FootballFanCast.com

The summer transfer window of 2024 was not one where Tottenham blew the Premier League away but they did seal some impressive captures.

Archie Gray, hailed as a "future £100m" midfielder by some is viewed as an elite talent in the making while the £65m addition of Dominic Solanke, although pricey, will certainly add more goals to Ange Postecoglou's ranks.

Wilson Odobert has started his Spurs career brightly and looks a real talent, although he will have to improve his decision-making and end product to make it long-term in north London.

There were also a series of important departures with the likes of Oliver Skipp, Emerson Royal, Joe Rodon and Giovani Lo Celso heading for pastures new.

With such a long list of departures, whether it was permanent or loan deals, it may well intrigue supporters to learn how some of those players are getting on.

Let's have a look at the enigmatic Emerson.

Emerson's time at Milan so far

It's safe to say that the Brazilian was never the most consistent player in a Tottenham shirt.

Despite racking up 101 appearances for the club, the 25-year-old never really set the world alight having arrived from European royalty in the form of Barcelona.

Branded as a "liability" by the ever-outspoken Jamie O'Hara, a series of defensive errors and total indecision often cost him during his days in north London.

Whether it was that red card challenge on Gabriel Martinelli in 2022 or what may have proven to be the final straw - an error against Hearts in pre-season - the full-back was given chance after chance but rarely repaid his manager's faith.

As a result, the defender was sold this summer, heading to AC Milan in a move worth around £13m according to reports.

How's it all gone then? Well, as Italian football editor Kaustubh Pandey stated on Saturday, Spurs have secured a "deal for the ages" given his price tag and subsequent performances on the continent.

Yeah, it's not started very well for Emerson. Should we be surprised? Probably not, but the level of criticism he has attracted since moving is quite something.

Handed 5/10 ratings by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport for his performances against both Parma and Lazio in recent weeks, the full-back was further described as "woeful" by Milan writer Isak Moller and "terrible" by The Athletic's Martino Puccio.

The error in the clip below rather sums up what they're talking about.

So, what do the numbers say? It's not great viewing either for the recently departed Spurs defender.

What type of performance can we ascertain purely on the stats alone? Well, Emerson offered absolutely nothing in forward areas at the weekend and also struggled defensively, rarely involved in many good things that Milan did on the day.

To think he took Kaka's number 22 as well. Sheesh, good luck getting the Rossoneri fans back onside quickly.

It's rather safe to say that Tottenham don't particularly like travelling to St James' Park. It's been a bleak away fixture for the Lilywhites who just can't seem to defeat Newcastle United.

Their record in recent years has been dreadful, with that iconic 6-1 defeat where the Magpies ran rampant in the first half still rather fresh in the memory.

Spurs' fortunes were no better on Sunday afternoon, even if the performance was more convincing than in recent years.

On another day, Ange Postecoglou's side could quite easily have left Tyneside with all three points. They struck the bar, forced Nick Pope into some nervy moments and should probably have scored through Wilson Odobert. It said it all, however, that they had to rely on an own goal during the 2-1 loss.

Cristian Romero wasn't at the races and was caught out of position for both goals, notably for the second when Jacob Murphy was given the freedom of the pitch to run in behind and lay it on a plate for Alexander Isak.

Isak's performance in numbers against Spurs

The performance of Isak would no doubt have intrigued Postecoglou, particularly after the arrival of their own big-money striker this summer in the shape of Dominic Solanke.

Spurs were arguably stifled by the Englishman's injury on Sunday and lacked a focal point, someone to aim for in the box to take advantage of their constant second-half pressure.

As it happens, it was that man Isak who scored the winner. The Swede hasn't looked his normal self this term but he loves playing against Tottenham and added to his tally over the weekend. The finish was simple, tapping into an empty net from a matter of a few years after Murphy had taken Guglielmo Vicario out of the game.

Besides that, the centre-forward perhaps didn't have his best outing, winning just three of his 14 duels and giving away possession on ten occasions.

