Football London

Tottenham will take on a Newcastle United side without Alexander Isak in South Korea next week after the striker was left out of their tour squad.

Spurs face a friendly double header this weekend against Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town as new head coach Thomas Frank attempts to get minutes into the legs of the 32 fit and available first team players in his big squad. After those games Tottenham will fly off to begin their summer tour to Asia.

It is a shorter two-game tour this summer which first brings a handful of days in Hong Kong with a match against local rivals Arsenal at the Kai Tak Stadium and then Tottenham will fly on to South Korea where they will take on Eddie Howe's Newcastle side at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

While Arsenal will have a bumper squad packed with their new signings, Newcastle will be without their star man Isak after he was left out of their squad to fly to Singapore and South Korea, where they will play Arsenal and a K-League XI before taking on Spurs.

Isak, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool among others, is struggling with a thigh problem, although reportedly the 25-year-old has told Newcastle that he wants to explore a move away.

A Newcastle statement on their tour squad read: "Eddie Howe has an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, however Alexander Isak misses out with a minor thigh injury. Lewis Hall is available following an injury lay-off and could feature in South Korea."

Isak has caused problems galore for Tottenham over recent seasons and now the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and newcomers Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai will not have to deal with the Swedish international during the match in Korea.

The striker did not play a part in the 4-0 defeat at Celtic on Saturday with Howe confirming he was left out of that encounter due to the speculation around him.

"I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him," he said. "The last thing he wanted is to be sat in the stand watching, that wasn’t fair to him."

When asked if he could guarantee Newcastle will keep Isak, Howe said: "It is difficult for me to sit here and give 100% clarity on any player. I'd never sit here and do that. It is football and you never know what can happen. All I can say is that Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players and staff, the team.

"I have never had any issue with him other than seeing him express his talent and express himself. Certainly I am confident that he is going to be here at the start of the season."

Tottenham have an unusual double header of friendlies on Saturday as they take on Wycombe Wanderers and then Luton Town.

The behind-closed-doors friendly against Wycombe has been added at late notice to the schedule and while it will be shown on the club's SpursPlay channel, there will be no admittance to the general public or media for the game against the League One side that kicks off at 11am.

Four hours later, Spurs will kick off their previously scheduled friendly against another League One side in Luton Town, who will now feature former Tottenham goalkeeper Josh Keeley after his £1million move from north London last week. That game at Kenilworth Road will, like the 2-0 win at Reading last Saturday, be played out in front of a decent crowd.

New Spurs head coach Thomas Frank, who will be in charge of both games on Saturday, has a big, bloated squad with 32 senior players potentially fit and available - not including those on loan or injured - and wants to ensure that as many players as possible are now moving up their match minutes quickly.

"We wanted an extra game in our schedule to give as many players as many match minutes as possible, in order to put them in the best position, physically," said the Dane. "We will play two even, strong teams and they will play between 60 and 75 minutes, maybe more.

"By the end of Saturday, 22 players will have played a lot of match minutes and they will be in a very good place before we go on tour."

So who plays in which match? First off there are the players who won't be there. Keeley, Alfie Dorrington and Ashley Phillips have now left the club, the latter two back to Aberdeen and Stoke City respectively on loan, while Alejo Veliz is at Rosario Central on loan. Manor Solomon is unlikely to be fit after suffering a calf injury in training while Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin and Bryan Gil remain out after their different knee injuries and subsequent surgeries.

James Maddison however does appear to now be back in training with the squad after Frank told football.london last week that he was part-training with the team at that point. Frank said Kota Takai was expected to return to training this week following a small training ground knock.

Richarlison missed the match at Reading but Frank said afterwards: "Richy has trained well, we’re just building him, that’s the big thing, He trained earlier today, and we expect a full training week next week and, right now, we expect him to play next week."

So who will play behind closed doors against Wycombe, albeit on camera, and who will play in front of a crowd at Luton?

Maddison might be eased back into things gently as could be the case for some of the trio of Archie Gray, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert who were granted extra time off after their exploits at the U21 European Championships. For Maddison a 30 minute spell might suit him better while one or two of the other three could be in a better place to get some longer game time as they were only playing full matches a month ago.

