The Sun

ANGE POSTECOGLOU knew he was going to be sacked by Spurs weeks before the axe fell.

But the Aussie said he did not want to spoil Tottenham’s Europa League celebrations by telling fans.

Postecoglou, unveiled as Nottingham Forest chief barely three months after his N17 exit, said: “I knew it was coming.

“I knew a long way, a long time before most people.

“It wasn’t the actual decision, it was just sort of things ending.

“It was not a surprise, even if I didn’t think it was right.”

Pressed on precisely when he saw the warning signs flashing, the Aussie, 60, grinned: “That’s for my book.”

But while he was reluctant to say anything about the man who axed him — then-chairman Daniel Levy, himself on the receiving end of a P45 last week — Postecoglou explained it would have been wrong to go public in the aftermath of Spurs’ triumph in Bilbao.

A crowd of 225,000-plus lined the Tottenham High Road to celebrate the 1-0 final victory over Manchester United.

Postecoglou said: “It was strange but I didn’t want to tarnish the night or the parade.

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“I wasn’t going to let that happen. It wouldn’t have been fair on everyone else, me or my family.

“I wanted them to enjoy it and I enjoyed it too.

“We know how hard it is to have success — and when you have it, you cherish it and celebrate it.

“There’s moments that will stay with me forever, with the players, staff and our families.

“But it was tough. It’s never happened to me before, as everywhere I’ve been, I’ve been a success.

“There hasn’t been a reason for anyone to sack me or move me on.

“And I had success again. That was what the club was craving.

“The football club hadn’t won something for a very long time.

“Every Spurs supporter I come across wants to hug me and take me home for dinner. I must have done something right!

“That’s what we do it for. I’m very proud of what we achieved there. It will always take a special place in my heart.

“Whether I feel it was unjust, other people make those decisions.”

Asked about Levy, he replied: “I don’t think it’s the forum for me to speak about that at length.

“I didn’t have a great deal of interaction with Daniel Levy.

“He was there for a very long time. He invested a hell of a lot in the football club in terms of building it up to where it was.

“He appointed me, so I’ve got to be thankful for that. Hopefully I repaid him by providing that trophy.”

IT was only when Chelsea discovered they were not the only big beasts in the Premier League jungle that Roman Abramovich decided he did not want to play by the rules any more.

The Russian oligarch’s arrival at Stamford Bridge in 2003 had been a game-changer in every sense.

Within two years, thanks to a massive spending spree in harness with the managerial force of nature embodied in Jose Mourinho, Chelsea had already smashed the established order.

Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ were vanquished. Manchester United usurped. Chelsea in the ascendant.

The key was that huge war chest the billionaire had arrived with — allowing the Blues to buy almost anyone they wanted.

And it was a situation perfectly summed up by then-Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein in Monaco ahead of a Champions League draw.

It followed a summer in which Dein had withstood attempts by the Blues to seduce Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry across the capital.

Dein, ruefully, remarked: “Roman Abramovich has parked his tanks on our lawn and is firing £50 notes at us.”

The mission was an outstanding success. Able to outspend their domestic rivals, the first seven years went off without a hitch.

Three Premier League crowns. Three FA Cup triumphs. And League Cup winners twice. A trophy-gathering machine.

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But then along came Manchester City’s new Abu Dhabi owners.

Even wealthier than Abramovich with their truly bottomless coffers.

And with the success of the Prem as a global commodity plus TV deals ensuring financial treasure troves for all the top teams — and some of those, like Spurs, who were new to the table — the equation soon changed.

Prem clubs and Uefa agreed to bring in new financial controls, although nobody at that stage truly anticipated the impact of Financial Fair Play or Profitability and Sustainability Rules.

What it did mean was Chelsea could not just spend, spend, spend.

And even if they wanted to, they now had domestic rivals who could do exactly the same.

Which is why, from 2010-11, Abramovich had a new approach.

