Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur have a busy summer transfer window ahead of them, but they've already accomplished two key tasks. The first is hiring Thomas Frank to replace the beloved Ange Postecoglou at manager. While Postecoglou's firing stung the Tottenham fanbase, Frank is the kind of high-upside, innovative hire who can make Spurs forgive the controversial decision.

The second and arguably even more important move was the decision to secure a permanent transfer for left winger Mathys Tel at a discounted rate of 35 million euros. Tel can be the future of the left wing position, as club legend Son Heung-min's future appears to be increasingly away from North London as he enters the final year of his contract with significant interest from clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

If Son is to be sold this summer, then Tottenham are going to have to pivot quickly to signing a replacement on the left wing. Although Tel certainly has the upside to be the next man up, Tottenham may want to nab someone sure-fire and have Tel compete with that more experienced player for starts.

Tottenham's arch rivals Arsenal have a need on the left wing of their own after another stagnant season from Gabriel Martinelli, and while they already have a dream target identified in Real Madrid's Rodrygo Goes, they have been watching another top-class option on the left wing, too.

It's time to get one back on Arsenal

According to a report from Italian transfer insider Alfredo Pedulla, Arsenal are back in for Atalanta star left winger and center forward Ademola Lookman. The have reentered talks to sign Lookman, who could potentially be made available by the Bergamo-based Serie A side in 2025.

Lookman has been the key player for Atalanta these last two seasons and was arguably the best player in the Italian top flight last season. The 27-year-old Nigerian international is entering the prime of his career and just scored 15 goals with 5 assists, averaging 2 key passes per game for La Dea as one of the most decisive and versatile attackers in Serie A.

A borderline world-class player, the current version of Lookman is an easy upgrade on the current version of Son, and he's just at the right spot where Tottenham can afford him, have him start without him getting his ego hurt by yielding some competition to Tel, and benefit from his goals and versatility.

Lookman can start on the left wing for Tottenham, and he can also start at striker for Dominic Solanke, potentially replacing Richarlison, too. He's the caliber of player Spurs should be watching and is a very achievable signing. Instead of watching Arsenal always beating them to the punch, Tottenham can be the ones who are proactive and sign a valuable transfer target at a position of need above their North London rivals.

Tottenham Hotspur aren't currently desperate for center back help, but they could be interested in signing a new central defender in 2025 to replace Cristian Romero if Atletico Madrid - or some other club - were willing to pay top dollar to coax the Argentinian international away from North London.

Although that looks unlikely, Tottenham have been keeping an eye on the market for center back signings just in case. Spurs recently took a flier on young Japanese defender Kota Takai, but he may be stowed away as one for the future and not a current top backup for the 2025/26 season.

Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi has been on Tottenham's radar as a favored center back transfer target, and a couple of months ago when Atleti's strong interest in Romero first came to view, Guehi was mentioned as a top transfer target for Spurs.

Last summer, Tottenham submitted a 70 million pound bid for Guehi, but Crystal Palace were not interested in parting ways with their most valuable player. Their decision was proven correct in the end, as Guehi played a vital role in Palace winning the FA Cup.

Liverpool are now ready to pounce

But with just one year left on his contract, Guehi could leave as a free agent in 2026, and Palace will be forced to sell him this summer at a rate significantly lower than the 70 million they rejected from Spurs last year. Palace are still expected to demand top dollar for Guehi, but if this is the guy Tottenham and Daniel Levy really want, 2025 may be the year to pounce.

Other top clubs in the Premier League will be keen on Guehi, including former employers Chelsea, and it looks like Tottenham have to worry about reigning league champions Liverpool snapping up Guehi, which could happen sooner rather than later.

After weeks of speculation, Liverpool have completed the sale of young center back Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen. Over a week ago, Fabrizio Romano reported that once the Quansah sale was completed, Liverpool would begin to advance on signing a new center back.

Since Virgil van Dijk is getting older, Liverpool are looking for a proven center back who can be a strong third option to Ibrahima Konate and Van Dijk and then eventually replace the Dutchman as a star player.

Per Romano, Liverpool have had Guehi on their shortlist at center back for "months", and with Crystal Palace already looking at Sporting CP star Ousmane Diomande as a potential replacement, Guehi may be tailor-made for Liverpool to move towards this summer now that the Quansah deal with Leverkusen is wrapped up.

