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Tottenham’s head of scouting, Rob Mackenzie, has revealed that everyone at Spurs is overjoyed that they were able to beat one of the biggest clubs in the world to the signing of a teenager.

Spurs have some outstanding young players in their squad at the moment, and they will be hoping that Thomas Frank is the man to help those players fulfil their potential.

In fact, Tottenham have cited Frank’s ability to improve players as one of the main reasons for his appointment, and the early signs are certainly positive.

Some pundits have said that one Spurs youngster has already made a big step up under Frank, and it appears that there is a lot of excitement at the club surrounding the teenager.

Tottenham official makes Lucas Bergvall admission

Rob Mackenzie has now described Lucas Bergvall as a ‘genuine generational talent’ and has spoken highly of the way the Swede carries himself off the pitch.

Tottenham’s head of scouting admits that managing to beat Barcelona to the 19-year-old’s services is seen as a real coup at Hotspur Way.

Mackenzie told Training Ground Guru: “We were able to convince him to join us ahead of Barcelona, which was a fantastic coup for the club. I think maybe the opportunities to sign these guys in the windows are getting smaller and smaller, and you have to be able to react (with) less information faster.

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“I think in the case of Bergvall, he is a genuine generational talent and a fantastic human being. You realise that as soon as you meet him, this is different. Here is a kid who has the humility of a 19-year-old at the time, but who looks you in the eyes and gives you the impression that this guy can hold his own.”

What Barcelona are thinking about missing out on Bergvall

It is well known that Tottenham hijacked Barcelona’s deal for Lucas Bergvall back in January of 2024, with the midfielder eventually arriving at North London from Djurgarden last summer.

According to reports, Barcelona thought they had a deal for Bergvall wrapped up before Spurs swooped for him at the last moment.

Jermaine Jenas has picked his favourite midfield partner at Tottenham, and the answer may leave some surprised.

Jenas spent eight years at Tottenham after arriving from Newcastle United in 2005 and made 202 appearances for the Lilywhites across those years.

The former England man played with some outstanding midfielders during his time in North London, including the likes of Luka Modric, Rafael Van der Vaart and Scott Parker.

However, he named someone else when asked who his favourite midfield partner was at Spurs.

Jermaine Jenas names former Tottenham midfielder above Luka Modric

Jenas has picked Michael Carrick as the one he enjoyed playing alongside the most during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

Carrick spent two years at White Hart Lane after arriving from West Ham in 2004, and he went on to be a key part of a very successful Man United team following his switch to Old Trafford in 2006.

When asked who he enjoyed playing alongside the most at Spurs, Jenas told The Beast Mode On podcast on TikTok: “I think from playing with him at Spurs, seeing Michael at the peak of his powers controlling midfields in the way that he did, it gave everyone else more freedom. It gave Davids more freedom; it gave me more freedom. He absorbed so much pressure.”

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Jenas was not impressed with a former Spurs man

While it is clear that Jenas has a lot of admiration for Carrick, he did not feel the same about another one of his former Tottenham teammates.

Speaking on The Dressing Room podcast back in June, Jenas revealed that he was disappointed by Edgar David’s lack of technical quality when the Dutchman arrived at Spurs.

However, the 42-year-old admitted that Davids’ leadership qualities were clear for all to see during his time at White Hart Lane.

Jamie O’Hara was angered by Tottenham’s performance against Aston Villa, and he took aim at two youngsters who were handed starts by Thomas Frank.

Tottenham’s home form continues to be a major point of concern under Thomas Frank, with the Lilywhites now having managed just four points out of a possible 12 after Sunday’s loss.

Their only wins at home domestically this season have come against Burnley and Doncaster Rovers, while the Lilywhites were also fortunate to overcome Villarreal 1-0 at home in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their Champions League opener.

Thomas Frank has spoken of the need for Spurs to make their stadium a fortress, but it is proving anything but at the moment, with opposition sides enjoying playing at N17.

