Football London

The mention of Daniel Levy's name elicits a range of reactions when you speak to those who have dealt with him over the years - a rueful grin, a grimace and exhalation of air or occasionally a nodding approval.

The 63-year-old walked out of the doors of Tottenham Hotspur this week in a move that shocked everyone beneath a certain level inside the club and certainly those outside it. The man who had instigated huge projects to modernise the Premier League club yet also micro-managed the north London outfit for 24 years to such a degree that he even chose the doorknobs and various fittings inside the new stadium was now gone.

In the end, it was about the football on the pitch rather than what the Premier League's longest serving chairman had built around it that decided his fate. His exit appeared forced by the only people more powerful than him at the club - the Lewis family. They wanted a broader, more modern structure at the club, in keeping with one of its increased size, with a CEO - Vinai Venkatesham - at the helm and felt that would bring a greater chance of sporting success.

'Levy out' was the cry from sections of the fanbase across recent seasons and now that is the reality rather than something shouted from the stands.

The image painted of Levy from the outside towards the end of his reign at Spurs became something of a caricature - an awkward man who cared more about the thrill of negotiations than what the player being signed could actually do on the pitch. Some chairman and CEOs relished the challenge of talks with him, others chose not go through it more than once.

Those who worked with him draw a more rounded picture of Levy, a chairman who tried to maintain the near impossible balance of being a family man and a businessman who worked all hours. Those who worked under him or alongside him would often wake to see messages sent at ungodly hours of the night.

Some people football.london spoke to, many of whom preferred to remain unnamed in the wake of this week's events, backed up some aspects often attributed to Levy's character that are out there in the media while others hit back on a few points.

One person who had worked with Levy over years at Tottenham said that while the former chairman was certainly awkward in group settings, he was engaging when it came to one-on-one conversations.

They admitted working for him was not simple for Levy is a highly ambitious person and a common theme from most spoken to was that even when you thought you had delivered what was needed he would always try to push for that little bit more from you. Some from other clubs suggested it was similar in negotiations over players.

Another who had worked with Levy for a spell in north London would only say: "For all his faults he’s been a great chairman. He'll be a tough act to follow."

Some involved in transfers over the years would praise Levy's part in them and his determination to get a deal done, while others would speak of the delays to negotiations regarding minutiae that could scupper them and some pointed to a belief on the chairman's part that the chance to join Tottenham should be the biggest factor when it came to talks with a player and manager's representatives.

For instance, in the Netherlands, some around Feyenoord suggested that the talks to bring Arne Slot to Tottenham in 2023 put too much belief in the Dutchman wanting to leave for the Premier League with claims that the financial package involved was not hugely different to what he was already earning at the Dutch club. Those talks never reached their conclusion and Slot would go to Liverpool the following summer and win the Premier League.

One criticism around Tottenham's negotiations has always been that they have been willing to pay the transfer fee but not the wages that have become commonplace at top clubs so their pool of targets would shrink further. Some players who have left the club to move on to other Premier League sides lower down the table over the years have earned more after the move.

That strict wage structure has helped Spurs find stability but has also held them back and it's one of the things that has become associated with Levy's tenure, particularly by the fans.

One supporter, Rachel Martin, has engaged in various meetings with Levy as a former head of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust and now as the trust's representative on the club's Fan Advisory Board.

"Daniel Levy came over as a very astute businessman who transformed the financial stability of Spurs," she told football.london. "He’s a genuine Spurs fan and it was clear that the lack of trophies meant that for him there was “unfinished business”.

"We tried to ensure he understood the experience and perspective of Spurs fans. We needed success on the pitch, to show bravery and greater ambition, and we needed to be valued as the lifeblood of the club. I’m not sure if he really got that."

One man who would know plenty about life with Levy and what he got and didn't get is Martin Jol.

The Dutchman was brought to Spurs as Jacques Santini's assistant in 2004 only to take over from the Frenchman who quit just three months into the season. Jol would spend three years at the club, taking them back into European competition and a sickness bug away from the top four and the Champions League.

