Football Transfer Tavern

The future hasn't always been bright for Tottenham Hotspur but under Ange Postecoglou he is building something with a lot of potential.

Let's forget about that disastrous 3-2 defeat to Brighton for a moment and look at what's still to come.

Indeed, this Spurs team have a crop of young players who could well become pivotal parts of where Postecoglou's side land, providing the craggy-faced Aussie sticks around long enough.

Over the summer, the Lilywhites welcomed promising teenager winger Wilson Odobert to the club and they further dipped into the Championship to bring one of English football's hottest young talents in Archie Gray to London.

You've also got Lucas Bergvall to add to the equation and perhaps the finest young prodigy of them all, Mikey Moore.

Mikey Moore's emergence at Spurs

What a young talent this boy is. At just 17 years of age, Moore is already making waves in the senior game and looked like quite the star in the making against Ferenvcaros in the Europa League last week.

Up to then, the teenager had only been afforded a few cameos from the bench but this was his first start in a competitive fixture. How he took his opportunity.

Spurs won the game 2-1 and Moore should have had an assist if colleague Timo Werner was at the races. The academy star dashed down the right-hand side and laid the ball on a plate for the German on the edge of the box. He took a horrific touch and then slid the ball into the side netting. He was one-on-one with the goalkeeper but fluffed his lines.

Coincidentally, it could well be the teenage sensation who ultimately ends up taking Werner's place in the side.

Moore, who regularly played as a striker at youth team level, played on the right against Ferencvaros and then actually played ahead of Werner down the left in the last few minutes at the Amex last Sunday.

A scorer of 19 goals in just 24 outings for the U18s, there is clearly a natural finisher in there and it surely won't be long before he becomes a more prominent asset in the Spurs squad.

Whether or not he is the natural heir to Harry Kane's throne, only time will tell, but Postecoglou has high hopes for him.

"There are always exceptions to the rule and [Lamine] Yamal is certainly one of them, but if you look at the Premier League, how many 17-year-olds are actually contributing? Mikey is already, which shows that he's got something special, but we've just got to be really careful about how we develop that."

Yamal may well be the gold standard for all of the budding teenage footballers out there but until Moore develops a little bit more, Spurs do already have a Yamal-like talent who's brimming with confidence and playing his best football for the club.

Tottenham's very own Yamal

Barcelona superstar Yamal has had an outrageous 2024 to date. There's no other way of putting it really. This kid has already been nominated for the Ballon d'Or and had a breathtaking Euro 2024 campaign in which he helped Spain take home the trophy.

During the continental competition, the 17-year-old scored once - a stunner against France - and registered four assists.

This season he's continued where he left off for his country with four goals and five assists already in LaLiga action. Barca have found a Messi regen and it's rather unfair to be totally honest.

Still, we must marvel at his skillset, his incredible attributes that are taking the global game by storm.

He might not be cut from quite the same cloth but believe it or not, Spurs have a player who's registering similar numbers this term and that man is Dejan Kulusevski.

Said to be a star who could become a £80m-£100m player by Gary Neville last term, the Swede is certainly starting to live up to that billing this season.

"Players that play in that role, that take it on the back foot and accept it on the back foot, the attacking midfielders, the No 10s, any player of that ilk, they're very rare to be able to do that. You're talking about him going from a player who might be £50m on the right to being something that if he gets going in that No 10 position, can be really special and then you're pushing it to an £80m or £100m player." - Neville on Kulusevski.

He is one of the best supply lines around and created a whopping nine chances in that impressive 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford a week and a bit ago.

Kulusevski has been supreme and although the base numbers only show a haul of one goal and two assists for his efforts this season, there is much to admire. Before last weekend's action, he was top of the charts and level with Cole Palmer for chances created from open play in the Premier League this season with 15.

So, let's dig a little deeper into that comparison with Yamal, shall we? According to FBRef's similar players tool, the Spaniard is the fourth most similar attacking midfielder/winger to the former Juventus ace. Why? Here's what the stats tell us.

