The Sun

Chelsea failed with £30million player-plus-cash swap offer to West Ham for new Tottenham star Muhammed Kudus

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Chelsea failed with £30million player-plus-cash swap offer to West Ham for new Tottenham star Muhammed Kudus - The Sun
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CHELSEA failed with a £30million player-plus-cash bid to West Ham for Mohammed Kudus before he signed for Tottenham.

The Ghanaian international was high on Chelsea's list and personal terms with the player had already been agreed.

Back in June, SunSport exlcusively reported that Kudus had changed his agent in a bid to get his move after it became clear that both club and player would go their separate ways this summer.

Chelsea offered Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, whom they valued at around £30million, in addition to a proposed £20million fee for Kudus.

West Ham rejected the offer, valuing Dewsbury-Hall at £20m, which meant both clubs never came close to agreeing on a fee.

Sources say that personal terms with Kudus was never an issue as Chelsea were one of the clubs that had come close to bringing him to the Premier League in 2023 before he joined West Ham from Ajax.

Tottenham, however, came in with an immediate £50million offer to West Ham, who were able to drive up the price to £55m and agree a sale.

Both West Ham and Kudus solemnly accepted that it was best to part ways given the fee and fact that he was never going to get the chance to play on the right hand side of attack as that spot was reserved only for club captain Jarrod Bowen.

Chelsea would also eventually sell Dewsbury-Hall to Everton for a fee closer to their £30million valuation.

Kudus, 25, has had a stellar start to life as a Spurs player, providing two brilliant assists on his official debut to help Spurs to a 3-0 win against Burnley at the weekend.

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The Lilywhites lost captain Son Heung-min this summer but the arrival of Kudus has helped soften the blow of losing such a key figure in the dressing room.

In other transfer news, Spurs are keen to reach an agreement with Crystal Palace for midfielder Eberechi Eze.

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The England star is open to the move, but Sunsport has been exclusively told that he will continue to respect his Palace contract until he is told otherwise, following his appearance against Chelsea over the weekend.

Eze helped the Eagles win the FA Cup last season and was again instrumental in their victory over Liverpool to lift the Community Shield at Wembley last weekend.

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Tottenham set to seal Eberechi Eze transfer after £60m offer over weekend but Crystal Palace will keep playing him

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Tottenham set to seal Eberechi Eze transfer after £60m offer over weekend but Crystal Palace will keep playing him - The Sun
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EBERECHI EZE’S transfer from Crystal Palace is NOT expected to happen before the Eagles’ Conference League tie on Thursday.

Tottenham are pushing to land the England attacker and there were doubts over whether he would play in yesterday’s goalless draw at Chelsea.

But boss Oliver Glasner never doubted Eze, who had a stunning free-kick ruled out at Stamford Bridge, would be available despite uncertainty over his future.

Glasner said: “He was picked because he’s a Crystal Palace player, and he’s a very good

“He trained the whole week, so there was no reason not to pick him.

“He will come to the Crystal Palace training ground today, Tuesday off, we take Wednesday and I expect him to be back playing for us against Fredrikstad.”

Eze, 27, wants to join Spurs, who over the weekend are understood to have made an opening offer in the region of £60m.

His potential departure will also depend on whether or not Palace can land a replacement before the window closes.

They are chasing Leicester's Bilal El Khannouss and Club Brugge midfielder Christos Tzolis.

Glasner added: "The players are giving the answer week by week, it was the same last week against the Community Shield, winning against Liverpool on penalties.

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"Then starting here against the Club World Cup champions.

"It just shows that this group is such a great group of characters.

"We have no influence on all the noise and all the rumours around us, but we know what we want to do, we know how we want to play, and this is what we want to show every single game.

"The players did great.

"They didn't just show they are great footballers, but they are great people and that's what I expected."

Eze previously had a £60m release clause, including a further £8m in add-ons, but Glasner confirmed that has now expired and said his star man's future was in the hands of club bosses.

