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The Tottenham Hotspur team for the Premier League match against Bournemouth this afternoon has been announced.

Supporters were left delighted on Friday following the news of Tottenham’s £51m transfer deal for Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig to add some much-needed creativity to the attack.

Simons is not available for selection for the visit of the Cherries as a result of signing his contract after Friday’s 12pm deadline, while he also waits for international clearance and a work permit.

The North Londoners go into the match looking to make it a hat-trick of wins with Tottenham beating Manchester City 2-0 last Saturday, which came after the victory over Burnley on the opening weekend.

How the Tottenham team lines up against Bournemouth

Tottenham are boosted by the return of Destiny Udogie to the matchday squad for the first time this season following an injury in pre-season. Yves Bissouma is still injured and once again misses out.

Radu Dragusin is making good progress from his ACL injury and is weeks away from returning, while Kota Takai, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski remain out.

There was one surprise with Dominic Solanke not named in the match day squad.

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Thomas Frank said at yesterday’s press conference: “I think Bissouma for sure is out of the next game. The specific timeline is more in doubt because I don’t think he will be out for too long. Radu has been running for a while. He should rejoin the team in 10 days to two weeks.”

This is the Spurs team which takes to the field at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium today:

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence, Bentancur, Palhinha, Sarr, Johnson, Richarlison, Kudus

Subs: Kinsky, Danso, Davies, Udogie, Gray, Bergvall, Tel, Solomon, Odobert

Bournemouth: Petrovic; Truffert, Senesi, Brooks, Scott, Evanilson, Adams, Smith, Tavernier, Diakite, Semenyo.

Subs: Dennis, Adli, Faivre, Christie, Kluivert, Kroupi JR, Gannon-Doak, Soler, Hill

Tottenham need to continue their impressive form

Despite Bournemouth having only won one of their opening three matches this season, they cannot be underestimated. Antoine Semenyo showed why Tottenham were interested in him with his performance at Anfield and is certainly one to watch out for today.

Given how impressive Tottenham have looked under Thomas Frank this season, it’s hard to think that they could drop many points from the next five Premier League fixtures when you review the below opponents.

Tottenham Hotspur have completed a deal to sign Xavi Simons and he will go straight into the first-team squad once he is registered.

Tottenham Hotspur have finally filled their attacking midfield vacancy. Xavi Simons is on his way to Spurs after Tottenham agreed a deal to sign the RB Leipzig midfielder.

Thomas Frank has already got his team off to a fine start in the Premier League, but he will definitely utilise the newest addition to the Tottenham first-team squad.

Here is how Frank could set up his team once Simons is able to get up and running in North London.

How Tottenham could line up with Xavi Simons

GK – Guglielmo Vicario: It already looks certain that Vicario will play most of Tottenham’s fixtures this season. He may not be the finest distributor of the ball, but his goalkeeping abilities are superior to Antonin Kinsky. The Italian was solid against Manchester City and will start all the league matches, provided he remains injury-free.

RB – Pedro Porro: Porro made an excellent start to the Premier League campaign against Burnley. He did make a few mistakes during the 2-0 win over Manchester City, but his spot in the starting lineup looks pretty secure. Djed Spence is more likely to challenge Destiny Udogie on the left, while Archie Gray has only played at right-back to allow Porro a game to rest.

CB – Cristian Romero: The Tottenham captain will obviously be one of the first names on Frank’s team sheet. The only question is whether he can avoid injuries during the season. Last season saw Romero miss a number of matches, especially due to the hamstring injury he picked up in December.

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CB – Micky van de Ven: Like his defensive counterpart, van de Ven struggled with injuries last season, but when he is available, he is always going to be in the starting lineup. His pace and agility is second to none compared with any other Premier League centre-back. It was his incredible goal-line clearance which kept Spurs ahead in the Europa League final.

LB – Djed Spence: The time is nearing for Destiny Udogie to return from injury and he may well be handed an opportunity to reclaim his position in the Tottenham first-team. However, Spence is playing well and already looks like a more balanced defender under Frank. His hard work has paid off, as his national team have announced that Spence has received his first England call-up.