There are some distinct differences. Yamal is by far a better carrier of the football but it's worth paying particularly close attention to some of the passing metrics here.

A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.

When it comes to expected assists, through balls and passes into the final third, they are very alike. In fact, when analysing things closer, it becomes apparent just how similar they are for chance creation.

In this season's LaLiga, Yamal has so far created a total of 17 chances for his Barcelona teammates. Kulusevksi is ahead, but not by much, creating 21 chances in the Premier League, according to Opta.

With such a stat in mind, Dominic Solanke and Co must be licking their lips at the thought of what's to come from the Swede. He's still only 24 - much older than Yamal - but it's still incredibly young in football terms.

If the Spurs star is creating this many chances at this age, you can only imagine how good he could be once he hits his prime. Postecoglou is certainly unearthing a star here.

Tottenham Hotspur had an afternoon to forget on Sunday as they threw away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to Brighton at the Amex Stadium. Ange Postecoglou's side had dominated the first half, going into the break with a two-goal advantage thanks to a sixth goal in as many games from Brennan Johnson and a strike from James Maddison.

But things quickly fell apart after half-time, with Brighton scoring three in just over 20 second half minutes through Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter, and finally Danny Welbeck to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Alasdair Gold spots Spurs star jogging back for Brighton equaliser

Unsurprisingly, Destiny Udogie was handed the worst of the criticism after a nightmare performance for the young talent. Alasdair Gold gave the Italian full-back only a 3/10 for what he called a "poor day at the office" in his post-match review.

"Back after missing the midweek match and he played well in the first half only to make a mess off trying to clear a cross and presenting the ball to Minteh to score," Gold wrote of Udogie. "Put in a weak challenge on Rutter before he scored Brighton's second and was poor again with the same player for the third, getting himself nutmegged and beaten."

Fingers have already been pointed at who else was to blame for Spurs' collapse however, and Gold took aim at Rodrigo Bentancur for his roles in Brighton's second and third goals, handing the midfielder a measly 4/10 for his performance.

"A calm first half gave way to a lacklustre second period," Gold wrote of the Uruguayan midfielder, who currently earns £75,000 per week at the London Stadium. "Jogged back for the second goal with no urgency and he was far too laidback in the build-up to Brighton's third goal."

Angry Ange rips into Spurs' "worst defeat"

Just as Gold was unimpressed with Tottenham's implosion at the Amex, so was Spurs boss Postecoglou. In fact, he described the defeat as the worst he's seen from his side since taking over as manager in June 2023.

"Disappointing, frustrated and absolutely gutted with that. Worst defeat since I've been here. Unacceptable second half,” an angry Postecoglou told Sky Sports after the match. “Nowhere near where we should be. We got carried away with how were were going," he said. "We kind of accepted our fate and it is hard to understand as we've not done that while I've been here. We paid the price."

Postecoglou called the loss as bad as it gets: "We lost all our duels and if you're not competitive it is not going to work, we were not competitive. They all go international duty the majority of them. They will process it individually and I will process it when everyone gets back."

As a result of the defeat, Tottenham now sit in ninth place in the Premier League, level on 10 points with Nottingham Forest and Brentford.

Tottenham Hotspur fell to an embarrassing defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion this evening, putting a dent in the club’s aspirations of securing a Champions League place this season.

Ange Postecoglou’s side led 2-0 at the break after goals from the in-form Brennan Johnson and James Maddison, but it would all evaporate within just 20 minutes of the second half.

The hosts came straight out of the blocks and turned the game on its head after strikes from Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck secured the comeback for Fabian Hurzeler’s side.

Spurs’ second half collapse puts an end to their five-game winning streak, giving boss Postecoglou a lot to ponder during the upcoming international break.

Brennan Johnson - a man in-form

Despite the defeat, Welsh winger Johnson continued his excellent form in front of goal scoring for the sixth consecutive outing in all competitions.

