The Independent

Tottenham Hotspur ramp up preparations for the new Premier League campaign with a pre-season friendly against former striker and club legend Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich.

Spurs are building momentum under new manager Thomas Frank, with Burnley at home to open up the campaign next Saturday.

Frank suffered a major blow when James Maddison went down in a friendly against Newcastle in Seoul, with tests confirming an ACL injury, which will likely keep him out for more than six months. Spurs have also waved goodbye to another club legend in Son Heung Min, who has joined LAFC in a record-breaking MLS move.

Chairman Daniel Levy hailed Frank’s ability on Gary Neville’s ‘The Overlap’, stating: “Thomas is a highly intelligent individual, a fantastic way about him in terms of communication. He gets the style of football we want to play.”

Follow all the build-up, team news and match updates in our live blog below:

Tottenham midfielder James Maddison ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in pre-season and will undergo surgery, the club has confirmed.

Maddison, a 75th-minute substitute, only played for nine minutes in Spurs’ pre-season game against Newcastle in Seoul before he was seen in visible discomfort.

The 28-year-old was surrounded by teammates and looked upset, with medical staff taking him off the pitch on a stretcher. New manager Thomas Frank said after the game that the injury was “brutal” and its severity has now been confirmed..

On Thursday, Spurs released a statement saying: “We can confirm that James Maddison will undergo surgery for a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee.

“His surgery will take place in the coming days and, following that, James will then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team.

“Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur wishes James a full and speedy recovery. We will be supporting him every step of the way.”

Maddison joined Tottenham from Leicester in 2023 and scored 12 goals last season. He also missed the end of last season with a knee injury, including the Europa League final victory over Manchester United, and Frank confirmed after the Newcastle friendly that he has injured the same knee.

The long and gruelling rehabilitation process for an ACL injury means that the England international is likely to miss the majority of the season.

Son Heung-min has completed a move from Tottenham Hotspur to Los Angeles FC in what is a record Major League Soccer transfer.

Son has officially ended his 10-year stay at Spurs, where he scored 173 goals in 454 appearances and led the team to Europa League glory in May.

After an agreement between Tottenham and LAFC was struck for a deal in excess of £20million, the 33-year-old arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday and a day later he has finalised his transfer, which is the highest fee paid by an MLS club for a player.

Son joined Spurs in 2015 from Bayer Leverkusen. After a tough debut campaign the South Korea captain went on to become one of the club’s best ever players and made himself a Premier League great in the process.

Alongside old partner in crime Harry Kane, Son holds the record for the most goal involvements by a duo in the Premier League, with the pair assisting each other on a record 47 occasions in the competition.

The Chuncheon-born attacker also won the league’s Golden Boot award in the 2021-22 season after scoring 23 times and he sits 17th in the list of all-time scorers in the division with 127 goals.

Under former boss Mauricio Pochettino, Son’s consistent displays helped turn Tottenham into genuine title contenders but silverware continued to allude them after a second-placed finish in 2017 was followed by a Champions League runner-up spot two years later.

Whilst various members of Pochettino’s team left not long after the Argentinian’s winter departure in 2019, Son stayed to work under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte before he was tasked with leading a new era by Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou named Son as his captain in the wake of Kane’s high-profile switch to Bayern Munich and Hugo Lloris’ departure from the first team and after a roller coaster two seasons under the Australian, they achieved the holy grail together on May 21.

Son was consigned to a place on the bench in Bilbao for the Europa League final against Manchester United following an injury-affected campaign, but was introduced to make his final competitive appearance for Spurs to help them win 1-0 and end a 17-year wait for silverware.

It etched Son’s name into the history books as he became only the fourth captain in Spurs’ history to lift a European trophy after Danny Blanchflower, Alan Mullery and Steve Perryman.

The popular South Korean now departs for LAFC on a two-year deal, where he will renew acquaintances with Lloris and move to Los Angeles, which boasts one of the largest Korean populations in the world, ahead of next summer’s World Cup in the United States.

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James Maddison left Tottenham’s preseason friendly with Newcastle United on a stretcher with what appeared to be a serious injury after falling to the ground holding his knee during the game in South Korea.

Maddison appeared as a late substitute during the match, which ended 1-1 and acted as a farewell to Son Heung-min in his native country after the club captain announced he will exit this summer.

Maddison did not appear to make any contact with an opponent when he suddenly went down after chasing the ball and held his face in his hands.