Glasner added: "I'm quite calm.

"I also know, we have two weeks to go and I know Ebs' clause is gone.

"So it's the club's decision, and we will see what happens."

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Tottenham 3 Burnley 0: Richarlison gets Thomas Frank's reign up and running with stunning overhead kick

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Tottenham 3 Burnley 0: Richarlison gets Thomas Frank's reign up and running with stunning overhead kick - The Sun
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THOMAS FRANK’S decision to back Richarlison paid off instantly as the Brazilian hit a brilliant brace to batter Burnley.

Richarlison’s clinical finish got the ball rolling in the first half before his exquisite volley after the break was added to by Brennan Johnson’s neat finish.

It showed just why Frank has been happy not to sign another centre-forward this summer, deeming ex-Everton man Richarlison to be adequate competition to support main man Dominic Solanke.

So while Spurs look ready to splash serious cash on attackers like Eberechi Eze and Savinho, do not expect another traditional central striker to come through the door.

Whether that proves a shrewd move or not very much depends on Richarlison’s fitness this term.

His talent has never been the problem. He is capable of things others are not, exemplified by his acrobatics for his second strike here.

But staying fit has consistently been an issue, particularly in the last two years under Ange Postecoglou.

Frank knows he must find a way to keep Richarlison on the pitch and out of the treatment room.

But if he can, then the 28-year-old’s display here proved he has a player capable of winning matches on his own on his day.

With Solanke easing his way back in after an ankle injury picked up in pre-season, Richarlison has been leading the line through most of the friendlies.

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He was excellent against Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday’s heartbreaking Super Cup defeat, which Spurs somehow lost on a penalty shootout, despite being 2-0 up with five minutes to go.

Frank freshened up his team with some youthful exuberance, bringing in teenagers Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray into midfield, along with Europa League final hero Johnson.

Bergvall almost broke the deadlock inside the first 26 seconds, but was denied by Martin Dubravka at close range.

Slovakian Dubravka, making his debut for Burnley following his move from Newcastle, then became the first Premier League stopper to fall foul of the new rules over goalies holding onto the ball too long.

The fresh regulations mean a goalkeeper will be penalised if they hold the ball in their hands for eight seconds or more, and a corner will be given to the opposition.

That is exactly what happened when ref Michael Oliver punished Dubravka for that offence inside four minutes, but the resulting set-piece came to nothing.

Spurs did take an early lead though, thanks to Richarlison’s sharp finish and Burnley’s slack defending.

Centre-back Maxime Esteve - who has been linked with a move to Spurs on several occasions in the last two windows - fired a lax pass up the pitch which Pape Sarr collected.

The Senegalese then fed the ball to Mohammed Kudus - one of three new buys to be presented to the crowd before kick-off, along with Kota Takai and Joao Palhinha.

Kudus swung in a cross which caught Hjalmar Ekdal out and allowed Richarlison to sweep into the corner.

It was only his 21st goal for Spurs in what is now his fourth season, but of course, so many of those previous campaigns have been blighted by injury.

Frank, Richarlison and everyone at Spurs will be praying it is a different story this time round for the Brazilian - and this was the perfect start to his latest new beginning.

Burnley remained composed in their response to the setback - almost as cool as their manager Scott Parker looked into the dugout.

The former Spurs midfielder has always been something of a style icon since becoming a manager and wore a stylish, tight-fitting blue suit as he patrolled the dugout.

His team created a few chances, too, with Esteve and Lyle Foster threatening the goal, while Guglielmo Vicario looked nervy when flapping at a Josh Laurent deflected strike.

With no Kevin Danso in the starting XI, it was on Bergvall to provide the long throws for Frank’s side.

The Swede got some good distance on one particular launch, but lacked the power of his Austrian team-mate and Burnley cleared.

It was a decent first half of Premier League football for Frank as Spurs boss, full of control, if not a lot of invention.

