GiveMeSport

Tottenham Hotspur fell to yet another defeat this season under Roberto De Zerbi as they crashed out of the EFL Cup at Anfield against Liverpool.

Spurs had opportunities to take the lead during the game, but went behind to a fine Alexis Mac Allister strike from the edge of the box in the first-half, before a stunner from Cody Gakpo in the second half doubled their lead. Conor Gallagher scored a header to pull one back, but they couldn't fight back to save themselves, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring a screamer in injury time to seal a 3-1 win.

The result means that De Zerbi has yet to win a game this season against Premier League opposition, with the club's only victory coming against Championship side Charlton in round two of this competition, where they won 5-1. But they have lost against Brentford and Newcastle in the league, while also being held to 0-0 draws by Nottingham Forest and Everton.

De Zerbi was brought in at the back end of last season to save the club from relegation, and while he succeeded by the skin of his teeth thanks to a 1-0 win on the final day of the campaign, they have barely kicked on under his management.

The Italian was given full control of transfers and footballing decisions during the summer, spending almost £400m on ten new signings while also allowing for a number of top young players such as Luka Vuskovic, Will Lankshear, Tynan Thompson, and Pape Matar Sarr to move on permanently.

But despite those decisions and that power, he isn't delivering his end of the deal, and Spurs look set to be on course for yet another horror season.

De Zerbi was the club's top target for the role, and when they convinced him to come to North London they handed him a long-term five-year deal as part of the package to make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country.

But at what point do they need to consider cutting their losses? When does too soon become too late?

Something Must Change or De Zerbi Could Go

Tottenham are clearly backing De Zerbi to succeed, and they have given him all the tools he needs to turn things around. The club broke their transfer record twice, have obliterated their wage structure, and given him full power.

But the team are wide open defensively, can't hit a barn door with a banjo themselves, and they are crying out for something to change so they can get back on track.

The manager will not change his ways, and he has been known to have a big meltdown and walk out if things don't go his way. Spurs have to be careful to avoid that situation, but they also need to ensure that they look after their own interests first.

If De Zerbi can't do that, then Spurs need to find someone who can, and they simply cannot afford to keep waiting until things get worse this time around. They need to be ruthless and make a decision at some point, and that time could be sooner rather than later.

Liverpool will look to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2026-27 season when they host Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the Carabao Cup at Anfield on Tuesday night.

While Liverpool are yet to lose under new manager Andoni Iraola, they have also drawn three of their four Premier League fixtures, including the goalless game against Fulham on Merseyside on the weekend.

Now, the Spaniard will be looking for a more positive result against Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham side, who are without a win at all in the Premier League.

Spurs are also yet to score a goal, with two 0-0 draws making up their opening four top flight games this term, despite a summer transfer spend of more than £300m.

Both clubs will see it as an opportunity to boost their chances of winning silverware in what could be transitional seasons for both clubs, as they look to build on disappointing 2025-26 seasons.

Iraola has already hined at changes to the team who recorded a point against Fulham, speaking to reporters in his pre-match press conference.

He said: "I think it [the workload] has to affect, definitely, because it's the third game. It's the worst scenario – it's game, two days, game, two days, game.

"In terms of the schedule, we haven't been lucky because it's true that after this one we have a little bit more [time] before we play Bournemouth.

"Also we had a little bit more [time] between Ipswich and Atletico Madrid, and you notice if it's four or five days in comparison to two, three days. It's a massive difference but it is what it is.

"I think after the international break also we have this period, I think, we are playing in nine, 10 days, four games or something like this. So, we have to get used to this."

The Spaniard did confirm at least one change will be made though, with Giorgi Mamardashvili set to start between the sticks against Spurs.

Iraola added: "I also rate Giorgi very highly. I know him from his years also in Spain. I told him we tried to sign him for Bournemouth before I came here.

For me, he's a very good keeper and he's going to start tomorrow, yes.

Mamardashvili's record for Liverpool:

Big Night for Giorgi Mamardashvili at Anfield

The Georgian giant made 20 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool last season amid injury issues for Alisson, but he is about to be unleashed by Iraola for the first time in his reign.

Given his qualities and the fact he has made almost 350 appearances for the Reds, it's no surprise that Iraola has so far favoured the Brazil international between the sticks.