It’s quite the turnaround for the £47.5m signing, after being widely criticised on social media for his lack of impact during the opening few matches of the season.

His latest goal against the Seagulls saw him match Harry Kane’s record of most games scored consecutively by a Spurs player in the Premier League, quite the feat given his early season form.

However, his efforts in front of goal would all count for nothing given the second half collapse, with the Lilywhites undoubtedly wanting to forget the outing in a hurry.

Johnson can certainly leave the AMEX with his head held high, but the same can’t be said for one player who was extremely wasteful with the opportunities that fell his way on the South Coast.

The Spurs player who failed to impress against Brighton

Given the recent form of Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski has been forced to operate in a more central position alongside Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur - forming a partnership with the duo in recent weeks.

This evening’s meeting was no different with the Swede starting alongside the pair at the heart of Postecoglou’s midfield - but it was an evening of disappointment from the 24-year-old.

The former Juventus talent only managed 20 passes at a completion rate of 69% and also only won four of the 15 duels that he entered.

Kulusevski also only managed a total of 55 touches during his 90-minute display, a tally that was lower than goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario who registered a total of 63.

The Swede also lost possession 23 times during the defeat, the most of any Spurs player, highlighting his wasteful nature as he failed to create any clear-cut opportunities.

The defeat will sting, especially considering the 2-0 lead Postecoglou’s side boasted at the interval, but the upcoming international break gives the Aussie time to process the defeat and prevent it from happening again in the future.

However, one thing is for certain, Kulusevski needs to be replaced for the meeting against West Ham United in less than two weeks time if his side are to stand any chance of an immediate bounce back after the embarrassing loss on Sunday evening.

Reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano says Tottenham are "working" on a last-minute potential arrival at N17 before the transfer window cut-off, backing other reports that Spurs are not finished in the market just yet.

Manor Solomon exit to Leeds confirmed in latest Spurs transfer

Earlier this week, Spurs completed their latest piece of summer business, with winger Manor Solomon joining Leeds United on a straight season-long loan with no option to buy.

The Israel international fell down Ange Postecoglou's pecking order following the arrival of Wilson Odobert from Burnley earlier this window, and spent most of his debut campaign in north London on the treatment table.

Solomon suffered a meniscus tear last season, which kept him out from October all the way through to July, preventing the 25-year-old from fighting his way back into Postecoglou's plans and ultimately thwarting his Spurs career.

The former Fulham star has now been granted a fresh opportunity with Leeds as he aims to get back on track and impress in the Championship.

“I am really happy to be here," said Solomon on joining Leeds. “I've heard a lot about the club, about its fans, about the heritage, the history. I know it's a massive club in England and I'm looking forward to seeing the fans and to meet them all.

"As soon as the interest from Leeds came, I started to look for the players, for the coach and I've spoken with the manager and he explained to me about the style of playing, about the players that there are in Leeds.

“I know there is a group of great lads, young people with great desire, with great techniques, and I'm looking forward to playing with them and to help them in the best way I can. I just want to get going.”

Following Solomon's temporary switch to Elland Road, attention turns to what other transfers Spurs may conduct before the clock runs out on what has been a memorable and topsy-turvy window.

There have been reports that Tottenham could move to sign a new midfielder after Oliver Skipp's £20m-plus move to Leicester City, while it is also believed that Postecoglou and his staff are pushing Spurs to bring in another defender.

Tottenham "working" on last-gasp signing for Postecoglou

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Romano has somewhat reinforced these claims with his own update. The journalist told GMS that Tottenham are indeed "working" on a last-gasp potential signing for Postecoglou, but is vague in the specifics based off what he's been informed by his sources.

“The deal they did with Burnley [for Odobert] was completely silent," said Romano.

"So, I think they're still working on something, and I'm told they're still working on something, but there is still nothing concrete or close to being completed. But I can confirm Tottenham are still in the market for opportunities.”

The north Londoners are already devising summer transfer plans.

Sadly, things did go to plan for this 26-year-old, now facing an end to his professional career.