Many credit Jol with laying the foundations with his style of football and development of young players that others like Harry Redknapp and Mauricio Pochettino would eventually build upon.

Yet it all ended on the night of October 25, 2007 when whispers spread around White Hart Lane during Spurs' 2-1 defeat to Getafe that Jol was being sacked that evening, in the wake of Tottenham courting Sevilla manager Juande Ramos, who claimed the north London club had made him a "dizzying offer".

The fans sang the popular Jol's name throughout the remainder of the game but it was not enough. The end came with a conversation with Levy following the match.

Jol should be bitter and have more gripes with Levy than most, but instead the former Ajax boss, now 69, spoke with balance to football.london about his former chairman in that classic Dutch straight-talking style.

"The thing is with Daniel, maybe in general, you can go to the left, you can go to the right and the truth is in the middle, you know what I mean," he said.

"So sometimes I think, this man he can't be loved, because he distances himself. In the last 18 years or so since he never phones, even when there's a player in Holland or whatever, he never asks anything. Sometimes I feel entitled to send him a message about a player. You know 'don't do this' and the only thing he says is 'thanks', because he thinks 'I can't get too close with people' because that is not what he does. He always distances himself."

Despite the circumstances surrounding his own departure from Spurs, Jol believes that his former boss in N17 was someone he felt he could trust even if they never built that close a connection.

"Daniel is an honest guy, believe me, he's an honest guy. He's very well educated. He will never do you any harm, which is why he needed people around him. He relied on a small group of people," he said.

"He never wants to have a connection. Maybe it's me, maybe only with me, but I think that's him as a person, you know, he doesn't want you to say 'OK, I'm in touch with Daniel' or 'I spoke to Daniel'.

"He is not a communicator and he doesn't know anything about football, because Daniel has got his one thing, that is business and that's 100% the truth. So that is why he took Frank Arnesen [during my time] and Frank was a friend of mine so that was easy enough.

"Daniel commercially is a great man and I get on with him, but I was never sure if he could get on with me."

Jol is another who points to Levy's workaholic nature as being a key driver in the growth of Tottenham as a global football brand in recent decades.

"He puts an unbelievable effort in, but he got a lot out of the club. He's a very good commercial guy. He's unbelievable commercially," he said. "I mean, you could say 20 years ago Spurs was a big club, but nobody knew at that point why they are big, but now you can say Spurs is a big club because of the stadium, because of the fanbase, because of the training ground, the facilities. They are still seven or £800million in debt, as you know, but he has creativity commercially, he's amazing like that."

Jol believes that Levy's undoing in terms of sporting success has mostly come through recruitment failures, which he pins on those the then chairman appointed.

"He's commercially unbelievable, but 80% of his time, his recruitment staff were terrible. That is what I think, because people keep on criticising him about not spending money but I think they spent £700million or so over the last four or five years," he said.

"The amazing thing is, how can you spend let's say £700million, and there's not one player in this squad who can go to Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea. I mean [Mohammed] Kudus went from Ajax, not to Chelsea, not to Man City, he went to West Ham, and of course he's very talented, but he's not better than [Dejan] Kulusevski, 100% not, but I know him from Ajax very well, he's so talented.

"But I mean, he wouldn't go to Chelsea or Man City or Man United or Liverpool. You see Liverpool, they want it, they buy it. But I mean Richarlison wouldn't go to Arsenal or Chelsea or whatever, all these players. How many players are there in the Spurs team now, who would be bought by one of the big four or five?

"[Cristian] Romero could go anywhere but you feel like if he plays for a while at his top level, he will get injured. Romero is a good, decent defender, but I will tell you one thing, the guy they sent to Hamburg now - Luka Vuskovic - will be better."

The Dutchman remembered one player in particular he was managing at Ajax after he left Tottenham that he knew would be perfect for his old club.

