Football Insider

West Ham United and Everton are both likely to reignite their interest in Yves Bissouma when the transfer window reopens, sources have told Football Insider.

Bissouma has been frozen out at Tottenham following the appointment of Thomas Frank over the summer.

The Mali international had the chance to move to Turkish giants Galatasaray, but rejected the switch, as he wants to remain in the Premier League.

Sources say that West Ham and Everton could both be in the race for the 29-year-old in January, as he now seems certain to complete a move away from North London.

Tottenham unable to offload Bissouma this summer

West Ham were heavily linked with Bissouma over the summer, but in the end, the deal never materialised.

The Hammers weren’t the only side interested in the midfielder, with Everton, Galatasaray, and Fernabache all in the race.

Bissouma couldn’t get a Premier League move over the line before the September 1 deadline, and rejected offers to join both Turkish Pro League sides.

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The former Brighton man is also currently out injured, which didn’t help his chances of a Tottenham Hotspur Stadium exit.

It seems that Bissouma will now stay at Spurs until at least January, when he will hope to complete a switch.

Kieran McKenna spotted in West Ham boardroom

Meanwhile, Kieran McKenna was a surprise visitor in the West Ham boardroom during their defeat to Tottenham on Saturday, sources have told Football Insider.

McKenna’s appearance at the home of West Ham came after his Ipswich side demolished Sheffield United 5-0 on Friday night.

It will fuel speculation that he is in pole position to replace Graham Potter as West Ham manager.

Potter’s position is under growing threat following a poor start to the season and amid growing unrest among supporters.

Tottenham star James Maddison was left furious by his side’s disallowed goal in their 3-0 win over London rivals West Ham United on Saturday.

While Spurs are vying for a successful Premier League season under Thomas Frank, Maddison remains sidelined with an ACL injury.

Frank’s men thought they had taken the lead through Cristian Romero’s header against West Ham on 13 September, but his effort was disallowed as Micky van de Ven was adjudged to have pushed Kyle Walker-Peters.

Meanwhile, summer signing Randal Kolo Muani could be a difference maker for Tottenham this season, after joining on loan from PSG.

James Maddison slams officials over disallowed Tottenham goal

Thanks to Romero’s disallowed effort, Tottenham went into the half-time break drawing 0-0 with rivals West Ham.

However, Spurs secured a 3-0 win, thanks to second-half goals from Pape Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, and Van de Ven.

Away from on-field matters, Spurs are in the race to sign Atletico Madrid star Conor Gallagher.

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Meanwhile, Maddison wrote on X during his side’s clash at the London Stadium: “Honestly the referees & VAR have had an absolute shocker of a start to the season.

“If that goal is disallowed for a foul you will never ever see a corner be taken without referee blowing for something ever again.“

Thomas Frank is set for a vital month

Following Spurs’ Premier League win over the Hammers, Frank is set for a vital month in the dugout, as his side’s Champions League campaign gets underway.

The North Londoners face Villarreal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday, 16 September, before heading to Norway, where they play Bodo/Glimt on 30 September.

Frank must also ensure that Spurs enjoy a positive result when they face an inconsistent Brighton outfit on Saturday, 20 September.

Meanwhile, after seeing Premier League rivals Manchester United lose to Grimsby Town last month, Tottenham must avoid a similar fate when they host League One side Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup on 24 September.

The North London outfit must continue putting points on the board in the top flight, before a tricky November schedule sees them take on Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal.

Thomas Frank faces no-brainer team selection as Tottenham look to exploit West Ham’s biggest weakness

Thomas Frank’s Tottenham team will look to exploit West Ham United’s major weakness as the two sides face off on Saturday.

Tottenham have made a positive start to their Premier League campaign, winning two of their opening three Premier League fixtures.

Meanwhile, West Ham’s season got off to a slow start, losing heavily to Sunderland and Chelsea with an aggregate scoreline of 8-1.

However, West Ham were inspired to a late 3-0 win away at Nottingham Forest thanks to substitute Crysencio Summerville.

Following two weeks off due to the international break, the two sides will face off this Saturday, and Frank will have his eye on one key West Ham weakness.

Thomas Frank looks to send the cavalry

Due to injuries, Frank may be forced to thrust Tottenham’s new signings Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani into the fold much earlier that the Dane may have hoped.

