Daily Mail

The freebie row engulfing Sir Keir Starmer deepened tonight as it was revealed that he shared lavish football hospitality with a powerful lobbyist who backed the hated breakaway Super League.

The Prime Minister and his embattled chief of staff Sue Gray enjoyed a corporate box at Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday, just hours after fresh ‘Wardrobegate’ allegations emerged about clothes Sir Keir and his wife had taken from Labour donor Lord Alli.

Tickets were funded by Spurs, one of the six clubs which mounted the 2021 attempt to leave the Premier League – a plan that was abandoned following a furious reaction from fans.

And sitting next to Ms Gray – who is facing open revolt in No 10 over her management style – was Katie Perrior, the founder and chair of iNHouse Communications, which worked on the attempt to form the Super League. Other clients include tech giants such as Google, who have been criticised for their legal tax avoidance.

Sir Keir’s party for Tottenham’s clash with his beloved Arsenal also included Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Senior Tory MP John Glen said: ‘Is there no freebie that Sir Keir will not take? His behaviour is as hypocritical as it is incredible. And in view of Labour’s plans for a new football regulator, his presence and that of Sue Gray is a clear conflict of interest.’

Sir Keir has accepted nearly £40,000 worth of free tickets for football matches over the past five years, which critics say threatens his impartiality over the planned regulator, which would have the power to stop teams joining breakaway leagues and to block investment from controversial countries.

Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty said: ‘Keir Starmer pledged to crack down on lobbying yet he seems comfortable to be lobbied if it affords him privileged access to watch Premier League football. For the governance of our national game to be agreed by the PM via informal meetings in VIP boxes over prawn sandwiches, with Sue Gray again shaping policy and without Civil Service oversight, should be a huge concern to football fans across the country.’

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was tonight accused of breaching parliamentary rules by failing to declare that a friend had joined her on a personal holiday funded by Lord Alli.

The friend, Sam Tarry, paid for his flights but stayed with her at the Labour peer’s $2.5 million apartment in Manhattan for the New Year’s Eve break. Rayner’s team claimed that Tarry’s stay did not need to be officially registered.

The revelation that Ms Gray used the Tottenham hospitality box comes as she faces mounting opposition within Downing Street over her ‘heavy-handed’ and ‘cronyist’ management style.

In a development which will increase the pressure on her, sources have told The Mail on Sunday that Ms Gray personally signed off the controversial pass to No10 which Lord Alli used in the weeks after the general election.

This newspaper can also disclose that the Prime Minister’s officials are in open revolt about being cut out of meetings with Sir Keir. All 12 senior civil servants in his private office have either quit, asked to be moved or said to be considering leaving.

The Daily Mail published an exclusive picture today showing Ms Gray in tense talks with Michael Bourke, the principal private secretary to Cabinet Secretary Sir Simon Case, who has been battling Ms Gray over access to the PM. An onlooker told the MoS: ‘It was unbelievable – it certainly wasn’t a nice conversation. He looked upset and she wasn’t smiling at any point... I’ve never seen anything like it before.’

Sir Keir has received many more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader, receiving £107,145-worth since 2019. Lord Alli was the biggest donor, giving the equivalent of £39,122, including accommodation worth £20,437.

The PM and his top team bowed to pressure this weekend and said they will no longer take donations for clothes. He accepted £16,200 of clothing and glasses worth £2,485 from Lord Alli. Chancellor Rachel Reeves accepted £7,500 for clothing while Ms Rayner took donations worth £3,550.

Lord Alli proposed mandatory voting to reduce the ‘influence of money in politics’, according to the Daily Telegraph, citing a speech he made in July. It also reported he had demanded a crackdown on the press, calling for a new offence of ‘corporate intimidation’ to tackle what he called the ‘bullying’ of public figures by newspapers.

Arsenal has made two corporate seats available to Sir Keir in Emirates Stadium, which the PM says he took for security reasons.

Ms Perrior, who worked as director of communications for Prime Minister Theresa May from 2016 to 2017, was not available for comment, but there is no suggestion that she used the match as an opportunity to lobby Ministers.

