Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur haven't been in the market for a striker this summer transfer window. At least, they haven't been actively going after a No. 9 lately. They were linked with Yoane Wissa and Arnaud Kalimuendo earlier in the transfer window, but those ships have sailed, with Kalimuenda actually joining Nottingham Forest as a new Premier League signing.

But after Dominic Solanke went down with an injury before Bournemouth and Richarlison went ahead and wet the bed in a letdown performance after three strong fixtures to start his life under Thomas Frank, perhaps Spurs are having a change of heart.

According to a report from Fabrizio Romano to kick off deadline day, Tottenham have gone back in the ring with interest in an old striker transfer target of theirs, PSG backup Randal Kolo Muani, who spent the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan at Juventus.

A club familiar to returning Tottenham executive Fabio Paratici, Juventus liked Kolo Muani so much as a Dusan Vlahovic alternative that they have been negotiating with PSG to keep RKM beyond 2024/25. But PSG have not budged on their asking price, leading talks to collapse between the parties.

Tottenham have looked at other Juve strikers, too

Romano says that Kolo Muani is now "one to watch" for Tottenham before the transfer deadline strikes on Monday, and he adds that Spurs "made an enquiry" to the defending Champions League winners and their UEFA Supercup Final opponents - and that this enquiry was made in the preceding 24 hours.

Considering Dusan Vlahovic has scored in each of his first two Serie A games to start the season and free agent signing Jonathan David has looked great to start his Juventus career, the Bianconeri may not have any interest in Kolo Muani anyway.

The Frenchman seems too expensive for Spurs, and Thomas Frank appears to have an affinity for Richarlison. But Spurs supporters are more skeptical, having watched the injury-prone Brazilian bounce batween good and terrible since joining the North London giants.

If anything, signing Vlahovic as a free agent in the winter may make more sense for Spurs, but Kolo Muani is apparently on the Tottenham wishlist. And if it turns out Frank is being coy and really does want a third striker to compete with Richarlison and Solanke, then maybe this old transfer flame will amount to something after all. For now, don't be surprised if Tottenham fans remain skeptical of any deadline day splashes for a 9.

Be careful what you wish for.

Eberechi Eze had a move to Tottenham Hotspur sealed. Ready to go. Instead of finalizing the deal to become Spurs' new star, he reportedly gave Mikel Arteta a call, urging Arsenal to sign him at the last minute. According to James McNicholas of The Athletic, not only did he phone Arteta, Eze also "lobbied England team-mates at Arsenal to push the club for his arrival."

Eze made his Arsenal debut on Sunday, a 20-minute cameo in the Gunners' 1-0 loss to Liverpool. The same Arteta who Eze called to push for an Arsenal move wasted no time throwing him under the bus after the defeat.

"You have to put the ball in the back of the net," Arteta told Sky Sports. "Today we have three, four, five situations inside the box 1v1. Eze is completely through just to finish the action. You have to put the ball in the net if you want to win."

It only took one game for Mikel Arteta to throw Eberechi Eze under the bus

It's one thing to call out his entire team for not finishing their chances, but to single out Eze for not scoring during his 20-minute appearance off the bench? Ouch.

Tottenham fans saw it coming.

Eze could've become the star in Thomas Frank's system. He would've played in the No. 10 role, his best position. Under Frank, Eze would be the creator — the centerpiece. Everything would go through him. In his Arsenal debut, Arteta had Eze play out wide on the left to allow Martin Odegaard to play centrally.

In Arteta's team, Eze runs the risk of becoming just one piece of many. How often will he play in his natural position as the No. 10?

Think about Cole Palmer. He moved to Chelsea and became their superstar. Palmer runs the show. He never would've had that by staying at Manchester City.

It's the same for Eze. He would've been the undisputed creative piece for Tottenham in the No. 10 position, a role the incoming Xavi Simons will now occupy. Instead, he chose to follow his childhood dream of joining Arsenal, where Arteta played him out of position and then publicly called him out.

Spurs move forward happily with Simons, but Eze may already regret making that phone call.

