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The signing of Dele Alli for Spurs back in 2015 was a big deal for a number of reasons, and David Pleat has now revealed how influential he was in getting that transfer over the line.

Dele was a bargain for Tottenham

An 18-year-old Dele joined Tottenham for a fee in the region of £5m in 2015. That fee was huge at the time, given the player’s age and the fact he was playing at League One level, but it proved to be a great deal in the end.

Dele made 269 appearances for Tottenham in total, scoring 67 goals and registering 58 assists for the Lilywhites (Transfermarkt) on his way to becoming one of the most exciting and productive young playmakers the Premier League has ever seen.

Speaking to Sky Sports about the role he played in ensuring Tottenham signed Dele, former scouting chief David Pleat said: “When I first saw him play at 16-years-old in the midfield, he was athletic, he was a box-to-box midfielder, with physicality, running power, and talent on the ball.

“To me, it was a no-brainer. On a couple of occasions, I really tried hard with the chairman to get the deal done, but it didn’t move too quick. Eventually, Daniel Levy rang me up and said, ‘MK Dons are going to sell the player, would £5m be too much?’ He thought it might be, for a player at that level. I said, ‘Take it, all day long.'”

Transfers aren’t decided by the chairman

Continuing his discussion about Dele’s move, Pleat also revealed that transfer deals don’t actually go down the way many think.

Apparently, while a chairman will sign off on the players the club signs, it is actually the bank managers who dictate how a deal is structured.

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He added: “No scout has the final decision. In the end, it’s not even the chairman, it’s the bank manager. You might go through several channels before the club decides and it’s recommended to the chairman. They will hopefully support the manager, if they have the funds to do so.

“But, in the end, their bank manager decides whether the payment is paid in one go, or over instalments. The whole game is incredibly fascinating.”

David Pleat was right

While Spurs may have never made a profit on their signing of Dele for £5m, he was without a doubt worth every penny the club spent on him. It’s a shame the way his time at Tottenham ended, but we hold out hope that he can find his way back to the top once more.

Guglielmo Vicario’s passion for Tottenham Hotspur isn’t just his own – his parents have fully embraced the club and the North London matchday atmosphere, making them part of the Spurs family in more ways than one.

From Empoli to the Premier League

Joining Spurs in the summer of 2023, Vicario stepped into the shoes of long-serving captain Hugo Lloris, and his impact was immediate; the Italian goalkeeper’s distribution abilities, along with his reflexes and presence, have made him a crucial player in Postecoglou’s fluid, attacking style of football.

In addition to his technical prowess, Vicario’s presence on the pitch has become one of controlled intensity, which is evident in his vocal leadership when the team faces challenging moments.

However, Vicario’s adjustment hasn’t come without its difficulties, especially when dealing with set pieces against physically dominant sides; yet his passion and resilience are attributes that have earned him respect from fans and teammates alike.

Behind this passion lies a source of inspiration and support that is close to home – his parents, who, much like their son, have fully embraced the club’s culture and atmosphere. The Vicario family’s shared love for football, and Tottenham specifically, has added an intriguing layer to his story as he settles into the North London scene.

For a goalkeeper who prides himself on contributing to the team’s build-up play and mastering the art of distribution under pressure, Vicario’s commitment is more than evident in every match. His save percentage of 67.6% and two clean sheets in the league so far underline his reliability, but it is his mindset and infectious passion, traits he appears to have inherited, that make his journey one to follow closely as Spurs push forward under new leadership.

Passion runs in the family

In a recent interview, Vicario opened up about his family’s commitment to Spurs, revealing that his parents have embraced Tottenham life as fervently as he has, often travelling to London and even making appearances at away games when possible. In a tweet by Ben Haines on X, Vicario explained:

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“My parents are very passionate; they are in every aspect here in London in terms of football. They love the atmosphere at home games, and sometimes they try to come to watch away games as well. They love football; they are crazy about it. I am very proud of them, and they are enjoying it – big credit to them. I know they are big customers of the pubs around the stadium. They told me they love to enjoy the atmosphere before the game starts, so yeah, very happy for them.”

