Football.London

The Tottenham Hotspur transfer exodus has begun and shows no signs of slowing down as Ange Postecoglou rips up the old version of the club.

While all eyes will naturally be on those new faces coming into the club with the English transfer window opening on Friday, there is set to be a flood of Spurs players heading in the opposite direction. Postecoglou made it clear last month that after years of going in one direction, things had to be radically altered to see whether a different destination could be reached.

The Australian cited what happened under Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta at Liverpool and Arsenal as inspiration for the overhaul at Tottenham.

"We need change, change has to happen," said the 58-year-old. "You can't want to alter your course, and quite dramatically for this club because we went down a certain direction and now we’re pivoting to a whole different direction, and expect the same people are going to be on that. It’s just not going to happen.

"We’ve had two windows and we’ve had some development of players, for sure, but when I say we’ve still got a long way to go, that’s what I’m talking about. We can’t be there yet because it’s impossible to say you’re going to have drastic change and yet expect everyone to be on that journey. It’s not for the want of trying. It’s just that we’re going to play a certain way, we’re going to train a certain way and we’re going to have a certain mindset, and that’s not for everyone.

"And the same way, whether it’s Liverpool or Arsenal, if you look at the beginning of their journeys, by the time they win the competition or have success, the team’s almost unrecognisable. That’s the reality, if you change. If you’re staying on the same course, of course, or a similar course…but we’ve done a major pivot here, so that definitely is the case, yeah."

He added: "We’ve already made tough decisions, we let some experienced players leave the club at the beginning of the year, some by choice. But again, I feel like if we’re really going to change, that means change. You have to make decisions. Some of those decisions aren’t that tough because whether it’s a player or a staff member, they realise it themselves and say ‘you know what, I’ve got a better path somewhere else and you’ve got a better path here’. So they’re not that tough, but some of them you have to make just because of change, not necessarily because they don't fit in the picture but you still have to change.

"I’ve got to change this squad, I have to. Because I’ve got to build a squad I think can play our football. For that to happen, there has to be exits. I can't just keep everyone here and keep bringing in players. So sometimes you let people go who you think ‘he’s a good player’ but how am I going to change if I don’t do that."

Tottenham have already made some big decisions behind the scenes to facilitate that change. The contracts of older higher earners Eric Dier and Ivan Perisic were not renewed and the duo went out on loan to Bayern Munich and Hajduk Split respectively and will move to those clubs permanently at the end of their deals this month.

Then Spurs made the call to not take up the final year options on both Ryan Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga's contracts. That was followed this week by the decision to finally cut ties with former club record signing Tanguy Ndombele and mutually agree a termination of his high-earning six-year contract which had 12 months left to go.

The defence is going to see the biggest exodus this summer at the north London club. Genoa are interested in trying to bring Djed Spence back to Italy after his encouraging loan spell, with the 23-year-old right-back unwanted by both Antonio Conte and then Postecoglou and with just 41 minutes in a Spurs shirt to his name.

There has been interest in centre-back Joe Rodon from both Premier League and Championship teams after his successful loan campaign at Leeds, which is why Tottenham took up the option to extend his contract by another 12 months. football.london understands Kieran McKenna was very keen on taking the 26-year-old Wales international to Ipswich last summer only for Leeds to beat them to the deal and he could well look again following the Tractor Boys' promotion to the Premier League.

Sergio Reguilon is not in Postecoglou's plans and after a season spent at Manchester United and Brentford on loan, impressing at the latter in particular, it should be easier to find a move for the former Real Madrid left-back this summer. On the other flank, AC Milan want Emerson Royal, with Spurs placing a £21million price tag on the Brazilian's head.

Should all of the above leave as expected then seven defenders alone will have left the north London club this summer and Ben Davies will also have to make a decision with Postecoglou over what the future holds for him with a year left on his contract. Young defender Ashley Phillips could get another loan under his belt after impressing at Plymouth Argyle with the head coach looking to sign another centre-back.

