Football London

Jamie Donley well and truly made his mark in the 2024/25 season and Tottenham fans are desperate to see more of him come July. Heading across the capital to join League One side Leyton Orient on loan last August, the youngster finished the campaign with eight goals and 11 assists to his name from 52 appearances in all competitions.

There was a period early in the season where the attacking midfielder found himself out of the Orient squad but that did not deter him and he instead fought his way back into the side. Donley really kicked on from that point on and was a real driving force in their rise up the League One table all the way to May's play-off final which they unfortunately lost.

The 20-year-old's performances duly wowed all connected with Tottenham and fans want to see him get his opportunity under new boss Thomas Frank in pre-season. Whether or not he does remain a Spurs player beyond the summer transfer window will become clear over the next two months.

football.london understands that Spurs are currently rebuffing loan advances for Donley, who has four years left on his contract and can play in midfield or attack. The north London club will reassess his situation later in the summer after Frank has worked with him on the training pitches in pre-season.

As is always the case in pre-season, a number of youngsters will be part of the squad for the tour of Asia and pitch time is up for grabs. In terms of Donley, he may have a golden opportunity to wow Frank and the coaching staff prior to the team departing for Hong Kong in late July.

Ahead of their match against Arsenal at Kai Tak Stadium on Thursday, July 31, Tottenham will play friendlies away at League One sides Reading and Luton Town. Donley did in fact play against Reading during his time with Leyton Orient last season, registering an assist in a 2-0 win over the Royals in late January.

As Frank could be set to utilise the 4-2-3-1 formation he used regularly at Brentford last season, Donley has intense competition from players such as Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert and Alfie Devine for a place in the team. However, it may only be Devine and possibly Odobert who he is competing against by the time the Reading friendly on Saturday, July 19 comes around.

Kulusevski and Maddison unfortunately missed the end of Tottenham's season and didn't play in the Europa League final win over Manchester United as both sustained knee injuries in the final few weeks of the term. Return dates for both are not clear yet and they may possibly miss a good chunk of pre-season under Frank as a result.

That in turn could open the door for Donley to get his chance in the No.10 role, with Devine also in a similar boat to him as he looks to impress after his time in Belgium with Westerlo. Odobert will be one of the last to return pre-season training at Hotspur Way due to his participation at this summer's UEFA European U21 Championship for France.

The youngster, as well as fellow countryman Mathys Tel and England Under-21 ace Archie Gray, will finally get to enjoy a bit of time off and it will not be until later in July when he returns, meaning his participation in the Reading game could be in doubt. For that reason, it may be a straight shootout between Donley and Devine for the No.10 role against Reading, providing of course that Frank does deploy that formation at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

With further friendlies to come against Arsenal, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich prior to taking on Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the UEFA Super Cup, the Reading game does look the ideal one to give Donley his chance in the Tottenham starting XI. It certainly makes perfect sense as well considering he came up against them and impressed last season.

Mikey Moore has revealed 'Someone Like You' by Adele was his pick for his Tottenham initiation song. A daunting moment for some who are new to the first team as they have to sing in front of their teammates and staff, Moore's big moment came last summer in South Korea.

After making his senior bow for Tottenham with appearances against Manchester City and Sheffield United only two months before, the 17-year-old was part of Ange Postecoglou's squad for the pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea. It was in a restaurant in South Korea where he had to sing in front of everybody, with new boys Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall also having to do likewise.

Admitting that his choice "ended up working" as the players could join in with his song, Moore confessed that Bergvall's attempt was "terrible".

"So it was in a restaurant in Korea I think and all of a sudden you know you're about to sing when you hear the glass get tapped," he outlined in a video on Spurs' YouTube channel where he and Dane Scarlett were questioned by Junior One Hotspur members in a press conference. "It might have been Sonny and then I was thinking 'oh no' and he said 'Mikey, Archie, all the new boys' and you have to go up and sing.

