Football London

Tottenham Hotspur's new arrivals will bolster Thomas Frank's squad for the coming season but what will them mean for the club's squad issues?

Spurs sealed a £55million move for West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus on Thursday after completing a £5million transfer earlier this week for Japan international centre-back Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale.

Tottenham were set to trigger a £60million release clause for Morgan Gibbs-White with a medical to be held on Friday. However, the transfer has hit what is hoped to be a temporary road block as Forest have cut off communications at this time as they believe they did not give permission for the north London club to approach the 25-year-old England international despite the release clause.

Forest are also said to believe the confidentiality of the release clause has been breached as Spurs' approach for Gibbs-White was precisely what was required. football.london understands Tottenham remain hopeful of proceeding with the deal and while a delay appears inevitable at the least, there is also a feeling among some at Forest that they could be powerless to stop the transfer should Spurs do it all through the proper channels.

So if that deal goes through and the transfer business under Frank reaches £150million, including Mathys Tel's loan move being made permanent from Bayern Munich, then how does it affect Spurs' long-standing squad issues that has seen players left out every season from their European squad?

Here's what it means for both their Premier League and Champions League squads if Gibbs-White does complete his move.

Premier League

So Fraser Forster, Timo Werner, Alfie Whiteman, Sergio Reguilon and Alejo Veliz can all come out of the squad. However, there is another issue because three players must come out of the Under-21s list and into the main lists, namely Antonin Kinsky, Josh Keeley and Matthew Craig.

We can assume that Craig will not be part of the first team squad this season so we're not going to include him here.

There is still space here for the new signings though, especially when you look at players who are unlikely to be at the club next season. That's mainly because a club's Under-21 players do not need to be included on their 25-man squad list yet are eligible to play in the Premier League.

To be considered an Under-21 player for this current Premier League season, players must have been born on or after January 1, 2004. That means Tel and Takai do not have to be registered in the main squad and neither will Luka Vuskovic, nor the returning Yang Min-hyeok.

It also appears that Danso qualifies as a homegrown player in Premier League terms because he was in the youth academies at Reading and MK Dons for years before leaving England at the age of 16 and later returning for a season at Southampton.

The Premier League rules state that "a 'Home Grown Player' means a player who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)."

With that in mind, here's how the club's Premier League squad looks right now, including players returning from loan and before anyone else leaves. It shows that players must leave before any more can be registered, unless they are in the under-21 bracket.

Premier League non-homegrown players (17 currently, 17 maximum allowed): Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son Heung-min, Pape Matar Sarr, Manor Solomon, Bryan Gil, Josh Keeley, Mohammed Kudus.

Premier League homegrown players (8 currently and eight minimum required): Dominic Solanke, Kevin Danso, Brandon Austin, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence, Morgan Gibbs-White.

Notable Under-21s players: Kota Takai, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel, Dane Scarlett, Yang-min Hyeok, Luka Vuskovic, Ashley Phillips, Alfie Devine, Jamie Donley, Alfie Dorrington.

Champions League

This is the part where it all gets very messy. It's an area that has been a constant problem for Spurs and will continue to be for a while longer until the recent batch of 18-year-old signings eventually become B list players after two years and then club-trained players three years down the line from when they joined.

The major issue in the Champions League, as it was in the Europa League, lies in the fact that UEFA's rules state that no club can have more than 25 players on their A-List during the season, of whom at least two must be goalkeepers. The rules then say that "as a minimum, eight of those 25 places are reserved exclusively for 'locally trained players' and no club may have more than four 'association-trained players' listed among those eight places. If a club have fewer than eight locally trained players in their squad, then the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly".

What is a locally-trained player you might ask? Well, there are two different kinds. One are 'club-trained players', those on a club's books for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21. The other are 'association-trained players', who were on another club's books in the same association for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21. Danso will not fit into that latter category because he left England at the age of 16.

Then there is a B-List for players born on, or after, January 1, 2004 and who have been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years since their 15th birthday – or for a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year. Players aged 16 may be submitted if they have been registered with the club for the previous two years without interruption.

So with all that in mind, Spurs' Champions League squad in its current state is bloated and running over in both non-locally trained spots and association trained ones.

That they only have one club-trained player in goalkeeper Brandon Austin now when they need to register four, means Tottenham would have to leave three spots open in what should be a 25-man squad, but instead becomes a 22-man one.

Players like Dane Scarlett, Jamie Donley and Alfie Devine could go on the B list if required as they meet those requirements. There's no point putting them in the club-trained players spots really because they don't need to.

