TEAMtalk

Tottenham are reportedly considering making a move to sign Boca Juniors midfielder Kevin Zenon but could face competition from Newcastle for his services.

Midfield is certainly an area Ange Postecoglou still wants to address come the January transfer window, having offloaded Tanguy Ndombele (released), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (loan), Oliver Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso, while only Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall were added to the Australian’s engine room.

And now a fresh report from Spain suggests that the north London outfit are pushing to sign Zenon, with the 23-year-old having a £13million release clause in his contract.

Spanish outlet Fichajes states that Tottenham ‘determined’ to secure the player’s signature, although they might have to overcome strong opposition from St James’ Park to get their man.

In 34 appearances, the South American has made 11 goal contributions this season for Boca Juniors, scoring four goals and registering seven assists.

If he did arrive in north London, Zenon could be joined in the Spurs midfield by USA international Johnny Cardoso.

In selling Lo Celso back to Real Betis, Tottenham secured a deal to sign Cardoso in the future that can be triggered with a £21m (€25m / $27.7m) fee. However, The Telegraph reports that the window for Spurs’ option lasts for just two weeks during 2025, with other teams able to compete for him when it expires.

Adding both Cardoso and Zenon would bring even more young talent to Postecoglou’s midfield, although Tottenham fans have been ruing not seeing a more established name come in after a tough start to the season so far.

Zenon adaptability a plus point for Postecoglou

Zenon is a versatile midfielder as he can play in the engine room but is also comfortable playing out wide.

The Argentine is excellent technically, strong in tight areas, capable of making defence-splitting passes between the lines and can produce quality from set-pieces.

He is considered a shrewd bargain acquisition, if Tottenham do indeed make a concrete offer for his services in the January window.

Zenon has scored 10 goals in 143 career appearances, although he has only featured 28 times for Boca so far after joining them in January of this year.

The Argentina Under-23 international’s contract runs out in December 2028, which leaves Boca in a strong position if his release clause figure is not met going forward.

Barca target emerges for Tottenham as Romero fears grow

Another midfielder on the club’s radar, meanwhile, is reported to be Barcelona star Fermin Lopez after a report revealed they made an approach in the summer.

As revealed by Relevo, Tottenham were at the front of the queue for Lopez this summer after making an approach to Barca.

However, Lopez’s current club closed the door by pointing to the player’s €400m (£337.8m/$443.3m) release clause, which was obviously never expected to be activated.

And Barcelona are now actitvely working on upgrading Lopez’s contract to end Tottenham’s hopes once and for all.

In other Totttenham news, as the club continue to weigh up the players they can try and bring in next, a damaging report suggests they could end up losing Cristian Romero to Real Madrid.

Transfer insider Ekrem Konur has stated that Real are ‘planning to make a move’ for the Argentine centre-back in January and that they have been given confidence that they can get him.

That’s as Romero is said to be ‘willing to join’ the Spanish giants if an offer comes his way.

Midfield conundrum causing problems for Postecoglou

There is a growing feeling that Postecoglou was let down over the summer by Tottenham not making a move to sign a world class central midfielder capable of running games.

Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are top young talents who are likely to have successful careers, but that is in the future and it’s painfully obvious that Spurs are missing a midfield general in a team full of talented individuals.

Yves Bissouma has been nothing like the player he was at Brighton, while Rodrigo Bentancur is still not at his best after his ACL injury in early 2023.

Pape Sarr remains another promising talent but while Postecoglou playing Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison centrally alongside Bentancur against Arsenal worked well in possession, without it Tottenham were so vulnerable to the transition and need to provide more cover for the over-worked central defensive pairing of Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Now might be the time to give Gray his chance to show the qualities he did in pre-season and prove why he was a generational talent at Leeds United.

Playing the England Under-21 alongside Bentancur would give more of a solid base for Spurs to work from and allow the attacking players to do their thing without making life a nightmare for the back two when the ball is lost.

AC Milan have been linked with a move for Tottenham target and Real Betis star Johnny Cardoso, but Ange Postecoglou’s side hold a telling advantage over their Italian rivals.

Tottenham agreed to sell attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso to Betis late last month for a fee in the region of £8.4m (€9.9m / $11m), with the Argentina international returning to the club he left permanently in January 2020.

