Football London

Tottenham can save millions on next transfer as wonderkid passes Roberto De Zerbi audition  Football London

A number of Tottenham's senior players have not made the trip to New Zealand and Australia

The Tottenham squad for the pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia has been confirmed but 10 senior stars have been left out of the travelling party.

A 35-player travelling squad was named on Thursday morning, with new signings Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali all included. Dubravka, Fernandes and Tonali all played in the behind-closed doors friendly win over MK Dons on Wednesday with the former West Ham midfielder scoring the only goal of the 1-0 victory.

Jamie Donley, Mason Melia, Mikey Moore, Luca Williams-Barnett and Dane Scarlett are some of the youngsters who have been included and will get the chance to impress Roberto De Zerbi against Auckland FC, Sydney FC and Chelsea over the coming week and a half.

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Interestingly, though, there were a number of players who were left out either due to injury or the fact they are still on holiday having played at the World Cup.

Tottenham said in a statement: "Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert will remain at Hotspur Way to continue their rehabilitation, while Guglielmo Vicario has sustained a minor knock in training and will undergo treatment at our training centre.

"Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr have been granted extended leave following their appearances at the World Cup, while Pedro Porro, Marcos Senesi, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence will also not travel having reached the latter stages of this summer's tournament."

Porro, Senesi, Romero and Spence are not expected to report back for another two weeks at least, while Bentancur and Sarr will likely come back sooner after Uruguay were knocked out at the World Cup group stage and Senegal exited the tournament at the round of 32.

Kudus, Simons, Kulusevski and Odobert are all recovering from long-term injuries and it does not make sense for them to travel to the other side of the world given they would not take part in the games anyway. Vicario is perhaps the surprise omission, with Spurs instead taking Antonin Kinsky, Martin Dubravka, Brandon Austin and 18-year-old shotstopper Dylan Thompson.

The Italy international has been linked with a move away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, with a number of Serie A sides said to be interested in the 29-year-old. The Italian has two years left on his contract at Spurs and Juventus appear to be the frontrunners to land the goalkeeper.

Tottenham Hotspur have named their squad for their pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand this summer, with several notable absences for their three friendlies

Guglielmo Vicario is among the notable absences from Tottenham Hotspur's 35-player travelling squad for their pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Spurs said in their announcement that the goalkeeper sustained a minor knock in training and will have treatment. Vicario will remain at Hotspur Way to work alongside Dejan Kulusevski, Mohamed Kudus, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons.

Cristian Romero, Djed Spence, Marcos Senesi and Pedro Porro are also absent after their involvement in the latter stages of this summer's World Cup. As are Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur, with both players being given extended leave by the club.

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There is no such break for Andy Robertson, Kevin Danso, Lucas Bergvall, Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke, all of whom are included in the squad. Senesi is the only summer signing missing out, with Martin Dubravka, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali making the trip.

All three featured in this summer's first pre-season friendly against Milton Keynes Dons on Wednesday. The Portugal international scored that game's only goal with a first-time volley from distance, finding the top corner inside three minutes.

Vicario did not feature in that one. Antonin Kinsky and Dubravka were the two goalkeepers used.

Spurs fly to New Zealand on Thursday. They face the A-League champions, Auckland, at Eden Park on Sunday, before travelling to Australia for the Sydney Super Cup.

First up are A-League runners-up Sydney on Wednesday, and Spurs will then take on Chelsea three days later. Roberto De Zerbi's side will then return to England for another behind-closed-doors friendly - much like MK Dons - this time against Getafe at Hotspur Way.

Spurs will then host Hoffenheim at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their final pre-season match. Most of their players who featured at the World Cup should be back involved

That fixture takes place four weeks after the final weekend of the World Cup. A week later, the Premier League season starts, with Spurs making the short trip across London to play Brentford.

They will then play their League Cup second round tie before welcoming Newcastle United to north London. Transfer deadline day then follows three days later, when it will become clearer how the Spurs squad shapes up this season.

For any players still on the fringes, there will still be time to move them overseas. However, from 1 September onwards, no further additions will be made to the squad.

