Football London

Aston Villa's former president of football operations Monchi has been speaking about Daniel Levy and his experiences dealing with the ex-Spurs chairman

Monchi, who recently stepped down from his role upstairs at Aston Villa, has labelled Daniel Levy as the toughest negotiator in football.

The Spaniard recently departed his role as Villa's president of football operations and he has now opened up on his experiences having also spent in excess of 20 years at Sevilla across two respective spells.

Speaking to Flashscore, Monchi said when asked who was the trickiest negotiator within football: "[There were] Many. I always say Daniel Levy, possibly one of the hardest to negotiate with.

"Tottenham has always been a difficult club, but generally speaking, you find very capable people, with a lot of arguments, and they are complicated."

Monchi did not go into detail and clarify which particular transfer deals were discussed with Levy.

Intriguingly, just a matter of months after Monchi joined Villa, Johan Lange departed to join Spurs where he has now been appointed sporting director.

However, during Monchi's Villa tenure, there were transfer negotiations with Spurs over potential deals for Jacob Ramsey and Giovani Lo Celso.

Tottenham were also understood to be interested in signing Morgan Rogers this summer, though it's unclear whether that was ever a topic discussed between the clubs.

It's highly probable that Monchi is actually referencing his time at Sevilla when it comes to discussing Levy's stubbornness.

Plenty of deals were struck between the parties back then, one being when Spurs triggered the £8million release clause of Sevilla centre-back Federico Fazio in 2014.

Tottenham also sold striker Frederic Kanoute to Sevilla for around £5.5million, making £2m profit on the £3.5m paid to London rivals West Ham for his services in 2003.

Spurs also sold midfielder Didier Zokora to Sevilla in 2009 for an undisclosed fee, however, it's understood a £25m release clause was also inserted into the deal.

Monchi also negotiated the player-plus-cash swap deal in July 2021 which saw Tottenham land Bryan Gil.

Fan-favourite Erik Lamela ended up heading the other way and Spurs were also reported to have paid Sevilla £21.4m on top of the player-swap for the Spaniard, who is still on the club's books.

Speaking to The Evening Standard in 2019, Levy - who vacated his role as Tottenham chairman in early September - strongly refuted claims he was the best negotiator in football.

He said: “The perception and the reality, I can tell you, can be very different. Best negotiator? I think that’s just false. There’s no such thing. You can be good, fair, hard. I don’t think anyone can define themselves as the best.

"I can’t help what other people say, but all I am doing is trying to become a bigger club and I am just protecting my assets.”

It's also worth nothing that Monchi was once heavily linked with a move to Spurs, though it's unclear whether formal discussions ever took place.

Fabio Paratici has formally returned to Tottenham as joint sporting director and will work alongside fellow chief Johan Lange

Newly-appointed Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici has made it clear Spurs will be "ready" to strengthen Thomas Frank's squad in January - should the right opportunity arise. The Italian chief, who has been working for the Europa League winners on a consultancy basis, has now officially sealed his long-awaited return to N17 following a 30-month ban imposed by FIFA.

Paratici will now be working alongside Johan Lange and will focus his efforts on players (regarding matters such as contracts), the transfer market plus the loans and pathways department. Speaking to the club's official YouTube channel, Paratici was asked about his priorities from the get-go.

"About the transfer window? I think we are always ready. Ready to speak about players, we work every day, scouting, academy, inside," he said.

"It's our job, it's our work, maybe it's even our life and so we are always ready. Personally, I like this job, I love football, I love this job especially when we play every three days and when there is a transfer window. It's exciting to be inside of this kind of period."

The interview took place alongside Lange, who will be responsible for overseeing performance, the club's scouting network and Tottenham's academy. Still, collectively, they will make decisions together.

Lange added: "As Fabio said, it feels like we just ended one transfer window but the next one is coming which is very good.

"At the same time we have over 300 colleagues here at the training ground, working all of the time, driving each department. We know it will require everything, from each member of staff for us to be successful as we want to be.

"We have clear targets for each of the departments around the training centre and those good processes have one focus at the end which is to improve the performances of the men's first-team on the pitch."

