Football365

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur will be sold on one condition, while a ‘costly mistake’ damaged Daniel Levy before his exit was announced.

On Thursday evening, it was announced that Levy has left Spurs after 25 years, stepping down from his role as Executive Chairman.

Subsequently, reports have shed light on the reasons behind Levy’s exit from Tottenham, with it widely indicated that they have not had enough on-field success during his tenure.

On Friday, a report from BBC Sport revealed details on clashes between Levy and the club’s ownership.

‘Levy will go with immediate effect and there will be no notice period, with the timing of his departure after the summer transfer window a deliberate move.

‘However, one source familiar with Levy told BBC Sport the former chairman had to operate with “one hand tied behind his back” during his tenure, and had to diversify revenue streams as a result. They said they felt there’d been insufficient investment in Spurs for the past 25 years, and the question was whether that would really change.’

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

Now, a report from The Independent’s Miguel Delaney claims ‘multiple such sources spoke of how they’d heard of growing tension at the top level of Spurs’, while a ‘costly mistake’ was ‘behind Levy’s fall’.

This is related to Levy’s dealings with rival clubs as ‘his previously fearsome reputation in negotiations had long faded’, with ‘people just fatigued’.

The report explained:

‘It had even been noted how Spurs were finally willing to spend big money, from new investment, but it was like they didn’t know how to; as if they didn’t know how to go and make a big blockbuster deal happen. This was most evident in a frustrated pursuit of Morgan Rogers. Some close to the situation insisted that one of the other “big six” would have put forwards a huge figure to test Aston Villa’s resolve. Spurs wouldn’t do it without having a sense of a price.

‘It was viewed as typical of the club under Levy, and all the more ironic given his own fixation on being a “big club”. That often applied to refusing to sell players even when it made sense, and in the appointment of so many “name” managers when they weren’t right for the club. Sources began to believe that “ego” was getting in the way.’

Levy’s exit from Spurs has also sparked fresh takeover speculation, though there have been conflicting reports on whether club chiefs are preparing for a sale.

Delaney has heard that Spurs are open to a sale as ‘industry sources believe there could be a sale if anyone hits the £4bn valuation’.

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur have submitted a ‘massive offer’ as they look to ‘steal a gem’ from Premier League rivals Manchester City.

On Thursday, the major overhaul at Spurs continued as the Premier League outfit announced Daniel Levy has stepped down from his role as Executive Chairman after spending 25 years at the club.

Subsequent reports have stated that the north London outfit have decided to part ways with Levy to boost their chances of having more consistent on-field success and could be more ambitious in the transfer market in the next few transfer windows.

In the summer, Tottenham had a mixed transfer window as they missed out on Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze, Piero Hincapie and Savinho, though they signed Randal Kolo Muani, Joao Pahlinha and Mohammed Kudus.

Spurs tried to force through a move for Savinho in the final few days of the summer window and made an audacious swoop for the Man City star after missing out on Eze.

READ: Daniel Levy made Spurs ‘unrecognisable’; he did a ‘remarkable job’

Savinho missed the start of this season due to injury, with Man City boss Pep Guardiola making it clear that he wants to keep the winger for “many, many years”.

“If Tottenham, or any other club, wants a player, you should call the club, right? It’s the same like we do,” Guardiola told a news conference last month.

“The only thing I’m concerned about today is that Savinho will be with us all the season, and hopefully for many, many years.

“Because at 21-years-old with the potential he has, playing a lot of minutes, he has to improve in final decisions, he’s an extraordinary player.

“But at the end, as always, the desire of the player prevails above everything, and after that there has to be an agreement with the club. If you don’t make an agreement, the player will be here.”

Despite this, a new report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claims Spurs are ‘back in the game with a massive offer’ for Savinho.

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The report claims:

‘Spurs are willing to give everything for the player and have made this clear with an offer already circulating in the offices: €80 million fixed plus another €20 million in variables, to be paid next season.

‘A deal that would reach € 100 million [£86m] and would mark a direct challenge with City for one of the most promising gems in world football.’

We imagine the streets of Tottenham this morning are reminiscent of a scene in a fantasy fiction after the monster has been vanquished: sun forcing its way through the smoke, children poking their noses out of front doors before frolicking on flowering greens as the conquerors embrace before sauntering down the pavements, arms aloft a la Kerry and Kurtan from ‘This Country’ chanting “he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead, heee’s dead, heee’s dead.”.

Just over a month after Daniel Levy told Gary Neville that “when I’m not here, I’m sure I’ll get the credit”, after almost 25 years as Tottenham chairman, we’re about to find out.

Although the official statement from Tottenham was that Levy ‘stepped down’ from his role, it was later reported that he had been ‘forced out’ as his exit from Spurs ‘is believed to be the final piece of the jigsaw of plans from the club’s owners to push the north London outfit on to bigger things with a fresh approach and more silverware’.

