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When is the Carabao Cup third round draw? Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham to discover opponents

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The Carabao Cup returns this week and the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea will soon be involved in the competition.

Tuesday and Wednesday this week will see the second round of the competition take place. This stage sees the introduction of Premier League clubs that are not involved in any European competition, including the likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Brighton, among others.

For the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, they will have to wait until the third round before they are involved in the competition. The three London clubs will be joined by Manchester United, Manchester City and defending champions Liverpool in entering the third-round draw this week.

Here, football.london takes a look at all of the details for the Carabao Cup third-round draw.

When is the Carabao Cup third-round draw?

The third-round draw for the Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday, August 28, following the conclusion of the second-round tie between Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United at the City Ground.

What teams will be in the Carabao Cup third-round draw?

A total of 32 teams will be in the hat for the third-round draw of the Carabao Cup, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs.

Below is a full list of the teams that will be in the third-round draw:

Arsenal

Chelsea

Tottenham

Liverpool

Manchester City

Manchester United

Aston Villa

Middlesbrough or Stoke City

Barnley or Sheffield United

Barrow or Derby County

Blackburn Rovers or Blackpool

Brighton or Crawley Town

Coventry City or Oxford United

Everton or Doncaster Rovers

Fleetwood Town or Rotherham United

Grimsby Town or Sheffield Wednesday

Harrogate Town or Preston North End

Leicester City or Tranmere Rovers

Millwall or Leyton Orient

QPR or Luton Town

Shrewsbury Town or Bolton Wanders

Walsall or Huddersfield Town

Watford or Plymouth Argyle

Birmingham City or Fulham

Crystal Palace or Norwich

Wolves or Burnley

AFC Wimbledon or Ipswich Town

Cardiff City or Southampton

Colchester United or Brentford

Swansea City or Wycombe Wanderers

West Ham or Bournemouth

Nottingham Forest or Newcastle United

Who can Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham face in the Carabao Cup third-round?

Due to a new rule change thanks to the revamp of the Champions League format, the Carabao Cup third-round draw has undergone some changes.

Thanks to the Champions League expanding to 36 teams and an increased fixture list in the league phase, the third round of the Carabao Cup will be split over two separate weeks and six of the seven teams competing in Europe cannot be drawn against one another.

As a result, Arsenal, Man City, Man United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa will be drawn first, followed by the remaining 26 teams. Chelsea are not included in the initial draw due to the Europa Conference League league phase beginning in October, provided they get past Servette in the qualifying round.

Tottenham announce latest transfer for Ange Postecoglou ahead of deadline day

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Tottenham winger Manor Solomon has joined Championship side Leeds United on loan for the 2024/25 campaign. football.london understands that the Israeli's move to Elland Road is a straight loan and it does not contain an option for Daniel Farke's side to make the move permanent next summer.

Since joining Tottenham on a free transfer in July 2023, the 25-year-old has only made six senior appearances for the Lilywhites. Starting the 2023/24 season off in fine form as he featured regularly in the first six games of the term and registered two assists in a 5-2 win at Burnley, Solomon has failed to make a competitive appearance for Tottenham since coming on as a substitute in last September's late 2-1 win over Liverpool.

Suffering a meniscus injury to his right knee in training at the start of October, Solomon underwent surgery and looked set to spend between three to four months on the sidelines. However, the ex-Fulham player suffered a setback and again went under the knife in March for minor surgery on his right knee.

Finally returning to the Tottenham team in pre-season, Solomon's minutes started to dry up on the club's summer tour of Japan and South Korea after failing to feature in the friendlies after the 3-2 win over Vissel Kobe in Tokyo. An unused substitute in the Team K League match and double-header against Bayern Munich, it always appeared that Solomon would have to head elsewhere this season to play regularly.

Having seen Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner move ahead of him in the pecking order since first picking up his knee injury, academy ace Mikey Moore has now jumped ahead of Solomon and the same goes for new signing Wilson Odobert. A temporary move for now to Leeds United, however, will allow him to get his career back on track as the West Yorkshire club look to bounce back from their play-off final defeat and seal a return to the Premier League.

Leeds have already lost key attacking players Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter this summer, thus giving Solomon the opportunity to give his new club a further attacking boost in their promotion push. Farke's side are currently sixth in the Championship table after three games following one win and two draws from their opening fixtures.

Solomon's move to Elland Road is the latest deal finalised between Leeds and Tottenham in recent seasons. Allowing Joe Rodon and Djed Spence to join Leeds on loan last season, Spurs this summer signed Archie Gray from the Whites and struck a deal that saw the Welsh defender seal a permanent move to the Championship club after his loan success.

Solomon's debut could possibly come on Saturday afternoon when Leeds host Hull City at Elland Road.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou faces Tottenham transfer deadline day dilemma that will cause him more problems

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The Premier League's summer transfer window is winding towards its conclusion on Friday evening and Tottenham will eventually have to decide whether to stick or twist with Ange Postecoglou's squad.

It's been a window that has seen a huge overhaul within the club - off the pitch with new heads coming into various departments around the Spurs first team as well as new coaching staff around it, but mostly on the pitch with Postecoglou's squad now barely recognisable from the one he inherited when he was announced as the new head coach in 2023.

Departing the club have been Oliver Skipp, Emerson Royal, Joe Rodon, Eric Dier, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Tanguy Ndombele, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Japhet Tanganga, Troy Parrott, Bryan Gil, Alejo Veliz, Dane Scarlett and Ashley Phillips, with Leeds-bound Manor Solomon, Sergio Reguilon, Giovani Lo Celso and Alfie Devine set to follow out of the exit door.

Postecoglou's squad has also been given a refresh with Dominic Solanke signed for £65million, Wilson Odobert for £30million, Archie Gray in a £40million package, as well as more wingers in the returning Timo Werner and a January 2025 arrival to come in Yang Min-hyeok, while midfielder Lucas Bergvall joined up after his February switch from Djurgarden.

So what about further incomings? First off - and we know it's boring but it's something Tottenham have to comply with - the squad registration regulations.

Postecoglou, who turned 59 on Tuesday, joked with football.london this month that we look at all of that far more than he does - which is probably true and hurts our heads - but he also acknowledged in the same breath that it's something Spurs will have to comply with, although he was confident they would be able to.

Without going deeply into the rules, which really are incredibly boring, here are the quick headline numbers that are worth knowing, with Solomon already removed thanks to his imminent loan move to Leeds United.

Tottenham's 25-man Premier League squad is fine and there's already a foreign player spot free for one more person if required, while moving on Lo Celso and Reguilon would free up another two spaces. Don't forget about Yang arriving in January though, if he is to remain at the club for the second half of the campaign rather than be loaned out for the added experience.

It's the 25-man Europa League squad where things get messy. Without overloading you with the nitty gritty, Spurs currently have the maximum 17 non-locally trained players allowed because Bergvall has to be registered in that list in Europe.

They also have seven association-trained players to fit into four spots, meaning the other three have to be registered in the main group. They also only have two senior club-trained players for four places, which means Spurs have to leave two empty spaces in that category or waste it by registering a youngster who is already on the academy B list. They could also go rogue and sign a former player who is club trained.

