VAVEL.com

Goals from Yves Bissouma, Cristian Romero and a brace from captain Heung-min Son deservedly earned Tottenham their first win of the season and only their third clean sheet in the calendar year.

In addition to their 3-0 home defeat against Brighton last weekend, Everton, who only made one change, were humbled as Spurs began their season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in style.

Story of the Match

Ange Postecoglou's players came out of the traps with purpose and intent, and Jordan Pickford's goal was under siege from the first whistle.

Romero's half-volley was straight down the throat of the Englishman and James Maddison spurned a glorious chance after beating the offside trap, but Pickford was equal that too.

But, after a plethora of chances in the opening ten minutes, Tottenham opened the scoring through an unlikely source. Following his return from an internal club suspension, Bissouma recorded his first goal in Lilywhite in sumptuous fashion.

Neat footwork from Dejan Kulusevski created a yard of space for the Swede to tee up the Mali international, who connected sweetly to sweep the ball into the top corner off the crossbar.

Bissouma's celebration spoke a thousand words. An apologetic wave of the hand to the Spurs faithful and a grateful bear hug with his manager indicated his remorse following some social media controversy.

The advantage was doubled shortly after and it was a moment to forget for England’s number one. The incessant press of Heung-min Son and a combination of Pickford taking too long to release the ball resulted in disaster for the Toffees' stopper.

The South Korean consistently hounded the Englishman in moments leading up to the incident and Pickford eventually crumbled under the pressure, gifting Son the simple task of rolling the ball into the empty net.

It was an encouraging debut for latest signing Wilson Odobert, who was a surprise inclusion in the starting berth. The Frenchman asked several questions of his Everton counterpart and fellow debutant Roman Dixon.

In the closing stages of the first period, the visitors finally introduced themselves in the contest. A flurry of set pieces resulted in a goal mouth scramble, but Spurs defended bravely to ensure Sean Dyche's team did not get a foothold back into the game.

In the second half, the tempo dropped, with Spurs looking to control possession to avoid a repeat of the situation that occurred on Monday night against Leicester City.

But they reignited the impetus that they started with and eventually made one of their twelve corners count to put the game beyond doubt.

Maddison whipped a delightful delivery into the centre of the six-yard box, which was met by fellow vice captain Romero. His header kissed the crossbar on the way in, leaving Pickford with no chance.

The rout was completed with roughly a quarter of an hour to go and this one was the pick of the bunch.

Spurs broke at frightening pace with Micky van de Ven carrying the ball all of 60 yards from one box to the other. The Dutchman's sheer pace and athleticism transformed defence into attack in an instant.

After the slaloming run, van de Ven still had the presence of mind to find his teammate Son, who doubled his tally with typical potency. It looked as if the 32-year-old had taken the ball too wide, but he still managed to find a gap to round off the scoring from a tight angle.

There was a slight injury concern for Tottenham as full back Destiny Udogie was forced off through injury with a quarter of the match to go.

The Italian was instrumental in Spurs' unprecedented start to a Premier League campaign last year, so Postecoglou will be hoping his early departure was merely precautionary.

Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall were introduced into the fray in the closing stages of the game for their home debut and they provided that touch of composure to ensure the shutout was obtained.

Four goals, three points and a clean sheet. Afternoon's do not get much better than that for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur.

Player of the Match - Yves Bissouma

It was a big game for Bissouma, having served a club sanctioned suspension for the opening match for filming himself inhaling nitrous oxide, but he showed excellent maturity to put in a starring role.

Recycling possession well and commanding the midfield, a first ever goal for Spurs goal was the icing on the cake in a performance he desperately needed. Consistency from here on in is next on the agenda.

Goals from Yves Bissouma, Cristian Romero and a brace from captain Heung-min Son deservedly earned Tottenham their first win of the season and only their third clean sheet in the calendar year.

In addition to their 3-0 home defeat against Brighton last weekend, Everton, who only made one change, were humbled as Spurs began their season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in style.

Story of the Match

Ange Postecoglou's players came out of the traps with purpose and intent, and Jordan Pickford's goal was under siege from the first whistle.

Romero's half-volley was straight down the throat of the Englishman and James Maddison spurned a glorious chance after beating the offside trap, but Pickford was equal that too.

But, after a plethora of chances in the opening ten minutes, Tottenham opened the scoring through an unlikely source. Following his return from an internal club suspension, Bissouma recorded his first goal in Lilywhite in sumptuous fashion.

Neat footwork from Dejan Kulusevski created a yard of space for the Swede to tee up the Mali international, who connected sweetly to sweep the ball into the top corner off the crossbar.

Bissouma's celebration spoke a thousand words. An apologetic wave of the hand to the Spurs faithful and a grateful bear hug with his manager indicated his remorse following some social media controversy.

