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Bergvall’s current number is worn by Kulusevksi

As announced by Football.London, we can expect the Spurs squad to start rolling back into Hotspur Way in the following days, with only a handful of players still on international duty.

New signing, Archie Gray, will be one of the first names to check in as well as Swedish sensation, Lucas Bergvall, who Tottenham announced the signing of back in February on the teenager’s 18th birthday. (Tottenham Hotspur)

Tottenham have already announced that Archie Gray will be pulling on the number fourteen shirt for Spurs next season, which was worn most recently by Ivan Perisic, as well as famously being the number of Luka Modric and David Ginola.

What numbers are available to Bergvall at Spurs?

Bergvall, who wore number 21 at Djurgarden in Sweden, will have to choose a different number due to 21 currently being fellow Swede, Dejan Kulusevksi’s, number.

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It will be unlikely that Bergvall makes a statement by wearing a starting eleven number with 1 and 2 only being available following the departures of Lloris and Matt Doherty. The next two lowest possible options will be 15 and 19 which have recently become available due to Eric Dier and Ryan Sessegnon leaving.

With the squad numbers announcement being a little while away, Bergvall could hold out for one of many players who are linked with an exit and then take up their number.

In this case, the 18-year-old would likely wear a placeholder number in pre-season, much like James Maddison did, wearing number 71 before pinching Harry Kane’s number 10 before the start of the season after the striker left for Bayern Munich.

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Many Spurs fans will be eagerly awaiting Bergvall’s shirt number decision after the Swede’s impressive highlights and clips whilst at his former club, Djurgarden.

It remains to be seen how big a part the teenager will have to play next season, but if Bergvall reaches his potential, an original shirt of his debut season could become very valuable.

According to Football.London’s Alasdair Gold, Tottenham have forged a good relationship with Rennes, and they could try to take advantage of that to land Desire Doue.

Tottenham have been linked with Desire Doue

On the back of Doue’s stellar breakout season at Rennes in 2023-24, the 19-year-old’s future has understandably been the subject of much speculation this summer, with Tottenham being one of the clubs credited with an interest in the youngster (TEAMtalk).

Gold now brings the latest on the matter, confirming that the versatile attacker is very much part of the Lilywhites’ shortlist.

He says that the Frenchman’s ability to operate in either flank or through the middle is one of the reasons why Ange Postecoglou’s men hold a ‘strong interest’ in the player.

Tottenham have a good relationship with Rennes

He points out that Doue fits the transfer profile that Tottenham are after – a moderately expensive player who can become a star in the years.

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However, Gold explains that a deal for the attacking midfielder will not be straightforward, with several top clubs, including Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, thought to be eyeing him.

Finally, the journalist points out that Spurs do have a good relationship with Rennes, having loaned them Joe Rodon and Djed Spence in the past, and this could work to the Premier League side’s advantage in their pursuit of France Under-21 international.

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I suspect Tottenham view Doue as a cheaper and more attainable alternative to Eberechi Eze, with a deal for the Palace star looking quite complicated to pull off this summer.

I would not be surprised if we see Spurs make advances towards the Ligue 1 starlet over the coming weeks.

Ange Postecoglou has just lost another member of his backroom staff, with Football.London reporting that Nathan Gardiner has left his role at Tottenham to join Chris Davies’ coaching set-up at Birmingham City.

Chris Davies left Spurs to become Birmingham manager

Davies vacated his role as Postecoglou’s senior assistant coach earlier this summer to take over Birmingham City’s new head coach.

The move would not have come as a surprise, with the Welshman being rather a sought-after figure among various EFL clubs.

Having served as Brendan Rodgers’ assistant at both Leicester and Celtic and having had the valuable experience of working under Postecolgou for a season, Davies will now attempt to forge his own managerial career.

The 39-year-old’s first challenge will be to bring Birmingham straight back up to the Championship after their relegation to League One last season.

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Chris Davies poaches another Tottenham coach

To help him achieve that Davies has now decided to turn to a familiar face, poaching Tottenham’s head of sports science, Nathan Gardiner.

