CaughtOffside

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent has backed Arsenal to win the Premier League title this season.

The Gunners have emerged as major challengers to Manchester City under Mikel Arteta, who has guided the club to consecutive second-place finishes — taking the title race to the final day last season.

However, Arsenal remain without a Premier League title since 2003/04 and it’s proving increasingly difficult for any side to dislodge Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City side, who have won six of the last seven titles, including the last four.

But according to former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent — who also played for Ipswich, Charlton, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Derby and England during his career, the Gunners are about to end their long drought.

“They’ve not won the league since 2003/04, I think this is their time,” boyhood Arsenal fan Bent, who scored 106 Premier League goals as a striker, told talkSPORT.

“We’ll spread the goals out, I think we’re solid defensively – we’ll find a way to do it.

“Our two centre-halves are incredible, David Raya is a permanent signing so after being close two years on the bounce, I believe this is their time.

“If City are to have a dip, I think Arsenal will be the next best team to exploit that.”

Bent’s co-host predicts Arteta to be ‘found out’

Bent’s talkSPORT Drive co-host, Andy Goldstein, disagrees considerably.

Goldstein believes City will win the title again, but also made the sensational prediction that both Arsenal and Liverpool will drop out of the reckoning, with Manchester United getting closer to their local rivals.

“I think Manchester City will be up there, Liverpool won’t be, but Manchester United will,” said Goldstein. “I don’t think Arsenal will have a good season, I think they’ll be found out. I don’t think Mikel Arteta is good enough to get them over the line. I really don’t.”

It’s an important season for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur, as their transfer window dealings may evidence.

Stunning moves for Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke has shown the North London club’s intent, as they look to build on what turned out ultimately to be a disappointing 2023/24.

Though the Lilywhites will see European football back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, it’s a certainty that all concerned would’ve preferred that to have been of the Champions League rather than Europa League variety.

Tottenham’s Ben Davies has made an important career decision

In April, Spurs were still in the box seat to do just that, but five defeats in their last seven games – their two wins were against relegated Burnley and Sheffield United – saw Aston Villa snatch fourth place at the North Londoner’s expense.

Ange Postecoglou’s disappointment at the time appeared self-evident, and there’s little doubt the Australian will expect much more from his players this season.

One of those will be Ben Davies, who has made the decision to see out the final 12 months of his contract at the club, per Football Insider.

It was believed that Davies, who has managed a whopping 330 appearances with the club, would move on this summer, but the report details that the coach has no qualms in having the Welshman as a valued squad member.

Davies will have only just turned 32 by the end of the 2024/25 campaign, and surely has another couple of seasons at least at the top level.

Whether Spurs allow him to leave on a free next summer or try to persuade him to stay in January is a moot point at this stage.

Ange Postecoglou hasn’t really been on a spending spree this summer for Tottenham, but the hires of both Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke apparently mean that the North Londoners have to start selling to balance the books.

As with any transfer window, there are always opportunities to do business, and some deals appear to make more sense than others.

Some are signed and sealed at the beginning of a window, and others are rushed through at the 11th hour on deadline day.

Sergio Reguilon wants to leave Tottenham

Where there’s a will, there always seems to be a way, and one Spurs player in particular will be hoping that’s the case.

According to Football Insider sources, left-back Sergio Reguilon is absolutely “desperate” to get out of the club this summer.

That might have something to do with the fact that the Spaniard has barely played for the club over the past few seasons.

At 27 years of age he clearly still has something to offer a potential buying club, and given the Lilywhites own predicament in terms of their financial position, this summer could finally see Reguilon released from his Tottenham hell.

Whether there are any major buyers lined up at the moment is a moot point.

Though Reguilon may be able to pick and choose his next employer too, the likelihood is he’ll go to who Tottenham decide to sell him to.

Were the player to then turn down any move, that would perhaps indicate that he isn’t as desperate to leave the club as has perhaps been made out.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso has been linked with a move away from the club this summer.

The 28-year-old midfielder has fallen down the pecking order at the North London club and he needs a move away in order to get his career back on track.

According to Football Insider, Real Betis and Aston Villa are keen on signing the Argentine international midfielder. Tottenham are looking to sell the player permanently and they are not keen on sending him out on loan again.

Lo Celso has impressed with Real Betis in the past and it is no surprise that the Spanish club are willing to provide him with an exit route. It will be interesting to see if they can agree on a deal with Tottenham. Meanwhile, he has played under the Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, who was in charge of Villarreal when Lo Celso was on loan at the Spanish club.

