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How did a footballer on the verge of the big time at Liverpool later find himself at the centre of a massive cocaine bust? We have a first-hand account for you.

Plus: what Arsenal knew about Thomas Partey allegations, Morgan Gibbs-White set for Tottenham medical, and the New York Cosmos are back.

Player to dealer: How ex-Liverpool youth star Cassidy was jailed over £28m drugs plot

Jamie Cassidy made headlines last year when he and his brother, Jonathan, were jailed for their part in smuggling £28m worth ($35.8m) of cocaine into the UK. The case drew attention because Cassidy, now 47, was better known for being a former professional footballer at Liverpool.

Simon Hughes covered the sentencing hearing for The Athletic, and there was an air of finality about his extensive backgrounder. Cassidy received a prison sentence of 13 years and three months. Police first arrested him in 2020 and, having served time in between on remand, he was released on parole last month, which is where this story gets even more interesting.

Upon leaving jail, Cassidy sought Simon out. He had read the coverage of his conviction and wanted to speak about the events which led him to become part of a smuggling network that imported 356kg of cocaine into England from South America, via the Netherlands. Their conversations form the basis of a phenomenally compelling feature, published this morning.

To recap briefly, Cassidy was a supremely gifted, left-footed midfielder who came close to breaking through at Liverpool in the 1990s. Some of his peers, such as Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen, made it big there, and Cassidy believed he would do the same. He made England’s training squad for Euro 1996. A breakthrough was close enough to touch.

How, then, did he spiral from those heady heights to the end of his professional career in his early 20s and a future role in the global narcotics trade? The crux of the matter is injury: a torn ACL from which he never recovered. Cassidy describes himself as “completely lost” during his adult life, something he says he intends to change.

‘It happens over a period of time’

I’m wary of showing Cassidy too much sympathy and, in fairness to him, he’s not asking for any. His interview with Simon is full of contrition. “Nobody put the Encro (EncroChat — an encrypted messaging service used by drug dealers to communicate, which police broke into to bust Cassidy’s operation) in my hand but me,” he says. When the time came to plead, he pleaded guilty.

But there is more than a vague element of misfortune in Cassidy’s story. The demise of his career earned him little emotional support. His father — who stood by Cassidy and who he talks about incredibly fondly, and who died the day after Cassidy was released from jail — responded to the question “why me?” by simply asking “why not you, lad?”. “It was a different time,” Cassidy says. “If there was a problem, you had to try and get on with it.”

Carragher referenced Cassidy in his autobiography, extolling his ability. Cassidy felt so low that he reached the point where he could hardly bring himself to watch Liverpool. He moved into the building trade, where he came into contact with the city’s criminal underworld. Gradually, he found himself crossing the line. “It happens over a period of time,” he says. “In jail, some say lads want to be either a footballer or a drug dealer. Unfortunately, I’ve been both.”

It’s an important story because aftercare for players who chase a career in football but don’t succeed in creating one is a long-standing concern. Cassidy, who worked to support suicidal inmates in jail, says that when he left Liverpool after almost 12 years, “I couldn’t change a plug and suddenly I was out like an old stray dog.” It wasn’t easy for him to know what came next and it will be harder to predict what comes after prison. But to take his comments at face value — and I really would give Simon’s interview your time — he’ll seek to wipe the slate as clean as he can.

Transfer talk: Tottenham sign Kudus for £55m and target £60m Gibbs-White

Have Tottenham Hotspur undergone a personality transplant? For so long derided as a club devoid of adequate ambition — unwilling to spend what needs to be spent in the Premier League — they’re sinking £115m or thereabouts into two back-to-back signings.

Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United is already done. That’s a £55m transfer. But more eye-opening again is Spurs’ £60m approach for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, a midfielder who Manchester City gave consideration to buying. No sooner had David Ornstein broken the exclusive than Gibbs-White was booked in for a medical today.

The deals represent concerted backing for new head coach Thomas Frank, and Gibbs-White in particular is a demonstration of how Spurs winning the Europa League, thereby qualifying for the 2025-26 Champions League, gave them a) more pulling power and b) more revenue to dabble with. Suffice to say, they ain’t finishing 17th next season.

Also going down in the livestock ring:

Forest would like to spend some of the funds from Gibbs-White (assuming the sale goes through) on Brentford forward Yoane Wissa. The trouble is, Brentford are playing hardball this summer, as is their prerogative, and Forest are well short of Wissa’s valuation.

Arsenal’s bid for Chelsea’s Noni Madueke looks like it’s on. The clubs are expected to shake hands on a fee worth £52m. That will burn a hole in Chelsea’s pocket, no doubt.

Breaking this morning: two years on from trading Liverpool for Saudi Arabia, Jordan Henderson is returning to the Premier League. Brentford are handing the 35-year-old a two-year contract after his exit from Ajax.

Real Madrid’s long-winded pursuit of Benfica left-back Alvaro Carreras — once of Manchester United — is also getting there. United stand to profit from a 20 per cent sell-on clause.

An interesting one in Major League Soccer: Inter Miami are speaking to Atletico Madrid about midfielder Rodrigo De Paul. He’d be a cracking asset for them.

News round-up

Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor thinks the club will retain their Europa League place, despite the ownership tangle involving one of his other projects, Lyon. So he told a radio station, anyway.

Endrick could do with a change in luck at Real Madrid. The 18-year-old has suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury that kept him out of the Club World Cup. He might miss the start of the new season.

