The New York Times

Everton are close to reaching an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur over a revised payment structure for Dele Alli.

Under the terms of Dele’s transfer from Tottenham to Everton in January 2022, the north London club were due a significant fee if the 28-year-old agreed a new contract at Goodison Park.

Dele is a free agent after his Everton contract expired at the end of last month. Discussions between Spurs and Everton are ongoing over a revised payment structure that would allow the Merseyside club to re-sign Dele should they wish. As part of this deal, Spurs are likely to retain a sell-on clause if Dele departs Everton for a fee in the future.

The Athletic reported in February that Everton and Spurs had been in discussions to amend the terms of the deal that brought him to the club in January 2022. Everton did not have to pay an immediate fee but it was agreed that a sum of £10million ($12.7m) would be due once he reached 20 appearances. He, however, only made 13 appearances across all competitions for Everton before his contract expired at the end of last month.

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Everton mailbag: Branthwaite's future, Calvert-Lewin's contract - a deal for Dele?

Dele has not played for Everton since August 2022 due to various injuries but is back at Finch Farm as he continues his rehab from long-term problems, the most recent of which was a thigh issue.

Although he does not have a contract, Dele is hoping to impress and earn a new one. The possibility of him playing a role in pre-season has not been ruled out.

Dele had a loan spell at Besiktas in 2022 but returned to Everton after sustaining a significant hip injury. He has not played at all since February 2023 and, in the summer of that year, opened up on his mental health struggles and revealed he was sexually abused as a child.

During his time at Spurs, meanwhile, Dele made 269 appearances and scored 67 goals, earning the PFA Young Footballer of the Year twice.

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Forget what Dele might have become - his achievements are remarkable given everything he went through

(Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

AZ Alkmaar have agreed an €8million fee with Tottenham Hotspur to sign forward Troy Parrott.

The 22-year-old will join the Dutch club on a permanent contract, meaning he will depart Spurs after seven years.

Parrott’s current contract with Spurs was due to expire next summer, but the Premier League club have decided to sell him during this transfer window.

The Irish striker joined Spurs in 2017 for an undisclosed fee from Belvedere, though he has spent the majority of his career on loan to various clubs.

Between 2020 and 2023, Parrott spent time away from Spurs at Millwall, Ipswich Town, MK Dons and Preston North End.

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Troy Parrott and Tottenham Hotspur: it's decision time

Last season, Parrott impressed on loan in the Eredivisie with Excelsior, attracting the attention of AZ Alkmaar.

Parrott thrived during his season in the Dutch top flight, netting 17 goals and providing five assists in 32 appearances across all competitions.

However, his first-team opportunities at Spurs have been limited, making just four appearances for the north London side.

Spurs, meanwhile, are looking to strengthen their squad this summer ahead of the 2024-25 season.

They have already signed Archie Gray from Leeds United and are admirers of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.

Richarlison is also attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League and if the Brazilian departs, he would need to be replaced.

(ANP via Getty Images)

What do Diego Maradona, Cristian Romero and Osvaldo ‘Ossie’ Ardiles have in common?

The answer, of course, is that they have all won the World Cup with Argentina AND pulled on the shirt of Tottenham Hotspur.

Since they were founded in September 1882, hundreds of players have represented Spurs, and they have had just under 50 permanent managers. Only 10 players — 11 if we cheekily include Maradona’s appearance in Ardiles’ testimonial (more on that later), and two of the managers hail from Argentina — but the bond runs much deeper than that.

Ardiles and Ricky Villa helped Argentina win the 1978 World Cup on home soil and a few weeks later joined Tottenham, who had just been promoted to England’s top flight. Ardiles went on to make over 200 appearances, and later had a brief spell as the manager, while Villa scored the winning goal in the 1981 FA Cup final replay against Manchester City.

Mauricio Pochettino led Spurs to their first-ever Champions League final in 2019, and along the way they produced a dramatic comeback in the second leg of their semi-final against Ajax which will never be forgotten. Erik Lamela scored one of the greatest goals in the history of the Premier League when he produced a rabona in a north London derby in March 2021 that nutmegged Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey. Lamela’s strike won the Puskas Award, which is given out by FIFA, football’s global governing body, to the scorer of the best goal anywhere in the world each year.

Romero moved to Tottenham from Atalanta in August that year, initially on loan, and has since become an integral part of the starting XI. Last season, new head coach Ange Postecoglou promoted the centre-back to vice-captain.

Before Argentina’s Copa America semi-final against Canada on Tuesday (early Wednesday in the UK), which should feature Romero and club and country team-mate Giovani Lo Celso, The Athletic has taken a deeper look at the special relationship that exists between the South American country and Spurs…

The earliest sign of any connection comes in 1909, when the Tottenham first team embarked on a tour of South America and played games against local sides in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.

It took nearly 70 more years for the relationship to truly blossom though, and the catalyst was the arrivals of Ardiles and Villa. Ardiles started in Argentina’s 3-1 victory over the Netherlands in the 1978 World Cup final, while Villa made two appearances during that tournament. Within a few weeks of lifting the trophy in Buenos Aires, the pair joined Spurs after a joint-move to Sheffield United broke down.

