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If there’s one thing more shameful to wear in east London than a half-and-half scarf this weekend, it’s probably a West Ham one.

With their second miserable home London derby defeat in a season that is a mere four games old, the Hammers reasserted themselves as the Premier League’s crisis club.

Wolves may have no points and Aston Villa haven’t scored a goal. But while fans in the Midlands may be feeling pretty glum, the Irons are back in irate mood. With good reason.

West Ham supporters are desperate for a change in leadership with one group, Hammers United, calling on fellow fans to protest against the owners before they face Crystal Palace next week, prior to boycotting the clash with Brentford altogether.

Potter enjoyed a fortnight’s respite through the international break after the 3-0 win at Forest which seemed to take him by surprise as much as anyone. But with home fans at the London Stadium seeking more conclusive proof that a corner had been turned, all they saw was side revert to the fast track to the Championship.

This was not a game of two halves, rather three thirds. The first offered some encouragement that the hosts might build on that Forest win. They could reasonably claim to have been the better side in an entirely forgettable opening period, memorable only for yet more questionable officiating.

Spurs’ only threat came from set-pieces and so badly were West Ham flailing under corners that Jarred Gillett gave them a sympathy call. The referee looked thoroughly unconvinced that an offence had occurred when a claret shirt hit the deck prior to Cristian Romero heading home from almost under the bar, but a foul was given anyway. John Brooks on VAR went with Gillet’s gut, describing a ‘two-handed push’ from Micky van der Ven that didn’t happen. If anything, the Spurs defender was shoved into Kyle Walker-Peters by a panicking Mateus Fernandes.

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Rather than being buoyed by their let off, the Hammers shrank. Spurs assumed control and never looked like losing it.

The opener came from another corner two minutes into the second half. West Ham seemed to take the view that you can’t lose a physical battle you don’t engage in, leaving Pape Sarr with the freedom of the far post. This was not a cleverly-contrived routine. Sarr merely stood still, with little need for blocking around him, before crashing an unchallenged header past Mads Hermansen.

The following 10 minutes saw West Ham wilt entirely. Tomas Soucek’s red card for ripping Joao Palhinha’s sock to ribbons was a blow, sure. But when the red card was waved, so was the white flag.

There were three minutes between Soucek’s dismissal and Lucas Bergvall’s first Premier League goal, but almost that entire period was lost to the Czech’s slow, apologetic departure. Once play restarted, West Ham were undone by three passes, the last being a simple chip over a disorganised, disheartened defence for Bergvall to place a free header beyond Hermansen’s reach.

Potter’s defence were not done disgracing themselves. Seven minutes later, Bergvall wandered into the box before teeing up Van der Van. Despite the presence of eight defenders, in body but not spirit, the Spurs centre-back was allowed to pick his spot.

It had already become a damage limitation exercise, with West Ham possessing neither the guts or guile to bother Spurs a man light. Many if not most home fans made for the exit, sparing Potter and his players a furious reaction. Those who were left greeted the sweet release of the final whistle with a whimper. And when West Ham fans have lost the will to scorn…

Some consolation: Spurs didn’t score five, as Chelsea did last month. And Mohamed Kudus was unsuccessful in his late quest to score against his former side.

Those, though, are tiny crumbs of comfort for a fanbase watching local rivals take the p*ss on their patch on an almost weekly basis while their owners sit idly by.

Middle Eastern and US groups are competing to take over Tottenham after Daniel Levy left his role as Spurs executive chairman, according to reports.

Levy left his role as Tottenham executive chairman last week with the Essex-born businessman insisting he was “incredibly proud” of his work during his long tenure in north London.

It has been speculated that Levy’s departure from Tottenham is now an indication that owners ENIC are now open to the possibility of selling the club.

There are currently no changes in the ownership of the club with Levy remaining part of ENIC, who have a 86.91 per cent stake in the north London outfit.

Football Insider claim that potential investors in Spurs think ‘there is a “huge” opportunity to improve the club’s revenues after exploring a takeover deal’.

The report adds: ‘Sources say investors are particularly interested in Tottenham due to the significant potential to increase the club’s revenues.