Ex-Madrid winger Gareth Bale is pushing on with attempts to buy League One club Cardiff City. The consortium he’s part of have upped their offer and want full control. Cardiff are the Welshman’s hometown team. His old Bernabeu team-mate, Luka Modric, is just down the road at Swansea City. Small world.

Hosts Switzerland sneaked into the knockout stages of Euro 2025 by the skin of their teeth last night. A 92nd-minute equaliser squeezed out Finland. Switzerland will most likely meet Spain in the quarter-finals, which should mean curtains for them.

Atlanta United president and CEO Garth Lagerwey is stepping away from the franchise to undergo treatment for cancer.

Partey timeline: When did Arsenal know about rape allegations?

More now on Thomas Partey, the former Arsenal midfielder who earlier this month was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The 32-year-old denies all the charges and is due to appear in court in just over three weeks’ time.

Until he was charged, UK law prevented The Athletic from identifying Partey as the footballer under investigation. While the case is live, there are also strict limits on what we can report. But questions are being asked of Arsenal’s management of him — their decision to continue playing Partey while police looked into the claims against him — and James McNicholas has worked hard to establish what the club knew and when.

It turns out that they were first made aware of a complaint against Partey in September 2021, almost four years before he was charged. They also knew that England’s Crown Prosecution Service was still considering whether to charge Partey while Arsenal were discussing a contract extension with him towards the end of last season. While James’ article makes for uncomfortable reading, it’s an essential piece of work.

Around TAFC

Three years after her last professional appearance, it’s the end of the road for USWNT legend Tobin Heath. A nasty knee injury got the better of the two-time World Cup winner and she announced her retirement yesterday, aged 37. Meg Linehan chased down a lovely interview with her.

In the aftermath of their Gold Cup defeat, Adam Crafton spoke to the USMNT’s Tyler Adams about where the team go from here. They got into the subject of how to attract more U.S. fans to matches.

Don’t miss Nick Miller’s feature on how clubs deal with the tragic loss of a player such as Diogo Jota. Even now, I can remember exactly where I was when I heard the news of the death of Phil O’Donnell in Scotland just after Christmas in 2007. He was only 35.

What’s the score with Jhon Duran? Jacob Tanswell is tackling that question this morning because Duran, for all his wealth of talent, hasn’t managed to settle anywhere. Fenerbahce, with Jose Mourinho, is his latest partnership.

Quiz question: seven players have registered more than 100 goals and assists in the Premier League in the 2020s. Name them for us please. As per, answers here later today and in Monday’s TAFC.

Most clicked in Thursday’s TAFC: PSG’s demolition job on Madrid.

Catch a match

(Selected matches; times ET/UK)

Friday: UEFA European Women’s Championship: Group B: Italy vs Spain; Portugal vs Belgium, both (3pm/8pm) – Fox Sports/BBC.

Saturday: UEFA European Women’s Championship: Group C: Poland vs Denmark; Sweden vs Germany, both (3pm/8pm) – Fox Sports/ITV; MLS: FC Cincinnati vs Columbus Crew, 7.30pm/12.30am (Sunday, UK) – MLS Season Pass/Apple TV; Inter Miami vs Nashville, 7.30pm/12.30am (Sunday, UK) – Fox Sports, Fubo, MLS Season Pass/Apple TV; Chicago Fire vs San Diego, 8.30pm/1.30am (Sunday, UK) – MLS Season Pass/Apple TV.

Sunday: FIFA Club World Cup final: Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain, 3pm/8pm – TBS, Fubo, DAZN in US and UK/Channel 5.

UEFA European Women’s Championship: Group D: England vs Wales, (3pm/8pm) – Fox Sports/ITV, BBC; Netherlands vs France, (3pm/8pm) – Fox Sports/ITV.

And finally…

I can’t think of the New York Cosmos — and you won’t either — without thinking of Pele. The majestic Brazilian played for them between 1975 and 1977, back when soccer in the United States was rather experimental. The club all but drifted off the map in the 1980s.

Over the years, various attempts have been made to revive and sustain them. And once again, they’ve found a pulse. In 2026, the Cosmos will compete in League One in the United Soccer League (USL), the culmination of plans to launch a team in New Jersey. Their iconic old badge is on the way back. It’s got wholesome vibes, and it’s what Pele would have wanted.

(Top photo: Cameron Smith – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

In the long seven weeks since Bilbao, there has been an anxiety among some Tottenham Hotspur fans that they might not get to see Cristian Romero in a lilywhite shirt again.

The trophy parade through north London on May 23 was the last time supporters clapped eyes on him, as he missed what proved Ange Postecoglou’s last game in charge against Brighton & Hove Albion two days later. But on Wednesday, July 9, Romero returned for pre-season, meeting up with Postecoglou’s replacement, Thomas Frank, and his new coaching staff for the first time.

In one sense, nothing is surprising or interesting about that. People turn up for their jobs every day without it making the news. But at the same time, everything that Romero does in the coming weeks will attract interest because there has been so much speculation about his future this year. People want to know whether he will be staying at the club or not. Everyone is waiting for clarity.

And this week, we have inched towards clarity, and not just because Romero showed up at Hotspur Way. Rather, it’s because The Athletic has learned that Atletico Madrid, who had been leading the chase for his services all summer, have decided to stop their pursuit of the Argentina international. They are already starting to look for alternatives in defence. And at Atletico, they believe Tottenham will now try to tie Romero to a new contract.

