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Although Son Heung-min finished the 2024/25 season stumbling with a nagging foot injury that more than halved his production from the first half of the campaign, he is still the man of the moment for Tottenham Hotspur.

Even before the historic Europa League title triumph, Son had already established himself as one of the greatest legends in Tottenham history, and he then definitively surpassed current Bayern Munich star striker Harry Kane as the best contemporary Spur by captaining the side to their first Europa League title in 41 years, having once led a sans-Kane Tottenham to the Champions League Final six years prior.

But Son faces a difficult decision this summer. He can leave Tottenham on a high with one year left on his contract as a Europa League champion with no risk of staining his legacy with Spurs by turning in a disappointing 2025/26 campaign as a 33-year-old.

Son Heung-min has major interest from Saudi Arabia

He could also stay with Tottenham, captaining their return to the Champions League and showing that he still has plenty left in the tank. Even in a down year with injuries, Son still tied James Maddison for the Tottenham team lead in Premier League goal contributions.

Whatever Son decides, Tottenham apparently aren't going to force him out of the door. Per a report from talkSPORT's Ben Jacobs, three Saudi Pro League sides are interested in spending upwards of 40 million euros on Son while giving the South Korean superstar at least 30 million euros in wages to entice him to be one of the next mainstream faces of a league that includes Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

In the report, Jacobs writes that Tottenham won't try to sway Son's opinion and cash in on him. Out of respect to their captain and greatest legend, Daniel Levy and Spurs are going to let the player decide instead of selling him to the highest bidder, no matter how lucrative a Saudi Pro League or Turkish Super Lig offer may be.

Son will certainly have his options to choose from when it comes to enticing wage offers from abroad, but there is something special about him staying at Tottenham and retiring there. Spurs fans should be cynical about how Levy will react to a big enough offer for Son, but if the bids are indeed around 30-50 million euros, there's no point in Tottenham selling more pieces of their souls to jettison a club legend who could still be important to their building efforts in 2025/26 under Thomas Frank.

Daniel Levy clearly woke up feeling brave. The Tottenham chairman, despised by a big portion of the fanbase, isn't one for public/social media appearances.

However, in a recent interview released on the club's official YouTube channel, Levy was comforted by new CEO and long-time ally—they made that clear—Vinai Venkatesham and the ability to rehearse. There was no chance of unscripted discomfort.

It was Venkatesham's first chance to speak indirectly to supporters after the club announced his arrival as CEO in April—an appointment which signalled a considerable shift in Tottenham's hierarchy.

The seven-minute interview didn't quite veer into the realm of a Levy love-in, although Vinai was complimentary of our long-time chairman and said the 63-year-old was a major reason why he opted to join the club. The former Arsenal CEO does come across well, and he, along with Levy, explained why the bold decision of sacking Ange Postecoglou to appoint Thomas Frank was made in the wake of the club's Europa League success in Bilbao.

Daniel Levy vague in explanation of Ange Postecoglou's sacking to hire Thomas Frank

This was a chance for Levy to provide more than the expected details on Ange's sacking, which was made 16 days after the final in northern Spain. However, the chairman merely outlined that it was the "need to compete in all competitions" that led to the Australian's demise. "We felt that we needed a change," he said.

Cheers.

Levy then went on to speak about the new manager, whom he's clearly excited about. The Dane was labelled "highly intelligent, a great communicator, and a super human being" by his new boss, while Vinai added that Spurs' "thorough process" to identify Ange's successor involved ten defined characteristics that they thought important to be a successful Spurs manager.

More than 30 candidates were assessed and a shortlist was drawn up, but the new CEO asserted that Frank was "absolutely the number one candidate". Vinai cited the Dane's track record with developing young players as his main source of excitement, with the squad he's inheriting boasting an array of starlets with the potential to blossom into something special.

Encouragingly, the pair spoke about the need to build off our Europa League success and to continue winning. “We’ve won a European trophy, but it isn’t enough. What we haven’t done is more important, we need to win the Premier league, we want to win the Champions League," was how Levy wrapped up the interview.

Nice. I'm sure the two will share a bottle of red this evening.

There's no question that Tottenham fans are sour about the way the club canned Ange Postecoglou, leaving him in a holding pattern for weeks after he delivered a historic Europa League title for them before dismissing him on a Friday night when all the players and most of the supporters had talked themselves optimstically for a better future under Big Ange.

