Football365

David Ornstein has provided an update on Tottenham Hotspur target Eberechi Eze, who is set to feature for Crystal Palace against Chelsea on Sunday.

Spurs appear to have moved to the front of the queue for Eze as arch-rivals Arsenal are yet to step up their interest in the England international.

Eze has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League in recent seasons and could cost around £60m.

On Saturday morning, journalist Sacha Tavolieri claimed ‘conflict is looming’ as Eze is due to be ‘left out’ of Palace’s squad for Sunday’s match against Chelsea.

He tweeted: ‘Eberechi Eze pushing to join Tottenham! He agreed on personal terms with Spurs & wants to leave Crystal Palace. Eze expected to be left out of the squad against Chelsea this Sunday. Eze wants to leave #CPFC. Conflict looming…

‘Palace already in talks for his replacement. Wait&See… #mercato #THFC.

READ: Richarlison, Kudus have Spurs dreaming, flying start for Sunderland, you fear for Hammers – it’s the 3pm Blackout

Despite this, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano provided a further update on Eze’s situation on Saturday night, claiming that he could feature for Palace against Chelsea.

He said on X: ‘No guarantee yet on Eberechi Eze out of Crystal Palace squad for Chelsea game.

‘Negotiations advancing with Tottenham, agreement done with the player who has informed Palace of his desire…

‘…but not a done deal yet; so Glasner and his staff will decide on Sunday morning.’

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Now, The Athletic’s Ornstein has confirmed that Eze is ‘expected to start’ against Chelsea on Sunday, though Tottenham’s ‘pursuit’ of the attacking midfielder is ‘ongoing’ as Crystal Palace ‘work on replacements’.

Before Tottenham’s 3-0 win against Burnley on Saturday, Spurs boss Thomas Frank provided an update on their transfer plans.

“First and foremost, in many ways, I’m very happy with the squad. I think there’s a lot of good players,” Frank said.

“I think we saw a team that was very, very, very competitive, and on any other day we would have beaten the best team in Europe.

“Of course, we want as strong and competitive squad as possible. I know that Daniel (Levy), Johan (Lange) and Vinai (Venkatesham) are working night and day, and they have, by the way, been working night and day the last, whatever, six, seven, eight weeks.

“They definitely would like to do deals early. Sometimes, I think we need to understand it’s not that easy, but they’re working.”

Eberechi Eze will reportedly be left out of Crystal Palace’s squad for their game against Chelsea on Sunday as he looks to secure a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Both north London clubs have shown an interest in the 27-year-old but it would appear Spurs have got one over their rivals with the player said to be keen on the move.

Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri says Eze has agreed terms with the club and wants to leave Palace this summer. As such, he is expected to be left out of their squad when they travel to Chelsea on Sunday.

Tavolieri says there is “conflict looming” but also suggests Palace have already begun work on Eze’s replacement.

The Eagles reportedly submitted a £20m bid for Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss but the recently relegated club turned down the approach.

MORE ON SPURS ON F365

👉 Tottenham ‘set to place an opening bid’ for Eze as Spurs ‘move fast to avoid Arsenal counter’

👉 Arsenal ‘have budget for Eze’ without sales but are ‘waiting for first choice target’ with Spurs ‘ahead’

👉 Man City ‘reject’ £60m ‘offer’ from Spurs for 13-assist star; ‘new bid promised’ amid Eze talks

Should Eze move to Spurs, Palace are planning a ‘decisive bid’ for the Moroccan who has already agreed to a four-year deal.

Palace head coach Oliver Glasner has a battle to keep both Eze and Marc Guehi but suggested on Friday that both players would be available for the Stamford Bridge trip.

“Marc has trained the entire week with us, every single training session, the same with Ebs,” Glasner said.

“They’ve prepared the best way for the Chelsea game on Sunday afternoon.

“I’ve been in the football business for too long, so I know that at any time of any day, things can happen. If you ask me now, I expect both Marc and Ebs to start on Sunday.”

Spurs are looking to strengthen in the midfield department after losing James Maddison to a long-term injury but new head coach Thomas Frank said he would also be happy with the squad as it is should no deals be made.

“First and foremost, in many ways, I’m very happy with the squad,” Frank said.

“I think there’s a lot of good players. I think we saw a team that was very, very, very competitive, and on any other day we would have beaten the best team in Europe.

