The Mirror

Tottenham were beaten to the signature of Eberechi Eze by rivals Arsenal at the last minute, the latest transfer blow after missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White and Bryan Mbeumo earlier in the window

Tottenham could be facing rejection from a FOURTH major transfer target. Serie A club Como have rejected a £50m approach from Spurs for Argentina star Nico Paz.

Real Madrid are watching developments closely as they believe he is a superstar in the making - but are not ready to do a deal this summer.

That has left Como in a strong position as they could potentially hold on for more money - or wait until next summer as Paz is only 20 and has got huge room for improvement.

Como are believed to want at least £70m and, despite the strong links with Real, Tottenham may yet continue to try and get the player.

Paz joined Real Madrid’s B team as a teenager and the Spanish giants allowed him to go to Como last year for just £5m - but retain options and agreements plus a strong relationship with the Italian club.

Tottenham are desperate to strengthen their squad and bolster the options for manager Thomas Frank after a desperately frustrating transfer window so far.

Tottenham are determined to build on their impressive start but are faced with James Maddison being out for the season while Dejan Kulusevski is out until potentially the turn of the year.

That has left Tottenham frustrated having missed out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal after being sucked into a transfer saga with the England midfielder.

They have also missed out on two others with Morgan Gibbs-White snubbing a move to stay at Nottingham Forest while Bryan Mbeumo decided to move to Manchester United rather than Spurs.

Spurs have struggled to build on last season’s success of winning the Europa League and also qualifying for the Champions League.

They could now turn to Monaco midfielder Maghnes Akliouche with the French club demanding £47.5m but there has also been competition from Bayer Leverkusen.

Tottenham have also looked at Manchester City ’s Savinho but Pep Guardiola says he is not for sale. Now it looks likely if they cannot do a deal on Paz, then Akliouche could be their best bet after more frustration.

Ex-Tottenham and England star recovering in hospital after suffering heart attack

Andy Sinton won the League Cup during his time with Tottenham in the 1990s and also played for England at Euro 1992 in Sweden. Most recently he has worked as an ambassador for QPR

Former QPR star Andy Sinton is recovering hospital after suffering a heart attack on Friday, his former club have announced.

Sinton played for a number of Premier League clubs during his career, including for Tottenham and Sheffield Wednesday - though most fans will remember him for his four-year spell with QPR.

The 59-year-old suffered the heart attack on Friday, QPR said, but added he was now on the road to recovery in a post on their social media channels.

In a statement, the Hoops said: "On Friday evening, our club ambassador, Andy Sinton suffered a heart attack. We are pleased to say he is now recovering in hospital. Please join us in wishing Sints well."

Tottenham also sent their well wishes as they wrote on Twitter : 'Get well soon, Andy. Sending the best wishes of all your Spurs family."

It came in the wake of QPR's heavy 7-1 defeat to Coventry, as fans said the news put the result into perspective and wished him a speedy recovery.

One fan wrote in a post on Twitter: "And suddenly losing 7-1 is put in perspective. Get well soon Andy, we all send our love to you!"

Another said: "Puts everything into perspective. I was raging about the result yesterday but reading this about my first ever @QPR idol makes yesterday irrelevant. Wishing this legend a speedy recovery and looking forward to hearing you on commentary again soon."

Sinton also picked up 12 caps for England during his career between 1991 and 1993, featuring under Graham Taylor during the 1992 European Championships in Sweden.

He started his career with Cambridge before joining Brentford and eventually QPR in 1989. He played 83 times for Spurs in the late 1990s, winning the League Cup in 1999, before he moved to Wolves in the Football League before finishing his career with Burton, Bromsgrove and Fleet Town - where he became manager in 2005.

He managed Fleet for five years before taking charge of AFC Telford for three years between 2010 and 2013.

Most recently he has worked as an ambassador for QPR and has also appeared as a commentator for their in-house media channels.

'I was all set to join Arsenal before brutal U-turn – Tottenham picked me up instead'

Eberechi Eze signed for Arsenal this week after looking destined for Tottenham for weeks, whereas Michael Carrick faced the opposite situation over two decades ago

As Arsenal unveiled the return of Eberechi Eze to 60,000 excited fans on Saturday, many may have wondered what would have happened if he had decided to join their north London rivals instead. Few will remember that this already happened in the past, as a young Michael Carrick was all set to join the Gunners from West Ham United – only to head to White Hart Lane instead.