That said, the £60m-rated talent is one of the most menacing attackers in the division. His 21 goals in 30 Premier League matches last season says it all.

Postecoglou will no doubt hope that Solanke reaches those dizzy heights once fit and firing. The former Cherries star was prised away for a £65m fee, more than Isak's current valuation, as per Fotmob. He's not the only man in the white of Spurs who's worth more though.

James Maddison's season in numbers

Signed for a fee of £40m during the Australian manager's first summer in the dug-out, James Maddison has had a topsy-turvy Spurs career.

The attacking midfielder started last season on fire, scoring three times and supplying five assists in his opening 11 matches. Injury struck, however, and since then he hasn't been the same player, missing out on a place in the squad for Euro 2024, a decision that understandably left him gutted.

Returning at the start of 2024, Maddison endured a run of 17 matches where he scored only once. At the start of the new campaign, he's looked more like his older self. Maddison has failed to score again but he's picked up assists versus both Leicester City and Everton.

You sense that once this Spurs team begins to fire, those numbers will only improve. Indeed, the thought of the England international featuring in a three-prong attack alongside Heung-min Son and the aforementioned Solanke is an exciting one.

Although he's endured a tricky year, this is still one of the division's premier creators we're talking about here. Last term, the "incredible" midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, ranked inside the top 8% of positionally similar players in the Premier League for assists per 90 and among the best 3% for key passes, as per FBRef.

Ange Postecoglou has revealed that one youngster is set for a big role at Tottenham this season in the wake of their 2-1 loss to Newcastle United.

Mixed Premier League start for Tottenham

In 2023/24, Ange Postecoglou's side set Premier League records, with eight wins and two draws in their opening 10 games seeing them take home 26 points, the most of any manager in their first 10 matches in the competition's history. This time around, expectations are higher and they are yet to truly impress in the same way that they did this time 12 months ago.

Defeat at St James' Park meant that they have now won one, drawn one and lost one in their opening three games of the season, leaving them 10th in the Premier League heading into the first international break.

Just as against Leicester City in their opening game, their defeat to Newcastle was a game in which Tottenham looked on top but squandered several excellent chances to move out of sight, before being punished clinically by their opponents to leave them ruing missed opportunities and dropping points early in the season.

Speaking after the loss, Postecoglou admitted he is happy with his side's performances despite the early results, though he bemoaned the lack of clinical edge to his frontline.

"I thought we were handling the transitions. The goal we conceded in the second half was sloppy and we lost focus. The game should have been put to bed a lot longer before that.

"What I know is if we continue to play like that we will get our rewards. It's not an easy place to come. For the most part, I thought we handled that really well. The way we controlled the game was really pleasing."

And despite the result, he may have found a potential breakout star for this season.

Postecoglou reveals bigger role for young defender

That comes as Ange admitted that January addition Radu Dragusin is set for a much bigger role at the club this season. The Romanian defender arrived from Genoa in the winter window, turning down a move to Bayern Munich to move to north London in search of regular game time.

But the 22-year-old managed just 9 appearances in the second half of the campaign, starting only four Premier League games. With an injury to Micky van de Ven, he was thrust in against Newcastle United, and made an excellent last-ditch tackle to deny Alexander Isak with the score at 1-1.

He also won seven of his nine duels to go with a block and two clearances in an all-action performance which caught the eye. And Ange revealed after the game that he expects to see him much more this season.

"I thought he was good Radu. It was a great opportunity to expose him. I mean, he's only 22. He's still a young man, especially for a defender and I thought exposing him to this atmosphere and the threat, the particular threat that Newcastle posed with Isak up front, he had to be really concentrated and I thought he was. I think he's going to play a big part in our season. Him coming through that, that whole experience, will set him up well."

With Van de Ven having missed parts of last season through injury, and Romero no stranger to a red card in his career to date, having a third elite centre-back will come as a major boost to the Lilywhites as they look to push for a spot in Europe once more this season.

Journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed what left Ange Postecoglou fuming on the sidelines as Tottenham fell to a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday.

Spurs suffer first defeat of the season

A late goal from Alexander Isak ensured that Tottenham suffered their first Premier League loss of the season as they were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United at St James' Park.

The winning goal for the home side came after a sustained spell of pressure from Tottenham, who dominated much of the ball after equalising and looked certain to find a winner. It was a tough loss for Spurs and Postecoglou to swallow, as he made clear in the aftermath of the game.

"Another one that got away from us. We played well enough, certainly had the chances to win the game comfortably but you walk away with nothing, so [it's a] bitter pill to swallow but it is what it is," the Spurs head coach explained.

"We created chances and if you don't get the second goal when you have the momentum...

"I thought we were in control of the game, we were playing in their half. The 'keeper's pulled off a couple of really good saves. We had the opportunities to test him even further but we didn't.

"The amount of chances we have, we really should be getting more than what we're getting as a return at the moment."

The result leaves Tottenham 10th in the Premier League heading into the international break, while their next game pits them up against north London rivals Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But there was one moment that Postecoglou particularly disliked during their trip to St James' Park.

Postecoglou left fuming by booking

That came late in the second half, with his side chasing the game and susceptible to the counter-attack. As Anthony Gordon raced away down the left touchline, he was met by a firm sliding challenge by Rodrigo Bentancur, with the Uruguayan appearing to make strong contact with the ball.

The referee thought otherwise, penalising the Tottenham substitute and dishing out a yellow card for good measure.

The decision, dubbed "woeful" by Tottenham journalist Alasdair Gold, left Postecoglou perplexed and irate, and Gold added that the Spurs boss "made his feelings known" to both the referee and fourth official.

Though an improvement on the 4-0 thrashing that Spurs suffered last season at St James' Park, the defeat raises many of the same questions about Postecoglou's side, chiefly their inefficiency in both penalty areas, which is sure to cost them throughout the season unless they can find a fix, sharpish.

A high-earning member of the Tottenham squad could make a high-profile exit from N17 "in the coming days", despite the 11pm transfer window cut-off on Friday.

Spurs spend £113 million on four senior summer signings

With the UK transfer window now shut, Spurs can look back on their summer business with real pride, having shored up a variety of key areas for manager Ange Postecoglou as the Australian seeks to build upon last season's fifth-placed finish.

The Lilywhites spent around £113 million on four senior summer arrivals. Timo Werner came in on a season-long loan, with the German originally only meant to stay until the end of last season, while English sensation Archie Gray, striker Dominic Solanke and winger Wilson Odobert also put pen to paper on moves to Spurs.

Some reports also suggest that Tottenham were offered a late summer chance to sign Josh Brownhill from Burnley, but the move didn't come to fruition as technical director Johan Lange and co appear satisfied with their dealings.

Teenage midfielder Lucas Bergvall and South Korean wonderkid Min-hyeok Yang also agreed transfers to Tottenham, but the former's deal was sorted back on January deadline day and the latter isn't currently in the squad - given he'll properly link up with Postecoglou in January 2025 as he spends the next few months out on loan at Gangwon.

The north Londoners also did very well to ship out deadwood and trim Postecoglou's bloated squad of unwanted fringe players. Giovani Lo Celso sealed a deadline-day switch back to Real Betis in La Liga, joining Tanguy Ndombele, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga, Alejo Veliz, Manor Solomon, Bryan Gil, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Rodon, Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp, Ashley Phillips and Dane Scarlett in leaving Tottenham - either permanently or on loan elsewhere.

One player who couldn't leave before the deadline, regardless of much speculation throughout the window, was left-back Sergio Reguilon.

Sergio Reguilon could still leave Tottenham "in the coming days"

The £120,000-per-week defender isn't in Postecoglou's first team plans this term, with Manchester United displaying an interest in Reguilon during the transfer window, among others, but a deal couldn't quite come to fruition for him.

