Football365

Ange Postecoglou’s honeymoon period as Tottenham manager has come to an end and the pressure may soon be mounting on him to deliver success.

That’s the verdict of former Tottenham and Arsenal winger David Bentley, who admits he fears Spurs could be edged out of the battle to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season.

The bookies have slashed their odds on Postecoglou becoming the first English top flight manager to lose his job this season after Spurs collected just four points from their opening three games.

They missed a host of chances in their opening game of the season at Leicester and dropped two points in a 1-1 draw, with a defeat against Newcastle in the last round of Premier League fixtures dampening pre-season optimism among Spurs fans.

Now Bentley is predicting Spurs boss Postecoglou could start to feel the heat for the first time since his arrival at the club if he loses Sunday’s North London derby against Arsenal.

“You are going to find yourself under pressure at a club like Tottenham if you are losing matches,” Bentley told Football365 with William Hill.

“Ange was welcomed into the football club because what came before him with (Jose) Mourinho and (Antonio) Conte was not what the fans wanted to see.

“There was negativity both with the style of football and also among the fans in general and I think Ange has repaired those two elements.

“After that, it all comes down to results and if they are going against you, the pressure will not be long in coming your way.

“I like Ange and what he has done at the club. He has changed the energy among the fans for the better, but that only goes so far. You need to win matches or the pressure builds. That’s football.

“The honeymoon period of last season is over now so they have to try and get to the next level.

“That means finishing in the top four and trying to win a trophy because as we know, Tottenham haven’t won anything for a long time and their fans are fed up hearing about it.

“You look at Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool and they are really strong. You’d expect them to be in the top four and then you see Spurs fighting it out with Chelsea and Man United.

“Even though they have had their problems, Chelsea and United have a great squad and if they get it right, Spurs might struggle to finish fourth.”

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Bentley, who spent five years at Tottenham after starting his career at Arsenal, believes the 1-1 draw at Leicester on the opening weekend of the season highlighted the flaws in Pochettino’s side.

“I looked at the Leicester game and it was a big worry for me,” stated Bentley. “You can take a lot out of that game and say it summed up Tottenham.

“The first half, they were moving the ball around and they were absolutely battering Leicester, they couldn’t get near them.

“Players were on the ball and expressing themselves, James Maddison bossing it and you would think there is only one winner.

“Then you look at the second half and they could have lost the game. That’s Tottenham. This is the side Ange has to work on.

Arsenal sealed a 3-2 away win against Tottenham last April as they soaked up the pressure and hit their North London rivals with sucker punches.

Now Bentley believes Gunners boss Mikel Arteta may attempt to repeat that approach this weekend as he added: “Tottenham have to go after them and their big players need to have a major influence.

“They also need to get their fans involved and use that home advantage. If they allow Arsenal to dictate the game, Spurs will come out second best.

“That’s what happened in this match last year. Arsenal put pressure on their keeper and everything they tried worked. They absorbed what Tottenham threw at them and hit them hard on the break and were 3-0 up quickly.

“So they need to impose themselves on the game and hopefully run over Arsenal. That’s easier said than done.”

Martin Odegaard has missed 11 games for Arsenal since joining on a permanent basis. Is there anything to learn from those matches before Spurs make it a round dozen?

These are the games in which Odegaard has not featured since joining Arsenal permanently in summer 2021. It is a small sample size which Mikel Arteta might have to learn from in time for the north London derby this weekend. Perhaps start with teaching them to not get sent off.

AFC Wimbledon (September 2021, League Cup third round)

Who replaced Odegaard? Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

All three goalscorers in a comfortable home victory over lower-league opposition have since left, as well as the player who filled in for Odegaard while he was afforded a rare rest. Cedric Soares managed an assist; Maitland-Niles did not.

Funnily enough, the Norwegian was given the evening off in preparation for Arsenal’s next game: a North London derby four days later. That’s hilarious, right? Why aren’t you laughing, Arsenal fans? It’s…oh right.

Leeds (October 2021, League Cup fourth round)

Who replaced Odegaard? Emile Smith Rowe.

Another comfortable Emirates victory, this time against a struggling Premier League side. Calum Chambers and Eddie Nketiah were in and around the goals on this occasion, helped along by a single Nicolas Pepe assist, raising the prospect of whether anyone currently employed by Arsenal has ever had to experience any length of time without Odegaard.

Liverpool (January 2022, League Cup semi-final, first leg)

Who replaced Odegaard? Granit Xhaka.

