talkSPORT

Tottenham are set to sign Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig, talkSPORT understands.

The Dutchman is on course to join the Europa League winners in a deal worth €60million [£51.8m].

Simons arrived in London on Thursday to finalise his future amid summer-long interest from Chelsea.

He agreed personal terms with the Blues, but a club-to-club agreement was never struck with Leipzig.

talkSPORT understands Simons has now completed a medical with Tottenham.

Agreements are firmly in place with both Simons and Leipzig, with just the finer details to be ironed out over the next 24 hours.

Simons scored 22 goals and assisted another 24 for Leipzig across 78 appearances.

The versatile attacker joins Mohammed Kudus as another big-name signing for Spurs, although they were hijacked by Arsenal in their bid to get Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.

What next for Chelsea?

Chelsea, meanwhile, struck a £40m deal to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United on Thursday.

And the Blues could now turn their attention to Fermin Lopez of Barcelona.

talkSPORT reported their interest in the Spaniard earlier in the week, although they have not yet made a bid.

Lopez has 19 goals and 11 assists to his name at Barca and earned two caps with the Spanish national team.

talkSPORT understands that Chelsea held further talks with Lopez on Thursday, and he has spoken to head coach Enzo Maresca.

Nothing is close or guaranteed just yet, but Chelsea are still seriously interested eyeing in a move.

Barcelona want in excess of €60m [£51.8m] and initial contact between the clubs has taken place.

Lopez could join players including Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Garnacho as fresh attacking signings at Stamford Bridge.

Grimsby Town have been rewarded with a favourable Carabao Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday after downing Manchester United.

The League Two side knocked the Premier League giants out of the League Cup in the second round with a historic penalty shoot-out win.

As a reward they will travel to Wednesday, who are in disarray amid ownership turmoil.

The Sheffield side may be in the Championship, but Grimsby will certainly be eyeing another cupset against a team under numerous transfer embargoes and a threadbare squad.

As for the Premier League's giants, holders Newcastle will be very happy with a home tie against League One Bradford City.

Top flight champions Liverpool host the recently relegated Southampton, while Arsenal travel to Port Vale and Chelsea go to Lincoln City.

Tottenham host Doncaster Rovers and Manchester City take on Huddersfield.

Elsewhere there's a must-watch clash between FA Cup winners Crystal Palace and Championship outfit Millwall.

The two London sides met in last season's FA Cup and there was anger during and after the game when Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts kicked Jean-Philippe Mateta in the head.

The red card dominated headlines and Mateta required 26 stitches and ear surgery.

Grimsby are undoubtedly the story of the cup so far though, and Wednesday will certainly be wary after what happened against United.

The hosts took the lead through Charles Vernam in the 22nd minute when he found a way through the near post of a hapless Andre Onana.

The United goalkeeper then made an even bigger offence when he came out to tackle a ball into the box and failed, leading to a goal-line scramble and tap in.

Amorim made three changes at the break, but the game was neutralised as an attacking affair by a deluge of rain.

But when it finally subsided, the visitors took the impetus with a tidy Bryan Mbeumo finish.

The game was even from that point onwards until Harry Maguire stepped up with a header in the 89th minute of the match.

Penalties were next up, and after 18 minutes of toing and froing, Mbeumo smashed his second attempt off the crossbar for a 12-11 Grimsby win.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to sign two attackers between now and the end of the summer transfer window, talkSPORT understands.

Xavi Simons is one option who is being actively considered, with Spurs looking to hijack Chelsea's deal for the RB Leipzig playmaker.

The 22-year-old Dutch attacker has already agreed terms with the Blues, but no club-to-club agreement is in place.

Leipzig paid Paris Saint-Germain €45million (around £39m) in January with a further €25m (around £21m) in add-ons agreed, but not all of these have been paid, leading Chelsea to try and strike a deal for closer to £50m.

talkSPORT understands the German side are hoping for £60m, who would welcome another bidding war for one of their stars.

Earlier this month, they pitted Manchester United against Newcastle for forward Benjamin Sesko, who is now at Old Trafford.

Simons wants to leave the club this summer and is understood to be open to Spurs even though Chelsea has been his long-standing preference all summer.

The north Londoners are also keen on Ademola Lookman in a move driven by consultant Fabio Paratici, who will return to the club full time once the window ends.

