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Tottenham second half player ratings vs Vissel Kobe as Mikey Moore, Donley and Bergvall sparkle

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Tottenham Hotspur took on Vissel Kobe in Japan on Saturday in a pre-season friendly and here are our second half player ratings from the 3-2 victory.

Spurs were in action at Tokyo's National Stadium against a Vissel team that is 24 games into their J League season meaning they were match fit and sharp while the visitors had all played only 45 minutes each in every one of their friendlies so far. Ange Postecoglou named a strong team and made four changes at half-time with the score at 1-1.

He brought in Lucas Bergvall, Oliver Skipp, Jamie Donley and Brandon Austin for James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies and Guglielmo Vicario with Archie Gray switching from central defence into the number six role. Timo Werner was out through illness, with Richarlison, Destiny Udogie and Alfie Whiteman all also missing the game.

Vissel had opened the scoring early in the game when Pape Matar Sarr prevented a wayward cross from heading out and instead sent it across the six-yard box to Yuya Osako to smash home. Spurs were level though minutes later when Pedro Porro played a one-two with Dejan Kulusevski, who back-heeled the ball into his path and the Spaniard cut inside before rolling a left-footed shot home.

In the second half, Son netted soon after the restart, slotting home Brennan Johnson's low ball across the six-yard box. However, Vissel found another goal to level the scores again through Jean Patric's deflected effort. Sixteen-year-old Mikey Moore netted the winner with a close range finish from Jamie Donley's low cross.

Here are our first half Spurs player ratings:

Brandon Austin

Dealt well with much of what came his way before being wrong-footed by Patric's deflected effort. 6

Pedro Porro

A quieter half with a couple of tired mistakes before coming off after the hour mark. Don't forget these are ratings for the second half, he got a nine for the first! 6

Emerson Royal

Playing in central defence, he didn't do much wrong during the second half either before coming off. 7

Oliver Skipp

He started the half at centre-back, making some strong challenges, and then moved into the midfield to similar effect. 8

Jamie Donley

Another impressive showing at left-back, despite having played on Thursday night in the heat in a behind-closed doors friendly. In this game he hit the left-hand post with a low shot and then forced the keeper into a flying save, while defending well on the whole. He then set up Moore's goal with a perfect low ball. 9

Pape Matar Sarr

A better second half after a shaky first before departing the action after the hour mark. 6

Archie Gray

The new signing switched to the midfield for the second half and looked so comfortable on the ball. 7

Lucas Bergvall

A lively presence and always looking to make things happen. Another creative bright showing. 8

Dejan Kulusevski

Still playing as the centre forward he continued to work hard after his first half assist. 7

Son Heung-min

He started the second half with a fine finish into the far corner from Johnson's pass to cap a busy display. 8

Brennan Johnson

Made up for a quiet first half with a good assist to start the second before coming off. 7

Subs

Ashley Phillips

A solid display at the back on the whole for the final half an hour. 6

Djed Spence

Looked to take the game to Vissel throughout his cameo, Another bright performance. 7

George Abbott

Slotted into the backline and worked hard alongside Phillips in the heat. 6

Alfie Devine

Another very promising display from the midfielder, showing all of his experience from those two loan moves. 8

Manor Solomon

Busy but without the threat as the young players took their chance to shine. 5

Will Lankshear

Was inches away from scoring again in a hard-working display with some great movement. 6

Mikey Moore

Another pre-season goal for the 16-year-old, knocking home Donley's low cross after going close a couple of times beforehand, one effort hitting the hand of a defender behind the keeper. He was a constant menace to the opposition defence. 8

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

Mikey Moore wins it late on after Son and Porro goals

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Tottenham are back in action this morning as they play their first gma eof their pre-season tour of Japan. Coming off the back of wins back in the UK against hearts and Queens Park Rangers, Ange Postecoglou 's side take on J League side Vissel Kobe.

Postecoglou has been putting his players through their paces in the sweltering heat of Japan this week and this will be their first big test on the pitch. It is Spurs ' only friendly in Japan with the team heading off to South Korea to take on Team K-League and Bayern Munich after this.

Richarlison and Destiny Udogie will not be available to play against Vissel as they both recover from injuries, but Guglielmo Vicario is lilkely to make his first start of pre-season having returned from Euro 2024 after the games in the UK.

Tottenham first half player ratings vs Vissel Kobe

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Tottenham Hotspur took on Vissel Kobe in Japan on Saturday in a pre-season friendly and here are our first half player ratings.

Spurs faced a stern test of their fitness in the J League side in Tokyo's National Stadium as Vissel are 24 games into their season so are match fit and sharp while the visitors have all played only 45 minutes each in every one of their friendlies so far. Ange Postecoglou named a strong team with Guglielmo Vicario and Ben Davies making their first starts of pre-season and summer signing Archie Gray continuing in central defence.

Timo Werner was out through illness, with Richarlison, Destiny Udogie and Alfie Whiteman all also missing the game.

Vissel opened the score early in the game when Pape Matar Sarr prevented a wayward cross from heading out and instead sent it across the six-yard box to Yuya Osako to smash home. Spurs were level though minutes later when Pedro Porro played a one-two with Dejan Kulusevski, who back-heeled the ball into his path and the Spaniard cut inside before rolling a left-footed shot home.

