Cartilage Free Captain

One year ago, Tottenham Hotspur managed to pry Archie Gray out of Leeds United, snaffling up a player who was considered basically Leeds royalty. According to the Athletic, they’re about to snap up another talented Leeds academy player.

Spurs are reportedly set to sign 16-year old Leeds United striker Oliver Boast to add to their development squad. Boast is considered one of the jewels of Leeds’ academy, much like Gray and his little brother Harry, also a Tottenham target. Boast apparently has not yet signed a professional contract with Leeds, so compensation is an issue — according to The Athletic, Spurs can either work directly with Leeds to find an equitable transfer fee, or a football tribunal will intervene and set the fee. But either way, it sounds certain that Boast will be joining Spurs this summer.

What kind of a player is Oliver Boast? Here’s one paragraph from The Athletic’s article that describes his style of play.

Those who have coached Boast at Thorp Arch describe him as a modern No 9, who can lead the line and can play as a lone striker. Boast’s speed has been described as one of his best attributes, as he runs off the shoulder of the last man and gets in behind opposition defences.

It’s important not to put the cart in front of the horse when it comes to young players. Football is littered with talented 16 year old footballers who don’t develop in the way they hope, or plateau at a level below that of the Premier League. That shouldn’t be considered a failure per se; developing a player and selling him to a League Two club is still a definite win for Tottenham’s academy, and players can have perfectly solid professional football careers even if they don’t crack Spurs’ first team. Look at someone like Troy Parrott, once one of the more exciting 16 year olds in Tottenham’s academy — he’s doing fantastic in the Eredivisie even if he never quite got to the point where he was an option for Spurs.

Anyway, this is a continuation of Tottenham’s focus on finding, signing, and developing young talent. Spurs should be making a couple of these signings every window, as far as I’m concerned. And if we’re lucky, in a few years we’ll all be able to brag about Boast.

After what seems like months of leaks and accidental kit sales here, there, and everywhere, Tottenham Hotspur have officially announced their away kit for next season - and it’s a thing of beauty:

Obligatory Krennic reaction gif:

I am a huge fan of this kit, and it’s probably my favorite for some time. Maybe it’s because I’m a New Zealand rugby fan, but the black just screams performance to me. The simplicity isn’t boring either, with a clean grey pinstripe pattern offsetting the monochrome look - consisting not just of simple lines, but Spurs iconography.

Some might find it boring; I think it’s classy. That said, maybe the less said about the “In darkness we dare” marketing campaign, the better (the embrace of Guglielmo Vicario’s nickname aside).

The new strip is available now through the Spurs website; feel free to sound off in the comments as to your thoughts! As for me, I’m gonna go order myself a Bergvall one.

I don’t know about where you live, but it’s getting pretty dang hot here.

The temperature in Washington on Wednesday reach 99F (that’s 37C) before taking into accoutn the humidity/head index. And for those of you that know, DC humidity is suffocating. I remarked earlier today that running in these kinds of temperatures feels like breathing in water.

But it’s pretty hot everywhere, too.

According to my google search, it’s going to hit 77F (25C) in London on Thursday. That didn’t seem too bad, until I remembered air conditioning is less ubiquitous over there.

So be smart out in the heat. Here’s a few things fitzie likes to do:

Drink lots of water. Hydration is your best friend right now.

Shade is also a great friend to have these days. It can be difficult to find, like on the Anacostia River trail.

It’s okay to hit the treadmill. Your hoddler-in-chief relied on the machine on Tuesday because there wasn’t a chance in hell (which it might as well have been in DC) that he was going for a run outside Tuesday. Will he run outside Thursday? That’s TBD.

It’s also okay to run slower. It takes a lot more energy to run when certain temperatures hit. This is probably a tougher one for me to practice, to be honest.

I like to eat lots of fruits when temperatures get like this. Watermelon and pineapples, in particular, are two that I keep going back to.

Enjoy an ice cream every now and then - you deserve it!

Be patient and kind with others. No one is happy in this weather.

If you have any other tips for getting through this heat, do let us all know.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Lost in Space, by The Hobos

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “Tottenham Hotspur and another summer of change at the top. Is there more to come?”

