TEAMtalk

AC Milan are reportedly set to renew their interest in Tottenham right-back Emerson Royal but their pursuit of an Aston Villa star looks set to come to nothing.

Tottenham have been looking to offload some of their fringe players this summer, with the likes of centre-back Joe Rodon joining Leeds United, fellow defender Eric Dier left for Bayern Munich, and midfield flop Tanguy Ndombele’s sorry spell with the club finally coming to an end.

Alongside Ivan Perisic, Japhet Tanganga, and Ryan Sessegnon leaving, Spurs paid approximately £40m to sign Leeds’ Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall completed his £8.5m move from Djurgarden earlier this summer.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is inching closer to a Marseille transfer, but Royal, Sergio Reguilon, Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gill and more could be surplus to requirements, too.

While Ange Postecoglou’s side are still trying to strengthen their squad, more exits are expected; with full-back Royal one of several to have a, somewhat, underwhelming stint in north London.

DON’T MISS: Arsenal and Tottenham in pole position to sign Liverpool target, with new price tag revealed

Fortunately for them, Milan appeared prepared to take the 25-year-old off Spurs’ hands, with the Serie A side reportedly offering £12.6m for Royal – whose contract expires in 2026.

Tottenham rejected that bid, however, with Daniel Levy’s team holding out for something closer to £16.8m. Just when it looked like that transfer was dead and buried, CaughtOffside claims this deal could yet be resurrected.

Milan renew Royal interest but Villa move over

The report claims Milan are set to re-open transfer talks with Spurs, with the Brazil international understood to be keen on ending his time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Personal terms are not expected to be an issue, it just remains to be seen how much Milan are willing to pay for the former Barcelona man, who has scored four goals in 101 appearances for Tottenham.

One man Milan appear not to be chasing, however, is Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash. Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris made his feelings known about the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, something that is forcing the club to sell before they can buy.

He told the Financial Times in June: “Some of the rules have actually resulted in cementing the status quo more than creating upward mobility and fluidity in the sport.

“The rules do not make sense and are not good for football. Managing a sports team has become more like being a treasurer or a bean counter rather than looking at what your team needs. It’s more about creating paper profits, not real profits. It becomes a financial game, not a sporting game.”

As a result, Villa considered selling Cash and although Milan made contact with the Premier League side over the Poland international, their £30m valuation was considered too high.

The aforementioned report adds that Milan will end their efforts to sign the 26-year-old, whose contract runs until the summer of 2027. And with Moussa Diaby seemingly set to join Al-Ittihad for around £50m, Cash may stay at Villa Park after all.

Manchester City have surged into the race for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, who is also a target for Tottenham and Arsenal, according to reports.

The 26-year-old is arguably one of the best playmakers in the Premier League and was deservedly given a spot in England’s Euro 2024 squad by Gareth Southgate.

Eze, who generally plays as an attacking midfielder or left-winger, scored 11 goals and made six assists for Palace last season, capturing the attention of several top clubs.

He has a £68m release clause in his contract (£60m plus add-ons) and as previously reported, Tottenham have been seriously considering triggering it, while Arsenal have also shown an interest.

According to The Mirror, Man City are considering a move for Eze amid the uncertainty surrounding Kevin de Bruyne.

As we exclusively revealed three weeks ago, Saudi club Al-Ittihad have made a lucrative contract offer to the Belgian midfielder, which he is considering.

Fabrizio Romano has played down reports that De Bruyne has already agreed the switch to Saudi but Man City are seemingly planning for his potential departure.

De Bruyne has 12 months remaining on his contract at the Etihad so the Cityzens hold the cards in negotiations, but they could opt to sell him sooner rather than later to avoid losing the 33-year-old on a free transfer.

Man City are big admirers of Eberechi Eze

The Mirror reports that while De Bruyne is yet to fully agree terms with Al-Ittihad, he is ‘expected’ to complete the switch to Saudi.

