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Two of the biggest icons in recent Real Madrid history, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, were big stars at Tottenham Hotspur first, and Los Blancos are still eyeing top talents from Spurs in 2026 in center back Micky van de Ven, center midfielder Lucas Bergvall, and now another young gem in center midfielder Archie Gray.

Per a report from footballing news outlet Tribuna, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, two of the biggest clubs in the world and Champions League favorites every year, are both watching Gray closely, leading Spurs to create a 60 million euro price tag for a player they signed for 47 million euros two years ago from Leeds United.

So selling for 60 million euros would be a modest profit, but, honestly, watching Gray leave Spurs and become an even better player at Bayern or Madrid would feel like a heavy loss, just as watching Modric become a superstar for Real was - or watching Bale and Harry Kane become even more successful icons at these historic clubs.

Real Madrid want Archie Gray, too

Gray is only 19 years of age and does not start every game, but he is already the best in the deep lying midfield role at Tottenham, bravely progressing on the ball when many of his teammates have been frustratingly complacent or even just outright incompetent.

Clearly, Gray has a world of potential, but it is also potential that managers like Vincent Kompany or even Alvaro Arbeloa can coax out of him better than Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor. Gray's development is at stake here, and seeing clubs like Real and Bayern circling for Gray, Van de Ven, and Bergvall should remind Spurs that they need to get serious about their next manager and how they envision shaping the next decade at the club.

Real Madrid are right to show interest in Gray. He is intelligent, works hard, has that moxie about him, is a great athlete, and is technically brilliant. He could be the future of English football, every bit the way another Tottenham and Madrid target, Adam Wharton, is hyped to be over at London rivals Crystal Palace.

Los Blancos need controlling midfield talent like Gray, but, well, so do most teams in European football, even the big boys competing for Champions League football. So you could then imagine how massive a player like Gray would be for a club like Spurs, currently four points above the drop zone. Spurs have to hold onto Gray at all costs - even more than 60 million singles.

Tottenham Hotspur have one of the best left backs in the Premier League in Destiny Udogie, but their continued interest in left backs may be spelling a grim future for the Italian international. Their latest target? Renewed interest in Wolves gem Hugo Bueno.

This past winter transfer window, Spurs signed Brazilian prospect Souza from Palmeiras with the intention of him being the understudy to Udogie and a potential Premier League star in his own right, rated as one of the best left back prospects in the world. But that signing didn't stop them from showing an interest in veteran Andrew Robertson, though Liverpool elected not to sell him, especially with Roma not terminating the loan of Kostas Tsimikas.

So Spurs left the transfer window still thin in the short term at left back, as Udogie has been injured yet again. And though Udogie is one of the best left backs in England, there are rumblings of Spurs having second thoughts of backing him because he is so hard to rely on due to the recurring injury issues.

Tottenham are interested in Wolves standout Hugo Bueno

In the winter, Tottenham briefly showed interest in Hugo Bueno during the fallout from the Robertson saga. And now, according to a new report from TEAM Talk reporter Fraser Fletcher, Newcastle United, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur are all intersted in the 23-year-old Spanish youngster Hugo Bueno from Wolves.

The man has been one of the big breakout stars at left back within the Premier League this season. He is averaging 1.1 key passes and 3.3 combined tackles and interceptions per game as a real two way threat, ball winner and creator, and you can only imagine how much better his offensive output would be on a team with better attacking options around him than Wolves.

Tottenham need attacking options to provide overlap for the left wingers, and if Spurs are not sold on Udogie's ability to stay healthy, it does make sense for them to go for a left back. Though Spurs did show interest in Robertson, old, declining veterans in the Premier League are not who they need; they need young blood. Souza isn't proven in England yet, as promising as he is, but Bueno has already shown he is an above average starting left back in the toughest top division in world football.

Overall, defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha has been a positive loan signing for Tottenham Hotspur, but spending 30 million euros to sign the 30-year-old permanently from Bayern Munich is a more difficult decision when there are players like Joao Gomes available.