Aston Villa could use Lo Celso

The West Midlands club are looking to add more quality and depth to their attacking unit and Lo Celso would be a quality fit. He is capable of slotting into the central attacking midfield role and in the wide areas. He has the flair and the technical attributes to create goal scoring opportunities from multiple areas and he could add a new dimension to the Aston Villa attack.

They will be competing in the UEFA Champions League next season and the need more quality at their disposal. The report from Football Insider claims that Tottenham have reduced their asking price for the player and they are now prepared to sell him for £10 million.

It is a reasonable fee to pay for a quality midfielder who is at the peak of his powers. There is no doubt that the Argentine international would be a bargain at that price. It remains to be seen whether Real Betis and Aston Villa are ready to pay up for him.

Tottenham have completed the big money signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth and they could add more attacking players to their squad.

Spurs have managed to sign Archie Gray from Leeds United this summer to add to Timo Werner’s loan move.

Manager Ange Postecoglou has strengthened the midfield and the attack of the club with his signings.

They could add more attacking additions to their squad after Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge provided an update that will thrill the Tottenham faithful.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, the journalist claimed that he will not rule out Tottenham signing another attacking player, despite completing the move to bring Solanke to the Tottenham Stadium.

He said:

“I certainly won’t rule it out. Of course they have re-signed Timo Werner on loan, they have Brennan Johnson, Kulusevski, Heung-Min Son who can play as a striker or as a wide player.

“I wouldn’t completely rule it out. I don’t think anything will happen in the next week or so, but it could be something for later on in the window.”

The journalist has given the fans hope of a late move for another attacking addition.

There is nothing currently in the works at Spurs but they could consider a late move to add more firepower to their attack.

Spurs narrowly missed out on a place in the Champions League with their fifth placed finish in the league last season.

Tottenham can bring in more attacking players this summer

They are now determined to fight again to qualify for the Champions League and continue the exciting project they are building under the leadership of Postecoglou.

The addition of Solanke would provide them with a proper goal scoring player, something they have desperately needed since the departure of Harry Kane from the club.

More fresh faces in attack would add depth to their squad and increase their over all quality to compete against their Premier League rivals this season.

Ange Postecoglou has admitted his Tottenham Hotspur side still has ‘work to do’ in order to ‘improve in all areas’ ahead of the new Premier League season.

The Australian guided the Lilywhites to fifth in the Premier League in his debut campaign in charge, qualifying them for the Europa League in what was a marked improvement from their eighth-place return in 2022/23.

Spurs have also enjoyed a productive summer, winning five straight friendlies before only losing by a single goal in back-to-back matches against Bayern Munich (2-1 and 3-2), while they also completed the signing of Dominic Solanke on Saturday, finally replacing Harry Kane.

READ: Harry Kane gives verdict on new Spurs signing Dominic Solanke

Nevertheless, Postecoglou believes there are still plenty of improvements needed from his squad if they’re to challenge the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool this season.

“Pre-season has been good in terms of the work we have done with the players,” Postecoglou told the Tottenham Hotspur official website following Saturday’s Visit Malta Cup loss to Bayern.

“It’s always a bit disjointed until you have everyone together and this is the first week we’ve had everyone in but, in general, they are all in good physical condition, which I think is the main thing and knock on wood, we don’t have any injuries. Hopefully, we got through today alright. Hopefully, we have a whole fit squad for that first game because once the games start, we’re going to need the full squad. So, from that point of view, it has been positive.

“We’ve still got 10 days of training. The games are part of that; they’re just part of pre-season. The idea is we use every game we have, whether it is a game or training, to be ready for the first game and that is the most important thing.

Action from our final pre-season friendly ?

Highlights: Spurs 2-3 FC Bayern ? pic.twitter.com/ATrfH4Cxa8

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 10, 2024

“And there always need to be an evolution. We need to be better than we were last year because the competition certainly doesn’t stand still, it’s not like the other teams are going to be where they were last year. We’ve got to improve in all of our areas. We’ve still got some work to do.

“I think the foundations we put in place last year gives us the opportunity to kick on and now we’ve just got to push the players and they have to push themselves to the next level because we had an okay season last year but we know we want to go to another level and bring success to this football club and that’s going to require us being better than we were.”

Spurs will now prepare for their first fixture of the 2024/25 Premier League season away to Leicester City a week on Monday.

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of striker Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth.

Per BBC Sport, Spurs will pay an initial £55m fee plus add-ons worth up to another £10m, with the 26-year-old signing a deal through the summer of 2030.