And Chelsea’s guilty pleas to the 74 charges laid by the FA, following on from their 2023 settlement deal with Uefa, is proof of the allegations.

On his own, or with the knowledge of only his closest confidants, it seems the Blues owner decided the rules were not for him.

If he wanted to a player, especially one who was tempted elsewhere, the wheels would be greased accordingly.

Payments likely to extend to many millions of pounds over the six seasons under investigation, allegedly made to the agents of those players.

An inducement and enticement to ignore other offers and make the move to SW6.

More critically as far as football chiefs were concerned, this happened without putting those payments through the club’s books. A huge breach of the regulations.

A Big Four accountancy giant was asked to investigate by Chelsea’s new owners when they discovered the discrepancy after taking over following Abramovich’s forced sale in 2022.

That it found Chelsea would NOT have breached the PSR limits if the payments had been declared is an ironic irrelevance.

What is unquestioned — and Chelsea’s admissions underline that fact — is that Abramovich’s personal involvement in getting the deals done was a huge factor.

After all, Spurs were convinced they had both Eden Hazard in 2012, and Willian 12 months later, in their pockets. Until they turned up at the Bridge.

At the time, it was suggested Abramovich had made a personal call to Anzhi Makhachkala owner and fellow oligarch Suleyman Kerimov to hijack Willian’s planned move to Tottenham.

Kerimov is now — like the former Chelsea owner — on the UK and US sanctions list for their support of Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine.

That appears to have been only half the story regarding transfer skulduggery, with Chelsea facing charges under six different areas of the FA regulatory book.

And another deal — also done with now-defunct Russian club Anzhi — saw Cameroon superstar and ex-Barcelona man Samuel Eto’o join for the first season of Mourinho’s second spell.

SunSport understands the charges only relate to players signed from overseas clubs during the period in question.

But those six seasons saw 51 such transfers completed. And while not all of them involved such payments, the dodgy deals were not only those to capture Eto’o, Willian and Hazard.

Of course, none of it might have been uncovered for some time yet had the new Chelsea ownership — led by Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly — not ‘fessed up’ soon after taking control of the club from Abramovich.

And those prompt admissions already persuaded Uefa chiefs to fine them a relatively lenient £8.6m in 2023.

That will be a huge part of the club’s mitigation — along with the fact that all the breaches took place in the Abramovich era.

If, as Chelsea anticipate, they do end up with a fine from the FA over this, you suspect that plenty of Blues supporters will have no doubts it was worth it.

WORDS from Mohammed Kudus’ mouth claimed it will be “nice” for him to return to former club West Ham.

But his body language and the pregnant ‘erm’ that came before that statement hinted the Ghanaian’s true feelings may be quite different.

You can hardly blame him if he is feeling anxious about going back to the London Stadium, where taunts of ‘Mohammed Judas’ are likely to be aimed in his direction.

The winger this summer became the first player since Scott Parker in 2011 to swap the Irons for Spurs, in a £55million switch.

Asked about his upcoming return to West Ham, a hesitant Kudus eventually said: “It will be nice to go back. But for me, it will be another game in the Premier League.

“It will be the same approach. But I’m looking forward to seeing my old team-mates.”

Just another Prem game is unlikely to be his experience at the stadium that he used to call home.

West Ham signed Kudus towards the end of the summer window of 2023 for around £38m from Ajax.

He was electric in his first campaign, regularly breaking out his goal celebration of sitting on the advertising hoardings to take a breather, having netted 14 times.

But things soured the following season, particularly under David Moyes’ successor Julen Lopetegui.

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Kudus and Lopetegui rowed at Brentford when the Hammers were trailing in September 2024 and four months later, the Spaniard was sacked.

And though Kudus played regularly under Graham Potter, his performances were not at the same level and so the club became open to offers.

Potter needed to raise cash for his own rebuild. And asked yesterday, the Hammers boss said: “Sometimes players indicate that it’s time for a new challenge.

“And we’re at the stage where you want players that are fully committed to West Ham that want to be here.

