Hotspur HQ

The longer Tottenham Hotspur wait to address the biggest need in their squad before the 2025/26 Premier League and Champions League season starts, the more likely they are to sign someone sub-standard or overpriced...or simply nobody at all.

Tottenham have ostensibly brought in a duo of established Premier League attacking stars with the upside to become superstars, as Mohammed Kudus has already been sealed and No. 10 Morgan Gibbs-White should be forthcoming as shiny new toys for incoming manager Thomas Frank to work with.

But Frank knows as well as all the Spurs supporters that no matter who the team signs up front, they cannot have a prayer of success at the top-five level of the Premier League - let alone in the Champions League - without a sturdy base to build upon.

Ideally, Tottenham would make a double-swoop in the midfield, signing an expensive and ambitious star to lead the way as a No. 6, such as Adam Wharton, as well as a more undervalued defensive midfielder who can work with the likes of veteran Rodrigo Bentancur and young gun Archie Gray as part of a rotation.

Tottenham lose another quality depth option

Yet another quality option has fallen off the table for Tottenham this summer, as Fabrizio Romano gave his fabled "Here We Go" to Leeds United, as the returning Premier League side managed to snag underrated Bundesliga standout Anton Stach from Hoffenheim for a meager circa 20 million euros.

Stach has been one of the Bundesliga's best 6's over the past couple of seasons for Mainz and Hoffenheim, drawing looks from bigger clubs in Germany like Borussia Dortmund. A starter for Spurs? Probably not, but he showed that he has the physical tools, tactical awareness, and overall skill-set to be a rotational option - and he's undoubtedly better than the vacuous black hole of players Spurs have behind the main options.

If players like Stach are getting into Premier League teams and coming off the market at reasonable fees, others like Richard Rios will soon be flying off the shelf, leaving the cupboard of options relatively barren for Tottenham. Defensive midfielders are in scarce supply, and the very best options that Spurs supporters are dreaming of, like Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, probably aren't going to be available at all this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur have already nabbed two important attacking signings this summer between West Ham right winger Mohammed Kudus and the somewhat forgotten Mathys Tel, who counts as a new transfer as a permanent acquisition from Bayern Munich after an intriguing six-month loan spell to cap off the 2024/25 Europa League title-winning campaign.

Spurs, of course, aren't done there yet, as Morgan Gibbs-White should be forthcoming from Nottingham Forest as only a slightly more expensive deal than Kudus at 60 million pounds, per an evidently controversial release clause.

But if Tottenham really want to build a deep and formidable attacking front that can compete with London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea in the top five of the Premier League and in their return to the Champions League next season, then Daniel Levy should buck his own arbitrary conventions with one more bold trick up his sleeve.

Former Everton man Ademola Lookman has completely reinvented himself from his doomed days at Goodison Park, becoming arguably the best forward in Italian football across the last three seasons, registering 15 goals and 5 assists in his finest goal-scoring season to date in 2024/25 for brief title contenders Atalanta.

Tottenham can play by an easier set of rules

According to a report from Fabrizio Romano, while it initially appeared that Atalanta were asking for just 40 million euros in order to sell Lookman, who wants a new challenge outside Bergamo, the Goddesses of northern Italy now "insist" that Lookman's top suitors, perennial Serie A title contenders Inter Milan, pay a full 50 million euros for the Nigerian superstar. Fab says Atalant will not give a "green light" to any Italian club that pays 40 million euros for Lookman.

That implies Atalanta are more worried about losing Lookman to a direct title rival than anything else, which opens up the door that they are willing to take less money than the full 50 million euros in order to sell Lookman abroad and avoid the versatile 27-year-old forward going to another Italian club.

So Atalanta insisting on more money from Inter is great news for Tottenham. It means that if Spurs were to step up their interest in Lookman and make a legitimate approach, they could be immediate favorites to land yet another Serie A star to their ranks, since they will get to play by a different, more lax set of rules than their fellow Champions League competitors.

Lookman wants out and Atalanta are expected to help him leave, and if they don't want it to come at their own direct cost in Serie A, Tottenham can be there to sign the top-class forward at a relative bargain rate. Maybe Levy, as with Kudus and Tel, could negotiate an even lower fee than 40 million euros for Dominic Solanke's next striker competitor.

