VAVEL.com

Tosin Adarabioyo has agreed to sign for Tottenham from Chelsea on a year-long loan.

After four seasons at Fulham, Tosin was drafted into the first team for the Blues on a free transfer.

Though he has played 70 times for the club across the last two campaigns, his playing time would have been cut by the presence of Maxence Lacroix as well as the lack of continental competition.

·‘A strong, athletic defender who plays with confidence’

Spurs have decided to allow Kevin Danso to depart on a loan deal of his own for more minutes at Sunderland.

With Cristian Romero gone to Atletico Madrid, the board backed Roberto de Zerbi with another option as a backup. The head coach commented about the qualities Tosin can offer.

"Tosin is a strong, athletic defender who plays with confidence and understands the demands of playing at the highest level. I've also been impressed with his mentality and desire to be part of what we are building. He knows the responsibility that comes with representing this Club. We’re happy to have Tosin with us and I know our supporters will quickly see the qualities he can bring to the team."

Tosin on his Spurs move

The 28-year-old admits that this deal can help him maximise this current moment of his career.

"I'm in an important part of my career and speaking to the Head Coach and knowing the type of football he wants to play. I think it's a very good fit. He wants the team to play with courage and that's something that I always look to do.

“I want to achieve the absolute best, to push this team and this club as much as possible to where we deserve to be. That's something that has to be done every single day, especially on the training pitch, and I will be bringing that mentality to the Club."

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed to take Mykhailo Mudryk from Chelsea on a year-long loan.

Spurs also have the option to make the deal permanent for a fee of £75 million. In the immediate term, it is an opportunity for the Ukrainian to find his feet again after 20 months away from the game.

From Shakhtar to Stamford Bridge

Mudryk broke through into the first team at Shakhtar Donetsk under the tutelage of Roberto De Zerbi, who moved to the club from his post of three years at Sassuolo.

He was named Ukrainian Footballer of the Year and Player of the Year for Shakhtar in 2022, earning a move to Chelsea.

Signed for £62 million in January 2023, he became the most expensive Ukrainian player in history. The attacker transitioned through spells under the leadership of Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino in his first year and a half in West London, showing signs of quality without consistency.

·‘I'm so excited to be reunited with Roberto De Zerbi’

Then, his minutes were mostly limited to the Conference League when Enzo Maresca came into the dugout at Stamford Bridge.

And he took another major dent to his career when the FA provisionally suspended him from playing for the Blues after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium.

He was stripped of the number 10 shirt in June 2025, and charges were not dropped till July this year.

Now, the 25-year-old looks forward and wants to reinvigorate his career with the help of a familiar face.

"It's a great feeling. I can't wait to start training and playing for the Club, and I'm so excited to be reunited with Roberto De Zerbi. I'm a player who brings speed and creativity, and I want to help in both the offensive and defensive areas. I want to make the fans excited. I can see it's a strong squad here with good players, and I'm looking forward to sharing a pitch and special moments with them."

De Zerbi backs his former forward

The Italian head coach once said that Mudryk has the talent to win the Ballon d’Or. Even if the statement has aged badly, De Zerbi still feels that the attacker has a lot to give to the game.

"Having worked with Misha earlier in his career, I know exactly what he can bring to our team.

"He has the quality to change a game with his speed and ability in one-vs-one situations, and is an exciting, attacking talent. I will demand a lot from Misha and it is our job to help him find the best version of himself. If we do that then he can become a very important player for us. I am very happy he chose to come here, and I cannot wait to work with him again."

Roberto de Zerbi conceded that Tottenham have a 'mentality problem.'

The Italian fought to help keep the club in the Premier League in the last two months of the 2025/26 season, but their hefty expenditure does not seem to have turned around the fortunes of the team.

Spurs struggling for results

Defeats to Newcastle United and Brentford have seen Spurs ship five goals and fail to score one across 180 minutes of football as the stylish patterns associated with de Zerbi are yet to materialise.