Vicario’s family spirit

One ex-Spurs player has revealed that he used to follow Gareth Bale’s odd diet before matches, in order to try and match his energy levels.

Gareth Bale: Tottenham’s rapid winger

Gareth Bale has been branded by some as the greatest British player of all time, and there is a reason for this.

Although many of today’s youngsters will know Bale as the footballer who wanted to be a golfer, Tottenham supporters will remember the star’s rapid pace and wand of a left foot, while he was in his prime, showcased in performances such as those unforgettable Champions League matches against Inter.

Bale registered 71 goals and 53 assists in 237 appearances during his two spells at Spurs, but the former Wales captain started many of these matches in the left-back role, with most of his goal contributions coming in his last few seasons at the club (Transfer Markt).

But Bale was far more than just a goal scorer and one former Spurs forward has revealed that he used to copy Bale’s pre-match meal, after he was baffled by how the talented young winger managed to boost his energy levels.

Peter Crouch adopted Bale’s diet

Peter Crouch played in Tottenham’s youth academy, but did not make a senior appearance until returning to the North Londoners in 2009, where he played alongside Bale for two seasons.

It was during these seasons that Crouch became influenced by his much younger teammate, as he attempted to match his level of performance by following the Welshman’s basic diet.

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Speaking to Steve Sidwell on That Peter Crouch Podcast, he said: “You know, what changed for me was watching Gareth Bale.

“I’ve talked about this before, watching Gareth be the most intense runs, the most distance covered, it was ridiculous. He was one of the fittest players I’ve ever seen.

“He’d just literally have baked beans on toast every time. And I thought, ‘what is in those beans’? So I started doing it. I started doing baked beans on toast. I thought it must be the difference. It didn’t quite work for me!

“But you know when you see other people doing different things and, certainly later on in your career, you see, definitely, the chefs and stuff at the training ground have changed.”

Crouch’s obsession with discussing diets

Crouch is no stranger to bringing up the peculiar diets of his former Tottenham teammates. Last year he revealed to The Mail that Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s pre-match meal consisted of a croissant, a hot chocolate, a full-fat Coke and a packet of crisps.

Although diets in professional football have become stricter in recent years, as the need for fitness grows in importance with congested fixture schedules, there have been enough quality players who eat unconventionally, to show that there is no one diet that is right for every player.

Lecce coach Dan Thomassen gives a ringing endorsement of rumoured Tottenham target Patrick Dorgu, and his words might only serve to increase Spurs’ urgency in pushing through a deal.

The Serie A’s best young wing-back

Tottenham have had plenty of success when it comes to recruiting from the Italian top-flight, with the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Cristian Romero, Desinty Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario proving hits at N17.

It looks like Spurs are now looking towards the Serie A market again, and this time, it is Patrick Dorgu who is in their sights.

The 20-year-old left-back has come on leaps and bounds over the past 18 months at Lecce and Tottenham are thought to be one of the front-runners to land the player in January (FiorentinaNews).

Dan Thomassen’s ringing endorsement

The Lecce head coach has insisted that he never doubted the youngster’s ability and that he is not surprised that the likes of Tottenham are after the player.

When asked about Dorgu, Thomassen told TipsBladet: “Those of us who deal with him every day quickly find out how great the potential is. People on the outside only watch the games, of course, but I am in no way surprised by what he is up to and the interest in him.”

When asked about Dorgu’s promise, the Lecce boss responded: “I could already see that from the first week I arrived. It does not surprise me at all that there is such great interest in him. He is exploring his potential.

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“I don’t think the club has had any doubts about the potential. Over the past six months, it has been an upward curve for Patrick and I also think the club can see that potential has turned into continuous performances on the pitch. This has meant that he has joined the national team. I see it as a natural development that he has extended towards us.”

