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Tottenham Hotspur made one of the most underrated moves of any club in European football this transfer window as an extension from a bit of business in the winter, signing high-upside left winger Mathys Tel for a meager 35 million euros on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich, who inexplicably gave up on the young talent they once believed in.

Tel clearly showed an affinity for Tottenham on and off the pitch with his desire, work rate, and connection with the fans in just six months. But Tottenham are still looking for more help on the left wing with club legend Son Heung-min's future still up in the air on an expiring contract.

Bayern Munich have their own gaping hole on the left wing, as they not only need a new starter, with Luis Diaz of Liverpool standing out as the dream option, but they also need a secondary option after selling off Tel to Tottenham.

A target on Tottenham and Chelsea's radar

According to a report from top transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Bayern Munich are showing interest in young Lyon left winger Malick Fofana, who is one of the best young players at the position in his own right. Romano writes that Fofana is seen by Bayern as an alternative to Diaz if Liverpool continue to refuse to sell the Colombian superstar, but, in all honesty, Fofana fits well as a signing in conjunction with Diaz.

Fofana is an open secret in European football and wanted by a number of elite clubs, including a couple in the Premier League. One of those clubs is Tottenham and the other is Chelsea. His 45 millino pound price tag is actually reasonable for a top young left wing talent from Lyon who was one of Ligue 1's standout attacking players last season.

Of course, when you note that Tottenham paid significantly less for Tel, though he wasn't as productive as Fofana in a tougher league last season, it makes that deal look even better for Spurs. But if Tottenham want to sign Fofana as an option alongside Tel and to add more top young talent to a crop of wingers that still needs more depth on the left, then they have to worry about Bayern's serious interest in the 20-year-old Belgian No. 11 with more Europa League goals than starts last season.

In all honesty, Tottenham will probably avoid spending 45 million pounds in a bidding war with the likes of Chelsea and Bayern for Fofana, but there aren't many great options on the left wing on the transfer market, especially not young ones with world-class upside. Tottenham already landed one in Tel, but they will have to keep looking out for market opportunities with an eye on life after Sonny.

Tottenham Hotspur, assuming they are able to add Morgan Gibbs-White to Mohammed Kudus, should have their attacking options mostly settled heading into the first season of Thomas Frank's new sporting project in North London - a continuation from what Ange Postecoglou built, which included a Europa League title triumph.

However, Tottenham are at risk of continuing to struggle in the Premier League while getting knocked down in a huge step up in competition quality in the Champions League, simply because they don't have the right infrastructure in the middle of the park.

Postecoglou's brazen tactics didn't necessarily help, but no matter who would have coached Tottenham, it's unlikely the midfield would have been any less overmatched without real screening and controlling quality.

Frank and Tottenham have been targeting Crystal Palace defensive midfielder Adam Wharton as their dream get at the No. 6 position this summer, but there's an acknowledgment that Wharton will be very difficult to sign due to his value to Palace, the scarcity of his position, his youth and quality, and the simple fact that Palace always drive a hard bargain for their players (look no further than other Tottenham targets like Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze).

Not interested in either Tottenham or Liverpool

Now, according to a report from respected journalist Alan Nixon for The Sun, Wharton may be impossible to get entirely, regardless of the rumored transfer fee. That's because, per Nixon, Wharton is not interested in leaving Crystal Palace at all this summer transfer window despite flattering interest from Tottenham Hotspur and defending Premier League champions Liverpool.

Still just 21 years old despite already establishing himself as one of the elite holding midfielders in the English Premiership, Wharton has three years left on his contract. Not only does he have time to wait for his big move, but Palace also have plenty of time themselves before they are remotely under any pressure to sell the England international.

With Wharton almost certainly off the table this summer, Tottenham will have to wade through a difficult market for legitimate, star-level No. 6 options, and, if anything, the list of possible transfer targets is only dwindling for Spurs. Underrated options who could be worth Tottenham's time like Richard Rios and Anton Stach are already either officially gone or close to being officially off the table.

Currently, Tottenham are trying to shop Yves Bissouma, too, leaving Rodrigo Bentancur as the only established holding midfielder in the first team.

Tottenham supporters are continuing to lose their minds over Morgan Gibbs-White, and we should receive clear indication on Monday whether the saga will be resolved anytime soon.