But a bigger problem according to the head coach might be the spirit missing within the squad.

'You can't buy the mentality in the transfer market'

"It's the biggest problem, it's the biggest challenge and it's the biggest target to find the right mentality. Unfortunately, you can't buy the mentality in the transfer market or putting many players inside. Football is like a magic thing, you know? You can change many players in a window, in one window of transfer market and you can find the balance immediately or you need more time.

"I think we achieve this target and this goal. I would like to achieve this target quickly and as soon as possible because it is crucial to play football, but the plan and the project of the club and what we are doing to build and rebuild a new team with new players is a great plan and a great project. I have no doubt the result of this project. We have to accept and to be stronger to move on after this defeat.

"I think in the first half, if we scored two goals today, now we would have talked about different things, unfortunately we lost the game, and you know in Italian, who wins, celebrates, and who loses, explain why and I'm explaining why."

Roberto de Zerbi spoke about another defeat for Tottenham at the start of the season.

'I'm really happy to see improvement'

Spurs were smashed 3-0 by Brentford on the opening matchday of the Premier League season.

They needed a response in their first fixture of the campaign on home soil, hoping that the presence of full debutants Omar Marmoush and Mateus Fernandes would make a difference to the outcome.

But at the final count, Newcastle United weathered the storm and turned their moments into the key contributions, scoring twice in the second half with strikes from Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa.

De Zerbi on his players' qualities

"I have big confidence in the qualities of my players. At the end, when we become a team, when we improve the connection between the players, when we improve the quality of the play, when we improve the defensive space, distances between the attackers, defenders, midfielders, when we create a team, this group, with me or with another coach, nothing changes, because they are good players.

"I'm sorry for the club, because anyway they are building a great squad, but maybe now we are not ready yet, for many, many reasons. We are not ready yet, for many reasons, but today, I think, until the first goal, we played better than Newcastle.

"Newcastle is a good team, good coach, good player, good everything, but we created more chances to score, we shot more times, we had the control of the ball more than Newcastle. We suffered too much in two or three situations in the first half, because the distance between the attackers and defenders was too big, too much space, and then after the goal we conceded, we lost the confidence.

The reaction was not good enough

"The reaction was not good enough, not the reaction I want to see on the pitch, and I said after the end of the game, the players, because when you build something new, it's tough, there are problems, the difference is how you want to find the solution of these problems, and the solution is not to put down the head, but to react, because we had 20 minutes to score one, two or maybe three goals."

After the emphatic win over the Championship outlet who made 10 changes from their win over league favourites West Ham, here is what we can take from a routine win.

Savio is looking dangerous.

A new identity with the name changes on his shirt seems to signify a fresh start after a torrid time at Manchester City.

After just two goals in his entire City tenure, he managed to equal that last night in a game which hopefully will give him more confidence when he makes his Premier League debut for the Lilywhites.

Pacy, direct and able to find the back of the net are all attributes of his game that he struggled with last season.

It is always encouraging no matter the opposition when your forwards are gaining confidence from a good start to their Spurs career.

It is so early in the season to make any conclusions.

Most fans would have seen the loss to Brentford coming.

However, most fans, regardless of if they are Spurs fans or not, have already started writing off De Zerbi from that one game.

This is not a team to write off after one game.

You can only take so much from a game against a side evidently much worse, but doing a respectable job as expected over Charlton was very much needed to show the team are confident and can play how the manager wants to get them playing.

It is unclear how much of an impact Savio will have on the team, but an emphatic win shows you cannot tell how the season will go based off the first game.

This team needs time.

An encouraging performance from Mikey Moore

The youngster did not have the best game against Brentford, with excellent opportunities squandered in front of goal.

However, yesterday was much better from the winger.

After being on loan at Rangers last season, Spurs have trusted him with early starts until the attacking recruitment is complete, and it seems as if that performance yesterday will only help regain his confidence.