Yet, one key stat suggests that West Ham may be the perfect opponent for Kolo Muani and Simons to face on their Premier League debuts.

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Potter’s side have the highest post-shot expected goals in the Premier League this season at 7.1 according to FBref, suggesting the Hammers’ shot-stopping has been poor.

West Ham’s summer signing Mads Hermansen has had a torrid start to life in goal for the East London club, and the stats show just how abysmal his early season form has been.

To rub salt further into the wound, West Ham announced in the week that they had resigned former goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, suggesting Hermansen’s days in goal for Potter are numbered.

Frank will hope that Potter retains faith in Hermansen for this fixture, with Kolo Muani licking his lips at the prospect of facing such a poor shot stopping record on his debut.

Tottenham have backed Thomas Frank to make big waves this season

Frank took over Tottenham after their woeful 2024-25 Premier League campaign which left the club 17th in the table.

After a summer that has seen Frank gain reinforcements in the shape of Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha, Simons and Kolo Muani, there is no doubting the hierarchy in North London trust the former Brentford head coach to deliver success at Tottenham.

Injuries to Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Dominic Solanke will sting, but equally, Frank will be aware that when the trio return to full fitness, Tottenham will possess one of the Premier League’s most potent attacks.

After a positive start to his tenure at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the additions the club has given Frank place Tottenham well in the race to gain a top four berth in the Premier League this season.

Xavi Simons became the latest star that was signed late in the transfer window to begin training with his new club after the international break.

Simons signed for Tottenham from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in a deal worth £51 million before the international break.

Due to the short timeframe between when Simons was signed and Tottenham were due to play Bournmouth, the Dutchman wasn’t available to feature.

Having spent the last week with Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands side, Simons is now back in London and training with his new teammates.

Simons played 78 minutes in World Cup qualifying over the break and looks due to make an appearance for Tottenham when they take on West Ham United on Saturday evening.

Tottenham fans buoyed by Xavi Simons footage

The Lilywhite’s decision to sign Simons was sparked from their hijacked transfer Eberechi Eze, who turned down Tottenham to move to their North London rivals Arsenal.

With Eze off the table Spurs hijacked a deal of their own, swooping to snatch up the signature of Simons from London rivals Chelsea.

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Simons made the decision to sign for Tottenham and his creative spark will be welcomed by Thomas Frank, who is without James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, who both posted worrying injury updates over the international break.

The rise of Simons has been publicly known since his beginnings in the La Masia academy at Barcelona, before moves to Paris Saint-Germain, PSV and RB Leipzig followed.

Simons brings flair and technical skill that can be the catalyst for a Tottenham who have made an encouraging start to life under Frank.

Having beaten Burnley 3-0 and Manchester City 2-0 in the opening Premier League games, optimism was damped with a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth ahead of the break.

However, that optimism is back now as Simons emerged in training footage posted by Tottenham’s official X (formerly Twitter) account.

Fans flocked to the post, expressing their joy at Simons’ arrival, with one fan saying: “Genuinely looks buzzing to be here. Great to see.”

Another fan picked a section of the video and highlighted encouragement from the clip, saying: “‘Find Xavi’, this guy plays for out football club.”

Meanwhile, another fan expressed disbelief that Tottenham had sealed the deal for Simons, saying: “Unreal seeing him in Spurs gear. Genuinely thought we had less than 0 chance at landing him.”

Tottenham’s owners have made a new takeover decision after a £90million deal has been agreed.

Tottenham have been heavily linked with a takeover in recent months, while Daniel Levy’s exit has only amplified those rumours.

Spurs confirmed Levy has stepped down as executive chairman on 4 September after spending 24 years in the role, with Peter Charrington appointed non-executive chairman.

Many have speculated Levy’s departure could be a sign Tottenham’s majority owner ENIC is now willing to sell up.

However, Spurs have insisted there will be no changes to the ownership of the club, while Levy will remain part of ENIC, which owns an 86.91 per cent stake at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham owners make behind-the-scenes move

Vinai Venkatesham is now leading the day-to-day operations after he was appointed as Tottenham’s CEO in April, having previously spent four years working in the same role at north London rivals Arsenal between 2020 and 2024.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday (9 September) Tottenham have now raised about £90million through a receivables financing deal with Macquarie Group Ltd.