“Of course, we want as strong and competitive squad as possible. I know that [Chairman] Daniel [Levy], [Technical Director] Johan [Lange] and [Chief Executive] Vinai [Venkatesham] are working night and day, and they have, by the way, been working night and day the last, whatever, six, seven, eight weeks.

“They definitely would like to do deals early. Sometimes, I think we need to understand it’s not that easy, but they’re working.”

Tottenam ‘are ahead’ of Arsenal for Eberechi Eze but the Gunners are reportedly ‘waiting on their first choice target to make a decision before submitting a bid’.

A move to the Emirates Stadium had seemed likely for the Crystal Palace attacking midfielder after being linked for much of the summer.

However, an official offer hasn’t been forthcoming and now Spurs look likely to jump ahead of Arsenal in the queue to sign Eze before the transfer deadline on September 1.

After claims that Tottenham are about to launch their first offer, transfer journalist Ben Jacobs revealed on Thursday why Arsenal’s interest has gone cold of late.

Jacobs wrote on talkSPORT: ‘Arsenal also hold an interest in Eze, and a late window move can’t be discounted. However, the desire to give Ethan Nwaneri minutes at No.10 this season has led to some hesitation within the club as to whether to add another central attacker.

‘Arsenal are also focused on outgoings. They could look to bring in another left-winger instead if Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli depart. Both players could well remain, but Trossard is the more likely of the pair to leave should any exit materialise.’

READ: How long will Arsenal stick with long-proven failing nearly man Mikel Arteta?

And now Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke has revealed that Tottenham are currently ‘ahead’ of Arsenal in the race to sign Eze from Palace.

O’Rourke told Football Insider: “Tottenham have rekindled their interest in Eze. They were the ones who have always been the front-runners over the last couple of transfer windows.

“It seems Spurs have been pushing to bring the player to the club. Arsenal have showed interest this summer, but it’s a case for them of offloading a few players from the squad before they can move forward with a deal for Eze.

“There has been talk that they want to offload the likes of Reiss Nelson and Leandro Trossard. That gives Spurs the advantage right now, they’re looking to steal a march on Arsenal and get a deal done for Eze, but it won’t be easy to do.

“His release clause is soon to expire and it’s still expensive at £68million. With James Maddison picking up that potentially season-ending injury, Tottenham do need a new number ten.

“Palace don’t want to lose Eze, Oliver Glasner wants to keep hold of his best players. If Tottenham come up with an offer, it will be up to Palace what they want to do with it.

“Eze does have options, but it seems Tottenham are ahead of Arsenal right now.”

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There have been claims that Arsenal could have to move some players on before they can pursue a move for Eze but it has now been revealed that the Gunners have enough money and they are actually ‘waiting’ to see if they can land Rodrygo instead.

A well-known ITK account on X, which David Ornstein credited for revealing the news about Manchester United’s interest in Carlos Baleba first, wrote on X: ‘Exclusive: Arsenal want @ChampionsLeague winner to join club. Arsenal has reached out to Crystal Palace regarding Eberechi Eze to hold talks with @SpursOfficial.

‘They made their request to Eze just a few days ago as exclusively reported by us, but now they’re going straight to Palace. @CPFC is scratching their heads, wondering why Arsenal hasn’t put in a bid yet. It’s a bit of a mess, honestly.

‘They’re confused about the whole situation. @Arsenal have the budget for Eze and doesn’t even need to sell anyone to make this happen. So, what’s the hold up? We can confirm they are waiting on their first choice target to make a decision before submitting a bid for Eze. This is dangerous game they are playing while they wait on @realmadrid regarding Rodrygo.’

Crystal Palace reportedly want Liverpool attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott to replace Tottenham Hotspur target Eberechi Eze.

Palace and Liverpool are currently in talks over a deal to send Marc Guehi to Anfield, and Elliott could become part of the negotiations.

The Eagles are preparing for life without star player Eze amid interest from Spurs and Arsenal, though it has been suggested that the England man is open to staying at Selhurst Park.

Arsenal have been linked all summer but Spurs are now the frontrunners for the 27-year-old’s signature after James Maddison suffered a long-term knee injury.

In a boost to the north London clubs, Palace are actively looking for an Eze replacement, and Liverpool’s Elliott has become their ‘prime target’, according to The Sun.

Indeed, Oliver Glasner’s side are ‘planning to raid Liverpool before the end of the transfer window’.