“We are delighted to announce the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth. Welcome to Tottenham, Dominic!” Spurs wrote on X.

Solanke joins off the back of an excellent 2023/24 campaign in which he scored 21 goals across all competitions, including 19 in the Premier League to help the Cherries finish 12th in the table.

A one-time England international with the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool on his CV, Solanke has been a late bloomer and has undoubtedly enjoyed his best form as a Bournemouth player across the last couple of seasons.

Solanke is Spurs! ? pic.twitter.com/inojhKYlu0

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 10, 2024

Tottenham’s search for a striker has been no secret, with the club never truly replacing Harry Kane, who left for Bayern Munich last summer following a 435-game stay in which he scored 280 goals.

Solanke is Tottenham’s fourth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Yang Min-hyuk — although he’s the first over-18 acquisition of the window.

Tottenham Hotspur are considering selling winger Manor Solomon this summer, with interest from three Premier League clubs.

According to TBR Football, Brighton, Leicester City, and Wolves have all expressed interest in signing Solomon.

While Tottenham are open to selling the 24-year-old on a permanent deal, the report suggests that an initial loan with an option to buy next summer is the most likely outcome.

The interest in Solomon is not limited to the Premier League. Clubs from Spain and Germany are also monitoring the situation, potentially setting up a competitive market for the winger.

Manor Solomon’s time at Tottenham marred with injuries

Solomon joined Tottenham on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk but has struggled to make an impact at the North London club due to injuries.

A meniscus injury in his right knee kept him sidelined for much of the season, limiting him to just 198 minutes across five Premier League appearances, during which he managed to provide two assists.

Despite these setbacks, Solomon’s previous performances for Shakhtar, where he scored 22 goals and provided 9 assists in 106 appearances, make him an attractive target for mid-table Premier League clubs looking to bolster their attacking options.

Tottenham’s openness to a sale stems from the potential financial benefit. Since Solomon was signed on a free transfer, any sale would result in a pure profit for the club, which could be a motivating factor in their willingness to negotiate.

Tottenham Hotspur are considering selling winger Manor Solomon this summer, with interest from three Premier League clubs.

According to TBR Football, Brighton, Leicester City, and Wolves have all expressed interest in signing Solomon.

While Tottenham are open to selling the 24-year-old on a permanent deal, the report suggests that an initial loan with an option to buy next summer is the most likely outcome.

The interest in Solomon is not limited to the Premier League. Clubs from Spain and Germany are also monitoring the situation, potentially setting up a competitive market for the winger.

Manor Solomon’s time at Tottenham marred with injuries

Solomon joined Tottenham on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk but has struggled to make an impact at the North London club due to injuries.

A meniscus injury in his right knee kept him sidelined for much of the season, limiting him to just 198 minutes across five Premier League appearances, during which he managed to provide two assists.

Despite these setbacks, Solomon’s previous performances for Shakhtar, where he scored 22 goals and provided 9 assists in 106 appearances, make him an attractive target for mid-table Premier League clubs looking to bolster their attacking options.

Tottenham’s openness to a sale stems from the potential financial benefit. Since Solomon was signed on a free transfer, any sale would result in a pure profit for the club, which could be a motivating factor in their willingness to negotiate.

Tottenham could dip into the transfer market to sign a new winger as the North London club are open to sending Manor Solomon out on loan for the 2024/25 campaign.

According to Football Insider, Spurs are ready to accept loan proposals for the 25-year-old as the winger is not part of Ange Postecoglou’s plans for the upcoming campaign.

Solomon has taken part in Tottenham’s pre-season preparations coming off the bench in the Premier League side’s 3-2 win over Vissel Kobe as part of their tour of South Korea and Japan, however, the Israel international has not done enough to impress his Australian coach.

The winger has not played a competitive game for Tottenham in 11 months after suffering a serious knee injury at the start of last season.

Up until then, Solomon had played six games for Spurs in all competitions and even bagged two assists in a 5-2 win over Burnley.

The 25-year-old has a contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until 2028 but it looks like the winger has no future at the London club. A loan move will help put the player in the shop window as the North London club’s plan is likely to sell the former Fulham star in 2025.

Tottenham may need to sign another winger this summer

Should Solomon leave, that could see Tottenham move for a new winger as the Premier League club have also allowed Bryan Gil to depart North London on loan to Girona during the current transfer window.

Postecoglou is not blessed with many natural wide players in his Spurs squad at present and it would be a smart move to bring in another.

Tottenham are currently focused on providing their Australian coach with a new number nine but once that has been completed, the North London side need to address the wide areas.