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Football.London have reported that with the deadline for the Profit and Sustainability Rules calculation having passed, we might see transfer business speed up across Europe.

The PSR deadline has now passed

It is pointed out that with June 30 set as the deadline for PSR calculation, several clubs were scrambling to get final-minute deals done over recent days in order to balance their books.

The PSR rules allow clubs to make a maximum loss of £105m over three years, with any greater loss potentially leading to a points deduction.

It is explained that Spurs are in a far better position than most clubs with respect to PSR and FFP, due to the revenue generated from the stadium as well as the big fee the club got for Harry Kane last summer.

The transfer window can really get started now

The report states that many clubs waited until the opening of the next year’s financial accounts on July 1 to get moving with transfers.

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The publication adds that this has stopped Spurs from pushing ahead with some moves as selling clubs wanted to wait until July to bring a nice profit bump to their books.

Hopefully, that means we have some busy weeks ahead of us before the start of the new season!

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Once the Euros and Copa America conclude, we will see a further acceleration in transfer talks across Europe, with some big moves likely to have a domino effect and force other clubs into action.

Tottenham will look to get the majority of their business done over the next few weeks.

According to the print edition of Corriere dello Sport (as relayed by Sport Witness), Tottenham Hotspur remain intent on securing Albert Gudmundsson’s services this summer, with Inter Milan struggling to complete a deal for the Genoa star.

Inter Milan hesitate in Albert Gudmundsson race

The report says that Inter have identified Gudmundsson as the ideal option to strengthen their attack this summer and the Iceland international is open to moving to the San Siro.

However, the Nerazzurri have several obstacles to overcome, one of those being Genoa’s €35m (£25.4m) asking price, which is deemed too high for the reigning Serie A champions.

The report says that Juventus and Napoli are also watching Gudmundsson’s situation but it is Tottenham who remain ‘in the front row’ for the forward.

Tottenham could still move for Gudmundsson

At the moment, the 27-year-old’s preference is thought to be to join Inter and he is waiting for Simone Inzaghi’s men to make a move.

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However, it is pointed out that the Genoa star could soon start listening to offers, thus opening the door for Tottenham to swoop for him.

Spurs have already added to their forward line this summer with the 12-month loan signing of Timo Werner, but appear keen to add another before the transfer window closes.

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While Tottenham evidently held an exploratory interest in Gudmundsson, I am not convinced that the Lilywhites view him as one of their top targets.

If the club were keen on getting the 27-year-old, they would have likely used Djed Spence as a bargaining tool to land the forward from Genoa.

Looking at names such as Cristian Romero, Mickey Van de Ven and Radu Dragusin, it is clear to see that Tottenham have the strongest central defensive personnel in their ranks for a good while.

The current Tottenham defence

All three men are currently representing their countries at the Euros and Copa America respectively, pair this with the emergence of Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario this season, and there is evidence to suggest that fans should be optimistic that Tottenham could have a bright future in defence.

Romero made more blocks, interceptions, successful tackles, and clearances than Arsenal’s William Saliba in the league last season, despite making six fewer appearances than the Frenchman (Premier League).

Van de Ven boasted the same achievements as Manchester City’s Nathan Ake, also keeping the same number of clean sheets as his compatriot (Premier League). But it was the Arsenal and City stars who were named in the Opta Analyst Premier League Team of the Season.

At the end of the day, the job of a defender is to prevent the opposition from scoring goals. Last season, Spurs conceded 61 Premier League goals, which is just two less than what Arsenal and Man City both conceded combined (FBref).

Is this high number all down to the fault of the Spurs defence? Not entirely (except for the abysmal set piece defending). Firstly, a few injuries and suspensions meant frequent chopping and changing to the defensive line during the middle of the season. But more importantly, it’s down to the way in which Ange Postecoglou sets out his teams to play.

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Does Ange-ball lead to goals conceded?

Ange-ball’s high-pressing, attack-focused methods leave plenty of space in behind, making the team highly susceptible to counterattacks. But as the big man said following Spurs’ 4-1 loss to Chelsea in November; “It’s just who we are mate”.