They want to ‘secure Elliott’, making him their ‘prime target’ for their Premier League and Europa Conference League campaigns.

Their interest comes as Eze ‘is being heavily linked with Tottenham‘, who are ‘preparing a significant bid’ to beat Arsenal to his signature.

It’s noted that the Gunners ‘need to sell first’ before making a bid for Eze.

Liverpool’s asking price for Elliott – who incidentally missed a penalty against Palace in the Community Shield on Sunday – is believed to be £40m.

The England Under-21 star has emphasised his desire to play regularly and Reds head coach Arne Slot ‘respects his ambition and won’t stand in his way if a suitable offer’ is made.

Palace’s ‘admiration’ of the 22-year-old has been ‘made clear’ during talks with Liverpool for Guehi, the report adds.

The Eagles captain’s valuation is around £40m, though it’s been reported that the Premier League champions want to pay £30m plus £5m in add-ons.

Interest from both sides has ‘complicated’ matters, with a ‘player-plus-cash arrangement not ruled out’.

The situation sets up a fascinating late-window standoff: Palace want Elliott to fill the creativity gap that could be left by Eze’s departure, while Liverpool are keen on Guehi to strengthen their back line.

The possibility of a player-plus-cash arrangement has not been ruled out.

With a year left on Guehi’s contract, Palace chairman Steve Parish has admitted that he doesn’t want to lose the defender on a free transfer next summer.

“We’d have to do that [cash in on Guehi], of course. For players of that calibre to leave on a free, it’s a problem for us, unfortunately.

“Joachim [Andersen] went [to Fulham last summer] and we couldn’t afford to lose both.

“We then had another bid [for Guehi] in January but that was a different situation.

“We’ll just have to see what happens. But, you know, it needs a new contract or a conclusion of some kind.

“As far as people being here or not being here, if it’s the right decision for the club and for them – nobody can make anyone go – then there will be some changes, but we have to make smart ones.”

Manchester City have rejected a £60million bid from Tottenham Hotspur for Savinho, according to reports in Brazil.

Savinho has emerged as a top target for the north Londoners over the past week as Thomas Frank looks to bolster his attacking options.

The Brazilian winger joined Man City from FC Troyes last summer after successful loan spells with PSV Eindhoven and Girona, who he helped qualify for the Champions League in 2023/24.

In his debut season at the Etihad, the 21-year-old scored three goals and registered 13 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions.

He was fairly inconsistent in 2024/25, but Spurs are seriously interested in Savinho and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze.

David Ornstein reported on Monday that Frank’s side have been ‘in talks’ with the Cityzens, with Savinho ‘open’ to joining.

It was claimed that a £43.3m fee was being discussed, but fresh reports from Brazil says an opening offer from Spurs worth £60m has been turned down.

Indeed, according to Ge Globo, Spurs have ‘offered €70million’, but have ‘failed to make a deal’ with Pep Guardiola’s side.

It’s said that the ‘official offer’ was made ‘earlier this week’, with ‘negotiations continuing’.

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The Londoners are planning to make an improved offer for Savinho, who ‘understands’ Spurs will provide more minutes ahead of next year’s World Cup.

The report states:

Savinho’s agents traveled to England in recent days to conduct negotiations, and the London club has promised that a new offer will be formalized soon. The negotiation is seen as complicated due to the high sums involved, but all parties view the move positively.

So far, only six signings have exceeded €70 million in the European market… If negotiations between City and Tottenham progress, Savinho will become part of this multi-million dollar group.

With the World Cup just a year away, the Brazilian striker understands that at Spurs he’ll have more minutes and a more prominent role to compete for a spot on Carlo Ancelotti’s final squad.

Should City sell Savinho, they will likely go in for Real Madrid superstar Rodrygo.

Rodrygo has been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool this summer, but Madrid haven’t received an offer for their Brazilian forward.

Arsenal are currently focusing on outgoings before making a bid for Spurs-linked Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze, while Liverpool are prioritising Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.

Tottenham are reportedly interested in Barcelona’s Dani Olmo after the Spanish club put him up for sale to combat some of their final difficulties.

The club’s treatment of Marc-Andre ter Stegen and their desperation to remove him from their registered squad is the latest sign of Barcelona’s financial plight with La Liga’s rules far stricter than the Premier League’s.