Spurs were active throughout the summer transfer window, signing a number of players for their first-team squad. The loans of Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso were turned permanent while Luka Vuskovic also formally completed his switch from Hajduk Split, a deal which was agreed back in 2023.

Young Japanese defender Kota Takai also arrived from Kawasaki Frontale while big cash was spent on Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons, who arrived from West Ham and RB Leipzig, respectively.

Tottenham also utilised the loan market to bring in Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich and France international striker Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain.

Further trading could still materialise this winter though as boss Thomas Frank continues to put his own stamp on the Europa League-winning squad he inherited from Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham legend Harry Kane has a £54million release clause in his Bayern Munich contract that can be activated in January

Harry Kane says he hopes Tottenham can win more trophies following last season's Europa League triumph - but he has also reiterated that he is currently not thinking about a return to north London. Last month, Spurs boss Thomas Frank made it clear he would welcome the England captain back to N17 with open arms.

That prompted Kane to address his future and in doing so, he revealed he was not only settled in Germany but additionally, he was also open to extending his contract with Bayern Munich. Kane's current deal with Bayern is up in the summer of 2027 and there is a £54million release clause that can be activated in January should any English club wish to bring him back to the Premier League.

However, speaking to The Daily Mail, Kane has now reaffirmed that an emotional return to Tottenham isn't currently at the forefront of his mind - even if he was delighted by the club's Europa League heroics.

He said: "I’m not sure [if he'll go back]. I’m very happy here in Munich. It’s not something I'm thinking about. It’ll always be 'we' [when speaking about Spurs] because I spent my whole life there.

"I’m a fan of them and will always watch them and see how they’re getting on. They will always be a part of my life for sure but as for now, I’m loving it here. It was great to see [them win a trophy], I’ve got a lot of friends there with the players and staff.

"We know how long we waited and how close we’d come in the past so it was big for everyone - the fans, the club and all involved to have that feeling and get that one over the line. That’s always important and hopefully they can push on and win more."

Kane currently has 213 Premier League goals to his name meaning he is just 47 goals shy of breaking Alan Shearer's all-time goalscoring record.

But even if the 32-year-old was to return to his homeland and break that record, there is no guarantee it would last as Erling Haaland is hitting the back of the net for fun.

The Norwegian, who has 94 top-flight goals to his name from 104 appearances, will soon enter the Premier League's iconic 100 Club and after signing a new bumper Manchester City contract that will run until 2034 - he has no intention of slowing down.

Bayern frontman Kane is also arguably in the greatest form of his career having already plundered 21 goals for club and country this season following last night's brace against Latvia. Given he's firing on all cylinders, it's extremely difficult to envisage him switching clubs with a World Cup also on the horizon.

Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma picked up the injury just seconds after entering the field for Mali against Madagascar

Yves Bissouma has issued a statement on Instagram after he was stretchered off with an injury on international duty with Mali. The Tottenham defensive midfielder had only been on the field a matter of seconds when he picked up the issue on Sunday against Madagascar following a strong tackle.

Bissouma is yet to feature for Spurs this season as he has been building up his fitness following a knee problem. Slowly but surely, he was on the comeback trail after the injury had scuppered a potential transfer to Turkish giants Fenerbahce. However, Bissouma now appears to have injured his ankle and his left foot is now in a protective boot.

He said when addressing fans on social media: "Zero regrets. I once again thoroughly enjoyed representing my country, and if I had to do it all over again, I would do it for the love of my country.

"I fell, but I will know how to get back up. Every challenge is a lesson, every fall a reminder of my faith and my strength. This is not the end, just the beginning of a new chapter, stronger, more determined. See you soon."

Tottenham are yet to provide an update on exactly how long Bissouma could be sidelined for but football.london will be at Thomas Frank's pre-Aston Villa press conference on Friday.

The 29-year-old, who is out of contract in north London at the end of the season, was the first of two Spurs players to get injured while away on international duty after defender Ben Davies limped off in Wales' 4-2 defeat to Belgium.

Back in August, Spurs boss Frank omitted the Malian from his travelling squad for Super Cup in Udine against Paris Saint-Germain due to persistent lateness.

While the Dane declared he was willing to welcome back Bissouma with open arms, the midfielder has now faced yet another notable setback.

