Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur have done a strong job of fortifying their attack this summer transfer window in order to improve from a ghastly 17th-placed finish in the Premier League last season. In addition to securing the entirely obvious permanent signing of high-upside left winger Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich, they inked Mohammed Kudus from West Ham in a 55 million pound deal and are closing in on officially securing Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest for about 60 million pounds.

Next up for Tottenham is rebuilding the rest of the squad, and their biggest weakness last season wasn't actually the attack. While they did certainly have room to improve up front, Spurs had a porous midfield that struggled to defend in transitions or control the ball - and not all of those struggles can be pinned on Ange Postecoglou's style of play tactically.

Tottenham need multiple holding midfielders with mixed profiles who can defend, keep possession, progress play, get into the mix physically, and, generally, stabilize a team that was too often left chasing its own tail, especially against much stronger and well-organized opponents like Liverpool.

If Spurs want to sign two players, they need to bag an underrated option in addition to a marquee candidate like, say, Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, who appears to be both the fans' and Thomas Frank's preferred signing.

Tottenham could sign a big back-to-back summer breakout star

Palmeiras star Richard Rios was a breakout player at this year's Club World Cup - even above Chelsea-bound teammate Estevao Willian on the wing - just as he was in 2024 at Copa America for Colombia.

Linked to a host of other clubs around Europe, Rios was apparently close to going to Roma, but it appears the Giallorossi have pulled out of the race out of frustration. According to a report from top Italian transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio, Roma became so "annoyed" with Palmeiras rejecting their transfer offers and sending counter proposals that they actually accelerated their interest in an alternative midfield target, agreeing to terms on a 25 million euro transfer with Lens star Neil El Aynaoui.

This move doesn't 100 percent rule Roma out of a Rios transfer, but it makes it so unlikely at this point that it effectively clears the path for Tottenham to swoop in. And, ironically enough, Spurs could sign him for cheaper than the 30 million euros Palmeiras insisted from Roma, in part because there will be one less major competitor with Roma out of the picture but also because Roma's rejection could force Palemiras to readjust their asking price.

As it stands, a price below 30 million euros would already be a great deal for a Tottenham side used to spending double on transfer markets this summer. Rios is too unproven in Europe to be worth too much more, but since he has stood out at international competitions with world-class players on other teams, Rios has proven he has the tactical and athletic traits to succeed as a 25-year-old defensive midfielder in the Premier League. He's one to watch.

Everton are one of several Premier League clubs interested in signing Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer, but the Brazilian reportedly wants to play for Tottenham.

Luiz clearly has his head screwed on.

Spurs' need for a holding midfielder is distinct, and while Luiz's best work in an Aston Villa shirt arrived in a freer role in the middle of the park, the Juventus wantaway has been suggested to be a potential option for the Lilywhites this summer.

Luiz is expected to leave Turin after one forgettable year in Italy, with a return to England his most likely destination. Everton are said to be locked in talks with the Brazilian, but Calciomercato reports that several clubs are keeping track of Luiz's situation.

Reports suggest Douglas Luiz wants to play for Tottenham

Spurs' summer has suddenly stalled after Nottingham Forest made a complaint over our supposed "illegal approach" for Morgan Gibbs-White. There's been little movement on the transfer front since we triggered the Englishman's not-so-secret release clause.

There's still hope that the situation will be resolved and Gibbs-White ends up a Tottenham player, but we surely can't halt our summer over Evangelos Marinakis' hissy fit. We must soon move on.

Thomas Frank is keen to add a star holding midfielder to his ranks, with £100m-rated Adam Wharton the dream addition. Luiz has emerged as a more realistic option, although Everton have made their move to sign the Brazilian on an initial loan with an obligation to buy. Juventus, however, want a permanent sale and would be willing to offload the former Villa star for no more than €25m.

Thus, if Frank and Spurs like Luiz, now's the time to act. TBR Football understands that the Brazilian would "love" to play for Tottenham, with Champions League football returning to N17.

Our midfield is currently stacked with similar-ish profiles—energetic operators who are better suited to box-to-box roles. We require a more disciplined performer, a midfielder capable of contributuing heavily to the build-up phase while providing security at defensive transitions. A passer/destroyer combination is the ideal.