“James Maddison’s injury looks bad,” admitted Spurs manager Thomas Frank. “It was a brutal moment.”

Frank also confirmed that Maddison had injured the same troubled knee which caused him to miss the end of last season.

The new manager is already without the departing Son and the injured Dejan Kulusevski, while efforts to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest were angrily rebuffed.

Mohammed Kudus has been bought from West Ham and Mathys Tel has been signed permanently from Bayern Munich after a brief loan spell last season. Spurs are also looking to sign Joao Palhinha from the Bundesliga champions.

Tottenham Hotspur face Newcastle United in the final friendly of the clubs’ tours of Asia just under a fortnight before the 2025/26 Premier League season starts.

Spurs arrive in Seoul off the back of a narrow win over Arsenal last time out in what was the first north London derby played outside of the UK, while Newcastle lost 1-0 to a K-League XI in Suwon.

Thomas Frank’s side are looking to continue their solid preseason preparations under their new boss ahead of the Uefa Super Cup final on 13 August, while Eddie Howe is still wrestling with a disappointing transfer window in which the Magpies have lost out on most of their key targets and also look set to lose star striker Alexander Isak.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match:

When is Tottenham vs Newcastle?

The match kicks off at 12pm BST at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea.

How can I watch it?

The game will not be televised in the UK, but subscribers can watch the match on the respective clubs’ own TV channels, NUFC TV and SPURSPLAY.

You can purchase a match pass on NUFC TV for around £6.99, while Spurs only offer an annual subscription to SPURSPLAY, which is £45.

Team news

Thomas Frank may be forced to leave out Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie once again after the duo missed the win over Arsenal, while James Maddison could feature after sitting on the bench for that one.

Newcastle are missing Isak, while Lewis Hall could sit this match out after an ankle injury and Sven Botman could be rested after also missing the match against the K-League side. Joe Willock also suffered an injury in that match, though the severity is not known yet.

July 19: Reading 0-2 Tottenham - Select Car Leasing Stadium, Reading

July 26: Tottenham 2-2 Wycombe Wanderers - Hotspur Way, Enfield

July 26: Luton Town 0-0 Tottenham - Kenilworth Road, Luton

July 31: Arsenal 0-1 Tottenham - Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong

August 3: Newcastle - Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, 12pm

August 7: Bayern Munich - Allianz Arena, Munich, 5:30pm

July 19: Celtic 4-0 Newcastle - Celtic Park, Glasgow

July 27: Arsenal 3-2 Newcastle - National Stadium, Singapore

July 30: K-League XI 1-0 Newcastle - Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon

August 3: Tottenham - Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, 12pm

August 8: Espanyol - St. James' Park, 7.30pm

August 9: Atletico Madrid - St. James' Park, 4pm

Next article

Liveupdated

Transfer news live: Newcastle bid for Isak replacement after rejecting Liverpool bid, Son makes Tottenham decision

Latest transfer news and rumours as Eddie Howe admits Alexander Isak situation is ‘far from ideal’

Tottenham captain Son Heung-Min is set to leave north London after a decade with the club, announcing the news in an emotional press conference ahead of the pre-season friendly against Newcastle in his native South Korea. “It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career,” he told reporters, but “I need a new environment to push myself.”

Tottenham are in advanced talks with Bayern Muninch to bring Joao Palhinha back to the Premier League and give the side a midfield boost while Arsenal are aiming to bolster their forward line by signing Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze. Palace want a fee in excess of £60m which is the amount of Eze’s release clause but the Gunners are running out of time to trigger it.

Newcastle United have rejected Liverpool‘s first bid for Alexander Isak as the summer’s biggest transfer saga takes another turn, with manager Eddie Howe saying the situation is “far from ideal”, while Richard Jolly reports that the Reds have decided against making another offer after their £110m bid was rejected. Though Newcastle are trying to tie Isak to a new contract that includes a release clause, he is believed to still be keen on the move.

Meanwhile, Manchester United are hopeful of securing a No.9 and are talking with RB Leipzig over a move for Benjamin Sesko. On the sales front, Jadon Sancho could be set to return to Borussia Dortmund and United are in talks with Chelsea and Aston Villa over Alejandro Garnacho.

All the latest updates, rumours and done deals will be covered in the blog below:

James Milner to wear number 20 at Brighton in memory of Diogo Jota

James Milner will wear the number 20 shirt at Brighton this season in memory of the late Diogo Jota, describing his former Liverpool team-mate as a “great friend”.