In the midfield, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has a string of admirers and is expected to leave this summer after the Euros, as is Giovani Lo Celso, currently preparing for the Copa America, with both midfielders having been unable to secure regular starts under the Australian.

Oliver Skipp wants regular football next season after a campaign on the fringes, although the 23-year-old's club-trained homegrown status could make it a tough decision for Postecoglou. Matthew Craig, 21, had a great loan at Doncaster Rovers and will be a man in demand this summer.

Further up the pitch and Bryan Gil's time at Tottenham is expected to come to an end after three years of being unable to get starts at the club, with clubs across the continent having shown interest in the 23-year-old Spanish winger in recent windows.

Republic of Ireland international Troy Parrott is also being heavily tipped to complete a summer transfer, with AZ Alkmaar particularly keen after the 22-year-old's impressive season in the Eredivisie with relegated Excelsior Rotterdam. The striker wants to break through at Tottenham and will be pushing to be involved in pre-season in order to catch the eye, but ultimately Postecoglou will have the final say.

Barring an eye-catching pre-season himself with the first team, 20-year-old forward Alejo Veliz is likely to be found a better fitting loan move than his one to Sevilla in order to continue his development.

All of the above activity is without taking into account the unexpected offers that always come in for other players during the longer summer transfer window. Either way it is set to be the summer of change that Postecoglou has called for ahead of a big season with a plan in place for those he wants to bring through the doors.

"All I can say is that at the moment I feel like the club has bought into my vision and it’s up to me," the Australian said last month. "It's not about patience, it’s about belief that I need to keep working and taking us forward in a manner that there is belief in the club that they should continue to support my vision for it.

"I was here in 2016, middle of ‘16, I came over with the family and I took my oldest son to Anfield to watch Liverpool. It was just at the beginning of that building phase and, to be fair, they hadn’t done anything significant up until that point but there was a real energy in the stadium around Jurgen.

"And I think the whole club, the supporters, everyone had bought into him even though they hadn’t quite got to where they wanted to yet. But I felt that in the stadium and that’s why I’ve always got drawn to managers like that because you could see, he could see things that others couldn’t in that time. And I think if you look at it for the most part, most successful clubs, that’s the kind of formula.

"Part of that responsibility lies on me to make sure that I’m leading in a way that allows people to believe in me and support me because…it’s the only way I’m going to have success. I’m not going to do it on my own, that’s for sure. I never have, wherever I’ve been, I’ve had great support and right now I have all the support I need. I really feel like the club has bought into the vision I have and it’s up to me to maintain that."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou will walk back through the doors at Hotspur Way before the Tottenham players join him and his coaching staff, and there is plenty that needs to be sorted out before they return.

Those Spurs players not involved in international tournaments this summer are expected to start filtering back into the Enfield-training complex from the start of next month, and if last year is anything to go by then the coaching staff will return four to five days before them to start planning and mapping out how pre-season training sessions will work.

Postecoglou became the first Tottenham head coach in half a decade to complete a full season at the Premier League club and that gives him the foundation to start building for a second year at the helm. Here are five things we reckon can be found on the Australian's to-do list before he walks back through those Hotspur Way doors later this month.

Decide on a new assistant head coach

One of the most pressing matters on the 58-year-old's to-do list is to decide on who will replace Chris Davies as his new assistant head coach. Postecoglou lost his right-hand man to Birmingham City where the 39-year-old will take on his first job in management, trying to get the Midlands side back into the Championship at the first attempt.

Postecoglou has three different ways he can go with his decision over a replacement. One is to promote either Matt Wells or Ryan Mason to become his assistant and bring in a new coach to the staff, the second is to bring in a new experienced assistant to replace Davies and the third option is to bring in someone he has worked with before.

The latter option isn't something Postecoglou is known for, as he likes to work with new coaching staff, but he has considered it in the past.

While technically Wells and Mason could handle the workload with fewer players back at the start of pre-season, it would be beneficial for Postecoglou to get the extra staff member in through the door for those planning stages before the squad return to Enfield.