He’s headed up the development of a new stadium and training ground, with his business acumen establishing the club among the financial elite. But he’s faced protests for years from the Spurs fans, whose consistent frustration with Levy was his failure to prioritise the actual football.

In this post-Levy era, we’ve come up with five reasons why we should all be terrified of an unshackled Tottenham.

The set-up

According to Deloitte’s most recent Money League, published for 2023/24, Tottenham were the ninth-richest club in world football with an annual turnover of £512m in a season when they were not competing in Europe.

Spurs fans have Levy to thank for that, but weren’t about to thank him. While the chairman would have seen ninth place below Real Madrid, Manchester City, PSG, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Arsenal and Liverpool as a clear sign of the wonderful work he’s done in lifting the club out of the doldrums at the turn of the century, the fans will have questioned why – with the exception of Man Utd – they were seeing nothing like the on-pitch reward of those above them, or indeed below them, with Chelsea in tenth.

The gratitude wasn’t about to arrive before those fans had something or some things to celebrate, but there will have been next to no chance of them celebrating anything without the outstanding work from Levy to make Tottenham, as football finance expert Kieran Maguire describes them, “the most profitable club in Premier League history”.

We’ve forever heard from Levy’s supporters that he’s set Spurs up to be a footballing powerhouse, while his critics would also have to begrudgingly admit that’s the case before insisting they wouldn’t see the fruits of his labour until he’s no longer at the club. They’ve now got their wish; bring on the fruits.

New investment

Levy’s departure comes amid consistent rumours over the search for new investment. The club said in their statement on Thursday that there have been “no changes to the ownership or shareholder structure”, with the Lewis family trust still controlling over 60 per cent of the club’s shares (70.1 per cent of ENIC’s stake), while the rest of ENIC’s shares are owned by Levy and his family.

After Joe Lewis stepped down as a ‘person of significant control’ in October 2022, and with Levy no longer around to take the flak, attention will turn to Vivienne and Charles Lewis. The feeling is that they will now look to sell their stake, or a significant chunk of it, with recent Premier League history suggesting money from the US or the Middle East will come to their aid.

The debate as to whether that’s good or bad for football is for another time, but Spurs fans will look at the strides taken by their Premier League rivals thanks to an influx of foreign cash and think – at least in terms of winning silverware – it’s a net positive.

It’s been claimed at various points over the last couple of years that there’s a buyer waiting in the wings and the growing influence of Amanda Staveley – who brokered the Saudi takeover of Newcastle – points to there being something in the pipeline.

And it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to suggest Levy’s departure, the removal of him as the club’s most powerful figure, famed for penny-pinching as a divisive presence in the boardroom, with his fingerprints on everything from player transfers to the delivery of beer through the bottom of a cup, makes Tottenham an even more attractive option for those investors.

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‘More wins, more often’

We won’t get too bogged down in the wording of this call to arms from a source close to the family of Joe Lewis – surely it’s just ‘more wins’ or ‘wins, more often’ – because we would rather focus on the simplicity of the sentiment: ‘More wins, more often’. Sounds good, right? Want to win more games? Yes. Right then. Here we go.

It’s a throwaway line any number of clubs would deliver after a significant boardroom change, but it feels more significant because it’s Spurs, whose fans will have felt for the last two-and-a-half decades that winning more games of football wasn’t the primary aim, with Tottenham more ‘that football team’ which plays in the beautiful stadium where rocking concerts and NFL games take place.

Vinai Venkatesham

Peter Charrington, director of ENIC, has been appointed as Tottenham’s non-executive chairman, but the club’s new aim of delivering ‘sporting success’ will see a man with a history in banking, holiday resorts and tech companies take on far lighter duties than Levy in what the club pointed out was a ‘new role’ in the organisation, with Vinai Venkatesham set to become more prominent.

Venkatesham’s arrival as CEO in April suggests Levy should perhaps have seen his dismissal coming, with the British-Indian administrator’s success in rebuilding fierce rivals Arsenal from a low ebb a particular attraction in hiring him.

When he was appointed Arsenal CEO in 2020 they had just finished eighth in the Premier League and he is considered to be one of the key architects in their rise from that point.

He was heavily involved in the appointment of Mikel Arteta as manager and Edu as sporting director while overseeing a change to the recruitment strategy which saw younger players targeted in the transfer market, while increasing the focus on developing academy talent.

Unlike Levy, Venkatesham’s decisions are always made with a view to delivering success on the pitch.

Thomas Frank

They’ve lucked out here. Tottenham have not had a manager since Mauricio Pochettino left the club in 2019 better suited to having his hand on the tiller in this new dawn.

He was reportedly frustrated, as all of his predecessors have been, with the lack of movement from Spurs in the transfer market this summer, certainly up until some smart last-gasp additions. But what Tottenham absolutely don’t need is a Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte at the helm seeing Levy’s departure as a green light for a transfer frenzy.