CM – Joao Palhinha: Tottenham need a defensive midfielder in their team, particularly when taking on teams like Manchester City. Palhinha showed just how useful he can be with his defensive contributions, while he also got himself a goal. Even if Yves Bissouma remains at Spurs after the summer, Palhinha will be Frank’s preferred choice.

CM – Rodrigo Bentancur: Spurs have a solid defensive midfielder in Palhinha and a great attacking option in Simons and Bentancur offers a bit of both. The 28-year-old might not possess the energy levels of Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr, but he has the edge when it comes to composure and technical ability.

RW – Mohammed Kudus: The obvious pick, Kudus has already stunned Spurs supporters with his mesmerising dribbling. He may not seem the biggest goal threat at this point in time, but Kudus has impressed, both with his creative play and his ability to beat defenders.

CAM – Xavi Simons: As good as Sarr has looked so far this season, there is no question as to whether Simons will start for Tottenham. He scores, creates chances and is a threat to any opponent. He could even make his debut at the London Stadium against West Ham, so long as he does not get injured whilst on international duty.

LW – Brennan Johnson: This position is now the single biggest problem in Tottenham’s team. Spurs have an abundance of wingers, but most of them favour the right flank. Johnson can fill in for now, but the ideal scenario would be for Tottenham to make one more signing before the window closes. Alternatively, Simons could play on the left with Sarr in the middle, but the Dutchman predominantly plays as a midfielder and it is the position where he plays his best football.

ST – Richarlison: Whether Richarlison keeps up his good form remains to be seen, but for now, he is the clear first-choice striker. Dominic Solanke could still get some games in cup matches, including the Champions League. Hopefully, both strikers will perform under Frank and push each other to keep improving and banging in the goals.

Thomas Frank could also use Simons as a left-wing option, bringing Pape Sarr into the number 10 role in big away games for his high-press expertise. This would create a starting XI of: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bentancur, Kudus, Sarr, Simons; Richarlison.

Tottenham are battling a Serie A side for the signature of Manuel Akanji, and the Lilywhites have now launched an offer for the Manchester City star.

According to reports, Spurs want to add a centre-back to their squad before Monday’s transfer deadline after greenlighting Luka Vuskovic’s loan move to Hamburg.

It was revealed a couple of days ago by Fabrizio Romano that Tottenham had made an approach for Manuel Akanji, but the journalist added that AC Milan were also on the 30-year-old’s trail.

It looked like Tottenham Hotspur had fallen behind in the race for the centre-back as Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Friday that Milan had agreed personal terms with the Man City man.

However, a new update has now claimed that Spurs are currently ahead in the race for the Swiss international.

Tottenham have outbid AC Milan for Manuel Akanji

This update comes from Sky Italia, who claim that the Switzerland international remains Milan’s number one target.

It is revealed that the Serie A side have launched a €15m (£13m) offer for the 30-year-old and are expecting a response today.

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However, the report says that Tottenham have now responded with an offer of their own worth €20m (£17.3m) for the former Borussia Dortmund man.

The outlet explains that Akanji is keen on playing Champions League football and would prefer to remain in England, thus handing Spurs the upper hand over the Italian side in the transfer race.

Milan admit landing Akanji will prove challenging

Sky Italia say that Tottenham’s interest in the Man City star makes the operation ‘difficult’ for the Rossoneri.

The outlet also spoke to Milan sporting director Igli Tare, who confirmed the club’s interest in Akanji but admitted that the deal is not an easy one.

He told the publication: “This change in formation in the last few days has put us in a bit of trouble. In the next four or five days, we need to try to bring home an experienced player like Akanji: he can play for AC Milan. But it’s not easy.”

Chris Sutton does not think Tottenham Hotspur will have things their own way against Bournemouth, admitting that the Cherries have impressed him so far.

The Thomas Frank era has started very positively at Spurs, with two wins and two clean sheets in the Premier League.

There have also been some positive developments off the field, with Tottenham securing a deal for Xavi Simons, which has changed the mood of the Spurs fan base.