“Once that’s the position [the player wants a new challenge], you have to try and get the best deal you can and hopefully grow the team and improve the squad.”

And talented Kudus, 25, was deemed expendable because he favours the right wing, where captain Jarrod Bowen plays.

That opened the door to a transfer which had seemingly been off-limits for a good 14 years.

West Ham had declared publicly they would no longer sell to their rivals from North London two years BEFORE flogging Parker.

Then Irons chief executive Scott Duxbury said as much amid Spurs’ interest in Craig Bellamy, who ended up going to Manchester City.

Duxbury claimed at the time: “I made it clear to Craig there wasn’t any possibility of him joining Tottenham. There is a change of philosophy at this club.

“There is a massive rivalry between us and Spurs. Why should we sell any player who would strengthen their team? It makes no sense.”

However, Duxbury left a year later and that new policy was broken a year after that with Parker’s exit.

Recently departed Spurs chairman Daniel Levy blocked Emmanuel Adebayor from going to West Ham four years later and, ever since, there has been an unofficial embargo between the clubs — until now.

Kudus seems to be loving life under new Tottenham boss Thomas Frank.

The enjoyment factor is likely to be in short supply tomorrow after taking the road less travelled from East to North London.

AN OLD photo that hinted Ange Postecoglou could become the next Nottingham Forest manager has been unearthed.

The photo shows the ex-Tottenham boss having a meal with Olympiakos bigwigs Panagiotis Kone and Giannis Papadopoulos - who were formerly working at AEK Athens.

Postecoglou arrived in Greece at the start of June for a summer break that would eventually spark a move to the City Ground.

Most of his holiday was spent in the Athens area, while he visited the beautiful island of Paros as well as Crete - where Evangelos Marinakis' family has ties to.

Postecoglou was still in charge of Spurs at the time of the holiday in the country he was born and lived in until age five.

He was aware at the time that he was on thin ice at Tottenham after a roller-coaster season saw them win the Europa League but finish all the way down in 17th in the top-flight.

Two days before the official news that the club were parting ways with him, Postecoglou dusted off his networking skills.

He met with Panagiotis Kone, the former sporting director of AEK Athens (the man in the white t-shirt) and Giannis Papadopoulos (man in the black t-shirt).

Papadopoulos was once a bitter enemy of the Marinakis empire having had his own links to AEK before the dynamic changed and they became close allies.

Five weeks after that dinner date, Postecoglou returned to Vouliagmeni for an evening to mark the launch of the new Greek Super League season.

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He was the guest of honour and Marinakis marked the occasion with a speech congratulating him for becoming the first Greek-born manager to win a European trophy in men’s football.

Marinakis said: "Ange has spoken many times about Greece,

“It is very important for a person to be proud and shout about their origins.

"He achieved it (the Europa League) with a team that was not winning titles and was struggling.

"With this success, he made Greece proud. He is a very good coach and wherever he goes, he will continue to have success and make Greece proud.”

YVES BISSOUMA is hopeful he can still contribute to Tottenham this season, despite currently being sidelined due to a physical problem, SunSport has been told.

The Malian international is yet to feature this season under new manager Thomas Frank.

And he left out of Spurs' Champions League squad, a surprising move given his key role in last season's Europa League-winning campaign.

Warning signs had already emerged when Bissouma was omitted from the Super Cup clash against PSG due to disciplinary issues, a decision Frank later confirmed.

Now in the final year of his Tottenham contract, Bissouma was strongly linked with a move to Galatasaray.

However, SunSport exclusively reported that he had opted to stay in North London and see out his deal at the club.

Sources have confirmed that a physical issue has kept him out of training, but the midfielder is hopeful of returning soon and forcing his way back into Frank’s plans.

The summer arrival of Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich has pushed Bissouma further down the pecking order, with additional competition from Rodrigo Bentancur, Archie Gray, and Lucas Bergvall.

However, this isn’t the first time Bissouma has had to fight his way back.