So with the addition of Takai and Kudus, Spurs have 24 players to fit into 17 non-locally trained spots and eight association-trained players for four other spots if we're including Gibbs-White. Any association-trained players over those four spots would need to be crowbarred into the main group.

The simplest way to look at it is that Spurs would have 32 senior players to fit into 21 spots, keeping Austin aside, and that's before they even try to sign new players this window.

Tottenham need to get plenty of players out of the door this summer and that's why you could well see some surprise departures in the weeks ahead and expected ones, plus loans aplenty or players having to face being left out of the Champions League squad for the knockout stages at least.

Spurs need a bigger squad to compete in all four competitions but they just don't have the club-trained numbers to make that work in Europe.

European non-locally trained players (24 currently, 17 maximum): Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son Heung-min, Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, Mathys Tel, Manor Solomon, Bryan Gil, Yang-min Hyeok, Luka Vuskovic, Josh Keeley, Kota Takai, Mohammed Kudus.

Association trained players (8 currently, four can be used in exclusive slots): Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence, Archie Gray, Ashley Phillips, Morgan Gibbs-White.

Club trained players (1 currently, four required): Brandon Austin.

Tottenham Hotspur are at no risk of breaking the Premier League's Financial Fair Play (FFP) Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) despite their attempts to spend big under new head coach Thomas Frank.

Spurs announced the signing of West Ham's Mohammed Kudus on Thursday evening and this was quickly followed up by the news that Tottenham were keen to activate the release clause of Morgan Gibbs-White. Football.london understands that while there was hope of conducting the England international's medical on Friday, that has been delayed as Nottingham Forest consider legal action against the north London club.

It is understood that Forest think Spurs made an illegal move for Gibbs-White and have cut off all communication with Frank's recruitment team. At this stage, it is thought that this will merely delay Tottenham's bid for the midfielder and not cancel it altogether.

Having finished so lowly in the Premier League table, some have suggested that Spurs could be in danger of exceeding the £105m permittable losses from the past three seasons. However, our Chief Business of Football writer Dave Powell understands that this is not a concern which Tottenham supporters need to fear.

"The signing of Mohammed Kudus for £55m from West Ham United, and the willingness to pay the £60m release clause to acquire Gibbs-White, as well as the £30m permanent addition of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich following his loan spell, the £5m signing of Kota Takai from Japanese J-League side Kawasaki Frontale, and the £12m signing of Luka Vuskovic from Hajduk Split, a deal agreed earlier this year but formalised recently, means the transfer outlay stands at £162m this summer," he explained.

"In terms of what that adds to the balance sheet, assuming those deals are amortised over the permitted five-year maximum by UEFA, then it will be a £32m charge on the balance sheet for Spurs annually. For 2023/24 the amortisation costs at the club stood at £135.8m, the fifth largest in the Premier League during the period - that was up 25 per cent from the previous year.

"Spurs’ 2024/25 financial year came to a close on June 30, prior to the addition of Kudus and Takai and the formalisation of a permanent deal for Tel, which started after his initial loan deal finished at the end of June. The signings of Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Antonin Kinsky will all be accounted for during 2024/25, and that means that it’s likely the amortisation costs jump once more, especially given comparatively weak player trading for those exiting the club.

"However, Spurs are in a strong position when it comes to PSR, a position only emboldened further by them qualifying for the Champions League this coming season by virtue of winning last season’s Europa League. The future revenues for 2025/26 will be significantly impactful to the club’s bottom line.

"PSR assesses clubs over a three-year cycle, with losses capped at £105m. There are allowable deductions for such things as depreciation, investment in infrastructure, the academy, the women’s team and community initiatives.

"Spurs lost £95m in 2022/23 and £26m in 2023/24, but allowable deductions of £94m and £93m respectively, largely attributable to depreciation on the club’s stadium, meant that Spurs were actually PSR net positive for those two years by some £65m. That means the club could post losses for 2024/25 of more than £250m and still be compliant.

"That, of course, won’t happen, and while losses may be coming in 2024/25, the 2025/26 revenues that will include a shot in the arm thanks to the Champions League means that Spurs have, aside from Manchester City, have the largest PSR headroom of all the Premier League clubs. Frank has a healthy budget at hand, and the confidence in the financial forecasting for the current financial year that will be had due to Champions League football means that Daniel Levy will be more inclined to loosen the purse strings.

"The willingness to skip straight to activating Gibbs-White’s release clause rather than engage in negotiating with Forest over a lesser fee should be instructive as to how Spurs can operate if the right target becomes available."

Tottenham want to proceed with their move for Morgan Gibbs-White despite it currently sitting in limbo as Nottingham Forest consider legal action over what they perceive to be an illegal approach.