The Portuguese forward died aged 28 last month in a car crash, alongside his brother Andre Silva, just weeks after helping Liverpool clinch Premier League title glory.

Liverpool have retired the number 20 jersey worn by Jota in his five seasons at Anfield, three of them alongside Milner before the veteran England midfielder moved to Brighton in the summer of 2023.

“Once I heard Carlos was looking to change his number and 20 was available, I wanted to do it as a mark of respect and pay tribute to Diogo Jota,” Milner said on Brighton’s X channel.

James Milner will wear number 20 at Brighton in memory of Diogo Jota

The Portuguese forward died aged 28 last month in a car crash

Flo Clifford2 August 2025 11:30

Tottenham secure loan move for Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha

The Guardian reports that Tottenham have agreed to sign Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich, with an option to make the move permanent for £27m.

The paper also reports that the north London side will pay a loan fee of £4.3m and cover the Portuguese’s wages in their entirety.

Palhinha joined Bayern from Fulham last summer in a deal worth up to £47.4million, but endured a difficult debut campaign in Germany.

The Portugal midfielder struggled with injury problems and only made six starts in the Bundesliga when fit under Bayern boss Vincent Kompany, which has opened the door for a temporary move back to London with Tottenham.

Flo Clifford2 August 2025 11:10

Newcastle make bid for Benjamin Sesko

Sky Sports News reports that Newcastle have made an offer for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

It reports the offer is €75m (£65.5m) plus €5m (£4.3m) in add-ons.

The highly-rated Slovenian is also being pursued by Manchester United.

Flo Clifford2 August 2025 11:00

Luis Diaz reveals Florian Wirtz’s role in decision to leave Liverpool for Bayern Munich

Luis Diaz has opened up on the role Florian Wirtz had in his decision to leave Liverpool, a career move he admits he is “glad” to make.

The Colombian winger bid farewell after three-and-a-half seasons on Merseyside, signing for German champions Bayern Munich for a fee of £65.5m.

Liverpool had rejected a first offer of £58.5m before accepting an improved bid after Bayern maintained their interest and the former Porto player wanted to go.

His departure comes in the midst of a summer spending spree at Anfield, which has seen club-record signing Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike already come through the door as attacking reinforcements.

Diaz reveals Wirtz’s role in decision to leave Liverpool for Bayern Munich

Diaz wanted to leave Liverpool with Wirtz’s £116m arrival bringing further competition to the Reds attack

Flo Clifford2 August 2025 10:50

Liverpool make surprise decision over Alexander Isak pursuit after Newcastle bid rejected

Liverpool have decided against making a second bid for Alexander Isak after seeing a £110m offer rejected by Newcastle United.

The Premier League champions believe the swiftness and clarity of Newcastle’s response means it would be futile to up their club record offer for the striker.

Liverpool, who had made an inquiry for the 25-year-old last month, stepped up their interest in the Newcastle top scorer as they looked to take their summer spending up towards £400m.

But the Carabao Cup winners had long maintained their top scorer was not for sale and they immediately rebuffed turned Liverpool’s bid down.

Liverpool make surprise decision over Alexander Isak pursuit

The Reds admire the 25-year-old, but it is now unclear if they will revisit the situation after Newcastle knocked back a club record offer for the Sweden striker

Richard Jolly2 August 2025 10:34

Tottenham captain Son Heung Min to leave club for ‘fresh challenge’

Tottenham captain Son Heung Min has revealed he will leave the club this summer.

Son has spent the last decade at Spurs and achieved his goal of silverware in May when he helped the Premier League team to Europa League success with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United.

It ended a 17-year trophy drought for the club.

South Korea captain Son explained his decision to target a "fresh challenge" during a press conference in his home country ahead of Tottenham's pre-season friendly with Newcastle on Sunday.

Tottenham captain Son Heung Min to leave club for ‘fresh challenge’

Son had been at Spurs for a decade and led them to Europa League glory last season to end a long trophy drought

Flo Clifford2 August 2025 10:12

Liverpool make surprise decision over Alexander Isak pursuit after Newcastle bid rejected

Liverpool have decided against making a second bid for Alexander Isakafter seeing a £110m offer rejected by Newcastle United.

The Premier League champions believe the swiftness and clarity of Newcastle’s response means it would be futile to up their club record offer for the striker.

