TEAMtalk

Tottenham contact for a Bayern Munich star has been confirmed by insider Christian Falk, who’s revealed when the likeliest transfer date is.

Spurs are in a hole they didn’t think they’d find themselves in this summer. After consecutive 17th-placed finishes, they spent over £300million to be bottom of the Premier League table after five games.

They’re being tipped to recruit again in January following their big spend in the summer.

One man of interest to Tottenham is Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae, who will have a year left on his contract in Germany come the end of the season.

Insider Falk has detailed how Bayern hold all the cards currently, though Spurs are one of the sides in pursuit.

He said: “I can say it’s still true that Bayern Munich will be the first club he opens any kind of talks with.

“But it will depend on a number of things, like what Bayern are offering this Autumn when they open talks over his future? Will they say Min-jae Kim can sign a new contract? Or is he still one of the players the club would consider selling to bring in some money?

“This is why other clubs have Kim in their focus. Aston Villa is interested, and I heard both Tottenham and AC Milan are also looking at the South Korean international. In fact the three clubs in question already made contact in the summer for Kim, but in the end there was no offer.

“So, nothing concrete at the moment. I wouldn’t expect a January move or anything. Everything will depend on what Bayern Munich will tell Kim in contract talks this year.”

Kim Min-jae doesn’t want to leave

The 6ft 3in Bayern defender has played only three games in the Bundesliga this season, which could give interested sides hope of landing him.

But with that said, Falk has recently revealed the South Korean defender wants to remain with his current club.

He wrote: ‘Kim Min-jae is very clear at the moment that he wants to stay at Bayern and he’s fine with his current role at the club.

‘He’s not in the starting XI at the moment, but he has a chance to get there if he’s playing well and, of course, if injuries strike.

‘So, Kim wants to see if he can push back into the team. It’s not like he’s so disappointed that he wants to force a move, and this is a very good situation for Bayern Munich, as they’re fully aware they can’t rely on just two senior centre-backs for an entire season.

‘Having a player like Kim available is critical if they want to go far in all competitions – especially in the Champions League.’

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have stepped up their interest in Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Ibrahim Maza, with TEAMtalk able to reveal both clubs have been tracking the highly-rated 20-year-old.

Maza is quickly developing into one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting young attacking midfielders, with his performances for Leverkusen bringing him onto the radar of an increasing number of Premier League clubs.

TEAMtalk understands Arsenal and Tottenham have both watched Maza this season as they assess his development and potential availability.

Their interest adds to a growing list of English clubs monitoring the Algeria international. Chelsea, Manchester City and Aston Villa were previously revealed by TEAMtalk as being attentive to his progress, and that remains the case.

Maza’s appeal comes from the versatility and technical quality he brings to the attacking midfield positions. He is a player who looks particularly comfortable finding pockets of space in the half-spaces, where he can receive possession, turn and drive at defenders.

There is also an intelligence to Maza’s game, with his awareness and reading of situations allowing him to find space and link play in dangerous areas.

Those qualities have been on display during Leverkusen’s encouraging start to the campaign, with Maza already contributing a goal and an assist.

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Arsenal, Tottenham target also impressing on international stage

His form has also translated onto the international stage with Algeria.

The Berlin-born midfielder produced one of his most impressive recent displays on Friday night, playing a decisive role in Algeria’s 3-1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying victory over Zambia.

Maza scored and provided an assist in the game, further enhancing his growing reputation.

At just 20, his development remains one to watch, but the level of Premier League interest underlines how highly clubs are beginning to rate his potential.

Arsenal and Tottenham are now among those assessing the situation, while Chelsea, Manchester City and Aston Villa continue to keep tabs on a player whose profile is rapidly rising in Germany and beyond.

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood insists former Spurs striker Will Lankshear made the right decision to leave over the summer, as the pathways for young talent at the club are currently being ‘blocked’.

The north London club recouped £20million for Lankshear when he headed to Teesside, despite only ever making six senior appearances and scoring once – albeit that one strike did come in the Champions League at Galatasaray of all places.

Lankshear was never able to make the breakthrough at Tottenham, though, despite being dubbed the ‘next Harry Kane’ from a young age.

Life at Middlesbrough could not have got off to a better start for the 21-year-old, however, with Lankshear chalking up eight goals in 11 matches across all competitions for a Boro side currently sitting third in the Championship table.