Tottenham Hotspur were riding high after beating Burnley and Manchester City by a combined scoreline of 5-0 to start the 2025/26 Premier League season under Thomas Frank, and they were sent into a state of ecstasy by the signing of RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons, beating out rivals Chelsea to the signature of one of the biggest midfield transfers in the summer market.

But Tottenham were sent crashing back down to earth with a putrid performance in front of Simons on Saturday, as Bournemouth ripped them to shreds in a 1-0 result that would have been 5-0 if it weren't for the heroics of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who looked like he was back at Empoli fighting relegation instead of competing for a Champions League place in North London.

As if that weren't bad enough, with hours left in the summer transfer window, Tottenham are coming off that horrible attacking display against the Cherries with a potentially major transfer blow to their hopes of landing one last attacking piece to the puzzle.

According to a report from The Athletic's David Ornstein, Bayern Munich have now approached Atalanta to sign Tottenham transfer target Ademola Lookman, who is now seen as Spurs main hope to upgrade an attack that is still looking for a new winger after watching Son Heung-min move to MLS - and watching Manchester City repeatedly reject their bids for Savinho.

Bayern Munich lost out on Nicolas Jackson

Bayern's interest in the Serie A star, previously wanted by Atalanta's competitors Inter Milan, comes on the heels of the collapse of the Nicolas Jackson loan transfer. Chelsea are recalling Jackson on loan after Liam Delap's injury on Saturday in the win over rivals Fulham.

The Bundesliga giants are proposing a loan deal with Atalanta, just like they tried for Jackson from Chelsea, with a "sizeable fee" and an option to buy that will be activated for a "significant price". Lookman already handed a transfer request to La Dea earlier this window, so it is a matter of "when" and "where" - not if.

Tottenham seemed to be a slam dunk for Lookman with nobody else really on the radar, but the 27-year-old left winger/center forward now has one of the three biggest clubs in the world historically going after him. And it's going to be tough for him to turn down the opportunity to rotate with Harry Kane and Luis Diaz.

But the bright lights of the Premier League are also tempting, and at Tottenham, Lookman would be an almost unquestioned starter under Thomas Frank, who has a more magic touch with attackers than Vincent Kompany. This could be a tough battle in the final hours before deadline day.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank could not have been pleased with what he saw before him on Saturday afternoon, as his midfield and defense were carved open and burned repeatedly on the counterattack by a very game Andoni Iraola-coached AFC Bournemouth. Meanwhile, the back line struggled to play through the Cherries expert press.

Even though Spurs only conceded one goal in the end, they could have given up at least five to Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson, as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario threw back to his days of keeping Empoli above the relegation zone by staying on his toes with miracle save after miracle save to spare Spurs further blushes.

Tottenham were already contemplating additional defensive depth prior to the match against Bournemouth despite having a world-class trio of central defenders in Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Kevin Danso. If anything, Spurs display against Bournemouth may have convinced Thomas Frank to go harder after a center back this summer.

Although Spurs are currently going after Manchester City veteran Manuel Akanji, they could try to add a current Bundesliga star to their list in Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba. According to a surprising report from the Daily Telegraph's Mike McGrath, the 26-year-old defender has become "a player to watch" this summer transfer window, implying that he is available for the European clubs that are monitoring him.

Tottenham could benefit from an exodus

The news is surprising, because Leverkusen just sold their most valuable young center back, Piero Hincapie, to Arsenal, and they already lost key leader Jonathan Tah to German giants Bayer Leverkusen. So if they lose Tapsoba, too, that's their entire back line, and aside from former Liverpool man Jarell Quansah, they haven't done much to replenish their defense.

It's been an exodus for new manager Erik ten Hag, already a very controversial hire by the 2023/24 Bundesliga champions, and Tottenham could be the ones to benefit. Tapsoba hasn't been as promising as advertised a couple of years ago, but he has still been one of the better center backs and athletes in the Bundesliga.

If Tottenham and Frank want more depth and aren't sold on Radu Dragusin, Tapsoba could be more of a ball-playing and finesse center back to the former Serie A man. Tottenham would probably prefer an experienced Premier League veteran like Akanji, but if the price is right, Tapsoba may be worth taking a punt on. Though Leverkusen have never been known to give steep discounts on the mercato.