Lookman is pushing to leave Atalanta, after issuing a strong statement earlier this summer where he accused the club of blocking his exit.

Inter Milan made a bid in the region of £38m for the ex-Fulham and Leicester man, but are not expected to make an improved offer.

The forward is held in high regard by Tottenham having scored 20 goals in all competitions for the Serie A outfit last season.

Beyond this, Spurs would ideally still like to sign Savinho, but are aware of Manchester City's refusal to alter their not-for-sale stance.

As a result, they are not expected to return with a new proposal for the Brazilian, with a potential transfer, even one in excess of €70m (£60.7m), being blocked by senior board members at City.

This is because there is an internal feeling among the Citizens that selling Savinho would be a mistake at any price.

The club are keen to avoid a repeat scenario like Cole Palmer's 2023 exit for Chelsea, which has seen the England international become of the Premier League's standout performers since leaving.

Tottenham have also discussed raiding West Ham again for Lucas Paqueta, having already signed Mohammed Kudus for £55m.

West Ham would prefer to keep Paqueta, making a transfer difficult in the final days of the window, with the Hammers focused instead on bringing players into the club.

Among the other names being considered by Spurs are Lyon's Malick Fofana, Monaco's Maghes Aklouche and Leicester's Bilal El Khannous.

However, they are yet to make a formal approach for any of these three targets.

El Khannous was subject of a bid from Crystal Palace with a view to replacing Arsenal-bound Eberechi Eze, but Leicester City's £35m asking price was deemed too high.

Meanwhile, Everton made an offer earlier in the window for Fofana, but talkSPORT understands the 20-year-old Belgian is holding out for a club with Champions League football.

While Tottenham also appreciate Morgan Rogers, it is thought that Aston Villa are unlikely to consider a sale this summer.

Grimsby Town know exactly what it takes to pull off a major cup shock against a Premier League giant...

The Mariners host Manchester United in the Carabao Cup tonight, live on talkSPORT, looking to upset the Red Devils.

Currently fourth in League Two, Grimsby face Man United, who are 16th in the Premier League after two games.

That means 55 places separate the two clubs in English football, and United, of course, head into the game as major favourites.

Ruben Amorim's side are six-time League Cup winners and they are looking to win their first trophy since the FA Cup in 2024.

The Red Devils are still waiting for their first win of the season though, following a draw and a defeat in the Premier League.

And that, combined with their overall form under Amorim, is sure to provide some motivation for Grimsby.

The Mariners, who are yet to lose this season, are ready to pull off a 'cupset' and relive some fond memories from 20 years ago.

In 2005, Tottenham Hotspur fell to a shock defeat at Blundell Park.

Grimsby secured a famous victory against Spurs in the Carling Cup, beating them 1-0 thanks to Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala.

Summer signing Kamudimba Kalala scored with just two minutes to play in the tie to dump out their Premier League opposition.

Tottenham's side included stars such as Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane, Jermaine Jenas, Andy Reid and Aaron Lennon.

But despite that strong line-up, they couldn't get the job done and were eliminated by a team three divisions below them.

Blundell Park, which will play host to Grimsby's clash with Man United too, was packed full with 8,200 fans in attendance.

Spurs and their stars just couldn't get going, with Keane and Defoe failing to take their chances against a strong defence.

And at the other end, the Mariners found their winner in the dying moments through midfielder Kalala.

The Democratic Republic of Congo international was waiting on the edge of the box when a corner was cleared out towards him.

He then pulled off a brilliant volley to beat England goalkeeper Paul Robinson and secure a historic win for League Two Grimsby.

'My lowest point'

It was a result that left manager Martin Jol devastated and he apologised to the travelling fans for the shock defeat.

The Spurs boss looked back on the embarrassing loss post-match.

Jol said: “We lacked the extra quality. The front two need to run and exploit the space, but we didn’t do this.

"For me, this is my lowest point as a manager over here.”

"It was amazing to see so many Spurs fans at Grimsby," he added. "I hate losing because I don’t want to disappoint the supporters who are so loyal and follow us everywhere.

“We have to learn from that defeat. All our fans deserve better than we gave them last night and that’s something we all regret.”

Helping hand

Following Grimsby's famous win, game-winner Kalala revealed that he was told about Tottenham's plans ahead of the fixture.