According to reports, Daniel Levy has an excuse for the main reason behind his exit from Tottenham Hotspur amid a ‘deliberate move’ by the club’s owners.

On Thursday evening, it was announced that Levy has ‘stepped down’ from his role of Executive Chairman of Spurs, ending his 25-year stint at the Premier League club.

This has shocked the footballing world, though Spurs indicated in a club statement that Levy’s exit has been in the works for a while, though the 63-year-old did not shed light on the reason for his departure.

Levy said: “I am incredibly proud of the work I have done together with the executive team and all our employees.

“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.”

READ: Daniel Levy made Spurs ‘unrecognisable’; he did a ‘remarkable job’

However, a subsequent report from Football London revealed why Levy was ‘forced out’.

‘[Daniel Levy’s exit] is believed to be the final piece of the jigsaw of plans from the club’s owners to push the north London outfit on to bigger things with a fresh approach and more silverware.’

Now, a report from BBC Sport journalist Dan Roan claims Levy’s exit was ‘taken out of his hands’ as ‘well-placed sources said the ownership agreed for him to leave his position amid a belief that change would lead to greater sporting success’.

Also, in a ‘deliberate move’, Levy has departed after the summer transfer window and ‘will go with immediate effect’, while ‘there will be no notice period’.

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It is also claimed that he has disputed claims over Spurs not being successful enough during his tenure, with ‘one source familiar with Levy’ pointing out that he ‘had to operate with “one hand tied behind his back” during his tenure, and had to diversify revenue streams as a result’.

The report added:

‘They said they felt there’d been insufficient investment in Spurs for the past 25 years, and the question was whether that would really change.’

It is also noted that Joe Lewis ‘had a peripheral role in the decision for Levy to leave his post’, while the ‘younger generations of the family – Vivienne and Charlie, who are Joe’s children – have been key in making the decision’.

There’s a surprising amount of love for Daniel Levy after his departure from Tottenham.

That leads nicely into a few mails about managers but mostly Mikel Arteta. Is he unfairly criticised?

Send your mails to theeditor@football365.com

Daniel Levy has gone…what is his legacy?

I woke up today to the news of Levy’s departure through an Aussie lens – “Tottenham boss who sacked Ange quits”. And so twenty-five years later, one of the last true fan-owners in the league has left the building.

As someone who has been running football clubs myself for the last decade, albeit on an infinitely smaller scale in New Zealand and Western Sydney – regardless of your title, whether you own shares and even if you have affinity or connection to the club; you are a custodian first and foremost. The job, as I see it, is to ensure that the club is left to the next custodian in a better state than when you inherited it.

Tottenham Hotspur in 2025 is unrecognisable from the club Levy inherited from Alan Sugar in 2001 both in terms of the squad, but mainly our infrastructure.

Levy’s strength – and his legacy – is what he has left behind off the pitch. First-class training facilities in Enfield, a modern stadium at the historic home of the club in N17 and a self sustaining business model with multiple revenue streams beyond broadcast money/player sales/gate receipts. It’s fair to say (and would be negligent to not mention) that the club has not been anywhere near as successful as he or the fans would have wished, but that was only ever part of his job.

The main bit, leaving the club in a better state than when he inherited it, means that history will be kind to Daniel Levy. He will never be seen in the same light as Bill Nicholson or Danny Blanchflower (who arguably created the identity of the club, even if we have failed to reach the same heights ever since) but in terms of impact on the club’s fortunes nobody has done more.

Whoever comes next has big shoes to fill and I hope that once the dust settles Daniel can enjoy our future success on the pitch as a fan, safe in the knowledge that he laid the foundations for it at the beginning of the 21st Century.

Owen, Sydney

…You’ll probably get a lot of these, but here’s my hat in the Daniel Levy ring..

…He gets a lot of flak but IMO he’s done us well – we were shocking throughout the nineties – on the pitch and off it, points deductions, fines, cup expulsions, two very very close relegation scares (I know 17th last year isn’t great on paper but there was no danger of relegation in reality), so hopefully with hindsight his tenure will be looked upon more kindly – this will be our 7th Champions League campaign (8th if Harry hadn’t let the 10pt lead to the arse slip in 2012) and we’ve had the same again in Europa League campaigns (numbers are reliant on my memory, apologies if i’m out on these), and two trophies might probably have been three if Poch had the nerve to bench Kane in Madrid.

We’ve gone from bobbing between mid table and relegation playing some utter dross under the likes of Graham and Gross to some phenomenally fun to watch sides made possible by great signings – the Jol team of Berba/Keane up top scoring for fun, Harry’s team of Bale, Modric, VdV et al that tore up that champions league campaign, the Bale solo show under AVB, Poch’s team that put together more points across 2015/16-2016/17 than any other and then that 2019 CL final run.