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The news outlet said Spurs have agreed to give the Australian lender income from future broadcasting rights for a lump sum of cash.

The rights are tied to money due to the London giants from the Premier League between December 2025 to May 2026, with top-flight clubs typically earning more than £110million a year from that income stream.

This could well be a new indication from Tottenham’s ownership group they are not looking to agree a takeover deal following their efforts to bring in more money.

Amanda Staveley makes Tottenham takeover decision

Football Insider revealed on 5 September Amanda Staveley has been in talks about a Tottenham takeover.

However, Staveley’s company PCP International Finance released a statement on Monday (8 August) confirming it “does not intend to make an offer for Tottenham”.

It doesn’t necessarily mean there will be no deals taking place in the near future.

Levy and members of his family still own a 29.88 per cent stake in ENIC, with Joe Lewis’s family trust holding the remaining 70.12 per cent.

Finance expert Stefan Borson told Football Insider a Tottenham investor could buy Levy out of his ENIC shares in a £750million deal.

Spurs are in a strong position financially after posting a turnover of £528.2million in their latest published accounts for 2023-24, while their commercial revenue stood at £255.2million.

In terms of matters on the pitch, Thomas Frank has picked up six points from his opening three Premier League matches in charge of the club, having replaced Ange Postecoglou in June.

‘He lives close to Joe Lewis’ – Tottenham’s new man is ‘not a football guy at all’

Peter Charrington “is a Joe Lewis man” after being promoted to non-executive chairman at Tottenham following Daniel Levy’s departure.

Tottenham confirmed Levy has stepped down as executive chairman on Thursday (4 September) after spending 24 years in the role.

Spurs insisted there will be no changes to the ownership of the club, while Levy will remain part of ENIC, which owns an 86.91 per cent stake at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Levy and members of his family own a 29.88 per cent stake in ENIC, with Lewis’s family trust holding the remaining 70.12 per cent.

Finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Charrington, who is a director of ENIC and former CEO of Citi Private Bank, lives close to Lewis in the Bahamas.

Tottenham fans told ‘careful what you wish for’ after Daniel Levy exit

Alongside Charrington, Vinai Venkatesham will now steer the ship after he was appointed as Tottenham’s CEO in April.

The Spurs chief previously spent four years working in the same role at north London rivals Arsenal between 2020 and 2024.

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Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “It looks very clear that Charrington is a Joe Lewis man.

“He lives close to Joe Lewis in the Bahamas, so he’s part of that community, and he’s a co-owner of one of the major Lewis businesses.

“He’s former CEO of Citi Private Bank, so he’s clearly not a football guy at all.

“Look, Spurs have lost a lot in terms of the quality of Daniel Levy.

“I mean, obviously he’s a controversial character, but they’ve lost 25 years’ experience of somebody that’s run a football club. They’ve lost it overnight.

“I think a lot of Spurs fans will probably be celebrating, but you’ve got to be careful what you wish for with changes like this.

“For all of Daniel Levy’s probably faults as to underspending in certain ways in a very competitive market, he’s definitely managed the thing from a financial perspective fantastically well, so it’s a very interesting development.”

Daniel Levy has boosted Tottenham’s finances

While Levy has been a controversial figure among Tottenham fans, he leaves the club in a strong financial position following his departure.

Spurs’ latest published accounts for 2023-24 revealed their turnover fell from £549.6million in 2022-23 to £528.2million, but their commercial revenue increased from £227.7million to £255.2million across the same period.

In terms of matters on the pitch, Thomas Frank has picked up six points from his opening three Premier League matches in charge of the club, having replaced Ange Postecoglou in June.

‘I am with you in spirit’ – Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma bids farewell after development in last 24 hours

Yves Bissouma is marked for the exit door at Tottenham Hotspur after falling out of favour early in Thomas Frank’s tenure.

Frank left Bissouma out of Tottenham’s squad to face PSG in the UEFA Super Cup last month and signed Joao Palhinha to play ahead of him in midfield, leaving the Mali international well down the pecking order.

Everton and West Ham both backed out of moves to sign the 29-year-old before the transfer deadline, but Football Insider revealed on 6 September that Bissouma could still head to Saudi Arabia or Turkey.

Frank is happy to sell Bissouma before the two aforementioned countries’ transfer windows close, but it remains to be seen if Tottenham will be able to recoup some of the £25million fee they paid Brighton in 2022.