Spurs defender Noé Pamarot had let his close friend know his team's line-up and boss Jol's ambitions for the competition.

“Noé told me that their manager wanted to win the Carling Cup and that he would play a strong team," he revealed to The Times.

"So it was no surprise to me when I saw all these great players come out onto the pitch.

“I think that helped me prepare for the game, but I could never have imagined I would end up scoring the winning goal against a team like Tottenham."

Kalala admitted that finding out that news aided him, which surely left Jol even more embarrassed after one of Spurs' own, seemingly helped their opposition to go on to achieve an upset.

Another giant-killing?

Tonight, Grimsby are looking to pull off another spectacular feat in the Carabao Cup second round against Man United.

They host the Red Devils at Blundell Park with kick-off at 8pm.

talkSPORT will have live coverage of all the action on the coast.

Natalie Sawyer will be your host, with commentary coming from Jim Proudfoot and former England striker Dean Ashton.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

Yves Bissouma is set to leave Tottenham and join Galatasaray on loan with an obligation to buy, talkSPORT understands.

The midfielder will leave the north London side three years after his £30million move from Brighton.

Bissouma hasn't made a single appearance this season for Spurs, who are now under Thomas Frank.

He missed their Super Cup final defeat against Paris Saint-Germain due to ill-discipline having been late 'several times'.

"This time was just one too many," Frank said in his press conference.

"With everything you need to give your players a lot of love and there needs to be demands and consequences."

During former boss Ange Postecoglou's tenure, the 28-year-old was a regular for Spurs as he made 72 appearances in all competitions.

When Postecoglou was sacked in June, Bissouma revealed a text exchange to show the bond they had across two seasons together.

Postecoglou and Bissouma's relationship

"Hi Biss. Sorry I missed your call," Postecoglou said. "I am very proud of you. It was an honour to share a dressing room with you and appreciate how much you believed in what we were trying to achieve.

"I wish you only the best for the future. I will always be following. Much love from my family to yours."

Bissouma then gave a heartwarming response to the Australian.

"Thank you gaffer and thank you really much for everything you did for me on and off the pitch, I'll always be grateful," he said.

Bissouma will join a Galatasaray side who sit top of the Turkish Super Lig with three wins from their opening three fixtures.

His former Spurs teammate Davinson Sanchez plays for the club, as do ex-Premier League midfielders Lucas Torreira and Mario Lemina.

Spurs have plenty of midfield options, with Joao Palhinha a new arrival on loan from Bayern Munich.

Palhinha has joined Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur as options for Frank.

Fabio Paratici has agreed to return to Tottenham Hotspur, talkSPORT understands.

However, Spurs insist Paratici is currently working on a consultancy basis and suggestions he is set to return in a formal role are hypothetical at this stage.

talkSPORT understands an agreement is already in place for him to start in an official role starting no later than October 1.

talkSPORT first reported in May that Paratici was likely to make a return to Spurs, with talks ongoing.

The 53-year-old left the club after being banned from football for 30 months in January 2023, with his former side Juventus found guilty of false accounting.

But he returned to work as a consultant to the north London outfit earlier than expected after FIFA reduced his suspension.

Paratici has been working with Tottenham this summer, and has been in constant contact with chairman Daniel Levy, new CEO Venkatesham and technical director Johan Lange.

However, he will now resume his old role overseeing recruitment at the club.

Paratici's signings from his first spell at the club include now club captain Cristian Romero, Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur and Destiny Udogie.

His ban ended on July 1 and discussions were already taking place over bringing the Italian back to the club this summer.

He was linked to AC Milan earlier this year too, having been tipped to become their new sporting director.

It's understood that he met with the Rossoneri on multiple occasions, but the club opted to appoint Igli Tare instead.

Why did Paratici get banned?

Paratici was originally only banned from football in Italy after Juventus were found guilty of false accounting.

He was one of 11 former Juve executives who received bans.

The 53-year-old was a sporting director and managing director at the Serie A giants before he went on to join Tottenham in 2021.

In November 2022, Juve's entire board, including president Andrea Agnelli and vice-president Pavel Nedved, stepped down.

That was due to a police investigation into their transfer activity and eventually, the club were deducted 15 points.

FIFA bans were handed out before that, and despite an appeal, Paratici's suspension was upheld in April 2023.

