SPORTbible

Tottenham have completed their first signing of the summer just a week after beating Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Spurs salvaged their miserable 2024/25 domestic campaign with a major trophy following their Europa League triumph last week.

Ange Postecoglou's side beat Man United 1-0 in the Europa League final to end their 17-year trophy drought.

In the Premier League, however, Spurs finished in 17th place, recording a measly 38 points - winning just 11 games.

Postecoglou's future has been clouded by uncertainty despite leading the club to silverware this season.

But the club have already made a decision on their squad ahead of the new season.

The North London outfit have confirmed Kevin Danso has been signed permanently from Lens after the obligation to buy in his loan deal was triggered.

Danso joined Spurs during the January transfer window on an initial loan deal, with an obligation to buy at the end of the season.

He played 15 games across all competitions, including an appearance in his side's Europa League triumph in Bilbao.

The 26-year-old defender will officially become Spurs' first transfer of the summer on Sunday in a deal worth £21 million.

The club have also announced the departures of Fraser Forster, Sergio Reguilon and Alfie Whiteman following the conclusion of their contracts, while Timo Werner also leaves following the end of his loan deal from RB Leipzig.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who joined Marseille on loan last summer, has been snapped up by the French club, who triggered the obligation.

Speaking after inspiring Spurs to Europa League glory, Postecoglou was keen to stress how he wants to build on his European success, explaining: "I've had such a laser focus on winning this. Whatever happens, happens.

"We're still building this team. It's a young team, we need to add experience. My thought process has been about building a team that can be successful for five or six years."

Spurs have made a shock enquiry about a Chelsea player after it became apparent he is on his way out.

Chelsea followed Spurs in ending the season with a European trophy by winning the Conference League after coming from behind to beat Real Betis 4-1 in Wroclaw.

The Blues secured a return to the Champions League next season days before with a win over Nottingham Forest on the final day and already there's been plenty of noise about how their squad will shape on next season.

It looks as though Jadon Sancho will sign on a permanent deal after scoring in Wednesday's final, while Chelsea have won the race for Ipswich Town's in-demand striker Liam Delap for a fee of £30 million.

And the transfer may just put an end Christopher Nkunku's Chelsea career. The Frenchman signed for Chelsea for a fee of £52 million in 2023 from RB Leipzig and has scored 17 goals in 56 appearances.

But Nkunku, who suffered a knee injury at the very start of his tenure, has failed to establish himself as a regular at Stamford Bridge and was an unused substitute in the final, with Marc Guiu coming on for a late cameo instead.

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward wants to leave this summer and according to talkSPORT, he is to get his wish by moving on.

Bayern Munich moved for Nkunku in the January window but did not want to pay the rumoured ask pricing of more than £50 million, though the 27-year-old is said to be open to heading back to Germany.

However, he is equally happy to stay in the Premier League and Spurs have made an enquiry about Nkunku.

Wrexham have reportedly opened talks to sign a former Champions League finalist.

The Red Dragons are gearing up for life in the Championship after securing three promotions in a row.

Last month, Wrexham sealed promotion to the second tier of English football after beating Charlton Athletic 3-0.

Backed by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Wrexham are set to be active in the upcoming summer transfer window.

They have already been linked with a host of different players, including stars playing in the Premier League.

However, as reported by ESPN, the club will operate a 'no superstars and no egos' policy when they target new signings for their Premier League push next season.

Now, as reported by Football Insider, Wrexham have opened talks to sign Welshman Ben Davies.

The 32-year-old's current deal with Tottenham Hotspur will expire next month and Wrexham are looking to lure him to the Championship.

However, it has been stated that Davies could still agree an extension with Spurs, having played 28 matches for Ange Postecoglou's side during the 24/25 season.

The report stated: "Wrexham have opened talks to sign Tottenham defender Ben Davies when his contract expires. The hugely ambitious Championship club are working on a deal to land the 32-year-old Wales international on a free transfer.

"Wrexham are one of many clubs trying to lure the experienced campaigner as they plot instant promotion from the Championship to the Premier League. It is believed Davies will consider multiple offers before deciding where to play next term."

Since leaving Swansea City for Spurs back in 2014, Davies has made a total of 358 appearances for the North London club, scoring nine goals.

Last week, Davies won his first major trophy with Spurs after they beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final in Bilbao, Spain.