Football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold, taking to X, now claims that Reguilon could still quit Spurs "in the coming days", as a host of transfer windows across Europe remain open, like the Dutch, Portuguese, Belgian - with Saudi sides still able to sign players too.

The 27-year-old, signed from Real Madrid back in 2020, will be eager to find a new home and finally restart his career away from Spurs on a permanent basis.

Tottenham Hotspur drew their opening game of the 2024/25 Premier League season, then won emphatically in their second clash, as was the case last year.

Having thrashed Everton 4-0 last weekend, Tottenham are preparing to visit their bogey ground, St. James' Park, and take on Newcastle United, having lost their past two trips to Tyneside by an aggregate scoreline of 10-1.

Ange Postecoglou is shaping Spurs to his design and looks to be gearing up for a concerted drive toward Champions League qualification and perhaps even an elusive slice of silverware.

There's so much to like about this Tottenham side, mixed with youth and experience, dynamism and depth across the park. Injuries ruined last term's electric-paced start, however, and fans will be desperate to see the Lilywhites' collective fitness level hold up this time.

The primary frustration Postecoglou is dealing with ahead of this afternoon's fixture is the absence of Dominic Solanke, who missed out last week after picking up an ankle injury in training.

The centre-forward, who signed from Bournemouth in a club record £65m deal this summer, will play no part today but Postecoglou has allayed fears of a lengthy setback, revealing in his pre-match press conference that he is "close" to returning but won't be risked with the international break forthcoming.

Spurs' striker issue is exacerbated by the expected absence of Richarlison, who pulled up with a muscle injury in training and will play no part. Heung-min Son will be expected to retain his spot at the spearhead.

Rodrigo Bentancur missed out last week too, having suffered a concussion during Tottenham's opening-day draw against Leicester City, but he is back in the frame now and must start in the middle of the park.

He can't seem to catch a break. Bentancur missed the majority of 2023 after injuring an anterior cruciate ligament against Leicester in February of last year, ending an impressive 2022/23 campaign.

His misfortune spilt heavily into Postecoglou's first term at the helm, and he managed just 13 Premier League starts. It's a cruel sense of irony to see him start the fresh season off in such a manner, having suffered the blow at the King Power Stadium once again.

He's the complete package, dynamic, skilled and hard-working, fuelled by a ceaseless engine. When fit and at his best, Bentancur is comfortably one of the best players on the pitch.

Described as a "Rolls-Royce" by football writer Tom Robinson, he ranks among the top 9% of centre-midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted and the top 8% for touches in the attacking penalty area and interceptions per 90, emphasising his technical skill and athleticism.

Alongside Yves Bissouma or Archie Gray in the engine room, blending with James Maddison in the central spot, Bentancur could be the difference-maker, proving combative out of possession and influential when on the ball.

His redeployment to the starting line-up would see Dejan Kuluesvski displaced, and while such a change should be enforced, the Sweden international must start too.

Kulusevski, of course, is typically a right-sided forward. He doesn't have the fleet feet of Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert or Timo Werner, but his intelligence, creativity and hands-on style could be crucial in allowing Son to shine against the Magpies.

Benched for the opening game of the term, Kulusevski excelled against Everton, picking up an assist, completing 95% of his passes and two dribbles, and winning four of his seven contested duels, as per Sofascore.

Odobert did a decent job against the Toffees, but Newcastle are one of the best-drilled and coherent outfits in the Premier League, and a player of Kulusevski's quality could be crucial in ensuring the hosts are outthought and outfought.

After all, he was handed an 8/10 match score by football.london after his recent display, with reporter Alasdair Gold writing: 'Back in the team in midfield and he had a big part to play in the opening goal with his dribbling in the Everton final third and then teeing up Bissouma. A bright return to the team and has shown that he's a very good option as a member of that midfield three.'