Lankshear showcased his ability to score goals in the second tier of English football during a loan stint at Oxford United last season, scoring 11 times, following a similar career path to Kane in that regard.

Indeed, it was Sherwood that gave the club’s all-time record goalscorer his chance at a similar stage of his development to Lankshear, after Kane had enjoyed loan stints at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester.

But Sherwood claims it was the right time for Lankshear to leave, given Tottenham’s reluctance to turn to their academy over a number of years.

Lankshear’s goalscoring form is all the more frustrating for Spurs, given their own struggles in front of goal in the Premier League, with just two scored in five games to date as they sit bottom of the table.

Loan signing Omar Marmoush, who can sign on a permanent £60m deal next summer, is yet to find the net, while there is talk of the club making another big splash for a striker in January.

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Tottenham wrong not to give Lankshear a chance

And Sherwood claims Lankshear never had a chance of breaking through, once the club started spending big under Roberto De Zerbi.

He told MaxFreeBets: “Will Lankshear did well at Oxford, he’s done well over there. If you’re ever gonna get a chance at Spurs as a young player you need to go and score goals while out on loan, and he did that.

“I’m not saying he was the answer, but I think he deserves an opportunity to suggest he might be. He never got that opportunity.

“Spurs just look to go out and spend money and block up pathways of young kids. So he’s better off just going and getting a career somewhere else, and he’s doing very well.”

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Lankshear is not the only younger player at Tottenham that fans have been unhappy at the club for selling, with Luka Vuskovic’s move to Brighton over the summer also met with heavy criticism.

The Croatian centre-back has been in sensational form for the Seagulls at the start of the new season, while Tottenham summer signings Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi have not exactly been convincing early in their time in north London.

Spurs return to Premier League action on October 10 when they head to Manchester United in the Premier League.

Sky Sports and BBC Sport pundit Clinton Morrison fully expects things to start clicking for under-pressure Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur after the international break, despite majority owners ENIC blundering in the summer transfer window.

Spurs sit rock-bottom of the Premier League table after a winless start of the start, with only two points to their name from five games, and are not back in action until October 10 when they head to Manchester United.

While the extended break provides the Tottenham players not called up for international duty a chance to rest, with De Zerbi giving them a week off after a physically draining month of action, the pressure is already mounting on the Italian’s job in north London.

Indeed, many pundits have been critical of De Zerbi and Spurs for their woeful start to the campaign, especially after spending more than £300million on new recruits during a summer in which 10 signings were made.

However, Morrison, who is a boyhood Tottenham fan, claims to have seen signs that should encourage fans over recent weeks, despite the team’s poor results.

When asked about last weekend’s 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa and Tottenham’s poor start overall, the former Palace striker told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast: “Spurs were the better team in that first half and [Zion] Suzuki made three or four outstanding saves.

“I feel like we’ve been saying this a lot with Tottenham so far this season – dominating matches, not being clinical enough, and then getting punished.

“The defending is nowhere near good enough, and they are conceding too many easy goals at the moment. It is a recipe for disaster. But, I do think they will turn it around, and I do think they will have a good season.

“When it clicks for them, they are going to give some team a hiding very soon. I think they have good attacking players; they will score goals and win games at some point.”

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Despite Tottenham’s winless struggles, Morrison is still predicting De Zerbi to lead Spurs to a top-six finish in the Premier League, even if they made a major mistake during all their summer transfer business.

Indeed, Morrison conceded that the one big worry for the club, until January at least, is the lack of a top-class centre-forward in their squad.

He admits that De Zerbi now has the important role of ensuring his forwards’ confidence does not drop ahead of a winnable set of fixtures, including the game at Old Trafford where Red Devils boss Michael Carrick is also under pressure.

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Morrison added: “The only thing they have missed is when signing all these midfielders and attacking players, they have missed a centre forward.

“De Zerbi will not put his arm around you – it’s his way or the highway and you have to produce for him.

“The hierarchy has backed him and given him the money, now he has to get results. But, their upcoming fixtures don’t look too bad.

“I do think scoring their first two Premier League goals, even in defeat, does help moving forward.”

Liverpool are looking to sign a new centre-back and they are eyeing a sensational move for Tottenham star Micky van de Ven, according to reports.