The advantage was doubled shortly after and it was a moment to forget for England’s number one. The incessant press of Heung-min Son and a combination of Pickford taking too long to release the ball resulted in disaster for the Toffees' stopper.

The South Korean consistently hounded the Englishman in moments leading up to the incident and Pickford eventually crumbled under the pressure, gifting Son the simple task of rolling the ball into the empty net.

It was an encouraging debut for latest signing Wilson Odobert, who was a surprise inclusion in the starting berth. The Frenchman asked several questions of his Everton counterpart and fellow debutant Roman Dixon.

In the closing stages of the first period, the visitors finally introduced themselves in the contest. A flurry of set pieces resulted in a goal mouth scramble, but Spurs defended bravely to ensure Sean Dyche's team did not get a foothold back into the game.

In the second half, the tempo dropped, with Spurs looking to control possession to avoid a repeat of the situation that occurred on Monday night against Leicester City.

But they reignited the impetus that they started with and eventually made one of their twelve corners count to put the game beyond doubt.

Maddison whipped a delightful delivery into the centre of the six-yard box, which was met by fellow vice captain Romero. His header kissed the crossbar on the way in, leaving Pickford with no chance.

The rout was completed with roughly a quarter of an hour to go and this one was the pick of the bunch.

Spurs broke at frightening pace with Micky van de Ven carrying the ball all of 60 yards from one box to the other. The Dutchman's sheer pace and athleticism transformed defence into attack in an instant.

After the slaloming run, van de Ven still had the presence of mind to find his teammate Son, who doubled his tally with typical potency. It looked as if the 32-year-old had taken the ball too wide, but he still managed to find a gap to round off the scoring from a tight angle.

There was a slight injury concern for Tottenham as full back Destiny Udogie was forced off through injury with a quarter of the match to go.

The Italian was instrumental in Spurs' unprecedented start to a Premier League campaign last year, so Postecoglou will be hoping his early departure was merely precautionary.

Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall were introduced into the fray in the closing stages of the game for their home debut and they provided that touch of composure to ensure the shutout was obtained.

Four goals, three points and a clean sheet. Afternoon's do not get much better than that for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur.

Player of the Match - Yves Bissouma

It was a big game for Bissouma, having served a club sanctioned suspension for the opening match for filming himself inhaling nitrous oxide, but he showed excellent maturity to put in a starring role.

Recycling possession well and commanding the midfield, a first ever goal for Spurs goal was the icing on the cake in a performance he desperately needed. Consistency from here on in is next on the agenda.

Tottenham Hotspur did not start the season on the front foot, drawing to Leicester City 1-1, but they absolutely turned things around with a strong 4-0 win against Everton.

The result means Spurs have picked up four points out of a possible six and are looking comfortable at the moment.

Tottenham saw attack after attack for the majority of the first half through a lot of wing play, with new signing Wilson Odobert looking lively whenever he got the ball.

A fantastic strike from Mali international Yves Bissouma, and Asia's finest Son Heung-Min stealing the ball off of Jordan Pickford, saw The Lilywhites head into the second half 2-0 leaders against The Toffees.

Tottenham dominated the ball in the second half too, with Cristian Romero and Son both scoring to wrap up a solid win, with the final score being 4-0 to the hosts.

Here are the Tottenham player ratings from the clash:

Tottenham Player Ratings

Guglielmo Vicario - 7/10

Vicario did his job well when needed, making a few good saves.

Overall, it was a very solid performance from the Italian, keeping a clean sheet in the process too.

Pedro Porro - 7/10

Porro did his job well when needed, a couple of good crosses here and there. Not much more to write home about for the Spaniard.

Cristian Romero - 7/10

Romero had a rocky first half, with a few mistakes and looked nervous.

However, the vice-captain turned it around in the second half with a powerful header showing his true quality.

Micky van de Ven - 8/10

Van de Ven hardly put a foot wrong all game, being the best defender of the match.

A fantastic run in the second half saw him assist Son and put the game to bed.

Destiny Udogie - 7/10

Udogie made a few powerful runs and looked solid in both attacking and defensive settings. No mistakes made from the young Italian.

Yves Bissouma - 8/10

After being suspended for disciplinary reasons, Bissouma needed to redeem himself.

And redeem himself he did with a fantastic strike for the first goal and a solid midfield performance.

James Maddison - 7/10

Nice and tidy on the ball and made a few chances for the team.

Did his defensive duties too, stopping an Everton goal with a clearance off the line.

Dejan Kulusevski - 7/10

A nice performance from the Sweden international who created the first goal.

A few good runs too, unfortunate not to get more during the match.

Wilson Odobert - 6/10

The new youngster through the door, Odobert made a solid debut against Everton.

He took on his man well and created a few good chances for the team. Still needs to settle in, but great glimpses so far.

Brennan Johnson - 6/10

Disappointing from Johnson today, his first touch let him down a few times.