There is also captain Son Heung-min. The 33-year-old has been the subject of plenty of speculation as he enters the final year of his contract and struggled to find his rhythm during Saturday's win at Reading as he played the second half, although he did win both corners that led to Tottenham's goals.

football.londonreported on MLS interest for Son early last month with his former Spurs team-mate Hugo Lloris at LAFC and now the Los Angeles side are reportedly trying to make a move happen.

Frank will have to weigh up whether it is better for Son to build up his rhythm behind closed doors with a smaller online audience or give the Luton fans, and travelling Tottenham supporters, the chance to see the popular South Korean star in action on Saturday. As he did in Reading in both halves, the Dane might utilise Son and Romero as the captains of each side.

The Spurs head coach did say that both teams would be even, which suggests a sprinkling of senior players across both starting XIs. There is also the issue that Wayne Burnett's U21s, who played on Tuesday night with a strong side, also have a friendly on Saturday at Woking, kicking off at 3pm, which means that he will likely need to put out a young mostly U18s side there with most members of his development squad required to supplement both first team squads. The U18s are currently in Ireland for the week but will return on Friday.

It could be a bit of a push to have some U21s players coming on for the final 15-30 minutes of the Wycombe game only to then be whisked to Luton to come on again at Kenilworth Road so that development squad is going to have to be split across both games with potentially 14 or 15 young players required to come off the bench.

Here are our wild stabs at two Spurs starting line-ups that Frank could put out, and he might take the chance to look at some different combinations and how comfortable players are in different roles. We've also named some players involved with the first team who might get a shorter run-out

Wycombe XI (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Spence, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Johnson, Son, Moore; Richarlison.

Luton XI (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Vuskovic, Davies; Bergvall, Bentancur; Kudus, Donley, Tel; Solanke.

Others to be used: Maddison, Takai, Gray, Odobert, Lankshear, Devine, Scarlett, Yang, Abbott, Austin.

Alexander Isak has not travelled to Asia with the Newcastle United squad for their pre-season tour.

The Magpies are set to face Arsenal in Singapore on Sunday and a group of 30 players boarded the plane for the trip on Thursday morning. Eddie Howe's side will then travel to South Korea to face a K-League All-Star team on Wednesday, July 30 before taking on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, August 3.

Isak is not among the group to make the trip, though. Newcastle say the Swedish striker is currently nursing an injury and he is not expected to feature over the next 10 days.

In a statement Newcastle said: "Newcastle United have announced the first team squad that has departed for the club's 2025 Asia Tour. The Magpies are on their way to Singapore, where they will face Arsenal on Sunday as part of their pre-season preparations. They will then travel to South Korea to face a K-League All-Star team and Tottenham Hotspur.

"Eddie Howe has an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, however Alexander Isak misses out with a minor thigh injury. Lewis Hall is available following an injury lay-off and could feature in South Korea."

Arsenal played their first pre-season friendly on Wednesday, with Bukayo Saka's goal ensuring Mikel Arteta's side beat AC Milan 1-0. The Gunners will face Newcastle on Sunday before travelling to Hong Kong to face Tottenham on Wednesday, July 31.

Tottenham, meanwhile, are still currently in the UK and beat Reading 2-0 on Saturday in what was Thomas Frank's first pre-season friendly. The Lilywhites are due to face both Wycombe and Luton Town on Saturday, with the two fixtures on the same day giving Frank the opportunity to hand out plenty of minutes to his squad.

Spurs will then make the trip to Asia themselves where they will face Arsenal and Newcastle.

Tottenham transfer target Morgan Gibbs-White has travelled out to Portugal and teamed up with the rest of his Nottingham Forest teammates for their pre-season tour. The 25-year-old initially didn't make the trip to Faro with the rest of the Forest squad on Monday due to 'a private and personal matter unrelated to football'.

However, Gibbs-White flew to Portugal on Wednesday night and has now joined the Forest team ahead of their pre-season fixture against Fulham at the Estadio de Sao Luis on Saturday. Four days later, the Reds take on Primeira Liga side Estoril Praia at the Estadio Municipal in Albufeira.