Chelsea legend John Terry brutally trolled Tottenham Hotspur again while standing next to James Maddison.

Last week, Spurs ended their 17-year wait for a trophy by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Brennan Johnson's goal in the 42nd minute was enough for Ange Postecoglou's men to secure a historic 1-0 win at the San Mames in Bilbao.

During the aftermath of the final, Maddison took a cheeky dig at Terry as he wrote on social media: "To kit. Full John Terry mode. Anything to say tonight John?"

Terry swiftly hit back with: "I remember my first trophy ah bless them. Get the tequila out. Great season from you boys, you should be all proud! 16 to go...

"After that performance I think you have a chance. You just have to live for 900 years."

This week, the pair went face to face as Terry took part in the Spurs man's foundation golf event - The Maddison Invitational.

After picking up the trophy for the Overall Singles event, Terry took the opportunity to deliver another jibe at Spurs.

He said: "I'm so happy with this. By the way, it's been a week and I've won the same amount of trophies as Spurs."

To be fair to Maddison, he took it with good grace as he applauded the Chelsea legend before the pair shared a warm embrace.

Terry then finished by saying: "Sorry, sorry."

Speaking on talkSPORT, Terry also joked about Spurs.

The former England captain said: "I've had a very good day today. I was four-under today, I've won the trophy and I've got up to a bit of heckling and a few boos.

"But it's been a week and I've won the same amount of trophies as Spurs."

On Wednesday night, Terry's former side Chelsea will have the chance to clinch a European trophy as they take on La Liga side Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final.

Ahead of the match, the Blues legend said: "When you're in these big finals, you want to go and perform on the big stage.

"Betis are a good side, by the way. It's not going to be an easy game, it's going to be a tough game."

Terry added: "I think we're good enough to do it. We're probably young and inexperienced, which is a plus for the football club. But in these big games, that can also go against you a little bit. That's the only thing that goes against us, if I'm honest.

"But I think they'll rise to the challenge. At the weekend they did as well, which was a big game in front of the Forest fans and the boys performed on a big occasion. So I think they can do it again."

Spurs are said to have 'bent' UEFA's rules on winners' medals after their Europa League triumph ended a 17-year trophy drought.

Previously viewed as serial losers after a series of defeats in finals, Spurs beat Manchester United 1-0 in the all-English final in Bilbao courtesy of Brennan Johnson's goal at the end of the first half.

It was their first bit of silverware since the League Cup win in 2008 under Juande Ramos, with Ange Postecoglou winning in his second season as promised and also securing qualification to next season's Champions League.

Captain Heung-Min Son had the honour of lifting the Europa League trophy at the San Mames Stadium with his teammates.

Injured players who were not in the squad were part of their celebrations, with James Maddison doing his best impression of John Terry by putting his full kit on.

However, the 28-year-old revealed that after being in a club suit and t-shirt, he was told he had to change into the kit in order to collect a medal.

The likes of Dejan Kulusevski followed suit, with The Athletic reporting that it is a UEFA requirement for all players to be sporting the kit for a medal presentation.

However, the Spurs stars did their own take on the rules as they wore Nike sports socks rather than football ones.

Kulusevski recently underwent surgery on a knee injury and he was given special exemption to wear just the shirt - instead continuing to don his suit pants along with a large brace.

Spurs receive UEFA apology after winners' medals issue

The trophy lift and images which followed after confused viewers as Spurs skipper Son did not have a medal on, nor did Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero despite playing the full game.

UEFA then confirmed there was an "unexpected discrepancy" which resulted in there not being enough medals for president Aleksander Ceferin to hand out.

Those who did not receive the memento right away did not have to wait long as they were given out in the dressing room.

In a statement, UEFA said: "To our great displeasure, we did not have enough medals available on stage during the trophy ceremony presentation due to an unexpected discrepancy in the player count, as more team members - including injured players - participated in the ceremony than initially anticipated.

"The missing medals were promptly delivered to the winning team in the dressing room, along with our sincerest apologies for the oversight."

A UEFA rule change could make life much harder for Spurs in the Champions League after they secured qualification with a Europa League final triumph.

Ange Postecoglou lived up to his prediction by guiding Spurs to a trophy in his second season and their first bit of silverware in 17 years with a narrow 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao.