The Dutch defender signed for Spurs in a £34.5million deal in the summer of 2023 and has since become one of the most sought-after defenders in the Premier League.

Van de Ven has played in four of Tottenham’s five Premier League games this season and while his team have failed to win a single game, the defender’s suitors haven’t been put off.

According to Football Insider, Liverpool view Van de Ven as a player who could replace Virgil van Dijk in the long-term.

“Van de Ven is somebody who has been on Liverpool’s radar for a long time,” a source told Football Insider. “He’s certainly somebody who would fit the bill when they’re looking to replace Van Dijk, because he’s left-sided, physically dominant, he’s the captain at Tottenham too.

“I do have my concerns because he’s been a big part of the Spurs side that has really struggled, but his individual talent is clear, so Liverpool could rescue him from that nightmare. He certainly ticks a lot of boxes, and if Tottenham continue to struggle then I expect a move to Liverpool will be appealing for him.

“Obviously, Spurs aren’t going to want to lose one of their best players to a Preimer League rival, but they might struggle to keep him if they stay near the bottom of the table.”

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Liverpool face obstacles to Van de Ven transfer

While Liverpool have been keen on Van de Ven for some time, he could actually be one of the hardest players to lure away from Tottenham, providing they stay in the Premier League.

Van de Ven signed a new contract with Spurs in August, which runs until 2031, and Roberto De Zerbi was key in the defender deciding to commit his future to the club.

We exclusively revealed in July that Van de Ven had become open to signing fresh terms after previously informing Tottenham he was prepared to leave north London.

At the time, sources indicated that the appointment of De Zerbi had completely changed the Dutch defender’s outlook, and those discussions have now resulted in an agreement.

This marked a significant twist, as Van de Ven had serious doubts about remaining at Spurs at the turn of the year, with uncertainty surrounding the club’s direction leading him to believe his future lay elsewhere.

Liverpool were one of the clubs keen on luring Van de Ven away from Spurs.

However, with Van de Ven now under contract for another five years, Tottenham are in a strong position to rebuff advances for the defender.

It would therefore take a mammoth offer from Liverpool for Spurs to consider letting him go.

Relegation for Spurs could change the equation significantly. As far as January goes, a transfer to Liverpool for Van de Ven looks unlikely.

Roberto De Zerbi is under increasing pressure after Tottenham’s dismal start to the season, and the club are reportedly keen to bring in a new ‘senior executive’ as speculation over a potential sacking continues.

Spurs sit bottom of the Premier League table after picking up just two points from their opening five games, , despite them spending over £300million over the summer.

The situation has inevitably led to speculation that De Zerbi, who was only appointed Tottenham manager in March, could be relieved of his duties.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, however, Spurs are first looking to appoint a new ‘sporting official’ before making a decision on De Zerbi’s future, and a sacking over the international break appears unlikely.

“Roberto De Zerbi joined on a long-term project and my feeling with Tottenham is there’s not really a sporting infrastructure in place to make a decision,” Jacobs said, as cited by GiveMeSport.

“If these results continue, all these well-run clubs have to think about a succession plan. I’m not expecting a surprise departure in the international break, but he will know results need to improve quickly.

“Behind the scenes at Tottenham they are relatively calm, and I’m still told the intent is to explore whether another sporting official, a co-sporting director or some form of senior executive is necessary.”

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“Maybe only after they find that name in whatever capacity will they start to understand if they need to assess Roberto De Zerbi.

“He came in for a long-term project and some of the teething problems that have slowed Spurs down have been expected.

“I don’t think De Zerbi felt everything was going to improve overnight, but there’s no doubt they don’t look any better than they did last season, and we’re in a results-driven business, so Carrick and De Zerbi, to some degree, are in the same boat.”

Tottenham look set to stick with De Zerbi – for now

It is the first time in 18 years that Spurs find themselves bottom of the pile after five games of the new season, but the club aren’t panicking just yet.

TEAMtalk revealed in an update earlier this week that Tottenham remain fully behind the Italian, despite him winning just four of his 14 matches in charge and with his win percentage rate at the club now sitting at an alarming 28.57%.

One source exclusively told us: “There is nobody better than Roberto to turn this around; this was never an easy fix, despite the summer outlay. He is very much still the man for Tottenham.”

The message has been clear: De Zerbi was always expected to need more than 14 games to turn things around, and Spurs are willing to give him that time.