I’d say the starting elevens Levy has brought have always been great, he’s just never quite brought the right squad players, but it could also be said that is a harder ask. Some of the appointments haven’t always worked out and some of the sackings were harsh but we’ve made Europe in two thirds/three quarters of his tenure, and half of that in the CL, which, growing up watching in the nineties I’d have never thought possible, we’ve brought in players who were a joy to watch; too many to name here, but you know them, and made us financially stable without oil money, which only three other clubs have managed, so he’s leaving us in a great place, so for that, I’m thankful; cheers Daniel.

Jerome, Bristol Spur

…D’you know what? Daniel Levy did a remarkable job at Spurs. Never mind all the facility improvements and trophies won in aeons and how he always negotiated excellent deals, he got everyone to recognise Tottenham as THE top 4 club in England.

Look, it was always us as number 1, then United came and we became the big 2. Arsenal under Arsene big 3. And then Spurs… for all their Spursiness were first recognised as the fourth powerhouse in modern English football.

That takes a lot.

Hell I still don’t know how they cracked a Super League invite.

Hats off to Levy. He’s earned his yacht.

Wik, Pretoria (Kudus = Africa’s best at the moment), LFC

Not reading the room

Daniel Levy has gone!!!!

We might behave like a big club again!!!!!

COME ON YOU SPURS!

Dave, (time to PARTY!) Winchester Spurs

Mikel Arteta has spent absolutely nothing

Please…stop

I’m getting sick of this now. Yet more nonsense peddled by Mick T on Thursday morning about Arteta spending £1bn.

Arteta hasn’t spent a penny. It’s not his money, it’s the Kroenkes’ and the model that Arsenal use involves a sporting director and whilst Arteta will have input, he won’t have the final say on how much to bid to get the deal done.

If the club decides to spend that money, it’s the club and the owners decision, not Arteta’s.

It’s a tedious and weird trope that no one else seems to be judged on. Chelsea have spent significant sums of money but it’s not Maresca spending it. If anything, there is sympathy for Maresca having to deal with all these players

If you don’t like the fact Arteta doesn’t like to lose big games or he’s worked out a way of scoring goals that has been around in football for over a hundred years, that’s fine. Shout at the clouds about it. But don’t sit there and just make up stuff to get angry about. There’s enough of that going elsewhere in the world.

Stew

Arteta IN

Damola, couple of things: Technically, you already did listen to me, but I get your point.

I want Ickle Mikel to stay, if he goes it would ruin my annual game of ‘which match will be the first which Arteta DOESN’T claim they dominated’.

Like I said, I think he’s a very good manager, just not an elite one. That may change, but I doubt it. You do realise comments from Slot, Slobberchops, and Pep are pats on the head because they are completely relaxed about Ickle Mikel and his lightbulbs, right? Why you are giving credence to comments made by Daniel Farke is puzzling, but okay.

I’ll not address the bits about Arteta being one of the most in demand managers, and that Edu suddenly isn’t very good now he doesn’t work for Arsenal, mainly because I imagine you’re sore from the paddling BTL have already given you here.

Oh, and the that KSA will strike back mail, if they were arsed, Isak would still be there, along with a bunch of other stellar signings because a) good luck in a legal battle with PIF over FFP, and b) they would have already have sold a shit load of their own stuff to themselves a la Chelsea/Villa.

As I’ve said before on these hallowed pages, The Mags are just one wing of their sports washing project, and boxing is currently a lot easier to leverage, given it is governed and run by crooks like the governing body who gave Pacman a licence in 2025, and promoted by greedy nepo baby glorified barrow boys like Hearn.

RHT/TS x

Arteta IN for different reasons

I’ve been satisfied with Arteta. As a beginner he’s done well. Of course He’s made mistakes like all managers do. Starting Martenelli v Liverpool may look wrong but not when one studies Martenelli’s record v Liverpool is understandable.

Now, people saying Arsenal were negative and killed the game must ask themselves why Liverpool couldn’t capitalise on that in open play? It took a brilliant freekick to divide two ‘equal’ teams (considering Arsenal were missing important players).

I find it strange to be reading article after artcle about teams’ net expenditure There’s more to buying and selling than what is published and revealed.

Going back to my initial comment about Arteta, I really hope he gets his paws on elite trophies so people can step down from criticising him (that’s both Arsenal fans and non Arsenal fans). He has a full squad now so it’s time to succeed!

A number of Arsenal fans are calling for him be replaced. If so, I say, give him a couple of more seasons. Ironically, I wouldn’t have minded Frank as a replacement. Another good manager to consider is Glasner!

Oh well, three games in and Liverpool have already won the league and Arsenal are a bunch of miserable losers.

Chris, Croydon

…I’m an Arsenal fan with an obvious bias in favor of Mikel Arteta, but even with that in mind, I remain serially flabbergasted by the frequency and intensity of the hatred for the man that seems to exist with the English football media AND among fans, including many that write into the mailbox.