Not only did Spurs finally end their trophy drought and end a wretched run in finals, the North London side will return to the coveted Champions League next season as well as being in line for an estimated £100 million in revenue.

A Champions League place has been up for grabs for the Europa League winner since the 2015/16 season and brings an added incentive to winning UEFA's secondary club competition.

But there has been a tweak to the rules in recent times, which could be damaging to 2019 Champions League finalists Spurs.

The 2024/25 season saw a radical overhaul to UEFA's competitions as a league format was introduced, featuring 36 teams in one table.

In the Champions League, teams played eight games with different opponents through randomly drawn fixtures and the top eight qualified for the knockout stages, with the next 16 going into the knockout phase play-offs.

UEFA rule change could hamper Spurs next season

The previous format which saw teams from the Champions League to the Europa League was scrapped and that same approach will apply next season.

But another change brought in involves the seeding system. Under the old ruling, the Europa League winners would go straight into Pot One for the Champions League group stage draw.

Yet that is no longer the case as their seeding is dictated by their UEFA coefficient. Atalanta were in Pot Two for the 2024/25 Champions League season and ended up having to play Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Finishing ninth, the Serie A outfit were beaten by Club Brugge in the play-offs. According to UEFA, Spurs are 27th in the UEFA coefficient rankings with 70.250 points, based off performance in European competition in recent seasons.

Spurs will be the sixth English representative in next season's Champions League after the Premier League secured an extra place for fifth spot through performance in Europe.

They are likely to be in the second or third pot when the draw for the league phase is made on 28 August 2025.

UEFA have officially 'blocked' Tottenhams Hotspur's pre-match plan ahead of their Europa League final against Manchester United.

On Wednesday night, the highly-anticipated Europa League final clash between rivals Spurs and United will get underway at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao.

The result of the match will cause a massive fallout for both sides, with the losing side suffering hugely financially after what has been a dismal season in the Premier League.

With that in mind, the stakes for the final couldn't be any higher, and emotions for Spurs have been raised even further after UEFA stopped their pre-match plans on Tuesday night.

Spurs arrived in Spain armed with flowers as they planned to offer a tribute to Athletic Bilbao legend Pichichi, but their plans were halted by UEFA officials for a bizarre reason.

The London club had planned for captain Heung-min Son to lay the flowers by Pichichi's famous bust at the San Mames Stadium on the eve of the Europa League final.

Doing so has been a long-standing tradition for all clubs playing at the Athletic Bilbao's home ground for the first time, but UEFA stepped in to stop Spurs from doing so.

They claimed that, while they did not stop Spurs from carrying out the ceremony, they had informed the Premier League side that it should only take place when they first play against Athletic Bilbao, and not against a neutral team.

Club officials are said to have been frustrated by the incident after being told that, although they would not be permitted to lay flowers on matchday, they could do so the evening before the final.

Rafael Moreno, Bilbao's legendary forward better known as Pichichi, tragically died due to a sudden illness in 1922 at just 29 years old.

But his legacy lives on through through the tradition of away sides leaving floral tributes that has been in place since 1927, and through the annual award Pichichi Trophy given to La Liga’s top scorer.

United made their Pichichi tribute ahead of the first leg of the Europa League semi-final in Bilbao, which they won 3-0.

Manchester United will reportedly lose the £100 million Europa League prize money even if they win the final against Tottenham Hotspur.

After what has been a horrible domestic season for both United and Spurs, they still have a chance of ending the campaign on a high by winning the Europa League.

The winners will also secure a place in next season's Champions League, which will boost the club's finances ahead of the transfer window.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the winners of the Europa League final will receive a cash prize worth £100 million.

However, it has also been suggested that United would have to 'kiss it goodbye' due to the club's financial difficulties.

The report stated: "United are on course to lose the same amount this financial year after it emerged the club will announce a whopping third-quarter loss of £40m in the coming weeks.

"United’s total debt, including around £300m owing on transfers, is now in excess of £1billion. Although the club is set to generate up to £160m this year from day-to-day activities, it means there will still be a sixth consecutive year of losses, totalling £450m."

Speaking earlier in the year, United minority owner and INEOS boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe warned that the club could've 'gone bust' by Christmas without his cost-cutting measures.