"Daniel was unbelievable for Spurs, but not on the technical side. When you look at the players they've signed they had so many misfits. That is what I said to Daniel 'why don't you give me a phone call?'. I had Toby Alderweireld. I had [Christian] Eriksen made his debut for me," said Jol.

"And I had Luis Suarez. I said 'why didn't you buy Suarez?'. He said 'because my people said that he is almost the same type of player as Van der Vaart'. Huh? Suarez is a striker. With me, he played from the right, but I knew that Suarez was not the right winger, but I had Marko Pantelic as a number nine, so I used Suarez as a false wide player like [Mohamed] Salah. Suarez is a legend. It was £25million, but [Daniel] didn't listen."

Jol, Redknapp and Pochettino were the only ones to break the cycle of managers under Levy lasting on average 18 months to two years. The chairman appointed 13 permanent managers in his 24 years at the helm.

When asked why others did not last as long, Jol thought for a moment before saying: "Because they didn't achieve what Daniel has in mind. With me when I was fifth, and believe me, you had all these big teams, to be fifth with the money he spent then was a miracle.

"Daniel always underestimated me with players because that is the biggest quality of a coach - a judgement call. You know 'he's good', 'he will be good', 'he's young, but he will be a top player there'. That is the judgement of a coach. That is the most important thing.

"But Daniel always listened to [Damien] Comolli, because he was obsessed with his new structure with a technical director. Comolli would have told him 'With Martin, you won't win there and with Ramos you win there because he won the UEFA Cup'. I think he won it twice. Like Unai Emery, because Sevilla has won the competition I think over the past 10 years or so, five times the Europa League or UEFA Cup.

"So he listened to Comolli, but he should have looked at [Michael] Carrick or [Dimitar] Berbatov or [Aaron] Lennon or look at Reto Ziegler. Do you think Pochettino would have played with the 18-year-old Ziegler on the left and in the same game Aaron Lennon 18-years-old on the right? No, but I had to make the best out of it, and that is what I think Pochettino did, was to get the maximum out of your players.

"Of course Aaron was a big talent but you surely have to play them to develop them, despite their age. It's the same with Gareth Bale.

"With Pochettino he got close and I do think in Daniel's heart, he wants to be your friend, but he distances himself so much that he won't have friends [in football]. I wanted to be his friend. I wanted to help him because that is what I am, but he didn't want any of it. He listened to Comolli."

Jol admitted that there were clashes over his contract at Tottenham after he had been bumped up from assistant manager and over other interested clubs.

"I mean you can't say that he treated me right if you consider what I did for him. Daniel once told my agent 'Martin is not loyal' , and it's from when I had said 'OK, I go to Newcastle or I go to Ajax' because I was on a fraction of what other managers were being paid," he said.

"He said 'there's five or six other managers at the gate'. You know, is that loyal? He said to me I was not loyal, but then my agent got me what I should have been paid because at that time, [Daniel] didn't want to let me go.

"So he had to [pay] and I think that hurt him, because he's an unbelievable negotiator. But if you want something like Liverpool have done with [Alexander] Isak, you have to pay. Of course it hurts, having to pay £125million, but sometimes you have to do it, and Daniel was not doing that. He wants to have his way. They can tell him whatever they want, but if he negotiates, he will hurt you."

Levy's son Josh is the co-CEO of Tavistock Group, which owns a majority share of ENIC, the investment company that owns Spurs. Jol always felt that it would be the younger Levy who would take over from his father eventually at the helm of the north London club.

"I always thought that Josh would follow in his footsteps. Josh, his son, I think would be ideal because he's a very good boy. I liked him. He could communicate. He had what his father lacked and I mean back then I think he was 14 or 15. Now he's probably in this thirties or something. I thought, that is the ideal solution. Step back, put Josh in your situation and do things from the background," he said

"Because people can find Daniel difficult to deal with. That's the trouble. Sometimes I like him, you know, but I've got mixed feelings with him all the time because, you know, if you want to do well with him, if you want a relationship with him, it's difficult."