Tottenham need to hold onto Romero as tightly as they can, because Guehi is the one guy who could even conceivably be a replacement - let alone upgrade - in the Premier League for the recent Europa League hero at Tottenham. Liverpool are almost certainly going to win the race for Guehi if they get involved, and Spurs can't compete with both Chelsea and the Reds for this transfer right now, especially if they can't even beat Manchester United to Bryan Mbeumo.

Last summer, Tottenham invested 65 million pounds in striker Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth, and while there is hope that the well-rounded No. 9 can have a bigger Year 2 under Thomas Frank's tutelage in North London, there's a sense that Spurs still need to snag another striker in the summer 2025 transfer window.

Solanke is a decent player, but he has been in English football for years with only one notable scoring season to show, which came in 2023/24 for the Cherries when he scored 19 goals. Last season, Solanke's scoring output went down to nine goals, and even though he was decisive in the Europa League with five, there's a feeling that Spurs need to sign a new striker to compete and push the big man.

Richarlison's days in Tottenham are likely behind him, and so Spurs need to sign a high-upside, experienced striker who can score goals and potentially even threaten for 20 in a season. Since Solanke is decent enough, Spurs can afford to gamble on a striker that is substantially cheaper than 65 million pounds but has more scoring upside.

Enter Dusan Vlahovic. Tottenham were linked to the Juventus star more than a month ago, and if Fabio Paratici returns to Spurs in any capacity this summer, then you can expect the Vlahovic transfer rumors to heat up even more.

A market opportunity every Premier League club needs to watch

Right now, Vlahovic is a market opportunity that every top club in England should be thinking about, because the Juventus transfer flop could be ready to prove everyone wrong soon. According to a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport's top Juve beat writer Fabiana della Valle, Vlahovic is making his intentions felt by rejecting both a sale out of Turin this summer and a new contract offer from the Bianconeri.

Vlahovic has one year left on his contract, and his aim appears to be to run down said contract and move elsewhere. He doesn't want a sale or stay with a club that doesn't seem to value building around him and has only destroyed his stock after he was Europe's second best up-and-coming striker behind Erling Haaland before the Juve transfer.

The Serbian international wants to have his pick of any team in the summer 2026 transfer window, moving for free and cashing in on all the bonus money and increased wages without kicking anything back to Juventus.

Tottenham may or may not still have a need at striker by that time next summer, but if they do and Solanke doesn't work out as a full-time starter, Frank doesn't bring in Yoane Wissa, and Richarlison ends up going, Vlahovic could be a perfect flier for free as a 26-year-old No. 9 only just entering his prime. He'd be the kind of big-name, value signing the likes of Daniel Levy love and the likes of Paratici want to hit a home run on.

Tottenham Hotspur secured the permanent signing of young Bayern Munich gem Mathys Tel this summer, which means in a transfer window that was already derailed by a delayed coaching decision, Spurs will have at least gotten one important move right.

Even though Tel has the potential to be a star on the left wing in North London for years to come, that isn't necessarily the left wing position sorted out for the 2025/26 season. Tottenham still have to figure out what's going on with club legend Son Heung-min, who has one year left on his contract and is being linked with a retirement-like moves to leagues such as the Saudi Pro League and Turkish Super Lig.

Therefore, Tottenham have to keep a running shortlist of potential left wing options on the transfer market that they can bring in this summer, in addition to the permanent transfer of Tel. So far, Tottenham haven't been concretely linked to any left wingers other than Eberechi Eze, who is an attacking midfielder who can also play on the left wing if necessary.

Interestingly enough, a rival club in London thinks a notable name in the Premier League will be headed to Spurs this summer. Per a report from Hammers News, a spokesman for West Ham's owners informed the site that the club believes Aston Villa left winger Jacob Ramsey will be joining Tottenham this summer. This information was revealed amidst reports indicating that the Hammers were keen on the 24-year-old.

Mathys Tel is better, though

This information is quite interesting and almost completely out of left field, since no well-known national or international transfer experts have directly linked Ramsey to Tottenham. So it is wild to see a rival club's spokesperson telling an outlet covering a local Premier League rival that Tottenham are expected to sign Ramsey - perhaps they have some information through backchannels that others don't.

Ramsey himself would be a very surprising signing, too. He's a decent player and relatively young but in 19 starts and 10 substitute appearances last season, he only had one goal and three assists. Ramsey works hard for the team and is a good athlete, but would be a backup rotational option on the wings for Tottenham with a fraction of the upside of a Tel or Wilson Odobert.