Alan Fisher, who co-wrote A People’s History Of Tottenham with Martin Cloake, can remember reading about the “astonishing” deal in the newspaper. “There was no advance warning or any gossip about it,” Fisher, 68, tells The Athletic. “It didn’t seem possible. It felt like a magic trick conjured up from another universe. There were not many foreign players in the top flight back then, even from Europe. Keith Burkinshaw, the manager at the time, didn’t do a lot of press work. He just wanted to coach. He was looking embarrassed in the photo while Ossie and Ricky were smiling.

“There was a full house at White Hart Lane. Spurs did a ticker-tape welcome mimicking the Argentinian crowd celebrations (at that home World Cup), except ours were made out of ripped-up copies of newspapers and it was getting stuck in your hair and mouth.”

Ardiles and Villa made their home debuts in a 4-1 loss to Aston Villa but quickly became fan favourites. Ardiles was a central midfielder signed from Huracan in Buenos Aires while Villa, who came from Racing Club in nearby Avellaneda, played on the wing. They were accustomed to playing in the sunshine back home and had to adapt to the temperamental British weather.

“They fitted the Tottenham tradition of playing exciting, daring, attacking football and that’s why they were welcomed so warmly,” Fisher says. “The White Hart Lane pitch was a gluepot (very muddy), but Ossie glided over it. He didn’t like free kicks. The ball being still offended him. He would get fouled, pick himself up, and pass and move. He understood where his team-mates were and he was a huge influence.

“He is one of the finest players I’ve seen and I’ve been going to games since 1967. It was a privilege to watch him.”

In 1981, Tottenham beat Wolverhampton Wanderers to book their place in the FA Cup final at Wembley. In the build-up to their meeting with Manchester City, Spurs-supporting popular UK musicians Chas & Dave recorded a track called Ossie’s Dream. Chas & Dave performed it on TV music show Top Of The Pops, with Ardiles and the rest of the squad singing along with them on stage.

Spurs drew 1-1 with City in the final on May 9, so a replay — those were the rules at that time — was scheduled back at the national stadium five days later. City were leading 2-1 with 20 minutes to go when Garth Crooks equalised, before Villa produced a stunning winner which would be voted the Wembley Goal of the Century in 2001.

“It was a story of redemption, because (Villa) had been substituted in the first game and this proud man trudged around the greyhound track (which surrounded the pitch at the old Wembley),” Fisher says. “In the replay, Tony Galvin wins the ball on the left wing and gives it to Ricky. Spurs fans are screaming, ‘Don’t go on that dribble where you always get tackled’.

“He darts in and out and shoots. It was at our end, and I can see that ball bouncing underneath (goalkeeper) Joe Corrigan. It’s the best moment in 57 years of following Tottenham. I still get goosebumps talking about it. People went crazy. You could feel the stadium shaking. We ended up in Trafalgar Square afterwards and people were running into the fountains.”

Tottenham returned to the FA Cup final the following year but Ardiles and Villa did not play in that one.

On April 2, 1982, war broke out between Argentina and the UK over the Falklands, a group of islands in the South Atlantic that both nations claimed belonged to them. The next day, Ardiles started in a 2-0 win against Leicester City. “I remember hearing the terrible news about the Falklands on the radio and thinking this is going to be Ossie’s last game,” Fisher says.

The Falklands War lasted for 74 days, and around 1,000 people lost their lives.

Ardiles joined up with Argentina’s squad shortly after that win against Leicester in preparation for the World Cup in Spain that summer. He did not return to England for Spurs’ 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup final, while Villa withdrew from the squad due to the ongoing conflict. Ardiles spent the following season on loan at Paris Saint-Germain, and though Villa played on for Spurs, he moved to the United States to play for Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1983.

In an interview in 2011, Villa revealed he was criticised by sections of the Argentine media. “They said, ‘Ricky is happy in the enemy country’,” Villa told UK newspaper The Independent. “The stupid b*****ds. I was professional, I had a contract, and people (in England) treated me very well. Sometimes I was booed, but that was all. An English player in Buenos Aires at the same time could never have stayed. It was easy for me to stay here. But it was not difficult to decide to miss the final. I knew history would say whether I was right or not.”

Ardiles returned for the 1983-84 season, when he helped Spurs lift the UEFA Cup. “There was no vindictiveness,” according to Fisher. “We were delighted to see him. He was one of our own.”

He was nearly joined by Mario Kempes, who was voted the best player at the 1978 World Cup, after the forward went on trial at Tottenham. A move failed to materialise and he joined Hercules in Spain.

Ardiles was rewarded with a testimonial in 1986. The midfielder managed to convince his international team-mate Maradona to take part in the game, against Inter Milan at White Hart Lane. Maradona had to borrow a pair of size six-and-a-half boots from Tottenham forward Clive Allen. The following month, Maradona led Argentina to glory at the World Cup in Mexico.

“It was an amazing spectacle to see Maradona in a Spurs shirt charging up the wing,” Fisher says. “I remember Maradona on one side of the penalty area lobbing the ball over to Glenn Hoddle, who knocked it straight back. Back then there was not a lot of coverage of foreign football, so to see Maradona in the flesh in our home ground was fantastic.”