Here are our first half Spurs player ratings:

Guglielmo Vicario

Couldn't do much about Osako's close range finish and didn't have too much to do after that other than rushing out for a few crosses. 6

Pedro Porro

Netted a beautiful equaliser after his one-two with Kulusevski, cutting inside to score and defended well throughout. 9

Emerson Royal

Playing in central defence, he didn't do much wrong during the half. 7

Archie Gray

The new signing was again filling in at the back to get his match fitness up. Made a good interception in the Vissel half to set up Son for a chance he curled over the bar. Had some good moments at the back for a non-centre-back. 8

Ben Davies

The first minutes of pre-season for the Welshman and he made a good early block and got up and down the left in the heat. 7

Pape Matar Sarr

Slid in to cut out a wayward cross, with nobody seemingly telling him he didn't need to, and he deflected it across the six yard box to Osako to smash home. Was a bit loose with some of his passing in the centre of the pitch. Some nice moments on the ball as the half wore on. 5

Yves Bissouma

Impressive on the ball again with confidence in his twists and turns and he looks sharp with most of his passes cutting through the Vissel lines. 8

James Maddison

Sprayed some clever passes around including one to set Son away for a chance for Johnson. 7

Dejan Kulusevski

Playing as the centre forward he recorded another lovely backheeled assist for Porro's goal. Battled away up front and had a shot saved himself. 8

Son Heung-min

A busy presence on the left and he almost teed up Johnson for a chance with a good low pass before sending a shot over the bar himself. 7

Brennan Johnson

A quiet half and could have grabbed a goal if he had reacted a bit quicker to Son's low ball across the Vissel box. 6

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

Tottenham team confirmed vs Vissel Kobe

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Ange Postecoglou has named a strong Tottenham Hotspur side to take on Vissel Kobe in Japan on Saturday.

Spurs tackle the J League side in Tokyo's National Stadium (11am kick-off UK time) and after three friendlies with different starting XIs in each half, Postecoglou might start stretching his senior players' minutes to the hour mark. Tottenham played a behind-closed-doors friendly on Thursday night with their youngers U21 players - with a couple of slightly older players sprinkled in - against Japan U20s, winning 5-2 in a game that was only an hour long due to the heat.

That meant a senior side was always going to start this match and Guglielmo Vicario makes his first start in goal of pre-season, while Emerson Royal and Archie Gray are at centre-back together. Ben Davies is back at left-back following his injury recovery this week and he also starts for the first time this pre-season with Pedro Porro on the right.

Yves Bissouma, James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr start with Lucas Bergvall back from the injury he suffered at QPR and on the bench.

Among the attacking options, Timo Werner was unwell on Friday and the German remains out, with Richarlison, Destiny Udogie and Alfie Whiteman all missing the game, with the former two still recovering from their long-term injuries.

Here's the Tottenham team that will start against Vissel Kobe: Vicario; Porro, Emerson, Gray, Davies; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Johnson. Subs: Austin, Gunter, Abbott, Spence, Phillips, Skipp, Devine, Hall, Bergvall, Donley, Moore, Solomon, Scarlett, Veliz, Lankshear.

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

Updates as Pedro Porro nets lovely goal after Pape Sarr mistake

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Tottenham are back in action this morning as they play their first gma eof their pre-season tour of Japan. Coming off the back of wins back in the UK against hearts and Queens Park Rangers, Ange Postecoglou 's side take on J League side Vissel Kobe.

Postecoglou has been putting his players through their paces in the sweltering heat of Japan this week and this will be their first big test on the pitch. It is Spurs ' only friendly in Japan with the team heading off to South Korea to take on Team K-League and Bayern Munich after this.

Richarlison and Destiny Udogie will not be available to play against Vissel as they both recover from injuries, but Guglielmo Vicario is lilkely to make his first start of pre-season having returned from Euro 2024 after the games in the UK.

Son given special job after Archie Gray joined as new Tottenham star admits key transfer chat

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Archie Gray has told football.london that his family played a big part in his decision to join Tottenham Hotspur and his new captain Son Heung-min was handed a key role in helping him settle in by a former team-mate.

The 18-year-old Spurs signing is one of the most exciting young talents in English football and was being chased by clubs across Europe this summer after Leeds' play-off final defeat ended their hopes of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Gray played 52 times for his hometown club across that campaign, the young midfielder filling in at right-back for plenty of those games.

His performances were so impressive across the pitch that he earned the Championship Young Player of the Season award and was namechecked by then England boss Gareth Southgate as one for the future, while others compared his ability to the likes of Premier League legend Steven Gerrard.

He only turned 17 towards the end of last season but ask most of his Leeds and England youth team-mates who the best player they have played with is and they will say Archie Gray.

Leeds' financial needs following their missed promotion and a release clause in Gray's contract because of that failure meant his exit suddenly became more likely than not. Brentford looked to have tied up a deal ahead of everyone with a medical scheduled and a more gradual ascent for Gray from the Championship, only for their attempts to collapse as they could not agree the structure of the financial payments. Tottenham swooped in and quickly sealed a £40million package deal for the talented teenager with Joe Rodon heading in the opposite direction.

Gray comes from great footballing stock. His father Andy came through at Leeds and played for Nottingham Forest, Bradford, Sheffield United and Burnley among others, while his Glaswegian grandfather Frank was a legend at both Leeds and Forest, winning the European Cup with the latter and was a finalist in the same competition with the former while winning silverware galore across his career. To boot, Archie is also the great nephew of former Leeds legend Eddie Gray.

So when Tottenham became involved in the transfer race, the decision very much became a family affair and there was only going to be one winning club.

"At the start of the window I didn’t really know anything about [a potential transfer anywhere] and I was content to stay at Leeds, but as soon as I heard Tottenham were coming in I was like ‘I need to go there', Gray told football.london. "It’s a huge club and my dad said that too. He came to my room one morning and said 'look, you’ve got to go to Spurs. It’s a massive club'.

"My grandad was saying it as well, he’s obviously done pretty well in his career, and he said at some point you've got to go to one of the biggest clubs in England and he thinks now is the right time and he thinks Spurs is a massive club as well. So, with people who have been advising me my whole life, I have to listen to them and I also wanted to do it too, so that was definitely a massive thing and since then I’ve enjoyed every second of it. So, definitely happy that I made that decision."

The Ange Postecoglou factor was also there with Gray enjoying one of the Australian's famous pre-signing chats which often seem to do the trick for prospective new arrivals.

"It was just really positive and most of it was football, but he was getting to know what I was like as a person," said the teenager. "Hopefully I came across really well but it’s a massive factor that the manager's here and I've been following him for a while, since he was at Celtic and one of my U21 managers went to the Australian league so even since then I’ve been following him so, yeah, he’s a massive factor."

