Football London

Arsenal are on the brink of edging out rivals Tottenham to sign Eberechi Eze thanks to two major incentives. The Gunners offered more attainable add-on conditions and proposed a quicker payment plan than Spurs, which has ultimately swayed Crystal Palace to sell to them instead.

Mikel Arteta's squad is set to be strengthened by the £67.5million acquisition of the England international after major progress was made during talks on Wednesday. This development comes as Arsenal forward Kai Havertz faces a stint out of action due to a knee injury.

Eze, who was born in Greenwich, always favoured a move to Arsenal over Spurs. And the Gunners have now outmanoeuvred Tottenham with a deal which Palace find more attractive.

The more achievable add-ons at Arsenal than what Spurs tabled will further guarantee Palace of getting more money for Eze in the long run, while the faster payment terms means the Eagles will receive the fee quicker and boost their budget for the remainder of the summer and the upcoming transfer windows.

Thomas Frank's side had stepped up their pursuit of Eze after James Maddison suffered an ACL injury during pre-season. However, Havertz's impending absence seems to have prompted Arsenal to enhance their offer.

Sky Sports report that Arsenal will pay Palace a guaranteed £60m, with an additional £7.5m in add-ons. Eze had a £68m release clause (£60m plus £8m in add-ons) in his contract, which expired when the Premier League season kicked off.

Arteta and Arsenal's sporting director, Andrea Berta, reportedly had a meeting with Eze in early July to discuss his potential transfer. The player was supposedly convinced back then about the move, but it wasn't until this week that the north London giants submitted a formal offer.

The Gunners are now on the brink of agreeing personal terms with the player before finalising the deal. It's understood Spurs have already pulled out of the race and are now exploring other options for an attacking midfielder, as per The Mirror.

Tottenham were thought to be preparing a player-plus-cash offer that would have made the deal more appealing for Palace. Forward Richarlison was being tipped as a potential part of the deal, but they seem to have conceded defeat in their pursuit.

Eze, 27, is reportedly eager to stay in Palace's squad for Thursday's Europa Conference League match against Fredrikstad, but the club might still take him out in order to keep him injury-free. After five years at Selhurst Park, it's suggested the player wants to say his goodbyes and show his appreciation to the fans.

FA Cup-winner Eze, who has earned 12 caps for England, will join international team-mates Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly at the Emirates Stadium. He'll also get the chance to make his Champions League debut this season if the move goes through as planned.

The lifelong Arsenal fan previously played in the Arsenal academy as a youngster. However, he was let go before joining the youth teams at Fulham, Reading and Millwall during his teenage years.

Lads, it's Tottenham.

This awful three-word phrase was first coined by Sir Alex Ferguson as a team talk for his Manchester United players suggesting they had nothing to fear from playing Spurs and should enjoy their football and just go out and beat them.

More often than not, they did back then.

It's the history of Tottenham.

That's another derogatory phrase, this time brought up by Giorgio Chiellini after a Champions League win over Spurs. This was used to reference Spurs "always missing something to arrive at the end".

We all thought that finally, finally winning a trophy in that triumphant UEFA Europa League final in May would lay these harsh comments - along with the cringey Spursy tag - to rest.

Then we step into a transfer window and I can't help but think of those tags again and use them to describe the Lilywhites' actions.

It has happened time and again in the past and, unfortunately for supporters, Tottenham have now been burned not once, but twice in the summer transfer window.

football.london reported on Tuesday and Wednesday that Spurs were closing in on a deal to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, with talks ongoing between the two clubs.

The No.10 that Thomas Frank's squad desperately craves and a fantastic talent that Spurs have tracked for a number of years. What a signing.

But, with the deal not completed you can never celebrate; on Wednesday evening, having seen Kai Havertz ruled out with injury, Arsenal reignited their interest in Eze. Having been linked for much of the summer, only for plans to sign him to be put on the backburner, the Gunners are now set to sign the England international from under Spurs' noses.

Getting hijacked by anyone for a transfer is bad enough, but when it's your biggest rivals it hurts even more.

Spurs had turned their attentions to Eze after failing to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest. That was one of the weirdest transfer situations you're ever likely to encounter.

Once again, Spurs thought they had got their man, but after Forest threatened legal action and shut down communications with Tottenham, the player went on to sign a new contract with his club.

Twice in one window Spurs have been close to completing a statement signing in a position that clearly needs filling and twice the club have failed.

