Football London

Ange Postecoglou has promised that there are more trophies in his future amid talk about his position as Tottenham Hotspur head coach.

The Greek-born Australian landed Spurs their first piece of silverware in 17 years with the Europa League victory in Bilbao, which was the first European trophy in the club's cabinet in 41 years. It led to a parade in front of an estimated 220,000 Tottenham fans in N17 which ended with Postecoglou promising that season three will be better than season two.

However, the north London club's torrid season in the Premier League which brought a 17th-place finish after Postecoglou prioritised the European campaign when it became clear his injury-ravaged squad was not going to achieve anything in the table nor be relegated, has led to fears for his future as chairman Daniel Levy decides upon his position.

Now, while on holiday in Greece with his family, Postecoglou has spoken to ABC News for Australian Story's 'Game of his Life', following up a documentary they did on him 10 years ago.

"I had no doubt that for me the mission when I joined the football club was to win a trophy," said the 59-year-old. "It became 'well we've got this opportunity in Europe, what do we do about that?'. Making the final was I guess, for me anyway, a real vindication of the road we had taken. A final, a final of a significant tournament. An opportunity to create history.

"We're talking about a club who had lost three finals in the last 17 years and had made eight or nine semi-finals. That's not a great record in big games, so there were a lot of nervous people around the club, trust me, who were fearing the worst. Probably our supporters as well.

"Two Premier League teams playing together in a European final, it doesn't get any bigger than that I don't think. This was the one game on the planet that night. You know the whole world is watching."

Spurs finally ended their long trophy drought and Postecoglou made it very clear that if he does another edition of the documentary in a decade's time then he will be speaking about further silverware he has won.

"When we sat down 10 years ago and did the initial Australian Story, I think maybe even you guys thought that that was the culmination of what I was about to achieve," he said.

"What I do know is that in 10 years' time, if we sit down again, I've got no doubt in my mind that there'll be more stories to tell, there will be more trophies that have been won."

Postecoglou explained that when he is under pressure and the noise around him is at its loudest, that's when he rises to the top.

"It's when I'm at my best because I like pushing through that stuff. It's an opportunity to convince more that I haven't got here by accident," he said.

The Spurs boss also spoke about his anger ahead of the final when he hit back at a reporter who had written that the result of the game would decide whether he was seen as a hero or a clown.

"I'm a human being. Do I get angry sometimes? Do I get frustrated? Do I get disappointed? Of course I do, but what I will always do is call out people who I think have got it wrong," he said.

Postecoglou is used to people mocking him along his journey, including at Celtic when radio pundit Alan Brazil struggled to pronounce his name when he was first linked with the job and thought it was a prank.

"I've grown up in a schoolyard in Australia with a long surname so trust me I've heard every variation. Nothing they were going to say was going to upset me," said the Tottenham head coach.

Now Postecoglou is in the Premier League, a place he believes was always his destiny.

"When I was lying in my bed as a nine or 10-year-old, what were the visions I was having? The Premier League was it for me. It was where I wanted to see myself one day. That was the dream for sure," he said.

When discussing his declaration at the trophy parade about what's to come in season three, it was noticeable that Postecoglou very much referred to this victorious team as "my players".

"I didn't want us to just enjoy the moment. I also wanted us to think about what's next, you know - don't settle for this," explained the Australian. "We've got a taste of it now. My players have got a taste for it. The club's got a taste for it. Well, let's make sure we're back here again."

One of Daniel Levy's closest advisors at Tottenham Hotspur has stepped down and left the club as part of major changes within the hierarchy.

football.london reported last week that a huge shake-up was coming from the top down at Spurs and that has begun with the departure of executive director Donna-Maria Cullen, who has been one of Levy's trusted allies for his entire near quarter-century tenure at the north London outfit, having previously been involved with Tottenham since 1992.

That leaves only operations and finance director Matthew Collecott as one of Levy's longest serving board members along with director of football administration and governance Rebecca Caplehorn.

