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If Tottenham are to rebuild their squad into a consistent winner at the top-four level in an increasingly difficult Premier League, then they are going need to be ruthless, first, with the players they decide to cut ties with in the summer 2025 transfer window - and that begins with players who don't have a long-term plan in the squad.

According to a report from Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, defenders Sergio Reguilon and Ben Davies are set to leave Tottenham at the end of the 2024/25 season. Both players contracts are expiring this summer, and Spurs have reportedly not even begun negotiations with either player.

The news on the 28-year-old Reguilon isn't surprising in the least. Tottenham have bounced him around on loan and, like Bryan Gil, he is another former Sevilla and LaLiga standout who simply does not fit the Premier League and has derailed his own career by joining Tottenham.

Sergio Reguilon, Ben Davies don't have futures at Tottenham

Reguilon is so buried on the depth chart that he is even a fourth-choice option at left back behind Davies, who, at 32 years of age now, is no longer atheltic enough to play left back. Davies is a decent center back option, and with Cristian Romero potentially out this summer, his future has been murkier than Reguilon's with the distinct possibility of him staying as veteran depth.

However, it would also make sense for Tottenham to axe Davies. He is an older, mediocre player with no long-term value to Tottenham. Re-signing him simply fills another spot on the squad and more wages, when Tottenham could instead replace him with one of a number of solid, younger center backs in other leagues, such as Serie A standout Jhon Lucumi.

All told, Reguilon and Davies are extremely obvious options for Tottenham to get rid of in order to clear more squad and wage space. Neither of them are important players, both can easily leave as free agents, and both can be replaced by better players, allowing Spurs to roll the dice on more intriguing center back talents like they did with Genoa's Radu Dragusin and Kevin Danso of Lens.

It's unclear what the next step holds for either. Reguilon is the more obvious exit than Davies, but since he's 28 and was once the best left back in LaLiga in 2019/20, he could still have a great future in Spanish football with a return to the league that made him a quality footballer.

Although the initial rhetoric that Ange Postecoglou could still be fired as Tottenham manager with a Europa League title win seems to have died down, there is still a distinct possibility that a Europa League triumph won't save Big Ange because of how extensive the rot is at the club amidst a 17th place standing in the Premier League.

But a lot of the options that Tottenham have been looking at aren't exactly appealing either, and, now, another problematic option has apparently emerged on the radar to potentially replace Postecoglou at the end of the season.

According to a report from Italian transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio, Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi is one of the names in the background to replace Postecoglou as a manager. Marco Silva of Fulham is the favorite, but De Zerbi and Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola are the main secondary options for Daniel Levy and Co.

Roberto De Zerbi's ceiling may be lower than Ange Postecoglou's

While De Zerbi had a great season for Brighton in 2022/23, he flamed out hard and has been up-and-down at Marseille, too. His main claim to fame with the Ligue 1 giants, his biggest job yet, is controversial signings like Mason Greenwood and Elye Wahi. Despite significant investment, OM are nowhere near the Ligue 1 title race, nearly 20 points behind hated rivals PSG and barely above Monaco in third.

De Zerbi is a strong tactical manager who had great success at lower levels for Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk, but he eventually folded under the bright lights of the Premier League at a supportive club and ditched them for Marseille, where he also seems to be folding under the pressure.

Tottenham don't need yet another manager of the Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte ilk who is strong in tactics but unhinged and famous for blowing up at teams. De Zerbi is a volatile figure, and, unlike Mourinho and Conte, he has yet to achieve true success at the top level - or even really at a level slightly below that.

There are worse options than De Zerbi, but one of them isn't Ange Postecoglou. For as lousy as things have gotten for Tottenham in the Premier League this season, Postecoglou has still taken them to the Europa League Final, which is more than anything De Zerbi has accomplished. And Big Ange's first-season turn-around for Spurs was at least as impressive as De Zerbi building on Graham Potter's success in Brighton.

