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Roberto De Zerbi felt Tottenham were undercooked and lacking fight after they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Brentford.

Spurs' expensive summer rebuild was shaken to its foundations by rampant Brentford on an alarming opening day for De Zerbi.

The new-look side showed the same old flaws as goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode saw them deservedly beaten.

De Zerbi, parachuted in to save Spurs from relegation last season, said: "For many reasons I think we are not (a) team yet. We are not at the right point in physical condition.

"But no excuse. When you are building a new project I don’t want time, but we have to pass through these problems.

"I believe in my players, my club and myself. I think we are working well but we are late for the start of the Premier League.

"It’s a step we have to improve quickly. We could fight stronger than we did today and we lost too many duels.

"The target is to become (a) team. To find the spirit, the soul, is a process."

Spurs, who gave debuts to five players, look set to top the €350million mark on new faces this summer once they complete deals for Savinho and Omar Marmoush.

But it was Brentford’s marquee signing, the comparably reasonably priced €48m midfielder Mamadou Sangare, who provided the early dividends as the catalyst for a superb Brentford win.

"It’s pretty impressive on a lot of fronts. You never truly know from pre-season what you’re going to get," said manager Keith Andrews.

"But it felt like we were in a good spot and we produced a pretty good performance."

Brentford beat a host of clubs to the services of Sangare, who set up two goals and looks like a ready-made Premier League star.

"More of the same from him, hopefully," added Andrews. "It’s been nice working with him and the club deserves a lot of credit for getting that deal done because he could have gone elsewhere

"He adds to an already quality midfield that we have. I really enjoyed his performance today.

"You never truly know in a different league, with a different language, but he’s a humble young man who looks very hungry."

Last season Brentford only missed out on European qualification on goal difference, yet they still do not get the credit they deserve in some quarters.

"That’s the beauty of this game," smiled Andrews. "It’s about journeys, it’s about stories, it’s about narrative. You’ve just got to go with it, haven’t you?"

Tottenham have completed one half of their planned double swoop on Manchester City after an agreement was reached for the signing of Savinho.

Brazil winger Savinho has been a long-term target after Spurs failed in efforts to sign him ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

This time around Tottenham have succeeded in their pursuit of the 22-year-old, who will join for an initial fee of €88million plus €12m in add-ons in what may be a sensational double-transfer, with talks still ongoing with City over forward Omar Marmoush joining the north London club.

Savinho's arrival will take Spurs’ summer spend beyond the €350m mark and delight boss Roberto De Zerbi, who had promised attacking reinforcements were coming.

Tottenham face a race against time to try and complete the signing of Savinho before 12pm on Friday to ensure he can make his debut in Saturday’s Premier League opener at Brentford.

With attackers James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert either working their way back to full fitness after injuries or still sidelined, Savinho can expect to go straight into Spurs’ starting line-up once he has officially joined.

Comfortable on either wing, left-footed Savinho started out at Atletico Mineiro in Brazil before successful spells at City Football Group clubs Troyes and Girona earned a move to City.

Savinho struggled to secure a regular starting berth at the Etihad Stadium, but after he provided seven goals along with 16 assists during 84 appearances for City, he will aim to play more regularly and fulfil his talent under De Zerbi at Tottenham.

Republic of Ireland striker Mason Melia has joined Lincoln City on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur, with former Lincoln midfielder Jack Moylan making the move to Cardiff City.

Melia officially joined Spurs from St Patrick's Athletic at the beginning of 2026, making his first appearance for the first-team in a pre-season friendly against Sydney FC last week.

The 18-year old striker, who made his first senior international appearance in a 1-1 draw against Canada in May, is now headed for last year's League One champions, where he links up with fellow Irish players Josh Honohan and James Collins.

Lincoln City announced his signing on their website this evening, with sporting director Jez George saying: "Mason is a player that we knew about in the League of Ireland, playing under Stephen Kenny at Pat's, and we first enquired to Tottenham about him in January.

"It has been well documented in the press that we beat up to 30 other clubs for his signature, and he is an exceptional talent who we feel can make a big impact for us in the Championship."

Melia said the club's "ambition" impressed him when they spoke to him via video call while he was on Spurs' tour of Australia.

"I'm delighted to be here and get everything completed. Everyone I’ve met has been so welcoming, and I’m excited to get going in the Championship. My aim is to score goals, help the team in every way I can and contribute to a successful season for the club. I'm really excited for what’s ahead."