It’s claimed that if Man City do come in for Eze to replace him, Tottenham would be ‘powerless to prevent the player succumbing to the lure of the Etihad.’

Pep Guardiola and his team have a ‘long-standing admiration for Eze’ and he is likely to leave Palace this summer, but only if one of his suitors matches his release clause.

Oliver Glasner has already lost the services of Michael Olise, who has joined Bayern Munich on a £50m deal.

Marc Guehi has also emerged as a target for Liverpool, who, as we exclusively revealed, are ‘super confident’ of signing the 24-year-old centre-back.

Adam Wharton is also generating interest across Europe but Palace are determined to stand firm and keep the defensive midfielder, as he only joined from Blackburn Rovers in January.

Eze looks most likely to be the next player out the door so it will be interesting to see whether Man City, Tottenham or indeed Arsenal make the first concrete bid for him.

Eze undoubtedly has the quality to play at the highest level and he will reportedly be Guardiola’s top target should the Cityzens part ways with De Bruyne.

Arsenal and Tottenham have reportedly stepped up their interest in Turkey star Baris Alper Yilmaz – as Galatasaray name their price for the talented winger.

The 24-year-old was one of many players at Euro 2024 to put in statement displays, with Yilmaz causing Liverpool and Netherlands centre-back Virgil van Dijk all sorts of problems with his pace and trickery in the quarter-finals.

The former Ankara Keciorengucu ace, who has also been linked with Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, scored seven goals and bagged 12 assists in 55 appearances for the Turkish outfit last season, but it seems his days at Galatasaray may be numbered.

Indeed, Sedat Tahiroglu, the chairman of his former team Keciorengucu, has confirmed the Reds’ and Dortmund’s interest in the 6ft 1in right winger, who has scored 11 goals and registered 14 assists in 108 appearances for the Super Lig team since joining them in the 2021/22 campaign.

He said: “We have 20 percent of Baris Alper Yilmaz’s share but Galatasaray has not requested a meeting with us on this issue. I hear Liverpool and Arsenal want him but I know [new Borussia Dortmund coach] Nuri Sahin definitely wants him. I don’t think the price will be €50m (£42m). He can be sold for around €30m (£25.3m).

DON’T MISS: Arsenal ‘not afraid’ to sign major Barcelona target after £39m transfer precedent set

“The path needs to be paved for young people for Turkish football. Hopefully he will make the decision that is good for him. The money is not important. The important thing is for Baris Alper to go to a team where he will be successful because he will be the face of Turkey.”

And that is where Tottenham and Arsenal come in. According to reports, both the north London clubs sent scouts to see Yilmaz at the Euros in Germany in recent weeks.

While he is known as a wideman, the Turkey ace started up front in the 3-1 win over Georgia, the 3-0 loss to Portugal, and the 2-1 victory against the Czech Republic.

For the 2-1 last-16 triumph over Austria, he was shifted out to the right wing, while Arda Guler led the line for the Turks; and the same was the case for the 2-1 quarter-final defeat to the Netherlands. This shows Yilmaz is a versatile forward, making him an appealing target.

Premier League duo learn Yilmaz price tag

Now, Turkish publication Sabah state the player’s agent is set to hold talks with the Gunners and Spurs ahead of the new Premier League season – which begins on August 17.

However, the report adds Galatasaray will only listen to offers starting at £25.3m, suggesting he could depart for more than the fee Tahiroglu mooted.

Sabah add the winger, whose contract at the Turkish side runs until the summer of 2027, is on the radar of Brighton, Manchester United, and Aston Villa, too.

And according to the Liverpool Echo, Yilmaz has been spotted in the United Kingdom, fuelling speculation of a Premier League transfer. Indeed, He recently posted a photo on Instagram showing him smiling on the streets of London, before quickly deleting it.

It remains to be seen if he will head to pastures new in the coming weeks and if potential suitors are willing to pay at least £25m for his services.

Thomas Frank has given an update on Ivan Toney’s future as the likes of Tottenham, West Ham and Arsenal continue to be linked with the England frontman.

