GiveMeSport

Tottenham supporters have been clamouring to see young talent Luca Williams-Barnett be given an opportunity to showcase his talents in the first team for some time now.

And they may not have to wait too much longer for the teenager to get an extended run in the first team squad.

The wonderkid, who turned 18 on Thursday, is one of the hottest talents to come off the Spurs academy conveyor belt, with many hoping he goes on to emulate Harry Kane in the Lilywhite shirt.

Williams-Barnett averages more than one goal contribution in every game he has played at youth level for Tottenham with 24 goals and 13 assists in 32 appearances for the U18s and eight goals and seven assists in 12 games for the club's U21s. He has seven goals and two assists in six UEFA Youth League m

atches.

He has yet to make his first team debut in the Premier League, but has had minutes in the Carabao Cup under Roberto De Zerbi this season and Thomas Frank last season.

He is the very definition of a much-hyped young talent, with Archie Gray describing him as a "gem", while De Zerbi himself has called him a "big talent".

Former U18s coach Stuart Lewis said of the youngster: "I spoke in the week about Tottenham players and having that creativity and that go-for-it mindset. We've loved [David] Ginola over the years, we've loved [Dimitar] Berbatov, those players."

Luca's still got a lot of work to do. He's an Under-16 player but throughout the season there's been some unbelievable moments.

Williams-Barnett scored his first international goal this week, netting for England U19s in a 2-1 friendly win over Norway. His rise to first team regular at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium cannot be too far off now and De Zerbi has dropped a massive hint that the 18-year-old is going to be part of his plans for the rest of this season.

The 2026/27 season may already be five gameweeks old, but Tottenham have only just released their full squad picture for the campaign. And there were two surprises when looking at it. The first was that Richarlison was pictured in it, looking particularly solemn after being left out of the 25-man Premier League squad that De Zerbi named after the summer transfer window closed.

The other surprise was to see Williams-Barnett in the squad photo.

Twenty-nine players were in the squad picture and all of the others, bar Richarlison, can be deemed regulars in De Zerbi's thinking for the rest of the 2026/27 season.

That Williams-Barnett was asked to be in the picture shows just how highly he is regarded at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and could point to some first team chances coming his way in the coming weeks.

Roberto De Zerbi has been handed an injury blow during the extended three-week international break and we're only halfway through the domestic football hiatus.

Things are bad enough for the Tottenham Hotspur boss as it is, with the club that he saved from relegation to the Championship on the final day of the 2025/26 now sitting rock bottom of the Premier League table, five games into the 2026/27 campaign.

Spurs will look to return to action after this international break and string a run of results together to move up the table, although they may have to do that without one of their regular starters.

Jan Paul van Hecke was an important signing for De Zerbi - a player that he knew well from his Brighton days and that he knew could play his brand of football without much coaching.

The Dutch defender has scored one of Spurs' only two goals so far this season, late on in the defeat to Aston Villa, and has had a mixed bag of performances, with Tottenham looking shaky at the back early on in the campaign, before putting back-to-back clean sheets together before that capitulation against Villa.

Spurs medical staff to assess van Hecke

Van Hecke has been at the heart of that, alongside countryman Micky van de Ven in the main, but with fellow new boy Marcos Senesi in the first game of the season.

Now, Spurs may have to do without the 26-year-old for a period of time, after he returned to England early following an ankle injury picked up on duty with the Netherlands.

Van Hecke will be assessed by the Tottenham medical staff in the coming days, with De Zerbi hoping that he will be fit for their first match back against Manchester United.

If he is not, however, the Italian head coach will have a decision to make over who plays alongside captain van de Ven in the heart of the Spurs defence.

Who takes van Hecke's place in the starting lineup?

Argentinian Senesi would be the most likely replacement, but he has looked far from composed in his two starts for the club since a free transfer from Bournemouth this summer. He was very shaky against Brentford on the opening day of the season and then endured some difficult moments in the Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool, although he did grow into the game in the second half.

The more unexpected choice might be to play Tosin Adarabioyo alongside van de Ven. And yet it might be the more sensible decision, based on how the pair have played so far this season.