We should always remember that some of what happens at this time of year should be viewed as negotiation and that the window still has a long way to run until September 1, when it finally shuts. But if Atletico have fully given up on their dream of signing Romero, that is as significant a moment as any in Tottenham’s summer.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone never made any secret of his admiration for countryman Romero, even admitting in public how much he wants him, because he’s a “great player”. Romero’s Argentine team-mate and Atletico striker Julian Alvarez added to the noise, too, saying in early May that he “hope(s) it happens” and that Romero would “help us a lot”.

And it never took a big imaginative leap to see Romero in the Spanish side’s red and white stripes. Perhaps more than any other modern player, he embodies some of the win-at-all-costs qualities that Simeone’s best Atletico teams have had.

But in the end, Atletico never even formally approached Tottenham about the signing.

For his part, Romero never exactly shut down the questions about his future, telling an Argentinian broadcaster in April how much he would “love” to play in La Liga, “the league I’m missing”, having played three seasons in Italy’s Serie A before coming to the Premier League.

As a player heading into the penultimate year of his contract, Romero will know very well that the power dynamic is starting to move in his direction. This summer would be the last chance for Tottenham to sell him for a significant fee before his value in the market starts to diminish. Twelve months from now, Romero would only have a year left on his deal, a lucrative free transfer in 2027 would be on the horizon, and the dynamic would be totally different.

The next question is what Spurs intend to do.

Their position throughout has been that they do not want to lose one of their best players, and, as mentioned above, the view in the Spanish capital is that now, with two years of his current contract left, Tottenham will try to secure Romero’s future with a new deal. And it would be perfectly natural for them to try to do so, rather than to let one of their top assets go into his final year.

Of course, the reality of the market is that if Romero were to sign a new long-term contract and hand over all of his leverage in doing so, it would need to be financially worth his while. Sometimes players do this in their peak years, such as with Harry Kane in 2018 or Son Heung-min three years later, but generally they do not. Unless the bank is being broken for them.

This could now be one of the questions that hang over Spurs’ forthcoming season.

There is certainly no doubt inside the club about how highly the 27-year-old is regarded. Everyone knows that they have a unique player on their hands, and that going into this, the penultimate year of his contract, coming off the back of last season, his market value is at its peak.

Remember that Romero was not exactly cheap when Spurs signed him in the first place.

It was summer 2021 and Fabio Paratici had just shown up as their new managing director of football. He knew Romero well from Italy — signing him from Genoa for Juventus in 2019, then loaning him back — and believed the then 23-year-old was worth paying a big fee for. Paratici knew that the €55million (£47.4m; $64.3m at current rates) asking price Atalanta set would prove money well spent.

Tottenham also had to move fast that summer because Lionel Messi had been so impressed by Romero as they helped Argentina win the Copa America in the July that he was trying to persuade Barcelona to make him a team-mate at Camp Nou, too. (As it turned out, Messi left for Paris Saint-Germain later in that same window.)

Four years on, that signing looks like one of the best of the Paratici era.

Romero has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in world football. He might not have the consistency and permanent availability of some players, but when he is fit and focused, there is nobody like him. Especially in big games with trophies on the line.

That has been clear enough with Argentina for years.

He has won all three major international trophies has played for, adding the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa America to that 2021 triumph in the latter. In those big games in Qatar three years ago especially, with the eyes of the world on him, he seemed to find a new level within himself, playing with a remarkably calm confidence and a refusal to get distracted by anything other than the sport’s ultimate prize.

Up until the past few months, Tottenham fans would justifiably say that they would love to see that Romero playing for them, the ice-cold, win-at-all-costs guy. And the beauty of last season is that those Spurs supporters finally did. It was the return of Romero from four months out with foot and groin injuries, more than anything else, that helped them win the Europa League in May.

He was note-perfect for both legs of the quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt, both legs against Bodo/Glimt in the next round and then integral to Spurs’ triumph over Manchester United in Bilbao. It was Romero most of all who set the tone among the squad in the build-up to that final, Romero who led by example on the pitch, keeping all of his team-mates together and in line with the game plan.

Come the final whistle, Romero had his fourth trophy from the fourth final of his senior career. It is hard to imagine how Tottenham could have done it without him.

At the start of the summer, it felt as if Bilbao and the parade would be the end of the story for Romero and Spurs, that he would wave goodbye, having taken them back to where they wanted to be. But now, with Atletico turning elsewhere, we will likely see him go into his fifth season at the club.

Which is unambiguously good news for a team that cannot afford to lose any more leadership, but who will surely throw up a new set of questions over the next year.

(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United.

The Athletic reported on Wednesday that a deal worth around £55million ($74.7m) had been agreed between the two clubs, with Kudus set to sign a six-year contract. Spurs had an initial bid of £50m rejected by West Ham, as reported by The Athletic on July 5.

The agreed fee is less than the buyout clause inserted in Kudus’ West Ham contract, which was active only for the first 10 days of July. The clause set a price of £80million ($108m) for teams on the continent, £85m for those in the Premier League and £120m for those in Saudi Arabia, while his deal at the London Stadium was valid until the summer of 2028.

The 24-year-old has been a key player for West Ham since he joined the club from Ajax in a deal worth €41m plus €3m in add-ons in 2023. He scored 14 goals — eight in the league — for the club in his debut season, alongside nine assists.

His output slowed in the subsequent campaign, with five goals and four assists in 35 matches as he played across multiple position’s in West Ham’s attack. Two of his goals came under Graham Potter, after the former Chelsea head coach succeeded Julen Lopetegui in January.