Seems to be playing with a lack of confidence at the moment and was the same against Leicester too.

Son Heung-Min - 8/10

The South Korea star shone again, making up for his lacklustre performance against Leicester.

Two goals and a few chances created, Son stood out from the rest against Everton.

Substitutes

Richarlison - 6/10

Played with a lot of energy when he came on. Did well closing down the Everton defence.

No chances for the striker to redeem himself from the missed ones against Leicester.

Pape Matar Sarr - 6/10

A solid cameo from Sarr, did his job and was tidy and assured during his time on the pitch.

Djed Spence - 6/10

Spence seems to have redeemed himself in the Tottenham side this year, with Postecoglou putting trust into him.

He didn't have much to do when he came on, but prevented a chance when called upon.

Archie Gray - 6/10

Gray being the extra man in midfield for Tottenham allowed them to play with more freedom. Another good cameo from a substitute.

Lucas Bergvall - 5/10

Bergvall only came on for a 10 minute cameo, but did what he needed to do. Hardly anytime for the 18-year-old to impress.

Ange Postecoglou has admitted that Yves Bissouma has “done everything right” so far on his road to regaining trust, but admitted “there’s always temptation down the road.”

Bissouma, 27, was suspended by the club for their opening match of the season after filming himself taking nitrous oxide.

The former Brighton star apologised for his actions and is now looking to return to the starting 11 this weekend, especially with Rodrigo Bentancur unavailable due to concussion.

Postecoglou outlined his road to redemption in his pre-match press conference, insisting that consistency is key for the Malian.

“You know what’s it like when you punish a child and they do everything right for the next two days?,” the Australian first joked.

"He’s first in the meetings and he’s doing everything right, but there’s always temptation down the road, so we’ll see. I’ve always believed in opportunity for redemption and learning, so we are still in that space with Bissouma, but obviously, that door closes after a while if it’s repeated.

“He’s been good, but I would’ve been surprised if he wasn’t. The key for Bissouma is consistency. Consistency of behaviour [and] what he does. It’s not that he’s doing a lot of bad things; the last transgression was obviously very serious, but it’s the little things along the way also — and I think that sometimes manifests in his game where he’s really good and then he will have a moment where he’s not.

“I think it all correlates, so from our perspective, it’s about trying to continually guide him. But, that’s up to him. He’s got to try to be the best version of himself he can possibly be.”

“I have just lost my key striker a week after buying him”

Dominic Solanke is unavailable for tomorrow’s match after he picked up an ankle injury against Leicester on Monday. The club-record signing impressed against the Foxes, often latching onto crosses and pressing from the front.

The former Bournemouth star, who is still in contention to play against Newcastle next week, has quickly shown Postecoglou how he can take Spurs to the next level, and the manager insisted his injury is just a bump in the road.

“It is [a big blow], but every story is written differently. They are not all fairytales where they make a debut and score a hat-trick. He was very good last week. I guess we’re just as disappointed because it’s really exciting to see that he’s going to fit into really well into what we’re doing,” the 58-year-old outlined.

“It’s just a small hiccup. He misses a game or two. It’s game one of 50+ games; he will have plenty of opportunities to recover from that. Just watching him in our team last week, I can see he’s going to be a really good fit.”

Later on in the press conference, Postecoglou insisted he has never been the type of manager to ‘put his arm around his players’ to make them feel better.

“He’s a big man. I think I have always said that to footballers. Nothing runs smoothly. I mean think of the poor old manager. Forget the player, what about me? I have just lost my key striker a week after buying him. What about me? Who puts an arm around me? I need an arm around me,” he joked.

“It’s all good. We did not sign Solanke for one match. He knows that. He’s here for hopefully for a long time to have a real impact at this football club [and] to bring success to it.”

Richarlison is “a really physical presence in the box”

With Solanke out injured, Spurs will have to fill a noticeable void left by him. Dejan Kulusevski had a prolonged stint as a striker during pre-season, but Postecoglou insisted he does not “think it’s his best area”, even if “he’s such a hard worker, runs a lot and can link up with the rest of the team in the build-up.”

Richarlison may be chosen to start upfront against his former side Everton. He will not be able to play the full match due to his fitness according to Postecoglou — and his manager outlined that it plays a major part in his inconsistency.

“That [injuries] are a big part. You talk about the Everton game last year, but that was part of a spell of him playing regularly. I thought last year, when he got a series of games, he looked better and better. But then an injury hit," he stated.

“I think that chance on Monday — if he had a full pre-season and played half a dozen games — he would probably have buried it, because he’s so good in the air. I remember last year against Sheffield United [at home], it was a very similar header, but he had a pre-season with us."

