Transfermarkt

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Tottenham Hotspur look set to make an unorthodox move as they close in on their second signing of the summer transfer window. According to numerous reports, the North London club are set to complete the signing of Kawasaki Frontale star Kota Takai. The 20-year-old defender is expected to make the move to the Premier League in the coming days for a reported fee of around €5.8 million - which will make Takai the J-League’s sixth most expensive sale in the history of the Japanese top-flight. So who is the young defender and how good could Tottenham’s new signing be?

How good is Kota Takai?

After coming through Kawasaki Frontale’s youth academy as an exciting talent, Takai made his senior debut for the club in an AFC Champions League clash with Guangzhou on April 18, 2022, aged just 17 years and seven months old. That made the central defender the club’s youngest ever debutant. However, he would have to wait almost exactly one year before he made his J-League debut at the age of 18 and seven months old, which made him the club’s sixth youngest league debutant of all time. And since then he’s really gone from strength to strength for the “Azzurro Nero”.

"Despite being only in his second year of high school at the time, he signed a professional contract with Kawasaki Frontale, becoming the youngest player in the club’s history to do so," noted Transfermarkt's data scout for Japan, Yuta Izawa, when asked about Takai's journey as a young player. "Expectations for him were high from the start, especially considering that Kawasaki Frontale has produced talents like Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), Ao Tanaka (Leeds), Ko Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach), and Reo Hatate (Celtic). In the summer of 2022, while still part of the U18 team, he played in a preseason match against PSG."

After making a total of 28 appearances for the club in all competitions last season, Takai had established himself as a first-choice central defender for his club and, following impressive performances at the Olympic Games for the Japanese Olympic Team, he then made his debut for the Japan national team in a 7-0 win over China in the Asian World Cup qualifying rounds last September. "His name became widely known across Japan after his performances in international matches," noted Izawa. "At club level, he became a regular last season and was named the J.League’s Best Young Player."

Most recently, Takai was a crucial part of his team's push to the final of the AFC Champions League Elite, where he played every minute of the club's knock-out rounds. Rather notably, Takai was crucial in his side overcoming Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, with notable strikers Jhon Durán and Cristiano Ronaldo failing to score a single goal over the course of the game as Takai & Co. did just enough to get through to the final with a 3-2 win. Although the J-League side lost the final to Al-Ahli in a 2-0 defeat, it was a competition that clearly elevated the young defender's standing in the global game and showcased what he's capable of against top opposition.

So what is Takai's main attributes? According to Izawa, he has all the right skills to succeed in a league that makes huge physical demands like the Premier League. "He’s tall and dominant in the air, with excellent heading ability," noted the J-League expert. "He is physically strong and is fast, so he doesn’t get outmuscled easily. He’s also very good at building up play from the back. But his biggest strength is his composure in big games — he always stays calm under pressure."

Why are Tottenham signing Kota Takai?

Standing tall at 6ft 4ins and with an excellent tendency to dribble and pass with the ball with relative ease, Tottenham clearly feel as though Takai is ready to make the significant step up from J-League to Premier League. However, it remains to be seen whether he’ll be slotting straight into Thomas Frank’s first-team plans or may find himself loaned out in the coming season. And a quick glance at Tottenham’s squad for next season only underlines the serious competition Takai will face for a starting spot in the team in the years ahead.

Player Comparison

Kota Takai

Luka Vuskovic

Kawasaki Frontale

KVC Westerlo

€2.50m

Market Value

€12.00m

Age

Centre-Back

Position

Centre-Back

Jan 31, 2026

Contract until

Jun 30, 2025

Full Player Comparison

For example, alongside first-choice pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, Frank will also have Radu Drăgușin and Ben Davies in back-up. Alongside that, the club will also welcome back Ashley Phillips, who was on loan at Stoke City this season. And as if that wasn’t enough competition for Takai to contend with, he’ll also need to find a way to outshine new signing Luka Vuskovic, who will join the club from Hajduk Split for €11m, after making waves in Belgian football at Westerlo last season. Even if Tottenham were to sell one or two of the aforementioned names this summer, it still means Takai has three or four senior players to compete with.