Alasdair Gold: “Tottenham wonderkid in huge demand as Thomas Frank faces critical transfer decision”

BBC: “‘A sensible signing’ - Arsenal agree Norgaard deal”

ESPN: “Luka Modric agrees to sign for AC Milan after Club World Cup”

One of the interesting deals that came out of last summer’s transfer window was the sale of Giovani Lo Celso back to Real Betis. It was implied that as part of that deal, Spurs received a priority window to sign Betis and USA international defensive midfielder Johnny Cardoso during a two week window at the start of the transfer window. That deal also apparently included a sell-on fee if Spurs decided NOT to purchase Cardoso, a rare situation where a football club could receive money for the sale of a player that they do not, and never did, employ.

Well, it appears that Tottenham are not going to end up purchasing Cardoso after all. Previous reporting had suggested that Cardoso did not want to transfer to Spurs, and Betis is currently in negotiations with Atletico Madrid for a €25m transfer for Johnny.

That sell-on clause has been a little tricky to confirm, but it seems now we’ve finally gotten some confirmation that it exists — that’s the good news. The bad news is that Betis and Atletico are currently in cahoots to try and get around that fee, according to Spanish outlet ABC de Sevilla Deportes (via SportWitness). That sell-on clause has an end date in July, and so ABC writes Betis and Atletico are potentially going to delay the final signing of Johnny until closer to the end of next month to get around the sell-on fee.

Shenanigans! But honestly, fair play. I find it difficult to get too mad at this considering Spurs have pulled similarly dirty tricks to do ends around various contract clauses for their own benefit. Ironically one more recent example was the transfer of Giovani Lo Celso to Tottenham in 2019 — at the time Lo Celso was on loan at Betis with an obligation to buy, and that contract also included a sell-on fee. Instead of buying Lo Celso outright, Betis first completed their purchase obligation for Lo Celso, then immediately loaned him to Spurs with another obligation to buy. That loan fee was then deducted from Lo Celso’s purchase price, making the eventual sell-on fee to PSG lower than it would’ve been.

There are other examples of Daniel Levy doing creative accounting to get around or minimize fees, so it should be unsurprising that other clubs are trying to do the same to Spurs.

Whatever. Spurs may be out a few million pounds over something like this, but Johnny clearly didn’t want to move to Spurs and the sell-on was worth the gamble at the time. It gave Spurs a priority option for a player in a position of need, and if they don’t end up with him, well, then move on to the next target, I guess.

So I would’ve gotten this out on Tuesday but I was taking a Blog Break™ and doing family stuff so, well, I didn’t. But now I will! As expected, Tottenham Hotspur’s Damola Ajayi has moved to League One new boys Doncaster Rovers on loan for the entirety of the 2025-26 season.

This is Damola’s first loan and it’s a good one. A lot of academy grads start out in League 2 or in non-league football to get their feet wet. Ajayi made something of a splash last season for Spurs, especially when he came in with 10 minutes to go in the Europa League against Elfborg and scored his first senior goal in European competition. That was fun.

I know we all want to project how good a player Ajayi can be and hang our hopes and dreams on him. I say: don’t do that. He’s 19, heading out on loan for the first time, and has plenty of time to work on his game and improve. Spending a season getting kicked by grown-ass men in League One will be good for him, and even if he doesn’t end up a first team player he’ll almost certainly have a solid professional football career. Either way that’s a win.

So congratulations, Damola. We’ll be watching your career with GREAT interest.

Welcome to the hoddle, dear hoddlers. Last week I asked you all who you would like to be the next hoddle hero. And, by a sizable margin, you have chosen Micky van de Ven as your next hoddle hero.

Huzzah! Huzzah!

It’s a fitting choice. He gave us one of the greatest moments in recent history. Here are the full results of the poll:

Micky van de Ven - 29% (145 votes)

Pedro Porro - 17% (87 votes)

Heung-min Son - 12% (60 votes)

Dejan Kulusevski - 10% (51 votes)

Richarlison - 9% (45 votes)

Brennan Johnson - 8% (40 votes)

Djed Spence - 5% (26 votes)

Beth England - 4% (20 votes)

Kevin Danso - 3% (17 votes)

Molly Bartrip - 2% (10 votes)

I’m not at all surprised by the results here. Maybe I am surprised by the margin, and perhaps I should’ve made the poll slightly smaller (who did Johnson, Spence et al take votes away from?).