The deal will not be easy for Spurs

Reports over the last month have indicated that Dorgu is valued by Lecce at around £30m (The Mirror), which should not be an issue for Tottenham

However, Ange Postecoglou‘s men are expected to face intense competition for the full-back, with Napoli and Chelsea also said to be keen on him (Fabrizio Romano).

Harry Redknapp has given his BetVictor Player of the Week award to a Tottenham player whose performance against Aston Villa has been described as ‘brilliant’.

Solanke on target for Spurs

Dominic Solanke has struggled in front of goal for most of this season. Although the centre-forward has repeatedly been praised for his link-up play, ability to hold the ball up and constant pressing, he has not looked like the clinical goal scorer that he was at Bournemouth.

But it was a different story on Sunday, as the 27-year-old bagged two second-half goals. His first was outstanding, as he ran behind the defence and chipped the ball over Emiliano Martinez, while his second was a standard striker’s finish from close range. Solanke displayed both great positioning and pinpoint accuracy in his goals.

And Solankes’s performance has prompted Ange Postecoglou to describe him as ‘unbelievable,’ praising him not just for his goals, but for making Tottenham a better team (Echo).

Redknapp names Solanke as his player of the week

Harry Redknapp recently praised Solanke as an improved player, while speaking on talkSPORT (22/10 at 9:23 am), but described him as levels below Tottenham’s former goal machine Harry Kane.

But Solanke’s performance against Aston Villa has turned the focus away from comparing him with Kane, but rather focusing on what he brings to the team, and Redknapp has nothing but admiration for the striker after the match he had.

Naming Solanke as his player of the week, Redknapp said: “My player of the week is Dominic Solanke, a brilliant performance.

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“I actually think he’s been playing very well this season without getting the goals to go with his performances. That changed here!

“He took his two goals very well as well, that’s a much harder finish than he made it look. He’s always been a very good finisher.”

Solanke should not have been judged so early on

With two goals in one match, suddenly, Solanke’s stats do not look so bad. Discarding his first few matches at the club, when he was still finding his feet in a new side, Solanke has been exceptional.

As Postecoglou, Redknapp and many supporters have said, Solanke is playing well, whether he scores or not, and the goals are an added bonus to his important contributions for Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur fly to Turkey this week ahead of their Europa League clash against Galatasaray, and Pascal Chimbonda offers his prediction as to who will come out on top.

Galatasaray welcome Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs are currently second in the League Phase standings, behind Lazio only on goal difference. Ange Postecoglou will be hoping to maintain that 100 per cent record on Thursday evening.

Galatasaray have a mean record from set-pieces so far this season and Tottenham have proved fragile at defending them, so that could be something to keep an eye on.

Spurs are also without Micky Van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, and more due to a fresh injury crisis running through the squad.

Heung-min Son made his return to the starting line-up last time out against Aston Villa. However, he only managed 55 minutes before being replaced.

Ange Postecoglou may be tempted to hand starts to young duo Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear in order to avoid burnout for the likes of Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke.

Galatasaray vs Tottenham score prediction

Pascal Chimbonda thinks Tottenham will give up their 100 per cent record by dropping two points away to Galatasaray. We, meanwhile, are backing a much-changed Spurs XI to get the job done.

Pascal prediction – 2-2 Draw

Spurs Web prediction – 2-1 Tottenham win

The Table

What do you think the Galatasaray vs Tottenham score will be?

Tottenham Hotspur face a tough away trip to Galatasaray in Turkey this week as they look to maintain their perfect record in the Europa League.

Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur

So far, Tottenham are yet to drop a point or concede more than one goal in the League Phase of the competition, with wins over Qarabag, Ferencvaros, and AZ Alkmaar.

However, Galatasaray may prove to be a far sterner test for Ange Postecoglou and co, especially due to their rather daunting set-piece statistics this season.

Let’s take a look at our predicted Spurs XI to face Galatasaray away on Thursday evening.

Predicted Spurs XI vs Galatasaray

Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster is named between the sticks after his impressive performance last time out against AZ Alkmaar. This also gives Guglielmo Vicario the chance to have a rest.

