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Published 08/09/2025 at 19:25 GMT+1

Tottenham Hotspur's chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has said there is no credence to the ongoing media speculation concerning a potential takeover of the north London club, after Daniel Levy's departure as chairman last week. Venkatesham added that majority owners - the Lewis family - see their reign at the club as "long term" and will give the club "firm backing" investment-wise.

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Vinai Venkatesham, Tottenham Hotspur's chief executive, has denied media speculation relating to a potential takeover of the Premier League club.

Reports had emerged over a change in ownership at Spurs following the shock news of Daniel Levy's departure as chairman after 24 years in the position last week.

ENIC Sports & Developments Holdings Ltd ("ENIC"), Spurs' majority shareholder, is controlled by the Lewis family, who Venkatesham said have a "long-term" plan to remain at the club after the seismic hierarchical change - supported by a statement issued on Sunday saying the club are "not for sale".

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In a video published on Tottenham Hotspur's official media channels, Venkatesham said on Monday: "There’s been a lot of newspaper articles and a lot of media speculation about a takeover.

"The Lewis family are really clear, they see their involvement in Tottenham Hotspur being long term, and they see their involvement continuing through the generations.

"We made a statement very late last night, and a statement I hope was unambiguously clear Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale."

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Venkatesham added that while Levy's departure last week was seen as "big news" from an external standpoint, day-to-day operations at the club have been "business as usual" and said they were "well-organised for succession".

Spurs' chief executive, who was appointed in April, credited Levy for his "extraordinary" work across more than two decades with the north London club - a period which has seen them regularly contest in the top half of the Premier League and in European competitions.

"He has played a huge part in the transformation of the club," Venkatesham said. "His contribution is there for all to see, and his legacy is extraordinary. He’s been a wonderful support and counsel to me and I feel really settled in."

Venkatesham, though, hailed the "new era" under the guidance of the Lewis family, and feels the club have strong foundations to build upon their UEFA Europa League success last season - their first trophy in 17 years.

"In terms of foundations, we’ve got an extraordinary stadium; we've got an extraordinary training centre," he said.

"We’ve got a massive global fanbase. We saw in May in Bilbao what that next step is. That is competing for and ultimately winning trophies.

"We’ve had a taste of that, and it’s even better than you imagined. You realise the club is even bigger than you thought it was, and you’re hungry for more.

"That’s what everyone associated with this club is hungry for, more nights like that."

Peter Charrington has stepped into the position as non-executive chair at Spurs following Levy's departure. Venkatesham said the new appointee's role will be "different" to that of Levy, and his focus will be on "empowerment" for the men's and women's teams.

Venkatesham added there has been a focus from the Lewis family on bringing "calm" to the club, and feels the club will have sufficient backing with regard to investment.

"It is very fair to say we have firm backing from the Lewis family against our ambitions to be successful on the pitch on the men’s side and women’s side," he said. "They know that’s going to require investment, and we have their firm backing."

Spurs return to Premier League action on Saturday as they face West Ham United at the London Stadium.

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Published 08/09/2025 at 17:22 GMT+1

Thomas Frank faced some conundrums as he picked his 25-player squad for the league phase of this season's UEFA Champions League. Mathys Tel, who joined the club permanently this summer after spending the second half of the 2024/25 campaign on loan at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, was one of the players whose spot was denied due to the north London club having to fulfil their homegrown quota.

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Mathys Tel said his omission from Tottenham Hotspur's UEFA Champions League squad "definitely hurts," but he is trying to stay in a "pretty positive" frame of mind.

Tel, 20, joined Spurs permanently this summer for a reported £30 million, after spending the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan at the north London club from Bayern Munich.

Participating clubs in UEFA competitions must comply with the quota of a minimum of eight players who are "locally-trained".

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Tel does not qualify as "locally-trained" as he has not been registered at Spurs for three entire seasons, nor another Premier League club. Spurs' compliance with these rules, alongside an influx of summer signings, meant the France Under-21 international missed out completely on Thomas Frank's 25-player squad.