However, when asked about his prospects in England, Izawa believes Takai is ready to make the step up at Tottenham. "Yes, I think he’s ready," said the Japanese football expert. "His biggest strength is that he stays composed even on the international stage. In the Champions League semi-final, he played a key role in the win against Al-Nassr by keeping Ronaldo and Durán quiet. To be honest, it’s hard to say exactly how well he’ll do in the Premier League, but he definitely has the potential to compete at that level."

©TM/IMAGO

Tottenham Hotspur look set to make an unorthodox move as they close in on their second signing of the summer transfer window. According to numerous reports, the North London club are set to complete the signing of Kawasaki Frontale star Kota Takai. The 20-year-old defender is expected to make the move to the Premier League in the coming days for a reported fee of around €5.8 million - which will make Takai the J-League’s sixth most expensive sale in the history of the Japanese top-flight. So who is the young defender and how good could Tottenham’s new signing be?

How good is Kota Takai?

After coming through Kawasaki Frontale’s youth academy as an exciting talent, Takai made his senior debut for the club in an AFC Champions League clash with Guangzhou on April 18, 2022, aged just 17 years and seven months old. That made the central defender the club’s youngest ever debutant. However, he would have to wait almost exactly one year before he made his J-League debut at the age of 18 and seven months old, which made him the club’s sixth youngest league debutant of all time. And since then he’s really gone from strength to strength for the “Azzurro Nero”.

"Despite being only in his second year of high school at the time, he signed a professional contract with Kawasaki Frontale, becoming the youngest player in the club’s history to do so," noted Transfermarkt's data scout for Japan, Yuta Izawa, when asked about Takai's journey as a young player. "Expectations for him were high from the start, especially considering that Kawasaki Frontale has produced talents like Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), Ao Tanaka (Leeds), Ko Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach), and Reo Hatate (Celtic). In the summer of 2022, while still part of the U18 team, he played in a preseason match against PSG."

After making a total of 28 appearances for the club in all competitions last season, Takai had established himself as a first-choice central defender for his club and, following impressive performances at the Olympic Games for the Japanese Olympic Team, he then made his debut for the Japan national team in a 7-0 win over China in the Asian World Cup qualifying rounds last September. "His name became widely known across Japan after his performances in international matches," noted Izawa. "At club level, he became a regular last season and was named the J.League’s Best Young Player."

Most recently, Takai was a crucial part of his team's push to the final of the AFC Champions League Elite, where he played every minute of the club's knock-out rounds. Rather notably, Takai was crucial in his side overcoming Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, with notable strikers Jhon Durán and Cristiano Ronaldo failing to score a single goal over the course of the game as Takai & Co. did just enough to get through to the final with a 3-2 win. Although the J-League side lost the final to Al-Ahli in a 2-0 defeat, it was a competition that clearly elevated the young defender's standing in the global game and showcased what he's capable of against top opposition.

So what is Takai's main attributes? According to Izawa, he has all the right skills to succeed in a league that makes huge physical demands like the Premier League. "He’s tall and dominant in the air, with excellent heading ability," noted the J-League expert. "He is physically strong and is fast, so he doesn’t get outmuscled easily. He’s also very good at building up play from the back. But his biggest strength is his composure in big games — he always stays calm under pressure."

Why are Tottenham signing Kota Takai?

Standing tall at 6ft 4ins and with an excellent tendency to dribble and pass with the ball with relative ease, Tottenham clearly feel as though Takai is ready to make the significant step up from J-League to Premier League. However, it remains to be seen whether he’ll be slotting straight into Thomas Frank’s first-team plans or may find himself loaned out in the coming season. And a quick glance at Tottenham’s squad for next season only underlines the serious competition Takai will face for a starting spot in the team in the years ahead.

Player Comparison

Kota Takai

Luka Vuskovic

Kawasaki Frontale

KVC Westerlo

€2.50m

Market Value

€12.00m

Age

Centre-Back

Position

Centre-Back

Jan 31, 2026

Contract until

Jun 30, 2025

Full Player Comparison

For example, alongside first-choice pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, Frank will also have Radu Drăgușin and Ben Davies in back-up. Alongside that, the club will also welcome back Ashley Phillips, who was on loan at Stoke City this season. And as if that wasn’t enough competition for Takai to contend with, he’ll also need to find a way to outshine new signing Luka Vuskovic, who will join the club from Hajduk Split for €11m, after making waves in Belgian football at Westerlo last season. Even if Tottenham were to sell one or two of the aforementioned names this summer, it still means Takai has three or four senior players to compete with.