Last season, he was dropped for an extended period by former boss Ange Postecoglou due to disciplinary concerns.

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Yet he managed to turn things around, regained the manager’s trust, and ended the season on a high, starting in the final and producing a Man of the Match display as Spurs secured their first major trophy in years.

Sources close to the player insist he does not feel his time at the club is over and remains determined to reclaim his place once he's fully fit.

Tottenham have enjoyed a promising start under Frank, narrowly missing out on the Super Cup against PSG before defeating Manchester in their second league fixture.

However, they stumbled with a disappointing loss to Bournemouth just before the international break.

TOTTENHAM have reportedly taken out a £90MILLION loan in a bid to improve their cashflow.

Spurs have borrowed the hefty sum from Australian bank Macquarie, according to Bloomberg.

The loan, which is not uncommon amongst clubs in the Premier League, comes after a summer of heavy spending by the North Londoners.

Tottenham splashed over £173MILLION during the transfer window, seeing the likes of Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus come through the door.

They are still managing a number of long-term debts that are understood to be in excess of £750MILLION following the financing of their stadium.

Spurs are said to have borrowed their new £90m loan against future media rights revenues that they are due to receive from the Premier League during the current season.

It comes just one week after the shock decision to oust chairman Daniel Levy from the club after almost 25 years at the helm.

Levy, 63, stepped down following a review initiated by the Lewis family, who are the behind the club's majority owners, ENIC.

That announcement led to rumours that the Premier League outfit could be up for sale, however those claims have now been quashed.

In fact, Spurs announced that they have "received, and unequivocally rejected" two approaches since Levy's exit, one of which was from former Newcastle chief Amanda Staveley.

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The club added in a statement: "The Board of the Club and Enic confirm that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale and Enic has no intention to accept any such offer to acquire its interest in the Club".

Tottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham doubled down on that stance in an interview on Monday, explaining that it has been made "unambiguously clear that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale”.

However, the former Arsenal chief admitted that the club is looking for investment.

He continued: "I think it is very fair to say that we have firm backing from the Lewis family against our ambitions to be successful on the pitch, both on the men’s side and women’s side.

“They know that’s going to require investment, and we have their firm backing.”

THOMAS FRANK would like to see football introduce a timeout in each half to give coaches a chance to have a conflab with their players.

The Spurs boss also claims the handball rule must be changed to make the game fairer.

Currently managers are only able to speak to their players during a game by barking orders from the touchline as the action is ongoing - as well as during the half-time break.

But Frank, 51, suggested: “I’d have a timeout in each half.

“From a coaching perspective, I think it would be lovely to have an opportunity during the game to speak to the players and be able to adjust something.”

It would be quite a radical suggestion which would no doubt go down well with fellow managers, as it would give them more influence on their team.

Whether spectators would appreciate matches being further interrupted - in an age where VAR delays are already a bugbear - is a matter of debate.

Spurs chief Frank certainly feels something must be done about the handball law in its current guise to improve the game.

He told BetMGM, Tottenham’s official Front of Training Wear partner: “I would take out the handball rule as for me it’s not right.

“If there’s a handball and it touches your arm in the penalty area, you are giving the biggest chance to the opponent just because it ‘touches’ your arm.

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“Of course, if you’re standing on the goalline and you try to save it like a goalkeeper in the old days, that’s different.

“But I simply don’t understand how if it just touches a player’s arm, and it touches their arm in certain areas, it gives the opportunity for the biggest chance in the game.

“It’s a rule that has to be changed to improve the game and make it fairer.”

Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou as Spurs chief this summer after six-and-a-half years at Brentford.

He has had an encouraging start to life in N17, pushing Paris Saint-Germain all the way in the Super Cup before impressive Premier League wins over Burnley and Manchester City.

But his progress was checked just before the international break with a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.

Yet Frank said: “It’s been a good start to the season so far. I’ve been really pleased with how the players have approached things since I’ve come into the football club.