Bissouma was a prominent figure under Ange Postecoglou and played an integral role in the club's historic Europa League triumph - ending the gruelling 17-year wait for silverware.

He played 44 times in all competitions, scoring two goals and started both legs of the semi-final against Bodo/Glimt and the final against Manchester United in Bilbao.

Prior to that, he was on the periphery of Postecoglou's team before a heart-to-heart discussion with the Aussie amid a concerning injury crisis paved the way for his redemption.

All-action Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro has featured in all 11 of the club's matches so far this season

Pedro Porro has declared he is happy at Tottenham as he looks to build on last season's Europa League success. The Spain international full-back has been a major hit since joining Spurs on an initial six-month loan deal that became permanent in the summer of 2023.

Porro has been a key figure under each of the five head coaches - Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini, Ryan Mason, Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank - he has played under in N17.

Speaking while away on international duty, Porro made it clear he has no intention of leaving Tottenham anytime soon.

The 26-year-old told Infobae: “The truth is, I’m very happy and very settled at Tottenham. The start of the season has been very good.

“It’s a shame we lost the Super Cup final on penalties against PSG. After going 2-0 up, you have to win that title, but for me, they’re one of the best clubs in the world. If you’re not focused for the full 90 minutes, that’s what happens.”

Spurs soon recovered from their Super Cup heartbreak in Udine, however, and their start to the new season has been rather impressive despite the odd blip.

Porro has played in all 11 of Tottenham's matches so far this season, recording two assists in the process.

Frank's side are just two points off top spot in the Premier League and they have only lost once - 1-0 to Bournemouth - in the Premier League this term.

The Spaniard believes Frank is “doing a magnificent job", having seemingly settled into his new surroundings incredibly quickly.

Porro also discussed how he balances defensive and attacking responsibilities as he strives to impact the game at both ends of the pitch.

He continued: “Nowadays, you have to be important in both roles. I like reading comments, and several years ago I was very involved defensively, trying to be a little more involved and see what I can do because then in attack, I have that self-confidence that’s also required of a full-back when they reach the deep areas.

“In defence, you have to be consistent, and in attack, you also have that support for your teammates when they need it.”

The former Sporting defender is well on his way to establishing himself as Spain's first-choice right-back ahead of next summer's World Cup.

He has started their last three matches and has featured in 10 of their past 11 games after previously missing out on a place in the La Roja squad which won Euro 2024.

Thomas Frank is claimed to be a big fan of one Tottenham Hotspur signing who has made quite the impression since he joined the north London side on loan this summer.

Tottenham 'can see themselves' triggering their buy option for Joao Palhinha - according to reports. The 30-year-old signed for Spurs on loan from Bayern Munich on a season-long loan deal this summer.

Palhinha had spent two years in the Premier League with Fulham before his £44.4m move to Bayern Munich was confirmed in July 2024. However, the Portugal international struggled during his time at the Allianz Arena. Indeed, he made just 25 appearances across all competitions and was not part of Vincent Kompany's first-choice XI.

Spurs expressed an interest in signing Palhinha before the start of the 2025/2026 season - and then they ended up getting a deal across the line for him to make his debut in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain. He scored his first Tottenham goal in the 2-0 win at Manchester City and has made quite the impact since his move.

Due to his impressive performances, Tottenham are seriously contemplating triggering the option to buy Palhinha, according to Sky Sport Germany. It's added that Frank, who replaced Ange Postecoglou as the club's head coach in June, is a 'big fan' and has an 'excellent relationship' with the former Sporting CP midfielder.

A return to Bayern Munich is not expected to occur, due to a lack of game-time last season, though there has not yet been concrete talks between the Bundesliga champions and Tottenham, at this juncture.

The loan has been a success so far and Palhinha is content with his start to life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having started in each of their first seven Premier League matches this season.

Last month, Palhinha scored his third Tottenham goal and his second at home as he rescued a late 1-1 draw against Wolves. Speaking post-match, he outlined that Frank has allowed him license to get forward more.

Palhinha told Tottenham's official website: "First of all, I feel glad to score these goals, but I think also the coach is demanding sometimes in the game for me to be more inside the box. These goals happen because I am there - if I am not too far from the box - and I tried to get the chances, and today I scored a good goal.