Jamie O’Hara blasts two Tottenham stars after defeat to Aston Villa

O’Hara referred to the team’s home form as a concern and admitted that Tottenham are extremely frustrating to watch.

He took to social media to question why Frank’s men are not creating chances outside of set-piece opportunities.

The former Tottenham midfielder also opined that neither Mathys Tel nor Wilson Odobert should be starting, suggesting that the pair are not good enough for Spurs.

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O’Hara wrote: ‘We’re so frustrating to watch, it’s painful, why is Tel playing? Why is Odebert starting? They are not good enough, we need more than just long throws, our home form needs to be a million times better Spurs.’

Spurs fans need to be patient with Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert

It seems to be lost on a lot of Tottenham fans that Tel and Odobert are the same age as Jamie Donley and a year younger than Dane Scarlett.

Not everyone can develop as quickly as someone like Lucas Bergvall, with most players tending to mature after 21.

It is worth remembering that when Harry Kane was Tel’s age, he was struggling to make an impact on loan in the Championship. To completely write off Tel and Odobert thus seems unfair.

Thomas Frank reveals what he thought of Xavi Simons’ showing against Aston Villa as Tottenham were beaten at home in the Premier League yet again.

The attacking midfielder did not hit the ground running after his summer move from RB Leipzig, which was to be expected, given that this is his first taste of Premier League football.

However, it appeared that the 22-year-old had turned a corner ahead of the international break.

Thomas Frank said that Xavi’s performance against Leeds was his best of the season after the Dutchman impressed in the 2-1 win at Elland Road.

The summer signing kept his place in the side, starting again as a number ten against Villa, but this time, he was a passenger for much of the game and was taken off on 79 minutes as the home side went in search of an equaliser.

Thomas Frank defends Xavi Simons after Tottenham’s defeat

From the reaction on social media, it is clear that some Spurs fans have been far from convinced with Xavi since his big-money summer switch.

The attacking midfielder struggled to get into the game on Sunday, but Frank has come to his defence, insisting that it is not fair to single out players since Tottenham attack and defend as a team.

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When asked if Xavi is still finding his feet at N17, the Spurs boss said (via the club’s official website): “I think we defend with 11 players. We also attack with 11 players. It’s the whole team. Of course, it will always be, let’s say, the front four. Today, Wilson, Mo, Xavi and Mathys. They are the main guys who will be judged on it, which is fair.

“Other players are coming on from the bench. I like Xavi’s personality today, especially in the first half. I think he wanted to get on the ball, he wanted to create. I think he was very aggressive in the pressure. I think it was a fine game.

“I think I need to remember it myself when we judge players and they come into a new club, a new country. I know it’s part of football. We judge them with a very small sample of games. I’m not in doubt that Xavi will be good for us. Today was an average-plus game.”

Spurs insiders are confident Xavi will come good

While the new Tottenham signing may not have yet convinced on the pitch, his teammates and the club’s staff have seemingly been impressed by him.

His international teammate Micky van de Ven described Xavi as ‘special’ and is confident that he will showcase his quality in a Spurs shirt sooner rather than later.

Tottenham Hotspur failed to secure victory against Aston Villa in their last Premier League fixture, and a worrying pattern involving Cristian Romero has now begun to emerge.

It was a second defeat for Tottenham Hotspur under Thomas Frank when Aston Villa visited the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 2-1 scoreline summed up an afternoon where Spurs could not capitalise on their bright start, with Rodrigo Bentancur’s early strike proving to be their only reward.

The result leaves Tottenham in sixth place in the Premier League table, with hopes of an immediate response when they next take to the pitch.

Cristian Romero’s absence exposes Tottenham struggles

Thomas Frank was without Cristian Romero for the league fixture against Aston Villa, with the Argentine ruled out after picking up a knock during the warm-up.