The biggest change to the hierarchy this week is the official arrival this week of new CEO Vinai Venkatesham who joins Tottenham after doing the same role at Arsenal to plenty of plaudits. The new man is expected to open up Spurs as a more communicative club to the outside world, something the fanbase has been calling for over the years.

As football.london reported previously, many inside Spurs are also expecting the return at some point of former managing director of football Fabio Paratici, although the Italian may need to remain in a consultancy capacity for the time being owing to the civil trial into irregularities during his time at Juventus.

The trial for the 52-year-old and other members of the hierarchy back then, including ex-president Andrea Agnelli and vice-president Pavel Nedved, began a fortnight ago after a request to annul proceedings was rejected by a Rome tribunal judge in April.

Levy said of Cullen's departure on Monday: "Donna has made an immense contribution to the club, over an extensive period. Her diverse responsibilities grew significantly and replacing her roles with a single individual will be impossible. While many may associate her primarily with marketing and communications, Donna's impact extends far beyond those areas. Notably, her leadership and political acumen at planning committees, was instrumental in the club being able to build one of the finest stadiums and training centres in the world.

"She deserves recognition for the contribution she played in the formation of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, which has positively impacted countless individuals in our communities, and in establishing the London Academy of Excellence, providing children with exceptional educational opportunities.

"Donna has pushed the conscience of the club to be at the forefront of environmental and diversity initiatives. She also played a crucial role in supporting the amateur part-time Spurs Ladies, enabling the development of our professional women’s team. Her daily input will be greatly missed, however she fully deserves to take time for herself, and I know that we shall be able to call upon her advice when needed. We wish her well for the future."

Cullen said on her time at the club: "This has been such a hard decision to make. The club has been my life for the past three decades. I have had the privilege of working with Daniel, whose vision and energy has driven the Club forward, and so many talented and wonderful colleagues.

"It has been quite some journey, starting at White Hart Lane, with a brief stay at Wembley and finally our new home - amazing memories home and away. Ending this season with the Europa League Trophy was a dream come true. The time is now right for me to gather more time for myself and my family, whom I thank for all their support over the years. I shall spend the coming months ensuring there is a smooth handover with my staff. Thank you all. I wish everyone at the club all the success in the world."

Tottenham sent plenty of players out on loan this season and it's time to look into which ones will still be at the club for the new campaign.

Spurs had 15 players out on loan as this season came to a close if we are including Luka Vuskovic who is preparing to join Tottenham this summer after reaching his 18th birthday. The teenager went to Westerlo in Belgium on loan from Hajduk Split this time around as Spurs prepared for the big centre-back's arrival.

The north London club had players out on loan in France, Spain and Belgium as well as in Scotland and across the Football League and football.london has given our verdict on whether the club will keep, sell or loan them out again next season. Let's start with a simple one.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Marseille)

The easiest one of the bunch because Hojbjerg joined Marseille on a loan deal that will see him join them permanently this summer after 32 matches for Roberto De Zerbi's side. SELL

Bryan Gil (Girona)

Bryan Gil is fully expecting to depart Spurs this summer after a season at Girona where he enjoyed a pretty reasonable time there, playing Champions League football, until he suffered a knee injury in March that required surgery.

The 24-year-old winger's contract comes to an end next year and both the Spaniard and Spurs are looking to go their separate ways. SELL

Yang Min-hyeok (QPR)

Yang Min-hyeok got plenty of experience of English football in the Championship with the 19-year-old playing 14 times and scoring twice with one assist.

There's an acceptance that the South Korean teenager is a raw talent and a decision will be made during this summer whether another loan is the best thing for him to continue to develop. It seems likely. LOAN

Luka Vuskovic (Westerlo)

Luka Vuskovic will finally arrive at the club this summer, two years after they signed him from Hajduk Split and Spurs will want to take a good look at him. He scored seven goals and provided three assists at Westerlo in 36 appearances despite being a teenage centre-back.