“We’ve played three games in the Premier League and one in the Uefa Super Cup and I’ve been happy with three of the performances.

“We weren’t good enough against Bournemouth but overall from where we started to where we are now, I’m satisfied.”

Postecoglou, who took over at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, delivered Tottenham their first trophy in 17 years by winning May’s Europa League.

But he paid the price for a record 22 defeats in the league which saw Spurs end up in 17th.

His successor Frank, who has been backed with four experienced signing in Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha, Xavi Simons and Kolo Muani, is hoping to show more consistency across all competitions this season.

Frank, whose side are back in action at West Ham on Saturday, added: “Success this season is building something that is sustainable and strong.

“I want us to consistently perform at our highest level each and every game.”

If the Nottingham Forest players are still feeling dizzy, you wouldn’t blame them.

They have spent the last 21 months playing risk-averse, counter-attack Nuno-ball.

Suddenly, overnight, they have now discovered the approach is defence-averse, “it’s who we are mate”, Ange-ball.

It feels like the footballing equivalent of reversing the polarity of the planet.

A total culture and attitude shift in the space of a few hours.

And given so much of Forest’s success is down to the strategy deployed by Nuno Espirito Santo, who galvanised his players into believing they added up to far more than the sum of their collective parts, even Evangelos Marinakis might accept it’s a roll of the dice.

Ange Postecoglou, of course, returns to English football just 95 days after being sacked by Spurs - and, ironically, barely 100 hours after the man who sent him packing, Daniel Levy, was himself given the boot in N17.

The Greek-Australian left Tottenham hailed by almost as many fans as those who wanted him gone.

He was, after all, the man who broke Spurs’ 17 trophy drought, that Europa League win over Manchester United in Bilbao unlocking nearly two decades of frustration, joy overflowing down the Tottenham High Road.

Yet he was also the man who took Spurs to 17th in the Prem, 10 places and 27 points adrift of the Forest side he has now inherited.

Even the Spurs supporters who mourned his forced departure did not hide from the mess of his second season, a midfield muddle, chaotic set-piece defending, a one-dimensional approach that was seemingly found out by all his domestic rivals - except Ruben Amorim.

Those early days of “I’m loving Ange-ball instead” transformed into a catalogue of jeers and demands for a change. And Postecoglou does not change.

Neither did Nuno, of course. He brought the same tactical approach that initially served him so well at Wolves, and less well i n his own short-lived spell at the Tottenham helm, to the City Ground.

Replacing Steve Cooper just before Christmas 2023 - in the aftermath of a 2-0 home defeat by Ange’s Spurs - he turned a side that looked set for relegation into one that should have been playing Champions league football this season.

His overall record of 26 wins in 62 Prem matches, securing 91 points, may not look spectacular.

But last season, sticking to his mantra, utilising a defensive blanket in front of Matz Sels, the guile of Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson, transition pace of Anthony Elanga and the campaign of Chris Wood’s career, Forest were the ultimate Nuno side.

They took four points off Liverpool, drew with Arsenal and Chelsea and beat both Spurs and United twice, only to fall away with just five points in their final five games, including the last day defeat to Enzo Maresca’s Blues which cost them that elusive place in the European elite.

That Ange, just a few days later, somehow steered Tottenham into the Champions League, delivering to Levy the prize Marinakis coveted, may have just been a further element in his appointment in Nuno’s place.

Yet where going for another available former Spurs man in the form of Jose Mourinho would have been more of the same, giving the gig to Postecoglou means a complete philosophical and tactical change.

Postecoglou sides cannot sit back and strike like a cobra. He wants them to dominate possession, press high, sprint like demons.

As for defending, especially at set-pieces - one of Forest’s strengths under Nuno - that’s not in the equation.

Last year, Forest were almost the best Prem fairy-story since Leicester’s title exploits a decade ago.

Now some fans may wonder if Marinakis is the wicked witch.

They might enjoy a loosening of the shackles under Ange. But perhaps clubs with limited resources have to play in a certain way. And that is not the Postecoglou way.

