Football London

Tottenham have confirmed that Fraser Forster, Alfie Whiteman and Sergio Reguilon will all depart the football club following the conclusion of their contracts. The trio will become free agents on July 1 and will be free to sign for another club.

Spurs have announced that Timo Werner will also exit Tottenham Hotspur Stadium once his loan deal from RB Leipzig expires. The German returned to Spurs last summer after an initial six-month loan but he played a bit-part role in the 2024/25 season.

One other Tottenham exit involves Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The Dane joined Marseille on loan last July and Spurs have confirmed in a statement that the deal will become a permanent transfer this summer.

The same goes for Kevin Danso after he joined Tottenham from RC Lens in the January window. The Austrian caught the eye in his 15 appearances and he will now become a permanent Spurs player.

In Tottenham's statement that was released on Saturday morning, there was no mention of what comes next for Mathys Tel. Spurs agreed on a loan deal with Bayern Munich for the attacker at the beginning of February and they do have the option to sign him permanently for £45.7million with a six-year contract already agreed.

There was also no mention regarding Ben Davies' Tottenham status for next season as his current deal expires this summer. Back in November, football.london reported that Spurs had decided to take up a one-year extension option on the Welshman's contract, keeping him in N17 for the 2025/26 campaign.

However, the lack of official confirmation from the club regarding a contract extension for Davies has left things up in the air.

Tottenham have also confirmed the departures of development squad players Will Andiyapan, Archie Baptiste, Jahziah Linton, Maxwell McKnight, Max Robson and Jaden Williams following the conclusion of their contracts. Elliot Krasniqi exits following the conclusion of his third-year scholarship.

Under-18s players Timileyin Adekunle, Dante Orr and Charlie Warren have also departed at the end of their scholarships.

Tottenham Hotspur are the Europa League champions. And, with that, have also qualified for next season's Champions League.

It was a fine moment in an otherwise horrendous season for the Premier League side, who struggled significantly with injury issues as Ange Postecoglou was forced to fit square pegs in round holes for much of the campaign.

Naturally, with their 17th place finish in the league, there is still speculation about Postecoglou's future despite the club winning a European trophy. But Champions League qualification will offer a significant financial boost to the club, as well as making them a more attractive prospect for any players they are targeting in the summer transfer window.

While they will likely need to add some strength in depth after last season's injury issues, the question remains - who should their priority be this summer? football.london writers answer below...

Lee Wilmot

First up, we need to know who the manager is going to be! Will Postecoglou remain in situ - or will he be forced out and replaced by someone else?

Whoever is in the hotseat, the job on the transfer front is clear - more experienced top-flight players are required to battle on both Premier League and Champions League fronts next season.

Spurs have built for the future for some time. What the club needs is to build for the here and now. A number of players have been linked with a move to N17 but, if it were me, the first player I would be signing is Eberechi Eze.

What a season he has had for Crystal Palace and he could have signed for Spurs last summer. Suggestion is that he would be keen on a move and he's just the sort of player Tottenham need to link up the midfield and attack.

Rob Guest

The first thing Tottenham need to address is whether Postecoglou remains in charge - or someone else takes on the hotseat. Attention can then switch to transfers once the club provide clarity on the matter.

In terms of transfers, Spurs have a decision to make over whether or not to sign Mathys Tel on a permanent contract from Bayern Munich. Initially signing on loan, Tel can join for £47.5million this summer with a six-year contract already agreed on.

Personally, I would look to sign the Frenchman permanently, but for a much lower fee if one can be agreed on with the German giants. Tel showed glimpses of his quality during his Tottenham loan spell, but it is clear to see that there is still so much more to come from him.

Always going to take time to adapt to the Premier League, the 20-year-old could hit new levels altogether next season if he remains at Tottenham and he gets the regular game time he requires. Postecoglou's future may well hold the key to whether this move becomes permanent or not.

Alasdair Gold

The Postecoglou decision is key but I would imagine that, regardless of who is in charge - and yes I know that sounds mad - Eze would be such a Tottenham signing.

The Palace man has been someone Spurs have long admired and they have Champions League football to offer now. He is also represented by Base, the company that look after most of the key Tottenham players as well as Postecoglou and have had close links to chairman Daniel Levy for years.