Even though Postecoglou has serious problems, the grass isn't always greener. De Zerbi is a high-risk, high-reward manager, but the reward is merely theoretical. At least Tottenham know Postecoglou is capable of taking them to a major final and putting them on the doorstep of Champions League qualification (technically twice now).

Tottenham star center back Cristian Romero publicly commented that he dreams of joining a club in LaLiga at the end of the season in an interview conducted on Spurs grounds as vice captain of a team in a moment of crisis.

Romero has apparently already agreed to join Atletico Madrid behind closed doors, and while Tottenham and Atleti still have a long ways to go before they agree on appropriate compensation, it's been a case of "good riddance" for many Spurs fans after his public comments, though a recent strong big-game performance in the Europa League has mended some of those tensions.

Still, Romero outright admitting that his eyes are on something other than the prize with the season on the line in the Europa League and awful results pouring out in the Premier League was a massive misstep that should honestly concern interested clubs about his mentality and leadership.

Destiny Udogie didn't engage with Man City transfer rumors

As deeply disappointing as Romero's words were for Spurs fans, it's been refreshing seeing how a younger teammate handled more specific transfer rumors linking him to arguably the most powerful club in the Premier League, Manchester City.

The Citizens need fullbacks and Spurs have two of the best in Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie. Both have been linked to City, and the latter was recently asked about those transfer rumors, telling outlet HaytersTV, "We’re trying to finish the season strongly, so I’m trying to help my team and that’s it.”

Udogie is a versatile and well-rounded 22-year-old left back who has the potential to be one of the best and most unique players in the world in his position, hence why it's no surprise to see so many big clubs like Man City interested in the Italian international. But quotes like this one, where Udogie is simple and to the point in a professional manner, are part of the reason why Spurs have no interest in bowing down to the transfer interest.

His lack of engagement with a baiting transfer question shows maturity, respect for the club, and a level of diplomacy that Tottenham need to set as a bare minimum expectation from their players. Udogie isn't even the captain. He's a 22-year-old being linked to the richest club in his country and yet is level-headed enough to not care and to focus on the task at hand, which is to make sure that Spurs are set up for success next season in the Champions League.

Take note, Cristian Romero. Your own junior teammate just taught you a lesson in how things should be done.

Tottenham Hotspur right winger Dejan Kulusevski has been a key player for the club since joining from Juventus in 2022, but, recently, his inability to take intiative and change important games for Spurs has cast doubt on his long-term viability as a starting winger at the club.

Spurs are now interested in a right winger who could replace Kulusevski, as he is also capable of playing in the attacking midfield. According to a report from Le Parisien's Benjamin Quarez, Tottenham have made an approach for Lyon star Rayan Cherki and could sign the Ligue 1 superstar for just 22.5 million euros

Cherki is a phenomenal talent and was earmarked as the next big thing in French football by both Lyon and Real Madrid, whose manager Zinedine Zidane was enamored by the player as a potential signing in 2019. Real Madrid were seriously interested in him for years but never had the space to make a move official.

Rayan Cherki could change games for Tottenham

Lyon have played their cards right with Cherki, never rushing the young playmaker and working with him on his weaknesses. Now, they have the best playmaker in Ligue 1 both as a passer and dribbler. Cherki has scored eight goals with ten assists this season, averaging 2.4 key passes and 1.5 dribbles completed per game.

Compare that to seven goals and four assists on the season for Kulusevski with two key passes and 1.2 dribbles completed per game for the Swedish international. But Cherki does so much more that goes beyond the numbers in terms of his individual skill. He can create goals and opportunities from nothing with sheer invention, and anyone who watches him play can tell he has that something special that Spurs are still missing in attack.

Tottenham need difference-makers, and Cherki is one a few players in world football who fits that profile in terms of having that extra bit of magic in his boots. Kulusevski is a very good footballer, but he's more of a role player than a star. He's someone who helps keep a team afloat with solid ball progression and decent chance creation, but he doesn't have the skill or explosiveness to take games over. Cherki does.