Spurs were set to trigger a £60million release clause for the 25-year-old England international with a medical to be held on Friday. However, the transfer has now hit a road block as Forest have reportedly cut off communications with Tottenham at this time as they believe they did not give permission for the north London club to approach Gibbs-White despite the release clause aspect.

Forest are also said to believe the confidentiality of the release clause has been breached as Spurs' approach for Gibbs-White was exactly what was required.

football.london understands that Tottenham still want to proceed with the deal but Forest are believed to be preparing a complaint to the Premier League which could at the least delay any move from going through. It is unclear at this time whether Forest could block the transfer completely.

New Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank decided while at Brentford that Gibbs-White could be the perfect number 10 within his system, while also able to play in a deeper central midfield role as well as on the wing if required. Frank's assistant Justin Cochrane has worked with Gibbs-White within the England set-up and now the duo will work with him at Spurs.

If they can still push through with the deal for the midfielder it will complete a £120million transfer hat-trick at the club with Spurs having sealed a £55million move for West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus after completing a £5million transfer earlier this week for Japan international centre-back Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale.

Mohammed Kudus says he is going to put memories in the heads of the Tottenham supporters who will come to watch him play for the club after his move from West Ham.

Spurs signed the 24-year-old Ghana international from the Hammers on Thursday for £55million, the first transfer between the two clubs since 2011 when Scott Parker made the journey across the capital. Tottenham are set to follow up the move for Kudus with the £60million signing of England international Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest after meeting the release clause in his contract.

Kudus, who will wear the No.20 after signing a contract until 2031, is excited about playing under new head coach Thomas Frank and giving the Spurs fans value for money when they pay to watch him fly towards the opposition penalty area.

"I've always wanted to play at the highest level. I know how big the club is, the history and the Champions League as well, so it’s a big moment for me," he added. "I'm finally here, I’m very happy and can't wait to start.

"The most important part of why I came here is the project and how the manager sees I can develop under him. Where he's come from and seeing the amount of talent he’s developed to become great players, it’s a big sign of why I wanted to work under him as well."

He added: "I’m a very direct winger, strong, very good in taking players on and creating chances, so there is a lot of flair in my game. I like to entertain the fans as well.

"It's about putting a memory in the heads of the fans that they have when they go back home and after the money they’ve spent to buy a ticket. The fans are really going to enjoy what I’m going to bring to the team. That's what football is about.

"Although there is also a lot of seriousness and competitiveness in the game, I still think it’s a sport I try to enjoy as much as I can and give the fans something to enjoy too. I hope fans are going to really enjoy what I’m going to bring to the team here."

Kudus is looking forward to getting back into the Champions League, having registered four goals and two assists in nine games in the competition for Ajax before his move to West Ham.

"I think the Champions League is one of the biggest stages in football. I’ve played a couple of games at Ajax so I have a bit of history and I know it’s top-level football and it requires a lot of quality and focus throughout the whole game, so I’m just hoping to use my individual ability to help the team go as far as we can," he said, before turning his attention to the Premier League.

"It takes a lot of hard work and 24/7 focus to play in a league like this. Every game requires a lot of quality and focus throughout the whole game. So I'm just here using my individual ability to help the team go as fast as we can.

"I'm very team-orientated so my personal goals lie around helping the team get as many points as we can, to be as high as we can in the Premier League and perform really well and go as far as we can in the Champions League."

This big money move to Tottenham is the next step in his relatively fledgling career and a fourth club in Europe after making the move to Denmark as a 17-year-old from Ghana's Right to Dream Academy.

"I moved to Denmark, a very big difference in culture. Played there two seasons, went to Amsterdam, two-and-a-half seasons, West Ham, then here," he said. "That's what the journey has been, using my God-given talent to have an impact on where I'm coming from and change the lives of people and my family as well."

Now Spurs supporters will be hoping Kudus can make a big impact on the north London club as well as they look to a new era under Frank.

Tottenham new boy Mohammed Kudus has been welcomed into the club in hilarious fashion by Richarlison. The 24-year-old former West Ham attacker was announced as a Spurs player on Thursday after signing a six-year contract.

Kudus will join Thomas Frank's squad, which is set to have quite the summer makeover with Morgan Gibbs-White also looking set to move. His £60million release clause has been met by Daniel Levy and Co as they ramp up their summer recruitment following a slow start.

Kudus is the first major deal to be completed, though, and makes the switch across London with plenty of baggage. Last season he was sent off against Tottenham in a dramatic 4-1 loss for the Hammers.