If I had a dollar for each time I’ve read or heard criticisms of the man based on casually stated mistruths, then I’d have been able to retire and pay someone to read the mailbox at least 3 seasons ago. If this trend had started in response to his and the club’s behavior surrounding the “formerly unnamed defensive midfielder” that played far too long for Arsenal, then I’d understand the tone of the criticism.

It’s almost as if people love projecting their preexisting biases onto people they don’t know and barely pay attention to… and that’s fine by me. I’d just like to suggest that it’s enough to dislike Arteta because he’s made a club that used to be a bit of a laughing stock competitive again. It’s enough to dislike him because he’s associated with Arsenal. Using Arteta as an example of “bad sportsmanship” as part of yet another boring “this means more” rant is just silly.

Seriously. You don’t need any additional reasons and you certainly don’t need to make shit up, take quotes out of context, or take your talking points from Arteta’s former peers that seem to harbor some jealousy over the fact that he got his first head coaching job without “paying dues” or whatever upset them back in 2019.

That was a relatively comforting piss directly into the wind, but small comfort is still comfort.

Deen (AFC, USA)

Arteta would not be employed by elite European clubs

I think a lot of the criticism of Arteta, mostly from outside the club, from non-Arsenal supporters or from, you know, that guy in the mailbox is misplaced. Winning the Premier League is really really hard, you can see incremental progress year on year, and coming 2nd three years in a row is not a failure. But for Damola, AFC Berlin to say

If Arteta left Arsenal today, he would be the most sought after manager in Europe. No arguments

is just unhinged. Because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, PSG etc don’t want incremental progress year on year. They want glory and prestige right now this minute, and a manager who does not win at least one of the national league title or European Cup every season is going to get sacked at the end of that season. Arteta isn’t that guy. He simply doesn’t have the CV they would be looking for. And Damola knows this BECAUSE HE PUT HIS CV IN HIS EMAIL!

Arsenal are easily the most high-profile club in world football that Arteta could realistically be considered as their manager, and that might simply be because he’s the incumbent. Turn that statement around, Damola: is Arteta the most high-profile manager that a club like Arsenal, the sixth or seventh richest in the world, in a sought-after location and a history of success, could realistically expect to attract? In a world where Everton have appointed Carlo Ancelotti?

Dara O’Reilly, London

Manager chat that eventually lands on Amorim

Like many of us, I work in an office and have worked with a lot of people in various organisations. There have been some good people and my god a lot of useless ones who just about know or do enough to get by. Sometimes they’re unsuited to the team, and sometimes they’re just useless.

Picking managers is among the most important decisions organisations make. It is they that set the tone, manage the people below them, keep morale high and ideally make the right requests to those above them. Yet the same challenges remain, and success often depends on those doing the recruiting.

It strikes me that any expectations that club managers (and indeed players) are somehow different is fairly silly.

The basic facts must be that only a small percentage of managers are actually any good or good at more than one specific thing (like spending money well, developing good harmony amongst the squad, keeping teams focused on success through change, fighting relegation, coaching the best out of players, developing innovative tactics or approaches, getting promoted etc). Some will be good at multiple things, others just one or two.

Big Sam had a very specific skill set but you wouldn’t put him in charge of a club with ambition. On the flip, Pep is brilliant at the top end of the game but I wouldn’t necessarily want him in a relegation dog fight. The key is to have those skills aligned with the goals and capabilities of the club.

So, what do you do if your club is somewhere between relegation and ambition?

You could go all in on getting someone who ticks aspiration boxes and support them with players, like with Nuno. But if it goes wrong, you’re screwed. Or you recognise where you are, and prefer to dig in and guarantee security even if it clips some of your wings of aspiration, like Moyes at Everton.

So we return to Old Trafford. The exact nature of Amorim is as yet unknown, but we can safely agree that he’s not someone good for a battle at the wrong end of the table. He is inflexible, requires specific kinds of players for his tactic to work, and even then it’s unknown if it will work in this league. Time will tell (although the signs aren’t great).

He bought a lot of players at Sporting over 4 years for a return of 2 leagues and 2 cups, which sounds great, but it’s interesting to note that he had the second highest spend, and the highest net spend (by a fair way) of the big 4 there, in the league during that time. United certainly can’t match that right now.

And what of United? Is the squad as bad as last year suggested? Seems unlikely considering the previous years. Maybe it’s just a bad fit. If there is a positive to take from the appointment, it’s that it’s at least a punt towards the stars (appointing Southgate would have been an acceptance of being a “nearly” team at best).

The only question is whether he’s an Arteta (consistent “nearly” man), a Klopp (occasional success), a Pep (consistent success) or one of those many others who no one remembers.

He’s definitely not a Sir Alex.