Tottenham Hotspur had been set to capture Eze's services after they reached an agreement with Crystal Palace. But Mikel Arteta swooped in and hijacked the transfer of the former Arsenal youth.

The England international agreed a four-year deal worth up to £67.5million, and will wear the number 10 for the club. But over 20 years ago, Arsenal could have signed a Premier League icon in Carrick – however, they allowed the midfielder to head to their rivals instead, as they opted to prioritise ensuring a young Cesc Fabregas had a path to the first team.

Writing in his autobiography, Michael Carrick: Between the Lines, the former Champions League winner revealed how the teen Fabregas ultimately derailed his move to the north London side, as Arsene Wenger U-turned on the transfer.

Carrick said: "I saw that a kid, Cesc Fabregas, only 17, started in (Patrick) Vieira's place. Fabregas played a blinder, but I didn't think too much about the significance.

"I sat at home on Sunday night waiting for the call to arrange details of the next day. Arsenal! I couldn't wait. But I waited, and waited, and that call never came. The next day, I had to go into training at West Ham instead and, on the way, David (Carrick's agent) phoned to say he'd had a call from Dein."

Carrick went on to admit that the then-17-year-old had beaten him to a place in the impressive squad, as he said: "David relayed the gist of his message, like, 'I'm sorry, the manager says we don't need Michael. Fabregas is coming through like he is. Sorry, the deal's off.'

"Fabregas' performance changed Wenger's mind about needing me."

Fabregas went on to make 300 appearances for the Gunners after nudging Carrick out of Arsene Wenger's plans – and he made a move soon afterwards. Spurs' sporting director at the time, Frank Arnesen, gave Carrick's agent a call to convince him to join the Lilywhites instead.

In an interview with FourFourTwo, the former Premier League star detailed a chaotic period of time in his career joining Spurs, claiming that the club's boss at the time, Jacques Santini, didn't know who he was.

Carrick said: "He (Santini) didn't seem to know who I was - it was a very strange moment. I arrived at Spurs' training ground and said to my adviser Dave, 'I'm not too sure he knows who I am'. He said, 'I think you're right.'

"I'd signed that morning, so it was all agreed with the club and I went to his office to meet him. It was weird. I ended up with the reserve team on my first day of training, and later found out that I'd been signed more by Frank Arnesen, who was Spurs' sporting director."

However, it wasn't at White Hart Lane that Carrick etched his name into Premier League history, but rather at Old Trafford under the famous Sir Alex Ferguson. The midfielder headed to Manchester United in 2006 and the rest is history; making 464 appearances in red before retiring at the club in 2018.

Carrick won a whopping five Premier League titles with United, as well as an FA Cup, three EFL Cups, the Champions League, Europa League and the Club World Cup.

However, his career could have taken a totally different turn had Fabregas not stopped his move to Arsenal in the mid-2000s – much like Eze's potential career at Spurs if Arteta hadn't hijacked the deal at the last moment.

Eberechi Eze was announced by Arsenal on Saturday ahead of their 5-0 thrashing of Leeds United and decided to goad rivals Tottenham after beating them to his signature

Arsenal poked fun at Tottenham after announcing the signing of Eberechi Eze as they wrote "it was only ever Arsenal" after pipping their rivals to his signature.

Eze looked destined to go to Tottenham this week after the north London outfit agreed a £60million deal with Crystal Palace, but the deal was held up over minor details.

And after Arsenal lost Kai Havertz to injury, the Gunners were quick to swoop in at the last minute as they eventually landed Eze for £67m, with the midfielder making the easy decision to join his boyhood club.

Spurs fans were left seething at the club's failure to wrap up the deal as their rival Arsenal supporters quickly rubbed it in on social media.

With the Eze deal now officially wrapped up and announced, Arsenal decided to add insult to injury by goading Spurs over their failure, in a video being hailed as "perfect" by supporters.

Posting a video of Eze in an Arsenal shirt, they wrote a caption that read: "It was only ever Arsenal. A boyhood Gooner, our new number 10 - welcome home, Ebere."