Levy ended his tenure with that Europa League triumph in Bilbao, the second trophy of his 24-year tenure. He sacked Ange Postecoglou soon after and stated that that trophy was not enough. He wanted Spurs to win the Premier League and the Champions League and compete across all competitions.

Just three months later and Levy will not get to see that as chairman. He leaves a legacy that many believe is to be found in bricks and mortar more so than silverware and Jol is one of those people.

"His legacy will be what he said himself, that he built an unbelievable stadium and he's got facilities that are second to none. I mean it's a big club now, not only in the big fanbase," said Jol. "I always say Spurs is the biggest club in London. People will say it's not true but I think with the stadium and the fanbase was always there. We had 25,000 season ticket holders on a waiting list. I mean, people don't realise how big Spurs are.

"Now you see it in the new stadium. Every player says it's unbelievable. Believe me, it's different with Spurs and with Chelsea when you go into the stadium.

"Now, the only thing is the technical side. That is why I say how many players from Spurs would get into the team of Chelsea because I mean all the players they sign for like 80, 90, 100million. Spurs will spend £60million on a player, so they spend money but they are not the top, top players you can get for that price.

"You can get top players for less, like Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, but if you're spending huge money then you're buying the finished article. If you're not then it has to be top recruitment and over 20 years at Tottenham, many have not been great or good enough."

The phrase Levy used to Jol on the night he sacked him back in 2007 have always stuck with him and now those words feel fitting for both men.

"One reason Daniel was still there for the last 10 years was because he owned the club. Before there was only one guy, Joe Lewis, who could get rid of him. The rest could shout and criticise, but he would stay there because he owns the club," said the Dutchman. "He wasn't just a chairman on the payroll. He's also got the shares.

"So something happened now and somebody told him 'let's call it a day', which is what he said to me. He said 'let's call it a day'. I will never forget that. I hate this phrase. Now they probably said to him 'let's call it a day'."

The former chairman's outgoing statement did not speak of any reasons for his departure which lends itself to Jol's theory. After 24 years, 13 managers, two trophies, one state-of-the-art training complex and one incredible stadium on Tottenham High Road, Daniel Levy has indeed had to call it a day.

Harry Kane has previously left the door open to a return to the Premier League. The 32-year-old striker, who left Tottenham Hotspur to join Bayern Munich in July 2023 for £86.4 million (€100m), has recently been linked with a move back to the English top-flight.

Kane, whose contract at the Allianz Arena expires in June 2027, has featured twice in the Bundesliga this season, scoring three goals and providing two assists. Playing a key role in Vincent Kompany's side, he's helped the reigning champions get off to the perfect start.

Despite the England international's impressive performances, Bayern looked to sign a new forward in the summer. The Bavarians set their sights on Nick Woltemade, but he went to Newcastle United, so they signed Nicolas Jackson on loan instead.

Kane also only has two years left on his contract, leading some to believe that the German giants will cash in while they still have the chance. Speaking to talkSPORT, as quoted by the Express, German football journalist Raphael Honigstein revealed that Bayern are 'braced' for the Englishman's departure.

The German football expert said: "It's no big secret that people in Germany don't expect Harry Kane to see out his career at Bayern. I think Bayern are braced for the possibility that he will leave slightly earlier than his contract, which runs until 2027.

"One way or the other, he and the club need to take a view on this fairly soon. They were pushing for somebody who can both be a backup and an understudy for Kane

"They looked at [Benjamin] Sesko. They looked at [Nick] Woltemade. They ended up with Jackson, with an obligation to buy. This suggests Bayern are aware of the possibility that Kane might go in a year or two."

Honigstein added: "But at the same time, he's so good that anyone who comes in has to play around him.There is absolutely no chance that Jackson will displace Kane.

"He will have to play alongside him, ahead of him or give Kane a rest in a game or two. But he is very much there to be his eventual successor, but we are still quite far off that."

Kane didn't rule out a move back to the Premier League when he was quizzed on his future earlier this year. Speaking to ESPN in April 2025, the former Spurs captain said: "I'm not sure. I've said throughout my whole career, I'm not someone who likes to think too far ahead.

