SPORTbible

Lord Alan Sugar has responded after ex-Tottenham captain Jamie Redknapp issued a formal apology to him while live on Sky Sports.

Redknapp claimed in September, during a segment on the departure of Daniel Levy, that Sugar had left Spurs 'in a mess' when he sold his majority stake in the club to ENIC in 2001.

Sugar spent 10 years as chairman of the club after teaming up with Terry Venables to buy it in 1991, and sold his remaining shares to ENIC in 2007.

After Redknapp's claims, Sugar threatened legal action against the 52-year-old, who joined Spurs a year after The Apprentice host stepped down as chairman.

And on Friday, during coverage of Bournemouth's Premier League fixture against Fulham on Friday, Sky Sports paused their coverage to allow Redknapp to issue an apology.

He said: "I said at the time that Lord Sugar left the club 'in a mess'.

"I just want to make clear that he stabilised the club and invested heavily during his time as chairman.

"When he took over in 1991, Spurs were close to bankruptcy, and by the time he stepped away the financial position had been turned around.

"I apologise to Lord Sugar and his family for any misunderstanding and for any distress caused, and am happy to set the record straight."

Sky Sports declined to comment further when approached by SPORTbible.

Shortly after Redknapp's apology, Sugar acknowledged his on-air comments and added that, 'as way of a further apology', £10,000 had been donated to the Great Ormond Street Hospital children's charity in London.

He has since posted a series of tweets - most of which are in response to Spurs fans.

Sugar claimed that Sky and Redknapp 'will pay their [legal] bill', and when one fan claimed he had left the club 'in a mess', he responded: "You are a idiot. Brainless!"

When asked whether he would accept Redknapp's apology, the 78-year-old simply replied: "Yes."

Sugar was born in east London and initially made his fortune from founding and running consumer electronics company Amstrad - which used the initials of his full name Alan Michael Sugar.

After his Spurs takeover, the club won one trophy - the 1999 League Cup - during his time in charge.

Jamie Redknapp issued a formal apology live on-air during Sky Sports' coverage of the Premier League fixture between Bournemouth and Fulham.

Bournemouth came back from 1-0 down in the second half to win 3-1 at Dean Court.

Two goals from Antoine Semenyo and a Justin Kluivert strike moved Andoni Iraola's side to second place in the Premier League, only behind Liverpool.

Redknapp was on punditry duty for the fixture alongside former Fulham midfielder Steve Sidwell.

During the coverage, the ex-Tottenham captain issued a formal apology to former Spurs chairman Alan Sugar.

Last month, in a segment covering the exit of Daniel Levy from Spurs, Redknapp claimed that Sugar had left the north London club 'in a mess' when he sold his majority stake in the club to ENIC in 2001.

The long-time Apprentice host initially purchased his stake in Spurs in 1991, alongside Terry Venables, and spent 10 years as chairman.

He then sold his remaining 12 per cent share to ENIC in 2007, formally cutting ties with the club.

After Redknapp's claim, Sugar took to Twitter to state that the ex-Spurs midfielder and Sky Sports would be 'hearing from my lawyers'.

In a subsequent tweet, he added: "I am coming for you @MrJamieRedknapp idiot."

Sky briefly cut away from their coverage of Bournemouth versus Fulham to broadcast Redknapp's apology, with the 52-year-old stating: "I said at the time that Lord Sugar left the club 'in a mess'.

"I just want to make clear that he stabilised the club and invested heavily during his time as chairman.

"When he took over in 1991, Spurs were close to bankruptcy, and by the time he stepped away the financial position had been turned around.

"I apologise to Lord Sugar and his family for any misunderstanding and for any distress caused, and am happy to set the record straight."

Sugar posted on social media that, 'by way of a further apology', a sum of £10,000 has been donated to the Great Ormond Street Hospital charity in London.

SPORTbible have contacted Sky Sports for comment.

Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur will each make history during their second-round Champions League matches.

On Tuesday afternoon, several of the biggest clubs in football will kick off their second group stage match in the 2025/26 Champions League.

The likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are all in action across Tuesday's fixtures, as they all look to add another win to their European campaigns this season.

However, for four clubs playing on Tuesday, their matches will not only be a chance to earn another three points, but it will also set a new Champions League record.