Ardiles finished his playing career in England with Swindon Town in the early 1990s, and then became their manager. Next up came spells with two more English clubs, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion, before a reunion with Spurs. They finished 15th in his only full season in charge and in October 1994 he was sacked.

His countryman Mauricio Taricco arrived from fellow English side Ipswich Town in 1998 and spent six years in north London before he moved across the city to West Ham United.

Fans had to wait nearly a decade for another Argentinian to rock up but that did not prevent Juan Pablo Enrique, who is a member of the Buenos Aires Tottenham Supporters Club, from falling in love with Spurs at that time.

“I started watching them in 2004 when (Michael) Carrick played,” Enrique tells The Athletic. “It wasn’t easy to find Premier League games on TV back then, but every time I saw Spurs I really liked them. I had to watch them through different streams and download different applications.

“I was a Boca Juniors fan at that point and in 2006, I started college. I realised I needed to choose, and since then I have only supported Tottenham. I remember shouting on the balcony and nobody understanding why when they won the Carling Cup in 2008.”

After selling Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for a then world-record fee of £85million in the summer of 2013, Spurs reinvested some of that money in buying Erik Lamela from Roma. Within a year, Pochettino had been appointed head coach and by the end of his reign there were four Argentine players in the squad. Pochettino would host asados, traditional Argentine barbecues, at the training ground for first-team staff and players.

Enrique visited White Hart Lane, Spurs’ home stadium then, for the first time in 2016. “It was my dream to go where it all started,” he says. “It was a very expensive trip and I was saving for years to go. They played Southampton the day before my birthday. I went to the shop that day and who was signing books? Ricky Villa.

“I told him I didn’t have a ticket because you needed to be a member and I didn’t know how to become one. He tried to get me in by saying I was his security and helping him with translations. It didn’t work but when I left the shop an old man said, ‘Don’t worry, I will get you into the stadium and you don’t have to pay me until you’re through (the turnstiles)’.

“Even though we lost, I waited until Lamela came out and had a picture with him. I spoke to Pochettino when he was leaving too. I went back to the hotel and couldn’t eat — I was so full of happiness.”

Mattias Bocchicchio, who is a member of the same supporters’ group, started following them during Pochettino’s reign. Bocchicchio, 19, regularly watches Racing Club, his local side, but at the beginning of 2023 flew over to Europe to see Spurs with his father Leonardo. It was only a couple of months after Romero had helped Argentina beat France on penalties in the World Cup final in Qatar.

“We travelled to Italy first, to watch AC Milan against Tottenham at San Siro,” Bocchicchio says. “Then we went to England and watched them play Chelsea, West Ham, Sheffield United, Wolves and Nottingham Forest. It was a dream.

“At the Nottingham Forest game, we were in the eighth or ninth row in the north stand and my father was close to the pitch at full time. There was another Argentinian near us who had the shirt of Romero’s childhood club. After the game, Romero interacted with him and my father. He gave his shirt to my father, and now it’s hanging in our house.”

The Buenos Aires Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Club was founded in 2020 by Ariel Fernandez and Mariano Tapia. It has more than 80 members, who regularly communicate in a WhatsApp group and meet up to watch the games. They have interviewed Lo Celso for their YouTube channel and participate in a five-a-side football tournament against fan groups of other English clubs, including Arsenal and Chelsea.

When Argentina hosted the Under-20s World Cup last year, Bocchicchio and Enrique met up to watch Tottenham midfielder Alfie Devine play in it for England. And in the October, a small group of the club’s members even had the opportunity to interview Villa.

“It was an incredible experience — like a movie,” Bocchicchio says. “He lives in the countryside around 150 kilometres (93 miles) away from Buenos Aires. He was in his house with his wife. They made an asado for us and we watched Tottenham beat Crystal Palace.”

Lo Celso’s future is unclear, but Romero is at the heart of Tottenham’s defence. He was guilty of making some rash challenges when he first arrived but has matured into a dependable leader. Along with Son Heung-min, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison, Romero is one of the key figures in Postecoglou’s revolution. He is carrying on the legacy of Ardiles and Villa.

“The legend of Tottenham has an Argentinian flag,” Enrique, 34, says. “Ardiles and Villa are always over there, even for the last game at White Hart Lane. Ardiles is an ambassador and Ricky travels a lot for the club too.

“I went to London this year to watch the game against Manchester City. When I left Seven Sisters station, I walked with local fans all the way to the stadium. They were talking about how special it is for them to have Argentinian players. It brings something else and it’s in the culture. It’s not only something we feel.”

(Top photos: Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have signed Archie Gray from Leeds United on a six-year contract.

Our writers — experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance — have come together to rate this summer’s senior Premier League transfers in five categories, with each aspect given a score out of 100, to reach a total score out of 500. Hence, The Athletic 500. The ratings are explained in more detail here (not all transfers will be rated as there may be a lack of data to support an analysis).

Below is our rating for this move.

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Tactical fit — 69/100

“Sometimes he is a six, sometimes he is an eight, sometimes he’s a 10. Sometimes he’s a full-back and he does all that with ease, which is not easy to do because it requires real energy and a really strong work ethic.”

