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A key part of Tottenham's midfield planning for next season will be whether Joao Palhinha's loan from Bayern Munch is made permanent.

There have been conflicting reports over whether Palhinha will remain in North London, with stories in BBC Sport's Gossip column, external earlier this week suggesting he will instead try and engineer a move to Sporting.

However, Fabrizo Romano reported on Monday, external that the midfielder has given "priority" to Spurs, "as the feeling with Roberto de Zerbi is very good".

Despite Tottenham's poor season, it could have ended far worse had it not been for Palhinha's performances and late season goalscoring heroics.

Of their seven matches under De Zerbi after his appointment at the end of March, Spurs won three games - two of which were 1-0 wins thanks to scrappy Palhinha goals from set-pieces, including on the all-important final day over Everton which secured survival. In other words, six of the 11 points won under the Italian were thanks to goals from the 30-year-old.

To illustrate Spurs' attacking woes, Palhinha's five league goals was the second-highest in the squad.

But, it is not just his goals that could make a permanent move attractive.

I know what you're thinking. Another central midfielder, surely this is a wind-up.

But Stuttgart's Stiller is not in the typical mould of the midfielders Spurs seem to buy annually – this guy can actually pass the ball forwards, which will be a real novelty for supporters to enjoy.

That may seem a harsh assessment of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur who served the club dutifully during trying circumstances this season. You could argue the former even saved them from relegation with his crucial goals against Wolves and Everton, though it seems unlikely Palhinha's loan from Bayern Munich will be made permanent at this point.

That's the sort of ruthlessness that will need to be shown this summer if Tottenham are to advance to the level required of a side coached by Roberto de Zerbi.

The 25-year-old has composure in spades, an eye for a pass and has been primed for a move to one of Europe's top clubs for a while. Spurs may not be that right now – though signing Stiller would show serious aspiration to return to the Premier League's upper echelon.

Failing that, I'd only be half-joking by suggesting the best signing Spurs could make would be a new club doctor.

To have been so badly blighted by injuries for the second season running requires introspection; once is bad luck, twice cannot be ignored.

Aston Villa forward Kirsty Hanson is set to join Tottenham following an impressive season in the Women's Super League.

The Scotland international finished as the league's third highest goalscorer with 12 goals in 22 matches - only Khadija Shaw and Alessia Russo scored more.

Villa's top scorer was named their player of the year and she scooped up WSL Football's goal-of-the-season award for her strike against West Ham.

In May, BBC Sport reported that Spurs were pursuing Hanson and it is now believed they have had a bid accepted by Villa and are set to bring her in this month.

Personal terms are being finalised as Hanson - who has scored five goals in 44 Scotland appearances - prepares to join Tottenham in what will be another boost to Martin Ho's squad.

The 28-year-old had a year remaining on her contract at Villa and it is unknown what fee Tottenham have agreed to sign her for.

She will reunite with Spurs manager Ho, who she worked with at former club Manchester United while he was assistant coach.

Tottenham had a strong campaign in 2025-26, finishing fifth in the table in Ho's first season in charge after joining from SK Brann.

Tottenham have identified Eintracht Frankfurt winger Jean-Matteo Bahoya as a potential signing, but the Bundesliga club will not let the 21-year-old Frenchman leave on the cheap. (Teamtalk), external

Manchester United want to offload Marcus Rashford to help new head coach Michael Carrick's transfer budget and, while Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham are monitoring the situation, the club are reluctant to sell him to one of their top-flight rivals. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

We asked for your views on which players Tottenham should sign from the three relegated Premier League sides Wolves,Burnley and West Ham United.

Here are some of your suggestions:

Tob: Joao Gomes from Wolves would help to add some creativity in the midfield now that Xavi Simons is out until January. Or maybe West Ham players like El Hadji Malick Diouf or potentially Jarrod Bowen? I don't think any Burnley players will help the squad, apart from maybe Jaidon Anthony.

Lindsay: While it isn't going to happen, Bowen is a total no-brainer.

Tyler: I would love to see us take Bowen off West Ham, if nothing else but just to annoy them. I wouldn't mind us looking into Mateus Fernandes either.

Jonathan: I can't see much in the way of quality in any of the three relegated clubs. Taty Castellanos and Bowen may be of interest to Spurs. It is in the forward line where we really struggled this year. Wolves' Joao Gomes is also a decent midfielder, but we already have a lot of competition in that area. Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace would be a better option than any of these though.