A goal will take a massive pressure off his shoulders knowing he can find the back of the net, and it was deserved from how he stood out.

There is no certainty Moore will remain at Spurs this season, with loan options rumoured to still be on the cards, but after the performance yesterday, he may be given another opportunity to prove himself in his natural position on the left against Newcastle on Saturday.

It is hard to take much away from a game where the lesser opposition play a much-changed side, but the result can quickly erase the horrors of Brentford from the players’ minds going into the first home tie of the season.

Roberto de Zerbi stood behind his selection decisions after Tottenham lost 3-0 to Brentford.

Mamadou Sangare shone for the Bees on his Premier League debut in stark contrast to Lucas Bergvall, whose talent still requires refinement to excel consistently at the top level of the game.

·‘We try to build something good for the club’

Rodrigo Bentancur and Mateus Fernandes both came off the bench at half time to join summer signing Sandro Tonali in the middle of the park. The hosts almost immediately added to their two-goal lead with a third strike from a set-piece, but the inclusion of Bergvall remained a talking point.

With those senior options available on the roster, de Zerbi tried to justify his inclusion in the lineup.

“We lost too many duels, we made too many mistakes in the timing when we wanted to push the pressure higher. We arrived second for the second ball, we didn't win one second ball, one duel, one tackle, and it's tough.

“But if you analyse everything, you can find that we played with one [born in] 2007, one 2006.

“Lucas Bergvall, the second goal. I think he didn't play bad today, even if I substituted in the half-time. But Lucas Bergvall in the next two years, he will not lose that ball in that moment of the game.

“I think at the beginning of the season, at the beginning of the new project, it was good, it was right to play with Lucas Bergvall. But I knew before the game, Lucas Bergvall, in this type of game, maybe he could suffer more than Rodrigo Bentancur, nine years older, and Lucas, 20. I knew before the game, but at the end you have to think.

Brentford began their Premier League campaign in style with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

Goals from Keane Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt saw Brentford two up at the break, after a dominant first half display, before Michael Kayode added a third shortly after half time to have the Bees in dreamland.

Keith Andrews’ side delivered a performance so impressive that it could even be argued a 3-0 scoreline did not do them justice and instead flattered Spurs, with the Bees having the chances, including a missed penalty from Igor Thiago, to inflict a potentially embarrassing scoreline on their opposition.

The win was Brentford’s first home victory against Spurs in the Premier League, drawing four and losing one of their previous fixtures at the Gtech Community Stadium against the Lilywhites.

Brentford Player Ratings

Caoimhin Kelleher – 8

Brentford’s number one began his second season in West London with a clean sheet.

Having been rarely troubled in the opening 45, the Irish shot stopper made a number of important saves in the second half to prevent any chance of a Tottenham comeback attempt.

Michael Kayode – 8

Fresh off of a summer in which he signed a new six-year contract at the club and became a father, Kayode netted a poacher’s goal from the rebound of Mamadou Sangare’s effort to put Brentford three up, and score his second Premier League.

Making his 50th Premier League appearance, the Italian right back continued to show the quality that has made him a firm fan favourite amongst Brentford fans, both defensively and offensively.

Kristoffer Ajer – 7

Continued on from his impressive form for Norway at the World Cup.

Won six out of six aerial duels at the heart of a Brentford defence which looked relatively comfortable throughout the evening.

Nathan Collins – 7

After a challenging first campaign form wise as captain last season, Brentford’s skipper looked back to his best level in the season opener.

The Irishman was impressive in both boxes, with his back post header to set up Sangare’s shot crucial in Brentford’s third goal of the evening.

Keane Lewis-Potter – 9

An excellent display to remove a lot of doubts about the natural winger’s selection as first choice left back to start the season.

Lewis-Potter netted Brentford’s first goal of the season, finishing off a fabulous move, and was a constant threat throughout the game, working incredibly hard to fulfil defensive duties whilst also being a constant option going forward down the left wing.