This deal was partly done to secure the services of United States international Cardoso, but according to Italian publication Calciomercato, Tottenham could risk ‘losing out’ on the 22-year-old to Milan.

The report claims the Serie A side have ‘every intention of initiating’ contact with Cardoso, especially after losing defensive midfielder Ismael Bennacer for four months due to a calf injury.

Milan recruited full-back Emerson Royal from Spurs earlier this summer and he and Cardoso share the same agent – which, typically, could help in a possible deal. However, this is, seemingly, not a typical transfer.

Earlier this month, Betis president Angel Haro confirmed Tottenham had negotiated an option to buy the former Internacional ace in next summer’s transfer window.

During the talks for the Lo Celso move, the Spanish club accepted an offer on Cardoso that can be triggered with a £21m (€25m / $27.7m) fee.

The Telegraph claim that the window for Spurs’ option lasts for just two weeks during 2025, with other teams able to compete for him when it expires.

“Johnny is a player who is of interest not only to Tottenham, but to many other teams, who has great potential and in this case, within the Gio [Lo Celso] operation, they asked us for an option to buy for a value that was important and interesting for us and we did give them that option,” Haro said.

Milan may try and find a way round this agreement with a move in January but Spurs are likely to hold the upper hand in negotiations.

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The United States’ rising star

Cardoso was born to Brazilian parents in New Jersey, United States, but moved to Brazil when he was three months old.

After stints at the academies of Criciuma and Avai, he joined Internacional in 2014 and went onto make his first-team debut just before he turned 18 in September 2021.

The 6ft player went onto make 144 appearances for the Brazilian outfit, scoring seven goals along the way – and that caught the attention of teams in Europe.

In December 2023, Cardoso made the switch from Internacional to Betis on a five-year deal for a fee of approximately £4.7m (€5.6m / $6.3m). But off the back of his performances over the past six months – which have included 23 appearances, one goal, and two assists – he is worth a great deal more than that now.

Back in May, when links with Barcelona began to emerge, Cardoso pledged his future to Betis.

“My head and my goals are in Betis. I arrived a short time ago. I want to continue working and evolving. My head is in Betis and the other things are for my agents,” he said.

How long he stays there remains to be seen.

Postecoglou under pressure

Tottenham’s 1-0 loss to bitter rivals Arsenal on Sunday condemned Postecoglou’s team to a second-straight Premier League defeat as they fell to 13th in the table.

Once again, Spurs’ inability to deal with set pieces came back to haunt them as Gabriel Magalhaes’ second-half header settled the contest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After spending more than £350m (€415m/$462m) during his tenure as Tottenham boss, pressure is mounting on Postecoglou to take the team forward and challenge for trophies this season.

Despite only Nottingham Forest (23) conceding more set piece goals than Spurs (18) this season and last, the former Celtic boss downplayed it as an issue in a prickly post-match press conference.

“I know for some reason people think I don’t care about set-pieces, and it’s a narrative that you can keep going on for ages and ages. I understand that,” he said. “Like I said, we work on them all the time, like we do with every other team.

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“It is what it is. It’s my burden to carry and I’m happy to do that. Like I’ve always said, for me there’s a bigger picture that’s at play here that’s much more important than the finer details of us getting to where we want to. For us, the way forward is to, as I said, try and turn the football we’re playing now into something meaningful.

“We’re a team that’s progressing in many areas. With all that sort of progress, there’s always kind of new challenges and new things that you need to overcome. When I look at the four games in isolation this year, our football’s been more consistent and more compelling than it was in our first four games last year. Obviously the results don’t reflect that.

“I think we’ve made progress in certain areas, but there’s other areas, like I said, we still need to improve on. That’s my job, to kind of fill those gaps as quickly as possible.”

Tottenham ‘getting more creative’ with transfers

Incidentally, according to former Manchester City financial advisor and football finance expert Stefan Borson, Spurs’ priority option to sign Cardoso is an illustration of the north London team’s creativity.

He told Football Insider: “I think clubs are getting more and more creative with the deals. If you are selling to Betis, you know that you are probably not going to maximise your cash inflow from the deal.