I was also curious to see how many of you were committed to the whole ‘Kevin Danso’ thread bit. Not many!

For those of you who forgot or are new here, these are the rules. Micky van de Ven will remain the hoddle hero until one of these happens:

Tottenham Hotspur announce a senior team signing

That player leaves the club

Spurs go through the rest of the season without signing anyone

(Please don’t let it be No. 2)

Who knows how long this’ll last though. As we know, Spurs are apparently close to signing Kawasaki Frontale centreback Kota Takai and also keeping tabs on Eberechi Eze.

Enjoy the VDV hoddles while you can.

Fitzie’s track of the day: [Nothing But] Flowers, by Talking Heads

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold: “What Kota Takai transfer means for Luka Vuskovic and Tottenham’s young defenders”

The Standard: “Tottenham line up £68m move for Eberechi Eze as statement signing to kickstart Thomas Frank era”

BBC: “Scoring machine or freak season? What Mbeumo could bring to Man Utd”

Matt Law (from Monday): “Fabio Paratici’s Tottenham consultancy role to run for entire transfer window”

The latest hotness to come out of Tottenham Hotspur’s academy is apparently set for his first loan. According to an EXCLUSIVE from Pete “Sports Peeto” O’Rourke at FootballInsider247, 19-year-old attacker Damola Ajayi is close to finalizing his first loan, to Doncaster Rovers.

Ajayi played most of his minutes in Premier League 2 this past season, tallying 3g+1a in about 1400 minutes with the U23s. But he was regularly training with the first team under Ange Postecoglou and made an extremely shorthanded bench a number of times. He was a late match substitute in Tottenham’s Europa League group stage win over Elfsborg, scoring his first senior Tottenham goal in the process. He’s an exciting young player, but not quite ready to step into a full first team role.

Doncaster just promoted from League Two to League One this past season, and according to Sports Peeto a number of other (unnamed) EFL clubs were after Ajayi on loan. He can play pretty much any position across the front line and is a dynamic young player, which should serve him well on loan.

EXCLUSIVES at Football Insider aren’t exactly as reliable as you would probably expect, and I rarely use that publication as a primary source, but I find this to be a perfectly credible rumor. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if we get further confirmation of Ajayi’s loan from someone like Ali Gold here in the next while.

There aren’t many bands that scream “California” quite like Haim, even when their lead singer is going through a breakup.

And thus brings us to the bands fourth album, I quit, a declarative statement on the Haim sisters’ experience with relationships and the expectations that come with it.

Haim fans (and I know there are many of you here) will know this album does not feature Ariel Rechtshaid, with whom lead singer/guitarist Danielle Haim split after nine years. With his absence we have a far heavier influence of Vampire Weekend founder Rostam Batmanglij, which delivers a much softer sound than anything Haim have produced before.

This album also continues the journey the band have been on since Women In Music Pt III, one of the best collections of music put together this decade. WIMP3 was the most eclectic collection of music the Haim sisters assembled, and this album is a further departure from the indie-rock roots from which they built their initial fame.

So here we are then, led into a glimpse of the sisters’ lives as mostly single women (bassist Este Haim is engaged). The theme opens with a declartive statement from lead singer Danielle Haim: “Can I have your attention please Can I have your attention, please? / For the last time before I leave / On second thought, I change my mind /Been in this graveyard all my life”

“Freedom!” rings in the background, borrowing from George Michael, setting up the stage for the next phase of the triumvirate’s journey.

But the opening lyrics also give an insight into some of the struggles this album finds itself in, sometimes caught in between thoughts. That’s where it falls short at times, and where editing could be needed.

Songs like Lucky stars and Million years both show that maybe Haim could’ve done some editing. What this album ultimately lacks is the bite that Days are Gone and WIMP3 had.

It’s easy for the songs to bleed into each other with far less variation than the record’s predecessor, which is why Relationships is such a great change of pace. Sure, it doesn’t quite work as a single. But this springy R&B track is exactly what the album needs to not be boring. Frankly, it’s brilliant when not played in isolation from the rest of the track listing.

Other songs on this album feature the associations one would have with breakups and relationships. The biggest one, of course, is the whole idea of quitting altogether. The sisters are, frankly, done. And they’re happy to reclaim their authority over chauvanistic men whilst also dreaming of times when boys weren’t such a thing. Take me back, sung in a a brighter song-speak style than Lou Reed might’ve employed, brings us there.

