Cartilage Free Captain

good morning !

Believe it or not, Spurs actually have a lot going on this month. And they got off to a busy start too with the signing of Archie Gray. Hopefully a couple more signings come in soon.

It’s pretty crazy to imagine we’re still in the thick of the Euros and Copa America, and Spurs have a fixture in less than two weeks. That’ll be a friendly against Logan Roy’s boyhood club Hearts.

Fun fact: Fitzie managed hearts during FM. Won the Scottish Premiership with them.

That match starts a four-game run in 14 days. Wild. Well, if the players stay fit and it gives them even more time to adjust to Ange Postecoglou’s methods, then I’m here for it.

(And hey, even better if a signing or two joins them).

Plus, Spurs also fly off to Korea this month. They play two matches before a double against Bayern Munich (but the latter is for August, we’ll get to that).

Only a few weeks til Spurs play again. Til then, enjoy the Copa America, Euros, Wimbledon and Tour de France.

Tottenham Hotspur men’s schedule: at Hearts (17 July), at QPR (20 July), at Vissel Kobe (27 July), K-League XI (31 July)

Fitzie’s track of the day: US Blues, by the Grateful Dead

And now for your links:

What the future Tottenham XI could look like after Archie Gray signing

Dan KP on what the England squad did on their final rest day

Blackburn Rovers criticised after minimum wage reports for women

Tottenham Hotspur “club signing” Djed Spence had a good loan this past season at Genoa, good enough that the Serie A club wanted to keep him permanently. But the clubs have been locked in negotiations for weeks now without a breakthrough, with Genoa not willing to meet Spurs’ asking price for Spence.

Now, according to Nizaar Kinsella writing for BBC, talks have broken down and Spurs are willing to offer Spence to other interested clubs.

I don’t know how much Spurs were asking for Spence but it can’t be that much. That said, Genoa isn’t exactly known for being a rich club, so it really could be that whatever league premium Spurs are expecting is out of their financial reach. Tottenham might consider a deal to let Djed go but they’re not willing to lose their shirt, so it makes sense to test the waters elsewhere.

There’s really no chance Spence, who’s Tottenham contract expires in 2027, is going to make an impact under Ange Postecoglou. That long term deal kind of hangs like an anchor over him, and I can see another scenario where Spence heads out on loan again for the season. Guess we’ll find out — Kinsella hints that if Spurs can’t find a good club for him that they may come back to Genoa later in the window.

good morning -

It’s a pretty sad day at Hoddle Headquarters, as it marks the day where we no longer feature Micky van de Ven as our hoddle hero.

I had a good one lined up for today too.

At least he ended his hoddle hero tenure with a bang. Netherlands eased past Romania 3-0 in the first round of the knockout stage of the Euros. Van de Ven even came off the bench to mark the occassion.

(Radu Dragusin looked pretty good too, I heard).

I guess van de Ven had a decent run. Two weeks isn’t so bad. And it did end on a happy note: We signed Archie Gray.

So now it’s back to the drawing board. Who will be the next hoddle hero?

This time I will be keeping you all in suspense again. And, unlike last time, this hoddle hero will be fitzie’s choice!

I know how many of you all were looking forward to me previewing this month for Tottenham, but that can wait. For now, let us all eagerly await the arrival of our next hoddle hero.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Archie, Marry Me, by Alvvays

And now for your links:

Dan KP: Archie Gray on his connection with Ange Postecoglou

Alasdair Gold on what Spurs can expect from their new signing

Marta to play in sixth Olympics for Brasil

IT’S OFFICIAL - Tottenham Hotspur have made their second signing of the summer.

After a whirlwind 48 hours, after it looked like the young Englishman was set to sign for Brentford, Spurs have landed their man, who will wear the #14 shirt:

According to reports, the young 19-year-old completed a medical at Brentford before a phone call from Ange Postecoglou himself convinced Gray of the Tottenham project. Ange, like a number of previous signings, supposedly presented Gray with his future plans for the team and Gray’s role in that plan. That was enough for Archie to choose Spurs, and the rest is now history.

This works out well for Leeds United, who were under pressure to make sales due to PSR. Spurs came in with an attractive £40 million offer, while also offering to sell Joe Rodon, on loan at The Whites in 23/24, for a decent price (more on that here).

Gray will likely stay with the first team, rather than head out on loan again - this will ensure he ends up as a club-trained player in a few years’ time. It’s hard to say just how much he will be involved, but the rapid pivot from The Bees to Tottenham suggests that Ange has a level of confidence that he can contribute now. His technical skills and ability to play right back and in midfield will be a huge boost to the squad, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.

Let the GIF party commence!

good morning!

It’s July 2, which means we’re a couple days behind recapping all that’s happened in the EFL Championship from June.

Thankfully, not much happened.

