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Tottenham Hotspur stars once again made the club proud over the international break, and while the most important headline for Spurs supporters is that their best players will be heading back to North London unscathed, fans have something else to cheer about as Premier League action returns this weekend with a battle against London rivals West Ham.

Last season, the midfield was a major weakness under Ange Postecoglou, but with the hiring of Thomas Frank and the additions of Xavi Simons and Joao Palhinha from the Bundesliga, the Tottenham midfield suddenly looks like a real point of strength for Spurs in 2025 - and we haven't even seen Simons take the field yet.

The Tottenham midfield has gotten so good that with Simons in tow, key players from last season like Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall are going to be fighting for starts. And that's a great "problem" to have, especially with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski nursing significant knee injuries.

But what makes this all even better is that Tottenham's most prominent midfield upgrade from the 2024/25 season to the 2025/26 campaign isn't even a new signing; it's a young talent who has been there all along.

Tottenham have a new box-to-box maven

Pape Matar Sarr has started the season off on a torrid pace, earning such plaudits from Tottenham fans as comparisons to N'Golo Kante. While those flattering comparisons don't really get to the heart of Sarr's playing style and what he brings to Spurs as much as they lead to social media engagements, the point stands that Sarr has been fabulous in a box-to-box role for Tottenham this season.

And he only enhanced his reputation over the international break for Senegal. Not only is he bringing the same excellent work rate, defensive contributions, progression, and all-around ability in covering all parts of the field for Senegal as he has for Tottenham, but he's also showing even more technical ability and, yes, goal scoring in a more prominent and freer role as THE current star of the Senegal national team.

To wit, Sarr came up with the game-winning goods off the bench in the 87th minute of Senegal's 3-2 victory over the DR Congo in the World Cup qualifiers, producing his second moment of sublime quality to score a goal during this international break.

Sarr had already scored a great goal four days prior in a 2-0 win over Sudan. He is showing a level of star power and technical quality for his country that Tottenham haven't really seen yet, and it's something Frank can unlock, just as he's already gotten significantly more out of the 22-year-old than Postecoglou did last seaosn.

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane is loving life at Bayern Munich.

He has secured the first pieces of silverware of his career in 2025, and he looks set to improve on it ni the coming years with Germany's best team, by an absolute landslide.

However, his decision to leave Tottenham was also met with a lot of criticism - particularly from some former players and English media, which confused quite a few people, including me.

Legendary footballer Michael Owen, famously known for a Ballon d'Or win, his stint at Liveerpool and a failed move to Real Madrid, was heavily critical of Kane's decision to chase silverware in Germany, instead of with his own club.

He was also not too happy with Kane leaving just before he beat Alan Shearer's record of the most Premier League goals ever.

Well, Kane's just responded, and it is as good of a response as you'll hear this week.

Harry Kane gave the perfect response to Michael Owen

He said: "I heard it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I've spent a bit of time with him but don't know him well. Obviously, he is a Premier League great and an England great as well, so I'll respect him as a person, but ultimately as he will know, everyone's career is different - everyone's decisions and motivations are different.

"I know he was insinuating I went just for the trophy, but it was to be at the highest level for as long as possible, and I'm really happy in that sense of playing big games, title runs, big Champions League matches, Club World Cup quarter-final.

"I feel I'm improving as a player, I'm pushing my limits as a player in terms of goalscoring. It's hard not to hear things these days, but the decisions are best for me and I'm really happy that I made that decision and very happy at Bayern Munich now."

Honestly, that is fair enough.

It is clear that Kane didn't just move for the trophies. That may be one of the reasons - as is with every single big player who wants to win more - but he wanted to be competitive for longer. To be better as a footballer than he was in England.

So, moving to Germany has helped him in many ways. Owen's quotes about the trophies not being a "great achievement" is ridiculous. Every trophy is a success, and much more so when you are by far the best player in the league.

Besides, I do think Kane has improved as a player, even though he was already one of the best in the world at Spurs. English football is great, but these players don't deserve criticism just because they leave for a different country to achieve things elsewhere.

He spent a lot of his formative years and his career trying to win things at Spurs. Things did not work out, so he left. End of story. That does not make him any less of a legend at the club.