Eze could fit into Postecoglou's system in a couple of different roles and improve the team hugely, but he would also fit most set-ups. The England international would also be a player who would excite the Spurs fans.

Tom Coley

As everyone has rightly said, the managerial position is the first decision which needs to be made for Tottenham this summer. Not only will it dictate the direction in which Spurs go, it will also impact the speed of their business.

Getting deals done without certainty over Postecoglou will be near impossible. When it does come down to players, Eze should be a top target.

As a Londoner, he's also ready for the step up on to the world stage. It could easily be a Palace raid, as well. Marc Guehi is the sort of exceptional centre-back Tottenham can build around. He has leadership and Premier League experience, too.

With 12 months left on his contract, going back in for the former Chelsea man is smart.

Joe Doyle

If I'm being brutally honest, I haven't seen enough from Tel in his short spell to convince me that a near-£50million transfer fee is good value for money for the 20-year-old.

If they can get in Eze for a reasonable fee, then I think he would add a lot to the team, be it as a wide player with Destiny Udogie overlapping him or operating more centrally.

Elsewhere, despite the defensive injuries this season, they seem to be pretty much set with the addition of Kevin Danso and Luka Vuskovic over the last few months - and I'm not sure I'd go for Guehi unless you could get him for a steal off Palace - which you'd probably be unlikely to do if you're also targeting Eze.

Summers at Tottenham Hotspur are rarely quiet affairs and this year looks to be no different with plenty of movement expected throughout the club.

Spurs are yet to confirm whether Ange Postecoglou will be remaining at the north London club for next season after helping them end their 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League, while gaining qualification to the Champions League in the process.

The Australian remaining at the helm or not will obviously affect certain player's futures, with Cristian Romero potentially in that list, but many will be heading towards the exit door regardless, due to their contract situations or other factors, and that's who we're looking at here.

Here are 10 players that reckon could leave Tottenham this summer.

Timo Werner

It's fair to say that the German's second loan spell from RB Leipzig was a disaster, other than the odd little moment, with just 946 minutes from 27 appearances and only eight minutes in the Premier League since January 4. There's no chance that Werner comes back for season three.

Mathys Tel is also on loan but there feels like more chance that the Frenchman could return, either through another loan or if Spurs can get his price tag down.

Sergio Reguilon

Just 316 minutes for the Spaniard and 195 of those in the Premier League, the bulk of which came in the match at Aston Villa.

Reguilon's contract is running towards its conclusion after half a decade in N17 and just 73 appearances for the club and he'll head off this summer looking to restart his career.

Fraser Forster

The 37-year-old has spent three years at Tottenham and made 34 appearances while conceding 54 goals and keeping eight clean sheets.

Forster has proved to be a hugely popular professional behind the scenes with a strong work ethic but with so many goalkeepers now at Spurs, his services have become surplus to requirements.

Alfie Whiteman

Another member of the goalkeeping department, Whiteman has made one appearance for Tottenham in a Europa League tie against Ludogorets in November 2020. The 26-year-old has been at the club for a decade and is one of Spurs' few club-trained players so there is an argument for extending his contract as in Europe he takes up a free spot.

However, the academy product may just feel that now is the time to head out and get some regular senior first team football.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

You might have forgotten about the Dane because he hasn't worn a Spurs shirt in about a year and to be honest, the club could have done with him at points this season as well.

However, Hojbjerg was at Marseille finishing second in Ligue 1 with Roberto De Zerbi and his loan spell will become permanent this summer just as his contract was set to expire at Tottenham.

Bryan Gil

Another player you might have forgotten was still registered to Tottenham because he's been away all season. Gil has been at Girona during this campaign and had enjoyed a pretty reasonable time there, enjoying 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.

Yves Bissouma

The Mali international came good for Spurs at the end of the season with his performances in the Europa League but it was a tough campaign overall for Bissouma.

It started with a club suspension and he only started 16 Premier League games in all. With his and Rodrigo Bentancur's contracts expiring next year, it's more likely the Uruguayan will get a new deal and Spurs will look for buyers for Bissouma this summer to ensure they do not lose him for nothing in 2026.

Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray are seen as the future and that means fewer and fewer chances for Bissouma in the centre of the park as they continue to develop.

Manor Solomon

The Israel international had a season to remember at Leeds as he helped them to the Championship title and scored the goal that sealed it.