Toney was expected to leave the west London club after the Bees completed a club-record £30million deal to sign highly-rated Brazilian striker Igor Thiago.

The 28-year-old has just entered the final year of his contract and has repeatedly hinted that he wants a move to a bigger club this summer.

Brentford had hoped to secure a fee in the region of £70m for Toney after he returned from his lengthy FA ban but have now dropped that figure to between £40-50m as the player’s contract runs down.

DON’T MISS: The 10 most expensive transfers involving England players launched by Gareth Southgate

Interest in the player has certainly dipped after he scored just four goals in the second half of last season, with Manchester United opting to land Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna instead having been heavily tipped to sign Toney.

The likes of Spurs, West Ham and Arsenal remain on the hunt for a new No.9 though, but Frank still insists that Toney will not come cheap if he does indeed leave.

Speaking after Brentford’s 5-2 pre-season win over AFC Wimbledon on Saturday, Frank, when asked if Toney could still leave, said: “You never know. He’s a Brentford player and I would love him to stay. That would give me a very positive challenge.

“But I haven’t met a coach who doesn’t want as many good players as possible. Right now, Ivan is a Brentford player.”

Frank still hopeful over Toney stay

Pressed on whether he was aware of any offers for Toney, Frank added: “I know he’s a Brentford player. I know he’s enjoying his well-deserved time off after his time with England.

“I would be more than happy if he stayed with us. He’s a goalscorer and that’s very good to have in your team so if you want to buy him, it’s expensive.”

READ NEXT: Crazy demand sees Tottenham outcast price himself out of exit, as Conte hunts £46m Spurs ace

New Brentford striker Thiago scored twice in the game against Wimbledon with Toney not involved after contributing to England’s run to the Euro 2024 final. He made an assist in the last-16 win over Slovakia and scored a penalty in the shootout against Switzerland.

At this stage, it appears to be Tottenham and West Ham who continue to have concrete interest in Toney, who has scored 72 goals in 141 appearances for the Bees.

Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s time in north London is done after transfer insider Fabrizio Romano confirmed the player’s imminent switch to France.

The writing has been on the wall for the Denmark international ever since Ange Postecoglou walked through the door due to the Australian’s fluid playing style.

In fairness to Hojbjerg, he did try to adapt to those methods but he has never really been a player who is strong in possession and remains more of a spoiler.

And it now appears his days in north London are done after it was confirmed that Ligue 1 giants Marseille have agreed a deal for the player and that the paperwork has been signed.

DIVE DEEPER: Tantalising Tottenham XI to lead Postecoglou to promised land and end 16-year trophy wait

Tottenham will receive a fee of around €14m (£12m) for the 28-year-old, who was convinced of the move to Marseille by their new coach Robert De Zerbi.

He will join former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood in France, while there is also talk of Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah heading to Marseille too.

Well known for his tireless work ethic and defensive solidity, the Dane has been a mainstay for Spurs since joining from Southampton in 2020.

However, he is now behind the likes of Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and Archie Gray in Postecoglou’s engine room, along with another impressive summer signing in Lucas Bergvall.

Hojbjerg is certainly a familiar face to De Zerbi given the Italian’s impressive spell at Brighton, with the midfielder expected to have penned a four-year deal.

As the Dane leaves, Postecoglou is expected to bring in a replacement in order not to weaken the overall strength of the position group.

Postecoglou remains keen on Ramsey swoop

Rumours remain that a deal can still be struck for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, although Postecoglou remains keen on landing Aston Villa’s box-to-box star Jacob Ramsey instead.

Tottenham are hoping to lure Villa into the selling the 23-year-old talent by offering £20m plus Argentine midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who has failed to live up to expectations in north London but might be pricing himself out of an exit.

Ramsey scored once and provided two assists in 21 total appearances for Villa last season, although he was hampered by two separate foot issues. He is currently valued in the region of £30m.