Travelling squad for Australia and New Zealand pre-season tour

Andy Robertson, Antonin Kinsky, Archie Gray, Ben Davies, Brandon Austin, Conor Gallagher, Damola Ajayi, Dane Scarlett, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke, Dylan Thompson, Harry Byrne, Jan Paul van Hecke, James Maddison, Jamie Donley, Kevin Danso, Kota Takai, Luca Williams-Barnett, Lucas Bergvall, Malachi Hardy, Manor Solomon, Martin Dubravka, Mason Melia, Mateus Fernandes, Mathys Tel, Micky van de Ven, Mikey Moore, Reiss Russell-Denny, Richarlison, Rio Kyerematen, Sandro Tonali, Tye Hall, Tyler Tingey, Tyrese Hall, Yang Min-Hyeok.

Tottenham Hotspur have repeated a transfer ploy that could prove lucrative in the future

Tottenham Hotspur will hope to land a double windfall after including a sell-on clause as part of Will Lankshear’s move to Middlesbrough. The young striker made six first team appearances for Spurs after rising through the club’s academy.

Spurs are already set to receive up to £20million for the 21-year-old forward. Boro have paid an initial £10m for Lankshear but the price could double if all potential add-ons are triggered as Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi continues to rebuild his squad.

The former Premier League 2 Player of the Season enjoyed a productive loan spell at Oxford United last season, prompting Middlesbrough’s interest. Lankshear scored 12 goals in 47 games across all competitions and was a standout performer, despite the club’s relegation from the Championship.

He would become Boro’s record signing should his performance-related clauses be met and Spurs could net a further profit if Lankshear does thrive at the Riverside. Tottenham have negotiated a 20 per cent sell-on clause as part of the deal, repeating a transfer trick the club used when discussing Troy Parrott’s move to AZ Alkmaar in 2024.

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The former Spurs starlet was consistently regarded as one of the team’s hottest prospects but only made four senior appearances for the club. Parrott completed a £6.7m move to AZ, following an earlier loan spell with Eredivisie side Excelsior, and the Republic of Ireland international has thrived in the Netherlands.

The 24-year-old scored an incredible 31 goals in 48 games last term, registering 12 assists. His prolific form led to links of a £25m move to AC Milan this summer, which would see Spurs earn £5m through their sell-on clause.

It remains to be seen whether Spurs will reap lucrative rewards for their potentially shrewd sell-on clauses when Parrott and Lankshear eventually move from their respective clubs. However, Lankshear’s immediate focus will be on helping Boro secure Premier League promotion.

Upon leaving Tottenham, the striker posted a heartfelt message on social media. In an Instagram post, he wrote: “After 4 incredible seasons at Tottenham, my time has come to an end.

“I’d like to thank all the staff, players and fans for making my time so enjoyable and helping me along the journey. Tottenham will always be engraved in my heart. Thank you.”

Lankshear became the fifth player to complete a permanent move away from Spurs this summer. Alejo Veliz has joined Brazilian side Bahia, Alfie Devine was sold to Preston North End, while Manchester United snapped up Tynan Thompson. Notably, Brighton paid a club-record fee for young defender Luka Vuskovic, while Radu Dragusin has been loaned to Fiorentina.

Manager Roberto De Zerbi has been busy reshaping his squad in the transfer window. His former club Brighton opted to sign Vuskovic after the Italian coach chose to pursue a £52m deal for Jan Paul van Hecke.

De Zerbi has been eager to revamp his backline with centre-back Marcos Senesi and left-back Andy Robertson arriving as free agents from Bournemouth and Liverpool, respectively. Martin Dubravka also brings experienced goalkeeping cover.

However, Tottenham’s transfer window has so far been defined by two marquee midfield signings. Spurs wrapped up an £85m deal for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes before once again breaking their transfer record with a £100m move for Newcastle star Sandro Tonali a few days later.

Guglielmo Vicario continues to be linked with an exit from Tottenham Hotspur

The Tottenham Hotspur squad are jetting off to New Zealand on Thursday as part of their pre-season tour but Guglielmo Vicario is not among the travelling party.

Roberto De Zerbi has named a 35-man squad ahead of the club's second friendly of the season against Auckland FC on Sunday, July 26 at Eden Park. The following day Spurs will move over to Australia to start their preparations for a fixture against A-League side Sydney FC on Wednesday, July 29 before the third and final fixture of the tour against Chelsea on Saturday, August 1.