Like Bergvall and Gray, the 18-year-old will probably have been sold on a move to Spurs over plenty of competition because of the chance to play for the Premier League side. You would imagine that Tottenham will keep him until at least January before deciding whether a loan spell for the remainder of the season would be more helpful for him.

"I think it's possible, even though there are already world-class players, like Van de Ven and Romero," Vuskovic said recently of breaking into the Spurs starting XI. "I want to take it step by step, finish the season well at Westerlo, then earn my place at Tottenham, and then we'll see what the future holds." KEEP

Alfie Devine (Westerlo)

Alfie Devine was with Vuskovic at Westerlo and played 32 times himself, scoring six times and providing one assist. The 20-year-old has impressed in the past two pre-seasons at Tottenham and will be looking to do so again this time around.

With two years left on his contract, the midfielder is probably due another deal, especially if he is to head out on loan again to a higher level. Devine is a homegrown player for Spurs but sticking around purely for that might not be helpful to his development. LOAN

Manor Solomon (Leeds United)

Manor Solomon helped Leeds win the Championship title and scored the goal that sealed it. He racked up 23 goal involvements in 41 matches for the Elland Road side and they would no doubt love to keep him in the Premier League.

That will be down to Spurs' price tag and the competition for his signature, but it feels like his short time at the club is probably done with that interest in his services meaning a decent transfer fee unless he has the pre-season to end all pre-seasons. SELL

Alejo Veliz (Espanyol)

Alejo Veliz just hasn't been able to make his mark at Tottenham and neither has anything really clicked into gear during the 21-year-old striker's two loan spells at Sevilla and Espanyol.

There has been talk of a return to Rosario Central this summer where Veliz scored plenty of goals as a teenager. The Argentine has got four years left on his contract but it's difficult to see him breaking into the first team set-up again at this point. SELL

Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips has enjoyed another positive loan spell despite plenty of managerial changes at Stoke this season as he quickly won over the supporters with performances that belied his 19 years. He played 39 times for the Potters and helped keep them in the Championship as well as scoring a great goal in the Carabao Cup.

Phillips' immediate Spurs future could depend on a change in manager, otherwise he'll be out on loan again next season. LOAN

Will Lankshear (West Bromwich Albion)

Will Lankshear enjoyed a season that brought his Premier League debut, his first goal for Tottenham and also 11 appearances in the Championship for West Brom. The 20-year-old did not score for the Baggies but earned plaudits for some of his performances.

The striker could be used by Spurs as a homegrown product but he probably needs another loan to truly find his feet at a senior level. LOAN

Alfie Dorrington (Aberdeen)

Alfie Dorrington is a Scottish Cup winner after helping Aberdeen overcome Celtic at Hampden Park last month and his loan ended up being a terrific one with 16 appearances.

The 20-year-old centre-back also made his Spurs and Premier League debut earlier this season in the win at Southampton so will be looking to build on that.

Dorrington will be looking to impress in pre-season but more than likely another loan beckons for a player with time on his hands and a long contract until 2029. LOAN

Jamie Donley (Leyton Orient)

Jamie Donley will have interest galore after a standout year at Leyton Orient with 19 goal involvements in 52 matches across a busy season in which he helped the O's to the League One play-off final.

The 20-year-old Northern Ireland international will be looking to leave an impression in pre-season after a year in the game which would have developed him hugely on and off the pitch. Again though, he has time on his side and four more years on his contract and unless a new manager comes in and takes him on as a project, Donley could get a Championship loan next time out. LOAN

Josh Keeley (Leyton Orient)

Also at Orient, Josh Keeley starred with 16 clean sheets as well as that remarkable FA Cup goal. The 22-year-old goalkeeper has been called up for his first senior Republic of Ireland squad and has made huge leaps in his development this season.

