London Evening Standard

Morgan Rogers has already responded to Man Utd transfer interest - and it's not good news for Arsenal

Rogers responds to Man Utd interest - and it's not good for Arsenal

New Green Mayor of London borough hikes salary by almost £5,000 despite vowing to cut pay before election

New Green Mayor hikes salary by £5k despite election vow to cut pay

He has since undergone multiple surgeries on his route to recovery and declared himself available to represent Sweden at the World Cup, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, was left behind by Graham Potter.

Kulusevski’s full focus, then, is on getting himself ready to represent Tottenham in the upcoming Premier League season, and it seems Roberto De Zerbi will be able to call on him when they get their campaign underway in August.

Kulusevski has shared plenty of content from his recovery on his Instagram page, and in a new story post, shows himself playing a game of two-on-two basketball.

The short clip shows him picking up the ball inside the three-point line, before driving to the basket and passing to his team-mate, who scores from the free-throw line.

That post is followed by a photo of a Tottenham-branded football next to a pitch.

Kulusevski has previously posted clips of himself undergoing rehabilitation work both in the gym and on the pitch, but this latest snippet is the most vigorous activity we have seen from the Swede since he last appeared for Tottenham some 391 days ago.

The clip shows him moving freely, suggesting his injury nightmare may now be a thing of the past, though this will not be confirmed until he reports for pre-season training.

Tottenham endured a tumultuous season with Kulusevski absent. Three different managers took the helm as they narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the Premier League season.

“For me, it’s difficult to understand how he can play at the World Cup if he didn’t play any games this season,” De Zerbi explained.

“But I texted him after [the Villa game]. He told me in the next week, I think, he comes back [to continue his rehab at Hotspur Way]. And I hope he can be available to stay with us in the last game because he is an amazing player.”

Kulusevski’s Tottenham team-mate Lucas Bergvall has been called up to Sweden’s World Cup squad. The Blagult were drawn into a difficult group, though, where they will face Tunisia, the Netherlands and Japan.

Morgan Rogers has already responded to Man Utd transfer interest - and it's not good news for Arsenal

Rogers responds to Man Utd interest - and it's not good for Arsenal

New Green Mayor of London borough hikes own salary by almost £5,000 despite vowing to cut pay before election

New Green Mayor hikes salary by £5k despite election vow to cut pay

New Green Mayor of London borough hikes own salary by almost £5,000 despite vowing to cut pay before election

New Green Mayor hikes salary by £5k despite election vow to cut pay

New Green Mayor of London borough hikes own salary by almost £5,000 despite vowing to cut pay before election

New Green Mayor hikes salary by £5k despite election vow to cut pay

Ex-Tottenham midfielder, Sandro, has identified where Roberto De Zerbi needs to focus if he wants to successfully rebuild Spurs after their worst Premier League season ever.

After only winning three games at home all season in the league and finishing just two points above the relegation zone in 17th, there will need to be an overhaul at Spurs if they are to improve vastly next season.

Sandro proposed that De Zerbi needs to build a solid defence around their star centre-back Micky van de Ven, hoping the dutchman will stay on for another season with rumours of Cristian Romero’s departure growing.

“Van de Ven needs to stay, he needs to be the captain for next season,” Sandro explained. “I think De Zerbi will build a strong squad and it will help Micky as well. He's so important for Tottenham.

“I hope he does stay and [De Zerbi can] build the team around him at the back and then around the midfielders.”

If Romero does decide to leave Spurs, then they will have to be on the market for a regular centre back partner for Van De Ven.

Sandro has picked out the man who he believes is perfect for that job and already has experience playing De Zerbi’s style of football.

“They are talking about Marcos Senesi, at Bournemouth,” the Brazilian said. “But I really like the defender from Brighton, Van Hecke.

“For me, Van Hecke is ready. He's ready to play because he played under De Zerbi and he showed that he can play in the moment, that he's mature, and we need players that are already mature.”

If De Zerbi can be prudent in this summer’s transfer window and brings in a player like Van Hecke, then Sandro is certain that Van De Ven can be just as good as Gabriel, who is widely agreed upon to be one of, if not the best, centre back in the league.