Who did Paratici sign at Spurs?

As mentioned, Spurs signed many of their current starting players whilst Paratici was at the club.

Romero, Richarlison, Kulusevski, Bentancur and Udogie all arrived in north London whilst he was managing director.

Other players to join during his tenure include Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr, Djed Spence and Pedro Porro.

All of those players can certainly be considered as impressive buys, but there were some other less successful arrivals, with Emerson Royal and Bryan Gil costing over £50million combined.

In total, Spurs' spending reached over £300m under Paratici - Richarlison being the most expensive signing at £60m.

Tottenham have not had a bid rejected for Nico Paz, according to Como's president.

The midfielder has emerged as a reported transfer target in recent days as Thomas Frank looks to bolster his squad.

However, the Italian club's chief Mirwan Suwarso has poured water on the links between Spurs and Paz.

It had been claimed the Premier League side had seen a £50million bid rejected by Como.

Their interest followed a stunning start to the new Serie A season for Paz on Sunday.

The 20-year-old scored and provided an assist in a 2-0 win over Lazio.

Following the victory, Suwarso has responded to the speculation surrounding the Argentine international.

He told Corriere della Sera: "I'm not in a position to say he could win the Ballon d'Or in the future.

"The transfer rumors about Tottenham? It's not true that we rejected the offer.

"No one formalizes offers knowing that we'd then have to send them to Real Madrid, who have the right to match them.

"There was a moment when we feared Nico might return to Madrid.

"He grew up in Real Madrid's youth academy and dreams of playing at the Bernabeu one day. Luckily, he stayed."

Como signed Paz from Real Madrid last summer on a four-year deal through to the summer of 2028.

The move includes an option for the Spanish giants to match any offers for their academy graduate.

Since completing his switch to Como, Paz has scored seven goals and provided 10 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions.

Meanwhile, Spurs face missing out on yet another transfer target this summer.

Their move for Eberechi Eze collapsed last week after a successful hijack by north London rivals Arsenal.

The Gunners are also set to beat Spurs to the signing of Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie this week.

Frank has been able to add six players to his squad this summer after succeeding Ange Postecoglou in the dugout.

His transfer spend of more than £125million includes former loanees Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso joining the club permanently.

Meanwhile, Joao Palhinha has completed a season-long loan switch from Bayern Munich.

Despite their transfer frustrations, Spurs have made a perfect start to the new season with two wins from two matches without conceding.

They followed up their opening weekend win over Burnley by beating Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Frank will look to continue his impressive start at home to Bournemouth this weekend.

Tottenham are considering raiding London rivals West Ham for the second time this summer.

Spurs have already angered Hammers fans by snaring Mohammed Kudus for £55million.

talkSPORT understands Kudus’ former teammate Lucas Paqueta is a player of interest to last season's Europa League winners.

Spurs have made a new No.10 a priority position following James Maddison's knee injury and after missing out on both Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White.

West Ham boss Graham Potter would be reluctant to lose Paqueta, but it is believed the Hammers would consider offers in excess of £60m.

Paqueta is not actively pushing for a move from the London Stadium after West Ham stood by him during allegations of spot fixing, of which he was subsequently cleared.

Eagles eye quality after Eze exit

Crystal Palace have added Bournemouth winger David Brooks to their list of targets.

Brooks has started each of Bournemouth's first two games of the season, and was particularly impressive in last weekend's 1-0 win at home to Wolves.

However, the Wales international is into the final year of his contract and Bournemouth must decide whether to offer an extension or potentially cash in.

Palace's incoming director of football Matt Hobbs is a big admirer of Brooks, 28, who joined Bournemouth from Sheffield United in 2018 and has made more than 100 league appearances.

Juve star to replace Isak?

Newcastle have been offered the chance to sign Dusan Vlahovic.

Sources in Italy say Juventus touted Vlahovic as a potential replacement for Liverpool target Alexander Isak.

Juve are willing to accept offers as low as €30m to get the Serb off their wage bill.

However, at the moment Vlahovic is not understood to be a hot topic at St James Park as Newcastle explore other options.

The Magpies remain in talks with Brentford for Yoane Wissa and are expected to make a second bid for Wolves’ Jorgen Strand-Larsen after having their initial £50m offer rejected.