Solomon 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.

Alejo Veliz

It just hasn't worked out for the 21-year-old striker at Tottenham and neither has he really clicked into action during his 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. He's 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.

Richarlison

Injuries have been the problem for Richarlison, who showed his worth in the final weeks of the campaign but has struggled for availability again this year on the whole.

With two years left on his current contract, Tottenham will no doubt listen to any decent offers that come in for the Brazilian, who was called up for international duty this month. Every time he's fit, the 28-year-old makes an impact but it's keeping him fit for prolonged periods that's been the biggest issue.

Tottenham Hotspur's season brought the best of times, it brought the worst of times; but it also brought with it the prospect of a huge 2025/26 campaign.

For Spurs' triumph in Bilbao with Ange Postecoglou's men lifting the Europa League trophy ended the 17-year wait for silverware and a 41-year longing for a European triumph. That night in Spain also ensured that despite Tottenham's torrid Premier League season they will go into the new campaign as a very attractive prospect for potential new signings because they will have not only Champions League football on the menu, but an instant chance to win a trophy with the UEFA Super Cup on August 13 against either PSG or Inter Milan.

Plenty will depend on what happens with Postecoglou's future in the coming days as the Australian remaining at the helm could affect certain player's futures and transfer targets in varying ways. The expected return of Fabio Paratici will also have a bearing on what targets Tottenham go for.

Here's the current transfer state of play with Tottenham's squad, including who could leave the club and which areas need to be improved as the north London side take on Europe's elite next season. Let's go through each department, starting with the men wearing the gloves.

Goalkeepers

This department feels set even with a couple of likely departures. Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky and Brandon Austin all have long-term contracts and had key moments on the pitch this season. That trio look to be the ones who will fight it out for the top spot with Austin potentially the only club-trained player in the squad next season if Dane Scarlett heads off on loan again.

Fraser Forster and another club-trained player Alfie Whiteman are both heading towards the end of their contracts, and you would imagine they depart the club. That is unless Whiteman is purely kept on through a late decision for that homegrown aspect when it comes to European competition.

It's well worth keeping an eye on the homegrown/foreign player numbers for next season as it's set to be even more of a problem in the Champions League than the last time out as Spurs just have so few club-trained players, which means a smaller European squad can be named as empty spaces must be left.

There is also Josh Keeley, who has had a brilliant season at Leyton Orient with 16 clean sheets. The 22-year-old is expected to be handed a new contract and then given another loan to a higher level with plenty of interest in his services. There is also talented 20-year-old Luca Gunter, who got his first taste of senior football on loan to National League Wealdstone last season.

Full-backs

This is an area that needs at least one new addition. Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie and the versatile Djed Spence all look to be set for next season, barring any unexpected bids over the summer, with all three having played their part during the campaign and having plenty of time left on their contracts. Versatile teenager Archie Gray can also play in both full-back roles if required.

Sergio Reguilon is leaving, though, as his deal comes to a close. A decision has to be made on Ben Davies with plenty of talk about the option to extend his contract by another year, but nothing concrete on that actually happening yet.

That leaves a space for another left-back to join in the summer even though Spence has looked better on that flank this season.

Centre-backs

It seems crazy to say it when for a spell this season an 18-year-old midfielder and a left-back were playing as centre-backs because fit central defenders were so few and far between, but Spurs will go into this coming season with a lot of centre-backs on the books.

Much depends on the transfer window but as it stands Tottenham will have Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso - as Spurs have an obligation to buy him, Radu Dragusin - once he returns from his cruciate ligament injury - and Ben Davies - if his option is taken up - as well as the incoming Luka Vuskovic and the returning Ashley Phillips and Alfie Dorrington.

Of the senior centre-backs, Romero is the one where the transfer doubts lie. He has been linked heavily with a move to Atletico Madrid and has admitted he wants to play in La Liga at some point. Spurs can offer him Champions League football next season though and if Postecoglou stays then the Argentine does have a lot of affection for the Australian. Either way, with two years left on his contract, Tottenham are not going to allow the World Cup winner to leave without a sizeable bid.

