Cartilage Free Captain

If you’re like me you’re probably a little bit frustrated by the lack of major transfer window activity so far this summer by Tottenham Hotspur. I get it, especially when you watch clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea hoover up talents like they’re door-to-door vacuum salesmen. Well, I don’t have much good news in that regard, but what I do have is news of an actual Tottenham Hotspur bid!

No, for serious!

Tonight, David Ornstein writes in The Athletic that Tottenham Hotspur had a formal bid of £50m REJECTED by West Ham United for the purchase of Mohammed Kudus. This comes on the heels of, uh, less reputable sources that say that Chelsea have expressed interest in Kudus. If you’re new to the blog or to the club, David Ornstein is basically the Shams Charania of English football — extremely well-sourced and extremely reliable. If Ornstein says it, it’d be pretty shocking if it didn’t happen (or won’t happen). While Spurs’ initial bid was rejected, talks between the clubs continue, so this isn’t the end.

The “Ornacle” writes that Kudus has a purchase clause of £80m that’s only valid through July 10, but it’s pretty clear that neither Tottenham nor any other club are going to offer that much money for him. Ornstein also says that Kudus would prioritize a move to Tottenham over any other club in the Premier League, and that personal terms “are not expected to be an issue.”

OK! Well, we’re getting somewhere. This is the first Kudus news we’ve seen come out that isn’t from either West Ham’s side or super sus sources, so it’s actual evidence that Johan Lange is actually working on deals and not Dungeon Mastering a 5th edition campaign in the Forgotten Realms at Hotspur Way.

Now that said — £50m is a LOT of money for Mohammed Kudus and there’s a pretty good and interesting argument to be had as to whether spending more than that amount would be considered a good idea. I’m personally a bit :grimace-emoji: on that topic myself, but if he’s not a perfect fit for what Spurs need in the midfield, the 24-year-old Ghanaian can at least dribble and pass even if he’s coming off of a pretty meh performance last season.

That’s all we know at this point. We don’t know if Tottenham will pursue their interest in Kudus and make an improved offer, or if they’ll turn their attention to other targets. Will find out later, I guess. But at least we can say this — someone or something poked Tottenham with a stick and said “Do stuff” and Spurs did something! And that’s not nothing!

It doesn’t feel like it, but the 2025-26 Premier League preseason has officially started. Today was Report Day for Tottenham Hotspur’s first team, and the club posted its usual photo montage of players reporting for duty on Instagram.

It’s not the whole first team, but there are some important people showing up at Hotspur Way today!

So in case you don’t want to click through, we have Dominic Solanke, Guglielmo Vicario, Djed Spence, Lucas Bergvall, Brandon Austin, Radu Dragusin (who’s walking! Normally!), Dane Scarlett, Yang Min-Hyeok, and Tonda Kinsky. Usually the players have staggered return times, and it’s also quite possible that there are other first team players either already at training or who weren’t photographed for whatever reason, so we’ll undoubtedly get another few of these over the coming days and weeks.

I’m excited! The preseason is a special time — whatever happened last season is washed away and you have a clean slate for the new campaign. Preseason and the transfer window represents hope, and dreams, and infinite possibilities. Anything could happen! Why, we could even finish 17th in the league but win a major European trophy!

Naaaah, that’s ridiculous.

Tottenham Hotspur center back and vice-captain Cristian Romero has been banned from driving for six months after the Argentinian pleaded guilty to speeding charges in recent court proceedings, as reported by Tristan Kirk in The Standard.

The infringment that triggered the ban was a relatively minor one, with Cuti captured by a traffic camera driving 60 miles per hour in a 50 mph zone. Typically, such an offense would result in a fine, but as Romero already had several similar infringements on his license Magistrate Gilles Casse doled out a suspension, as well as a number of financial penalties - largely insignificant given Cuti’s wage packet.

Negative articles involving our players are never nice to write, and the timing of this from a club optics perspective could not be worse, following the news of the devastating passing of Liverpool attacker Diogo Jota in a car accident. Though the full details of that event are not yet public (with speed potentially not a factor), the reality is that even incremental increases in speed can have a huge impact on outcomes in the event of an accident. I’m sure many of us on this site (myself included) have pushed the limits a little more than they should have when in a hurry; however, losses like Jota’s are a sobering reminder that doing so is rarely, if ever, worth it.