So in essence, take out Lo Celso and Reguilon and you've still got a squad of 24 to fit into what is now 23 spots. That will be down to Postecoglou to decide who misses out and whether it's someone else who leaves the club or simply doesn't get to play European football.

So with that in mind, if Tottenham sign someone extra in the remaining few days of the window without letting another go - other than Lo Celso and Reguilon - yet another player needs to miss out on Europe or that new signing needs to come in with the understanding that they won't be getting Europa League minutes this season. It's unlikely one of the current senior regular players would give up the chance to potentially add a trophy to their CV - they don't come around often at Spurs nowadays.

The most obvious gap in Postecoglou's squad comes on the left side of that defence, in terms of either a centre-back or a left-back. The reason it's an either/or is Ben Davies.

There are rarely 11 changes for matches but for squad purposes, if you imagine a second XI of players for the Europa League and Carabao Cup matches, Radu Dragusin, Djed Spence and Davies are the current candidates to come in to the backline - three players for four spots.

The question is whether Davies plays as a centre-back and if so then Spence has to go to a more unnatural left-back role. That then leaves a gap at right-back which in this current moment would probably have to be filled by Gray, although that would mean preventing the talented £40million 18-year-old from getting the developmental minutes in the centre of midfield where he will become Spurs' long-term star. Gray also played at centre-back during pre-season for the first time in his career.

Of course injuries then on top for anyone would mean someone having to play three games a week when all the fixtures kick in from next month.

That's why it would make squad sense for Tottenham to sign another central defender in the coming days, perhaps even one who could play as a left-back if required. You wouldn't spend big money on someone who is ultimately going to be fourth choice, which points perhaps towards either a loan move or a younger player happy to make the move to a big club with the understanding that they're one potentially for the future. It could of course be both of those.

So that seems logical but there are of course points against it. Firstly, of course those pesky Europa League squad numbers. Someone else would have to be left out or sold or the incoming player unable to play in the competition, which defeats the purpose somewhat.

There is also the cluttering of the path to the first team of someone like Alfie Dorrington, who is a very talented young centre-back in Tottenham's academy and now back from his serious hamstring injury.

Then there is Postecoglou himself, who after saying towards the end of last season that he wanted to sign another centre-back this summer, had changed his outlook by the time Friday came around and he was asked directly if he would be looking to sign a central defender this week with the departure of Ashley Phillips to Stoke City on loan.

"No, look we've obviously got Radu [Dragusin], who is going really well and training really well. Ben can play centre-back as well and Archie can play centre-back so I think we're OK," he said.

The following day the Australian did also say how important it was to not overplay the likes of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro, so it's a balance he's going to have to strike this season with so many games on the horizon.

The choice ultimately is Postecoglou's when it comes to what the Tottenham squad registered for the 2024/25 season will look like. There appears to be a gap in that defence for another player to come in and we'll see whether the final days of the window remedy that and if so exactly what that means for others.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Retro badge and strange Nike swoosh decision confirmed

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Tottenham supporters can now get their hands on every new kit for the 2024/25 season after the club unveiled their new third strip for the campaign.

Following the release of the white home kit and the blue away, Spurs have gone for a green third kit for this season. the greenw ill evoke memories of a certain shirt worn five years ago on the run to the Champions League final.

It was in green that cult hero Lucas Moura scored that hat-trick in the Champions League semi-final against Ajax - Spurs coming from three goals down on aggregate to win on away goals thanks to that 45-minute treble from the Brazilian.

Tottenham have launched the third kit with a gaming concept, changing the club motto from Dare to Do to Dare to Play for the launch.

The all-green kit features a "truly unique pattern inspired by our London N17 heritage", according to Spurs, with subtle references to the trees from which the name Seven Sisters is derived. Fans making their way to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium often flock down the High Road from Seven Sisters tube station and the nod to Seven Sisters in this kit reflects that.

The ‘Seven Sisters’ are a ring of seven trees that have stood in South Tottenham for hundreds of years, captivating local residents for generations. Legend has it that the original elms were planted in the 1300s by seven sisters from a local family.

The new kit also has a retro badge on it, with the usual standalone cockerel on a ball given and old-school surround crest, with the words Audere Est Facere underneath as previosuly shown in kits of the past - the club's motto in Latin.

And, as expected, the Nike swoosh has a new design. As they were rumoured to have done on all third kits this season, the Nike logo has been turned 90 degrees and features a second smaller swoosh. this is to signify the link-up with the women's team and the upward tick highlights the rise of women's football.

The new kit will be worn buy both the men's and women's teams this season. You can buy a stadium shirt for £85 exclusively from TottenhamHotspur.com or Nike.com, with the elite shirt costing £125.

The key moves that Tottenham could make in the final days of the transfer window

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Tottenham have just four days until the summer transfer window closes and Ange Postecoglou still has a few decisions to make.

The Australian has a big squad now but there could still be movement in these final days before the 11pm deadline on Friday, a day which also brings with it the Europa League group stage draw and the Spurs head coach's press conference ahead of the Premier League match at Newcastle United.

Tottenham have a couple of positions where a new addition would be helpful, namely at left-back and in central defence, while players such as Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon and Manor Solomon also need to head out of the north London club.

Spurs have had a busy transfer window with Dominic Solanke signed for £65million, Wilson Odobert coming in for £30million, Archie Gray in a £40million package, as well as more wingers in the shape of the returning Timo Werner and a January arrival to come in Yang Min-hyeok, while Lucas Bergvall joined up after his February switch from Djurgarden.

Tottenham, who thrashed Everton 4-0 in their first home game of the season on Saturday, have a packed season ahead with four competitions to compete in with plenty of matches and Postecoglou will require plenty of personnel for the months ahead, especially to counter the injury crises that the club often seems to have.

Our Spurs reporters Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest discussed all of the above as well as the big win against the Toffees in the latest episode of their podcast Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

You can listen to the show in podcast format on most of the main platforms by heading right here or you can watch it on YouTube by going right here.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham transfer hole that needs filling before deadline day despite Ange Postecoglou admission

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The transfer window closes on Friday evening so what still needs to be done at Tottenham Hotspur as Ange Postecoglou looks to build a squad he is happy with?

The summer window comes to its end at 11pm on Friday in what will be a busy day for Postecoglou and the club with the Europa League group stage draw followed by the Australian's press conference at the club's Hotspur Way training ground ahead of the Premier League trip to Newcastle.

Spurs have had a busy summer transfer window with Dominic Solanke signed for £65million, Wilson Odobert coming in for £30million, Archie Gray in a £40million package, as well as more wingers in the shape of the returning Timo Werner and a January arrival to come in Yang Min-hyeok, while Lucas Bergvall joined up after his February switch from Djurgarden.

On Postecoglou's instructions, Tottenham have also undertaken a huge overhaul of the squad with Oliver Skipp, Emerson Royal, Joe Rodon, Eric Dier, Ryan Sessegnon, Tanguy Ndombele, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Ivan Perisic, Japhet Tanganga, Troy Parrott, Bryan Gil, Alejo Veliz, Ashley Phillips and Dane Scarlett all heading out of the door, with Sergio Reguilon, Giovani Lo Celso, Manor Solomon and Alfie Devine expected to join them.