Kudus becomes Spurs’ first addition to the squad since the appointment of Thomas Frank as head coach last month. Prior to his arrival, Mathys Tel signed for the club permanently for a fee worth up to €45m following a six-month spell during the second half of the 2024-25 campaign. The Athletic reported on Thursday Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is to undergo a medical at Spurs as Frank looks to bolster his new squad.

Tottenham have been actively looking to strengthen their attack, having shown interest in reuniting Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo with head coach Frank, but the 25-year-old informed the north London club of his preference to join Manchester United. Spurs also made an inquiry for Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, but the winger extended his contract with the South Coast club until 2030.

‘A significant coup’ for Spurs

Analysis from Tottenham correspondent Jay Harris

Spurs have spent the first few weeks of the transfer window trying to sign a right winger. However, Bryan Mbeumo has made it clear he wants to join Manchester United and Antoine Semenyo signed a new long-term contract with Bournemouth. Kudus might not have been their first-choice target but he is still a significant coup for new head coach Thomas Frank.

Frank loves players who are positionally versatile. Kudus has spent the majority of his time with West Ham United on the right wing but he operates as a No 10 for Ghana. Frank could use the 24-year-old as a threat cutting inside onto his stronger left foot or as a powerful and dynamic dribbler in tight central areas.

Tottenham’s squad struggled to cope with the demands of the Premier League and the Europa League last season so it was crucial that they boosted their numbers this summer. Mathys Tel arrived permanently, after spending the second half of last season on loan from Bayern Munich, but he only turned 20 in April and is still raw. Kudus has a lot of room for growth but is far more experienced and proven.

It will be interesting to see how Kudus’ arrival impacts Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski. Johnson was Tottenham’s top scorer in all competitions last season and he scored the winning goal in the Europa League final. Johnson primarily plays on the right and Frank tried to sign him when he was in charge of Brentford. Will Kudus replace Johnson as the first-choice right winger or will he take over Kulusevski’s playmaking responsibilities in the middle of the pitch? Spurs have a lot of attacking talent at their disposal and it will be fascinating to see how Frank will effectively combine them.

(Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur are set to turn their focus to Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White as work continues to bolster Thomas Frank’s squad for next season.

Gibbs-White is high on the recruitment lists of several leading clubs and Spurs hope to convince him to join them if a deal can be agreed with Forest.

The 25-year-old moved to the City Ground from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2022 and has become one of the Premier League’s most impressive players, while also earning recognition at international level for England.

Recently-appointed Spurs boss Frank is a long-term admirer of Gibbs-White and switching to north London would give him a chance to play Champions League football.

Gibbs-White was strongly considered by Manchester City heading into this transfer window, however, they ultimately favoured the acquisitions of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.

Gibbs-White signed a contract until June 2027 when he joined from Wolves for a fee of up to £42.5million (now $57.6m) including bonuses.

The Englishman starred for Forest in 2024-25, registering seven goals and 10 assists as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side secured a seventh-place finish in the Premier League and qualified for the Conference League next season. He has 18 goals and 28 assists in 118 matches during his three years at Forest, where he has captained the side on occasion.

Spurs, meanwhile, have already agreed a £55m deal to sign West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus and have completed the signing of Japan international defender Kota Takai. Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso have also joined permanently following loan spells last season. They qualified for the Champions League after beating Manchester United in last season’s Europa League final.

Worrying news for Forest fans

Analysis by senior writer Danny Taylor

There is no denying the fact that, if you are a Nottingham Forest supporter, this is exceedingly worrying news.

Fresh from the news that Anthony Elanga is joining Newcastle United for £52m, most Forest fans might have been forgiven for thinking that would end any further discussion about the possibility of losing another of their other key performers.

That, however, is not the case and the prospect of losing Gibbs-White will be hard to take given his emergence as a high-calibre Premier League player, winning England recognition in the process.

Why are Spurs trying to sign him? Well, the bottom line here is that he would be an ideal wearer of the club’s colours. And the advantage for Spurs, of course, is that they can offer him Champions League football as well as a substantial pay rise.

Yes, we are talking about a side that finished 17th last season, ten places behind Forest, but this is still an exciting period for the side under Frank.

If they can arrange a deal for Gibbs-White in addition to the one they have struck for Kudus, they have even more reason for optimism that they can re-establish himself themselves as a top-six club.

An exciting move for Spurs – but would it be the right one?

Analysis by Tottenham correspondent Jay Harris

Ange Postecoglou must be looking on with envy at the moves Spurs are making in the transfer window this summer. Last year, the only player they signed who immediately improved the starting XI was Dominic Solanke in a club-record deal worth £65m. They spent the rest of their money on talented teenagers Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert but it left their squad light in lots of areas.

It feels like they have a completely different attitude in this window under Frank. They should complete the signing of Ghana international Kudus by the end of the week and landing Gibbs-White would only make their fanbase even more optimistic about the future with Frank.

When Frank was in charge of Brentford, they were interested in signing Gibbs-White before he joined Forest. Frank mainly used a 4-2-3-1 formation at Brentford last season and Mikkel Damsgaard thrived as the No 10, recording 10 assists which was the joint-fourth best record in the league. Gibbs-White could perform a similar role for Spurs or sit slightly deeper alongside a defensive midfielder.