In their squad announcement on Thursday morning, Spurs said Vicario was not named among the traveling party after picking up a "minor knock" in training. Instead, the goalkeeper will stay behind at Hotspur Way to undergo treatment, the club confirmed.

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Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert were also not named in the pre-season tour squad but that was to be expected as they continue their recovery from long-term injuries. Elsewhere, due to their participation at the World Cup, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Pedro Porro, Marcos Senesi, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence were also not named.

Antonin Kinsky started the first half of Tottenham's behind-closed-doors friendly against MK Dons on Wednesday, with summer signing Martin Dubravka starting the second half. Both men are expected to get minutes during the pre-season tour, while Brandon Austin and 18-year-old shotstopper Dylan Thompson have also travelled to New Zealand.

The absence of Vicario will only fuel talk of a summer exit from the club. The 29-year-old has been tipped to leave the Lilywhites this summer with various interested clubs in Serie A.

The Italian has two years left on his contract at Spurs and Juventus, Inter and Napoli have all been linked with the Italy international. It's understood Kinsky is set to become the main man between the sticks for the north London club next season under De Zerbi with new arrival Dubravka as his number two, hence why Vicario has been deemed surplus to requirements.

The most likely destination at the minute looks to be Juventus for Vicario. The Serie A giants are in the market for a new goalkeeper and have also been eyeing Aston Villa stopper Emiliano Martinez.

It remains to be seen if Vicario does indeed travel to New Zealand or Australia but that seems unlikely due to the fact Tottenham have named four goalkeepers in the travelling squad. With the Premier League season starting in less than a month, both parties will want the situation resolved sooner rather than later.

Tottenham vs MK Dons behind-closed-doors friendly details: Goalscorers and result  Football London

Roberto De Zerbi wants to continue strengthening the Tottenham Hotspur squad despite having already forked out nearly £250m on new players this summer.

Roberto De Zerbi has suggested that Johan Lange needs to further bolster the Tottenham Hotspur squad before the transfer window slams shut. The Lilywhites have enjoyed an excellent start to the summer, forking out well over £200million on six Premier League-proven players, but there's plenty of work still to be done.

Spurs began by signing Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi from Liverpool and Bournemouth, respectively, for free, following the expiry of their contracts. Eager to add greater experience to the dressing room, Tottenham then secured the signature of Martin Dubravka, who looks set to replace Guglielmo Vicario and deputise Antonin Kinsky.

Lange started to splash the cash, paying £52m to reunite De Zerbi with Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton before then paying £85m to prise Mateus Fernandes from West Ham. The Spurs sporting director eventually got his hands on Sandro Tonali, too, who commanded a club-record fee worth £92.5m plus £7.5m in add-ons.

Despite having already coughed up nearly £250m, the Tottenham boss has told Lange that there's still lots of work to be done. Speaking to SpursPlay ahead of the Lilywhites' clash against MK Dons on Wednesday evening, De Zerbi expressed his delight with business so far, but more players need to be signed and sold.

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"I feel very good because we are working well," said the Italian ahead of the first friendly of pre-season. "I think we are building a very good team, with some very important new players, and we starting the project in another part of the history of the club.

“I spent a lot of time (understanding the club) before joining in April, and I knew very well the ideas of the owner of the club, and the plan was clear before the Everton game.

"Now we are inside (the project), we are excited with the idea to build a very strong team. Now we have to finish as it's not finished yet, our transfer market, in and out, but at the moment I’m very happy, very proud and very positive."

De Zerbi continued: "To build a soul, to build a new team with the qualities for sure, but with soul, with passion, with all the values we have. Football now is not just on the pitch, it's not just with the ball, it's before in the private life, it's how many hours during the day you think you’re doing your job, and they have to be happy and proud to stay in Tottenham.

"Of course, Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Senesi, Robertson, JP van Hecke, all of them are very important as qualities of the players, for sure, but first of all as a quality and level of the person."

Reflecting on last term, when Tottenham escaped relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the campaign, De Zerbi said: "Last season, I think we reached the target showing character, showing the right spirit.