Make some transfer calls

The English transfer window officially opens on Friday and Postecoglou told football.london last month that he wanted to get some signings through the door in time for pre-season.

"Yeah, look it is important. I think it works better Ali. Last year it certainly benefited us in having a couple of players in early to be with the whole squad," he said. "Again looking at the schedule this year with international commitments, we're not going to get them all back for the start of pre-season, but if we can get ones in early. It's easier said than done. Everyone wants to get business done early, everyone is keen to bring players in but the reality is that it takes a little bit of time.

"The good thing for us is that we know what we need to do, we've had the plan in place for a while and it's just about now going through that process."

Players being at the Euros and Copa America could play its part in delaying some deals, but Spurs' plans have been in place for months and some clubs could need the cash to come in from sales before the books close for this year as part of the profit and sustainability rules at the end of this month.

Postecoglou can't make the money side happen but his part now in it all will be to make those persuasive phone calls to players which his other signings at Tottenham have all spoken about. The most recent ones like Radu Dragusin and Lucas Bergvall turned down moves to Bayern Munich and Barcelona respectively after listening to the Australian's plans for them and the club. Spurs need more of that in the weeks ahead.

Get some rest

This is also important in the weeks before his return to Hotspur Way. Postecoglou will have been drained by the experience of managing a Premier League side. He's a man with almost three decades' worth of managerial experience to his name but the intensity and scrutiny of the English top flight is like no other.

Although there were some sticky moments, he managed to take a team that had lost its star player on the eve of the season to a higher league position with more points, more goals scored and fewer conceded than in the campaign before he arrived, so he's earned the chance to rest up before what he is expecting to be a big season with fixtures galore.

Do his punditry work

Postecoglou won't get the entire month to put his feet up though on holiday in Greece as he's been hired as a pundit for ITV to appear during their coverage of Euro 2024 after they saw off the BBC to sign up the Spurs boss.

It has not been revealed yet exactly which games or how many the Australian will appear at this month, but he should make for good television. He's got experience of punditry, having done it in his homeland for a few months early in his career when between jobs after leaving the Australian international youth set-up.

Postecoglou won't let his ITV work impact his Tottenham work, but it should give the general football fan even more of an insight into his thoughts on the game and provide a couple of fun moments with Roy Keane, Graeme Souness, Ian Wright and Gary Neville.

Make final decisions on exits

It's not just incoming players that Postecoglou will have the controlling say on, but also those who leave the club.

"We've got a plan in place that I'm really comfortable with in terms of incomings and outgoings," said the Spurs boss last month. "Whether that all comes together you just never know but having clarity about what we need to do I think helps the process."

Postecoglou will have to make the final call on a number of players in the coming weeks, with some clubs likely to hold off until after the financial fair play deadline of June 30 to make their moves but some are free to make their offers now.

The Australian will have already set out which players he wants to move on and then there are those he will have to decide whether the deal is worth taking, such as AC Milan's interest in Emerson Royal.

Postecoglou admits that his phone is rarely far from his hand even when he's on vacation because he's always thinking about football.

"It never really stops. That's the reality of it," he said. "I'll have some time off. I'll meet up with the family and then we'll go to Greece and switch off for a couple of weeks. It never stops with plenty to do. There's a lot of people working, doing the bulk of it. I've just got to be there to provide hopefully some direction."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

It would not be a summer at Tottenham Hotspur were it not for a star player being linked with one of the Europe's elite clubs and this time around it looks like it could Cristian Romero's turn.

Despite weeks of positive quotes from the Argentine about his happiness with Ange Postecoglou and Spurs, a report out of his homeland has claimed that Real Madrid have contacted the north London club about the possibility of prising away the 26-year-old World Cup winner this summer.

football.london understands Tottenham are distancing themselves from any such reports linking the player with a move to the Spanish capital. Romero is currently on Argentina duty with Lionel Messi & Co, looking to retain the Copa America, which begins in the United States next Friday with the hosts taking on Canada in Atlanta.