The video starts with club legend Ian Wright discussing how "some things don't need saying" as he questions whether Eze wants to "raise the levels", "raise hairs" and "raise the roof" - before asking: "Do you want the Arsenal?"

Eberechi then comes into focus and replies: "Obviously," as he smiles while holding a ball in front of a group of Arsenal fans. He is then hugged by Wright, who says: "Welcome to the Arsenal, man."

Arsenal fans couldn't hide their delight at the style of the announcement video - plus how it teased their rivals Tottenham - as one wrote: "that’s one of the best announcement videos I’ve ever seen icl. Genuinely perfect."

Another added: "Again. Again. Again. Arsenal’s media team are the best. Goosebumps man. Oscar award winning."

A third wrote: "This is cinema. Probably goes down as ONE of the best announcement videos."

Eze was shown off in front of the Arsenal crowd ahead of their 5-0 thrashing of Leeds on Saturday and he looked cool, calm and collected as he made his way onto the pitch.

His next opportunity to feature for the club will be in a huge trip to title rivals Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday.

Eberechi Eze has penned an initial four-year contract with Arsenal which also contains a one-year extension option - with the England international to wear the No.10 shirt

Arsenal have confirmed the £67.5million capture of Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze. The England international has penned an initial four-year contract which also contains a one-year extension option.

Mikel Arteta said: “We are absolutely delighted to bring Eberechi to Arsenal. He is a powerful and exciting player who will give us a new dimension in our attacking game.

"What stands out just as much as his talent and intelligence as a player, is the way he has worked hard throughout his career to get where he is today.

"His journey, his mentality, and his ambition are exactly what we want in our team, and we love how much it means to him and his family to be joining our club. We all look forward to starting working with Eberechi soon.”

Eze - who snubbed north London rivals Tottenham to make the move to the Gunners - was presented to the Arsenal fans at the Emirates Stadium on the pitch before Saturday evening's Premier League clash with Leeds.

The £67.5million package represents a club-record sale for Crystal Palace. He is the Gunners' seventh summer signing and the club's spending has now surpassed a record £260m.

The 27-year-old will wear the No.10 shirt in north London having previously been released by Arsenal as a 13-year-old.

Sporting director Andrea Berta, who played a fundamental role in executing the transfer alongside Tim Lewis, added: “We are so pleased to have completed this deal to bring Eberechi to Arsenal. Eberechi is a creative and explosive talent with huge technical quality – also a big-game player, with his experience at international level with England also underlining his quality and character.

"There has been excellent teamwork across the club to make this transfer happen and we are very confident Eberechi will be an important addition to our squad as we continue to build for success.”

Palace released a statement thanking Eze for his services to the club. Chairman Steve Parish said: “Throughout five years here, Eberechi has been an incredible presence, having had a huge impact on Crystal Palace Football Club and been an inspiration for the people of South London.

"Eberechi's journey is truly incredible: from being released from multiple clubs, to scoring the Cup final-winning goal, and helping bring the club its first major trophy in 164 years, he is a huge inspiration and role model.

"Just as importantly, and no less inspirationally, Ebs is a great person, always positive, always a positive presence, and humble in his dealings with everyone, regularly giving his time to the club's charity and other philanthropy. He epitomises everything good about the modern footballer.

“We, as a club, will always hold Ebs in our hearts and wish him all the success for the future. He will always be welcome back at Selhurst Park.”

MANCHESTER CITY 0-2 TOTTENHAM: Thomas Frank's side continued their fine recent form against City courtesy of first half goals from Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha

The joke might have been on Tottenham losing out on Eberechi Eze - but they ended the week having the last laugh with another demolition of Manchester City on their own turf.

Ridiculed in their North London manor as Arsenal hijacked their move for Eze, Tottenham conjured the finest possible response with a superb team display oozing authority and confidence to sink Pep Guardiola’s City once more. First half goals by Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha, on loan from Bayern Munich, left Guardiola with more than a few early season headaches as his City stars were simply downed by a muscular Spurs display.

And as home fans headed for the exits well before the final whistle, Spurs fans cheekily sang “It’s happened again, Manchester City it’s happened again” in reference to their 4-0 Etihad League win last November.