TOTTENHAM star Mathys Tel has admitted his disappointment at missing out on Thomas Frank's Champions League squad.

Spurs forked out £30million in June to make the Frenchman's initial loan from Bayern Munich permanent.

Despite the significant outlay, Tel was not selected in Frank's depleted Champions League squad, which was submitted to Uefa on Tuesday.

Having since reported for international duty with France's Under-21s, Tel has spoken out on the situation.

Quizzed by French outlet Le Telegramme about how his snub felt, the forward said: "It's clear that when you're not on a list, it definitely hurts, but I'm someone who stays pretty positive, no matter the situation, because I think I've worked a lot on the mental aspect.

"Today it's definitely a disappointment, I would have liked to be there.

"But the coach's choice is the coach's choice, we can only respect it and we're going to work to come back in the best possible way."

On how Frank informed him of the news, Tel added: "Quite simply, with respect. He called me, he simply told me his choice and then you could see the list appear on the networks."

Further quizzed if he is seeking revenge, or whether he could even be looking to leave Spurs already, Tel said: "No matter, even if I was on the list, I would have had this desire, to be revengeful, to be able to be effective this season, to be able to start my season in the Premier League.

"Because now, it's a first long season that begins because last year it was in the form of a six-month loan.

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"A desire elsewhere? I am under contract with Tottenham, so I am a Tottenham player and I will do my best to be able to play quite simply."

The Europa League winners were only able to name 22 players, rather than 25, due to squad issues.

Of the customary 25 players that can be named for the Champions League, four must be eligible as club trained.

To be deemed club trained, a player must have spent three years on that team's books between the ages of 15 and 21.

Third choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin is Tottenham's only club trained player.

In addition to Tel, injured stars James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin have also missed out - as well as summer signing Kota Takai and forgotten man Yves Bissouma.

New boys Randal Kolo Muani, Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus have been included, as well as Tel's fellow attackers Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke.

'ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT'

Asked to rate his first six months with Spurs, Tel said: "Knowing what I'm capable of, knowing all the abilities I have, I think I could have done better.

"In any case, we can all do better. But I would say that it's an encouraging setup. Why? Because it forces me to know the weak points, the things to improve, so there's always room for improvement that we have to aim for.

"Whether in life in London or on the pitch, I think it can be better, everything can be better, absolutely everything."

Tel made 13 Premier League appearances during his loan spell last term, scoring twice and laying on two assists - while he also made five appearances during Spurs' run to Europa League glory.

IN a grudge match for the ages, a former Arsenal and Tottenham star will be squaring off with an ex-Chelsea ace in the RING for a historic charity event.

David Bentley, formerly of North London's Arsenal and Tottenham, and Jody Morris, formerly of West London's Chelsea, will step back into the public eye.

Only this time, instead of wearing football boots, they will don a pair of boxing gloves.

The pair are headlining a remarkable charity event created by Pro Project Promotions and spearheaded by ex-Gunners goalkeeper Graham Stack.

As many as TEN former footballers will be stepping into the ring on October 18 at the Grosvenor Hotel in Mayfair, London, for a night of intriguing action.

It is hoped this boxing gala will raise £500,000 for various charities, including Playskill, Sport In Mind, Willow Foundation, and Helping Hands.

The other names on the list include: Curtis Davies v Paddy Kenny, Leroy Lita v David Noble, Lee Trundle v Anthony Gardner and Greg Halford v Marvin Elliott.

Speaking on the project, Stack, 43, said: "Pro Project Promotions is where football’s fiercest rivalries meet boxing’s raw intensity.

"These legends are stepping out of their comfort zones to throw punches for a purpose.

"With a star-studded crowd, world-class entertainment, and a mission to change lives, this night will be etched in history."

Pro Project Promotions is backed by a catalogue of major stars.

Among them are former Premier League footballers Peter Crouch, Joe Cole and Ray Parlour, as well as former boxing world champion Darren Barker.