Even if someone offers Schalke enough to make them happy Holtby can decline and wait until summer.

If we were interested it would have made more sense to do what Spurs have done; let the player sit tight for now, saving the transfer fee and loading it on his personal terms instead. My conclusion is we are not interested in him, possibly simply because we can't afford him. Unless we get rich quick that won't change.

Garry Corgan
554 Posted 13/01/2013 at 22:51:09

Surely common sense rules this one out... If we didn't want him for free then why would we want to pay for him...?

Mind you, with Kenwright in charge...

Eric Myles
569 Posted 14/01/2013 at 00:35:07

Ian #383, yes, Manny Fernandes

Mark Murphy
624 Posted 14/01/2013 at 10:12:05

Has Moyes or the club actually expressed an interest or is it simply that he's a blue therefore we should want/try to sign him?

I mean, I'm a blue through and through but I don't expect a phone call anytime soon based on that.

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