“He just needs the players, the squad to help him a little bit and, having a strong team around him.

Questions right down the spine of the team must be addressed

Sam Tabuteau

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Tottenham have a huge summer ahead of them after securing Premier League survival on the final day of the season.

Roberto De Zerbi has admitted that he wants to keep only “11 to 12” of the current players at the club next season as he looks to get Spurs challenging again for a top-four finish.

A squad overhaul is expected, with captain Cristian Romero weighing up his options, while Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson are close to completing free transfers to the north London club.

Spurs are desperate to put last season behind them, with Micky van de Ven describing the last 12 months as unacceptable.

But in order to do so, De Zerbi will need to be decisive in the transfer market as he remodels his squad after a difficult season.

Here, Standard Sport looks at three decisions De Zerbi must get right if he is to make Spurs competitive next season…

Luka Vuskovic

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Can Vuskovic step in for Romero?

Luka Vuskovic has yet to make a competitive appearance for Spurs, but it appears as if his future will be one of the major talking points of the summer.

The 19-year-old Croatian centre-back is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in Europe and enjoyed a hugely impressive season on loan at Bundesliga side Hamburg.

It is felt that Vuskovic, who will play in this summer’s World Cup, is ready to come in and challenge for minutes at Spurs next season.

But Vuskovic has made no secret of his desire to play alongside his brother, Mario, at Hamburg, who returns from a drugs ban in November.

Along with growing interest in the player, there are complications surrounding Vuskovic’s future in north London.

Spurs will be in the market for defensive reinforcements should Romero leave the club this summer, and De Zerbi must decide whether he believes Vuskovic is ready to step in for the Argentine.

De Zerbi will hope that any decision on Vuskovic remains in his hands, but knows interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona could tempt the teenager to leave permanently.

Antonin Kinsky

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Can Kinsky become Spurs’ permanent No1?

A huge amount of credit must be given to Antonin Kinsky for the way in which he recovered from his nightmare performance against Atletico Madrid in March to steer Spurs to safety.

The Czech goalkeeper, standing in for the injured Guglielmo Vicario, played a pivotal role as Spurs picked up 11 points from their final six league games to avoid the embarrassment of relegation.

Crucial saves against Wolves and Leeds preserved precious points for Spurs, who avoided relegation by just two points, and there is now a question as to whether Kinsky is capable of becoming Spurs’ first choice keeper.

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With Vicario’s future uncertain amid interest from his native Italy, Spurs could be looking for a new No1 next season.

There is a longstanding interest in Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford, but De Zerbi has been impressed, if not surprised, by Kinsky’s renaissance and could look to focus resources elsewhere as he attempts to remodel his squad.

Xavi Simons could be sidelined until 2027

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Do Spurs need to invest in another creative midfielder?

Technical director Johan Lange got it wrong in the January transfer window when he insisted that Spurs did not need to be proactive in responding to a slew of injuries that decimated their squad.

In only managing to bring in Conor Gallagher and Brazilian teenager Souza, Spurs were left desperately short of options, particularly in attack, as their form plummeted after the turn of the year.

Spurs say they will be aggressive in the transfer market, and look set to wrap up deals for Senesi and Robertson.

However, it is in attack where De Zerbi needs to decide whether to wait on injured players or enter the market for reinforcements.

Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are not expected to return to fitness until the new year after suffering anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

There is no timeline in place either for when Dejan Kulusevski or Mohammed Kudus will be back to fitness.

Kulusevski has been out since May 2025 with a complicated patella injury, while Kudus suffered a setback in his recovery from a serious quad injury. Both players have been left out of their respective World Cup squads.

James Maddison played a small part in Spurs’ run-in as he stepped up his recovery from an ACL injury.

Spurs, though, will need to learn from the mistakes of January if they are to push on next season.

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At this week’s annual council meeting on Wednesday (28th), the leader of the new minority Conservative administration, Alessandro Georgiou, said he would refuse to sign a lease to the Premier League football club in order to preserve Whitewebbs “for the enjoyment of future generations”.