Now, the band released many singles in the lead-up to the release of this album. Some of their best work might’ve gotten lost amidst all of this. There’s two I wanna bring to mind in particular: The farm and Cry.

Fitzie’s track of the day, part one: Cry, by Haim

Haim is strongest when all three sisters are on the same page and lifting each other up. That’s what we get with The farm, almost a part two to WIMP3’s Hallelujah.

But the song that might be the most refreshing is Este Haim’s lead vocal debut with Cry, which offers a beautiful texture that breaks through an album which could’ve sounded the same. That’s part of the benefits of having three strong vocalists. It’s very 90s in the most spectacular way. And it doesn’t hurt that the melody reminds me of Boy Blue from Electric Light Orchestra (if an octave or two lower).

So where does that leave us? Close to the end, with Blood on the streets And Now it’s time. The album finished one song too many.

I understand what Haim wanted to do here, and that was to bring the refrain from the opening track back - courtesy of borrowing some inspiration from U2’s Numb. It’s good, but it doesn’t quite deliver the same emotional punch as Blood on the street.

As of today, I would place this album third of the four Haim have put out (behind WIMP 3 and Days Are Gone). I don’t think it’ll be remembered as their best.

But what’s more important is that we’re seeing a band continuing to evolve, and that’s very exciting. Listen back to The Wire and then listen to Down to be wrong, and then maybe you’ll understand how the three sisters are expanding their sound.

It’s an excting adventure, and I’m looking forward to see where they go from here.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Blood on the street, by Haim

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Tottenham set to sign Japan international defender Kota Takai”

Alasdair Gold: “Sweeping Tottenham changes continue as top man placed on gardening leave”

BBC: “Man Utd make improved £60m bid for striker Mbeumo”

Independent: “The six-minute implosion which led Chelsea to defeat at Club World Cup”

ESPN: “Source: Forest agree to deal for Juventus’ Weah, Mbangula”

And now for your Haim links:

The New York Times: “For Haim, a Breakup Is an Inspiration”

Vogue: “Haim Isn’t Answering to Anyone”

Slate: “On Haim’s New Breakup Album, They Also Split With a Key Collaborator”

Pitchfork reviews I Quit

The Atlantic: “The New Old Sound of Adult Anxiety”

The New Yorker: “Haim Sets Off on a Rampage”

The Guardian: “Haim: I Quit review – the messiest breakup album of recent times, in every sense”

Los Angeles Times: “Haim’s new album gives vivid shape to a hard-to-define phase”

Variety: “Haim Takes a Rocky Path to Romantic Resignation in ‘I Quit’: Album Review”

Who’s ready for an out-of-nowhere transfer report involving a player you’ve never heard of? Well considering 30 minutes ago I was still thinking about Turkish media sources, I can count myself as one of them. There is a new report out of Japan’s Sponichi Annex that states that Tottenham Hotspur has reached an agreement for a £5m transfer of 20-year-old Kawasaki Frontale central defender Kota Takai.

Who? Yeah, I thought the same! Thankfully we have a J-League watcher in the Carty Free Slack channel who was able to give some context to what would be a very out of the box transfer, but one that could pay significant dividends.

In short, Takai is considered one of Japan’s best defenders, and despite not playing any football (yet) outside of the J-League, he is an extremely well regarded player. This Medium post by Trym Sorum takes an in-depth look at Takai, and the picture it paints is pretty exciting. He looks like a player who’s young and inexperienced, but with bags of talent and an impossibly high ceiling. He’s right footed, but can and has played on both the right and left in the back line. He made his Japan debut last September and currently has two caps for his country.

Honestly, the excerpt below makes him look like a defender who would excel in Ange Postecoglou’s high line system, but I have no doubt that Thomas Frank could get a tune out of him too. I tend to hate when publications call a young player “the [Nationality] [Player Who’s Really Good]” but this same piece calls Takai “The Japanese van Dijk” and honestly, that’s pretty exciting.