If he were to leave and perhaps even if he doesn't, then Spurs would certainly be looking at the availability of Marc Guehi, a long-time target at Crystal Palace who they made an approach for in January. The England defender has only a year left on his contract at Selhurst Park so will be a man in demand, but again Spurs can offer Champions League football. They're a far more attractive prospect than they were a fortnight ago, let alone five months ago. Much will depend on whether Guehi would be guaranteed to start each week as he would elsewhere.

If Davies were to leave then Spurs might look for another versatile defender who can play both as a centre-back and full-back.

Vuskovic will be expecting some game time, similar to Lucas Bergvall and Gray's initial expectations, in that Spurs will have promised a healthy amount of minutes when they saw off competition from Europe's top teams to sign the big Croatian teenager. There will certainly plenty of appearances to go around with another packed fixture schedule.

Central midfield

All eyes here will be on the progression of the younger midfielders and the contract status of the older ones. Bergvall should be set for a huge second season after sweeping the club awards in his first campaign at the club, while Gray will be far wiser and assured in his second season and should get to actually learn in his favoured midfield role. Pape Matar Sarr will also continue to grow in the midfield after another season of development.

Rodrigo Bentancur has impressed on the pitch on the whole this season and is likely to be offered a new contract, with his entering its final year as he turns 28 this month. Yves Bissouma is in the same situation but the Mali international, who turns 29 this summer, has proved less reliable this season despite impressing in Europe in the final weeks of the campaign.

Logic would suggest that only one of those two players will get a new deal and Tottenham will look for a new deeper-lying midfielder this summer. Spurs do seem to like a lot of Crystal Palace players and certainly have plenty of admiration for Adam Wharton, but after a trophy-winning season themselves and European football next time around, the Eagles aren't exactly going to be desperate to offload numerous star players.

Tottenham hold a clause with Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso that allows them to sign him on the cheap or get a cut of his sale, as part of the deal that took Giovani Lo Celso to Spain last summer. Current reports around Betis suggest Atletico Madrid are set to sign the USA international, so it looks to be financially Spurs will gain from a player they do not even own rather than on the pitch.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is set to join Marseille permanently after his season there on loan. A decision must also be made on what comes next for Alfie Devine and George Abbott, who have enjoyed successful loan spells away from the club at Westerlo and Notts Country respectively. Both players could be in line for new contracts along with new loan moves.

Attacking midfielders

When it comes to central attacking midfielders there are only James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, so that is a clear area in need of strengthening and the Europa League final showed that.

Back to Palace again, because the most wanted player at Spurs for a while has been Eberechi Eze. The England international is represented by Base, the agency that looks after most of Tottenham's key players and also Postecoglou and has had long, close links with chairman Daniel Levy. If ever there was a perfect Spurs signing it feels like Eze with his ability on the ball, his versatility and also his ability to excite the fans.

Again though, everything depends on Palace and whether they are willing to sell as well as the competition, with Eze holding just two years left on his contract he's in that awkward time period like Romero, where his club can ask for plenty for him but it's probably the last chance to do so.

When it comes to wingers at Tottenham, the options are more plentiful with this season's top scorer in Brennan Johnson, captain Son Heung-min, Wilson Odobert, youngster Mikey Moore and loan players Mathys Tel and Timo Werner, as well as those who have been out on loan such as Yang Min-hyeok, Manor Solomon and Bryan Gil.

Son's contract has just a year left to run after Spurs took up the option to extend it by 12 months and a decision will have to be made over the skipper who finally lifted a trophy when others could not. Moore probably needs a loan move next season but Tottenham are likely to be more inclined to keep him in house for now, especially as he can be included on the B list in Europe.

Tottenham will look for another winger in the summer transfer window to bolster their options in the final third. With Tel and Werner, the German's time at Tottenham is done. For the young Frenchman, Spurs would prefer to bring him back but at nowhere near the figures initially being quoted for the Bayern man. Either the north London club get that price tag knocked right down or they agree a deal to take him on loan again or they simply switch to other targets.

In terms of those coming back from loans, Yang will be looked at again this summer and most certainly taken on the club's tour to Hong Kong and South Korea. Gil will leave the club with Tottenham looking for a permanent solution with a year left on his contract.

With Solomon having earned promotion with Leeds, the Elland Road club are expected to try to bring him back permanently after a successful loan but there is set to be some competition for his signature.