“There are going to have to be other bits and pieces, be that sell-on clauses or other pieces like first options on other players you are potentially interested in.

“I think you will see more and more creativity around that when people are selling outside of England. Where it’s an English deal, I think you are going to see more deals where people are focused on the headline amount.

“But where clubs are not going to be able to pay huge headline amounts, then they are going to want some additional value within the deal and I’m sure people will get more and more creative around it.”

Clinton Morrison has revealed he thinks “pressure is going to build” on Ange Postecoglou, given Tottenham are “so susceptible defensively that it’s a real problem”.

Tottenham were handed their second Premier League loss in four games on Sunday, meaning they are now 13th in the Premier League. To make matters worse, it was against local rivals Arsenal.

The Gunners are flying high in second, and were too strong for Spurs in the 1-0 victory.

And while it was only a one-goal swing, Morrison feels in the crucial areas of the pitch, at the back and up top, Tottenham are not offering enough.

“Tottenham are so susceptible defensively that it’s a real problem. They are not being clinical enough either, which is what the real hammer blow is,” Morrison said on BBC Radio 5 Live

“If you’re going to be that offensive and that open and free, you’ve got to bang the ball in the back of the net, and they’re not doing that. Dominic Solanke is having a rough start. He was playing against two of the best today.”

As a result, he feels Spurs boss Postecoglou could be in some danger.

“The pressure is going to start to build a bit on the manager,” Morrison added.

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Postecoglou is convinced he can bring success

But Postecoglou himself does not feel that he is currently under any pressure.

In fact, he is eager to replicate a feat he has achieved at many of his other clubs, such as Celtic, Yokohama F Marinos and Brisbane Roar, in achieving silverware in his second campaign.

“I will correct myself: I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year. Nothing has changed,” he said after the loss to Arsenal.

That pressure will begin to ramp up if he does not string a run of form together, though.

New signings can help ease pressure

If by January things are not looking up, Postecoglou will almost certainly look to improve his side in the transfer market.

He has eyes on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who could help to get the best out of Dominic Solanke, by giving him competition.

Another striker on the radar is 15-year-old Harry Gray, whose brother Archie is already at Spurs. The former bagged eight goals for Leeds under-18s last season.

Further to those pursuits, Tottenham are keen on Eberechi Eze and Noah Okafor.

Postecoglou’s side feel that another Premier League giant may have budged in front of them for the former, but a move for the latter is being planned for January.

How does Postecoglou compare with Conte

Postecoglou was the first permanent Spurs manager to follow Antonio Conte, when he left the club.

The Italian had essentially a year and a half at the helm, and managed 76 games in that time.

He won 41, drew 12 and lost 23. That means his Tottenham side achieved an average of 1.78 points per game, and they also achieved a fourth-placed finish in his first season.

Postecoglou has managed just 45 Tottenham games so far, winning 21, drawing seven and losing 16. His points-per-game tally is 1.62.

In his one full season so far, he guided Spurs to fifth in the Premier League. But he’s currently performing worse than how Conte did, and he did not last all of his second season, so Postecoglou will hope he can go one better.

He clearly feels it’s possible, but there needs to be change from how the season has started for that to be true.

Ange Postecoglou stated “I always win things in my second year” after his Tottenham side lost to Arsenal, and he feels “nothing has changed” as he entered his second campaign with Spurs.

Postecoglou’s Spurs side were dealt a 1-0 loss by rivals Arsenal in the north London derby. It’s their second loss in four league games this season, which means they are now 13th in the table.

Speaking after the game, the Tottenham manager made it clear he knows there is improvement needed, but is adamant that his side can win a trophy this term, his second in charge.

“We need to fix the areas we need to fix. Otherwise all our dominance, we’re going to keep opposition teams in the game. All teams will think they’re in the game. We need to have more conviction in the front third to finish teams off,” he said on Sky Sports.

“We could rotate the squad, give players opportunity. I prefer it that way. After the international break, the last loss puts you in a pause mode. But we have plenty of games this month.”

“I will correct myself: I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year. Nothing has changed.”

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Tottenham in worse place than last season

At this point last season, Spurs were second to Manchester City, having gained 10 points from a possible 12.