The home fans will be expected to create an atmosphere to get right behind the team this afternoon, as the Lilywhites look to make it three wins in three.

Chris Sutton expects Tottenham to edge out Bournemouth

While the momentum is with the Spurs going into the game, Sutton has warned the Lilywhites that Andoni Iraola’s men will not be easy prey.

The pundit admitted that he was impressed with how Bournemouth played against Wolves, but he backed Tottenham to edge out the South Coast club by one goal.

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When asked to predict the result of the game, the former Celtic striker told BBC Sport: “This’ll be a great game. Bournemouth were excellent against Wolves last weekend and were unlucky to only win 1-0.

“They’ve always got an attacking threat, and because of that, I always fancy them to score. But then Thomas Frank’s Tottenham have been so well balanced. They’ve been phenomenal so far.

“As for Richarlison, I was told by statman Dave not to get him in my Fantasy Team. I didn’t put him in, and he’s had an amazing start – two goals and one assist. At home, I fancy Tottenham to nick it. Prediction: 2-1.”

Bournemouth clash is a potential banana skin for Spurs

Reports indicate that Simons could be unveiled as a Spurs player at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tomorrow.

If Frank’s men can put in a performance against Bournemouth and get a comfortable win, it could prove to be a celebratory occasion, which will add to the feeling of immense positivity at the start of the season.

However, we know that these are exactly the kind of occasions where Tottenham sides have slipped up in the past, and things could change very dramatically if Iraola’s men pull off an upset.

Paul Merson has made his prediction as Tottenham Hotspur host Bournemouth and he believes the match will be won by a single goal.

Tottenham Hotspur are already flying in the Premier League, having twice performed at a high level to record a plus-five goal difference. Thomas Frank has shown he knows how to set up his team, whether their opponents are a newly promoted side or one of the best teams in the country.

Brennan Johnson once again made the scoresheet, against Manchester City and Joao Palhinha opened his account at Spurs. Richarlison also found himself at the front and centre of Tottenham’s attacking play, securing his first assist of the season.

Spurs will be feeling positive after their victory at the Etihad, but they must be wary not to slip up. Ange Postecoglou’s side began to spiral after defeating Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium last season. In fact, they only won one of their next 11 matches in all competitions.

Paul Merson backs Tottenham not to blow it against Bournemouth.

Paul Merson has brought up Tottenham’s past history of following strong results with unexpected defeats. This could come as a frustration to Spurs supporters, particularly after the club won the Europa League.

However, Merson is confident Tottenham will be more consistent under Frank, which is why he is backing his former North London rivals to edge past Bournemouth.

He told Sportskeeda: “This is a difficult game for Tottenham. They have been outstanding so far this season, looking really good under Thomas Frank. Spurs went to the Etihad and took the game to Manchester City. They were brave and thoroughly deserved that win.

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“Everyone at Tottenham will now turn up at their stadium on Saturday expecting Spurs to win and that’s the problem here. When people expect Spurs to win, they usually blow it. How many times have we seen that happen in the past?

“But I think this year they are a bit different because of the manager. As a coach, Frank is flexible and he will have different plans for different teams. This is a massive chance for Tottenham to prove they aren’t ‘Spursy’. What good is it if they beat City and then lose to Bournemouth at home?

“This is a dangerous match because it’s Bournemouth. I’m still going to go with Spurs to edge it.”

Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Bournemouth

Bournemouth have not had a strong start to the season

Bournemouth may have got a result at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season, but most teams did in all fairness. This time around, Spurs are looking far stronger as Frank looks to secure a hat-trick of wins.

The Cherries were defeated 4-2 by Liverpool on the opening night of the Premier League season and followed this up with a narrow victory over 10-man Wolves. Next came a defeat to Brentford in the Carabao Cup. Therefore, it has not been a great start to the season for Bournemouth.

Andoni Iraola’s team will probably be more challenging visitors than Burnley were, but Tottenham should not really be struggling to claim all three points.