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Tottenham Hotspur have an embarrassment of riches at the center back position, and after watching the way Europa League Player of the Season Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and even third center back Kevin Danso teamed up to take down clubs en route to a victorious Europa League title run, Spurs supporters wouldn't trade any of their center backs for anything in the world.

They were, therefore, ecstatic that Atletico Madrid's overtures for Argentinian World Cup and Copa America hero Romero didn't go anywhere, keeping one of the world's finest center back trios intact for the 2025/26 Premier League and Champions League seasons. And if you are high on Radu Dragusin under new manager Thomas Frank, then you could call it a quartet.

What's even wilder is that Tottenham could have had, by far, the best quintet of center backs in the world if they decided to keep Luka Vuskovic. But after a standout preseason, Spurs felt it was best to let Vuskovic spread his wings on loan to Bundesliga side Hamburg, in need of new defensive star power upon their return to the German top flight.

Vuksovic is just 18 years old, but Spurs fans are already buzzing about their next Sergio Ramos, and even former Tottenham manager Martin Jol is waxing poetic about the future potential of this special center back talent.

Ex-Tottenham manager sells Cristian Romero a bit short

He told Football.London's Alasdair Gold that Vuskovic has what it takes to be an even better player than Cristian Romero, who is currently Spurs best center back and widely recognized by fans and his peers as one of the best in the world:

"[Cristian] Romero could go anywhere but you feel like if he plays for a while at his top level, he will get injured. Romero is a good, decent defender, but I will tell you one thing, the guy they sent to Hamburg now - Luka Vuskovic - will be better."

It's a bold claim from the one-time Tottenham coach, but it's one of the only bold claims at Romero's expense that Spurs fans may actually entertain. Because if they aren't going to take any center back over Romero or Van de Ven in the world, the one they may take is someone who is already a Spur.

Although Jol does downplay Romero a bit by underselling him as "good" and "decent" when it's pretty clear that he's world-class with what he's accomplished for Argentina and Tottenham as a serial trophy-winner, the reality is that Vuskovic has the potential to be even better.

That's no statement against Romero but rather effusive praise for Vuskovic's potential. Of course, potential is a funny way to say that a player hasn't actually accomplished anything yet, and, for that reason, you really have to tip your cap off to Romero, at the end of the day, for becoming what he's become in world football as a top-level center back. Spurs are very fortunate to have all these guys within their ranks here in 2025.

Tottenham Hotspur had one of the best transfer windows of any Premier League club this summer. And that's not just on paper, because the likes of defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha and right winger Mohammed Kudus have been absolutely smashing it through the first three matchdays of the new campaign, making Spurs look like legitimae top-five contenders after finishing 17th last season.

Credit a large part of the early turnaround to Thomas Frank's tactics, but also credit the players for their contributions. Palhinha and Kudus have been game-changers, and Spurs fans are still waiting for the Tottenham debuts of new attacking midfield sensation Xavi Simons and new striker signing Randal Kolo Muani.

Although Simons is the player everyone is hyped about, Kolo Muani was an intriguing transfer deadline day snag from PSG, and it sounds like Tottenham have big plans for "RKM" in the 2025/26 season. Based on this latest quote from technical director Johan Lange, Spurs don't just see the former Bundesliga star as only a striker either:

"I think with Randal, first of all, I’m so pleased we managed to get it over the line. Credit to everybody at the club to act quickly when the opportunity of a player of that level arises. Randal is a versatile, attacking player, so he can play across the front line. It gives Thomas and the staff so many options across the front line, where most of our players can play in more than one position and, again, with Randal coming in, a player we have followed for a long, long time, very successful in the Eintracht Frankfurt team a couple of years ago. He's made his move to Paris and then in the last six months, also played with success at Juve, played in the World Cup, played in the Champions League, played for big clubs, so we are very, very pleased and excited that he's here and he will be another great addition to squad for the season."

The new Tottenham starting LW?

As Lange notes, even though Kolo Muani didn't make much of an impact for PSG, he was an absolute star in the Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt, even outshining Bayern Munich in some big games. His numbers in terms of goals and assists were pretty similar to Hugo Ekitike's in Frankfurt last season, and Spurs aren't paying anywhere near 90 million euros for his services.

