Football.London

Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries has shouldered the blame for the contentious penalty given to England.

However, the full-back has insisted that he barely touched the former Tottenham Hotspur forward. The Netherlands were left in shock when a penalty was awarded to the Three Lions during their semi-final after a VAR review.

Dumfries had tried to intercept a Kane attempt and the Bayern Munich player's reaction on the ground allowed time for the incident to be scrutinised. Although the England captain seemed to make contact with Dumfries while attempting to shoot, the initial consensus was that it wouldn't result in a penalty.

However, the referee consulted the pitch-side monitor and decided to award the spot-kick, enabling England to level the score. The Inter Milan defender admitted he anticipated the outcome as soon as the referee opted for a second look.

He said: “I want to block the shot. I barely touch him. I do think [it’s a VAR penalty]. You know when he goes to the sideline, he can give it. I take full responsibility."

Dutch boss Ronald Koeman fumed: "In my opinion it should not have been a penalty. He kicked the ball and the boots touched. I think that we cannot play properly football and this is due to VAR. It really breaks football."

While Virgil van Dijk said: "I don’t know what to say, I don’t know if I should say something about this. But I think it says it all that the referee went in quite quickly after the game, had no time to shake his hand."

Lucas Bergvall admits the speed and power of the training sessions under Ange Postecoglou make them very different to those he has been used to in Sweden.

The 18-year-old arrived at Spurs on Saturday following his £8.5million move from Djurgarden in February and is nearing the end of his first week of sessions at the Premier League club's Hotspur Way training complex. It is the second pre-season this year for Bergvall as he had already undergone four months of preparation for the Swedish season, which began in April.

However, the teenager has admitted that training under Postecoglou with the fast and furious sessions which recreate the nature of matches of 95 to 100 minutes have been very different for him, even though he's thoroughly enjoying it.

"It’s going really well, this is a fantastic club with amazing players and amazing staff, so I'm really happy to be here and start pre-season," Bergvall said in a club interview.

"Training has been really good, tough as well, so much speed and power. So, yes, it’s been tough, totally different from Sweden, but it’s fun as well. It’s a really important time for me, important to get to know everyone before the season starts so we can form that good connection."

Bergvall and fellow new recruit Archie Gray could get their first minutes of action in a Tottenham shirt on Saturday afternoon as League One side Cambridge United come to the training ground for a behind-closed-doors friendly, kicking off at midday.

The Swede and Tottenham then travel to Scotland to play Hearts in an official friendly fixture next Wednesday (July 17) before returning to take on QPR at Loftus Road on Saturday July 20. A couple of days later they fly out to Japan and South Korea for their summer tour, with matches against Vissel Kobe, a K-League All Star team and Bayern Munich before returning to N17 to face Bayern at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 10.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham featuring lots of chat on pre-season so far, click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham Hotspur will be gunning for the top four when the new Premier League season kicks off. Having started the 2023/24 season so well, Spurs fell away somewhat and could only finish fifth in the end and a place in the Europa League.

Ange Postecoglou's side started the season like a house on fire, unbeaten in their opening ten matches of the campaign. But injuries, suspensions and international commitments hit the side hard and despite challenging for the top four all the way to the end of the campaign, they just came up short.

Aston Villa were the side to pip them to fourth spot, securing Champions League football under Unai Emery. Both sides will be eagerly awaiting the two European draws for the newly-expanded competitions this season.

Villa will want to show the Premier League that it is not a one-off, with the club bound to be going for the Champions League once again when the 2024/25 season kicks off.

But Emery may be hamstrung by what is going on behind the scenes. Villa were one of a number of clubs who needed to balance the books this summer in order to comply with Financial Fair Play and Profit and Sustainability Rules.

They have already signed six players - Ross Barkley, Ian Maatsen and Cameron Archer chief among them - but have also said goodbye to four - Philippe Coutinho going on loan to Vasco da Gama, Tim Iroegbunam to Everton, Morgan Sanson to Nice and the big one, Douglas Luiz to Juventus.

Luiz was one of Villa's standout players last season, and losing him leaves a massive hole in the side, which could hit their hopes of a Champions League place next time around.