A Downing Street source said the tickets were paid for by Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Ltd and would be declared ‘in the usual way’.

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha was left perplexed as VAR appeared to miss Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario handle the ball outside his box.

The incident occurred early in the second half as Tottenham looked to preserve a 2-1 lead over Brentford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

But a moment of madness from Italian goalkeeper Vicario will have had Spurs fans' hearts in their mouths.

The Italian gloveman contested for the ball with Brentford's Mikkel Damsgaard on the edge of the 18-yard box.

However, Vicario appears to touch the ball not once, but twice with his hands outside of the box.

Despite the seemingly overwhelming video evidence, neither Alex Chilowicz or Darren Cann, who were on VAR and assistant VAR duties respectively, picked up the indiscretion.

VAR's lack of intervention left Onuoha baffled.

'Earlier, Guglielmo Vicario comes out of his area and makes three attempts at touching the ball,' Onuoha said on BBC's Final Score.

'From the angle we see the third touch, if there was another angle of it, I think they would say that it came outside the box, so that would be a red card.

'It is strange VAR has missed that, very strange, because that is a big moment in the game.'

Onuoha wasn't alone in his surprise at no action being taken against Vicario as several fans voiced their opinion on X.

One fan said: 'How has Vicario got away with this...'.

Another posted: 'How has neither the referee or VAR not seen this blatant handball by Vicario??? More awful officiating in the Premier League.'

A supporter added: 'This is embarrassing. How did Vicario get away with this?

Even Brentford's official account on X was stunned no officials picked up on it.

'Huge appeals for a handball against Vicario', Brentford's mid-game update read.

'He misjudges a cross and appears to handle it outside his area to prevent Damsgaard shooting but nothing is given!', followed by an angry emoji.

In Tottenham's post-match press conference, a reporter asked Postecoglou whether he saw Vicario's supposed handball, and the Spurs boss responded: 'I think I saw exactly what you saw'.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank took a diplomatic approach to the incident, but made clear it was a handball.

'Not only looked, he had handled it outside the box, but that incident did not define the game,' Frank said.

'It was a mistake. It could have been a free-kick to us. It could have helped us. But hey, you never know. I think the probability of scoring from a direct free-kick is like 0.0543, so probably not the biggest probability for scoring anyway.

'And I think John Brooks (referee) overall had a very good game. The way he handled soft fouls both ways was really good.

'I understand how it is. We can't be too, I don't like the word aggressive, but, in-their-face because it's just our frustration. We can't do anything about it. Hey, move on.'

Brentford were ultimately unable to find an equalising goal as James Maddison's strike in the 85th minute put the result beyond doubt for Tottenham.

The result was much-needed for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou after the team's north London derby loss to Arsenal last Sunday and an unconvincing win over Coventry City in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

As for the Bees, the loss to Tottenham was their third from their last four league games albeit the other defeats came against Liverpool and Manchester City.

James Maddison ended a wait of 195 days, a torturous drought during which he suffered the blow of omission from England's squad for the Euros, and he did not try to conceal his delight as his delicate clip found the net.

Off came the shirt at the expense of a yellow card as he basked in the applause and out came the celebration darts, which had caused such a petty old rumpus featuring expert wind-up merchant Neal Maupay on Brentford's previous visit to N17.

The away fans jeered Maddison's name before this game, but the Bees rarely fail to spark him into life and his goal, Tottenham's third in the 85th minute, topped a splendid personal display and soothed late nerves for Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs had gone behind to a wonderful volley by Bryan Mbeumo inside a minute before recovering to lead at half time through goals by Dominic Solanke, his first for the club, and Brennan Johnson, his second in four days.

But wasted chances kept the game tight and Brentford were chasing a point when Yves Bissouma won the ball in defence. Cristian Romero found Heung-min Son, who made the final pass, and Maddison finished with style.

'We should have won by a fair bit more, but we still got the job done,' grumbled Postecoglou. 'You're always keeping the opposition in the game and that's been the story of our season so far. It was a quality goal with three of our four captains involved in it. It was important to finish the game off.'