His side stepped it up at the start of the second 45 though.

First Micky van de Ven flicked wide a Kudus corner and then Richarlison had two quickfire shots denied, one by Esteve’s block and the other by Dubravaka’s well-placed left foot.

Then came the moment of the match as Richarlison stepped up for his breathtaking second.

Kudus dropped his shoulder down the right and swung in a cross which the Brazilian acrobatically crashed into the net, despite the ball being behind him.

It reminded everyone just what he is capable of and why, when fit, he can be a real asset for Frank’s side going forward.

Parker’s Burnley looked toast at that point - and they certainly were when Johnson made it 3-0 shortly after, converting Sarr’s through-ball.

Once again, Richarlison was key in the build-up, retaining possession masterfully before offloading to Sarr.

If Spurs can finally keep him fit, after three seasons of injuries, then suddenly their attack looks like it will cause problems for any side.

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Tottenham first team to benefit from new Premier League rule as Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka penalised by referee

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Spurs first team to benefit from new Premier League rule as Dubravka penalised - The Sun
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It was good to see Michael Oliver penalise Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka against Tottenham game for holding on to the ball for longer than the eight seconds law that's come in.

I've been a big advocate of this over the last few seasons. Goalkeepers get the ball, they catch it and they fall to the ground and they stay on the ground for 15 to 20 seconds.

And it was good to see that Michael punished the goalkeeper with a corner kick as per law 12.

It's great. We want to see the ball in play a lot more than we are seeing. It's a great law to bring in for goalkeepers time wasting. So I just want to see it applied consistently.

Today we saw clearly that Oliver is not going to stand for that sort of time wasting by the goalkeepers. It's all about managing the game and managing the players.

That's what we want to see. We don't want to see silly yellow cards - we want referees to manage the game and the players.

If you look at all the games played over a Premier League season and how much time wasting the goalkeepers do with the ball in their hands, it's not on. Fans pay a lot of money to watch these football matches and we want to see the ball in play as long as we can.

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Premier League LIVE SCORES: Spurs begin season against Burnley as Sunderland & West Ham also feature - updates

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Premier League LIVE SCORES: Latest from first Super Saturday of the season - The Sun
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THE Premier League is BACK for another season of action - and the first Super Saturday of the season is HERE!

Newly promoted Sunderland and Burnley play at 3pm, taking on West Ham and Spurs, while Brighton take on Fulham in the third and final 3pm kick-off.

Aston Villa drew against Newcastle to start the day, with Ezri Konsa being SENT OFF for Villa, and Alexander Isak being DROPPED for the Toon.

Man City start their campaign at 5:30pm BST, travelling down to the Midlands to take on Wolves in the final clash of the day.

Kick-off times: 12:30pm/ 3pm/ 5:30pm BST

Wolves vs Man City TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event

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Follow ALL the latest from Super Saturday below...

Sunderland 0-0 West Ham

Wan-Bissaka, Fullkrug and Bowen are all involved before debutant Diouf takes aim with an effort that's cleared off the line by Ballard.

Tottenham 1-0 Burnley

Thomas Frank's side had 86.4% possession during the opening 15 minutes of this game.

Isabelle Barker on Josh King

Josh King is turning heads at the Amex here, and it's not because he's in a bright bogey green kit.

The Kingston-born 18-year-old is on absolute fire for his boyhood side, who he signed a new long-term deal with last month.

He nearly won an early penalty for the visitors as his twinkle toes twisted inside and out of Jan Paul van Hecke and Bart Verbruggen.

Fulham have a history of letting go their exciting young, talent for peanuts so let's hope they learn their lesson with King and keep him playing regularly and happy this season.

Tom Barclay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Martin Dubravka fell foul of the new rules over goalkeepers holding onto the ball too long.

The Burnley stopper was punished for taking an age to release it out of his hands inside four minutes against Spurs.