"That’s the thing with Richy. It’s just [about] trying to get him fit. Obviously, we have to be a little bit careful with him, because he has not played in quite a while, but I think I’ve said before, whenever he has been really fit and available, I have always chosen him because he’s a handful for the opposition.

"He’s a really physical presence in the box, a good finisher and works hard for the team, but hopefully now getting Solanke in, the whole idea was that we could share their workload and not be so reliant on one player.

"I think he’s still at an age where he can play some fantastic football for us and we have to make sure we keep him fit and manage his workload, so we can get the best out of him."

The Brazilian striker was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this summer, but he was not interested in the switch. He outlined Spurs as his 'home' on social media, whilst Postecoglou never wanted to lose him.

“Richy’s not going anywhere, but if he did leave, I would certainly sign another striker. We had that issue last year. We were really short in that area. In pre-season we played without a striker; Kulusevski was there as we had not signed Solanke and Richy was out," the 58-year-old coach stated.

"It makes a difference to the way we play when we have a striker there. It’s really important to us that we have two recognised strong strikers in the team."

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Dominic Solanke is unavailable for tomorrow after picking up an ankle injury against Leicester.

Postecoglou, 58, said: "Dom picked up a knock in the last game. He got through the game, but it flared up after. He will miss tomorrow."

He later added: "It's an ankle injury. He picked it up really early and someone went across his ankle. He's definitely out tomorrow then it just depends on the recovery. There's next week then there's the international break, [but] it's not serious."

It's a major blow for Spurs ahead of a crucial match against Everton. Solanke failed to score on his club debut, but he impressed with his general and overall buildup play.

Tottenham will also be without Rodrigo Bentancur for the match against Everton. The Uruguayan midfielder clashed heads against Leicester, so - under concussion protocol - he is forced to watch from the sidelines on Saturday.

"With any head injury, we're going to be a little bit more consecutive. He's bounced back really well. He's done all the tests and he feels good. We'll take our time with Rodrigo and make sure he's 100%," Postecoglou outlined.

On Romero's 100th Spurs Appearance

If Cristian Romero plays against Everton, he will make his 100th appearance for Tottenham. Alongside Micky van de Ven, Spurs have created a strong defensive unit, despite keeping just three clean sheets in 30 matches.

Romero, who joined Spurs in 2021 from Atalanta, has impressed Postecoglou ever since they started working with one another — and the Australian outlined his praise pre-match.

"Outstanding. Obviously, with all these kinds of things, you have an image of a player from afar. Before I got here, I thought he was going to be a really important player to me. He's such a fantastic centre-back for club and country," Postecoglou stated.

"Being here now, watching him, the way he trains, the way he plays, unbelievably strong mindset [and] he's an absolute winner in everything he does. He's been really important. He will be really important moving forward, because he is one of the players within this squad that has achieved things from a team perspective.

"I've always said those kinds of things are transferable. He's won a World Cup and Copa America. I think he's a strong influence in the group — and it's great he plays his 100th game tomorrow. I know he'll perform at the level he always does; he's very consistent."

Wilson Odobert available for Everton clash

Tottenham announced the signing of Wilson Odobert from Burnley last Friday to the shock of everyone. In a move that went under the radar, the right winger bolsters Spurs' options in the final third.

He missed Spurs' opening match of the season due to not securing a work permit in time, but he is available for tomorrow. Postecoglou outlined his thought process in signing him pre-match.

"We went through the same sort of processes and he was one we identified really early on in the summer. It was no secret we were looking for a right winger and Wilson was one of the ones we highlighted.

"We had to go through certain steps to get it done. It's not as straightforward as saying: "That's who we want, go and get them.

"Getting Dom in was really important for us. We spent a lot of time working on that deal, but once Dom was done, there was one target and it was Wilson. It happened really quickly," he stated.

The former Celtic manager later outlined his qualities as a winger and how he provides something different compared to the rest of the squad.

"I really like the way he plays in the wide areas. He's different to our other wingers. He's a dribbler, likes to get into the final third and can play either side or centrally.

"He's had a really good development [as well]. You look at his trajectory from Paris Saint-Germain, to playing for Troyes in France and Premier League football before the age of 19. He ticked all the boxes for us and he's a fantastic, young bloke. Really happy to get him.

"I think with all the players we've signed - you've already seen - irrespective of their age, we sign them because we think they can make an impact — and we see that with Wilson. He's a year older than Archie and Lucas and they've already made an impact.

"We are still in that stage of building a team; I do not want to bring players here who I do not think can meaningfully contribute to what we're trying to do in the short term."

Tottenham Hotspur were tied to a score draw at the King Power Stadium after Jamie Vardy's second-half equaliser was enough for Leicester City to secure a point on the opening day of the season.

The visitors started the game on top but failed to capitalise on several opportunities in the first half, and the opening fifteen minutes of the second half, leaving Vardy to pounce on a Cristian Romero mistake and cancel out Pedro Porro's opener.