So what else could still happen in the days ahead? It's time to take a look at all of the departments in Postecoglou's squad.

Goalkeepers

This is an interesting department because it's got the numbers but is it convincing? You've got a clear number one in Guglielmo Vicario, then Fraser Forster and Brandon Austin tussling for the number two spot and Alfie Whiteman as another back-up.

However, there might be some question marks over whether Postecoglou would have as much faith in Vicario's back-ups as he does the Italian. Forster had been out for six months with a fractured foot and has only just got back on the bench for the first time. At 36, can he carry out the all-action mopping up behind the defence style required and show the ability with his feet that Vicario does?

With Austin and Whiteman, both are 25-years-old but neither have played a single minute of competitive football in the English game.

It might not be something that is fixed in this window, but you wouldn't put it past the club and Postecoglou to look at some point for someone new to challenge Vicario for the years ahead. You look at Liverpool's options in the goalkeeper department and it's now full of senior pros, whereas Tottenham's is a lot more risky.

With young Luca Gunter also impressing, there could be an opportunity for Whiteman to depart if a move arises, while the Republic of Ireland international Josh Keeley is also expected to make a move, with football.london having previously reported that Leyton Orient are very keen on him to join his academy team-mate Jamie Donley in their ranks.

The other issue in the goalkeeper department is that Austin and Whiteman are Spurs' only two senior first team club-trained players for Europa League football this season and with the club's troublesome numbers across the squad Postecoglou will have to decide whether he can afford to leave Forster, his only experienced back-up to Vicario, out. If he doesn't then someone else in another position misses out.

Full-backs

The triumphant return of Djed Spence has shaken up this category somewhat with the 23-year-old impressing everyone with his displays in training and matches since coming back into the fold. That means that Spurs now have three options at right-back in Pedro Porro, Spence and Archie Gray.

Postecoglou has also used Spence as a back-up left-back to Destiny Udogie, with the former having played in the role at previous loan clubs. On Sunday, the Spurs boss brought on Spence in the position late on rather than turning to the experienced Ben Davies, which suggests he sees the Welshman as centre-back cover this season with the inverted full-back system not fitting his game as well.

Sergio Reguilon is set to leave the club if an exit route is found. Spurs are in a difficult position because the Spaniard has only one year left on his contract so they cannot really loan him out without writing off a transfer fee, which would instead come in a lower form as a loan fee.

Spence is not a natural left-back and he was exposed at times by Bayern's admittedly top drawer wingers and the Tottenham boss will have to decide whether he's got enough in Udogie, Spence and Davies to last him until at the January window. From the outside it feels like a left-back would be beneficial, because if Postecoglou wants to rotate his defence for European and Carabao Cup matches, Spence can't play on both the right and left, while Davies will be involved in the centre of defence.

Centre-backs

On paper this seems like an area where Postecoglou needs another arrival and towards the end of last season he did identify that department as being one in need of a new recruit.

However, that position appears to have changed this summer because on Friday he was asked directly if he was likely to look to sign another centre-back this coming week after Ashley Phillips was loaned out to Stoke.

"No, look we've obviously got Radu [Dragusin], who is going really well and training really well. Ben can play centre-back as well and Archie can play centre-back so I think we're OK," he said.

With so many games on the horizon though, a pool of four centre-backs could be stretched to breaking point when the schedule starts to bring three matches a week from next month onwards and there are those questions marks above over whether Davies will be required at left-back.

Gray can play in the centre and at right-back but Postecoglou will likely want him to play and develop in the midfield this season.

It perhaps opens a door for academy centre-back Alfie Dorrington who is now back in training following his serious hamstring injury.

It's a position that the Australian has seemingly ruled out additions in now and while they are better placed that they were last year when they let Davinson Sanchez go after the English window has closed, they have far more games to contend with.

Central midfielders

This is now a packed area of the squad. You could argue whether more experienced quality could be added but in terms of numbers and also talent there's a lot of it.

In the number six role, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and Archie Gray are all the main candidates for the position and will battle it out for the job. Another indiscretion for Bissouma though and he could be heading out of the exit door but performances like Saturday's and full application behind the scenes and in training will stave off that for the immediate future.

A powerful number six would still be an enticing addition but that would likely mean a big exit to make the room for such a signing.

In the two number eight roles either side of the midfield trio there are also plenty of candidates for Postecoglou in James Maddison, Pape Matar Sarr, Bentancur, Gray, Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski and Odobert can also play in that position, so that's seven players battling it out for two positions.

You never know what opportunities can arise in the transfer market in the final days and someone on Tottenham's wanted list could become available but it would certainly have a big knock-on effect with the squad.

In terms of outgoings, Giovani Lo Celso will be heading towards the exit door this week, although he's in the same contract situation as Reguilon which gives interested clubs the upper hand, while young midfielder Alfie Devine is also expected to make his way back out on loan this season.

Attackers

Postecoglou now has something he didn't last season in two strikers to choose from, and occasionally play together, in Solanke and Richarlison with Son Heung-min able to play there very competently and Kulusevski proving a fine false nine when required.

There is also the prolific 19-year-old Will Lankshear who is expected to remain at the club and get minutes this season despite the queue of clubs looking to take the teenager away on loan. His performances in training and games this summer helped convince Postecoglou to allow Scarlett and Veliz to head out on loan.

The Spurs boss also now has a huge number of wingers to fit into two positions, meaning some are more than likely to be watching matches from the stands at times this season when Postecoglou has a fit squad to choose from - yes we know that's a rarity.

On the left wing, Postecoglou has Son, Odobert, Werner, Johnson, Richarlison and the gifted 17-year-old Mikey Moore who can all play there. On the right, he has all of the above as well as Kulusevski, such is the versatility of the squad the Tottenham head coach has constructed over the past 12 months.

On top of all of that there is also Yang, who has been handed his first senior Korean international call-up, to arrive in January from Gangwon and another winger in Manor Solomon, who is currently in the middle of a protracted loan switch to Leeds United that is yet to be sealed. football.london understands that Ajax have shown some interest in the player in recent days as did Marseille before that, so could be waiting to pounce if they can move on players from their squad.

Other attackers will become available or be pushed towards Tottenham in the final days, but there's not any room at the inn unless it simply has to be made for something remarkable.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Micky van de Ven sends Tottenham Premier League warning and what he noticed about Yves Bissouma

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Micky van de Ven believes Tottenham have more threat this season in their plan to reach another level in the Premier League and claim a trophy.

The 23-year-old Dutchman gave his Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou a scare in the first half of the 4-0 win against Everton on Saturday when he hyperextended his knee. However, he appeared to shake it off and in the second half embarked on an 80-yard run up the pitch before setting up Son Heung-min for Tottenham's fourth goal.

First up was the matter of that knee which had Van de Ven in plenty of pain and needing treatment on the pitch.

"It's OK - we have to check it but it feels OK," said the centre-back, before adding about that long late run up the pitch. "I just decided to keep going, hopefully nobody could stop me, and nothing happened. I knew Sonny was on my left so I kept driving at the centre back and at the right moment I played Sonny in.