Forest to axe outcast star

Nottingham Forest are negotiating terminating forgotten striker Emmanuel Dennis’ contract.

Dennis has played just 19 league games since joining Forest from Watford for £10m in the summer of 2022.

In fact, he has played more matches out on loan for the likes of Blackburn and his former club than for the Tricky Trees.

The drama of the opening two weekends of the new Premier League season has resulted in several notable odds changes at talkSPORT BET.

talkSPORT BET's trading floor have released some of their data of the bets and markets following the opening couple of weeks of the Premier League campaign, ending with Liverpool's dramatic 3-2 win at Newcastle on Monday night.

talkSPORT BET - Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets - CLAIM HERE*

West Ham's bubble is bursting

Back to back heavy defeats for West Ham in the opening two games of the Premier League season has left their fans fearing the worst, after being thrashed 3-0 by newly promoted Sunderland on the opening day, Graham Potter's side fell to a 5-1 home defeat by London rivals Chelsea on Friday night.

The defeats leave the Hammers rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, one of only two sides yet to pick up a point so far, and with eight goals conceded in their opening two games, pressure is now on Potter to dig the East London side out of trouble.

As a result of their poor early season form, West Ham have gone from 3/1 to 15/8 now to be relegated, having started the campaign at 5/1.

Wolves wandering towards the foot of the table

Wolves are the only other side yet to pick up a point from their opening two Premier League games of the season, having been battered 4-0 at home by Manchester City on the opening day, before falling 1-0 to a Bournemouth side whose defence has been torn apart during the transfer market.

Only goal difference separates Vitor Pereira's side from the bottom of the table, which now leaves the West Midlands club at 15/8 to go down, having been 11/4 on the opening day.

Spurs shine in opening weeks

Tottenham put in arguably the performance of the weekend on Saturday lunchtime as they managed to continue their strong run of results at the Etihad Stadium in recent seasons with a 2-0 victory at Manchester City, in Thomas Frank's second league game in charge of the team.

The win, combined with the north London side's 3-0 victory over Burnley on the opening day, leaves only goal difference separating Tottenham from the top of the Premier League table, with Frank's side one of only three teams still with a 100% record.

Tottenham, who started the season as long as 66/1 to win the Premier League having finished 17th last season, have now seen their odds slashed to 25/1 to win a first league title in 65 years.

City suffer setback

All was looking rosy for Manchester City last week having just won their opening game of the season 4-0 away from home against Wolves in which Erling Haaland was back on the scoresheet with a brace and new signings also impressed hugely, two of which scoring well-taken goals.

But Pep Guardiola's side were on the wrong end of the surprise result of the weekend in the Premier League this time around, being beaten 2-0 at home by Tottenham in their first home game of the campaign.

The result has seen Man City's odds of winning a fifth title in six years drift to 9/2.

Gunners on fire

Arsenal are one of only three teams to have won both of their opening Premier League matches, starting the campaign with a dogged 1-0 win at Old Trafford over Manchester United before hitting five past newly promoted Leeds in a 5-0 victory on Saturday.

New star striker Viktor Gyokeres opened his account for his new club with a brace on Saturday to leave the mood around the Emirates Stadium feeling buoyant as they bid to improve on their three consecutive second placed finishes this season.

Arsenal have now shortened from 9/4 to 7/4 to win the Premier League for the first time since their Invincible season in 2004.

Villans in early season slumber

Hopes were high for Aston Villa ahead of the new season having kept hold of the likes of Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez to keep a squad which reached the quarter finals of the Champions League last season and only missed on qualification on goal difference.

But the start of the new campaign has been a slow one for Unai Emery's side after holding on for a draw at home against Newcastle in their opening game, before falling to defeat on Saturday against a Brentford side widely tipped to struggle this season.

Picking up just one point so far this season when many would have predicted them to have six by now has seen Aston Villa's odds of a top four finish drift to 8/1, having been 3/1 in pre-season.

Magpies face uphill battle for top four

Newcastle's tempestuous summer continued on Monday with a whirlwind 3-2 defeat against defending champions Liverpool at St James' Park, despite the 10-men Magpies having come back from 2-0 down to draw level, only to concede a 100th minute winner.