READ: Nuno sack among most brutal mid-season Premier League axeings, including ‘absolutely ridiculous’ Ferguson blast

‘It is understood the commercial opportunities with the NFL games and concerts as well as the scope for further development around the club’s stadium is attracting interested parties.’

But who are the potential investors? Well, former Everton CEO Keith Wyness has revealed that he’s “heard” from sources that there is “a duel between a Gulf group and an American group” for Tottenham.

Wyness told Football Insider: “You’ve got to look at every single word in these statements because I think there is something going on.

“I know they even appointed Rothschild as advisors about bringing investment in, about doing sales. I have heard very good rumours from sources of a duel between a Gulf group and an American group very recently, vying to get control. Numbers that are eye-watering in terms of the offers, and there is no smoke without fire.

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“There’s certainly been something going on. Is this a negotiating tactic from the Lewis family? We just don’t know. I’ve heard rumours that Daniel had been blocking some of the investment coming in.

“Could there just be a minority investment situation coming in that could then lead to somebody having the rights to buy it later on?

“So in all these things, while they say there’s no sale being discussed, it doesn’t mean to say they’re not looking at bringing in partners or investment or that they may have an offer that they can’t refuse.”

There have been lots of rumours as to why Levy left when he did with football finance expert Stefan Borson insisting that there seems to have “been some kind of dispute or fall-out”.

Borson added on Football Insider: “I don’t think it’s a planned thing from his perspective.

“I think effectively it looks like there’s been some kind of dispute or fall-out, and he’s been the victim of that and now we’ll have to see how it pans out.

“In terms of positions, it was always unusual from April that they would have an executive chair in Daniel Levy and a chief executive because usually you have one or the other.

“Usually, what you would have if you have a chief executive would be a non-executive chairman.

“While we’ve had Daniel Levy as executive chairman and a CEO, there’s always been this kind of strange question mark over where does one person’s remit end and another’s begin?

“So, the more natural move following the appointment of the CEO in April would have been for Daniel Levy to become non-executive chairman, but Charrington has become non-executive chairman and Daniel Levy has gone completely.”

Has Ange Postecoglou caught the pragmatism bug? His ‘first’ big decision at Nottingham Forest shows clear signs of growth post-Tottenham Hotspur…

The significant step to replace Nuno Espirito Santo, following the harshest of sackings, with Postecoglou is typical of overbearing owner Evangelos Marinakis, who is intent on turning Nottm Forest into one of the best teams in the Premier League.

Nuno was always likely to be sacrificed during this journey amid his pragmatic approach, though he would have lasted a bit longer had it not been for his widely reported falling-out with Marinakis and transfer supremo Edu.

But the return of chaos at the City Ground has allowed Marinakis to usher in a seismic change with the appointment of Postecoglou.

Nuno and Postecoglou could not be further apart in terms of footballing philosophies, with this appointment making it clear that Marinakis wants an entertaining and more fluid brand of football, as well as the possibility of winning silverware with a self-professed trophy specialist.

Though it is a bold move to bring in Postecoglou at a time when Forest’s squad is very much catered towards a head coach in the mould of Nuno, so early teething issues, at the very least, are to be expected until the club evolves to fit the former Spurs and Celtic boss.

READ: Six Tottenham, Celtic stars reassigned to Nottingham Forest post-Postecoglou replacing Nuno

So, it is reassuring that Postecoglou’s ‘first’ big decision regarding his ‘playing style’, according to The Daily Mail, shows that he is willing to adapt.

The report claimed:

‘Daily Mail Sport understands that at least initially, Postecoglou is unlikely to overhaul the playing style completely, though there will necessarily be certain tweaks.

‘It would be quite a risk to ask Forest to play totally differently at Emirates Stadium, yet the intensity is thought to have gone up a couple of notches in the initial training drills, with plenty of ball work.’

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Postecoglou cannot be expected to fully divert from his preferred approach, especially as this is one reason for his appointment, but he is at least showing self-awareness and a willingness to adapt with a gradual implementation of his playing style.