New regulations cite that goalies cannot hold the ball for any longer than eight seconds.

Slovakian Dubravka, making his Clarets debut following his switch from Newcastle, was deemed to have taken longer than that and ref Michael Oliver intervened.

The whistler awarded a corner, as is the new rule, which Burnley managed to clear.

Spurs took the lead six minutes later, as Richarlison converted a cross from new signing Mohammed Kudus.

Brighton 0-0 Fulham

Eighteen-year-old wonderkid Josh King escapes from Jan-Paul Van Hecke on the byline, and is then taken out by Bart Verbruggen.

Referee Samuel Barrott waves the appeals away.

Tottenham 1-0 Burnley

Giving the ball away on the far side, Spurs spring into life.

Mohammed Kudus turns a cross into the area, and an unmarked Richarlison hooks into the bottom corner from 15 yards out.

Spurs breakthrough!

Sunderland 0-0 West Ham

The West Ham captain goes on a weaving run across the penalty area and lets fly with a shot blocked at the near post by Robin Roefs.

Brighton 0-0 Fulham

...but it's rightly ruled out after clearly going out of play in the build-up.

Tottenham 0-0 Burnley

A touch, turn and shot from Lucas Bergvall inside the box is blocked at close quarters by new Clarets keeper Martin Dubravka.

Here we go!

There are three 3pm kick-offs in the Premier League this afternoon.

After minute silences in memory of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva at the Amex Stadium, the Stadium of Light, and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the afternoon games are underway.

Back in the big time

Sunderland are about to kick-off in the Premier League for the first time since 2017.

The Stadium of Light is ready to roar.

Tom Barclay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Spurs have presented their new signings of Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha and Kota Takai to the fans before kick-off.

You can still see a fair few shirts with Son on the back around the ground, but it will be interesting to see if there is a drop-off in interest from South Korea now their icon has left for America.

Fans from the Far-Eastern Asian country would make the trip over to Spurs for every home game during Son’s ten years at the club.

Meanwhile, Yves Bissouma is not in the Tottenham matchday 20, despite Thomas Frank saying he would return to the squad, having been left out against Paris Saint-Germain for persistent lateness.

Gary Stonehouse at the Stadium of Light

Here’s a reminder of the starting line-ups at the Stadium of Light as Sunderland take part in their first Premier League match in 3,009 days.

They hand seven of their 11 summer signings debuts, while visitors West Ham have two of their own.

The turnstiles opened at midday here and thousands have already been inside the ground soaking up the atmosphere for hours.

And the Mackems are in fine voice. The roof will come off when the sides walk out.

Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Seelt, Ballard, Reinaldo, Sadiki, Xhaka, Diarra, Talbi, Mayenda, Adingra

Subs: Patterson, Neil, Guiu, Roberts, Rigg, Alderete, Isidor, Le Fee, Jones

West Ham XI: Hermansen, Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd, Wan-Bissaka, Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Diouf, Bowen, Paqueta, Fullkrug

Subs: Areola, Walker-Peters, Alvarez, Wilson, Mavropanos, Soucek, Scarles, Potts, Irving

Isabelle Barker reporting from Brighton v Fulham

This is the battle of the Premier League's most likely managers to be on the front cover of GQ magazine.

Fulham's Portuguese boss Marco Silva, 48, takes on the league's whipper snapper Fabian Hurzeler, 32, at a gloomy Amex this afternoon.

Both sets of fans have one dream this season and it's dusting off their passports for another European tour after the two sides missed out on it last term.

Brighton had the most recent taste of European football after reaching the last 16 of the Europa League under Roberto De Zerbi in the 2022-23 season, while Fulham's last run came all the way back in 2011.

Isak absence being felt by blunt Toon

Newcastle have now failed to win any of their last six Premier League games without Alexander Isak (D4 L2).

Eddie Howe's side have failed to score in each of their last four without the Swedish striker despite having 75 shots (9.4 xG) across those six matches.