Tottenham Hotspur were arguably the best team in the Premier League through the first two matches of the season, but that fine work was undone by a woeful performance against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.

If it weren't for repeated heroics from Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham would have lost by five instead of one, and they were both a sieve defensively and in midfield. Meanwhile, the attack was completely lethargic, as wingers Mohammed Kudus and Brennan Johnson made back-breaking technicalc and mental errors - paricularly Johnson - and striker Richarlison was missing in action in a sudden disasterclass.

Richarlison has maintained the full backing of Frank this season after rampant summer transfer rumors, and far from it being a case of Tottenham simply towing a company line of unity and supporting Richarlison since they can't sell him due to a lack of interest, it legitimately seems like Frank and the club believe in him.

But after three great games to start the 2025/26 season, Richarlison showed his full flaws against a well-organized Bournemouth side. Despite Dominic Solanke's sudden injury and the Brazilian international's poor display, Frank isn't rattled.

Tottenham need to worry

When asked if Tottenham need a striker at the post-game press conference, Frank said of the current situation, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "No, not particularly. To have three strikers in the squad can also cause problems. It's a fine balance. I'm not saying we won't look for another striker in the future but I'm happy with Richy and Dom."

Tottenham fans likely hold a different opinion than their esteemed manager, and many fans wanted Spurs to sign a striker throughout the transfer window. They cooled their cries after watching Richarlison perform well, but over the past couple of seasons since his big-money transfer from Everton, he has failed to be consistent - or healthy.

So Tottenham are taking a big risk going into the 2025/26 season with Richarlison and Solanke as their only options at the 9. Both are expensive strikers capable of playing at a high level when at their best, but there are serious consistency question marks about both, including Solanke, who played well all-around in the Europa League but barely scored in the Premier League last season.

At this point in the transfer market, the window is barren, and the only really notable names on the market still available are long-time Newcastle targets Yoane Wissa over at Brentford and Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Tottenham Hotspur fans watched in horror as Christian Norgaard, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Eberechi Eze all snubbed them this transfer window, with Norgaard and Eze looking like slam dunk transfers for Spurs before they ultimately chose to join bitter North London rivals Arsenal instead.

But Tottenham washed away much of the sour taste of missing out on that trio, especially talented Premier League playmaker Eze, by hijacking Chelsea's seemingly nearly sealed transfer for RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons, bagging a better playmaker than Eze in the end. And a younger and cheaper one, to boot.

As Tottenham get ready for the final hours of the summer 2025 transfer window, it appears they are close to making another high-profile hijacking move on the transfer market, landing a second high-profile Premier League player to go with former West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus.

According to a report from Sky Sport Italia, Tottenham have the leg up on AC Milan for a Manuel Akanji transfer from Manchester City. Both Milan and Spurs are after the Premier League veteran and former Borussia Dortmund star, but because Tottenham are in the Champions League, they are widely seen as overwhelming favorites to sign the 30-year-old ball-playing center back.

Tottenham outbid AC Milan

Sky Sport Italia, better yet, are also reporting that Tottenham have outbid Milan, too. The Rossoneri had offered Manchester City 15 million euros for the Swiss international, but Spurs have upped the ante to a cool 20 million euros to beat out the struggling Serie A giants.

Akanji additionally prefers to remain under the bright lights of the Premier League, so, at this point, all signs point to the center back heading to Tottenham. Although Spurs already have three great center backs in Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Kevin Danso, the shaky performance against AFC Bournemouth this weekend may have been a reminder that Spurs could use more depth.

Granted, Tottenham were already interested in center backs before the Bournemouth game, and even though Thomas Frank has been coy publicy about wanting a center back, most transfer insiders have pointed towards Spurs and the new manager still wanting additional defensive depth, potentially at multiple positions.

Akanji is nearing the end of his top-level Premier League career, but he's still one of the better center backs in England and should age gracefully with his incredible reading of the game and football IQ, as well as his elite ball-playing abilities. Frank would love his skill set.

