Football London

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.

Manchester City are reportedly close to signing Tottenham Hotspur academy star Dexter Oliver. Spurs were busy in the recently closed summer transfer window, injecting new blood into Thomas Frank's squad.

Tottenham secured the signatures of Kota Takai and Mohammed Kudus from Kawasaki Frontale and West Ham respectively, before finalising a loan deal with Bayern Munich for Joao Palhinha. They also splashed out £51.8million to bring Xavi Simons over from RB Leipzig.

Randal Kolo Muani was the final addition, joining on loan from PSG as the transfer deadline loomed. The Lilywhites also made Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel's moves permanent following their successful loan spells last season, while Luka Vuskovic finally joined the club nearly two years after an initial agreement with Hajduk Split for the promising centre-back.

The summer window closed at 7pm UK time across most of Europe. However, clubs are still able to sign academy players and Tottenham are now reportedly set to lose 16-year-old attacking midfielder Oliver to City.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano, who specialises in transfers, has claimed that City are close to signing the teenager and Aston Villa's Freddie Lawrie for their academy.

Oliver provided two assists across all competitions for Tottenham's academy last season and can also play in central midfield.

Oliver's departure from North London follows several recent player exits with Bryan Gil finally leaving the club after four years in a €10m (£8.6m) transfer to Girona.

There were more last-gasp exasperations in dealing with Crystal Palace as a deal sheet was entered for a loan move for Manor Solomon after Spurs had agreed to their terms, only for the Eagles to pull out.

Tottenham reacted quickly though to instead tie up a loan to Villarreal before the later La Liga deadline for the Israel international, who has played just six times for Spurs in two years.

Moves were not found for Yves Bissouma or young academy striker Dane Scarlett, but various windows remain open across Europe for the duo to potentially find a late move.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust have released a statement on the Daniel Levy's exit from the club.

The club announced on Thursday the shock news that the 63-year-old was standing down as executive chairman after more than 24 years at the helm. football.londonreported that Levy's departure is part of a larger plan from the Lewis family behind ENIC, the Tottenham owners, to modernise the structure within the club after what they saw as a lack of sporting success.

Now the supporters' trust have had their say on the chairman's exit, which they say needs to be used as a springboard for a more open and communicative club.

"The surprising departure of Daniel Levy after 24 years as executive chairman of the club provides the new leadership with the ideal opportunity for deepened engagement with fan groups on the future direction of the club. They should take it," read the statement.

"Daniel’s legacy is self-evidently the construction of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, widely regarded as one of the finest football stadia in the world, as well as related infrastructure such as the training ground. Building such a stadium in the dense, urban heart of our home, Tottenham, is no mean feat.

"While some may still hanker after the more intimate White Hart Lane, it is clear that THS was needed to allow Tottenham Hotspur to compete on an equal footing with Europe’s football elite. Our thanks go to Daniel for his vision and drive in delivering the stadium.

"And yet, the laser focus on cost and value for money necessary for completing the stadium didn’t serve the club so well on the pitch. Our members and other respondents to our annual surveys consistently over many years valued the club’s development off the pitch but wanted greater focus on the football.

"As welcome as the Europa League win was, it was only the second trophy during Daniel’s 24-year reign. The failure to kick on under Mauricio Pochettino and after the opening of THS was a missed opportunity and seemed to reflect an approach, particularly in the transfer market, that was too cautious and too focussed on extracting monetary value rather than addressing weaknesses that were obvious to all.

"Genuine fan engagement didn’t come naturally to Daniel. While on paper there was commitment, in practice this often meant telling us what the club planned to do at short notice. Earlier engagement may have avoided missteps such as the proposed move to Stratford, the ESL, furloughing staff in the pandemic and curtailing senior season ticket concessions.

"Legally, there is no change in ownership, but there is no doubt Daniel’s departure represents a switch in leadership to that of the Lewis family interests. There is talk of outside investment and we would remind the club of its support for the Trust’s 5 Principles upon which we will judge any owner of the club. It also provides an opportunity for more meaningful engagement with fans; there has already been an encouraging start under new CEO, Vinai Venkatesham.

"The Trust will continue to play a constructive role in the engagement process and fulfil its role as a critical friend to the club. The change in leadership provokes questions about future strategy, the timing of the change, plans for outside investment and reassurance that the club is in good hands. The Trust will be asking those questions both directly and via its participation in the FAB.

"We’d like to thank Daniel Levy for his achievements during his 24 years of service to the Club and wish him well in his future endeavours."

Tottenham endured an exciting end to what was a largely disappointing summer transfer window. With just a few days of the trading period left, Mohammed Kudus was the only new, marquee and permanent signing brought in to Thomas Frank's squad.

Other deals had gone, through, with Mathys Tel re-joining for £30 million while Kota Takai is very much an addition for the future and Joao Palhinha signed on a season-long loan.

Those four arrivals had come alongside losing out on Savinho, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White with an attacking midfielder desperately needed as James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski were unlikely to return from injury before 2026.

Somehow, Tottenham appeared to fall upward with the signing of Xavi Simons, who had been linked to Chelsea all summer, from RB Leipzig confirmed last Friday evening. The Lilywhites then agreed to sign Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain with no buy-option or obligation included in the switch.

The Frenchman can be deployed across all three attacking position with Simons also capable of playing off the left. Savinho appeared to be Frank's dream signing on the left but that potential transfer was blocked by Manchester City.

As such, Spurs have not really replaced club legend Son Heung-min after selling him to LAFC in the summer. Having versatile forwards will be key to ensuring that glaring gap does not become too obvious with it possible Tottenham look to strengthen in that area during the January transfer window.

It is always difficult to do that mid-season and if Spurs are unable to, agreeing moves ahead of the summer is certainly the next best thing. According to transfermarkt's 'contracts ending in 2026' page, there are numerous big names set to become free agents next summer.

As things stand in the Premier League, Ibrahima Konate, Bernardo Silva and Marc Guehi will all leave their current clubs. In Europe, Frenkie de Jong, Dayot Upamecano and Julian Brandt are just a few set to become available.

The latter should certainly be of interest to Spurs given his pedigree and the potential market opportunity signing him on a free transfer is. Maddison's recent injury history is a worry while Kulusevski and Simons are much better attacking midfielders when it comes to running with the ball.

Brandt is more of a conductor who can also play deeper if required which could help Frank solve a problem that has emerged since his arrival. With no fit No.10 available, Pape Sarr has been deployed as the most advanced midfielder which has seen him rack up goal contributions.

Since his £13 million arrival from Metz, he has been used more often as a No.8 and despite impressing recently, he is far better in that role. Lucas Bergvall has scored just once since joining the club from Swedish side Djurgarden for an initial £8.5m back in January but has made it clear he thinks he can be Spurs' creative solution.

Rodrigo Bentancur has also made some appearances further forward in his three-and-half years at the club upon joining in a deal worth up to £21.5m from Juventus back in 2022. None of the trio are really capable of thriving in both midfield roles, but Brandt certainly is.

The only potential problem is that he turns 30 next season and is earning quite the wage at Borussia Dortmund. However, he has captained the Bundesliga club recently and has plenty of experience in the Champions League.