Speaking to Le Telegramme, Tel spoke about his "disappointment" over not making the squad, but said he "respects" the decision Frank had to make.

"It's clear that when you're not on a list, it definitely hurts," he said. "But I'm someone who stays pretty positive, no matter the situation, because I think I've worked a lot on the mental aspect.

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"So today it's definitely a disappointment, I would have liked to be there. But the coach's choice is the coach's choice, we can only respect it and we're going to work to come back in the best possible way."

Asked how Frank informed him of the news, Tel replied: "Quite simply, with respect. He called me, he simply told me his choice and then you could see the list appear on the networks."

Tel's omission from the squad has not necessarily dashed his hopes of competing in this season's Champions League entirely.

UEFA regulations stipulate that clubs are allowed to register a maximum of three additional players to their squads following the conclusion of the league phase and before the beginning of the knockout stages. The deadline to complete this registration is February 5, 2026.

This allows flexibility regarding the addition of signings in the January transfer window, but could open up the possibility for Tel's inclusion in the latter stages of the competition.

James Maddison - who has been sidelined for the foreseeable future with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament - was also not included in Spurs' squad, alongside fellow midfielder Yves Bissouma and summer signing Kota Takai.

Tel has been utilised from the bench in two of Spurs' opening three matches of the Premier League season.

Having previously operated at striker and on the wing for Bayern, Tel has found himself behind Richarlison, Brennan Johnson and summer signing Mohammed Kudus in the early weeks of the season. His game time could be impeded further when Dominic Solanke returns from injury.

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Tel has recorded three goals and two assists in 23 appearances for Spurs across both this season and last.

Spurs begin their league phase campaign at home to Villarreal on September 16, and will also face the likes of last year's UEFA Europa League semi-final opponents Bodo/Glimt, Monaco, Borussia Dortmund and current European champions Paris Saint-Germain.

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Updated 23/08/2025 at 16:11 GMT+1

TNT Sports expert Joe Cole believes that new Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank is the signing of the summer after his side's win against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium. Spurs have now recorded back-to-back wins to start 2025/2026 after goals from Brennan Johnson and summer signing Joao Palhinha handed them a 2-0 win on the road. Frank's side beat Burnley 3-0 in their opening game.

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TNT Sports expert Joe Cole believes Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has been the "signing of the season" after guiding his side to back-to-back wins to open their Premier League season.

The north London club followed up their 3-0 triumph over Burnley on the opening day with a 2-0 victory over Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

Brennan Johnson gave the visitors the lead in the 35th minute before a disastrous bit of distribution from City goalkeeper James Trafford gifted Joao Palhinha a goal on the stroke of half-time.

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Spurs reportedly missed out on the chance to recruit Eberechi Eze this week after bitter rivals Arsenal hijacked the transfer, but Cole believes Frank could turn out to be the best signing of the window.

"Brilliant, I said it at the start of the season, I think Thomas Frank is the signing of the season," said the former Chelsea and Liverpool star.

"I think coming into this club, he is going to calm things, he is going to bring everyone together. That was an outstanding performance from Tottenham from back to front.

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"I think having [Cristian] Romero and [Micky] van de Ven fit for all of the season could make a huge difference for the club, that is something that needs to happen.

"There could have been five or six men of the match, it was fantastic. Thomas Frank is really showing his worth, I think it is a great coup, and Tottenham are very lucky to have him."

Spurs went 2-0 up against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup earlier this month, but ultimately fell to a 4-3 defeat on penalties after conceding two late goals.

There was no sign of that on Saturday afternoon, though, as the visitors controlled the closing stages of the game.

Cole’s fellow TNT Sports expert Karen Carney believes Frank’s side produced a perfect performance on the road.

"You know what, it was perfect," she added. "Every person played the perfect role today and the game plan was superb.

"[Frank] picked his moments, when to press and when not to. That is brave, you have to be brave to do that, especially away at the Etihad."

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Pep Guardiola's City were well beaten, and Carney could not understand the change from the previous week when they opened the season with an impressive win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"I can’t believe what has happened," Carney said. "The City performance from last week to this week was night and day.