"We had to stand at the front of the restaurant with all the staff, all the players and I chose Adele 'Someone Like You' to sing. I went a bit out there but it ended up working because they could join in with that song. It ended up going all right to be fair. Lucas Bergvall was terrible!"

Speaking back in September, Bergvall admitted his initiation was that bad that he was "booed afterwards".

"I sang Abba's 'Dancing Queen'. It was really, really bad. I was booed afterwards," admitted the teenager in an interview with Swedish media outlet Aftonbladet.

Moore may have dubbed Bergvall's song as "terrible" but that is in fact a word Son has also used to describe the youngster's hairstyle.

When asked if they had to swap hairstyles with a Tottenham teammate both Moore and Scarlett were in agreement over Radu Dragusin. "Radu. He's gone that long, big bun," said Moore. "If I could grow hair like that I would choose him. He's scary as well!"

He added: "Sonny hates my hair, he thinks it's terrible."

Tottenham's brand new Nike away kit for the 2025/26 campaign has proved incredibly popular since its unveiling on Thursday morning. Thomas Frank's Spurs side will be playing in an all-black change strip next season that features a simple square pattern across the shirt.

A closer look at the jersey also shows the word 'SPURS' running along the lines of the squares. The new away kit has gone down incredibly well with supporters and it looks set to be a huge seller over the course of the season.

The away kit reveal comes after the home strip was released at the start of June. Fans may not have to wait long at all to see Tottenham players wearing the away strip for the first time as there's a very good chance it will be worn in their first pre-season game away at Reading.

As ever, Tottenham will have three kits for the 2025/26 campaign but supporters may have to wait a bit longer to see the third shirt. Nike tend to unveil their third shirts in August, with Tottenham's green kit from last season released in the final few days of the month.

Again, it was another shirt that proved rather popular due to the colour, design and the use of a retro badge. It would appear that there will once again be a nod to the past with Nike's latest third kit design for the 2025/26 season.

According to Footy Headlines, yellow is set to make a return when it comes to Tottenham's third kit. The latest rumours and kit leaks suggest that Nike will be bringing back their iconic Total 90 template in 2025/26, with the design set to be used on Spurs' third shirt.

Not only that, the jersey will have a retro feel about it as Tottenham's old crest that was used between 1999 and 2006 is set to make a comeback. As is the case with the home shirt, the Spurs logo will sit in a centralised position above the AIA sponsor but the Nike logo will feature towards the top right of the shirt.

'Dynamic Yellow' is the main colour of the shirt but it will be complemented by navy blue (Blue Void) and light blue (Pacific Blue) down the side of the shirt. 'Blue Void' will be used on the cuffs of the shirt, the round neck collar and also down the side of the shorts.

Footy Headlines have stressed that the images on their website are not of the final design as is it merely based on early leaks and predictions. However, if it is indeed the final version then it will undoubtedly go down well with Tottenham fans.

Thomas Frank's Tottenham pre-season plans are starting to take shape following the confirmation of another summer friendly. Already set to take on Luton Town, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich prior to their UEFA Super Cup final showdown against Paris Saint-Germain, Spurs will now play League One side Reading in their first summer game.

The fixture will take place at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday, July 19, with a 3pm kick-off in Berkshire. It will indeed be Frank's first game in charge of Tottenham after replacing Ange Postecoglou in the hotseat earlier this month.

Some of the Spurs squad will get to work under the Dane very soon as the start of pre-season training is edging ever closer. football.london understands the first group of Tottenham players will return to the training ground towards the back end of the first week of July to start going through their various tests, blood work and then begin training with Frank and his new-look coaching staff.

Tottenham once again face a very busy pre-season as they head to Hong Kong and South Korea for their summer tour. It will certainly be different to what Frank is used to, with Brentford having a training camp in Portugal 12 months ago before playing a couple of games in the country prior to returning home.