It is, as football.london reporter Alasdair Gold put it, "a mess".

The problem is, for Tottenham supporters, things like this have happened before. Willian and Chelsea immediately springs to mind. But there have been plenty of other occasions of missing out on key signings.

Jack Grealish is another where the club dallied over a price and Aston Villa eventually got new investment and said 'on your bike'.

Paulo Dybala and Bruno Fernandes looked set to move to north London at various times, only for the rug to be pulled at seemingly the last moment.

there are, of course, differing reasons why these deals do not come off and no one can know exactly what goes on behind the scenes. But it feels like it happens all too often to Tottenham.

Daniel Levy spoke in pre-season of the Europa League not being enough, that he wants Spurs to challenge for and win the Premier League and the Champions League.

To do that, we need to back the manager because the squad is painfully short of quality in certain areas. Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United all got business done in super quick time this summer, signalling their intent.

Once again, despite early moves for Mathys Tel (making his loan deal permanent), Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha - and the untested Kota Takai - Tottenham fans are still left waiting for more. Spurs still need one or two signings and the season is already under way. And with Eze moving to Arsenal now, it's back to the drawing board and yet another wait to see if any other plans come to fruition.

Thomas Frank faces another awkward Tottenham test this weekend when his side visit Manchester City in Saturday's early kick-off. Prior to beating Burnley last weekend, Spurs came up against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup final and gave the Champions League holders a real scare.

Tottenham looked destined to win the trophy having led 2-0 for 85 minutes before a late fightback from the French side sparked a remarkable turnaround. Frank did have a plan in place for the cup final and it almost paid off.

That may well be the case again on Saturday when his team travel north to the Etihad Stadium. The Dane is not a head coach who has a set formation and he will tinker his setup and tactics accordingly to the team they face.

During his time as Brentford boss last season, Frank utilised a back five when the Bees were defeated 2-1 in Manchester last September. In the return game in January, he opted for a 4-3-3 setup as the west London club registered a late point following a 2-2 draw.

Frank could choose to repeat the 4-2-3-1 formation he used in last Saturday's 3-0 win over Burnley as Richarlison hit a double and Brennan Johnson also got in on the act. The other option would be for him to revert to the system he used in the PSG game when he went with a back three and wing-backs, with Pape Matar Sarr offering support to Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus in attack.

Given City put four past Wolves at the weekend and they are extremely impressive going forward, a return to the back three could be what the 51-year-old opts for. That would mean Kevin Danso, who would take Johnson's place from last weekend, comes in to join Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in the backline, with Pedro Porro and Djed Spence operating out wide.

In midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha will be leading the race to start after both dropping to the bench for the Burnley game. Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall would be the two players to miss out to accommodate the aforementioned pair.

Sarr will be the most advanced midfield player in this setup, giving him the chance to add to the threat of Richarlison and Kudus in attack as was the case in the Super Cup final.

Here is the strongest Tottenham XI to face Man City on Saturday:

Tottenham fans can now start planning their travel arrangements for October following the release of the latest batch of TV fixtures. As is the case in September, Spurs only have three league games on the schedule.

However, October is set to be a busy month for Thomas Frank and his squad as they will be in Champions League action. They will also have a Carabao Cup round four fixture on the agenda providing that they make it beyond the third round in September.

Tottenham start October with a tricky away trip to Leeds United. The game at Elland Road has been provisionally moved to the 12:30pm on Saturday, October 4 with the game set to be broadcast live on TNT Sports. However, it will be moved to an 8pm kick-off the same day if Spurs are in Champions League action on Wednesday, October 1.

The Premier League will then go on pause for two weeks as the second international break of the campaign takes place. Tottenham return to the field after the break in play with a home encounter against Aston Villa.

Initially in the calendar for Saturday, October 18, the sides will go head-to-head in N17 on Sunday, October 19 with the game commencing at 2pm on Sky Sports.

Finally, Tottenham's last league game in October sees them make their first visit to Everton's brand new Hill Dickinson Stadium. The game on Merseyside will be played at 4:30pm on Sunday, October 26 and be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Spurs fans will have to wait another month to discover dates and times for their Premier League games in November. As per the Premier League website, an estimated release date is Wednesday, September 17.

As mentioned above, Tottenham will be in Champions League action in October after last featuring in the competition during the 2022/23 season. The north London club will be one of 36 teams involved in next Thursday's draw in Switzerland.

