Football London

The iconic Bill Nicholson gates are set to make a return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complex this summer. A key feature at the entrance of the club's former White Hart Lane Stadium prior to Spurs moving into their current home back in 2019, supporters have been desperate to see the gates, which are forever linked with Tottenham legend Nicholson and the famous photograph in the 1960s, reinstalled.

Fans will not have much longer to wait to see them take their place outside the stadium once again following an update from the club's Fan Advisory Board (FAB) meeting that was held on Tuesday, June 24. A meeting that was attended by club representatives, including new chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham, Tottenham have now provided an update following the release of the minutes from the meeting.

The minutes state that "the club confirmed that the Bill Nicholson Gates will be reinstated within the stadium environs this summer (2025) with further details to be communicated to supporters in the coming weeks". As part of the stadium build which began ten years ago, Tottenham confirmed in August 2015 that the gates had been removed and would be carefully stored in order to preserve them to avoid any damage during the stadium construction.

Another key point from the meeting is that the club and FAB are working together to create a revamped Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame. This is following a meeting between the club and supporter representatives.

Tottenham will also continue working with supporters' groups on atmosphere initiatives and to build upon the success of collaborations last season – including the matchday displays at home, at European away games and in Bilbao.

The meeting also saw Venkatesham provide everyone with an overview of his role, why he decided to join the club and also explain the recent changes in the football department and the thorough recruitment process when it came to appointing Thomas Frank in place of Ange Postecoglou as head coach. The new CEO wants to make supporters proud and he has a desire to create more memorable nights like Bilbao and to compete for trophies consistently.

Venkatesham, who will continue to attend all future FAB meetings, wants to operate on the basis of openness and transparency and he stated that the wider fanbase will continue to hear from the board and senior staff at points throughout the year.

Cristian Romero enjoyed himself during the celebrations and parade after Tottenham's Europa League victory and one new moment of great balance has come to light.

The 27-year-old is currently in the news amid Atletico Madrid's desire to take him away from N17 to play in La Liga. football.london recently shot down reports from Argentina that Spurs had agreed a fee with the Spanish side for Romero's departure and the north London club would be looking for a sum worthy of one of the best defenders in the game to even consider a sale.

The World Cup winner, who has two years left on his contract at Tottenham, was named player of the tournament in the Europa League and was handed the man of the match award for his display in the final against Manchester United in Bilbao.

Romero enjoyed the celebrations after the victory in Spain, both on the pitch and later off of it back at the team hotel long into the early hours. The Argentina international was also one to watch during the trophy parade through the streets of Tottenham two days later on an open-top bus and then on a stage outside the stadium.

Now Spurs have released a moment that some might have missed from the parade. On Instagram, with a caption stating 'Main story vs close friends (probably)', the club have released various traditional cup celebration images along with more relaxed moments, let's say, of the players, such as Brennan Johnson being led away by security after constantly trying to evade them on the stage outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Romero's 'main story' image is one of him and Rodrigo Bentancur with their arms aloft on the bus. His more relaxed moment showed the Argentine wearing his shades with a pint of something in his hand at the back of the bus. Ever the centre-back, the medal-wearing Romero sees a football booted high in the air from the crowd and he steps up on to the back rail of the bus and heads it perfectly into the road, much to the delight of Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur before the defender celebrated the clearance.

Sarr appeared to be entirely unaware that he would have been smacked in the face by the ball had his vice-captain not stepped in to save him. Spurs staff though might not have been too delighted about Romero leaning over the back of a moving bus to head the ball, but he got away with what ended up being a hilarious moment, showing great balance with a pint in hand.

At a time when Arsenal and Chelsea are happy to do transfer business together, the same cannot be said about Tottenham and their London rivals. Spurs just don't deal with Arsenal, Chelsea or West Ham when it comes to moves in the transfer market.

You have to go back to 2011 for the last time Tottenham and West Ham came to a transfer agreement as Scott Parker made the switch across London to N17. There is the possibility that Spurs could break their transfer rule by completing a deal for Hammers star Mohammed Kudus this summer.