Tottenham have had City’s number for some time - but this was a classy win that showcased Frank’s full range of tactical cleverness.

Not many outwit Guardiola. But Frank got his gameplan spot on squeezing the space and allowing City stars little time to work their usual magic as they slipped to a first defeat in 10 league games.

Frank had stars all over the pitch full of hunger and ambition to accelerate an impressive start to the season. And in central defence Christian Romero and Micky van de Ven were a tower of strength restricting Erling Haaland to a bit-part on a day to forget for Guardiola.

For the first half hour, though, it was City who looked a threat with Omar Marmoush a live-wire causing constant problems for the Spurs defence. After a long kick by Trafford deep into Spurs defensive territory a poor touch by Pedro Porro allowed Marmoush to steal in but his tight angled shot rolled across the face of goal.

Soon after the Egyptian striker saw a fierce shot beaten away by Vicario and with 28 minutes gone the £59 million January signing from Eintracht Frankfurt had his best chance. Haaland picked up the ball just inside the Spurs half and sped through the gears before releasing a superb pass for Marmoush but again Vicario saved with the City bench wondering if the striker could have tried to go round the keeper.

Just before that, City had lost new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri after an early injury attempting to block a shot with Ake replacing the former Wolves star at left back.

Despite early City chances Spurs had looked compact and well organised with Frank encouraging his stars to stick to the plan. To his delight they did more, scoring twice before the half time to give Tottenham fans more belief that they can kick-on significantly with the arrival of Frank.

The first goal came from a lightning Spurs move started by Porro who found Sarr with a high ball from the back. Sarr flicked the ball on for Richarlison to race clear of the City defence before squaring the ball to Johnson charging into the box. Johnson, Tottenham’s Europa League Final hero in Bilbao, met the ball perfectly to thump his shot past Trafford and send the Spurs bench and their travelling fans into raptures.

Initially referee Peter Bankes ruled the goal out with his assistant raising an offside flag against Richarlison. But a VAR review showed the Brazilian striker was onside and Spurs celebrations went into full swing.

For a few minutes City were stunned and when Porro went down under a Tijjanii Reijnders challenge on the edge of the box it left Tottenham screaming for a penalty. But Bankes was unmoved and waved away protests as City desperately tried to steady the ship.

With Guardiola preparing his interval messages, City shot themselves in the foot with Spurs making it 2-0 ,90 seconds into seven minutes of added time. Instead of going long Trafford put his side in trouble with a crazy short ball out to Rijnders. In the mayhem that followed as Spurs sprung a rapid press, Palhinha fired the loose ball into City’s net to leave Guardiola shell-shocked.

Would Tottenham be Spursy and lose the lead second half? The answer was emphatically no and substitutes Odobert and Solanke could have added to City’s misery with more care over late chances.

MANCHESTER CITY 0-2 TOTTENHAM: Spurs celebrated a 2-0 triumph as Joao Palhinha capitalised on a mistake by home debutant James Trafford shortly after Brennan Johnson had opened the scoring

Thomas Frank’s flying start to life as Tottenham boss continued as Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha secured an impressive victory at Manchester City on an afternoon to forget for James Trafford.

Both sides hit the ground running on the opening weekend of the Premier League season as Spurs beat Burnley 3-0 and City won 4-0 at Wolves, with more goals expected on Saturday given these sides’ recent Etihad Stadium meetings.

Spurs scored four without reply at City last season and this time celebrated a 2-0 triumph as on-loan Palhinha capitalised on a mistake by home debutant Trafford shortly after Johnson had opened the scoring.

It was an impressive response to the disappointment of their move for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze being hijacked by Arsenal and allowed the away fans to gleefully chant “we are top of the league”.

Tottenham deserve the plaudits but much of the post-match analysis will surround goalkeeper Trafford, who returned to the Etihad Stadium this summer in a £27million move from Burnley.

Johnson’s opener was hard to prevent but he could have been sent off for a clumsy challenge on Mohammed Kudus before his huge error allowed Palhinha to score in first half stoppage time.

Ederson, back from illness, watched from the bench as speculation about his future and City’s potential move for Paris St Germain star Gianluigi Donnarumma rumbles on.