The Catalans have often found themselves on the wrong side of La Liga’s club spending limit which says clubs can only spend an amount on player wages compared to the revenue they generate.

Barcelona have had a number of issues in the past, leading to the term ‘levers’ forever being associated to them as they sell off aspects like VIP seats at the new Camp Nou and their TV rights in an attempt to sign players.

Now, they are reportedly considering allowing Dani Olmo to leave in order to free up some wage space.

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👉 Four real and compelling reasons why Eberechi Eze might choose Spurs over Arsenal

Spanish outlet Fichajes say the emergence of academy graduate Fermin Lopez combined with Olmo’s injury record have prompted Barcelona to “open the door” to the ‘bombshell’ sale of a player they purchased just 12 months ago.

They claim he has interest from the Premier League and Saudi but also say that Tottenham are ‘preparing a €70m’ offer for the midfielder who could replace the injured James Maddison.

The outlet claims Olmo is the perfect player for new manager Thomas Frank’s team with him being “versatile, creative, and with experience in European competitions.”

They say that while the loss of Olmo would be a ‘sporting blow for Barca’ it is a ‘financial victory’ and one that could allow them to register Marcus Rashford amongst others.

The North London club look likely to be one of the busier Premier League sides before the window closes with a number of names linked.

Their most promising prospect appears to be Manchester City’s Savinho who looks likely to leave the Etihad after just a year in Manchester.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed that ‘a package worth in the region of £43.3m is under discussion’ despite Man City ‘not actively looking to sell Savinho’ this summer, but that opening offer has been rejected according to Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola.

Elsewhere, Spurs are in a battle with their North London rivals Arsenal for Eberechi Eze with both clubs interested in the Crystal Palace player.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed on Tuesday that Eze is ‘keen’ on a move to Tottenham this summer with Spurs ‘seriously working’ on a transfer.

“Eberechi Eze, keen on Tottenham move as Palace are informed of his desire to play Champions League football. Deal now depends on club-to-club talks but Spurs are seriously working on it, as reported earlier.”

Spurs get a kicking for – checks notes – drawing 2-2 with the Champions League winners. Plus, one man’s Premier League table revealed.

Mail us at theeditor@football365.com; you might want to read our pre-season predictions first.

Spursy? Not this time

I am sure the emails and articles are already being written, calling us ‘Spursy’ for not winning. I’m writing to rebuff them.

Firstly, we didn’t lose. Not in the game, not in real time. We drew.

Secondly, we were the better team until Dembele changed position.

But most of all, this isn’t us throwing away a lead at Fulham or dropping four points in two weeks from winning positions against Sunderland and Man U away. This was Paris Saint-Germain, European champions. This is against a team bankrolled by limitless wealth, featuring many of the best players in the world.

We did well tonight. Call us Spursy when we throw away leads at home to Sunderland, not today.

Sam

F365 says: Frank outclasses Enrique and PSG but Levy is already letting him down at Tottenham

Tiresome Spursy chat ahoy

Luis Enrique (presumably): Lads, it’s Tottenham.

Sanjit (Donnarumma > Chevalier) Randhawa, Kuala Lumpur

…Go 2-0 up and throw away the lead with lazy defending against a team that’s only been in training for 1 week . Sh*t the bed after going up in the resulting penalty shootout. One word.

Spursy.

Some things just never change.

James Jones, STFC

…Les Gars – C’est Le Tottenham!!!!

Mark Johnson

…Same old Spurs. Wonderful.

Mike, WHU

…2-0 up in the match until the 85th minute, 2-0 up in the shootout and still lost. Never change Spurs, never change.

Andrew Worby

Transfer values make no sense at all

Transfer valuations don’t make sense, in fact very little valuations do, essentially something or someone is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it or them.

But this summer seems really strange and some clubs do much better than others. For me Spurs have always been one of the best but lately Chelsea have really upped their game, Arsenal seem poor and Man U are terrible.

Man U buy Hojlund who is a young international striker for £64m from Atalanta where he scored 9 goals in 32 games. He then goes on to be not great for Man U scoring 14 goals in 62 games, while his international record is 8 goals in 26 games. Apparently, he’s now available for around £30m.

Liverpool buy Nunez who is a young international striker for £64m and had scored 32 goals in 57 games for Benfica before joining. He then goes on to be not great for Liverpool scoring 25 goals in 95 games while his international record is 13 goals in 35 games. He gets sold for £46m.