And another deal could further knock Villa back. Reports have suggested that Al Ittihad are ready to stump up £60million to sign Moussa Diaby this summer, with the player already having agreed person terms.

Sign up to our Tottenham WhatsApp service and get all the latest breaking news and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Tottenham writers direct to your phone by clicking this link.

Diaby is another who was an important member of Emery's first team last season and big changes will be mde to the starting XI for this coming season. That could play into Tottenham's hands in the race for a top four spot, although there is plenty of time for Villa to add to their squad before the season begins.

There is also plenty of time for Spurs to make big changes to their squad, which is seen as necessary by Postecoglou as he looks to strengthen ahead of the new campaign. Timo Werner, Lucas Bergvall and Archie gray havwe all already arrived in N17 this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur have received further approvals required to continue the construction of the 30-storey hotel that will stand alongside their stadium.

Spurs initially had plans for the hotel, as well as other buildings around their new ground, approved in 2016 as part of the major construction project. However, last year the club submitted new proposals to Haringey Council for the hotel at the south end of their stadium complex.

Those proposals brought design changes and another six storeys for the now 30-storey hotel, which will consist of 180 rooms with 49 residential apartments and 64 car park spaces. The new proposals ensured a more slim-line design to the building, giving it a blade-like appearance from the east and west.

In the plans for the new hotel, designed by F3 Architects, the council were told that "the overarching ambition for the hotel scheme remains to deliver a new landmark for Tottenham, drawing in more people and activity to the area, delivering on its central role within the regeneration aims of the NDP masterplan".

The application said the aim of the redesign is to "re-establish the building as a visual marker or 'Campinale' (Italian bell tower) for the stadium precinct". The building will contain a hotel restaurant, bar, café, swimming pool, gym and terrace.

With the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium set to be one of the host venues for Euro 2028, the hotel is expected to be built in time to be used for that and is expected to be a popular base for those coming to watch the club's matches as well as concerts, NFL games and other events over the years ahead.

Haringey Council approved the new proposals in December last year and then in March this year London mayor Sadiq Khan's office confirmed that it had opted not to intervene, meaning preparatory work was able to proceed. In the weeks after, engineering specialist company Keltbray began making preparations for the building's foundations through piling work.

Then in late May, Spurs made a series of further amendment applications to Haringey Council in order for further building work to progress such as air quality, TV reception mitigation and non-road mobile machinery. The approval for those applications was given on Wednesday this week with a further application for the piling yet to be determined.

The club are expected to find out at an upcoming planning committee meeting whether they have got final approval from Haringey Council to hold up to 30 major non-football events at the stadium after submitting that proposal in April.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham featuring lots of chat on pre-season so far, click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Emerson Royal says he has told Ange Postecoglou about his unhappiness at his lack of playing time at Tottenham and made a plea to be allowed to go somewhere he can play football.

The 25-year-old started just 11 Premier League matches last season with Pedro Porro the right-back of choice for Postecoglou in his maiden campaign at the north London club. Emerson did prove to be a useful asset for the Australian at times, particularly with his versatility meaning he filled in at centre-back and left-back at times as injuries took hold at Spurs.

However, the Brazilian, who is the subject of interest from AC Milan, wants to be a regular starter and during a recent interview back home he admitted that he told Postecoglou of his frustration last season.

"I've always made it clear. Every player likes to play. I'm very competitive. It bothers me a lot to be on the bench. I was upset and told the coach about it. But I've always been very professional. I've always been one of those who put the most intensity into training, but this situation doesn't work for me, so I don't know what my future will be. I'm not a player who sits on the bench. I want to play. If it's not here, I understand. But I want to go somewhere where I can play," he said to reporter Rodrigo Castro, from Brazilian media outlet EPTV, as reported by their affiliate Rede Globo.

"We are talking. I want to play for the Brazilian national team, to play in a World Cup. In recent years I have always been called up, with Tite, with Diniz. But I understand that if you don't play for the club it is unlikely that you will play for the national team. So I have to look for new places or, if I stay at Tottenham, get a good offer to play. We will see what is best for me and for everyone else."

Emerson was asked about the strong interest from AC Milan in taking him to Italy this summer to play Serie A football next season.