"Was I tempted to have a crack? No - Sonny was there and I knew he would finish it off. When I was dribbling with the ball you could sense everyone in the stadium was getting really hyped and it felt good."

Those sort of forward movements by the Tottenham defenders are encouraged by Postecoglou and it's something Van de Ven relishes.

"We have the possibility to do this, Ange gives us the possibility to do it and I feel comfortable to play like this," said Van de Ven. "He trusts his defenders, and he trusts everybody in the team to play that way and it's really important for us to feel that trust."

Spurs have plenty of attacking options this season with the addition of £65million striker Dominic Solanke and £30million winger Wilson Odobert, with the latter enjoying a promising debut on Saturday. Van de Ven believes Tottenham will be a more multi-dimensional threat across the coming campaign with more strikers, wingers galore, defenders who can attack and a growing bunch of attacking midfielders, with young summer arrivals Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray also in the mix.

"Yes, I believe so - like the gaffer said, we can play down the side, through the middle and two or three balls from Deki to Maddison were really dangerous, and there were more threats from outside this year," he said. "We need to reach another level this season - last year we were fifth, so it was a good season, but we want more. We want to win a trophy, that’s clear."

One man who was back in the team on Saturday was Yves Bissouma, the 27-year-old midfielder returning from a one-game club-imposed suspension handed out after uploading footage of himself inhaling nitrous oxide. The Mali international produced a rocket of a strike to open the scoring, his first goal for the club and the first step to winning back the trust of his manager and team-mates.

"Biss gave a really good performance today, but you'll have to ask the gaffer if it's all finished now," said Van de Ven. "He showed a really good responsibility this week and also on matchday - that's all I have to say about it."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Five Tottenham transfers Johan Lange can still sign off for Ange Postecoglou before deadline day

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Friday's 11pm transfer deadline is almost upon us. Set to be a busy week in the Premier League, perhaps most notably at Stamford Bridge, Tottenham still have work to do in the final few days of the summer window.

Plenty of incomings and outgoings have taken place in N17 across the summer so far but the Spurs squad overhaul is not complete just yet. A handful of players could still head out of the door at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in order to get regular first-team football elsewhere.

Supporters will also be hoping that one or two new signings are also on the agenda, following on from the summer arrivals of Timo Werner, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Dominic Solanke, Yang Min-hyeok and Wilson Odobert. So what deals could actually be finalised by Johan Lange for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham this week? football.london takes a look below.

Alfie Devine

Alfie Devine requires a loan move before the week is out. The attacking midfielder enjoyed a standout summer with the Tottenham first team but it's clear to see that he unfortunately isn't going to get regular minutes in Postecoglou's side and that will only impact his development in the process.

Another loan move to the Championship would seem the most likely destination for the Warrington-born player after his time with Plymouth Argyle in the second half of last season. Devine was in and out of the team following his loan switch and he will be looking to put that right by starting week in, week out for his new club.

Giovani Lo Celso

The final week of the transfer window should hopefully see a move for Giovani Lo Celso come to fruition. Remaining with Spurs last term but unfortunately only playing a bit-part role for Postecoglou, it's best for all parties that the Argentina international seals a move elsewhere before Friday's 11pm deadline.

Tottenham should not be short of suitors for Lo Celso but they must ensure that he leaves permanently as he is now in the final year of his Spurs contract. Aston Villa and former club Real Betis have been linked with the midfielder so far this summer.

Sergio Reguilon

Sergio Reguilon is in the same boat as Lo Celso as he is also in the final year of his Tottenham contract. Securing loan moves to Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford over the last two seasons, Tottenham need to find a permanent move for him this time around.

Tottenham require a Destiny Udogie alternative but Reguilon is quite clearly not in Postecoglou's thinking after not featuring at all in pre-season and staying behind "to explore prospective transfer opportunities" at a time when his teammates were on the summer tour of Japan and South Korea.

Manor Solomon

Manor Solomon will be playing his football away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season with a loan move set to be finalised. After an injury-hit first year in N17 where he only made six first-team appearances, the Israeli needs to be playing regularly for the sake of his career as opportunities are going to be extremely limited for him at Tottenham.

A temporary move to Leeds United is on the cards amid interest from Getafe and Marseille.

Further transfer opportunity

Postecoglou revealed towards the back end of last season that he would like Tottenham to sign a new centre-back this summer. That may no longer be a deal that the club finalise, however, as the head coach mentioned on the eve of the Everton match that he has Radu Dragusin, Ben Davies and even Gray as centre-back options, stating "I think we're ok" there.

Tottenham will, as ever, explore further transfer opportunities when it comes to strengthening their squad. Odobert's move from Burnley certainly came out of the blue and you can never say never when it comes to Tottenham and transfers.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Postecoglou's Tottenham coaching change that's already working and why he loves Wilson Odobert

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This was a result Tottenham have threatened so many times under Ange Postecoglou, not least just five days before at the King Power Stadium.

Finally this time they allowed the Spurs fans to actually fully enjoy themselves from start to finish, with as little drama and as much quality as possible.

They were up against an Everton side with injuries and absences, albeit with only one change from their opening game, but Postecoglou will know that few people allowed Tottenham to use unavailable players as an excuse from November last season when they had more than 10 players missing for each match for a long while.

So ultimately you've just got to get on with it and Postecoglou will be as pleased with how Spurs dealt with Everton's set piece threat - so difficult for them at Goodison Park last season - as he will be with the way his team finished off their chances and they scored from a set piece at the other end.

Postecoglou brought in a new coaching duo Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo in the wake of Chris Davies' departure and both have made their mark this summer with their input and in particular their discipline, which comes with their military background, the latter serving and the former's family ties to the armed forces.

football.london understands that while all coaching is a collective effort under the Australian, including the set piece organisation, Montgomery has had a strong involvement in all set piece work at both ends of the pitch since arriving and that has been clear already.

Not only did Cristian Romero score from a set piece in this second game but with what is a hybrid set piece defending system, involving both zonal and man marking, that side of the game for Spurs has looked much tighter in the opening encounters with the players showing more discipline and responsibility in their roles.

It's the funny way football works that Tottenham actually had less efforts on goal on Saturday than they did at Leicester, 13 this time compared to the 15 that night and forced Jordan Pickford into less saves (three) than Mads Hermansen (five) needed to make five days before. They had 71% possession once again and dominated the play with 540 passes

Yet Spurs took their chances this time, putting the same number of shots on target - seven - only to send four into the net this time instead of one.

Yves Bissouma began the scoring with a curling rocket from his instep. It had originated from good link-up play between Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson before the former jinked his way through the Everton defence and then teed up the Mali international.

The 27-year-old unleashed a powerful effort in off the crossbar from outside the box - his first competitive goal for the club after his first friendly one last month.

It was something he needed and his manager needed to see from him. The midfielder ran over to Postecoglou and embraced him. It was the first step on the road back into the Australian's circle of trust.

If that first goal showed Tottenham's ability under Postecoglou to probe for space in the opposition backline so the second goal was all about the Australian's desire for his team to press aggressively from the front and it was his captain who led by example.