"I don’t know what has happened there, but credit to Spurs, absolutely brilliant. A perfect performance."

Frank praises Tottenham's mentality

Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League last term, but they showed character as they secured a place in this season’s UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 victory in the UEFA Europa League final against Manchester United.

Frank, who replaced Tottenham’s Europa League-winning manager Ange Postecoglou, insists that he inherited a squad with a great mentality.

Now the Danish coach wants to build on the morale-boosting end to the 2024/2025 campaign.

"I think this is one of the most difficult places to go to in the Premier League," he said.

"They came with everything and I think before our goal and them dominating us, they were more on top of the game.

"We stayed in it.

"We were solid and had a top mentality.

"After the first goal, more or less we were the better side.

"I found a strong mentality in the players.

"A group of players who had been through a tough season and ended on a high.

"Great mentality in many ways and then we had to build on that.

"On our goal kicks we tried to play out and that was quite successful at times, but the big thing is how we press from a goal kick - we go man to man and that is big for me."

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Striker Brennan Johnson picked out Thomas Frank's "respect" for the importance of defending as a key to his early success at Tottenham Hotspur. Johnson was speaking alongside Joao Palhinha, as the pair gave Spurs a 2-0 win at Manchester City, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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Published 22/08/2025 at 15:32 GMT+1

Thomas Frank stressed that he did not want Tottenham Hotspur to sign players who were not committed to joining the club, amid reports Arsenal had hijacked Spurs' move to sign Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze. The attacker is set to join The Gunners ahead of Spurs for a reported £60 million plus £7.5m in add-ons, having opted for Arsenal ahead of their north London rivals.

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Thomas Frank insisted he doesn’t want "any players who don’t want to come to the club" amid reports Arsenal hijacked Tottenham Hotspur’s move to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.

Arsenal are set to complete the signing of Eze ahead of their north London rivals Spurs for a reported £60 million plus £7.5m in add-ons.

It had been widely suggested that the 27-year-old England international was destined to move to Spurs, only for Arsenal to swoop in and offer the player an opportunity to play for his boyhood team.

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Speaking ahead of Spurs' trip to Manchester City, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, Frank said: "In general, you know, of course, I don't speak about specific players unless they are at our fantastic club.

"That's one thing, but secondly, there's been a lot of rumours - and a lot of times where there's nothing in it. There must be someone out there who thinks it's good fun to put the rumours out there.

"There's been a lot of links and will continue to be. To be very general, I don't want any players who don't want to come to the club.

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"If they don't want to come here and wear this fantastic badge, we don't want them here. That's very clear, and I imagine the fans feel exactly the same. That's a key message."

Spurs have struggled to recruit this summer, having missed out on deals for Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White. Indeed, Mohammed Kudus for £55m from West Ham United is the club's only significant outlay on a new signing.

"The club is working very hard to strengthen the squad," Frank continued. "We only want to do with that with players who can improve us.

"That's what we've been doing and will continue to do so for the rest of the window. Of course, we want to do everything we can to be competitive.

"We have six very good front players who will be very competitive across all the competitions - and Kulusevski will come back this season, it's probably longer-term with [James] Maddison unfortunately.

"I'm confident though that we will sign another player before the end of the window. In general, any club wants to sign players as early as possible. If it was that easy, everyone would do it.

"I'm a positive guy, I'm not that fearful. I believe something will happen."

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Published 22/08/2025 at 11:28 GMT+1

Two of football’s most familiar voices face off in our new weekly feature, predicting the score of every Premier League match this season. It’s Ally McCoist vs Darren Fletcher, aka Ally vs Fletch. There are some monster clashes on the menu in Gameweek 2, with Manchester City hosting Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - and Newcastle United facing Liverpool on Monday.

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You've heard them in the commentary box, now Ally McCoist and Darren Fletcher are putting their reputations on the line in Ally vs Fletch, TNT Sports' brand-new predictions challenge.

