SPORTbible

Tottenham reach extremely rare agreement with Real Betis over 'future priority' transfer

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Tottenham have reached an agreement with Real Betis to sign highly-rated United States international Johnny Cardoso, but there's a catch.

Betis and Tottenham engaged in talks this week regarding Argentine midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who is on the verge of leaving the North London club after a four-year stay.

Lo Celso enjoyed a season-long loan spell at the Estadio Benito Villamarín in 2018/19 before joining on a permanent basis from Paris Saint-Germain.

Now, he looks set to make a return to Betis, according to Relevo, who claim Spurs have agreed a fee of €4 million [£3.3m] plus bonuses for the 28-year-old.

Given the current climate, that sum appears incredibly low.

But in the deal, Tottenham have inserted a 'priority option' to buy Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who has already agreed terms, says Fabrizio Romano.

In fact, they've included a sell-on clause, which means if they do decide against signing Cardoso in the future, then they will make a profit.

Ahead of Friday's deadline, Ange Postecoglou ruled out making any more signings following the arrivals of Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke.

“Unless something surprising jumps out at us in the last 11 hours or whatever it is, that’s it for us,” he said ahead of Sunday’s clash against Newcastle.

“If nothing else happens, there’s a couple probably moving out, I think it’s been another positive window.

“You want to go into every window and come out the other side of it in a stronger sense and I certainly feel that.

“The players we’ve brought in are already making a short-term impact and even in the longer term, I think they’re going to be really good contributors for us.

“I certainly think we’ve got a more well-rounded squad to deal with Europe, the extra games and whatever injuries we have. So yeah, I think it’s been a real positive window."

Postecoglou added: “I’m very happy. We’ve done a hell of a lot of work in 12 months, three windows. No doubts the squad’s changed.

“The demographic of the squad has changed, the suitability to the football I want to play, we’re much better equipped for that. There’s growth in the team, absolutely.

“We needed to do some fairly major work 12 months ago and since then we’ve gone a long way to getting the team to where we want to.

“There’s still more work to be done. It was never going to happen quickly. I don’t think it should happen quickly. When it does happen quickly, you’re more fraught to getting it wrong. So I think we’re in a good place.”

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Europa League draw LIVE: Man Utd and Tottenham learn league phase opponents

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And the second studio guest is none other than Athletic Bilbao legend Aritz Aduriz, who certainly loved this competition.

He scored 26 goals in 39 games for the Basque side, and is the official UEFA ambassador for the 2025 Europa League final in Bilbao.

How does the draw work?

If you didn't follow yesterday's Champions League draw, this will be something different to what you are used to.

Instead of the traditional group stage format, the 36 teams involved in this season's Europa League will play in a singular league.

Some aspects remain the same - teams cannot draw another team from the same league, for instance - but there are a number of changes.

Each team plays eight games instead of six, and will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots. There will also be four home games and four away games for each team.

The teams from pot one will be drawn out manually, before an AI supercomputer takes over to assign them all seven opponents each. The process repeats itself for each of the four pots.

Getty

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Tottenham gifted second goal vs Everton after nightmare Jordan Pickford error

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Son Heung-min scored an open goal for Tottenham after a nightmare mistake from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Sean Dyche's side went into the clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium wanting to avenge last weekend's 3-0 home defeat to Brighton, which saw them finish with 10 players.

But it was hardly the greatest start, with Yves Bissouma - returning to the Spurs team after his club-enforced one-match suspension - putting the hosts in front inside 14 minutes.

It was then 2-0 on 25 minutes through Son's first goal of the season - but it was scored in the worst possible circumstances for the Toffees.

A throw-in from young debutant Roman Dixon went backwards to Michael Keane, who elected to pass it back to Pickford.

The England goalkeeper took a heavy touch, but was closed down by Son, who won the ball from him and tapped it into the empty net.

It has hardly been a convincing start to the season for the Toffees, who are lacking depth in key areas and are yet to score a goal in 135 minutes of action.

Dyche has also received some criticism over his team selection, with Keane preferred to new signing Jake O'Brien despite his indifferent form last season.