Son Heung-min raced towards the ball on the left flank and when it was passed back to Pickford he did not stop. The goalkeeper took a heavy touch and the South Korean pounced, robbing him of the ball and taking a whack in the process before tapping it into the empty net.

The third goal arrived in the second half, Cristian Romero rising high on his 100th appearance for Spurs, above Everton captain James Tarkowski, to power home a header off the crossbar from James Maddison's corner.

The fourth goal was all about the run of Micky van de Ven, shrugging off a worrying knee jarring moment earlier in the game to sprint 80 yards or so with those long strides before picking the perfect moment to draw the defender and lay the ball off to Son, who fired it through Pickford's legs and into the net.

The young Dutch centre-back gave his captain a light-hearted barge as he ran off celebrating to remind him who set him up, like he could forget.

"The performance was excellent," Postecoglou told football.london. "I said after the game, I thought the performance last week was excellent too, but you've got to also turn that sort of dominant performance into outcomes and results.

"We did today, we looked really threatening going forward all the time. We created many chances, different kinds of chances, and I thought we handled their threat which they still are from set pieces and long balls really well today. So there was a little discipline in both aspects of the game."

On having threats all over the pitch, he added: "It's what we want to evolve into and we're still in the process of that. We had Deki playing in midfield today, I thought he was really good and we had Sonny scoring a goal through the middle and he scored a goal when he went out wide.

"I think we looked a threat from varied different areas and even set pieces. So, if we're going to turn compelling performances into consistent results, you'd need to have more than one avenue of attack. I thought we showed that today."

Postecoglou does not believe it's about being ruthless this season so much as continuing to play in the way that will create chances galore in every single game.

"Not necessarily [it's about the ruthlessness]. I still think it’s about performance. I think if you perform like we have these first two weeks and you keep producing that multitude of chances, then more often than not you'll win games of football," he said.

"I still think it's the performance. I think once you start focusing just on the outcome, on goals… because even today, I thought, you know, we created some unbelievable opportunities and could have scored more goals. But the idea is that you keep your level of performance up, and I think what you don't want to do is after last week, change your approach, looking for goals.

"We haven't changed our approach. We played the same way as last week, but I just felt today we had just a little bit more variety in our attacks. We went out wide, we went through central areas, we made some fantastic runs straight through the middle. I think Madders had a couple of one-on-one opportunities.

"I think that's part of it as well. If we can become a team that's not just a threat in one way, I think that’ll help us. Set pieces is another one. Cuti is unbelievable in the air, and we usually have some good deliveries in there. All those kind of things help."

This was an important victory. It wasn't a must-win game but Postecoglou wants to start amassing the points to have a big season at Tottenham and to do that with the matches that are coming up in the opening weeks of this season Spurs needed momentum. This was a great start.

The return of Yves Bissouma

It was a risk bringing Yves Bissouma straight back into the Tottenham midfield as soon as his club suspension was done.

Rodrigo Bentancur's concussion after a strong display at Leicester meant Postecoglou had a decision to make. He could further punish Bissouma by making him sit on the bench and watch 18-year-old Archie Gray play in the midfield or he could hand the Mali international some reward for a week of responding to his public suspension with increased effort.

"You know what it’s like when you punish your child and they do everything right for the next two days?" said the Australian. "He’s first in the meetings, he’s doing everything right but there’s always temptation down the road, so we’ll see. I’ve always believed in opportunity for redemption and learning. We’re still in that space at the moment with Biss.

"But obviously that door closes after a while if there’s repeated [indiscretions]. He’s been good but I would have been surprised if he wasn’t. It’s always the key with Biss is consistency. The consistency of behaviour, what he does… it’s not that he’s doing a lot of bad things.

"Obviously the last transgression was very serious but it’s the little things along the way also. I think sometimes that manifests in his game where he’s really good and he’ll have a moment when he’s not. I think it all correlates. From our perspective it’s about trying to continually guide him, but it’s up to him. He’s got to continue to try to be the best version of himself that he can possibly be."

Postecoglou handed Bissouma the chance to pay something back to him and his team-mates, knowing that the remarkable young talent that is Gray will get his chance soon. The Spurs boss also wanted to play two attack-minded midfielders in James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski so perhaps did not want to put the pressure on the teenager to mop up everything behind them.

Bissouma continued his penitent path with an impressive display, which not only brought that blockbuster first goal for the club but also a performance full of running and importantly very little in the way of mistakes or lapses in concentration.

His celebrations included a bowing, hands clasped together apology to the fans before he grabbed the badge on his shirt repeatedly. He then ran over and hugged Postecoglou after the goal. The midfielder loves playing for the 58-year-old. He calls him a father figure, which makes his continued lapses, in Postecoglou's words, all the more frustrating for the head coach and his coaching staff.

"It seemed to work so I'm going to ban him next week and bring him back the week after mate as that seems to do the trick," he joked to the BBC. "Biss was great today, not just his goal. He was really disciplined, but discipline is a word I use with him a hell of a lot. Hopefully he gets to the point where he understands how important it is, because we want to see the best of Biss playing for this football club."

The problem is Bissouma is not 18, 21 or even 25. He turns 28 on Friday and he really should be at a point in his career where he is settled and focused on his football, rather than anything superfluous outside of it, in order to squeeze every last drop out of ability.

He's popular around the club and a fun figure, but so is Son while still having an incredible work ethic that has taken him up among the elite players in the world while being an inspiration to every younger player at the club.

This latest indiscretion, not the first in Bissouma's career, needs to be the last and the inspiration for him to realise everything he can be.

For when he's on song so are Tottenham. Only Romero and Pedro Porro had more touches of the ball than him on the pitch on Saturday (86) as everything went through him. Nobody can take the ball off the Spurs defence and beat the press quite like Bissouma.

"Biss was good and we know Biss is a good footballer. It's about him being the best version of himself and he will only get there if, as we've spoken a few times, discipline is a big thing for him and I thought it was a disciplined performance for him today," Postecoglou told football.london.

"Not just the goal he scored, but he had a really important job for us. He knew they'd play fairly direct and he had to be there to mop up second balls and intercept things and he was clean for the most part in possession. So good performance.

"There's no doubting his ability. He has that ability to do something special, but he needs to make sure that he does everything, he tries and endeavours to do everything right on and off the field to give him the platform to show who he could be as a footballer.

"We certainly believe in him, we're certainly giving him an opportunity, but as I said before that's not a never-ending thread, at some point you need to cut it and it's really up to him to keep going on."

Maddison had his say after the game, telling the BBC: "We all know Yves' ability. He is a ridiculous player at times. He has got a skill not many have. The gaffer is a great man with good morals. [Yves] has to keep working hard."

This needs to be the fuse that finally ignites an inconsistent career rather than simply a blip on a downward curve. Yves Bissouma has met the best possible person at the best possible time in Ange Postecoglou, but ultimately only the midfielder can decide his path ahead.

Midfield balance

Postecoglou sprang something of a surprise either side of Bissouma with the use of both Maddison and Kulusevski in the midfield trio.

Kulusevski became the Maddison replacement last season during the times when the England international missed out through injury and he performed well. Few expected him to eventually play in the same midfield with him though.

It meant a very attacking edge to Tottenham, without Pape Matar Sarr's discipline and mobility to help mop up between the lines.