"But if you ask me if I would change the goal for the victory, for sure I would do it, but it is like this."

Next up for Palhinha and Tottenham is the Premier League game against Aston Villa on Sunday, October 19. They then travel to AS Monaco in the Champions League before then making the trip to Everton in the top-flight.

Tottenham forward Brennan Johnson jumped into action during an enforced stoppage when Wales faced Belgium on Monday evening

Brennan Johnson found himself performing an unexpected task during Wales' 4-2 World Cup qualifier defeat against Belgium on Monday night - chasing a live rat off the pitch. Cardiff City's head of operations claimed that he had never seen a rat run onto the pitch before at the club's 33,280-seater stadium.

Tottenham winger Johnson was a second-half substitute, but instead of trying to force a comeback for the hosts, he found himself having to chase a rodent off the field of play to ensure the game could continue.

The small animal scurried under the VAR monitor and was never seen again once Johnson hurried it off the side of the pitch after Belgium and Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had failed to catch it. League One club Cardiff have since defended their pest control policy.

“It’s something I’ve not seen in my 36 years at Cardiff City,” said Wayne Nash (via PA), the club’s head of operations who also works as a security manager for the Football Association of Wales and Uefa. “We’ve had a stray dog on the pitch but this was something new, a freak of nature.

“The stadium is close to allotments and railway sidings and we know rats can be problematic. The railway bankings can be infested with rats.

"We know they are in the area and we do have the odd sighting of them. But we work closely with our pest control partners and do everything we can to keep them away.”

Cardiff insisted that they have been following strict protocols centred around cleanliness.

Nash continued: “We pick up litter and food like half-eaten burgers straight after games. Everything is put away. They say you are never too far from a rat, especially in cities, and this one managed to get in.

“People have seen a rat on the pitch as quite funny, but it does have serious undertones. If I was the ball boy or Brennan Johnson I would have run a mile.”

It was an extremely disappointing night for Wales as their World Cup qualification hopes suffered a serious blow.

Craig Bellamy's side will now have to finish their Group J campaign strong - likely with two victories over Liechtenstein and North Macedonia - if they are to stand a chance of booking their ticket to the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Even still, they will probably have to settle for a place in the play-offs, which still wouldn't guarantee their chances of participating in their second consecutive World Cup campaign.

Spurs return to Premier League action on Sunday when Aston Villa visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Tottenham attackers Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel will return to N17 full of confidence following two statement displays for France U21s during the international break. The two young forwards have lacked consistency since joining Spurs but both are rated by Thomas Frank and are pushing to nail down starting places in his Tottenham XI.

Tel suffered a tough setback earlier in the season when he was omitted from the club's Champions League squad. Nonetheless, he has shown resilience and battled back, striking the opener for Spurs in their recent 2-1 Premier League victory at Leeds.

While Odobert was included in Tottenham's Champions League squad, much like Tel, he has mainly featured from the bench. The pair have earned two starts each in the Premier League so far, but there could be more to come very soon.

That's because both dazzled for their country as France U21s stuck six goals past the Faroe Islands and Estonia, respectively.

Odobert struck a brace in each U21 European Championships qualifier and also managed to assist Tel in the one-sided 6-1 triumph over Estonia.

Interestingly, Odobert featured from the right flank while Tel operated as a central striker against Estonia.

While it's no secret ex-Burnley attacker Odobert can play on the right, he has played the crux of his club football on the left wing this season.

Speaking last month, head coach Frank made it clear that he felt Spurs had two fine players on their hands, stating: "What I’m convinced about is that Tottenham have two very good players that I am very convinced will be very good for us over the next few years."

Frank made a point of congratulating Tel after his first goal of the season at Leeds, encouraging Spurs' travelling supporters to show their appreciation for the fresh-faced Frenchman.

The Tottenham head coach said after the game: "So I'm almost emotional about him. I'm so happy for him, I think the character he's shown from a young man just really impressed me from day one.

"But of course after a setback, not coming in the Champions League squad, not being an established player. Maybe playing a good position where I really can see him play and I think he's taking steps.

"Also [he's] been picked a little bit for the left. So just keep training well, which he does. He trains well every day. He stayed at home when the whole team went to Bodo and he trained well."