Back with a bore

In what is the second Premier League game of 2025-26, we have had our first goalless draw.

Last season, we had to wait until Matchday 4 for the first 0-0 if the campaign (Brighton v Ipswich).

Travelling Toon make thoughts known

With no matchwinner to serenade, the away supporters are Villa Park dedicated a song to their absent striker Alexander Isak.

At the final whistle, loud chants of 'There's only one greedy b******!' rung out around the stadium.

Who would have anticipated that their relationship with the forward they used to love would end like this?

Match stats from Villa Park

Graham Hill on Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

It's all over at Villa Park - and Newcastle have to be disappointed with this result.

With no Alexander Isak in the side, as he pushes for a move to Liverpool, Toon had no cutting edge up front.

Anthony Gordon effectively playing as a makeshift striker never looked like working.

Although it was Ezri Konsa's pull back on Gordon, when he was through on goal, that got the Villa defender sent off after 66 minutes.

But even then, Newcastle could not make the extra man advantage count - and it was a below-par Villa who had the better chances late on.

Full time - Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

Well, that's a game we won't remember at the end of the season.

To be honest, I'll be annoyed if I'm still thinking about it come 3pm.

Aston Villa, awful in the first half, improved after the break, but had to switch it up once Ezri Konsa was sent off for denying Anthony Gordon a goalscoring opportunity.

Newcastle played well in patches, but the absence of Alexander Isak was notable as Anthony Gordon, Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes all missed chances.

Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

Tyrone Mings throws himself in the way, however, and heads it behind for a corner.

Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

The new Aston Villa goalkeeper has done all that has been needed of him today, and with a lot less drama than Emiliano Martinez would have done.

Gary Stonehouse reporting from the Stadium of Light

It’s a huge day at the Stadium of Light as Sunderland make their long-awaited return to the Premier League as they host West Ham.

It’s been a huge summer of upheaval on Wearside, with 11 new recruits already through the door with Regis Le Bris completely revamping his squad after promotion.

He has handed debuts to seven of them in his starting line-up against the Hammers.

They are new skipper Granit Xhaka, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandova, Chemsdine Talbi, Simon Adingra and new No1 goalkeeper Robin Roefs.

Fellow new arrivals Enzo Le Fee, Marc Guiu, Omar Alderete are on the bench but Arthur Masuaku is not in the squad.

Meanwhile, West Ham have two new boys in their starting XI with goalie Mads Hermansen and wing-back El Hadji Malick Diouf.

Fellow summer signings Kyle Walker-Peters and Callum Wilson are both on the bench.

Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Seelt, Ballard, Reinaldo, Sadiki, Xhaka, Diarra, Talbi, Mayenda, Adingra

Subs: Patterson, Neil, Guiu, Roberts, Rigg, Alderete, Isidor, Le Fee, Jones

West Ham XI: Hermansen, Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd, Wan-Bissaka, Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Diouf, Bowen, Paqueta, Fullkrug

Subs: Areola, Walker-Peters, Alvarez, Wilson, Mavropanos, Soucek, Scarles, Potts, Irving

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Eberechi Eze to be left out of Crystal Palace squad to face Chelsea as England star closes in on Tottenham move - The Sun
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Man City 'reject Tottenham's £60million bid for Savinho with Spurs set to return with new offer'

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Man City 'reject Tottenham's £60million bid for Savinho with Spurs set to return with new offer' - The Sun
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TOTTENHAM will have to try again after they reportedly saw a huge £60million opening offer for Savinho rejected.

The North London outfit are keen for more reinforcements this summer before the transfer window closes.

Spurs have already added Mohammed Kudus from West Ham and Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich to bolster the attack.

But following the exit of captain Son Heung-min and an ACL injury to James Maddison, more are wanted.

News outlet Globo have claimed that the Cityzens have already rejected a £60m offer for Savinho.