However, it worked and it worked well. Kulusevski was hard done by in missing out on a starting spot on Monday night following his sparkling pre-season. This was the latest indication that Postecoglou sees the Swede as a deeper midfielder this season rather than one of his week in, week out wingers.

Spurs now have a lot of wide men and while Kulusevski will likely still play there occasionally, he is not the natural fit for the Postecoglou winger prototype.

Against Everton he showcased the skillset that will suit a midfield role, with his strength, stamina and box-to-box running. He made two dribbles and played more key passes than any other player on the pitch with four to his name, even if he saw the ball less than half of the amount Bissouma and Maddison did, just 32 times.

His work and assist for Bissouma was delightful, the link-up first with Johnson and then the fast feet inside the box that left the Everton defenders watching on and scared to bring him down before he teed up his returning team-mate.

Kulusevski is another option for Postecoglou in that midfield now, alongside Sarr, Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray as well as Bissouma and Maddison, while newcomer Wilson Odobert can also play as a number eight.

On the left-hand side of the midfield trio, Maddison again showed that a mixed pre-season appears now to have simply been him shaking off the rust.

He's got two assists in two games, his whipped-in corner for Romero adding to that glorious curled ball for Porro at the King Power Stadium.

Most of all he looks a constant threat and his work down the left with Odobert and Destiny Udogie was a highlight throughout as the trio all dovetailed. Maddison was a busy creative force with two key passes, three shots at goal, one tackle, two clearances and he blocked two Everton shots.

He also won two aerial duels and had a great first half chance to score after taking a terrific Romero pass down superbly in the Everton box, only to be denied by Pickford, and almost had another chance from the Argentine defender picking his excellent run out again in the second half.

"[Assists] are always nice. I'm driven to play as well as I can and being a creative midfielder that kind of correlates with getting goals and assists. I felt like a real threat today and against Leicester, which is good," Maddison said in his club interview.

"I feel in a good place, when you feel dangerous and feel like a threat. We started the game so well on the left side - me, Wilson and Destiny. We had a really good dynamic going, and we got the balance perfect of sometimes leaving Wilson one vs one, sometimes me running the half space, and we had some dangerous crosses where we could have scored, could have had a couple more assists.

"But the the goals and assists are important for a player like myself, because that's what I'm in the team to do, that's what the club bought me for. So it's nice to get the return on the chances and that I create."

Maddison's England pain might end up ridding him of the more physical pain that dogged him last season.

"I feel great. The disappointment of missing the Euros meant the silver lining of that was I've got a full summer to rest, recover and really get my ankle back perfect, work hard and come back fit with the hunger," he said.

"And now I feel really good at the minute, so hopefully that can continue, and I can keep contributing to help our team win."

Postecoglou can see the return of the Maddison who ran the show for Tottenham in the first half of last season.

"I thought Madders was really good and again, really disciplined. It's not an easy game when you play against a team like Everton because you know there's not going to be a hell of a lot of space in the front third, but you've also got to work defensively for second balls," said the Australian.

"I thought he was really good at doing that for us. He mopped up a few times when they've gone long and kept the ball for us. He had a really good synergy with Wilson early on, they worked really well together, and then he made some great runs.

"I think the key for me with Madders, a bit like Biss in a different angle, is if he's physically good, if he's feeling 100% physically, and he's fit and he's training every day, he can produce those kind of performances.

"It’s when that drops off a little bit that you see his performance… I think it affects him as well, you know, if he doesn't feel 100%. There's no doubt he's at that now that he's training every day. He trains hard every day. He's had a really strong pre-season and I think that makes him feel like 'you know what, I can go out there and do the stuff I do'.

If Maddison can do the stuff he does across the whole season then Tottenham are going to profit in a major way.

The teen and the titan

This game provided a snapshot of two Tottenham players on the left at different stages of their time at the north London club, with Wilson Odobert playing his first game for Spurs and Son Heung-min his 410th.

Odobert had impressed Postecoglou and his coaching staff in training in the week with his ability, his dribbling at pace without fear and having already started the season with Burnley, the 19-year-old was match fit and ready to roll if his new boss wanted him to.

Postecoglou certainly did after making it very clear ahead of the match that the teenager was someone he and the club had identified early in the summer as a special young player who could make a big impact now and for the long-term.

Burnley tried to hold on to Odobert all summer, despite plenty of interest, but eventually relented with Spurs' bid of £25million plus another £5million in add-ons convincing them to part with a player former boss Vincent Kompany believed was destined for the very top. Tottenham could well be thanking their lucky stars that Bayern signed Michael Olise to add to their list of wingers, otherwise Kompany may well have moved for Odobert.

Instead Postecoglou snared him and immediately threw him in for his debut after his work permit came through on Tuesday.

The young Frenchman played without fear from the first minute and quickly proved that he is going to be a player who will get the crowd on their feet. His first touch was consistently something special in stopping the ball dead or taking it into his stride at pace.

Opta's stats showed that Odobert registered the most dribbles (7) and produced the most touches in the opposition box (7) of any player during the game. He also contested more duels (14) than any other Tottenham player during his debut and won the joint-most with six.

"Exciting," Postecoglou told football.london about the Frenchman's performance. "He's different from our other wingers. He goes at his opponent and, you know, even if he wasn't successful, he went at him again and I think that's exactly why we bought him to the club.

"I mean, he's 19-years-old, his first game for his new club at home in front of 60,000 people. Yeah, really exciting."

Odobert linked up well with Maddison and Udogie from the off and he continually drove at the Everton defence, causing havoc among their lines. Tottenham have often had problems breaking down organised, deep defences but the teenager offers a way through them, prying open gaps for others by drawing more bodies towards him.

He worked hard up and down the flank, with only Romero registering more than his three tackles during the game.

The only indicator of his youth was his decision-making and final pass at times but that is as much about knowing the runs and movement of his new team-mates, which will come. He managed one key pass but neither of his two crosses found their mark.

There was also a misplaced pass, without looking, across his own half straight to the feet of Dwight McNeil, which eventually ended with Everton's only real shot on goal from substitute Jesper Lindstrom, saved by the flying Guglielmo Vicario.

It was a very promising first appearance though and proof Odobert is going to play a lot of football this season under Postecoglou because he fits right into his no fear style and system.

"He was very, very impressive," said his captain Son. "He's been training with the team, maybe three or four times, maybe a little bit more, but you can see how much quality he has. And he understood how we want to play and I was very, very pleased to see him on the left side, going one-on-one and making a good impact.

"I mean it's his first game, we don't...let's not celebrate too much because, you know, with the young players we need to stay very humble. We also have to take care of these players, we can't let them celebrate that much after one game, because football has such a long, long period and long season. So I will also tell him I'm trying to help him, the young lads, because it's not everything, you know one game is not everything.

"I hope he can continue the performance and keep the sharpness for the team. So it will be very, very good, and today he was very, very impressive, but we have a long, long season ahead. I hope he can keep on performing like this all the way through the season."

Odobert need only look at Son as the benchmark for an attacking player at Spurs. Some try to claim the South Korean is on the decline or can't play either up front or on the left as well.