Real Madrid will travel to Kazakhstan to face FC Kairat, while Tottenham Hotspur face FK Bodo/Glimt in Norway, and both games are set to go down in the history books.

Across the modern era of the Champions League, meaning from 1992,a total of 158 clubs from 34 national associations have competed in the competition.

And yet, FC Kairat welcoming Real Madrid to the Ortalyq stadion in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan will go down in history as the most easterly match ever in the UEFA Champions League or European Cup.

Tuesday's match will be the first meeting between the two clubs after FC Kairat qualified for the Champions League for the first time after winning the Kazakhstan top flight in 2024.

The only other time that the Kazakhstan side has featured in a UEFA competition was during the inaugural Conference League in 2021-22, when they finished bottom of their group.

In a viral clip showing their reaction to the main Champions League draw in Monaco last month, the entire team could hardly hold back their excitement once they discovered they'd play 15-time winners Real Madrid in only their second Champions League game.

Tottenham Hotspur's trip to Bodo/Glimt's Aspmyra Stadion in Bodo, Norway will similarly break a geographical record as the most northerly match ever.

Having played the Norwegian club in the semi-finals of last season's Europa League, Spurs are already familiar with the tough conditions of playing so far north, despite the fact that the won the match 2-0.

Shortly after making history as the first Norwegian club to reach the last four of a European club competition, Bodo/Glimt qualified for the Champions League for the first time following a 6–2 win over Sturm Graz on aggregate in the qualifying play-offs.

Tottenham Hotspur could seal five dream signings if a £4.5 billion takeover bid is accepted by the club's current owners.

The Sun reported on Thursday evening that a US consortium, led by tech entrepreneur and former DJ Brooklyn Earick, have submitted an offer worth £4.3 billion to buy the club from current owners ENIC and minority shareholder Daniel Levy.

The report adds that the consortium, which includes 12 people, would set aside £1.2 billion for the 'player budget', which is said to include transfer fees, agent payments and wages and would be available to spend from the January transfer window onwards.

Spurs would not be able to spend anywhere close to that sum of money in January due to the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules.

The Sun also claim that Earick and his consortium held talks with former chairman Levy several months ago, with talks said to have 'accelerated' since Levy's departure from that role.

Earick's blueprint for Tottenham is being described as 'Tottenham 3.0', and includes a planned £250m stadium naming rights deal.

The former DJ is said to want a deal - which needs to be finalised by the Stock Takeover Panel - done before the January transfer window.

The chances of a takeover occurring are unclear, particularly as Football.london report that ENIC still have zero interest in selling the club.

But in the event of Spurs being taken over and having more money to spend moving forwards, here are five dream signings that the club could complete.

Harry Kane

It goes without saying that the vast majority of Spurs fans want Harry Kane back in north London.

Manager Thomas Frank does, too, with the Dane telling reporters at a press conference on Monday that he would happily 'welcome' the Bayern Munich striker back to the club if he chooses to.

Reports emerged over the weekend claiming that Spurs have a 'first option' to buy Kane for £54 million in January, two-and-a-half years after he originally left the club.

They may well have the financial power to get a deal done without outside investment - if Kane is interested in re-joining so soon - but further cash would certainly help.

Adam Wharton

After the sales of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise to Arsenal and Bayern respectively, central midfielder Adam Wharton looks set to be the next Crystal Palace player to depart for a huge fee.

Wharton graduated from the Category 1 academy at Blackburn Rovers in 2022 and quickly became a key member of the first team.

His rise since joining Palace has been even more meteoric, winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield this year, and the 21-year-old has attracted interest from Bayern, Manchester United and Real Madrid among others.

He was linked with a stunning £100 million move to Spurs in the summer after the north London club qualified for the Champions League.

Wharton's contract at Selhurst Park still has nearly four years left to run, meaning Palace are under little pressure to sell and could demand a higher fee than £100m.

If Spurs are given further money to spend, acquiring Wharton would be an early statement of intent.

Rodrygo

One position Spurs are light in is on the wings, with West Ham's Mohammed Kudus signed over the summer in an attempt to solve part of the problem.

Brennan Johnson was Spurs' top goalscorer last season but when he or Kudus or unavailable, Frank is relying on the much more inexperienced Wilson Odobert.