Right-back: Archie Gray comes in to give Pedro Porro a rest. The former Leeds man has struggled a little defensively at right-back of late but always offers a lot on the ball.

Centre-back: Radu Dragusin has arguably enjoyed his two best-ever Tottenham games over the past week against Man City and Aston Villa. He will be looking to continue that form with Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven out injured.

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Centre-back: Ben Davies was Tottenham’s unsung hero against Aston Villa and always proves an able deputy when called upon. The only question is whether he has the pace to play 90 minutes in such a high line.

Left-back: Destiny Udogie continues his run of games at left-back with Djed Spence not included in Tottenham’s Europa League squad. There is a chance that Gray covers for him instead of Porro though.

Pivot midfielder: Yves Bissouma returns to the starting XI in the midfield pivot role after Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur put in a shift against Aston Villa.

Central-midfield: Lucas Bergvall gets another chance to shine in Europe. He hasn’t hit the ground running in a Spurs shirt quite yet but he is still so young. Any minutes are valuable at that age.

Central-midfield: James Maddison will be captain for the day and he certainly has a point to prove after back-to-back games on the bench. That free-kick goal will have done his confidence some good though.

Right-wing: Mikey Moore starts on the right-hand side of attack. Spurs are having somewhat of an injury crisis on the wings and Brennan Johnson needs a rest at some point.

Striker: Will Lankshear starts with Richarlison out injured and Dominic Solanke playing so many minutes recently. A big chance for the young striker to impress.

Tottenham Hotspur may not have won a trophy for a while, but the club is still one of the most successful British teams in the history of football.

In fact, Spurs have won some of the biggest trophies in the game, and even made history with some of their triumphs in the past.

So, we’ve rummaged through the Tottenham trophy cabinet and taken a head count to give you a rundown of how many trophies Spurs have won over the years.

How many trophies have Tottenham won in total?

Since their inception in 1882, Tottenham have won a total of 26 trophies.

Their first piece of silverware was the FA Cup, in the 1900/01 season. Their most recent was the League Cup win in 2008.

The club’s haul of 26 trophies puts them sixth in the ranking of English clubs and major trophy wins. Only Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea have more silverware than Spurs.

Tottenham have a number of firsts to their name, too. They were the first team to do the league and FA Cup double, in 1960/61. They were also the first British club to win a European trophy, in 1963.

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Spurs have won league titles before

While Spurs have not won the Premier League yet, they have won the English top flight twice before.

Tottenham’s two First Division wins came in the 1950/51 season, and then a decade later in the 1960/61 campaign. The latter came as part of that famous double, with Spurs winning the FA Cup in the same season.

The club has also won the second tier of English football twice. Spurs were crowned Division Two champions in the 1919/20 season, and again in 1949/50.

Multiple FA Cup wins for Spurs

Of all the trophies Spurs have won, the FA Cup is where they have found the most success, winning the famous competition on eight occasions.

Their first FA Cup victory came in 1900/01, when Spurs became the first (and still the only) non-league club to lift the trophy.

They won it again 20 years later in the 1920/21 campaign, but had to wait another 40 years for more success in the competition.

When it came, it came in abundance, though. Spurs won the FA Cup in 1961 and retained the trophy in 1962. They also won it in the 1966/67 campaign, to crown a stunning period of success under Spurs legend, Bill Nicholson.

Another three FA Cup wins came in the early-80s and 90s, with Spurs again securing back-to-back victories in 1981 and 1982, before lifting it for an eighth time in the 1990/91 campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur, champions of Europe

Tottenham have three major European trophies to their name, winning the UEFA Cup twice and the European Cup Winners Cup once.

The European Cup Winners Cup was the first European trophy won by a British team, with Spurs lifting the trophy in the 1962/63 season.

Spurs won the UEFA Cup for the first time in the 1971/72 campaign, with Spurs securing a victory over fellow English side, Wolves, over a two-legged final.