Gardiner will join Daives’ staff at St Andrew’s, with the Midlands club confirming that he will work as a liaison between the club’s coaching staff, their medical team and the performance department.

The League One club said: “Gardiner will assist the performance department to ensure players achieve optimal fitness and conditioning, whilst working closely with the club’s medical department with a focus on recovery and rehabilitation. His expertise will also aid in the monitoring of player loading and the planning and delivery of pre-game preparation”.

Davies said about the appointment: “Nathan has extensive experience in fitness and conditioning, having worked at the top level of English football for the last 18 years, 14 of which were at Spurs where I worked with him. As well as a deep knowledge of loading and periodisation, Nathan is an excellent communicator amongst both players and staff.”

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Davies was always going to turn to familiar faces to assist him and it is not surprising that he has now poached Garner.

This will not be too big a loss for Tottenham, given that the 49-year-old only started working in Hotspur Way earlier this year.

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has admitted that he will not stand in the way of rumoured Tottenham target Jaden Philogene if the midfielder expresses a desire to leave the club.

Tottenham Hotspur sign Archie Gray

Earlier this week, Tottenham secured the services of one of the best young talents in the Championship, thrashing a deal with Leeds United for Archie Gray.

The Lilywhites are seemingly eyeing a raid of another one of the Championship’s best performers, with several reports claiming that Ange Postecoglou’s men have their sights on Philogene.

The winger enjoyed a brilliant 2023-24 campaign following his move from Aston Villa to Hull 12 months, ago, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists.

TEAMtalk previously claimed that Spurs had been impressed by Philogene’s displays at the MKM Stadium and were leading the race for his signature.

However, various sources have since indicated that the likes of West Ham United (Football Insider) and Barcelona (Florian Plettenberg) are also plotting a move for the 22-year-old.

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Hull City are open to selling Jaden Philogene

Ilicali has now made it clear that Philogene will be allowed to leave if he expresses a desire to seek a new challenge.

The Hull owner told talkSPORT (as relayed by TBR Football) about the winger: “I told my fans that I would sell nobody. My idea in football is not to make money, my idea is to make a strong and bigger club.

“But to make a bigger club, sometimes if a player says I want to go, that’s a different case. For me, if one player changes, it’s not the end of the road. I will never want to ruin their career or their mood by pushing them because there is a contract.

“If Jaden wants to move and says he wants to go somewhere, this is something we cannot do too much because this is his life. I love all of my boys. For me, their life and career, I am responsible too. If they don’t want to play with us, they don’t want to play with us.”

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Tottenham do need to add another winger to the squad but Postecoglou would ideally want a player who is proven at the highest level and someone who would instantly elevate the starting eleven such as Nico Williams or Pedro Neto.

According to Mundo Deportivo (and CaughtOffside), Barcelona could make a move to re-sign Tottenham Hotspur right-back Emerson Royal.

Emerson Royal to AC Milan

Over the past week, a number of Italian outlets have suggested that Emerson is expected to complete a switch to AC Milan in a matter of days.

This includes a recent update by Gazzetta dello Sport, who stated that the Tottenham man has already agreed personal terms on a five-year deal with the Rossoneri.

The report said that the Italian club want the transfer finalised quickly so that the 25-year-old could begin pre-season with his new teammates on Monday.

Barca could enter the race for Emerson

Mundo Deportivo have now also named Milan as the frontrunners for Emerson but they say that the Serie A side could face a late challenge from Barca.

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The report explains that the Catalan side may not be able to afford a permanent deal for Jaoa Cancelo and are now looking for alternatives.

The Spurs star is one of the options they have identified, with the publication adding that the Blaugrana could now press ahead with an offer for the Brazilian, who is valued at £21m by the Lilywhites.

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Tottenham would be quite happy for Barca to enter the picture and start a bidding war but I suspect that Emerson’s move to Milan is already quite a long way along and that the player is unlikely to make any U-turns now.

I also can’t imagine that Barcelona would want to re-sign Emerson after letting him go to Spurs in the first place.

Gab Marcotti pointed out that Leeds fans are upset with Archie Gray’s sale to Tottenham but Julien Laurens insisted that it is a great deal for the Championship club.

