Football London

Tottenham Hotspur have engaged the services of a commercial advisory firm created by four former Manchester United executives.

Former CEO of United’s alliances and partnerships, Victoria Timpson, along with other former executives at the Old Trafford club, including Ali Edge, Tom Liston-Jones and United’s former commercial director Florence Lafaye have joined forces to found Altius8 with the backing of global consulting giant Teneo, who have invested in the start-up.

Spurs have become the first clients of Altius8 as the club looks to ramp up its commercial activity to raise revenues to allow the club to continue to invest sustainably in the on-pitch affairs to better equip them to challenge for honours on a regular basis.

The executives running Altius8, some of who were impacted by the jobs cull implemented by United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, have enormous industry experience and had played a part in some of the club’s biggest commercial deals in recent years, such as the front-of-shirt partnerships with TeamViewer and Snapdragon.

The decision to bring on board an external firm is designed to aid and support the existing commercial structure at Tottenham, with the aim being to try and raise revenues across the sponsorship inventory in a similar way that was achieved at Manchester United, where commercial revenues year-on-year despite the club’s prolonged lack of competitive success.

One of the main pieces of sponsorship inventory that Altius8’s 20-strong team will look to support on will be the sale of stadium naming rights for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, something that has been available since the venue was built in 2019 but where Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has not been able to nail down the kind of value he feels it is worthy of.

Through tapping into additional industry expertise, and with a team that has pre-existing knowledge of the Premier League commercial landscape and strong relationships with global brands, it is hoped that the club will be able to grow commercial revenue significantly.

Spurs aren’t the first club to bring on board external support for the commercial team, with Everton having engaged the services of US company Elevate Sports Ventures back in late 2022 as they started the process of seeking a stadium naming rights partner for their new 52,888-seater stadium on the banks of the River Mersey, which is now known as the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

We are now only three days away from seeing Thomas Frank's Tottenham team for the very first time. After returning to pre-season training at Hotspur Way at the beginning of the month, Spurs play their first pre-season friendly against Reading on Saturday.

It is the first of two domestic friendlies - with an away fixture at Luton Town to come next Saturday - before the team jet off to Hong Kong and South Korea for their summer tour. Frank now has his full Tottenham squad to work with and he and his coaching team will have been getting their football philosophy across to the playing squad in their time together on the training pitch.

The Dane made a huge impact during his time at Brentford and it will be fascinating to see just what he achieves during his time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. During the 2024/25 campaign, Frank mainly utilised a 4-2-3-1 setup and that could be his formation of choice at Spurs.

It is one that should suit Tottenham down to the ground due to their plethora of attacking options. A number of Spurs players are certainly no strangers to the formation either after playing in it in the past.

The hope will be that Dominic Solanke can flourish in his role up front as there were a number of games last campaign when he was feeding off scraps with not a lot of chances coming his way at times. The addition of Mohammed Kudus should certainly help him and the same will go for Morgan Gibbs-White providing his £60million move from Nottingham Forest goes through.

The one thing you cannot say about Frank is that he is restricted to just the one formation and one style of play. The 51-year-old set his team up in a number of different ways last season, with 4-3-3 one he used on nine separate occasions.

Again, this is another system that suits Tottenham down to the ground as they have the players to line up with three in attack and they also have choice when it comes to midfield. Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall may perhaps be the two players in the driving seat for a place in a 4-2-3-1 formation but then there are players such as Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison to consider if it is to be a midfield three.

Frank tailored his tactics at Brentford depending on their opponent and they also played in 4-4-2, 3-4-3, 5-3-2 and 3-5-2 setups last season. Tottenham may have the one main formation under their new head coach but it would not be a shock if they change from time to time depending on who they are playing.

Saturday's friendly at Reading may well drop a big hint over Frank's preferred formation in his Tottenham blueprint but it may not prove to be the final one. It may be a case of deploying different systems over the course of the upcoming friendlies before deciding on the best one that suits the players at his disposal.