But what exactly can Tottenham players expect from a Frank pre-season? Speaking in a club interview last July, the ex-Brondby boss opened up on Brentford's preparations and outlined the importance of having more time to either have longer sessions, double sessions or more team meetings.

“This pre-season has been up there among the best - last year [in America] was amazing because of all the culture and all the other stuff around it, because I think that's a big part of it as well. But the main thing and the most important thing is that we train well," he said.

“Here, the lads have a top training pitch, gym facilities, recovery and all of that; in that sense, this is the best. These are fantastic training facilities here, we are using the Portuguese Football Federation’s training ground and it’s just top in every area.

“It’s closely connected with the day rooms inside when we're out here for a whole day, with the restaurant for lunch as well, so this has been super in many ways, I would say. It's fantastic, I love [being out on the grass]. We have a similar time at home, but it's just a different location and you just have a bit more time - you can have longer sessions or even double sessions - that's good.

“Another big part of getting out here is that you have the whole day for maybe more meetings or exploring things or team building, all of that. All in all, it’s very good.”

He added: “There's a couple of things: in the UK, the weather can be a little bit unstable, let's put it that way! So there can be days in July where it's still pretty cold but, here, we have more time, it’s no problem, we can stand, we can train hard, break, talk about things - all that I think is very good.

“And, also, the heat has not been too bad because the humidity is quite good, so you then also have that change of scenery, we’re close to the sea - personally, I like that and I go every morning for a swim!”

Swimming wasn't the only thing Frank did in the sea as he also participated in a spot of surfing. As important as the work the players put in on the training pitch in pre-season is, team bonding is just as vital when it comes to forming a togetherness ahead of a Premier League campaign.

Frank's Brentford players all had the chance to do different activities and then they were also split into small groups alongside a couple of staff members to try different food than what they are used to.

"It's good. You know, like with everything, you need to keep building, keep making sure it's there," he admitted. "Like in any relationship, you can't just stop talking or stop doing things together because then you'll drop a little bit over time.

"So the culture and the togetherness the players have and then I would say the staff, and the staff and the players, are very good and we try and to keep it at a very high level.

"I think it's it's a good thing when you are together for, it's not a long period, but it's still like 24/7 so it's good to do things on your own. In the past I used to either do something where everyone does something together, which also is a lot of value in that, but I also like that we are individuals, so people could do what they wanted to do.

"Some did golf, some did go-karting, some did surfing, some did a tour in Lisbon and some did some a little bit different. That's important.

"And then we went out in groups. The players were divided into four or five groups with two staff members in each and that just kept them talking in a different way and try a little bit more different food that they normally are used to, so try to educate them a bit. Some of them. Some of them are very good at them."

Bryan Mbeumo is hot property this summer and that should come as no surprise after his best ever season in the Premier League.

The Cameroon international plundered 20 goals for Brentford in 2024/25 - a figure only bettered by Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland - adding eight assists as well.

He has attracted interest from a number of top Premier League clubs, with Manchester United his likely destination given the Red Devils have pursued him heavily so far this summer.

But Tottenham Hotspur are also interested, with Thomas Frank's move from Brentford to N17 giving them something of an advantage having spent the last six seasons as the frontman's manager.

Mbeumo wants to make the next step in his career and is understood to favour a move to Old Trafford, with The Athletic reporting that he has already informed Brentford - and Tottenham and Thomas Frank - of his desire to move to Manchester United, should a deal be agreed.

Spurs have moved on to other targets, with the likes of Eberechi Eze strongly linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from Crystal Palace.

Manchester United have already had a £55 million bid rejected by the Bees, which comprised an initial £45m with £10m in add-ons.

United have since gone back and offered a fee of around £60m, according to The Times, but it is understood that Brentford are looking for a figure in the region of £62.5m that United shelled out to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves.

Tottenham once had an 'agreed' deal for Fulham’s Moussa Dembele scrapped at the last minute, despite the striker completing a medical.