It's highly unlikely Tottenham sign Ramsey this summer, but apparently since West Ham think they will, he's now a name to watch in case bigger outlets around the United Kingdom weigh in. Aston Villa and Tottenham have traded blows in Champions League races lately, and while neither reached the top five last season, Tottenham did make the Champions League by virtue of winning the Europa League while the Lions were competitive in the UCL race at points in the 2024/25 campaign.

Tottenham would love to hurt Aston Villa directly by signing a player who started 50 percent of the Premier League fixtures last season, but most Spurs fans would like to see the club aiming higher. At the very least, they wouldn't view Ramsey as a starter over Tel.

Tottenham Hotspur star center back Cristian Romero is a wanted man. Just a couple of months ago, Tottenham fans were resigned to the thought of losing the 27-year-old central defender to La Liga giants Atletico Madrid, as countryman Diego Simeone was highly keen on bringing the hard-nosed center back to the Spanish capital. And for his part, Romero was telling everyone that he dreamed of joining a club in Spain.

Romero won back Tottenham fans with several heroic performances in elimination games in the knockout stages of the 2024/25 Europa League, including a shutdown performance alongside fellow star center back Micky van de Ven in a 1-0 victory over fellow struggling Premier League side Manchester United in the Final. That sealed Romero's status as the official Player of the Tournament.

It also sealed Romero's value to Tottenham, and even Daniel Levy was shutting down transfer interest in the World Cup and Europa League hero by setting an even richer asking price of 70 million euros. Atleti were already coming nowhere near a reasonable evaluation of Romero months ago, and now that he upped his value with a Europa League title and Player of the Tournament honors, his price definitely went up.

Diego Simeone is beyond determined

Unfortunately for Tottenham fans who thought this meant Romero was guaranteed to stay, even after the firing of Ange Postecoglou (whom the defender had a close relationship with), Atletico Madrid are making their move and evidently pushing even harder to sign Romero.

Per a report from Argentinian outlet DSports, Atleti have submitted an improved offer of 55 million euros plus an additional 10 million euros in add-ons to Tottenham for Romero, and they are now very close to signing the Argentinian star from Spurs since they are now just five million euros away from meeting the valuation that the Premier League powerhouse set for the 27-year-old center back.

While that doesn't mean Romero is guaranteed to leave just yet, it does mean that Atletico Madrid have put a twist in the story and given Spurs supporters new reason to seriously worry about losing Romero, just when it seemed like there was almost no chance of Romero leaving the club after a beautiful end to the 2024/25 campaign - and Levy's reassuring valuation of the player.

Simeone and Atleti have identified Romero as their guy, and it's easy to see why. Atleti have been investing heavily in transfer lately, as evidenced by the coup of Argentinian star Julian Alvarez from Premier League titans Manchester City last summer, and it looks like Romero could be the next domino to fall after all. Stay tuned.

Timo Werner, once one of Europe's most prolific forwards, is heading to Major League Soccer off the back of his forgettable loan spell at Tottenham.

Werner, who's struggled to replicate the destructive form he displayed over several years at RB Leipzig in the Premier League, spent 18 months on loan in N17, but barely featured in 2024–25.

The German was somewhat serviceable during his first six months at the club, recording five goal contributions in his first 13 Premier League games. He fitted the mould of an Ange Postecoglou winger, with Werner able to use his blistering speed to reach the byline before drilling crosses across the box for a potential beneficiary.

However, the same issues which plagued his spell at Chelsea continued to manifest in north London. Werner was once again remarkably inconsistent in front of goal. Still, he apparently did enough to convince the club to extend his loan by another year, but 2024–25 was one to forget for the 29-year-old as he fell down Ange's pecking order and went AWOL down the stretch due to an apparent injury.

Timo Werner is heading to MLS after failed Spurs move

Werner returned to Germany at the start of the summer without a fuss being made. In truth, many had forgotten about him.

However, the German, who has 57 caps for the national team, has no future in Saxony either. His next move depicts just how far Werner has fallen. In 2020, Europe's elite were chasing his signature off the back of a 28-goal Bundesliga season. Now, he's merely been able to garner intrigue from across the Atlantic.

Fabrizio Romano reported over the weekend that Werner is open to joining the New York Red Bulls after the MLS club made their interest known. Talks are said to be ongoing, with initial contact believed to have been made as early as February.

This may well be the end of the road for Werner at the highest level, but the German has already achieved plenty in the European game before turning 30. Sure, the stints in England will probably be remembered with a chuckle, but Werner has more than 20 goals for his country, over 100 in the Bundesliga and a Champions League medal to come to home to every evening. He's done okay.