However, when asked about his prospects in England, Izawa believes Takai is ready to make the step up at Tottenham. "Yes, I think he’s ready," said the Japanese football expert. "His biggest strength is that he stays composed even on the international stage. In the Champions League semi-final, he played a key role in the win against Al-Nassr by keeping Ronaldo and Durán quiet. To be honest, it’s hard to say exactly how well he’ll do in the Premier League, but he definitely has the potential to compete at that level."

©TM/IMAGO

The transfer window officially re-opened this Monday, with clubs now set to have the next two and a half months to get their summer transfer business over the line. Where possible, teams will want to wrap up deals early to get their new signings in for pre-season and training with the squad. One of the most enthralling transfer sagas in the Premier League could revolve around the future of Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo. The Cameroonian international scored 20 Premier League goals last season, and looks likely to follow departing manager Thomas Frank out of the exit door this summer. Frank has agreed to become the new Tottenham boss, and rumours suggest that Spurs remain in the race for Mbeumo, although Manchester United are still the favourites for his signature.

Rumour B. Mbeumo Right Winger

Brentford ? Man Utd Premier League Premier League

According to The Athletic, the Red Devils have already had a bid rejected in the region of €65 million including add-ons for Mbeumo. However, United are expected to come back in for the winger, and a fee closer to the €74.2m already paid for Matheus Cunha this summer is thought to be enough to get a deal done with the Bees. If such a figure is met, it will make Mbeumo one of the most expensive African signings in Premier League history, but which other stars feature in that list? Here at Transfermarkt, we have compiled a list of the most expensive African signings since the Premier League’s inception in the 1992/93 season.

The most expensive African players in Premier League history

Leading the way is none other than Ivorian Nicolas Pépé, who joined Arsenal from Lille for €80m back in 2019, but never managed to showcase his potential in the Premier League. He actually left the Gunners on a free transfer four years later. In second place is Manchester City's €75m acquisition of Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush last January from Frankfurt. The 26-year-old has already scored seven goals in 16 Premier League games for the Sky Blues. Third place goes to another Man City signing in Riyad Mahrez - the Algerian was signed from Leicester for €68m. In fourth position is striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with the Gabonese talent joining Arsenal for €64m from Borussia Dortmund.

In fifth is Liverpool's €60m signing of Guinean midfielder Naby Keïta, who failed to have a major impact at Anfield. Sixth goes to Aaron Wan-Bissaka's €55m move to Man United - the full-back recently committed his international allegiance to DR Congo. In seventh spot is the first goalkeeper on the list in Cameroonian André Onana, who signed for the Red Devils for €50m. In eighth place is Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, who joined the Gunners for €50m. Striker Sébastien Haller is then ninth having joined West Ham for €50m, whilst Mohammed Kudus completes the top 10 after his €43m move to the Hammers. It's likely that Mbeumo will at the very least be in the top five of this list by the end of the summer should he complete his move away from the Gtech Community Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur have wasted little time in their quest to hire a new manager. Last week the club announced that they would be parting ways with Ange Postecoglou, just a few weeks after the Australian head coach had won the Europa League - the North London club’s first major trophy in 16 years. Such a drastic move suggested that Tottenham’s decision makers had someone else in mind and it now seems as though they have had their heart set on another manager for quite some time signing Thomas Frank from Brentford on Thursday.

"We are delighted to announce the appointment of Thomas Frank as our new Head Coach on a contract that runs until 2028," a statement on Tottenham's official site read. The 51-year-old tactician quickly emerged as the leading contender to replace Postecoglou at Tottenham next season, but could cost his new club no less than €12 million in compensation to release him from his contract that runs until 2027. So why were Tottenham so keen to part ways with Postecoglou in an attempt to hire Frank as their new manager? Let’s take a look.

One of the league’s most successful head coaches

Perhaps the most important aspect of Frank’s record that Tottenham fans will want to know all about is whether or not he can win games in the Premier League. And while the Brentford boss can’t lay claim to being the most successful manager in the Premier League in absolute terms, there’s no denying that he’s punched above his weight since guiding the club to the English top-flight in 2021. As we can see in the table above, only four head coaches have picked up more points than Frank in the last four seasons and while his average of 1.32 isn’t exactly ground-breaking, it’s worth noting that almost all the other nine head coaches in the table alongside him have been in charge of much richer clubs with stronger squads.