Then under Julen Lopetegui, West Ham took an early lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in mid-October. Kudus scored and could easily have put his side in front before that as well only for Guglielmo Vicario to deny him.

Tottenham were yet to reach anywhere near the nadir of their season to come but had still lost three of their opening seven games entering this match. They would go on to lose 10 of the next 15 as things slumped to a serious halt with Ange Postecoglou.

However, on this occasion, they fought back at home to win 4-1. Dejan Kulusevski got an equaliser before half-time with Son Heung-Min and Yves Bissouma netting twice in quick succession after an own goal to leave the game heading in one direction.

Kudus and his team were shell-shocked. That did not stop him from being involved in the major flashpoint of the whole afternoon. When chasing back to tackle Micky van de Ven, things spilled over.

Kudus' initial attempts to win the ball back were unsuccessful but as Van de Ven fell to the floor, Kudus continued to kick away. Van de Ven leapt to his feet in anger, pushing Kudus firmly in the chest.

Kudus responded by shoving back as a massive brawl unfolded. Richarlison was quick to join in, going over to Kudus, whilst Pape Matar Sarr also approached the Ghanaian.

As soon as Richarlison had gotten involved, he was on the floor, bouncing off Kudus and into referee Chris Kavanagh. He was left face down with his head in his hands on the grass next to Van de Ven in the same position whilst Kudus took on four Tottenham shirts all at once.

Edson Alvarez, Jarrod Bowen, Carlos Soler, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were all trying to hold him back with Brennan Johnson and Destiny Udogie in the melee. As Kudus was pulled away by his own teammates, he had one last parting shot at Sarr, putting two hands onto his face.

Once this was checked by VAR, Kudus was sent off and then handed a three-match ban. He went five games without playing for West Ham before returning in early December.

Unsurprisingly, Richarlison hasn't forgotten the incident. Writing on Instagram after the Kudus announcement, he posted an image of Kudus squaring up to Van de Ven in the initial bust-up before the pile-on.

"Welcome to the spurs family kudus [smiling face]", he posted. Richarlison can be seen in the background of the picture just as he was about to go and get himself involved.

Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank will have Mohammed Kudus available throughout the coming winter, barring injury, due to Ghana failing to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Spurs are set to make it £150million spent on transfers this month after suddenly launching into action. The £55million move for 24-year-old West Ham attacker Kudus was announced on Thursday, just days after the club completed a £5million deal for Japan international centre-back Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale.

A £60million move for Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White is also at an advanced stage with the England international set to undergo his medical while Tottenham also made Mathys Tel's loan from Bayern Munich a permanent move in a £30million deal which went through at the beginning of July.

When it comes to Kudus, he faced disappointment when Ghana were unable to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations this winter after finishing bottom of Group F without a win to their name. The winger's frustration will be Spurs' gain though as it means he will be available to Frank throughout January and February during the tournament.

Tottenham could lose Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma, if both are selected and the latter is still at the club, as Senegal and Mali both qualified for the competition.

Kudus joins the north London outfit having played 80 matches for West Ham and provided 32 goal involvements. He had arrived from Ajax where he managed 39 goal involvements in 87 games. The attacker has scored plenty of goals in the Champions League and Europa League with that experience set to come in handy this season as Spurs return to Europe's elite club competition.

His transfer marked the first deal between Tottenham and West Ham since Scott Park made the move across London back in 2011.

Tottenham are finally making moves in the summer transfer window. Following the signing of Kota Takai from J.League side Kawasaki Frontale, Spurs have added another player with the £55million signing of West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus.

Kudus has signed a long-term contract with Tottenham, becoming the first player to make the move from West Ham to Spurs since Scott Parker in 2011.

Kudus arrives at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to work under a new coach in Thomas Frank, who is now putting his stamp on the Spurs squad he inherited from Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham are also in advanced talks with Nottingham Forest to sign Morgan Gibbs-White, with Spurs prepared to activate the England star's release clause of £60million.

Kudus joins Takai and Mathys Tel as permanent signing for Frank and has chosen the No.20 shirt in N17.

A number of other clubs were linked with a move for the Ghanaian, with Chelsea and Newcastle both interested, but Kudus confirmed that he only had eyes for Spurs with a brilliant four-word statement in his unveiling video on the official Tottenham Hotspur website.

Reports circled that Kudus made his decision to move to Spurs, providing they stumped up the cash for the deal with the Hammers, and he said just that in his unveiling video.

The video starts with Kudus saying into a microphone: "I only wanted Spurs. Play the track."