Ruben Amorim has shown at Man Utd how badly it can go when a head coach attempts to make drastic changes overnight after being appointed mid-season, so Postecoglou is wise to avoid a similar mistake at Forest.

This decision also indicates that he has learned from his spell at Tottenham and is looking to kick on from perhaps his finest managerial achievement: winning last season’s Europa League.

In the Premier League, Spurs were a shambles and their 17th-place finish was all that they deserved, with their severe injury crisis only partly to blame.

However, Postecoglou knew that their priority was the Europa League at the end of the campaign, and he put all of his focus on that competition.

This paid off as Spurs ended their trophy drought by beating a very poor Man Utd side to clinch the Europa League, with Postecoglou’s adaptability one of the most impressive aspects of that final as he masterfully did a job on Amorim’s team.

Such versatility will be required to weather the storm at Forest before we get Ange-ball in full effect…

Only three months after leaving Spurs, Big Ange is back in the limelight as he has returned to management at Nottm Forest to oversee an “ambitious” project as Evangelos Marinakis targets silverware sharpish.

Nuno Espirito Santo is the first Premier League manager to be sacked this season and his dismissal will likely prove to be the harshest.

Under Nuno, Nottm Forest enjoyed a rapid rise from relegation contender to European qualifier. Yet, with Marinakis at the helm, the serene climate forged by the head coach was never going to last, and chaos has returned at the start of this season amid the widely reported fall-out between the club’s top brass.

This contributed to making Nuno’s position untenable, though his pragmatic playing style was also an ‘issue’ for Marinakis, who has opted to go down the exciting route with Postecoglou.

Postecoglou has showcased his adaptability on occasion, particularly in last season’s Europa League final, though there is a stark contrast between his and Nuno’s footballing philosophies.

So, more Premier League woes could be looming for the former Spurs boss as he tries to shame Ruben Amorim, again, by implementing a new playing style mid-season, with Forest’s current squad far more suited to the former head coach’s preferred tactical approach.

For now, we can only speculate on what Postecoglou’s Forest will look like, but they will certainly be active in the transfer market in the coming windows. Were the head coach to reunite with former favourites at Spurs and/or Celtic, deals for any of these six players are probably the most feasible…

Yves Bissouma

Last month, Bissouma’s proposed move to the Turkish Super Lig fell through due to fitness issues, so Spurs are stuck (for now) with the central midfielder, who Thomas Frank has already publicly called out for his persistent lateness.

The tale of Bissouma at Spurs is one of what could have been, as he’s been held back by injury woes and reported attitude issues, though his best spell in a Tottenham jersey came during Postecoglou’s reign as he was one of the head coach’s most-used players.

Still only 29, Bissouma has time to silence his many critics and he certainly has the talent to shine in the Premier League if given a fresh start, particularly if Forest lose Man Utd-linked Elliot Anderson in January.

READ: Forest go for Postecoglou chaos, but Mourinho might actually be less mad choice

Cameron Carter-Vickers

The Spurs academy product did not cut the mustard at his boyhood club and was signed by Postecoglou in the head coach’s final summer window at Celtic for around £6m.

Carter-Vickers has grown at Celtic as he’s been a star performer over the past three seasons, with his form sparking interest from several Premier League clubs in this summer’s window.

Postecoglou could view his former centre-back as a useful squad player or potential fill-in for Murillo, who should be one to watch in next summer’s transfer window after interest from the Bix Six did not accelerate this summer.

Jota

Postecoglou loves Jota and Jota loves Postecoglou, with the head coach reportedly keen on re-signing the winger during his time at Spurs.

The 26-year-old kicked off where he left off at Celtic, though he has been out with an ACL injury since April and is not due back until January. Still, a strong end to this season may be enough to restart his love-in with Postecoglou next season.

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Daizen Maeda

As proven by Celtic’s disappointing Champions League exit and that dire match against Rangers, this is a poor Hoops side and prized asset Maeda cannot be blamed for reportedly having itchy feet for a transfer before this summer’s deadline.