It felt like the same old story for The Lilywhites in Leicester on Monday night, having been pegged back and left downbeat as they headed back to London - it certainly feels more like two points dropped, rather than a point gained, especially when you consider how the match panned out.

Spurs also lost Rodrigo Bentancur, who had impressed throughout his spell on the pitch, to a nasty head injury in the second half, and VAVEL wishes him a speedy recovery.

Here are four things we learnt.

Spurs left to rue missed chances

Despite dominating the majority of the affair, Tottenham were unable to take all three points from their opening day fixture.

In the first half, it was Ange Postecoglou's side who were in full control. They had registered ten shots at Mads Hermansen's goal, whilst having 73% possession, nine corners, seven successful crosses and 22 touches in the opposition box.

Compared to The Foxes, these numbers are staggering. The hosts had just one shot on target and one touch in the Spurs box, whilst not registering a single corner or successful cross.

With six minutes on the clock, Bentancur's near post flick was superbly cleared away by Wilfried Ndidi with Dominic Solanke lurking just behind the Nigerian, before Brennan Johnson saw his volley saved by Hermansen.

It was Spurs new £60m man who should have scored at least once on his debut. In the first 45 minutes, the former Bournemouth striker saw a free header at the back post comfortably saved by Hermansen, before he hit a shot straight down the throat of Leicester's Danish goalkeeper in the early moments of the second half.

Arguably the best chance of the game fell to substitute Richarlison, in the ninth and final minute of additional time. Lucas Bergvall delivered a sumptuous free kick to the front post, where the Brazilian was on hand to meet it. Many fans inside the away end believed the net was about to bulge, but they were wrong, as the forward headed over when all it needed was a glance towards the back post.

The squandered chances meant that maximum points were not taken on match day one, and it left fans with a familiar feeling of frustration, as Tottenham failed to win an important first Premier League game.

Plenty of positives to take

Although both the players and staff will come away feeling they should have done better to ensure three points, there were also many positives.

The North Londoners put on a good show on the opening night of the season. For large parts, they played the free-flowing, attacking, high-pressing football we saw at the start of Postecoglou's reign. That led to many chances, but unfortunately not enough were seized to take the game away from, Leicester.

Debutant Dominic Solanke looked sharp, and linked play well despite never playing a game with his new teammates before, whilst James Maddison also looked back to his best. The Englishman, returning to his old stomping ground, was a handful for Steve Cooper's defence, and it was his wonderful cross which saw Porro give the away side the lead on 29 minutes.

Dejan Kulusevski - who came on in the 79th minute - had the second most touches in the opposition box (11) of all players to play in the Premier League on the weekend, second only to Bukayo Saka, who played eighty minutes and registered 15.

The Swede impressed heavily during pre-season as he scored and assisted three times each, and he looked sharp off the bench as Spurs pushed for a winner. No doubt will he be pushing to be involved from the start when they face Everton on Saturday afternoon.

Bergvall bright on debut

Making his Premier League debut as a late substitute following a run of impressive cameos in pre-season, Lucas Bergvall, again, was a bright spark.

In his time on the pitch, Bergvall had 39 touches and completed 25 out of his 26 attempted passes, whilst the former Djurgårdens IF playmaker also made one key pass, created one big chance and successfully completed two of his three dribble attempts.

Every time the Swede got on the ball, he looked dangerous and you got the sense that if Tottenham were going to snatch a winner, he would be at the forefront of the attacking move. Whenever a defender had the ball at their feet, it was always Bergvall who came searching for possession as he looked to be the spark for The Lilywhites.

With Rodrigo Bentancur unavailable for Saturday's clash with Sean Dyche's Everton, perhaps the midfielder will be called upon as Postecoglou is forced to reshuffle his midfield three.

Wide players frustrate

It was a frustrating evening on the whole, but even more so for the players who featured in the wide areas for Tottenham at the King Power Stadium.

The visitors had plenty of joy down the flanks, getting to the bye-line on plenty of times during their dominant spells before the interval. Last season, we saw so many goals scored from these types of areas, thanks to the pinpoint low crosses from Brennan Johnson, Heung-Min Son and Timo Werner.

However, on Monday night, the attacking trio were completely ineffective in these positions. These crosses were either deflected out for a corner or cleared by the robust Leicester back-line, meaning a number of good opportunities came to nothing.

Brennan Johnson lost a physical battle up against former Leeds United defender Rasmus Kristensen and was subsequently replaced by loanee Timo Werner with eleven minutes of the ninety to go, but the German also had no success down the right wing.

Heung-Min Son was gifted a glorious chance late on, with the ball played across to where the South Korean international was waiting on the left-hand side of the penalty area, however, he took a poor touch and was tackled, wasting a golden chance to score the winner.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou believes Djed Spence's 'characteristics' suit the club, as the Australian looks to start their season with a win away to Leicester City.