The decision to retain him for 2024/25 was ill-advised, but we'll always have those moments against Manchester City—you surely haven't forgotten his opening goal in the Carabao Cup fourth round?!—and that magical afternoon at Tamworth.

All the best, Timo.

It's been another summer of change at Tottenham Hotspur so far, and a busy pre-season lies ahead for the new manager and his players.

Despite the exit of the man who guided the club to their first piece of major silverware in 17 years, Spurs will hope to build on the momentum gained from that glorious night in Bilbao throughout the summer and into the new season.

We've gotten used to fresh starts in recent times, many of which have proven to be nothing more than false dawns, but there's optimism that Thomas Frank, having turned Brentford into an established Premier League outfit, will finally oversee the "painful rebuild" that Mauricio Pochettino warned us all about all those years ago.

A transfer policy that has focused on youth should be vindicated with the Dane at the helm, but supporters will hope that the squad is further emboldened by transfer market activity.

We're still some distance away from August 16 and Burnley's visit on the opening weekend of the 2025/26 Premier League season, and Frank will first have to navigate a hugely important maiden pre-season in order to best prepare his squad for the fresh campaign.

Here's Tottenham's confirmed 2025 summer schedule.

Tottenham 2025 full pre-season schedule

While Brentford toured the United States under Frank's watch, the Bees' summers generally revolved around domestic friendlies and a European training camp. It's a little more hectic in these parts—not to sound overly patronising—with Spurs jetting off to the Far East at the end of July for a pair of fixtures against Premier League outfits.

Before that, though, Frank's unofficial managerial bow arrives at Kenilworth Road against a Luton Town team that have suffered back-to-back relegations and are now playing in the third tier of English football. Our first friendly of the summer is scheduled for 26 July at 15:00 (BST).

I'm not a huge fan of facing domestic rivals in pre-season, and many were critical of the decision to stage the first-ever North London Derby overseas. I understand the complaints, but it does offer those who may otherwise never get the chance to see this iconic fixture in the flesh. We'll be facing Arsenal in Hong Kong on 31 July before taking on Newcastle in the home capital of Son Heung-min, Seoul, three days later.

There was seemingly an agreement in the Harry Kane transfer to play Bayern Munich every summer until the world caves in, and this time we're heading to Munich for a friendly against the Bundesliga champions. Hopefully, that'll prepare us for our first experience of the UEFA Super Cup the following week.

Tottenham Hotspur will be represented in Saturday's U21 European Championship final after England down the Netherlands in Wednesday's semi-final.

In a similar tale to last summer, the opening two goals were shared between the two teams before England struck late. While Ollie Watkins was the man who sent a nation into delirium last July, Harvey Elliott was the Young Lions' hero this time around.

The Liverpool star scored twice in England's semi-final triumph, and his winning goal was a stunning solo effort. In a bid to preserve their advantage, Lee Carsley sent on Spurs starlet Archie Gray in stoppage time, and there's hope the 19-year-old will play a part in the tournament's showpiece event on Saturday.

Archie Gray's England into U21 Euros final but French starlets miss out

Gray started two of England's three group games—one in midfield and the other at right-back—but was an unused substitute in their quarter-final victory over tournament favourites Spain and only played a minor role in the semi-final.

The Spurs man is competing against the likes of Elliot Anderson, Alex Scott and Jack Hinshelwood, who scored a brace in N17 on the final day of last season, for minutes in the middle of the park, while Tino Livramento got the nod at right-back on Wednesday. All have more Premier League experience than Gray, one of the younger members in Carsley's squad.

This England side are inspired by Liverpool's Elliott, and they'll lean on the compact and powerful playmaker to lead them to back-to-back championships this weekend.

However, the Young Lions will have to bypass a Germany team boasting the tournament's star: Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade. The towering young forward has six goals in Slovakia this summer and was on the scoresheet again in Germany's semi-final victory over France.

Tottenham's Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert were in the starting XI for their 3-0 defeat, as Monaco's Soungoutou Magassa endured a night to forget. The 21-year-old was hugely responsible for the concession of two early goals that France failed to recover from.

Tel, in particular, had impressed at the tournament, with the new Spurs arrival delivering the magic moment to defeat Denmark in the last eight. While Odobert was withdrawn, Tel lasted the full 90 and almost teed up Thierno Barry in stoppage time to set up what could've been an exciting finale.