Kolo Muani also impressed enough on loan at Juventus last season that the Bianconeri actually tried to keep him for longer before Tottenham swept in and stole away the versatile 26-year-old forward. He has the finishing, speed, and well-rounded dribbling and creativity to be a solution on the left wing.

Lange seems to be implying Kolo Muani as a versatile option on the left side of the formation with Kudus already nailing the right wing with that tricky left foot of his. If Kolo Muani can be a supplementary goal scorer from the left with Dominic Solanke and Richarlison manning the middle, this Spurs front three suddenly looks versatile, fluid, and unpredictable. And that's exactly what appears to be Frank's and the club's larger plan here.

After nearly 25 years of executive leadership in North London, Tottenham’s now former- chairman Daniel Levy is partying ways with the organization.

In the wake of the departure, along with rotation of managers and player personnel, fans are likely wondering what sort of impact these new decision-makers will have on the club’s trajectory.Â

Luckily, a recent interview with club CEO Vinai Venkatesham has revealed that the organization is willing to do whatever it takes to maintain the momentum of last season’s continental success by securing more silverware in the years to come.

“This is a new era for the club, under new leadership, completely backed by our majority shareholder, the Lewis family, so we can feel optimistic and ambitious for the future,” Vinai stated.Â

“We saw in May, in Bilbao, what that next step is. That next step is competing for and ultimately winning major trophies. We’ve had a taste of that… and that’s what everybody associated with this football club is hungry for,” he added.

Tottenham’s historic Europa League success has been on the top of everyone’s mind heading into this year’s return to Champions League action, club ownership included.

Now, according to Vinai, the senior leadership is ready to make a commitment to continuing that success. Adding to his praise of the Lewis family, the CEO claimed “They are very very passionate about Tottenham Hotspur, and they’re ambitious for the club… focused on giving our men’s team… the best chance to be successful on the pitch over the long term.”

For as long as most Spurs fans can likely recall, every transfer window has been accompanied by its fair share of excitement and disappointment, often in equal measure. The past month was no different, as supporters were exposed to a roller coaster of emotions in the wake of transfer rumors and last-minute dealings.Â

But, with exciting new additions to the squad in Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani, among others, along with an optimistic 2-1 showing across the first month of the season, the Tottenham faithful will be hoping that success is in the club’s future, and that the organization’s top decision-makers will keep their promise by investing in the club’s competitiveness moving forward.Â

Part of that long-term success may very well include selling off unused players this upcoming transfer window, and potentially bringing in more talent as Tottenham look to sustain themselves across both continental and domestic aspiration.Â

Tottenham Hotspur limped to the finish line in the 2024/25 Premier League season from an injury standpoint, though ailments and absences have been familiar territory for Spurs in recent years. Key midfielders Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski all went down with season-ending injuries, yet Spurs were still able to secure the Europa League title at the end of it all.

Although Bergvall recently made his return to the Tottenham lineup and has been playing a key role off the bench - starts will hopefully be soon to follow under new manager Thomas Frank - the other two star midfielders remain absent.

Maddison suffered a worse injury before the season started, tearing his ACL and ruling him out for almost the entirety of the 2025/26 Premier League and Champions League seasons. Meanwhile, Kulusevski has been slower to recover from his own knee injury, and there have been fears that he could be out until closer to 2026.

Recently, though, Kulusevski offered a positive injury update for Tottenham fans. Speaking to Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen, the right winger and attacking midfielder said that he is recovering well in his rehab and will be able to return to training on a football pitch "very soon". He affirmed that his current recovery status is "very good":

Tottenham need to wait 2-3 more months for his injury return

"The status is good. The rehab is going well. Every day I wake up with the same hunger and even more hunger with each passing day. The status is very good, and I will be on a football pitch in the very, very near future. If everything goes as it should, as it has so far, I am very confident that I will be on the pitch in two to three months."

It seems like some Tottenham fans and wider Premier League observers have forgot, but Kulusevski is a great footballer who is very important to this team. His progression, chance creation, work rate, versatility, and upside as a tertiary goal-scoring option make him an ideal rotational player.