The Gray family have two loves, Leeds but also Celtic thanks to Frank's upbringing, so Postecoglou was already a very well known name within the household.

"Obviously I’ve got a Leeds family and I support them too, but yeah my grandad and dad played for Scotland and supported Celtic. When Ange was there I enjoyed watching them and I still do now," said Gray.

When football.london meets the teenager he has been greeting and playing with children and families from Yokohama Children’s Hospice, alongside fellow new Spurs arrival Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski, Pedro Porro and Alejo Veliz.

There's something very disarming about Gray. He's very tall and without doubt, he is probably the nicest 18-year-old you'll ever meet, confident, enthusiastic and always grinning yet incredibly polite and he relished playing with the Japanese children as if they were part of his own family.

It's that bubbly, polite personality that helped him settle quickly into life inside the Tottenham camp and while all of the buzz inside the club has been about how good he's going to be this season, let alone for the years to come, it is Gray himself who has quickly made a positive impression on his team-mates and all of them appear to have taken to the teenager.

"I’m really enjoying it and everyone’s been brilliant with me so far. I wouldn’t say I’m the hardest guy to get along with, I’m pretty laid back and pretty easy to speak to, but everyone’s been amazing with me and I’m enjoying the first few weeks," he said.

One player in particular was set a special task to look after Gray by a former Tottenham defender and it just so happened that task fell to Gray's favourite current Spurs star and skipper Son.

"On the pitch and off the pitch, he's been helping me, it’s just little things. He is really good friends with Joe Rodon and last year when Joe was at Leeds I was probably the closest with Joe when he joined and I think when I came here Joe told Sonny to look after me a little bit," he said. "He’s making me feel really welcome and just with little things like helping me speak to everyone and helping me into the group."

Gray also counts Gareth Bale and Harry Kane among his favourite Spurs players of the past but he is a massive admirer of Son and he's got no qualms about saying so.

"There’s nothing that he could improve on. Every day he sets the standard in training and I look up to him and I feel like I’m lucky to have a player like that in the team and for him to be captain is just incredible," said the youngster. "I can’t speak highly enough of him. You know his quality in games, he’s been showing it for ten years now and internationally he’s been amazing. I don’t usually like speaking that highly of people in the same team as me, because it feels weird, but he's incredible."

The early days of pre-season have been an eye-opener for the youngster when it comes to the step up to the pace and power of the Premier League and on top of that Postecoglou's relentless, attacking brand of football. Gray has also had to take that on board while dealing with the heat and humidity of Tokyo during the club's pre-season tour, which will move on to South Korea and Seoul next.

"Yeah, definitely [it's a step up]. It’s the manager’s style of play. Just end to end stuff and it’s been really intense training and I think it’s been really good for everyone, you know, to get the fitness levels up, but for me to get used to the style of football has been a big thing and I’ve been enjoying it so far," he said. "On the first day [the heat in Tokyo] was pretty tough but I think I’m used to it now so it’s alright."

The big question for many is where Gray will end up playing on the pitch because he will play plenty of minutes this season. Most believe he will end up in midfield, some predict as a number six and others as a box-to-box midfielder such is the wide spread of his abilities. He also starred as a right-back last season for Leeds, completing more tackles than any other player aged 21 and under in the Championship across the campaign.

Just to show off his versatility even further, the teen has been playing at centre-back for the first time in his career this pre-season due to the unavailability of some players who have been at international tournaments. He could also be seen filling in as a left-back during open training in Tokyo on Friday evening.

So has Postecoglou told him which position he sees him playing the most in this season for Tottenham?

"No and to be honest with you I’m not bothered and while I think it’s good to think of where I’m going to end up playing, I don’t really care. I think I’ve got a best position, but I probably don’t and in my head I can play anywhere except for goalkeeper," he said with a laugh. "I’m just enjoying it. Wherever he puts me on the pitch, I’ll do that to the best of my ability and I don’t really care where I play."

So where is his best position in his head?

"Somewhere in midfield, but last year I played right-back and I’d probably say there as well. From the two games I’ve played so far it’s probably centre-back at the moment! I don’t really know," he admitted.

Last season a remarkable midfield display against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup, while still just 17, showed exactly how good Gray already is as he dominated the ball against the Blues' £100million midfielders and it showed everyone that he will be absolutely fine in the surroundings of the Premier League and up against the big boys.

Thinking back on that game and what it means for him going forward, he said: "To be honest, I’m just excited. It will obviously be different to the Championship. In some ways it will be harder and that Chelsea game was really good and unfortunately we didn’t win, but I thought we did really well. Individually, I thought I did pretty well and hopefully showed that I can play in the Premier League and against teams like that."

Gray is looking forward to hearing one of Postecoglou's famed, inspirational team talks, having only heard the pre-season versions thus far.

"I've probably not experienced them in full effect yet, as it’s pre-season, but I’m definitely very excited to experience one of those and hopefully I can experience many of them," he said.

The Durham-born midfielder has high hopes for the future and among those is to follow in his famous family's footsteps and start racking up the silverware.

"Well, my grandad and dad did the same thing [in stepping out of the family legacy at Leeds]. My grandad, Eddie, created the Leeds legacy and it’s incredible what he did for them, but my grandad and my dad both left Leeds at an early age and my grandad went on to achieve unbelievable things," he explained.

"What now is the Champions League, he won that with Nottingham Forest, who were competing for titles and hopefully I can do a similar thing and that’s what I want to do – I want to try to get the most trophies in my family and hopefully that can be with Spurs."

Gray believes Tottenham this season should be and will be aiming high.

"Definitely competing for titles. They’re in the Europa League and in the Premier League, we’ve got a good chance to go at that this season. We’ve got a really good squad and we’ve been working really hard in pre-season but we’ve just got to take it game-by-game," he said.

"Last year I was lucky enough to be competing for a title, so I know what it’s like to be competing with teams at the top of a league and you’ve just got to focus on every game and you can’t be looking too far ahead. Obviously you've got to set goals, but you've got to take it game-by-game and, now, we're just focusing on the next pre-season game."