Brentford, for the second weekend in a row, stunned their hosts within a minute. At Manchester City, it was Yoane Wissa who fired them into a shock lead with only 22 seconds on the clock. Here, with Wissa among eight first-teamers ruled out by injury, it was Mbeumo.

As at the Etihad Stadium the goal was recorded at 22 seconds and it was one to savour. Worked from right to left where Keane Lewis-Potter twisted clear of Pedro Porro and crossed. Mbuemo drifted away from Micky van de Ven and volleyed it first time with his left foot into the top corner.

As at the Etihad, however, the lead did not last long, and the Bees were trailing by half-time. Solanke equalised as Spurs pressed the visitors into a mistake as they played out of defence.

Maddison picked off a stray pass by Ethan Pinnock, drove into the penalty area and tested Mark Flekken who pushed his save to Solanke.

Still only eight minutes had gone and Tottenham assumed control. Maddison caused problems in the channel between Sepp van den Berg, on the right of a back three and wing-back Kristoffer Ajer.

Brentford defenders hurled bodies in front of shots and smothered attacks, and Flekken made saves, the best of them at the feet of Son when he was through on goal.

Johnson punctured the resistance. He was a stoppage-time hero in the Carabao Cup in Coventry in midweek and here he collected a Son pass, beat Nathan Collins for pace and finished inside the far post.

Both goalkeepers delivered thrills and spills with a blend of terrific shot-stopping and risky passing moves deep in their own areas. Guglielmo Vicario made fine saves from Mbeumo and Mikkel Damsgaard and the pick of them from Kevin Schade when his team led 2-1.

Spurs keeper Vicario also escaped despite handling the ball outside his penalty area, having chased after a cross he came for and fumbled, in the second half.

Referee John Brooks missed the offence, and the VAR did not intervene as they ruled it not a red card because it was not an obvious goal scoring opportunity. Frank reacted angrily and picked up a yellow card but accepted it had not changed the game.

'He handballed it outside the box,' said the Bees boss. 'It didn't define the game. It wasn't a penalty and it wasn't a red card. It was just a free-kick outside the box which John should have seen. I think he refereed a good game, that was just a small thing. If you come here, you need to get everything to maximise your chances.'

Tottenham signed Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in a club-record deal

The club were interested in Ivan Toney before the ace moved to Saudi Arabia

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Ange Postecoglou has revealed Tottenham chose to sign Dominic Solanke over Ivan Toney because he wanted the former Bournemouth striker more.

Spurs held an interest in Toney during the summer transfer window, Postecoglou has confirmed, but eventually decided to swoop for Solanke in a £65million deal.

Both Solanke and Toney are believed to have attracted no shortage of potential suitors and the latter went on to move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli for £40m.

England hopeful Solanke, 27, scored 21 goals in all competitions for the Cherries last season but was determined to take a step up and compete in Europe.

Explaining Spurs' choice, Postecoglou said: 'We looked at him, but the reality was that Dom [Solanke] is the one that I wanted. It took the whole summer to get him in, but he was the one that fitted the profile that we wanted.'

Postecoglou has also urged supporters to be patient with the frontman and avoid rushing to judgement after his difficult start to life at the club.

Solanke has yet to score his first goal for Spurs in his three appearances this season but his manager is confident he will come good.

'He's settled in really well,' Postecoglou added. 'There's plenty more to come from him, because he got injured. He's only played two-and-a-bit games for us.

'He just needs to get some games under his belt. But what I've seen in the games he has played, he's going to be a real asset for us.

'I've got no doubt he'll be a great contributor.'

Spurs' club-record signing, Solanke made his debut against Leicester City in their Premier League opener but then suffered an ankle injury.

He went on to miss out on matches against Everton and Newcastle but made his return in the north London derby defeat by Arsenal last weekend.

David James has predicted Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham to all miss out on a top four place in the Premier League this season.

Former England goalkeeper James played almost 600 games in the top-flight between 1992 and 2010, turning out for the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.

Now a pundit, the 54-year-old has waded into the debate around the Champions League race and is confident two of his former clubs will push for the title.