Gomes is not a new name when it comes to links to the Premier League Big Six, but those links should only increase in the summer transfer window as he has been excellent on a Wolves team that has been the worst in the Premier League - though they are showing signs of life with great results against Arsenal and Aston Villa lately.

And the 25-year-old Brazilian No. 6 has been a key part of that effort. He is a classic 6 in the sense that he bases his game off bruising ball-winning and athleticism, much like Palhinha, but he is also a much better passer and progressive dribbler than the Portuguese international at Tottenham.

Joao Gomes is having a great season for Wolves

This season, Gomes is averaging a robust four combined tackles and interceptions per game with 2.3 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per match while completing a robust 86+ percent of his passes for Wolves. Meanwhile, Palhinha is averaging 4.5 combined tackles and interceptions per game but only 1.4 combined fouls drawn and dribbles completed per match with a pass completion percentage in the low 80s. Palhinha does have five goal contributions, but they shroud his overall poor play with the ball in possession.

Tottenham would not be opposed to having Palhinha as veteran depth in the 2026/27 season, but it is fair to wonder if a mediocre Premier League defensive midfielder is worth 30 million euros when he has no future resale value and isn't exactly showing the quality of someone who can help get Spurs out of the bottom half of the table.

Between the two No. 6's, Gomes is more enticing. He is entering his prime, bound to improve his offensive performances on a better team with better players like Tottenham, and he offers so much more on the ball. Palhinha's goal contributions, if anything, are a credit to his athleticism to belie the fact that he is quite useless to a team's build-up phase due to his lack of accuracy of passing, creativity, and poor dribbling skills.

Tottenham Hotspur are still lacking in quality and depth on the wings after signing nobody in the winter transfer window, so bringing former Aston Villa man Moussa Diaby back for another Premier League stint could be a legitimate option.

Per sources close to Graeme Bailey of TEAM Talk, the Al-Ittihad star right winger is contemplating a move back to the Premier League in the summer 2026 transfer window, and London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea are both interested in the 26-year-old, who is still in his prime years as a wide forward.

Other top Premier League clubs like Liverpool and Newcastle United are also being linked, but Spurs may actually be the most intriguing option, since they were linked with the former Villa man before falling out of the race quickly behind Inter Milan. And Diaby ended up not moving at all in a saga similar to Ademola Lookman's, though the Nigerian eventually did move in the last winter window to Atletico Madrid - a transfer Spurs surely regret not making.

Moussa Diaby wants to move back to the Premier League

But do they regret not trying to sign Diaby? He is outgrowing the Saudi Pro League, as expected, putting up better assists and more explosive wing play than the geriatrics in his division, so it is no surprise that he is piqued by coming back to the Premier League.

Diaby didn't get along all that well in his first stint in England with Aston Villa, but the flashes of end product were there. Instead of giving himself the chance for an adjustment period, he bolted for the cash in the Saudi Pro League, perhaps pushed along by a Villa organization that is very content with selling young talents to Saudi for big money - look no further than striker Jhon Duran, too.

Tottenham have a burgeoning world-class right winger in Mohammed Kudus, and perhaps the same can be said for right-footed Wilson Odobert, who switched over there after Kudus's injury. Dejan Kulusevski is also a prolific right winger. But all three are currently injured, with Odobert tearing his ACL and Kulu still not back from his own severe knee injury.

Diaby has played on the left in the past, too, but his best position is on the right, where he was one of the best wingers in Europe while at Bayer Leverkusen before his Premier League transfer. Now, the Frenchman's cost may prohibit him from being the best option for Spurs as a backup to Kudus with Kulu and Odobert already on the books, but when it comes to playmaking, difference-making, and quality, Diaby may be the best right winger Spurs could get.

Tottenham Hotspur are only four points above the Premier League drop zone and have to seriously worry about losing their best players this summer. Pedro Porro is the latest star to be linked to a European powerhouse.

Porro has been an indispensible starter at the right back position for Spurs since coming in from Sporting CP, and although he has missed a few games recently due to injury, breaking down from all the minutes he has played, he has maintained his status as a crucial player this season.