With the expanded version of the Champions League on the horizon, Spurs need to bulk up their squad but it is already packed with attacking talent. Gibbs-White possesses the quality to start every week but where does that leave James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski? Kudus can play on the right but operates centrally for Ghana. It would be an exciting move but some Spurs fans might argue that the priority should be sourcing an upgrade on Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur at No 6.

(Top photo: Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

Winning the Europa League was a huge moment for Tottenham Hotspur. On May 23, the first-team squad paraded the trophy through the streets of north London in front of thousands of emotional supporters who were united by a first piece of silverware in 17 years.

But two months after those jubilant scenes along Tottenham High Road, nearly all of the coaching staff who masterminded that famous victory in Bilbao have gone. Ange Postecoglou was sacked two weeks later and replaced by Thomas Frank. Assistant coaches Nick Montgomery, Mile Jedinak and Sergio Raimundo departed at the same time. Ryan Mason left to take the West Bromwich Albion job last month, and goalkeeping coach Rob Burch left at the beginning of this week, which means Matt Wells is the only survivor.

There has been significant change within the medical department too, as director of performance services Adam Brett and head of sports science Nick Davies have both left.

Frank has brought five staff members from Brentford with him. Fabian Otte, Andreas Georgson and Cameron Campbell are external hires. Stuart Lewis and Dean Brill have been promoted from the academy. In less than 60 days, Spurs’ backroom staff has completely changed and increased in size.

So, who are all these new faces and how will they complement each other?

Justin Cochrane, who supported Frank for three years at Brentford and is part of Thomas Tuchel’s England staff, will plan the training sessions and primarily work with the attacking players. Wells will remain in charge of the defence. He could be spotted in the warm-ups before matches last season leading the back four through defensive drills.

Head of performance Chris Haslam will lead the physical part of training. He can be spotted running alongside the players in the video below as they take part in a one-kilometre test on the first day of pre-season. They had to run the length of the pitch multiple times and complete the distance as quickly as possible. Joe Newton has followed Frank from west London too. Newton is a coach-analyst who will provide a link between the two groups.

Georgson spent last year as Manchester United’s set-piece coach, a role he previously held at Southampton, Arsenal and Brentford. He worked at Brentford during the 2019-20 season when Frank led them to a third-place finish in the Championship but they lost the play-off final to Fulham. He also spent a year as technical director of Swedish side Malmo.

Spurs did not have a specialist set-piece coach last season but Montgomery could often be seen giving players instructions from the touchline at corners and free kicks. Georgson’s official title is assistant coach but set pieces and restarts, which include kick-offs and throw-ins, will fall under his remit. Brentford scored straight from kick-off in three consecutive games last season, including in a 3-1 defeat to Spurs in September.

Georgson will be responsible for looking after the team’s culture too. During Frank’s time at Brentford, this task fell to Kevin O’Connor. The former midfielder would organise team-bonding events including go-karting, axe-throwing and clay-pigeon shooting. He also ran an event at their training ground which was inspired by speed-dating.

“The plan was to get everyone in front of each other and say two non-football-related facts about yourself,” O’Connor told The Athletic in January. “Then we had a small competition to see who could remember the most. It’s just to get people talking. Thomas absolutely loved it. At one point, he was talking to the cleaner. It’s good fun and I’m just trying to think of ways to keep the staff engaged.”

Campbell is the most interesting addition because he has been appointed to the newly created role of first-team individual development (IDP) coach. Campbell started his career as an intern in Aberdeen’s academy and spent four years with them before he joined the Right to Dream academy, who are based in Ghana and have a partnership with Denmark’s Nordsjaelland. Although Mohammed Kudus, who Spurs are close to signing after agreeing terms with West Ham, started his career with Right to Dream, he had moved to Nordsjaelland shortly before Campbell arrived.

In an interview with the Scottish Football Association earlier this year, Campbell spoke about his time with Right to Dream. “In Ghana, they constantly produce players who are strong in one-v-one situations because they play a lot of street football in challenging conditions,” he said. “In Scotland, a lot of the top players excel in releasing skills, like passing and shooting but we aren’t as strong in one-v-ones, so this is an area I’ve looked to put an increased onus on as part of players’ development since I returned from Ghana.

“Given FC Nordsjaelland’s model is to play youth and develop players, it was a fantastic place to work and there’s not many clubs in the world where the first-team manager is as bought-in to the project as the technical director and head of academy. When they sell a player, they know that the next player is going to come from the academy and not from the outside world. That strategy really helps the motivation of not only the players, but all of the staff and you can constantly see the pathway when you’re on the training pitch.”

Campbell spent just under two years with Right to Dream before becoming Rangers’ under-18s head coach in August 2020. Campbell left Rangers after nearly four years to join RB Leipzig as their head of player development. During his time in Germany, Viggo Gebel and Faik Sakar both made their first-team debuts for Leipzig aged 16.

Frank worked with an IDP coach at Brentford. Steven Pressley, who took charge at Dundee in June, looked after the youngest players in the first-team squad, including Kim Ji-soo and Yehor Yarmoliuk. He would analyse and provide feedback on their performances. He also helped Ukrainian Yarmoliuk and South Korean Kim to settle into a new country and environment as part of his role.

Since Johan Lange became sporting director in November 2023, Spurs have focused on signing talented young players including Mathys Tel, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall while the academy has produced Mikey Moore and Jamie Donley. All of Campbell’s experiences mean he is the perfect candidate to give them tailored advice while Frank focuses on the team’s overall performance.