"I'm extremely happy here. I think we have a fantastic team, fantastic coaching staff, and I just feel like whilst I feel like I'm in the best condition, I wanna play at the highest level possible, and this is as high as it gets.

"So, I know a lot can change in football in a short space of time and things can happen, but ultimately my focus is here. I'm not thinking about any other league or any other team.

"And with football, I like to just go with the flow and at the moment, the flow is here at Bayern Munich," added Kane. "I think when you're just playing in the biggest games every season, year after year, I think that puts you on that stage.

"I had moments at Spurs where we had that ... we had some really great years where we were challenging for titles, and were in the final of the Champions League. So, I had those moments at Spurs, but not on a consistent basis. It wasn't year after year."

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Wales forward Gareth Bale is set to come out of retirement for a charity match next weekend, marking his first appearance since retiring in 2023. The Spurs legend retired in January 2023, shortly after leading his country to their first World Cup in 64 years. Now aged 36, Bale will return to the pitch this month in South Korea for a star-studded charity match.

Bale will be playing for FC Spear against Shield United at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on September 13. FC Spear boasts an impressive line-up of attacking talent, with Bale joined by football greats such as Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney and Kaka.

Shield United, as the name suggests, features a squad of iconic defenders including Alessandro Nesta, Carles Puyol, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, reports Wales Online. Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will manage FC Spear, while Rafa Benitez takes the helm for Shield United.

Shield United emerged victorious in last year's match with a 4-1 win, so FC Spear will be seeking redemption in the rematch. Since hanging up his boots, Bale has been heading a consortium aiming to purchase Cardiff City, and has also signed up with TNT Sports as a pundit for this season, taking over from ex-Manchester United defender Ferdinand.

FC Spear's full squad:

Bum Young Lee, Gianluigi Buffon, Ja Cheol Koo, Ki Hyon Seol, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Clarence Seedorf, Eden Hazard, Franck Ribéry, Wayne Rooney, Gareth Bale, Kaká, Steven Gerrard, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Ji Sung Park, Didier Drogba

Coach: Arsene Wenger

Shield United full squad:

Young Kwang Kim, Iker Casillas, Alessandro Nesta, Michael Carrick, Marchisio, Gilberto Silva, Joo Ho Park, Sol Campbell, Claude Makélélé, Ashley Cole, Maicon, John Arne Riise, Nemanja Vidic, Carles Puyol, Young Pyo Lee, Rio Ferdinand

Coach: Rafa Benitez

Tickets to the live experience sold out in just 20 minutes, but fans worldwide can catch the game on the web as well as through FC Mobile's in-game broadcast channel. Both FC Mobile and FC Online will feature in-game events connected to the Icons Match.

Tottenham have entered two new filings on Companies House in recent days with one getting some supporters talking.

Companies House is a government agency that maintains the register of all different types of companies within the United Kingdom, both private and public. Tottenham Hotspur have a number of different companies registered on there in relation to various parts of the organisation, including ones for the club, the stadium, the charitable foundation and even the hotel among others, with other older dissolved companies listed.

This week brought two new filings to the main Tottenham Hotspur Football & Athletic Co. Ltd on Companies House. The most recent one was an expected one with the news that a "Mr Daniel Philip Levy" was the subject of a termination of director appointment file on September 4. That was the day that it was announced that the 63-year-old had left his post as the executive chairman of Spurs after more than 24 years at the helm.

However, there was another filing a few days earlier that had got people talking. It was created on August 29 but was not published until September 1 and was the registration of a charge involving the London branch of Macquarie Bank Limited. That immediately prompted suggestions that there had been a big new cash injection into the club.

There has certainly been a cash injection but technically it's money they already had coming as football.london understands that the filing involves, in technical terms, industry standard receivables factoring.

In layman's terms it's the common practice of selling outstanding invoices to a third party to get the money up front for something that a club expects to get over a period of time. So for instance, in many cases football clubs have used banks like Macquarie to get their expected television revenue in advance.