There is also the returning Jamie Donley, who shone on loan at Leyton Orient and can play anywhere across the front line or in a central attacking role. The 20-year-old could be given a chance to impress again in pre-season before a decision is made on whether he heads out on loan to the Championship next time out.

Strikers

Dominic Solanke looks set to be Spurs' main striker for next season after a very solid first campaign with 24 goal involvements in 45 games around a knee injury.

Injuries have been the problem for Richarlison, who showed his worth in the final weeks of the campaign but has struggled for availability again this year on the whole. With two years left on his current contract, Tottenham will no doubt listen to any decent offers that come in for the Brazilian, who was called up for international duty this month.

The club will look for a new forward to bolster their numbers for there were too many occasions as injury hit when Postecoglou had no recognised number nine to call upon.

Alejo Veliz will return from a mostly unsuccessful loan at Espanyol and Spurs are likely to look for a move for the young Argentine, whether permanent or on loan to try to bump his value up.

Dane Scarlett is that rarity of being a club-trained player at Tottenham and it might just be that he gets kept around, certainly for the first half of the season, unless a loan deal that's just too good to turn down comes in. The same goes for Will Lankshear, who is young enough to be on the B list for Europe, but could do with another loan after his time at West Brom. Ryan Mason's potential arrival at the Baggies could see one or two Tottenham players make that move.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to undergo major sweeping changes from the top to bottom of the club in the coming weeks, football.london understands, as new and old faces take charge of football matters.

Spurs turned a torrid season into something special with Ange Postecoglou leading the club to its first trophy in 17 years as Tottenham won the Europa League final against Manchester United in Bilbao. That victory had numerous knock-on effects, not least the huge boost of Champions League football for the 2025/26 season and a place in the UEFA Super Cup in August against either PSG or Inter Milan.

Even before that night in Spain, Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy had planned sweeping changes to the organisation and now that will happen against the backdrop of taking on Europe's elite in the Champions League next season.

football.london understands that new CEO Vinai Venkatesham is set to officially start his role next week and the former Arsenal man is preparing to launch into major changes and appraisals within the club that will impact all of the key departments that feed into the first team set-up, including coaching, medical and sports science.

The 44-year-old was a popular figure across north London at Spurs' rivals for the work he did inside that club in taking big strides within its structure while also engaging with the supporters and bringing clarity to what was going on. Venkatesham is expected to do similar at Tottenham, a club that has often been criticised for struggling to communicate effectively with its fanbase.

Many inside Spurs are also expecting the return of former managing director of football Fabio Paratici this summer following the conclusion of his initially global 30-month ban for irregularities at Juventus, where the Italian previously worked.

Paratici has always maintained a close relationship with Levy, who had tried for a decade to get him to north London before finally doing so in 2021, and the 52-year-old has remained one of the Tottenham supremo's trusted advisors. He continued in a consultancy role with the club even after his resignation and helped Postecoglou in his first summer at the club.

Levy trusts Paratici and is understood to have stepped back somewhat from football involvement during the Italian's previous time at the club to allow him to operate with more freedom and that is even more likely to happen again if he returns in addition to the arrival of Venkatesham, another man Levy coveted for years. All eyes will be on just how much Levy steps away from the day-to-day running of the club at a time when it feels like he is putting structures in place that allow him to do exactly that.

In his time at Tottenham, Paratici conducted an overhaul of the club's football departments in 2021 as well as the academy and its wage structure, and a similar raft of changes across Spurs are expected this summer.

Should Paratici walk through the door with Venkatesham then the future remains unclear for both chief football officer Scott Munn and technical director Johan Lange. Both men joined the club in 2023 and have proved popular appointments behind the scenes but many of their duties will cross over those of the two other men.

Technically with Lange, when it comes to Paratici, if the Italian does indeed return then it's likely to be at a higher boardroom level as he worked at before. That would leave some room for the Dane to operate below him as was the case when Paratici first arrived in 2021 with Steve Hitchen working in a similar role to Lange.

Hitchen was a close acquaintance of Paratici and helped him with his appraisals and overhaul but left the club within their first season together as his role shrank and that could be the fear for Lange. Paratici is a man who likes to lead when it comes to major transfers and that could be frustrating for any sporting director beneath him.