“(An IDP coach) was a big wish from Johan and I,” Frank said in an interview with Lange on the club’s website. “It’s something we spoke about and thought was crucial. Not many clubs have nailed that. We have tried that in the past, so hopefully we can take that to the next level.”

Campbell will probably work closely with Lewis, the new first-team academy transition coach. Lewis has been promoted from his previous role as head of the under-18s. He guided Spurs to victory in the Under-17 Premier League Cup in April, with Luca Williams-Barnett scoring a hat-trick in the final against Charlton Athletic. Williams-Barnett does not turn 17 until October but was named on the bench in the Europa League and Premier League last season. It will be Lewis’ responsibility to help Williams-Barnett and other academy stars smoothly transition into the first-team set-up and permanently stay there.

“We are very fortunate as a club that we are able to attract some of the best specialist coaches in the world,” Lange said. “We want players of all ages to have that development mindset but to strengthen even more the bond between the first team and the academy. It’s something we have worked on for a number of years and with this new hire of Stuart coming into a new role, we believe it will be even stronger in the years to come.”

Otte has replaced Burch as goalkeeping coach and will be assisted by Brill. The 34-year-old has worked with the United States’ men’s national team (USMNT), Burnley, Borussia Monchengladbach and helped Liverpool to win the title last season. Otte has a PhD from the University of Cologne and produced a study titled Skill Acquisition Training Methods in Modern Football Goalkeeping.

During his time with Burnley, Otte used unorthodox methods to help the goalkeepers improve. “We use a lot of equipment — like special glasses which cut off part of the player’s vision, or eye patches. We use iPads for visual work to get them thinking,” he told The Athletic in December 2020. Last year, he gave Liverpool’s goalkeepers noise-cancelling headphones in pre-season under Arne Slot.

There has been a huge turnover of staff at Spurs, but the good news is that everybody was in place for the start of pre-season. Frank brought some of his closest allies with him and he has been surrounded by club appointments who went through a formal hiring process. Frank has a big supporting cast but hopefully it means players will receive special attention and it will lead to better performances.

“It’s very important to have (…) clear role descriptions for the coaches so they know what they are in charge of so it’s not like, ‘What are we doing today?’,” Frank said.

“They know their roles, what they need to execute and be on top of. They need to be able to overlap each other and help but the most important thing is the training out there is world-class.”

Top photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement for Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United for a fee of around £55million ($74.7m).

A medical is scheduled to take place on Thursday ahead of Kudus signing a six-year contract at the north London club.

The Athletic reported on July 5 that Tottenham had made a £50m offer for the 24-year-old, which was turned down as talks continued.

The Ghana international is prioritising a move to Spurs if he leaves West Ham and personal terms are not expected to be an issue.

Kudus’ contract runs until 2028 and has a buyout clause that is only active for the first 10 days of July, valued at £80million ($108m) for teams on the continent, £85m for those in the Premier League and £120m for those in Saudi Arabia.

Kudus registered five goals and four assists in 35 Premier League games for West Ham last season, his second after joining for €41.5m from Ajax in the summer of 2023. That output was slightly down on that from his debut league campaign in England, when he managed eight goals and nine assists.

Tottenham have been keen to add forward options to their squad, as well as securing a permanent deal for Mathys Tel, who spent the second half of last season on loan from Bayern Munich. Tel, 20, has signed a six-year contract after moving for a fee worth up to €45m.

Spurs have shown interest in Bryan Mbeumo in a move that would reunite the Cameroonian with his former head coach at Brentford, Thomas Frank. But Mbeumo, 25, has informed the north London side that he wishes to join Manchester United, who are working to complete a deal after seeing two bids turned down.

‘A significant coup’ for Spurs

Analysis from Tottenham correspondent Jay Harris

Spurs have spent the first few weeks of the transfer window trying to sign a right winger. However, Bryan Mbeumo has made it clear he wants to join Manchester United and Antoine Semenyo signed a new long-term contract with Bournemouth. Kudus might not have been their first-choice target but he is still a significant coup for new head coach Thomas Frank.

Frank loves players who are positionally versatile. Kudus has spent the majority of his time with West Ham United on the right wing but he operates as a No 10 for Ghana. Frank could use the 24-year-old as a threat cutting inside onto his stronger left foot or as a powerful and dynamic dribbler in tight central areas.

Tottenham’s squad struggled to cope with the demands of the Premier League and the Europa League last season so it was crucial that they boosted their numbers this summer. Mathys Tel arrived permanently, after spending the second half of last season on loan from Bayern Munich, but he only turned 20 in April and is still raw. Kudus has a lot of room for growth but is far more experienced and proven.

It will be interesting to see how Kudus’ arrival impacts Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski. Johnson was Tottenham’s top scorer in all competitions last season and he scored the winning goal in the Europa League final. Johnson primarily plays on the right and Frank tried to sign him when he was in charge of Brentford. Will Kudus replace Johnson as the first-choice right winger or will he take over Kulusevski’s playmaking responsibilities in the middle of the pitch? Spurs have a lot of attacking talent at their disposal and it will be fascinating to see how Frank will effectively combine them.

(Julian Finney/Getty Images)

When shaping any squad, the diversity of the profiles is vital.

Different characteristics offer diverse solutions depending on the team’s principles and the opponent on the day.

Tottenham Hotspur’s new head coach, Thomas Frank, will adapt to the squad at his disposal. That’s why empowering the team with missing profiles is a step in the right direction, as it gives the Danish head coach more tools.

Since the start of the summer transfer window, Spurs have been interested in signing a winger and had a £50million ($68m) bid for West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus turned down.