Signing a player like Rodrygo from Real Madrid would be a potential game-changing move for the north London club, especially as he has somewhat fallen out of favour in Spain.

The 24-year-old not a regular starter under Xabi Alonso - he has only started two of seven games this season - despite being involved in 24 goal contributions last season under the previous management of Carlo Ancelotti.

Both Arsenal and Liverpool were linked with signing the Brazilian in the summer but Spurs could steal a march on them with fresh investment.

Marcus Rashford

Another potential signing for Spurs next summer would be a shock move for Marcus Rashford.

Barcelona have an agreement worth £26.2 million to sign Rashford permanently from Manchester United next summer, but reports suggest they are already attempting to reduce that fee despite the 27-year-old's impressive start in Spain.

Their pursuit could be further complicated by reported interest in Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez, as per The Athletic, and Spurs could offer an attractive project back in England for Rashford if he wants it.

Jack Grealish

Jack Grealish has already re-found top form at Everton after signing on loan from Manchester City in the summer.

The 30-year-old was on the fringes of City's squad last season, and also struggled for regular game time in the previous season, but won the Premier League's Player of the Month award for August.

He was arguably the best player on the pitch in Everton's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in last weekend's Merseyside derby, and his performances will no doubt have caught the attention of other Premier League clubs.

Everton have a £50 million option to buy Grealish in the summer and the England international is enjoying his football again, but Spurs might think they can attract him to join them instead if they can offer him a much higher wage.

A world-record takeover bid for Tottenham has been launched and a 12-man group is seeking to buy out the entire club from their current owners, according to stunning reports.

The landscape of Spurs' ownership changed dramatically when Daniel Levy's near 25-year reign came to an end earlier this month.

The club's official statement said he had 'stepped down', but it has been suggested that the ownership agreed for him to leave his position amid a belief that change would lead to greater sporting success.

Spurs are owned by ENIC and the Lewis family though they have been offered a world-record fee to sell the entire club.

That's according to The Sun, who claim a US consortium has launched an eye-watering £4.5 billion takeover bid for the North London outfit.

Tech entrepreneur Brooklyn Earick is heading a 12-man group that has lodged the staggering offer.

Per the report, Earick, a former DJ, and his partners are offering £3.3 billion to buy out the entire Premier League side from owners ENIC and the Lewis family.

And they are prepared to set aside a further £1.2 billion for 'player budget', which includes wages, fees and agent payments that would come into play from January 1 when the transfer window reopens.

Earick has assembled a consortium including NFL and NBA investors to back his vision.

His 'Tottenham 3.0' blueprint envisages a huge investment in the squad to turn them from pretenders to more than contenders.

And the 41-year-old has also lined up a £250 million stadium rights deal.

The total financial package would exceed the £4.25 billion record for a football club paid by the Todd Boehly-led group that purchased Chelsea in 2022.

A source said: "Brooklyn and his team think everything is in place at Tottenham already.

"Spurs has a world class stadium and training ground, the infrastructure is all in place.

"But with the investment they are ready to make, it will be the final step to turn the club into winners on the pitch as well."

Who is Brooklyn Earick?

Earick, who was born in the state of Ohio, is a former DJ who went onto work for NASA.

He started DJ-ing with electric music from the age of 15 in Columbus, where he went to university and then sold pharmaceuticals by day.

The American moved into the tech world more than 10 years ago.

If he has his own way, then he'll add Spurs to his impressive portfolio.

Bayern Munich have responded after Tottenham publicly expressed interest in re-signing star striker Harry Kane.

Kane is into his third season in Germany, having won the Bundesliga last season to secure his first major trophy as a player.

He has already smashed in nine hat-tricks in just 67 appearances in the German top flight, and has eight goals in four appearances so far this season.

Kane signed for Bayern from Tottenham in the summer of 2023, having recently become the English club's all-time record goalscorer.

Now 32, there has been speculation that the England captain may return to his homeland in the future to attempt to break Alan Shearer's all-time Premier League goal record.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank was asked about whether he would like to see Kane back at the club in a press conference on Monday.

According to reports, Spurs inserted a 'first option' clause in Kane's Bayern contract that would allow them to re-sign him for just £54 million this summer.

Frank said: "There are a lot of Tottenham fans, including myself, who would like to see Kane back.