A 0-0 draw featuring the prestigious final red card of Xhaka’s Arsenal career, obviously for planting his boot in the general area of Diogo Jota’s chest. That inevitably changed the gameplan somewhat and the Gunners held firm for a spirited goalless draw despite having three shots to 17 and just 21.9% possession.

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Brentford (September 2022, Premier League)

Who replaced Odegaard? Fabio Vieira.

Arsenal further underlined their burgeoning credentials with a mightily impressive 3-0 away win, in which Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest player in Premier League history with his late cameo. Could he step up in place of Odegaard two years later?

Probably not, no. Nice idea, though. Vieira was impressive enough in the creative midfield role, scoring the third after William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus punished Brentford in the first half.

Odegaard sat it out but do you know who Arsenal played next in his return? It’s pretty funny actually – it was Spurs! What’s wrong? Why are you tearing up again?

Brighton (November 2022, League Cup third round)

Who replaced Odegaard? Fabio Vieira.

Nketiah gave Arsenal an early lead from a Reiss Nelson assist but Brighton came roaring back with three unanswered goals, led by Danny Welbeck. As if to rub salt in the retrospective wound, Joel Veltman played.

Arteta launched a defence of Vieira after the game but those early growing pains were indicative of the Portuguese’s struggles to ever truly acclimatise to the challenge at Arsenal.

Oxford (January 2023, FA Cup third round)

Who replaced Odegaard? Fabio Vieira.

Yet the experiment continued, taking in a 3-0 win which featured a couple of Vieira assists and even a Mo Elneny goal. It was against a team battling League One relegation but still.

You’ll never guess who Arsenal played next when Odegaard came back into the side six days later. Spurs. Away. 2-0 win. Odegaard scored as captain.

This isn’t helping, is it?

Sporting (March 2023, Europa League round of 16, first leg)

Who replaced Odegaard? Granit Xhaka.

A performance of two halves for Arsenal, who arguably cannot have expected much more with Matt Turner in net, Jakub Kiwior at centre-half and Nelson starting on the left. Odegaard was absent due to illness but did travel to Portugal. Someone please just tell him to stay at home and be weird and abusive on social media like a normal Arsenal fan next time he’s not 100%.

Sheffield United (October 2023, Premier League)

Who replaced Odegaard? Kai Havertz.

The answer as to what precisely is needed for Arteta not to play Odegaard was finally delivered with this: a home game against one of the worst Premier League teams of all time, when the Norwegian had sustained a minor injury.

Odegaard was an unused substitute afforded a front seat for Nketiah’s hat-trick and goals from both Vieira and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Havertz was entirely fine, albeit hardly properly challenged.

Newcastle (November 2023, Premier League)

Who replaced Odegaard? Kai Havertz.

The only sustained spell of absence in Odegaard’s entire Arsenal career came around this time last year, when the small issue which kept him out of the Sheffield United rout developed into something substantial enough to sideline him for a trip to St James’ Park; Odegaard played and scored in ten minutes of a League Cup defeat to West Ham in between, which probably didn’t help.

The tempo and control he provides on the ball might well have been missed but it was a tetchy, fractious old game and could have gone either way. Then again, Havertz’s most telling contribution was the awful tackle which lit the black-and-white touchpaper so maybe Odegaard’s slightly less prickly approach might have been beneficial.

Sevilla (November 2023, Champions League group stage)

Who replaced Odegaard? Kai Havertz.

A slightly more malleable opponent presented themselves soon after in Sevilla, who helped Arsenal recover from those damaging consecutive defeats to West Ham and Newcastle.

Leandro Trossard impressed at centre-forward with Havertz slightly deeper; that might be the call Arteta makes for Spurs, unless Raheem Sterling fancies the chance to make Chelsea look silly as quickly as possible.

Burnley (November 2023, Premier League)

Who replaced Odegaard? Kai Havertz.

Only once since his permanent move has Odegaard failed to feature in more than one consecutive Arsenal game. A three-match stretch without him ended in a solid enough win over Burnley at home which reinforced two ideas: Trossard is a wonderful centre-forward option; Vieira is not a reliable attacking midfield alternative.

Trossard scored one and assisted another in a 3-1 victory. Vieira replaced Havertz on the hour and was sent off 24 minutes later for investigating the structural integrity of Josh Brownhill’s knee with his studs.

Even without his loan back to Porto, it feels unlikely Vieira would have been eagerly anticipating the call from Arteta to stand in for Odegaard on Sunday.