Tottenham Hotspur have pulled two big fish in the summer transfer market between signing young left winger Mathys Tel permanently from Bayern Munich and nabbing young right winger Mohammed Kudus from rivals West Ham United for less than his release clause. And if they are able to secure Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest, it should be, overall, a pretty nifty summer window for Spurs.

But Tottenham have lost more than they've won on the transfer market, and, for the most part, Spurs supporters are OK with that. For every Rayan Cherki who chose Manchester City because Tottenham were too slow to the punch, Spurs have missed out on players whom they either already have better options or will have signed superior players, such as Kudus and Tel.

Tottenham, for example, missed out on free agent Angel Gomes, as the Lille midfielder decided to stay in Ligue 1 with Olympique Marseille instead of going to his home country of England. As long as Tottenham don't rest on their laurels, they should be able to sign at least one better midfielder than him this summer.

A transfer fee is all that's left for Marseille and Juventus to hammer out

Per a report from Fabrizio Romano, Marseille are about to sign another transfer target previously linked to Tottenham, as USMNT standout Timothy Weah, currently at Juventus, is in "advanced talks" to join OM this summer. There is already reportedly an agreement in place between Weah and Marseille on a transfer, and OM are now negotiating with Juve over a loan deal with a mandatory buy clause in the contract. Both sides, per Fab, are still hammering out the final transfer fee.

Weah has been a mixed bag at Juventus, because while he has worked hard for the team, the 25-year-old - no longer a young prospect - has failed to show the consistency or even the dynamism necessary to be a top-level winger in Serie A or any other top-five league for that matter.

At Tottenham, Weah would have been buried on the squad, and you can argue that he's not even a better option than Manor Solomon, loaned to Leeds in the Championship last season, because he lacks end product and a goal-scoring touch.

Still, Weah did fight hard for his team and scored five goals with two assists despite not being an every game starter for Juventus. There are worse players at Juve, who aren't exactly doing a great job of developing young talents. Only time will tell if this is another deal Tottenham regret making, but, for the most part, they were even less involved in Weah than Gomes, and, like Gomes, Weah is a better fit for the level of Marseille as a club.

Tottenham Hotspur have been surprisingly aggressive in the summer transfer market in recent weeks, sealing a big-money deal for West Ham star Mohammed Kudus, who has all the talent necessary to become one of the most devastating forward in the Premier League.

As Tottenham continue their window, they are grappling with Nottingham Forest over a similar 60 million pound bid for Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest's most valuable player and one of the most unique attacking midfield weapons in European football for new manager Thomas Frank to work with.

But Tottenham's slow start to the summer transfer window and narrow focus on only established Premier League names have caused them to miss out on a number of underrated, high-quality transfer targets.

The latest is PSV winger Johan Bakayoko, whom Fabrizio Romano has confirmed is joining RB Leipzig. A talented gem from Belgium, Bakayoko officially inked his contract with the Bundesliga giants, joining the Red Bull-owned club for a miniscule 22 million euros.

Better than Dejan Kulusevski?

Linked to clubs as big as Liverpool and Manchester City last year, Tottenham weren't astute enough to scout the productive 22-year-old left-footed right winger, who could have been an inexpensive and high-upside competitor for Dejan Kulusevski and a backup for Kudus.

Tottenham fans won't cry too much about missing out on Bakayoko, though, because Kudus is the bigger name and has been impressive in the Premier League when West Ham haven't been an abject failure. And before that, he had a strong resume in the Dutch Eredivisie.

But so did Bakayoko, who could have been a decent signing at 22 million euros. He scored 9 goals last season and was even better the year before with 12 goals and 9 assists, and he'll join a seventh-placed Leipzig team that will need the boost he gives them.

Leipzig signing Bakayoko could help Tottenham in a way, though. Xavi Simons is a midfielder and not a winger, but each investment Leipzig makes increases the chance of the club being open to sell Simons to raise funds, as it's only a matter of time before the Dutch international makes a big move. And Tottenham could be that destination.

With three left-footed right wingers in the squad among Kudus, Brennan Johnson, and Kulusevski, Bakayoko probably never stood a chance at joining Tottenham, but it will be curious to track how Bakayoko does at Leipzig compared to Kudus, who cost three times as much, at Tottenham - or even comparing Kulu and Johnson to Bakayoko.