Eddie Howe's transfer window troubles have been well documented but injuries and suspensions picked up by key players in Monday's defeat will also leave them licking their wounds when optimism seemed high after sealing Champions League football on the final day of last season.

The Magpies were priced as low as evens to finish in the top four over the summer but just one point from their opening two matches and troubles with the squad on and off the pitch has seen those top four odds drift to 4/1.

Golden Gyokeres fires up Arsenal

Arsenal's new £57m striker Viktor Gyokeres opened his account for his new club on Saturday evening with a brace in a 5-0 win over Leeds in his first competitive match at the Emirates for his new club.

Saturday's brace puts the Sweden international level at the top of the Golden Boot race at this early stage of the season, and his seen his odds of finishing as the Premier League's top scorer this season drop from 8/1 to 5/1 with talkSPORT BET.

Check out all the best free bets and offers from talkSPORT and our partners

Free bet offer - Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets - CLAIM HERE*

T&Cs: 18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10+ via mobile on any football market at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 6x £5 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments & Apple Pay only. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

Establishes time and monetary limits before playing

Only gambles with money they can afford to lose

Never chase their losses

Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed

Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk

GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

Jason Cundy was left stunned by a claim from co-host Jamie O'Hara about Tottenham Hotspur's midfield.

The ex-Premier League midfielder claimed that the Spurs trio of Pape Mate Sarr, Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur reminded him of Liverpool's midfield under Jurgen Klopp after Spurs beat Manchester City 2-0 at the weekend.

This drew an immediate reaction from Cundy who couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The Liverpool midfield three that O'Hara is referring to consisted of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum.

In their time playing together, that trio helped the Reds win the Premier League and Champions League.

But O'Hara saw some similiraties, though he made clear he didn't think this Spurs group were anywhere near those Liverpool players.

Speaking on the GameDay Phone-In, he said: "The energy reminds me of, you know, Liverpool's midfield three when they were flying high?."

Cundy then interrupted: "Oh no, honestly!"

O'Hara responded: "Hold on, let me finish. Let me finish."

Cundy couldn't believe it, as he added: "What do you mean when they were flying? Liverpool won the Champions League and the Premier League. You have no shame."

O'Hara tried to clarify, responding: "No, what I am saying is that Spurs' midfield is reminding me of that midfield three [Fabinho, Henderson and Wijnaldum], who were full of energy, worked hard and gave it to the players out wide.

"I am not comparing, I am just saying, it reminds me a little bit of that midfield three."

But Cundy wasn't having any of it, saying: "Well, then you are comparing. You've got no shame, mate."

O'Hara then switched attention to the result: "We played Man City, who are fighting for the title, and that performance today felt better than the 4-0 win [last season].

"That performance, I feel we can do every week. Pape Sarr in midfield, Palhinha, absolutely incredible."

Cundy still wasn't having it, saying: "Don't start comparing yourself to that midfield for Liverpool under Klopp that won the Champions League and Premier League."

O'Hara added: "I am not comparing it, but it reminded me of that midfield."

Before Cundy concluded: "You've picked one of the best midfield threes we've seen in the last decade. We are two games in, and it's reminding you of that. If Klopp could hear this, he'd be phoning up."

How good were Tottenham?

It has been a great start to the season for Tottenham under Frank.

Spurs have won both games, scoring five times and conceding none.

So, things couldn't have been much better, and the midfield on Saturday was aggressive and effective, earning praise from Thomas Frank.

Speaking about Palhinha in his post-match press conference, he said: "I think it's fair to say that we got a few questions about the transfer market yesterday, a lot about why not and what if and all that.

"What is 100 per cent sure is we brought two top players into the club, [Mohammed] Kudus and Palhinha, both of them have performed very well, which I'm very pleased with.

"Palhinha, yeah, wow, you know, sometimes players need confidence and they need to be on top and I don't think he's fully fit yet, where I want him to be, but very pleased with his performance, and he's definitely helping the team."

Palhinha did get on the scoresheet, but the relentless work from Sarr was also excellent, and he earned some individual praise as well.

When asked about the midfielder, Frank said: "Yeah, definitely and you say there's a few things. It depends from game to game, players in different positions, systems, but today, he was very good like the rest of the team.

"I think it was difficult to pick one player today. I think everyone performed fantastically."

The challenge for Spurs is to see if they can keep this up with Bournemouth on Saturday.