The England Under-21 is also versatile enough to play a number of positions across the midfield and would be another strong addition to Postecoglou’s engine room after the captures of Gray and Bergvall already this summer.

READ NEXT: Aston Villa plot shock transfer for Tottenham fan favourite with EIGHTH signing imminent

As for Hojbjerg, the experienced Spurs man leaves after making 184 appearances for the club and scoring 10 goals.

He will certainly be missed by the Tottenham faithful as he’s been a popular figure since his switch from Southampton and was well suited to Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte’s methods, just not to Postecoglou’s.

West Ham United have been urged to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the race for Brentford star Ivan Toney and complete their ‘best signing’ in over a decade.

Toney finished last season with four goals and two assists from 17 appearances after missing a majority of the campaign due to a betting ban. But he remains one of the highest rated centre-forwards in England after netting 20 goals in 33 Premier League games the previous season and also impressing during his limited game time at Euro 2024.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been open about the fact that Toney could leave the club this summer. He would ideally like to keep working with the striker but knows that Brentford will cash in if a major offer arrives, especially as Toney’s contract is due to expire in June 2025.

On Friday, it emerged that Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all cooled their interest in Toney, who can be signed for around £50million. This has set up a transfer battle between London rivals Tottenham and West Ham for his services.

DON’T MISS – Sources: West Ham pushing for great double deal as summer window bursts into life

Darragh MacAnthony, chairman of Toney’s former club Peterborough United, has now weighed in on the 28-year-old’s situation. He has told West Ham to break the bank and land Toney before Tottenham, as it would be one of the best transfers in the club’s modern history.

“I think for me, the betting man [in me] would say, knowing what David Sullivan is like at West Ham, he’s always liked Ivan Toney,” MacAnthony said during a recent media appearance.

“He’ll try and basically get him at a dropped-down bargain offer from Brentford.

“And I know the Brentford people and they’d be like ‘no chance’. But I know Sullivan will try, and if he had any common sense he would.

West Ham transfers: Ivan Toney a game-changing signing

“It would be the best signing West Ham have made in 12 years, instead of a foreign striker for £70m who couldn’t hit a barn door.”

West Ham have got experience with failed strikers, as Gianluca Scamacca did not hit the heights expected of him after moving to the London Stadium in July 2022. Frustratingly for the Hammers, Scamacca has gone on to become a deadly striker at Atalanta.

As Toney knows the Prem well, his signing would come with far less risk for West Ham.

The deal is of interest to MacAnthony as Peterborough are set to pocket a sell-on fee when Toney leaves Brentford. However, the club chief went on shut down speculation that Peterborough will earn £10m or more from this clause, instead stating that he expects his club to receive £3-5m.

There has been a double update on Tottenham Hotspur, with Giovani Lo Celso reportedly stopping a summer move from going through and Antonio Conte eyeing a reunion with another player.

Lo Celso registered two goals and two assists in 24 appearances across all competitions for Tottenham last term. However, only four of those outings lasted an hour or longer, as Ange Postecoglou preferred to select other central midfielders and instead used Lo Celso largely as a substitute.

The 28-year-old knows he is not high up in Postecoglou’s pecking order and is looking to leave Tottenham this summer so he can start regularly at a different club. Indeed, TEAMtalk revealed on June 27 that Lo Celso has been told he is free to join a new side, as his sale would bring in vital funds for Spurs.

Lo Celso might not be a crucial player for Spurs, but he remains a highly rated player across Europe after previously impressing at Real Betis.

DON’T MISS: Tantalising Tottenham XI to lead Postecoglou to promised land and end 16-year trophy wait

Sources have previously confirmed to TEAMtalk that the Argentine would ideally like to return to Spain, where he has played for both Betis and Villarreal, but recent reports suggest a different transfer could occur.

Italian outfit Lazio have entered talks for Lo Celso, viewing him as a potentially great addition to their side.

As per the latest reports in Italy, Lazio have discovered that Spurs would be willing to accept a cut-price offer for Lo Celso, potentially as low as €10million (£8.4m). That is despite the North London club originally paying £27m for him in January 2020.