Going for Kudus, 24, is an interesting choice because it provides flexibility and fills a profile gap in Tottenham’s squad. The shortage of dribblers in Frank’s team limits their attacking solutions, especially with the lack of a left-footed one.

Kudus perfectly fits the required profile, while being able to play in any position across the front line. The forward’s skill set isn’t limited to his dribbling, though, as his ball-carrying ability offers a threat on the transition and his movement inside the penalty area puts him in dangerous goalscoring positions.

In terms of Premier League dribblers, it’s impossible to ignore Kudus’ one-on-one prowess. “It’s one of my biggest attributes,” he told The Athletic last year. “I play with so much risk and try to create stuff in the game out of nothing.”

Last season, he attempted the second-most take-ons per 90 minutes (7.2) in the Premier League, and had the second-highest successful take-ons per game (3.2) among players with at least 75 attempts.

One of the stand-out aspects of Kudus’ dribbling is his ability to drive past opponents in large areas as well as weave through them in tight spaces, as seen in this example from the 1-1 draw against Everton in March.

Kudus is comfortable dribbling in any direction, which makes him unpredictable and enables him to play in multiple attacking positions. His understanding of how to use his body as a shield between the opponent and the ball is another aspect that makes him hard to dispossess.

“My low centre of gravity also helps. I work a lot on my lower body, so it’s really hard for me to get off the ball or be pushed away easily,” Kudus said in an interview with the Premier League last year.

The forward’s low centre of gravity allows him to twist and turn faster, which is key to his success in one-on-one situations.

In this example, against Tottenham in May, Kudus dribbles inside the pitch and puts his body between Wilson Odobert and the ball, before quickly changing direction to get past Yves Bissouma and speeding past Archie Gray to create a crossing angle.

Kudus is a multiple-touch dribbler, which helps him keep the ball away from the opponents while waiting for the right moment to change direction or accelerate into space to find a passing angle.

In this example, from the 3-1 victory against Luton Town in May 2024, Kudus was in a one-versus-two situation, but he managed to dribble past Gabriel Osho and Alfie Doughty to assist George Earthy.

Here, West Ham’s forward initially dribbles inside and his multiple-touch approach wrong-foots Osho.

Kudus’ left-footed touch (slide 1) moves the Luton defender inside the pitch, and he quickly rolls the ball in the other direction as Osho tries to balance himself, before accelerating into space to play the cutback with his right foot.

Kudus’ dribbling style translates well to a higher-possession side that faces deeper blocks because he is able to dribble in tight spaces by using his body smartly, taking multiple touches to change his direction and accelerating in short distances to create passing or shooting angles.

The last part is complemented by his ability to shoot or pass with his weaker foot, which makes him a threat regardless of his position or direction of dribble.

In bigger spaces and transitional situations, Kudus is a menace on and off the ball due to his pace and ball-carrying ability. “When I see space with the ball at my feet, I don’t care what’s in front of me. I have to go for it,” he told The Athletic last year.

Despite Kudus’ unattractive underlying attacking numbers — which are partly influenced by West Ham’s style — his off-ball movement in and around the penalty box is smart and it’s an area of his game that can be harnessed in a better way.

In this example, against Brentford in November 2023, Kudus darts inside the penalty area and attacks the space behind Vitaly Janelt to offer Said Benrahma a crossing option towards the back post.

The Ghanaian only manages to hit the post with his thigh, but Jarrod Bowen follows the ball and scores on the rebound.

In another example, against Brighton & Hove Albion in April, Aaron Wan-Bissaka finds Bowen’s run behind the defence, while Mats Wieffer is keeping an eye on Kudus down the left side.

Kudus initially darts inside to offer Bowen a passing option…

… but then changes his direction and attacks the back post to surprise Wieffer.

However, Bowen plays the pass according to Kudus’ earlier movement, and the Ghanaian alters his direction once again to beat Wieffer who has dropped to defend the back post.

Kudus’ smart off-ball movement allows him to reach the ball first…

… and he side-foots it into the bottom corner.

There is scope for developing Kudus’ attacking output in terms of goals and assists, which in theory should increase in a more attacking style of play.

His profile has the capacity to be a goalscoring and creative threat because, more often than not, it’s the final action that fails him.

Kudus’ ability in one-versus-one situations means that isolating him against a defender is one attacking option, but his dribbling is as beneficial in tight spaces against deeper blocks.

Meanwhile, he is effective on the transition and has the potential to be a goalscoring threat inside the penalty area.

Kudus is primarily a dribbler, but he offers more than that. His profile is one that Tottenham don’t have in abundance and he will offer Frank more attacking solutions against different types of opponents.

Brentford contacted former Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou about replacing Thomas Frank.

In what would have been an extraordinary sequence of events and effectively a job swap, Brentford considered Postecoglou as an option to succeed Frank, who left to join Tottenham on a three-year deal after they sacked the 59-year-old Australian.

Brentford director of football Phil Giles held informal discussions with Postecoglou but he was not interviewed for the role, as both parties agreed moving forward was not the best option. Other candidates Brentford considered included former Ajax head coach Francesco Farioli, who has now joined Porto, but they instead promoted set-piece coach Keith Andrews.

Postecoglou joined Spurs in June 2023 and he guided them to a fifth-place finish in his first season.