Then there is Postecoglou himself. The changes on the horizon bear some resemblance to what happened at the end of Harry Redknapp's era as the club moved to its current Hotspur Way training complex and Andre Villas-Boas replaced the former Portsmouth boss at the helm despite his success in the Premier League as Levy looked to move in a new direction.

A managerial change looked guaranteed to happen this summer only for that night in Bilbao and the subsequent swell of support for Postecoglou at the parade from an estimated 220,000 Spurs fans to muddy the waters somewhat. Many Tottenham fans now believe that the Australian has earned the right to go into next season in the role after delivering the club and Levy something they have craved for decades.

Postecoglou himself believes the same and feels he has hit all of the targets asked of him with a fifth-placed improved finish in his first season despite losing the club's record goalscorer Harry Kane and then delivering a major European trophy as well as Champions League qualification in his second. In the words of Eric Morecombe, Postecoglou has played "all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order".

Even with the context laid out by Postecoglou for a dreadful Premier League season with the injury crisis that ripped the squad apart for three months across the winter and the head coach's decision to prioritise the Europa League, which was not agreed with by everyone inside the club, it's difficult to ignore the 17th place finish just above the relegation spots in the table.

Only Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw have finished lower and with fewer points in a season in the past 58 years, although Postecoglou would no doubt point to what both men achieved at Tottenham after being backed to continue.

In his case Postecoglou gambled and grabbed exactly what he was seeking, writing himself into Tottenham's history in the process. The question will be whether the gamble paid off to such a degree that he will also get the opportunity to deliver the third season that he has promised the fans will be even better.

Postecoglou embarked on his post-season holiday without holding talks with Levy. Some around Spurs have questioned the current silence surrounding his future and whether it is simply allowing time for the good feelings surrounding Postecoglou and the euphoria to dissipate somewhat to make the decision, and particularly the reaction to it, less based on emotion. Others suggest that Levy has genuinely got a tougher decision to make than he did a fortnight ago.

Financially the Champions League qualification at least cancelled out the £30million or so lost in Premier League prize money by Spurs plummeting from fifth place to 17th in a season.

If Postecoglou has done enough with that trophy to stave off his departure then he has experience of working with Paratici, if the Italian does arrive as expected. If the Australian leaves then Paratici has mixed experience of bringing in a new manager at Tottenham.

The former Juventus man came in and led what appeared externally to be a messy search for a new head coach in 2021, changing the profile of manager that the club was looking for and various names came close to getting the role before Paratici convinced Levy to appoint Nuno Espirito Santo, using footage of the Portuguese's Valencia side to show that he could play attractive football.

Espirito Santo was gone before the season had reached its midway point, without any attractive football being played. In came Antonio Conte, after talks with him had broken down during the summer, for a spell that was as chaotic behind the scenes as it was an improvement on the pitch in his first season with a top four finish.

Tottenham appear to constantly seek change. It's the fuel that seems to drive the club with manager upon manager, sporting director upon sporting director and even members of the hierarchy changing regularly beneath Levy. In almost a quarter of a century at the helm, the Spurs chairman, who has been seeking new investment into the club, has yet to settle on a formula that sticks.

This summer is set to bring some of the biggest changes yet seen at Tottenham Hotspur and whether Postecoglou remains at the heart of it is set to soon become clear and it's a crucial part.

No player at Manchester United is safe. that much is clear with the news that Bruno Fernandes could be set to make a shock exit this summer.

The Portuguese has been Manchester United's best player in a dismal season and is often the go-to guy at Old Trafford. When everyone else around him is struggling, he normally steps up to the plate.

And ahead of a summer which could see huge upheaval at Manchester United, with Harry Maguire admitting "a lot of players will leave", Fernandes was one of the stars many would have expected to stay.

However, reports suggest that Saudi Arabian Club Al-Hilal have made a move to sign the midfielder and that the player is seriously considering a transfer away from Old Trafford, while United are open to selling at the right price.

Fernandes joined United in the January transfer window in 2020, completing a deal worth up to £67.6million. But he could have ended up at Tottenham Hotspur prior to that United move.

Spurs had identified Fernandes as a potential signing in the summer of 2019 and came close to securing a deal, with interest still there in January 2020 when United eventually sealed the deal.

So what happened?

As football.london reported back then, the club's hierarchy saw Fernandes and Giovani Lo Celso as both being replacements for the outgoing Christian Eriksen.