Signing the 57-cap international for just £8m would be a fantastic piece of business from Lazio, but they must convince the player on the move first.

Tottenham transfers: Updates on Lo Celso, Kulusevski

The reports add that Lo Celso is currently pricing himself out of a switch to Serie A. He wants to be paid more than €5m (£4.2m) per year, which works out at around £81k per week.

That is not much for English teams such as Spurs, as they currently pay the playmaker a reported £100k a week. However, it is claimed that Italian sides such as Lazio view that as a crazy demand, as they do not have the finances of their Premier League counterparts.

Lo Celso is not the only Spurs player facing an uncertain future. Winger Dejan Kulusevski is emerging as a target for several other teams.

On Friday, Aston Villa were tipped to cause a shock by opening negotiations for the classy 24-year-old. But the Italian press state that former Spurs boss Conte is ready to battle Villa for Kulusevski.

Conte has a good relationship with Kulusevski and Napoli hope this can be used to help them complete a deal.

The Swede could be convinced to return to Italy, having played in the country with Atalanta, Parma and Juventus before arriving at Spurs in January 2022.

Spurs paid £26m to sign Kulusevski permanently, following an initial loan spell, though he is now valued at around £46m.

Due to the financial constrains affecting Italian clubs, Napoli would need to sell a top player before they can launch a substantial bid for Kulusevski.

Napoli will therefore be hoping that Victor Osimhen’s huge prospective switch to Paris Saint-Germain will give them enough money to land a new striker and Kulusevski, too.

Tottenham are very much on course to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea this summer with the price they will likely have to pay coming to light and with Manchester United’s failure to disrupt a big Aston Villa transfer significantly aiding their chances.

The England midfielder has been on the Tottenham wanted list ever since Ange Postecoglou took charge in N17. Looking to build an energetic, all action side, with a hard-working and hard-running central midfield axis the key, Gallagher is seen as an ideal addition to his side.

However, while some at Chelsea remain very much open to his sale, the player has very much been a regular in their side last season under Mauricio Pochettino, captaining the side for the bulk of his 50 appearances for the Blues in the 2023/24 campaign.

IN DEPTH ➡️ The dazzling Tottenham side lined up for 2024/25 if Postecoglou lands all his dream signings

Indeed, Pochettino went to great lengths to oppose his planned sale, which would go down as pure profit owing to his rise through their academy and with the Surrey-born star classed as a homegrown product, as far as Profit and Sustainability Rules are concerned.

While arguments over Gallagher‘s potential exit continue to cause ructions in the Chelsea boardroom – and sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that the 18-times capped England star has made it crystal clear that he would love to stay – Tottenham have continued to hover behind the scenes for a deal.

To that end, while their hopes of a January swoop ultimately came to nothing, Daniel Levy and Co have remained on his trail. And now there is a renewed belief that Chelsea will be forced to reluctantly cash in on the midfielder to aid their own transfer business this summer.

Tottenham told Conor Gallagher signing is ON as price emerges

With that in mind, Chelsea have prepared for his possible exit by already signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester to reunite with boss Enzo Maresca.

The Blues, though, still want and need to sign a prolific new striker, meaning the sale of Gallagher could become a necessity to help finance any deal.

Now former Tottenham man Alan Hutton says he is of the belief that Gallagher will indeed end up signing for Tottenham this summer after revealing the likely price they will need to shell out.

“I think he makes Tottenham better. He would give them a different option,” Hutton told Tottenham News of a player branded ‘priceless’ by Pochettino.

“Do I think they could get him for £30m? Probably not; I think Chelsea value him at £50m. Could they meet somewhere in the middle? I think they’d be getting an excellent player with experience who was the captain at Chelsea last season, and he definitely makes them stronger in the middle of the pitch.”

Tottenham’s chances of a raid for Gallagher have been enhanced by the fact that his other suitors, Aston Villa, are instead now looking at signing Amadou Onana from Everton.