The former Chelse player showed, in the match against the Reds, that he is not one to back down for a fight, standing up to the Liverpool players on more than one occasion, even when he was not involved in the incident.

He was given a seven out of ten in football.london's player ratings for the game, with Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold writing: "A solid full debut from the centre-back. None of the goals were really his fault and he did most of what he had to do pretty well."

In contrast to that, Senesi got a five out of ten rating and maybe needs more game time to truly settle into a De Zerbi side. At 6ft 6ins, Adarabioyo would have the physicality to deal with Benjamin Sesko, if he starts for Manchester United, although Senesi's ball-playing skills would be lost.

With Tottenham struggling to score goals, the last thing De Zerbi needs is problems in his back line too, but that may be the case if van Hecke is not fit to start at Old Trafford.

Tottenham Hotspur had a crazy summer transfer window in which they spent around £400m on ten new players for manager Roberto De Zerbi.

Andy Robertson, Martin Dubravka, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Tosin Adarabioyo, Mykhailo Mudryk, Savio, and Omar Marmoush all arrived at the club following back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, with the north London side desperate to get back to competing for European football as a bare minimum.

But despite the huge outlay and the belief that De Zerbi was the man to turn things around, Spurs sit rock bottom of the table with no wins in any of their five games, and just two goals scored in the process.

Things don't look to be getting any easier either, with a trip to Old Trafford to take on Michael Carrick's Manchester United up next following the international break.

But with a three-week break, De Zerbi has a chance to take a closer look at what is going wrong, which players need an opportunity, which players have had their chance, and how he can change things around to not only save the season, but potentially save his job too.

If he's been paying attention during the break, then he will have seen Egypt international Omar Marmoush net twice for his nation in their most recent clash with South Sudan on Tuesday in a 5-0 win.

The 27-year-old started alongside Mostafa Zico as one of two strikers and was in dazzling form, netting twice before being substituted in the 84th minute as the Pharaohs romped to a dominant win.

But it was Marmoush's positioning on the pitch, playing just behind a natural number nine, that saw him deliver the best performance of his campaign thus far. He was able to drift to the wings using his pace and dribbling, while he showed he is a good finisher too.

It's a similar position to the one he was used in during his phenomenal spell with Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, and it's one where De Zerbi must now use him to get the best out of him and help Spurs get some points on the board.

Spurs Must Take Handbrake On and Trust Their Signings

So far during the season, De Zerbi has preferred to play with three central midfielder rather than two and a natural number ten. Conor Gallagher and Mateus Fernandes have been used in the more advanced role more often than not, but it's time for the Italian to take the handbrake off his team.

Spurs need goals if they are to win games, and they have got plenty of attacking talent available to them. Alongside Marmoush, all of Mathys Tel, James Maddison, Savio, Dominic Solanke, and Mohammed Kudus are fit and ready to play, while Dejan Kulusevski is said to be finally closing in on a return after 16 months out injury.

Using Marmoush behind Solanke as a front two, with some pace out wide would be a frightening prospect for any team to come up against, and could be the key to finally getting back on the winning trail.

Mauricio Pochettino has spoken out about the guilty verdict to almost all of the 115 charges levelled against Manchester City by the Premier League.

City have been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges against them, that spanned from 2009 to 2018 - a large chunk of the period that Pochettino was managing in England's top flight.

The Argentinian, now manager of the US Men's National Team, spent six years in the Premier League from 2013 to 2019, firstly with Southampton and then Tottenham Hotspur, before returning for a season with Chelsea in 2023/24.

City won three Premier League titles during that time, as well as one FA Cup and three League Cups, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of a number of people who competed against them, not least Pochettino.

The Argentinian guided Spurs to fifth, third, second, third and fourth-placed finishes during his five full seasons in charge of the club and is one of the most well-respected and successful managers in N17 in the modern era, taking the club to the final of the UEFA Champipns League in 2019 too.

He has previously spoken out about Chelsea's breaches of financial rules, that led to them being handed a £10million fine and a transfer ban earlier this year. Spurs finished second behind Antonio Conte's Blues side in 2016/17 - during which time Chelsea were found to have broken financial rules.