Spurs, though, did at least hire the strongest manager who was realistically available in Brentford's Thomas Frank. The Danish coach has outperformed Postecoglou in the Premier League and has an unquestionably high tactical acumen, having produced a handful of the league's biggest attacking breakout stars over the past couple of seasons.

Tottenham have already sealed one official transfer for Frank this summer, acquiring Mathys Tel on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich. The 20-year-old joins Spurs for just 35 million euros as one of the most talented 20-year-old left wingers on the planet - a ripe gem for Frank to turn into a shining star to potentially replace Son Heung-min.

But when Tel inevitably succeeds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the coming years, let's not forget that the Frenchman's permanent stay in Tottenham was the wish of the old Spurs coach, Ange Postecoglou.

Ange Postecoglou saw the vision all along

Back in early February, Postecoglou told reporters when askesd if he wanted Tel to stay in Tottenham for longer than the loan they just signed him to from Bayern in January, Big Ange responded, "I didn't bring him here for six months."

It's clear that Postecoglou saw Tel's talent, athleticism, passion for the game, and buy-in to the Tottenham sporting project merited a longer stay. His plan all along was to get Daniel Levy and Spurs to bring Tel in the door and watch them become convinced enough to sign him from Bayern.

The process all played out exactly as Postecoglou planned it, and it's a shame that Tel and Postecoglou won't get the opportunity to work together. You can tell from how they interacted with each other that they were big fans mutually and that Postecoglou wanted to be THE key manager in Tel's development.

He'll now have Frank, who, admittedly, does seem equally intrigued by the uber-talented forward. Tel definitely has a bright future in North London, and he can go on to become another key part of Postecoglou's legacy at the club, alongside the Europa League title both also helped Spurs win.

Tottenham Hotspur are going to have a busy transfer window this summer as they prepare the new squad for a new manager, Thomas Frank. The former Brentford coach comes to the reigning Europa League champions with high expectations, as his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou, was very popular with the Spurs faithful after backing up his words and delivering a major trophy to this long-suffering fanbase.

While Frank and Tottenham have been linked to a number of his stars at Brentford, namely Bryan Mbeumo on the right wing, Spurs have been looking at other players and other positions, too, including those targets before Frank's arrival.

One of those players is Manchester City star left winger Jack Grealish. Although the former Aston Villa sensation is no longer important to Man City after their signings of young, dynamic options Jeremy Doku and Savinho, it's easy to forgete that Grealish was once exactly that player before Pep Guardiola forced him to sacrifice himself into something else.

Grealish's sacrifice was essential to Manchester City winning the treble in 2023, and even since he has fallen off the radar at the Etihad, Grealish has remained linked to Tottenham and is now officially available after City left him off the Club World Cup squad list this summer.

Napoli love their Premier League signings

But althuogh Grealish could make sense as a left wing option with Son Heung-min potentially headed for an exit to Saudi Arabia or Turkey this year, it doesn't appear Tottenham are as interested in the 29-year-old veteran anymore.

The Telegraph's Matt Law reports that while Napoli and other clubs are considering a splashy move for the Manchester City standout, Tottenham are not expected to be among the teams calling Guardiola for Grealish's services.

It would be quite something to see Grealish in Serie A. We usually see players jump from Italy to England, which explains almost half the Tottenham starting lineup right now, but the reverse jump proved to be very successful for the likes of Romelu Lukaku and, most recently, Scott McTominay - both were vital to Antonio Conte surprisingly conquering Italian football with the Partenopei after their woeful finish in 2023/24.

Conte worked wonders with McTominay, and it appears Napoli and Conte are targeting Premier League stars, specifically those with the winning mentality from Guardiola's Manchester City. Already, they've welcomed iconic Premier League playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to join McTominay in midfield, and, now, they are being closely linked to Grealish.

Over the years, Tottenham have struck out on a lot of good transfer targets, and perhaps one of the most egregious ones in recent years was just last summer when Daniel Levy basically threw up his hands and quit on Desire Doue, only to watch the sensational Frenchman double his value and go on to win the Champions League as a centerpiece player for PSG.