The Wicklow-born striker made headlines as the League of Ireland's first €1m player when he was signed by Spurs at the beginning of 2025.

Owing to post-Brexit regulations, Melia was unable to join the Premier League club until he turned 18 and only formally joined on New Year's Day 2026 after playing another season with St Pat's.

Melia earned the PFAI Young Player of the Year award for the 2024 season scored 13 league goals for the Saints in 2025.

He joins a Lincoln City side who are back in the second tier of English football for the first time since the early 1960s after romping to the League One title last year, accumulating 103 points.

Elsewhere in the EFL Championship, Jack Moylan (above) has linked up with Cardiff City on a four-year-deal.

The 24-year-old is Brian Barry Murphy's second signing of the summer, making the switch to the Welsh capital after an impressive League One season with the Imps last year, scoring 11 times and providing seven assists.

Moylan, who made his Republic of Ireland debut in May, netting a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Grenada, said he is thrilled to make the move.

"I'm absolutely delighted to be here. It’s such a massive football club – in Ireland growing up, you watch Cardiff City as a Premier League club, so I’m absolutely over the moon to be here.

"It’s such a big club, such a nice city, and Brian [Barry-Murphy] has such a good reputation. The way he plays football, I think I’ll really enjoy it. I’ve watched the team a lot over the last year, and watched last weekend against Roma, and the football speaks for itself.

Moylan is in line to make his debut for the 'Bluebirds' this Saturday in their opening EFL Cup clash with Swindon Town, before the return of the Championship a week later.

Republic of Ireland international Mason Melia made his first senior appearance for Tottenham in their pre-season friendly against Sydney FC in Australia.

The 18-year-old forward moved to Spurs from St Patrick's Athletic in January having signed a multi-year contract in 2025.

Melia, who won two caps for the Boys in Green earlier this summer, against Qatar and Canada, came on as a 65th-minute substitute for Conor Gallagher in the team's win at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

The game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes with Mathys Tel scoring Spurs' goal from a free kick; the visitors won 4-2 on penalties but Melia didn't feature in the shootout.

The Wicklow native scored 21 goals in 76 games for the Saints between 2023 and 2025.

He scored a goal on his debut for Spurs' Under-21 team in April.

Manchester United have signed veteran goalkeeper Karl Darlow from rivals Leeds United on a free transfer.

The 35-year-old Wales international turned down the offer of a new deal at Elland Road and has instead signed a two-year contract with the option for a further 12 months at Old Trafford, where he will serve as Senne Lammens' back-up.

"I am extremely proud to sign for Manchester United," Darlow said. "I’m joining an excellent group of goalkeepers and I’m really looking forward to all pushing each other to ensure that we maintain the highest standards, which this club demands.

"This is a really special opportunity; everyone can see what an exciting time it is for the club and I cannot wait to play my part in supporting my team mates and helping to drive the group forwards."

Darlow’s arrival comes as Lammens’ current back-up Altay Bayindir is expected to leave United, having been linked with a return to his native Turkey. Veteran Tom Heaton, 40, signed a new one-year deal earlier this summer.

Darlow joined Leeds ahead of the 2023-24 season and made 38 appearances for the Whites, 22 of them in the Premier League.

A Leeds statement said: "Thank you Karl for your dedicated service to Leeds, we wish you and your family the best for the future."

Brighton have signed defender Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham Hotspur for an initial £46million (€54m).

The 19-year-old Croatia international, who played against England at this summer's World Cup, has agreed a five-year contract with the Seagulls, with an option for a further 12 months.

Spurs could receive an additional £4m (€4.7m) in add-on fees, while the deal includes a 20% sell-on clause.

Vuskovic joined Tottenham from Hajduk Split in 2025 and spent last season on loan at German club Hamburg.

The centre-back, who did not make a single competitive appearance for Spurs, was eager for first-team football and favoured a permanent move, rather than another loan.

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler told his club’s website: "Luka has enjoyed a fantastic start to his career – it’s one we’ve followed closely. Last season he demonstrated he can play at a very high level and we want to help him build on that within our environment.

"There’s been a lot of external noise about Luka joining us, but he is still a young guy who will need time to adjust to the demands of playing for Brighton and the Premier League. We are confident that he will take this in his stride though."