Their first league loss last season did not come until the 11th game.

They have lost both of the last two games, so to some, Postecoglou’s confidence may feel misplaced.

However, he seems unfazed by the challenges his side – who have not won a trophy since 2008 – face.

Tottenham transfers could help

If middling form continues until January, some inbound transfers could help Tottenham on their quest for silverware.

According to reports, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is on Postecoglou’s radar at the moment.

As is Harry Gray, the younger brother of Spurs teenager Archie, who was bought from Leeds in the summer.

But outgoings will not help the cause, and one big one could be on the horizon.

Real Madrid are said to be planning an attempt to sign centre-back Cristian Romero in January, and the Argentine is apparently ‘willing to join’ the La Liga giants.

Postecoglou’s second season triumphs

At Postecoglou’s last club, Celtic, he failed to win anything in 2020/21, his first season in charge, but in his second campaign, 2021/22, he guided them to both the Scottish Premiership title and the Scottish League Cup title.

One job further back, he was appointed manager of Yokohama F Marinos in 2017/18, and a season later, they won their first J League title for 15 years.

He also won the Asian Cup with Australia in 2014/15, having gained the job in 2013/14.

He was inserted as manager of Brisbane Roar in 2009/10, and they won the A League in both 2010/11 and 2011/12.

In some locations, he has not won a trophy, but it must be said that Postecoglou certainly has a knack of winning things in his second season.

But the English top flight and the cups in the country are harder to win, so there’s a chance he has bitten off more than he can chew. Whether that is the case or not remains to be seen.

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero is reportedly ‘willing to join’ Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants ‘planning to make a move’ for him in January.

Real decided against bolstering their defensive ranks in the summer. That was despite the fact they lost long-term asset Nacho Fernandez on a free transfer, and sold Rafa Marin.

Links to Aymeric Laporte arose, but were shut down, with Carlo Ancelotti adamant that he did not need to strengthen at centre-back.

But now, it seems he has changed his tune. Indeed, transfer insider Ekrem Konur has stated that Real are ‘planning to make a move’ for Tottenham central defender Romero in January.

And they have been given confidence that they can get him.

That’s as the Argentine defender is said to be ‘willing to join’ the Spanish giants if an offer comes his way.

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Romero strongly linked with Real

That Real are now eager to sign Romero is not a surprise. Links between the defender and the La Liga club have existed for quite some time.

In the summer, it was suggested that a bid was going to come in for the important Tottenham man.

It did not, but he will be watched closely by Real throughout this season.

Indeed, it’s said they are to send their chief scout to attend Sunday’s north London derby, to check on the performance of the Spurs centre-back.

Real keen on talent in England

It is believed that William Saliba is also one of the reasons for the attendance of a Real scout.

Indeed, he has also been strongly linked with them, with it being suggested they could also soon move for the Arsenal defender.

Meanwhile, Championship star Chris Rigg is on the radar of the Spaniards, as a result of some good performances for Sunderland, while still just 17 years of age.

Further afield, goalkeeper Mike Maignan is of interest to Real, despite Andriy Lunin recently penning new terms with the club.

Interest in the AC Milan man was exclusively revealed by TEAMtalk.

Romero could be next Spurs talent to join Real

There are a couple of very notable examples of players who have taken a huge step in their career, joining Real from Tottenham.

Luka Modric did so in 2012, and he is still representing the Spanish giants, 540 games, 39 goals and 86 assists later.

The Croatian midfielder has won 26 team honours in his time as a Real player, as well as winning the 2018 Ballon d’Or award.

Gareth Bale headed to Madrid from north London in 2013. He immediately became a star in Spain after his £85million transfer.

In 258 games, he bagged 106 goals, as well as 67 assists, while also winning 16 team honours with the Spanish giants.

If Romero is to move, he is likely to have a much more successful time of it in Spain than in north London, with Tottenham not having won a trophy since 2008, a triumph which Bale was part of.

Tottenham are reportedly ready to renew their interest in signing Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the January transfer window in Ange Postecoglou’s search for a more physical No.9.

Dominic Solanke was signed in a club-record £65million deal over the summer but has only played one game so far after picking up an injury during his debut at Leicester.