Tottenham are close to signing Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi on a free transfer.

Personal terms are yet to be finalised but the deal for the 29-year-old is advancing towards completion, as is Spurs' move for Scotland full-back Andy Robertson, who is out of contract after leaving Liverpool.

Bournemouth abandoned efforts to retain centre-back Senesi after he turned down a third new contract offer in December and began talks with major overseas clubs.

However, the three-cap Argentina international now looks set to remain in the Premier League, barring any last-minute change of heart.

Senesi played all but one of Bournemouth's league games this season as they finished sixth and qualified for Europe for the first time in their history.

In four years on the south coast, Senesi made 128 appearances for Bournemouth having joined from Dutch side Feyenoord in 2022.

Spurs, meanwhile, finished 17th in the Premier League and improved after appointing Roberto de Zerbi as head coach in March, narrowly avoiding relegation to the Championship.

Speaking to BBC Sport this week, Spurs chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said: "The squad needs work and the squad hasn't got the right balance.

"We need experience and leadership and also that kind of physical robustness to play in the most demanding league that exists.

"We need to strengthen the club over multiple transfer windows but this transfer window, in particular, is going to be critical."

If you speak to those behind the scenes at Tottenham, they will tell you that Roberto de Zerbi's impact has been profound.

Not only in picking up 11 points from seven games to preserve the club's top-flight status, but his growing influence is instilling belief in the squad.

"I think he has made an extraordinary impact so far," Spurs' chief executive Vinai Venkatesham told BBC Sport.

"We have to recognize that it's early days, and we also need to recognize that he's come into a very specific situation.

"It is hard to underestimate the scale of the challenge he walked into. And it's hard to describe what a significant impact he has had in the dressing room with all the players.

"I think he's an excellent coach, and we think that he plays the style of football that our supporters and the broader football public want to see."

De Zerbi is expected to have full involvement in the club's recruitment this summer.

Tottenham have held talks with Borussia Dortmund's departed sporting director Sebastian Kehl, while Venkatesham confirmed the club have raised their wage ceiling in the hope of attracting top-quality players.

"The squad needs work and the squad hasn't got the right balance," he said.

"We need experience and leadership and also that kind of physical robustness to play in the most demanding league that exists.

"We need to strengthen the club over multiple transfer windows but this transfer window, in particular, is going to be critical."

Vinai Venkatesham was upbeat when he began his new job as Tottenham Hotspur chief executive last summer.

His outlook quickly changed. To say his first season in charge did not go to plan would be an understatement.

Speaking after a final-day victory over Everton clinched Tottenham's Premier League survival, Venkatesham discussed the emotional strains of a relegation battle that went to the season's closing minutes.

"It was just a huge outpouring of relief," said Venkatesham, who said that the club would not have made anyone redundant in the event of relegation.

"But obviously feeling relief at the end of the season is nowhere near the standard of the football club."

"If you'd have asked me a few months after I joined, when I was no longer an outsider, I would have told you the club was in a significantly worse state in some places than I thought," said Venkatesham.

Venkatesham's first words were praise for the supporters who he says got the team "over the line" in their relegation battle.

But he knows he will need more than words to appease supporters who have turned on him this season.

Meanwhile, Tottenham's owners the Lewis family published a statement on Wednesday in which they promised to "rebuild" and "recapture the spirit" of the club, while acknowledging that a repeat of this season "must never happen again".

"This will require investment - in our teams, the academy, our backroom functions and more - and we are fully committed to this," the statement read.

"We are not selling the club. We are all in. We are investing in it. You will see more of this in the coming months."

Tottenham are close to agreeing a deal with Scotland full-back Andy Robertson following his departure from Liverpool.

The 32-year-old played his final match for Liverpool against Brentford on Sunday, having announced he would leave the club when his contract ends this summer.

Details remain to be finalised on the deal with Spurs but an agreement is in place in principle.

Tottenham are close to agreeing a deal with Scotland full-back Andy Robertson following his departure from Liverpool.

The 32-year-old played his final match for Liverpool against Brentford on Sunday, having announced he would leave the club when his contract ends this summer.

Details remain to be finalised on the deal with Spurs but an agreement is in place in principle.

Tottenham, then managed by Thomas Frank, targeted Robertson during the January transfer window.

A deal was agreed between the two clubs, only for Liverpool to pull out when they were unable to recall Kostas Tsimikas from his loan at Roma.

Spurs secured survival on the final day of the season by beating Everton under new manager Roberto de Zerbi.