Tottenham Hotspur are fresh off winning their first Europa League title in 41 years, and while any Spurs supporter of some seasoning will remain skeptical, it appears Daniel Levy and Co. are trying to build a strong young nucleus for incoming manager Thomas Frank that will be able to build on what is hopefully just an initial taste of greater success to come.

Spurs have missed out on reaching that next level as an organization for far too long, and they are closing in on securing a trio of Europe's more intriguing young players in Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus, and now Morgan Gibbs-White.

But behind this exciting, Frank-led attack, a more stable base needs to come into focus in the midfield. Once Spurs secure Gibbs-White - and even while they are in the process of doing so - they have to turn their attention to bringing in a new No. 6. They may even need two center midfield profiles to truly compete at the Champions League levle.

Tottenham are focused on young, rising Premier League ballers

The young Adam Wharton is the dream pick, but the Crystal Palace man could be prohibitively expensive. Another option has emerged and follows in the suit of Kudus, Gibbs-White, Wharton, and the other confirmed or rumored Spurs signings of 2025; he is a young and exciting option who is an established Premier League starter.

According to Give Me Sport journalist Ben Jacobs in an appearance on the Last Word on Spurs show, Tottenham have begun to show legitimate interest in Wolves defensive midfielder Joao Gomes, who has been loosely linked with a number of top Premier League clubs, including Tottenham's summer transfer rivals and Europa League Final opponents, Manchester United.

Gomes is still years away from his prime as a defensive midfielder at 24 but is already one of the better defensive specialists in the Premier League. The Brazilian international bagged three goals last season with 1.3 fouls drawn per game with a whopping 3.2 tackles per game in the Premier League, one year after averaging a robust 3.5 tackles per match in four starts at Copa America as one of the few bright spots for a Brazil national team that flopped on the big stage again.

One of the stars of Wolves last season, Gomes could be a great signing in conjunction with a profile like Wharton who can playmake and control games from deep. Gomes is a box-to-box destroyer and the kind of high-impact ball-winner Spurs need, especially if they are intent on replacing a significantly lesser player in Yves Bissouma.

Tottenham Hotspur have managed to land two of the most promising attacking coups of the summer 2025 transfer window in West Ham right winger Mohammed Kudus and Bayern Munich left winger Mathys Tel, who spent the second half of the 2024/25 season playing for Spurs and winning the Europa League title in the process.

Both Kudus and Tel, as well as the forthcoming Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest, should give Tottenham a significant boost to an attack that was not quite to the standard of the other big six clubs in England last season.

Despite the positivity, Tottenham should be taken to task for fumbling the signing of one of the marquee forwards in the Premier League right now and arguably the biggest individual breakout star of the 2024/25 season, Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo.

Tottenham could have made a bigger effort

Tottenham, in theory, had a significant advantage over Manchester United in the race for Mbeumo after hiring Brentford coach Thomas Frank, but they never truly took advantage of that wild card, showing only minimal interest in Mbeumo. Manchester United pursued Mbeumo for months and yet still haven't officially signed him, and while that should have given Spurs an opening to swoop in and try harder to sign the 20-goal right winger, they have instead rested on their laurels.

Now, it seems like taking advantage of Man United's hesitancy to get this deal done won't matter soon. That's because Fabrizio Romano is reporting that not only are Manchester United still "confident" in securing the Mbeumo signing, but he also confirms that, as The Athletic's David Ornstein reported, Man United have bumped up their transfer package to 70 million pounds with add-ons and are continuing talks with Brentford for Mbeumo.

It's yet another transfer blow for any Tottenham fans holding out hope for Mbeumo's arrival, and while some will point to Kudus's signing alongside Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski as Spurs having three quality left-footed right wingers now, the more grounded fans will note that none of those players have Mbeumo's goals or assist record in the Premier League - let alone both.

Although Tottenham Hotspur are no longer at any risk of losing star center back Cristian Romero this summer with Atletico Madrid all but pulling out of the transfer race after seeing their lowball offers rebuffed by Spurs, that doesn't mean Spurs should stop showing interest in promising young center backs.

