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Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence has played for England during the national team's World Cup run for the Three Lions. But when Spence has seen the field, he'll be sporting a unique look that has fans wondering what's up.

He has himself a carbon fiber face mask, much like the one worn by Austria's Stefan Posch.

Back in May — with Tottenham Hotspur attempting to stave off a historic relegation — Spence suffered a broken jaw after he took an elbow to the face from Chelsea forward Liam Delap. Chelsea won that match and Spence somehow remained in the game despite the injury. He started in the next match and helped secure Tottenham's Premier League safety.

Because of the broken jaw, Spence is taking some precautions as the injury continues to heal. He will continue to wear a face mask when he sees the field for some extra protection.

Why will he have to wear the mask for the entire World Cup? He said the recovery will take months. Via BBC:

"It is a little bit uncomfortable - but it is what it is. I have a broken jaw so I have to wear it throughout the tournament.

"It is something I will have to get used to. It will be three months until it is fully healed, so it is a long time. It was painful, but luckily I play football with my feet and not my jaw so it is all good."

There's your answer!

Newcastle United have rejected a bid from Tottenham Hotspur for midfielder Sandro Tonali.

It is understood an offer worth about £80m was turned down earlier this week.

BBC Sport previously reported Spurs manager Roberto de Zerbi was a long-time admirer of Tonali and that the club were exploring the finances of a deal for the 26-year-old Italian.

However, their opening proposal was declined by Newcastle, who are in a strong position to command a greater fee closer to £100m as Manchester City and Arsenal monitor developments.

Newcastle have already sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, but the club's chief executive, David Hopkinson, has previously made it clear they will only trade players on "our terms".

Tonali is effectively contracted until 2030 after he signed a new deal during his 10-month betting ban to repay the faith the club showed in him.

The current market might also work in Newcastle's favour, if a bidding war ensues, given the valuations of midfielders elsewhere.

Manchester City had a second bid worth about £120m rejected by Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson, while relegated West Ham want up to £80m for Mateus Fernandes.

Analysis - Shift in approach from Spurs but Newcastle unmoved

There may have been scenes of celebration at full-time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after De Zerbi's side avoided relegation on the final day of the season.

But there was a recognition internally that the club must never find themselves in such a dire position again.

Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham vowed "change is happening" in an interview with BBC Sport in May, and there has certainly been a shift in approach.

Spurs have already spent £52m on defender Jan Paul van Hecke, which would have been an unimaginable prospect once upon a time, given he had just one year left on his contract at Brighton.

They have also looked to capitalise on their revenue by adapting their wage structure, and signed Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers before the window even officially opened.

Although Spurs' opening gambit was unsuccessful, this approach for Tonali also marks a shift for a club who have never spent more than £65m on a player.

However, it was rather telling that the bid was swiftly rejected by Newcastle.

In a week when Newcastle lost out to Liverpool in the race to sign Spain winger Victor Munoz, it would have been damning if Spurs succeeded with their opening bid for Tonali.

It is clearly going to take a great deal more to tempt Newcastle to cash in.

Tottenham lead the race for Portuguese star

Spurs are making significant strides in the transfer market under Roberto De Zerbi, aiming to overhaul their squad after a challenging campaign. According to transfer expert Matteo Moretto, the club is now "very close" to agreeing personal terms with the 21-year-old midfielder, who is widely considered one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League despite West Ham's recent struggles.

While Manchester United have long identified Fernandes as a priority target, Tottenham have moved aggressively to steal a march on their rivals. The player is reportedly open to a move to north London as he looks to remain in the top flight and avoid a season in the Championship. However, formal club-to-club contact between Spurs and West Ham is yet to take place as negotiations continue on the player's side.

De Zerbi’s ambitious midfield rebuild

The pursuit of Fernandes is part of a broader strategy to transform the midfield at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The club has already been active elsewhere, with reports suggesting they are also pushing for Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali. Securing both players would represent a massive statement of intent, especially given the competition from other top-six sides for Tonali's signature.