Gibbs-White is expected to feature for Nuno Espirito Santo's side across both fixtures, having played 45 minutes during their 0-0 draw against Monaco at the SMH Group Stadium in Chesterfield last Saturday.

This is, of course, despite increased speculation around his long-term future at The City Ground. Earlier this month, Tottenham triggered Gibbs-White's £60million release clause in his contract and a medical was booked.

However, Forest took issue and claimed that Spurs made an illegal approach for the England international. The Reds feel that confidential details of the release clause's exact amount have been breached.

Two weeks has passed and Forest's board have ended communication with Tottenham over Gibbs-White. A potential deal is therefore at a standstill and there is no clear end in sight regarding a resolution.

Thomas Frank is keen to add more of a creative spark to his Tottenham squad following his appointment last month. Gibbs-White has been targeted after another terrific season in a Forest shirt.

Gibbs-White scored seven goals and provided 10 assists last season as The Reds finished seventh in the Premier League table. The attacking midfielder provided the assist for Anthony Elanga's winner against Tottenham on Boxing Day, before putting in an inspired performance as Forest beat Spurs 2-1 back in April.

Spurs have signed five players so far this summer. Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel arrived on loan in January but have penned permanent contracts, while Luka Vuksovic has finally made the move from Hajduck Split, Kota Takai has joined from Kawasaki Frontale and Mohammed Kudus has signed from West Ham.

Frank's Tottenham take on League One side Luton Town in their second pre-season fixture on Saturday, after edging past fellow third-tier outfit Reading 2-0 last time out. Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic found the net for Spurs at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur made Nottingham Forest a £60million release clause-triggering offer for Morgan Gibbs-White over 10 days ago.

The club had a medical planned for 12 July, but that never happened. Despite wanting to move, Gibbs-White has yet to set foot in Hotspur Way this summer because Forest believe that the approach was illegal due to the alleged disclosure of confidential contractual details.

They appear to essentially be threatening legal action after putting his agent and Tottenham on notice. The player is now away from the club due to a private matter communicated to Forest. Here is the latest on Gibbs-White:

City stance

Manchester City reportedly have no plans of reviving their interest in Gibbs-White. They are said to have previously been interested in the England international earlier this year.

That was, though, when Forest reputedly had a £100million asking price on Gibbs-White. Since then, they have spent the best part of £80million on a pair of midfielders: Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.

As such, our sister title the Manchester Evening News states that they are happy with their strength in that area and have ended their interest in Gibbs-White with no intention of re-entering the race. They are instead focusing on outgoings this month.

Marinakis hope

That stance will seemingly not go down well at the City Ground as Evangelos Marinakis reportedly hoped Man City would bid for Gibbs-White. talkSPORT claims that the Forest owner and Gibbs-White agreed that he would only leave for a certain level of club.

Despite playing in the Champions League this season after winning the Europa League, reputedly, Marinakis does not regard Spurs as at that requisite level. That is said to be what has angered the club's owner, likely due to Tottenham finishing 17th in the Premier League and 27 points behind Forest in seventh, who only qualified for the Conference League.

Gibbs-White absence

Gibbs-White did not travel to Portugal for Forest's pre-season tour with his teammates Monday. Instead, he is absent from the team due to a private matter not believed to be transfer or football related.

Notably, he is engaged to the influencer Britney De Villiers. On Sunday, she posted on Instagram, intimating she has a high-risk pregnancy.

"This has been one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with, and I just don't really remember a time I wasn't overwhelmed with stress," she wrote alongside a photo of her lying on a hospital bed with a pulse oximeter on her finger.

Tottenham look to have a free run at signing Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest, if the legal complications around the transfer are ironed out.

That is because Manchester City have no plans to make a move for the Forest midfielder this summer, having previously been interested in signing the 25-year-old.

Spurs looked to have tied up a deal for Gibbs-White a week-and-a-half ago when, out of the blue, it emerged that they had met his release clause and were arranging a medical with the Forest man.

However, Tottenham soon ran into problems, with Forest threatening not only Spurs, but Gibbs-White's agent with legal action over what they deemed to be an illegal approach for their player.