The 27-year-old, who is only under contract until 2027, will no doubt be disappointed not to get a move, though Postecoglou to Nottm Forest could open another exit avenue.

After his 33-goal campaign in 2024/25, Maeda has outgrown Celtic and is deserving of an upward next step and would be a wise signing for Nottm Forest, who would land a versatile forward to ease the load off their current crop in a European season.

READ: Nottingham Forest screwed it; even fans hope ‘owner gets everything he deserves’

Destiny Udogie

Following Udogie’s move to Spurs, the left-back, like Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven, was expected to be a mainstay in the first team for many years as the 22-year-old has huge potential.

But Udogie has not kicked on as much as Porro and has been caught by a resurgent Djed Spence, whose England bow against Serbia was a justified reward after showing immense adversity to save his Spurs career and thrive as a starter.

With that, Spence appears to be ahead of Udogie in the pecking order at Spurs, so an ambitious move from Forest is not entirely out of the question.

Mathys Tel

Before joining Spurs, Tel was bigged up as a future world star by Bayern Munich, though this currently looks like a negotiating tactic as they were more than happy to cash in and he’s yet to produce anything of note in the Premier League.

The 20-year-old’s sudden fall from grace is proved by his omission from Tottenham’s Champions League squad, with the forward among the £91.4m Spurs quartet already being targeted by Postecoglou.

Postecoglou played a key role in Spurs landing Tel in January, while he jumped to his defence for adapting well despite his below-par displays, so it’s clear that he is an admirer of the young forward, who may need another step down for regular game time and boost his chances of eventually realising his potential.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed how the Nottingham Forest players reacted to Ange Postecoglou replacing Nuno Espirito Santo.

The shock news came on Monday that Nuno had been sacked by the Premier League side despite a brilliant 2024/25 season at the club.

Nottingham Forest haven’t excelled yet this campaign but a win, a draw and a loss from their opening three Premier League fixtures had hardly set alarm bells ringing.

The nature of a 3-0 defeat at home to struggling West Ham was a poor result but not many expected Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis to take such drastic action.

There have been rumours that Postecoglou had competition with Rayo Vallecano boss Inigo Perez rejecting Forest despite being among the ‘three finalists’ for the position.

The move will no doubt have come as a surprise to most of the players, not Roy Keane though, and Romano has revealed how they reacted to the news of Postecoglou replacing Nuno.

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Romano wrote in his GiveMeSport newsletter: “In professional way. They will now speak to the new manager in order to discuss new vision from next game. Big respect for Nuno, but it’s football.”

The Daily Express claim that Postecoglou could now move for four Tottenham players in the next transfer window as he looks to put his stamp on the Nottingham Forest squad.

Radu Dragusin, who is valued at €25m on transfermarkt, Mathys Tel (€35m), Ben Davies (€6m) and Destiny Udogie (€40m) are the four players the new Nottingham Forest boss ‘could raid Tottenham’ for, with the quartet worth a total of €106m (£91.4m).

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan, who is a “liker” of the former Celtic and Tottenham boss, thinks Postecoglou could succeed at Nottingham Forest but he’s warned the Australian about his personality.

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Jordan told talkSPORT: “I’m a great liker of Postecoglou. I haven’t changed my view about his personality – I have changed my view about his capability.

“You look at the ridiculous way that Ange kept asking for the media to hit him with a brick – so they did – he kept on giving them the brick to throw at him.

“And then eventually produces a team that finishes 17th in the league, and scrapes by an awful Europa League final. Against anyone else, they probably would have got beaten.

“Has Ange Postecoglou’s reputation been enhanced by Spurs? I can’t say it has. And that’s coming from someone who likes the cut of his jib.”

Harry Kane has responded to Michael Owen’s claim that he is “nuts” for leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich.

Owen couldn’t believe it when Kane swapped London for Munich in the 2023 summer transfer window, and recently doubled down, claiming that “there’s no great achievement” in winning league titles with Bayern and that it’s the equivalent of joining Celtic.

It’s worth noting that Celtic haven’t won a Champions League knockout fixture this century and that Bayern have reached at least the quarter-final in each of the last six seasons and most recently won the competition in 2020.