And James believes United and Chelsea - both of whom fell well short last season - will join a stuttering Spurs in being pipped to the post once again.

Speaking to SafestCasinoSites, he said: 'Manchester City will expect to win the league, or at least that is my expectation from them. That is simply what City do.

'Arsenal will be up there. I expect Arsenal to mount another title challenge, and I think Liverpool will do the same thing.'

James instead believes Newcastle and Aston Villa will battle it out for fourth place.

He added: 'The final position is a little bit trickier to predict.

'I think Villa will be there, but sadly for them to do that, then they will likely have to sacrifice the domestic cup competitions, which is a shame, but that's the reality of the standard in the Premier League these days.

'I think Newcastle could be there or thereabouts. I like the club's start to the season, which has been achieved in less than harmonious circumstances.

'We've seen Eddie Howe do it before, so we know he has that in his locker.

'Chelsea, they have some wonderful players, but consistency will be the main issue for them. I can't see them being consistent enough to challenge for a place in the top four over a 38-game season.

'If I'm looking at the table as things stand, I'm pretty sure the top four will come from the clubs that are currently sat in those positions, possibly even in the same order.

'It's between Villa and Newcastle for the fourth-placed position.'

The five clubs mentioned by James currently occupy the top positions in the top-flight with Newcastle third, Liverpool fourth and Villa sitting in fifth.

City and Arsenal are first and second respectively ahead of Sunday's showdown.

Tottenham came from behind to avoid a shock Carabao Cup upset to Coventry

Postecoglou was pleased with the character his side showed to win 2-1

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Ange Postecoglou acknowledged Tottenham had to hang in there to avoid a Carabao Cup upset at Coventry, but was pleased with their spirit and character after a nervy 2-1 victory.

Spurs were set to follow up Sunday's painful derby defeat to Arsenal with another loss after Brandon Thomas-Asante fired the Sky Bet Championship club into a deserved lead after 63 minutes.

It would have put Postecoglou's post-match comments last weekend about always winning silverware in his second season into sharp focus, but Djed Spence spared his blushes when he levelled with two minutes left.

Spot-kicks were still on the cards until Rodrigo Bentancur played through to Brennan Johnson, who chipped home in the 92nd minute to send Tottenham through and leave their travelling support singing about Wembley.

'We had to hang in there. We had to work really, really hard just to stay in the game and obviously going a goal behind makes it even more challenging,' Postecoglou said.

'At the end there, we showed some real spirit and character, which is probably what's been missing in the first four games.

'We've had the performance, but we haven't had that relentlessness to get a result. You sense that in the last 10 minutes, we got real belief out of that and hopefully that's a good sign moving forward.'

Postecoglou also put his hand up and conceded his side's lack of fluidity came down to making major changes to the starting line-up.

'Look, we weren't very fluent tonight or cohesive,' Postecoglou told Sky Sports.

'When you make a lot of changes, that's on me. We weren't as fluent, certainly performance-wise.

'Some of that is down to Coventry. I thought they were excellent tonight. They played with a real high energy and we had to hang in there for as long as we could.

'At the end I was really pleased for Djed and Brenna because they've come on and made a difference for us and made an impact in the game.'

It could end up being a pivotal victory for Postecoglou, but it was an overall poor night for a much-changed Spurs team.

Coventry almost scored inside 60 seconds but Fraser Forster atoned for a misplaced pass with a fine save to deny Jack Rudoni.

Tottenham dominated possession but failed to create chances and Rudoni had another effort blocked by Destiny Udogie before Norman Bassette fired over.

After no first half shot and a smattering of boos at the break, Postecoglou sent on Spence and Johnson did have a shot deflected wide but Forster had to deny Bassette before Coventry called for a penalty.

Jake Bidwell collided with Forster and as play continued Ben Davies had to slide in to thwart Haji Wright's goalbound effort.

Boos greeted Postecoglou's decision to take off the lively Lucas Bergvall in the 62nd minute before seconds later Thomas-Asante slotted home from a sumptuous Bassette cross.

Further chances were fashioned for the hosts as Ephron Mason-Clark failed to get a sufficient touch at the back post.