That said, this isn’t quite the same sort of disregard for safety as that shown by former captain Hugo Lloris in his drink driving saga - but Romero, as one of Spurs’ leadership group, is under a higher level of scrutiny and should know better.

To leave things on a lighter note, it’s well known that Romero could be heading away from Spurs this summer should the club receive a significant bid. When talking transfers, a well-known idiom when a club receives an offer that is somewhat... astronomical... is, “I’ll drive him to the airport myself!”

With this suspension, if Spurs receive such an offer that idiom may need to become reality.

One of the biggest yet-unanswered questions about Tottenham Hotspur is the future of Son Heung-Min. A season after captaining Spurs to the Europa League title, Son has reportedly been open to the idea of leaving Tottenham for what would be the final years of his career. He’s been reportedly the subject of interest from several clubs in the Saudi Premier League, but is more interested in a particular lifestyle over huge wages in the Middle East.

That has led to links to, and apparently discussions with, Los Angeles FC in MLS. According to and “exclusive” in FootballAsian.com, if Son were to leave Spurs this summer a move to LAFC is the most likely, but at present it looks as though he is set to stay at Tottenham for one more season.

Los Angeles would be an attractive destination for Son for a couple of reasons — it’s a major American city that more closely matches Son’s “personal and lifestyle” considerations than, say, Riyadh, and Son is attracted by the large Korean expat population in the LA area. According to the report, LAFC has set aside a designated player spot that could be used for Son, should he decide to make the move. LA would also be a closer flight back to Korea than London for his national team duties (though Saudi Arabia would be even closer).

The report, however, says that the most likely option is that Son will see out his Tottenham contract and decide his future then. Spurs are reportedly allowing Son to make his own decision about his future, as a transfer fee for a move to MLS is likely to be close to negligible. Staying at Spurs for one more year would allow Tottenham to give him a proper send-off, closing a phenomenal run at the club that will cement him as one of Spurs’ all-time greatest players.

Son’s decision would also have an effect on Spurs’ transfer plans, as the club would seek to replace him should he opt to move. Keeping him for one final season would mean Spurs would shift priorities away from players like Antoine Semenyo, Bryan Mbeumo and Eberechi Eze to other positions and areas of need. Notably, Son has also been heavily featured in Tottenham’s off-season content, including the kit reveals and promotions for the summer preseason tour to Asia. If Son were to move, it almost certainly would not be until after that preseason tour, but it’s also likely that his intentions would be made clear by that point anyway. If Spurs go after a wide forward player ahead of the tour, that may be a signifier that Son has made a short term decision about his future.

No matter what, as Tottenham fans our days enjoying Son Heung-Min as a Spurs player are now officially numbered. As a fan I would love to see him stick around for a final season if only so that I can wrap my brain around Tottenham Hotspur without him and prepare myself for a proper farewell. But as I’ve stated numerous times before, Sonny has earned the right to do whatever he wants with what remains of his professional football career. He has yet to report for preseason training, and hopefully whatever decision he makes will be made clear shortly afterwards.

Tottenham Hotspur Women have begin the process of rebuilding after a terrible 2024-25 WSL season by appointing Englishman Martin Ho as their newest head coach. The appointment was first announced a few days ago by The Athletic, and was made official by the club today on their website and social media.

A Liverpudian by birth, Ho comes to Tottenham Women from Norwegian Toppserien club SK Brann, where he led the team to the quarterfinals of the Women’s Champions League in 2023. This season Brann finished second in the league behind runaway champions Vålerenga, and qualified for the Champions League first qualifying round. Previously, Ho was an assistant coach at Manchester United Women from 2020-23, and also served as the head coach of Liverpool’s U21 women’s team.

In his first interview with the club, Ho said he expects Tottenham to win under his leadership, not just compete.