"Personally, I don't think he will do it right now, if I'm honest. He'll probably stay in Bayern and continue performing well. He was the top scorer last year. He won the title and he's doing fantastic now.

"I don't know what he's thinking. Myself, I'm a traveller. I like to explore things as well, so he's been here for many years, so why not enjoy the time in Bayern a little bit more?

"But he's welcome. If he wants to join us, he's more than welcome."

Bayern Munich respond to Spurs Kane interest

Now, Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has responded to the speculation surrounding Kane.

Understandably, the former Manchester City captain wants to keep hold of his star striker - and shut down any talk of him potentially leaving the club.

"Harry is in an excellent phase," he said. "I don't want to pave the way for any other discussion. Harry wants to win titles, and he can do that at Bayern. That's the only focus."

Sporting director Max Eberl has stated that Kane is 'fully committed' to the German giants.

Kane has not publicly commented on a return to Tottenham - but did address the club in general after fans gave him a standing ovation during a friendly between the two sides in north London last year.

"Everything was really rushed through last year [2023], so we didn't have a chance [to say goodbye]," he said. "But it was a great way to say thank you to all of them.

"The reception I got was amazing, and great to clap them around the pitch after, those who stayed behind.

"I will always be thankful for every Spurs fan for the support they've given me through my whole career. It's been incredible. I just appreciate them seeing me and me seeing them again."

Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison has shared a blunt message on social media reacting to the 2025 men's Ballon d'Or rankings.

During a historic night celebrating the beautiful game at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, several of the best players in the world were honoured at the Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The ceremony saw Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele named the winner of the 2025 men's Ballon d'Or while Barcelona's Aitana Bonmatí become the first player to win the women's Ballon d'Or three times.

Lamine Yamal, who won the Kopa Trophy for the best young, finished second in the men's rankings ahead of PSG and Portugal midfielder Vitinha, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and fifth-placed Raphinha.

Just moments after the final rankings were confirmed, Spurs striker Richarlison took to social media to share his thoughts, and it's safe to say he isn't happy.

Having played alongside Raphinha while representing national side Brazil, Richarlison was clearly hoping that the Barcelona star would take home the 2025 Ballon d'Or.

Although the winger was not believed to be a favourite to win the award, it shocked many fans to see him finish as low as fifth in the rankings.

And it appears that Richarlison was also angered to see his national teammate finish so low, as he quickly took to his Instagram story to share a post announcing Raphinha's ranking alongside an emoji of an embarrassed face.

Richarlison and Raphinha have made 11 appearances together in total for the Brazil national team, with most of them coming during the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Across these matches, the pair have combined for two goals during a 5-1 win in a friendly match against Tunisia back in September 2022.

However, while Raphinha may be disappointed not to have finished higher in the rankings, he will no doubt be proud to have come fifth during his time time being included in the Ballon d'Or rankings.

His place in the rankings came after he enjoyed standout seasons for Barcelona as they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup last season.

Across the whole season, the Brazilian scored 34 goals and assisting 25 in 57 appearances.

Tottenham star Lucas Bergvall attempted to make a genius play during the Premier League clash with Brighton, but it didn't go quite to plan.

As part of a thrilling day of Premier League fixtures that saw Liverpool beat local rivals Everton and Manchester United defeat Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur travelled to the Amex stadium to face Brighton and Hove Albion.

Despite heading into their home match as underdogs, the seagulls established an early lead in the match thanks to a goal from Yankuba Minteh, doubling their lead through midfielder Yasin Ayari.

However, the hosts couldn't hold onto their lead as Richarlison found the back of the net shortly before half-time before a late own goal from Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke led to a final scoreline of 2-2.

But it isn't the goals that got fans on social media talking, as many have pointed out the clever play that Spurs youngster Bergvall tried to get away with as his side tried to find their way back into the game.

Since the arrival of new manager Thomas Frank over the summer, Bergvall has been one of the standout players for Spurs, registering a goal and two assists in six appearances across the Premier League and Champions League.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that when his side was awarded a corner kick in the first half of the match against Brighton, he was maybe a bit too eager to get involved.

As teammate Pedro Porro prepared to cross the ball from the corner into Brighton's box, Bergvall decided to abandon his struggle with national teammate Ayari and make a run to the other side of the goal.