But now he is 33 and beginning to suffer from more injury issues, Liverpool need to start seriously thinking about who their next number one is going to be.

Mamardashvili signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2024 in a deal worth up to £29m, but he didn't link up with the Reds until last summer having remained with Valencia on loan for the 2024-25 campaign.

The 25-year-old then made 20 appearances last term, but he didn't completely convince people that he can be their first-choice goalkeeper in the long-term.

The Georgian has a big season ahead of him now to prove to the club and Iraola that he can be the heir to Alisson.

If he fails to do that, starting tonight, then Liverpool will have no choice but to go out and sign a new number one next summer.

Tottenham Hotspur are having an incredibly difficult time this season when it comes to scoring goals, and Roberto De Zerbi quickly needs to find a way to solve that problem.

Spurs are yet to score a single goal in their four Premier League games, leaving them 17th in the Premier League table with just two points, following consecutive 0-0 draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton in their most recent games.

In the EFL Cup they found the net five times against Championship outfit Charlton, and now they return to that competition to take on Liverpool at Anfield, and will be desperate to find their goalscoring touch once again.

De Zerbi has already confirmed that he is planning to make wholesale changes for the game, with a number of players in need of some minutes to help get them to top condition to help the squad.

One player who is likely to feature is striker Dominic Solanke, and the Italian boss has now backed the Englishman to eventually rediscover the form that saw him notch 16 goals in his debut campaign following a £65m move from Bournemouth in 2024.

"I can't understand why I have to think negatively. OK, because last season he was injured many times, yes," De Zerbi explained.

"It's not the same last season [compared to] this season. This season, we have top physical and medical staff. We don't have three games per week.

"I spoke with him and I would like to manage him in the best way I can, in the physical aspect and in the mental aspect, because he's a sensitive guy. He needs to feel full confidence, and from myself he has big, big confidence.

"I believe he can score 10-15 goals for sure. He's already scored at Bournemouth, so why can't he score at Tottenham? It's the same sport, different stadium, no pressure, because in our stadium, if we push, if we play well, the fans are with us."

A focal point in attack has been a necessity, with Omar Marmoush struggling massively to assert himself as a centre-forward, while Richarlison's situation has seen his legacy tarnished and his career at the club come to an end.

Now Solanke is being given the chance to establish himself as the first-choice option in a system that De Zerbi has designed to try and win as many games as possible by playing entertaining football.

Solanke Can Be Key to Unlocking Tottenham

Solanke had his breakout season with Bournemouth in 2023/24 playing as a target man with plenty of pace around him, with his entire remit being to get on the end of things in the penalty area.

At Spurs he enjoyed a strong debut season, helping the team win the Europa League, but last season he had an incredibly difficult time with injuries and was restricted to just 20 appearances in all competitions, with only 11 starts in the Premier League.

After a summer of rest and recuperation, Solanke is now ready to push himself to become a regular starter under De Zerbi. But the manager must give him the keys to the attack to let him reach his best version, and that should start with unleashing him against Liverpool tonight.

Richarlison has taken to social media after Roberto De Zerbi confirmed he would not play for Tottenham Hotspur even if he is available.

The Brazilian pushed hard for a move away from Tottenham this summer. Spurs reached an agreement with Everton for Richarlison's services, but he was not keen on a move to his former club.

Vasco de Gama were also keen on acquiring the Spurs striker. The Brazilian agreed a fee with Tottenham worth around €20m to bring him home to the country of his birth.

However, according to football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, Richarlison failed to agree personal terms with the Brazilian club and the move collapsed.

Last week, GiveMeSport revealed that Richarlison had approached FIFA in an attempt to terminate his contract. But unless that happens, it appears he will be a Spurs player for at least a few more months.

De Zerbi Speaks Out About Richarlison

Richarlison featured in Tottenham's opening game of the season against Brentford, but has not played since amid uncertainty over his future.

Speaking ahead of Spurs' Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool, De Zerbi has insisted that the 29-year-old will not play for the club even if he is available.

"Richarlison, you already know everything and nothing change for Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same," De Zerbi said, per ESPN.

"I stay in the middle and I can't say nothing more because it is not my job. I can answer about the result and the players in the squad, the offensive phase, the defensive phase, but not for other things.

"What I have done at the beginning of this season has been to speak with him and to propose an extension of the contract. If he said, 'no thank you,' I finished my job.