A new contract beckons at Tottenham and his non-homegrown status will probably ensure that for now he continues to progress elsewhere, likely in the Championship or in Europe. LOAN

Matthew Craig (Mansfield Town)

Matthew Craig spent time at two different clubs this year in the shape of Barnsley and then Mansfield Town with injuries ruining his time at the latter.

The 22-year-old had shown he's a good midfielder but with a year left on his contract and no way through at Spurs, it might be time for him to head off and embark on his career elsewhere. SELL

George Abbott (Notts County)

George Abbott enjoyed a terrific season in League Two with Notts County, making 45 appearances with 13 goal involvements and helping them reach the play-offs.

The 19-year-old versatile midfielder could be in line for a new deal and he should get a look-in early in pre-season before a loan move to a higher level. LOAN

Luca Gunter (Wealdstone)

Luca Gunter enjoyed a loan spell at Wealdstone in the National League and the 20-year-old will be hoping for more senior experience next season.

Tottenham can now officially confirm any new signings with the summer transfer window open as of Sunday, June 1 (today).

Spurs need to strengthen in a number of areas following on from a disastrous Premier League campaign. Winning a European cup showed that Ange Postecoglou is capable of getting results out of the current squad, however he could be sacked with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy still believed to be weighing up his future.

With a manager decision yet to be made, the Lilywhites are losing ground in the transfer market to their rivals. Manchester United and Liverpool have already announced their first signings with Matheus Cunha and Jeremie Frimpong joining, respectively.

Elsewhere, Liam Delap will be confirmed as Chelsea's new striker imminently and the same can be said for Arsenal and the impending arrival of Martin Zubimendi.

Despite no pursuit being fully activated, links to some potential signings have emerged with additions required in attack and defence. As Cristian Romero's future could depend on what happens with Postecoglou, Spurs will be looking at centre-backs.

Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi is one name that has been previously linked with a bid from Tottenham knocked back in the January. He is also of firm interest to Newcastle United with several offers rejected last summer.

The highest of those was £65 million but because his contract expires in 12 months, it could now be as low as £50m with the Eagles potentially feeling the need to sell so they can receive some funds from his departure.

An FA Cup triumph has seen Palace earn a spot in the Europa League but Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host Champions League football next season.

Brentford are facing the exact same dilemma with Bryan Mbeumo and Newcastle are again looking to take advantage. Spurs and Man United are also in the market for a new winger with £60m demanded if the Bees are to let him leave.

As Tottenham will secure significant funds from being in the Champions League, a marquee signing could be sanctioned and there are several options on the table.

Guehi's teammate Ebereche Eze, believed to have a £60m release clause in his contract, is undoubtedly one of those but for just a little bit more Xavi Simons can be signed.

Having missed out on qualifying for Europe, he and Benjamin Sesko appear destined to leave RB Leipzig with their asking price set at £67m (€80m).

Unsurprisingly, there is interest from other Premier League clubs but links to Spurs have grown over the last week and such an addition would be huge, regardless of Postecoglou staying or going, heading into next season. However, it is somewhat difficult to convince players to join when the manager situation is so uncertain

Therefore, Tottenham's utmost priority will be making a final decision on Postecoglou and then, assuming he stays, transfer decisions can follow. If not, appointing a replacement will be the first task with Oliver Glasner and Thomas Frank in the running and bringing in one of those could help their case for either Eze or Mbeumo.

Tottenham Hotspur's club-trained and foreign player issues have long been an issue at the club but they have only got worse for the coming season.

One of the key areas Spurs fall down on when it comes to European competition is 'locally-trained' players, those senior players who have been on the club's books for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21. Tottenham have sold such players like Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp in recent seasons, but it will be some time before the current crop of younger players make it into that category.

Goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman and midfielder Max Robson have left the club at the expiry of their contracts in recent days which means Brandon Austin is the only senior non-Under-21s player to fit the 'locally-trained' category.

Here's what the squad numbers mean for Tottenham and their squads for both the Premier League and the Champions League.