Tottenham land a real coup in Archie Gray deal

The Gray to Spurs deal happened quite quickly earlier this week, with reports indicating that the North London club swooped to land the 18-year-old after his move to Brentford fell through in the final stages (Sky Sports).

The deal has ended up costing Tottenham £40m, which is nearly an unprecedented fee for a player who has just one year of regular first-team football in the Championship under his belt.

However, such is Gray’s reputation, with Spurs alleged to have beaten out competition from the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund to land the teenager (The Times).

Even though the Leeds academy graduate featured most often as a right-back at Elland Road last season, reports indicate that Ange Postecoglou’s men primarily view the youngster as an option for their midfield (The Athletic).

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Archie Gray ‘is going to be incredible’

While Gray’s move was being discussed in ESPN FC’s Gab and Jules show, Marcotti said about the move: “It’s obviously infuriating local fans.”

Laurens responded: “He was on his way to Brentford. He was doing his medical and then the deal collapsed because of the structure of it. The two clubs could not agree.

“I love Archie Gray. I think he has an amazing future ahead of him. He is going to be incredible already. £40 million is a lot of money for someone who has only played one season in the Championship and is so young.

“If you are Leeds and, not just considering Archie’s season and pathway. All the great family. You don’t want to see him go. Everybody in their family played football. His younger brother is better than Archie himself. It’s a lot of money. It doesn’t work with young English players, so they have to be careful.”

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The price tag is obviously huge but the fact that both Brentford and Tottenham (and possibly other clubs) were prepared to pay that fee suggests that many people working in the game are convinced that the 18-year-old is going to the very top.

Tottenham were reportedly seeking to secure a deal for Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey with the club knowing Villa were under PSR pressure, but it appears Emery’s side have now taken him off the market following the deadline passing.

Spurs made an offer for Jacob Ramsey

Aston Villa received a bid from their former technical director, who is now at Spurs, Johan Lange, as he submitted an offer of £20 million as well as Argentine international, Giovanni Lo Celso. The bid was rebuffed by Villa, valuing Ramsey at £40-£50 million. (Standard)

A deal was believed to be more of a possibility because Aston Villa were likely to be under pressure from an imminent PSR deadline. Leeds United were one of the clubs also trying to align themselves with the regulations which led to the sale of Archie Gray to Tottenham. (Stefan Borson on X)

Despite the deadline passing on the 30th of June, Football Insider reported on the 1st of July that a deal was ‘still alive’ due to Aston Villa potentially using the money from Ramsey’s sale to provide Unai Emery with extra summer transfer funds.

Aston Villa have now done a U-turn on their Ramsey decision

However, it is now being reported by Football Insider that Aston Villa have gone back on their decision to sell Ramsey and are now reluctant to let their 23-year-old academy product leave this summer.

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The sales of Douglas Luiz to Juventus, Tim Iroegbunam to Everton and Morgan Sanson to Nice are reportedly believed to be more than enough to be within PSR’s parameters.

Unai Emery also reportedly believes that Ramsey has a part to play for the Midlands side next season as they tackle the challenge of Champions League football.

Emery and Villa’s U-turn on their stance over selling Jacob Ramsey is expected to nullify the chances of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham signing the midfielder.

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After the initial bid of £20 million plus Lo Celso was reportedly rejected for Jacob Ramsey, it became apparent that the deal Villa would demand, believed to be between £40-£50 million was simply not value for money.

The midfielder has struggled for fitness this season, a single goal across twenty-one appearances in all competitions this season doesn’t exactly justify the valuation Aston Villa quoted.

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham target Conor Gallagher does not want to make a switch to Aston Villa this summer.

Spurs are still being linked with Conor Gallagher

Even though we are technically just a few weeks into the summer transfer window, the Gallagher transfer saga has already taken plenty of twists and turns, with various sources now downplaying the likelihood of Spurs signing the midfielder.

Earlier this week, The Standard revealed Spurs’ interest in the England international might have cooled, now that they have secured Archie Gray and the PSR deadline has passed.