The Midlands side believed an illegal approach had been made and that the confidential details of the midfielder's release clause had been disclosed with suggestions that Spurs made the exact bid required to trigger it.

The two clubs are no longer in conversations, with Forest having spent many months trying to convince Gibbs-White to extend his contract at the City Ground and in so doing increase his release clause - something he has been unwilling to do.

There was also the hope from Forest that by delaying a move to Spurs, another club could enter the race to sign Gibbs-White and therefore drive the asking price up.

Tottenham remain hopeful of getting a deal over the line eventually, but the impasse raised concerns that another club could enter the race and steal a march on signing Gibbs-White.

City were named as a potential suitor, given their previous interest in the attacking midfielder, but our friends at the Manchester Evening News report that City have no plans to hijack Spurs' move.

The Blues held an interest in Gibbs-White towards the end of last season, but have since signed Rayan Cherki from Lyon for £31million and Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan for £46.3million.

Having completed those deals, City are happy with their midfield strength and are now focusing on exits. Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish, and James McAtee are set to move on. There is also a chance that one of Nico Gonzalez or Ilkay Gundogan will depart.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is plotting an audacious move to sign Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, it has been claimed. Spurs have spent north of £100million so far this summer, but Levy is keen to back new head coach Thomas Frank and is considering launching a bid for the out-of-favour Brazil international.

Rodrygo, 24, has been linked with a move to the Premier League after dropping down the pecking order at Los Blancos. The former Santos man started one game at the Club World Cup and played just 92 minutes across the entire tournament as Real suffered semi-final heartbreak against Paris Saint-Germain.

Arda Guler, Vinicius Jr and Brahim Diaz were often preferred at the inaugural club competition and that has increased speculation around Rodrygo's future. Reports in Spain have suggested that Real Madrid are prepared to cash in, even though Xabi Alonso has reiterated that he is part of his long-term plans.

Liverpool and Arsenal are among those that have expressed an interest in signing Rodrygo, who has scored 68 goals and provided 50 assists in 269 appearances during his time at Santiago Bernabeu. But now, Tottenham are expected to become the latest to enter the race, with Levy shifting his focus to the Real Madrid star.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Levy is looking to exploit his 'good relationship' with the La Liga side to lower Rodrygo's £76million price tag. It's added that, despite interest, Real haven't received an offer for the Brazilian.

Rodrygo is enjoying a well-earned break in the United States following a long season and he is expected to make a final decision on his future after holding more talks with new Real head coach Alonso. Real kickstart their La Liga campaign against Osasuna on Tuesday, August 19, but it's unclear whether Rodrygo is going to feature.

Tottenham, meanwhile, are hoping to strengthen ahead of their return to the Champions League. They have signed five players so far, spending around £122m in the process. Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel arrived on loan in January but have penned permanent contracts, while Luka Vuksovic has finally made the move from Hajduck Split, Kota Takai has joined from Kawasaki Frontale and Mohammed Kudus has signed from West Ham.

Spurs want to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest and triggered his £60m release clause earlier this month, but Nuno Espirito Santo's side believe Tottenham made an illegal approach for the England international.

A conclusion in Tottenham's bid to bring Gibbs-White to north London doesn't seem close, and therefore Spurs have instead shifted their immediate focus to others, such as Rodrygo.

While a move for Rodrygo would bolster Frank's attacking options, it would dent arch rival Arsenal's hopes of having a dream summer transfer window. Mikel Arteta's men have signed Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Noni Madueke in a spending blitz worth around £124m, and are closing in on moves for Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyokeres and Valencia centre-back Cristhian Mosquera.

Arsenal have strengthened in all-but every position they would have wanted to apart from the left-hand side. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard both flattered to deceive last season and the Gunners have been linked with a move for the likes of Rodrygo, Rafael Leao and Anthony Gordon.

However, Tottenham snatching Rodrygo from under their noses would represent a major blow for Arsenal, as the Gunners look to finalise their summer spending with left wing addition.

Luka Vuskovic had a friendly debut to remember for Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and if the teenager continues along this path then he will hand Thomas Frank a difficult decision.