In this case with Spurs, while the amount is not stated, the Companies House document refers to receivables being "all of the central funds due or owing to or which maybe due or owing to or purchased or otherwise acquired or received by the borrower from the Premier League for the period from and including December 2025 up to and including May 2026 (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the amounts from the Merit Payments Funds (as defined in the Premier League rules) payable around May 2026), in each case together with all ancillary and security rights thereto."

The document is signed at its end by Tottenham's chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham as well as operations and finance director Matthew Collecott.

Australian-based Macquarie are one of a number of global investment companies that Premier League and Championship clubs have used over the years to get money from things like future TV earnings up front.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told the Guardian back in 2020 when this had become common practice: "Every time [a club] renew, effectively they are extending the length of the overdraft and it means that Macquarie are entitled to the money from the next tranche of TV money from the Premier League.

"There’s an awful lot of clubs doing this and it makes a lot of sense. The broadcasting payments are made three or four times a year but you’ve got all of the overheads going out in between, including the wage bill.

"I understand that a lot of banks are providing similar services but, because they are not formally registering a charge, we don’t see the documentation because nothing is going through Companies House. It’s a risk in the same way that if you take out a mortgage and it helps from a cash flow point of view."

Dejan Kulusevski has issued a fresh Tottenham injury update while also providing a rather detailed look into the surgery he was forced to undergo back in May.

The Sweden international has been absent for nearly four months - after damaging his patella in the 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace just 10 days before the Europa League final win over Manchester United. Kulusevski was in Bilbao for the huge triumph though and, despite still not being fit, he has completed a similar action with Sweden.

Much of the focus for his nation in the build up to World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Kosovo has surrounded the availability of Alexander Isak. Having not featured or trained for Newcastle in order to force through a move to Liverpool, he is lacking match sharpness.

Isak remained an unused substitute for the 2-2 draw with Serbia while Kulusevski, unsurprisingly, was not involved in the squad but he has been playing a hugely influential role over the last few days. As confirmed by national team head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson, Kulusevski would be part of their group to help out where he can.

As he is away with Sweden, it is perhaps no surprise that he has spoken to local press about his injury - with an update on when he could return revealed.

Speaking to Fotbollskanalen, he said: "The status is good. The rehab is going well.

"Every day I wake up with the same hunger and even more hunger with each passing day.

"I will be on a football pitch in the very, very near future. If everything goes, as it should, as it has so far, I'm very confident that I will be on the pitch in two to three months."

The hope was Kulusevski would be back early into the 2025/26 campaign, but it doesn't quite look as though he will be available. That looks set to place extra pressure on the shoulders of new attacking midfielder Xavi Simons with James Maddison also out because of a long-term knee injury.

The latter underwent surgery on an ACL issue suffered in pre-season with a heartfelt update later posted from a hospital bed. Kulusevski did similar around the time of his operation but has now gone one step further by uploading an image mid-surgery to his Instagram.

He captioned the social media post: "Warning for sensitive content. Thank god it happened so I could see it clear." As he rightly points, the photo is particularly graphic - but it does provide an insight into how big the surgery was and why it means he will likely not fully return until January 2026.

Tottenham's significant summer of change looks to have culminated with Daniel Levy departing as chairman. His exit was confirmed in a bombshell statement on Thursday evening with major uncertainty surrounding what happens next.

In short, it looks as though it will be business as usual for the time being but understandably, much of the focus has been on matters upstairs with the September international break ongoing.

The Lilywhites have gone into that two-week pause following a disappointing defeat to Bournemouth but with new marquee signing Xavi Simons unveiled ahead of the game. Spurs' ambitions have been clear this summer with a view to making the club more competitive an important aim.

After winning the Europa League last season, this could be just be the start with football.london taking a look at the latest takeover and investment updates.

Tottenham club statement

In the final section of their announcement regarding Levy's exit, Spurs made it clear the decision was all part of the "Club’s ambition to ensure that it is set up to deliver long-term sporting success."