According to a report from Italian newspaper Il Giorno, Serie A leaders Inter Milan, who are leading the league by a wide margin, are interested in signing Porro as a potential replacement for star right wing back Denzel Dumfries, should the Dutchman finally be tempted by a transfer offer elsewhere.

Inter Milan are watching Pedro Porro

Dumfries is one of the best right wing backs in the world, but so is Porro, who would actually be a lot better at Inter in a more attacking role as a wing back rather than a right back in a back four. Plus, Inter play a lot more athletically and aggressively with an attacking hunger, which suits Porro better, as he is a great athlete and two-way player but not necessarily a lockdown defender.

Porro hasn't taken the steps forward to being a true star in world football at Tottenham like he was supposed to be, and his leadership skills have been lacking on a frustrating Spurs side, wasting a lot of possessions with aimless crosses and not supporting his teammates in tough times.

He is, like Micky van de Ven and so many others, cutting a frustrating figure. Porro is a player with the potential to be world-class, and while he is still very good for Tottenham, he has been unable to be great. It would be wild for Spurs to sell him now for less than what they should be getting, and under the right manager in a more attacking mindset from the club, he could be just as brilliant for Spurs as he would hypothetically be for Inter.

The worry, too, with Inter being involved is that they rotate players so much they would still make sense for Porro as a landing spot even if Dumfries, as should be the case, stays in Milano. Interest from Inter should, if anything, galvanize Tottenham to understand that they need to be getting more out of their stars like the Spanish international at right back.

Tottenham Hotspur made one of the best signings of the summer 2025 transfer window when they stole Mohammed Kudus from rivals West Ham United for less than expected, and now they could go for the swoops of Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville in summer 2026.

Spurs have already been linked with moves for Bowen and Summerville in the transfer rumor mill, but now there is a real opening that despite the Hammers best efforts, they may not be able to hold onto their best overall player and their best up-and-coming player.

According to a report from Gary Jacob of the Sunday Times Sport section, West Ham could be forced into selling Bowen, Summerville, and another crucial star in center back Jean-Clair Todibo if they are relegated at the end of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville could be easily available

The East London side recently announced losses of more than 104 million pounds, and that puts them in an even more tenuous position than derby rivals Spurs, who are also in the relegation battle. But despite beating Spurs head-to-head recently in January, West Ham are the ones currently occupying a relegation spot in the English top flight, sitting in 18th. Spurs are in 16th, just four points above the Hammers.

Now, Spurs need to work hard to ensure they stay above West Ham, but they did make moves to change their fortunes, firing Thomas Frank as manager and hiring specialist Igor Tudor to save them. There may be nothing saving West Ham if they keep this up, and they have less financially to fall back on than Spurs.

Tottenham cannot count their proverbial chickens, but at reduced prices, Bowen and even Summerville are attractive targets, though the buyer beware here is that if they got relegated with West Ham, they could get Spurs relegated, too.

But Bowen has been one of the best in the Premier League over the last few seasons and is a great goal-scoring right winger with the versatility to play pretty much any forward position. He's no Kudus in terms of skill and overall quality, but he's an even better goal-scorer and finisher with great athletic tools, too.

The stench of the Thomas Frank hire won't wash out of the N17 for a while, but Tottenham Hotspur are still after some pretty underwhelming options in the manager's chair, as they are currently being linked back to yesterday's news Niko Kovac.

According to a report from Yannick Huber, Maximilian Wessing, and Michel Schroer for German outlet Bild, Premier League Big Six clubs Manchester United and Tottenham are both interested in the Dortmund manager, who has also had stints with Monaco, Wolfsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt, and most infamously Bayern Munich over the years.

Mostly a Bundesliga manager, Kovac has never tried out a bigger league than the German or French top flights, and though he did coach one of the biggest clubs in the world in Bayern, he was pretty much ran out of Bavaria for a horrid defensive style that alienated fans, star players, and the front office, though he did win the Bundesliga with the weakest Bayern squad in recent memory against the strongest Dortmund squad since their last title triumph more than a decade ago.