READ: Rio Ferdinand blasts ‘terrible decision’ as Man Utd make ‘biggest mistake in last ten years’

The former Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester United striker told Rio Ferdinand on his podcast: “Harry Kane is just lethal; he’s a brilliant finisher. I disagreed with him going to Germany; I was outspoken about that.

“I still think he was nuts. You’re on the verge of being the all-time Premier League goal scorer, you’ve got kids that are all in school. I mean, I just couldn’t see it. I don’t see it.

“If you’re that desperate to win something, then do another year and then go. It’s like if you go up and move to Celtic and win the league, you win every year, but there’s no great achievement in that.

“A great achievement would have been being the top goal scorer ever in the Premier League. That would have been unbelievable, and he could have won things along the way.”

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Kane is one of the least controversial and confrontational footballers in the world and he was never going to ‘hit back’ at Owen, but he has stood up for himself and justified his decision when he really didn’t need to.

The England captain says Owen is entitled to his opinion and that he respects him, but “everyone’s career is different”.

“I heard it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I’ve spent a bit of time with him but don’t know him well. Obviously, he is a Premier League great and an England great as well so I’ll respect him as a person,” Kane said.

“But ultimately, as he will know, everyone’s career is different – everyone’s decisions and motivations are different I know he was insinuating I went just for the trophy but it was to be at the highest level for as long as possible and I’m really happy in that sense of playing big games, title runs, big Champions League matches, Club World Cup quarter-final.

“I feel I’m improving as a player, I’m pushing my limits as a player in terms of goalscoring and just improving. It’s hard not to hear things these days but the decisions are best for me and I’m really happy that I made that decision and very happy at Bayern Munich now.”

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has revealed that former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is set to replace Nuno Espirito Santo at Nottingham Forest.

It was announced on Monday night that Forest have parted company with former head coach Santo after it was widely reported that he had fallen out with Evangelos Marinakis and Edu.

Nuno has done a great job over the past couple of years, as he has taken Nottm Forest from a relegation battle to European qualification; however, his deteriorating relationship with club chiefs meant his position was untenable.

Forest confirmed Nuno’s exit in a brief statement on Monday night: ‘Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espírito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as Head Coach.

‘The Club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground, in particular his role in the 2024/25 season, which will forever be remembered fondly in the history of the Club.

‘As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey.’

READ: Nottm Forest: Marinakis ‘furious’ at sacked Nuno for two reasons

In recent hours, Forest have been linked with several potential replacements, including Jose Mourinho, Oliver Glaser, Marco Silva and Brendan Rodgers.

However, it has already emerged that Postecoglou will replace Nuno, with Ornstein claiming to The Athletic that his appointment is ‘imminent’.

Ornstein claimed:

‘Ange Postecoglou is set to be appointed Nottingham Forest head coach after Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties.

‘The move is expected to be confirmed in the next 24 hours with Postecoglou to be in the dugout for Forest’s visit to Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday, with Postecoglou to be joined by several of his former Tottenham Hotspur coaching staff.’

MORE NOTTM FOREST COVERAGE ON F365…

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TalkSPORT, meanwhile, are reporting that Postecoglou has ‘accepted the job’ after ‘rejecting’ the opportunity to replace Mourinho at Fenerbahce, as he has been ‘keen’ on a ‘sensational return’ to the Premier League following his exit from Spurs at the end of last season.

The report added:

‘TalkSPORT understands Postecoglou could be officially appointed as early as today.

‘Forest sources had claimed Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola were also admired by Marinakis along with Fulham boss Marco Silva.’

As mentioned, Mourinho was another option for Forest and ex-Premier League striker Troy Deeney has explained why he would have been the “perfect fit”.

“Mourinho is available. A few coaches have been made available. Just keep an eye on that. It wouldn’t surprise me if they go and get Mourinho,” Deeney told talkSPORT.

“He’d be desperate to come back, desperate. He’s a big manager. There’s a lot of people saying he’s past it now, but he keeps getting the jobs. So clearly he’s got a desire to do it.