Ange Postecoglou said this about Pape Matar Sarr in November last year and don’t be surprised if you hear something similar when he describes Gray in the future because Spurs’ latest signing brings versatility and so much more to the table.

Last season, Gray operated as both a right-back and in various midfield roles for Leeds, playing in 47 of their 49 Championship matches (including play-offs). An excellent passer with both feet, he recorded a higher passing accuracy in the final third (85 per cent) than overall (84 per cent), while 34 per cent of his passes were forward.

As the pass solar map below shows, Gray was able to establish connections across the pitch, preferring shorter passes to help Leeds dictate the tempo.

Gray is also a decent dribbler and was successful with 51 per cent of his take-ons last season. While this is still an area of his game that requires work, he is confident in his ability to wriggle out of danger, as he does below against Birmingham City in January, taking touches with both feet to beat a presser before finding a team-mate with a reverse pass.

A key area Gray will have to improve is his ball progression, which is vital to Postecoglou’s system, where midfielders either underlap the full-backs or drop back to play in wider players. Gray averaged only 4.2 progressive passes and 1.8 progressive carries per 90 minutes last season (compared to Sarr’s 6.5 and 1.9), though a caveat here is that he often played at right-back.

Gray will also need to improve his physicality and committed a few defensive errors last season, though this should get ironed out with more experience. He already boasts the ability to win the ball without giving away too many fouls (4.9 recoveries, 2.3 tackles and 0.5 fouls committed per 90 last season), as he does below against Coventry City in April, changing direction on the fly to make an excellent recovery.

Overall, Gray looks like a valuable long-term addition for Spurs with the ability to contribute immediately as well. His age and experience playing in multiple positions means Postecoglou can mould him into a No 6, 8 or 10 based on the team’s needs.

Anantaajith Raghuraman

Season rating: 63/100

Rating the player over the course of last season, using statistics from The Athletic’s data team.

Gray made a huge impression in his first full season as a professional last year, and it should come as no surprise he was one of England’s most in-demand young players this summer.

He made 44 appearances (40 starts) in the Championship as Leeds finished third and reached the play-off final. He played as a central midfielder and right-back under Daniel Farke and, for his excellent performances across two positions, he was named Leeds United’s young player of the season, the Championship’s apprentice of the season and the Championship’s young player of the season.

Gray is yet to score a professional goal, but both of his assists last season came from full-back, first in a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in December and then in Leeds’ 4-0 victory against Swansea City in February.

Elias Burke

Gaming rating: 71/100

Rating the player according to Football Manager 2024’s data across both current and potential ability.

According to Football Manager, Gray is not yet a starting-quality player for Tottenham, but he has the potential to be a Premier League standout and an England international.

Gray is ranked among the Premier League’s standout teenage midfielders on FM24, with a current ability rating of 119. This is comparable to Chelsea and France Under-21 international midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu (114) but significantly worse than Tottenham’s 21-year-old central midfield star Pape Matar Sarr (148).

While Gray will be involved in Ange Postecoglou’s first-team plans this season, his potential prompted Tottenham to spend big money. By Sports Interactive’s estimations, Gray has a potential range between 150 and 180. If he does not progress past his potential floor, Spurs fans can expect another player on Sarr’s current level. However, if he reaches his potential ceiling, Gray will rank in a similar tier to Rodri (180).

We gave Gray a potential ability of 165 for the gaming rating, which is in the middle of this range.

Elias Burke

Financial value rating: 63/100

A four-category summary of the player’s transfer in financial terms — and whether it makes sense for his new club.

Market value — 13/25

Placed in context, a £25-30million ($32m-38m) cash outlay for a highly-rated teenager tipped to become an England international does not appear bad business. Though he is far more experienced on a club and international stage, Warren Zaire-Emery is four days older than Gray, and that fee would not get near satisfying PSG’s expectations.

Still, a deal worth around £40million (including Joe Rodon going the other way) is a significant outlay for a player with no Premier League experience and just one year of senior football under his belt.

GO DEEPER

Inside Archie Gray's move to Spurs, his exit from Leeds, and a manic 48 hours

Squad cost — 15/25

Postecoglou wanted to strengthen central midfield this summer as absences and injuries, particularly during the AFCON, hit the north London club hard around the turn of the year. Gray also provides cover at right-back, though he is a very different profile to Pedro Porro, who featured most regularly in that position last season. It does, however, mean Spurs have less money available to sign a forward, arguably their greatest transfer need ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Contract sensibility — 17/25

With a six-year deal tying his future down at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until 2030, Gray is set to be a Spurs player for a long time. It gives the club a strong bargaining position if a sale were to be on the cards in the coming years, but also allows him time to grow into the player Tottenham fans hope he will become. It does, however, mean Tottenham could be burdened with his salary for a long time if the move does not work out.

Resale value — 18/25

Ask any Leeds fan; Gray is a potential superstar. Spurs fans will not want to hear of a move away without even seeing him grace the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but a long contract means Spurs will be in a strong negotiating position if a Premier League or European giant were to make a move. However, a £25-30million outlay is significant, so a club would have to offer huge money for the deal to make sense with PSR considerations.