The Ghanaian joins the north London outfit having played 80 matches for West Ham and provided 32 goal involvements. He had arrived from Ajax where he managed 39 goal involvements in 87 games. The attacker has scored plenty of goals in the Champions League and Europa League with that experience set to come in handy this season as Spurs return to Europe's elite club competition.

Tottenham Hotspur have moved swiftly to improve Thomas Frank's squad this summer transfer window. After making Mathys Tel's loan move from Bayern Munich permanent and signing Koko Takai, Spurs are closing in on two more arrivals.

Mohammed Kudus has joined the club from West Ham for £55million. The versatile forward has become the first new player signed for a big fee this summer and will bolster Frank's attack ahead of their return to the Champions League.

Spurs are also pushing to sign Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White. football.london understands a deal worth £60m is being touted and talks are at an advanced stage.

The 25-year-old England international impressed at the City Ground in the past two seasons and has managed to break into the England squad. It's been suggested that Gibbs-White's contract contains a £60m release clause.

Gibbs-White significantly bolsters Frank's midfield for the 2025/26 season. Spurs have a number of players to choose from for the position but injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski in the past place doubt over where the creativity will come from.

Kudus' arrival strengthens Tottenham's attack with the likes of Wilson Odobert, Tel and Mikey Moore all competing to be utilised by Frank throughout the season. Once the duo come in, focus will turn on adding more new faces to Frank's new-look squad.

For many, a new striker should be the next on Johan Lange's transfer priority list. Calls for another centre-back to be added have also been made. However, according to a report from GB News, a move for Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton is imminent.

The report states that Frank has been given a war-chest of around £175m to sign Kudus and Gibbs-White, which would mean Wharton will cost around £60m. The England international would strengthen Spurs' midfield options but it's not yet clear whether Palace would be open to selling him.

Elsewhere, Yves Bissouma and Manor Solomon have all been linked with moves away. Their exits could trigger further business before the season kicks-off.

Tottenham are set to pay the £60million release clause to Nottingham Forest to ensure Morgan Gibbs-White makes his move to north London.

A deal for the 25-year-old England international, a long-time Spurs target, accelerated quickly on Thursday when the north London club made the decision to pay the release clause for the midfielder. Gibbs-White is now expected to undergo his medical at Tottenham in the next 24 hours to seal the whirlwind move that will boost Thomas Frank's squad ahead of a season that brings with it the return of Champions League football.

It will complete a £120million transfer splurge at the club with Spurs about to seal a £55million move for West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus after completing a £5million deal this week for Japan international centre-back Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale.

The No.10 in Frank's system is a creative and willing runner and Frank decided while at Brentford that Gibbs-White could be the perfect addition in that role, while also able to play in a deeper central midfield role as well as on the wing if required. Frank's assistant Justin Cochrane has worked with Gibbs-White within the England set-up and now the duo will work with him at Spurs.

In an impressive season for Forest under former Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo as they flirted around the top spots for long periods, he was one of the standout players, captaining the side on numerous occasions and weighing in with seven goals and 10 assists in 34 Premier League matches.

Now Tottenham and Frank are set to benefit from the England international's creative ability and his high energy style after the north London club made it clear they would pay the release clause, something they have been reluctant to do in the past. Spurs also made Mathys Tel's loan from Bayern Munich a permanent move in a £30million deal meaning a £150million outlay in recent weeks.

Tottenham are in talks with Nottingham Forest to try to bring midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White to the club in a £60million deal, football.london understands.

Spurs are about to seal a £55million move for West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus to boost Thomas Frank's squad and are now looking to tie up a deal for long-time target Gibbs-White after launching into talks with Forest. The 25-year-old England international has got two years left on his contract and Forest are trying to tie him down to a new contract.

However, Tottenham want to bring the former Wolves man, who was linked with Manchester City earlier in the summer, to north London with the lure of Champions League football if they can agree a deal with Forest. There are suggestions that Gibbs-White's contract contains a release clause of £60million which Spurs could choose to trigger if they cannot find another solution with Forest but it could also entice other interested parties.

football.london have previously reported that once the deal for Kudus was done then Spurs were looking to bring in a central midfielder. Gibbs-White can play in the centre of the pitch as well as a No.10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which Frank favours. In a big season for Forest under former Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo he was one of the standout players, captaining the side on numerous occasions and weighing in with seven goals and 10 assists in 34 Premier League matches.

Forest agreed a £55million deal to seal Anthony Elanga to Newcastle this week and Tottenham would need to convince the Nottingham side to part with another key player with a big bid.

Spurs also tied up a £5million deal this week for Japan international centre-back Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale and further movies for Kudus and Gibbs-White would give Frank's squad a major triple boost for a season in which the club wants to compete on all fronts.