One thing for certain is that all Spurs fans are looking forward to Saturday at Reading to get their first glimpse of what the future could hold for Frank's Tottenham team.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy says they were never going to rush their decision over where the club's iconic Bill Nicholson Gates would be relocated after 10 years in storage.

The black and gold wrought iron gates stood in front of the old White Hart Lane stadium for decades and became synonymous with Spurs' legendary manager thanks to a photograph taken by Peter Robinson in the 1970s. The gates were placed into storage in 2015, ahead of the demolition of the old ground and the construction of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Nicholson was a key player in Arthur Rowe’s 1950/51 title-winning side before becoming the club’s most decorated manager with that league and FA Cup double in 1961 and led Spurs to become the first British side to win a European trophy with the Cup Winner's Cup triumph in 1963.

Fans, players and staff would follow in Nicholson's footsteps through the gates on the way to White Hart Lane over the subsequent years and after a decade in storage, Spurs believe they have found the most appropriate location to relocate the gates. They will be placed within PAXTON17, between the ticket office and historic buildings at the north of the stadium.

The gates are set to be installed there ahead of the first Premier League match of the season against Burnley on Saturday August 16.

"The Bill Nicholson Gates are such a significant part of our club’s heritage and I am extremely proud they will be returning home this summer," said Levy. "We were never going to rush into a decision as to where they should be reinstated, given the huge amount of works that have taken place in the area over recent years.

"We have undertaken a carefully-planned process, working with our architects, construction partners and Fan Advisory Board, and I believe we have found a fitting solution. We look forward to welcoming fans back to the stadium for the coming season - as well as Bill’s family members and former players - to see the gates and feel that close connection between our club and its rich history."

Tottenham face Reading in their first pre-season fixture on Saturday. Thomas Frank's side head to the Leasing.com Stadium to take on the League One outfit, as preparations continue for the 2025/26 campaign.

It'll be Spurs' first fixture since the 4-1 defeat against Brighton on the final day of last season and supporters will be hoping for a vast improvement from their side this term, despite winning the Europa League.

There is going to be several personnel changes in the Tottenham squad compared to the one that was named against the Seagulls. Indeed, £55million signing Mohammed Kudus is expected to be included.

Kudus arrived from West Ham last week and he is set to make his Spurs debut, while 18-year-old Luka Vuskovic could feature for the first time, two years on since agreeing a £12m move to north London.

Elsewhere, James Maddison might be back in contention after missing the final weeks of last season with a knee problem. The former Leicester City midfielder has been working hard to return to full fitness.

Cristian Romero and Lucas Bergvall were among the other first-team players not to feature against Brighton, and both could be involved against Reading after being spotted back on the grass.

Apart from those at Tottenham right now, who would help complete a 'dream' squad to tackle the Royals in their opening pre-season game? Well, there are two players that would fit that bill, that's for sure.

The first one is Morgan Gibbs-White. Spurs attempted to sign the 25-year-old last week and made an approach which triggered the £60million release clause in the midfielder's contract at Nottingham Forest.

However, Forest claimed that an illegal approach was made and believe the confidential nature of that clause was breached. Reports have since emerged that Spurs lodged a bid worth the exact amount needed to trigger it.

It has caused a legal matter to emerge between Tottenham and Forest, though there is some confidence that a deal for Gibbs-White is going to get done. Whether it's sealed for Saturday's trip to Reading is unclear.

Second of all, Adam Wharton would be part of Tottenham's 'dream' squad for Reading. The 21-year-old has been earmarked as a potential summer addition after impressing at Crystal Palace over the last 18 months.

Tottenham are not expected to be put off signing Wharton for £100m and that is a deal that could happen, despite Palace's high asking price. He would be a sensational coup for Frank and Spurs, should it go through.

If Gibbs-White and Wharton were to arrive, Tottenham would need sell players. Son Heung-min is one that has been linked with a move but he should be kept for some much-needed experience in the dressing room.