Elias Burke

Risk or reward? 75/100

Is there a history of injury or other problems that could crop up and make this deal a bad one in retrospect? Or does the player come with a clean bill of health? Our expert takes a look.

Tottenham have won big with the signing of Archie Gray.

He is one of the most promising talents in the world in his position. He is the type of press-resistant, highly technically proficient central midfield player England rarely produces. As Spurs seem to move beyond Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg under Postecoglou, there is a viable future where the current young core of central midfielders at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium run the middle of the park in Premier League matches for the next decade and beyond.

There are obvious questions regarding his experience and a lack of sample size regarding his injury record, though a clean bill of health last season is encouraging. Still, this is a huge upside signing that Spurs fans should be excited about.

Elias Burke

Overall rating: 341/500

(Top photo: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the signing of Archie Gray from Leeds United.

Spurs struck an agreement which will see Gray join the club and Joe Rodon, the defender who spent last season on loan at Elland Road, go the other way.

Leeds have indicated the two deals are separate with Spurs set to pay £40million for Gray and Rodon heading the other way for £10m. The Spurs view is that they are paying £25m-30m for Gray with Rodon part of that agreement. Leeds confirmed in a club statement that Spurs had triggered Gray’s release clause triggered by their failure to win promotion from the Championship last season.

Gray, 18, has signed a six-year contract with Tottenham and becomes their third signing of the summer, following Timo Werner re-signing on loan for another season and Lucas Bergvall joining from Swedish side Djurgarden.

GO DEEPER

Inside Archie Gray's move to Spurs, his exit from Leeds, and a manic 48 hours

The Athletic reported on Sunday that Gray had rejected a deal from Brentford in favour of joining Spurs. He held talks with Tottenham later on Sunday ahead of completing the move. Gray underwent a medical at Brentford on Saturday after agreeing personal terms with the west London club before deciding against the move.

Rodon, 26, made 50 appearances in all competitions for Leeds on loan last season and has signed a four-year contract at his new club. The Welsh centre-back previously played 24 times for Tottenham after joining from Swansea City in 2020.

Spurs tried to sign Gray shortly before he signed professional terms with Leeds at the age of 17, but he decided to stay at Elland Road. Gray enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Leeds last term — making 28 appearances in all competitions — and was a regular, in both midfield and at right-back, as Daniel Farke’s side reached the play-off final.

“Understanding the attraction of Premier League and European football, the club, with a heavy heart, agreed the transfer, but the move has strengthened the board’s resolve to ultimately return Leeds to a position where it can meet the footballing ambitions of even its brightest stars,” a Leeds statement announcing Gray’s departure read.

“Whilst we understand that supporters will be hugely disappointed to lose such a home-grown talent, and a family name so synonymous with Leeds United, the move improves the club’s chance to compete for automatic promotion next season by increasing our ability to build a competitive squad within the league’s financial control regulations.”

GO DEEPER

Archie Gray: 'From 14 or 15, I trusted my ability - and was happy around the first team'

Why Spurs wanted Gray

Analysis from Tottenham correspondent Jay Harris

Tottenham’s recruitment department has been revamped over the last 12 months and technical director Johan Lange has spoken publicly about bringing in the best young talent in the world.

Gray’s arrival continues a trend which was started in the winter window with the signings of Radu Dragusin (22) and Bergvall (18).

Gray — who will wear the No 14 for his new side — will offer Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou another option in central midfield and, alongside Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr (21), he could form part of their spine for the next decade.

Gray’s preferred position is central midfield but he spent the majority of last season playing at right-back for Leeds. This versatility is another reason why Spurs were attracted to him.

(Photo: George Wood/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur are nearing an agreement to sign Archie Gray from Leeds United with defender Joe Rodon in talks to move back to Elland Road on a permanent deal.

Leeds say the two deals are separate, with Spurs set to pay £40million ($50.7m) for Gray and Rodon heading the other way for £10m. The Spurs view is that they are paying £25m-30m for Gray with Rodon part of that agreement.

Gray has already completed his medical ahead of his proposed move to Tottenham, while Leeds are doing paperwork on Rodon with that slightly delayed by the player being in Las Vegas. Gray will sign a six-year contract with the north London side and that deal is expected to be completed later today (Monday).

The deal to sell Gray will likely put Leeds in a good position regarding the EFL and Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and should mean they are not under pressure to sell any more assets this summer, unless players request to leave.

GO DEEPER

Archie Gray playing for Leeds is football at its romantic best - but accounts don’t allow for it

Rodon spent last season at Elland Road, where he made 50 appearances in all competitions at centre-back. Leeds retained an interest in signing him for the upcoming season once his loan deal expired but the Welshman has been subject to interest from a number of clubs.

Gray’s exit is expected to be confirmed soon after a dramatic weekend. Brentford came close to signing the 18-year-old for a fee in the region of £35million and Gray underwent a medical with the west London club before Leeds rejected that offer on Sunday.

Gray played 52 times in all competitions at both right-back and central midfield for Leeds boss Daniel Farke last season.