Tottenham fans don't want their club to go out and do it all over again this season. They've already put themselves behind the eight ball by taking so long to fire Ange Postecoglou, putting his successor Thomas Frank in a position where he may not be able to sign the best targets due to this slow start.

Spurs already lost out on Rayan Cherki to Manchester City as a result, and, now, it looks like Frank may not be able to bring in his biggest dream target for Tottenham from Brentford because of the ground the club lost during the awkward waiting period they put Postecoglou into.

According to new information from Sky Sports editor Lyall Thomas and insider Dharmesh Sheth, Manchester United still aren't worried about losing Bryan Mbeumo to Tottenham despite Spurs stepping up their already existing interest in the 25-year-old after the hiring of his former manager.

Tottenham's players show more fight than their suits

Aside from the rumors that Manchester United and Mbeumo verbally agreed to a deal, Sky Sports report that Mbeumo is "leaning" towards United. Before Frank was hired, Mbeumo had actually picked Man United as his preferred destination over the other Premier League suitors, which included Tottenham.

Although the Frank appointment gave Spurs some optimism, that doesn't appear to be going a long way. And now, Sky Sports are even reporting that it's unclear if Tottenham will even submit a renewed transfer bid to Brentford for Mbeumo or if they will simply move on to a backup option, which will almost certainly be Bournemouth's breakout right wing star Antoine Semenyo.

It would be sad if Tottenham can't even compete with Manchester United on the transfer market for Mbeumo, who scored 20 goals and 7 assists for Brentford last season, lapping all the Spurs players in terms of attacking production.

"Leaning" doesn't mean decided, and if Tottenham have the mentality that they won't fight or bid other clubs, which seems to be Levy's way, then their fans can only watch in frustration as their club resigns themselves to defeat and goes for a secondary option instead of putting in the work to win a real transfer battle against a team their players put in the work to beat in the Europa League Final.

Tottenham have another of former players and managers making noise around European football, with the most prominent of them being Harry Kane and Eric Dier over at Bayern Munich (well, now Monaco for Dier), as both Englishmen got the title they so desperately coveted by winning the Bundesliga in the same year that Spurs won the Europa League.

Meanwhile, former Tottenham manager Antonio Conte had an even more successful year than those two, somehow guiding Napoli to the Serie A title over Champions League finalists Inter Milan despite the fact that the Partenopei literally lost their two best players and didn't even finish in the European places in the previous two seasons.

Usually, Kyle Walker is the former Tottenham player enjoying the most success, but the 2024/25 season was one of the rare ones without any silverware or success to speak of for the English right back. Walker's Manchester City didn't win any gold, and the club he was loaned to, AC Milan, were woeful and won't be playing in Europe next season after finishing eighth in Serie A.

The Premier League vs. Jose Mourinho

At 35 years old and on the decline, Walker is headed for a club that is a step down from Man City as the Citizens look to clean up their squad following their immensely disappointing campaign. Former Tottenham managerJose Mourinho has already put out feelers for Walker joining him - and potentially Son Heung-min - over at Fenerbahce in Turkey.

Now according to a report from Fabrizio Romano, Premier League side Everton have made contact with Walker over a possible summer transfer, raising the stakes for the 35-year-old right back. Now in addition to a lucrative option in Turkey with European football and the chance to be coached by Mourinho, Walker could remain in the Premier League with Everton, who are also interested in reuniting with Tottenham forward Richarlison.

It makes more sense for Everton pursue younger players than go after another Ashley Young situation with Walker, who showed with both England and Manchester City that the elite level of football has abruptly left him.

But Walker wasn't bad for Milan. He could still do great things for Fenerbahce in Turkey. If he were to stay in the Premier League and sign with Everton, Tottenham would face him twice per season and likely look forward to the opportunity to match Mathys Tel up with their former star right back, using the young legs to target the aging Walker.

An attacking reshuffle is expected to arrive in N17, and Spurs have seemingly identified their replacement for Richarlison.

The Brazilian international hasn't yet sealed a move away from the club, nor is any sort of agreement close, but there's an expectation that Spurs will sell the former Everton star for the right price this summer.

The club acquired Richarlison before the start of Antonio Conte's first full season at the helm. It was a time of great excitement off the back of a thrilling conclusion to 2021/22, and the addition of a proven Premier League goalscorer to complement Harry Kane and Son Heung-min was regarded by many at the time as being the final piece to Conte's jigsaw.