There is a certain irony that this is the summer when Romero is being linked with a move to the Champions League winners because it is the most settled he has been at Tottenham since he arrived from Italian side Atalanta in August 2021, initially on loan before penning a permanent five-year contract the following year.

The 2022/23 season was a difficult one for the centre-back and there were concerns that he might push for a move with the club having gone through a chaotic campaign with Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason all taking charge of the team for spells. Romero claimed last summer that he received approaches to leave Tottenham but rejected them.

"I'm the first to hold my hands up and say it wasn't the best season but when I got offers from other clubs to move away for this coming season, I said no because I want to have my best years here. I really like the Premier League, I really like Tottenham and I want to be here for many more years to come," he said.

The catalyst for change was Postecoglou. The Australian immediately saw in Romero the spirit, aggression and ability to play on the front foot that he wanted every one of his players to show. He also saw a maturing presence within the squad and a link between the main group and the South American and Spanish-speaking players.

That brought the masterstroke of making Romero one of his vice-captains with James Maddison to support skipper Son Heung-min.

Romero responded exactly as he had hoped, stepping up to become a leader within the team. Previous disciplinary issues on the pitch mostly went away last season, without even a single foul conceded in the early months of the campaign and the red card against Chelsea the only real blot on his copybook all campaign.

That meant high availability for the team other than missing three more games with a small hamstring injury and when Son went to the Asian Cup in January, with Maddison out with an ankle injury, it was Romero who took the lead.

"Romero has really stepped up," the head coach explained that month. "You just feel it around the place. He knows that Sonny's not here and he knows what Sonny does on a daily basis. Sonny gets around everyone in the building and says, 'how you going?' and Cristian's doing that now.

"I can see that. In training he's a lot more vocal than he was in the past. That's the beauty of it. There is a void because you're missing one of your leaders, but for me, on the outside [of the dressing room], you're kind of waiting on, 'is anyone going to step up here? Because we're going to need someone to, or do I need to interject myself into it', but he's stepped up."

Postecoglou and Romero have a strong mutual affection for each other. The Spurs boss sees everything he wants at Tottenham in the centre-back.

After the most recent derby against Arsenal, the Australian said of the defender: "He was outstanding. He's a World Cup winner and I've just got to get some of what's in him into some of the others."

Romero made progress last season in what was his most consistent campaign since joining the club. He led a young backline, guiding Micky van de Ven in his first season in the Premier League, and was a constant threat at the other end of the pitch with his five goals making him the highest scoring defender in the competition.

"Maybe it is a bit of maturity and that he feels comfortable with where he is at. Working with him, he's just an outstanding defender," said Postecoglou. "He is someone you definitely want in your team. Yes he does have that physicality about him, he's a good player as well, his passing range, his ability to really position himself well, to stay calm and then just ridiculous bravery to always put his body in there. He's just an outstanding defender."

When it was put to him that Messi called Romero the best defender in the world, Postecoglou simply said: "He's a good judge."

For his part, the Argentine has found a manager he has huge respect for in the Australian, calling him "a beautiful person" this week while on international duty.

A fortnight ago, Romero was a guest on DSports' Como Te Va back home and again he praised Postecoglou's work and said that he was not thinking about a transfer away from the club and that he was "very happy to be in this present".

In a Spurs interview before the season came to a close he was only looking forward to the next campaign under the Australian.

"Ange has a winning mentality and has totally changed the direction of the club," he said. "When he arrived, he brought everyone together and we all have the same mental attitude and approach, we all share the same ambition to be successful and win things at this club and that is the key.

"We play in an entertaining style and we’re all very happy with the way the manager sets us up and plays. Of course, we’ve had ups and downs this season, a lot has happened. Let’s not forget, we have a young squad with players playing their first season in the Premier League - it’s not easy playing in this league. You don’t just settle in over two or three months, it’s tough.