However, reports from Spain suggest that Postecoglou is looking for a partner for Solanke or at least a player who is capable of providing a different dimension in the Tottenham attack.

To that end, Fichajes reports that Spurs are looking to take advantage of Calvert-Lewin‘s contract situation at Goodison Park, with the England forward set to be available on a free transfer in the summer of 2025.

The Toffees frontman, who now appears to be over the injury issues that have plagued him in recent seasons, certainly showed his aerial threat again as he scored from a header in Everton’s 3-2 loss at Aston Villa on Saturday evening.

And Fichajes states that Postecoglou is keen on having that different point of attack, even if having a front two does not necessarily match up with the Australian’s normal attacking formation.

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Everton could be forced into Calvert-Lewin sale

As TT has previously reported, everything is currently pointing towards Calvert-Lewin turning down a new contract offer on Merseyside as the 27-year-old looks for a fresh challenge at this stage of his career.

If he does reject a chance to stay, then Everton could look to cash in on the player in January for a cut-price fee rather than lose him for nothing next summer.

Newcastle are also known admirers of the striker, so Spurs will certainly not have it all their own way in any potential transfer chase.

Calvert-Lewin can hardly be called prolific, having scored 84 goals in 295 career outings, but his injury issues have to be taken into account in terms of the player building on seasons that have gone well.

Indeed, the attacker had back-to-back campaigns of 15 and then 21 goals in 2019/2020 and 2020/21 before two seasons where he struggled to get on the pitch due to one injury or another.

Quite what that all means for Richarlison remains to be seen, although the Brazilian continues to be heavily linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League in 2025.

Postecoglou also hunting another midfielder

While the focus on this piece surrounds Tottenham’s interest in bringing in another striker, it’s no secret that Postecoglou wanted to get another midfielder on board before the summer window shuts and that is expected to be one of his main priorities when the new year rolls around.

And the latest reports suggest the north London outfit are now the main suitors for Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez after an approach was made over the summer.

However, Lopez’s current club closed the door by pointing to the player’s €400m (£337.8m/$443.3m) release clause, which was obviously never expected to be activated.

Meanwhile, Tottenham also ‘fear’ their chances of signing Crystal Palace talisman Eberechi Eze have been dashed by one of two bigger Premier League sides, while Manchester United may also have missed out amid confirmed interest.

It’s claimed that England star Eze is content to play for Palace for one more season before moving to Arsenal or Man City next summer.

Calvert-Lewin a luxury Tottenham signing

When fully fit, Dominic Calvert-Lewin can be force to be reckoned with but signing him as a partner for Solanke makes little sense given the importance Postecoglou puts on his wide players in his attacking formation.

The article also references Calvert-Lewin’s preference as a more imposing physical threat but Solanke is also strong in the air and was brought in to convert the plethora of crosses Tottenham get in the box every game.

Son Heung-min is also a more than able deputy centrally, even if Richarlison does eventually move on, while the club also have the highly-rated Will Lankshear waiting in the wings.

The talented young forward has been likened to the club’s all-time record scorer Harry Kane and could get his chance in the senior stage at some point on the near future.

Former Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora has revealed why he decided to snub Arsenal in favour of a move to north London rivals Tottenham despite talks with Arsene Wenger back in the day.

Zokora joined Spurs from Saint-Etienne for £8.2million in the summer of 2006 after impressing for Ivory Coast at the World Cup in Germany that year.

But at the time, Zokora was also on the radar for Wenger’s Arsenal, who had just pipped Spurs to Champions League football after the infamous ‘lasagna-gate’ incident.

A sickness bug swept through the Tottenham squad on the eve of the final game of the season, leading to a 2-1 defeat that saw them lose fourth place to rivals Arsenal.

The Gunners had also been Premier League champions just two years earlier and were about to move to the Emirates. However, despite holding talks with Wenger, Zokora has revealed why White Hart Lane was the right place for him.

“When I signed for Spurs, Arsenal also wanted me,” he once told the Telegraph. “I spoke with Arsene after the World Cup but I preferred to come to Spurs because it gave me a good option for my life. I am very happy.”