Badwolf

(No, you sit down)

A broader manager question

Overheard on one of what I perceive to be amongst the more credible football podcasts around, supposedly Erik ten Hag chastised his players in the dressing room after losing their most recent match which (presumably as final straw) cost him his job. During the bald manager’s hairdryer at his players, apparently he’d said something along the lines of them playing like children when they’d needed to play like men.

Among the no-doubt many factors for ETH’s dismissal, this specific comment was flagged by the podcast as being noted by the club, with implication the comment was “provocative” and, might be (or also might not be, it’s not entirely clear) a factor taken in consideration of his sacking. Also unclear was whether it was the club that found the comment provocative, the podcast did, or both.

Conducting my own survey here (possibly to crickets), but can anyone explain to me the nature of the provocation. I reckon ETH is a truly awful manager, I really do. I don’t know him, so I couldn’t fairly opine here if I thought he was a modern dinosaur or just brusque and dry, but I could totally believe he’d lose a dressing room faster than the average guy. Still, I just want to know where the provocation in that comment is.

I want to know not because I’m disingenuously anti-woke or trying to create any other kind of provocation; I genuinely want to know, as one man’s survey on the world, whether saying that specific thing to a room full of footballers is, a) flat out unacceptable, b) borderline, depending on a bunch of stuff, or c) actually not so bad in the light of day. Or… d) I misunderstand or I’m over the top, and let’s not parse the definition of provocative. 🤷‍♂️

These six stars of Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs are in limbo, but Turkish Super Lig teams could save them in the coming days.

For every Alexander Isak, there was a Marc Guehi on Monday evening; dream moves were secured or heartbreakingly missed out on at the eleventh hour as the summer transfer window closed in England.

Those who were not granted their transfer wish could be left in limbo until January, although the exit route to the Super Lig remains open until the Turkish window closes on September 12.

With that, we have decided to re-asssign six players in need of a transfer to the Super Lig amid no hope of a future at their current clubs…

Yves Bissouma – Tottenham Hotspur to Fenerbahce

Bissouma falls in the Paul Pogba category of an immensely talented player who never realised their true potential, largely due to attitude problems and/or poor injury record.

The 29-year-old made it easy for new boss Thomas Frank to lay down a marker at the start of his reign, omitting the midfielder from the squad to face PSG over being “late too many” times, and his time at Spurs finally looks to be coming to an end.

It’s hard to see a road back for Bissouma as Frank is clearly not a fan and Tottenham’s midfield of Joao Pahlinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Sarr, barring injuries, looks pretty set. Galatasaray reportedly pulled out of a move for the Spurs outcast last month due to concerns regarding his fitness, but Jose Mourinho-less Fenerbahce could be tempted to partner him with Fred or Edson Alvarez.

READ: Liverpool ‘do things differently’? Not anymore – they’re now as bad as Chelsea and Man City

Federico Chiesa – Liverpool to Galatasaray

Chiesa could have easily given up on his Liverpool dream in the summer amid interest from several Italian clubs, but he remained insistent on proving himself at Anfield after a nondescript debut season in 2024/25.

The injury-impacted Italy international justified that decision by netting a vital goal in Liverpool’s 4-2 opening day win over AFC Bournemouth, which was comfortably his best moment for the club to date.

He’s since made more cameo appearances off the bench, but he has been outshone by teenager Rio Ngumoha and the deadline-day arrival of Alexander Isak, with these two teammates contributing to Arne Slot’s decision to omit the winger from Liverpool’s Champions League squad.

Chiesa could stick around to get games while Mo Salah is at the African Cup of Nations, but he risks being in the same position as last season until that tournament rolls around. Aged 27, he really ought to be playing more regularly and would be an astute signing for Galatasaray.

Axel Disasi – Chelsea to Besiktas

There is a debate to be had over whether Chelsea’s transfer model is tailored towards net gains rather than building the best possible team, but it cannot be denied that they have become incredibly good at selling and earned a record income through player exits in the summer.

Disasi could have added to their windfall amid late interest from the Premier League, but for now at least, he remains in the building at Stamford Bridge.

This should not be the case for long, as Disasi has not had a sniff of Premier League action after ending last season as an Aston Villa benchwarmer during his loan. A move to one of the bigger sides in Turkey feels like a natural next step for the 27-year-old, who will be frustrating Chelsea as he loses value by the day.

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Tyrique George – Chelsea to Fenerbahce

The speculation over George leaving Chelsea has been a tad more surprising after his breakthrough season in 2024/25, though his boyhood club would rather buy the best young players from elsewhere than promote from within, and their summer recruitment leaves the 19-year-old further adrift in the pecking order.

Fulham, RB Leipzig and Roma appeared to be the clubs most interested in George, and each of these clubs would have been great moves at this stage of the 19-year-old’s career, though he remains at Chelsea despite an agreement with the Cottagers on deadline day.

Fenerbahce (or another leading Super Lig side) would be foolish not to take a look at George, as he has a high ceiling, and the reported £22m fee for his services could prove to be a bargain in this climate.