The Lilywhites won the trophy again a little more than a decade later, with Bill Nicholson’s hugely successful side taking the crown in 1983/84. Tottenham defeated Belgian outfit Anderlecht over two legs in that final, though they needed a penalty shootout to do so.

Spurs are yet to win the Champions League, but they did get to the final in 2019, where they lost to Liverpool after a controversial penalty was awarded to the Merseyside club in the opening two minutes.

The League Cup was Tottenham’s last trophy win

As we all know, the League Cup was lifted by Spurs in 2008, and the club has not won a trophy in the 16 years since.

Tottenham have actually won the League Cup four times now: In 1970/71, 1972/73, 1998/99, and the 2007/08 season.

They came close to winning the trophy for a fifth time in 2021, losing to Pep Guardiola’s Man City team in the final. Jose Mourinho had steered the club to that final, but was sacked just a week before, leaving Ryan Mason in temporary charge.

The Charity Shield counts, too

It may not be a prestigious trophy, per se, but Tottenham have won the Charity Shield (now known as the Community Shield) on seven occasions.

The North London side first claimed the shield in the 1920/21 campaign. They had to wait more than 30 years to lift it again, though, taking the award in the 1951/52 season.

Spurs would win the Charity Shield three times in the 1960s, though they did have to share it with Manchester United after the game ended in a draw.

They would share the shield a further two times, in 1981/82 (with Aston Villa), and in 1991/92 (with Arsenal).

Cristian Romero expresses one concern to the Spurs hierarchy ahead of holding any negotiations over a potential new contract, TBR Football have now revealed.

Cristian Romero an important part of the project

It is clear that Ange Postecoglou sees Romero as a crucial part of the project that is underway at Hotspur Way. Losing him would certainly be a blow to the manager’s plans in North London.

The Australian made the Argentine the vice-captain soon after arriving last year and the centre-back is one of the few players with a lot of experience in what is one of the youngest squads in the Premier League.

With the former Juventus man’s current deal ending in 2027, it has emerged that Tottenham are now ready to begin negotiations to hand him a new deal.

Romero expresses contract concerns

TBR Football have now revealed that while negotiations over a new contract are yet to start, Spurs are now actively trying to get Romero to the negotiating table.

However, the centre-back has expressed one big concern about committing his future. While he is said to be happy at Tottenham, he is thought to be worried about the fact that they are not in the Champions League.

The outlet adds that the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are all observing the Spurs man’s situation and are ready to pounce.

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Tottenham’s stance on Romero

TBR Football say that Tottenham are well aware that Romero is attracting plenty of interest around Europe.

They have reportedly told the defender that getting back into the Champions League is firmly in their plans, but there are said to be worries at the club that they may lose some of their star players if they fail to do so this year.

The publication adds that Spurs have also made it clear to Romero during the initial conversations that they would give him a deal that would put him on par with some of Europe’s top defenders.

One experienced Tottenham star has been elected by his peers to represent them on the Professional Footballer Association’s Players’ Board.

What is the PFA’s Players’ Board?

The PFA have now confirmed the list of players who have been elected by their fellow members to be part of the Players’ Board.

The Players’ Board plays a vital role in the running of the PFA, ensuring that the organisation is working on the issues that are important to the players.

The board will consist of a total of 13 members, including two players elected from the Premier League, each division of the EFL, and the Women’s Super League (WSL), as well as three former players.

Tottenham man elected

Tottenham‘s Ben Davies is one of the ten new names that has been inducted to the board after the latest round of votes.

According to the PFA’s website, the Welshman will now act as one of the ‘the voices of the changing room’, ensuring that the concerns of the Premier League players are heard by the organisation, and assisting in the running of the PFA.

Ben Davies is the perfect man for the job

Davies is certainly not your average professional footballer, having earned a business and economics degree from the Open University back in 2021 (The Athletic).

The 31-year-old is extremely experienced and knowledgeable about the business of football, and he is the right man to ensure that the players’ interests are addressed effectively in the PFA.