Tottenham Hotspur may be able to offload Manor Solomon to a Premier League side before the transfer window slams shut on Monday.

It is that stage of the transfer window when Spurs fans are regularly refreshing social media feeds, hoping for a big development.

While there has been a lot of focus on who the club can bring in, the Lilywhites also want to offload several players before the window closes.

According to reports, Tottenham are working hard to find buyers for Manor Solomon, Yves Bissouma and Bryan Gil, and it has now emerged that one of those players is on the wishlist of a Premier League side.

Manor Solomon could return to Leeds United

This report comes from TBR Football, who say that Leeds want to make two more additions before the end of the transfer window.

Daniel Farke wants to add an attacking midfielder and a winger to his squad, and one of the players on the club’s radar is Solomon.

The Israeli international had an outstanding spell on loan at Elland Road last season, scoring 10 goals and registering 13 assists, including netting the goal that won them the Championship title.

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According to TBR Football, a move for the 25-year-old is still ‘on the table’ for Leeds, who could make a late approach to test Tottenham Hotspur’s resolve.

Spurs are having trouble selling Yves Bissouma

It was reported a couple of days ago that Bissouma was close to completing a move to Galatasaray, but that deal now appears to be in doubt.

According to Sacha Tavolieri, Galatasaray have reservations about Bissouma’s fitness, and are thus reluctant to commit big money on a deal for the midfielder.

Tottenham Hotspur are stepping up their efforts to sign Atalanta star Ademola Lookman in the final days of the transfer window.

Several journalists, including Fabrizio Romano, have predicted that Tottenham will have a busy end to the summer transfer window, with more signings expected to come through the door in N17.

Over the last two days, Spurs shifted their focus to landing Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig. Journalist Ben Jacobs revealed on Thursday that in addition to Simons, Tottenham are also exploring a move for Lookman.

Jacobs explained that the Atalanta star’s move to Inter Milan has now fallen through, with a late switch to N17 emerging as a possibility.

According to TEAMtalk, Spurs are now intensifying their efforts to land the 27-year-old forward, who found the back of the net 20 times across all competitions last season.

The outlet claims that Lookman is now emerging as ‘a prime target’ for Tottenham in the final days of the transfer window. Thomas Frank sees the Atalanta star as an ideal fit for his attacking setup at Spurs, and has greenlit the move.

The outlet adds that Tottenham have now reached out to Lookman’s representatives to understand the feasibility of a late move to N17.

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Spurs have several irons in the fire

It is clear that, based on the reports over the last couple of days, Tottenham have been simultaneously exploring moves for a whole host of attacking midfielders and wings.

Having been left burned in the Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White sagas, Spurs clearly do not want to be left empty-handed should their pursuit of their top targets fall through.

The next four days look set to be exciting for Tottenham fans, but there is no doubt that this window will be considered a failure by most supporters if the club cannot get at least two more decent additions through the door.

Tottenham Hotspur now know their opponents for the league phase of the Champions League, and they will come up against some familiar names, including a long-serving player who left them 18 months ago.

Spurs are back in the Champions League after a two-year absence, and the excitement is now starting to grow for Spurs fans after the draw for the league phase was held today.

Tottenham now know all eight of their first-round Champions League opponents, and there are some tasty fixtures in there, including a trip to Paris Saint-Germain and a home clash against Borussia Dortmund.

Additionally, two players who have featured for Spurs in the Champions League in the past will also play against Thomas Frank’s men.

Tottenham will have an Eric Dier reunion

Dier left Bayern Munich this summer following 18 months at the club to join Monaco on a free transfer.

The centre-back, who spent nearly a decade at Spurs, making a total of 274 appearances for the Lilywhites, will return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the Ligue 1 side, who are one of the North London club’s eight opponents.

Additionally, it will also be a homecoming for former Spurs defender Juan Foyth, with Villarreal also set to visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Spurs should fancy their chances of qualification

There are no easy opponents in the Champions League, and Frank’s men certainly cannot afford to take any of these matches lightly.

However, overall, one has to say that the draw has been favourable to Spurs, who now have a great chance to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.