Chelesa buy Jackson who is a young international striker for £32m and had scored 12 goals in 35 games for Villarreal before joining. He then goes on to be not great for Chelesa scoring 24 goals in 65 games while his international record is 1 goal in 20 games. Apparently, he is now available for £80m.

You can argue Hojlund has been “more” of a failure than Jackson, but not to the point where his value has more than halved while Jackson’s has more than doubled especially when you consider before their Premier League moves their form was similar and actually Hojlund’s international record is much better. Then tag on what happens to Man U players when they leave, think McTominay and Elanga then I think there is a fair case to say that ignoring the valuation Hojlund who is younger could turn out to be a better player.

Spurs meanwhile somehow get £20m for a 33 year old Son who had 1 year left of his contract and seemed to have been suffering from injuries for the last couple of years vs Arsenal who let 33 year old Jorginho leave for free even though he also had a year left of his contract. Additionally compare the fact that although Son has been amazing for Spurs his game was built on pace vs Jorginho who never had pace and is the sort of player you can imagine influencing games well into his late 30’s similar to Modric or Scholes, he also won a lot more than Son and even came 3rd in the Ballon d’Or a whopping 4 years ago.

The ultimate p!ss take from Chelsea is managing to sell young and good-ish international winger Madueke for £50m while trying to buy young and good-ish international winger Garnacho for £30-40m.

Obviously, lots of this is speculation as I’m sure my friends in the comments sections will point out, still strange world.

Paul K, London

CHECK OUT: Every Premier League transfer and release confirmed in the summer of 2025

How can transfers be woke?

It was only a matter of time before one of the meaningless phrases ‘woke’ or ‘wokeness’ were applied to transfers.

For those who have been living under a rock for the majority of the last decade, these phrases are used by right wing politicians, their minions and supporters to decry something they don’t like but know that fully verbalising their reasons would require racism, sexism, homophobia or some other form of bigotry which they are trying to avoid.

What Chris fails to explain is how aligning footballer’s contracts closer to other business sectors is anything other that ‘woke’.

A, LFC, Montreal

Liverpool fan does not want to be defined by minority

I am a little surprised that Crystal Palace’s fans are getting away with their disgraceful failure to keep a minute’s silence for Diogo Jota on Sunday. Obviously, they should all be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and perhaps the FA should consider banning them from the next half dozen away games. What’s that you say? It was only a tiny minority? It’s not fair to tar them all with the same brush, just because some of their fans behaved badly?

Well, that’s just not how it works, is it?

You don’t have to believe me, but what about the intellectual behemoth that is Dave Tickner? He explains in his latest article, about Liverpool fans, saying that they:

paint Trent Alexander-Arnold as a legacy-ruining disgrace for wanting to join the biggest club in the world having fulfilled the terms of his contract

…because, of course, this is exactly what happened. It wasn’t that a small (but vocal – have you noticed that the most mentally challenged often have the loudest voices) minority gave him a hard time on Twitter, some booed him at a game, only for there to be a big backlash both within the club and outside it, and for this to not be repeated, with Alexander-Arnold leaving on clearly positive terms, despite the disappointment of losing him.

No, none of that happened, what Dave conveyed is the unimpeachable truth, Liverpool fans now all hate TAA because he left the club on a “free” (they actually got more for him than they did Michael Owen) transfer, and he can never show his face in Liverpool again. And what’s more, because of this, the very idea that they might encourage Alexander Isak to leave Newcastle (for in the region of £150m) is of course, the rankest hypocrisy imaginable, and it’s only fair that literally every Liverpool fan should hang their head in shame. Forever, obviously. This shit sticks, and really, the shame should be passed on for generations.

This is how it works, yes? I’m off to walk down the street naked whilst my neighbours shout shame and throw rotten vegetables at me, and I deserve it, because it turns out that some people who support the same team as me are dickheads. If only I had chosen another team to support.

Mat (my god the Isak saga is unbelievably boring)

Isak more hassle than he’s worth?

I enjoyed Dave Tickner’s article poring over the stink that Alexander Isak and his entourage have created in the past few weeks. I wrote in earlier in the window, when Liverpool were on the verge of signing Wirtz, saying that I’d have been more nervous if they were using that money to buy Isak. But now that that scenario has materialised, I find myself wondering if their pursuit is worth the huffluff?