Spurs will be paired against two teams from each of the four pots to determine their eight league phase fixtures. Dates and times for their European games will likely be finalised a day or two after the draw.

Here are Tottenham's confirmed Premier League fixtures in October following the latest round of TV picks.

Tottenham Premier League fixtures in October

Saturday, October 4 - Leeds United vs Tottenham - 12:30pm (TNT Sports)*

Sunday, October 19 - Tottenham vs Aston Villa - 2pm (Sky Sports)

Sunday, October 26 - Everton vs Tottenham - 4.30pm (Sky Sports)

*Will be moved to an 8pm kick-off if Tottenham play in the Champions League on Wednesday, October 1

Tottenham will hope to tie up a deal to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace in the coming days, with the hope that the transfer could be concluded before the weekend's Premier League trip to face Manchester City.

Spurs must complete the transfer by 12pm on Friday in order for Eze to make his debut against Pep Guardiola's side.

football.london reported on Tuesday that further talks were planned between Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and his Palace counterpart Steve Parish, following positive negotiations on the deal.

Eze had a £67.5million release clause that expired before the start of the season, although it is understood that Parish is looking for a similar amount to conclude a deal now too.

Spurs stepped up their interest in Eze following an anterior cruciate ligament injury to James Maddison, which will keep him out for much of the season. And the transfer looks set to go through to bolster Thomas Frank's attacking options.

Eze can play anywhere across the front line around a central striker, while he can also play in the midfield, with his versatility set to be key for Frank at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner had hoped that Eze, who played in the goalless draw at Chelsea on Sunday, would be involved in his side's first European match on Thursday night as they take on Fredrikstad in the UEFA Conference League, while Spurs hope to push a deal through for Eze in time for him to play a part against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in the Premier League.

Palace were keen to sign a replacement before agreeing to let Eze leave and Spurs may now have the green light to conclude a deal after something of a breakthrough in the Eagles' transfer plans.

According to Sky Sports, Palace are close to agreeing a £32million deal with Leicester City for forward Bilal El Khannouss. A "broad agreement" has been reached, but Palace are still open to moving for Southampton starlet Tyler Dibling too.

Further talks between Tottenham and Crystal Palace are taking place today over a transfer deal for Eberechi Eze, football.london understands. Spurs are trying to push a deal for the England international to its conclusion.

Tottenham are looking to sign a new No.10 ahead of the transfer deadline on Monday, September 1 and Eze would be a statement signing by the club. The ex-QPR man has wowed during his time at Selhurst Park, notably helping his team win the FA Cup for the first time in their history back in May after scoring the winning goal against Manchester City at Wembley.

The addition of Eze would give Spurs a major boost in the No.10 role as they currently have Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison in the treatment room. It appears that it will only be a matter of time before the 27-year-old makes the move across the capital as he did appear to say goodbye to Crystal Palace supporters following the Eagles' 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Palace boss Oliver Glasner did state that he expects his star man to play in Thursday's Conference League play-off tie against Norwegian side Fredrikstad. Ahead of the club's first game in Europe, Eze trained with his Crystal Palace teammates at their training base on Wednesday.

It remains a possibility that he could play in the Conference League fixture on Thursday night as the team look to put themselves in a good position to make it through to the league phase of the competition. If he is to be involved, it could give Eze the chance to say a final goodbye to Palace supporters ahead of his expected move to Tottenham.

A potential Conference League appearance for the Greenwich-born player would not impact Tottenham when it comes to Eze playing for them in the Champions League come September. UEFA.com states: "A player who has been fielded in the first, second or third qualifying round, or in the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League or UEFA Conference League, is entitled to play in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League for another club as from the league phase."

If Tottenham are to strike a quick deal for Eze a debut at Manchester City on Saturday could be a possibility. However, he would need to be registered as a Spurs player with the Premier League by midday on Friday, August 22 for him to be eligible to play the following day at the Etihad Stadium.

Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze continues to be linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Spurs began the new season positively with a good performance in the UEFA Super Cup, albeit ending in defeat, before easing past newly-promoted Burnley on Saturday. Optimism is now building at Tottenham under new head coach Thomas Frank after a disappointing 17th-placed finish in the Premier League last term.