The Tottenham manager later confirmed that Romero’s injury is not expected to be serious, but the Argentine’s absence was glaring as Spurs struggled to contain the Villans’ attacking threat in his absence, with statistics now showing a worrying trend.

According to available data, Tottenham have managed to win just 23% (6 out of 26) of their Premier League matches without Romero since the start of the 2023/24 campaign.

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However, with the defender in the starting lineup, that figure jumps to 50% (29 out of 58) – a stark contrast that underlines his influence on the team’s stability.

Romero’s presence at the heart of defence brings both structure and aggression to Tottenham’s backline, qualities that were sorely missed against Aston Villa.

Spurs need Romero back for vital run of fixtures

Thomas Frank will be hoping that Romero’s injury does not keep him out for long, given how pivotal he remains to this Tottenham side.

The Argentine will be crucial over the next six fixtures, which are set to come in quick succession over less than three weeks, making consistency and leadership at the back absolutely vital.

Tottenham’s defensive lapses against Aston Villa were evident in both of the goals conceded, with neither long-range effort being effectively closed down by surrounding players.

It is the sort of defensive scenario Cristian Romero typically snuffs out with his anticipation and intensity – his numbers back that up, with 1.98 tackles per game (Top 19%) and 1.58 interceptions (Top 10%) according to recent statistics.

An extremely worrying Premier League stat has come to light after Tottenham’s home loss against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Spurs’ struggles to win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium continue as Aston Villa came back from a goal down to take all three points on Sunday.

Ahead of the game, Frank had spoken about the need for Spurs to make their stadium a fortress, but it is proving anything but at the moment.

The Lilywhites are now winless at home in the Premier League since their opening day 3-0 win against newly promoted Burnley, and Spurs fans will be shocked by one stat.

Only three sides have a worse home record than Tottenham this season

Following their loss on Sunday, Tottenham have now secured just four points out of a possible 12 at home this season.

According to the Premier League’s website, that means that Spurs rank 17th when it comes to home form across the division so far this season.

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In fact, the only three teams that have worse home records than Tottenham are the three teams that currently occupy the relegation zone: Nottingham Forest, West Ham, and Burnley.

That certainly does not make for pretty reading, and although it is a small sample, it means that Spurs are showing near-relegation form at home, which was also the case for much of last season.

Thomas Frank defends Spurs’ home form

After Sunday’s defeat, the Tottenham boss acknowledged that his side have to improve some aspects of their game at home.

However, Frank insisted that Spurs’ performances at home have been better than their results suggest this season. He suggested that a draw would have been a fair result against Villa and claimed that Tottenham could have even won on a different day.

“I hope I can. Maybe I don’t think it’s that simple. I think it’s about looking into the performances.

“I think we performed well against Burnley, I think we performed well again today. I think we had one very good first half against Wolves and then we had a bad game against Bournemouth.

“So, that’s probably the reason I think it’s a game that is a draw, a clear draw and we could easily have won it instead of Villa and then it would have been a different narrative. So, I look at the performance on the pitch, we did well, and look at the bits we need to improve.”

Opta’s Supercomputer has revised its prediction on where Tottenham Hotspur will finish this season after their latest Premier League loss against Aston Villa.

According to Opta, Tottenham were marginal favourites to beat Aston Villa going into Sunday’s game, but it was the Villans who walked away with all three points from N17.

The result means that Spurs are still winless at home in the Premier League this season since their opening day victory over Burnley.

Ahead of this weekend, Opta had predicted that Tottenham would finish in eighth place in the Premier League this season, but that has now been revised.

Tottenham drop down Opta’s prediction table

Opta’s algorithm has now been updated since the weekend’s results, and Spurs have now dropped two places in their revised prediction.

Following Villa’s win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Supercomputer now predicts Thomas Frank’s men will finish in 10th place, accumulating 54.61 points.

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As per the website’s calculations, the likes of Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton and Newcastle are all expected to finish above Spurs.

How likely are Spurs to qualify for the Champions League?