Saturday’s match started with chances at both ends. Pedro Porro fizzed an effort into the side-netting after seeing a free-kick blocked before he gifted Omar Marmoush a chance.

The forward sent a low shot across the face of goal after collecting Porro’s poor header back, with his early directness and confidence epitomised by a 20-yard effort that called Guglielmo Vicario into action.

Home debutant Rayan Ait-Nouri had to be replaced by Nathan Ake midway through the first half as both sides battled for a breakthrough, which Erling Haaland’s vision nearly brought in the 28th minute.

The City striker followed an impressive drive inside with a smart ball through for Marmoush to get away a first-time shot that Vicario spread himself to stop.

Seven minutes later Spurs found the net. Pape Matar Sarr’s flicked header put through Richarlison, who burst free and sent across a low ball for Johnson to slam home.

Initially ruled out for offside against the Brazil international, the goal was eventually awarded and the VAR’s review sparked wild celebrations in the away end.

City spiralled from that point. Tijjani Reijnders caught Porro just outside the box after Trafford avoided red despite appearing to handle outside the box and clattering Kudus as he cleared.

But the goalkeeper would end the half red-faced after collecting a short goal kick and foolishly passing short in his own box to Nico Gonzalez, who had Sarr on his back.

The ball went loose to Richarlison and Trafford could only push it on for Palhinha to drive home Spurs’ second in stoppage time. Haaland headed over before a break that Spurs returned from on the back foot, with Palhinha punching the air after blocking a shot from Ake.

Micky van de Ven was fortunate to avoid a penalty for catching Oscar Bobb before Frank’s men eventually settled, with Richarlison sending two almost identical looping headers over.

City reupped their efforts as the fixture entered the final 20 minutes, with Van de Ven throwing himself in front of an attempt by substitute Phil Foden.

Bernardo Silva headed onto the roof of the net and play became stretched as Spurs frustrated City. Trafford denied substitutes Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert in stoppage time but the damage was already done.

VAR intervened to give a Brennan Johnson goal in Tottenham's match against Manchester City on Saturday afternoon after it had initially been ruled out for offside.

Johnson struck in the 35th minute with a cool finish after neat work and a low cross from Richarlison. But the Brazilian was flagged offside after his team-mate had beaten James Trafford.

However, semi-automated offside technology is now in use and the decision was overturned following a prompt VAR check, much to the delight of the travelling Tottenham fans.

The decision was confirmed by the Premier League Match Centre account on X, which explained: "VAR checked the referee’s call of no goal for Tottenham Hotspur - and established that Richarlison was in an onside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was awarded."

Things got even better for Tottenham just minutes later when Joao Palhinha notched his first goal for the club to double their lead on the stroke of half-time.

Spurs and City were both victorious in their opening games last weekend, with Thomas Frank's side beating Burnley 3-0 and City thrashing Wolves 4-0.

Tottenham have enjoyed a fine record against City in recent seasons and even beat the former Premier League champions 4-0 in the corresponding fixture last term.

Another victory over City would be the perfect response to another setback in the transfer market for Spurs, who were pipped to the signing of Ebere Eze this week. The Crystal Palace playmaker had been in talks over joining Spurs with James Maddison sidelined with an ACL injury. But Eze is poised to join Arsenal after they swooped in with a late offer for the England star.

Tottenham have now missed on three of their top summer targets, with Eberechi Eze the latest to opt against joining Spurs - painfully picking a move to Arsenal instead

Tottenham have been left in transfer chaos after missing out on a THIRD big target this summer. They could now turn to Monaco midfielder Maghnes Akliouche after the latest snub from Eberechi Eze who is set to join bitter rivals Arsenal.

And Tottenham's crisis is made even worse amid fears that Dejan Kulusevski could be out until the end of the year with his knee injury. There is still no definite return date but his delayed absence only increases the need for urgent reinforcements.

That comes on top of James Maddison's long-term knee ligament injury which prompted the move for Crystal Palace star Eze.

But they are set to miss out on Eze which comes on top of Morgan Gibbs-White snubbing a move to stay at Nottingham Forest while Bryan Mbeumo decided to move to Manchester United rather than Spurs.