Premier League

For a start, let's take Fraser Forster, Timo Werner, Whiteman, Sergio Reguilon out of the squad. However, there is another issue because four players must come out of the Under-21s list and into the main lists, namely Antonin Kinsky, Alejo Veliz, Josh Keeley and Matthew Craig.

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

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

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

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

With that in mind, here's how the club's Premier League squad looks right now, including players returning from loan and before anyone else leaves.

Premier League non-homegrown players (16 currently, 17 maximum allowed): Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son Heung-min, Pape Matar Sarr, Manor Solomon, Bryan Gil, Alejo Veliz, Josh Keeley.

Premier League homegrown players (7 currently and eight minimum required): Dominic Solanke, Kevin Danso, Brandon Austin, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence.

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

Champions League

Now here's where things become an utter pain in the backside. This area has been a constant problem for Spurs and will continue to be for a while longer until the recent batch of 18-year-old signings eventually become club-trained players three years down the line from when they joined.

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

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

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

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

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

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

So if Mathys Tel were to stay then Spurs have 24 players to fit into 17 non-locally trained spots and six association-trained players for four other spots. Any association-trained players over those four spots would then need to be crowbarred into the main group.

In essence, the easiest way to look at it is that Spurs currently have 30 senior players to fit into 22 spots and that's before they even try to sign new players this window.

So once again plenty of work is going to be need to be done on that squad during this summer window with the knowledge that players are still likely to be left out of the Champions League squad because you need a bigger squad to compete in all four competitions but Tottenham don't have the club-trained numbers to make that work in Europe.

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

Association trained players (6 currently, four can be used in exclusive slots): Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence, Archie Gray.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is still believed to be weighing up the future of Ange Postecoglou as he faces a crunch decision over the direction of the club.

football.london reported on Friday that Levy is planning to implement huge changes within the club this summer, which will begin with the arrival of new CEO Vinai Venkatesham this week. Venkatesham drew widespread praise for his work at north London rivals Arsenal and had been coveted by the Spurs chairman for some time with his arrival expected to spark change within the hierarchy at Spurs.

Many inside Tottenham are also expecting the return at some point of former managing director of football Fabio Paratici, although the Italian may need to remain in a consultancy capacity for the time being owing to the civil trial into irregularities during his time at Juventus. The trial for the 52-year-old and other members of the hierarchy back then, including ex-president Andrea Agnelli and vice-president Pavel Nedved, began a fortnight ago after a request to annul proceedings was rejected by a Rome tribunal judge in April.

The potential return of the charismatic Paratici, if it does eventually happen officially, would also cause issues for Spurs' technical director Johan Lange with the Italian a hands-on operator in the transfer market.

Amid the sweeping changes to come behind the scenes at the club, Postecoglou looked set to head out of the door until he led Tottenham to their first trophy in 17 years with the Europa League triumph, the club's first European triumph in 41 years. In doing so, the Australian not only ended that silverware drought but he also landed Spurs a lucrative place in the Champions League next season along with a spot in the UEFA Super Cup against PSG in August. In his eyes, the head coach has delivered all of the targets asked of him.

That victory in Bilbao has muddied the waters somewhat as has the strong support Postecoglou has in the dressing room. Unlike many of the previous managers that Levy has removed over the decades, the 59-year-old remains heavily backed by his players. It did not go unnoticed amongst the squad how he tried to protect them with the media during the tough times in the Premier League this season, particularly during the three-month injury crisis, and since then he has led them to winners' medals.

Some within the club did not understand Postecoglou's decision to prioritise the Europa League once he felt his injury-ravaged Spurs squad could neither achieve anything in the Premier League nor get relegated, with a feeling that he was putting all of his eggs into one basket. However, the players never lost belief in his assertion that they would create history at the end of this campaign and the Australian was ultimately proved right.

The structure within the club around the players is also believed to have been greatly improved since the head coach arrived after the somewhat chaotic end to Antonio Conte's tenure.