Yves Bissouma determined to ‘come back stronger’ with Mali

Football Insider revealed on Tuesday that Tottenham could sanction a loan move for Bissouma in order to move his wages off their books this season, but that may mean losing him for free in 12 months’ time.

Bissouma is yet to feature in Frank‘s first-team this season since he was dropped from their Super Cup squad, and has also been absent from Mali’s squad for their 2026 World Cup qualifiers this month.

Mali’s 3-0 win over Comoros on 4 September gave them a slim hope of automatic qualification for next summer’s tournament, but a 1-0 loss to Ghana on Monday leaves the Eagles fourth in their group.

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With Mali now likely requiring maximum points from their last two games to overtake Madagascar and Comoros, Bissouma posted on his Instagram story to say: “Guys, I know very well that you gave everything.

“I am with you in spirit. We win together and we also lose together. We will come back stronger, inshallah. Proud of you, my soldiers, and strength to us for the future. See you soon…”

Tottenham set to miss out on Yves Bissouma windfall

Football Insider Verdict

Although ex-Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson doesn’t see Palhinha as a direct replacement for Bissouma in North London, the midfielder’s low position in Frank’s pecking order makes an exit almost inevitable.

Should Tottenham elect to loan Bissouma to the Saudi Pro League or Turkish SuperLig in the final year of his contract, they will likely lose the opportunity to collect a nominal fee for him unless he is recalled.

Tottenham made a “strange” decision appointing Vinai Venkatesham as CEO while Daniel Levy remained the club’s chairman.

Tottenham confirmed Levy has stepped down as executive chairman on Thursday (4 September) after spending 24 years in the role, with Peter Charrington appointed non-executive chairman.

Spurs insisted there will be no changes to the ownership of the club, while Levy will remain part of ENIC, which owns an 86.91 per cent stake at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Levy and members of his family own a 29.88 per cent stake in ENIC, with Joe Lewis’s family trust holding the remaining 70.12 per cent.

Alongside Charrington, Venkatesham will now steer the ship after he was appointed as the club’s CEO in April.

Daniel Levy in Tottenham ‘fallout’ after confirmed news

This article contains exclusive comment from Stefan Borson, a former financial adviser to Man City.

Football Insider revealed on Friday (5 September) Amanda Staveley has been in talks about a Tottenham takeover.

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However, Staveley’s company PCP International Finance released a statement on Monday (8 August) confirming it “does not intend to make an offer for Tottenham”.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about Levy’s exit, Borson said: “I don’t think it’s a planned thing from his perspective.

“I think effectively it looks like there’s been some kind of dispute or fall-out, and he’s been the victim of that and now we’ll have to see how it pans out.

“In terms of positions, it was always unusual from April that they would have an executive chair in Daniel Levy and a chief executive because usually you have one or the other.

“Usually, what you would have if you have a chief executive would be a non-executive chairman.

“While we’ve had Daniel Levy as executive chairman and a CEO, there’s always been this kind of strange question mark over where does one person’s remit end and another’s begin?

“So, the more natural move following the appointment of the CEO in April would have been for Daniel Levy to become non-executive chairman, but Charrington has become non-executive chairman and Daniel Levy has gone completely.”

Daniel Levy boosted Tottenham’s finances

While Levy has been a controversial figure among Tottenham fans, he leaves the club in a strong financial position following his departure.

Spurs’ latest published accounts for 2023-24 revealed their turnover fell from £549.6million in 2022-23 to £528.2million, but their commercial revenue increased from £227.7million to £255.2million across the same period.

In terms of matters on the pitch, Thomas Frank has picked up six points from his opening three Premier League matches in charge of the club, having replaced Ange Postecoglou in June.

Tottenham Hotspur will accept a suitable offer for Yves Bissouma in the coming days after a fall-out with Thomas Frank, sources have told Football Insider.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed what his sources have told him about the 28-year-old’s uncertain future in North London.

Both Everton and West Ham explored deals to sign Bissouma late in the transfer window, but neither club advanced their interest before the deadline and that leaves Bissouma well down the Spurs pecking order.

Frank left Bissouma out of Tottenham’s UEFA Super Cup squad last month after his repeated lateness for training, and sources have told Football Insider that Spurs will listen to suitable offers for the midfielder.