“I think he would flourish under Ange Postecoglou with what he’s trying to do at that club, so it’s going to be an interesting one.

Now that Villa, who I know were interested in him, are going for Amadou Onana, that will probably be dead in the water, and that almost leaves Spurs to go and chase after him. I’ve got a feeling he will leave,” Hutton added.

“I didn’t at the start, but I feel that the longer this goes on, he will move somewhere.”

Man Utd transfer failure adds to Levy belief

Indeed, Villa have agreed to pay the Toffees a fee of around £50m for Onana, who will move to Villa Park as a replacement for Douglas Luiz, who left for Juventus.

Onana has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park for quite some time with several big-hitting sides, including Barcelona, thought to have taken a look at his services.

However, an impressive Euro 2024 for Onana on a personal level has seen Villa ramp up their interest in securing his services and a deal to secure his signing is expected to be wrapped up in the coming days.

Now it has emerged that Onana has agreed to make the move to the Midlands after it emerged that Manchester United have failed with a late attempt to hijack the deal.

READ NEXT ➡️ Ange Postecoglou delivers brilliant response after claims Tottenham boss could replace Southgate as England boss

The Red Devils are in the market for a new central midfielder themselves this summer and had prioritised a move for Joao Neves. But the Benfica teenager is now closing on a move to PSG, leaving United to look at potential alternatives, of which Onana is understood to be one.

However, any attempts at a transfer hijack are destined to fail with the Belgium international deciding to sign on the dotted line for Unai Emery’s side, who also have the added bonus of being able to offer Champions League football next season.

That leaves United to consider a number of alternatives, with Manuel Ugarte of PSG and free agent Adrien Rabiot both now under consideration.

And with Villa now set to land Onana, Spurs can expect a pretty-much clear path to Gallagher if and when Chelsea decide to sell.

Aston Villa have made a strong start to the transfer window and now they’re reportedly planning a shock raid on Tottenham that’ll leave Spurs fans reeling.

Unai Emery is determined to build on a fantastic 2023/24 campaign that saw Villa finish fourth in the table and qualify for the Champions League.

Building a squad with strength in all areas will be key so they can cope with their busy fixture schedule and they’ve already got SEVEN new signings through the door.

The Midlands club are also on the verge of signing Everton midfielder Amadou Onana for a club-record fee of £50m, with the move set to be finalised early next week.

Even though they’ve signed three new wingers already in Lewis Dobbin, Jaden Philogene and Samuel Iling-Junior, reports suggest that Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski is the next name on their shortlist.

The Swedish international is a Spurs fan favourite and is a key part of Ange Postecoglou’s squad, having made 39 appearances and scoring eight goals for the London side last season.

But according to Football Transfers, Villa have registered an interest in signing Kulusevski this summer.

Villa plot Kulusevski move amid Spurs’ winger hunt

It’s reported that Villa’s interest in Kulusevski comes after Tottenham’s sporting director, Johan Lange, opened talks with Wolves over a deal for Pedro Neto.

Spurs previously enquired about signing the Portuguese winger in January, so it’s clear that their interest in him is concrete.

Tottenham are also leading the race for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, who can play as a left-winger or attacking midfielder.

The England international has a £60m release clause in his contract and Arsenal have also shown an interest in him, per reports.

It’s claimed that Neto and Eze’s potential arrival in North London could mean that Kulusevski is allowed to leave Tottenham.

Villa are looking at replacement options for Moussa Diaby, who is close to joining Al-Ittihad after agreeing personal terms with the Saudi club.

DON’T MISS: Tantalising Tottenham XI to lead Postecoglou to promised land and end 16-year trophy wait

The Villains hope to bag a small profit on the £52m they signed Diaby for last summer and will put those funds towards their own transfer business.

Kulusevski won’t be a cheap addition, however, given he’s under contract until 2028 and therefore Tottenham hold all the power in negotiations.