"But, it’s been a decent first season with this top manager, some inconsistencies, but overall good. I know we couldn’t quite keep the pace up to be battling for the league title, but now we need to try to keep growing and improve in order to be travelling in the proper direction. We must come back stronger next season. The young players will benefit from this first season of experience, and we’ll perform better. Next season is going to be a big one for us."

Romero has become such a key part of Postecoglou's team that any price tag on him would be huge. He was signed for around £42million and has three years left on his contract; in Messi's words, he is the best defender in the world. Would you argue with arguably the best player in history? Chairman Daniel Levy is unlikely to when it comes to the price tag.

The two most expensive defender signings in the game came first when Harry Maguire signed for Manchester United five years ago for just under £80million and then when Josko Gvardiol went to Manchester City for £77million last summer. Romero is unlikely to be priced at anything less than those sort of figures in today's market if Tottenham even were to put a value on a player who Postecoglou has built his defence around.

The Spurs boss was asked last month in Melbourne whether he expected to keep all the players he wants to keep this summer.

"Yeah. There's no indication [otherwise], but all those things are moving parts," he said. "You always understand that things can change really quickly but we've got a plan in place that I'm really comfortable with in terms of incomings and outgoings. Whether that all comes together you just never know but having clarity about what we need to do I think helps the process."

Romero is currently enjoying that process under Postecoglou and has spoken about his excitement at what comes next under the Australian at Tottenham. Real Madrid are the biggest club in world football right now - they would of course be a huge draw for any player - but for Spurs it would be madness to even contemplate such a departure at such a crucial juncture in the Postecoglou era.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero is being linked with a surprise move away from North London.

Romero was one of the key players in Ange Postecoglou's first season as Spurs manager. The Argentina international made 34 appearances in all competitions for Spurs including 33 in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old formed an impressive partnership with new signing Micky van de Ven last season, with Radu Dragusin added to the squad during the January transfer window.

However, Romero is now being tipped to potentially leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

According to ESPN Argentina, Real Madrid have expressed an interest in signing Romero when the transfer window opens.

It has been stated that the La Liga giants are looking into the possibility of signing Romero ahead of next season.

Real go into the summer having won the La Liga and Champions League double under manager Carlo Ancelotti. The Spanish club currently have Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba as their centre-back options heading into next season.

Nacho Fernandez captained Madrid to their Champions League and La Liga triumphs, but is expected to leave the Santiago Bernabeu. As a result, Real could be in the market for a new centre-back this summer, with the reports suggesting that Romero could be a target.

Spurs signed Romero from Atalanta in 2021 initially on a loan deal before the move was made permanent a year later. The World Cup winner is contracted at Tottenham until 2027, and until now there have been no suggestions of Romero leaving North London anytime soon.

It was after the defeat to Arsenal in the North London Derby in April that Postecoglou was full of praise for Romero's performance and commitment. The Spurs boss even suggested he wanted other members of the squad to follow Romero's lead.

"He (Cristian Romeo) was outstanding," Postecoglou told reporters on April 28. "He's a World Cup winner and I've just got to get some of what's in him into some of the others."

Tanguy Ndombele says he "learnt a lot" from his five years at Tottenham Hotspur after he was released by the club on Wednesday. The 27-year-old French international arrived at White Hart Lane from Lyon in 2019 for a club-record fee of £60m.

However, Ndombele failed to impress under several different managers - including Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte - and, as a result, spent three of his five seasons at the club out on loan. On Wednesday, Tottenham confirmed they had reached an agreement with Ndombele to terminate his contract 12 months early, ending his underwhelming five-year stint in North London.

"The club can confirm the departure of Tanguy Ndombele following the mutual termination of his contract, effective from 30 June, upon the conclusion of his current loan spell," a statement read. "Signed from Olympique Lyonnais in July, 2019, the midfielder scored on his debut against Aston Villa and went on to make 91 appearances for us in all competitions, scoring 10 goals.

"During his time here, Tanguy had loan spells back at Lyon, Napoli and with Turkish Süper Lig side Galatasaray last season. "We should like to wish Tanguy all the best for the future."