“Someone like Mourinho, he’s not money-driven. He could just stop now and charge people a quarter of a million to do keynote speaking. He could do three of them a week and job’s a good’un.

“I think you’re in a position where he could be looking at Forest, definitely he could be looking at West Ham and thinking, oh, this could be interesting.

“I think Forest is a perfect fit because he’s a defensive manager by trade.

“So what they’re doing at the moment and the available options that they have, I think he’d be happy. I think he’d be happy at Forest.

“The owner is a little bit eccentric, but you can have respect for him. The owner loves the fact that his manager is passionate.

“We know that Jose is passionate and he’ll spend money. So I think Forest is a good fit.

“I just think Forest is a great fit. And it’s a massive club as well. People don’t realise how big of a football club that is.”

The transfer window may have closed but there are still England internationals up for grabs, including a star once lauded as a generational talent and another who was Lionel Messi’s nemesis…

With the summer window now in the rear-view mirror, English clubs must now have a dip in the free-agent pool if they want to bolster their squads.

There they will find these six former England internationals with, between them, 86 caps…

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

With a second child now on the way, Oxlade-Chamberlain might be feeling slightly more motivated to find gainful employment. If only to get out of the house…

The midfielder, capped 35 times by England, has been a free agent since the end of August when Besiktas agreed to a pay-off of £1.5million, saving them at least £700,000 on the remaining year of his contract.

They had already tried to force him out last year and he had to wait until November for any action, but Oxlade-Chamberlain dug in and enjoyed a renaissance under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, playing in a defensive-midfield role.

It was one out, both out when Oxlade-Chamberlain and Solskjaer left Besiktas within 24 hours of one another. The former Southampton, Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder is attracting Premier League interest from Everton and Leeds, while Birmingham and Rangers are also said to be sniffing round too.

Patrick Bamford

Bamford has only just turned 31 but suitors may be wary of his fitness record, which was one of the factors in Daniel Farke’s decision to jettison the striker from his Leeds squad despite the year remaining on his contract.

The once-capped forward failed to make a Championship start in Leeds’ promotion-winning campaign, his most memorable contribution being the shade he threw upon Chris Wilder when the Whites celebrated their title success. When Dominic Calvert-Lewin is viewed as a more reliable option, you know injuries are a concern.

What next? Any clubs willing to gamble on Bamford’s robustness will have to be quick. Celtic, Boro and Wrexham have all been credited with interest that came to nothing – Teddy Sheringham touted him for Arsenal – so MLS now looks like his most likely destination.

Dele

It feels inevitable that a manager somewhere in the top two tiers will take a punt on a player once regarded as a generational talent.

It would be a gamble, though, since Dele has barely played football in recent seasons, for a variety of reasons, some of which should prompt sympathy for the 29-year-old, others which inevitably won’t.

Dele is a free agent after being released by Como, which appeared a fantastic setting for the playmaker, capped 37 times by England, to kickstart his career. But he managed only one substitute appearance under Cesc Fabregas, which lasted less than 10 minutes at the San Siro, where he was sent off for a clumsy-but-dangerous challenge on Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

That has been Dele’s only action in over two-and-a-half years, since the last of his 15 appearances for Besiktas in February 2023. Still, such inactivity hasn’t deterred Birmingham, Wrexham and West Brom, if the Daily Mail are to be believed.

Fraser Forster

Forster feels like an obvious option for any club looking for a goalkeeper to occupy the Scott Carson role while bolstering their home-grown quota. Indeed, Newcastle were thought to be an option through the summer but they had more rampant fires to fight.

Forster left Spurs in the summer with a Europa League winner’s medal despite not being either of the two keepers on Ange Postecoglou’s bench in Bilbao. The only involvement the veteran keeper had in 2025 was bench duty at Villa in the FA Cup. His last four appearances saw Forster concede 12 goals in a spell most memorable for a Carabao Cup tie when he and Altay Bayindir seemed to engage in their own competition over who could drop the biggest bollock.