Back in January 2016, Spurs were chasing rivals Arsenal and surprise package Leicester City in an effort to lift their first Premier League trophy. Chairman Daniel Levy already had Harry Kane at his disposal after his incredible breakthrough 18 months prior.

But Levy recognised the need to bolster his attacking options and provide a back-up for the Englishman in order to challenge in the second half of the season. He pursued Fulham’s promising forward, Dembele - not to be mistaken for Spurs’ own central midfielder at the time - as his key January target.

Levy managed to negotiate a bargain £6million deal with Fulham for the then-19-year-old, whose contract was set to expire that summer. Dembele even underwent a Spurs medical two days before January deadline day, with the transfer seemingly confirmed.

But the west Londoners were keen for their talented youngster to return to Craven Cottage until the end of the 2015/16 season, due to their attempts to battle relegation and a transfer embargo leaving them unable to sign any replacements in January.

They wanted to strike a deal which would have seen them still receive a fee for Dembele despite him becoming a free agent at the end of the season. Spurs were not impressed by Fulham’s demands and pushed for him to be allowed to join their ranks straight away.

That led to a breaking point between the two clubs, with The Guardian claiming Fulham subsequently 'angrily' cancelled the deal. Negotiations were not revived, and the forward was said to be left bitterly disappointed.

The Lilywhites didn’t end up buying a player in January and finished third that season, with Leicester extraordinarily winning the league by a ten-point margin.

Levy would bring in Moussa Sissoko and Vincent Janssen the following summer, while Dembele signed for Scottish giants Celtic on a four-year contract. Two impressive seasons followed for Dembele, who netted 51 goals in 94 appearances while clinching two Scottish Premiership winners’ medals, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.

He made his long-awaited return to France in 2018, signing for Lyon. Between 2018 and 2023, Dembele scored 70 goals in 172 appearances.

He would later follow the horde of former big names moving to the Saudi Pro League in July 2023, when he signed for Al-Ettifaq as a free agent. As one of Steven Gerrard’s first signings, the forward scored 14 goals in 26 appearances in an otherwise disappointing season for the team.

Still just 28 years old, he went on to register seven goals and four assists in 21 games for Al-Ettifaq in 2024/25. They finished seventh in the Saudi Pro League, with the ship steadying following Gerrard’s departure after the side had been left just five points clear of the relegation zone.

Tottenham are expected to sanction more summer transfers once July is underway following on from Mathys Tel's loan switch becoming made permanent and an agreement for Kota Takai being reached.

The latter is set to join from J League side Kawasaki Frontale for £5 million, a record sale for the division with the plan being for him to be part of Spurs' first-team squad.

His impending arrival has caused quite the stir among supporters after after Daniel Levy made it clear he wanted the club to compete for the Champions League.

Spurs could theoretically win that competition this season but the lack of marquee arrivals, all while Manchester City, Liverpool and now even Arsenal are making big moves, will make even getting to the knockouts a serious challenge. Tel quite clearly has plenty of potential and it appears that same thought-process is present for Takai.

However, the Lilywhites need signings for the now as opposed to the long-term. Links to some big names including Eberechi Eze, Xavi Simons and Bryan Mbeumo have emerged, but no real progress has been made toward signing any of those names.

The latter is adamant on joining Manchester United even if they are yet to meet Brentford's asking price and Crystal Palace's Eze is now a serious option for the Gunners and Man City. That reluctance to formally pursue a target could be no longer in just a few days with the start of a new financial year beginning on Tuesday, July 1.

Without any concerns over breaking profit and sustainability rules in play, Spurs should have the freedom to commit to sizeable fees on players having obtained significant prize money last season from winning a European trophy and thus qualifying for the Champions League.

Applying that logic, sanctioning two deals in the region of £65m each is doable but Frank faces some big decisions. A right winger, with a different profile to Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski, should be the priority after a central midfielder.

Given Frank is now at the club, Mbeumo would have been the perfect addition however Mohammed Kudus is a more-than-capable alternative.