"I said last press conference. I know what happened in the last 45 days. It's not right if I explained. It's not my behaviour. The relationship, the problem is between the player and the club.

"I stay within the club. It's coach and club together. At the start of this season I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay and he didn't want to. I can't go every day to pray for him to stay."

When asked if Richarlison could help the squad, De Zerbi replied: "We lost 3-0 to Brentford with Richarlison. Maybe you've forgotten about that."

Richarlison saw De Zerbi's comments, and he couldn't resist replying to them on social media, simply writing 'why?' accompanied by a crying face.

Richarlison joined Spurs in a £60m move from Everton in 2022. He has played 134 times for the club, scoring 32 goals. The former Everton striker will be available on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur have made it very clear that Richarlison is not part of their plans for this season, and it has now emerged it that the player's legacy at the club will be non-existent in years to come.

The Brazil forward has been a regular in the Spurs match day scene for the best part of four years after joining in a £60m deal from Everton, and he had established himself as a fan-favourite during that time.

The 29-year-old has scored 32 goals in 134 games for the club, but his performances and level of work rate have often made fans respect him more, and he has always ensured that he was giving 100% on the pitch for the shirt he was wearing.

But this summer his time at the club looked certain be coming to an end, when Roberto De Zerbi confirmed that the former Toffees star had asked to leave, rather than seeing out the final year of his contract.

A deal was agreed between Spurs and Everton for the striker, with Iliman Ndiaye set to go in the opposite direction. But Richarlison couldn't agree personal terms, and then released an explosive statement that he wouldn't be forced to move to a club unless he wanted to.

A move to Turkey was then mooted, but a deal couldn't be agreed between the clubs, and when a move to Vasco da Gama to take the forward back to Brazil looked likely, it once again emerged that the player couldn't agree personal terms and a deal collapsed.

With transfer windows now closed, and Richarlison not registered to play in the Premier League until January at least, there have been question marks about whether he could potentially come back into the fold in cup competitions.

But speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the EFL Cup clash with Liverpool this week, De Zerbi has confirmed that he will not be considered under any circumstances.

"I said last press conference. I know what happened in the last 45 days. It's not right if I explained. It's not my behaviour, the relationship. The problem is between the player and the club. I stay within the club. It's coach and club together.

"At the start of this season I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay and he didn't want to. I can't go every day to pray for him to stay."

Richarlison Legacy is Dead

Richarlison has had a great career, and he has been part of some major moments during his four seasons with the club.

He was part of the starting lineup for Spurs as they ended a 17-year trophy drought to win the Europa League with a 1-0 win over Man Utd in 2025, and he memorably came off the bench to score and register an assist in a 3-2 comeback win over Sheffield United under Ange Postecoglou to maintain their ongoing unbeaten run. Most recently, he scored a brilliant late equaliser against Liverpool during their battle against relegation last season, helping them earn a vital point under Igor Tudor.

But all those memories will fade into the abyss after his behaviour this summer, and Spurs fans will have zero sympathy over his situation. Had he just left during the transfer window, his time would have been looked at fondly and he'd have been waved off into the sunset.

However, with how this situation has now played out, Spurs fans cannot wait to see the back of him and if he ever returns to the club playing for an opposition club, he can expect a rough welcome.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has shared an update on the fitness of his squad ahead of their Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday night.

Despite all of the pre-season optimism, it has been an underwhelming start to the campaign for Tottenham and De Zerbi, who are without a win in the Premier League, while they are still yet to score a top-flight goal this term.

Spurs played out a goalless draw with Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening as their struggles in front of goal continued, while their manager still doesn't have a fully-fit squad to choose from.

The north London outfit will hope that the EFL Cup continues to be a positive distraction after they put five goals past Charlton Athletic in the previous round, with the chance to progress to the round of 16 should they overcome Andoni Iraola's Reds on Merseyside.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon, De Zerbi confirmed that the club has suffered a new injury blow following the Everton draw, with £100m summer signing Sandro Tonali missing the trip north.

Yes, there is not Sandro Tonali. I forgot to say because he felt a knock.

Meanwhile, Dejan Kulusevski remains on the sidelines as he continues his return from an injury that has kept him on the sidelines for more than 12 months, with Pedro Porro also absent again after missing out against the Toffees.