Man Utd declared their interest in Tottenham defender Cristian Romero during the summer transfer window, according to reports.

The Red Devils were looking to improve their central defence over the summer with Erik ten Hag bringing in Leny Yoro from Lille and Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich.

But there were rumours of many other targets, including Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, and now TYC Sports in Argentina insist that Man Utd were also interested in doing a deal for Tottenham centre-back Romero.

Three European giants ‘approached the English club in this last transfer market to sound out the situation’ with Man Utd, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain all making ‘proposals’ for the Argentina international.

But Man Utd and the other two clubs all ‘received a resounding no as an answer’ to any negotiations with Tottenham insisting it ‘was not the time to get rid of the defender’.

Tottenham ‘did not put a price on him’ as he is seen as a ‘crucial player’ for Ange Postecoglou, although the report claims that Romero ‘will leave Tottenham to play for one of the most important clubs in the world’ at some point.

TYC Sports journalist Gaston Edul also wrote on X: “Cristian Romero had the interest of three teams in this transfer market: Manchester United, PSG and Real Madrid. Tottenham responded that they would not sell him. He is essential for Postecoglou.

“They did not even put a price on him. He will have offers again in the next transfer market when Romero only has two years left on his contract.”

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It has been a mixed start to the new season for Tottenham and Spurs legend Teddy Sheringham is hoping to see more from Brennan Johnson this season.

Sheringham told Prime Casino: “I’m expecting better performances from Brennan Johnson this season; more consistent performances. That’s what you expect from your players in their second season at the club. I’m still not sure what his best position is. Is he a right winger? Is he a centre forward? I’m not really sure.

“He’s a little bit like Marcus Rashford, in that he’s a player that plays wide, but you wouldn’t call him a winger because he doesn’t really get that many crosses into the box.”

Sheringham added: “I think he’s shown glimpses of his potential since joining the club – he’s shown some nice flashes, but now it’s about doing that consistently. When you’re a £50 million player, there’s more expectancy on your shoulders. Now is the time for him to kick on, but he’s definitely demonstrated that there’s a good player in there.

“The challenge for him is to score more and create more goals. Improve on your numbers from last season (5 goals, 10 assists in 30 Premier League games). I also want to see him being more positive, taking on and beating players.

“Off the ball, I’d like to see him mastering the art of that deceptive far post run, because if he can do that, he’ll start racking up the goals for Tottenham. Those little tap-ins can really add to your tally, but the movement has to be right to give you the opportunity to put them away. He’s got the first season out of the way and he’s ready to kick on. I think there’s glimpses that there’s a good player in there.”

Arsenal are sweating over the fitness of captain Martin Odegaard after he limped out of Norway’s 2-1 Nations League win over Austria on Monday.

The Gunners midfielder was left clutching his left ankle after an innocuous tangle with Christoph Baumgartner on the hour mark and was helped off the pitch in tears by team-mate Erling Haaland.

Odegaard’s apparent injury is a further setback for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is already without the suspended Declan Rice for the clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Norway team doctor Ola Sand said: “Martin is doing quite well now. He got a small ankle sprain. We will see throughout the evening and tomorrow what happens next and what we will do about it.

“It is currently difficult to say anything about the extent of the damage. Ankle sprains are difficult to deal with straight away, so we almost have to see how things go forward.

“We will examine him when we are back at the hotel. Maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow (Tuesday).”

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Norway manager Stale Solbakken added: “Martin Odegaard’s injury looked bad in the dressing room as well.

“I saw that he was sitting with the physios around him. He had no chance of continuing. It was probably an overstep, and those who have played football know that it can go well if the ligaments have not gone. It is not certain that Arteta will call and praise me tonight!”

Haaland lashed home his 32nd goal in 35 games for his country in the 80th minute to clinch victory after Felix Myhre’s ninth-minute opener was cancelled out by a Marcel Sabitzer effort shortly before half-time.

Odegaard looked uncomfortable throughout Arsenal’s last match against Brighton after suffering a knock to his ankle but still represented Norway in both of their matches this month.

The Norwegian’s importance for Arsenal can’t be stressed enough and if he is unavailable against Spurs, it is going to be very difficult for Arteta’s side.

It has been a frustrating international break for the Gunners, who could also be without summer signing Riccardo Calafiori on Sunday.

The Italian suffered a freak ankle injury during last week’s win over France and has returned to north London for further analysis.

Italy boss Luciano Spalletti was hopeful Calafiori would be available for Monday’s match against Israel, which was a good sign, but Arsenal were not taking any chances.