On his own personal goals, he added: "For next season it's just to improve as much as I can as an 18-year-old and play as many games this year, and try to help the squad push for things, in whatever way that is - if it’s training or in games. My long term goal is to win titles for Tottenham."

The now £40million midfield is being modest about his game time this season. He might only be 18-years-old but write Gray off as simply 'one for the future' at your peril. Ask anyone that has played alongside the youngster or coached him and the response is always the same - 'incredible'.

Archie Gray is a player for the now and Tottenham are going to quickly see the benefits of what is likely to be one of their biggest transfer coups of recent years.

Son given special job after Archie Gray joined as new Tottenham star admits key transfer chat

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Archie Gray has told football.london that his family played a big part in his decision to join Tottenham Hotspur and his new captain Son Heung-min was handed a key role in helping him settle in by a former team-mate.

The 18-year-old Spurs signing is one of the most exciting young talents in English football and was being chased by clubs across Europe this summer after Leeds' play-off final defeat ended their hopes of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Gray played 52 times for his hometown club across that campaign, the young midfielder filling in at right-back for plenty of those games.

His performances were so impressive across the pitch that he earned the Championship Young Player of the Season award and was namechecked by then England boss Gareth Southgate as one for the future, while others compared his ability to the likes of Premier League legend Steven Gerrard.

He only turned 17 towards the end of last season but ask most of his Leeds and England youth team-mates who the best player they have played with is and they will say Archie Gray.

Leeds' financial needs following their missed promotion and a release clause in Gray's contract because of that failure meant his exit suddenly became more likely than not. Brentford looked to have tied up a deal ahead of everyone with a medical scheduled and a more gradual ascent for Gray from the Championship, only for their attempts to collapse as they could not agree the structure of the financial payments. Tottenham swooped in and quickly sealed a £40million package deal for the talented teenager with Joe Rodon heading in the opposite direction.

Gray comes from great footballing stock. His father Andy came through at Leeds and played for Nottingham Forest, Bradford, Sheffield United and Burnley among others, while his Glaswegian grandfather Frank was a legend at both Leeds and Forest, winning the European Cup with the latter and was a finalist in the same competition with the former while winning silverware galore across his career. To boot, Archie is also the great nephew of former Leeds legend Eddie Gray.

So when Tottenham became involved in the transfer race, the decision very much became a family affair and there was only going to be one winning club.

"At the start of the window I didn’t really know anything about [a potential transfer anywhere] and I was content to stay at Leeds, but as soon as I heard Tottenham were coming in I was like ‘I need to go there', Gray told football.london. "It’s a huge club and my dad said that too. He came to my room one morning and said 'look, you’ve got to go to Spurs. It’s a massive club'.

"My grandad was saying it as well, he’s obviously done pretty well in his career, and he said at some point you've got to go to one of the biggest clubs in England and he thinks now is the right time and he thinks Spurs is a massive club as well. So, with people who have been advising me my whole life, I have to listen to them and I also wanted to do it too, so that was definitely a massive thing and since then I’ve enjoyed every second of it. So, definitely happy that I made that decision."

The Ange Postecoglou factor was also there with Gray enjoying one of the Australian's famous pre-signing chats which often seem to do the trick for prospective new arrivals.

"It was just really positive and most of it was football, but he was getting to know what I was like as a person," said the teenager. "Hopefully I came across really well but it’s a massive factor that the manager's here and I've been following him for a while, since he was at Celtic and one of my U21 managers went to the Australian league so even since then I’ve been following him so, yeah, he’s a massive factor."

The Gray family have two loves, Leeds but also Celtic thanks to Frank's upbringing, so Postecoglou was already a very well known name within the household.

"Obviously I’ve got a Leeds family and I support them too, but yeah my grandad and dad played for Scotland and supported Celtic. When Ange was there I enjoyed watching them and I still do now," said Gray.

When football.london meets the teenager he has been greeting and playing with children and families from Yokohama Children’s Hospice, alongside fellow new Spurs arrival Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski, Pedro Porro and Alejo Veliz.

There's something very disarming about Gray. He's very tall and without doubt, he is probably the nicest 18-year-old you'll ever meet, confident, enthusiastic and always grinning yet incredibly polite and he relished playing with the Japanese children as if they were part of his own family.

It's that bubbly, polite personality that helped him settle quickly into life inside the Tottenham camp and while all of the buzz inside the club has been about how good he's going to be this season, let alone for the years to come, it is Gray himself who has quickly made a positive impression on his team-mates and all of them appear to have taken to the teenager.

"I’m really enjoying it and everyone’s been brilliant with me so far. I wouldn’t say I’m the hardest guy to get along with, I’m pretty laid back and pretty easy to speak to, but everyone’s been amazing with me and I’m enjoying the first few weeks," he said.

One player in particular was set a special task to look after Gray by a former Tottenham defender and it just so happened that task fell to Gray's favourite current Spurs star and skipper Son.

"On the pitch and off the pitch, he's been helping me, it’s just little things. He is really good friends with Joe Rodon and last year when Joe was at Leeds I was probably the closest with Joe when he joined and I think when I came here Joe told Sonny to look after me a little bit," he said. "He’s making me feel really welcome and just with little things like helping me speak to everyone and helping me into the group."

Gray also counts Gareth Bale and Harry Kane among his favourite Spurs players of the past but he is a massive admirer of Son and he's got no qualms about saying so.

"There’s nothing that he could improve on. Every day he sets the standard in training and I look up to him and I feel like I’m lucky to have a player like that in the team and for him to be captain is just incredible," said the youngster. "I can’t speak highly enough of him. You know his quality in games, he’s been showing it for ten years now and internationally he’s been amazing. I don’t usually like speaking that highly of people in the same team as me, because it feels weird, but he's incredible."

The early days of pre-season have been an eye-opener for the youngster when it comes to the step up to the pace and power of the Premier League and on top of that Postecoglou's relentless, attacking brand of football. Gray has also had to take that on board while dealing with the heat and humidity of Tokyo during the club's pre-season tour, which will move on to South Korea and Seoul next.