It will be interesting to see if Villa do launch a concrete bid for Kulusevski in the coming weeks, but it would be a major shock if he does leave Spurs.

Tottenham’s transfer business is already well underway for the summer but Ange Postecoglou is still looking to get two or three more names through the door and could end up with an incredible starting XI to start the new campaign.

Timo Werner is back at the club on loan, while Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are both on board and are already making an impression early in pre-season.

However, Postecoglou is still keen to get another No.9 on board as well as sealing a transfer for Crystal Palace standout Eberechi Eze.

With that in mind, TT takes a look at the Tottenham starting XI that could line up for the Premier League opener at Leicester on Monday August 19. Formation 4-2-1-3.

GK: Guglielmo Vicario

Barring some issues commanding his area, particularly from set-pieces, the Italian had an outstanding first season in north London and will look to go from strength to strength this time around.

Clean sheets were an issue though, with only eight in 40 games in total, while he also conceded 62 times. In fairness, some of that was due to the back four changing a fair bit during the first half the campaign due to injuries and suspensions.

However, at 27 years of age, the Italy international has yet to hit his peak for a keeper and will almost certainly have been working on the aspects that let him down during his first season in English football.

RB: Pedro Porro

Porro went from a bit of a laughing stock when he first arrived at the club in early 2023 to being one of the best attacking right-backs in the Premier League last season.

The Spaniard, who was incredibly unlucky to miss out on his country’s Euro 2024 squad, scored four goals and laid on seven assists in 37 total appearances last term and will start the new campaign as Postecoglou’s first choice right-back again despite the summer arrival of Archie Gray from Leeds.

His €40million fee is already starting to look somewhat of a bargain, especially given that the fact that Porro is still only 23.

CB: Cristian Romero

For World Cup winner now read Copa America winner too after the centre-back tasted yet more success with Argentina, once again proving himself as a key performer at the tournament in the US.

Romero has his faults, with his disciplinary issues costing Tottenham last season, but he remains an outstanding centre-back with strong leadership qualities who is still only 26 and will continue to improve with age.

Romero’s partnership with Micky van de Ven has all the hallmarks of being one of the best in the Premier League but he still needs to curb his aggression going forward and cut out the reckless challenges.

Indeed, Tottenham can ill-afford to lose a player of Romero’s quality from any kind of suspension again next season, even if they do have an able deputy in Radu Dragusin to step up.

DIVE DEEPER: Jonathan David profile: Man Utd, Tottenham, Chelsea all in contention for absolute bargain

CB: Micky van de Ven

There’s a phrase in boxing that ‘speed kills’ and it’s certainly a major asset as a defender too, and Van de Ven has it and then some.

He may not be the quickest over 10 yards but give the Dutchman a chance to get those legs galloping and he will in a foot race 99 times out of 100.

Van de Ven’s game is not all about speed though, his awareness, positioning and quality in possession also make him an incredible asset for a player who could end up costing in the region of £43million.

The Netherlands international also showcased his ability to fill in at left-back too in the final games of last season and looked completely at home in the role.

That’s certainly something for Postecoglou to consider if he wants to hand more game time to Dragusin, while also giving his team more weapons to deal with some of the set-piece issues they suffered from last season.

LB: Destiny Udogie

Another player who excelled in his first season in English football, although injury issues forced him to miss the closing stages of the campaign.

Udogie’s ability to move into central midfield and give Tottenham an advantage in numbers was pivotal early in the campaign as Postecoglou’s men made a flying start.

He was prone to the odd defensive lapse but his threat in attack made him a nightmare for opposing defences to deal with.

Udogie does need to improve in terms of his discipline, however, having been suspended twice last season.

CM: Archie Gray

This is a bit of a punt, given that Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr are probably more likely to start in central midfield ahead of the summer signing from Leeds, but such has been the impression made by Gray that Postecoglou has no choice but to throw him in.

At £30m, the 18-year-old could turn out to be one of the bargains of the summer, especially given his versatility to play in midfield or as cover at right-back.