Tottenham Hotspur are close to securing a second attacking game-changer in the summer transfer window, as it's only a matter of time before Nottingham Forest's empty legal threats and dispute over a 60 million pound Morgan Gibbs-White transfer blow over. Already, Tottenham have landed uber-talented right winger Mohammed Kudus to transform an attack that already includes promising talents like Mathys Tel and Brennan Johnson.

But if Tottenham want to truly compete at the Champions League level and reach Europe's premier footballing competition season after season in an increasingly competitive and unpredictable top-five race, then they are going to need to fortify their squad beyond attacking difference-makers.

Coming into the summer transfer window, Spurs had a dire need for midfield anchors and defensive maestros to shore up the system, as Thomas Frank can't overhaul a sieve-like midfield on tactics alone.

Palmeiras breakout star Richard Rios, who has been one of the most impressive players in world football in two major summer tournaments in back-to-back years, is one of the most affordable hidden gem transfer targets. But lately, he's not so hidden, thanks to some dominant performances at the Club World Cup for the Brazilian powerhouse.

Roma are in the driver's seat over Tottenham

Now, Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Serie A giants AS Roma are "getting closer" to matching Palmeiras's valuation of 30 million euros for Rios. Roma are reportedly prepared to improve their bids to meet Palmeiras's asking price, though they are using add-ons to get close to 30 million euros when Palmeiras want a fixed fee.

Tottenham have been linked to Rios but are admittedly nowhere to be found in Fab's latest report on the Colombian star, in part because they haven't been seriously pursuing the Palmeiras man with legitiamte transfer offers.

Palmeiras have reportedly submitted a giant bid to Tottenham for Brazil national team forward Richarlison, and that 55 million pound offer is something Spurs can use to parlay into a move for Rios, who has the defensive traits necessary to be, at least, a specialist in a rotation that includes Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray at the base.

In the prime of his career at 25, Rios averaged 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game with 3.2 fouls drawn per game and a key pass per match on the ball as one of the best 6's in the Club World Cup, dazzling and even outshining Chelsea-bound winger Estevao Willian as the main man for an impressive Palmeiras side.

This display was a year after Rios put up 2.5 combined tackles and interceptions per game with well over 4 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per match for Colombia at Copa America. He's a Tottenham-caliber signing at a fee half of what Spurs would pay for a similar player in the Premier League, but unless they act now, he seems headed to Italy.

Tottenham Hotspur are pushing hard to sign Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White this summer for 60 million pounds, per a release clause they happened to stumble upon, and the surprise top-five Premier League contenders aren't too pleased about it. They are fighting tooth and nail to keep Gibbs-White, even though MGW has made it apparent that he would like to join Spurs.

Gibbs-White would join Mohammed Kudus as the two big Tottenham attacking transfer signings this summer with potentially more on the way, pending Daniel Levy's ambition - and he is notorious for lacking it from a sporting perspective.

Meanwhile, Forest are determined to keep the player with 15 Premier League goal contributions in back-to-back seasons, and their ire isn't only directed at Tottenham but also at the player himself.

Nottingham Forest had a deal set with Manchester City

According to a report from Football Insider's Wayne Veysey, the main reason why Nottingham Forest are so upset with Tottenham and Gibbs-White for agreeing to a deal, per his release clause, is out of pure selfishness and not a desire to keep the player after all. See, Forest have already been planning on selling Gibbs-White, but they actually had a swap deal they were working on with Manchester City to bring in James McAtee in exchange.

McAtee is one of the most promising young midfielders in England, but, like Cole Palmer before him, he's for sale since Man City don't have a place for him. Forest aren't the only team in the Premier League interested in taking a flier on the high-upside McAtee, as Tottenham have also been linked to the 22-year-old.

If Gibbs-White goes to Tottenham, then it's a double whammy for Forest. Not only do they lose Gibbs-White to a top-five rival, but they also don't get a chance to recoup another promising attacking midfielder in McAtee. Furthermore, if Spurs were to then go ahead and sign McAtee - which is unlikely if they ink Gibbs-White to a deal - then it could be a further triple-whammy for Forest.

It's an interesting situation, and it's one that certainly doesn't make Forest or owner Evangelos Marinakis any more likable. Already, the way they have handled the Gibbs-White transfer has soured their image, which no doubt looks worse if the whole threat to sue Spurs stems from their anger that they are missing out on the McAtee deal, which is their own fault for not completing sooner anyway.