And there is now hope that Eze could be on his way to the Lilywhites as Spurs look towards a return to the Champions League this season. Below is all the latest on Eze's potential move to Tottenham this summer.

Move close

Spurs are growing closer to signing Eze with further talks planned between the two clubs in order to come to a final agreement, football.london understands.

Tottenham have moved for the 27-year-old England international in recent weeks following James Maddison's anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in the pre-season draw with Newcastle in South Korea. With negotiations between the two clubs led by the two chairmen and co-owners Daniel Levy and Steve Parish, there is now a growing positivity that a deal is almost there to bring Eze to north London.

Eze stance

football.london understands that the midfielder has informed the Eagles of his wish to join up with Thomas Frank's side and play Champions League football this season with Tottenham.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner had hoped that Eze, who played in the goalless draw at Chelsea on Sunday, would be involved in his side's first European match on Thursday night as they take on Fredrikstad in the UEFA Conference League, while Spurs hope to push a deal through for Eze in time for him to play a part against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in the Premier League.

Eze appeared to be saying a potential farewell to the Palace fans at Stamford Bridge at the weekend in case a deal was concluded this week with Spurs. However, he was pictured in training for Palace on Wedneday - indicating that a move is still someway off.

Glasner view

Palace head coach Oliver Glasner provided an update on Eze's future after Sunday's 0-0 draw at Chelsea. He said: "Don't always believe what you read.

"Especially on the internet. There are so many rumours. I know, I watch the players every single day, in training sessions - if most of the things that is written about them is true then they couldn't perform like this.

"The team could not be as committed as they are. I'm calm. Two weeks to go. I know Eb's clause is gone, so it's the club's decision. Let's see how it goes."

Registration deadline

Tottenham would have to ensure that Eze is registered before a set time to ensure he is eligible to feature for the Lilywhites against Pep Guardiola's team in Saturday's 12.30pm kick-off. Rule U.23 of the Premier League handbook states: “...the registration of a player shall be 12 noon on the last working day before the date of the first league match in which the club making the application intends him to play..”

So, that means Tottenham would have to register Eze, or any new player, by 12pm on Friday, August 22, to be eligible to face Man City the following day. If not, his debut would have to wait until Saturday, August 30 when the team host Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - or potentially even later in the season if the saga drags on until transfer deadline day.

Providing of course that he does sign, Eze will come up against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park for the first time on Saturday, December 27. The return game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is in the calendar for Wednesday, March 4.

Tottenham will be attempting to make it two wins from two when they return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon. Fresh from their convincing 3-0 win over Burnley last weekend, Spurs travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in a 12:30pm kick-off.

The games between the sides have been entertaining affairs in recent seasons and this one promises to be no different with goals likely to be guaranteed. City come into the match in good form after putting four past Wolves on the opening weekend of the new season.

Despite the win over Burnley, Thomas Frank has some big decisions to make in terms of his team for the visit to Manchester as he may want to switch players about, potentially even change formation and he could have Eberechi Eze available if he joins from Crystal Palace in time. So which players could possibly come into the Tottenham team on Saturday? football.london takes a look below:

Kevin Danso for Brennan Johnson

Kevin Danso could potentially come back into the Tottenham XI after dropping down to the bench for their Premier League opener against Burnley. The Austrian was deployed in a back three in the previous game against PSG and he performed very well alongside Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

The inclusion of Danso will all depend on Frank's thinking as he may want to opt for a back three due to City's attacking might. If that is indeed the case, Brennan Johnson may be the attacking player at risk of missing out.

Rodrigo Bentancur for Archie Gray

Rodrigo Bentancur was another to take his place on the bench against Burnley after previously starting in the PSG game. The Uruguayan was introduced for the final 19 minutes of last Saturday's 3-0 win as he took the place of Archie Gray.

That change may be repeated on Saturday but this time from the start of the game. Spurs are going to need Bentancur's experience in the middle of the park against one of the Premier League's best teams.

Joao Palhinha for Lucas Bergvall

Joao Palhinha looks another certainty to come into the XI. The summer addition only got ten minutes in the tank in the win over Burnley after replacing Lucas Bergvall on 80 minutes.

Palhinha's quality and experience was clear to see in the PSG fixture and Spurs are going to need more of the same against City as the 30-year-old will be vital when it comes to winning the ball, get it moving forward and offering the backline a protective shield.