The Ghana international has been linked with a transfer to Tottenham and he is one of many players of interest to the club when it comes to them improving their playing squad. Kudus would certainly give Thomas Frank options in the final third as he can play on either wing, as an attacking midfielder, behind the striker or as a centre forward.

The ex-Ajax man has an £85million release clause in his contract that is said to run for the first 10 days of July, although Tottenham may be able to complete a deal for well below the aforementioned figure. Making an instant impression in his first season in the Premier League with 14 goals and nine assists for David Moyes, his numbers dried up last term as West Ham had a year to forget.

Kudus could only manage five goals and four assists in his 35 appearances in all competitions as he failed to reach the heights of the previous year. A player blessed with pace and someone who is a good dribbler of the ball and can make things happen, Frank could potentially take him to another level and get more consistency into his game if he has the opportunity to work with him.

If he is to join Tottenham then Kudus would undoubtedly like to wear his preferred shirt number at the club. The Ghanaian currently wears No.14 for West Ham but that may have something to do with the fact that Jarrod Bowen is in possession of the No.20 shirt.

Following his move to Ajax in 2020, Kudus took on No.20 and he has regularly donned the number on the international stage for Ghana. The versatile attacker did switch to No.10 briefly before reverting back to No.20.

The shirt number has in fact just become vacant at Tottenham following Fraser Forster's departure at the end of his Tottenham contract. Given Kudus' history of wearing the number throughout his playing career, it could be the perfect welcome gift for him at Tottenham if he does swap Stratford for Spurs.

The No.3, 16 and 41 shirts have also just become available after Sergio Reguilon, Timo Werner and Alfie Whiteman departed the club following the conclusion of their contracts at the end of June.

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a second blow as one alternative to Bryan Mbeumo - Antoine Semenyo - has agreed a new contract with AFC Bournemouth.

Spurs entered the race to sign Brentford's talisman last month after appointing Thomas Frank as their new head coach. It's understood the Dane informed Daniel Levy that Mbeumo should be made a priority signing.

However, the north London club were quickly informed that the Cameroon regular only has eyes for Manchester United and since then, their interest in Mbeumo has faded. With a move for the Brentford winger now scuppered, Tottenham had turned their attention to alternatives.

Semenyo was listed as one option for Tottenham with Sky Sports News reporting that they had stepped up their interest back in June. But, that deal looks to be dead in the water after the Cherries confirmed the 25-year-old has signed a new five-year contract with the south coast club.

Speaking following his new deal, Semenyo said: "I've grown so much at the club, both on and off the pitch, and I'm really happy to have signed ahead of returning for pre-season. From the fans to the staff and my teammates, I can't speak highly enough of the people around the club.

"It's a great place to be and I'm excited to get back to Bournemouth to continue the hard work with the new season just around the corner." Spurs now find themselves at square one yet again as they look to add to their attacking midfield.

It is highly unlikely that Tottenham will make a summer transfer move to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, football.london understands.

Spurs have been long-term admirers of the versatile forward and the England international, who turned 27 on Saturday, has been high up the list of names linked with a summer transfer window move to north London.

Eze was linked with a move to N17 last summer with football.london reporting he was a priority target for then boss Ange Postecoglou.

However, with Michael Olise making the move from Selhurst Park to Bayern Munich, Palace were reluctant to let their two stars leave in the same window and a deal could not be done.

Eze enjoyed another fine season with the Eagles, scoring 14 goals and laying on 11 assists in 43 games, averaging a goal involvement more than every other game.

But Spurs are unlikely to make a move this summer, with north London rivals Arsenal now well placed to sign the 27-year-old this summer. The Gunners are considering making a move to sign Eze, although no official approach as gone in yet.

Eze is understood to have a release clause of around £67.5million, with reports claiming that Palace would be willing to accept the fee in instalments.

Mohammed Kudus has emerged as a potential alternative signing for Spurs, although he is likely to cost a similar amount, with Spurs having to break a 14-year transfer rule to do business with fierce rivals West Ham United. Scott Parker was the last player to make the move from east to north London in 2011.