I’m well aware that that question will provoke a whole gallery of Pool fans screaming about getting a world-class striker coming into his prime etc. And Isak himself would no doubt suggest that getting his way would suit him just fine. But given the grubby mess that this has become, surely there’s been some pause for thought on the Liverpool side of the equation?

We’re not talking about prime Messi or Ronaldo here. Isak is an eye-catching finisher who tracks around the 20-goal mark in a full Premier League season, and you could probably expect him to up that output in a stronger team. But his fitness record in England has been patchy and he’s shown himself to be prepared to throw a petulant hissy fit this pre-season. He remains the best option in a position they’d like to add depth to, but the furore feels overblown.

Add in the crazy sums being touted, whereby he’ll probably cost north of £130m, and it all just makes for a cocktail that would have me twitching if it were United pissing the Geordies off. The fact that he won’t just put in a formal transfer request, and his team is using the media to squeeze Newcastle, adds another layer of oddness to the whole scenario. I get that Liverpool probably do need another striker, and that he clearly wants to go there, so the whole sorry fiasco will continue to tiresomely rumble on until deadline day approaches and someone has to make a final decision.

On a related note, fair play to Newcastle for taking a hard stance. Player power in football is at a level that often makes contracts and adult behaviour (I know) seem like forlorn concepts. But in the cold light of day, Isak signed a 5 year contract and he has 3 years left. If he has any maturity or a smidgeon of pride in how he’s perceived, he has to accept it if they choose not to sell him when they’re in a position of strength.

Realistically, his hand becomes impossible to counter in a maximum of 18 months’ time, and he has a World Cup to focus his mind in the meantime. Sitting on a bench getting splinters in his arse really won’t stand to him when that rolls around. But I guess forward thinking and perspective went out the window some time ago.

Keith Reilly

One man’s predicted Premier League table

Okay, traditions are traditions and here we are with the predictions for what is about to come.

AC in Milan

Eberechi Eze may well be on his way to north London. What’s not so clear at this volatile time with the season about to begin and the transfer window reaching the climax of its summer-long dance is whether he lands on the red or white side. If indeed he does make the move at all.

Which, it’s well worth remembering, he still very much might not.

But if he does have to decide whether to join Arsenal, who are looking to go one better and win the Premier League after three straight second-place finishes, or Spurs – who are Spurs – then surely the answer is obvious?

But what if, and hear us out here, it isn’t obvious? What possible reasons are there that someone might in fact choose Spurs over Arsenal at this time. After giving it a lot of thought, and we do mean a lot, this is what we’ve managed to come up with.

The Managers

We accept that not everyone shares our view of Mikel Arteta and his unspeakable antics, but when you’ve got a manager who is equally disliked by the F365 wokerati as he is by Richard Keys, then you must accept you’ve got a manager who is very annoying to a lot of people.

Some players might love his zany psychological experiments or his inability to recognise the limits of his technical area or the suspicious perfection of his hair. But it could definitely put a lot of others off.

Spurs, meanwhile, are managed by Thomas Frank, who just seems like a very decent egg. In fact he seems such a solid citizen that one can even look past the crime of having a name made up of two first names, which is normally a solid indicator of a wrong ‘un. Imagine if Mikel Arteta had two first names. Exactly. You’d cross the road to avoid him.

Fair warning, there’s a lot of absolute sh*te to come in this feature, yeah? But we can say with utter no-fooling earnestness that ‘Frank or Arteta?’ definitely feels like a very different question to answer than ‘Spurs or Arsenal?’ at this time.

Competition for places

We’re generally pretty sceptical about ‘World Cup year’ chat. Specifically because it seems to be an idea that places the self-doubt and imposter syndrome felt by ordinary people into the world of professional footballers, where we suspect it is vastly less common.

If two clubs are both trying to chuck £60m around to try and buy you, you’re not that likely to be consumed by doubts about whether you’d even get in the team for those clubs. And thanks to the guaranteed fixtures provided by the expanded Champions League, both teams will have a lot of games and opportunities anyway.

But Eze is in an unusual position, on the fringes still of England selection and competing in positions where England are conspicuously stacked.

With Thomas Tuchel having already made it clear that he doesn’t even really care if you’re playing in a semi-retirement league as long as you’re playing, it stands to reason that he would also be willing to pick players even if they do happen to play for Spurs.