Ahead of the final in Bilbao, Postecoglou organised for the players' families to record video messages for them, a move kept secret amongst a handful of people before the Australian showed the videos to the squad at an emotional meeting in the team hotel before the trip to the stadium.

There are some fears within Spurs of a dressing room backlash if Postecoglou was to be sacked after finally bringing tangible success to the north London club and it would also spark a reaction from the majority of the fanbase as well with most believing the head coach has earned the opportunity to deliver on his promise that season three will be better than season two - a declaration that brought a huge roar from the estimated 220,000 supporters at the trophy parade last month.

The scrutiny from the media would also only increase after years of mocking Spurs for bottling their chances to win silverware only to sack the manager who finally put an end to that. The club itself has been pumping out social media content in recent days of Postecoglou's dressing room speech to rouse the players ahead of the final in Bilbao as well as his emotional moments with them after the game on the pitch and inside the dressing room.

Many of the domestic candidates tipped to replace Postecoglou finished in mid-table this season in the Premier League without the burden of European football, albeit at smaller clubs with lower expectations, while those names from abroad failed to win silverware during this campaign as the Australian did. Many of the replacements could be a tough sell to a fanbase that has finally been given something to brag about.

While it could be seen as a gamble in keeping Postecoglou after such a poor Premier League season despite that trophy win, it is also an expensive gamble to replace him with no guarantee of someone coming in and delivering the regular Champions League football that Tottenham crave.

It was always thought that Levy, who has been seeking investment into the club, craved a trophy and the decision that lies ahead for the Spurs chairman could go some way towards giving a more definitive answer on that.

It remains to be seen exactly when clarity will come over the Australian's future with most of the key figures involved currently still on their post-season holidays after a packed 60-game season. A mini first transfer window has already opened on Sunday and all eyes remain on the chairman and whether Spurs will once again go back to the drawing board.

Max Robson has said farewell to Tottenham Hotspur after 15 years at the club with an emotional goodbye and his team-mates have responded in kind.

The 22-year-old versatile midfielder, who can also play as a full-back, has been one of the often unseen stalwarts as an older player within the development squad and he did take one chance to impress under Ange Postecoglou for the first team last summer when brought off the bench in the pre-season victory at Hearts.

Robson replaced Jamie Donley at left-back in the seconds half and produced a bright cameo in the 5-1 victory in Scotland. However, aside from plenty of training sessions with the club's stars, first team match opportunities were few and far between for the young midfielder and he never ended up making a competitive senior appearance for Spurs.

Robson made almost 100 appearances though across the U21s and U18s and many more during his years coming through the academy's younger age groups. He posted photos from across that decade and a half on Instagram along with his farewell message.

"After 15 incredible years at this football club, the time has come for me to say goodbye and move on to the next chapter in my career," he said on Saturday.

"This club has been my home, my family, and a place that has shaped me in ways I will always be grateful for. I want to thank the staff, my teammates, and everyone behind the scenes who has supported me every step of the way. Your dedication and belief in me has meant everything to me.

"Although I’m moving on, I’ll carry Spurs with me always. Thank you for the memories, the lessons, and the love. Forever grateful. Thank you."

Tottenham Hotspur have still yet to communicate whether or not Ange Postecoglou will be in charge for the 2025/26 season.

The Greek-Australian oversaw a disastrous Premier League campaign with 22 defeats suffered, but in their penultimate game of the season, he won silverware when Spurs beat Manchester United in Bilbao to win the Europa League.

Prior to that, Tottenham had not won a trophy in 17 years and therefore it seems bizarre to part ways with the man who delivered something that had been craved for so long. Seemingly using that logic, Postecoglou made his confusion regarding that topic very clear.

"I will be honest I have been finding it really weird talking about my future when we have done something unprecedented. I have had to answer the questions because no one else at the club is in the position to do so I guess," he said in a press conference after the 4-1 defeat to Brighton.