"I’ve said that we should win one title, one Premier League,” Pochettino said.

We should have been awarded it. If that was true, and that happened, for sure we deserve to be champions for that year. Because we were the second best.

Pochettino was sacked early into the 2019/20 season after a poor run of results that had started before the UEFA Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.

But the sacking also came after Spurs created somewhat unwanted transfer history. They became the first ever Premier League club not to make a signing in a summer transfer window in 2018 and they followed it up with no signings in the January transfer window of 2019 either, making it a full season without new faces arriving at the club.

They had been building their £1billion Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the time, moving in in early 2019, and the "painful rebuild" that Pochettino later called for was not forthcoming.

Pochettino goes against Daniel Levy somewhat

Now, in speaking out against Manchester City and the case against them, Pochettino has delivered some revealing quotes about Spurs' lack of transfer activity.

Back then, Spurs were linked with a number of players and came close to signing Jack Grealish from Aston Villa before new investment into the Midlands club ended their pursuit. Meanwhile, then chairman Daniel Levy had said that there were no players on the market in January that were better than what Spurs already had at their disposal.

Speaking this week, Pochettino said: "What is the punishment that’s just? Because there are other clubs - Nottingham Forest, Everton - not with the same situations, different cases, but where rules were broken and they were punished with point deductions or economic sanctions and so on.

“It’s the astonishment you feel when a ruling comes out citing 114 rule violations. How? How did this happen? The most important thing is how things are set right, because it’s not just about who committed the violations, who broke the rules. But what about the controls? Where were they? That’s what struck me most: Where were the controls?

"So if a club like us, Tottenham, who had been competing for titles, competing with the other teams up there, finishing in the top four every year, reaching a Champions League final without having been able to sign anyone for 18 months because we had to comply with the rules the Premier League imposed on us, how could those controls have been so strict with us and so much less strict with some others?

“If it’s true that the 114 rules were broken, then we lived through a period of deception. I think a lot of damage has been done. Especially with the controls during the pandemic, because ultimately a lot of clubs followed the rules and others didn’t."

Pochettino has openly admitted that Spurs did not sign any players during one or both of the windows in the 2018/19 season because they had to comply with Financial Fair Play rules. It will not be much of a comfort to the Tottenham supporters, but it at least explains the decisions that were made, or not made.

There could be a mad scramble for new managers soon after the international break has ended, with a number of club heads feeling the pressure.

None appear to be under more pressure in the Premier League than Roberto De Zerbi and Michael Carrick. Tottenham and Manchester United have both had disappointing starts to the 2026/27 campaign, with Spurs rock bottom on just two points and United sitting in 12th after just one win in five matches.

Difficult questions are being asked of both of them, with the pressure on their shoulders to return from the three-week international break and kickstart their seasons.

If they don't there may be serious conversations about their futures in their jobs.

GIVEMESPORT understands neither are at threat just yet, but that both clubs may be succession-planning behind the scenes.

Speaking on the Market Madness podcast, Jacobs said: "The situation with Michael Carrick is Manchester United continue to back him through the international break. Of course, there's normal succession planning but here's still support for Carrick. All well-run clubs have to succession plan, but we're not in a position where there'll be a knee-jerk reaction to the current form as of now.

"Roberto De Zerbi joined on a long-term project and my feeling with Tottenham is there's not really a sporting infrastructure in place to make a decision.

One name stands out in race to replace De Zerbi and Carrick

"If these results continue, all these well-run clubs have to think about a succession plan. I'm not expecting a surprise departure in the international break, but he will know results need to improve quickly. Behind the scenes at Tottenham they are relatively calm and I'm still told the intent is to explore whether another sporting official, a co-sporting director or some form of senior executive is necessary.

"Maybe only after they find that name in whatever capacity will they start to understand if they need to assess Roberto De Zerbi."

Of the names linked with replacing them, Kieran McKenna's has popped up in recent weeks, which is hardly surprising given his connection with both clubs. The former Ipswich Town boss, who has been out of work since leaving the Tractor Boys last summer, after guiding them back to the Premier League, worked in the academy at both clubs before stepping into senior football management and was spotted at both grounds before the international break taking in matches.