Once Tottenham Hotspur sew up the official signing of Morgan Gibbs-White after Nottingham Forest back down from their petulant tantrum and threats of legal action in order to keep a player with an active release clause from leaving to a bigger club against his will, Spurs will likely be done with making bold attacking signings.

They already landed Mohammed Kudus from London rivals West Ham for less than his gargantuan 85 million pound release clause, snagging a wide forward with the potential to be a world-class Premier League chaos machine up front.

But Tottenham, if they have designs on being a regular Champions League powerhouse, probably shouldn't stop right there either. They should be after more attacking talents in order to compete with the big clubs in the Champions League, because that's the status that the most beloved club within London should be aiming for after years of underachieving.

Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman had an unsuccessful stint in the Premier League, but he has morphed into a superstar and legitimately the best player in Serie A last season for La Dea. He is available for transfer and has been loosely linked to Spurs within the past week as a possible summer transfer signing, even after the Kudus signing and strong Gibbs-White links.

Cheaper than Gibbs-White and Kudus

According to a report from Fabrizio Romano, Lookman has told Atalanta that he "wants to leave" this summer, and Serie A title rivals Inter Milan are already set on snagging the Nigerian international. Lookman is, per Romano, "keen" on joining the Champions League Finalists, who will soon submit their initial bid on Lookman.

And if Tottenham need any more motivation to go after the best forward of the 2024/25 Serie A season, then Atalanta's reported 40 million euro asking price should tempt them. That's significantly cheaper than the approximately 60 million that Tottenham have already agreed to shell out each to Morgan Gibbs-White and Mohammed Kudus. And they spent more than that last summer on Dominic Solanke.

Lookman is capable of playing anywhere in a front three, and he often started in the middle last season for Atalanta. He scored 15 goals with an average of 2 key passes per game and 1.2 dribbles completed per match, making it a perfect three out of three seasons in which Lookman had at least 11 goals and 5 assists in a campaign for Atalanta.

If there's anything going against a Lookman to Tottenham transfer, then it is his age at 27, as he will not have any re-sale value. But the same can be said about the 25-year-old Gibbs-White, and he doesn't come with the same value as a 15-goal forward.

Tottenham Hotspur are busy trying to seal a deal for Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White, and while the Premier League underdogs are doing all they can, to the point where they are threatening legal action against Spurs, there's a prevailing belief among transfer insiders that the 25-year-old will be in North London sooner rather than later.

Spurs aren't anchoring on Gibbs-White, though, because even though he is their weapon of choice to combine with West Ham signing Mohammed Kudus as a two-headed beast of summer 2025 attacking transfers, they are showing cursory interest in an even bolder attacking midfield acquisition from an even bigger Premier League club.

According to a report from the Daily Mail's Chris Wheeler, Tottenham have joined the likes of Chelsea and Aston Villa as among the clubs looking at Manchester United attacking midfielder - and occasional winger - Alejandro Garnacho, who has made iet clear that he wants a new challenge away from Old Trafford. And it doesn't seem like United are averse to the incredibly talented but infuriatingly inconsistent No. 10 from leaving.

Not a real Morgan Gibbs-White alternative

The main attacking midfield spot at Manchester United has been occupied by Bruno Fernandes, one of the most productive playmakers in world football over the last five years, and while there is an opening for two No. 10's under new manager Ruben Amorim, the Portuguese coach doesn't seem particularly enthralled with Garnacho.

If Garnacho is some sort of a Gibbs-White alternative, then he isn't being met positively as such by Spurs fans. They see through Garnacho as a petulant 21-year-old playmaker who probably needs to join a club that is a step down from Man United and, by extension, Tottenham, who just beat United in the Europa League Final.

But like Jadon Sancho, Garnacho doesn't seem interested in making a step down in wages and perceived status to join a club like Napoli, whose own advances for the player have been rejected by Manchester United despite fair offers in the 50 million euro range.

At this rate, Garnacho is highly unlikely to join Tottenham. Their focus is on Gibbs-White, and Garnacho isn't the tactical player that MGW is in the Thomas Frank system. At the same time, perhaps Spurs supporters shouldn't be so cold on Garnacho, whose incredible raw talents and upside could make him a worthwhile punt from Manchester United at the right price. Frank has done more with less in his managerial career, and the chance to make Man United hurt is a doubly good incentive.