Whether or not that will transpire remains to be seen but the Telegraph have noted that Joe Lewis' children, Charlie and Vivienne, see this is a start of a new era at the club.

Levy has been criticised for how he has operated in transfer windows but it is fair to say that when reflecting on his exit, he has transformed Tottenham in a multi-billion pound entity even if that was what he saw before a football club.

Investment claims

Spurs have sought outside investment into the club over the last few years with Levy first making that clear publicly a few years ago.

"To capitalise on our long-term potential, to continue to invest in the teams and undertake future capital projects, the club requires a significant increase in its equity base," Levy was quoted saying. "The board and its advisors, Rothschild and Co, are in discussions with prospective investors."

However, Levy also claimed that no deals would be done without club personnel's approval, suggesting this won't be a rushed process. "Any recommended investment proposal would require the support of the club's shareholders," he clarified.

Former Newcastle United shareholder Amanda Staveley has been linked as a potential investor but as things stand, it does not appear as though external investment has yet arrived.

ENIC and Lewis family sale stance

A cash injection believed to be from ENIC, Tottenham's majority owners, could well have happened in recent months, as was claimed by football.london, with Spurs' transfer market activity suggesting as such.

Big fees were prepared to be committed to Eberechi Eze, Nico Paz, Savinho and Morgan Gibbs-White but Tottenham failed to sign any of those names. Instead, over £100million was spent on Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons.

FIFA has confirmed that they shall be changing the international calendar next season to limit disruption on the domestic schedule.

Currently, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and the remainder of the Premier League and EFL Championship, see their season paused less than a month into the campaign. This year, it is to allow for FIFA World Cup qualifiers to take place.

However, this international window has also been used for UEFA Nations League and European Championship qualifiers previously.

With many of these international matches seen as inconsequential to supporters, there is often disappointment to see the Premier League campaign pause just three games in.

From next season, it is all change with the September international window being modified. Instead of breaking at the beginning of September and then again just a month later in October, FIFA has decided to combine the two windows.

A longer, 16-day international window will run from September 21 to October 6 next year to allow for as many as four international matches to be played. This will then be followed by the usual November and March windows that shall be nine-days long.

The hope is that there will be less disruption for teams in the top flights around the world while also allowing countries to play the same amount of international fixtures.

For now, the London Premier League clubs will have to make do with the current arrangements. But, fans will not have to wait long to see their teams back in action.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a positive update should they wish to pursue a transfer for Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane in the near future.

Kane came through the ranks at Spurs and became a club legend, having become the north London side's all-time leading goalscorer. However, after accomplishing this achievement, the centre-forward and England captain chose to move on to pastures new in a bid to win silverware.

After having a move to the Premier League blocked by former chairman Daniel Levy, Kane managed to make the switch to Bayern, where, on the second attempt, he managed to win the Bundesliga. The striker has been a revelation in Bavaria with 91 goals in 100 appearances for the club.

He has started this season well too, scoring six goals already in all competitions. But there is a lingering sense that Bayern may look to sell Kane back to a Premier League club next summer, considering that his contract expires in 2027.

Such a move would allow Kane the opportunity to break Alan Shearer's all-time Premier League goalscorer record and give him the chance to potentially play for Spurs once more. Speaking recently to talkSPORT, German football expert Raphael Honigstein suggested that it was no secret at Bayern that Kane would look to end his career back in England.

He added that it currently seemed unlikely that the 32-year-old would stay beyond his 2027 deal and that the club are already looking towards the future. Vincent Kompany signed Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson in the summer transfer window.

Honigstein was keen to point out that currently there were no plans for Jackson to replace Kane permanently and that he joined as an understudy to the Englishman. But whether he is seen as a future plan once the striker leaves remains to be seen.

All of this will be music to the ears of Spurs fans who would love nothing more than to see their club legend return at an age where he could still score consistently. Levy claimed shortly after Kane left that Tottenham had some sort of buyback clause in the deal.