"It's a very special moment. Knowing that teams of this magnitude want me," said the full-back. "It was special when Barcelona came after me, I realised a dream. Milan is a reference for us Brazilians, but I still don't know about the future. I hope I can return to play and join the national team."

If Emerson were to depart then there is one player in particular that he will miss at Tottenham, his fellow Brazilian Richarlison.

"Pombo is very special. He is a very good kid, with a huge heart. We got really close last year," he said. "He had problems with his manager and was feeling really bad, he isolated himself from everyone, he didn't want to talk to anyone. I was one of the people who managed to help him.

"I did psychological counselling, and that helped me a lot. I improved as a person. I told him about my experience and told him to try the same. We had lunch and dinner together. I took him out of the house. Being alone in this situation is really bad. It's clear that he's a different person now. It's a great joy to see Pombo like this today.

"How many people in the world have depression and suffer from it? And if no one talks about it, they won't know how to get out of it. We are important to society. People need to understand that this is not something that only crazy people do. I was afraid when my parents advised me to seek help, but when I broke that barrier, I saw how important it is to have support. If your mind is not well, your body will not be well either. A hug can save you from depression."

The defender admitted that one day he would love to play for Santos back home in Brazil.

"Santos is my childhood team. My brother and father are also Santos fans. It's a dream to play for Santos in the future," he said. "Not right now. I want to have a longer career in Europe, but I have debts in Brazil. I have one with Eduardo Baptista (coach). One day I'll play for whatever team he's in, for at least a year.

"He promoted me to the first team at Ponte, then he went to Palmeiras, and I went back to the Ponte youth team with Gilson Kleina. Then he (Eduardo) went back to Ponte and put me back in the first team. That's when I was sold to Atlético-MG."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham featuring lots of chat on pre-season so far, click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Emerson Royal says he has told Ange Postecoglou about his unhappiness at his lack of playing time at Tottenham and made a plea to be allowed to go somewhere he can play football.

The 25-year-old started just 11 Premier League matches last season with Pedro Porro the right-back of choice for Postecoglou in his maiden campaign at the north London club. Emerson did prove to be a useful asset for the Australian at times, particularly with his versatility meaning he filled in at centre-back and left-back at times as injuries took hold at Spurs.

However, the Brazilian, who is the subject of interest from AC Milan, wants to be a regular starter and during a recent interview back home he admitted that he told Postecoglou of his frustration last season.

"I've always made it clear. Every player likes to play. I'm very competitive. It bothers me a lot to be on the bench. I was upset and told the coach about it. But I've always been very professional. I've always been one of those who put the most intensity into training, but this situation doesn't work for me, so I don't know what my future will be. I'm not a player who sits on the bench. I want to play. If it's not here, I understand. But I want to go somewhere where I can play," he said to reporter Rodrigo Castro, from Brazilian media outlet EPTV, as reported by their affiliate Rede Globo.

"We are talking. I want to play for the Brazilian national team, to play in a World Cup. In recent years I have always been called up, with Tite, with Diniz. But I understand that if you don't play for the club it is unlikely that you will play for the national team. So I have to look for new places or, if I stay at Tottenham, get a good offer to play. We will see what is best for me and for everyone else."

Emerson was asked about the strong interest from AC Milan in taking him to Italy this summer to play Serie A football next season.

"It's a very special moment. Knowing that teams of this magnitude want me," said the full-back. "It was special when Barcelona came after me, I realised a dream. Milan is a reference for us Brazilians, but I still don't know about the future. I hope I can return to play and join the national team."

If Emerson were to depart then there is one player in particular that he will miss at Tottenham, his fellow Brazilian Richarlison.

"Pombo is very special. He is a very good kid, with a huge heart. We got really close last year," he said. "He had problems with his manager and was feeling really bad, he isolated himself from everyone, he didn't want to talk to anyone. I was one of the people who managed to help him.

"I did psychological counselling, and that helped me a lot. I improved as a person. I told him about my experience and told him to try the same. We had lunch and dinner together. I took him out of the house. Being alone in this situation is really bad. It's clear that he's a different person now. It's a great joy to see Pombo like this today.

"How many people in the world have depression and suffer from it? And if no one talks about it, they won't know how to get out of it. We are important to society. People need to understand that this is not something that only crazy people do. I was afraid when my parents advised me to seek help, but when I broke that barrier, I saw how important it is to have support. If your mind is not well, your body will not be well either. A hug can save you from depression."