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Zokora’s Tottenham trophy legacy

Zokora’s decision actually ended up being vindicated as became one of the players who last tasted silverware for the club as Tottenham beat Chelsea in extra-time to win the League Cup in 2008.

Arsenal, meanwhile, where on the nine-year trophy drought which eventually ended with an FA Cup triumph back in 2014.

Zokora’s form at Spurs also saw him linked with Spanish giants Real Madrid, but after signing a new deal in the white half of north London in 2008, the midfielder revealed why it was important to stay.

He added: “Everybody knows Real Madrid wanted me but I signed a new contract for this club and, if they want me, I stay.

“The club needs me, my life is here. Real are one of the best clubs in the world so that is good for me, no? That means I am not a bad player!”

Zokora actually only lasted another year at Tottenham after losing his place to Wilson Palacios as a regular starter, moving to Sevilla in the summer of 2009.

Spells in Turkey, India and Indonesia followed as his playing career drew to a close and the 43-year-old is now back in his homeland and was most recently assistant manager at AFAD Djekanou.

Tottenham midfield balance one of the keys to cup final win

Zokora made 88 Premier League appearances for Tottenham without scoring but offered a fine balance with Jermaine Jenas at the heart of Juande Ramos’ midfield in that final win over Chelsea.

Indeed, that engine room had a bit of everything with Zokora’s driving runs, ability to break up play and dynamism aided by Jenas’ more technical quality play but also his willingness to stick his boot in when it mattered.

Out wide there was the technical ability of Frenchman Steed Malbranque, who only spent two seasons in north London but walked away with a League Cup winners’ medal, and the searing pace and energy of Aaron Lennon on the right.

The latter spent a decade at Tottenham and was a hugely popular figure at the club, scoring 30 goals in 364 games under numerous managers.

In truth, the spine of that Tottenham team was very strong with Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate, who scored the extra-time winner, an outstanding centre-back pairing while club legends Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane formed the front two.

Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott named a big-money Tottenham star when asked for his signing of the season, while another Spurs man has been talked up by Jamie Redknapp.

Walcott spent 12 years on Arsenal’s books, scoring 108 goals across all competitions and placing seventh on the club’s list of all-time leading scorers in the Premier League era with 65.

Yet despite his loyalties to the Gunners, Walcott showed no hesitation when naming Dominic Solanke as potentially the smartest piece of business over summer.

Speaking to NOW TV, Walcott was asked who has made the best signing in the Premier League this season.

“I like Solanke,” replied the 35-year-old. “I do really like Solanke.”

Tottenham committed to a package worth £65m (£55m plus £10m in add-ons) when prising Solanke out of Bournemouth.

If the add-ons are met, Solanke would become Tottenham’s all-time record buy, surpassing Richarlison (£60m package)

Explaining his decision to select Solanke, Walcott added: “I think he did exceptionally well for Bournemouth and I think now if you’re putting him in a Tottenham team who, no disrespect to Bournemouth, [he’s] going to be around better players, he’s going to be playing with the likes of [James] Maddison behind him as well.

“The amount of goals he scored [at Bournemouth]… I was a bit disappointed for him bless him that he didn’t get into the England team.

“But again now he’s gone to Tottenham, a big, big stage for him. I think he’s probably going to be a one under the radar signing, definitely.”

Redknapp expects big things from Archie Gray

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp was asked the same question by NOW TV and cited fellow Tottenham new boy, Archie Gray.

“I like Archie Gray that Tottenham have signed,” began Redknapp. “Really good young midfield player.

“You look at [Fabio] Carvalho who’s gone to Brentford, they’re really good signings.”

Redknapp added: “I’ve got a feeling for Archie Gray this year. I think he’s going to be a really big signing for them.

“A really good midfield player and a really good lad as well.”

Solanke wasn’t first choice / Another Leeds raid wanted

According to Football Transfers, the money Tottenham spent on Solanke had originally been earmarked for Eberechi Eze.

However, amid claims the Crystal Palace talisman had his ‘head turned’ by a bigger Premier League rival, Spurs switched focus to Solanke and did not disappoint.

Elsewhere, TBRFootball claims Tottenham aren’t content to settle with signing just one Gray.