The former Ajax man was unplayable at times for West Ham during the 2024/25 season, but his output makes it a struggle to justify activating his £85m release clause.

However, with the Hammers appearing desperate to sell, it has been said that an offer worth £65m could be accepted.

Just a little over that asking price is Eze's £68m release clause, but that appears quite flexible and thus easy to meet. While also having the option to pay it using instalments, the Lilywhites can absolutely afford that once June is over.

The 26-year-old is far better centrally but he is capable of playing off the left and cutting inside. H

is and Kudus' versatility make them the perfect additions for Tottenham and the added depth in attack could help Spurs go a long way in the Champions League.

Thomas Frank must get his ideas across quickly to the Tottenham Hotspur players otherwise the pressure will quickly build reckons former Spurs and England striker Teddy Sheringham.

Frank took over this month after Ange Postecoglou was sacked following last month's Europa League victory in Bilbao. The Dane made a name for himself with his six years in charge of Brentford, taking them into the Premier League and then turning them into an established side in the English top flight.

Now he has swapped the security of his long-term role with the Bees for the pressure at Tottenham, a club with an average managerial shelf life somewhere between 18 months and two years.

Former Spurs captain Sheringham believes it's going to be a big step into the unknown for Frank and the 51-year-old needs to get the players playing his way very quickly before the Spurs crowd turns.

"I’m okay with the appointment of Thomas Frank. I know he’s done very well with Brentford, but it’s a whole new ballgame from Brentford to Tottenham. You’ve got to be a different type of manager and experience different expectations," Sheringham told SkyBet.

"Thomas has done very well at Brentford but it’s a big difference managing at Tottenham and it will be interesting to see how that materialises. He’s going to want to get his players in, install a new way of playing football which he has to get across very quickly because if he doesn’t, he’ll start getting under pressure."

Sheringham does not believe Postecoglou deserved to depart the north London club after landing them their first trophy in 17 years, even if Spurs ended the season 17th in the Premier League.

"I think when you win a European trophy, any trophy, you deserve to carry on. I know Erik ten Hag has been mentioned, that Manchester United had to get rid of him after 15 games but it’s a different football club," he said. "I understand that Ange Postecoglou did some things wrong in the football club, but when you win a European trophy, some things have to be overlooked, and he should have been given time.

"We’re not talking about any other club, we’ve been ridiculed at Tottenham for not winning anything for years and he’s won something, so give the man a chance.

"He told us he was going to win something in his second year, and he did it, so he should have gone on from there. I was very surprised – I understand where people are coming from, looking at the league position, but he didn’t care about the league position, it was all about winning something. His remit at the start of the two years was to win something at Tottenham and he won but got the sack at the end of that conversation.

"I think it’s been a harsh realisation for everyone concerned with Tottenham and I’m still devastated for Ange, that he’s lost his job in that manner when you look back at the deeper effects of what’s gone on in the season."

Tottenham are set to sign another young striker to their academy and their stockpiling in that area could help get around UEFA's rules.

Spurs are set to add Leeds United youngster Oliver Boast to their youth set-up this summer with a transfer that will reportedly cost the north London club a seven-figure sum. The striker, who only turned 16 last month, netted nine goals in the final eight U18 games of Leeds' season and will now make the switch to Hotspur Way.

The England U16 international's arrival comes at time when Spurs have options galore up front in Stuart Lewis' U18 team with 17-year-old George Feeney signed last summer from Glentoran, where he had been playing first team football. The teenager played mostly in midfield for Tottenham's U18s last season but still managed 10 goal involvements in 21 league matches.

Spurs also have a gem of their own in Luca Williams-Barnett, who plundered an incredible 20 goals and 12 assists in the U18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup alone, not even counting the hat-trick he scored as Spurs won the U17 Premier League Cup final against Charlton.

The 16-year-old can play in an attacking midfield role or up front and was named on the first team bench once in the Premier League and three times in the Europa League last season.