Tottenham Hotspur have finally added a second attacking star to their lineup this transfer window, pairing excellent right winger Mohammed Kudus with former RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons, who decided to join Spurs after prolonged transfer negotiations with Chelsea failed to yield an official deal.

Simons now slots into the Spurs XI as a long-term attacking midfield upgrade, and even when star No. 10 James Maddison returns from his ACL tear, the 22-year-old Simons is unlikely to cede his spot in the starting lineup.

Tottenham are not done acquiring top attacking talents, though, and there is still one Premier League option that intrigued fans. But in the opposite manner, Tottenham have been negotiating with Manchester City to sign right winger Savinho for weeks, but the Citizens have been reluctant to sell due to the player's upside and a lack of other options. And probably the fact that Tottenham decimated Man City in their own house 2-0 last weekend hasn't made Pep Guardiola any more interested in selling.

But Savinho appears to want to push for a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer. According to a report from TBR Football's Graeme Bailey and Jamie Brown, Savinho is not happy that Manchester City are blocking him from transferring to Tottenham, since his wish all along has been to play for Spurs.

Tottenham's chances of a signing are still low

Savinho is now telling Manchester City that he isn't happy and wants to move, and he's hoping that by putting additional pressure on his current club, he can still get a transfer to Tottenham before the transfer window ends on Sept. 1.

Obviously, Tottenham fans are going to treat this report with a healthy dose of skepticism, even as it is flattering to think that Savinho is desperate to join Spurs - and Tottenham fans would also love to have the 21-year-old Brazilian international on the opposite wing to Kudus to form one of the Premier League's most dynamic duos.

There's always been a chance of Savinho joining Tottenham, but as time has gone without a deal in place or any real urgency from Manchester City to sell - and they are under no pressure to sell this summer - the chances have been less likely.

So even if it is true that Savinho is upset and wants to go to Tottenham, that doesn't guarantee a deal in any sense. However, Pep Guardiola has shown in the past that he's willing to sell star players who want to leave, and if Savinho really does push hard enough, maybe Tottenham can get their dream winger. Just don't count on it.

Tottenham Hotspur won't feel the sting of losing top transfer targets as badly now that they've finally landed a big fish of their own in Xavi Simons, which was a transfer made all the sweeter by virtue of Chelsea's significant interest in the Dutch international. In fact, the Blues were overwhelming favorites to sign the RB Leipzig midfielder before the U23 star penned his deal with Spurs in the end.

Although Tottenham have sealed one-half of their need in the attacking midfield, Spurs could still use another midfielder, a goal-scoring winger, and a center back, which is still evidently one of the needs at the top of Thomas Frank's wishlist before the clock strikes midnight on Aug. 31.

On paper, the dream target of all dream targets at center back was Piero Hincapie. The Bayer Leverkusen defender is young, left-footed, and an ideal fit in a back three, which he has proven at Leverkusen by being a key part of their undefeated side in 2023/24 and a regular fixture at the club for multiple seasons.

But Arsenal have been going after Hincapie harder than Tottenham, whose own interest in the Ecuadorian international seemed lukewarm. At least, the club itself wasn't as enamored as Thomas Frank with the idea of spending big on the Bundesliga standout.

Arsenal are getting a great deal

The Athletic's David Ornstein has now confirmed that Piero Hincapie is indeed off the table entirely, as he has agreed to join North London rivals Arsenal, becoming the third notable player in this transfer window after defensive midfielder Christian Norgaard and attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze to sign with Arsenal over Tottenham. Though in this case, Spurs fans aren't as let down since they weren't in the lead for Hincapie at any point.

Of course, Hincapie is a bigger signing than either of those players, as the 23-year-old is a special athlete who could fit the Premier League perfectly. Like Micky van de Ven, he is one of those versatile and uber-atheltic defensive talents from Germany who could actually do even better in the English league.

Per Ornstein, Arsenal are only signing Hincapie on loan with a 52 million euro option to buy, plus a 10 percent sell-on clause to Leverkusen. Since Arsenal aren't obligated to pay up front and would actually be spending below his release clause to buy him permanently, Tottenham may be kicking themselves for not being more aggressive on the Hincapie front, especially since Arsenal - already loaded defensively - were the ones to get this discounted deal.