McKenna may be a wanted man elsewhere

But there is another club being linked with McKenna and that is Celtic, north of the border.

After a good start to the Scottish season, the Bhoys have wobbled in the last few weeks, losing at home in the UEFA Europa League to Ferencvaros after being ignominiously dumped out of UEFA Champions League qualifying by LASK, having led 4-0 on aggregate, as well as losing in the Scottish League Cup and Premiership to fierce rivals Rangers.

Martin O'Neill is also a man under pressure, although GMS understands if he were to leave the Parkhead club it would be on his terms, rather than being forced out, such is the goodwill he has at Celtic Park.

The Northern Irishman has been given the vote of confidence by CEO Michael Nicholson, but if a change is to be made, McKenna would be the perfect choice to take over.

And the former Ipswich boss has a connection with the Hoops too, which would make things a bit more difficult if he were to have to choose between them and the two Premier League sides.

McKenna previously said: "I played at Celtic Park and playing at Celtic Park was a big one, at 18, with Jacques Santini in his first couple of games. Celtic Park is a massive stadium and a club I had an affiliation with as well.

That was a pretty special one.

If O'Neill does feel like he cannot compete at the highest level of football in Scotland anymore, he may well make the decision to step aside, before United or Tottenham chiefs wield the axe on managers who have some credit in the bank for the second half of last season.

And that may give Celtic the edge to go and get McKenna and the "genius" boss may prove to be their best signing of the season.

Former forward Conor Chaplin revealed that McKenna has the tactical nous and the man management skills to be a success wherever he goes.

He said: "When someone like me talks to someone like him, I just listen. There's nothing that I can say that he doesn't know. I'm just learning from him.

"Every morning we'd always talk about the game that was on the night before. He’d always says something and I’d think, ‘I didn't see that’. He's a genius in terms of the way that he sees tactical pictures.

"He keeps everyone right where they need to be at any given time, reads the room incredibly well every single post-match, same on a Monday, always realising exactly what the lads need at that point in time.

"He always, always hits the nail on the head with the atmosphere in the room, whether the lads need a confidence boost or a little bit of a rocket."

If you thought Tottenham's predicament could not get much worse after the last two seasons, the newly-assembled squad has made people think again.

Spurs have endured back-to-back 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League, although victory in the UEFA Europa League final beset the first of those diabolical league finishes.

With more than £300million spent in the summer transfer window and a new permanent manager in place that saved them from relegation on the final day of last season, it looked like Spurs were going places. The only way they have gone, however, is down.

Tottenham are rock bottom of the Premier League table, propping up the rest of the league after five games of the 2026/27 season, looking up at everyone above them and wondering how things have got this way.

Spurs needed fighters at the end of last season, to get them out of the hole they put themselves in, and they found them in some of their most senior players digging in and battling for the team.

However, with the overhaul of the playing squad that has taken place this summer, some have departed, with club captain Cristian Romero leaving the club for Atletico Madrid, Joao Palhinha not having his loan spell turned into a permanent move, Kevin Danso moving to Sunderland and Guglielmo Vicario departing for Juventus.

A number of what you would hope in the long-run, will be leaders, have arrived at the club and football.london Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold believes that there is one sitting on the substitutes' bench, hardly playing under Roberto De Zerbi so far this season.

Speaking on the Talking Tottenham podcast in a special Q&A episode, Gold said: "I think players like Micky van de Ven, kind of towards the end of last season, were giving everything.

We saw the way he collapsed at the final whistle in the last game. I think you do have fighters like that.

"I agree that they've got rid of some of them, and we spoke about that before. The likes of Palhinha and Romero and Danso, players like that, who will give you everything. But I think you've replaced it with players that will lead this team as the season goes on.

"I think [Jan Paul] van Hecke will be a fighter, I think [Andy] Robertson will be a fighter, [Marcos] Senesi as well. You know he's a leader type, and then [Sandro] Tonali and [Matues] Fernandes, you know, in the midfield are going to be battlers as well."