Eberechi Eze for Pape Matar Sarr/Brennan Johnson

Eze could potentially be in line for a Tottenham debut at the Etihad Stadium if he joins from Crystal Palace in time. The England international would need to be registered by midday on Friday in order to be eligible to play in the fixture.

If that is indeed the case, you would imagine the 27-year-old starts from the bench to begin with. However, if Frank wanted to throw him in from the off then he has a couple of options when it comes to the player as he can play as a No.10 or from the left.

The next few days could prove key when it comes to Eberechi Eze swapping Crystal Palace for Tottenham. football.london reported on Tuesday that Spurs are growing closer to signing the England international with further talks planned between the clubs in order to come to a final agreement.

There is so much excitement around the potential addition of Eze and it would certainly be a huge statement from Tottenham in the transfer market to sign such a talented player. The 27-year-old has had an instrumental role in the Crystal Palace team since joining from QPR back in 2020 and it always appeared that he would go on to secure a big move elsewhere at some point in the future.

A deal for Eze could be a gamechanger for Thomas Frank and Tottenham as they are crying out for reinforcements in the No.10 role at present. Dejan Kulusevski remains in the treatment room after suffering a knee injury in May which required surgery, with fellow No.10 James Maddison set to be out for the vast majority of the season due to the ACL injury he sustained in the pre-season friendly against Newcastle United at the beginning of August.

Tottenham still have other transfers to complete after a deal for Eze and the hope will be that they can finalise the transfer for the attacking ace before this weekend's game against Manchester City. A debut at the Etihad Stadium could well be in order providing that the Greenwich-born player joins in good time.

However, Tottenham would have to ensure that Eze is registered before a set time to ensure he is eligible to feature for the Lilywhites against Pep Guardiola's team in Saturday's 12:30pm kick-off. Rule U.23 of the Premier League handbook states: “...the registration of a player shall be 12 noon on the last working day before the date of the first league match in which the club making the application intends him to play..”

So, that means Tottenham would have to register Eze, or any new player, by 12pm on Friday, August 22 to be eligible to face Man City the following day. If not, his debut would have to wait until Saturday, August 30 when the team host Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Providing of course that he does sign, Eze will come up against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park for the first time on Saturday, December 27. The return game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is in the calendar for Wednesday, March 4.

Troy Parrott has begun the 2025/26 season in remarkable fashion by scoring either once or twice in all six of the matches he has played and Tottenham could benefit if he were to leave AZ Alkmaar this summer.

The 23-year-old Republic of Ireland international departed Spurs for the Dutch side last summer in a £6.7million deal with the north London club inserting a 20% sell-on clause into the transfer. Parrott signed a five-year contract and would go on to hit 20 goals for the Eredivisie side last season, with five assists - one against Tottenham in the Europa League - making it 25 goals involvements in 47 matches.

This season already looks like it could put that campaign into the shade though. For Parrott has played six matches so far and his name has been on scoresheet in every one.

With AZ in the UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds, the Irishman netted once in the first leg of the second round game against Ilves and then twice at home in the second leg. Then the forward scored another brace against Vaduz in the third round first leg home tie.

The start of the Eredivisie season came next with Parrott netting twice in a 4-1 win in Alkmaar against Groningen. A few days later, in the return leg against Vaduz, he scored again after coming off the bench in the final 15 minutes. Then this Sunday just gone, back in league action, the striker fired home in the 2-2 draw at Volendam.

That means Parrott has scored nine goals in his first six matches of the season and also contributed an assist in the first game against Ilves.

In the calendar year of 2025, Parrot has scored more goals in all competitions than any other player aged 24 and under in Europe with 18 to his name and an average of a goal every 109 minutes. That's five more goals than new Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike or PSG's Desire Doue and even Barcelona's Lamine Yamal.

Parrott also leads the scoring charts for players of any age in all competitions so far in the 2025/26 campaign as well as combined goals and assists.

There are still two weeks or so until the summer transfer window closes which means a move away from AZ cannot entirely be ruled out yet, and Spurs cashing in with that release clause, although Parrott has previously made it clear that he wants to stay.

The player said back in May: "Whatever happens, it’s not going to be my decision. If someone asked me now, I would say I want to stay. I’ve had the best year of my life in football so far. I’ve loved every second of it.

"I am focused. In my mind I will be here next season. I am ready to go again."

Parrott's goals will be catching the eye though of teams across Europe and if someone does take the chance then Tottenham will profit.