So, with the style of play certainly not changing anytime soon, can we instead expect Tottenham’s defensive instincts under Postecoglou to improve, or must Spurs fans just accept that keeping the number of conceded goals low simply isn’t a priority for this Tottenham side?

Let’s do what many Spurs fans do and look at Ange’s time at Celtic for answers. Postecoglou arrived in Glasgow for the 2021/22 season with his team conceding 55 goals that season as Celtic won the League and League Cup double. Although it is worth noting that only 22 of those were conceded in league matches, 19 were conceded during their Europa League campaign (FBref).

The following 2022/23 season, Celtic conceded two fewer goals than they did in the previous campaign but conceded 12 more League goals. With that, Celtic scored 147 goals in that season overall, ten more than the 2021/22 season (FBref).

While it can be argued that the calibre of players within Tottenham’s ranks may hold more quality than those in Celtic’s, and therefore more of a potential to improve on their faults from last season, it might be fair to say that Ange will have different focusses.

Postecoglou will most likely spend his pre-season developing his style of play further, instilling it even more in his players, in the hopes they will become more clinical with the chances they can create so freely at times.

As the saying goes; Attack is the best form of defence.

James Maddison has been spotted training with Nottingham Forest’s, Morgan Gibbs-White, who Spurs are said to be ‘keeping tabs on’.

Tottenham want a new midfielder this summer

Tottenham Hotspur have been rumoured to be interested in various attacking midfielders who can also play out wide with the club potentially planning for the rumoured exit of Giovanni Lo Celso.

Crystal Palace’s, Eberechi Eze (The Times), is one of the strongest rumours alongside Nottingham Forest’s, Morgan Gibbs-White. (Football.London)

Gibbs-White, who signed from Wolves in 2022, has impressed and is now attracting interest from Postecoglou’s Tottenham with the club reportedly keeping tabs on the 24-year-old.

The Telegraph did state back in March that despite the concerning PSR state the Midlands club have found themselves in, they are ‘under no pressure to accept lowball offers’, a tactic that Daniel Levy is notorious for deploying.

‘In excess of £50 million’ is reportedly the fee that Nottingham Forest are determined to continue asking for their star attacking midfielder.

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Gibbs-White and Maddison trained together last week

Following the heartbreak of being excluded from Gareth Southgate’s EURO 2024 at the last minute, James Maddison has been photographed already on a summer pre-season training camp as he aims to reach the heights he reached before his ankle injury against Chelsea.

Spurs target and Nottingham Forest midfielder, Morgan Gibbs-White, can be seen completing a drill with Tottenham’s James Maddison on BAS training’s Instagram stories, as reported by Football.London.

BAS training, who provide training camps for professional footballers, with another Tottenham target, Jonathan Rowe being pictured on the camp’s Instagram, provided a video where James Maddison could be seen completing a duo ‘cat and mouse drill’ with Gibbs-White. (Football.London)

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From a Tottenham point of view, it’s encouraging to see Maddison is possibly fuelled by his poor end to the season and subsequent England squad omission by going above on beyond to prepare for preseason.

However, I would not suggest a move for Gibbs-White is less likely with PSR’s deadline of June 30th having passed as well as Tottenham’s interest in Eberechi Eze continuing to be reported.

It may be that despite the two players possibly discussing a move to North London, the plans of both clubs may not align with such an idea.

Genoa president Andres Blazquez has confessed that Tottenham Hotspur have refused to give any discounts for Djed Spence.

Genoa were in talks with Spurs for Djed Spence

It has been widely reported over recent weeks that Genoa had been locked in talks with Spurs over the permanent signing of Spence on the back of the right-back’s successful loan spell at the club during the second half of last season.

It had even been suggested by GiveMeSport on June 20 that it was only a matter of time before the deal was concluded as the two clubs were nearing an agreement.

However, it subsequently emerged that a transfer had hit a roadblock as Tottenham insisted that they want at least €7m (£6m) for the right back, which Alberto Gilardino’s side are not willing to pay (Sacha Tavolieri).

La Repubblica (via CalcioGirona) asserted a little over a week ago that Genoa are ready to turn their attention to other alternatives such as Napoli right-back Alessandro Zanoli due to Spurs’ refusal to lower their price.