Liverpool, who had made an inquiry for the 25-year-old last month, stepped up their interest in the Newcastle top scorer as they looked to take their summer spending up towards £400m.

Liverpool make surprise decision over Alexander Isak pursuit

The Reds admire the 25-year-old, but it is now unclear if they will revisit the situation after Newcastle knocked back a club record offer for the Sweden striker

Chris Wilson2 August 2025 07:12

Newcastle reject formal bid from Liverpool for Alexander Isak

Newcastle have rejected an offer from Liverpool for striker Alexander Isak.

The Sweden international has told the Carabao Cup winners he wants to explore the possibility of a move away from St James’ Park and Liverpool, who had made an inquiry about the 25-year-old last month, and followed it up with a formal bid.

Isak would be expected to command a price of over £100m and more than the club record sum Liverpool have paid for Florian Wirtz this summer.

Newcastle had long maintained that Isak was not for sale, but Liverpool are testing that position and manager Eddie Howe has admitted his top scorer’s future could be out of his hands.

Newcastle reject formal bid from Liverpool for Alexander Isak

Liverpool made an inquiry about the 25-year-old last month and have now followed it up with a formal offer

Chris Wilson2 August 2025 07:00

Why Benjamin Sesko is now Man United’s top transfer target

Manchester United have made Benjamin Sesko their top striking target and have made contact with RB Leipzig about him.

United had narrowed down their search for a No 9 to the Slovenian and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins before deciding to prioritise a move for the 22-year-old.

Sesko is also of interest to Newcastle, who are looking for a centre-forward after missing out on a host of targets and with doubts about the future of Alexander Isak.

Why Benjamin Sesko is now Man United’s top transfer target

United are in contact with RB Leipzig after deciding to prioritise a move for the striker above Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins

Chris Wilson2 August 2025 06:30

Underwhelming Viktor Gyokeres debut shows why Arsenal need him so much

A debut defeat and an outing that was underwhelming but left the sense he was underused may matter little. When it comes to competitive games, Viktor Gyokeres’s Arsenal bow will come at Old Trafford against Manchester United on 17 August. But as he donned their No 14 shirt for the first time in a game, Arsenal at least showed the need for Gyokeres, the forward who scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting CP.

The first north London derby staged outside the United Kingdom yielded a 1-0 loss to Tottenham, with Arsenal registering a lone shot on target, which Kai Havertz directed at Guglielmo Vicario. Gyokeres was limited to the last 20 minutes, including stoppage time, as Arsenal were largely toothless. The argument that they needed a specialist goalscorer is scarcely new, but perhaps it was underlined when they spent an initial £55m to acquire one.

Underwhelming Viktor Gyokeres debut shows why Arsenal need him so much

Gyokeres was limited to 20 minutes on a debut that saw Arsenal lose to Tottenham in Hong Kong

Chris Wilson2 August 2025 06:00

Viktor Gyokeres made his Arsenal debut from the bench but could not prevent his new side from falling to a 1-0 pre-season friendly defeat to rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The 27-year-old Sweden striker completed his £55m transfer from Sporting Lisbon on Saturday and was presented to fans ahead of the Gunners’ 3-2 win over Newcastle in Singapore the day after.

Gyokeres only had limited training time with his new club prior to the game in Hong Kong, but Mikel Arteta sent the striker on with 13 minutes remaining.

Arteta made five changes at 77 minutes, with the logical swap seeing Kai Havertz make way for Gyokeres in attack.

Gyokeres was unable to make an impact following Pape Matar Sarr’s opener in the first half, which saw the Spurs midfielder’s long-range effort catch David Raya out of goal.

The Sweden international had one touch inside the box during his cameo, though Arsenal largely struggled to create opportunities and bring their new forward into the game.

The forward was one of two new arrivals to make their debut, with centre-back Cristhian Mosquera also coming on after making a £15m move from Valencia. The pair have followed Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga through the door at the Emirates Stadium.

Gyokeres’ arrival has been met with overwhelming joy by the Arsenal supporters after firing Sporting to back-to-back Portuguese titles, scoring 68 goals in 66 league appearances.

Arsenal and Tottenham will go to battle in new surroundings in what promises to be a highlight of pre-season in Hong Kong between the North London rivals.

Marquee signing Viktor Gyokeres could make his highly-anticipated debut for the Gunners as Mikel Arteta’s side look to produce a title challenge.

