Barnes no show for Rams

The Rams went six points clear at the top of the Championship last night and 18-year-old Giles Barnes was nowhere to be seen. Speculation is rife in the media, and reports are heightening that Tottenham Hotspur will today complete the signing of Barnes from the Rams ahead of the closure of the January transfer window.

Sources from the North London club this morning claim the finishing touches are being agreed on a deal worth around £2.5 million that will see the promising Barnes move to White Hart Lane, and it`s reported the deal will be announced later today after the young midfielder has travelled to London for a medical.

Rams coach Billy Davies has said he doesn`t want to sell his young charger, but if the price was right for Derby County then we will have to consider it. Is the Spurs bid right for Derby?
The club has brought heavily in the transfer market over the past month and the transfer fee reported will balance the Rams books and move the club forward into the final run to the Premiership.

Rams first team Coach Julian Darby was asked in a post match press conference if we should read anything into Barnes` non-inclusion. After a slight hesitation he said: "I`m the wrong person to talk too regarding that, I`m here to talk about the football."

The right person to ask is the Rams managing director Mike Horton, and he said prior to the Burnley game: 'If the number of people who have been reported as being interested in Giles phoned me, I would be a very busy man. We have still not had any serious phone calls about him.'
Horton also said he did not expect 'fireworks' on the final day of transfer business.

He suggested one or two may come in and one or two could leave, adding: 'I can't see there being any huge revelations but the window means one phone call could change all that.
'If the price is right and the opportunity is there, we will always look to take advantage of it.'

Spurs boss Martin Jol sees Barnes as the ideal solution to the club's well documented left sided midfield problems. This was made even more prevalent after Edgar Davids completed his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Dutch side Ajax yesterday.

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