But it wasn't to be for those two, who'll soon be reporting to Enfield for the start of a new era under Thomas Frank.

Tottenham Hotspur haven't made any real signings in the summer 2025 transfer window thus far, as their lone acquisition has been the acquisition of a player already there on loan and the most no-brainer signing of them all - the agreement of a permanent, 35 million euro transfer for Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel.

While praising the obvious is important when it comes to a club like Tottenham that so often drops the ball on what is clear and obvious, Spurs definitely need to do more than just sign Tel in order to ensure they finish substantially better than 17th in the Premier League and actually compete in the Champions League next season. Not to belittle what Spurs accomplished in the Europa League, but there are no Bodo Glimts in the Champions League semifinals - let's just put it that way.

There's also a logistical issue when it comes to competing in the Champions League. Tottenham need more homegrown players. They currently have seven homegrown Premier League talents in their 23-man squad and will need to sign one more this summer.

The easiest solution is to sign Kyle Walker-Peters, a former Tottenham prospect who started sparingly at right back for them for nearly a handful of years before becoming an above-average Premier League right back and a regular starter for Southampton.

Tottenham already missed out on easy signings this summer

But now that Southampton have been relegated again after being the literal worst team in English football last season, Walker-Peters has always been expected to walk as a free agent this summer. Not without trying, though, as the Saints did push hard to keep KWP with constant negotiations throughout last summer and winter; he was so valuable to Southampton that they risked losing him for free in order to keep the door open for him to stay.

Now, Southampton have confirmed via their official site that Walker-Peters will leave the club this summer after his contract lapses upon the conclusion of the month of June, meaning he can join Tottenham - or any other club, for that matter - for free ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Although Walker-Peters would just be a backup player, that's all Spurs need at the right back position behind one of the world's finest options in Pedro Porro. And after losing out on a straightforward veteran squad addition that Thomas Frank wanted, it would be a double whammy for Tottenham to miss out on an even easier transfer in Walker-Peters.

Obviously, Walker-Peters would love to join Tottenham, even as a backup. And obviously, Tottenham should want a decent, veteran backup fullback at affordable wages who knows the culture of the club, especially when he fulfills a vital squad requirement for the most financially important and most prestigious competition in club football.

Tottenham Hotspur started the offseason on the complete wrong foot, taking ages to come to any sort of a decision on Europa League-winning manager Ange Postecoglou before promptly discarding him after weeks, setting themselves back unnecessarily on the transfer market.

Whlle Spurs have gotten the choice of his successor right, picking Brentford's Thomas Frank to the lead charge, all the ills of the last month have caught up to Frank. Previous targets linked to Tottenham like Johnny Cardoso and Rayan Cherki have already chosen to move to big European clubs, and now even Frank's preferred transfer targets are falling off the map.

Tottenham have effectively given up the chase for what should have been their most obvious priority on the transfer market, Frank's top Brentford pupil Bryan Mbeumo with nearly 30 Premier League goal contributions last season. Mbeumo is almost certainly headed to Manchester United.

To make matters worse, though, Tottenham have now 100 percent lost out on an even easier Frank disciple to sign. And to make matters even worse than that, they have lost this player to their most hated rivals, Arsenal FC.

Arsenal embarrass Tottenham once more

According to Fabrizio Romano, an agreement between Brentford and Arsenal is officially done, and defensive midfielder Christian Norgaard, a key veteran leader in Frank's tactical system over the years, will be headed to Tottenham's chief North London rivals for a meager 11 million euros. Norgaard is now set for a medical after agreeing personal terms with the Gunners.

Tottenham had just started to show concrete interest in Norgaard, but Arsenal saw that and accelerated their interest. What should have been a neck-and-neck race ended very quickly with Arsenal signing the quality Premier League holding midfielder for close to nothing, replacing him with departing free agent Thomas Partey.

While Tottenham are prioritizing younger players, 11 million euros for a captain-level player, an above-average starting defensive midfielder, an upgrade in that role on current players in the squad, and a favorite of the new coach's would have been a very miniscule fee to pay for one veteran player on a very, very young squad.

It's outright shameful for Daniel Levy and Tottenham to miss out on a player with this close ties to Frank - and to Arsenal, no less, who should have had no advantage over Frank and Spurs at signing Norgaard. Tottenham just won the Europa League, yet Levy and Co. remain the archtiects of the continued demise of this brand. All Levy does is prove the old adage right that Tottenham will never support its coaches, no matter who they are or what they win.