Spence, 24, spent last season on loan at Leeds United and Genoa. He was expected to depart Spurs permanently in the summer, but the former Nottingham Forest star has since impressed during pre-season.

Capable of playing on either flank, Spence is now seen as the deputy to both Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie, particularly after the sale of Emerson Royal to AC Milan. Ahead of tomorrow's match against Leicester City, his manager Postecoglou was full of praise for him.

"We obviously had quite a few players who were out on loan last year. Again, a part of me [thinks] we need to keep evolving this squad [and] the guys go out on loan for a reason. How they come back? Are they fitter? Are they part of what we're doing? With Djed, I had hope in mind," the former Celtic manager said.

"I certainly think the kind of characteristics he has would fit into our football. He's had a good pre-season. He's trained really well. He seems to fit into the group really well.

"I don't think left-back is his obvious position — he's more of a right-back — but the fact he can play on the left gives us some good options into the season where, with European football, we're going to have more challenges.

"It was quite obvious last year that whenever we had disruptions in terms of injuries or suspensions, our performance dropped a fair bit. We're trying to narrow that gap and, hopefully, Djed is part of that squad and allows us to do that. He's available for Monday.

Postecoglou was later questioned about previous attitude concerns and added: "You would know about it if it was [a problem]. He would probably not be part of [the squad] if it was. I've had absolutely zero issues with his attitude this season."

Tottenham finished last season in fifth and are expected to push for Champions League qualification once again. Postecoglou has always won the title in his second season in charge at each club — and, although he did not say they would be champions, he did state: "We will improve and see where that takes us."

Solanke's 'got a great work ethic'

Dominic Solanke joined Tottenham for a club-record fee last weekend. The former Bournemouth striker scored 19 goals last campaign, impressing with his mobility and ability to press from the front.

The 26-year-old is set to take the number 19 shirt at Spurs as their main striker ahead of Richarlison, with a debut against Leicester increasingly likely.

Postecoglou, who just makes the decisions regarding signings as part of his 'small role' in the process, stated his overall play was the most impressive factor when bringing him to N17, not one specific performance.

"There was not one performance; I thought he did well against us. He gave us some problems that a lot of strikers in the league did not. His mobility and movement were really impressive. There's no secret that we love to press and he's got a great work ethic," the 58-year-old outlined.

"He scores different types of goals and the way we play really suits him. I really liked where he was in his career. He obviously was an outstanding young player and got to some big clubs, but it never worked out for him.

"It's what you do in that scenario. Do you think 'it's never going to happen for me' or do you work your way back? He's done remarkably well to get himself back into a position where he scored 19 league goals last season. I love that aspect. It was a whole range of things that made me keen to bring him in."

Last campaign, Spurs were struck with injuries across the pitch. James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison all had prolonged spells on the sidelines, with Spurs' backline being hit the worst. However, despite those defensive insecurities, Postecoglou was always adamant the team's attack needed the most work.

"As much as the injuries at the back cost us last year, that was mainly because we lost three-quarters of our backline for a big chunk. I still felt it was upfront where we were most short — and it's still the area we need to improve the most," he said.

"A lot of that was because Richarlison, when he played, was outstanding, but he had a lot of injuries. We had to play Son centrally. It was [Brennan] Johnson's first year at the club. I still think he did well, but we had to sign Timo [Werner]. We lost [Ivan] Perisic and [Manor] Solomon [early on], so I felt it was the area we needed to bulk up this summer.

"Just going into the season with Dominic and Richarlison in the striker's position allows Son [to play out wide]. It does not mean Son can't play through the middle, but I think we look like a much better team when he's on the left. We are looking for improvement."

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has insisted playmaker James Maddison does not lack self-belief ahead of their opening match of the Premier League season.

Maddison, 27, struggled with injury last season, seeing his electric form at the start of the campaign fizzle out. With four goals and nine assists in 28 matches, it became clear that the former Leicester star, who will be returning to his previous club for the first time on Monday, was trying too hard to get involved.

After missing out on England's Euro 2024 squad, the new campaign presents a fresh opportunity for Maddison to break into the international frame again, something Postecoglou thinks he can do.

"Even though it was not a significant injury in terms of time out, it still set him back a fair bit. Even when he came back, he had a couple of other smaller disruptions and we were also struggling.

"That did not help him because of the kind of player he is. He had a disappointment with the Euros obviously, but he's working harder pre-season and the good thing is that he's fit and given himself a foundation to have another strong season," the former Celtic manager stated during his press conference.

"I am sure he will want to go out there and get himself back into the international frame, but that's up to him to find the right way to use that as a motivation. If you deflect at any point and say 'that had nothing to do with me', you are missing an opportunity to improve."