The Brazilian only joined the Eithad last summer from City Football Group-owned side ES Troyes AC for £21m.

The winger got off to an exciting start in England but faded as the season went on.

He finished last term with 48 appearances in which he scored three times - with just one Premier League goal.

But he did provide 13 assists for his team-mates across all competitions.

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Tottenham are set to try again for Savinho, 21, with a new offer set to be sent in soon.

It is believed that the player is keen on the switch to the Europa League winners.

Savinho's agents have jetted to England to try and push through a move to Thomas Frank's side.

He is aiming for a spot in Brazil's squad for the 2026 World Cup across Canada, Mexico and the United States.

It is thought that he would get more minutes in North London to impress Selecao boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Meanwhile, Spurs are also interested in Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze.

They will have to beat North London rivals Arsenal to get his signature and have held talks over a move.

The Gunners have so far failed to match Eze's £68m release clause, which is set to expire.

SunSport exclusively revealed that Palace are eyeing up a move for Liverpool's Harvey Elliot as his potential replacement.

The Reds are expected to demand around £40m for the England Under-21s star.

Arne Slot is under no pressure to sell the versatile midfielder-forward, but he knows the player is desperate for regular first-team football.

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‘The operation succeeded but the patient died' - Thomas Frank's comments leaves fans stunned after Tottenham loss to PSG

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FANS have been left stunned by Thomas Frank's comments after Tottenham threw away the chance to win the Uefa Super Cup.

Spurs were 2-0 up against Paris Saint-Germain heading into the closing stages of the match before disaster struck.

Defenders Micky van de Ven and new captain Cristian Romero had put the North London side in a comfortable position.

However, the Champions League winners fought back with late goals from Lee Kang-in and Goncalo Ramos to force a penalty shootout.

PSG took advantage of misses from Mathys Tel and Van de Ven to win the shootout and claim the trophy.

But after the game, it was Frank's comments that shocked fans after he lost his first competitive match in charge of the club.

The Dane insisted that he was proud of the player's performance but compared the match to an operation that left the patient dead.

He said: "I think the players gave everything, playing against one of the best teams in the world, maybe the best at the moment and I think we were 75, 80 minutes perfect. Almost giving nothing away.

"I knew we had to do something a little bit different against PSG. It was a special operation.

"In medical terms, the operation succeeded but the patient died, so not that good in the end.

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"But we worked on a gameplan that was a little bit different and very close to succeeding."

The bizarre metaphor got supporters talking on social media, with many taken aback by it.

One posted: "If the patient is dead, then surely the operation can’t be a success."

A second wrote: "Gonna make a lot of memes this season."

A third commented: "I’m sorry what?"

A fourth said: "The way he described this is hilarious."

Another added: "I would be furious if my coach said this."

In the aftermath of the penalty shootout heartbreak Spurs were forced to release a statement condemning racist abuse aimed at Tel.

Meanwhile, the North London club must put the defeat behind them ahead of the new Premier League season.

Spurs start their campaign at home against newly-promoted Burnley, who are managed by former midfielder Scott Parker.

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'Disgusted' Tottenham release statement condemning 'abhorrent' racist abuse towards Mathys Tel after penalty miss - The Sun
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PSG 2 Tottenham 2 (4-3 pens): Heartbreak for Spurs as furious late comeback denies them second trophy in 84 days

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PSG 2 Tottenham 2 (4-3 pens): Heartbreak for Spurs as furious late comeback denies them second trophy in 84 days - The Sun
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THOMAS FRANK already knows what it feels like to be a bit Spursy.

Having barely got his feet under the table at Tottenham, the new gaffer looked absolutely certain to be getting his hands on a trophy.

But somehow, Frank saw his brave team, who defied an admittedly under-cooked PSG for so long, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory here in Udine.

When have we seen this before? Well, at least Tottenham will always have Bilbao and May 21, 2025, so this loss on penalties in the Uefa Super Cup will not hurt too much.