Even more worryingly, after this weekend’s result, Tottenham are given just a 10.3 per cent chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Tottenham’s opponents on Sunday, Aston Villa, have been deemed twice as likely to do so, being handed a 20.3 per cent chance of securing Champions League qualification.

Opta put Spurs’ chances of qualifying for either the Champions League or the Europa League at just 16.5 per cent cumulatively, which means that they have deemed the Lilywhites huge outsiders for a top-six finish.

Thomas Frank has made an interesting observation about Tottenham Hotspur’s home form after their latest loss against Aston Villa.

Ahead of Sunday’s clash, Frank admitted that Spurs needed to improve their results at home, but his players once again failed to produce the goods in front of their supporters.

The evening started perfectly for the Lilywhites, with Rodrigo Bentancur putting them 1-0 up in the fifth minute, but the home side struggled to convert their dominance into clear-cut chances.

They were punished as Villa scored with two brilliant strikes, one from Morgan Rogers in the first-half and the other from substitute Emi Buendia, thus managing to steal all the points.

Thomas Frank reflects on Tottenham’s performances at home

After this loss, Spurs have only got four points at home out of a possible 12, which is in sharp contrast to their away form, where they have won three and drawn one.

While Frank acknowledged that Tottenham have to improve at home, he insisted that it was more about assessing the performances than the results, suggesting that his side has played better at home than their record suggests.

However, fans may be worried that Frank insisted Tottenham ‘performed well’ against Villa, despite conceding two and struggling to create chances of their own.

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When asked if he could explain why Spurs cannot win at home, Frank responded (via the club’s official website): “I hope I can. Maybe I don’t think it’s that simple. I think it’s about looking into the performances.

“I think we performed well against Burnley, I think we performed well again today. I think we had one very good first half against Wolves and then we had a bad game against Bournemouth.

“So, that’s probably the reason I think it’s a game that is a draw, a clear draw and we could easily have won it instead of Villa and then it would have been a different narrative. So, I look at the performance on the pitch, we did well, and look at the bits we need to improve.”

Spurs can take positives from the performance against Aston Villa

One can certainly understand why Tottenham fans are concerned about the team’s inability to create chances at home.

However, these performances have to be judged in a broader context of what is an extremely tight Premier League campaign, with all sides being very difficult to break down.

Man City struggled to break down Everton for the majority of the game despite winning 2-0 on Saturday, while Liverpool also lost at home this weekend.

The days of expecting home sides to dominate the opposition and pepper the goal with shot after shot are well and truly over in the Premier League, as most teams have strong squads and are well coached.

Villa are a very well-drilled side, who were restricted to barely any chances by Tottenham, and Frank is right in saying that on another day, the Lilywhites could have won the game.

NFL reporter Charlie Wilson has reacted to suggestions that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could play host to the Super Bowl within the next five years.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium plays host to two NFL matches per year, being the only stadium outside North America that is purpose-built to host the sport.

The tie-up with the NFL is part of the reason why Spurs represent such an attractive investment opportunity for many across the globe.

It was suggested recently by Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones that Tottenham’s home ground could play host to the Super Bowl within the next five years.

Tottenham’s chances of hosting the Super Bowl played down

However, Charlie Wilson has now explained that the venues for the next five Super Bowls have already been decided and that the showpiece event of the NFL will not be coming to London.

He further pointed out the logistical and commercial issues that may arise from playing the game in the UK, suggesting that it is not a realistic idea at the moment.

When asked about Jerry Jones’ comments on the Super Bowl being played at Spurs, Wilson told Football Insider: “The next five years is highly unlikely. I would say 98 per cent it’s not going to happen because this year it’s in San Francisco, they’ve already got Los Angeles in 2027, 2028 is in Atlanta, Dallas is being lined up for 2029, and I believe 2030 is one of the new stadiums being built.