I guess the most pertinent thing for this blog is a certain player from a certain club possibly joining Tottenham Hotspur. But we’ve covered this plenty, so why add that again here?

There was only one real notable development from last month, which is that Sunderland finally appointed a manager: Regis Le Bris.

I know all us fans here bemoaned the Spurs managerial saga a couple years ago (lol remember Nuno?) but that pales in comparison to the 100+ days Sunderland hand to go til they finally landed on their manager.

I don’t know a darn thing about this guy. I hope he does well, mostly cus I want Jack Clarke to do well. Gotta root for the Spurs boys wherever they are (unless they’re managing Chelsea - which they’re not).

The EFL Champ preview will come in due time. But let me give you a preview of the preview: I don’t expect much from Sunderland this year. They were seriously dreadful last season adn I don’t understand why they’d be considered top-six contenders this season.

But that’s for another day. Til then, let’s just enjoy the pics of Micky van de Ven whilst we can.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Sugar on My Tongue, by Talking Heads

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$) on the doctor who saved Christian Eriksen’s live

Uefa investigating Jude Bellingham over gesture

Ready for a blast from the past today? Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tom Huddlestone announced his retirement from playing football today after a nearly 20-year career in the English professional game. The 37-year old Huddlestone officially hangs up his boots today, saying that he now plans to continue his career in football through coaching.

Yeah, I know! I thought he retired years ago too!

So the day has come to announce my retirement from playing professional football. From the age of 8 football is all I have ever known or wanted to do. To be able to do this up until the age of 37 has been a blessing, with many ups and downs on this journey.Now is a time for me to repurpose to the other side of the game I love, coaching.

Having played for 20 seasons and almost 600 games I feel privileged to have represented some fantastic clubs and fan bases along the way. Each club I have been at, i have always given 100% & due to this had a fantastic rapport will all fans I have played in front of.To represent my country was the ultimate dream growing up , so to achieve that is something I will cherish forever.To all teammates , coaches and managers along the years a huge thank you for the times we have shared. Not always positive but memories nonetheless. More importantly, a huge thank you to my fantastic family who without them none of it would have been possible. Forever indebted to you all, whether no longer with us or still a part of my journey today.

Thank you

For those of you who are newer to Tottenham fandom, Tom Huddlestone came through into professional football from Derby County, and spent eight glorious years anchoring Spurs’ midfield, from 2005-2013. He was there at the start of my Spurs fandom, and he was an integral part of the Tottenham teams that first qualified for the Champions League and started the resurgence into what Spurs are today. He played 144 matches for Tottenham before Spurs sold him to Hull City in 2013, where he made 133 more league matches in the Premier League and Championship. He even had four caps for England. Huddlestone just finished a two year stint at Manchester United’s U21 team where he was employed as a player-coach. According to Wikipedia, he just signed with Grimsby Town as a player-coach, but I guess now he’s less of a player-coach and more of a coach-coach.

Huddlestone was... well, let’s just say he was not “blessed with speed” if you know what I mean. Nor was he particularly adept at, well, “moving” or “agility” and he was something of a late bloomer. But the guy could pass. I have fond memories of watching THuddz sit at the base of Harry Redknapp’s midfields, pinging balls to players like Aaron Lennon, Jermain Defoe, Gareth Bale, and Rafa van der Vaart. He was also a physical specimen in his prime, bossing the center of the pitch putting in crunching defensive tackles to players who managed to get into his way. He was also good for the occasional long range blast of a goal; you may recall hearing about a “Thudderblast” back in the day, and he scored 15 goals for Spurs

This is very much a Remembering Some Guys™ post, but dammit, Tom Huddlestone was a big part of my early Spurs fandom, a real artifact from a different time in the Premier League. I always liked him, even when it was clear that particular skillset no longer benefitted Tottenham’s new look and status. It’s amazing and awesome that he had as long a playing career as he had, and as he transitions into what I hope is a long-term coaching career in the beautiful game, I wanted to just take some time to thank him for his service, and for giving me moments of joy at times when I didn’t fully appreciate them.

Thanks, Tom. Hope you come back to Spurs someday, that’d be swell.

As expected, I woke up this morning to the summer’s first Tottenham Hotspur BOMBA — Tottenham and Leeds United have, according to David Ornstein, fully agreed a deal to sign 18-year old utility midfielder/defender Archie Gray. The deal is for six years in length, through the 2030 season.

The fee is supposedly £35m, which is a LOT for an 18-year-old with only one year of experience in the second division of English football, but the fee is also offset by what is likely to be a separate transaction that will send Joe Rodon back to Leeds permanently for around £10m. That makes the total outlay for Gray about £25m — still a lot, but potentially a good buy for a player who could turn into a star.