Koto Takai’s combination of physical dominance, ball-playing ability, and tactical awareness makes him one of the most exciting young defenders in the J-League. At just 20, he has the potential to develop into an elite center-back. His physical profile sets him apart, but his technical ability and reading of the game position him as a modern defender capable of thriving in Europe’s top leagues.However, his tendency to step out of defense can appear borderline reckless at times, as he aggressively pursues the ball and opposition attackers. While this approach has proven effective in the J-League, benefiting from his physical attributes, it raises questions about how he might fare against higher-level opposition. Could this leave his team exposed to quick transitions and counterattacks, particularly in a league with faster and more technical forwards?

On the other hand, his strengths could shine in a system that plays a dominating style with a high defensive line, where his proactive defending and ability to anticipate play would be assets.

With the right development and tactical environment, Takai could emerge as a key defensive figure in European football, embodying the attributes of the modern center-back. It will be fascinating to see which club secures his signature and how he adapts to higher levels of competition.

Translating an article, like the Sponichi Annex article where this report originated, is always a little tricky, but the language from the translation makes it sound as though the deal isn’t entirely done — just a general framework, but they make it sound as though Tottenham is the most likely destination for Takai this summer. The £5m fee (about ¥1bn) would be a league-record fee for a player from the J-League.

What’s interesting is that if Spurs were to acquire Takai it would seemingly put him in direct competition with a player like Luka Vuskovic, who is joining Spurs from Hajduk Split after a very successful season on loan at Westerlo. It could also indicate that Spurs might be willing to roll with a first team central defense stable of Cuti Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, and one of Takai/Vuskovic/Ashley Phillips. How you feel about that fact might also correspond with how you feel with a potential transfer for a young Japanese CB instead of, say, Marc Guehi. That’s certainly a conversation and/or argument that can be had! Or maybe Takai would be sent out on loan for a season (along with or instead of Vuskovic) to get him adapted to English football.

Everything I’m reading about Takai makes me pretty damn excited, even if he’s one of those players who might not hit his peak for a few seasons. Again, we’re relying on one translated report from Japan that may or may not require some cultural interpretation, but if a £5m fee for Takai can be agreed I think it’s one of those swing-for-the-fences signings that Spurs should absolutely be making. Watch this space, because if this goes anywhere we’ll start to see it in the major English papers pretty soon.

Fam, I’ll be honest — the revelation last week that there’s a semi-reliable journalist working in the Turkish sports media has me SHOOK. I don’t know what to believe anymore, it has rattled me to my core. Do... do I need to start paying attention to ALL Turkish media now? What if I ignore something because a player’s linked to a Super Lig club and then it happens? Will my reputation survive? Someone help!

That said, Tottenham Hotspur are clearly in Stealth Mode™ which means we’re going to announce Victor Osimhen shortly, right? In the meantime, let’s talk about a Turkish media rumor because honestly... it’s kinda plausible and there’s not much else going on.

Look at me, going against all of my deeply held convictions! Next article will be about a hypothetical swap deal, just watch.

Turkish outlet Posta has an article this morning that links Tottenham striker Richarlison to Galatasaray. The gist is that Gala, who inexplicably had Victor Osimhen at the club last season on loan from Napoli, would like to keep him (lol) but that they’re looking at other options as a backup, just in case. Richarlison is viewed as one of those backup options.

It’s not as crazy as it sounds! You might recall that Galatasaray recently signed Leroy Sane on a free transfer and on ridiculous wages, and Fenerbahce is also linked with Son Heung-Min, which means there’s clearly money floating around the Super Lig right now. Richy is one of the players who is most likely to leave the club this summer, not because he’s not good but because the poor guy just can’t stay healthy anymore playing Premier League football.

So is this transfer rumor real? Buddy, I have no clue. Probably not? Maybe? Possibly? But is it PLAUSIBLE — yeah, sure, why not. I suspect Richy could be had for a pretty reasonable fee (Posta says €20m which honestly feels about right) and Galatasaray are likely to offer comparable (or maybe better?) wages than he’s currently getting. The big question is whether a move to Turkey would be acceptable to him, as he still clearly wants to be a part of the Brazil set up with the World Cup looming. Richarlison is also linked with a return to Everton, and that feels like a more likely option at this point. But hey — I wouldn’t rule anything out just yet.

IDK, y’all. I just wrote 400 words on a Turkish media rumor and it doesn’t feel great! But that’s what happens when the guy heading up your transfer operations runs an operation tighter than a duck’s ass. Honestly, Paratici can’t start work soon enough.