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Spurs will not give Genoa a Djed Spence discount

Blazquez himself has now confirmed that the Premier League side are in no mood to drop their demands.

The Genoa president told Calciomercato.it: “On the right, we have Sabelli who did very well and then there is Spence for whom Tottenham doesn’t give any discounts.”

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Given how well Spence did at Forest previously and his impressive showing on loan at Leeds during the first half of last season, Tottenham will be confident that a few Premier League offers will arrive for the right-back.

That might be why they are not unwilling to offer Genoa too much of a discount on the player.

According to Tutto Juve, Tottenham Hotspur have now moved into pole position to land Monaco star Youssouf Fofana star this summer.

Tottenham are interested in Youssef Fofana

Tottenham have already strengthened their midfield with the addition of two exciting new young prospects, with Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray arriving through the door.

Spurs have also reportedly been plotting a move for a number six with a bit more experience in the form of Fofana, who has been a consistent performer in Ligue 1 over the last few years.

It has emerged over recent weeks that Tottenham are one of several clubs across Europe keeping an eye on the Frenchman, who is currently with the Les Blues at the Euros.

This includes a recent update by Corriere Torino (via Sport Witness), who stated that Monaco would be willing to sell the 25-year-old for a cut-price fee since he has just a year left on his contract.

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Spurs now favourites for Youssef Fofana

Tutto Juve now asserted that while Arsenal, Man Utd and Juventus had also expressed an interest in Fofana, Tottenham now ‘want to get ahead of everyone’ in the race.

The report claims that the Lilywhites have identified the Moncao star as the ideal option to replace Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with Ange Postecoglou being a fan of the midfielder’s versatility.

It is asserted that the North London club are now willing to spend €30m (£25.4m) to prise Fofana away from Louis II Stadium.

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One can understand why Tottenham are quite keen on Fofana, given his contract situation and Monaco’s modest valuation.

Ange might view the Frenchman as someone who can offer competition to Yves Bissouma for a place in the starting eleven and keep the Malian on his toes.

Tottenham’s hope of receiving a financial boost via Jack Clarke’s transfer might be over as The Sun have now reported that Southampton have abandoned their pursuit of the Sunderland winger.

Jack Clarke never quite got going at Tottenham

While Clarke was unable to impress during his three seasons at Tottenham after his move from Leeds United in 2019, the Englishman has come of age over the last two years at the Stadium of Light.

The 23-year-old was one of the best players on show in the Championship last term, with 15 goals and four assists in 42 appearances for the Black Cats (Transfermarkt).

That has seemingly brought the winger to the attention of Premier League sides, with various outlets reporting this summer that a few top-flight clubs, including Southampton, are eyeing a move for the winger (The Sun).

The latest such report came last week from GiveMeSport, who claimed last week that Crystal Palace and Wolves had also explored a move for the winger.

These reports pointed out that Tottenham would receive a quarter of the transfer fee for Clarke since the North London club have a 25 per cent sell-on clause for the player.

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Southampton pull out of Jack Clarke transfer

However, The Sun have suggested that Clarke’s proposed move to the St Mary’s is now off as Southampton do not want to pay Sunderland’s asking price.

It is revealed that the Championship club want £18m, which the newly promoted side have no intention of paying.

As a result, Russell Martin’s men are now expected to ‘back away’ from Clarke and turn their attention to other alternatives instead.

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Even if Southampton do not push ahead with an offer for Clarke, I believe that another Premier League club will secure his services this summer.

I would be very surprised if he is at the Stadium of Light by the start of next season, with Tottenham thus likely to get a few million added to their transfer kitty.

According to HITC, Archie Gray opted to sign for Tottenham Hotspur after listening to Ange Postecoglou’s plans for the club.

Archie Gray officially joins Tottenham Hotspur

Archie Gray was officially announced as a Spurs player earlier this morning, with Joe Rodon moving in the opposite direction by joining Leeds United.

HITC point out that Gray had previously agreed to join Brentford but the move fell through as the two clubs could not come to an agreement on the structure of the fee.