Getting more out of less at Brentford

Indeed, Frank’s strongest selling point as Brentford manager has undoubtedly been his ability to do more with less. A perfect example of that is the manner in which the club have routinely had one of the lowest cost-per-point figures in the Premier League. This season’s figure (i.e the cost of the entire squad in transfer fees divided by the points won) stands at just €4.97m, which was the 17th lowest in the entire league. As we can see in the graph above, Brentford have operated well below the Premier League average and over the course of the last four seasons have never gone higher than 13th among all clubs in the division for the highest cost-per-point average.

Out-performing richer clubs and stronger squads

Another way of looking at Brentford’s remarkable success under Frank is by comparing their comparative riches to the rest of the league. The Danish manager made the move to England in 2018 and since then Brentford’s net spend in the transfer market stands at €112m. That may seem relatively high, but compared to every other club in English football it actually ranks them 19th. And, as we can see in the table above, it hints at a club that have spent less than the likes of Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and Southampton, but been far more successful on the pitch. And that is undoubtedly due to Frank and his ability to get the best out of his players.

A good developer of talent

One way to judge how much players have improved over a given period of time is by looking at their market values and when it comes to increasing player market values few clubs in England are as good at it as Frank’s Brentford. When we consider the market value of every player in Brentford’s squad when they joined the club and their market value now, that combined increase among the entire squad stands at an impressive €136m or a sizable 32.8% increase. That, unsurprisingly, is even more impressive among the wider context of the Premier League, with only three clubs being able to lay claim to higher percentage increases. Which certainly points to a manager that knows how to develop players and improve them dramatically within his system and tactics.

Proven track record with old and young players

Tottenham Hotspur have wasted little time in their quest to hire a new manager. Last week the club announced that they would be parting ways with Ange Postecoglou, just a few weeks after the Australian head coach had won the Europa League - the North London club’s first major trophy in 16 years. Such a drastic move suggested that Tottenham’s decision makers had someone else in mind and it now seems as though they have had their heart set on another manager for quite some time signing Thomas Frank from Brentford on Thursday.

"We are delighted to announce the appointment of Thomas Frank as our new Head Coach on a contract that runs until 2028," a statement on Tottenham's official site read. The 51-year-old tactician quickly emerged as the leading contender to replace Postecoglou at Tottenham next season, but could cost his new club no less than €12 million in compensation to release him from his contract that runs until 2027. So why were Tottenham so keen to part ways with Postecoglou in an attempt to hire Frank as their new manager? Let’s take a look.

One of the league’s most successful head coaches

Perhaps the most important aspect of Frank’s record that Tottenham fans will want to know all about is whether or not he can win games in the Premier League. And while the Brentford boss can’t lay claim to being the most successful manager in the Premier League in absolute terms, there’s no denying that he’s punched above his weight since guiding the club to the English top-flight in 2021. As we can see in the table above, only four head coaches have picked up more points than Frank in the last four seasons and while his average of 1.32 isn’t exactly ground-breaking, it’s worth noting that almost all the other nine head coaches in the table alongside him have been in charge of much richer clubs with stronger squads.

Getting more out of less at Brentford

Indeed, Frank’s strongest selling point as Brentford manager has undoubtedly been his ability to do more with less. A perfect example of that is the manner in which the club have routinely had one of the lowest cost-per-point figures in the Premier League. This season’s figure (i.e the cost of the entire squad in transfer fees divided by the points won) stands at just €4.97m, which was the 17th lowest in the entire league. As we can see in the graph above, Brentford have operated well below the Premier League average and over the course of the last four seasons have never gone higher than 13th among all clubs in the division for the highest cost-per-point average.

Out-performing richer clubs and stronger squads

Another way of looking at Brentford’s remarkable success under Frank is by comparing their comparative riches to the rest of the league. The Danish manager made the move to England in 2018 and since then Brentford’s net spend in the transfer market stands at €112m. That may seem relatively high, but compared to every other club in English football it actually ranks them 19th. And, as we can see in the table above, it hints at a club that have spent less than the likes of Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and Southampton, but been far more successful on the pitch. And that is undoubtedly due to Frank and his ability to get the best out of his players.