"Yeah, definitely [it's a step up]. It’s the manager’s style of play. Just end to end stuff and it’s been really intense training and I think it’s been really good for everyone, you know, to get the fitness levels up, but for me to get used to the style of football has been a big thing and I’ve been enjoying it so far," he said. "On the first day [the heat in Tokyo] was pretty tough but I think I’m used to it now so it’s alright."

The big question for many is where Gray will end up playing on the pitch because he will play plenty of minutes this season. Most believe he will end up in midfield, some predict as a number six and others as a box-to-box midfielder such is the wide spread of his abilities. He also starred as a right-back last season for Leeds, completing more tackles than any other player aged 21 and under in the Championship across the campaign.

Just to show off his versatility even further, the teen has been playing at centre-back for the first time in his career this pre-season due to the unavailability of some players who have been at international tournaments. He could also be seen filling in as a left-back during open training in Tokyo on Friday evening.

So has Postecoglou told him which position he sees him playing the most in this season for Tottenham?

"No and to be honest with you I’m not bothered and while I think it’s good to think of where I’m going to end up playing, I don’t really care. I think I’ve got a best position, but I probably don’t and in my head I can play anywhere except for goalkeeper," he said with a laugh. "I’m just enjoying it. Wherever he puts me on the pitch, I’ll do that to the best of my ability and I don’t really care where I play."

So where is his best position in his head?

"Somewhere in midfield, but last year I played right-back and I’d probably say there as well. From the two games I’ve played so far it’s probably centre-back at the moment! I don’t really know," he admitted.

Last season a remarkable midfield display against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup, while still just 17, showed exactly how good Gray already is as he dominated the ball against the Blues' £100million midfielders and it showed everyone that he will be absolutely fine in the surroundings of the Premier League and up against the big boys.

Thinking back on that game and what it means for him going forward, he said: "To be honest, I’m just excited. It will obviously be different to the Championship. In some ways it will be harder and that Chelsea game was really good and unfortunately we didn’t win, but I thought we did really well. Individually, I thought I did pretty well and hopefully showed that I can play in the Premier League and against teams like that."

Gray is looking forward to hearing one of Postecoglou's famed, inspirational team talks, having only heard the pre-season versions thus far.

"I've probably not experienced them in full effect yet, as it’s pre-season, but I’m definitely very excited to experience one of those and hopefully I can experience many of them," he said.

The Durham-born midfielder has high hopes for the future and among those is to follow in his famous family's footsteps and start racking up the silverware.

"Well, my grandad and dad did the same thing [in stepping out of the family legacy at Leeds]. My grandad, Eddie, created the Leeds legacy and it’s incredible what he did for them, but my grandad and my dad both left Leeds at an early age and my grandad went on to achieve unbelievable things," he explained.

"What now is the Champions League, he won that with Nottingham Forest, who were competing for titles and hopefully I can do a similar thing and that’s what I want to do – I want to try to get the most trophies in my family and hopefully that can be with Spurs."

Gray believes Tottenham this season should be and will be aiming high.

"Definitely competing for titles. They’re in the Europa League and in the Premier League, we’ve got a good chance to go at that this season. We’ve got a really good squad and we’ve been working really hard in pre-season but we’ve just got to take it game-by-game," he said.

"Last year I was lucky enough to be competing for a title, so I know what it’s like to be competing with teams at the top of a league and you’ve just got to focus on every game and you can’t be looking too far ahead. Obviously you've got to set goals, but you've got to take it game-by-game and, now, we're just focusing on the next pre-season game."

On his own personal goals, he added: "For next season it's just to improve as much as I can as an 18-year-old and play as many games this year, and try to help the squad push for things, in whatever way that is - if it’s training or in games. My long term goal is to win titles for Tottenham."

The now £40million midfield is being modest about his game time this season. He might only be 18-years-old but write Gray off as simply 'one for the future' at your peril. Ask anyone that has played alongside the youngster or coached him and the response is always the same - 'incredible'.

Archie Gray is a player for the now and Tottenham are going to quickly see the benefits of what is likely to be one of their biggest transfer coups of recent years.

What tickled Ange Postecoglou, Federico Chiesa truth and what Tottenham boss meant on transfers

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There's a togetherness about this very young Tottenham Hotspur group. With some of the senior players still away on international duty and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg having recently departed for Marseille, the average age has plummeted.

When you walk into the lobby of the team hotel in Tokyo, Richarlison heads over to shake hands but you swiftly realise that even at 27 he's practically ancient within this group. For next you see 16-year-old Mikey Moore heading off for an appearance with the supporters.

Not only must it be an amazing experience for someone so young to come to this part of the world, but poor Son Heung-min must feel incredibly old when he trains alongside someone who is half his age in the gifted youngster.

Moore is just one of the young group that Ange Postecoglou has brought on this tour to Asia among a big 31-man squad. The dynamic of the tour has been one of enthusiasm and excitement and that comes with so much young talent all jostling to impress and soak up the experience.

There are so many young players involved that Spurs had prepared a behind-closed-doors friendly on Thursday night for their U21s - with a couple of slightly older players sprinkled in - against Japan U20s.

Tottenham's young side, including Moore, won 5-2 on the night in a game that was only an hour long due to the incredible heat and humidity of 35 degrees Celsius at the 5pm kick-off. The idea was to give some players minutes this week who might not get as much game time in Saturday's official friendly against Vissel Kobe as Postecoglou starts to increase the load on the senior players.

The youngsters were no doubt thankful even if they didn't look it at the time, drenched in sweat after one of the most physically demanding friendly games they will have ever played.

On Friday morning, Tottenham's scheduled media duties began to kick in. football.london was invited to watch new signings Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall alongside Dejan Kulusevski, Pedro Porro and Alejo Veliz meet with children and families from Yokohama Children’s Hospice.

The quintet were there to take part in a series of games focused on aspects of Japanese culture and it's fair to say they dived right in, with activities that included cardboard cut-out sumo wrestling and playing hand keepy-uppy with some paper balls.