Tyrell Malacia – Manchester United to Istanbul Basaksehir

Malacia is the only one of Man Utd’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ to remain at Old Trafford and this is not surprising considering his dire injury record since joining the Premier League giants.

For Man Utd and Feyenoord (during his loan), Malacia has made only 20 competitive appearances since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, so he was never going to be flooded with transfer options.

It was initially assumed that Malacia would return to the Netherlands in the summer, but there were no takers before a last-minute move to La Liga side Elche fell through over a failure to agree on terms. This leaves a move to join other Premier League cast-offs in the Super Lig as a last resort for the left-back, who would also have to settle for a B-level team rather than your Galatasarays or Fenerbahces.

READ: Man Utd’s second-choice keepers, Liverpool’s Guehi-shaped hole and other post-window squad gaps

Andre Onana – Manchester United to Trabzonspor

The jury is out on whether Senne Lammens over Emiliano Martinez was the right decision, given that more experienced and, on paper, better goalkeepers have previously faltered under the immense scrutiny of being Man Utd’s No.1.

Still, Lammens at least has the benefit of having a poor predecessor to follow, as Onana and Alter Bayindir have been liabilities for Man Utd over the past couple of seasons.

Onana’s severe decline since the start of the 2024/25 campaign has been remarkable, as it was never more than two games between a major mistake and he offered zero reassurance to an already fragile defence.

Tottenham made a ‘late enquiry’ to sign Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta at the end of the transfer window, according to reports.

Spurs made loan deals for Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel into permanent transfers over the summer window, while Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Luka Vuskovic, Kota Takai and Joao Palhinha have also joined.

They also completed a deadline day loan move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus.

And now it has emerged that Tottenham made other late moves with Spurs looking at the possibility of bringing in Crystal Palace striker Mateta, who scored 17 goals in all competitions last term.

Despite a ‘late enquiry’ for the Frenchman, Spurs eventually decided to pursue a move for his compatriot Kolo Muani, who signed on a season-long loan.

Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol revealed: “Palace did well to keep players such as Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Daniel Munoz who attracted a lot of interest from rival clubs before the window closed on Monday. Palace turned down bids worth up to £50m for Mateta from Champions League clubs earlier in the summer.

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“There was also a late enquiry – but no bid – from Tottenham Hotspur before they signed Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day. Atalanta, AC Milan, Juventus and several Premier League clubs were also linked with moves for Mateta.”

Adam Wharton is another player in high demand at the moment after a brilliant 18 months at Selhurst Park but Crystal Palace were in no mood to sell after losing Eberechi Eze.

And TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey insists that Tottenham and Manchester United both ‘asked’ about Wharton ‘in the final weeks of the summer transfer window’.

Speaking to TBR Football about Wharton, Bailey added: “Wharton is one of those generational players where Europe’s big clubs are in regular contact – they don’t want to miss out.

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“Palace are firm in their response, they never entertained the prospect of a departure this summer and they made that known.

“I am told the player himself and his people are aware of the interest, but there are no signs of him wanting to leave. He is focused on having a full season with Palace and making England’s World Cup squad. That’s it.

“Palace and Wharton know if he continues his progress there will be big moves in the future, but that is for then and not now.”

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur are ‘ready to revisit’ a deal in January, with a £61m ‘offer’ tipped to ‘force’ a club to ‘reconsider’.

Spurs had a mixed summer transfer window following the arrival of Thomas Frank, though the deadline day arrival of Randal Kolo Muani is a huge boost following Dominic Solanke’s injury.

Kolo Muani has joined Mohammed Kudus and Joao Pahlinha in joining Spurs in the summer after the north London club missed out on several targets.

Arsenal scuppered moves for Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie as they decided to favour Mikel Arteta’s side, while Tottenham’s deal with Nottingham Forest over Morgan Gibbs-White fell through amid tapping up allegations.

Tottenham had a deal agreed to sign Gibbs-White after activating the release clause in his contract, though Nottm Forest disputed this deal and claimed there was foul play.

Forest were successful in keeping Gibbs-White, who eventually decided to commit his future to the club by signing a new long-term contract.

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Despite this, a report from Caught Offside claims Spurs are ‘ready to revisit interest in Gibbs-White’ during the upcoming winter transfer window.

It is claimed that Gibbs-White’s stance on his future ‘may not be set in stone’, with it noted that a ‘fresh assessment of his options is expected to be made in January’.

Spurs are not alone in targeting Gibbs-White, with it suggested that Newcastle United, Aston Villa and West Ham are also ‘keeping a close eye on developments’.

The report later indicates that an ‘offer’ of 70 million euros (£61m) could ‘force’ Nottingham Forest to ‘reconsider’ their stance on Gibbs-White’s exit.

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The report claims:

‘Financially, Forest would not be under pressure to sell, but insiders believe an offer in the region of €65-70 million could force the club to reconsider.’