His second year in charge was disrupted by a crippling injury crisis. Spurs lost 22 league matches and finished 17th but won the Europa League after beating Manchester United in the final. Postecoglou delivered Spurs their first piece of silverware in 17 years but he was sacked two weeks after that famous victory in Bilbao. Frank, who had been in charge of Brentford for nearly seven years, replaced Postecoglou.

Andrews, a former Republic of Ireland international, joined Brentford as their set-piece coach last summer and worked under Frank for a year. The 44-year-old’s familiarity with the squad and strong presentation ensured he was the first-choice candidate. Andrews was officially appointed as Brentford’s new head coach on a three-year contract at the end of June.

At an introductory press conference for Andrews, which was held last week, Giles spoke about the hiring process. “There’s always going to be some degree of risk,” Giles said.

“It’s more risky to go and get a coach we don’t know from a club where the environment might be different or maybe people around them made them successful. This is actually quite a low-risk appointment because I know how good Keith is.”

(Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur forward Alejo Veliz has returned to his former club Rosario Central on a season-long loan deal.

The deal does not include an option or obligation to make the move permanent next summer, and is Veliz’s third loan since joining Spurs from the Argentine club in summer 2023 in a deal worth around £13million.

Veliz, 21, spent the second half the 2023-24 campaign on loan at Sevilla but managed just six starts.

He was more involved in a season-long spell at Espanyol last term, featuring 29 times and scoring four goals, including a hat-trick in the Copa del Rey win over San Tirso.

Tottenham’s issues with club-trained players would have made it difficult for new head coach Thomas Frank to register Veliz ahead of homegrown strikers Will Lankshear and Dane Scarlett in his Champions League squad for the coming season.

Veliz has made just eight appearances for Spurs, scoring his one and only goal in a 4-2 defeat to Brighton in December 2023.

(Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have overhauled their medical department for the second consecutive summer following last season’s injury crisis, with key figures Adam Brett and Nick Davies having left the club.

Brett was the club’s director of performance services — responsible for overseeing sports science, medical, nutrition and psychology — while Davies was head of sports science.

Davies has moved to another club and Spurs said there will be a process to replace the pair in due course.

Nick Stubbings (pictured with Thomas Frank above) has joined Spurs from Brentford as medical lead, one of at least five members of backroom staff to have followed new head coach Frank from west London.

Spurs suffered from an injury crisis during the 2024-25 season under Frank’s predecessor Ange Postecoglou, who had to cope for long periods without key players including Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario.

They lost 22 games in the top-flight as injuries took their toll, but won the Europa League after beating Manchester United in the final. A first trophy in 17 years was not enough, though, to save Postecoglou from the sack.

Brett and Davies were only appointed by Spurs last summer, with the former replacing long-standing head of medicine and sports science Geoff Scott, who was axed in an overhaul conducted by the club’s former chief football officer, Scott Munn. Munn is on gardening leave after being dismissed.

Brett began his career in rugby union and joined Brighton as their head physiotherapist before he rose to become head of medicine and performance. He left Brighton in August 2023 and moved to Spurs the following summer.

Davies previously worked for West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Wales men’s national team.

Tom Perryman, who has joined Spurs as a strength and conditioning coach, is another new addition to the sports science staff from Brentford.

Spurs announced last month that Justin Cochrane, Chris Haslam and Joe Newton had followed Frank from the Gtech Community Stadium.

‘A dizzying amount of change’

Analysis by Tottenham reporter Jay Harris

Tottenham’s medical department has undergone a dizzying amount of change over the last two years. It all started when Munn was appointed chief football officer in April 2023 and conducted a thorough review of their football operations. He overhauled lots of departments, including the medical and scouting teams.

In the summer of 2024, Scott left his position as head of medicine and sports science.

Scott had spent 20 years with the north London side and The Athletic reported in January that he left after clashing with then-head coach Postecoglou.

Spurs insisted Scott’s departure did not involve Postecoglou and was a result of the review and restructure of the department. Brett was appointed following Scott’s departure and reported directly to Munn.

Postecoglou’s Spurs struggled to balance the demands of competing in the Premier League and the Europa League last season.

One of the biggest issues they faced was players suffering setbacks when they returned from injury. For example, Romero injured his quad in the opening 10 minutes of December’s defeat to Chelsea on his first appearance after recovering from a toe problem.

In the same game, fellow centre-half Van de Ven suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury.

The centre-halves did not return to regular action until March.

“That’s been our major problem this year — guys who are coming back from injury rather than us losing players as such,” Postecoglou said on December 27 before Spurs played Wolves.

“Knock on wood but the core group of players who are training and playing games have no issues. So we’re looking at those things and why they’re happening.

“It’s certainly happened too often this year where guys have come back and they’re the ones who are missing. I think just about all of them, apart from Vicario, are recurrences of an injury. Even with Romero, it was a different injury, but it’s still a guy coming back, so it’s something we’re looking at.”

There has been more change this summer as chairman Daniel Levy tries to avoid a repeat of last season’s disastrous league form.

Thomas Frank has replaced Postecoglou as head coach and Vinai Venkatesham has been appointed as the new chief executive officer. Long-serving executive Donna-Maria Cullen has stepped down, Munn has been sacked and now Brett and Davies have left too.

Frank has brought five members of his backroom staff at Brentford with him including Nick Stubbings, Tom Perryman and Chris Haslam.

Stubbings was Brentford’s head physio and he is the medical lead at Spurs, while Perryman is a strength and conditioning coach. Haslam’s official title is head of performance and first team assistant coach.

(Top photo of Stubbings and Frank: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)