At less than 25 million euros, Cherki is easily within the Tottenham transfer budget. If he even has any inclination of joining Spurs, Daniel Levy and Co. have to proceed with 100 percent force, even if it means Kulusevski is relegated to the bench on Cherki's arrival - or even outright transfer listed by his own request. Tottenham should have both players in the squad in an ideal world, but Kulu's presence future clearly shouldn't be what keeps Spurs from going hard after Cherki's talent.

Tottenham superstar Son Heung-min hasn't been playing like a superstar over the last few months, but, as the saying goes, form is temporary but class is permanent. And Son has been one of the classiest players at a world scale over the past decade, winning a Premier League Golden Boot and once carrying Tottenham to the finals of a Champions League.

Yet that still hasn't stopped Son from being passed over by pundits in favor of players not fit enough to lace his boots. Ahead of the Europa League Final between Tottenham and Manchester United on May 21, Man United legendary midfielder Paul Scholes picked a combined XI for the matchup when asked by TNT Sports.

And in it, Scholes picked Alejandro Garnacho over Son as his left winger. While a Manchester United icon picking a Manchester United young sensation isn't the strangest thing in the world, it's wild to see a pundit thinking Garnacho is in any way better than Son right now.

A bad Son Heung-min is still outproducing Alejandro Garnacho

Even at his worst, Son is outproducing Garnacho, who is talented but is one of the most infuriatingly inconsistent players in the Premier League. Son has seven goals and nine assists this season in a bad season, whereas Garnacho has six goals and a laughable two assists. And Son has played in fewer games than Garnacho!

Son wasn't the only Tottenham star to get the short end of the stick either. Scholes also put Diogo Dalot over Pedro Porro at right back when Porro is, by far, the superior player defensively and is also more consistent as a creator. Porro has more assists and more than double the number of key passes per game as Dalot with another substantial advantage in terms of fouls drawn per match.

Porro is better than Dalot in every respect as a right back, and you wouldn't find anyone else in the Premier League who would take Dalot. It's not as wild as a snub as taking the entirely unproven Garnacho over Premier League legend Son Heung-min, but it's also a huge mistake to pick Dalot over Porro when the latter's head-to-head numbers are emphatically better, particularly when it comes to creating chances and end product.

Tottenham's best players continue to be underrated within Premier League circles despite the fact that Spurs are a big and well-covered club. Perhaps that's the curse of being 17th in the Premier League right now, but, well, Manchester United haven't been much better either.

Tottenham have two of the better left backs in the Premier League in Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence, with the latter providing important cover for the former this season. But with Sergio Reguilon set to leave for good and Ben Davies a better fit at center back at his age, Spurs need some defensive-minded cover at the left back position.

Udogie was an inspired signing from Serie A a few years back in 2022 and has been a rousing success. He's good going both ways. Spence is a quality Premier League left back, too, but it could make sense for Spurs to pursue a more defensive option who is more reliable in big games than Spence against the kinds of top opponents Tottenham want to start beating.

According to a report from Eduardo Burgos of Diario AS, Tottenham have joined Atletico Madrid and Brighton as top clubs interested in signing Mathias Olivera from Serie A title contenders Napoli. The 27-year-old left back has affirmed himself as one of the best in the league and has taken over from Mario Rui. Signing him would set Spurs back 40 million euros.

Matias Olivera isn't worth the money for Tottenham

That's a high price to pay for Olivera, who would be more of a backup to Udogie and a defensive cover option. Tottenham have limited funs, as-is, and as good as Olivera is at the left back position - and he certainly deserves more praise than he gets around world football - it's hard seeing a player with his skill-set and age being worth that much money.

Tottenham have bigger needs elsewhere. Olivera isn't the worst option, but he seems to fit a club like Atletico Madrid better than Spurs anyway. This season, Olivera is averaging nearly three combined tackles and interceptions per game but just 0.2 dribbles completed and 0.8 key passes per game.