Lo Celso came in, initially on a season-long loan deal, although that was made permanent in January, with Eriksen not leaving until the closing days of the January transfer window in the end. And the fact that Eriksen did not leave in the summer could have stopped Spurs from going all out for Fernandes.

Fernandes admitted a deal had been agreed with Spurs, saying: "In the summer I thought I could go out. I believed it was a good time to leave due to many factors. I made the best time of my career to date.

"After the UEFA Nations League there were already many contacts, especially with Tottenham. It was the team that wanted me the most and was the only one I agreed to talk with, because there were other clubs that didn't interest me or whose project was not up to my expectations.

"Tottenham fit into everything I wish I had at that moment. It is an appealing championship. Knowing that Tottenham would be willing to pay for me and make every possible effort to take me, leaves a player eager to take that step."

However, the deal appears to have broken down due to the add-ons Daniel Levy wanted to insert into the deal to sign him.

Speaking to the club's official website, Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas said: "It was 'impossible' to retain Bruno Fernandes, but we did it. We prepared for his sale by putting a fair price on his worth, and we had bids, but only a Tottenham one that was €45million (£37.8million) plus €20million (£16.8million) in objectives - winning the English League and the Champions League.

"Finding these goals difficult, I understood not to accept.

"The day I turned down the Tottenham proposal, I came to the academy and talked to him, told him why I declined and why he would stay here until the end of the market and he understood perfectly."

It seems he was right, given Spurs have not won the Premier League or the Champions League in the time since Fernandes' missed transfer. Spurs did, however, win the Europa League, beating Fernandes' Man Utd in the final last week.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma is one of the nominees for the Premier League's Oracle's Most Powerful Goal award.

The award is given out in recognition of the goal that carried the fastest average speed from being struck, to crossing the goalline and Bissouma's maiden strike for the north London club has made it into the final shortlist of 10 goals up for the honour. The midfielder's strike came in Spurs' first home game of the campaign.

It arrived just 14 minutes into the 4-0 win over Everton in August as Dejan Kulusevski cut the ball back to the edge of the area where Bissouma smashed the ball in off the crossbar to open the scoring for Ange Postecoglou's men.

The winner of the award will be announced on Saturday and Bissouma faces competition from these other players: Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson (vs Southampton, 19 January), Aston Villa's Ross Barkley (vs Leicester, 4 January), Wolves' Matheus Cunha (vs Aston Villa, 21 September), Manchester City's Jeremy Doku (vs Fulham, 5 October), Newcastle United's Alexander Isak (vs Liverpool, 4 December), AFC Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert (vs Nott'm Forest, 25 January), Chelsea's Pedro Neto (vs Arsenal, 10 November), Arsenal's Declan Rice (vs Newcastle, 18 May) and AFC Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo (vs Leicester, 25 May).

Bissouma's Spurs team-mate, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, has been shortlisted for the Premier League's Save of the Season award. The Italian won the April edition of the monthly award for his terrific one-handed stop to deny Chelsea's Jadon Sancho in our April trip to Stamford Bridge, the goalkeeper has now been nominated for the seasonal title.

Tottenham Hotspur have won a trophy for the first time in 17 years and you would think everything would be rosy in the garden in N17.

But that Europa League title win does not tell anywhere close to the whole story. Spurs finished just one place above the Premier League relegation zone in the 2024/25 season after a horrendous domestic campaign beset by injury problems.

There was pressure on head coach Ange Postecoglou's shoulders for most of the season, with questions over whether he would last the season in the Tottenham hotseat asked almost daily in the second half of the campaign.

It felt like everything was resting on the club's fate in the Europa League final. But, here we are, more than a week after that incredible night in Bilbao and closing in on a week after the Premier League season ended and we do not know what the future holds for Postecoglou or Spurs.

Postecoglou delivered on his promise to win a trophy in his second season at the club. He delivered the trophy the supporters have been craving for years and with it the Champions League football chairman Daniel Levy demanded.

But there is no getting away from the fact that in the Premier League, Spurs fell woefully short. And that is why we are still asking questions about the Australian's future in north London.

Postecoglou went on holiday straight after the season ended, meaning we are no closer to finding out whether he will be sacked or if he will remain in the post. There is unlikely to be any news this week, football.london understands .