However, as he has always done, Son continues to make a mockery of anyone who doubts him. Saturday's two goals, one as the striker and one as a left winger, made it 248 goal involvements in 410 games for Spurs with 164 goals and 84 assists.

When asked after the game if he ever gets nervous when faced by an open goal as he did for his first, the Tottenham captain simply looked with mock disgust and quipped "I'm Sonny" before quickly adding with a smile "I'm joking, I'm joking".

At 32, Son is showing no signs of slowing down either in terms of scoring or his pace. He was the only man who could keep up with Micky van de Ven for his second goal, no mean feat when the Dutchman has been clocked as the fastest player in the Premier League.

He will have a new understudy to help mentor in Odobert and someone to continue to push on his own performances. Postecoglou has often said that what impresses him the most about Son is that the oldest outfield player at the club is the one still the most desperate to learn and improve.

His work rate remains phenomenal as shown by the pressing for his first goal and the captain also earned the corner that Romero scored from.

Postecoglou was asked after the game about Son's assertion that he wants to become a Tottenham legend.

"There's no sort of set criteria for that stuff. I’ve got no doubt that whenever he's done and dusted - and it's hopefully a long way down the track - he will be in esteemed company at this football club," said the Spurs boss.

"But I love the fact that he's still motivated to do more. That's the key thing for us. He was really good today. It's the reason I put him in the middle because we know Jordan is a big part of their build-up play and they use him a lot.

"And Sonny's the best presser that we have in the front there, he’s unbelievable. I think he relished that role and again showed his threat when he went out on the left with that great finish."

What will likely help Son this season as well is that he will not have to play every game. He has often been run into the ground in previous seasons due to the club's thin squads but this year Odobert and Timo Werner will be able to come in and give him days off.

There are so many potential options that Manor Solomon is set to head off after only six appearances for Spurs with a loan move to Leeds United without an option to buy as the 25-year-old looks to get his sharpness and fitness back in the Championship.

On the right-hand side, Brennan Johnson is yet to find his rhythm this season. He's getting into the right positions but his touch and decision-making isn't helping him when he's there. The Wales international was given the whole game to find his way as Odobert began to tire in the second half.

With Odobert right-footed and having played on the right on a number of occasions last season for Burnley, Johnson will have a fight on his hands and the £50million attacker will have to raise his game accordingly if he is to beat his 15 goal involvements last season.

For Postecoglou, competition and depth is what he needs, especially as the games arrive every three days or so from next month onwards.

The case for the defence

It was important for Tottenham's defence, even as the back four continues to build its fitness, that they recorded an early clean sheet to set their stall for the season ahead.

Everton had most of their usual attacking threat available but they were nullified by the Spurs backline. Importantly, Guglielmo Vicario and his defenders dealt with the Toffees' set pieces that had caused them problems last season. Other than one little penalty box scramble and head tennis in the first half, they always looked in control and Montgomery has played in his part in that along with the bigger collective coaching effort.

In the centre of defence, the hosts had Cristian Romero reaching his 100th game for the club and Micky van de Ven, who gave everyone an injury scare before playing his part in wrapping up the game in style.

Towards the end of the first half, the Dutchman's foot got caught in the ground during a challenge and his knee hyperextended. The 23-year-old is not one to go down easily but he lay on the floor in a lot of pain and Postecoglou would have had flashbacks to that hamstring injury last November.

"Yeah, I was worried obviously, but I'm worried about all of my boys mate. They're all special to me," said the Spurs boss. "You certainly don't want anything, particularly when it's something awkward like that.

"There's a real fear [in that moment] that it could be something but speaking to him, he handled it ok and he said he was fine after a couple of minutes. He is important to us but they're all important. That's why we've tried to create a squad where we're not going to just be putting him out there week after week."

Van de Ven looked like his day was over. Radu Dragusin was sent out to warm up and started to prepare to come on, but the Dutchman began to feel better almost immediately and got through the rest of the half.

He emerged for the second period and just got stronger and stronger as it wore on. He made two terrific interceptions and showed his strength and pace numerous times in dealing with balls over the top.

"He's brilliant," said Maddison. "With the aggressive line we play, he's so important. He's so important for us, I know we always talk about it, but his pace is just ridiculous. So it really helps us play that high aggressive line, and it's no coincidence that we get so many offsides.

"There's so many times, I know it gets delayed and it looks like we've conceded a chance, but it gets pulled back and it's offside. That's because of the work that the back four do with the aggressive line.

"Sometimes you're going to get teams that are creative and they have good players. So they maybe have a well-timed run behind or play a nice pass where they're onside and that's where Micky uses his pace to get us out of trouble. A brilliant player."

To ensure any residual doubts over his knee were dismissed, Van de Ven embarked on that long striding run from box-to-box, with Everton players around him and poor 19-year-old Roman Dixon bouncing off him at one point.

He expertly drew in Tarkowski before laying it off for Son to score and the Tottenham captain admitted he was praying Van de Ven did not give him the ball too early.

"I said to to Mickey it's his goal, you know? When he was driving with the ball I was just running with him. Then I was thinking, I was saying, 'if you pass it now, I'm going to kill you', because there was a long way to run, and he had so much space and I was like 'Yeah, commit Micky, commit', like inside of my head," said the skipper.

"And he was committed and he played the perfect pass. He was like a playmaking player. After I scored the goal the fans were singing Micky's song you know, but cheers, Micky.

"I was very pleased, scoring goals is very pleasing, but seeing Micky running like this and passing like this, it has to be Micky's goal. So, I'm very, very happy and grateful having these amazing defenders behind me."

Postecoglou believes Van de Ven can become one of the best in the game and he praised the young Dutchman once again after the game.

"Outstanding. I mean he's a pretty special footballer. Last year when we had that back four up and running, we were a pretty compelling team, but we also know we can't just keep putting them out there and I think with Romero, Micky and Destiny, they're not at peak fitness at the moment and they all sort of missed pre-season," he said.

"So we sort of knew this two or three weeks, we saw it last week about the 60 minute mark, they really started to fatigue and we've just got to be really careful with them.

"But if we can get through the international break, then once the midweek games start, we can start rotating a little bit and, you know, because we need them at the peak of their performance because when they're like that, they're outstanding footballers."

Porro defended well on the right and on the left, Udogie is improving his fitness even if he had to come off late on and Postecoglou explained his exit.

"He was a bit sore. He had sort of tightness, both hamstrings and calves, I think. Again, he was really fatigued last week as well, so trying to get as many match minutes into him as possible through this early period just to get his fitness up," said the Australian. "I haven't spoken to the medical team but when I spoke to him, he just said he felt tired."

It was perhaps noteworthy that Djed Spence continued his redemption story by coming on for Udogie at left-back, suggesting that Ben Davies is seen more as the extra centre-back cover. The Welshman was presented with a glass ball by Ledley King before the game to recognise his 10 years at the club.

Postecoglou did appear to suggest that he is not looking for further options in the centre of defence on Friday ahead of the game when asked if he was looking to do something in that department in this final week of the transfer window.

"No, look we've obviously got Radu [Dragusin], who is going really well and training really well. Ben can play centre-back as well and Archie [Gray] can play centre-back so I think we're OK," he said.