There is more attacking talent coming through the door in January next year with Mason Melia on his way. Spurs agreed a deal with St Patrick's Athletic for the 17-year-old worth an initial £1.6million - a record transfer for the League of Ireland - but with the potential to rise further with add-ons that could double that figure.

Melia has been one of the most sought-after Irish youngsters of recent times and Tottenham saw off competition from clubs across the Premier League and Europe to land his signature. Due to the UK's exit from the European Union, Melia's move cannot go through until after he is 18, which happens in September, so his transfer will officially happen in the January window next year.

Melia has remarkable experience already for someone so young and his big frame means he made his debut for St Pats at just 15 and has now played in 76 senior games for the club, scoring 16 goals and laying on five assists. He also has European experience, having played up front for the team during their Conference League qualifying run in July and August last year as a 16-year-old.

It is Europe that is another factor in Tottenham's attempt to stockpile talent aged 18 or under within their squad for the Premier League side currently has major problems with a lack of club-trained players which will affect Thomas Frank's Champions League squad this coming season.

They will currently only be able to name a 22-man squad in Europe rather than a 25-man one as they cannot fill the four club-trained spots with senior homegrown players, with only goalkeeper Brandon Austin an option. That means they must leave three of those places empty.

However, they are trying to fill that void with first team youngsters like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall as well as a flood of talented teenagers into the academy.

UEFA's rules state that club-trained players are those on a club's books for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21.

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

So Tottenham are trying to redress a mess made in their squad by selling too many homegrown players and not replacing them with those coming through. The youngsters in the academy and the new arrivals will be hoping to make a name for themselves in the years ahead.

Tottenham's policy in recent decades has always been clear in signing young players they believe can become stars and while that has brought some huge successes it has also brought some misfires.

Spurs' policy to mostly buy young has brought some spectacular successes in the past such as Dele Alli, before him Aaron Lennon, Kyle Walker, Christian Eriksen and certainly in terms of service to the club Ben Davies, while in more recent years Micky van de Ven, Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie, Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray and in the end Djed Spence among others are looking like they could contribute in the long term to the club, having already all become trophy winners.

With 18-year-old Luka Vuskovic about to arrive at the north London outfit and Tottenham about to sign another centre-back in 20-year-old Japan international Kota Takai, the club's desire to build with youth shows no signs of abating. Striker Oliver Boast, who only 16 last month, is set to move from Leeds United this summer as well.

The gamble of signing youngsters with potential is that not all of them are going to achieve what you hope from them and instead can end up costing plenty of money in the process. Here's a look at some of the Tottenham transfer misses with young players over recent years and it's worth pointing out that certainly not all are the club's fault but also not all are the players' faults.

We're looking specifically at players who were signed at the age of 22 or under and we've gone back over the past six seasons or so.

Bryan Gil

It's a shame it hasn't worked out for the young Spaniard but in truth Gil has never looked that comfortable away from his native Spain. Tottenham signed him from Sevilla as a 20-year-old for £21.6million with Erik Lamela going in the opposite direction in 2021.

The pretty dreadful nature of the transfer was only highlighted a couple of years later when Spurs sent Gil back on loan to the La Liga club, meaning the Spanish side had received almost £22million and Lamela only to have Gil still play for them. He has also been loaned out to Valencia and most recently Girona - you can see the Spanish theme.

Former managing director of football Fabio Paratici pushed hard for the signing of the Spaniard, but while he's a talented young player, Gil just doesn't have the physique for the Premier League at this point and perhaps never will. He has a year left on his contract at the club and is expecting to leave this summer. As with most of their unsuccessful deals, Spurs look set to lose a fair whack of money on the player, who is currently recovering from knee ligament surgery and only played 43 times for the club, scoring no goals but providing two assists.

Alejo Veliz

Spurs signed Veliz as a 19-year-old from Rosario Central for a reported £13million on the same day they brought in Van de Ven for three times that figure in 2023.