“I’m absolutely delighted [to join Tottenham]. After having a conversation with [Head of Women’s Football] Andy [Scoulding], Rebecca [Capelhorn], Vinai [Venkatesham] - and obviously Daniel [Levy] - it’s been really important for me to understand the Club. I think it’s very authentic in its own way.

“[It’s a] forward-thinking, positive club, one that wants to make a difference, but wants to do it in their own way. It’s been vital for me to understand the depths of the Club and where they want to go with the Women’s team. I’ve understood that clearly and I’m really excited.

“I don’t want to turn up here and just take part, I want to make sure we can take over, be competitive and, more importantly, we’re here to win as a club, not just turn up.

“I want to make that is very clear from the outset - from staff to players to the wider club. We want to be in those moments more often. I believe this team can do that and this Club can do that.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things, wonderful things about the staff and the Club, so I’m excited to get started.”

Ho replaces Robert Vilahamn as head coach, who guided the team to the finals of the FA Women’s Cup in 2024, but Spurs Women imploded this past season, finishing one spot above relegation and leading to his dismissal. We haven’t gotten a ton of insider information about what went wrong last season, but it was enough that Tottenham clearly thought a change was needed. Hopefully Ho will bring a fresh perspective to Spurs Women and will continue to guide Tottenham into a club that can compete with the teams near the top of the WSL table.

Days before Ho’s appointment, Spurs made their first player addition of the summer, announcing the arrival of 19-year-old Japanese international defender Tōko Koga from Feyenoord. Koga arrives on a deal through 2029. The BBC report that Spurs identified Koga as a potential transfer target during a preseason friendly against Feyenoord last summer. Koga was part of the Japan Olympic national team last summer, starting all four games and helping Japan advance to the knockout rounds of the competition, losing to eventual gold medalists USA.

There isn’t a ton of data on Koga, but at Feyenoord she was a regular in the starting XI, playing mostly as a central defender. She occasionally was shifted wide to fullback, and even played 90 minutes as a forward, scoring 2 goals in a 5-3 win over Excelsior in December, 2024. She’s taking a pretty substantial step up in level of competition but will hopefully be a player who can challenge for a starting place in Robert Ho’s back line next season.

Welcome to another edition of fitzie’s film and tv reviews, where your hoddler-in-chief reviews some things he’s seen on the television or on the big screen.

Bigmouth: This adult animated series has been on my list for a while, and wow what a star-studded cast it has.

It’s a refreshing take on the trials that kids go through during puberty and addresses many things they (I assume) are too afraid to ask. And I especially appreciate the effort the show goes through to address both genders.

There are some real laughs in this series, and the Hormone Monsters are definitely the highlight. However, at times it feels more background noise than anything, and the series begins to lose steam about halfway through it.

From there you just kinda want it to be over, kind of like puberty.

Squid Game, season 3: A really disappointing end to the Korean series. Our protagonist Gi-hun finds himself in even greater trouble after the season two finale, but everything is kind of boring and the side-plot with the detective is awful to watch.

The Bear, season 4: I absolutely hated season three - hated it. This series is an improvement but not by as much as you’d hope. Episode one makes a reference to Groundhog Day, and at times it feels like I’m living it while watching this series.

That’s probably most apparent in Episode 7, whcih feels like a mirror of Fishes back in season two. Still, the episode ends on a very strong high note with a memorable and intimate finale.

Stick: A terrible attempt to recreate Ted Lasso and Shrinking. It’s obvious this is what Apple TV tried to do (just look at the freaking opening credits). Owen Wilson is the same as he always is, but the whole thing is just terrible.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Find the Cost of Freedom, by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

And now for your links:

Vanity Fair: “Squid Game’s Creator Dreamed Up a Happy Ending. Then He Thought Better of It”

Variety: “Can ‘The Bear’ Bury Its Original Beef?”

Welcome to the latest Track of the Day, dear hoddlers, where we continue to patiently wait for Wet Leg’s sophomore album to drop.

We’ve covered their previous two singles ahead otheir upcoming album Moisturizer: catch these fists and CPR.

The band’s latest single, davina mccall, might be their best yet.