Therefore Manor Solomon and Bryan Gil should be the two wide players that move on. Solomon spent last season loan at Leeds United and the Whites want to sign him on a permanent deal, with a £12m fee touted.

As for Gil, it has not worked out for the Spaniard during his time in north London and Spurs should cash in, with Celta Vigo interested in the 24-year-old, who spent last season on loan at La Liga side Girona.

Another player to leave - and this is a controversial one - is Yves Bissouma. The Mali international was an integral part of Ange Postecoglou's side at Tottenham but he attracted interest from elsewhere this summer.

Fenerbahce and Juventus are among those keen on signing Bissouma and it could be the right time for Spurs to cash in and get some money back for the ex-Brighton man, especially as two midfielders are being signed.

Tottenham remain keen on signing Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest because of how important he can become to Thomas Frank's team.

Spurs are currently entangled in a messy situation in trying to sign the 25-year-old after triggering his £60million release clause only for Forest to claim an illegal approach was made and that the confidential nature of that clause was breached with suggestions Spurs submitted a bid worth the exact amount required to trigger it.

Forest have been trying for months to tie Gibbs-White down to a big new contract to make him the club's highest earner, in exchange for removing the clause or at least including a renegotiated one, but the midfielder has refused thus far to enter into any talks over a deal that has only two years remaining.

The transfer saga has now become a legal matter between the two clubs although Forest are not believed to have officially complained to the Premier League as of yet. There is no communication between the clubs at the moment.

If Spurs can eventually get Gibbs-White through the door then it solves a number of issues for the north London club and Frank. Here are three that we can immediately see.

Claims of words not action

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy made some big claims in his recent club interview about the Europa League win after sacking Ange Postecoglou to appoint Frank.

"We’ve won a European trophy, but it’s not enough. It’s what we haven’t done that is more important. We need to win the league. We want to win the Premier League, we want to win the Champions League. We want to win," he said.

With that big statement Spurs needed to show that they truly meant those declarations and that it wasn't just words to calm the fans.

The £60million move for Gibbs-White, hot on the heels of the £55million signing of Mohammed Kudus and the £5million capture of Kota Takai would show that there's some real intent there to create a quality squad ready for the Champions League. The first two transfers especially would be seen as statement ones.

It would also be the start of backing Frank with players that he needs and wants and that will ease the problem of supporters unhappy with the efforts in the transfer window.

A mobile playmaker

Frank has wanted Gibbs-White for years and had wanted to bring him to Brentford from Wolves seasons ago. The Dane sees the England international as the perfect kind of mobile playmaker for his system with his creativity and work rate.

James Maddison has made an impact at Tottenham over the past two seasons but he is coming back from a knee injury and his playing style is more about bursts of energy and impact, blended with quality, rather than being a constant mobile presence on the pitch.

Dejan Kulusevski, who is working his way back after knee surgery, is another playmaker option if Frank does not see him as a right winger.

Gibbs-White will provide constant movement and breaking between the lines as a No.10 or able to play in a deeper central role alongside an anchorman. If Frank fears there is not enough mobility in the advanced playmaker role at Tottenham then Gibbs-White will solve that.

Solanke service

If Gibbs-White comes in alongside Kudus then one problem likely to be solved is the lack of service into striker Dominic Solanke.

Spurs signed the 27-year-old striker from Bournemouth last summer for £60million and he enjoyed a solid debut season with 24 goal involvements from 45 matches despite missing a couple of months with a knee injury. That haul came despite a distinct lack of service in many games during the season, especially in the second half of the campaign, with the striker running himself into the ground for the team.

Tottenham struggled for creativity at times last season, especially against teams with a low block, and Gibbs-White, should he arrive, will provide a major dose of quality into the team with his playmaking alongside Kudus' dribbling ability.

Kota Takai has now received his work permit and has been able to begin training with his Tottenham team-mates, football.london understands.