And that, in itself, is a crazy situation in which to find ourselves.

Manchester United endured a similarly dismal season, made worse by losing in that Europa League final to Spurs, but as far as we know, we are not waiting on an announcement to come as to whether Ruben Amorim will remain as the Red Devils head coach.

West Ham finished 14th, yet there is no confusion over whether or not Graham Potter will remain in his job. Ruud van Nistelrooy looks set to be sacked by Leicester, following their relegation to the Championship, but at least he and we know where we stand with that.

Spurs, and Postecoglou in particular, are in limbo.

It is a crazy situation whereby everyone is waiting with bated breath to find out if Postecoglou will stay or if he will go. But what if the club just decided to do nothing - and say nothing?

It is not beyond the realms of possibility for that to happen. There may well not be a decision, nor a statement, to make. Postecoglou still has two years left to run on his current contract and we could all be sitting here, waiting for news to drop that never comes.

The rapid ascent of Lucas Bergvall in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt means the Premier League club are going to have to pay out more quickly for his transfer than expected.

Spurs signed the then 18-year-old for £8.5million from Djurgarden, seeing off Barcelona with a deal in February that brought him to north London in the summer. Bergvall took a few months to settle into the rhythm of the Premier League but once he found it he became a key player in the side.

The injuries at the club ensured he got plenty of game time and in all made 45 appearances under Ange Postecoglou with 2,334 minutes to his name, with one goal against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg as well as four assists across all competitions.

Bergvall suffered an ankle injury on the eve of the Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt which ended his season, but the teenager had more than played his part in that competition before Spurs went on to lift the trophy. The 19-year-old also swept the Tottenham supporters' awards for player and young player of the season and earned a bumper new contract until 2031 with the north London club.

Now Djurgarden sporting director Bosse Andersson has confirmed to Swedish media outlet Fotbollskanalen that Bergvall's remarkable season has resulted in him activating all of the options in his transfer to Tottenham already, meaning the Allsvenskan club get the full windfall from his sale straight away.

"I can confirm that all the bonus parts that are included have clicked in," he said. "Lucas has had such a breakthrough both in the Premier League and in Europe and has been involved in so many games. We can see that what we thought would take several years has happened very quickly."

Andersson believes it is the most expensive sale of a player from the Allsvenskan but when it was put to him about reports that it might cost £17million in all, he said: "I think you're mixing apples and oranges there, but there's no question that it's an extremely large transfer, thanks to the bonus part."

Bergvall's boyhood club Brommapojkarna will also get a slice of the transfer fee, having developed the youngster before his move to Djurgarden about 18 months ahead of the switch to Spurs.

"Djurgarden and BP have had a very nice and successful project together and I am incredibly grateful to BP and the Bergvall family for the trust we received from them," said Andersson.

"We are extremely proud of Lucas, a player who is unique and loves to take his place. He has put himself on the map with all the impressions he has made in the Premier League. It is both a sporting legend and at the same time a purely financial legend for all parties. We are happy to share the pie with BP. They get a very nice cake too."

An update has emerged about Eberechi Eze's future at Crystal Palace amid continued rumours of a potential summer transfer.

Eze played a key role in helping Palace win the FA Cup this season, scoring the winning goal in the final at Wembley Stadium in the 1-0 victory against Manchester City.

The England international's future has been the subject of intense speculation for the last couple of years, with a host of clubs apparently interested in his signature.

Tottenham Hotspur have been mentioned as potential suitors for Eze, particularly after the club qualified for the Champions League with their victory in the Europa League final.

Manchester United and Manchester City have also been linked with Eze in the past, now a fresh update about the playmaker's future.

The Mirror have reported that Bayern Munich have now joined the race to sign Eze. Crucially, the report goes on to reveal the that the Palace star will have a release clause in his contract which will come into effect this summer.

The clause is reported to be worth a total of £68million, which includes £8million worth of add-ons.

The clause will reportedly expire two weeks before the summer transfer window closes, with deadline day pencilled in for September 1.

It remains to be seen what the future will hold for Eze, with the Palace star looking ahead to featuring for England under new manager Thomas Tuchel.

Eze was named in the Three Lions squad which will face Andorra in a World Cup qualifier and Senegal in an international friendly, with both matches taking place next month.