It is believed that Tottenham would have the opportunity to match a bid from any other club that attempts to sign Kane in the future.

Xavi Simons has explained why he chose to join Tottenham Hotspur. The former RB Leipzig maestro was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea for much of the summer, but the Lilywhites swooped in and secured his signature.

football.london understands that the Blues were in talks with the Bundesliga outfit regarding a potential deal for Simons for well over a month. However, negotiations ultimately proved rather complicated - with Chelsea looking to offload Christopher Nkunku before submitting an offer.

The west Londoners managed to eventually sell the 27-year-old forward - to AC Milan - but by then it was too late; Tottenham had already sensed an opportunity to finally sign a creative midfielder. It's understood that Spurs swiftly forked out €60m (£52m) for Simons, who went on to sign a five-year contract.

In an interview with the German newspaper Leipziger Volkszeitung, over the international break, the Dutchman explained why he decided to join Tottenham. As quoted by The Evening Standard, Simons said: "I'm happy to be a Tottenham player.

"Since I was a child, it's been my dream to play in the Premier League. The club's vision, the magnificent stadium, the fans, the quality of the team, the coach - it's a fantastic environment. I want to settle in quickly in my new home and show why Tottenham signed me."

On interest from Bayern Munich, Simons said: "In football, there are always discussions. But I don't want to name names. Max [Eberl, the sporting director at the Allianz Arena] was one of those who brought me to RB Leipzig, and I'll always be grateful to him for that.

"The most important thing was to find a place where I could develop and express my playing style. That's the way it is at Spurs. My first impressions of the club are great; I felt the energy and ambition when I was introduced to the fans.

"Expectations are high, both for the team and for me," added Simons. "I'm looking forward to duels against the best players in the world."

The new Tottenham star revealed that he spoke to Timo Werner before penning a deal in north London. The duo briefly played together at Leipzig during the 2023/24 campaign, sharing the pitch on 10 occasions.

On the former Chelsea striker, Simons said: "He told me a lot about the club's greatness and its fantastic fans. And he said he thought it was the right place for me to learn and improve. Thanks for your trust, Timo!"

Micky van de Ven also played a key role in the midfielder's decision to join Thomas Frank's men. Speaking recently to the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, Simons said: "The Premier League is fantastic.

"Everyone is happy for me that I've been able to take this step.

"So many Dutch internationals are playing, we're going to play a lot of matches against each other. That makes it extra special. Micky van der Ven already said; 'We need you, so come here.' And that's what happened."

Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that a promise made to former Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy might just have seen off his chance of becoming Real Madrid boss.

The Argentine was linked with the vacant job in Madrid after Zinedine Zidane left following the Frenchman's first stint at the club in 2018. Pochettino was a hot managerial property as he had begun to really impress with Spurs and turned the north London club into challengers in the Premier League and would later lead them to the Champions League final the next season.

However, when Real came calling so a promise Pochettino made to Levy, who departed his role at Spurs as executive chairman this week, ended up potentially playing its part in scuppering the biggest managerial move of his career.

"As a player, I had the chance to play for Madrid , but it didn't happen. As a coach, I had a couple of opportunities, but sometimes, that's how things happen in football," the now USA boss said in an interview with Chiringuito TV.

"I don't know whether to tell the story or not. Zidane is leaving and logically there's the possibility of signing for Real Madrid. Surely other coaches too. I had given Levy my word that I would stay until Tottenham's new ground was finished. At that moment I told him that I would go to Madrid if Levy gave the OK. I don't know what happened afterwards. Surely he didn't give the OK."

Pochettino added: "I don't know how Florentino Perez took it; it wasn't my fault. I wasn't out of contract. But it's never too late if the luck is right."

In the end Julen Lopetegui was appointed as the new coach of Real Madrid but lasted for only a brief spell before Zidane returned towards the end of that season. Pochettino would remain at Tottenham for another year until Levy sacked him just months after reaching that Champions League final, ironically in Madrid.