Rhian Teasdale, who leads the indie darlings from the Isle of Wight, has previously said parts of this album is a bit of a reflection of the uneasiness she felt about a new relationship in which she found herself.

After two raucous singles to preview their upcoming album, we finally get a sense of that intimacy and vulnerability with davina mccall.

The track, titled after the Big Brother presenter, is a love song in its purest, most 90’s form.

I haven’t heard Wet Leg sound like this before - where in their first album they come off as brash and insincere, but now theyr’e absolutely putting their heart on their sleeve. And it’s remarkable to listen to.

Hester Chambers’ smooth guitar groove carries the song forward, with Teasdale’s wistful lyrics strutting along each verse.

At its simplest form, davina mccall is a love song.

Dream about us taking holidays together

We won’t even care if we get shitty weather

Oh, ‘cause you’re like the sun

Days turn to months and months into years

We’re growing with the pain, we dry each other’s tears

You know, you’re my sweet baby angel

Simple, beautiful lyrics powered by Chambers and carried wonderfully by Teasdale who drops her sing-speak style to deliver something totally different from what we’ve come to know of Wet Leg.

It’s a very bold choice for a sophomore record, but they absolutely nail it. And they affirm why they are one of the most exciting artists out there right now.

Fitzie’s track of the day: davina mccall, by Wet Leg

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “How does Thomas Frank fix Spurs’ defence? And will Cristian Romero be part of the solution?”

The Telegraph: “Six Sheffield Wednesday players hand in notice over unpaid wages”

The New York Times ($$): “Wet Leg Became Indie Superheroes Overnight. Now They’re Acting Like It.”

Listen, I had no intention of writing about Wimbledon today. I had planned on waiting until the end of the tournament, but things change.

That’s because it’s been a wild two days to begin the greatest tennis tournament in the world. We’re only one round in and some of the biggest seeds in both fields are out. Let’s take a quick look.

Men’s draw:

Arthur Renderknech def (3) Alexander Zverev 7-6 6-7 6-3 5-7 7-6

(Q) Nikoloz Bashilashvili def (7) Lorenzo Musetti 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-1

(Q) Nicholas Jarry def (8) Holger Rune 4-6 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4

Benjamin Bonzi def (9) Danilil Medvedev 7-6 3-6 7-6 6-2

(Q) Valentin Royer def (24) Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-2 ret.

Jaume Munar def (28) Alex Bublik 6-4 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2

All in all, 13 of the 32 seeds in the men’s draw lost in the first round. Four of those were players currently in the top 10, and two were semifinalists last year (Musetti, Medvedev). Bublik had also won one of the biggest titles of his career just weeks earlier in Halle after defeating World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz and Novak Djokovic all faced major scares in the first round.

The womens’ draw is just as insane:

Dayana Yastremska def (2) Coco Gauff 7-6 6-1

Elisabetta Cocciaretoo def (3) Jessica Pegula 6-2 6-3

Katarina Siniakova def (5) Qinwen Zheng 7-5 4-6 6-1

Katie Boulter def (9) Paula Badosa 6-2 3-6 6-4

Xin Wang def (15) Karolina Muchova 7-5 6-2

Sonay Kartal def (20) Jelena Ostapenko 7-5 2-6 6-2

Ten seeds fell in the first round, including four in the top ten.

Donna Vekic, who made the semifinals last year, also lost in the first round. Last year’s champ Barbora Krejcikova and runner-up Jasmine Paolini both avoided major scares, surviving in three sets.

This all sets the stage for what’s going to be an insane Wimbledon. In the men’s Jannik Sinner is the clear second favourite behind Carlos Alcaraz, whose draw opened up very nicely with the upsets. Djokovic also is in the mix.

The bottom half of the women’s draw completely blew up with Gauff and Pegula losing in the first round. Does this mean former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek can make a deep run here? Or will former champion Elena Rybakina again find herself in the final?