Since Ratcliffe's arrival, many jobs within the club have been cut as the billionaire businessman aims to save money.

Speaking ahead of the final, captain Bruno Fernandes said: "Every game you have a chance to win a trophy is very big but part of that is every game at this club is massive.

"This club is so big, from one week you can be the hero and, the next one, you're the villain."

He added: "The name of this club speaks for itself. But the main thing, of course, is what is ahead of us and that is a massive final, against a team we know very well."

Manchester United have been forced into a kit change by Tottenham for the Europa League final because of a 64-year tradition.

Man United face Spurs in tonight's all-English Europa League final in Bilbao, Spain.

The Red Devils have already travelled to Bilbao in their European venture, having beaten Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals, winning the tie 7-1 on aggregate.

As for Spurs, they beat Bodo/Glimt 5-1 on aggregate to book their spot in the final.

The winners will not just win the Europa League but also a spot in next season's Champions League, with the loser missing out on Europe entirely due to their current league positions.

Man United are placed 16th in the Premier League table, with 39 points on the board while Spurs are 17th, having recorded 38 points.

The two teams have already played three times this season, with the North London outfit winning all three meetings.

They beat Erik ten Hag's then-side 3-0 at Old Trafford before dumping them out of the Carabao Cup following their 4-3 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

And they won the reverse league fixture 1-0 last February.

In both league games, Man United wore their traditional red home shirt, white shorts and black socks, while Spurs wore their white shirt, complete with navy blue shorts and white socks.

For the Europa League final, however, there will be a change in kits for both teams.

Spurs have, where permitted, worn an all-white kit for their European matches - a tradition that dates back 64 years.

Back in the 1960/61 season, Bill Nicholson decided to change the club's kit, partially because he considered it to hold a potential performance advantage.

The club's official website revealed that, although it has been widely claimed that the main reason was to emulate Real Madrid's all-white kit, there was a more practical explanation.

With floodlights not as bright as they are today, Spurs' white shirt and navy shorts combination made it difficult for the players to see each other during evening matches.

Nicholson decided to sanction the all-white kit change to improve visibility.

Spurs would use white shorts for the first time in an away match against Polish side Gornik in 1961 - their first-ever European fixture after completing a First Division and FA Cup double in the previous campaign.

As the administrative home side for the Europa League final, Spurs will get first choice over what kit to wear, meaning they will likely be kitted out in all-white.

Man United, meanwhile, will wear their red shirt, accompanied with black shorts and black socks.

UEFA have a strict rule which Manchester United and Spurs will have to adhere to if they won the Europa League.

Despite dismal domestic campaigns which sees them occupy 16th and 17th in the Premier League, the two sides play out the all-English final in Bilbao on Wednesday night.

The winner will secure qualification into the Champions League next season, with England poised to have six representatives in its premier club competition.

United are hoping to replicate their triumph from 2017 under Jose Mourinho when they beat Ajax in the final, while Spurs are desperate to finally win a first trophy since 2008.

The silverware in question is the heaviest of all the UEFA prizes at 15kg and has specific regulations from the European football governing body that the winners will to have to follow.

According to UEFA, the original trophy from the presentation which will took place at the San Mames Stadium, "remains in UEFA’s keeping and ownership at all times".

A replica of the very same size will be awarded to the winners, along with 50 gold medals.

However, neither Spurs or United will be allowed to leave England with the trophy for any activities without receiving permission from UEFA - nor must they link any sponsors and commercial.

UEFA's website states that, “replica trophies awarded to winners of the competition (past and current) must remain within the relevant club’s control at all times and may not leave the club’s country without UEFA’s prior written consent (in this respect, clubs must comply with any request from the UEFA administration to confirm the location of the club’s replica trophies).

“Clubs must not permit a replica trophy to be used in any context where a third party (including sponsors and other commercial partners) is granted visibility or in any other way that could lead to an association between any third party and the trophy and/or the competition."

How much will Man United or Spurs bank for winning the Europa League?

United and Spurs are reported to have made around £26 million for how they performed in the league phase and getting to the final but victory in the showpiece and subsequent qualification for the Champions League's league phase, could be worth as much as £54 million, as per the BBC.

The winner is guaranteed £21 million but only £5 million of that fee is for becoming champions - with passage to the holy grail of the Champions League bringing the most money into the club.