Spurs sealed the £5million deal for the 20-year-old Japan international a week ago from Kawasaki Frontale and have been waiting since for the work permit. Without that, the centre-back has been unable to train and get to work as part of new head coach Thomas Frank's era at the club.

However, football.london understands that Takai received his work permit on Tuesday morning and was finally able to take part in training sessions with his team-mates.

The Yokohama-born defender had agreed a deal with Spurs that will run until 2030. He made his first team debut for Kawasaki in April 2022 in an 8-0 victory over Guangzhou in the AFC Champions League. He went on to earn the J.League’s Best Young Player award while making a total of 81 senior appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals, and he helped his team to the 2025 AFC Champions League final.

On the international stage, Takai has made four senior appearances so far for Japan in World Cup qualifying fixtures and in 2024 helped his country to win the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup. He also represented his country at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament.

In his first interview with the club, Takai said he was looking forward to the challenge ahead ahead after quickly heading over from Japan, having said goodbye to the Kawasaki fans in an emotional ceremony within a sold-out stadium following their 2-1 win against Kashima Antlers.

"I played in the match with Kawasaki Frontale in the J.League on Saturday and I got on the plane the next day and I'm here today, now," he said. "Having arrived in London I'm full of excitement."

On where he can play at the back, the young defender confirmed that versatility that will serve him well under Frank: "My position is centre-back. I can play either side - right or left.

"I was born in Kanagawa, Japan. I've always played football since my childhood. The reason why I love football is because as a team we can improve our skills together."

He added: "I've always watched the Premier League a lot, since I was little. At Spurs, my first aim is to be on the pitch for a match and do my best."

Despite a quiet start to the summer transfer window, Tottenham have sprung into action in recent days as Thomas Frank’s transfer plans begin to take shape.

The Dane was appointed as the new head coach last month, following the departure of Ange Postecoglou. Despite Spurs’ famous Europa League triumph over Manchester United in May, a change in the dugout was deemed necessary after a below-par Premier League campaign.

Spurs have made their loan moves for Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel permanent, while youngster Luka Vuskovic has officially joined after a deal was agreed back in 2023. They have also completed a big-money move for West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus - and are not done yet.

Morgan Gibbs-White is undoubtedly the player Spurs are now pushing hardest to sign, with reports emerging last week that they had triggered his £60 million release clause. However, the move has since hit a stumbling block, with his current club consulting lawyers over an alleged illegal approach.

Where this saga will end is anyone’s guess, but reports suggest Spurs remain confident of landing the 25-year-old. It is seen as a temporary setback rather than a complete collapse.

Attention will then need to shift to the deeper midfield roles. Both Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur are entering the final year of their respective contracts, so Spurs must decide whether to cash in now or risk losing them for free next summer.

It seems unlikely both players will be allowed to leave, and it is Bissouma who appears more likely to depart, if rumours are to be believed. Should a sale materialise, Spurs would need to enter the market for a holding midfielder, with Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton undoubtedly the standout candidate.

Juventus’ Douglas Luiz and Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha have also been linked - both with valuable Premier League experience - but Wharton, just 21, boasts an extremely high ceiling. He would command a significant fee, but few would argue he isn’t worth it.

A new striker has also been discussed this summer, though any move would likely depend on outgoings. Richarlison has been linked with a departure and appears the most likely candidate to make way in that position.

In terms of replacements, Brentford’s Yoane Wissa has been mentioned in several reports, likely due to his connection with Frank. However, with Brentford already negotiating with Manchester United over Bryan Mbeumo, it remains unclear whether they would sanction another major exit from their forward line.

Spurs could also raise funds through further departures, with Manor Solomon among those expected to leave. The 25-year-old has just returned from a loan spell at Leeds United. Bryan Gil has also been heavily linked with a move away.