Now Ndombele has had his say, posting on Instagram on Wednesday night. He wrote: "End of my adventure in the best club in London. I learned a lot during my time at Tottenham.

"Thank you for the unwavering support of the supporters. "I wish you all the best for the future and I know you will be extremely successful."

Ndombele's last game for the club came in January 2022, against Morecambe in the FA Cup third round, and now the Frenchman will become a free agent come the end of June as he looks to get his stalling career back on track.

Tottenham have no intention of selling prolific young striker Will Lankshear this summer but a long list of clubs in the Championship and across Europe are keen on a loan move, football.london understands. The 19-year-old frontman enjoyed a remarkable 2023/24 season in front of goal after hitting 32 in all competitions as Spurs' Under-21s won the Premier League 2 play-off final.

Lankshear was on the scoresheet twice in the final as the Lilywhites defeated Sunderland 3-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Very much proving that he knows where the back of the net is, a number of clubs in the Championship, including Middlesbrough, are believed to be interested in a loan deal for the striker ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

What comes next for Lankshear remains to be seen but he is at least expected to be involved in the early weeks of pre-season training under Ange Postecoglou while the next steps for him are decided. football.london understands that Tottenham did turn away a number of approaches for the player in January, with interest in England and also abroad.

Following his heroics in the Premier League 2 play-off final win against Sunderland, Lankshear spoke to football.london about his terrific season and the next stage in his development.

"I'm going to keep working hard. I'll work in the off-season. I can only work on what I can control really. That's just working hard and not losing focus. If it's for the U21s or the first team when I come back, I'll give it my all and I'll try to score as many goals as I can for whichever team I play for," he said.

"I've had a few sessions over there [with the first team]. It's amazing. The more you're over there, the more you're going to improve. I've really enjoyed it when I've had the chance to go over there. I've just got to try to push on now. The coaches put on a session and you've just got to do it to the best of your ability. You've got to be at the level. I'll try to get to that spot.

"I just work hard. I like to give 100% and I won't stop running and getting into the box, trying to score. I love scoring goals. That's one of my massive passions. I do everything I can to do that and help the team."

Tottenham will not be short on options for a number of their talented youngsters this summer going on the success they enjoyed under Under-21s coach Wayne Burnett. Following Chris Davies' departure from Postecoglou's backroom staff to take up the hotseat at League One side Birmingham City, there could possibly be a pathway for some of the club's academy stars to get a taste of regular first-team football at St Andrew's next term.

Young players such as Troy Parrott and Matthew Craig flourished on loan at Excelsior Rotterdam and Doncaster Rovers respectively last season. If Lankshear and some of his academy teammates are to depart this summer, they will be looking to follow in the footsteps of the aforementioned duo in their quest to become Tottenham regulars in the not too distant future.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham have been looking to the future with the appointment of Jack Chapman as their new head of youth recruitment to ensure their academy is fully stocked with talent for years to come.

Spurs have moved to bring in the highly-rated Chapman from Southampton after only 11 months in a similar role at the south coast club, who have just been promoted to the Premier League, and he will arrive later this summer. The 34-year-old previously spent almost seven years stockpiling talent in Swansea's academy.

Now he will look to ensure Tottenham's youth set-up, which Ange Postecoglou said this season needs a lot of work, is packed over the coming years with plenty of talented starlets to create a production line to the first team to supplement the likes of Mikey Moore, Tyrese Hall and Jamie Donley.

Our Tottenham correspondents Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest spoke about Chapman's arrival later this summer in the latest episode of their podcast Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

The duo also discuss Postecoglou's assistant head coach Chris Davies' departure to manage Birmingham City and who will replace him on the Australian's staff. They also speak about Tottenham's transfer business to be done in the window, which opens later this week, and also the impending departure of Tanguy Ndombele as the club discuss a mutual termination of the midfielder's contract after five years at the club.