While billed as a friendly, the first-ever pre-season North London derby to take place outside the UK also brings a chance at early bragging rights, with Thomas Frank looking to lay down a marker in a new era at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Another new arrival in Chrithian Mosquera could feature for the first time, with Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga adding to a newlook Gunners outfit.

Thomas Frank has a seismic job on his hands to rebuild Tottenham and lead the freshly-crowned European champions into a new era.

Spurs come into the summer off the back of success in the Europa League final - a first trophy in 17 years, delivered by Ange Postecoglou.

However, silverware was not enough to save the Aussie’s job after what was otherwise a catastrophic campaign, with Tottenham finishing 17th in the Premier League on just 38 points.

Frank was sounded out as Daniel Levy’s first choice to replace Postecoglou in the dugout, with the Dane winning his fair share of admirers over a seven-year spell at the Brentford helm.

He oversaw a remarkable rise in the Bees’ fortunes, guiding them to promotion to the top flight in 2021, and has since established Brentford as a top-flight side, but has now moved to one of the Premier League’s “big six” in a bid to restore Spurs’ status as a contender at the upper end of the table.

First on the docket for Frank is to bolster Spurs’ problem-laden squad over the coming weeks, building a team capable of surging back up the table, and the capture of West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus for £55m is the first step in doing that.

Here’s everything you need to know about Tottenham’s summer transfer plans.

Areas to improve

Tottenham might be boasting European champion status, but their team is hardly reflective of such an achievement. At the heart of their issues is depth, something that was brutally exposed last term in the midst of their unrelenting injury crisis.

Future injuries in defence cannot lead to Archie Gray being plonked at centre-back. As such, Spurs will be desperate for cover in those defensive positions, especially given the amount of time Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero spent in the treatment table last season.

They’ll also be targeting a top quality defensive midfielder to elevate the team, given the issues experienced in that position. Spurs have a few top-drawer midfielders, with the likes of James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall impressing, but with Yves Bissouma’s future up in the air, a new No 6 is a priority.

Meanwhile, going forward, Spurs need reinforcements. Mathys Tel’s loan move has already been made permanent, and alongside the arrival of Kudus these signings act to partly address issues in depth on the wing and up top. However, Spurs could really do with another striker option and ideally an extra body on the wing, though their much-publicised pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White has been derailed after the Englishman signed a new contract at the City Ground.

Done deals

Ins: Mohammed Kudus (West Ham, £55m), Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich, £30m), Kevin Danso (Lens, £21m), Luka Vuskovic (Hadjuk Split, £9.4m), Kota Takai (Kawasaki Frontale, £5m)

Outs: Pierre-Emile Hojberg (Marseille, £17m), Alejo Veliz (Rosario Central, loan), Fraser Forster (released), Sergio Reguilon (released), Alfie Whiteman (released)

Potential targets

Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest

Spurs triggered Morgan Gibbs-White’s release clause of £60m and the midfielder was set to have his medical, but the move now appears to have fallen apart. Forest considered legal action over what they believe to be an illegal approach, causing proceedings to stall, before the Englishman put pen to paper over a surprise new contract.

Eberechi Eze, Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace’s FA Cup hero Eberechi Eze could be in line for a switch to a big six side this summer, with Tottenham seemingly sounding him out as a top target. The 26-year-old enjoyed a stellar campaign last season but Oliver Glasner will no doubt do all he can to keep hold of the England international ahead of their European tour next term. In addition, Spurs are expected to face competition from Arsenal and maybe Chelsea.

Marc Guehi, Crystal Palace

Another Palace standout, Eagles skipper Marc Guehi has been near the top of Tottenham’s wish list for a while now. They had a late move for the defender rejected in the winter window but could go back in for him in the coming weeks, with his contract at Selhurst Park expiring in 2026.

Yoane Wissa, Brentford

Spurs are interested in Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, though it is Nottingham Forest who are leading the race for the Congo international after seeing a £20m bid rejected.

Wissa is Brentford’s leading scorer in the Premier League with 45 goals. Spurs originally held an interest in the striker in January, and have been quoted a price of £50m for his signature.

Joao Palhinha, Bayern Munich

Tottenham are said to be considering an approach for former Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, with Bayern Munich apparently ready to sell the Portuguese.

Palhinha has only been in the Bundesliga for one season after completing a £47m deal, though he has found playing time hard to come by in Bavaria.