Tottenham are linked to Niko Kovac again

Kovac has kept Dortmund in second and within legitimate punching distance of the Bundesliga title despite a horrendous squad that is their worst in recent memory. So he is not actually a terrible candidate for Tottenham and would be a better coach than either Frank or Igor Tudor with much more caerer achievement than both, given he also famously won the DFB Pokal in an upset over Bayern while at Eintracht to put himself on Bayern's radar in the first place.

But the former Croatian national team and Bundesliga icon is far from ideal for Tottenham. A club with Spurs ambitions and issues probably shouldn't be going after a defensive specialist who is known more for stabilizing issues than rather developing talent or building something long term.

Spurs need to think bigger than Kovac. He is a manager who, even in his best period at Dortmund, was embarrassed by Spurs and Thomas Frank in the Champions League in the North London giant's worst period.

The first time was so nice, we must do it twice. No, seriously, we could really do with a deep Champions League run to salvage an otherwise miserable 2025/26 campaign.

There was genuine hope that Ange Postecoglou, during his second season, could guide a stumbling Lilywhites team to Europa League glory, but absolutely no one, not even the most blinkered Spurs supporter, believes this Igor Tudor-led outfit is capable of conquering the continent amid relegation fears on the home front.

Our Champions League outings offered sparks of pleasure during Thomas Frank's otherwise bleak reign, but the competition is veering into its nitty-gritty phase following the conclusion of a dramatic playoff round.

Friday's draw not only revealed Tottenham's round of 16 opponents, but also mapped out Spurs' path to an unfathomable triumph.

We couldn't, could we?

Tottenham's round of 16 opponents

Our miraculous journey to the Hungarian capital starts against Atlético Madrid, who eventually cruised past Club Brugge in the playoff round after a thrilling first leg ended three apiece.

It'll be our first meeting with Los Rojiblancos since 1963, and there's a part of me that's glad we're taking on the two-time finalists under Diego Simeone as opposed to Galatasaray, who'll instead face Liverpool.

It's a tough draw, for sure, but would you back us against the Turkish champions right now? I prefer the more lucrative tie, and Atléti are somewhat prone to unexpected Champions League slip-ups. They typically thrive with their backs against the wall against the continent's best, with Tudor's plucky Lilywhites a potential banana skin.

In theory, we should benefit from hosting the second leg. Survive at the Metropolitano, and we might just have a chance. Our domestic record has been pitiful in N17 over the past two years, but José Mourinho was the last manager to oversee a European home defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham's potential quarter-final opponents

If we're able to grind our way past Simeone’s Atléti, Barcelona or Newcastle United would await in the quarter-finals.

We're, of course, familiar with the Magpies, who ended Frank's bleak tenure with a 2-1 victory in north London at the start of February. Trips to St. James' Park under the lights are seldom enjoyable, and I suspect Barça, given their issues out of possession, could succumb on Tyneside.

An all-English affair would be enticing despite the lack of novelty, but I'm sure plenty would like to see Lamine Yamal make his way down to N17 for the first time. Hansi Flick's side can be a joyous watch, especially when Pedri's ticking things over in the middle of the park.

Tottenham's potential semi-final opponents

Well, this would be something, wouldn't it?

A North London Derby with a spot in the Champions League final at stake. My heart couldn't take it. You'd be brave to even tune in.

Arsenal are almost assured of their spot in the semi-finals, with the Gunners, who topped the league phase table, facing Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 and either Bodø/Glimt or Sporting CP in the quarters. A reunion with Kjetil Knutsen's side would be the dream, but the chances of that happening, more so on our part, our distinctly slim.

We'd surely have to be confident against anyone if we made it all this way. Dejan Kulusevski's patella may reattach for crunch time, too.

Tottenham's potential final opponents

Our sole two experiences of European finals this century have come against English opposition. It'd be nice to face someone from the continent after Tudor's side have wreaked unexpected havoc on the 'blue side' of the knockout stage draw.

You'd say that the 'silver side' looks tougher on paper, with multiple leading contenders likely to face off before the showpiece event.