Football Insider revealed on 6 September that Bissouma could be on his way to the Saudi Pro League or Turkish SuperLig with both competitions’ transfer windows still open, and Spurs won’t stand in his way.

Sources have told Football Insider that the offer of regular first-team football could see Bissouma push for a move away, with the 28-year-old’s chances of a first-team return at Tottenham seen as slim at best.

Joao Palhinha impact puts paid to Bissouma’s Tottenham career

Signed to provide competition for Bissouma in defensive midfield at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Joao Palhinha has been described as “perfect” by Alan Shearer after becoming an immediate starter.

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Speaking on the new Inside Track podcast, O’Rourke stated that with Palhinha ahead of him in the pecking order and Frank happy to let him leave, Bissouma’s future looks set to lie away from Tottenham.

“[Bissouma] hasn’t made the best of impressions on Thomas Frank”, he told Football Insider.

“He’ll probably find it hard to get into that Tottenham midfield now, following the signing of [Joao] Palhinha.

“If a suitable offer was to come in for Bissouma, Tottenham would be willing to listen to that, and the player himself might be keen on a move away in search of regular first-team football.”

Tottenham to raise further funds after Daniel Levy dismissal

With less than a year left on his contract, the time is now for Tottenham to cash in on Bissouma and recoup at least some of the £25million fee they paid Brighton for the Mali international back in 2022.

Spurs are keen to raise funds and could agree a Tottenham Hotspur Stadium naming rights deal worth £20m per season, as the post-Daniel Levy era begins with a conscious effort to bring in new capital.

Selling Bissouma would certainly help with this as Tottenham look to transform aspects of the club such as their wage bill, and with Levy on his way out, it remains to be seen if Spurs will go big to bring in a new number eight.

Tottenham Hotspur’s hierarchy have heaped pressure on the club and themselves to succeed after their bombshell Daniel Levy decision last week.

Levy stepped down from his role at Tottenham after 24 years at the club, signalling a major reshuffle of the backroom staff at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Some pundits have suggested that Levy was “pushed” out of Tottenham, while others have warned of the impact that pushing out a chairman that grew the stature of the club might bring.

Levy’s savvy business acumen has grown the status of Tottenham since he joined in 2001, and the club is now classed amongst the country’s most successful sides without the trophies to match.

Tottenham must get this right

Jamie O’Hara spoke to Sky Sports and suggested that Tottenham are now in a position to chase success in the next five or six years.

While others have pointed out how Levy took Tottenham from a mid table position to competing for the Premier League and Champions League during his time in North London.

As the pile-on continues, Tottenham are setting themselves lofty expectations ahead of the post-Levy era, with Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol suggesting that the club’s owner Joe Lewis believed the two trophies won by Spurs in Levy’s 25 years at the club wasn’t good enough.

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Solhekol suggested there’s no noise from Tottenham about a change of ownership structure but Levy’s replacement Vinai Venkatesham is certainly under pressure to bring “more wins more often.”

Given the growth of Tottenham under the leadership of Levy, executive chairman Venkatesham and new non-executive chairman Peter Charrington will be under pressure to quickly improve on field results whilst also carrying on the off-field business model that Levy installed so well.

Assessing Daniel Levy’s impact at Tottenham

When Levy took over at Tottenham in 2001 the club had finished tenth in the 2000-01 season, finishing below Leeds United, Ipswich Town, Sunderland, Charlton Athletic and Southampton.

Fast-forward 25 years and Levy as Tottenham amongst the consensus “big six” in England alongside both Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

During that time Spurs won their first trophy in nine years, the 2008 League Cup, and finished third twice, coming second in the Premier League on one occasion too.

Levy signed off as Tottenham chairman with a Europa League title as well, and while fans rejoice at his departure, it is worth remembering the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

The now-former Spurs chief regularly attracted criticism among fans and pundits over the years for the club failing to capitalise on key situations.

Levy was often seen as the reason Tottenham came close to successes without the end result, whether in transfer chases or pushes for silverware, but how much he was actually the issue or a shield for Lewis and his family is less clear.

What is clear is that now he has been removed from the equation, against his will or not, he can no longer take the blame if familiar failings are repeated, so the pressure is now on the new regime, as well as the Lewis family, like it hasn’t been for a long time.