However, Richarlison has been let down by his body in N17 and struggled to justify his hefty price tag. His three seasons at the club have been plagued by unavailability, although he did score 11 times in 28 Premier League games in 2023/24—numbers aided by an impressive purple patch at the turn of the new year.

Off the back of a season where Richarlison crucially contributed late on but barely notched 900 total minutes of playing time, Spurs are ready to cash in.

Spurs identify Arnaud Kalimuendo as potential Richarlison replacement

Sky Sports reported at the start of May that Everton were interested in re-signing the Goodison Park favourite this summer, and further reports suggest the Toffees are waiting to hear what the new Spurs boss thinks of the striker.

Frank may require pre-season to assess Richarlison, but Spurs have nonetheless got to work on signing a potential replacement.

L'Equipe report that the club are ramping up their pursuit of 23-year-old Rennes forward Arnaud Kalimuendo amid interest from Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle. The France U21 international entered the summer off the back of his most prolific senior season to date, as he scored 17 times in Ligue 1 for Les Rouge et Noir.

The former PSG academy starlet has two years left on his contract with Rennes, and the French club could look to cash in this summer with his value peaking.

Spurs have already made an attacking splash this summer by confirming the permanent arrival of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich, and Dominic Solanke is expected to remain the club's first-choice forward despite the change of manager.

However, they will need to bring in ample cover for Solanke if they opt to let Richarlison depart. Kalimuendo differs in profile to the Brazilian, but his recent body of work in France suggests he'd be a younger, perhaps more dynamic back-up to Solanke.

The 23-year-old is a willing channel runner capable of stretching defences with his vertical and lateral movement. He's a canny operator boasting a compact but powerful frame. Some have drawn comparisons to Yoane Wissa, but I'll have to watch far more 2:20 minute clips of X before I label that assessment woefully lazy.

There is no question that if it were up to Thomas Frank and Tottenham Hotspur right now, they'd have Bryan Mbeumo signed, sealed, and delivered to the Europa League champions instead of still mulling over an offer from Manchester United, who he apparently chose over Spurs before the North Londoners flipped the script by hiring his former Brentford manager.

Mbeumo was arguably the biggest breakout star of the entire 2024/25 Premier League season, scoring 20 goals and 7 assists for the Bees to officially make Saudi Pro League striker Ivan Toney a thing of the past for Brentford.

Now, Tottenham are hoping he can be the goal-scoring superstar on the wing to potentially replace left-sided icon Son Heung-min, and Spurs have already sealed the deal for a promising young winger by agreeing to sign Mathys Tel permanently from Bayern Munich.

Tottenham don't have all their eggs in Mbeumo's basket in case he betrays them for Manchester United - or a club outside the Premier League entirely. Bournemouth's breakout right winger Antoine Semenyo is very much on Tottenham's list of alternatives, and he's widely seen as the betting favorite to be their next top target if Mbeumo were to choose against them.

A better option than Antoine Semenyo for the cost

But should he be? Because for a mere fraction of the price of Semenyo - about 70 million pounds - Tottenham could sign PSV's Johan Bakayoko. The underrated Belgian prospect has apparently fallen in PSV's asking price of the player, as Eindhovens Dagblad now reports that Bakayoko could be purchased for just 17 million pounds.

Maybe that's too good to be true, but even if Bakayoko goes for only a bit more than that, it's still a massive bargain. Even though he's not proven in the Premier League like Semenyo, you could argue that "proven" is still a bit of a stretch for Semenyo and that Bakayoko has more technical quality and natural ability.

Bakayoko was on Manchester City's radar as a top out-and-out winger signing, but with Jeremy Doku and Savinho feasting and now Rayan Cherki on his way on the right wing, the left-footed Bakayoko no longer seems to be a favored target for the perennial Premier League title favorites.

Tottenham would be wise to keep a close eye on Bakayoko and consider him a better alternative to Mbeumo than Semenyo when considering his cost and upside. Bakayoko is just 22 years old, and while he was less important for PSV this season, that had more to do with problems with the club itself.

So, once again, Tottenham are starting afresh.