Arsenal are definitely without summer signing Mikel Merino on Sunday after he fractured his shoulder in one of his first training sessions.

That means the Gunners could be without Arteta’s ideal midfield three against Spurs with Odegaard and Merino injured, and Rice suspended.

Raheem Stering could make his Arsenal debut against Ange Postecoglou’s side.

“We have to see him, speak to him (about) what he’s been doing and how he’s feeling about it,” Arteta said on Sterling’s availability.

“Try to find quick wins to get him up to speed as quickly as possible and for him to understand what we are looking for from him in the dynamics of the team.

“We will use that time to do that and get him involved as soon as possible.”

On Rice’s suspension, Arteta added: “Well, this is what happens. We have to adapt to that context.

“That’s why we have other players that can fulfil that (role) and (I can) give that opportunity to somebody else.”

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has reacted to Aston Villa missing out on one of their top summer transfer targets.

The Birmingham club had their sights set on Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida as Villa manager Unai Emery was keen to strengthen the right back position to give himself options in a busy season.

However, the Dutch club were seeking £30 million for him which meant Villa needed to sell players to make way for the defender. This deal never came to fruition which disappointed Villa fans.

This allowed German club RB Leipzig to swoop in and sign Geertruida for a fee of £25m in a late deadline day deal with the right-back agreeing to a five year contract at the Bundesliga club.

The former Tottenham midfielder Rafael Van Der Vaart has given his opinion on the 24 year old’s decision to join Leipzig over Aston Villa.

“A really good step, I think. This is a nice intermediate step. It’s really a perfect club for him,” the Dutchman told Voetbal Primeur.

“He is very calm and can also play in midfield. Not many defenders can do that,” the pundit continued. “I thought it was a relief when I saw him play.”

Emery has had a busy time with it in the transfer window but is pleased with who they signed to help bolster their squad for the Champions League. He spoke to the press on their business in the transfer window and the high demand of playing in the Premier League and Champions League.

The Villa manger said: ” “I’m very happy because we did the things we were planning at the beginning. The squad we have now, with some important players like Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara and Emi Buendia who are coming back progressively and feeling good.

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“It is very difficult. Very, very difficult, but this is football. We are in the best league in the world. It is the most difficult because every match we face against West Ham, Arsenal, Leicester City tomorrow, they are all difficult to get three points. Through the Premier League you usually can get your first objective which is to play in Europe and hopefully the Champions League.

“We are excited and motivated. We are really being connected to our supporters, enjoying playing together playing in the Champions League. If we want to play in it again then we have to be consistent in the Premier League.

“Last year we finished two points ahead of Tottenham and every game we fight for three points. Brentford then finished two points behind the previous season. We are very, very motivated and we know our way. To be intelligent, working hard always and very, very demanding. Even more than last year and more than other teams as they have more potential than us to be in the top four, top five.”

Aston Villa will face Everton on Saturday night football after the international break.

Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman says he will no longer consider Steven Bergwijn for selection after his move to Saudi Arabia.

Former Tottenham winger Bergwijn completed a £21million transfer from Ajax to Al Ittihad on Monday – a switch Koeman claims is based on money.

“The book is basically closed to him,” said Koeman. “He knows what I think about this.

“When you are 26, your main ambition should be sporting, not financial. These are choices that players make.

“I have never been in that situation, because I could go to Barcelona. He could have stayed at Ajax. That’s not bad, is it? You have to respect that choice, but personally I wouldn’t [have moved to Saudi Arabia].”

Asked if Bergwijn had spoken to him before signing, Koeman said: “No. I think he would have known what I would have said.”

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Georginio Wijnaldum, 33, was in the Dutch squad at Euro 2024 despite playing for Saudi Arabian club Al Ettifaq.

But Koeman added: “He had problems at Paris Saint-Germain and this was the only opportunity for him to play. In addition, there is a difference in age.”

Bergwijn, who has 35 international caps, was left out of the Netherlands squad for the Nations League matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Germany.

Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has committed his international future until at least the 2026 World Cup, following talks with Koeman.

Koeman said: “I thought it was so important to go to him to see and feel with him: are you going to give it your all for another two years at the highest level and do you still see a future for yourself? And he does. And I do the same with him. All doubt is gone, he just goes on.

“He admitted he did not reach the level you would expect from him as a player at the European Championship. As captain, I think he did a great job. But perhaps as a result, he put too much energy into others rather than into himself.”