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Tottenham continued their summer spending spree by signing Sandro Tonali for a club-record transfer fee from Newcastle.

An agreement between the two Premier League rivals for the signature of the midfielder was reached on Wednesday night and a move finally announced on Monday morning, with Spurs paying an initial £92.5m and a further £7.5m in add-ons.

"I'm very happy to be here. When I arrived at the club today, it felt fantastic. People said about there being four or five clubs – there was only one," Tonali told the official club website.

"I spoke to the head coach (Roberto De Zerbi) for close to two hours about the club, the fans, the stadium and our football. It was like magic because I knew immediately that I had to sign for Tottenham.

"I’ve played against Tottenham a few times and always found a great atmosphere made by great fans. I can’t wait to start the season."

Tonali’s club-record signing follows the £85m deal for Mateus Fernandes announced on Thursday and Jan Paul van Hecke joining from Brighton for £52m earlier this summer, which takes Spurs’ spending to £237m.

Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi have also signed as free agents, but Tonali was top of De Zerbi’s wish list and completes the club’s midfield revamp with the 26-year-old viewed as a statement addition.

De Zerbi said: "Sandro is a special player and a great signing for our club.

"I have followed him for a long time, as he came through the youth system at my hometown club, Brescia, and I’m so happy to be working with him now.

"Given his qualities, there was a lot of interest in Sandro this summer. However, he was very clear in his desire to join Tottenham, and I know our fans will love what he brings to the team."

Tonali started his career at Brescia before he joined AC Milan in 2020, but three years later the Italian giants let the popular midfielder leave for a significant fee to sign for Newcastle.

A matter of months into his time at St James’ Park and Tonali was handed a worldwide ban from playing football for 10 months for breaching betting regulations during his time in Italy.

When Tonali returned the following campaign, he helped inspire Newcastle to Carabao Cup glory at Wembley, but he will continue his chapter in England with Spurs.

Tonali said in a post on his Instagram page: "Three years ago I came to Newcastle not really knowing what to expect. Today it’s time to say goodbye and it’s hard to find the right words.

"Above all, I want to speak directly to the fans. When things were hard for me, you were there. Not for one day did I feel alone. I felt it every time I was at St James’ Park. That’s something I will carry with me for the rest of my life."

After back-to-back 17th place finishes in the Premier League, Tottenham’s previously stringent financial model has been thrown out of the window this summer by majority owners the Lewis family.

Spurs have regularly boasted the lowest wages to revenue ratio compared to domestic rivals, with this figure at 45 per cent for the 2024-25 campaign.

However, with revenue streams regularly beyond the £500million mark, partly due to the amount of non-football events being hosted at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the north London club have relaxed their rigid wage structure and broken their transfer record twice this summer.

Tonali is not expected to be Spurs’ last arrival with attacking reinforcements the new key focus and PA understands there is interest in Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi.

Tottenham have made Martin Dubravka their fourth signing of the summer in a move which will pave the way for Antonin Kinsky to become first-choice goalkeeper.

Experienced former Newcastle and Manchester United stopper Dubravka has agreed to join Spurs on a free transfer after he left Burnley at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

The decision to turn to Dubravka instead of target a high-profile keeper is the latest show of faith in Kinsky, who bounced back from a nightmare display against Atletico Madrid in March to star in Tottenham's successful relegation battle.

It's understood that Italy goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is expected to leave Spurs this summer, so Kinsky will become number one and have Dubravka, 37, behind him for support and competition.

Dubravka spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Manchester United as back-up keeper and will likely get opportunities at Tottenham in domestic cup competitions.

Excellent with the ball at his feet, the Slovakia international follows Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke in joining De Zerbi's revolution at Spurs this summer.

Wales seem set to lose manager Craig Bellamy (pictured above) with the 46-year-old in advanced talks to take charge at Sky Bet Championship club Burnley.

Bellamy - who is halfway through a four-year contract - was initially prepared to commit himself to Wales and their Euro 2028 campaign amid speculation linking him to Celtic and Burnley.

But Burnley have pushed hard for their former coach to succeed Scott Parker following their relegation from the Premier League, and the Press Association now understands Bellamy is in contract talks with the Clarets.

Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney told S4C: "You have to be open to the fact that people can express themselves in different ways. But Craig has been special to Welsh football.