The international break provides his team with an opportunity to reset. Football is of course a results business, though, so a turnaround is required.

Following the international break, Tottenham face Manchester United at Old Trafford, followed by a home clash against Coventry City.

Mauricio Pochettino has been warned about a potential return to Tottenham Hotspur, as the pressure continues to mount on Roberto De Zerbi after a disastrous start to the new season.

The north London club currently sit bottom of the Premier League table after five games, still without a win and with just two goals to their name, despite spending more than £300million to upgrade De Zerbi‘s squad.

The Italian is currently the favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked, ahead of Manchester United’s Michael Carrick and Fulham’s Alvaro Arbeloa, following significant movement in the bookmaker markets over the weekend.

Tottenham’s best-ever spell in the Premier League came during Pochettino’s five-and-a-half-year tenure, with the Argentine eventually shown the door just six months after the club reached their first-ever Champions League final.

The Argentine also guided the club to second and two third-placed finishes in the English top flight, building a squad that also competed well in the Champions League.

But with relegation fears growing in north London, especially after last season’s final-day escape and the start to the current campaign, there are calls for current USA head coach Pochettino to return as De Zerbi’s replacement and give Spurs the lift they so desperately need.

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Sherwood backs Pochettino return, but has a warning

And although De Zerbi appears to still have the backing of the majority of the Tottenham fanbase, former boss Tim Sherwood believes that Pochettino would still be preferred – if it came to s atright choice bwteen the two.

“Tottenham fans would take Mauricio Pochettino over Roberto De Zerbi – but it’s a completely different team,” he told MaxFreeBets.

“Pochettino did well in the past, but this is a different playing squad to what he had, his squad looked like a real Champions League squad compared to this one, and he still never won anything.

“But he was very good. I liked what he did at Tottenham to finish runners-up once and third another time and he had them in the Champions League final without getting over the line.

“I mean, Tottenham fans would take that now, don’t get me wrong, but this is a completely different playing staff to what he had then.

“So it all depends. If they continue spending the money, anyone will have a job at Tottenham.

“I can think of a lot of managers who would like to have had £400m spent on their squad early in the window in pre-season, and I can think of a lot of managers who would have won with that as well.

“I mean, Tottenham fans will take that now. Don’t get me wrong, but this is a completely different team to the one he left.”

Former Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Dele Alli has been training at a League Two club, as he continues to covet a return to action.

The former England midfielder, 30, is among a host of star-studded names still available as a free agent after the summer window closed, having mutually left Italian side Como in September 2025.

Spurs gave their former fan favourite permission to use the academy pitch at Hotspur Way back in March in order to keep up his fitness levels.

Dele returned to familiar surroundings in north London, having scored 67 goals and added 59 assists in 269 appearances for Tottenham. Indeed, he’s been ranked in TEAMtalk’s top 10 Spurs signings of the Premier League era, which will be coming out soon.

And, speaking as a special guest at the north London derby last season, Dele confirmed he has no intention of hanging up his boots just yet.

He said: “I can’t wait to get back on the pitch playing. Hopefully it won’t be too long now.

“I hope you’ve missed me as much as I’ve missed you. A lot has happened in our journeys since we were last together but I’m back today and I hope you know that you’ll always be my family.”

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Dele training at Barnet to sharpen skills

In his bid to reignite his career, the 37-times capped former Three Lions star, has now been putting himself through his paces at Barnet.

Dele uploaded footage onto TikTok from the League Two table-toppers’ training ground at The Hive and showed he still knows where the back of the net is in a solo shooting drill.

Some of Dele’s most memorable goals – including his stunning volley in Spurs’ win at Crystal Palace in January 2016 – also made the cut in the eye-catching montage.

However, Dele, as revealed in The Sun, was not actually training with the Barnet squad or training staff but had instead hired out the Bees’ facility privately, as he aims to get back into competitive action.

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Indeed, the playmaker’s decision to spend time at the EFL side’s training ground was to maintain his fitness levels, as he did at Hotspur Way earlier in the year.

As for Tottenham, they are due back in action on October 10, when they head to Manchester United looking to end their winless start to the Premier League season and climb off the bottom of the table.