The defender admitted that one day he would love to play for Santos back home in Brazil.

"Santos is my childhood team. My brother and father are also Santos fans. It's a dream to play for Santos in the future," he said. "Not right now. I want to have a longer career in Europe, but I have debts in Brazil. I have one with Eduardo Baptista (coach). One day I'll play for whatever team he's in, for at least a year.

"He promoted me to the first team at Ponte, then he went to Palmeiras, and I went back to the Ponte youth team with Gilson Kleina. Then he (Eduardo) went back to Ponte and put me back in the first team. That's when I was sold to Atlético-MG."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham featuring lots of chat on pre-season so far, click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Rafael van der Vaart didn't mince his words following England's triumphant semi-final win over the Netherlands that propelled them into the Euro 2024 final.

The former Tottenham player bluntly dismissed Gareth Southgate's squad as a "s*** team", despite their come-from-behind victory. Speaking on Dutch outlet NOS, Van der Vaart didn't heap much praise on the victorious side.

Regarding England's performance, he stated: "What a s*** team they are. Slowly, they didn't want to do anything anymore. They have such top players on the field. We didn't do much either. We had a few chances. There could have been so much more in it."

Fellow pundit and former Dutch international Pierre van Hooijdonk's frustration was directed chiefly towards referee Felix Zwayer. He blamed the referee's controversial first-half penalty decision for turning the tide in England's favour after VAR involvement suggested Denzel Dumfries fouled Harry Kane, reports the Mirror.

According to Van Hooijdonk: "They (England) can thank Felix Zwayer. He really needs to be blacklisted. Terrible. Also in the second half. A duel with Cody Gakpo where he simply blew his whistle again, ten meters from the linesman. Those are moments that were crucial in this match."

England's knack for comebacks in their knockout games has been notable, with Slovakia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands all initially finding a way past the Three Lions' defence. Dutch manager Ronald Koeman acknowledged this resilience and suggested England could pose a real threat to Spain in Sunday's final.

Koeman remarked: "I think England showed great football in the first half after [being] 1-0 down. It is football. Maybe if you watch all of the matches of the Spanish team, maybe they are playing more offensive, great wingers and ball possession and you need to stop that. But England are in the final and have the possibility to win it."

"Spain are playing on a high level but England can stop them. Why not?".

Dele Alli has had a torrid time since leaving Tottenham Hotspur in 2022. The 28-year-old was a Premier League star at the age of 19, breaking into the Spurs team after signing for £5million from MK Dons.

He rose to stardom with some stunning performances for Spurs, becoming an England regular to boot. But his career stuttered towards the end of his Spurs spell and has not picked up since leaving for Besiktas on loan initially and then Everton.

Alli has had his problems off the field as well as on it, with the England man bravely opening up on his troubled youth in an interview with Gary Neville in 2023. Alli spoke about being molested as a child, dealing drugs and his trouble with an addiction to sleeping pills.

His fall has been as stark as his rise was as a teenager, but hopefully he is on the way back now, with the 28-year-old regularly posting on his social media channels about his work behind the scenes trying to get back to fitness.

Alli signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the Toffees in January 2022, with that deal having now expired. Alli only managed 13 appearances in that time.

Now without as club, Alli has accepted at offer from Everton to continue training at the club's Finch Farm base as pre-season training has begun ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Everton boss Sean Dyche has continued to keep in touch with the midfielder and made the offer for Alli to join up with the squad for pre-season training.

Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell said: "Dele’s contract is coming to an end, but our medical team will continue to support him while he completes the intensive rehabilitation programme he is currently undergoing following the operation he had earlier this year.

Sign up to our Tottenham WhatsApp service and get all the latest breaking news and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Tottenham writers direct to your phone by clicking this link.

"Both Sean and I agree it is important we ensure Dele’s rehabilitation is not impacted by his contract situation at such a critical point in his recovery.”

Dele Alli has had a torrid time since leaving Tottenham Hotspur in 2022. The 28-year-old was a Premier League star at the age of 19, breaking into the Spurs team after signing for £5million from MK Dons.