Spurs have plenty of centre-backs at the club with the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, Ben Davies as well as young defenders Ashley Phillips and Alfie Dorrington, who left for Aberdeen on loan at the weekend. Summer arrivals Vuskovic and Kota Takai have now added to those numbers.

Twenty-year-old Japan international Takai's £5million signing from Kawasaki Frontale was expected to see him become part of Frank's first team squad this season and for 18-year-old Vuskovic a decision had to be made over whether he would stick around the club at least until January or whether he would be sent out on a third loan since his signing was announced by the north London club in 2023.

football.london previously reported that a long line of clubs are waiting on Frank's decision as they look to take the Croatian elsewhere.

With Takai out with a training ground knock, Vuskovic caught the eye in his first Spurs appearance in the 2-0 win at League Two side Reading on Saturday afternoon with a headed assist and then a clinical low strike. It impressed the Tottenham fanbase and further dynamic displays this summer are likely to make it very difficult to justify loaning him out.

In the latest episode of the Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham, our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold and head of football Lee Wilmot discuss the situation with Vuskovic and Takai as well as the latest on Tottenham's interest in Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha and the Morgan Gibbs-White situation.

You can listen to the podcast episode by heading right here or watch the show on YouTube by going right here.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have been briefed on the rule amendments set to be introduced in the upcoming Premier League season, with particular focus on VAR and goalkeepers' time-wasting tactics.

In anticipation of the professional football season's start, which begins for Leagues One and Two on the first weekend of August, IFAB has confirmed the rule changes that will be implemented. Two significant changes for Premier League clubs involve VAR.

IFAB has declared that leagues will be permitted to allow their referees to clarify VAR decisions in-stadium via the speaker systems. This will occur when there has been a VAR review or an extended VAR check, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The Premier League announced in February that they were optimistic about implementing this change at the beginning of the 2025/26 season. It has already been tested in several high-profile matches, including in the Carabao Cup last season.

In the meantime, IFAB has taken a firm stance on goalkeepers retaining the ball for too long. From next season, keepers will be allowed to hold onto the ball for eight seconds, up from the previous six.

However, referees will raise their arms after three seconds and start a countdown from five to ensure the ball is released within the time limit. Failure to comply will result in a corner kick being awarded to the opposing team.

A few minor tweaks have also been made to the game's rules that clubs need to familiarise themselves with. For instance, referees will insist that corners are taken from the side closest to where the goalkeeper was positioned when they conceded the corner.

Additionally, if a substitute or injured player off the pitch, or a coach, kicks the ball onto the field, an indirect free kick will be given without any further penalties.

This rule aims to prevent instances where players and coaches have kicked the ball while it was still in play to keep the game flowing.

Previously, such actions would have resulted in a booking.

Following Bryan Mbeumo's transfer to Manchester United on Monday, his former teammate Yoane Wissa has reportedly left Brentford's pre-season training camp amid speculation surrounding his future.

Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United have all been linked with a move for Wissa in the summer transfer window as they look to strengthen their attacks. Spurs will feel confident that the 28-year-old centre-forward will join them considering the lure of working under previous manager Thomas Frank.

It seems that Wissa clearly sees his future away from the Bees as, according to BBC Sport, he has left the training camp in Portugal to fly back to London. Once he arrives in the capital, it is expected that the striker who scored 19 Premier League goals last season, will undergo talks with director of football Phil Giles about his future.

The report claims that Tottenham and Newcastle are the frontrunners for Wissa thanks to their ability to offer him Champions League football. It is believed that securing personal terms at either club will not be an issue.

Wissa is not expected to fly back to Portugal following his meeting with Giles. However, this is not thought to be a sign that he is definitely leaving the club.

Upon their arrival back in England, Wissa is expected to link back up with his teammates should he remain a Brentford player. Originally, it had been touted that the Bees were not willing to lose Mbeumo and Wissa in the window.

However, considering he turns 29 in September, there are fears that the Bees may have a depreciating asset were they to keep him against his will. Spurs would likely need to pay £40m for the forward.

This update comes as a move for Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White continues to be delayed for Frank. Gibbs-White is currently not with his Forest teammates in Portugal for their own pre-season training camp due to a private matter.