The Sky Blues would pay the price for their profligacy as Dejan Kulusevski combined brilliantly with fellow substitute Spence, who prodded home with two minutes left.

It was Spurs who scented blood and Bentancur threaded a pass through to Johnson, who dinked past Wilson to spark wild away celebrations half an hour after they booed the decision to take off Bergvall.

Postecoglou added: "I don't make substitutions by poll, mate.

'I'm sure the fans have got their own opinions, but yeah, Lucas, like I said that's his first sort of significant game time for quite a while.'

Coventry boss Mark Robins said: 'Life presents you with chances and we seem to not take them in this moment in time.

'I look back to the (2023) play-off final, the game against Manchester United and it was there. The game was there tonight and we just didn't manage to take it.

'There is the disappointment, but there were so many positives.'

Jamie Redknapp has claimed Tottenham will be 'relieved' to have survived a Carabao Cup scare against Coventry City, but claimed boss Ange Postecoglou 'took liberties' with his team selection.

Coventry had threatened to dump Tottenham out in the third round with Brandon Thomas-Asante having given the Championship side a deserved lead in the 63rd minute.

A much-changed Spurs side turned the match around in the closing stages, with substitute Djed Spence drawing them level in the 88th minute.

Brennan Johnson raced through and finished two minutes into stoppage time to complete the comeback, with Tottenham avoiding an early exit.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Redknapp claimed Postecoglou almost had a look of embarrassment at full-time with his side advancing despite having been second best at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

'They were so poor, going nowhere fast until the goals. Up until then, you look at what Mark Robins did [scoring for Man United], we might look back at this goal as something similar and that's kept them in it,' Redknapp said.

'There was almost a look of embarrassment from Ange at full-time. They will be mightily relieved.

'They will be sat in the dressing room thinking "How on earth have we got away with that?" Coventry were the better side and he will be so relieved. They've got to make sure it is a turning point for them.'

The result ultimately eases some pressure on Postecoglou after a difficult start to the season, with Tottenham having picked up just four points from their opening four Premier League matches.

Postecoglou had heavily rotated his side for third round clash, making eight changes for the match against the Championship side.

Redknapp questioned the team selection, suggesting Postecoglou had not learned from Tottenham being knocked out by Fulham in the second round last season.

Postecoglou had made nine changes against Fulham last year, with Spurs ultimately crashing out on penalties after a disjointed performance.

'I didn't like the team he picked. He took liberties. I thought he would've learned from Fulham last season but he didn't pick a strong enough team. But he's got away with that one,' Redknapp added.

'You can tell they have a lack of confidence right now. They didn't pass the ball well enough and they let Coventry creep into the game.

'I do struggle when managers leave out these big name players - I don't know why they don't start the likes of Son and then bring them off when you're winning.

This was always going to be a tough game and a potential banana skin because of what Coventry have done in recent years. The team he's picked has given them a problem and they were very, very fortunate.'

Tottenham had come into the Carabao Cup tie with Coventry fresh from Postecoglou's bold statement that he always wins things in his second season at a club.

The Spurs boss admitted he would have failed if he fails to end the club's 16-year trophy drought, which stretches back to the last time they lifted the League Cup back in 2008.

They pulled on a minty green kit and Ange Postecoglou threw in some fresh faces but Tottenham found it tough to shake off the stale odour that has been following them around.

Just four days after a home defeat in the North London derby on a day when Postecoglou reminded the world how he never failed to win a trophy in his second season, Spurs required a late salvage operation to avoid defeat in the Carabao Cup.

Coventry led deservedly with 88 minutes played but Djed Spence equalised and Brennan Johnson dashed clear to win the tie in the second minute of stoppage time as penalties loomed.

It was heartbreak for the Championship team who had been the better team for large parts of the tie, and might have been ahead before Brandon Thomas-Asante struck in the 63rd minute.

Having started with a team which cost almost £250million, Spurs had just sent on Heung-min Son and James Maddison when Thomas-Asante put them behind.

Postecoglou then threw on Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenhem refused to give up and Coventry finally faded under the pressure.