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“I mean, it’s possible in the future. The NFL UK really wants to do it. I’ve spoken to Henry Hodgson, who’s the general manager of NFL UK, quite a few times, and he’s always told me that’s something they aspire to get, but the logistics of it almost make it impossible, I think it’s fair to say.

“The thing is with the Super Bowl is it’s basically a holiday in America. It’s kind of like Thanksgiving. It’s kind of like Halloween. It’s something the whole nation looks forward to, and having it in the UK, what time would it be on? Say it starts at 8 pm, that’s 3 pm on the East Coast and 12 pm on the West Coast.

“Financially, you think about things like adverts. For example, companies pay about $7million (£5.2m) for a 30-second advert. Is that going to change because of the time it’s on? Probably. So, you’re talking about the NFL losing multi-millions to go abroad, which isn’t going to be celebrated by teams or players. It doesn’t make a lot of sense right now, I would say.”

NFL UK know Super Bowl is not coming to London

According to Forbes, last year’s Super Bowl generated an economic impact of $1bn (£740m) for Las Vegas as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in Sin City.

Wilson suggested that the economic footprint of the game is another reason why it will not be moved out of the United States anytime soon, adding that the NFL UK are aware of that.

He continued: “It brings the said city an insane amount of money, not only that, but for the team hosting it and the use of their facilities. It’s such a money-maker for the cities, so why would they want to take it abroad? What’s the upside for the NFL to play a Super Bowl in London apart from the game, which they’re already doing at an insanely good rate anyway?

“You look at the games in London this year. They’re at an all-time high on the attendance list. Is a Super Bowl really going to push it over the edge? The pros and the cons just don’t seem to make it likely for it to happen anytime soon, and I think the NFL UK acknowledge that. They know the NFL don’t want to take the Super Bowl abroad.”

Tottenham Hotspur have now missed out on the signing of one 15-year-old youngster dubbed as the next John Stones.

While signing established footballers often brings instant quality to a side, securing the future of emerging youngsters remains just as vital for long-term sustainability.

Tottenham Hotspur are currently feeling the strain in that regard, with Thomas Frank only able to register 22 players for this season’s UEFA Champions League campaign instead of the full quota of 25 due to a shortage of club-trained players.

Tottenham desperately needs young academy players to eventually meet European squad quotas, but they have just failed to sign a talented teenager who could help fill that gap in the future.

Newcastle beat Tottenham to Josh Kenchington

According to TBR Football, Newcastle United appear to have secured the services of highly-rated Barnsley youngster Josh Kenchington, a 15-year-old defender already capped four times by England’s under-15 side.

Kenchington currently features for Barnsley’s under-18s, but reports suggest that he has chosen to make the switch to Tyneside despite interest from several Premier League clubs, including Tottenham and Leeds United.

Dubbed the next John Stones, Kenchington is regarded as one of the most gifted prospects to emerge from Barnsley’s academy in recent years.

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His decision to join Eddie Howe’s side comes after a competitive chase involving Manchester City, Manchester United, Leeds, and Spurs, with Newcastle seemingly winning the race for his signature.

TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey provided further insight into the situation, revealing Barnsley’s disappointment at losing one of their most prized prospects.

Speaking to the outlet, Bailey said: “Josh Kenchington is a player held in huge regard, probably the best since John Stones. Barnsley really hoped he would stay to make his debut, but he is heading out.

“He has spoken to a number of clubs, but Newcastle believe they have won the race to land him – his family were very happy with their visit to Tyneside and think it is a good fit. Barnsley sources say they expect Newcastle to confirm his arrival.”

Spurs still have Luka Vuskovic for the future

Despite missing out on Kenchington, Tottenham will not be overly concerned, with Luka Vuskovic still viewed as a key defensive talent for the future.

The Croatian youngster officially joined Spurs at 18 and, if kept on the club’s books until the age of 21, will count as a club-trained player for UEFA registration purposes – a significant long-term boost for the Lilywhites.