A good developer of talent

One way to judge how much players have improved over a given period of time is by looking at their market values and when it comes to increasing player market values few clubs in England are as good at it as Frank’s Brentford. When we consider the market value of every player in Brentford’s squad when they joined the club and their market value now, that combined increase among the entire squad stands at an impressive €136m or a sizable 32.8% increase. That, unsurprisingly, is even more impressive among the wider context of the Premier League, with only three clubs being able to lay claim to higher percentage increases. Which certainly points to a manager that knows how to develop players and improve them dramatically within his system and tactics.

Proven track record with old and young players

Tottenham Hotspur have wasted little time in their quest to hire a new manager. On Friday the club announced that they would be parting ways with Ange Postecoglou, just a few weeks after the Australian head coach had won the Europa League - the North London club’s first major trophy in 16 years. Such a drastic move suggested that Tottenham’s decision makers had someone else in mind and it now seems as though they have had their heart set on another manager for quite some time.

According to the BBC and multiple outlets in England, Tottenham have now opened discussions with Brentford to sign their head coach Thomas Frank. The 51-year-old tactician has emerged as the leading contender to replace Postecoglou at Tottenham next season, but could cost his new club no less than €12 million in compensation to release him from his contract that runs until 2027. So why were Tottenham so keen to part ways with Postecoglou in an attempt to hire Frank as their new manager? Let’s take a look.

One of the league’s most successful head coaches

Perhaps the most important aspect of Frank’s record that Tottenham fans will want to know all about is whether or not he can win games in the Premier League. And while the Brentford boss can’t lay claim to being the most successful manager in the Premier League in absolute terms, there’s no denying that he’s punched above his weight since guiding the club to the English top-flight in 2021. As we can see in the table above, only four head coaches have picked up more points than Frank in the last four seasons and while his average of 1.32 isn’t exactly ground-breaking, it’s worth noting that almost all the other nine head coaches in the table alongside him have been in charge of much richer clubs with stronger squads.

Getting more out of less at Brentford

Indeed, Frank’s strongest selling point as Brentford manager has undoubtedly been his ability to do more with less. A perfect example of that is the manner in which the club have routinely had one of the lowest cost-per-point figures in the Premier League. This season’s figure (i.e the cost of the entire squad in transfer fees divided by the points won) stands at just €4.97m, which was the 17th lowest in the entire league. As we can see in the graph above, Brentford have operated well below the Premier League average and over the course of the last four seasons have never gone higher than 13th among all clubs in the division for the highest cost-per-point average.

Out-performing richer clubs and stronger squads

Another way of looking at Brentford’s remarkable success under Frank is by comparing their comparative riches to the rest of the league. The Danish manager made the move to England in 2018 and since then Brentford’s net spend in the transfer market stands at €112m. That may seem relatively high, but compared to every other club in English football it actually ranks them 19th. And, as we can see in the table above, it hints at a club that have spent less than the likes of Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and Southampton, but been far more successful on the pitch. And that is undoubtedly due to Frank and his ability to get the best out of his players.

A good developer of talent

One way to judge how much players have improved over a given period of time is by looking at their market values and when it comes to increasing player market values few clubs in England are as good at it as Frank’s Brentford. When we consider the market value of every player in Brentford’s squad when they joined the club and their market value now, that combined increase among the entire squad stands at an impressive €136m or a sizable 32.8% increase. That, unsurprisingly, is even more impressive among the wider context of the Premier League, with only three clubs being able to lay claim to higher percentage increases. Which certainly points to a manager that knows how to develop players and improve them dramatically within his system and tactics.

Proven track record with old and young players

Tottenham Hotspur have wasted little time in their quest to hire a new manager. On Friday the club announced that they would be parting ways with Ange Postecoglou, just a few weeks after the Australian head coach had won the Europa League - the North London club’s first major trophy in 16 years. Such a drastic move suggested that Tottenham’s decision makers had someone else in mind and it now seems as though they have had their heart set on another manager for quite some time.

According to the BBC and multiple outlets in England, Tottenham have now opened discussions with Brentford to sign their head coach Thomas Frank. The 51-year-old tactician has emerged as the leading contender to replace Postecoglou at Tottenham next season, but could cost his new club no less than €12 million in compensation to release him from his contract that runs until 2027. So why were Tottenham so keen to part ways with Postecoglou in an attempt to hire Frank as their new manager? Let’s take a look.