They have struggled to build on last season’s success of winning the Europa League and also qualifying for the Champions League.

They are now scrambling around for signings with £40m-rated Akliouche on their list of targets with Bayer Leverkusen also interested while Monaco want to keep him for at least another season.

Tottenham like Como playmaker Nico Paz and he is another option if they cannot persuade Akliouche to move.

Tottenham also like England star Morgan Rogers but there is scepticism other whether that deal could actually be done because there will be strong resistance from Aston Villa.

Manchester City do not want to sell Brazil winger Savinho while Spurs are also keen on Southampton's Tyler Dibling.

RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons has his heart set on Chelsea and it means the Eze blow is a huge setback for Tottenham because they are left scrambling with just ten days left.

There is a feeling at Tottenham that Arsenal were always hovering in the background and, despite agreeing personal terms and also Crystal Palace’s terms, they had to wait until after the Europa Conference League tie on Thursday night.

That gave Arsenal a window of opportunity which they took on a player who Mikel Arteta has been courting all summer and the interest was established before Kai Havertz’s injury even if that only heightened the need.

Arsenal are hoping Havertz’s knee is not too serious but he will face a lay-off and Eze’s impending arrival softens the blow and has been a hugely popular move for the fans.

Tottenham are left licking their wounds and having to look elsewhere. But they feel that they tried everything to get a deal done and even if they had paid the release clause earlier in the window then Arsenal might have gazumped them.

Tottenham have reportedly identified Nico Paz, once dubbed "the future of Real Madrid" by former boss Carlo Ancelotti, as an alternative to Eberechi Eze after he snubbed them for Arsenal

Tottenham look to have lost out in the race to sign Crystal Palace sensation Eberechi Eze after rivals Arsenal swooped in with a transfer coup. But Spurs' next target, Como's Nico Paz, was once hailed as "the future of Real Madrid."

Despite Spurs chief Daniel Levy hammering out a £60million proposal for Eze, their north London rivals turned up on Wednesday evening with a £68m package. Thanks to executive vice-chairman Tim Lewis' relationship with Palace's Steve Parish, the Gunners managed to outmanoeuvre their rivals, and Eze has opted for a move to the Emirates.

He hopes to play one final time for Palace in their Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad on Thursday evening, but may be held back due to injury risk. Tottenham must now shift their focus elsewhere, and former Real Madrid star Paz is reportedly on their radar and highly regarded.

Having all but missed out on long-term target Eze, Thomas Frank's Spurs have turned their attention to other attacking midfield targets. They are keen to bolster this area due to injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, and the departure of Son Heung-min.

The Daily Mail suggests that alongside Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche, Como ace Paz is on the club's shortlist. Paz, born in Tenerife, started his career in local academies before moving to Real Madrid's famed La Fabrica in 2016.

He started out as a defender but gradually moved further forward into more attacking positions. Following his B-team debut in 2022, Paz was given his first senior opportunity for Los Blancos in the Champions League clash with Braga 12 months later. His maiden league outing followed shortly afterwards.

Alas, facing intense competition for forward positions, he pursued a transfer in August 2024 and joined newly-promoted Serie A outfit Como for a reported £5.1million. He made his debut for the club the following day with immediate impact.

Real retain an approximate £10.5m buy-back clause for the youngster, and continue to hold some of his economic rights. The club's former boss Carlo Ancelotti suggested this provision might be triggered down the line while praising the star, which could complicate any potential deal for Spurs.

Speaking to Rai Radio 1 last December, Ancelotti was questioned about Paz and couldn't contain his admiration, declaring: "Paz is a player we follow a lot. He is really good.

"He's a great talent. This year of training away from Real is doing him a lot of good. We believe he is a player who can be the future of Real Madrid."

Paz earned the Serie A Young Player of the Year award in Italy last season. The 20-year-old then won his first Argentina cap against Bolivia in October 2024 and, after setting up the legendary Lionel Messi, received acclaim once more.

"Nico Paz has an incredible mindset, and that's why he's where he is," Messi declared following the 6-0 triumph. "Nico has a lot of quality and understands the game perfectly.

"He has an incredible mindset, and he's with Cesc Fabregas (manager of Como) as coach, who is my friend and will help him grow a lot."