All I know is you should stay tuned for what’s poised to be the most chaotic championship in years.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Bloom Baby Bloom, by Wolf Alice

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Tottenham Women to appoint Martin Ho as new head coach”

Alasdair Gold: “Who the next Tottenham transfer signing will be as Thomas Frank prepares to meet squad”

BBC: “Semenyo extends Bournemouth contract until 2030”

The Guardian: “A moment to sense the sheer scale of progress: Euro 2025 set for kick-off”

After strong links earlier in the summer transfer window with Eberechi Eze, it seems Tottenham Hotspur may have shifted their gaze to a new target: Mohammed Kudus.

A number of reports have begun to filter through over the last 24 hours around Spurs’ interest in the Ghanaian footballer, not least from noted Spurs fan Matt Law at the Telegraph (paywall), declaring Kudus is “a primary target” for the Lilywhites (with that “a” doing a bit of heavy lifting in that sentence which is a direct quote from the piece).

Spurs had already been linked previously, with us covering a rumored £50 million bid a couple of weeks ago - something that has been echoed by a handful of parties. In Law’s piece, however, he indicates Spurs are yet to bid but are monitoring the situation, also addressing the historical bad blood between the two clubs (but not really speaking as to how that could impact this current situation).

It’s hard to know exactly what’s true - Law tends to write with a little bit of an “agenda” when it comes to Spurs but is typically pretty accurate, and this could be a case of semantics. West Ham are in a bit of trouble under PSR, and need to sell some players; they view Kudus as an easy way to recoup some cash, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Daniel Levy, ever the opportunist, snuck in a sneaky verbal offer just to test the waters; not an “official bid” as such, but potentially laying the groundwork for something more formal.

Further sources have corroborated Law’s piece over the last day, as Fabrizio Romano declared that Spurs have made contact with Kudus’ agents, with the attacker open to a move. This was then echoed by Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian and Ben Jacobs of GiveMeSport, who both intimated there is a “sense” that £60 million could be enough to get the deal done. Romano then followed up on his YouTube channel, reporting that Spurs had asked Kudus’ agents to keep them informed on any movement for the player.

It’s a lot of smoke, and enough to say the interest is real. Is it any more than interest, or is Kudus just one on a list? It’s hard to say, though it does seem to feel like the needle is starting to move towards the former. That said, the line of reporting does seem to scream “agent talk”, so it is quite possible (even probable) that Johan Lange has a few irons (get it?) in the fire.

Kudus is a decent player who has come off a pretty bad season. I think he could add something to this Spurs side; but I’m not sure the outlay is worth it in this case, with other options from the continent providing similar or better output for less money. And that’s without going into the whole situation where Kudus whacked one of our squad in the face during a match.

There is talent there to dream on, though, and Kudus would also bring a level of versatility with him that could be useful. He’s arguably also a better fit than Eze in a Thomas Frank-led squad. Let’s see where this one goes.

Another day passes without a transfer for Tottenham Hotspur... but we have one that seems to be getting closer!

No, commentariat, I’m not moving; but Kawasaki Frontale are, confirming via their social media channels that Spurs-linked Kota Takai will be leaving the club:

Now, I don’t speak Japanese - but the internet is here to help us with that sort of thing. Here’s roughly what the announcement says:

Kota Takai is preparing for transfer to an overseas club

As part of those preparations, he will leave Kawasaki Frontale on July 5th to travel overseas

From then on, he will not be available for selection

Further details will follow once everything is formally decided

Basically, the Japanese club is holding a Fan Appreciation event on July 6th, for which it seems the playing squad would be present. As Takai is not going to be around for said event, it seems Frontale have felt the need to communicate to fans ahead of time that one of their star players will not be present (a refreshing level of transparency in professional football).

You’ll also note though the slight hedging of bets there - it seems things are very close, but not fully done. I imagine the final details consist of something along the lines of a medical or potentially some payment structure fine-print, so as far as all parties are concerned this is happening; just not official.

This is a great signing for Spurs to make. Clearly talented, young, with lots of upside, Takai follows in the steps of Johan Lange signings such as Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, and Lucas Bergvall. It remains to be seen as to whether he’ll slot straight into the squad or head out on loan, but either way it’s a smart buy.

It looks like we won’t have to wait too much longer to see Takai holding up a Spurs kit.