Our iconic duo are going head-to-head throughout the 2025/26 Premier League season, predicting the score for every single game - from title-deciders to cold, wet Tuesday nights in Burnley (sorry, Burnley).

And yes, they are both taking this extremely seriously and are already in discussions about a suitably humiliating forfeit for the loser.

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The opening weekend saw Fletch race into an early lead with six correct results, including one perfect score - Tottenham Hotspur's 3-0 win over Burnley. Will Ally bounce back in round two?

WinsPointsFletch18Ally05

Ally vs Fletch scoring - and how you can play along

Each gameweek, Ally and Fletch are giving their score predictions and offering some fiery takes on the weekend's biggest matches. The points system:

One point for getting the right result (win, draw or loss)

Three points for getting the score bang on

Bonus: TNT Sports games count double

Want to get involved? You can vote on the result of every game - win, lose or draw - at the bottom of each article, with a separate leaderboard tracking how you stack up against the experts.

All clear? Let’s get on with the show…

Gameweek 2 predictions

DateMatchAllyFletchFriday, Aug. 22, 20:00West Ham v Chelsea1-20-2Saturday, Aug. 23, 12:30 (TNT)Man City v Spurs2-22-1Saturday, Aug. 23, 15:00Bournemouth v Wolves1-12-0Saturday, Aug. 23, 15:00 Brentford v Aston Villa2-00-1Saturday, Aug. 23, 15:00Burnley v Sunderland1-20-0Saturday, Aug. 23, 17:30Arsenal v Leeds3-03-0Sunday, Aug. 24, 14:00Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest1-11-2Sunday, Aug. 24, 14:00Everton v Brighton2-10-0Sunday, Aug. 24, 16:30Fulham v Man Utd1-21-1Monday, Aug. 25, 20:00Newcastle v Liverpool2-20-2

Selected matches:

Man City v Tottenham Hotspur (TNT Sports)

Ally: "City were very impressive against Wolves last week, it looks like they've got goals in the team and the big fella (Erling Haaland) is up and running with a couple of goals. But I've been quietly impressed by Tottenham.

"Yes, there's the disappointment of losing another signing, but they had a comfortable victory in their opening game against Burnley, Richarlison is in great form, they look far more solid at the back and I think there are goals in them."

Prediction: Man City 2-2 Spurs

Fletch: "I'm going to give Man City the edge because they're at home. I think Spurs are a better team under Thomas Frank, they won't be as open as they were under Ange Postecoglou.

"They may well play three at the back, with two wing-backs, like they did in the Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain, which will make them harder to break down - but I still think City will do that.

"In Erling Haaland, they've got a player who will nick a couple of goals and I was really impressed by Tijjani Reijnders in midfield last week."

Prediction: Man City 2-1 Spurs

Newcastle United v Liverpool

Ally: "The talking point will obviously be Alexander Isak and what's happening there. But Newcastle can consider themselves very unlucky not to pick up three points at Villa Park last week.

"Clearly Liverpool will score goals, but I'm still a little bit concerned about them at the back - and that's why I'm going for a draw.

Prediction:Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool

Fletch: "I think it's going to be a decent game, but also one where Newcastle might struggle to score again. Hugo Ekiteke is on fire and Florian Wirtz will be better in this game.

"I think the wing-backs away from home for Liverpool will be really good as Newcastle, at home, have to push forward looking for goals. I think that leaves space for Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, and I think they will have decent games.

"Liverpool are better than Newcastle right now. Newcastle need a striker. If you've not got a striker, you can't beat Liverpool."

Prediction: Newcastle 0-2 Liverpool

Get involved: Vote on Gameweek 2 fixtures

Now it's over to you, the audience. Vote on the results for the second round of fixtures below!

Oh, and here's how the TNT Sports readers are faring, on average, after the first gameweek:

WinsPoints (match result only)Fletch16Ally05You05

West Ham v Chelsea

Man City v Tottenham

Bournemouth v Wolves

Brentford v Aston Villa

Burnley v Sunderland

Arsenal v Leeds

Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest

Everton v Brighton

Fulham v Man Utd

Newcastle v Liverpool

- - -

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