He rose to stardom with some stunning performances for Spurs, becoming an England regular to boot. But his career stuttered towards the end of his Spurs spell and has not picked up since leaving for Besiktas on loan initially and then Everton.

Alli has had his problems off the field as well as on it, with the England man bravely opening up on his troubled youth in an interview with Gary Neville in 2023. Alli spoke about being molested as a child, dealing drugs and his trouble with an addiction to sleeping pills.

His fall has been as stark as his rise was as a teenager, but hopefully he is on the way back now, with the 28-year-old regularly posting on his social media channels about his work behind the scenes trying to get back to fitness.

Alli signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the Toffees in January 2022, with that deal having now expired. Alli only managed 13 appearances in that time.

Now without as club, Alli has accepted at offer from Everton to continue training at the club's Finch Farm base as pre-season training has begun ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Everton boss Sean Dyche has continued to keep in touch with the midfielder and made the offer for Alli to join up with the squad for pre-season training.

Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell said: "Dele’s contract is coming to an end, but our medical team will continue to support him while he completes the intensive rehabilitation programme he is currently undergoing following the operation he had earlier this year.

Sign up to our Tottenham WhatsApp service and get all the latest breaking news and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Tottenham writers direct to your phone by clicking this link.

"Both Sean and I agree it is important we ensure Dele’s rehabilitation is not impacted by his contract situation at such a critical point in his recovery.”

Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was shown in footage appearing to hurl a bottle into the crowd which seemed to strike a member of the Uruguay staff following his country's Copa America exit.

Uruguay lost 1-0 in a fiery semi-final against Colombia in Charlotte, with the 27-year-old forced off in the first half with an injury after a collision with his own team-mate Mathias Olivera as both attempted a sliding tackle. Jefferson Lerma scored soon after the Spurs player's departure from the pitch and it would prove to be the winning goal for Colombia.

However, there were unsavoury scenes to come after the final whistle when fans situated near the Uruguayan players' families began to get out of control with Liverpool's Darwin Nunez among those who jumped into the stands amid the trouble, with suggestions that bottles of drink had also been hurled at the Uruguay players.

Footage of the trouble appeared to show Bentancur then hurl a bottle from the touchline, which seemed to strike a member of the Uruguayan staff who had climbed up into the stands. Another angle showed a bottle smashing against the man's head, dazing him and the staff member could later be seen with blood coming from a cut on his forehead.

A second video then appeared to show Bentancur throwing another object into the crowd before being ushered away by staff members.

It was reported by Uruguayan media that the players' families were later escorted out of the stadium through a different exit to ensure their safety.

The incident comes the month after Bentancur made a public apology to his Spurs captain Son Heung-min after using a racial slur that the midfielder claimed was a "very bad joke" during an interview back in Uruguay.

His comments sparked outrage throughout the Korean community and outside of it with Kick It Out, the organisation which seeks to end racism and discrimination in sport, saying that it had "received a significant number of reports about Rodrigo Bentancur's comments regarding his Tottenham team-mate Son Heung-min. These reports have already been sent to the club and relevant authorities. We recognise Bentancur has acknowledged the offence caused, however it highlights a wider issue that heavily affects East Asian and wider communities. We’ll be seeking to address these broader issues in the coming season".

The FA are also investigating the comments with the possibility of a charge and potential ban for the Uruguayan. Spurs are dealing with the issue internally, although much of that will be governed by what the FA decide.

There are suggestions that the player could face a potential ban from international competition as the incident at the Copa America is also investigated.

Football federation CONMEBOL released a statement condemning the scenes, saying: "Our work is based on the conviction that soccer connects and unites us through its positive values. There is no place for intolerance and violence on and off the field. We invite everyone in the remaining days to pour all of their passion into cheering on their national teams and having an unforgettable party."

In May, a frustrated Bentancur was seen furiously kicking his seat repeatedly in the dugout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after being substituted in the defeat against Manchester City. Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou admitted in his next press conference that he had had a private chat with the midfielder about it in the days after the game, saying "I don’t think that’s the way you react".

The Uruguayan had battled back last season following a long absence with a cruciate ligament injury and then an ankle injury suffered on his first start back in the team.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham featuring lots of chat on pre-season so far, click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.