One of the league’s most successful head coaches

Perhaps the most important aspect of Frank’s record that Tottenham fans will want to know all about is whether or not he can win games in the Premier League. And while the Brentford boss can’t lay claim to being the most successful manager in the Premier League in absolute terms, there’s no denying that he’s punched above his weight since guiding the club to the English top-flight in 2021. As we can see in the table above, only four head coaches have picked up more points than Frank in the last four seasons and while his average of 1.32 isn’t exactly ground-breaking, it’s worth noting that almost all the other nine head coaches in the table alongside him have been in charge of much richer clubs with stronger squads.

Getting more out of less at Brentford

Indeed, Frank’s strongest selling point as Brentford manager has undoubtedly been his ability to do more with less. A perfect example of that is the manner in which the club have routinely had one of the lowest cost-per-point figures in the Premier League. This season’s figure (i.e the cost of the entire squad in transfer fees divided by the points won) stands at just €4.97m, which was the 17th lowest in the entire league. As we can see in the graph above, Brentford have operated well below the Premier League average and over the course of the last four seasons have never gone higher than 13th among all clubs in the division for the highest cost-per-point average.

Out-performing richer clubs and stronger squads

Another way of looking at Brentford’s remarkable success under Frank is by comparing their comparative riches to the rest of the league. The Danish manager made the move to England in 2018 and since then Brentford’s net spend in the transfer market stands at €112m. That may seem relatively high, but compared to every other club in English football it actually ranks them 19th. And, as we can see in the table above, it hints at a club that have spent less than the likes of Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and Southampton, but been far more successful on the pitch. And that is undoubtedly due to Frank and his ability to get the best out of his players.

A good developer of talent

One way to judge how much players have improved over a given period of time is by looking at their market values and when it comes to increasing player market values few clubs in England are as good at it as Frank’s Brentford. When we consider the market value of every player in Brentford’s squad when they joined the club and their market value now, that combined increase among the entire squad stands at an impressive €136m or a sizable 32.8% increase. That, unsurprisingly, is even more impressive among the wider context of the Premier League, with only three clubs being able to lay claim to higher percentage increases. Which certainly points to a manager that knows how to develop players and improve them dramatically within his system and tactics.

Proven track record with old and young players

The 2025/26 transfer window is open and clubs have already been busy. The brief early window before the Club World Cup will close on June 10, but re-open six days later on June 16. Whilst supporters often spend these coming months getting excited about which new signings are being brought into the club, sorting out player exits and getting funds into the club can be equally as important. With this in mind, here at Transfermarkt we have calculated the record sales for every 2025/26 Premier League team based on the biggest fee brought in for a single player. Some of the results may be met with some stupefaction.

Every 2025/26 Premier League team's record sale

We will start with the club with the most expensive sale and work our way down. At the top of the list are Liverpool, having sold Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho for €135 million back in the January of the 2017/18 season to Spanish giants Barcelona. In second place come Chelsea after the Blues received €120m for Eden Hazard from Real Madrid in the 2019/20 campaign. In third are Aston Villa, having sold captain Jack Grealish to Manchester City for €118m in 2020/21. West Ham take fourth position after selling their skipper, Declan Rice, to Arsenal in the 2023/24 season for €117m. Completing the top five are Brighton, after receiving €116m from Chelsea for midfielder Moisés Caicedo last summer.

Then comes Tottenham's record departure which was Gareth Bale's €101m sale to Real Madrid back in the 2013/14 season. Manchester United's record sale came when superstar Cristiano Ronaldo also went to Los Blancos in the 2009/10 campaign. Next up is Everton's record departure when Romelu Lukaku joined the Red Devils for €87m. Wolves' record sale is the first one on the list from this summer, following Matheus Cunha's €74.2m deal to Old Trafford. Bournemouth's record sale came last summer when striker Dominic Solanke joined Spurs for €64m. Promoted Leeds' record departure came when Brazilian Raphinha joined Barcelona for €58m. Nottingham Forest's record departure is Brennan Johnson's €55m move to Tottenham last summer.