Morgan Gibbs-White is open to leaving Nottingham Forest amid fresh interest from Tottenham Hotspur, but Roberto De Zerbi’s side are facing a new problem in the transfer pursuit, as per a report.

Gibbs-White emerged as a key target for Tottenham in the summer of 2025. Spurs triggered a £60million release clause in the attacking midfielder’s contract, prompting a furious response from Forest.

Evangelos Marinakis’ side claimed Spurs had made an unlawful approach for Gibbs-White and threatened them with legal action.

Gibbs-White ended up staying at the City Ground by signing a new three-year contract.

The 26-year-old has been in fantastic form in 2026. Indeed, he has scored more goals than any other midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues this calendar year.

We revealed on September 15 that Spurs have reignited their interest in Gibbs-White and are preparing to launch a massive new bid to prise him away from Forest.

Football Insider reported on Monday that Spurs’ latest offer could be worth as much as £125m, which would match the British transfer record.

According to an update from FI, Gibbs-White is ‘weighing up a push to leave Nottingham Forest at the end of the season’.

This news – should it prove to be true – will be music to the ears of Spurs chiefs, who plan to make the England international their next statement signing.

However, in order for Spurs to succeed with the transfer, they will have to achieve Champions League qualification, while Forest will need to miss out.

The report adds: ‘The 26-year-old is desperate to play Champions League football at this stage of his career, and there is concern as to whether the Reds can match his ambitions.

‘The attacking midfielder is understood to be happy to stay at the City Ground if they can secure European football again, but is likely to look elsewhere if not.

‘Sources say that several leading Premier League clubs are keen to offer him a move within the next 12 months, and an opportunity to play at the elite European level would be “hard to ignore” for the player.’

Getting back into the Champions League is the aim for Spurs after they backed De Zerbi with over £300m of spending in the summer.

Tottenham must convince Gibbs-White with successful season

But there will have to be a serious turnaround in N17 if Spurs are to meet that goal. They currently sit bottom of the table after failing to win any of their opening five matches.

Spurs only scored their first two league goals of the season against Aston Villa on Saturday, and they still lost that match 3-2 at home.

Forest, meanwhile, are getting used to life under new boss Oliver Glasner, and they sit 13th after picking up five points from five games.

It is still early in the campaign, but it currently looks unlikely that either Spurs or Forest will qualify for next season’s Champions League.

In that case, Gibbs-White could head elsewhere to take the next step in his career.

A fresh report has revealed the date Dejan Kuluseski is finally set to be available for Tottenham Hotspur again after more than 500 days on the sidelines with ‘a knock’.

The Swedish winger has not played a game for the club since May 11 2025, after suffering what then Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou described as “just a knock” 19 minutes into a 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

It turned out that Kulusevski had suffered a serious injury to his right kneecap, and there were some rather speculative reports that he might have to retire at the age of just 26 years.

Two surgeries on, Kulusevski has been back in full training with his teammates for around a month, aside from a ‘small, small problem,’ reported by Roberto De Zerbi.

He has been shown on club video footage back running and involved in small-sided games, leading to growing optimism that a return to action was edging ever closer.

And now a report from Tom Barclay of The Sun claims that Kulusevski is making such good progress from the injury that has kept him off the pitch for more than 500 days, that he should be in contention to be back in the squad by the time Spurs return from the September/October international break.

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Kulusevski on target for Man Utd clash

That means the Swedish playmaker could be on the bench when Tottenham head to Manchester United on October 10 for what is a must-not-lose clash for Roberto De Zerbi, as the pressure continues to mount on the Italian.

Spurs currently sit bottom of the Premier League table with zero wins from their five outings to date and have rapidly become a laughing stock, having spent more than £300million trying to improve their squad over the summer.

Having Kulusveski back in the mix would certainly be a massive help, given his ability to operate either on the right flank or in the No.10 position.

Kulusevski has 55 goal involvements in 146 games in all competitions for Tottenham, having joined from Juventus back in the summer of 2023 after an initial loan stint in north London.

Spurs’ lack of creativity so far this season has been well-documented and stretches back to the end of last season, after the injury to Xavi Simons and James Maddison not being considered fit enough to start games after his ACL injury.

Maddison himself is now close to being selected in De Zerbi’s starting XI, having impressed in cameos off the bench, and having Kulusevski back too will give the club a massive lift as they look to pull away from the relegation places and start climbing the table.