Additional reporting: Jack Pitt-Brooke

Why Leeds are returning to Rodon

Analysis from Leeds correspondent Nancy Froston

Leeds are keen to bring Rodon back to the club after an impressive season spent on loan playing at right centre-back. Signing the 26-year-old permanently would strengthen Farke’s defensive ranks after a largely positive season for the back line. Depth in that position would be a concern if a return for Rodon had been out of the question this summer.

Rodon and Ethan Ampadu formed a strong partnership over the course of the season, building on their experience of playing together for Wales. Both were integral in Leeds’ 15-game unbeaten run last season with Rodon a key leader with Championship experience in an otherwise young side.

(Top photo: Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur are working on a move to sign Archie Gray from Leeds United after they turned down an offer for him from Brentford.

Discussions are continuing and there is an expectation on all sides that a deal can be struck, although at present nothing has been finalised.

Gray underwent a medical at Brentford on Saturday after agreeing personal terms, but he has since experienced a change of heart and is leaning towards joining Spurs if he departs Leeds.

Tottenham are among a host of suitors from the Premier League and across Europe pursuing the 18-year-old midfielder and the north London club have been exploring the situation for months.

Brentford manoeuvred themselves into the strongest position and were on course to win the race, however their proposal — worth in the region of £35million — was knocked back.

Gray will hold talks with Tottenham on Sunday and while personal terms are not yet in place, a switch there is currently the direction of travel.

The Athletic reported in a previous edition of the Transfer DealSheet that Spurs had a firm, long-held admiration for the highly-rated teenager.

They attempted to secure Gray with an approach shortly before he signed professional terms with Leeds at the age of 17, but the England Under-21 international decided to stay at Elland Road.

Gray, the great nephew of the adored former Leeds player and manager Eddie Gray, enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Leeds last season, making 52 appearances in all competitions.

GO DEEPER

Archie Gray: 'From 14 or 15, I trusted my ability - and was happy around the first team'

(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

With his back caked in mud, Radu Dragusin let out a triumphant roar having put his body on the line for 90 minutes in Romania’s final Euro 2024 group-stage game against Slovakia.

It was hot and sticky inside the Frankfurt Arena at kick-off, but a thunderstorm turned the pitch into a soggy mess by full time. Apart from a couple of nervy moments, including a sliced clearance which looped up awkwardly and angered his goalkeeper Florin Nita, Dragusin remained composed throughout a 1-1 draw that resulted in his country topping their group and qualifying for the round of 16.

Edward Iordanescu’s side will face the Netherlands in Munich on Tuesday, a game that will pit Dragusin against his Tottenham Hotspur team-mate and fellow centre-back Micky van de Ven.

Dragusin, who turned down Bayern Munich to join Spurs from Genoa in January in a deal worth £25million ($31.6m), is one of the highest-profile members of Romania’s squad. The centre-back attracts a lot of attention — and that comes with pressure to perform.

Romania did not qualify for the last Euros and had only reached the knockout stages once before, back in 2000 (they also haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 1998). Dragusin made his senior debut in March 2022 and has quickly become one of the leaders of this exciting generation.

Dragusin featured in all of Genoa’s league games in the first half of the 2023-24 campaign but only made nine appearances for Tottenham. He was limited to four starts and a total playing time of 429 minutes, mostly stuck on the bench behind Ange Postecoglou’s favoured central-defensive duo of Van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

The 22-year-old will be hoping his performances for Romania this summer will boost his chances of breaking into the Spurs starting XI next season. He certainly hasn’t done himself any harm so far…

Dragusin made his debut for Spurs as a substitute in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United on January 14. After a few more cameo appearances against Brentford, Everton and Aston Villa, he started for the first time when they faced Fulham in March. Things did not go according to plan at Craven Cottage as Spurs lost 3-0 and looked anything but defensively sound. Rodrigo Muniz scored Fulham’s opening goal by darting away from Dragusin and latching onto the end of Antonee Robinson’s cross.

He retained his place for their 2-1 victory over Luton Town two weeks later but was an unused substitute in their next six fixtures as Van de Ven returned from injury. Dragusin had to wait nearly two months for another start, which came in the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City. The slightly bizarre circumstances around that game meant the defender’s performance was unfairly overlooked.

Dragusin played as a left-sided centre-back, even though he is naturally right-footed, and did a good job of marking Erling Haaland. In the 18th minute when Haaland was driving straight at Van de Ven, he snuck in from behind to poke the ball away with his right boot. It was an impressive all-round display that demonstrated he has the mental resilience to cope with high-pressure situations.

“He is a super kid and he really wants to learn,” Postecoglou said during ITV’s coverage of Romania’s 2-0 defeat to Belgium last week. “He actually went to Juventus at a very young age, so he has been schooled in Italian defending. He is a defender who loves defending. He is a brave passer as well; he is sort of adding that to his game. He is only 22, but he is a great kid and I am super happy that we have him at Spurs.”

Dragusin joined Juventus when he was 16 after spending five years in the academy of Regal Sport Bucuresti. He made his debut for Juventus at 18 in a 3-0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League group stages in December 2020. He only made three more appearances for the Italian side, but it was a crucial period for his development.

Dragusin came up against Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Alvaro Morata and Federico Chiesa every day in training and met his future Tottenham team-mates Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski.