Interestingly, there are also reports now that Gray had a purchase clause of £35m that kicked in when Leeds didn’t promote to the Premier League. That might explain the collapse of the Brentford deal; as stated, Brentford triggered the clause but apparently couldn’t come to an agreement for terms with Leeds and the deal collapsed. Spurs must have offered more favorable amortization terms.

Gray played a lot of right back for Leeds last season and is practically tailor-made to be an inverted fullback in an Ange Postecoglou system, but most Championship watchers have his long-term future at defensive midfielder, and that feels about right. I have a hard time believing that he’ll displace any of Spurs’ current midfield options, but with Tottenham in Europa he’ll get plenty of minutes either in reserve or as a backup/rotation option. I can easily see him getting at least 800 minutes of football next season, more if he’s better than advertised.

This is not the player we thought we were signing, and I do wonder if this ends Tottenham’s pursuit of Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher. But Archie Gray gives Tottenham a very young core of midfielders along with Pape Sarr and Lucas Bergvall, who joins the club officially today.

We’ll wait for the official tweet from the club, but it’s sure looking like Spurs have their first signing of the summer. Let’s go!

good morning and apologies for the late hoddle - Fitzie forgot to schedule this one after writing it:

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It’s a big day in sports. The Euro, Concacaf and Conmebol tournaments continue. We’re into stage 3 at the Tour de France, and today marks the first day of Wimbleon.

Let’s focus on the latter today. Specifically, let’s give a mini-breakdown of the draws.

Women’s singles

Favourites: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff

It’s an open tournament this year. Swiatek and Gauff don’t have a lot of success here, nor on grass. Even though I really like Gauff, I’m not too sure she’ll be able to handle getting through to the QFs, SFs and F all in one go. It’s a big ask.

Rybakina is a huge serve who’s had an inconsistnent year, but I do think she has a favourable draw. She probably won’t run into any trouble until the QFs, when she likely faces either Ons Jabeur or Jessica Pegula.

But my money is on Sabalenka. I know she’s carrying a shoulder injury, but I’m betting her withdrawal from Germany a couple weeks ago has given it enough time to heal. No one serves or hits harder than her on tour. She’s the best hard court player in the world. After this tournament, I expect her to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.

Dark Horses: Danielle Collins, Ons Jabeur, Emma Raducanu, Madison Keys, Jelena Ostapenko

Let’s discuss Raducanu first. The player who gets a tonne of press in the UK. She deserves to be a dark horse in the tournament, with two good wins against Sloane Stephens and Jessica Pegula before losing to eventual champ Daria Kasatkina in Eastbourne. It’s been a long road to recovery, but I like what she’s doing.

Collins and Keys can both crush the ball. That’ll do well here. And they’re both having a tremendous year. Perhaps Collins moreso than Keys.

Mens singles

Favourites: Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Alex Zverev

This might be the most open men’s Wimbledon tournament in decades. I have no idea who’ll win. It’s hard to pick against Djokovic, but he’s had a rough year and it seems his age is finally catching up with him. Plus, he just had surgery!

And it’s rare for someone to do the French Open-Wimbledon double. Can Alcaraz do it? I’m not sure. That leaves Sinner and Zverev. I don’t know what to make of it.

Dark Horses: Grigor Dimitrov, Tommy Paul, Jack Draper, Karen Khachanov, Alexander Bublik

I’m going with form here. Paul and Draper both won grass titles recently, and Dimitrov (a former semifinalist here) is having a bit of a renaissance year.

But here’s the problem: They’re projected to play either Alcaraz, Zverev or Sinner pretty early on. In a best of 3, that’s kinda doable. Not so in a best of five.

Otherwise, look at the winner of Matteo Berrettini-Marton Fucsovics to trouble Sinner in the second round. That is an upset I could see happening, even though I’ll go with Sinner as my champion.

Fitzie’s predictions:

Women’s final: Sabalenka def Swiatek

Men’s final: Sinner def Hurkacz

Fitzie’s track of the day: Talk Talk, by Charli XCX

And now for your links:

England’s ‘get out of jail free’ card vs Slovakia

Mexico out of Copa America

Nearly a month of the summer transfer window has passed with very little news to get excited about if you’re a Tottenham Hotspur fan. But today, “PSR Deadline Day,” has brought some pretty interesting news! Earlier today we brought you a spicy rumor from David Ornstein that Tottenham were in negotiations with Leeds United for the transfer of teenage midfielder/defender Archie Gray after possibly hijacking Brentford’s bid for the player.

And now this from Alasdair Gold — according to the Football.London journalist, newly-promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town has apparently issued a “verbal offer” to purchase Spurs’ want-away central defender Joe Rodon.

Rodon, of course, spent the season on loan at Leeds where he was a key player for one of the Championship’s best sides... and that didn’t end up promoting to the Premier League. It’s interesting that two of the three promoted teams are showing interest in signing Rodon — he’s clearly a player good enough for a bottom-half Premier League team but he’s out of Ange Postecoglou’s plans and I don’t see a situation where he stays another season.