You can listen to the latest episode of the podcast with all of that in it and much more by heading right here or you can watch the show on YouTube by going right here.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou set a very public challenge to Tottenham Hotspur's academy to improve the consistent quality of its graduates and a new arrival this summer in the shape of Southampton's Jack Chapman is expected to help that long-term aim.

Spurs have enjoyed a fruitful season within their youth set-up with 19-year-old Jamie Donley and 16-year-old Mikey Moore making their Premier League debuts under Postecoglou along with a number of academy youngsters appearing on the bench throughout the season, including 18-year-old midfielder Tyrese Hall in the penultimate game of the season against Manchester City.

football.london understands that Postecoglou has taken a real liking to the talented Moore and Hall in particular, who both could get minutes next season with more games in the schedule for Tottenham with the return of Europa League football. Donley has also caught the eye with a fine season and could get a loan move next season to increase his development.

In the second half of the season, Hall and Donley impressed as Wayne Burnett's U21s side finished top of the 26-club Premier League 2 table and then won the ensuing play-offs to decide the ultimate champion while Stuart Lewis' U18s continued their progress after lifting the U18 and U17 Premier League Cups last year.

However, Postecoglou, who has been involved in international youth football in Australia in the past as well as setting up academies himself in Melbourne, made it clear to football.london this season that he wanted far more quality coming into the first team from the youth section. With the tightening of financial fair play rules, club academies are going to be under even more pressure to produce top young talents consistently.

"It’s about opportunity. I’m not sure about your reference to the academy [having lots of quality coming through], I think we've got a lot of work to do in our academy and Simon Davies is certainly one that is putting a lot of emphasis and priority there. I don't think we have the production line other top clubs have, certainly not," said the Spurs boss in February this year. "Even currently that’s why we’re investing in some younger players, even for the first team. For us as a football club that's definitely the way forward.

"My brief at the moment is still very much around the first team and building a first team and you can do that while giving opportunities to young players. If anything I think for sustainable success it's the best way to go because the team grows together when it's guys of similar ages as long as you've got good experience around them.

"That's what we're doing at first team level. We've still got a lot of work to do at academy level. We've got a great man there in Simon who has worked at some of best academies going and he knows what’s needed. We've got some good coaches in there now. This year has been better but in terms of a production line of young players I think we’re still well behind other clubs."

Academy director Simon Davies has been a popular addition within the club since arriving in 2022, initially as head of coaching methodology before becoming academy director last year after succeeding the long-serving Dean Rastrick. Many have credited Davies with helping Spurs forge their best crop of 16 to 19-year-olds in a long time but the focus is also on improving what is coming into the club in the age groups below.

Davies has been attempting to overhaul the club's youth set-up since taking on the role last summer and that continued evolution will see Chapman arrive later this summer in a similar role to the head of academy recruitment position he has held at Southampton for the past 11 months. Before that, the 34-year-old had spent six-and-a-half years within academy recruitment at Swansea, the final four years as that section's head.

Chapman will take over the role at Tottenham from Paul Lowe, who left in April after seven years at the north London club, following similar roles at Liverpool, Norwich, Crystal Palace and Leicester.

Spurs moved quickly to bring in highly-rated Saints man Chapman after only a season on the south coast and he will work closely with Davies and Tottenham's technical director Johan Lange going forward to improve the quality of recruits coming into the academy between the nine to 16-year age group.

Andy Scoulding was originally brought in from Rangers in a head of football strategy role in 2022 but his title is now heads of loans and pathways as he looks after those youngsters heading out of the club and is also involved in the recruitment of emerging talent in the 16-21 age group.

football.london understands a big job awaits Chapman with a dissatisfaction among some over the volume of quality being brought into the academy's younger age groups below 16 over recent years. That is something that Davies has been looking to change to ensure a more steady conveyor belt into the first team for the long term, which is what Postecoglou spoke about back in February and other recent Tottenham managers have also touched upon.