Clearly, with his limited attacking output, Olivera isn't going to be replacing Udogie any time soon, and he costs just as much as Udogie's own transfer valuation. Tottenham aren't necessarily barking up the wrong tree, though, and Napoli are notorious for trying to get way too much out of their players before ultimately losing them for a lot less. So maybe if Spurs stick it out, Olivera's price will drop by half and they can swoop in. That's a big if, and it's probably better for them to just keep things going with Udogie and Spence.

Tottenham need to go full force with a sporting project built around ascending young players, particulary since they have a number of homegrown players who are ready to contribute to the team in 2025/26 and potentially become the next big stars at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Though he was only given a proverbial cup of coffee this season, Tottenham attacker Mikey Moore was so impressive that he earned rave comparisons to Neymar. Obviously, those cries were outlandish and a bit ridiculous, but Moore did bring an electricity to Tottenham in the Europa League. Ange Postecoglou did well not to put too much on Moore's plate too soon, but he could take a big leap forward next year.

And if you have any lingering doubts about how talented Moore is and how he is regarded around Europe, look no further than the latest transfer suitor of his. Per a report from Sky Sports's Florian Plettenberg, via BVB Newsblog, Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund have Mikey Moore near the top of their wishlist of transfer targets this summer, joining the race with other Premier League clubs (though the English sides are reportedly ahead of BVB).

Mikey Moore could be European football's next big thing

Dortmund's interest in Moore is only mildly concerning, given other clubs are more favored. If anything, it's a ringing endorsement, because Dortmund are brilliant at finding teenage talents who will be the next world-beaters. Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, and Jude Bellingham are three world-class players whom Dortmund found in other leagues as kids and turned into some of the biggest names on the planet.

Moore has that kind of ability when you look at his explosiveness and skill on the ball. He made enough noise at the Europa League level last season at the age of 17 to make you think that he can be the most dynamic winger on Tottenham in a few years. Maybe that's not saying much, but that's still super important for Spurs, especially when players with Moore's skill-set are expensive.

Tottenham have to prepare to lose some talented players this summer in order to afford potential game-changers to get them out of their current position as one of the bottom five teams in the Premier League.

Star center back Cristian Romero has been instrumental in Spurs reaching the Europa League Final this season and is one of the best players in his position in the English top flight, but he seems to be highly interested in a move to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid. And the Rojiblancos appear to be close to signing the Argentinian international.

So as Tottenham mull over Romero's future and their asking price for the defender, they need to start scouting the transfer market for replacements. Tottenham already have a few quality center backs in Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso, but if Radu Dragusin is sold along with Romero, that will only increase Tottenham's need for a center back.

Tottenham, Chelsea, and Liverpool want Jhon Lucumi from Bologna

According to a report from TBR Football's Graeme Bailey and Jamie Brown, Tottenham are among several Premier League teams interested in Bologna star Jhon Lucumi, who is now the top defender for the Serie A club after Riccardo Calafiori's summer 2024 departure to Tottenham's rivals Arsenal.

Speaking of rivals, Chelsea are among the clubs said to be interested in Lucumi, as are Liverpool, Brentford, Brighton, and Crystal Palace. Spurs and these other teams reportedly sent scouts to watch Lucumi in person.

Lucumi is one of the most underrated center backs in world football and should have received more praise than he did for Bologna's fairytale Champions League campaign last season. He was overshadowed by Calafiori, but, this season, he's been better than Calafiori has in North London and is a big reason why Bologna remain one of the teams competing for European football in Italy.

Romero was also a star in Serie A for Atalanta before joining Tottenham, so while he may not have the name recognition Romero does and shouldn't be seen as immediately being of the same quality, fans shouldn't put down Lucumi at the same time. He could very well be just as good as Romero with similar aggressiveness and fewer mental lapses.

Tottenham have been one of the most putrid teams in the Premier League this season, and if it weren't for the sheer futility of the three promoted Premier League sides this year, Spurs would be in serious contention for relegation under Ange Postecoglou.