Spurs have been very quiet in the transfer window thus far, with only Mathys Tel signing a permanent deal after a successful loan spell last season and defender Kota Takai signing in a £5million deal from J.League side Kawasaki Frontale.

Tottenham can now begin formally pursuing some of their marquee transfer targets in this summer's window. Mathys Tel became the first signing of the Thomas Frank era in mid-June, but he remains as the only permanent arrival in north London thus far.

Despite that being an addition to their frontline, the majority of Spurs' efforts have been on attackers. Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo, who developed into a Premier League goal-scorer under Frank, unsurprisingly became a target.

However, his preference remained Manchester United with the two parties edging closer to reaching an agreement despite the fact their latest bid, totalling £62.5million, was turned down.

Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace has also been linked but it now looks as though the Lilywhites have backed away from that deal with West Ham's Mohammed Kudus as the focus.

It is now being widely-reported that talks between his camp and Tottenham have started with the player open to joining. He has an £85m release clause but the Hammers may be willing to accept £65m due to their profit and sustainability concerns.

Those will have somewhat alleviated with the new financial year in play now that July has arrived but that could also be what helps Spurs.

With minimal worries now present over posting losses, Tottenham can afford to sanction some big-money moves and Kudus can be one of those. As things stand, he is the only big name being strongly linked but Xavi Simons is another player that could soon become a serious option.

The RB Leipzig star is expected to depart Germany permanently this summer with the Premier League seen as an attractive proposition. £67million (€80m) has been set as his asking price with Tottenham possibly needing at least one sale to pursue that deal.

Elsewhere, a £5m deal for Japanese centre-back Kota Takai has already been agreed with the plan being for him to be part of the first-team squad. Signing a defensive midfielder is another priority but there is currently no standout option after Johnny Cardoso chose to join Atletico Madrid while Arsenal agreed to sign Christian Norgaard

Bayern Munich and former Fulham man Joao Palhinha could be perfect for the role, and possibly available at just £25.8million (€30m), in a midfield three likely alongside Lucas Bergvall and one of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski or hopefully Simons.

Tottenham could be on the brink of making a substantial profit on a player who has yet to make his first-team debut. Reports suggest that Championship club Sheffield United are eyeing up highly-regarded defender Ashley Phillips.

Spurs acquired the 20-year-old from Blackburn for £2million in 2023. He has spent the previous two seasons on loan at Plymouth and Stoke, respectively.

However, the England youth international might be set for another move ahead of the upcoming season. Sheffield United are reportedly considering a potential deal that could see Spurs pocket around £6million for a player who has never featured for them.

According to The Sun, the Blades are prepared to meet the asking price, but the transfer depends on new Spurs head coach Thomas Frank changing his stance. Currently, the ex-Brentford head coach is keen to take a look at Phillips during pre-season, the report states.

Spurs outmanoeuvred stiff competition from a number of Premier League sides to secure Phillips' signature two years ago. He was named Plymouth's Young Player of the Year in the 2023-24 season as the club earned promotion from League One to the Championship, reports the Express.

The young defender, who is also eligible to represent Wales, had an impressive stint at Stoke last season, helping them narrowly avoid relegation from the second tier by just two points. A move to Sheffield United would present a different challenge, as they aim to secure promotion to the Premier League following their unsuccessful play-off campaign in May.

Spurs have yet to bring in any new talent since Frank's appointment was announced. As anticipated, loans for Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich and Kevin Danso from Lens were made permanent at the end of the previous season.

The Telegraph reports that Spurs are keen on signing Mohammed Kudus from West Ham, which would mark the first business transaction between the clubs since 2011. Chelsea also reportedly had their eye on Kudus, but the Blues are currently finalising deals for fellow forwards Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro.

When Thomas Frank starts working with his Tottenham players later this week there will be one missing face that the new head coach might just wish he had at his disposal.