Holders Paris Saint-Germain aren't performing as potently as they did a year ago, and Chelsea will fancy their chances of a Club World Cup final repeat, albeit with a different manager in charge. The Blues could meet Liverpool in a long-awaited Champions League rematch in the quarter-finals, but the Reds must first bypass Galatasaray, whom they lost to in the league phase.

Archie Gray is a star in the making for Tottenham Hotspur, but it looks like Spurs are already interested in signing another young phenom at the defensive midfield position in Ajax's Sean Steur.

Since Spurs will likely be priced out of AZ Alkmaar's Kees Smit, who is a dream transfer target for Juni Calafat and Real Madrid, Steur is a more hidden gem in the Dutch Eredivisie making a name for himself as a top defensive midfield prospect as a defender and deep lying playmaker.

According to a report from Graeme Bailey of TEAM Talk, Tottenham are one of several big Premier League clubs eyeing Steur as a possible signing. Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool are the others, and the report even states that there are those who believe Steur is an even better prospect than Smit.

Tottenham are interested in Sean Steur

Steur does play for a bigger club in Ajax and is only 18. He is also two-footed and having a solid season for the biggest club in the Netherlands. He is averaging 1.1 key passes per game with a pass completion percentage above 85, close to 90. Steur is also averaging 1.3 tackles per game, more than twice the number of dribbles completed he is allowing per match.

Tottenham should not give up on Archie Gray, because he is also a special young player who has shown flashes this season. Signing Steur for a big fee in order to beat out the rest of the Premier League Big Six would be a bold move, but, well, Spurs also invested heavily in Gray even though he was playing for a smaller club in Leeds; Steur already has Champions League starting experience.

Steur may be a better option already than veterans Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha, and for what Palhinha would cost and for what Bentancur would go for on the open market, Steur may not be a bad investment.

Many of Spurs best signings have been young stars of the future like Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Mohammed Kudus, and, especially, Lucas Bergvall. These are the players with upside who can be more than what they are valued at during the time of signing, whereas players like Richarlison and Dominic Solanke can only go down in value.

Steur isn't a household name, but his numbers look as good as Smit's and he's a little bit younger. He is worth a look, and, if Spurs are smart, he will help Gray and not be competition for the future England international.

Tottenham Hotspur will battle Atletico Madrid in a tricky Champions League Round of 16 tie made all the more trickier by the fact that Ademola Lookman will be playing for the other team instead of Spurs.

Towards the end of the summer 2025 transfer window, Lookman was an increasingly available and attractive left wing option for a Spurs side set to wave goodbye to legend Son Heung-min to MLS. Although Spurs did sign young Mathys Tel permanently to take over on the left wing, everyone knew Tel wasn't ready to be Son's successor and that Spurs needed a veteran left winger.

Lookman had a falling out with Atalanta, and he somehow remained with La Dea after deadline day despite everyone knowing that he wanted out. And that all came down to Spurs not even making an effort to sign one of Serie A's best players.

Ademola Lookman should have been a Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham could have signed him again in the winter with injuries mounting and the same question marks on the left wing, but they watched Atletico Madrid pick up what has already proven to be one of the shrewdest - and biggest bargain - signings of the winter window, whereas Spurs literally did nothing other than get retread Conor Gallagher from Atleti.

Lookman played a pivotal role in Atletico surviving a playoff round upset from Belgian powerhouse Club Brugge, and now he is the clear danger man to Pedro Porro and the Tottenham defense, which is a group that is lesser than the sum of its parts.

Whereas the Nigerian superstar would have been a game-changing signing for Spurs and their best winger with Mohammed Kudus injured, he will be the most in-form forward in the game and the key difference-maker for Atleti in this Champions League Round of 16 tie.

Lookman could very well be the reason why Tottenham are sitting at home at the end of March, unable to pull off another run to a European Final. His ability to take defenders on, score goals, and his underrated creativity are all things that Atletico Madrid were missing before his signing - and they are all things Tottenham clearly miss badly right about now.

With a goal in La Liga and in the Champions League already, Lookman is a decisive factor for Los Rojiblancos, and he is difficult to stop in one-on-ones. Spurs are the clear underdogs heading into the Round of 16, and Lookman makes their underdog status even more clear at this point.