He received advice from Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, who were the starting centre-backs for Italy when they beat England on penalties in the final of Euro 2020. Chiellini and Bonucci taught Dragusin about the importance of a defender’s positioning and resisting the urge to lunge into tackles. Dragusin only picked up three yellow cards in 40 Serie A appearances across spells with Juventus, Sampdoria, Salernitana and Genoa.

That awareness was on display in Romania’s loss to Belgium. He was constantly moving and instructing his team-mates to step up or drop back depending on what was required in each scenario. It is a small compliment that Romelu Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time record goalscorer, spent the majority of his time on the shoulder of Dragusin’s centre-back partner Andrei Burca.

According to Opta, Dragusin has not attempted a tackle at the Euros but has made 22 clearances — which is the third-highest of all the players at the tournament. There were multiple occasions when Dragusin intercepted crosses from Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne which were aimed towards Lukaku. He may not be the most active defender, but you do not need to be when your body placement deters strikers from dribbling or midfielders from passing it near you. He was caught out in the build-up to De Bruyne’s goal, but Burca should have cleared Koen Casteels’ long goal kick.

There are areas of Dragusin’s game which need to be refined. Over the past two years, he has spent a lot of time improving his left foot to help him become more confident on the ball. Being comfortable playing on the left and right side of defence is a skill that will be extremely useful for Postecoglou.

Data from FBref shows that Genoa had an average possession share of 44.1 per cent in Serie A last season. Tottenham’s figure stood at 61.6 per cent — the second highest in the Premier League after Manchester City (65.2). Postecoglou expects his defenders to be bold with their passing and Dragusin will need time to meet these demands.

In the 42nd minute of Romania’s draw with Slovakia, he attempted a slick pass between the lines but it was cut out, while a few ambitious diagonal balls towards the left wing were intercepted, too. They may not have worked, but it was encouraging to see him try and one long ball in the second half nearly put Dennis Man through for a one-on-one, but Martin Dubravka raced off his line to claim it.

It is easy to imagine him pulling off these types of passes to release Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Son Heung-min into threatening positions for Spurs.

Just over 12 months ago, Dragusin helped Genoa earn promotion to Serie A after finishing as runners-up behind Frosinone in the Italian second tier. His time at Juventus may have afforded him some exciting opportunities early on in his career, but he does not yet have as much top-level experience as Romero or Van de Ven.

Within two weeks of arriving in north London, Tottenham had been eliminated from the FA Cup which, given Spurs were not in Europe and also already out of the Carabao Cup, hugely decreased his chances of earning valuable minutes. He should get far more opportunities in the Europa League next season though and pre-season will be crucial to help him adjust to Postecoglou’s style of play.

It has been an encouraging first six months at Spurs, but there should be a lot more to come and, whatever happens on Tuesday evening against the Netherlands, he will return full of confidence after creating history with Romania.

(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)

Nick Montgomery is expected to join Ange Postecoglou’s coaching staff at Tottenham Hotspur after being sacked as head coach of Scottish club Hibernian last month.

The 42-year-old former central midfielder missed out on the Edinburgh club’s target of a top-six finish in the Scottish top-flight and was dismissed after winning 12 of his 37 matches in charge.

Montgomery — who made 398 first-team appearances for Sheffield United between 2000 and 2012 — previously spent two years in charge of Australian club Central Coast Mariners, whom he guided to the A-League title in 2023.

As first reported by FTBL in Australia, he is now expected to join Postecoglou’s first-team coaching staff at Spurs, which is undergoing changes this summer following the exit of senior assistant coach Chris Davies, who was appointed Birmingham City manager earlier this month. Montgomery will not be a direct replacement for Davies.

Sergio Raimundo, who was Montgomery’s assistant coach at both Central Coast Mariners and Hibs, is also expected to join Postecoglou’s new-look coaching staff.

Postecoglou led Spurs to a fifth-placed Premier League finish in his first season at the club, with the club to play in the Europa League in the 2024-25 season.

(Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Radu Dragusin’s impressive performance for Romania in their 3-0 victory over Ukraine at Euro 2024 and Micky van de Ven’s cameo as the Netherlands beat Poland have been the main on-pitch headlines from Tottenham Hotspur’s international stars over the last couple of weeks.

However, the most eye-catching performance came from a player who spent last season out on loan. Troy Parrott came off the bench when the Republic of Ireland faced Hungary in a friendly at the beginning of June and, with virtually the last kick of the game, scored on the counter to seal a 2-1 victory.

Parrott had been back in his own penalty area to defend a late set piece, which he cleared, before forcing an error that led to a counter-attack from which he scored.

That display of tenacity had been commonplace during his loan spell in the Dutch top flight with Excelsior Rotterdam, where he may just have reignited a career that looked to have been fizzling out.

That Ireland goal came hot on the heels of the 22-year-old scoring back-to-back hat-tricks at club level in what proved to be a doomed attempt to avoid relegation from the Eredivisie.

Now, with Parrott entering the final 12 months of his contract at Spurs, he and the club face some big decisions over his future.

Troy Parrott grew up in Dublin and started his career with local side Belvedere before joining Spurs at the age of 16.