Dutch stalwart Memphis Depay was not included in Koeman’s squad for the Nations League fixtures because he is currently a free agent.

“Memphis is looking for a club, but if you don’t have a club, you can’t be called up,” Koeman said.

“He is aged 30, let’s hope he gets a club, gets fit and plays a lot, because when you are 30 years old you are not yet old enough to stop. Then he is still an option.”

Like initialsake Alan Partridge at the end of his spell on This Time, we imagine Ange Postecoglou must be hopping mad and wants something in the middle.

There are few sides as useful as Newcastle or games as useful as this to expose Spurs’ own self-inflicted failures. Had Tottenham been able to just stay in that lovely zone that was attacking but neither irresponsible nor tentative, you feel this game would have been theirs.

The Spurs manager has struggled to get his side to find that balance between timid and reckless since arriving at the club last summer. Against Newcastle United they were punished for sitting at either end, despite finding a sweet spot in the middle that at one point made them look the more likely winners.

An overall lack of urgency, Guglielmo Vicario’s unconvincing punching, Spurs’ spells of conceding possession needlessly in their own half, Pedro Porro’s pot-shots and Wilson Odobert’s complete lack of instincts for making runs – watching Spurs in that first half felt like watching a talented academy side with a couple of senior players in the mix in the shape of James Maddison and Son Heung-min. They’d do great at the Olympics, you feel.

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That naivety came to bear as Newcastle United – dominant in the early stages but more subdued after a stoppage for an injured linesman to be replaced – took the lead off a quickly-taken throw-in to which Spurs just didn’t respond. Lloyd Kelly was allowed up the left to cross for Harvey Barnes to side-foot home superbly in his first league start of the season after an injury-hit first campaign at St James’ Park.

Tottenham had played that first half like a team carefully trying to follow instructions not to let last season’s caution-to-the-wind approach become too costly. If that was the case, then Postecoglou clearly remembered that Newcastle can’t really defend and just told his players ‘f*** it, you do you’ at the break; Spurs were much better for it.

With everyone playing 20 yards further forward, Newcastle were placed firmly under the Tottenham thumb until the pressure was too much to withstand.

Just moments after Odobert finally made a good run to the back post only to blaze over the bar from all of about two yards, Dan Burn showed him how it was done, burying the ball firmly into the net after Nick Pope’s poor save allowed Brennan Johnson to slide in and poke the ball towards goal. Shame Burn plays for Newcastle and the net he stuck it into was his own, really.

A Spurs winner felt likely, with Newcastle looking for chances on the counter but finding them limited. An emboldened Spurs encroached yet further forward…and that final step proved to be fatal, as Joelinton’s superb ball in behind a Spurs back line stationed on the halfway line released Jacob Murphy to race clear of Destiny Udogie before squaring for Alexander Isak to tap into an unguarded net.

Postecoglou must feel like Polonius at this point, warning his young charges to be one thing but not too much of that thing, and telling them to be true to their own selves while fighting that impulse within himself, knowing it is not a pragmatic way to get consistent Premier League results. He has ten months’ worth of evidence to back that up.

Despite being technically bested for much of the middle hour of the game, Newcastle won because they were simply more competent and more clinical. How Postecoglou must wish he had more of that in his own side.

Tottenham have agreed to let Giovani Lo Celso return to Real Betis, and within the deal they have been given ‘priority’ access to the future signing of Johnny Cardoso, as per Fabrizio Romano.

Spurs have been open to the exit of Lo Celso throughout the summer. The midfielder played just 22 Premier League games for the north London club last term, with Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr and James Maddison largely preferred in midfield.

Real Betis have been keen on him, having originally sold him to Tottenham for approximately £27million, but the terms have not been right for the Spanish outfit.

As such, Spurs came up with a creative way of letting Lo Celso return to Betis for reduced terms.

Indeed, Romano has confirmed that the deal has been ‘completed’, with a move for Betis man Cardoso involved.

Rather than an immediate swap deal, Romano states that Tottenham have been given a ‘priority option’ to snare the USA international ‘in the future’.

Cardoso has agreed to that, and therefore if at any point Spurs decide to pull the trigger, they will be able to beat other clubs to the signing.

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Last season, the midfielder was useful, scoring once and assisting twice in 17 games, but has not cemented his place in Betis’ side, so Tottenham do not yet deem him a player worth of signing, but certainly see his potential.

If he does not reach the heights they think he can, Ange Postecoglou’s side can still benefit.

