Cartilage Free Captain

good morning everyone!

But a special good morning to Pedro Porro - 2026 WORLD CUP CHAMPION!

What more could I say that he hasn’t?

Porro was immense in the World Cup final, and I think he was the best player on the pitch for most of the match (until the Ferran Torres goal and the Mikel Merino Scott Sterling-esque block late in the match).

Cristian Romero is likely to leave this summer. We all know it. So that leaves the question of who the new captain will be.

I’ve been reading the comments and forums. There’s lots of question of should it be Porro? Should it be James Maddison? Someone else?

That question can use a few weeks to answer (especially if Cuti doesn’t leave). Til then, let’s celebrate the latest World Cup winner in the squad.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Stairway to Heaven, by Heart (and friends)

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Pedro Porro has showcased his qualities with Spain at the World Cup – and Tottenham can benefit”

BBC: “Sixteen titles in five years - why Spain are a dominant force”

The Telegraph: “Argentina throw punches in fight at end of World Cup final”

Now things are starting to get serious. It’s already been reported that Tottenham had turned down two bids for Lucas Bergvall from Nottingham Forest. Now it appears that there are other suitors, named and unnamed, for the Swedish World Cup hunk. The Athletic’s David Orstein says Spurs have rejected a £46m offer from Newcastle for Lucas, and there are other clubs who are potentially offering even more.

Wow. We’re getting near the “stupid money” phase of this saga. Remember that Spurs paid £8m a couple of seasons ago for Bergvall; £50m represents more than a 600% return on investment. That’s a lot of cash. You see figures like this and start to wonder if interest in a player ever ends up at a too-good-not-to-sell level. I fear we’re reaching that point now.

On the other hand, Spurs are clearly reluctant to part ways with Bergvall, who in a year will reach homegrown and club-trained status. Should Spurs get back into European competition, those two traits are invaluable, and also probably why his price for English clubs has risen so steeply.

I’m starting to get the sense that Bergvall really does want to go. I can imagine the reasons why — being played out of position under garbage tactics in a bad team by Thomas Frank and then watching the new Spurs manager buy two senior players at his position(s) for £185m is probably pretty disheartening. Lucas could choose to keep his head down and fight for his spot for a season, but it’s pretty clear he wants regular first team football and is willing to go to the mat to get it.

Good morning everyone!

Today’s a big day for cinemas (and Spurs fans, tangentially). Odyssey is hitting the big screens!

The epic film (with an equally epic nearly three-hour run time) follows the Greek mythologic figure Odysseus, a veteran of the Trojan war and his long journey home.

It features a lot of the characters I read about during my Latin classes: Athena, Agamemnon, Sinon, Poseidon, Polybus, Telemachus, Penelope, and many others.

You need a lot of actors for something like this, but there’s only one that matters for us: Tom Holland.

The Tottenham Hotspur fan plays Telemachus, son of Odysseus and Penelope, and prince of Ithaca. Telemachus plays a major role in The Odyssey and I wonder how heavily it’ll focus on Holland’s character considering the trailer featured only a snippet of him.

I think we can all agree that the more Tom Holland, the better. And boy are we in luck because apparently there’s another Spiderman coming out in a couple weeks (spoiler alert: Holland players Spiderman).

Your hoddler-in-chief is off to the cinema later this evening for The Odyssey. He’ll report back next week.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Freddie Freeloader, by Miles Davis

And now for your links:

BBC: “Some England players disappointed at tactics as Tuchel questions team’s DNA”

Matt Law: “Tuchel privately rejects claims he told England to hang on against Argentina”

The Independent: “Jude Bellingham could face Fifa disciplinary action over post-match ‘slap’ on Argentina player”

Yeahhhhhhhh I know, this is Gazzetta dello Sport, essentially the Daily Mail of the Italian sports media ecosystem. But there’s frequently at least a grain of truth in these kinds of rumors, and it’s silly season so let’s talk about it.

The story in question actually meshes three different transfer rumors — Juventus have a long-standing interest in goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, but also is working on signing former Spurs loanee Randal Kolo Muani, and now, maybe, Richarlison.