Djed Spence replaced Udogie and Spurs returned to find a better tempo at the start the second half, which served to tear the game wide open, with Coventry looking increasingly dangerous on the break.

Forster saved again from Bassette and then charged out of his penalty area and felled Bidwell. The ball spilled to Haji Wright who was unable to find the net. Davies slid across to block. The surprise was that referee Darren England did not go back to punish the goalkeeper for a foul but gave a corner. Home fans were hopping mad

Ben Wilson made a fine save to deny Davies from a corner but Coventry took the lead through Asante-Thomas sweeping in a low cross by Bassette after a dashing move down the left wing.

Ange Postecoglou spent his summer holidaying in the sweltering Greek islands where temperatures can reach 86 degrees.

Back in north London, as autumn approaches and the air starts to cool, Postecoglou continues to feel the heat.

Four points from their opening four Premier League matches has made for an indifferent start for a Tottenham side that last season looked like they may challenge for the title.

First thing’s first, there is no hint the Australian is under any immediate danger of having the rug pulled from under him by a Tottenham board that, in the past, have shown a willingness to move managers on.

That is only right. Tottenham have played well, if not great, in all four of their matches thus far.

Indeed, members of the team believe their performances have offered an improvement on their opening four matches of last season - a run that saw them take 10 from a possible 12 points.

Postecoglou’s messaging to his players in recent days echoes the prevailing sense that ‘Angeball’ remains at the heart of the operation.

Steadfastly loyal to his footballing principles, Postecoglou has reiterated to his squad that they remain on the right path. That nothing changes. To remain calm.

There is, however, an acknowledgement that outside noise is starting to manifest. ‘No plan B, the defensive line is too high’ are becoming frequent accusations.

But, privately, Postecoglou is asking his players to trust him and - more pertinently - to ignore those who insist Angeball is failing.

A siege mentality, if you will - something this club knows all about following the managerial spells of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

Postecoglou, as a general rule, is at his desk by 8am - well in advance of his players' arrival.

He remains at the club’s Enfield HQ well into the afternoon and long after most have clocked off.

That’s the path he chose, of course. It’s a path that has been riddled with frustrations in recent weeks.

They were ahead and in the ascendancy against Leicester only to lose their grip in the second half before comfortably beating Everton.

Spurs somehow contrived to throw away victory at Newcastle in a game they largely dominated.

Against Arsenal on Sunday they’d have been well within their rights to feel aggrieved leaving with nothing.

They’d accrued 64 per cent of the ball, took 15 shots to Arsenal’s seven and had more touches in the penalty area than their arch-rivals.

But therein lies the quandary Postecoglou must find the answer to before the powers-that-be decide that rug may need sweeping away after all.

‘I think when you look at the four games, I think that you could summarise all four games in a very similar way of us, outperforming the opposition but not taking the critical moments in our favour and you pay a price for that,’ Postecoglou said on Tuesday.

The narrative surrounding why Spurs have stuttered centres largely around high lines and set pieces.

While Postecoglou has so far refused to employ a specialist dead ball coach, behind the scenes it is not true to say the former Celtic boss is neglecting the importance of set pieces.

Nick Montgomery arrived as an assistant coach in the summer, with the former Hibernian boss taking up the responsibility of working on attacking and defending set pieces at training.

Of course, Gabriel Magalhaes’ winner on Sunday, scored directly from Bukayo Saka’s corner, did little to quell the noise around Tottenham’s issue with defending dead ball situations and the concept that Postecoglou underestimates its importance.

But there is a confidence that Montgomery’s influence has improved the deficiencies that proved an Achilles heel to Postecoglou’s first season in charge.

Specifically, against Arsenal on Sunday, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s failure to to attack Saka’s cross, despite the delivery flying within six yards of his goal, contributed to Arsenal’s winner - although it is recognised that Cristian Romero switched off to allow Magalhaes what was effectively a free header.

Vicario is an impressive shot-stopper, while his ability in possession allows Postecloglou to implement the high-risk possession-based philosophy he swears by.

However, there is also an acknowledgement that his reluctance to attack crosses is a flaw that needs improving.