Tottenham Hotspur have closed their biggest signing of the summer 2025 transfer window, finally bagging an attacking midfielder and doing so in some style, beating out London rivals Chelsea to the signature of former RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons.

The Dutchman is the third major signing of the summer window for Tottenham, joining former Bayern Munich defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha and rival West Ham forward Mohammd Kudus as new starters for Spurs.

Next up, Tottenham still want to sign another forward to bolster their attack, but they also remain in the market for another defensive player at the behest of manager Thomas Frank, even though Spurs already have arguably the best central defensive trio in the Premier League amongst Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and best-kept secret Kevin Danso.

According to a report from the Daily Mail's Jack Gaughan, among other journalists covering the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur are after Manchester City star center back Manuel Akanji, who has been increasingly linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium.

Tottenham are in the lead

Tottenham just beat Manchester City 2-0, which may have had the unintended consequence of completely scaring off the Citizens from selling top young winger Savinho to Spurs. But Tottenham could still land a big fish from Man City in Akanji, who is ready for a new challenge.

AC Milan and Turkish Super Lig powerhouse Galatasaray are after the Swiss international, but, per Gaughan and others, Akanji's preference is to continue competing at the highest level of football in the Champions League. And that's something Tottenham can definitely offer for the 2025/26 season, in addition to keeping Akanji in the best league in the world, the Premier League.

Akanji is 30, but since he has two years left on his contract, there isn't much long-term risk in signing him. Known for his intelligence and ball-playing ability, Akanji has been highly valued by Pep Guardiola ever since joining from Borussia Dortmund a few years ago, and you can see why Thomas Frank would want him as a veteran backup, even if it puts fourth center back Radu Dragusin in a weird spot.

The signing of Akanji, if it happens, wouldn't be expensive at an expected price of just 15 million pounds due to the player's age and contract status. Akanji's signing would also signal potentially more three-man back lines for Frank, who did utilize a back three in his first serious game in charge against PSG in the UEFA Supercup Final.

Instead of letting their fans down for the umpteenth time this transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur took a page out of rival Arsenal's book and instead waited patiently, striking only when the moment was right and taking advantage of another London rival's hestiation.

After weeks of everyone thinking that Xavi Simons would be bound for Chelsea, Tottenham swooped in and signed one of the best young midfielders in European football and one of the best players in the Bundesliga at any position.

Simons is an immediate starter for Tottenham and comes at an important time, as Spurs were scrambling to find an attacking midfielder after James Maddison's torn ACL and the decision by Eberechi Eze to snub Spurs for North London rivals Arsenal.

Tottenham fans will be elated by both the Simons signings and the news that Spurs are not done on the market just yet either. According to a report from Paul O'Keefe, we should still expect Tottenham to remain active on the transfer market before the Sept. 1 deadline, and they are interesting in signing both a center back and a forward.

Tottenham need another forward

These are two positions Tottenham have been wanting for weeks in addition to the No. 10, which was obviously their biggest need. Thomas Frank already has three or four strong center backs, depending on how you view Radu Dragusin, but he wants more depth defensively.

Meanwhile, the need for another attacking player is obvious. The Savinho transfer with Manchester City has reached a stalemate, and as much as people didn't want to believe what Fabrizio Romano was selling to them, the reality is that Man City are not budging on Savinho and the situation is complicated. It's gotten to the point where a transfer appears unlikely.

Ademola Lookman, though, is a top goal-scoring left winger with a Serie A pedigree whom Tottenham and Fabio Paratici are undoubtedly familiar with. The Nigerian international is in the prime of his career and was arguably the best player in Serie A last season.

After Atalanta stuck to their guns and didn't sell Lookman to Serie A title rivals Inter Milan, a Lookman to Tottenham transfer is very plausible if Spurs go for it. Now that they have secured their dream midfield signing in Simons to play the No. 10, Tottenham can go for a left wing upgrade to complete the new-look attack under Frank, giving Mohammed Kudus someone with quality to work with on the left hand side of the formation.