"Now we have to push in the style of play, the quality of the play and the organisation. It was totally different because the seven games at the end of the season, you have no time. It’s not the right way to push too much the principles of play.

"Now we have time, we have everything in the right way, right place, and the right position to work and to become better and better and better in the quality of play. I think Tottenham deserve to compete for the top of the Premier League.

"I know very well the Premier League is very tough, but if you have a good motivation inside of the players, a good organisation on the pitch and outside of the pitch, I think you work well, and at the end you reach your target.

"I feel a big responsibility because they (the fans) loved me at the beginning in my time at Tottenham, and it is a pleasure to be Tottenham coach. At the same time, I feel responsibility to give results, to give pride when they are in the stands and when we are on the pitch, and to build a great Tottenham."

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been approached by a consortium looking to strike a minority stake in Liverpool with Tottenham previously open to outside investment

Tottenham Hotspur will likely have an eye on reports of an approach being made to Jeff Bezos over acquiring a minority stake in Liverpool. The Billionaire Amazon executive chairman has a net worth of £191.7billion and has been spoken to about joining a consortium led by Amit Bhatia.

Interest from the latter, who is the son-in-law of billionaire steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, was made public by Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group on Tuesday.

A a statement to our sister-title the Liverpool Echo read: "An investment consortium led, managed and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club."

Sky News have since claimed that Bezos has been in discussions with investors and Bhatia, who was previously a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers, and Bezos could now be involved. However, their report has added that the 62-year-old investing is not a certainty.

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FSG opened the door to outside minority investment, and potentially a full sale, in November 2023 with Dynasty Equity making a small strategic investment, believed to be between 1.9 per cent and 3.8 per cent, in the club the following year.

While the new investment opportunity at Anfield does not engage with Spurs' ongoing leadership changes, there will be an eye on how it proceeds - especially when it comes to the valuation of the club.

The part-sale of Liverpool would reportedly place a valuation of $6billion (£4.49bn) on the club. That puts them behind only Manchester United in the Premier League, with Forbes recently valuing the Red Devils at around $6.6billion (£4.94bn).

Spurs have been valued somewhere around the £3bn mark, with the move to their new stadium back in 2019 proving a huge boost in recent years.

The unexpected departure of Daniel Levy last year saw theories emerge that selling the club was under consideration by the Lewis family. However, the ambition shown since then is not what would be expected of people looking to sell.

While Spurs' majority owners ENIC Group are also open to outside investment, the big difference between them and FSG is that they maintain the club is not for sale.

Last month, football.london reported that £100million was injected into the club by the Lewis family. Those funds follow a previous £100m put into the club back in October with the Lilywhites certainly showing their financial muscle to sign Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes for a combined £185m this summer.

Following a disastrous 2025/26 campaign in which the club were nearly relegated, the Lewis family, with its most prominent members being Vivienne Lewis and her son-in-law Nick Beucher, released a statement on their plans for the future and how they were aiming to avoid another awful season.

Part of their statement read: “We are not selling the club. We are all in. We are investing in it. You will see more of this in the coming months.

“We care deeply about Spurs. The rebuilding the club needs, and you deserve, has begun. The change required is deep. It will take time and commitment, but change is happening. We know that actions will speak louder than words.”

The ambition thus far shown in the transfer window has seen that final sentence supported but fans will also want that to translate to improvements on the pitch.

Outside investment is still possible and Spurs' ownership group will likely be alerted to this development, but there does seem less of a requirement for further funds or a fresh set of people involved, as things stand, with the Lewis family appearing eager to make right on their promises.

Will Lankshear has joined Championship side Middlesbrough from Tottenham in a permanent transfer that could see the club bring in up to £20million

Tottenham have confirmed that young striker Will Lankshear has joined Middlesbrough on a permanent transfer. A guaranteed £10million will be heading to Spurs for for the 21-year-old. but the fee may potentially rise to £20m if all add-ons are activated.

Matching rights to Spurs for any future offers and a 20 per cent sell-on clause are also set to be included in the switch which certainly makes it a financially astute deal for the club given he made just a few competitive appearances.

Spurs' statement announcing the deal read: "We have reached agreement with Middlesbrough for the transfer of Will Lankshear.