Another report from Caught Offside claims Spurs remain interested in signing Brentford star Nathan Collins as Frank is keen on a reunion, though they face a ‘battle’ with Liverpool.

The Reds were also linked with Collins in the summer as they considered alternatives to Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi and they could return with a new bid for the England international or the Brentford centre-back in January.

The report claims:

‘Tottenham are widely regarded as the most serious contenders in the race for Collins, sources close to the agents industry have informed CaughtOffside. Liverpool have also shown interest, though their approach has been more measured. Collins is on their shortlist of defensive targets, but the Anfield hierarchy have yet to move forward with a formal bid.

‘Any offer in the region of €50 million could trigger serious consideration. However, the timing of a mid-season departure presents a major challenge, especially given the club’s ambitions to maintain stability after losing key players in the summer.’

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Tottenham are exploring a deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani before the deadline.

Tottenham have already brought in Xavi Simons in recent days as they got their attacking midfielder to help with the absence of James Maddison, who is likely to miss most of the season after suffering an ACL injury.

Thomas Frank’s outfit are also after a winger with Savinho on their list of targets for most of the summer as they look to add attacking options.

Ademola Lookman is the latest winger to be linked, while Manchester City centre-back Manuel Akanji is another face who could join before the deadline at 7pm.

But Tottenham have turned their attentions to bringing in another forward with transfer expert Romano revealing late last night that Kolo Muani to Tottenham ‘could be one to watch’.

Romano wrote on X: ‘If talks with Juventus remain off as they are right now, Randal Kolo Muani can emerge as option for several top clubs on #DeadlineDay. Can exclusively reveal that Tottenham made an enquiry for Kolo in last 24h… could be one to watch #THFC.’

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And now Romano is back to reveal that Tottenham now have ‘serious interest’ in a deal to sign the France international, who spent the second half of last season out on loan at Serie A side Juventus.

Romano added on X: ‘EXCL: Tottenham make contact to explore Randal Kolo Muani deal conditions after interest revealed overnight. Spurs are informed of Kolo available + serious interest but depends on fee and numbers as PSG want obligation to buy guaranteed.’

Thomas Frank explained his approach to speaking with potential new signings over the weekend as Spurs head into the final day of the transfer window.

Frank said: “When I speak to them I’m pretty direct and honest in how I see the player.

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“Of course I want to sell the Tottenham project. But I’m always direct in terms of how I see their role and what we hopefully can make them to become. But also that it will be a fantastic journey, but also there can be ups and downs in that journey and there’s bits they need to work on.

“We go into that, then I sign off – I would like the player. But the player also needs to sign off to the project and the role.”

Tottenham are ‘ahead’ of their other competitors in the race to sign Manuel Akanji from Manchester City before the deadline, according to reports.

Spurs made loan deals for Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel into permanent transfers over the summer window, while Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Luka Vuskovic, Kota Takai and Joao Palhinha have also joined.

But Tottenham are not done there with Spurs expected to complete one or two new signings before the transfer deadline as they look for a defender and an attacker.

Man City centre-back Akanji has been linked with a number of clubs, including Premier League side Crystal Palace, but it is understood that Tottenham are now leading the race to sign the Switzerland international.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has claimed that AC Milan’s ‘number one target’ is Akanji with an agreement between the Serie A side and Man City ‘not a problem’.

The report adds: ‘Now, however, they need to convince Akanji, with whom they met yesterday to discuss the €5 million salary he earns across the Channel, which he doesn’t want to give up.

READ: Transfer Deadline Day, summer 2025: Follow it LIVE with F365…

‘Indeed… That’s not the only obstacle, however, as the Rossoneri also have to contend with Akanji’s desire to play in the Champions League. From this perspective, Tottenham are ahead of the Rossoneri. Crystal Palace are in third place.’

That is reportedly not the only deal that Tottenham are looking to get over the line on deadline day with their interest in Man City winger Savinho persisting, albeit the deal looking very unlikely.

And Spurs have apparently turned their attention to Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman with TBR Football claiming that the Nigeria international is ‘ready to fly to London to sign’ for Tottenham.

TBR Football‘s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has revealed that a deal for Lookman “has a chance” before the deadline with Tottenham “in the right place at the right time”.

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Bailey said: “Lookman has emerged as an option for Tottenham, not dissimilar to their Xavi Simons deal. They were in the right place at the right time.

“I am told Lookman is keen, Tottenham are keen, and this has a chance ahead of Monday’s 7 pm deadline.”

Bayern Munich are also interested, as revealed by Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg on Sunday: ‘FC Bayern are exploring a deal to sign Ademola #Lookman on loan until the end of the Deadline Day. Bayern have already submitted a loan offer with an option to buy to Atalanta, as first via @David_Ornstein and confirmed.

‘Understand Galatasaray and Tottenham also approached Lookman. Bayern pushing. Open race.’