Sky Sports' Jamie Weir summed him up nicely, saying: "Dejan Kulusevski really is a special special player. Works so hard, covers every blade of grass. Hell of an engine on him, and just so much heart."

He's not just a workhorse: he's a thoroughbred creative sensation. Last season, the indefatigable winger created 14 big chances in the English top flight and averaged 1.5 dribbles and 1.8 key passes per game.

The South Korean skipper bagged twice last time out and will fancy his chances up front once again today. However, he's only scored five goals in 16 fixtures against the Toon, who will seek to marshall him and subdue his attacking threat.

But you wouldn't bet against the 32-year-old finding the back of the net if Tottenham turn up on Tyneside, with Postecoglou even hailing his talisman as a "superstar" and "world-class".

He's much, much more than just a goalscorer though. As per FBref, Son ranks among the top 7% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 11% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for pass completion, the top 7% for progressive passes and the top 6% for progressive carries per 90.

Effectively, he can return the favour and pull defenders away, thread balls through, to keep Tottenham's attack multi-dimensional, allowing Kulusevski to find space and work on his ball-striking too.

It's pretty clear that Son will start as the centre-forward against Newcastle, but some supporters might be concerned that Kulusevski could lose his place given Bentancur's been given the green light to return to the pitch.

He simply has to shift up to the right flank, where he can wreak chaos and work in tandem with his many-faceted captain.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has been tipped to unleash an "exciting" teenager this season, especially in the Europa League, with the north Londoners looking ahead to a long and congested fixture calendar.

Transfer window closes as Spurs prepare for Newcastle trip

The summer transfer window is now officially closed, and no more new arrivals will come through the door until January, so Postecoglou will have to make do with his current crop of players as he aims to compete on a quartet of fronts.

Tottenham will be aiming to secure a place in the top four and subsequent qualification for the Champions League, and Postecoglou will also have his eyes on clinching the club's first piece of major silverware since 2008.

To boost the north Londoners' chances of a successful 2024/25 campaign, chairman Daniel Levy managed to get a quartet of summer deals over the line before transfer window deadline at 11pm on Friday night.

Tottenham signed Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth for around £60 million, while Timo Werner extended his loan at the club to run through to the end of this season. Alongside Werner and Solanke, both English sensation Archie Gray and young winger Wilson Odobert completed moves to N17, with both men carrying stellar reputations.

Solanke unfortunately injured his ankle away to Leicester City on the opening weekend, so he won't be available for Spurs' trip to Newcastle United on Sunday.

"Dom is close but we're going to be a bit cautious with him, we've got a big programme post the international break, so he'll miss out on Sunday," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's team news for Newcastle.

"The only other one we got midweek is Richarlison, who unfortunately picked up an injury in training, so he'll probably miss the next few weeks.

"Rodrigo is all good, he's passed all the protocols we need to, and more importantly he feels really good and the medical team are really comfortable with him being available for Sunday."

Tottenham tipped to unleash Wilson Odobert with "a lot" of minutes

While Solanke recovers, it is unclear as of yet if Postecoglou will unleash fellow summer signing Odobert at St. James' Park.

Pundit John Wenham, speaking to Tottenham News, has tipped Odobert to get "a lot" of minutes at Tottenham this season, particularly in Europe, calling the Frenchman's acquisition an "exciting" signing, albeit a pricey one.

“He was at the Olympics with France, which shows that they’re aware of his potential,” Wenham said.

“Last season he played 33 times in the Premier League, so he has got that experience behind him. I think he will get a lot of opportunities at Tottenham, especially in the UEFA Europa League.

“It is an exciting signing. However, I think his fee was expensive, it was perhaps a little much. I consider myself a bit of a football fanatic and I don’t remember him from his time with Burnley last season.

“However, I trust the scouting team at Tottenham. Our signings over the last 18 months have been good, so I expect this to be more of the same.”

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that a £60 million Tottenham Hotspur star will miss tomorrow's trip to Newcastle United alongside Dominic Solanke.