Kulusevski fits the culture of Tottenham wonderfully, and it is easy for people to forget but the left-footed winger has plenty of natural talent, too. After all, he was once named the best young player in Serie A while carrying Parma in the 2019/20 season. Tottenham fans will, unfortunately, have to wait for two to three months, per Kulu's own words, for his return, but as he continues to rehab well, they will be crossing their fingers for an earlier return.

Tottenham Hotspur are embarking on a new chapter in their history, as they hired Thomas Frank this summer and made two of their three most expensive transfers in history in Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons. And then shortly after the transfer window ended, they finally parted ways with chairman Daniel Levy.

Spurs also waved goodbye to the biggest legend in their club's history, as Son Heung-min rode off into the sunset after securing a historic Europa League title. He will finish up his career in MLS with LAFC, reuniting with another Spurs legend in Hugo Lloris.

But on the subject of Tottenham legends and reunions, perhaps the biggest name possible could be headed back to North London next year. German journalist Raphael Honigstein recently stated on the talkSPORT show Hawksbee and Jacobs that those in German footballing circles feel as though Harry Kane will leave Bayern Munich before his contract runs out in 2027.

Honigstein says that Bayern are prepared for the possibility of Kane leaving before summer 2027, and that is partially why they acquired Nicolas Jackson this summer transfer window on loan with an obligation to buy from Chelsea. He further highlights their interest in other strikers as a sign that Bayern are already tacitly acknowledging Kane will depart and are preparing replacement options.

Tottenham still need attacking firepower

Naturally, Tottenham fans have taken interest in Honigstein's words and are reading the tea leaves themselves. Spurs showed interest in strikers at the beginning of the transfer window and eventually circled back to Randal Kolo Muani, acquiring the former Bundesliga star from PSG on a one-year loan deal with no possibility to buy.

It is unlikely Kolo Muani has a long-term future at the club, and although recent striker signings Richarlison and Dominic Solanke are quality footballers, neither have adequately replaced Kane since his departure to Bavaria. And at this point, neither have shown they are capable of being long-term solutions and stars for Tottenham as they push for true Premier League title contention in the post-Daniel Levy era.

So a dream reunion with Kane next year is entirely on the table. Tottenham will still be in need of a striker, Kane may be interested in heading out after winning the Bundesliga last season, and Bayern may be ready to cash in their chips and look for a more long-term solution at striker alongside Jackson. Kane to Tottenham would also make senes for both parties, as the legendary striker's exit from his beloved club was also tied to the fatigue of working under Levy and his miserly ways.

A new era has come to Tottenham Hotspur. Not only did Spurs hire a new manager in Thomas Frank, who already has Spurs fans buzzing about his tactical acumen and leadership, but they also signed two of the their three most expensive transfers of all time this summer between Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons.

After this productive summer transfer window, Tottenham gave their fans the best gift possible by finally pushing chairman Daniel Levy out of the club, with the intention of spending more money and getting away from the old habits of Levy, aiming to push for more prestigious silverware and a seat at the head of the table of European football going forward.

As part of that, Tottenham are expected to invest more heavily immediately in the subsequent summer transfer windows, and it sounds like they could start those efforts by moving for one of the top transfer targets they missed this summer.

Per reporting from the Daily Telegraph's Matt Law, Tottenham Hotspur could be back in for Manchester City star winger Savinho, as they have not ruled out the idea of making another transfer bid to their Premier League top five rivals this summer.

Tottenham missed out on a top player

While Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White were collapsed deals, the inability of Daniel Levy to secure Savinho for Tottenham was the most frustrating non-move of the summer window. Because in the case of the other two, Spurs ended up with a better and younger player in the end in Dutchman Xavi Simons.

But after striking out on Savinho, Tottenham didn't sign a single winger to add to Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus, frustrating Spurs supporters immensely. Tottenham still have a gaping need on the wings after failing to make competitive enough offers to sway Manchester City, but if there's any chance of Man City listening to a Savinho transfer offer, then Spurs absolutely have to be involved.

With Levy out of the picture and more money and willpower to facilitate big transfers like this one, Savinho could be a bigger reality. A lot depends on Manchester City's own willpower, which could be lower in the middle of the season, but it's a positive for Tottenham fans to see early reporting in a post-Levy world indicating that the club will be back in for the most talented transfer target they didn't end up signing during the summer 2025 transfer window. Savinho is a game-changer.