The Englishman looked poised to join the Lilywhites after we triggered a £60m release clause that, supposedly, nobody was meant to know about. Nottingham Forest quickly kicked up a fuss, and their complaints of an "illegal approach" has threatened the deal.

The unexpected nature of our Gibbs-White pursuit thrust excitement levels through the roof among supporters, and it would be cruel if the England international isn't donning that sleek all-black strip on Champions League nights next season.

As it stands, Spurs continue to hold out hope.

Why Monday is a crucial day in Tottenham's pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White

All has been pretty normal in Gibbs-White's world since Forest's complaint, with the midfielder reporting for pre-season training last week. He then started Saturday's friendly against Monaco, an update that sparked a mini breakdown among the online fanbase.

The Athletic understands that the attacking midfielder is expected to be named in Nuno Espirito Santo's travelling squad for Forest's summer tour to Portugal, with the Midlands outfit flying out on Monday. That would continue to delay Gibbs-White's departure, although it wouldn't bring about a definitive end to the saga.

It seems like plenty is going on behind the scenes that almost none of us know about. There's been talk of Spurs potentially offering more money in order to get the deal over the line, but also of Forest offering Gibbs-White to other clubs. It currently doesn't look like the England international will be extending his contract at the City Ground, and Forest would risk potentially losing him for a discounted price if they fail to oversee his exit this summer.

"He's keeping it professional," the charismatic Ola Aina said after Saturday's stalemate with Monaco, insisting, like all of us, that he "doesn't know what's going on."

In an ideal world, Gibbs-White is left out of Forest's travelling squad and Spurs reach a compromise with Forest this week, allowing the Englishman to grow familiar with Frank and his squad well in time for the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain in August. However, it currently doesn't look like this saga will reach a climax anytime soon.

Having tuned into our opening friendly against Reading, I can't help but feel that Gibbs-White would be absolutely perfect for the role young Alfie Devine performed in the first half at the Madejski.

Tottenham Hotspur fans thought they were getting Morgan Gibbs-White about a week ago, but Nottingham Forest have thrown a tantrum, even threatening legal action against Spurs. Although most serious journalists do not take Forest's threats seriously and believe that MGW will eventually make his way to Spurs, enough time has passed without any word of a transfer happening that Spurs fans have to be a bit concerned.

Gibbs-White is still making appearances for Nottingham Forest in friendly matches, which has increased Tottenham supporters' fears that Daniel Levy and Co. may blow this deal because of a lack of urgency, Forest's own petulance, and a Premier League governing body that simply doesn't care about fairness; Tottenham paid a release clause for a player who wanted to join them, after all.

Now, a new report from veteran journalist Neil Goulding for Sports Boom sheds more glim details on the transfer. Tottenham are at risk of getting their deal for Gibbs-White hijacked by an ambitious Manchester City, who have reportedly been eyeing the 25-year-old No. 10 as their own signing.

Hearkening to earlier reporting of a potential swap deal between Forest and Man City, Goulding and Sports Boom report that Manchester City are ready to enter the transfer battle for Gibbs-White formally with the proposed swap deal involving Gibbs-White and young City talent James McAtee being very much on the table.

Tottenham could lose two targets in one

These transfer rumors involving Man City, McAtee, and MGW come from sources a tier below the likes of Fabrizio Romano and the most reliable journalists in English football, so they must be taken with a grain of salt.

But it's still troubling that there are now multiple reports making this claim, in conjunction with the obvious reality that a transfer has not been completed between Tottenham and Nottingham Forest for Gibbs-White to this point.

Man City and Forest are probably the two clubs in the Premier League with the worst reputations from a sportsmanship vantage point, so it would not be entirely surprising for them to pull a stunt like this that leaves both of them with the players they want and Tottenham holding the bag.

Worse yet, if Gibbs-White weren't to join Spurs in a vacuum, you'd think that McAtee would be one of the first targets they'd look at in the attacking midfield as an understudy for long-time Premier League star James Maddison, so Spurs fans won't like the sound of this report at all, even if it's a little hard to believe at face value. The most likely outcome remains Gibbs-White going to Tottenham, but there's enough to give even the most optimistic Lilywhite supporter pause.

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.