Veliz has played only eight times for Tottenham since that day, scoring once, with a dreadful loan to Sevilla - yes them again - and then a better loan to Espanyol, albeit mostly with appearances from the bench.

football.london understands that all the talk from Argentina about bids made and an advanced move for Veliz with clubs like Racing is only media noise from his homeland as of this moment and Spurs have not received a concrete bid.

They will accept a reasonable offer though for a player who currently does not appear good enough to break through into the Tottenham first team set-up.

Ashley Phillips

You never know, there could be a major turnaround this summer for Ashley Phillips under Thomas Frank but it looks unlikely with the number of centre-backs at the club and Vuskovic and Takai now joining.

Phillips was signed in 2023 as an 18-year-old from Blackburn after his £2million release clause was activated. However, two years on and he has not played a single competitive game for Tottenham despite impressive loans at Plymouth and Stoke.

This is certainly not a case of ability but more the wrong player at the wrong time, although with his much smaller price tag, Spurs will likely end up making a profit on Phillips when he does head off.

Joe Rodon

All the talk that summer in 2020 was that Mourinho wanted the experienced Milan Skriniar but eventually ended up with then 22-year-old Joe Rodon on a deal from Championship side Swansea worth up to £15million.

That was no slight on Wales international Rodon who has gone on to show that he's a very good centre-back and has led Leeds into the Premier League for the coming season with his performances. However, it was an example of Spurs taking the younger route and it not working out.

Rodon was just two games short of 100 appearances for Leeds in two seasons, whereas at Tottenham he managed only 24 appearances over four years amid loans to Rennes and then to Elland Road.

Tanguy Ndombele

Signed as a 22-year-old in a deal that could have been worth more than £60million overall and without doubt Tottenham's biggest flop of the modern era. Many speculate that the signing of the Frenchman, who promised so much but delivered so little for a string of managers, burned the club somewhat in taking bigger financial risks on younger, less guaranteed performers.

Signed in 2019, Spurs had to come to an agreement with Ndombele to end his contract early just to get his big wages off the books and he departed with only 91 games for the club under his belt, with 10 goals and nine assists as well as three loan spells to attempt to move him on earlier.

Either the scouting behind the move was dreadful when all of his former coaches spoke about issues with desire and drive, or Pochettino just felt he could be the man to change Ndombele. The Argentine didn't really get the chance to do so before being sacked and then Mourinho for a spell was the only one to get a tune out of him.

Ryan Sessegnon

This was purely down to injury rather than ability or drive. Sessegnon was signed as a 19-year-old for £25million from Fulham with Josh Onomah heading in the opposite direction in that costly summer of 2019.

Unfortunately the teenager arrived with a hamstring injury and never really shook them during his time at Spurs, in fact a successful loan away at Hoffenheim was probably his most pain-free period. Sessegnon played 57 times for Tottenham in all, scoring three goals and recording four assists, and it was heart-breaking to watch the constant breaking down with new hamstring injuries.

It got to the stage where the club didn't even take up the final year option on his contract and allowed him to leave for nothing last summer. Following surgery on the hamstrings in both legs, Sessegnon went back to Fulham and thankfully enjoyed a better season without any real injury concerns and hopefully he is on the right road now again.

Jack Clarke

Another part of that infamous summer of 2019, Spurs signed Jack Clarke as an 18-year-old for around £10million only for Pochettino to say the player wasn't ready for his team, so they had to send him back to Leeds, who had too many loan players to actually use him much.

That mess pretty much summed up the teenager's time at Tottenham with further loans at QPR and Stoke before the move to Sunderland that finally ignited his career.

Clarke left Spurs in 2022 for a permanent move to Sunderland and thankfully his career has continued on a mostly upward trajectory since with a move to the Premier League and Ipswich, albeit the Tractor Boys swapping places with Sunderland in the Championship next season. Clarke would play only four matches for Tottenham during his time in north London.