Here’s the gist: Juve CEO Giovanni Carnevali is apparently close friends with Roberto De Zerbi, going all the way back to when both of them were at Sassuolo. Carnevali called RDZ recently to discuss Vicario, and Richarlison also came up in conversation. Vicario is in the mix to head to the Old Lady, though it sounds like Villa’s Emiliano Martinez is still the first choice.

Also first choice for Juventus is PSG forward and Spurs loanee Randal Kolo Muani, who had a previous stint at Juve, but PSG are driving a hard bargain — the report is that Juve have offered €40m to PSG, but they’re still €10m short of their valuation. So Richarlison could be considered as a plan B if good ol’ Randy can’t or isn’t willing to return to Italy. The Gazzetta report states that Richy is “not cheap” but could command €20-25m (£17-21.5m) in transfer fees, and that Spurs are considering selling Richy this summer if they get a good enough offer.

Richy is entering into the last year of his contract at Tottenham. He reportedly is happy and settled and doesn’t really want to leave, but if he doesn’t sign a new contract or if Spurs don’t offer him one, he could walk at the end of next season. Richy’s been a good striker for Spurs when he isn’t injured, but he’s spent a decent amount of time on the trainer’s table the past couple of seasons, and Spurs are looking at attacker options. The price listed sure seems on the low side, but Richy being near the end of his deal (and Juve not having the spending power of most Premier League clubs) is surely a factor here.

I dunno. I’m hesitant to put too much stock into this rumor, but it does seem plausible. Richy has also been linked with the Saudi Premier League and there are a couple other clubs sniffing around him, but I get the sense Spurs aren’t quite sure what to do with him. He could also be improved under non-Frankball tactics, but it remains to be seen if one last season with Richy would outweigh an underpriced sale from overseas for his services.

Something will likely happen to Richy this summer, but I’m not yet convinced it’s a move to Italy. Stay tuned — Bat Country is highly active.

It certainly does seem like Lucas Bergvall is heading for at least a temporary exit from Tottenham Hotspur this summer. After discovering that he’s likely to be well down the pecking order at Spurs this coming season under Roberto De Zerbi, Bergvall and his agents have been not-so-quietly pushing for a transfer so that he can get regular playing time.

The club closest to Lucas so far this summer is Nottingham Forest, and while the clubs’ relationship has been somewhat acrimonious since last summer’s failed transfer for Morgan Gibbs-White and the apoplexy of Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, they appear to be trying to bury the hatchet over this potential deal. John Percy, writing for the Telegraph, claims Forest have had a £38m bid for Bergvall rejected, but are planning to submit a £45m bid imminently. Spurs value Bergvall at £50m, but if the bid were to be accepted, Bergvall would become Forest’s all-time most expensive player purchase.

£45m would represent a good return on investment for Spurs, but Percy also writes that De Zerbi has had conversations with Bergvall over his future and has reassured him that he’s a big part of Spurs’ future. Nevertheless, Spurs could decide to cash in on Bergvall.

There are no indications in this article whether the agreement would include a sell-on or buy-back fee, but both would make a ton of sense considering Bergvall’s age and the amount of time Spurs have put into his development already. He’s very close to being a home-grown and club-trained player for Tottenham, which would be incredibly useful if and when Spurs qualify again for European competition. And it’s really a shame that Spurs AREN’T in Europe this season, because that would be an excellent opportunity for Bergvall and some of Spurs’ other young stars to get valuable minutes in a second competition this season.

Oliver Glasner is now in charge at Forest and we know he knows how to develop a talented central midfielder as we’ve seen with Adam Wharton. It’s not the worst place Bergvall can go if he’s determined to leave, and he’ll be viewed as the midfield replacement for Elliot Anderson. I’m not wild about the idea of selling Bergvall, but if there’s a pathway for Spurs to bring him back at some point if he develops into the player suggested by his early promise, it’s not the worst thing in the world. And the money would go towards offsetting Spurs’ already prolific spend this summer.

good morning everyone!

not much use in a hoddle today, is there? sure you’ll all be banging about the england (and argentina) match from wednesday. there’s not footie on today. what’s a hoddle to do?

it’s hot out there. by there i mean france, and everywhere, but specifically france, where tadej pogacar and a hundred-plus other cyclists are competing in the tour de france.