Senesi has only played in the first Premier League game of the season so far and looked shaky in a 3-0 defeat to Brentford, albeit with the rest of his teammates failing to step up to the plate too, and in the Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool. He has otherwise had a watching brief and may find it difficult to usurp van de Ven and van Hecke as the chosen centre-back duo.

Upon signing him, De Zerbi said: "Marcos’ experience, quality on the ball, and competitive edge will strengthen us defensively, as well as giving us flexibility in formation.

“He’s comfortable playing in a possession-based team, reads the game very well and has the personality to thrive in a demanding environment.

“I also love his mentality and desire to keep improving, and I’m looking forward to working with him and seeing the big contribution he can make to the team.”

Tottenham are being linked with a move to sign Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, who could be a perfect addition for Roberto De Zerbi.

It's been a disappointing start to the season for Spurs, who sit bottom of the Premier League table heading into the international break.

The North London club spent significantly on new additions during the summer transfer window, bringing in over £300 million worth of players, but many of them have struggled to hit the ground running so far.

There's no doubt Spurs will continue to spend in the future, but they need to find players who are more capable of allowing De Zerbi to implement his system.

The Tottenham boss will want players who are comfortable playing out from the back and able to break lines with their passing, while also adding players who can bring a bit of creativity.

According to journalist Christian Falk, Tottenham are among the clubs who are showing an interest in signing Bayern Munich defender Kim.

They face competition from the likes of AC Milan and Aston Villa, with Spurs also making contact during the summer.

Journalist Falk doesn't expect a transfer to happen in the January transfer window, but it would depend on what Bayern communicate to Kim, described as being 'really fast' by manager Vincent Kompany, during contract negotiations

The South Korean international is out of contract in 2028, meaning Bayern have a decision to make over the coming months.

Kim is perfect for De Zerbi

Kim could be the perfect centre-back addition for De Zerbi, as a manager who wants to build out from the back.

The towering defender is so used to playing in a dominant possession-based side, with Bayern Munich averaging 70.4% of the ball in the Bundesliga this season.

Last season, Bayern Munich averaged 67.4%, while they averaged 68.3% the campaign before that.

In the Bundesliga last season, Kim had a pass completion rate of 94.9%, averaging 84 successful passes per game.

When De Zerbi fully implements his style of play, Tottenham will likely be one of the most ball-dominant sides in the Premier League. Signing a player like him would certainly help with that. In reality, Kim would be the perfect addition for De Zerbi if he does want to upgrade his defence in the near future.

With Kim's contract expiring at Bayern Munich in 2028, Tottenham might be able to secure themselves a bargain during the next summer transfer window.

Tottenham have endured a disastrous start to the 2026/27 Premier League season. Five games in and Spurs are bottom of the pile, without a win so far and looking up at every other team in the division.

It is a familiar feeling for the Spurs supporters, who have seen their club finish in 17th in each of the last two seasons.

Fans would have been expecting so much better this time around, however, with Roberto De Zerbi in place for his first full season in charge and with the club making waves in the summer transfer window, splashing out more than £300million to bring in ten new players, shipping out 17 players in the process.

But the huge upheaval has led to a lack of cohesion on the pitch, with Tottenham failing to find the back of the net until the 86th minute of their fifth game of the season.

Things can only get better at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and here at GIVEMESPORT we thought we would run the rule over the new signings and how they have fared so far in N17.

Only managed to get 16 minutes in his legs, late on in the 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest before picking up an injury that will keep him out of action for a number of weeks.

Looked rusty, which is hardly surprising given the time he has spent on the sidelines due to suspension and will take some time to get up to speed once he is back from this latest setback.

At the bottom of this, through no fault of his own, really. NOT GOOD ENOUGH...YET

Has played two full 90 minute matches and has not looked comfortable in either of them.

Started the Premier League opener against Brentford as a result of Micky van de Ven's injury and was far from solid as he got to grips with playing alongside new teammates.

Then looked shaky at the back alongside a different partner in the defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. He needs regular minutes and a steady centre-back partner to get up to his best. NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

His only minutes have come in the Carabao Cup so far as he plays second fiddle to Antonin Kinsky.