He also has Romero, who was superb on Saturday in his 100th appearance for the north London club. The Argentine was aggressive in exactly the right ways and led the backline throughout every challenge they faced as they made it look easy for much of the encounter.

Romero was last season's top-scoring Premier League defender and he has already bagged his first of this campaign with a powerful header. He could have had two had he sent an early volley either side of Pickford and he then showed his passing range with two pinpoint lofted balls into the path of Maddison.

The 26-year-old appears to be maturing rapidly as a defender under Postecoglou and that he has won the World Cup and two Copa America titles will only increase his own confidence on the pitch.

Postecoglou sees Romero as someone who has everything he wants in one of his players, with his belief, aggression, ability and winning mentality.

"He's outstanding," he said on Friday. "Obviously with all these kind of things you have the image of a player from afar and before I got here I thought he was going to be really important to me because he's such a fantastic centre-back for club and country, but being here, watching him, the way he trains and the way he plays, unbelievably strong mindset.

"An absolute winner in every thing he does. He was really important last year and he's going to be really important moving forward. He is one of the players within this group who has achieved things from a team perspective and those kind of things are transferable.

"He has won the World Cup, he has won the Copa America, so he's part of a successful team and I think he's a really strong influence in the group. It's great he plays his 100th game. I know he'll perform at the level he normally does, he's really consistent, but hopefully we'll make it a special day for him."

It was indeed a special day for Romero and after the game he posted on social media: "A special match and a pride to reach 100 games played with this shirt. Great game by all, this is the way to go! Thank you all for the support as always. Let’s go @spursofficial"

Romero undertook an interesting interview with Telemundo Deportes this week and spoke about his desire to win things with Spurs.

"It's now the second season that I've played in this system and the truth is that I like it a lot," he said of working under Postecoglou. "I'm someone, a central defender, who really likes to play quite high up, it's a nice game system to play this year.

"I think they are correcting some things tactically from last season and I think we are a little more solid team. Let's hope to show it during this season."

He also spoke about the arrival of Dominic Solanke, saying: "For me, he's a great striker. He is going to contribute much to the system we have and I think he can contribute a lot to the team.

"Obviously there is also Richy and there is a nice competition between the two, a very healthy competition on a daily basis and let's hope they have an excellent season."

Romero believes that it's now time for Tottenham to win silverware to add to his international honours.

"At club level yes obviously my wish is to try to get some trophy and you always try every day to get up and come and try to convey that message to your team-mates," he said.

"I think it's going to be a nice season. We have many competitions to play in and we hope that it happens."

He added: "It's a nice thing that many people consider you one of the best but it is always something that pushes you to keep improving to keep growing. There are too many defenders and too many players to say that I am the best.

"Absolutely no one is the best, apart from Leo [Messi] who is the best footballer I have ever seen with my eyes and the rest I think have to work a lot. To be considered one of the best defenders, like I said is something that drives you day after day after day to continue improving, continue having the same ambition.

"I think I'm on the right path. If they put me up there it's because I am doing things well and I want to continue doing it the same way and see where my ceiling is and that is my thought on a day-to-day basis."

Postecoglou has a young and talented side this season but he also has a few experienced heads in the team to help guide them on the pitch. Romero and Son in particular can be the driving forces and examples for the youngsters to follow.

It was once said you can't win anything with kids and that was swiftly proved wrong. Tottenham's young gifted group, looking up to Son, Romero and Postecoglou, are aiming to do exactly the same.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

That Micky van de Ven moment and Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham transfer need before deadline day

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The 77th minute of Tottenham's 4-0 win over Everton highlighted just what Micky van de Ven is all about. Gaining possession of the ball on the edge of his own box as Dwight McNeil tried to pick out an Everton teammate, the Spurs defender kept on running and running and running.

Now on the edge of the Toffees' 18-yard area, Van de Ven slipped the ball to his left and that allowed Son Heung-min to convert beyond Jordan Pickford to make it 4-0. The pace, power and quality on the ball was all on show from Van de Ven, which is why he is the perfect defender for Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham system.

Rewind back to the 39th minute of the contest and Van de Ven was perhaps incredibly lucky to still be on the pitch so late in the game. Competing for the ball with McNeil just inside the Tottenham half, the 23-year-old tried to hook the ball away with his right foot but when he planted his foot on the ground he subsequently appeared to jar his knee.

It looked incredibly nasty and it was no surprise to see the defender immediately go down in agony. Looking very likely to come off as Radu Dragusin went to warm up down the touchline before he was told to come back and get ready, Van de Ven eventually got back to his feet and returned to the field after treatment.

Possibly looking like one of those situations where a player sees out the half only to come off at the break following a half-time assessment, the ex-Wolfsburg man returned for the second half and delivered a standout performance as he frustrated Everton at both ends of the pitch. Van de Ven certainly caught Postecoglou's eye across the 90 minutes and he duly came in for praise from his head coach after the game.

"Yeah, outstanding. I mean he's a pretty special footballer," said the Australian. "Last year when we had that back four up and running, we were a pretty compelling team, but we also know we can't just keep putting them out there and I think with Romero, Micky and Destiny, they're not at peak fitness at the moment and they all sort of missed pre-season.

"So we knew sort of this two or three weeks, we saw it last week about the 60 minute mark, they really started to fatigue and we've just got to be really careful with them. But if we can get through the international break, then once the midweek games start, we can start rotating a little bit and, you know, because we need them at the peak of their performance because when they're like that, they're outstanding footballers."

On the injury scare, he added: "Yeah, I was worried, obviously but I'm worried about all of my boys mate. They're all special to me. You certainly don't want anything, particularly when it's something awkward like that.

"There's a real fear [in that moment] that it could be something but speaking to him, he handled it ok and he said he was fine after a couple of minutes. He is important to us but they're all important. That's why we've tried to create a squad where we're not going to just be putting him out there week after week."

Rotation over the coming weeks is going to be key, especially with Tottenham set to return to European action towards the end of September following their qualification for the Europa League. Due to the new format UEFA are introducing, Tottenham will face eight games in the league phase and then they also have Carabao Cup football to contend with as they enter the competition at the third round.

Tottenham are well stocked in certain areas of the pitch but they are still a tad light when it comes to their centre-back options. If Van de Ven had ended up leaving the pitch in the first half through injury, the north London club only have Dragusin as an available out-and-out centre-back following Ashley Phillips' loan move to Stoke City.

Ben Davies is of course someone else who can play there but he is not a centre-back by trade and very much an emergency option if required, as was the case last season when Cristian Romero and Van de Ven were missing towards the end of 2023. Postecoglou mentioned towards the end of last season that he would like another centre-back signing for the new term but as of yet Tottenham have failed to strengthen there.

Quite what happens in the final week of the transfer window remains to be seen, with clubs having until 11pm on Friday, August 30 to complete any remaining business. The last thing Tottenham want to do is go into three competitions too short in such a crucial area of the pitch with such a hectic calendar to come.

A busy transfer window for the club so far, all Tottenham supporters will have their fingers crossed that a new centre-back is on the books by the time the team travel to Newcastle United next Sunday.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.