In February 2020, he was rewarded with a new contract at Tottenham but, a month later, the club’s head coach Jose Mourinho warned him about his attitude. At that stage, Parrott was training regularly with the first team but playing regularly for the under-23s.

After one such match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, in which Parrott scored, Mourinho said: “I was so happy with the way he performed and I’m not speaking about his goal.

“I told him before the game: ‘Every time you play with the kids of your age, you have to show your colleagues why you are the privileged one’. Because it was something he was not doing. Every time he was playing with the kids, he was playing with the mentality of, ‘I shouldn’t be here’ or, ‘I am too good to be here’.

“I had exactly the same words with Scott McTominay (at Manchester United). He was not loved in his age group because he was not there with the right frame of mind. The moment we started changing that, lots of things started changing for him. Troy cannot go there (the under‑age teams) with discontent, contempt. It is a process. So everything goes very, very well.”

Parrott made four appearances for the first team during the 2019-20 season but has not played for them since. Over the last four years he has spent time on loan with Millwall, Ipswich Town, Milton Keynes Dons, Preston North End and Excelsior Rotterdam. He started 21 times for Preston in the Championship during the 2022-23 campaign and only scored three times. The forward’s expected goals tally, which measures the quality of chances a team produces, was only 5.6. He underperformed but the service he received was not exactly reliable.

In an interview with The Athletic in April 2022, while he was with MK Dons, Parrott admitted: “At 16 or 17, I thought I was good and I didn’t realise how much I had to learn about the game. I thought everything would be plain sailing and I’ve learned the hard way that in football it’s not.”

Parrott was convinced to join Excelsior on loan by their manager Marinus Dijkhuizen who had a brief spell in charge of Brentford in 2015. Dijkhuizen wanted Parrott to focus his energy on finding good positions in the box and gave him examples of other young players he had helped to improve.

Parrott struggled with a hamstring injury this year and received a needless red card after the full-time whistle in a 4-0 victory over Volendam for flicking the ear of an opponent during a scuffle, but he shone with 10 goals in 25 games, including a late winner in their local derby against Sparta Rotterdam.

Excelsior finished 16th in the Eredivisie, which meant they had to compete in a play-off series to avoid relegation to the second tier. Parrott scored a hat-trick in the second leg of their 9-2 aggregate victory over ADO Den Haag in the semi-finals.

Dijkhuizen’s side were thrashed 6-2 in the first leg of the final by NAC Breda. Parrott spearheaded a remarkable comeback in the second leg, as he scored another hat-trick to level the tie at 6-6 on aggregate. But NAC scored a crucial goal in the second half to condemn Excelsior to relegation. Parrott chipped in with seven goals and one assist across the four play-off games but it was not enough to save them. This took his overall tally to 22 direct goal involvements in 32 matches.

His first goal in the second leg against Breda highlighted the threat he offers running in behind defenders. Lazaros Lamprou receives the ball on the left wing, moves inside with his first touch and plays a delicate through ball into space for Parrott to chase.

Parrott cleverly uses his body to protect the ball from Breda’s centre-back Jan van den Bergh and lets it roll across him.

Parrott charges ahead of Van den Bergh and calmly slots the ball past Pepijn van de Merbel.

Parrott scored a lot of goals by running into the left channel and exploiting his speed. On multiple occasions, he scored tap-ins from drilled crosses into the six-yard box — a tactic Postecoglou loves. He can score with both feet too.

In Excelsior’s 4-2 defeat to Twente in December, Redouan El Yaakoubi makes an interception and pings the ball forward.

Parrott latches onto the ball just outside the box.

And fires a shot with his left foot past Lars Unnerstall before Robin Propper can make a block.

Parrott’s first goal against ADO might be the most impressive. Excelsior try to play up the pitch but are forced to go backwards to goalkeeper Stijn van Gassel, who clears it under pressure.

The ball floats inside Den Haag’s half towards the right wing and Parrott moves in front of Matteo Waem.

Parrott is ushered towards the corner flag by Waem and Joel Ideho but manages to escape and finds Kenzo Goudmijn. The midfielder executes a slick first-time pass straight back to Parrott.

The forward sneaks in behind Den Haag’s defence and cheekily chips the goalkeeper Nick Marsman.

“I’ve loved it over there (in the Netherlands),” Parrott said following Ireland’s win against Hungary. “It’s been everything I hoped would happen when I first decided to go over, so I’m buzzing. It’s more technical over there, you have to use your brain a lot more rather than just being physical. It’s suited me and how the season has gone has shown that.”

What happens now depends on a couple of factors. Spurs only played 41 games last season and that number will significantly increase with their participation in the expanded version of the Europa League. Richarlison was the only natural No 9, apart from 20-year-old Dane Scarlett, in Postecoglou’s squad last season and there were mixed results when he was unavailable. Son Heung-min and Timo Werner can fill in centrally but it is not their strongest position.

Parrott could be a useful alternative to Richarlison in the Europa League and other cup competitions but, after a couple of seasons of starting regularly, moving to a bench role might not be the best for his development.

If Parrott leaves Spurs should be able to earn a decent amount of money following his performances in the Eredivisie but it would have been unthinkable, four and a half years ago, that he might never play for them again.

(Top photo: Herman Dingler/Getty Images)