Spurs, meanwhile, drew 1-1 with Leicester on the opening weekend of the season - with manager Ange Postecoglou demanding that his team show a reaction after full-time.

He told Sky Sports: "First half, excellent, controlled the game. Wasteful in front of goal.

"The second half was the same. We started off well, wasteful in front of goal. Once Leicester scored, you could tell they lifted, the crowd lifted. We lost our composure and let them back in the game.

"I don't buy ring rust. It's an issue we had last year as well - we need to keep working hard at it and being more ruthless in front of goal."

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Premier League club named as England's best-run football club in new rankings as Man Utd given surprise rating

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An independent analysis of 34 EFL and non-league clubs has named a Premier League side as the best-run club in England.

Fair Game, a group which stands for better governance and sustainability in football, conducted an independent review 34 EFL and non-league clubs.

It scored the clubs out of 100 based on the criteria of "financial sustainability, good governance, fan engagement and equality standards."

And, perhaps surprisingly, it is a Premier League club that tops the list.

According to The Guardian, the report named Tottenham Hotspur as the best-run football club, earning a score of 68.2 out of 100 on the 'Fair Game Index.'

And closely behind Spurs in second place with a score of 65.4, was Manchester United, a club which has regularly made headlines due to their ownership.

However, under the leadership of new owners INEOS, this appears to have changed, with financial stability and good governance

In total, five Premier League clubs make the top 10 on the Fair Game Index, with Brentford, Fulham and Liverpool the other three.

Fair Game chief executive Niall Couper spoke about the importance of the index.

He said: "To deliver real and meaningful change we need to understand the problems. We’ve designed the Fair Game "Index to do exactly that and help reshape the game we love.

"It is the most comprehensive analysis yet of what it means to be a well-run club, and we’re calling on the authorities, the Football Regulator and football’s governing bodies to work with us."

Reacting to Tottenham's success on the index, club chair Daniel Levy said: “As a club that prides itself on good governance, we are delighted to have been recognised as England’s best-run club by the Fair Game Index,”

“This ranking further demonstrates the huge strides that are being made off the pitch, with our world-class stadium and innovative partnerships enabling sustainable, recurring investment into our football operations to ensure we remain competitive on the pitch and challenge for major honours.

“We welcome Fair Game’s work in highlighting the important role we can all play in operating sustainably to ensure our clubs remain at the heart of our local communities and for fans to enjoy for many generations to come.”

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Fans left in disbelief over Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher predictions for the season, one fanbase is livid

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With Monday Night Football making its long-awaited return for Leicester City vs Tottenham Hotspur, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have locked in their predictions for the 24/25 season.

The Premier League returned with four straight days of action over the weekend, with the expected main title contenders Arsenal and Manchester City both getting off to a winning start.

The weekend's action concluded at the King Power, where Leicester snatched a 1-1 draw against Spurs despite being dominated for the majority of the 90 minutes.

During the MNF, Neville and Carragher completed their annual predictions for the season ahead, and it's fair to say there is a few fanbases who aren't impressed with the two pundits.

Carragher opted for City to be champions, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool to make up the top four, with Man United and Aston Villa making up the top six.

Neville went a slightly different route with Arsenal as champions, Man United, Chelsea, and City squeezing into the top four ahead of Liverpool and Tottenham.

The former United defender's choices have faced significantly more backlash than his Liverpoodlian colleague, with his decision to completely snub Aston Villa causing a stir online.

One fan wrote: "Neville writing off Villa again, as usual, I'm sure we will prove him wrong again."

A second added: "Neville putting Villa not in top 6 because despite getting 4th while in Europe ahead of Spurs who didn’t have Europe but do now and you think will finish above us. Hmmm"

It wasn't just the absence of Villa that ruffled feathers, as fans were far from convinced at Man Utd's place in the predictions.

"Gary saying Man United have a better midfield depth than Liverpool is an absolute mental take, does he count Mainoo as 4 players or something? Probably doesn't even include Casemiro either when discussing them," one fan replied.

While Neville has taken most of the stick for the predictions, fans weren't convinced with the logic of either for their 'impact signing of the season with Neville choosing Dominic Solanke and Carragher going with Chelsea's Pedro Neto.