The family nature of this Spurs squad was there to be seen in how quickly the newcomers have adapted and how this felt like a group of siblings in Tottenham training wear. Kulusevski is very much the big brother to Bergvall, but the younger Swede was equally laughing and joking with all of his team-mates and also very good with the Japanese children.

Likewise, Porro appears to have taken Veliz under his wing, with the young Argentine's English still in its infancy. Porro's own grasp of it is improving quickly and he promised football.london that he will soon be able to do an interview in English, having previously done one last summer in Perth through a translator.

Porro is a smiling force of nature. He's constantly on the move, making noise and looking to make his mark, regardless of what the activity is. He was playing with the children, making them laugh, shouting and even grabbed a photographer's camera at one point and started taking photos of everyone.

There's a story about Paul Gascoigne at the 1990 World Cup getting told off by Sir Bobby Robson and the coaching staff because he would be playing hours worth of tennis in the sun in between matches rather than resting.

From the stories around this Spurs camp it sounds like Porro can be an equally hyperactive bundle of energy and that's probably what makes him one of the fittest players in the club right now.

Then there is Archie Gray, who might just be the nicest 18-year-old in the world. Spend 10 minutes in his company, chatting away, and you come away feeling positive and certain that if Archie represents the next generation then not only Spurs, but this planet, might just have a decent future. Honestly, it's no exaggeration.

The teenager came through at Leeds with plenty of attention on him thanks to his family legacy and the spotlight squarely on him. He should be guarded and wary of the media. Instead, he's a delight, full of enthusiasm, a glint in his eye and everything said with a chuckle not too far behind.

When he walked away from his interview with football.london, he could be heard thanking the press officer for the opportunity to do the event with the children. That's not the way round it normally goes with player appearances.

The buzz around Gray within Spurs is huge. Everyone raves about his talent as well as his personality, with a feeling that he could be the club's superstar in the centre of the pitch for years to come if he continues his current trajectory.

That interview with the teenager will be coming up shortly today (Saturday) on football.london, with ones with the two Swedes Bergvall and Kulusevski in the next couple of days, with plenty of insights from the duo about life inside the club and what is coming next for them under Postecoglou.

After that it was time for them all to head to the National Stadium in Tokyo for a light training session in front of 3,000 Spurs fans.

First up though was the press conference within the building with Postecoglou and James Maddison, who was filling in for the unwell Timo Werner.

The press conference was a classic one abroad with a moderator and a remarkably talented translator lady, who impressed the Spurs head coach with the way she was immediately reeling off his lengthy monologues in Japanese. As she said afterwards to the two English media present as we offered our own praise: "Thank you, but you don't know if I was saying any of it right."

As is often the case with joint manager and player press conferences, the boss ends up doing the heavy lifting, especially one who had worked in Japan for almost four years. Maddison had relatively little to answer but made it clear that he expects Tottenham to challenge for trophies this season, he predicted that the Postecoglou way is going to bring big things for the north London club and dropped the major news that his former Leicester team-mate Shinji Okazaki is a great dancer.

Postecoglou had tougher subjects to deal with. With the transfer window now hotting up after the end of the Euros and Copa America, Tottenham fans are beginning to worry about the lack of new senior players coming through the door that can help Postecoglou realise his ambition to challenge for the Premier League title this season.

The Australian's answer to football.london on the subject was clear and left little doubt that Spurs are not veering away from their original transfer targets for this window as they believe they are the best fitting for the head coach's system and demands.

"As you say, at this time of year it’s pretty hard for supporters because they don’t have all the information and it’s fair to say there’s plenty of misinformation out there," he said. "We’re working hard to bring players in and it’s a process that you sometimes have to be patient with, but in terms of what we set out to do, that’s still the plan and you have to stay disciplined with that.

"Sometimes the timings don’t work out and it doesn’t happen as quickly as you want and you don’t get them (players) in at the right time but I think it’s really important you stay disciplined and not run off and chase other things.

"So, what we started with at the start of summer are still there, and I wouldn't want to put timelines on it. A lot of that is out of our control and we just need to be patient. From where I sit at the moment we're still in that phase where what we identified is still what we’re after."

That misinformation Postecoglou spoke of is rife and even more widespread due to the quieter way Spurs' technical director Johan Lange works compared to his predecessor Fabio Paratici. In the past, Tottenham's targets - thanks to Paratici's tactic of negotiating for multiple players for each position - were long splashed across the media, most notably in Italy.

Now though educated guesses, tenuous links or simply names pushed by agents appear in the headlines with Spurs or Postecoglou's names alongside them.

Take the recent noise around Juventus star Federico Chiesa in Italy. The 26-year-old Italian has plenty of talent but spent a long time out with a cruciate ligament injury. Last season was his first full one back and it was an understandably inconsistent one with just three goals and no assists in Serie A between the end of November and the start of May.

So while the links between Tottenham and the versatile Chiesa have been strong and widespread in his homeland, those in and around Spurs have been left non-plussed by the stories with football.london understanding that the player is not believed to be one of Postecoglou's original targets and therefore there is no truth to the current reports.

The actual targets appear to lie elsewhere and if they were to eventually turn to someone like Chiesa before the window ends then it would only suggest that Tottenham would no longer be in what Postecoglou deemed as "that phase where what we identified is still what we're after".

It's a risky strategy of course in holding out for the players they really want because if those moves are eventually deemed impossible then they are left scrambling late in the window for the names further down their lists for each position.

However, it does also show a desire to create the squad that Postecoglou wants and sticking to the plan rather than reacting to the deals that appear to make sense. The Spurs boss must be comfortable in having less pre-season time with those targets if it means getting the players that fit his system the best.

Postecoglou certainly does not seem unhappy. He was in good form in Tokyo, laughing with the translator and having fun with questions about potentially signing Japanese players and a Korean one in Yang Min-hyuk.

The Australian took even greater delight in football.london getting cut off by the Japanese moderator - rightly so - after their second question to him - the one about transfers - as they were about to ask Maddison a question.