Son Heung-min’s future has also been the subject of speculation in recent months, and he too, is entering the final year of his contract. It is likely no decision will be made until he has spoken with the manager to clarify his role next season, although Spurs may prefer to cash in on the 33-year-old.

Dream transfer window scenario

IN : Morgan Gibbs-White, Adam Wharton, Yoane Wissa

Nottingham Forest are yet to complain to the Premier League about Tottenham's approach for Morgan Gibbs-White but it has become a legal matter between the clubs as the transfer limbo continues.

Spurs attempted to sign the 25-year-old last week and made an approach which triggered the £60million release clause in the midfielder's contract. However, Forest are claiming that an illegal approach was made and believe the confidential nature of that clause was breached with claims that Tottenham submitted a bid worth the exact amount required to trigger it.

football.london reported previously that Gibbs-White, who has long-term admirers in both Spurs and their head coach Thomas Frank, never actually left Nottingham to get to Hotspur Way for a planned medical on Friday as Forest's unhappiness and that of their owner Evangelos Marinakis was made very clear to the England international and all involved.

The player was not involved in Forest's 0-0 friendly draw at Chesterfield on Saturday because he was part of the group of international players who were not returning to training until this week. The midfielder duly returned to Forest's training ground on Monday morning as expected to report for pre-season.

Despite social media speculation that he was not at training on Tuesday, Gibbs-White is believed to have been at Forest's training ground and taken part in training as expected.

The situation has now become a legal matter between the two clubs and while Forest are not believed to have officially complained to the Premier League as of yet, the league will have a duty to look into any claims made about their clubs.

Forest are believed to have been trying for months to tie Gibbs-White down to a bumper new contract to make him one of the club's highest earner, in exchange for removing the release clause or at least including a renegotiated one, but the midfielder has not been keen to enter into any new talks over a deal that has only two years remaining.

Even if there is an expectation from many that a move will likely eventually happen, Forest are making it clear at this moment that the player is not for sale and there is uncertainty currently over exactly how it will get resolved with no communication between the clubs at this time other than the legal proceedings.

There is also no timeframe with legal ramifications to various aspects of it all, including the player's right to leave if the release clause was met, which could spark, if Gibbs-White wished, the avenue to seek a breach of contract.

It appears to be a situation that shows no sign of resolution any time soon.

Tottenham's training pitches at Hotspur Way were busy once again as Thomas Frank continued to drill his methodology into his players.

After a day off on Sunday for the squad, the Spurs players were back at it in the sunshine on Monday at the Enfield training complex and the new head coach Frank and his staff kept working with them on his philosophy ahead of their first match under him this weekend. For on Saturday, Tottenham will make their way to Reading for the first pre-season friendly of the summer (3pm kick-off).

There was a new signing involved in training on Monday as Mohammed Kudus got to work with his Tottenham team-mates following his £55million move from West Ham United following all of his testing and bloodwork in previous days.

Here are five things we spotted from the footage of training released by the club.

An experienced chat

If you could pick any Spurs player to give Kudus the lowdown on life at the club and explain where to go and and what to do, it would probably be that stalwart and top professional that is Ben Davies.

The 32-year-old has now been at the club for 11 years and is the longest-serving player in the first team squad. He could be seen in the gym before the session on an exercise bike alongside Kudus and seemed to be doing plenty of talking while the 24-year-old listened intently.

It is still unclear whether Davies will finish the summer with the club after Tottenham took up the option to extend his contract by another 12 months, but the Welshman certainly looked to be helping someone at the start of their own Spurs career

Another new face

It's not just the playing squad that has new faces as we got to see new first team individual development coach Cameron Campbell in action.

The 33-year-old Scot had previously been head of player development at RB Leipzig and now he will bring his talents to Spurs after Frank and technical director Johan Lange pushed for such a role within the set-up.

"We have added Cameron Campbell, who is individual coach and big on how we develop the players," said Frank this month. "That was a big wish from both Johan and I, it was something we talked about that we thought was crucial and I think not many clubs have actually nailed that. We tried in the past, I tried in the past, so hopefully we can take it to the next level."