Davies and Postecoglou meet every two weeks, around regular informal conversations about the current state of the academy and the former Manchester City academy man is one who has caught the Australian's eye with his work within the club and vision for the future.

"It has to be a close relationship but my job as well is I've got to make sure the players are good enough and they are around it right now," Davies said in an interview earlier this year on the club's podcast. "It is tough and the reality is our young players have got to be better than what's in the first team. It's the same around the country. There's no God-given right to get in our first team, it's a tough point to achieve in your career but the manager I know for sure will give opportunities as and when the time is right.

"You talk about the lads getting around the bench, part of that is because they have merited it and part of that is because of the injuries. There's always that factor there, but they've got to do it consistently. It doesn't just come because you've done it for a month, you have to do it consistently just for the next 20 odd years. That's the level.

"The talent will take them where it's going to take them but we have, in my opinion, got some top talent in the academy coming through. I'll always want more of it and I'll always be asking the question of just making it an even tougher environment for our young players coming through and get even more quality in there from outside because we're doing a good job in the rules and parameters in which we work within as every Premier League academy does. We are in the ballpark, we are in the right ballpark but I'll keep pushing."

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Tottenham are leading the race to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.

Eze, 25, enjoyed a phenomenal second-half of the 2023/24 season, ending the Premier League campaign on 11 goals and four assists in 27 matches. That included a run of five strikes and two assists in his final six appearances - a spree that has seen him cement his place in the England squad for Euro 2024.

His form has seen him gain interest from other Premier League clubs, including Spurs and Manchester United. Eze, who has three years left on his contract, has a £60million release clause inserted in his deal.

And The Sun report that Tottenham are in a better position to make a move for Eze. Spurs are in a healthy situation when it comes to Profit and Sustainability and could bring in Eze without having to raise money, unlike some of their rivals such as the likes of Newcastle and Aston Villa.

United, as well, may have to sell to make significant moves in the transfer window, which is possible considering the worth of their squad, but it does make the situation more difficult.

Eze's agents CAA Base also represent Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou, Son Heung-min and James Maddison. Postecoglou is set to want to strengthen his squad this summer, and although Eze would use up a large chunk of their budget, the club are in a good position to move for him.

Speaking last month, Postecoglou said: "We want new attacking players, absolutely. It’s no secret, we need that. It's also crucial to get the transfers done as soon as possible, it’s important."

Meanwhile, Palace want to keep hold of one of their star players and will not be accepting offers below his release clause as Oliver Glasner tries to improve on his positive start to life at Selhurst Park. The Eagles won six and drew one of their last seven matches, a run that saw them finish 10th.

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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison is reportedly set to miss out on the England squad for this summer's European Championships in Germany.

Gareth Southgate named a 33-man preliminary squad last month for the warm-up matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland. However, the Three Lions' head coach needs to cut seven players ahead of England's first group match against Serbia on June 16.

According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Maddison is set to be one of the unlucky players to miss out on this summer's tournament in Germany and has already left the camp. "James Maddison is not in the final England squad for the European Championship," he tweeted. "The 27-year-old Tottenham midfielder made preliminary selection and featured vs Bosnia - but among those cut from Gareth Southgate’s 26-man Euro 2024 group and has left camp"

The 27-year-old was called up to the squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup but did not make an appearance. He has picked up seven caps for his national team and played 29 minutes on Monday during the 3-0 win over Bosnia at Newcastle United's St James' Park. Unfortunately for Maddison, his position is one of particular strength at present for England.

Southgate has the luxury of Manchester City's Phil Foden, Chelsea's Cole Palmer, Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka to play behind Bayern Munich and former Spurs man Harry Kane. It was always likely therefore that one player who enjoyed a good season would be unfortunate to miss out.

Maddison arrived in North London last summer after joining from relegated Leicester City. He became a stalwart for Ange Postecoglou bagging four goals and nine assists in the Premier League.

Southgate must now axe another six names before the deadline to submit his England squad on Friday, June 7. A 26-man squad will be heading to the European Championships this summer.