That allowed Tottenham to swoop in, with the North London side wasting little time in striking a full agreement with the Championship side.

The Ange phone call strikes again

It is revealed that the 18-year-old spoke to Postecoglou about his plans for the club, with the Australian persuading that a switch to N17 would be the right move for him.

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The publication adds that the teenager’s family were also a huge part of the process and they approved the move after hearing the Spurs head coach’s ideas.

Gray joins Tottenham alongside fellow young midfielder, Lucas Bergvall, who will also link up with the first-team once pre-season starts this month.

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Any emerging young player would be quite attracted by the project at Spurs and would want to play for Ange, given the freedom and confidence that the Tottenham boss gives his troops to express themselves.

The 58-year-old has already demonstrated that he is more than willing to trust young players if they show that they are good enough.

Alasdair Gold has suggested that while Tottenham Hotspur remain admirers of Pedro Neto, the North London club are likely aware that a deal for the Wolves winger would be risky, due to his injury problems.

Tottenham have been linked with Pedro Neto

Neto has had an outstanding 2023-24 season at the Molineux Stadium, managing three goals and eleven assists across all competitions, despite spending a significant amount of time on the treatment table.

It has been widely reported over the last few months that Tottenham are one of several Premier League clubs who are eyeing a move for the Portugal international (GiveMeSport).

Towards the end of May, talkSPORT claimed that Spurs were plotting an approach for the 24-year-old but they faced competition from Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle United, who are all thought to be keeping tabs on the winger.

The publication added that Wolves expect the player to depart this summer, with Gary O’Niel’s men valuing the former Braga man at £60m.

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Would Pedro Neto be too risky for Tottenham?

Gold has now asserted that Tottenham may not want to pay a big fee for Neto, given his inability to remain fit for sustained periods.

When asked if Spurs still have their eye on the Wolves star, the journalist said on a Q&A in Football.London: “Spurs have certainly had interest in recent seasons. I do think his injury issues will have caused some concern among a lot of potential suitors.

“He’s very talented but is a bit more of a gamble with his availability levels over recent seasons. Much depends on who is willing to take that chance and whether Wolves would sell for a realistic price.”

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The speculation linking Neto with a move to Spurs has completely dissipated over the last month.

That either suggests that Tottenham have turned their attention to other alternatives like Nico Williams or that Postecoglou’s men are prioritising additions in other areas of the pitch first.

Ben Jacobs states there is ‘very little chance’ Romero departs Tottenham this summer with the club determined not to lose the Argentine.

Real Madrid are being linked with Romero

Romero, who joined from Atalanta in 2021 for £44 million, endured a turbulent first couple of seasons at Tottenham since switching Bergamo for North London (TransferMarkt).

However, last season Romero was awarded for his strong performances and defensive consistency with the Tottenham vice-captaincy under Postecoglou.

The World Cup winner’s imposing performances for club and country haven’t gone unnoticed and unfortunately for Tottenham have made him a subject of interest to fifteen-time Champions League winners, Real Madrid.

The Standard first revealed on the 13th of June that Real Madrid were ‘interested’ in a move to sign Romero, with Ben Jacobs’ latest update offering more detail on Tottenham’s stance.

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Tottenham do not want to lose Cristian Romero

Ben Jacobs, speaking to The Last Word On Spurs podcast, explained that despite rumours that Real Madrid are looking to move for Romero, he is unlikely to leave.

Jacobs said: “Tottenham do not want to lose Romero’ and ‘barring some insane astronomical bid, there’s very little chance that he’s going to go anywhere.”

The fee touted by Jacobs was “what Harry Maguire went to Manchester United for from Leicester, which is £80 million” conceding that even though that eye-watering bid would be nearing British transfer record for a defender “even then, they [Tottenham] might say no”.

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Romero’s grit and incredible defensive qualities ensure that he’s frequently a fan favourite and although the Argentine has had his disciplinary issues in the past, he actually improved a lot last season.

Hopefully, with Romero eradicating the rash side of his game and potentially even adding a second Copa America to his CV this summer, the 26-year-old is one of Tottenham’s highest-quality players and one that I simply can’t see leaving, although Real Madrid obviously holds an attraction like no other.