"Pedro Neto impact signing… Chelsea not in the top 7 and Dominic Solanke impact signing but Tottenham finish lower than last season, make it make sense."

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Ange Postecoglou slams Tottenham side in stunning rant after Leicester draw, fans think he's had enough already

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Ange Postecoglou tore into his Tottenham players after they failed to beat Leicester in their opening game of the Premier League season.

Spurs completely dominated the first half and went ahead through right-back Pedro Porro.

But Leicester came out much stronger in the second half - having nine more touches in the opposition box than the first 45 minutes - and Jamie Vardy soon equalised on his return to Premier League football.

And Postecoglou's side almost lost the game in the late stages when Lucas Bergvall lost possession, before Guglielmo Vicario made a smart save to deny Wilfried Ndidi's header.

After the match, the Australian boss made his feelings clear about how his side played at the King Power Stadium.

He told Sky Sports: "Disappointing night for us. First half, excellent, controlled the game. Wasteful in front of goal.

"The second half was the same. We started off well, wasteful in front of goal. Once Leicester scored, you could tell they lifted, the crowd lifted. We lost our composure and let them back in the game.

"I don't buy ring rust. It's an issue we had last year as well - we need to keep working hard at it and being more ruthless in front of goal.

"We make poor decisions, we lack the composure we need. But when we're that dominant, we should be really well out of sight of the opposition and we weren't."

Questioned whether he saw the Tottenham he wanted to see during the first 60 minutes, Postecoglou fired back: "No. Because we do everything to score goals, and we didn't score goals.

"The dominance of the football is great, but it's kind of meaningless and pointless.

"We've got to be stronger in our mindset in the final third. To be that wasteful tonight when we had that much of the ball and territory - yeah, it's disappointing.

"We allowed them to get a grip on the game. Once we made the changes, again we got back into the rhythm. Some good chances. We just weren't clinical."

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Tottenham complete shock Premier League signing that absolutely nobody saw coming as fans left stunned

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Tottenham have completed their fourth signing of the summer transfer window out of nowhere.

Spurs have been busy this summer as they look to build on Ange Postecoglou's first season in charge of the club.

The club moved quickly to secure the signature of highly-rated English midfielder Archie Gray from Leeds early in the window and smashed the club's transfer record earlier this week with a £65million move for Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke.

Just a few days before kicking off the campaign against Leicester, Postecoglou has added another signing to his ranks which no-one expected.

Tottenham have announced a deal has been agreed with Burnley for ex-Paris Saint-Germain star Wilson Odobert.

The 19-year-old has agreed a five-year deal with Spurs and joins after making 29 Premier League appearances for the Clarets in the Premier League last season, scoring three goals.

Last season, ex-Burnley manager Vincent Kompany said on his ability: “I will almost refrain from what I really think about him, because at this moment in time, I don’t think people realise how good he is."

Fans on social media have been stunned at how quickly the transfer was announced with virtually zero speculation ahead of Tottenham's confirmation.

One fan said: "This might genuinely be the most bizzare transfer I’ve ever been apart of on FT"

Another added: "That was the quickest transfer I've seen in a while"

A third said: "Wow absolutely zero ITK calls on this one"

"A signing out of nowhere, be interesting to see if he’s any good, looked lively for Burnley last season," a fourth fan added.

A fifth concluded: "No spurs tshirt, just a pic of the player in Burnley jersey shows you how under the wraps it was."

Odobert could make his debut for the club in their Premier League opener against Leicester on Monday night.

The youngster already has one game under his belt this season after featuring against Luton in Burnley's Championship opener against Luton, scoring in the 4-1 win.

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Ange Postecoglou holds nothing back on Yves Bissouma as Tottenham suspend player over laughing gas video

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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou held nothing back when asked about a video of midfielder Yves Bissouma that showed him appearing to inhale nitrous oxide.

Possession of nitrous oxide - also known as laughing gas - for recreational use has been a criminal offence since last year, when the former Conservative government graded it as a Class C drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Spurs midfielder Bissouma posted a video to his Snapchat account on Sunday which showed him appearing to inhale nitrous oxide from a balloon.

The Mali international later apologised for his actions, stating: "I want to apologise for these videos.