"Craig has been fantastic for us in terms of the football we play and the energy we have.

"But of course, we have to be aware of the fact that we are in a huge football industry and that people have different objectives.

"In my opinion, Craig will go on to be a world-class coach."

Arsenal are in club-to-club contact with Leicester for a deal to sign Jeremy Monga.

According to the Athletic, no agreement has yet been reached for the 16-year-old winger.

The Daily Mail reports that Manchester United and Arsenal are tracking Alex Scott, who would cost around £60m (€69.5m).

The 22-year-old midfielder enjoyed a stellar season for Bournemouth last term, making 37 Premier League appearances.

According to the Sun, Everton have approached West Ham regarding a deal to sign skipper Jarrod Bowen, with a formal bid yet to be made.

The 29-year-old has been with the Hammers since January 2020 and was part of the team relegated from the Premier League in May following an 18th-placed finish.

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Joao Palhinha's 43rd-minute goal fired Tottenham to Premier League safety with a 1-0 home win over Everton.

Defeat at Chelsea on Tuesday meant Spurs required a draw or victory to guarantee survival and ensure West Ham's result at home to Leeds had no bearing on the north London club's destiny.

Even though Roberto De Zerbi had sparked an incredible turnaround for Tottenham since his March arrival and guided them out of the bottom four last month, his next magic trick was to end a 10-match winless run at home in the Premier League.

Palhinha's scruffy goal two minutes before half-time earned Spurs a deserved lead at the break, but a nervy second half followed with news of West Ham goals filtering through.

Everton boss David Moyes shuffled his pack and substitute Tyrique George almost produced a last-gasp leveller, but Antonin Kinsky's flying save in stoppage-time confirmed a first Tottenham home league win since December and sent West Ham down.

It meant West Ham's final-day win over Leeds was too little too late.

The Hammers needed a victory and for Tottenham to lose at home to Everton to stay up and send Spurs down instead.

They kept their side of the bargain as second-half goals from Taty Castellanos, Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson sank Leeds 3-0.

But Spurs, who had very sportingly been bad enough to take the relegation scrap to the last day, got their win to survive by two points.

It brought to an end West Ham's 15-year stay in the top flight, with relegation coming a decade after the controversial move to the London Stadium and the hollow promises from the owners that came with it.

Their brief revival under Nuno Espirito Santo, who replaced Graham Potter as manager in September, began too late and fizzled out too early.

"We sold our soul, for this ****hole" rang around the former Olympic Stadium as fans turned their anger towards chairman David Sullivan.

The Leeds fans were in no mood to be sympathetic, chanting "Millwall away ole ole", a fixture which could keep the Metropolitan Police busy next season.

Relegation will come as no surprise to seasoned West Ham watchers, with the club having been in decline ever since David Moyes took them to Conference League glory in 2023.

Supporters will point to the sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal and subsequent dismal investment of his £105m transfer fee.

West Ham cherry-picked cheap players from relegated clubs; James Ward-Prowse, Kyle Walker-Peters and Mateus Fernandes from Southampton, Crysencio Summerville from Leeds and Mads Hermansen from Leicester.

Now, the same will happen to them, with Bowen, Summerville and Fernandes likely first out of the door.

Fan group Change for Tottenham plan to protest after Sunday's final match of the season with Everton regardless of whether relegation is avoided.

Spurs remain embroiled in a battle to survive after they lost 2-1 at Chelsea on Tuesday to stay 17th and only two points above the Premier League’s bottom three.

It has been a disastrous campaign for the world’s ninth-richest football team with three head coaches and multiple unwanted records set, including losing six games in a row for the first time in the club’s history and going on a 15-match winless run in the Premier League.

Ahead of the final-day clash at home to Everton, a statement from Change for Tottenham read: "This Sunday, for 90 minutes, we need to get behind the team. Nothing else matters.

"We need the points and the players need every one of us behind them for one last time this season.

"When the final whistle blows, regardless of the result, we need to stand up to the board for putting us in this perilous position."

An enormous injury list has taken its toll on Spurs, but Change for Tottenham have largely pointed the blame for this sorry season at chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, director of football Johan Lange and club owners ENIC, which are run by the Lewis family.

Venkatesham and Lange were central to the summer decision to appoint Thomas Frank alongside Daniel Levy, who left his role as chairman after 24 years in September.