Europa League glory wasn't enough to save Ange Postecoglou, who received his marching orders 16 days after he led the cursed north London club to their first major trophy in 17 years.

The Australian can jet off into the sunset with his Lilywhite legacy in tact. Yes, he was the manager who oversaw our 17th-place Premier League finish in 2024/25, but he'll only be remembered as the third manager in the club's history to deliver European silverware.

Now, we're onto Thomas Frank.

The Dane arrives with a lofty reputation from Brentford, and he inherits a youthful squad which should excite him. Spurs' personnel needs upgrading, but it's certainly not as poor as our domestic performance made it appear last season.

The mini summer transfer window has come and gone pre-Club World Cup, with the start of the proper window on the horizon. There will be a reshuffle in N17, but which Spurs players should stay, leave and depart on loan?

Here's our full squad audit for the 2025 summer.

Goalkeepers

Guglielmo Vicario: KEEP – Vicario missed a chunk of last season due to an ankle injury and didn't exactly build on an impressive debut season. He's so-so in possession but a wonderful shot-stopper. He'll start the season as Frank's number one.

Antonin Kinsky: KEEP – Watch this space with Kinsky. There's scope for him to seriously challenge Vicario next season. The young Czech goalkeeper is ever so cool in possession, and I think Frank will be a big fan.

Brandon Austin: KEEP – Austin should remain as the third-choice goalkeeper. He performed well when called upon last season.

Defenders

Pedro Porro: KEEP – Suffered from fatigue last season and played *so* much football under Postecoglou in a demanding role. Brilliant down the stretch and should like Frank's crossing emphasis.

Djed Spence: KEEP – Spence was the standout performer for an extended period at the start of the year, but wasn't influential in the latter stages of the Europa League run. Still, his Spurs career has been resurrected.

Radu Dragusin: SELL – He's probably thrilled to see the back of Ange. Dragusin is not a high-line guy, but he's not good enough in possession to succeed under Frank either. I'd sell, but his long-term injury means we might have to wait until January.

Luka Vuskovic: KEEP – The 18-year-old arrives with plenty of buzz, and I'd be integrating him right away in the cup competitions.

Kevin Danso: KEEP – An immediate fan favourite. Big Kev is a more than serviceable backup capable of filling in. A great buy.

Cristian Romero: KEEP – One of Frank's first tasks must be convincing Romero to buy in. Availability has been an issue, but he's among Europe's best. We cannoh replace him.

Ashley Phillips: LOAN – Phillips probably isn't ready yet for first-team integration, and another Championship loan seems likely.

Micky Van de Ven: KEEP – His hamstrings have breathed a sigh of relief.

Ben Davies: KEEP – The club have opted to extend Davies by another year. He'll still be here when he's 62.

Destiny Udogie: KEEP – Udogie's end to the season was hugely promising. It's been a tough 18 months for the Italian due to a couple of major injury setbacks, but he's fit and thriving again.

Midfielders

Yves Bissouma: SELL – Thanks for those three games in Europe, Yves, but you haven't yet shown that you can be relied upon for a sustained period.

Rodrigo Bentancur: KEEP – One who suffered from Ange's haphazard defensive principles in midfield, but he shone amid more control displays towards the end of the season. Makes the game look effortless, and I wouldn't sell both Bissouma and Bentancur.

Lucas Bergvall: KEEP – The present and future. He's here for the long haul.

Archie Gray: KEEP – Frank wanted Gray at Brentford last summer, and we should see Gray feature regularly in the middle of the park after spending the bulk of his first season at Spurs in defence.

Pape Matar Sarr: KEEP – Perhaps the most underrated member of the squad, and he may well evolve into Frank's number six.

Alfie Devine: LOAN – Similar to Phillips. Not ready yet. Another EFL loan.

James Maddison: KEEP – Mightily productive last season, even if it didn't feel like it. Makes us tick and will function as Spurs' primary playmaker under Frank.

Dejan Kulusevski: KEEP – A versatile operator who suffered down the stretch last season. He's likely to miss the start of 2025/26 after undergoing knee surgery, but he'll eventually blossom into a key cog under the new regime.

Forwards

Son Heung-min: SELL – The time is right.

Mathys Tel: KEEP – I'm thrilled that Spurs have retained Tel, especially given the fee. He could explode under Frank.