And frankly, having three teams interested in Rodon is good for Spurs. Ipswich and Leicester’s interest likely means Leeds are less likely to land him (Premier League >> Championship) but it could be that the competition might drive up the transfer fee. That’d be okay with me.

For what it’s worth, the deal doesn’t HAVE to get done today either. There are now suggestions that deals with paperwork submitted today can be completed in the next couple of days and still be considered part of the 2023-24 fiscal year for PSR purchases, so I’m not sure we’ll hear of any late night BOMBAs in the market. That said, it would be good to get Rodon — and a few others not expected to feature for Spurs this coming season — out the door as quickly as possible.

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur are in negotiations to make their first new signing of the summer transfer window — 18-year old midfielder Archie Gray from Leeds United. That’s interesting! What’s even more interesting is that there’s a high probability Spurs have done this by hijacking Brentford’s deal for the same player.

In other words — we got a real Tottenham Hotspur GAZUMPING on our hands here! Red alert! All hands to battle stations!

This story takes a little time to explain and involves taking a dive into the deep lore of Leeds United ITK, so settle back and let’s dig in.

Archie Gray is a central midfielder who only turned 18 years old in March, but his football is well beyond his years. A product of Leeds’ academy, he had a breakout campaign last season, starting 47 out of his 52 appearances in all competitions and playing 3500 minutes for one of the best teams in the Championship. That’s seriously impressive. Had Leeds not lost to Southampton in the playoff finals, he’d be a Premier League player right now and there’s no way Leeds would consider parting with him, but the financial reality of missing promotion has apparently hit the club like a ton of bricks.

Yesterday there was plenty of chatter online that Leeds were reluctantly willing to sell Gray to raise funds, with Leeds demanding a transfer fee as high as £40m. That’s a LOT of money for an 18-year-old English kid with one year in the Championship, but it apparently didn’t put off teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool, who were all supposedly tracking Gray as a player for the future.

However, a dip into Leeds ITK forums led to an account named — stay with me here — “Hairy Crackling” who was essentially the Leeds equivalent of someone like Paul O Keefe. Hairy Crackling dropped a bomb yesterday afternoon that Gray had agreed to make a move to Brentford this summer. That news was eventually reported by reputable journalists online, and it looked as though Gray had chosen regular playing time over a move to a high level Premier League club.

Or did it? There were also reports that Spurs were “hovering” over the Brentford/Gray deal, and this morning I woke up this morning to the news that Gray’s move to the Bees had collapsed, with Brentford rejecting a £35m transfer fee. Those same reports suggested Spurs were now in early but direct negotiations with Leeds for the transfer of Gray, and Gray would be interested in coming to Spurs if he leaves. There’s some pretty extensive circumstantial evidence that Spurs not only were waiting to see what happened with the Brentford deal, but might have actively hijacked it — a true England GAZUMPing, which is a beautiful and these days practically mythical beast in football.

So much for Hairy Crackling, huh?

Gray’s stat bars don’t pop when you look at FBRef, but Championship and youth watchers agree — he’s a superb talent, comfortable with the ball at his feet, adept at both carrying and passing, very good attacking instincts — a real player’s player. Last season, he was used as a bit of a utility player by Daniel Farke, playing both fullback positions, as a deep-lying six, an 8, and a more attacking 10. The defensive experience in particular could be useful for Tottenham as he would fit like a glove as an inverted fullback, though it’s not his best role. But what everyone seems to agree is that he’s a future England midfielder, and quite possibly a future Premier League star, which is why there have been plenty of top clubs — including Spurs — tracking him for months now.

Gray probably isn’t a lock-down starter for Spurs this coming season, but with Spurs in the Europa League there will be plenty of opportunities for him to play. Adding Gray to Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall gives Spurs a pretty delicious and superbly talented young midfield core whose ability can scale along with Tottenham’s future ambitions. Signing Gray would be a bit of a lottery ticket, but if the club is building for the future he’s exactly the kind of player Spurs should be targeting. He’d also be both home grown and club trained by the time he turns 21.

It’s PSR Deadline Day, which means there’s a chance that some transfer moves across the league could happen. The fee hasn’t been disclosed, but it’s probably north of £35m which is a LOT for a kid who just legally became an adult three months ago, but also a potentially thrilling and savvy move. The talks between Spurs and Leeds are apparently in the early stages, but there’s a lot of excitement and optimism that they can get this across the line. Wouldn’t THAT be a great way to end the fiscal year?

And if you want more anecdotal evidence that this could happen faster than anyone anticipates, there’s this — Alasdair Gold has the day off today. Spurs have got this in the bag.