Tottenham Hotspur have been in a fight with Nottingham Forest over attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, whom Spurs activated the hidden 60 million pound release clause to sign. However, Forest dispute the validity of Tottenham's transfer approach, with most insiders mooting their claims as desperation to not lose the player - and even Gibbs-White is determined to make the transfer to Tottenham happen

The best way to tell if a team is worried about losing a player or resigned to a player leaving is to see if they are looking for a replacement or for other players in a similar position. And it feels like the desperate Forest understand that it's only a matter of time before their star man gets his way and moves to a bigger club.

According to a report from Relevo's top transfer insider Matteo Moretto, Nottingham Forest are already looking at a midfield transfer target, as they have been circling with interest in Gedson Fernandes of Besiktas - a former Tottenham Hotspur player.

Fernandes isn't exaclty a 10 like Gibbs-White, but he is a versatile center midfielder who can play as a 6, 8, or 10, which has been the case this past season at Besiktas. Quietly, he was one of the best midfielders in the Turkish Super Lig, scoring seven goals in league play while adding two more in eight starts in the Europa League for good measure.

Nottingham Forest's interest is actually sensible

In the prime of his career at 26, Fernandes wouldn't be totally out of place as a transfer punt for Forest, and he was an elite ball progressor in Turkish football with four combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game with 3.6 combined tackles and interceptions per match to show off his defensive prowess.

Perhaps a more mature version of Fernandes will stick in the Premier League, as the Portuguese international failed to make a single start for Tottenham in the 2019/20 Premier League season, though he did appear in seven games as a sub and start one Champions League match. Fernandes was on loan at Tottenham from Benfica and returned, eventually blossoming in Turkey for multiple clubs as one of the league's best midfielders.

From a Tottenham perspective, Forest showing real interest in Fernandes is the best possible way Fernandes can contribute to Spurs; it's more than what he did as a player. Because this just might be Forest's way of pivoting away from Gibbs-White and building their midfield, resigning themselves to the fact that the 25-year-old England international is bound to join the Europa League champions.

Tottenham Hotspur have missed out on their fair share of transfer targets this summer, with the likes of Angel Gomes moving for free to Marseille and Ligue 1 breakout star Rayan Cherki making a bold move to Manchester City while dazzling in front of an international audience at the Nations League.

Spurs put themselves behind the eight ball with their handling of Ange Postecoglou, though they have ended up in a good spot despite their own best efforts. Not only have they hired a stronger tactical manager in Thomas Frank, but they've also landed two of the bigger names in the Premier League in right winger Mohammed Kudus and, very likely, Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.

Tottenham need to sign center midfielders to anchor the entire team, though, and they've been striking out left and right on these targets. Their easiest signing at the position wasn't the free agent Gomes; it was Real Betis standout Johnny Cardoso, who had a 25 million euro clause that was supposed to take him to Tottenham as part of the Giovani Lo Celso transfer last year.

Tottenham left with egg on their face

Instead, Cardoso bucked Tottenham, ducked the release clause, and made it clear that he wanted to stay in La Liga with a move to Atletico Madrid, dishonoring what was essentially a handshake agreement. Of course, the fault is on Daniel Levy, and Tottenham have egg on their face for not actually securing Cardoso's signature a year ago, but the decision still left Spurs supporters fuming at the USMNT defensive midfielder.

Now, Fabrizio Romano has dropped an, "official, confirmed" on the heads of Tottenham fans, as Cardoso will indeed be headed to Atletico to join forces with the likes of Conor Gallagher in the new-look Atletico Madrid midfield, which just lost Rodrigo De Paul to Lionel Messi and Friends in Miami.

Cardoso officially moving to Atleti comes as no surprise to Tottenham fans, who saw this move coming for a month. But it's the final confirmation of just how badly the Lo Celso deal turned out for Spurs and a reminder that Spurs still have some work to do on the transfer market before they can have the pull befitting a club of their magnitude, stature, fan following, and, yes, status as reigning Europa League champions.

Tottenham need to focus on signing defensive and box-to-box midfielders this summer, and somewhere deep down, Spurs fans are hoping that they'll sign at least one player significantly better than Cardoso.