While Mohammed Kudus has nailed down the right wing role at Spurs, the left flank is still an area that's well and truly up for grabs.

It was a wretched night for Sweden on home soil as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Kosovo in their latest World Cup qualification match

Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has explained his decision to substitute Tottenham attacking midfielder Lucas Bergvall at half-time of their 1-0 World Cup qualification defeat to Kosovo. After four matches, the Scandinavian nation's hopes of qualifying for next summer's tournament are all but over following a disastrous campaign.

Despite boasting arguably two of the world's best strikers in Liverpool's Alexander Isak and Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres, Sweden sit bottom of Group B with just a single point to their name. While Friday's 2-0 defeat to Switzerland was damaging, the embarrassing loss to Kosovo on Monday night is terminal.

Sweden can no longer qualify as group winners and even their hopes of finishing second and earning a play-off spot are now incredibly slim.

Spurs playmaker Bergvall, who missed an open goal on Friday against Switzerland, started against Kosovo but was hooked at the break.

If any Tottenham supporters were tracking the events in Gothenburg, they would have been concerned that Bergvall had picked up an injury.

But Tomasson has now confirmed the call was purely tactical, stating post-match: "We were down 1-0 and we wanted to change things. In the second half, with the changes we made, I think our formation surprised Kosovo a little bit.

"We created good moments that could have led to goals. Sometimes you have to change things at half-time."

Bergvall himself has also confirmed there were no fitness problems, telling the Swedish media: "No, I'm perfectly healthy."

His substitution is arguably good news for Spurs as it means their 19-year-old Player of the Year is reasonably rested for Sunday's visit of Aston Villa.

According to Sofascore, Bergvall had the second-highest rating (7.4) on the pitch in the first half. He completed 22 of his 25 passes, four of his five attempted dribbles and also won six of his seven duels.

Incredibly, Sweden now have a goal difference of minus five - even though their squad is littered with top talent from Europe's top-five domestic leagues.

After the defeat, an anti-Tomasson banner appeared in the stands which read: "JDT out - Danish b******." The former Blackburn Rovers boss insists he won't be stepping down as he plans to honour his contract.

He said when asked if he will consider resigning: "I have a contract with the association and we are in the middle of qualifying, so I expect to be here. I have a contract and we are in the middle of qualifying, so I expect that to stay. I am focused on the team and the upcoming matches."

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has been speaking about Lionel Messi, Rodri, Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and much more!

Thomas Frank has revealed Lionel Messi is the best player he's watched live while the Tottenham boss has also tipped Rodri to become a top coach or manager in the future.

The Dane is currently enjoying some rest bite from the relentless football calendar due to the current international break, although members of the Spurs squad will return to Hotspur Way in the coming days and preparations for Aston Villa on Sunday will start to ramp up.

Frank has had time to reflect during the short break and interestingly made his feelings known on Inter Miami star Messi. In an interview with SPORTbible, Frank said when asked who the best player is he's seen live: "Messi. Been privileged to watch him I think eight or 10 times.

"Exceptional, I must admit. I actually watched him against I think it was Tottenham, wasn't it? But anyway, he was very, very good, so top player."

Frank was also very honest when asked for the best player he has coached. "That's a very tricky question. I'll mention a few," he said. "Former Spurs player Christian Eriksen I think was a fantastic player. Coached him when he was in my under-17 national team.

"I would say also both Ivan Toney, David Raya, Ollie Watkins are among them, and another one, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the national team, and Andreas Christensen."

Manchester City midfielder Rodri was also tipped to become a future manager by Frank, with the former Brentford man describing the 29-year-old as "intelligent". "It needs to be a midfielder, I think, because normally it's those who most normally become managers," Frank said. "I will name Rodri from [Man] City. Clever midfielder, so maybe he'll be a coach or manager one day.

"I think he's intelligent on the pitch. I think he's also quite intelligent in the press, so yeah, if he wants to go into that circus. I understand some players that don't want to go into it. You know, I'm a little bit from a different background. He's been in it for maybe, that's when he will stop or retire, maybe 18 years, so it's even more when you're a manager or a head coach, and probably not as fun as playing."