Vitaly Janelt – 8

A performance which emphasised just how sorely missed the German was when injured in the second half of last season.

An excellent midfield display, winning the ball back consistently, passing well with some threatening set piece deliveries whilst also on hand to divert home the rebound of Mathias Jensen’s effort from range for the Bees’ second goal, and his 15th for the club.

Mamadou Sangare – 9 (Man of the Match)

A display which perfectly encapsulated exactly why Brentford broke their transfer record to sign him.

Sangare appeared to cover every blade of grass throughout the game, not giving the opposition midfield a moment to breathe, and produced a moment of brilliance to set up the opening goal, playing a clever one two with Dango Ouattara before finding the key pass for Lewis-Potter to finish.

The Mali midfielder could also count himself unlucky not to have got on the scoresheet, with his fine first-time effort drawing a good save from Antonin Kinsky before Kayode turned home the rebound for the third goal.

The 24-year-old was substituted to a standing ovation from the home fans and looks well at home at his new club already.

Dango Ouattara – 6

Had a relatively quiet game but by no means a bad one.

Looked lively at times down the right wing, and his pass to Sangare in the move for Brentford’s first goal was an important moment of quality in the game.

Mathias Jensen - 7

An impressive performance to kick-off his eight season in West London.

Won the ball back brilliantly from Lucas Bergvall before his strong effort was parried to Janelt for the second goal, whilst also providing some excellent crosses to trouble the Spurs defence, particularly from set pieces.

Kevin Schade – 7

A consistent outlet for Brentford in attack, dominant in the air and on numerous occasions too quick for Archie Gray at full back.

Did well to win a penalty that should’ve brought Brentford’s fourth goal.

Igor Thiago – 6

Will be disappointed not to have found himself on the scoresheet, hitting the post with a penalty that should’ve put Brentford four up.

Whilst not up and running goalscoring wise, the Brazilian striker held the ball up well and had some nice touches to help facilitate attacks and contribute to a dominant Bees performance.

Substitutes:

Yehor Yarmoliuk – 7

Worked very hard off the bench, providing an important injection of energy to a midfield that had just began to tire a little.

Jaidon Anthony – 7

Looked energetic and creative on debut, setting up a few chances in the last 20 minutes whilst working very hard defensively.

Aaron Hickey – 6

Struggled a tad against the pace of Mathys Tel, however still held his own defensively to ensure Brentford held on to a clean sheet.

Mikkel Damsgaard – 6

Showed flashes of his usual quality in possession and carried the ball well.

Callum Wilson – 6

Held the ball up well up top and gave a needed rest to a hardworking Thiago in the closing stages.

Roberto de Zerbi talked to the media about the evolution of the Tottenham team over the summer.

There have been significant changes to the composition of the first team. Jan Paul van Hecke was bought from Brighton for £52 million in June, then free transfers followed for Marcos Senesi from BournemouthAndy Robertson from Liverpool during July. Sandro Tonali was acquired for £100 million from Newcastle United, and Mateus Fernandes departed from West Ham for £85 million.

· ‘I want 21, 22 players, I think that's enough’

In the last week, Guglielmo Vicario has joined Juventus on loan, Djed Spence signed for Inter Milan, and Cristian Romero put pen to paper with Atletico Madrid. It means de Zerbi has needed to appoint a new club captain and also consider how he manages the other options in the backline.

“First of all,I'm really disappointed with Djed, because I love him, we have a great relationship, he's a very good guy, he's a very important player, but in the end, I have to respect, if he wants to play 38 games, I can't give my word, any guarantee for the players, especially if we are building a big competition inside of the squad. Right-back is, I think in this moment, one, maybe the best, maybe one of the three best right-backs in the world.

“In the left-back we have Destiny Udogie and Robertson, and both are big, big level, and if you don't want to stay anymore in Tottenham, in a big club, you have to leave. Like with Cuti, the same with Spence. Vicario called me on Wednesday when he left. I'm sorry, but football is like this.