At his best, Maddison is one of the best players in the Premier League. Capable of switching play quickly and elegantly gliding past the opposition, the Coventry City prodigy can be world-class — and Postecoglou continued to outline that he is not a player purely determined by confidence.

"I don't know what a 'confidence player' means. As a player, you've got to be on it all the time. You can't pick and choose. If you're physically fit and you get selected, you should be buzzing. I do not think Maddison lacks self-belief," the 58-year-old said.

"He knows he can be a really dominant player. Last year, a lot of it was about the physical element. When he was not 100% fit, he could not perform at the levels he wanted to. Even when he came back from injury, I never felt like he reached the levels he had earlier in the year.

"That's really key for him. If he's training really well and in good physical condition, his game flows from that. We've tried to give him a really strong pre-season — pushing him in a physical way — where I think when he feels really good about that, the rest of it goes from there. Rather than him lacking confidence or self-belief.

Postecoglou later added: "He's an exciting player. When the ball's at his feet, he's one of those creative types — and, for most people, that's what rocks their boat. Others love a big tackle and a great save, but he's a player who can get punters off their seats. The players feed off that as well. It's important for us that he's playing at his best. He makes us a better team and more dangerous. Hopefully that's what we see."

Tottenham finished last season in fifth and they will be hoping to go one step further and reach the Champions League this campaign. As they begin their season against Leicester, expectations are high in N17, but they will have to perform without midfielder Yves Bissouma.

"The best way is education" for Bissouma

Tottenham suspended Bissouma for their opening match of the season after he filmed himself taking nitrous oxide on social media last week.

Possession of nitrous oxide, where a person intends to wrongfully inhale it for a psychoactive effect, is now an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act since last November.

Bissouma, 27, previously apologised for his actions, stating that there was a "severe lack of judgement." However, Spurs still opted to suspend him, insisting that the former Brighton midfielder must regain trust and undergo education.

"How prevalent it [nitrous oxide] is I don't know because it's a world away from my kind of life, but I think the best way is awareness, education and understanding the ramifications of making those decisions. Obviously, there's the personal ramifications; it's illegal," the manager said.

"There's a significant price to pay there. I am sure Bissouma is like every other human being. He's got people in his life who love him and they would not want to see that. Then there's the professional responsibility of the image of the game. There are so many people who follow the Premier League and we are all in a pretty privileged position.

"We get well rewarded for that, but there is a responsibility for what you do. There's a reason it's illegal; it's not because somebody thought 'let's ban this for no particular reason'. There's science behind why it is.

"He's made a poor choice, but within that context, we all make mistakes and there should always be an opportunity there for rehabilitation and redemption. That's up to Bissouma now."

After a year in the Championship, Leicester City will return to Premier League action as The King Power Stadium welcomes a Tottenham side with big ambitions coming into a fresh Premier League season.

The sides share a lot of history in past encounterss, with the fixture having the highest goals per game average of those played more than 30 times. Between the two teams there have been 128 goals scored in 34 games.

In their most recent meetings in the 22/23 season, there was a combined total of 13 goals scored across both fixtures, and in the last 5 matches played between the teams a record 28 goals have been scored.

Leicester hold 13 victories over Tottenham in the Premier League, the joint largest total of victories against any other team.

Tottenham have won four out of the last five matches between the two sides claiming 12 out of the 15 points available. One of the most memorable meeting between the two teams was in January 2022, when Leicester hosted Spurs and after leading 2-1 the home side then lost to Tottenham after two last minute goals in the last 80 seconds of the game.

James Maddison scored for Leicester in both fixtures the last season the two teams met as a Leicester player, he will now be returning to the King Power Stadium to face his former team.

Tottenham will be looking to secure their first three points of the campaign under Ange Postecoglou while Steve Cooper's newly-promoted Leicester face a tough task.

Team News

Tottenham have no major injurie concerns, says head coach Ange Postecoglu, after some concerns with Forster [foot] and Richarlison [calf] after both failed to make an appearances during pre-season.

New signing Solanke had a minor foot injury but is clear to play and have a pretty much fully fit squad to come up against Leicester.

Leicester has a few injury problems coming into the game against Tottenham, Patson Daka will be unavailable and will continue to be out for a few months says the Foxes boss Steve Cooper.

Daka has had surgery on his ankle following an injury picked up in pre season in a match againts Lens. Conor Coady will also be unavailable due to a muscle injury and will remain out until September. Club captain Jamie Vardy also won't be available for selection until September due to a knock injury.

Likely Line-ups

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Solanke.

Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi, Soumare; Reid, Mavididi, Fatawu

Players To Watch -

Leicester

Abdul Fatawu -

Abdul Fatawu became a permanent member of the Leicester City squad after spending last season on loan from Sporting Lisbon.