one stage was shortened because of the heat, and the cycllists are wearing these cool ice packs on their chests to not overheat.

the tour hasn’t reached the alps yet, so this statistic is relatively fresh and likely subject to change, but the socials are saying the average temp right now is 32.4C (compared to 23.3C last year). again, we’re not in the alps yet.

still, the heat has led pogacar to change the tour de france calendar because of the heat. he might have a point. it’s happening during the hottest months of the year, and it isn’t aas if these cyclists are going out at 6am. the stages begin around noon every day and last til around 5 or 6pm - those are peak temps.

pogacar also seems to be the one handling the heat the best. he’s in first after all. crushing it actually. some (including fitzie) say he’s already won the tour. he just needs to finish the race now.

Fitzie’s track of the day: House of the Rising Sun, by Donald Byrd

And now for your links:

BBC: “‘Passive’ and ‘crumbled’ - did Tuchel’s defensive tactics cost England?”

Matt Law: “Thomas Tuchel backed by FA and set to stay for Euro 2028”

good morning everyone - today is a big day for football, isn’t it?

First things first: The good news.

Tottenham Hotspur will have a World Cup champion in their squad for a third consecutive time. The question is who will it be? Cristian Romero again (probably not, since he’s rumoured to leave)? Marcos Senesi? Pedro Porro? Djed Spence?

Today’s hoddle is caught between the crosscurrents of Taskmaster and the Three Lions. I don’t remember where I first heard it, but two former Taskmaster contestants - Frank Skinner and David Baddiel - penned the song Three Lions.

If you aren’t familiar with the song, this is the whole “Football’s coming home” chant. It’s sometimes said ironically, but how about this year?

Here’s a snippet of David Baddiel talking about how they approached the song, via The Guardian: “Three Lions, really, is a song about magical thinking. About assuming we are going to lose, reasonably, based on experience, but hoping that somehow we won’t.”

It’s such a 1990s music video too!

I didn’t realise David Baddiel had such a strong connection to the English football landscape. I only knew him as the hapless contestant on Taskmaster Series 9. There were a few times where he talked about how he wrote a few number-one songs.

Given his performance in the series, I didn’t believe him at the time.

But this video (55M views on Youtube!) and its enduring legacy with the Three Lions are living proof that he indeed wrote a smash hit with Frank Skinner that stands the test of time.

Fitzie’s track of the day: For Regulars Only, by Dexter Gordon

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes – a game-changing double pivot for Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs?”

Alasdair Gold: “Tottenham confirm club record deal but must not make it a transfer trend this summer”

BBC: “A special team beats brilliant individuals - how silky Spain flattened France”

The Independent: “How an unlikely Spain player stunned France to clinch World Cup final berth”

The Telegraph: “Kane accuses ITV of trying to create rift in England’s World Cup camp”

There’s been plenty of conflicting information this summer surrounding Cuti Romero. Is he leaving Tottenham Hotspur? Is he staying and committing to the project? How much could Spurs get for their current club captain? The latest info comes from Fabrizio Romano (sigh) who says that Cuti is expected to depart Tottenham this summer, and the clubs currently looking at him include Inter Milan and Barcelona.

The Inter rumor is both interesting and also pretty hilarious, especially since Inter are broke bois and I have serious doubts they’d be able to afford anything near what Cuti would cost. Now, Spurs are likely to sell him for a lower fee than they’d charge a Premier League club and for good reason — with the amount of silly money floating around the Premier League this summer there’s no good reason to sell him to a rival for anything less and stupid cash. I mean, if Luka Vuskovic is worth £50m in this market, what must one of the best defenders in the league and a World Cup winner command?

In fact, the only way I can see Inter buying Cuti this summer is if he really doesn’t have a market and that drives the price down, but still I can’t see him going for lest than £40-45m. Spurs are probably shopping him around and are likely hoping Barcelona makes their (supposed) interest more concrete.

It sure does sound like Cuti will be heading off to pastures new this summer, and fans are undoubtedly going to have differing opinions on that. Those who have fallen out of love the big galoot will be celebrating. People like me who thinks Cuti is unfairly officiated and gets a bunch of undeserved stick while still being an excellent defender are more likely to be disappointed.