"No, Kulusevski not available. Pedro is still not available."

The other big talking point around Tottenham in recent weeks has been surrounding Richarlison, who failed to secure a move away from the club despite links to Everton, Trabzonspor and Vasco da Gama.

The Brazil international has contacted FIFA with regard to the possibility of terminating his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, according to GMS sources, having been left out of the club's 25-man Premier League squad.

Despite the fact that he could play in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night, De Zerbi has confirmed that he won't be available.

"Richarlison, you already know everything, nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same."

Alongside the aforementioned quartet, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons and Mykhailo Mudryk are all long-term absentees for Spurs, although there is a hope that the latter could be back available either at the end of October, or the start of November.

Kulusevski has been such a key player for Tottenham in the past, and De Zerbi will hope he's ready to play again as soon as possible, even though they will need to be very cautious with how they use him.

Tottenham Receive Udogie Injury Boost

Since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, the Italy international has missed a lot of action for Tottenham, and there would have been a concern that there was more to come after he missed out against Everton at the weekend.

However, De Zerbi confirmed in his press conference that the 23-year-old is available, and it will be interesting to see if he comes in for Andy Robertson at left-back, or if the Italian boss lines up the former Liverpool star against his former club.

The pressure is already building from the outside on Tottenham and De Zerbi to start picking up results, and to score some goals, and they have the chance to lay down a big marker at Anfield on Tuesday.

Tottenham spent more than £300m this summer but after four Premier League games, they have still not scored a single goal.

With two points, 18th, and beaten 3-0 at Brentford and 2-0 at home by Newcastle, they've followed that up with goalless draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton. The 5-1 win over Charlton in the EFL Cup, with five different scorers, was a momentary respite from their goalscoring issues but, in the Premier League, it simply has not happened.

Spurs strengthened almost everywhere — Sandro Tonali for £92.5m, Mateus Fernandes for £85m, Savio for £75m, Jan Paul van Hecke for £52m but none were out-and-out number nines. Goals win games, and the one position they did not solve is now a major talking point and concern before we've even got out of September.

One player to tie it all together

Elite strikers are the hardest thing in football to buy, and Spurs have not replaced Harry Kane in three years of trying. Granted, he's an all-time great striker in the history of the Premier League, but they haven't even been close. Dominic Solanke was a big outlay and produced a reasonable first season, but injuries have chipped away at him since and there is no evidence he can fire this club where it wants to go.

Behind him sit plenty of ineffectual wingers in terms of goalscoring and output: Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Savio are talented footballers, none are natural goal getters, and Richarlison has been exiled from the squad after no exit could be agreed.

Omar Marmoush was the summer arrival who looked most likely to take centre stage. He arrived on loan with a £60m obligation to buy on the back of 33 goal contributions in 26 games at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he played in a fluid front two with license to cause chaos.

Manchester City could not recreate that behind Erling Haaland, and neither can Spurs thus far, who have taken to using him on the left. Against Everton, he had one shot, lost the ball 11 times and earned a 4/10 rating from The Standard.

Who has actually scored for De Zerbi?

The pattern in Roberto De Zerbi's career is that he gets goals from forwards other clubs were unsure about. Evan Ferguson broke through under him at Brighton, Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck had some of their best English seasons in his side, and at Marseille he got a scoring campaign out of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at 35.

What he has never had is a back-to-goal striker to build around, and Spurs have not given him one. The system needs someone to hold the ball, occupy centre-backs and buy the seconds the midfield needs to arrive. Especially with a variety of wide talents, and midfielders capable of making late runs into the box. Solanke can do some of that but Marmoush is never going to be that player.

The market Spurs are shopping in

The uncomfortable reality is where Tottenham sits in the pecking order. Julian Alvarez, for example, is out of reach, and so now are the Pedro's and Hugo Ekitiké's of this world, because the clubs above them moved first and offer a much more attractive proposition.

That leaves Spurs looking at names less attractive on paper and considerably more effective in practice. Brian Brobbey and Jean-Philippe Mateta stand out, and neither would need a bidding war.

Brobbey spent Saturday evening bullying Gabriel and Ezri Konsa — powerful, awkward, exactly the back-to-goal presence the system lacks, at a club with no European football to sell him. Mateta is plug-and-play: Premier League proven, physically imposing, and already on record telling Crystal Palace he wants to leave, with Juventus and Aston Villa circling earlier in the year.