At the time sources close to the Lewis family told the Press Association they wanted "more wins, more often" and felt a change at the top of the club was required after Levy had been the key decision-maker for nearly a quarter of a century.

However, Levy’s departure contributed towards a leadership vacuum, despite Venkatesham since being able to hire performance director Dan Lewindon and Rafi Moersen as director of football operations.

After a bright start under Frank, he went on to record the worst win rate of any permanent Spurs manager before he was dismissed on 11 February, which was a week on from the end of a relatively quiet winter transfer window despite a hefty injury crisis.

Tottenham turned to Igor Tudor, who lost five of his seven matches as interim head coach before the decision to bring in Roberto De Zerbi.

De Zerbi’s transformative effect at Spurs of raising a low-on-confidence and injury-hit group may still not be enough to avoid a catastrophic first relegation in 49 years if West Ham win at home to Leeds on Sunday and Everton triumph.

"Thomas Frank should have been sacked months before he was and Igor Tudor should never have been appointed, which resulted in our worst losing run in the club’s history," a Change for Tottenham statement continued.

"We were desperate in January for new signings, every fan could see it and the board did nothing.

"Levy has gone and nothing has changed as it was never one man. It is ENIC and the Lewis family who own us and say nothing. Promised success, delivering failure.

"So, on Sunday our banners will go up in the North, East and South stands at full time regardless of the result. Join us to chant against the board and make your voice heard. We can’t allow this to happen ever again."

Roberto De Zerbi refused to discuss Tottenham's late penalty claim in a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea and instead urged the relegation-threatened club to channel energy into Sunday’s "final" with Everton.

Spurs remain 17th and only two points above the Premier League bottom three after they squandered the chance to secure survival with a potentially costly loss at Stamford Bridge where Enzo Fernandes inspired derby delight.

Fernandez smashed in a 30-yard opener in the 18th-minute before he teed up Andrey Santos with 67 on the clock, but Richarlison provided a lifeline for the visitors with 16 minutes left.

A controversial finish occurred after Spurs captain Micky van de Ven was dragged to the floor by Marc Cucurella from a corner and even though the Chelsea full-back was issued a caution, referee Stuart Attwell ordered the set-piece to be retaken with the ball deemed not to be in play.

It infuriated Tottenham players and despite plenty of late pressure, they failed to force an equaliser and face a final-day decider at home to Everton, which De Zerbi has called more important than last season’s Europa League triumph over Manchester United.

De Zerbi said: "My focus is to prepare the next game and to make points, because Sunday is the final for Tottenham. Not Bilbao against Man Utd.

"The most important game is Sunday, because last season they played for the trophy. Now we play for something more important than the trophy, because the pride, the history of the club, the dignity are more important than the trophy.

"The trophy you can win, you can lose, nothing changes in your life. You can have one trophy more, but the most important is to keep the dignity, to keep the pride, to go on holiday like this [head up], and not like this [head down]."

After Chelsea edged a tight first half which lacked quality, De Zerbi had a triple substitution prepared when Randal Kolo Muani passed behind Rodrigo Bentancur to leave the Spurs defence exposed and Pedro Neto crossed in for Fernandez to tee up Santos to score on the turn.

Tottenham rallied when Richarlison fired in after a Pape Sarr back heel and after Maddison was denied by a superb last-ditch tackle from Jorrel Hato, the resulting corner was cut short when referee Attwell blew his whistle and cautioned Cucurella for hauling Van de Ven to the floor.

However, Attwell did not point to the spot and instead called for the corner to be retaken.

A post on X by Premier League Match Centre read: "The referee’s call of no penalty to Tottenham Hotspur was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that the action from Cucurella had ended before the ball was in play."

Images quickly emerged on social media which appeared to suggest the ball had been in play, but De Zerbi twice side-stepped the topic.

"It’s not my business now," De Zerbi insisted.

"Today we can speak about what you want, but we lose focus and we lose energy. My focus is to stay on the pitch.

"We have to stay alive but anyway, (Sunday) is a big day for us."

Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane praised his energy-sapped team after the quick turnaround to Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City.

"Good to get the win," McFarlane reflected.

"It was obvious from minute one we didn’t at times have the energy and intensity we needed. It was always going to be tough after the cup final.

"It was obviously Spurs would get more energy and we just needed to dig in for the result at the end."

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