There are so many problems with Tottenham right now, but one of the biggest is the fact that Spurs do not have enough difference-makers in their team. Son Heung-min has declined so sharply this season that the main star of the show is now James Maddison, and he's not nearly at the right level to be the best player on a team that aspires to finish in the top four of the Premier League.

Keeping Bayern Munich left wing loanee Mathys Tel would be a step in the right direction, but it would be insufficient. After bailing on Desire Doue last summer and watching him shine for Champions League finalists PSG, Daniel Levy and Tottenham have to rectify things this summer by making sure they take any opportunity they can get to sign special youngsters with the quality to become world-class Premier League superstars.

One opportunity is Manchester City star James McAtee, who could be next in the line of homegrown playmakers that includes Phil Foden and Chelsea's Cole Palmer, two Premier League Player of the Season-caliber stars.

Manchester City could be willing to sell James McAtee

According to a report from Danny Rust and Dean Jones of GiveMeSport, Tottenham are keeping an eye on McAtee as a transfer option this summer, as he has just one year left on his contract. GiveMeSport report that McAtee is becoming increasingly interested in signing with a new team, and apparently Pep Guardiola and Man City are willing to sell him, with the report pointing towards a recent poor performance against bottom-feeders Southampton.

McAtee will be wanted by so many clubs in the Premier League and even abroad, with top recruiters Bayer Leverkusen rumored to be among the teams interested. But as with Doue, Tottenham can't let the threat of competition dissuade them from making a serious sporting and then financial offer ot both McAtee and Manchester City.

Maybe McAtee isn't all that he's cracked up to be, and, at 22, he is a young player but not necessarily a true prospect like Doue. But he is obviously talented and could very well be another top player that Manchester City simply miss out on because of 1) a glut of options and 2) Guardiola's own deficiencies as a talent evaluator. (And yes, he does have his drawbacks, like everyone.)

Man City made that mistake with Palmer, and he is now the best playmaker in the Premier League after Kevin De Bruyne's decline and the main reason why Chelsea have gone from being a team almost as disappointing as Tottenham to a true Champions League-level side. Let's see if Tottenham are willing to take the plunge on McAtee this summer.

Pedro Porro is one of the best right backs in world football right now and has been a rousing success for Tottenham since joining in 2023 for 45 million euros from Sporting CP. Although Tottenham have, thus far, been unwilling to sell the Portuguese international, a new report from CaughtOffside states that the club could be open to selling Porro if they are offered 60-65 million euros.

Currently valued at 45 million euros by Transfermarkt, a 60 million euro offer would indeed be above Porro's valuation, but Porro's Transfermarkt value seems like an undersell for a 25-year-old who was signed for that fee in 2023 and has only enhanced his reputation by succeeding as an important player for Tottenham in both the Premier League and Europa League.

Barcelona, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich are all said to be interested in Porro, and all three are elite European clubs in Champions League contention with a big pedigree but also a need to sign better players in order to get to the Final. All three teams could use a right back and would be willing to spend on someone with Porro's all-around quality.

Pedro Porro transfer would be a monumental error

Tottenham will need to make some tough decisions in the summer 2025 transfer window, because they are going to have to make sales in order to buy. And as they currently sit 17th in the Premier League, Tottenham sure are going to have to buy some quality footballers in order to get back into top-five contention, even if they could still make the Champions League by beating Manchester United on May 21 in the Europa League Final.

But selling Porro would seem like a major step in the wrong direction. There is simply no way Tottenham would be able to sign a player anywhere near Porro's caliber at the position. They would be selling one of their best players - someone who can defend and create at a high level -and they wouldn't be able to attract a player remotely as good, even if they can brag about having 60 million euros in tote.

Daniel Levy would probably love to sell off an important player for big bucks, but Tottenham fans would riot even more than they already are against their club's chief decision-maker if he pulled a stunt like this with the team sitting in 17th. Tottenham should be selling players like Richarlison who are underperforming, not vital ones like Porro.