The outside option is Strasbourg's Joaquin Panichelli, who scored 16 in 27 in Ligue 1 last season. Big, strong, and still cheap enough to be a bet rather than a gamble. None of it is glamorous, and that is the point. The striker market is as thin as it has been in years — the clubs above Spurs are struggling too — so the edge comes from moving early on the right profile, not late on the famous one.

Fans were originally overjoyed at the flow of money in the market after years of frustration under Daniel Levy, but the lack of a true number nine, and the failure to prioritise one, could yet prove the definitive mistake that could eventually lead to an explosive De Zerbi exit in the future.

Tottenham's wait for a first Premier League win of the 2026/27 season is still ongoing, after a fourth consecutive match without a goal.

Tottenham started the brighter of the two sides, dominant in possession and unlucky not to find themselves a goal or two up inside the opening ten minutes, with Jarrad Branthwaite needed to produce a superb block to deny Mateus Fernandes inside the box.

Former Manchester City winger Savio was the standout threat throughout the first half, consistently getting the better of Vitalii Mykolenko down the right flank.

Everton grew into the game past the ten-minute mark; their best chance of the half fell to Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who dragged wide a chance similar to the one he scored against Manchester United last week. A couple of half-chances fell to the home side, but nothing could be made of them.

Everton began the second half on the front foot, testing Tottenham on the break, but Micky van de Ven cut out two dangerous moments before Antonin Kinsky then had to make immediate amends for a mistake that led to a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall chance 15 minutes later.

The match then fell quiet once more as both sides made substitutes in an attempt to find an opener. Only Savio survived from the Spurs front three and for good reason. Even if he fell quieter in the second half, his output was far exceeding anything that Omar Marmoush or Dominic Solanke could produce.

As the match reached the closing stages, a chance on the edge fell to substitute Lucas Bergvall, but a fantastic Jordan Pickford save ensured the match ended level. It's a result that David Moyes and Everton will be happy to go home with, but one that piles further pressure on Roberto De Zerbi and Spurs, after a summer that saw them spend close to £400 million on players.

Tottenham Report Card

Tottenham are yet again walking away from a Premier League match without a goal or a win, and will fall back into the bottom three should Coventry beat Brighton.

Savio was their main threat and consistently eased past Vitaly Mykolenko, earning him Spurs' best overall grade with an A-, but he lacked any sort of finishing touch or the ability to find a man inside the box which would have definitely lifted his grade. Omar Marmoush and Dominik Solanke on the other hand, earned the worst grades with a D- and F respectively. Both struggled to find any sort of involvement in the match and were eventually replaced midway through the second half.

Defensively, Jan Paul van Hecke (C+) and Micky van De Ven (B-) were robust and did well in fending off any chances that came Everton's way, although Antonin Kinsky could have erased their clean sheet when he had to rectify yet another error, earning him a D.

As for the midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur (C-) performed slightly better than Sandro Tonali (D+) beside him due to being a lot more active in defensive positions, particularly in blocking a Tyrique George effort at close range.

Overall, it's another disappointing performance for Spurs, who face fellow strugglers Aston Villa in a week's time.

Everton Report Card

With the pressure mounting on Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham to win, and score, David Moyes will be happy to go back to Merseyside with a point. After a concerning opening few minutes, Everton grew into the game as it wore on, with Tyrique George (C+) driving down the left in the second half and delivering a cross for Thierno Barry, only for Antonin Kinsky to beat him to it. Aside from this chance, Barry had little-to-no impact on the match and is only issued a D+ for his performance.

They did have further chances. The biggest of which fell to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (C), who had his effort blocked by Antonin Kinsky when the Czech goalkeeper gifted him possession. Dewsbury-Hall almost made amends for not scoring moments later, picking out Brennan Johnson (C-), who fired over with the goal gaping.

Jordan Pickford earned a B and has a claim to be Everton's best player of the match, thanks to his denal of a curling Lucas Bergvall effort, a save that proved crucial in preserving the point and extending Everton's unbeaten start to the season. In front of him, two steady performances from Jarrad Branthwaite (B-) and James Tarkowski (C+) contributed to a well-earned clean sheet as well.