Meanwhile, The Times reported last week that Villa and Tottenham are still keeping an eye on the 24-year-old’s situation as he is no closer to signing a new contract at Chelsea.

However, the report suggested that the Blues want £50m for their academy graduate, which Spurs have no intention of paying.

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The Conor Gallagher transfer saga rumbles on

If The Telegraph’s latest update is to be believed, despite bringing Gray through the door, Ange Postecoglou’s men are still very much interested in Gallagher.

The report says that for the moment, the midfielder’s ‘contract debacle rumbles on’, with no end in sight.

The publication adds that while Villa are also keen on Gallagher, the player is reluctant to make the move to the Midlands.

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While Gallagher’s preference is evidently to stay at Chelsea, it sounds like Tottenham would be his top choice if he decides to leave his boyhood club.

We might see some movement on the 24-year-old’s future once he returns from the Euros.

Pedro Porro has promised that he will take good care of Archie Gray after the Leeds academy graduate sealed a move to Tottenham this week.

Tottenham sign Archie Gray from Leeds

Tottenham’s capture of Gray has been universally hailed as a great acquisition, even though the North London club had to part ways with £40m to bring the 18-year-old to N17.

Although the teenager is a midfielder by trade, he often played at right-back at Elland Road last season and he is expected to serve as Porro’s main understudy at Spurs, with Emerson Royal seemingly on his way out.

Gray came across as a confident young man in his first interview with the club’s official channel, stating that he will give 100 per cent to force himself into the starting eleven. He even suggested that Premier League football might suit him better than the Championship.

Pedro Porro promises to look after Archie Gray

The teenager took to Instagram to admit that he is delighted to make the move and that he cannot wait to get out onto the pitch for Spurs.

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Leeds left-back Junior Firpo commented on the post, tagging Porro and asking the Tottenham man to “take good care” of the new Spurs signing, to which the Spain international responded: “Always brother.”

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Given the kind of harmonious squad environment that exists at Spurs, Gray will find it quite easy to settle in and a number of senior players at the club will take the youngster under their wing and make him feel at home.

He also seems to know a fair few of the U21 players already, likely from his time with the England youth sides, so he should have no problem fitting in.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Tottenham do hold a concrete interest in Desire Doue and that the North London club have already reached out to the Rennes star’s representatives regarding a summer transfer.

Tottenham are interested in Desire Doue

Having secured the services of Archie Gray from Leeds United earlier this week, Tottenham can now shift their focus to other positions, including their forward line.

One of the things on Ange Postecoglou’s agenda is thought to be a new winger, with Spurs insider Paul O’Keefe stating earlier this week Doue is one of the names on the club’s wishlist.

The youngster, who can operate as an attacking midfielder or on either flank, enjoyed a fine breakthrough season at Rennes and it seems only a matter of time before he moves to a bigger club.

Earlier this summer, The Daily Mail claimed that the 19-year-old Spurs target is also on the radars of Man Utd and Arsenal and that it would take a fee of over £35m to prise him away from Roazhon Park.

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Spurs made contact with Desire Doue’s agents

Romano has now confirmed that Spurs do hold a concrete interest in Doue, with the journalist revealing that the Premier League side have already made some advances towards the player.

When asked about the speculation linking the Rennes starlet with a move to N17, he told GiveMeSport: “It’s true that Tottenham have a genuine interest in this boy. This is not something new. I mean, the interest is there and he is one of the players appreciated by the Tottenham board.

“Doue is one of the best talents in his position, and he is on the list of several clubs and the list of Tottenham. First of all, Tottenham have signed Archie Gray and that is a wonderful signing for Tottenham. But it’s also true that Desire Doue is another player they are considering.

“Internally, they already expressed their interest to the agents of the player, so Doue is one to watch for Tottenham – but not only for Tottenham, as several clubs are following this boy.”

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Tottenham will likely have a lot of competition to contend with for Doue’s signature.

I might be wrong but I suspect that Spurs view the Frenhcman as an alternative to Eberechi Eze. I cannot see the club bringing both the Rennes and Palace stars through the door.