Next up is Crystal Palace's record sale which was Aaron Wan-Bissaka's €55m move to Man United. Fulham's most expensive departure was when Aleksander Mitrović left for Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal for €53m. Brentford's record departure was also a deal to Saudi; when Ivan Toney signed for Al-Ahli for €42m. Newcastle's record sale was when they sold Elliot Anderson to Forest last summer for €41m. Remarkably, Arsenal's most expensive ever sale was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's €38m move to Liverpool back in 2017. Only two promoted sides have a current lower record sale. Burnley's is when Chris Wood went to Newcastle for €30m, whilst Sunderland's was when Jordan Pickford went to Everton for €29m.

©TM/IMAGO

Ange Postecoglou has been sacked as Tottenham Hotspur manager despite leading Spurs to their first silverware in 18 years. The Australian famously insisted that he ‘always win something in his second season’ and he incredibly delivered on that promise by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final. Tens of thousands of Tottenham fans lined the streets around North London to celebrate on the bus tour but Postecoglou won’t lead the club next season.

After rumours emerged of his dismissal late on Friday afternoon, Tottenham confirmed the news in a statement. Ultimately, Postecoglou paid the price for a disastrous Premier League campaign with Spurs finishing in 17th position after a record 22 defeats. With the Spurs fanbase split, Daniel Levy will embark on a search for a new manager and we’ve analysed five potential options.

Five potential next Tottenham managers

Staff

T. Frank Age: 51

Brentford FC

Season 24/25 -

Premier League

Games

Won

Draw

Lost

Thomas Frank is the leading contender to replace Postecoglou and Spurs could move quickly to get their man. It’s understood that Tottenham chiefs have already sounded out the 51-year-old about his interest in the role. Frank has worked wonders at Brentford and the time is right for him to step up to a bigger club.

Like Frank, Andoni Iraola has been linked with replacing Postecoglou throughout the season. The Spaniard has been a revelation at Bournemouth and the Cherries were in contention for a Champions League place at the turn of the year. Iraola is an excellent tactician and he’s already Premier League proven.

Oliver Glasner is arguably one of the most underrated managers in the Premier League. The German led Crystal Palace to their first ever trophy in the club’s history and they will be desperate not to lose him the summer. Glasner also has an impressive track record in European competition after winning the Europa League with Frankfurt and deserves to be in the conversation.

Roberto De Zerbi is another to be linked with Tottenham and a return to the Premier League could appeal to the fiery Italian. It’s been claimed that former Spurs managing director Fabio Paritici has recommended De Zerbi with speculation mourning that he will return to his role. De Zerbi transformed Brighton into one of the best teams to watch during his time in England and he secured Champions League football with Marseille last season.

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Ange Postecoglou has been sacked as Tottenham Hotspur manager despite leading Spurs to their first silverware in 18 years. The Australian famously insisted that he ‘always win something in his second season’ and he incredibly delivered on that promise by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final. Tens of thousands of Tottenham fans lined the streets around North London to celebrate on the bus tour but Postecoglou won’t lead the club next season.

After rumours emerged of his dismissal late on Friday afternoon, Tottenham confirmed the news in a statement. Ultimately, Postecoglou paid the price for a disastrous Premier League campaign with Spurs finishing in 17th position after a record 22 defeats. With the Spurs fanbase split, Daniel Levy will embark on a search for a new manager and we’ve analysed five potential options.

Five potential next Tottenham managers

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Thomas Frank is the leading contender to replace Postecoglou and Spurs could move quickly to get their man. It’s understood that Tottenham chiefs have already sounded out the 51-year-old about his interest in the role. Frank has worked wonders at Brentford and the time is right for him to step up to a bigger club.

Like Frank, Andoni Iraola has been linked with replacing Postecoglou throughout the season. The Spaniard has been a revelation at Bournemouth and the Cherries were in contention for a Champions League place at the turn of the year. Iraola is an excellent tactician and he’s already Premier League proven.

Oliver Glasner is arguably one of the most underrated managers in the Premier League. The German led Crystal Palace to their first ever trophy in the club’s history and they will be desperate not to lose him the summer. Glasner also has an impressive track record in European competition after winning the Europa League with Frankfurt and deserves to be in the conversation.

Roberto De Zerbi is another to be linked with Tottenham and a return to the Premier League could appeal to the fiery Italian. It’s been claimed that former Spurs managing director Fabio Paritici has recommended De Zerbi with speculation mourning that he will return to his role. De Zerbi transformed Brighton into one of the best teams to watch during his time in England and he secured Champions League football with Marseille last season.