And Eze would surely play much more football for Spurs than he would for Arsenal, because Arsenal have a squad of good players and Spurs – as they showed to an almost sarcastic degree in the Super Cup – have a small handful of good players and very, very little else.

The scope to make a noticeable positive difference of the sort that catches the international coach’s eye is surely greater at Spurs, even if the scope for success might be lower.

But even if we take away all that, Eze would almost certainly play more football at Spurs than he would at Arsenal, and playing more football is what – most – footballers would quite like to do please.

Echoes of glory

If it’s silverware you’re after, then look no further than Europa League holders Spurs. Unlike serial trophy-dodgers Arsenal, Spurs are trophy winners. It is what they do. So accustomed are they to winning trophies that sometimes even winning a trophy isn’t enough to save a manager, while at Arsenal the acceptance of mediocrity means Arteta is once again rumbling on unquestioned into yet another season of his project – we’ve honestly lost count of what phase he’s in now – despite it delivering absolutely no tangible heft to the ol’ trophy cabinet for over five years.

If you doubt this point, consider that Spurs are currently absolutely distraught after losing the Super Cup despite in that failure matching Arsenal’s greatest achievement of the last half-decade of beating PSG on xG.

Spurs have set their sights so high that even in failure there is an echo of glory. There are levels to this game.

No actual choice

In the unlikely event you’ve not been swayed by all the very serious and compelling arguments thus far, then this one is impossible to argue with. Eze might choose Tottenham over Arsenal if in fact he is not actually able to choose Arsenal at all because they don’t stump up the cash to either meet the soon-expiring release clause or to satisfy Crystal Palace further down the road.

If the choice becomes that between a real and concrete Tottenham offer that actually exists and a hypothetical one from Arsenal that doesn’t any perhaps never will, then that might just shift the needle a touch to the white side of the bitter north London divide.

Thomas Frank got the better of the best team and manager in the world for 80 minutes but he’s already hamstrung by Daniel Levy at Tottenham. Please give him a chance.

One thing was very clear when the lineups were announced for this season curtain-raiser: Luis Enrique has zero respect for Thomas Frank’s Tottenham.

Desire Doue played ‘in midfield’ in order to also get Bradley Barcola, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele into the side ahead of him, with one member of the outstanding midfield trio which dominated the Champions League last season on the bench, another suspended having been sent off in the Club World Cup final and just Vitinha left to deal with whatever Spurs (they call themselves Spurs, don’t they, this team in white?) could throw at them.

Enrique will now have respect for Thomas Frank’s Tottenham, who like Chelsea a month ago to the day, and Aston Villa in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, didn’t just show the fallibility of this outstandingly talented PSG side, but thoroughly embarrassed them for the majority of this game.

To suggest ‘they don’t like it up’em’ would be the gravest of understatements. They’re the football team equivalent of a toddler packing their new train set away when it’s not being played with ‘in the right way’. Spurs didn’t try to beat PSG at their own game, and rather than adapting to the new rules, PSG stopped playing.

We’re reticent to advise Enrique on football tactics, for obvious reasons. But how on earth he hasn’t spent what we accept will have been limited time on the training pitch at the end of last season entirely on how to mark footballers from set pieces is beyond us. They are truly terrible at it.

Frank definitely deserves some credit for putting a plan into action, which for both goals featured a fairly simple Cristian Romero peel to the back post with a bit of blocking from teammates before a looping header for Micky van de Ven’s opener and then a downwards header sort of near the corner for the new captain to get his own name on the scoresheet. But he doesn’t deserve any credit for recognising that as a PSG weakness. It’s glaring and has been glaring for a while.

Lucas Chevalier did Enrique no favours either. The “new profile” goalkeeper he urged the club to sign was at fault for the second goal – palming into his own net – and, predictably, looked comparatively uneasy under crosses and amid general aerial pressure while the ousted world class giant sitting at home no doubt revelled in it all as his agent fields dozens of calls for his services from teams who weirdly like goalkeepers who can win Champions League titles for you.

Tottenham’s goals came from set pieces, but the unease felt by PSG in this game was at least as much to do with the pressure Spurs put on them in open play. Pape Matar Sarr was the standout in that regard, but they were all at it when – and this is crucial – they were well set to do so.