Newcastle United v Spurs - match preview

The north Londoners sealed their first win of the new Premier League campaign with a thumping 4-0 victory at home to Everton, with Yves Bissouma, Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min's brace rounding off the routine three points at home.

That follows their disappointing 1-1 draw with Leicester City on the opening weekend, so Postecoglou will have been thrilled to get right back on track as the Australian looks ahead to another potential three points at St. James' Park.

However, Newcastle will be no easy customers, and go into their clash with Spurs on an identical run of form - having drawn one and won one of their opening two Premier League matches of the campaign.

Eddie Howe, speaking ahead of Tottenham's visit to the north-east, praised their attractive style under Postecoglou and insisted they recruited well during the summer transfer window.

"Tottenham have been very good," said Howe on Spurs.

"They continue to be a team I like to watch, a very attractive style, fluid. They have recruited well and signed some really talented players. They were good last year, but I think they will be even better this year. I think we always have entertaining games against them. For us, we need to make sure we get on top of the details."

Tottenham sealed a deal for the "predatory" Solanke during the summer transfer window, while also completing moves for English sensation Archie Gray, winger Wilson Odobert from Burnley, and Timo Werner on a season-long loan from RB Leipzig.

Unfortunately for Postecoglou, his star striker signing in Solanke picked up an ankle problem away to Leicester City, sidelining him for the win over Everton.

Richarlison out for weeks after Tottenham training injury

Solanke will not be available for their trip to Newcastle either, and there is more bad news, with £60 million striker Richarlison also unavailable.

According to Postecoglou, speaking in a pre-match press conference, Richarlison will be out for weeks after picking up an injury in Tottenham training.

"Dom is close, but we're going to be a bit cautious with him," said Postecoglou.

"We've got a big programme post the international break, so he'll miss out on Sunday. The only other one we got midweek is Richarlison, who unfortunately picked up an injury in training, so he'll probably miss the next few weeks."

There is some good news, though, with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur passed fit and ready to play after being knocked unconscious during a clash of heads at the King Power a fortnight ago.

"Rodrigo is all good, he's passed all the protocols we need to, and more importantly he feels really good and the medical team are really comfortable with him being available for Sunday."

Tottenham Hotspur didn't complete the most frenetic of finishes to the summer transfer window, but this is a product of the smooth dealing under Ange Postecoglou.

Gone are the days of scattergun spending. Spending for spending's sake. Spending vast sums of money on footballers who quickly fall by the wayside.

Giovani Lo Celso's £3m deadline-day sale to Real Betis personifies this, for the Argentinian midfielder joined for a fee totalling £43m in 2020, having initially arrived on loan.

One out, one in? Not quite, but Tottenham have taken a rather unusual route toward signing Johnny Cardoso from Betis, enabled by yesterday's transaction.

What's going on with Johnny Cardoso

Rivals might titter over Tottenham's interminable trophy drought, but such a din is drowned out down at N17 by the exciting project that Postecoglou is crafting, brick by brick.

Daniel Levy ensured that a clause was inserted in Lo Celso's transfer, that Spurs would have priority when the United States native leaves the La Liga outfit next year or later still.

It's a prudent move. The north Londoners can observe Cardoso's continuing rise and move down the line if his development aligns with the rise of Postecoglou's Tottenham. A tough-tackling midfielder, analyst Ben Mattinson has noted that "he’s great at winning aerial duels and progressing play from deep."

The fixed fee is €30m (£25m), which is no small sum, and provides Postecoglou with ample time to assess his options, namely Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur in the nub of midfield, and move if it all makes sense.

However, Cardoso would arrive at an area of midfield stocked with plenty of talented youth. Any deal must not affect the growth of Archie Gray, who has the skills to conquer the Premier League with Tottenham.

Why Archie Gray is Spurs' biggest talent

Tottenham moved with all the speed of a blustering gale to sign Gray for £30m this summer, fighting tooth and nail to hijack Brentford's deal with Leeds United.