Tottenham are yet to replace former club captain Hugo Lloris, who left for LAFC in January, with a genuine No 2 goalkeeper who could realistically challenge Vicario.

Fraser Forster, 36, has been named on the Tottenham bench for three of their four league games so far this season. Forster hasn’t played a top-flight game since May 2023.

A goalkeeper was not viewed as a priority over the summer, and it must be stressed that Spurs don’t have a limitless pot of money.

But while Tottenham are satisfied with their summer recruitment, the failure to sign a goalkeeper to replace Lloris is under the spotlight.

The arrival of Dominic Solanke for a club record £65million saw Spurs secure one of their long-term targets. Ivan Toney was considered but the swoop for Solanke was universally approved.

Yet the one perceived glitch in the club’s summer recruitment operation was their failure to land the high-energy central midfielder Postecoglou yearned.

Conor Gallagher was the club’s primary target for the role and there was a confidence at Tottenham that they could take advantage of Chelsea’s race to comply with profit and sustainability rules (PSR) in their pursuit of the England international.

Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey was another Tottenham held a genuine interest in but it became abundantly clear the Midlands club were not interested in selling after overcoming their own PSR issues.

Gradually, what was viewed as a priority position at the start of the summer became less so as the window progressed.

The arrival of 18-year-old Archie Gray for a fee of £40m from Leeds diluted their push for a more experienced midfielder.

The additional arrival of Lucas Bergvall, 18, from Djurgaardens and Wilson Odobert from Burnley completed a very youthful first summer window under technical director Johan Lange, who arrived last October.

Lange’s data-led approach spawned a host of strategic changes in terms of how Tottenham identify their targets.

Youth and energy were viewed as key attributes during the previous window, with a focus on recruiting players who could handle the physical strains of Postecoglou’s relentless approach but also footballers hungry to adapt their own games to the Australian’s instructions.

The overhaul in the recruitment operation has certainly left a few noses out of joint.

David Pleat, who completed regular scouting missions for the club and someone who has historical connections with Tottenham, was relieved of his duties over the summer.

There are those who believe a role should have been found for Pleat to remain at the club.

Similarly Ian Broomfield, one of the club’s most senior scouts, was also part of a cull.

Sources have indicated that the club’s move to a data-led approach was a key reason behind Broomfield’s departure, while Mail Sport has also learned the fact he only covered matches within a certain radius from his north-west base was another factor that prompted the decision.

However, there is an opposing view that it was Spurs' choice to limit Broomfield’s geographical scope, though that move is understood to have pre-dated Lange’s arrival.

On the pitch, though, there seems very little chance of Postecoglou altering his approach - particularly the non-negotiable high defensive line that has split opinion.

Despite their indifferent start, the stats suggest Postecoglou is right to trust the process; they’re producing more shooting opportunities, taking more touches in the opposing area and making more passes in the final third.

As disappointing as any loss to Arsenal is to those on the white side of north London, there were elements of the derby performance that will go some way to convincing Postecoglou that his team are close to clicking.

James Maddison, for example, provided encouraging signs, particularly in the first-half, that he is inching towards form.

There was concern behind the scenes at Spurs over how Maddison would return to work after his heartbreaking omission from England’s Euro 2024 squad.

But while his performances so far haven’t necessarily met expectations, there is said to be a determination from Maddison to use the summer’s disappointment as fuel.

That sort of attitude will suit Postecoglou down to the ground if the Aussie is to prove that Angeball isn’t yesterday's fad.

Premier League clubs often band together to bring back their stars from abroad

Cristian Romero was annoyed after Spurs left him to his own devices

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Most people usually traverse the weekend without any air-related meltdowns, but on Sunday Cristian Romero contrived to have two.

In the afternoon he lost his aerial battle with Gabriel by standing rooted to the spot as the Arsenal defender leapt to head home the winner in the north London derby.

Then, after the match, he seemingly lashing out at Spurs' chieftains for not flying him back from international duty by luxury aircraft.

Welcome to the swaddled and mollycoddled lives of Premier League footballers.