Spurs are reportedly in the mix for Archie’s younger brother Harry who like his sibling, has risen through the youth ranks at Leeds United.

A cluster of heavyweight sides are tracking the 15-year-old starlet, though the belief is Tottenham have the upper hand given the presence of Archie on the books.

News out of Italy suggests a £17m raid on AC Milan is also being lined up for the January window.

Solanke or Gray – who’ll have the better season?

The obvious answer to that question is Solanke given the frontman will be the regular starting striker when fit.

Furthermore, Ange Postecoglou has shown reluctance to throw Gray into the heat of Premier League action, with the teenager limited to two substitute appearances so far.

However, Solanke has been signed as the de facto replacement for Harry Kane and will be judged accordingly.

As Walcott mentioned, Solanke is now playing alongside more creative and higher quality stars and anything less than the 19 Premier League goals he notched for the Cherries last season will be viewed as a disappointment.

Gray, meanwhile, may actually see his importance and influence reach boiling point in the Europa League.

When Tottenham recently announced their squad for the Europa League group phase – which now consists of eight matches instead of six – only one right-back was named (Pedro Porro).

Djed Spence was omitted from the squad and Emerson Royal was sold to AC Milan over the summer.

To avoid burning Porro out and to keep him fresh for the Premier League, Gray – who regularly played at right-back for Leeds – may find himself in the starting eleven in the backline.

Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as the main suitors for Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez after a report revealed they made an approach in the summer.

It was certainly a summer to remember for Lopez, who was part of the Spanish squads that won Euro 2024 and the men’s Olympic football tournament. And it has now been uncovered that he caught the attention of multiple clubs along the way.

As revealed by Relevo, Tottenham were at the front of the queue for Lopez this summer after making an approach to Barcelona.

However, Lopez’s current club closed the door by pointing to the player’s €400m (£337.8m/$443.3m) release clause, which was obviously never expected to be activated.

And Barcelona are now working on upgrading Lopez’s contract, not only beyond its current expiry date of 2027 but also to adjust his salary more appropriately for a player who made 42 appearances for the first team last season.

Therefore, Tottenham may have missed their chance to sign Lopez, who – as the report explains – is now fully classed as a first-team player by Barcelona and not someone who will drop into the B team if he isn’t selected by head coach Hansi Flick.

The midfielder may find it interesting, then, that it is simultaneously being reported that Barcelona want to reinforce his position.

According to Marca, Barcelona have taken an interest in PSV midfielder Jerdy Schouten, who they could sign for €25m (£21.1m/$27.7m).

DON’T MISS – Tottenham to tempt AC Milan with profit for seven-goal forward in January raid

Barcelona transfers: Schouten in sights

Barcelona director Deco is still tasked with finding a new holding midfielder who can fill the void left by Sergio Busquets over a year ago.

In his prime at the age of 27, Schouten has been identified as a possible target. He may be easier for Barcelona to sign than either Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich or Aston Villa new boy Amadou Onana.

Alternatively, Flick could put his faith in another La Masia graduate, Marc Casado, depending on how he develops.

Since Lopez isn’t a sitting midfielder, it shouldn’t seem to affect him too much, but at a club like Barcelona, key areas are always going to have high competition.

Who could Tottenham turn to in midfield?

It remains to be seen if Tottenham will return for Lopez in the future, but with a potential new deal on the table at Barcelona, that appears unlikely.

Re-energising their midfield remains something on their agenda for their long-term plans and it has led to Spurs being linked with other midfield options.

For example, Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace is still on Tottenham’s radar, although the latest reports have indicated their fear of being outbid by rivals for the England international.

Tottenham have also been one of the many clubs linked with recent England debutant Angel Gomes over the past couple of weeks, with Lille only having him under contract until the end of this season.

Lopez could save Barcelona millions

With Barcelona due to tie Lopez down, they have the opportunity to build up their core of academy graduates flourishing in the first team.

La Masia has produced a plethora of top talents over the years and, while under Financial Fair Play scrutiny, perhaps Barcelona should be maximising them even more.

Lopez enjoyed a breakthrough season last term, during which Casado, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Guiu and Hector Fort also made their LaLiga debuts, not to mention Lamine Yamal becoming a superstar.