Gray is a teenage midfielder with the world at his feet, and his instant role in Postecoglou's plans makes a telling comment on the view in which he is held by the Australian, who knows a top talent when he sees one.

Leeds quickly established that they had a homegrown starlet of significant potential last season. The Whites' relegation from the Premier League proved to be a good thing for Gray's progress, who ended up with 40 starts in the Championship and claimed the Young Player of the Year award.

Interchangeable, he darted from deep-lying midfield to right-back with impressive measures of success, finishing the campaign with 2.1 tackles and 4.5 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore, completing 89% of his passes and winning 57% of his ground duels.

His pre-season form has carried into the early days of the 2024/25 campaign, featuring off the bench in both of Tottenham's opening matches, all composure and aptness on the Premier League pitch.

Still only 18. What a talent. Gray will only continue to grow into his skin and has even been said to be "a future £100m" midfielder by earlier-mentioned analyst Mattinson.

His technique and confidence have seen him operate dynamically through the maiden days of his career, and with a tenacious bite and breezy passing with both feet, he might just be the real deal.

Cardoso is more of a steely no. 6, crunchier with his challenges, but few would argue against Gray having the higher ceiling. Tottenham's decision to view Cardoso's development through the lens of a non-obligatory future deal errs on the side of caution, gives them time to reach a decision.

Gone are the frustrating days of old. Hello Tottenham 2.0; it's a brand new world.

A £35 million Tottenham regular in Ange Postecoglou's squad has been criticised, with one pundit believing chairman Daniel Levy should've sold him during the summer window.

Spurs enjoy productive summer window as four signings arrive

Spurs enjoyed a rather productive summer window, spending around £113 million on four key senior new additions in a season-long loan extension for Timo Werner, striker Dominic Solanke, the arrival of English sensation Archie Gray and a move for winger Wilson Odobert.

This doesn't include their deals for youngster Lucas Bergvall and South Korean wonderkid Min-hyeok Yang, who also sealed switches to north London for a further fee of around £12 million.

Levy, technical director Johan Lange and the wider Lilywhites recruitment team will be thrilled with their business overall, especially bringing in one of the country's most highly-rated talents in Gray whilst signing proven Premier League striker Solanke.

Tottenham also managed to rid themselves of deadwood at the eleventh hour, with wantaway midfielder Giovani Lo Celso sealing a last-gasp return to former club Real Betis in La Liga.

A condition of that deal is Spurs getting first refusal on a potential future move for USA international midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who the club must rate very highly if he was floated in talks over Lo Celso.

While Tottenham were reportedly offered a late chance to sign Josh Brownhill from Burnley, Postecoglou's side ultimately settled on their incomings for the window.

In terms of further outgoings after Lo Celso, it is believed left-back Sergio Reguilon was subject to late interest from abroad, but Spurs couldn't quite agree a deal to offload the Spaniard with his immediate future now up in the air.

The 27-year-old could still leave, as prominent transfer windows abroad are still open. Indeed, the Turkish, Portuguese and Dutch markets don't close until early September - and neither does the Saudi market.

Pundit slams "disappointing" Bissouma, insists Spurs should've sold

It is probably too late in the day for Yves Bissouma, though, as Spurs cannot source a replacement with the UK window shut.

Pundit John Wenham, speaking to Tottenham News before the deadline, said that Tottenham should've sold Bissouma and brought in a replacement during the summer - branding the £35 million Mali international a "disappointing" and "underwhelming" player under Postecoglou.

“If there is an option to replace Bissouma with a different midfielder, Spurs should do it,” Wenham said.

“What has he done since joining the club? He has been quite underwhelming. We haven’t seen anything like the Bissouma we saw at Brighton who would run the show against us when he played.

“On the whole, he has been a disappointing signing.”

Since arriving at N17 two years ago, Bissouma has gone on to make 57 appearances in all competitions, only recently scoring his first goal for the club last weekend against Everton.