Just watch back the footage of the press conference, about 18 minutes and 44 seconds in, to see Postecoglou's face as he realises what's happening and how much it tickles him. As he walked out of the room afterwards, he told this reporter that he loved that moment and with a grin turned to his press officer and asked him to ensure that it becomes a regular occurrence back at Hotspur Way next season as well. A 12,000 mile round trip to be the victim of Postecoglou banter was not part of the football.london job description.

Afterwards, training was light, including an overloaded 11 vs 8 mini-match with one goal, which was fascinating to watch with players swapping in and out on both sides and all with the end result of producing as many of those classic Postecoglou goals as possible with the low crosses and finishes.

It was also interesting to watch, after his involvement in that mini-game, Djed Spence being drilled individually by senior assistant coach Matt Wells in the final 15 minutes or so of the session.

The right-back was being put through his paces with an emphasis on trying to deal with Wells running alongside him as a winger, with Spence having to work on his body shape in order to prevent the Spurs coach from getting a cross away or move past him. They continued for a little while after the other players had finished.

Spence has worked hard in pre-season and it hasn't gone unnoticed by the coaching staff. His future may still lie elsewhere, with interest in his services and competition in his position at Tottenham, but he has done everything possible to put himself back in the conversation when Postecoglou thinks about his full-back options in the weeks ahead.

Across the city, Tottenham have also brought an U15s side out to Japan and they played in a game against a team of J League counterparts on Friday night.

With the first team, with the unwell Werner absent, Richarlison, Destiny Udogie and Alfie Whiteman were the only other players who did not take part in training, but that trio did emerge in order to come over with the squad after the session to acknowledge the fans and take selfies and sign things for them.

The 3,000 Spurs supporters inside the stadium were magnificent, with all of the chants usually heard in N17 ringing out across the Tokyo night and a wonderful array of shirts from over the years and names on the back being worn.

From the current crop there were plenty of Archie Gray tops, even youngsters like Jamie Donley could be seen on the back of a couple, plus throwback names such as Aaron Lennon among others.

For the club's these tours are about the preparation for the coming season and of course the financial benefits and desire to grow the fanbase, but on a simple level it provides the chance for incredibly passionate fans who cheer from the other side of the world at ungodly hours of the morning or night to finally see their heroes in the flesh. It's difficult to understand that until you see the excitement it creates your eyes.

Football is a global affair and so certainly are Tottenham Hotspur.

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

Lucas Bergvall's growing Tottenham influence and Alejo Veliz requirement in Vissel Kobe friendly

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Vissel Kobe are Tottenham's opponents on Saturday as Ange Postecoglou's side play their third pre-season game. Starting off with victories over Hearts and QPR, J.League side Vissel Kobe are now on the agenda after Spurs made the trip to Japan at the beginning of the week.

Whereas both Hearts and QPR are perhaps a week or two ahead of Tottenham in terms of their summer preparations with their league campaigns starting before the Premier League, the Lilywhites will now be coming up against a team who are over halfway through the J.League season. It will be a big test for the north London club but one Postecoglou will be hoping to take a number of positives from.

So what exactly can Tottenham fans look forward to in the game at Tokyo's National Stadium? football.london takes a look below.

Moore and youngsters take chance

Tottenham's talented youngsters could be handed more playing time against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo on Saturday. Spurs' young guns have made a real impression in the first two friendlies, most notably 16-year-old Mikey Moore who supporters are desperate to see more of in the first team.

Fresh from scoring in the 5-1 win at Hearts, the academy ace then got an assist to his name as Dane Scarlett converted his low cross at QPR. Will Lankshear will also be looking to make a big impact after his recent goal at Hearts as he was once again picked ahead of Scarlett and Alejo Veliz at Loftus Road.

Alfie Devine impressed on the club's summer tour 12 months ago and he has done likewise this time around. Maybe becoming a bit of a forgotten figure due the amount of talent coming through the academy at present, the attacking midfielder has reminded everyone what he is about this summer and he could well go on to play a starring role against Vissel Kobe.

Having 29 players to select from for this weekend's match as Destiny Udogie and Richarlison are not ready to feature just yet, some players will very likely not play at all or either get a small amount of minutes in the tank. For that reason, it's imperative that Spurs' youngsters take their opportunity if it comes their way.

Son and strikers after goals

Son Heung-min will be determined to get off the mark in pre-season after so far drawing a blank in the Hearts and QPR games. The South Korean has led the line due to a lack of available striker options at present but things just haven't quite gone his way in front of goal.

Veliz is someone else who desperately needs a goal following his return to Tottenham this summer. The Argentine is working hard for the team but is just lacking the goal that could give him a confidence boost, especially with fellow strikers Scarlett and Lankshear scoring recently.

Scarlett really did need his goal against QPR last Saturday and that could possibly work in his favour going into the Vissel Kobe encounter as he bids to make a big impression on Postecoglou this summer. Opportunities on goal will be there but they just need taking.

Spence continuing to excel

Djed Spence's Tottenham future appeared to be in serious doubt after spending the past 18 months away from the club on loan. Given a chance in the Hearts friendly, the right-back took it with both hands and registered a goal and an assist in a dazzling cameo.

The ex-Nottingham Forest loanee followed it up with another strong showing at QPR and it has opened the door to a potential place in Postecoglou's plans going forward. All Spence can do right now is continue to shine when given the chance by the head coach and that could possibly see him remain at the club beyond August.

In Friday's open training session at the National Stadium in Tokyo, the 23-year-old was going through some individual work with senior assistant coach Matt Wells at a time when others were practising free-kicks or shooting.

Spence was being put through his paces with an emphasis on trying to deal with Wells running alongside him as a winger, with the right-back then having to work on his body shape in order to prevent the Spurs coach from getting a cross away or moving past him. The Tottenham ace looks to be in a good position to get some more minutes in the tank.

Davies' fitness

Udogie and Richarlison will play no part for Tottenham this weekend as they aren't quite ready to feature just yet but there is a chance Ben Davies returns to the pitch. Not involved since April's defeat to Arsenal due to a calf issue, the Welshman has trained with the squad this week and that could now result in his first appearance of the pre-season campaign.