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👉 Ornstein reveals Tottenham ‘talks’ with Man City over Savinho as player is ‘open’ amid Guardiola stance

👉 Man City, Liverpool and Man Utd stars among 10 possible James Maddison replacements for Spurs

Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs were one thing or the other: all-out attack, as was the case in 99 per cent of their games under him; or backs-to-the-wall defending, as was the case in the Europa League final. On the basis of this game, Frank’s Tottenham will at the very least be balanced.

They didn’t have the ball much, but looked largely comfortable in defence, even seeming to enjoy it rather than seeing it as a necessary (or indeed unnecessary) nuisance as they did under Ange. But they also carried a threat throughout, with Mohammed Kudus offering enough to suggest he could be a very useful signing, with some nice link-up in tandem with Richarlison, while the rest of the team looked to push up and box PSG in, again, when it was the right time to do so.

It will be criminal for Daniel Levy to look at this game, how they more than matched the champions of Europe before two of PSG’s subs came on to score while three of Tottenham’s four conceded were on the pitch to give up the lead while the other missed the crucial penalty from the spot in the shootout, and not provide Frank with more quality options in what remains of the transfer window.

This game will have endeared Frank to the Spurs fans. He’s an excellent manager who was seconds away from masterminding victory over the best team in Europe. If anything, they, as we do, will feel sorry for him as he walks into a season with a very limited squad.

He’s going to need far more quality in attack and in midfield if they’re to beat your Burnleys and West Hams, and if Levy gives Frank that, as we now know what his Spurs can do against the very best, he could be the man to bring genuine, long-term success to Tottenham.

We won’t hold our breath.

Tottenham have made a €40m [£34m] ‘offer’ for Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo as Manchester City tell them what they need to pay to sign Savinho this summer.

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

A deal for Man City winger Savinho is also on the cards with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealing that the Brazilian ‘open to the move’.

Romano wrote on X: ‘EXCL: Tottenham open club to club talks to sign Savinho from Man City! Negotiations ongoing between Spurs and City, also understand Savinho’s open to the move if the clubs can agree on fee. #THFC boss Thomas Frank indicated Savinho as ideal player.’

The Athletic’s David Ornstein later revealed that ‘a package worth in the region of £43.3m is under discussion’ despite Man City ‘not actively looking to sell Savinho’ this summer, but that opening offer has been rejected according to Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola.

He told his YouTube channel that Savinho’s agent, Frederico Moraes, revealed to him the opening bid was snubbed by City, who have now informed Spurs that they want £67m for the 21-year-old.

Former City defender Nedum Onuoha is baffled by the club’s willingness to part with Savinho, who could make space for Pep Guardiola’s side to move for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo.

“Personally, no I wouldn’t,” Onuoha said on ESPN FC when asked if he would swap Savinho for Rodrygo. “It’s not because Rodrygo is not a great talent. It’s because I’ve seen Savinho do quite well for City last season, in his first season, which was City’s worst season in over five years.

“I think the fact that he was able to be a shining light to the people who watched him on a week-to-week basis, that’s a positive. I think there’s a player in there who can be moulded into being someone quite significant within the league.

MORE ON SPURS ON F365

👉 Romano: Tottenham ‘back in talks’ to sign Arsenal target after Gunners ‘agree’ fee for Prem star

👉 Ornstein reveals Tottenham ‘talks’ with Man City over Savinho as player is ‘open’ amid Guardiola stance

👉 Man City, Liverpool and Man Utd stars among 10 possible James Maddison replacements for Spurs

“So to let him go to a Spurs side, who you know will potentially be trying to challenge City further up that table, doesn’t really make sense in my mind.

“He’s only 21 years of age. You know the goals are there, as Jules has said; they weren’t great, but no one’s goals were great last season for City, apart from Haaland. So I totally understand, you know, why you’d want to keep him, and I’d like to see him stay.”

“As I say, 21 years of age, and he’s going to be wanting to put his foot down and to make a difference this year for City.”

Spanish outlet Fichajes claim Spurs have also made a €40m [£34m] offer for Kubo, who’s got 23 goals and 18 assists in 137 appearances for Real Soceidad, predominantly from the right wing, but also from a more central role behind the striker.

The 24-year-old has ‘asked to leave’ the La Liga club as he ‘considers the management of Jokin Aperribay is not up to the club’s sporting aspirations’ and believes ‘the team is not competitive enough’.

He has a release clause of €60m [£52m], but the feeling among Spurs and AC Milan, who have also ‘entered the race for his signing’, is that they can land the Japan international in a cut-price deal.