After quoting Tottenham such an extortionate fee for Lopez, Barcelona could benefit further if the Andalusian continues to develop within their senior setup.

Real Madrid’s chief scout Juni Calafat will be in attendance for Sunday’s North London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal with William Saliba and Cristian Romero on his radar and amid claims a high-profile swap deal could be on the cards.

The reigning European and LaLiga champions flexed their transfer muscles over the summer by bringing in Kylian Mbappe on a high-profile free transfer and with top young Brazilian talent Endrick arriving from Palmeiras for a fee of €47.5m (£40.1m / $52.6m). Unsurprisingly, Real Madrid are highly fancied to repeat their 2024 trophy double with Carlo Ancelotti’s side boasting incredible options across their midfield and attack.

Despite that, the LaLiga giants could be gearing up for an even bigger transfer assault in 2025, with ambitious president Florentino Perez casting his eye over some serious defensive additions.

To that end, their interest in repeating their Mbappe free-transfer trick with Trent Alexander-Arnold is well documented as time ticks down on his Liverpool deal, while another big 2025 move is beginning to gather pace with Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies in their sights.

However, Perez also wants to strengthen in central defence and they have been strongly linked with moves for both Tottenham defender Romero and classy Arsenal counterpart, Saliba, in recent weeks.

Now according to Defensa Central, interest in prising one of that pair to the Bernabeu in 2025 is set to ramp up with Los Blancos sending their chief scout Calafat to check on the pair in Sunday’s north London derby.

And it’s claimed the Spanish champions see ‘enormous potential’ in both players to slot into their defence and with Calafat’s assessment likely to be key to which of the pair they prioritise.

Deals for Saliba and Romero not easy as Arsenal swap deal is mooted

Their prospects of signing either player though will be tough with both Romero and Saliba both still have three years remaining on their existing contracts.

Furthermore, Defensa understands it would take a fee in the region of €100m (£84.4m / $110.8m) to persuade Spurs to cash in on World Cup winner Romero, while Arsenal value Saliba at even higher and in excess of €125m (£105.6m / $138.5m).

Of the two, it’s suggested that Saliba is likely to be their preferred option with Fichajes on Friday claiming Perez is willing to sacrifice France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni in a high-profile swap deal for the Arsenal man.

And the report claims that, with the Gunners well stacked for central defensive options, Arteta would be prepared to let the stylish French centre-half leave, believing that a midfield axis of Tchouameni and Declan Rice will be key to ultimately wrestling the Premier League crown from Manchester City’s grasp.

However, Saliba is hugely appreciated by Arsenal boss Arteta and it’s reported by Football.London that securing both Bukayo Saka and Saliba – the former whose deal also runs to 2027 – will be something soon addressed by the club.

Arsenal target three big signings in 2025

With Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori all capable of playing at centre-half, Arsenal certainly have a lot of quality options there, so reports earlier on Saturday linking them with a January move for Barcelona’s Andreas Christensen perhaps come as a surprise.

Per the report, via El Nacional, Barcelona are open to offers for the former Chelsea man as they look to move him on for a sizeable profit and with Hansi Flick well blessed for options to cover in the centre of his defence.

In other Arsenal news, Arteta and Co are reported by The Times to be planning a massive 2025 summer assault with three of the game’s elite stars – Nico Williams, Jamal Musiala and Benjamin Sesko – all under discussion as transfer planning for next year begins.

The incredible side Real Madrid could play next year if three big signings arrive

With Real winning an incredible six Champions League trophies in the last 11 seasons, it feels like Perez is starting to put the wheels in motion for what could be a sustained period of domination.

Blessed with quality options all over the park, the side they could play in 2025/26 season looks frighteningly good and one capable of sweeping all before them for years to come.

Much is made about the Galacticos era that saw the likes of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Roberto Carlos swashbuckling their way around Europe; now it seems like a similar era could be taking shape with the very best in the world earmarked to join their ranks.

A defensive unit of steel and strength, solidifed by three summer signings, Tchouameni and Federico Valverde marshalling the midfield and a front four of Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Mbappe, together with Endrick in reserve, really would be an elite XI.