Planning permission for a new women’s and girls’ football academy had been granted last year by the outgoing Labour administration, with THFC proposing to build on a 16-hectare area of the park’s former golf course – with large fences surrounding it.

However, former council leader and Spurs fan Ergin Erbil failed to formally sign off on a 25-year lease of the park to THFC prior to this month’s election, when Labour lost their majority.

This gave the Conservatives an opportunity to block the plans, as they had vowed to do in their election manifesto.

Earlier this year, actor Dame Judi Dench backed the campaign against Spurs’ development at Whitewebbs, saying it was “essential” to “protect people’s access to nature”.

No party achieved an outright majority at the local election on Thursday, 7th May. However, with 31 councillors, the Conservatives had the most of any party, paving the way for them to form a minority administration at the full council meeting.

Labour came in second, with 27. The Green Party, making their first gains in the borough, won five seats.

The traditional centre-right party and rapidly growing left-wing Greens don’t agree on much, especially when it comes to social and economic policy.

Crucially, however, both groups campaigned to protect Enfield’s green spaces and have agreed to work together to prevent new development on the borough’s parks and Green Belt. This includes the training facilities planned for Whitewebbs Park.

It also includes plans by the Labour-led government to potentially build up to 21,000 homes on large areas of Green Belt land in Crews Hill and Chase Park, to the borough’s north. In one of his first actions as leader, Cllr Georgiou wrote to the government saying the council would be withdrawing its interest in the scheme.

The Eagles secured a maiden European crown on Wednesday - and it has implications for Chelsea and Spurs

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Crystal Palace lifted the Europa Conference League trophy on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig.

The Eagles earned a first-ever European title in Germany, in what was manager Oliver Glasner’s final game at the helm after the Austrian had confirmed he would be leaving the club earlier in the season.

Jean-Philippe Mateta netted the only goal of the game as Palace replicated West Ham’s 2023 feat by clinching the trophy which they had been favourites to win from the outset.

The south Londoners’ triumph will have consequences for Chelsea and Tottenham, neither of whom qualified for European competition this term.

The Blues ended the campaign in 10th, just a point off Brighton and Hove Albion, who secured the only Conference League place for next season.

Parting gift: Oliver Glasner

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Spurs, meanwhile, just about kept themselves afloat, with their relegation run-in going down to the very final day.

A 1-0 win over Everton was enough to retain their top-flight status and earn a 17th-placed finish, at the expense of West Ham, who were relegated.

There will be nine English representatives on the continent next season, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool all in the Champions League.

Bournemouth and Sunderland join Palace in the Europa League having finished sixth and seventh respectively, while the Eagles will participate in Europe’s second-tier competition thanks to their Conference League victory.

Brighton will be the sole English club in the Conference League.

How does Crystal Palace’s Conference League win affect Chelsea and Tottenham?

With four teams playing in Europe on a Thursday , it means that the Premier League fixture schedule will look a bit different for some of the other sides not playing continental football next term.

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That includes Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea and Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs.

Should a club play in Europe on a Thursday, they instantly cannot play their next league game on a Saturday, meaning they must be moved to a Sunday kick off slot, since they also cannot play on Fridays or Mondays.

It is also the case with Champions League competititors playing on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and they are not allowed to feature on Friday or Mondays either.

That will particularly impact Chelsea and Spurs, who are often selected for TV kick offs that depart from the traditional 3pm on a Saturday.

New boss: Xabi Alonso will take charge of Chelsea in the summer, with the club not in Europe

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Hence, if they are not facing a club with European competition, they are likely to face more matches on Friday and Monday nights from next season.

That could also be the case for Newcastle United, who, despite playing in the Champions League this year, will not return to the European stage after a poor league campaign.

In theory, Sky Sports, the leading Premier League broadcaster in the UK, is supposed to pick each team a maximum of five times on a Friday or Monday across a 32-game span.

However, this season, that was breached four times, with four clubs - not playing in Europe - all affected.

They were Everton, who had seven matches moved to a Monday evening, Man United on eight, West Ham with seven and Leeds on six, which prompted angry reactions from their respective fan groups.

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