The Dane will have a large Spurs squad to make plenty of decisions about with 14 players alone returning from loan and Frank will need to make the calls on who stays, who goes and who needs to come into the club. However, one decision has already been made for him and such is the way in football it's a player he might well have wanted to keep.

Football is littered with transfers that had already been agreed before a new manager took charge and in Frank's case one of the club's loan players did not return from their time in France. That was Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who has now ended his time at Tottenham as his loan move to Marseille become permanent thanks to an obligation that will net the north London club around £17million (€20million).

The 29-year-old, now captain of Denmark, would have reached the end of his contract at Spurs this summer anyway so it's not like Frank would have been able to change what happened even without the obligation.

However, there may be a certain sense of 'what if' because the two men worked together years ago in the Danish international set-up, with Hojbjerg one of Frank's most trusted players in the centre of the pitch, particularly as Denmark reached the semi-finals of the European under-17 Championships.

"I coached Hojbjerg for three years in the Danish youth teams. I said to him, when he was in the under-17 national team, that he could be a world-class holding midfielder,” Frank said of his compatriot in 2021.

"On the ball his technical ability is extremely strong. He has a great first touch and a wide passing range. He is a very good passer, and he protects the ball well. He also has physicality and pace. He has the potential to be one of the best sitting midfielders in the Premier League."

The irony is that Frank is expected to require exactly that type of midfielder this summer in the transfer market when Tottenham already had a strong, experienced candidate for his system within their ranks.

Hojbjerg played 184 times for Spurs after joining in 2020 from Southampton, scoring 10 times and recording 17 assists. While he went from guaranteed starter under previous managers, he became more of a fringe player under Ange Postecoglou. The Dane still proved to be an important factor, often from the bench, in helping the north London outfit reach fifth place in the Premier League in the Australian's first season.

The midfielder then went to Marseille on loan last and played 32 times with three goals and four assists as Roberto De Zerbi's side finished second in Ligue 1 to secure Champions League football next season.

Frank and Tottenham will also have that on the menu but they will have to so without Hojbjerg's leadership in front of the defence.

We are now at the beginning of July and that should mean transfer activity at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium starts to ramp up. It has been a fairly quiet transfer window for the club so far this summer but Spurs have been active in the market.

Mathys Tel has joined Kevin Danso in making his loan move to the club permanent after the Lilywhites struck an agreement with Bayern Munich for the France Under-21 international. Tottenham are also on the verge of adding to their backline with the arrival of Japanese youngster Kota Takai from J1 League side Kawasaki Frontale in a £5million deal.

Tottenham have plenty to do in the transfer market as they look to bounce back from finishing 17th last season under Ange Postecoglou and fans want the squad to be upgraded with some big-name additions. Eberechi Eze is the player on the lips of everyone after another stellar season for Crystal Palace as they won the FA Cup.

Then there is Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford who has been linked with a move to Tottenham following Thomas Frank's move across the capital to become Spurs boss. However, it may be Manchester United where the Cameroon international ends up ahead of the new season.

At a time when Tottenham are rather quiet on the transfer front and there are barely any whispers of incoming players, clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea have already splashed the cash. The Reds have spent upwards of £200million on deals for Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili as they look to keep their place at the summit of the Premier League table.

Manchester City have spent more than £100million on deals for Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, with Chelsea completing a deal for Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and they now look to add Joao Pedro to their numbers after agreeing on a deal with Brighton & Hove Albion for the Brazilian. Then there is Manchester United, who finished two places ahead of Spurs in the 2024/25 season, who have signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5million and they may add to their attack with Mbeumo moving from Brentford for a similar fee.

There is no doubt a feeling amongst Tottenham fans that the club are standing still when those around them are making moves in the transfer market. That in turns means Spurs are already playing catch-up when it comes to improving their squad ahead of the Premier League opener against Burnley.

What needs to be remembered, though, is Tottenham have spent the first part of the summer making a decision over Postecoglou's future before finally dismissing him and replacing him at the helm with Frank. Had the Australian remained in place, Johan Lange and Spurs could have got straight down to transfer business but they ultimately felt they needed a change in the hotseat after finishing 17th last season despite going all the way and winning the Europa League.