His inactivity through the second half of the season seemed to rapidly age Forster who all of a sudden looked even older than his 37 years. But any club looking for emergency cover might do worse than ‘La Gran Muralla’, the man who was once Lionel Messi’s nemesis.

Jonjo Shelvey

Shelvey can claim to have played a role in Burnley’s promotion. Albeit a very minor cameo…

The 33-year-old joined the Clarets in January on a deal until the end of the season after returning early from a spell in Turkey. But Shelvey managed only a couple of substitute appearances in the Championship and two starts in the FA Cup before injury curtailed his campaign.

That seems typical of Shelvey’s fortunes since leaving Newcastle after eight seasons in 2022; from there he went to Forest only to fall out with Steve Cooper. Shelvey enjoyed a season at Caykur Rizespor more than his time at Eyupspor, but any new club will have only 330 minutes of video from last season to pore over.

Still, that might be enough for Sheffield United or Hull, who could use a bit of the old Shelvey magic to get them away from the foot of the Championship.

Nathan Redmond

Redmond finds himself in almost an identical situation as Shelvey, having moved from Turkey to Burnley before making two Championship appearances last season prior to being released.

Like seemingly everyone on this list, Redmond has been offered to Wrexham but the Welshmen have so far resisted the temptation to sign a once-capped winger with 53 goal contributions (28 goals, 25 assists) in 276 Premier League appearances for Southampton and Norwich.

Aged only 31, Redmond ought to appeal to a number of Championship clubs though the winger may have to be content with a pay-as-you-play deal since hamstring and calf injuries have restricted him to only two starts – both in the Carabao Cup – in the last two seasons.

Tottenham Hotspur is a football club where everything is always changing.

They are a football team that almost never gets beyond phase two of any new, shiny project. Constantly starting over, forever regenerating, forever in transition.

The now-departed Ange Postecoglou was the first Spurs manager to start and finish two full seasons since Mauricio Pochettino, who was the first to do that since Harry Redknapp.

Thomas Frank is the 13th permanent manager Tottenham have appointed in the 21st century. It’s a relevant timeframe for more than just brain-pleasing round-number reasons.

Frank was the 13th and we now know last managerial appointment of Daniel Levy’s reign as Tottenham chairman.

READ: Five reasons we should all be scared of a post-Daniel Levy Tottenham

And that means that while yes, this is a club well used to constant churn, chop and change, this is still nevertheless a time of even greater flux and uncertainty.

Because for the last 25 years, there behind it all has been Levy, a rare executive chair in a world of non-execs and CEOs.

With his departure, the sands shift once again beneath Tottenham’s feet. There is huge celebration among plenty of fans who had grown tired and increasingly frustrated by Levy’s supposed penny-pinching and inability or unwillingness to make the sort of transfer splash – and thus accept not always getting the best possible price for every incoming and outgoing – that might allow them a fighting chance at achieving his stated goals of winning one of the two big prizes.

There are others who are wary of the change, more appreciative of the work Levy did to transform Spurs from mid-table sleeping giant into a member of the Big Six. The idea that Levy has been great for Spurs off the pitch but disastrous for them on the pitch has always been a loud and compelling one, with plenty of reasonable frustrations underpinning it.

But it’s also worth remembering that Spurs had been mostly crap on the pitch for most of the 90s having pretty emphatically missed the Premier League Boat they as a club did so much to help launch.

The Spurs Levy leaves behind is unrecognisable – literally and figuratively – from the one he joined.

And now at this club where uncertainty is always the watchword, we find ourselves with even more of it.

The Lewis family have always been largely hands-off owners, Joe Lewis wisely preferring to spend time with his money on his yacht in the Bahamas than worry too much what a stupid football club in north London is up to. But that seems to have changed.

The abruptness and timing of Levy’s departure was a surprise, but in truth we should all have seen it coming. There have been plenty of signs, from Levy himself and around him.

His new-found willingness to front up both for in-house interviews and with Gary Neville on The Overlap hinted at a man who suddenly, for the first time, felt it necessary to try and explain himself. There have been new arrivals that, in hindsight, always looked like they could be used to ease Levy out. Long-time Lewis confidant Peter Charrington – now in position as non-executive chairman – came to the club six months ago, followed by former Arsenal man Vinai Venkatesham.