Campbell could be seen interacting with Kudus as well as running a fiercely-contested rondo on one of the pitches, including the likes of Cristian Romero, Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and George Abbott with Frank looking on.

Moore returns

One of the last group of players to return to Tottenham training this summer is those who were involved at the U21 and U19 European Championships, who were all given extra time off to rest.

While Archie Gray won the former with England and Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert reached the semi-finals with France, Mikey Moore exited at the group stage with the U19s a week or so beforehand. The 17-year-old suffered a nasty looking ankle roll during the competition but was back on the bench in case of an emergency in the final game as England crashed out.

The teenager looks to be fine all these weeks on though as he seems to be the first one back from that group and could be spotted in the background back at the club and in training, taking part in another rondo with players like Richarlison, Davies, Luka Vuskovic, Kevin Danso, Jamie Donley and Yves Bissouma.

Donley precision

Another talented youngster looking to make his mark on Frank and his coaching staff this summer is Jamie Donley. The 20-year-old enjoyed a great season at Leyton Orient last time out with 11 assists and eight goals in his first senior loan as he helped them reach the League One play-offs.

After the rondos in training, the players switched to small-sided matches with mini goals with Frank watching on. Donley could be seen in one moment taking a knee-high pass well with great improvisation before immediately threading a left-footed through ball up the pitch that was seemingly sent into the net by someone, because it brought cheers from the players and applause from Donley, who then pumped his fist in the air towards someone.

Frank will ultimately decide whether Donley heads back out on loan or gets a chance this season as a homegrown player in a busy campaign.

Laughs with Kudus

As this video was focused mostly on Kudus' first training session with the squad there was plenty of footage of the Ghana international and how he interacted with others.

During one moment in the earlier rondos - piggy in the middle as it was called back in the playground days - the former West Ham man found himself free with Djed Spence to simply pass the ball amongst the two of them as those in the middle failed to come across. The Tottenham full-back found that most amusing as they probably took 10 or so touches each unchallenged before Kudus decided to pass it back across the circle.

After the mini-goal match, the team switched to bigger goals for a session and after it finished, Romero could be seen walking up behind Kudus and saying something to the new signing, who stopped, and the Argentine gestured with his hands while smiling, which brought a grin from the attacker in return.

Kudus could be seen linking up with Yang Min-hyeok on the training pitches on various occasions and then when walking off towards the building at the end, shared an embrace with another South Korean in skipper Son Heung-min after receiving a hug himself from Guglielmo Vicario in the training debrief.

Everyone appeared to be making Kudus feel at home, not least the experienced heads at the club.

Tottenham believe they can still complete a deal to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest despite a delay to transfer talks because of a legal complaint from the selling side.

Spurs thought they had pulled off a major coup in activating the 25-year-old's release clause and agreeing personal terms with the player out of the blue at the end of last week, but Forest were not happy.

Tottenham had offered the exact amount to trigger the release clause of the England international - something which they deem should have been confidential - and having lost Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United already, were not willing to let Gibbs-White depart as well.

Forest have lodged a legal complaint with the Premier League and it remains to be seen what the outcome of that will be, whether it will delay the transfer or stop it altogether.

Spurs remain hopeful of a deal being concluded and it seems Forest may be resigned to losing their midfield maestro as they are seemingly already putting plans in place to replace him.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side have been linked with moves for not one but two attacking midfielders in the last 24 hours, which may be to supplement their attack following the departure of Elanga, but could also be seen as lining up a replacement for Gibbs-White should his move to Tottenham go through.

Manchester City youngster James McAtee is a player Forest have a kee interest in, with a £25million deal mooted. Eintracht Frankfurt have been heavily linked with the 22-year-old, but reports have emerged that Forest are 'pushing hard' to sign him.

Then there's Jacob Ramsey - a player previously linked with Spurs.