“The new captain is Micky van de Ven. The second, Pedro Porro, third, Ben Davies, the fourth, James Maddison and the fifth, Archie Gray. Why five captains? I want many captains inside of the pitch and to be clear in the position. Every one of them, they deserve to be a captain or in the group.

“I don't want 25, 26 players. I want 21, 22 players. That's enough, especially if these players can adapt in more positions on the pitch, and we have many players who can play in different positions, Gray midfielder, right back, Conor Gallagher number 10 or number 8, it's the same van de Ven or Davies left-back. We have Mohamed Kudus, winger or a number 10, so we have a lot of solutions.

"It's not right to speak about the players until they are official. Just to say, I'm very happy. We have not finished yet in the transfer market. It's an important part, I think, because so far we have had a great summer of signings - great players, great behaviour, great spirit, great personality. You know better than me in the Premier League, you don't win the game with the names, with the big players.

Tottenham Hotspur have announced the departure of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who has joined Juventus on loan until the end of the season.

The deal also includes an option for the Serie A side to make the move permanent next summer, bringing an end to Vicario's three-year spell in north London.

Vicario joined Spurs from Empoli in June 2023 and made 117 appearances for the club, keeping 29 clean sheets.

The Italian international earned his first senior cap while playing for Tottenham in March 2024 and played an integral role in the club's Europa League triumph in 2025.

His departure now leaves Roberto De Zerbi with a decision to make between promoting Antonin Kinsky, or returning to the transfer market for another goalkeeper.

Promotion for Kinsky?

Kinsky appears to be the obvious candidate to take over as Tottenham's first-choice goalkeeper.

The Czech shot-stopper joined Spurs in January 2025 as the club dealt with a crisis between the sticks. He was initially brought in to provide competition before becoming Vicario's understudy when the Italian returned from injury.

The 23-year-old's time in the first team has not been without its difficult moments, however.

One of Kinsky's most infamous appearances came during last season's Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid, when interim manager Igor Tudor substituted him after just 17 minutes.

The goalkeeper had made two mistakes leading to Atletico's opening goals and was visibly distressed as he left the pitch.

That night will undoubtedly remain a low point, but it should not overshadow what has otherwise been an encouraging start to life in north London.

Kinsky's Premier League form was relatively impressive, with De Zerbi showing a willingness to trust the youngster over Vicario when given the opportunity.

With Vicario now heading for Turin, Kinsky could finally have the chance to establish himself as Tottenham's long-term number one.

Could Kinsky be rivalled?

Spurs have already strengthened their goalkeeping department this summer with the signing of Martin Dubravka.

The 37-year-old joined on a free transfer after leaving Burnley following their relegation from the Premier League last season.

Dubravka brings a significant amount of experience to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having made 197 Premier League appearances, the majority of which came during his time with Newcastle United.

However, his age suggests he is more likely to provide competition and experience rather than become Tottenham's long-term solution.

That could leave Kinsky with a clear opportunity.

Austin the outside bet

Elsewhere, Roberto De Zerbi could turn to academy product Brandon Austin, although that appears to be the less likely option.

The 27-year-old has made just one Premier League appearance for Spurs during his career and has generally occupied a role as an understudy.

For now, Kinsky appears to be the natural successor to Vicario.

Tottenham have already added experience in Dubravka, but the departure of their former number one presents Kinsky with perhaps his biggest opportunity yet.

The question is whether Spurs are prepared to put their faith in him.

After a huge summer outlay, admittedly offset by outgoings, Tottenham are bidding to begin afresh with an Italian head coach at the helm, urging for even more business this summer.

Mikey Moore may discover his future lies elsewhere by the end of the transfer window if Tottenham lodge bids for established wingers to add to the squad, but his performance warrants some rethinking.

Roberto De Zerbi is expected to implement his usual daring and expansive style this season, hoping to at least assuage the disgruntlement in this area of North London, and show why he may be a good fit.