He is now the CEO and will be the closest thing to a replacement for Levy in the new, more standard structure.

There is a very valid argument that Levy had taken Spurs as far as he possibly could. That everything he had achieved in repositioning the club as a 21st century behemoth off the field would never be replicated on the field while he remained wedded to retaining the Premier League’s lowest wage:turnover ratio.

It might very well be a change that had to happen. Spurs might now compete more robustly in the transfer market with the rest of the Big Six, and are perhaps now in less danger of being instead swallowed up by Aston Villa and Newcastle and other upwardly-mobile members of the Premier League’s middle-classes.

But it might also go catastrophically wrong, something that can never be entirely ruled out at Spurs.

On the field there is little more clarity right now either, with a lot of the encouraging signs from Frank’s first few games undone by an alarmingly drab display against Bournemouth before the international break in which Spurs struggled to create anything at all.

The new signings brought in to address that also feed into a general air of cautious excitement and a step into the unknown. Xavi Simons in particular feels like he should become a Premier League superstar and Face of the Franchise here. But he might also just be another Bundesliga flop.

We just don’t know. What, precisely, ‘Lads, it’s Tottenham’ or ‘Spursy’ mean right now is less clear than ever before.

And for the first time in a quarter of a century, Spurs fans don’t even reflexively and instantly know who they should blame if it does all go horribly wrong.

Tottenham Hotspur have released a statement confirming that the club is not for sale after Daniel Levy’s departure.

The Premier League club confirmed last Thursday that Levy has ‘stepped down’ from his role as Executive Chairman.

He’s been replaced by Peter Charrington in ‘the newly created role of Non-Executive Chairman’.

“I am incredibly proud of the work I have done together with the executive team and all our employees,” Levy said in a statement.

“We have built this club into a global heavyweight competing at the highest level. More than that, we have built a community.

“I was lucky enough to work with some of the greatest people in this sport, from the team at Lilywhite House and Hotspur Way to all the players and managers over the years.

“I wish to thank all the fans that have supported me over the years. It hasn’t always been an easy journey but significant progress has been made. I will continue to support this club passionately.”

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Levy’s departure has triggered speculation of a Tottenham takeover, however, the Londoners have quashed any chances of that happening.

Indeed, in a statement late on Sunday, the club said its owner has ‘unequivocally rejected two expressions of interest’, insisting that they are ‘not for sale’.

The statement says ENIC Sports & Developments Holdings Ltd received two separate preliminary expressions of interest in the club.

The parties confirmed to be interested are PCP International Finance Limited and a consortium led by Wing-Fai Ng and Dr Roger Kennedy through Firehark Holdings Limited.

PCP is the company of former Newcastle United shareholder Amanda Staveley, who has been fiercely linked with investing in Spurs over the last year.

The Spurs statement confirmed: ‘ENIC Sports & Developments Holdings Ltd, has received, and unequivocally rejected, separate preliminary expressions of interest in relation to proposals to acquire the entire issued, and to be issued, share capital of ENIC from PCP International Finance Limited; and a consortium of investors led by Dr. Roger Kennedy and Wing-Fai Ng through Firehawk Holdings Limited.

‘As a consequence of ENIC’s majority ownership interest in Tottenham Hotspur, were any offer made to acquire ENIC and complete, a mandatory offer would be required under Rule 9 of the Code to acquire the shares of Tottenham Hotspur not already held by ENIC.

‘The Board of the Club and ENIC confirm that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale and ENIC has no intention to accept any such offer to acquire its interest in the Club.

‘In accordance with Rule 2.6(a) of the Code, each of PCP and the Consortium is separately required, by not later than 5.00 p.m. on 5 October 2025, to either announce a firm intention to make an offer for the Company…’

ENIC has a whopping 87 per cent stake in Spurs, with British businessman Joe Lewis and his family reportedly owning the majority of the company, while Levy and his family hold around 30 per cent.