The London outfit have already been busy in the window, securing the services of Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi. With Fernandes and Tonali in their sights, De Zerbi is clearly looking to add both technical quality and defensive energy to his engine room. Fernandes is coming off a productive campaign with West Ham, having made 39 appearances across all competitions last season, scoring five goals and providing five assists.

Competition from Manchester United

Despite Tottenham’s progress, United remain a serious threat in the race for Fernandes. The Old Trafford hierarchy turned their focus toward the Portuguese youngster after finding deals for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni too difficult to conclude. It has been widely suggested that Fernandes admires United and would be keen on the prospect of playing alongside his international teammate, Bruno Fernandes.

The Red Devils' interest makes the recent breakthrough for Spurs even more critical. If Tottenham can finalise an agreement on personal terms with the "superstar" midfielder - who only joined West Ham in the summer of 2025 from Southampton in a deal worth over £40m, signing a contract until 2030 - it puts the ball firmly in West Ham's court. United will now have to decide whether to match Spurs' speed or risk losing out on one of their primary summer targets to a direct Premier League rival.

The £80m stumbling block

While personal terms may be nearing a resolution, the financial aspect of the deal remains a significant hurdle. West Ham are reportedly holding out for a fee in the region of £80-85m for their prized asset. The Hammers are fully aware of the midfielder's high ceiling and are unwilling to grant a "relegation discount" despite their drop to the second tier of English football.

Both Tottenham and Manchester United are expected to try and negotiate that price tag down in the coming weeks. With Spurs aiming to complete as many as seven signings this summer, they will need to balance their budget carefully. Nevertheless, the momentum currently sits with the north Londoners as they look to wrap up a deal for one of the most sought-after midfielders in the country.

Northampton Saints will treat playing Saracens at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as if it was a cup final, according to prop Manny Iyogun.

Saturday's Prem fixture will be the second part of a women and men's double header, titled Showdown VI, at the 62,850-capacity stadium.

Last week Saracens reported that 40,000 tickets had already been sold for an event which will also see Dizzee Rascal perform live between the two games.

"It's got a bit of a finals vibe to it and games like this prep you for finals in knockout rugby and that's exactly how we're approaching it," Iyogun told BBC Radio Northampton's Saints Show.

Saints are two points clear at the top of the Prem table following their narrow, below-their-best win over Newcastle Red Bulls - and have already beaten Saracens twice this season in league and cup.

Sarries, meanwhile, returned to Prem action last Friday with a heavy 62-point defeat at Bath, leaving them in sixth place, eight points outside the play-off spots.

Iyogun's team-mate Tom Lockett believes they will be playing at the "best new stadium in the UK".

"To get a chance to play in it is pretty cool, something we're all pretty excited for but ultimately we've still got to perform as if it's the Gardens or any stadium," second row Lockett said.

"We'll go down on Friday and get a feel for the stadium and then hopefully put that to the back of our mind and go and do the job.

"We've got better at that over the years, playing in big environments and finding out what works and what doesn't work and how we get back on script when things aren't going to plan.

"Obviously we want to be involved in as many big games as possible so it can only be a good thing [to play there]."

England lock Alex Coles could again be absent because of injury suffered on Six Nations duty so 23-year-old Lockett may again inherit the key role as line-out routines caller.

"Colesy is huge for us not only in terms of how he plays but also how he leads that line-out area," Lockett added.

"I've taken so much from him over the past five or six years. I like to think I'm in a good position now where I've got enough experience to take that mantle from him."

Asked how many different routines Saints have, he replied: "It's basically a language and you have to be fluent in that language to know all the different moves you could run.

"If you put a number on it, it would be well into the thousands. Colesy's coming up with new stuff all the time."

So, are there any Tottenham supporters in the Saints dressing room? Not according to Iyogun.

"It's a very tough time [to be a Spurs fan] and playing at Tottenham probably wouldn't be the best experience [if you were]," he said.

"I'm Chelsea fan so me and [strength and conditioning coach] Tommy Buller - he's a Man City fan - have a bit of a natter about it. There's a lot of football fans, Colesy's an Arsenal fan, so there's a bit of rivalry."