"But I can’t answer that question about me and my future. Like I said, part of me is thinking ‘why am I even being asked that question?’ But it is what it is.

"I have got no doubt though that this could be a real defining moment for this club because wherever I have been I have made an impact where I have brought success to a club that hasn’t had it for a while. You just have to look at those clubs' trajectory even after I left, they are still competing for things.

"I really think this is a moment in time where this club could push on and be a real contender for honours on a yearly basis."

Nonetheless, the 37 games prior to that look set to be taken into account with the club needing to soon make a final manager decision as they are being left behind in the transfer market.

In terms of replacements, Fulham's Marco Silva, Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glaser and Thomas Frank of Brentford have all been linked and unsurprisingly those three names feature high up on Bet365's market for the names that could be Tottenham manager come August 16, 2025.

Considering what was achieved, Postecoglou staying is the shortest odds at 4/6 while Frank is 5/4 and Glasner is 16/1. Also at that price is Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi with the 49-year-old having already answered questions on his future amid interest from Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.

"We are lucky to work in a wonderful club with guys who are great footballers and great men," he told reporters when asked directly about those links. "In these four years, they have given me everything they had. We have won, we have lost, but there is this strong attachment that is what I like and makes me feel calm.

"The senior management are here [in Munich for the Champions League final], but we'll have a chat next week in a relaxed manner. We will always have the best interest of Inter at heart."

After the humbling 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, which now means Spurs will face PSG in the UEFA Super Cup, he was again asked about a potential Middle East switch. "As I was saying before to your colleague, I cannot answer this question now," he said.

"I came here out of respect for you, for politeness, because I am hurting from a sporting point of view. It's not the right time to talk about the future. We are extremely disappointed, and since July of last year we've played 58 or 59 games, we got to this final match, so it's awkward to talk about my future now.

"Again, we are extremely disappointed. We will be talking about the fact that we won no silverware this year, but these players deserve great credit because they gave it their very best shot, and we suffered a lot of injuries. I wouldn't change these players for anyone else."

Despite all the talk surrounding Inzaghi, former Barcelona head coach Xavi and Valencia boss Carlos Corberan are also seemingly in the running at lower odds of 8/1 and 10/1, respectively.

Tottenham have the chance to win a second European trophy in a matter of months when they take on PSG in the UEFA Super Cup, and it's fair to say some Spurs fans might be slightly worried after seeing the Champions League final.

PSG demolished Inter in Saturday night's final in Munich with Desire Doue the star man in a 5-0 victory that brought 23 shots from the expensively-assembled French side and the bulk of the possession as they ran the show at the Allianz Arena. Luis Enrique's side will provide a huge challenge to Spurs on August 13 at Udinese's Stadio Friuli in the UEFA Super Cup.

Tottenham, who earned their place in that final with their 15-game run to win the Europa League against Manchester United in Bilbao, will be a better team by then, with injured players back and fit as well as new signings hopefully in place and bedded in as the club must build a squad capable of handling the Champions League next season as well as the domestic campaign.

However, Spurs fans are understandably concerned about facing an all-conquering, attacking PSG side that have blown away Europe's best this campaign and have looked unstoppable with their gallery of star names and talents.

There is one other thing to take into account though ahead of the UEFA Super Cup that might play some small part on the night in Udine.

It's that PSG's long 2024/25 season is not about to finish any time soon for any of their players thanks to a ridiculous fixture schedule that consumes this summer.

First up there is international duty for their countries in the next fortnight with World Cup qualifiers for some before the controversial Club World Cup begins in the USA, a competition that will see 32 teams from across the world compete to be named the best side on the planet.

FIFA have ensured it is a lucrative competition for clubs to use their best players at with £775million in prize money split across the 32 teams and the winner taking home just under £100million.

PSG are in Group B alongside Atletico Madrid, Botafogo and Seattle Sounders and will start their fixtures by taking on Atletico on June 15. It is a month-long competition with the round of 16 taking place in late June and early July, the quarter-finals and semi-finals squeezed into the following week, then the semi-finals on July 8 and 9 before a final that takes place at the MetLife Stadium in New York on July 13.