It's a position where depth has been more coveted by the elite teams in European football, and Real Madrid are a great recent example of how having poor center back depth can derail even the most talented of squads.

Tottenham have two of the best center backs in the world as a pairing between Micky van de Ven and Romero, who showed the full gamut of their skills as a partnership in a clean sheet win over Manchester United in the Europa League Final. Behind them, Kevin Danso is waiting for his breakout moment in the Premier League after being an elite Ligue 1 central defender, and former Serie A star Radu Dragusin could still be a factor.

Tottenham love to look at Serie A defenders

But Tottenham aren't done with looking at potential starting-caliber center backs to spell either Romero or Van de Ven if the dreaded injury bug were to start again, and their search has mostly focused on Serie A candidates, including Jhon Lucumi and Koni De Winter in the past.

Now, though, Tottenham are being linked to a much more exciting name out of Italy in Atalanta star Giorgio Scalvini, who has gone forgotten by many after a cruciate ligament tear and a severe shoulder injury in back-to-back seasons. Per journalist Ben Jacobs of Give Me Sport in an appearance on the Last Word on Spurs YouTube show, Tottenham have discussed the possibility of signing Scalvini.

It's early in the stage of the Scalvini to Tottenham transfer rumor, but this is a move that Spurs should indeed consider approaching. Atalanta don't sell players on the cheap, but they are reasonable in their asking prices. Scalvini has little interest around Europe compared to his talent and pedigree as a top young Serie A center back, so this could be a chance for Spurs to take a flier and buy low before the Italian international bounces back.

Just 21 years old despite averaging more interceptions per game than tackles per game in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons as an established star in the league, Scalvini has the traits Tottenham look for in center backs - he is athletic, comfortable on and off the ball, and already elite at reading the game.

There's no question that Morgan Gibbs-White should be a Tottenham Hotspur player by now. He had a 60 million pound release clause. He wanted to join Tottenham. Spurs paid the clause. End of discussion. And yet legal threats and an embarrassing circus has ensued, with an incensed Forest desperately trying to delay the inevitable transfer of the talented 25-year-old to N17.

It's only a matter of time before Gibbs-White joins Tottenham, but, unfortunately, instead of waiting for the most logical conclusion to proceed, it appears Spurs may be caving to the pressure and doing exactly what Forest intended by starting this ridiculous saga in the first place.

According to a report from the Daily Mail's Tom Collomosse, Tottenham are now considering submitting a second bid to Nottingham Forest in order to secure the signing of Morgan Gibbs-White and convince their potential top-five Premier League rivals to sell. They are reportedly thinking about bidding an extra five million pounds over the release clause to bring the sum for the attacking midfielder to a cool 65 million pounds, which is 10 more million than what Spurs paid to West Ham for winger Mohammed Kudus.

Tottenham will get Morgan Gibbs-White no matter what

Gibbs-White, per Collomosse, would like to have his future settled by next Monday and is, to nobody's surprise, still interested in joining Spurs. So, perhaps, Spurs submitting more money to Forest is less about rewarding a Premier League rival's foolish antics, but, rather, more about appeasing Gibbs-White and, in unusal fashion, putting a tiny bit of money where their mouth is to make Gibbs-White feel like he is valued highly by his incoming club.

The most likely and most logical outcome here is for Tottenham to stand pat and wait for the Premier League and other governing and legal bodies to step in and let this deal go through. But if Spurs have any inkling of doubts, they may see five million pounds extra as an insurance policy to end this headache so they don't lose any ground on even more important targets like a shiny new No. 6. And Forest seem like the kind of club that are desperate enough to take the money and run, which may have been their intention all along.

It's unfortunate that we are in this situation in the first place, where a club can effectively throw a temper tantrum over a release clause they agreed to themselves and then did their best to hide. It's not fair to Gibbs-White at all, and now that Forest have been found out, they want to cry foul.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luiz clearly has his head screwed on.

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

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

Reports suggest Douglas Luiz wants to play for Tottenham

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Better than Dejan Kulusevski?

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

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

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

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

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