Indeed, Romano states that if Tottenham decide against signing Cardoso, for whatever reason, they’ll essentially have a sell-on clause for him.

As such, even though he is not their player, they will receive a portion of the fee that Betis make from the midfielder.

It seems they have done a good job in getting Lo Celso, a player who was not entirely fancied, out the door, with multiple routes to success in the future as part of that deal.

For the Tottenham man, he returns to a side where he scored 16 goals in his final season, and he could therefore rediscover form.

Tottenham have been mooted as a potential destination for PSV defender Olivier Boscagli when his contract expires next summer.

Boscagli has been linked with Brighton in recent weeks but Fabian Hurzeler has decided not to improve in centre-back.

The 26-year-old Frenchman was one of the best defenders in the Eredivisie last season, helping PSV win the Dutch top flight at a canter.

He is a left-footed centre-back, which Tottenham are reportedly keen on signing before Friday’s transfer deadline.

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There are no indications that Ange Postecoglou’s side will land anyone before the summer transfer window closes but there is believed to be some interest in Boscagli.

The Premier League club could wait until next year to make their move though, with the player out of contract at the end of this season.

Tottenham named as potential destination for PSV star

Dutch journalist Dennie van Laar thinks it would be a good move for Spurs and Boscagli, who has been linked with Brighton this summer.

Van Laar reckons the 26-year-old should wait it out to join a top club like Spurs, Napoli or Atletico Madrid in 2025.

It has been claimed that Brighton recently failed with a 10 million euro bid for Boscagli, with PSV deciding against cashing in this summer.

“But he can also just wait, because you will soon be a free agent,” Van Laar said. “Then you really laugh your head off. You can then sign for Napoli, Atletico Madrid or Spurs. I’m really convinced of that.

“If he stays fit now, he will sign with a big bag of signing money [signing on bonus] at a dream club next year with a smile. I wouldn’t go completely crazy about Brighton.”

There are no real claims that Spurs want to sign Boscagli, only that the journalist believes they would be a favourable destination.

Spurs learned their Europa League opponents on Friday, with a trip to Ibrox to face Rangers the standout fixture as former Celtic manager Postecoglou returns to Glasgow.

The Scottish giants also landed Manchester United in their league phase fixture list.

Spurs, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, have home games against Roma, AZ Alkmaar, Qarabag and Swedish side Elfsborg.

As well as a trip to Ibrox, the other away fixtures will see Spurs travel to Ferencvaros of Hungary, Turkish giants Galatasaray and also Hoffenheim in Germany.

The top eight teams from the league stage will go straight into the last 16 while a round of play-offs involving those finishing between ninth and 24th will decide the other eight places.

The full fixture list with match dates and kick-off times will be announced on August 31, so to ensure no calendar clashes with teams in the Champions League and Conference League playing in the same cities.

Scottish Premiership side Rangers will face both Manchester United and Tottenham in the first stage of the new-look Europa League.

United were also handed a reunion with their former manager Jose Mourinho at the hybrid draw in Monaco, where teams were pulled out of the pots by rank then each allocated opponents by the UEFA computer.

The revamped format sees all 36 teams forming a single league, with each entrant playing four home games and four away.

Scottish Premiership side Rangers were the first team drawn out of pot one, with the algorithm determining a home game against Spurs as well a trip to Old Trafford.

Lyon, Olympiacos, Union Saint-Gilloise, Malmo, Steaua Bucharest and Nice complete the initial Europa League fixtures for Philippe Clement’s side, with the full schedule to be confirmed by UEFA on Saturday.

United, also in pot one, were handed a trip to Turkish side Fenerbahce – managed by Mourinho.

The other games in United’s away schedule will be at Porto, Steaua Bucharest and Czech side Viktoria Plzen.

United’s remaining home games will be against PAOK, last season’s Greek champions, Bodo/Glimt of Norway and Dutch side FC Twente.

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👉 The most momentous transfer deadline day deals, including Arsenal and West Ham signings

Tottenham, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, have home games against Roma, AZ Alkmaar, Qarabag and Swedish side Elfsborg.

As well as a trip to Ibrox, the other away fixtures will see Spurs travel to Ferencvaros of Hungary, Turkish giants Galatasaray and also Hoffenheim in Germany.

The top eight teams from the league stage will go straight into the last 16 while a round of play-offs involving those finishing between ninth and 24th will decide the other eight places.

The full fixture list with match dates and kick-off times will be announced on August 31, so to ensure no calendar clashes with teams in the Champions League and Conference League playing in the same cities.