But why does all of that have anything to do with Tottenham? The answer lies within the break afterwards, for all players must by FIFA regulations get a minimum of three weeks off as holiday to rest after any competition.

So if PSG were to reach the final, then their players would need to finally be handed their summer break which should last until at least Sunday August 3. After such a long season with a potential 66 matches to be played - Spurs have had 60 - Luis Enrique could even give some of those over-used players a longer period off.

Either way, at the least those PSG players would only be returning to pre-season training just over a week before the UEFA Super Cup match against Tottenham. By that point Tottenham will have already been back in training for more than a month and have played friendlies against Arsenal, Newcastle and Bayern Munich with another game or two expected to be added to the schedule.

Spurs will be as sharp as they possibly can for the Premier League season begins just a couple of days after the match against PSG, although the French side are going to have an issue because the Ligue 1 campaign kicks off that same weekend. That's because the woeful timing of the new-look Club World Cup means it arrives in the summer before the World Cup in 2026 and that in turn will ensure that a number of star players will be playing almost non-stop for three seasons that merge into one.

So exactly what kind of PSG side turns up on August 13 at the Stadio Friuli remains to be seen and exactly what physical condition they will arrive in. Enrique will have to be very careful with the game time for many of them during the match. Tottenham must improve their squad this summer but either way the north London side should be the sharper team going into the contest as they look to add another European trophy to the freshly-dusted cabinet.

Tottenham have already confirmed some changes to their first-team squad as they get their plans in place for the 2025/26 season. In a club statement released on Saturday morning, the north London club revealed that Fraser Forster, Alfie Whiteman and Sergio Reguilon will be departing at the end of their contracts.

Timo Werner's loan deal will also not be extended, meaning he will return to RB Leipzig come July 1. The statement also mentioned that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's Marseille loan move will become permanent and the same goes for Kevin Danso after initially joining Spurs on loan from RC Lens at the end of the January transfer window.

Danso was one of the changes to Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham squad for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign as he made the move along with Mathys Tel and Antonin Kinsky in the winter market. Danso is classed as homegrown in the Premier League due to his time in England as a youngster and that meant Spurs avoided adding him to their non-homegrown numbers in the league.

Due to the different rules between the Premier League and UEFA club competitions when it comes to homegrown and non-homegrown players, it has been a balancing act for the club in recent years to ensure they comply with the regulations. It will once again be the case next season when it comes to submitting their 25-man squad to the Premier League in September.

Back in February, Tottenham had 24 players (ten homegrown, 14 non-homegrown) in their 25-man squad and then they had 62 to choose from on their Under-21 list. The Under-21 list has proved extremely useful to Tottenham in recent seasons due to the amount of options in their main squad.

For the 2024/25 season, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Kinsky were just some of the options on there as they were born on or after January 1, 2003 to be classed as an Under-21 player.

From next campaign, four players will step up from the Under-21 list to the 25-man squad as the rules will change slightly. Players will have had to be born on or after January 1, 2004 to be eligible for the Under-21 list.

Tottenham will have four new names to add to their Premier League squad next season due to the change of date for Under-21 players. Kinsky is one of them as he was born in March 2003, with Josh Keeley and Alejo Veliz also born the same year.

The trio will have to be included as non-homegrown players, with Keeley, who joined from St Patrick's Athletic in 2022, missing out on homegrown status as he has not been registered with a club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, before his 21st birthday.

Matthew Craig will also make the step up from the Under-21 list to the main squad as he was born in April 2003. However, players such as Craig, Keeley and Veliz may not even end up making the 25-man Premier League squad for the 2025/26 campaign as loan or permanent moves could be in the offing.

The upcoming departures of Forster, Whiteman, Reguilon and Werner generates space on Tottenham's main squad list as they took up two homegrown and two non-homegrown spots.