Tottenham Hotspur made a very abrupt decision just days after the conclusion of the summer 2025 transfer window, parting ways with long-time chairman Daniel Levy in an effort to change the direction of the club.

The move was predictably met with cheers from a Tottenham fanbase that had grown increasingly frustrated with Levy's decisions and inability to get the London powerhouse club competing at a level that a club of their stature should.

There was another aspect of Levy's management that was becoming increasingly problematic for Tottenham and their ability to sign the best possible transfer targets in world football. Levy's negotiation skills were holding the team back, as he had difficulty closing key transfers and was even antagonizing other clubs at the bargaining table with his miserly tactics.

The Independent's Miguel Delaney has backed up that prevailing belief among Tottenham fans that was boiling in the background constantly throughout the transfer window. Delaney reports that Spurs, in part, made the decision to remove Daniel Levy this September because there were multiple Premier League clubs that were so frustrated with negotiating with Levy that they flat-out did not want to get into talks with Tottenham at all.

Tottenham missed out on a trio of top signings

None of that is necessarily surprising to Tottenham fans. Levy already had that reputation, and it makes Spurs fans wonder if that's why the club had so many difficulties closing deals for key transfer targets this summer.

For example, Tottenham didn't get involved in the race for big targets at the beginning of the window like Bryan Mbeumo. Then, the lost out on Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze near the end, and while that had more to do with Nottingham Forest's antics and Arsenal outsmarting Spurs, respectively, you can't help but wonder if Levy's nickeling and diming played a role in the delayed talks and inability close the deal.

There are other, better reasons for firing Levy, but when things are not going well with someone in charge and people in the building are getting more and more frustrated over time, it's the little things like this that lead to bigger things and get magnified.

Tottenham fans won't miss Levy at all, and it seems fair to say that the other decision-makers at N17 won't either. There were likely big transfers Tottenham wanted to get done within the Premier League, most namely Savinho from Manchester City, and Levy's penchant for lowballing top clubs likely got in the way of Spurs making any real headway.

Although Ange Postecoglou finished just 17th in the Premier League last season as Tottenham Hotspur manager, his 2024/25 campaign will always be viewed as a success by the fanbase for leading the club to its first European trophy in more than 40 years.

Postecoglou being fired wasn't really a surprise to Spurs supporters, because even though many of them thought the historical nature of his European title win could be enough for him to keep his job, the tactical issues and poor Premier League finish understandably doomed him.

What irked Tottenham fans was how the club fired Postecoglou. Then-Chairman Daniel Levy waited weeks to make a decision, keeping Postecoglou and the entire club in a holding pattern. And then, worst of all, he insulted Postecoglou by waiting until he went on a holiday with his family to fire him that Friday night before the weekend.

Well, karma got to Levy in the end. The embattled Tottenham chairman got his walking papers abruptly just days after the summer transfer window ended, and while he wasn't fired before the weekend, Spurs, as Levy did with Postecoglou, didn't give their ex-chairman much of a warning.

Tottenham gave Daniel Levy a taste of his own medicine

According to a report from Matt Lawton and Tom Allnutt of The Times, Tottenham didn't even inform Daniel Levy of his dismissal from the club until the day of the official announcement, waiting until just hours to give Levy a heads up that he would be "stepping down" from Spurs.

It's a not-so-cruel twist of fate for Tottenham fans, as Levy had worn the patience of the fans thin. Even though Spurs had a strong summer transfer window of investment, the timing of Levy's firing seems to indicate that this had nothing to do with Levy and more to do with the other decision-makers at the club who no longer saw eye to eye with Levy's stingy nature.

Levy is out, and somewhere, perhaps on his way to Bayer Leverkusen, Ange Postecoglou is smiling at the former chairman's misery. Postecoglou got mistreated on his way out by Levy, so the only natural thing to do was give Levy a taste of his own medicine as he got his boot on the way out. Levy is a great example of how small someone who seemed so powerful can get in an instant, and very few Spurs fans will be lamenting the exit of the club's most controversial figure.