However, to do so the Sweden international cheekily decided to make his run behind the net, something that would have been genius if it wasn't immediately spotted by referee Chris Kavanagh.

Although it is rarely enforced, there is a Premier League rule that states that any player that deliberately leaves the field of play without permission in order to trick his opponents or gain an advantage should be penalised.

Technically, the offence is cautionable but, in this instance, Kavanagh decided not to show Bergvall a card for his behaviour, instead simply blowing his whistle and offering a warning.

Spurs star Xavi Simons had an impressive Premier League debut on Saturday and he did so with a different nation's flag on his boots.

Simons made his first appearance for Thomas Frank's side since signing in a £51.8 million switch from RB Leipzig, starting in a 3-0 win over West Ham at the London Stadium.

The 22-year-old registered an assist on his Premier League bow, setting up Pape Matar Sarr's opener.

Former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona prospect Simons played off the left wearing the No.7 shirt and dazzled on his debut in English football.

It will have been a proud moment for Simons and his family - and the midfielder honoured those close to him on his Puma boots.

Simons had the words 'Peggy and Kenza' as a nod to his mother and youngster sister - who were both with him on his special day signing his Spurs contract.

And although he is a Netherlands international, with 29 caps for his country, Simons also pays tribute to his roots with the Suriname flag on his boots.

Simons' father Regillio, a former player and manager, is of Surinamese descent and he still proudly adopts a lot of the culture - eating dishes like bami, saoto soup and rotia.

His late grandmother used to speak to him in Surinamese and he has been to visit members of his family who still live there.

After winning the KNVB Cup final against Ajax in 2023, Simons wrapped the Suriname flag around his neck in the post-match celebrations.

Which players come from Suriname?

"We're from Suriname, a little country but, yeah, my whole family's from there," he told the official Bundesliga website in a wide-ranging interview.

"I'm really proud that my family's from there. I've been there a lot. My grandma talked with us in Surinamese. I can't speak it, but I understand a little bit. My brother can, but I say quite a lot of times to my Mum that I'm really proud that I'm Surinamese. Not a lot of people know that because I play for the Netherlands, but I have Suriname in my heart.

"My family still lives there. You have to go there one time. The food is really good. Everything is good."

The South American country, a former Dutch colony with around 600,000 inhabitants, plays in the Concacaf federation which oversees football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Dutch legends like Ruud Gullit, Frank Frank Rijkaard, Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were all born in the country.

Simons is not the only current Dutch footballer with Surinamese heritage as so too does Netherlands skipper Virgil van Dijk, as well as Denzel Dumfries and Gini Wijnaldum.

Lord Alan Sugar has threatened to sue both Jamie Redknapp and Sky Sports after comments made live on air.

On Saturday evening, Tottenham Hotspur took on West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Thanks to goals from Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven, Spurs came away 3-0 winners. Tomas Soucek was sent off for the Hammers.

Speaking on Sky Sports, former Spurs man Redknapp spoke about the surprise departure of Daniel Levy, who left his role as club chairman this month.

During the segment, Redknapp praised Levy for improving the club's finances during his 24-year stint.

The former midfielder compared Levy's tenure to Sugar's, who was chairman and part-owner between 1991 and 2001.

Redknapp stated that Levy inherited a 'complete mess'.

He said: "I've been critical with Daniel - there were a few things I didn't like with how he operated - but in terms of the training ground, the facilities, the infrastructure, one of the best stadiums in world - he's done a great job.

"The one thing I'll say is the wages at the club - everyone applauds that - but I think what that's done is not get the best players for the club. So that's always been a bit difficult."

Redknapp added: "But whoever takes over - you think back to how Alan Sugar left the club, it was a complete mess - Daniel Levy has left this club in a really good way and Vinai will know that and the people in charge now can look at this club and really believe that this can go forward."

Alan Sugar hits back at Jamie Redknapp and Sky Sports

In response, Sugar threatened legal action on social media, he wrote: "Jamie Redknapp is a double barrel idiot. He talks a load of rubbish.

"He said when Daniel Levy took over Spurs, Alan Sugar left the club in a right mess. He and SKY will be hearing from my lawyers Monday."

Sugar added: "I am coming after you Jamie Redknapp idiot."