Frank has not even had the opportunity to meet his Tottenham players yet as they are still away on their summer break. The Dane will be able to take a closer look at his squad over the coming days as the start of pre-season draws ever closer and that may lead to transfer decisions once he has had a thorough inspection of the players at his disposal.

Tottenham's managerial decision has certainly had an impact on transfer movement and the hope will be that they start to add to their squad very soon as they don't want to fall even further behind their rivals. However, on the subject of transfers for a new head coach, it does need to be pointed out that Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison joined Tottenham in June 2023 before Postecoglou got the chance to work with his players on the training pitch for the very first time.

Frank did have a say in Tel's permanent Tottenham move, though, after giving the green light to the transfer. football.london reported last month that Frank was excited by the prospect of working with Tel, who he believes he can improve and the Dane studied the Frenchman himself and felt the move was a good one

Tottenham have already made a couple of moves in the transfer market but certainly not to the extent of some of their fellow Premier League teams. As we are now at the start of July, the north London club have to get moving in the transfer market to give Frank the best possible tools to get his new side challenging at the top of the table once again.

Mohammed Kudus has emerged as a potential target for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The 24-year-old winger currently faces an uncertain future at the London Stadium as West Ham look to raise funds during the summer transfer window.

Kudus, whose contract expires in June 2028, featured 32 times in the Premier League last season, scoring five goals and providing three assists. Despite his best efforts, the Hammers only managed to finish 14th, which – if it's any consolation – was still above Manchester United and Spurs.

The Ghana international's impressive performances across the frontline didn't go unnoticed. So, with that being said, football.london has rounded up everything you need to know about Kudus and his future at West Ham.

Chelsea consider West Ham swoop

football.london understands that Kudus is an option for the Blues this summer. Last month, the Hammers offered Chelsea the opportunity to sign the Ghanaian as they looked to raise some funds.

The two Premier League clubs held talks about a potential transfer, but no official offer was submitted. It's understood that Kudus has an £85 million release clause in his contract at the London Stadium, but West Ham would be willing to do business for a bit cheaper.

Chelsea refuse to rule out Tottenham hijacking

According to the Mail Online, Chelsea have not ruled out a potential move for Kudus this summer. The report claims that the Blues would likely need to sell a few players before swooping in for the winger, with Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens set to follow Liam Delap to Stamford Bridge.

It's said that Chelsea have considered the possibility of sending players to West Ham in return, but the east Londoners are not interested in the potential trades that have been proposed thus far. Mail Online have confirmed that Kudus has an £85m release clause in his contract – £125m for clubs in Saudi Arabia – but the Hammers are not demanding those fees in full.

West Ham would reportedly be willing to listen to 'more reasonable offers' for their winger. Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham have also shown an interest in Kudus.

Tottenham want to break 'unofficial embargo'

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham want to break their 'unofficial transfer embargo' with West Ham and make Kudus the first player to make the switch in over 10 years. The report claims that the Ghanaian has been identified as a primary target by the north Londoners, who believe they can sign him for less than his release clause.

It's said that Spurs were keen on Bryan Mbeumo, Antoine Semenyo and Eberechi Eze, but it's Kudus who now looks 'most likely' to bolster Thomas Frank's side. The Telegraph add that Tottenham are yet to make an offer, and the club will need to fund signings by selling players this summer.

Carragher addresses Kudus situation

Towards the end of last season, Jamie Carragher tipped Kudus to leave West Ham in the summer transfer window. Speaking on Sky Sports during the Hammers' clash against Nottingham Forest, the former Liverpool defender said: "There's no doubt he's a quality player who should be playing for a team, I would say, that is closer to the top of the table than near the bottom right now.

"Last season, he looked fantastic. He just hasn't looked the same player this season. So, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a change there in some way because West Ham need the money.

"Other clubs might think this is just an off season for him and last season was the real Kudus. And if they can get that player then maybe it's a good signing. So, it might be the type of situation where it maybe works for."