"The striker joined our Academy from Sheffield United in August, 2022. He was top scorer in our Under-21s’ Premier League 2 title-winning season of 2023/24, earning recognition as the Premier League 2 Player of the Season.

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"Making his first team debut from the start against Ferencvaros in the UEFA Europa League in October, 2024, Will made six senior appearances for us, scoring once against Galatasaray in the Europa League in November, 2024. His Premier League debut followed against Fulham in December, 2024.

"From there, Will spent time on loan in the Championship, first with West Brom for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign, then with Oxford United last term, where he scored 12 goals in 46 appearances, including 11 in 43 league games. We wish Will all the best for the future."

It was during that temporary spell at the Kassam Stadium where Lankshear's stock rose significantly despite their relegation to League One.

football.london reported that Sporting CP, Southampton and Wolves all made moves for the 21-year-old but those were turned down by Spurs before Boro entered advanced talks on Monday.

The deal was quickly wrapped up the following day and has now been confirmed. Kim Hellberg's side received an influx of funds over the weekend when Chelsea agreed to sign their former player Morgan Rogers for £117m.

Lankshear has become the fifth player to depart north London with Alfie Devine and Alejo Veliz joining Preston and Bahia, respectively. Radu Dragusin has signed for Fiorentina while Brighton paid a club-record fee for Luka Vuskovic.

Interest from the Seagulls in the latter emerged while Spurs were negotiating for Jan Paul van Hecke. He was wanted by Roberto De Zerbi with the pair having worked together at Brighton.

Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson had already joined as free agents with Martin Dubravka later joining. Spurs then broke their transfer record twice to sign Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

Tottenham fans want Cristian Romero out of the club this summer

Cristian Romero is expected to leave Tottenham this summer - and Spurs fans want to see the back of their club captain too.

Romero has long been linked with an exit, having previously flirted with a move to Spain. Atletico Madrid are long-term admirers, while Barcelona and Inter Milan believed to be keeping tabs on his situation.

And further questions over his future were raised earlier this summer when Roberto De Zerbi oversaw a huge defensive rebuild by bringing in Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for £52million, as well as the free transfers of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson.

Romero may have slightly enhanced his reputation by helping Argentina reach the World Cup final, but it seems Spurs fans still want their club captain gone.

football.london put out a poll - which you can vote in below - and the results are damning. Of the 1,300 votes we've received so far, 91 per cent want Spurs to sell their centre-back. Only 6 per cent want him to stay, while 3 per cent are undecided.

We also put out a poll on our WhatsApp channels, with 60 per cent giving the green light to his exit. The jury's out for 5 per cent, and 35 per cent have approved his stay.

It seems Spurs fans have turned on Romero, who was part of a controversial Argentina side that caused anger for their antics throughout the World Cup.

FIFA has launched an investigation into potential disciplinary breaches by Argentina following their World Cup final defeat to Spain.

Following the final whistle in New York, Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes appeared to throw punches at members of the Spain squad as they celebrated their victory on the pitch.

The match commissioner’s report was reviewed by FIFA, which has now decided to appoint a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to probe potential breaches of its disciplinary code.

The South Americans were again criticised over their physical approach, as they were in their semi-final victory over England, with Enzo Fernandez sent off for two bookable offences.

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It is still not known whether the committee is investigating Argentina players for holding up a banner proclaiming Argentinian sovereignty over the Falkland Islands after the win over England.

Following Argentina's World Cup heartbreak, Romero released an emotional statement and apologised to their fans.

He said on Instagram: “And this time, it just wasn’t meant to be. And believe me, it hurts. It hurts deeply, because no one wanted to keep writing this beautiful story more than we did.

“We dreamed of bringing the trophy home again, but it didn’t happen. But if there is one thing we will never lack, it is total commitment. We gave it our all.

“We finished second, but we never stopped representing Argentina with the pride and dedication this jersey deserves.”

The 28-year-old added: “Today, we have to pick ourselves up, start over, work harder, believe more, and prepare so that this jersey returns to the very top – right where we placed it ourselves over these past few years.

“Because finals aren’t handed to you; you earn them by getting there. And this group – and whoever comes next – will keep fighting, united, with the same hope and drive as always.”