Probably not at fault for any of the Liverpool goals in that 3-1 cup defeat and actually made a couple of good saves. Proved somewhat that he is a more than capable understudy. AVERAGE.

His only minutes have come in the defeat to Liverpool and while he was better than Senesi on the night, he was not a commanding centre-back presence.

Had some good moments and showed he is not afraid to get stuck in a stick up for his teammates when the going gets tough. Likely to play a bench role for the majority of the season. AVERAGE.

Has not looked anywhere near a £100million player so far. As Spurs have struggled, so has the big-money signing, failing to take any game by the scruff of the neck.

And that is what many will argue he was brought in to do. If the side is finding it difficult to gel and get on the front foot, Tonali should be the one dictating it and driving his team on. We have yet to see it. AVERAGE.

A lot of expectation has been placed on his shoulder and so far he has failed to deliver.

Is he an out-and-out striker? He played there for Eintracht Frankfurt and has done it for Manchester City, but is probably better as a support striker. At Spurs he has been expected to lead the line, although he did play alongside Dominic Solanke against Aston Villa in a game that Spurs really ought to have gone in front in.

Needs a goal to get his season going. AVERAGE.

Has not been brilliant, by any means, and, in fact, has, like some of the other defenders on this list, looked pretty shaky, but he does get himself higher up this list for the couple of clean sheets against Nottingham Forest and Everton, when it looked as if the defence had turned a corner.

Also grabs a higher placing for scoring in the 3-2 defeat by Vila, albeit a late, late consolation goal, proving he can bring some of what he did at Brighton with him. AVERAGE.

Has looked bright in his minutes so far, as he gets used to his new surroundings. And if there was some end product at the culmination of some of his work, he would be very dangerous indeed.

Had a couple of efforts well saved against Villa, although there were moments where he refused to drive to the byline and take on his man, which frustrates supporters. Should not be long before he comes good. GETTING THERE.

May have been criticised slightly by De Zerbi but has shown in a number of games this season that there is a spark there just waiting to go off.

The fact that he is always looking for the ball and always wants to get Spurs on the front foot is a good thing and will endear himself to the supporters. Probably hasn't helped that he doesn't know where his best position is yet. has played in the 8 and the 10 so far. GETTING THERE.

Probably the pick of the bunch when it comes to the new signings and that is not what anyone would have expected when the money was spent this summer.

The former Liverpool man came in on a freebie at the end of his contract and has outshone all of the more expensive signings so far this year. His leadership and will to get forward have been required, although he did make a shocking mistake to gift Villa the lead in the last game.

Tottenham midfielder Dejan Kulusevski has been out for over 500 days now, and Alasdair Gold has now provided an update on his injury situation.

Kulusevski suffered an injury back in May 2025, injuring his patella in his right knee against Crystal Palace.

The Swedish international has faced multiple setbacks during his recovery, meaning that he missed the whole of last season and the World Cup.

Kulusevski has been spotted in first-team training over the last few weeks, but with it being such a long-term and serious injury, Tottenham have been taking their time with him.

It goes without saying that Kulusevski didn't head off to international duty with his country, but he is currently in Sweden, working during his time off.

Roberto De Zerbi will be desperate to see him return, considering their struggles this season, and he does appear to be edging closer.

According to journalist Gold, Kulusevski is now edging closer to returning to a matchday squad after more than 500 days out injured.

It's claimed that Kulusevski returned to full training at the end of August before suffering a small setback during that time.

Kulusevski has now been working during his time off in Sweden, and he will be returning to Tottenham in order to continue his recovery soon.

Gold claims that it's now a case of Kulusevski getting a load of training sessions under his belt with his teammates without any setbacks. That's when he will be able to take his place on the bench.

The reliable journalist suggests that Kulusevski could be fit and available for one of Tottenham's upcoming fixtures in October if he continues training without any issues.

Tottenham miss Kulusevski

With Tottenham currently sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table, there's no doubt De Zerbi misses a player of Kulusevski's calibre.