Manor Solomon: SELL – Frank's supposedly intrigued, but I'd be happy to see Solomon move on for a small fee. Handy player but I don't see him making the grade here.

Richarlison: SELL – Played an unsung role in our Europa League success and desperately wanted to see him thrive here. Hasn't quite worked out due to fitness issues, and we should see for the right price. Top bloke.

Dominic Solanke: KEEP – He might not be a 20+ goals-a-season guy, but he's really good at what he does: the nitty gritty stuff. Will be a key facilitator under Frank.

Dane Scarlett: LOAN – Scarlett showed flashes last season, but I expect the club will send him out on loan again. It'd likely be a wasted year if he remains in N17.

Alejo Veliz: SELL – Yeah, I don't know. Heard his old club wants him back. Probably won't lose much sleep if he returns to his homeland and scores a bucketload.

Wilson Odobert: KEEP – Get him back on the left, Thomas. Odobert's debut season was disrupted by a hamstring injury (shock!) but there were glimpses which suggested the Frenchman could blossom into a more-than-useful asset for the new manager. Has been excellent for France's U21s as of late.

Brennan Johnson: KEEP – Another squad member previously courted by Frank, Johnson was our leading goalscorer last season and will benefit from the freedom the new manager hands his attackers.

Bryan Gil: SELL – Can we please negotiate a permanent deal with a Spanish club?! He's pretty good over there.

Mikey Moore: LOAN – The academy starlet teased a major breakout last year and boasts talent in abundance. Let's see him playing week in, week out elsewhere—whether in England or overseas.

Ange Postecoglou's coaching journey has spanned three continents and returned relentless second-year success. After his heroic Spurs sacking, the Australian coach may be set for a big pay day in the Middle East.

Postecoglou enjoyed a tumultuous two-year spell in north London which culminated in the most glorious of triumphs. After mitigating his debut campaign in the wake of Harry Kane's sale with a respectable fifth-place finish, year two proved to be considerably more troublesome as the result of a seemingly never-ending stream of injuries.

Ange's all-or-nothing style undoubtedly contributed to the glut of fitness concerns and thus Spurs' woeful domestic underperformance, and it required a retraction of his idealism to triumph in the Europa League.

We'll never know how series three would've played out in N17, and perhaps that night in Bilbao meant Ange was deserving, but Tottenham have opted to move forward with an alternate thinker in Thomas Frank.

With his legacy in north London secure, Postecoglou will now look to move on himself. While there are few coaching vacancies in Europe, an opportunity may soon present itself in Saudi Arabia.

Ange Postecoglou targeted by Al Ahli after Spurs sacking

Many have wondered what the future holds for the Australian, who's embarked on a coaching journey like no other. Success has followed Ange throughout his career, with his impressive accumulation of silverware allowing his path to follow an upward trajectory.

But how does the footballing world view his two-year stint at Spurs? It was an unforgettable period laden with drama and division before we enjoyed that sweet cathartic release on May 21, but Ange's spell manifested the risks of his methodology at the highest level. There's no denying the boom-or-bust potential, and the elites will continue to steer clear.

There's a bit of Marcelo Bielsa about him, so you wonder whether Leeds United could take the plunge after inevitably sacking Daniel Farke in November. Perhaps Ange is best suited to a club that have lost its way and in need of emboldening—he's capable of instilling a clear on-pitch identity, and is a trooper in the media when it comes to protecting his players and the club itself. West Ham, maybe? Everton?

However, a potential Premier League return may come via the Gulf, because The Athletic have reported that Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli have contacted Postecoglou over their managerial position. Matthias Jaissle is currently in charge, but there are doubts about his future with his contract expiring next summer.

Talks with Ange are said to be 'moving quickly' so there's a serious chance this happens.

A drifting away from the spotlight would perhaps be ideal for Ange, who surely grew tired of the unrelenting media duties that modern-day Premier League managers are forced to endure—with every word uttered dissected, analysed and potentially contributing to the next hit piece (*cough* Jonathan Liew *cough*).

Intrigue may well arrive from alternative sources before the start of 2025/26, and Ange may fancy sticking around in Europe after all.

Whoever opts for his services won't be disappointed, but we'd recommend a seatbelt or 100,000. The ride is like no other.