Eveton's weakest perfomer was Vitaly Mykololenko, who earned a D-, largely for his inability to control Savio in the early stages, which could have easily seen the Toffees a goal or more down should the Brazilian have made more of the chances he created as a result.

Overall, Everton will be the happier of the two sides with a point on the road, having weathered an early Tottenham spell before growing into the contest and arguably deserving more than a draw given the glaring Dewsbury-Hall and Johnson chances late on.

Richarlison will stay at Tottenham Hotspur after his move to Vasco da Gama collapsed despite the two clubs agreeing a fee for the attacker, according to Football London correspondent Alasdair Gold.

The Brazil international has been attempting to secure a move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium all summer, having expressed his desire to leave to manager Roberto De Zerbi, but the summer transfer window closed for the majority of leagues without the 29-year-old exiting Spurs.

The forward had been heavily linked with a return to Everton in the dying days of the UK window, before he had interest from Trabzonspor of Turkey after the windows of the other top European leagues closed. Neither move could be agreed.

When the Turkish and Saudi Pro League top flight windows also shut, Richarlison's options became severely limited, with a return to his homeland then one of the only and most realistic options.

Having made contact with FIFA about terminating his contract in north London, according to GMS sources, Vasco da Gama then agreed a fee with Tottenham worth around €20m to bring him home to the country of his birth.

However, according to Gold, posting on X on Friday night, Richarlison has failed to agree personal terms with the Brazilian club and will remain at Spurs.

There appears to be little chance of a move to Brazil happening now, with their transfer window due to close at 4am on Saturday, UK time.

There had been a suggestion that Richarlison could still secure a move to Portugal, with the window reported as being open until September 15, but that is only for youth players.

Long Four Months Ahead for Richarlison

Given Tottenham aren't in Europe and Richarlison has already been omitted from the club's 25-man Premier League squad for the next four months, it could be a long spell on the sidelines for the Brazilian.

He won't kick another ball in the league until 2027 at the earliest, and he will surely now push for a contract termination if a move to Portugal proves impossible.

Speaking about his situation on Friday, De Zerbi said:

“I don't know (if Richarlison will leave). I don't know, it's not my job.

All I can say is I know very well what the club have done for Richarlison, and Richarlison knows what he has done for the club.

It is an ugly situation and one that neither party wanted, and the next few days and weeks will now be interesting.

Tottenham Hotspur may have put the first nail into the coffin of Rodrigo Bentancur's career at the club, after handing Lucas Bergvall a new long-term contract.

Spurs had a huge summer rebuild which saw 10 new players arrive at the club, including central midfielders Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes for club-record fees. Conor Gallagher also arrived in January to overhaul the heart of the team, while the north London side allowed Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma, and Joao Palhinha to depart from their squad of last season.

There had been huge speculation during the summer window that Bergvall himself could be on the move, with reports that the Sweden international had asked to leave for more regular football.

Nottingham Forest had a bid worth £38m rejected, while Newcastle United also tabled a bid worth £46m for the youngster, but Spurs were adamant that they wanted him to stay, or they would receive at least £60m to let him leave.

Ultimately, a move never materialised, with Roberto De Zerbi holding talks with the player to convince him to stay put and fight for his place. Those talks have obviously had a huge effect on Bergvall, after Tottenham confirmed on Friday that the player has now put pen-to-paper on a new long-term deal.

Despite falling down the pecking order this season, having been relegated to a substitute role since being taken off at half-time in the opening game of the campaign, Bergvall has committed to his future to Spurs.

With £185m spent on Fernandes and Tonali, plus Gallagher being on mega £200,000-a-week wages and Archie Gray being part of the leadership group this season, it seems as though the Tottenham midfield has now been cemented for the next few seasons.

That leaves question marks over a player like Bentancur, who may now find himself on the outskirts too.

'Outstanding' Bentancur Facing Spurs Exit

Bentancur signed a new long-term deal at Spurs a year ago, with reports suggesting his deal now runs until 2029. But it seems like the club have now made the decision to move on without him going forward.

The Uruguay international has been described as 'very important' by De Zerbi, with journalist Alasdair Gold calling him 'outstanding' in the recent 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest. But it's clear that Spurs are planning for life without him, and Bergvall's new deal means that could now be accelerated.

The 29-year-old will be phased out of the squad in the coming months, and with just one game per week for the majority of this season, don't be surprised to see a January move away emerge as a genuine option.