For what it's worth in a largely insignificant friendly, there was evidence of the advantages and the tension that arises from De Zerbi's bold methods.

Story of the Match

Mathys Tel and youngster Moore gave snapshots of their impetus, stretching the pitch on the flanks, and Andy Robertson underlapped the former, fizzing in a cross towards Richarlison, who had a certain goal taken off his toe by Albian Hajdari.

Lucas Bergvall was baiting the press and living dangerously when he, somewhat fortuitously, escaped a swarm of defenders, and the Swede showed the value his attributes can bring.

Christian Ilzer's visitors conjured a few warning signs with some productive possession, as Adam Hlozek's strike was blazed over the bar, lacking the composure to test Antonín Kinsky after 15 minutes.

Hlozek, who featured in Czechia's World Cup squad, almost made amends for missing that opportunity when he gradually approached shooting range on the edge of the area.

A positive run from midfield culminated in some trickery and a curled effort onto the crossbar, using back-pedalling defender Jan Paul van Hecke to pick his spot.

Bergvall Stakes His Claim

Standout Bergvall continued to stake his claim for a stable place in De Zerbi's ranks, after receiving bids from Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United this summer and at one point set on searching for a new chapter.

The deepest-lying midfielder in this passage found a corridor of space to glide past the contingent of blue shirts into opposing territory, and he forced the first save from captain Oliver Baumann.

Formerly of West Ham United, visiting right-back Vladimír Coufal spun without looking at the ball and planted his hands on Marco Senesi, impeding the new signing from meeting his header.

Stuart Atwell deemed this soft and opted against awarding a penalty before the first hydration break.

Moore smartly delivered early across the face of goal to establish greater control, with Tel and Richarlison lunging to apply the finishing touch, but the ball agonisingly flashed past them both at the back post.

Akin to the start of proceedings, Robertson was on hand for another threatening ball into the box towards Richarlison, as Scotland's captain continued subtly interchanging with Tel.

Club-record signing Sandro Tonali shifted it on to Robertson well, and Richarlison swept his left-footed effort past Baumann in the 35th minute for the opening goal.

Despite losing Bazoumana Touré to Newcastle United and Andrej Kramarić to injury, Hoffenheim looked inventive and were knocking on the door for an equaliser before the interval.

Adam Daghim's shot called Kinsky into action, saving comfortably to his bottom right once the German side aggressively prompted errors from the hosts. Their best chance then came from Wouter Burger's sumptuous glancing header, which crept wide of the left post.

Moore's Second-Half Brace

The away side made wholesale changes at half-time, with all ten outfield players replaced by head coach Ilzer, who will oversee Hoffenheim in the Europa League in the upcoming season.

Patrick Wimmer had his shot saved by Kinsky before Mats Rots prodded his effort narrowly wide to build on the momentum their teammates gathered.

Tel evaded a handful of challenges and sent in a timely delivery to Moore, who appeared in front of Tristan Spranger and tucked his finish away to double the advantage.

Wimmer's wild second strike sailed over the bar, wasting a well-crafted move by Hoffenheim, and Tottenham's intensity was almost rewarded with a third goal.

Baumann spilled the ball in the box and Richarlison almost bundled it into the net, although the referee had already decided the striker committed a foul.

Hoffenheim fashioned further chances in their pursuit of cutting the two-goal deficit. Max Moerstedt turned and forced Kinsky to sharply stick his leg out at his near post to deny the substitute striker.

With energy still left in the tank, Tel darted inside and showed great agility, yet his final product in front of goal seemed inferior to the service he provided to his teammates.

The Frenchman added to his earlier assist when his piece of ingenuity allowed him to find Moore, who slotted between the legs of the defender and wheeled away in celebration with ten minutes left.

Eyes On The Premier League

Tottenham were resounding winners and held on to a clean sheet to cap off an unbeaten pre-season. Their attention turns to the fast approaching competitive campaign under De Zerbi, who seeks to steer Tottenham clear of another damning finish near the drop zone.