Nevertheless, the sight of PSG defender Marquinhos lifting the trophy was still extraordinary as Spurs were just so close to winning they could see their reflection in the silverware.

Leading with goals from Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, Tottenham were just minutes away but they were guilty of staying back, rather than being pushed back.

PSG did look more threatening with the arrival of sub Kang-in Lee who pulled one back, while fellow sub Goncalo Ramos headed the equaliser four minutes into injury time.

Vitinha missed the first spot-kick but as soon as Van de Ven’s shot was saved, we knew where this was all going.

Mathys Tel always looked as though he was going to miss and it was left to Nuno Mendes to lift a spot-kick high into the net.

This was tough on Frank and his team, many of whom were shaking their heads in disbelief while watching the PSG side clamber on to the podium to receive their medals.

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Nevertheless, the signs were encouraging. Both Spurs goals were from free-kicks, something we did not see much under Ange Postecoglou.

Also, Tottenham were terrible at defending set-pieces under the stubborn Aussie because they did not practise them.

Tottenham fans were ready to go into work on Thursday and joke that they were the best team in Europe.

But Arsenal fans, who will have been sick to death with this gloating, will have enjoyed the moment PSG won the shoot-out in front of thousands of fans in white shirts.

Apart from those final few minutes, Tottenham were organised rather than chaotic. They defended well and broke with intent on the counter-attack.

This was their sixth game of the summer while for PSG, this was their first match as they only returned to training eight days earlier.

Luis Enrique’s all-singing, all-dancing team only lost the Club World Cup final against Chelsea a month ago so it would have been naive to have expected Ousmane Dembele and his mates to be bang up for this one, both physically and mentally.

When Tottenham did make mistakes, they were not punished, until right at the end. Maybe old habits die hard but at times, Tottenham were too slow in their build-up and this will change under the former Brentford manager.

There was one occasion when Richarlison berated Pedro Porro for not moving the ball quickly, instead playing the ball back to the defence.

Knowing PSG’s obvious threat, Frank instructed his team to play 5-3-2 when out of possession but when Spurs had the ball, it was more of a 4-3-3 with Djed Spence pushing wide left.

But when PSG had the ball - and that was quite a lot of the time - Spence was back in defence, faced with the not particularly easy job of keeping an eye on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

New PSG keeper Lucas Chevalier, who is now the chosen one ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma, was not made to work until halfway inside the first half when he tipped over a decent drive from Richarlison.

That chance came from a well-weighted pass by Mohammed Kudus and the £55m arrival from West Ham did look lively when he was given the chance and he had a shot blocked by PSG skipper Marquinhos.

In temperatures of 27C, even though it was nearly 9.30pm local time, both sets of players had a drinks break and Tottenham’s fans, encouraged by what they had seen, gave their team a huge cheer.

But that was nothing to the roar when centre-back Van De Ven tucked away the rebound after Chevalier tipped Joao Palhinha’s shot against the woodwork.

The chance came after PSG failed to clear a long free-kick by Vicario and Romero rose masterfully to head the ball into the area.

Shortly into the second half, Spurs scored again and PSG fans wished they still had Donnarumma in goal. Romero was left unmarked to connect to Porro’s free-kick and Chevalier helped the shot into the net.

After Enrique made his subs, PSG looked slightly better but it still looked as though Spurs had got the job done before Lee drilled into the corner from outside the area to pull one back.

And then disaster. Dembele crossed for Ramos to head over the line when Spurs were just a couple of minutes from victory.

PSG keeper Chevalier made a save from Van de Ven in the shoot-out but it was hardly a glorious night for the new arrival.

Equally, Frank and Spurs must look to be positive and lift themselves. After all, Burnley arrive in a couple of days.

For a club who suffered 22 Premier League defeats last season, Tottenham will not want to start with another one under their new manager.

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