The teenager was even trusted to line up at centre-back in the friendly win at Hearts on Wednesday evening, earning race reviews in the process.

Gray’s calmness in possession and ability to play and drive forward half-turn make him ideally suited to slot into the side as Postecoglou’s defensive midfielder.

The reason he gets the nod over both Bissouma and Sarr is the struggles both endured in the second half of last season after returning from the African Cup on Nations.

Yes, the duo will have had pre-season to try and rediscover their best form, but Gray is a special talent who is too good to sit on the bench despite his relative lack of experience.

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur

It was tough for Tottenham fans to not see Bentancur fully back to his best last season after his return from an ACL injury.

The Uruguay international was in outstanding form before his serious knee in February 2023 and did not look his usual self when he finally returned to action.

When fully fit the 27-year-old is regarded as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Premier League, although there could be a major issue on the horizon for Tottenham and the player himself.

Bentancur suffered an injury in the Copa America semi-final loss to Colombia and was then shown throwing bottles into the stands after a brawl broke out between the Uruguay players and a section of the opposing fans.

If the footage is as damning as it sounds the midfielder could up banned, although that will only potentially be from international football.

The injury is a concern though, given that there has been no real update on the problem that forced him off in the first half of the game.

DON’T MISS: Who next? The biggest transfer after every European Championship since Euro 96: Man Utd, Real Madrid signings…

CAM: James Maddison

A real season of two halves for the former Leicester City man, who was signed in a £40m deal in the summer of 2023.

Maddison started the season in spectacular fashion as Spurs topped the table after the first 10 games but then suffered an ankle injury that ruled him out for two months.

The 27-year-old was certainly not at his best when he did finally return and his form tailed off that much that that he ended up missing out on England’s Euro 2024 squad altogether.

Maddison is the sort of character that loves proving people wrong though and he will almost certainly come back with a bang for the upcoming campaign.

Indeed, there is no suggestion that his place is in doubt, despite Tottenham having numerous options to play the No.10 role, including heavily linked target Eberechi Eze.

RW: Eberechi Eze

Speaking of the Crystal Palace man, we expect Spurs to pay his £60m release clause and make the England man one of the marquee signings of the summer.

Eze is made for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou and lit up the club’s stadium with a superb free-kick last season. He is versatile enough to play in either wide position and also as an attacking midfielder.

Having Eze interchange with Maddison and Son and also make space for both full-backs to maraude forward would give Spurs an incredibly potent attack, especially with the addition of a prolific No.9.

However, that is an issue that could still prove problematic. Is Daniel Levy willing to spend £60m on Eze and then likely spend big again on a striker? If he does, having a seat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this coming season could be one of the hottest in the Premier League.

ST: Jonathan David

In terms of landing that quality No.9, Tottenham have been linked with countless central strikers since Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich last summer.

Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez and Brentford forward Ivan Toney have both been the frontunners for that role, but news on that pair has gone very quiet of late.

But one link that refuses to go away relates to Lille attacker Jonathan David.

The Canada international has been prolific in France since joining Lille in 2020, scoring 84 goals in 183 games in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side.

David, who is currently available for a cut-price £25m, has the pace to run in behind but also the ability to link play and would be a perfect fit for Postecoglou’s high-octane brand of football.

READ NEXT: Arsenal, Tottenham fight erupts after 23y/o Spaniard dazzles scouts; Real Madrid also in frame

LW: Son Heung-min

The club skipper notched 17 goals last season playing both as a left-winger and central striker but was not always at his best in a slightly inconsistent campaign.

The South Korean started the friendly win at Hearts on Wednesday through the middle again. However, his best position remains on the left wing, where he has excelled during nine seasons in north London.

Son would clearly benefit from having a new central striker to take the heat off, especially when he has the captaincy to burden him as well.

At 32 he is also not getting any younger and would likely benefit from having the attacking numbers to play a slightly more rotational role, especially given that the club is back in Europe again.