He is one of football most exciting and upcoming talents, he provides pace and skill on the wing and in his first Championship season with Leicester scored 6 goals and provided 13 assists in 40 appearances.

He will experience his first season in the top flight of English football and will hope to burst into life in the Premier League.

Tottenham -

Archie Gray -

Tottenham have brought in 18-year-old Archie Gray this summer from Leeds United; he is described as one of the most exciting talents in English football.

He is a player that provides versatility, as he was played at center back during pre-season but also played in central midfield and right back for Leeds throughout last season.

In his last season in the Championship, he completed the most tackles for any player under the age of 21 and will be an exciting prospect for Tottenham who will be pushing for silverware this season.

Match Details -

Where will the game be played?

The game will be played at King Power Stadium, home of Leicester City.

What time will the match kick-off?

The match will kick off at 8pm BST on the 19th of August 2024.

How can you watch the match?

The match will be available to watch on Sky Sports in the UK.

Nineteen-year-old Wilson Odobert has swapped Lancashire for London, as he has completed a move to Tottenham Hotspur less than twelve hours before the new Premier League campaign gets underway.

The deal, which is subject to international clearance and other formalities, looks to have been completed before the registration deadline, meaning the Frenchman will be eligible to feature in The Lilywhites' season opener against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Monday night.

He becomes the sixth teenager to be signed by Ange Postecoglou since he arrived at the club thirteen months ago, meaning the average age of his sixteen senior signings is now 21.8 years old.

Odobert, who can play as both a winger or number ten, leaves Burnley with their Sky Bet Championship season already underway, having beaten Luton Town by four goals to one just four days ago. The attacker even got himself on the scoresheet during the victory at Kenilworth Road.

Here is what Tottenham fans can expect from their latest addition.

A 'dribbly' winger

It's been well-documented that Johan Lange and his recruitment team were looking to add a direct, explosive winger to Postecoglou's squad this summer, and it appears that Tottenham have finally secured their man.

Amongst all teenagers in the Premier League, the nineteen-year-old ranked first for the most successful dribbles completed during the 2023/24 campaign (53). When compared to teenagers around the continent, he ranked fourth, with only star boy Lamine Yamal, former Tottenham target Désiré Doué and new Brighton recruit Brajan Gruda ranking above him.

It looked pretty clear that Pedro Neto had been the main target throughout the summer to date, but in a crazy turn of events, he joined rivals Chelsea just days ago, meaning the North London side needed to act fast.

They have done exactly that, securing the services of another exciting young prospect, who seems to fit the mould of 'Postecoglou winger', and draws close similarities to previous targets.

Career to date

Despite only playing professionally for just over two years, Odobert has enjoyed a favourable career to date, which has seen him represent France from u16 to u23 level.

Formerly a member of Paris Saint-Germain's academy, the Frenchman opted to make the switch to fellow Ligue 1 side ESTAC Troyes in July 2022 as he sought regular first-team playing time. With L'ESTAC, he made 32 appearances across the 2022/23 campaign, scoring on four occasions.

As a seventeen-year-old, his form during his first season in the professional game caught the eye of many, with Burnley sealing a £10.2m deal to bring the attacker to Turf Moor in the summer of 2023. Whilst with The Clarets, he scored five goals in 34 appearances - becoming the club's youngest-ever goalscorer in the top flight.

His impressive quality in Vincent Kompany's relegated side has now earned him a mammoth move to Spurs, who have secured a deal worth an initial fee of £25m.

Mixing amongst the best

Whilst his outings in a Burnley shirt may have snuck under the radar, his numbers match up with some of the world's best.

Compared to midfielders, he ranks in the 99th percentile, the top one per cent of players in that position, for take-ons attempted and completed, progressive carries and progressive carries into the penalty area., completing at least two a game in every metric stated.

The versatile forward is also amongst the top two per cent when it comes to touches in the opposition box. Although this statistic may sound rather pointless if there is no end product, it is an extreme necessity when playing in the way that Tottenham do.

An awful lot of goals were scored from low bye-line crosses last season, with numerous assists from Brennan Johnson coming from within the width of the eighteen-yeard box. If Odobert can combine his dribbling successes with some improvement to his end product inside the box, he could be set for a very healthy season in the goal contributions list.

Opinion of the writer

It is very early to call but this capture appears to be one of great promise. A versatile attacker is exactly what Tottenham have been chasing for a few months now, so finally securing a main target is a huge coup for Postecoglou.

His ability to play across the front line will be much needed with Spurs fighting in four competitions this season and hopefully Odobert will be able to match the performance levels he exerted at Burnley, as with a Premier League giant in Tottenham he will naturally reap greater rewards.

Only time will tell, but a £30m package for an attacker who scored five and assisted three in a relegated team, seems to be a fantastic opportunity for The Lilywhites, and it will also help in their bid to offload Manor Solomon, who has now fallen further down the pecking order.