The Swedish international will bring some much-needed creativity to Tottenham's team, especially considering they've scored just twice in the Premier League this season.

It's no surprise that Tottenham have struggled without Kulusevski over the last 500 days, and it'll be a huge boost when he eventually returns to the squad.

Whether he can transform Spurs back into a European competing team remains to be seen, but it will be a boost nonetheless.

Following the reports on Friday afternoon that Manchester City had been found guilty on 114 charges of breaching the Premier League's financial fair play rules, rival clubs are circling to see how they can benefit from any possible punishments.

The charges were first brought against the Citizens in 2023, with all 115 of the possible charges relating to a nine-year period, spanning from the 2008/09 season until the end of the 2017/18 campaign.

The guilty verdict has reportedly been given over two years later, but Manchester City declined to comment on whether these reports were true, and whether they had been informed of a decision yet by the Premier League and the independent commission panel.

Possible punishments haven't been made known yet, with suggestions ranging from retrospective points deductions applied to the years the charges relate to, which would strip City of numerous titles, or points deductions for future seasons and potentially even relegation to the lower tiers of English Football.

If the Premier League were to apply points deductions to previous years, which clubs would benefit, and specifically, which clubs would have qualified for the Champions League instead of City?

The 2010/11 season was the first year that saw Manchester City qualify for the Champions League. Roberto Mancini's City side finished third in that season, with 71 points, nine more than fifth-placed Spurs. The London club were managed by Harry Redknapp at the time, and they would have been playing in the Champions League the following season, had the charges been applied to City.

Two years in a row, Tottenham should've qualified for Champions League football; however, this year is a little more complex to understand. City won the title this season, beating their rivals Manchester United to the title due to their superior goal difference. Harry Redknapp's Spurs side did finish inside the Champions League places, but due to sixth-placed Chelsea winning the competition, Spurs had their place stolen by their London rivals.

It doesn't get much better for Spurs as, once again, they are the side that should've been playing in the Champions League had it not been for City allegedly breaking the rules. The side was managed by André Villas-Boas during this season, and they recorded their record points tally in a campaign, finishing on 72 points. They finished in fifth place, just one point behind their rivals Arsenal.

It's the first new entry on the list, and it's the Toffees who would have seen themselves playing Champions League football if it wasn't for City. Everton had said goodbye to manager David Moyes in the summer before the season got underway, as the Scotsman replaced Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

Everton brought in Roberto Martinez as his replacement, having left Wigan Athletic, who were relegated the season before despite winning the FA Cup. The Blues finished in fifth place, seven points behind Arsenal, and Goodison Park missed out on the chance to host Champions League football.

Normality resumes, as it is once again Tottenham who would have taken City's place in the Champions League if they were sanctioned. It was their first season under Mauricio Pochettino, who had left Southampton. Spurs finished six points behind fourth-place Manchester United, as Harry Kane introduced himself to Spurs at White Hart Lane that season.

Manchester United appear on the list for the first time, narrowly missing out on Champions League football to City on goal difference. United, managed by Louis van Gaal at the time, were winners of the FA Cup that year, and could've added the cherry on top to a strong season had City been found guilty of their breaches. The Red Devils were unbeaten against their rivals during the season, drawing 0-0 at Old Trafford before Marcus Rashford was the difference at the Etihad in the reverse fixture.

It's the first time Arsenal appear on the list, having qualified for the competition in all the previous years that the Manchester City charges relate to. Arsène Wenger's side finished in fifth place, with only three points separating them from City in third. The Gunners did win the FA Cup this year, although they suffered a heavy defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, losing 10-2 on aggregate. It was the first time Arsenal had finished outside the top four since the 1995/96 season, and it wouldn't have even happened if City were sanctioned.

For the final entry on this list, it is a team that hasn't featured yet. Chelsea finished fifth in the 2017/18 season under the management of Antonio Conte, who had guided the Blues to the Premier League title just the season before. There was some silverware during the season, as Eden Hazard's penalty at Wembley ensured that Chelsea lifted the FA Cup trophy. It was the first season since 199798 that the side were without club captain John Terry, and Conte was sacked after the season had ended.