After his undoing, Romero reposted a tweet from an Argentine journalist that claimed Tottenham 'gave an advantage' to Arsenal because they 'were the only Premier League club' that did not lay on travel arrangements for their stars to get back to England.

He hastily deleted the repost but it was too late. The screenshots had been clicked into existence.

And perhaps he had a point. Some clubs do provide private travel to get their long-haul players back faster. Arsenal's Brazilians were back in training by Thursday. Spurs, meanwhile, were happy for Romero to travel back on the flights arranged by Argentina, ready for training on Friday. A day of preparation missed, you could reasonably argue.

Tottenham will supply travel for international players if they think it is necessary. On this occasion they did not. But does Romero have much precedent to be vexed?

Well, he does. Premier League clubs have previously spent lavish sums in order to get their players back earlier and snatch a marginal gain.

In November 2016 Liverpool, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain split the cost of a £120,000 private jet to fly back stars from their Brazilian escapades - though Chelsea, offered the opportunity, did not get in on the act to help Willian.

Players such as Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino of Liverpool and Manchester City's Fernandinho were on that flight and got a day of extra preparation in. City even forked out cash for a separate private flight for Sergio Aguero, Nicolas Otamendi and Pablo Zabaleta of Argentina.

Willian, meanwhile, twiddled his thumbs in the airport waiting for a scheduled flight from Brazil.

Fotunately for Willian, Chelsea learned their lesson the next year. He was included in the gang of soaring Sambas in September 2017.

Nobody has invited the fans behind the scenes quite as much as Neymar. Clubs on the continent also organise travel arrangements for their stars, and one time he shared snaps of himself with Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, Filipe Luiz, Marquinhos and Jemerson. Not only that, he also uploaded footage of himself singing thousands of feet in the air. Lucky us.

In 2021, there were multiple high-profile instances of clubs banding together to haul back their precious cargo from the other side of the world.

City, Liverpool, and Manchester United clubbed together in October that year to whizz back an elite quota of nine stars from Brazil and Uruguay for a six-figure fee.

Tottenham also made arrangements, flying back their quartet of Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, Colombia's Davinson Sanchez and Brazilian Emerson Royal by private jet ahead of a clash with Newcastle.

Turnarounds can be tight. That time around, Liverpool were left with a 35-hour gap between Brazil kicking off a qualifier and the Reds having a match against Watford. You can see why clubs fork out so much to ensure their players get back rapidly.

Then, in November 2021, things got even more cosy. Not only did stars from rival Premier League clubs fly back together, but they were in such genial spirits that they posted about their love-in on the web.

Liverpool's Alisson posted a smiling snap with team-mate Fabinho, Man City's Ederson and Gabriel Jesus, Manchester United midfielder Fred and Leeds winger Raphinha, with the Reds keeper who was holding a small glass of red wine captioning the photo on Instagram: 'Let's go home.'

The private jet can be a place of mourning as well as roistering. Liverpool granted a crestfallen Sadio Mane a private jet back from Senegal duty in 2017 after his country's early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, having missed the crucial penalty against Gabon in the quarter-finals.

In 2020 Mane had more plane woes after winning African Footballer of the Year. He had been due to fly privately to Dakar, Senegal's capital, to celebrate, but missed his own party after the crew failed to get permission to fly over Tunisia.

With a crowd of supporters waiting to greet him ahead of a parade and ceremony with the country's president, Mane decided to return to Liverpool and focus on preparing for a match against Tottenham. The height of duty.

Others have been known to admirably shun the treatment. Last season Heung Min-son shunned the prospect of a private jet to travel to South Korea duty - admittedly in Wales - by train.

He and Ben Davies rocked up at Cardiff Central Station in casual clothes after taking a commuter train and hugged before going their separate ways, as per The Sun.

And unless they're wealthy enough to afford a private jet, public transport is the common road to which footballers return after they retire.

Sergio Aguero learned that in 2022 when, flying to the World Cup to support Argentina as a fan for the first time after retiring, he got caught up on a flight with a glut of dancing, singing Brazil fans, sharing the video with his followers.

One can only hope for Romero that he did not have to suffer a bus home with Gunners fans.