But a moderate-to-big Cuti sale will go a ways towards helping offset some of Spurs’ large expenditures in the transfer window this summer, and possibly free up more funds for another exciting signing.

It’s done. Well, it’s been done for a while but now it’s official. Tottenham Hotspur formally announced the departure of defender Luka Vuskovic to Brighton & Hove Albion. Spurs will receive a guaranteed £48m in fees, and the contract includes a 20% sell-on whenever Brighton decide to sell Vuskovic in the future (EDIT: plus the option to match and supersede any potential offer).

The move comes before the Croatian wunderkind even made an official first team appearance with Spurs. Tottenham agreed to purchasehe Vuskovic from his boyhood club Hajkuk Split when he was 15, but weren’t able to formally sign him until he turned 18. In the meantime, Vuskovic spent his time eternally on loan — first at Radomiak Radom in Poland, then a stint at Westerlo in Belgium before his impressive loan with Hamburg in the Bundesliga last season. That Hamburg season was amazing — he was named to the Bundesliga team of the season and by season’s end he had cemented his status as one of the most talented young players in Europe.

However, he still seemed seemingly stuck as a 4th or 5th choice CB at Tottenham Hotspur, and there were questions as to whether his skill set would transfer to Roberto De Zerbi’s new tactics at Spurs. Vuskovic is excellent in the air and positionally solid, but his speed is something of a concern in the fast-paced Premier League. Named to Croatia’s World Cup squad, Vuskovic and his agents started making noise this summer about wanting to leave the club, eventually leading to where we are now.

£50m+ for a 19-year-old defender who hasn’t played in the Premier League yet is very good money, and Tottenham made the decision to cash in on his potential rather than keep a potentially unhappy future star on the bench. Vuskovic clearly just wanted to play ball, and he’ll have a much better chance of getting regular playing time at Brighton (replacing Jan Paul van Hecke, now at Spurs) than if he stayed in north London. I would’ve wished for a buy-back clause in the deal, but getting 20% of any future sale is a nice cherry on top of the cake.

I wish I could’ve seen Luka play for us at least once, but that’s not to be. Tottenham made a business decision with Vuskovic, and considering the outlay they’ve already spent on transfers this summer, it’s not a dumb move from a business perspective. But we’ll always be wondering what might have happened if we had stuck to our guns.

Too late — now we will see just how close Vuskovic gets to fulfilling his incredible promise. Good luck, Luka. Don’t score against us.

Good morning everyone - A whole day has passed without World Cup football. Thank goodness it’s back.

C’mon, you must’ve known there would be a documentary about Jose Mourinho someday, right? Whether you love him or hate him (and I think I have a guess on which side the large majority of this blog falls), Mourinho has been one of the most compelling figures in football over the last two decades.

So, of course, he would make for an excellent documentary.

Now, for those of you who might remember, Mourinho had a little bit of a dry run at the whole documentary thing a few years ago. Remember that whole All or Nothing documentary? Where Mourinho was brought in for the recently sacked Mauricio Pochettino? Was that really six years ago?

I’d rather not watch that again. What a strange capsule in time it was. Pochettino’s out the door, Mourinho is brought in. Tanguy N’Dombele is there. So are Gedson Fernandes, Moussa Sissoko and Mourinho’s man Joao Sacramento - also this was during the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This all leads me to wonder how much Mourinho’s spell at Spurs will feature in this upcoming three-part documentary (if at all). It’s already clear he doesn’t have the greatest affection for the club, so I reckon any mention of his time there will not be glowingly met.

Still undecided if you’re going to watch this one? Don’t worry, you have nearly a full month to make up your mind. It debuts on 11 August.

Staying far away from this one? Don’t worry, I’m sure there are plenty of other things to watch on 11 August. Maybe The Odyssey will still be in the cinemas.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Traffic Lights, by Flea

And now for your links:

GQ: “Djed Spence, England’s World Cup cult hero, has a killer watch game too”

BBC: “Most clinical? Least creative? Best in the air? Comparing the last four”

The Guardian: “Diego Forlán succeeds Marcelo Bielsa as Uruguay manager on temporary basis”

ESPN: “USWNT to host world No. 1 Spain in two friendlies in October”