If indeed he does play, it will certainly give everyone a good idea of where exactly he is in regards to his current fitness levels. The return of Davies will certainly give Postecoglou options as he could either be utilised at the heart of defence due to the lack of numbers there at present or either be played in his natural role at left-back.

Bergvall to make up for lost time

Lucas Bergvall will hopefully be able to make up for lost time after his outing in last weekend's QPR friendly was cut short due to injury. The Swede made a confident start to proceedings but unfortunately made way after 24 minutes and looked gutted when leaving the field.

Involved in training this week, Bergvall looks a certainty to feature against Vissel Kobe and Postecoglou has a decision to make over whether he starts the youngster or introduces him off the bench. Only playing 70 minutes worth of pre-season action so far and not playing on the pitch with all of his Tottenham teammates just yet, giving the midfielder playing time is vital as he looks to develop a good understanding with the rest of the squad.

Having impressed in pre-season so far and with his influence on the game continuing to grow with the more minutes he plays, the ex-Djurgarden man could be a key figure for Tottenham once again this weekend.

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

Lucas Bergvall's growing Tottenham influence and Alejo Veliz requirement in Vissel Kobe friendly

Submitted by daniel on
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Vissel Kobe are Tottenham's opponents on Saturday as Ange Postecoglou's side play their third pre-season game. Starting off with victories over Hearts and QPR, J.League side Vissel Kobe are now on the agenda after Spurs made the trip to Japan at the beginning of the week.

Whereas both Hearts and QPR are perhaps a week or two ahead of Tottenham in terms of their summer preparations with their league campaigns starting before the Premier League, the Lilywhites will now be coming up against a team who are over halfway through the J.League season. It will be a big test for the north London club but one Postecoglou will be hoping to take a number of positives from.

So what exactly can Tottenham fans look forward to in the game at Tokyo's National Stadium? football.london takes a look below.

Moore and youngsters take chance

Tottenham's talented youngsters could be handed more playing time against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo on Saturday. Spurs' young guns have made a real impression in the first two friendlies, most notably 16-year-old Mikey Moore who supporters are desperate to see more of in the first team.

Fresh from scoring in the 5-1 win at Hearts, the academy ace then got an assist to his name as Dane Scarlett converted his low cross at QPR. Will Lankshear will also be looking to make a big impact after his recent goal at Hearts as he was once again picked ahead of Scarlett and Alejo Veliz at Loftus Road.

Alfie Devine impressed on the club's summer tour 12 months ago and he has done likewise this time around. Maybe becoming a bit of a forgotten figure due the amount of talent coming through the academy at present, the attacking midfielder has reminded everyone what he is about this summer and he could well go on to play a starring role against Vissel Kobe.

Having 29 players to select from for this weekend's match as Destiny Udogie and Richarlison are not ready to feature just yet, some players will very likely not play at all or either get a small amount of minutes in the tank. For that reason, it's imperative that Spurs' youngsters take their opportunity if it comes their way.

Son and strikers after goals

Son Heung-min will be determined to get off the mark in pre-season after so far drawing a blank in the Hearts and QPR games. The South Korean has led the line due to a lack of available striker options at present but things just haven't quite gone his way in front of goal.

Veliz is someone else who desperately needs a goal following his return to Tottenham this summer. The Argentine is working hard for the team but is just lacking the goal that could give him a confidence boost, especially with fellow strikers Scarlett and Lankshear scoring recently.

Scarlett really did need his goal against QPR last Saturday and that could possibly work in his favour going into the Vissel Kobe encounter as he bids to make a big impression on Postecoglou this summer. Opportunities on goal will be there but they just need taking.

Spence continuing to excel

Djed Spence's Tottenham future appeared to be in serious doubt after spending the past 18 months away from the club on loan. Given a chance in the Hearts friendly, the right-back took it with both hands and registered a goal and an assist in a dazzling cameo.

The ex-Nottingham Forest loanee followed it up with another strong showing at QPR and it has opened the door to a potential place in Postecoglou's plans going forward. All Spence can do right now is continue to shine when given the chance by the head coach and that could possibly see him remain at the club beyond August.

In Friday's open training session at the National Stadium in Tokyo, the 23-year-old was going through some individual work with senior assistant coach Matt Wells at a time when others were practising free-kicks or shooting.

Spence was being put through his paces with an emphasis on trying to deal with Wells running alongside him as a winger, with the right-back then having to work on his body shape in order to prevent the Spurs coach from getting a cross away or moving past him. The Tottenham ace looks to be in a good position to get some more minutes in the tank.

Davies' fitness

Udogie and Richarlison will play no part for Tottenham this weekend as they aren't quite ready to feature just yet but there is a chance Ben Davies returns to the pitch. Not involved since April's defeat to Arsenal due to a calf issue, the Welshman has trained with the squad this week and that could now result in his first appearance of the pre-season campaign.

If indeed he does play, it will certainly give everyone a good idea of where exactly he is in regards to his current fitness levels. The return of Davies will certainly give Postecoglou options as he could either be utilised at the heart of defence due to the lack of numbers there at present or either be played in his natural role at left-back.

Bergvall to make up for lost time

Lucas Bergvall will hopefully be able to make up for lost time after his outing in last weekend's QPR friendly was cut short due to injury. The Swede made a confident start to proceedings but unfortunately made way after 24 minutes and looked gutted when leaving the field.

Involved in training this week, Bergvall looks a certainty to feature against Vissel Kobe and Postecoglou has a decision to make over whether he starts the youngster or introduces him off the bench. Only playing 70 minutes worth of pre-season action so far and not playing on the pitch with all of his Tottenham teammates just yet, giving the midfielder playing time is vital as he looks to develop a good understanding with the rest of the squad.

Having impressed in pre-season so far and with his influence on the game continuing to grow with the more minutes he plays, the ex-Djurgarden man could be a key figure for Tottenham once again this weekend.

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