"This was a severe lack of judgment. I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model."

Spurs did not respond to comment when approached by SPORTbible, but a club spokesperson told The Sun that the matter would be dealt with 'internally'.

Now, Postecoglou has addressed the matter for the first time - and confirmed that Bissouma has been suspended by the club for their Premier League season opener at Leicester on Monday.

He said: "I've been in the game for a long time. When a situation like this arises, I've tried to look at them in a couple of ways.

"First there as a person, and it's Biss, and he's made a poor decision.

"There are still sanctions involved, and some of those are educational. He is a footballer with responsibilities.

"He won't be available on Monday. We've suspended him from Monday's game.

"He needs to build that trust back with both me and the group. The door is open for him and we can help him realise the decisions he makes impacts the group."

When asked about how Bissouma can build back that trust, Postecoglou replied: "Behaviour, mate. It's that simple. It's about making better decisions.

"He was very apologetic to me, the club and everyone involved, but that's just part of it."

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Spurs player apologises after filming himself appearing to commit crime as club launches investigation

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A Tottenham Hotspur star has apologised after the club launched an investigation into footage that appears to show him committing a crime.

On Saturday Spurs lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich in their final pre-season friendly of the summer, as Harry Kane made his first return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since leaving last year.

Ange Postecoglou will be hoping his side can kick on from an encouraging first season under his leadership, but he was dealt a blow after Saturday's match.

Midfielder Yves Bissouma, who impressed under Postecoglou last season, decided to hit the town after Saturday's game.

Inexplicably, the 27-year-old decided to film himself inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon while sat in the back of a limousine and shared it on his Snapchat account.

The star could face a police probe, as possession of laughing gas - dubbed 'hippy crack' - was made illegal late last year.

Under the Conservative government's Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, nitrous oxide became a Class C drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Use of nitrous oxide can lead to brain disorders, depression, memory loss, incontinence, hallucinations and nerve damage.

Repeat serious users face up to two years in prison and dealers up to 14 years. If prosecuted and found guilty, Bissouma could face an unlimited fine.

Tottenham have launched their own investigation into the matter. When approached for comment by The Sun, a club spokesperson said that the incident "will be dealt with as an internal matter."

On Sunday Bissouma released a statement apologising for his actions, admitting that he showed a "severe lack of judgement."

"I want to apologise for these videos," Bissouma said.

"This was a severe lack of judgment. I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously."

Bissouma joined Spurs from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022 for a fee that could rise to £35 million.

Tottenham will kick off their 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a trip to Leicester City on Monday, August 19.

SPORTbible has contacted Tottenham Hotspur for comment.

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What Harry Kane told Dominic Solanke in dressing room as he makes his feelings clear on new Spurs forward

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Harry Kane has offered new Tottenham Hotspur forward Dominic Solanke some words of wisdom.

Solanke made a permanent switch to Spurs from Bournemouth this summer moving for a fee in the region of £55m.

The England captain, Kane, spent 19 years with the Lilywhites before moving onto pastures new with Bayern Munich last summer.

Bayern ran out 3-2 winners as Kane faced his old side in North London yesterday in a club friendly.

After the game, the 31-year-old offered some key advice the way of Solanke after he joined Spurs recently.

Kane said to Sky Sports: "It should be great. Dom is a great player, plays with high intensity, high speed.

"For sure he’s going to get chances in this team with the way that Ange plays.

"You saw that today with two top teams going at it toe-to-toe so I think it’s a really good signing.

"I saw him in the dressing room there and just wished him all the best and of course I hope that he has a good season."

Solanke enjoyed a decorated season in front of goal in 23/24 for the Cherries notching 21 goals in all competitions.

With Spurs vowing to kick on in Ange Postecoglou's second season, the England international admitted the lure of playing under the former Celtic boss was too big to turn down.

“It means so much – to sign for a club like Tottenham is everything I’ve wanted really.

"It’s a magnificent club, a huge club with ambitions that match mine so I’m delighted to start and meet all the boys,” he said.

“What excites me most about the club is how ambitious it is.

"It has a great manager, great players and I feel like it suits my style of play as well, so I can’t wait to get started and do my stuff on the pitch."

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