In fact, the Lilywhites may even believe they can qualify automatically for the round of 16 stage by finishing in the top eight in the league phase.

Tottenham Hotspur now know the exact dates and order of each of their league phase Champions League fixtures, which have now been announced by UEFA.

Tottenham are back in Europe’s premier club competition after a two-year absence, and new boss Thomas Frank has admitted that he is excited to get a taste of Champions League football for the first time in his career.

On Thursday, Spurs found out their eight league phase opponents for the Champions League, and there are some tasty fixtures in there, including a clash against Paris Saint-Germain, not long after the two sides met in the UEFA Super Cup.

Spurs will also lock horns with two familiar faces in the first round of the Champions League in Eric Dier and Juan Foyth, with Monaco and Villarreal both scheduled to visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Full schedule of Tottenham’s Champions League fixtures

While the Premier League side found out their identity of their opponents on Thursday, they have now discovered when they will be playing each side.

Spurs will kick off the Champions League campaign at home against Villarreal, with the first away trip coming at Bodo/Glimt – a team the Lilywhites faced in the Europa League knockouts last season.

Tuesday 16 September – Villarreal (H) – 8 pm UK

Tuesday 30 September – Bodo/Glimt (A) – 8 pm UK

Wednesday 22 October – AS Monaco (A) – 8 pm UK

Tuesday 4 November– FC Copenhagen (H) – 8 pm UK

Wednesday 26 November – Paris Saint-Germain (A) – 8 pm UK

Tuesday 9 December – Slavia Prague (H) – 8 pm UK

Tuesday 20 January – Borussia Dortmund (H) – 8 pm UK

Wednesday 28 January – Eintracht Frankfurt (A) – 8 pm UK

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Spurs players confident ahead of European adventure

It will be the first taste of the competition for some players in the Spurs squad, includingGuglielmo Vicario, who has insisted that Tottenham are ready to challenge the big boys in the Champions League.

Djed Spence has also said that the Spurs players are hungry to make their mark in the Champions League and admitted that they are excited about the competition.

Given how well Spurs have performed against Paris Saint-Germain and Man City this season, they will believe that they can beat any side in Europe.

While a late move to Tottenham Hotspur has not been completely ruled out for Savinho, it is going to take something extraordinary for Man City to change their stance on the winger.

While Spurs fans are still basking in the glow of the Xavi Simons signing, they have received some bad news over the last 48 hours regarding their pursuit of Savinho.

It has been claimed by several sources that Man City have blocked the sale of the Brazilian to Spurs, with Pep Guardiola not wanting to lose the winger.

However, as Spurs Web has relayed, some outlets have said that Savinho is still holding out hope of a late move to Tottenham.

It will take a mega offer for Spurs to land Savinho

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has now pointed out that a deal to take the 21-year-old to Spurs cannot be completely ruled out, as all players have a price.

However, he makes it clear that it would require an extraordinary offer to get Savinho out of the Etihad, with Man City trying to price him out of a move.

When asked if the Brazilian’s move to Tottenham Hotspur has fallen through, O’Rourke told Football Insider: “Every player has got a price, but right now, Manchester City aren’t willing to do business for Savinho.

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“Pep Guardiola wants to keep hold of the Brazilian, [and is] trying to price him out of a potential move to Tottenham, who have obviously shown their interest in Savinho.

“It’s getting so late in the window that unless there’s a mega, mega offer, I don’t think City are counting on selling Savinho this window. Guardiola wants to keep him in his squad.

“He still feels he has a role to play in his team, so Spurs might have to look elsewhere as they look to bring in a wide attacking player, and a number 10.”

Tottenham’s pursuit of Savinho may depend on Real Madrid

It has been claimed by several sources that Man City will only let Savinho leave if they can sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid.

Various sources, including Florian Plettenberg, are now reporting that Rodrygo now looks likely to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu unless something ‘extraordinary’ happens.

Thus, Tottenham’s chances of prising Savinho away from City do not look promising, and the Lilywhites may have already moved on to other alternatives.