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Tottenham confirmed team vs Newcastle - Savio absence explained as Omar Marmoush starts  Football London

The Tottenham Hotspur CEO has sent a message to the fanbase for the coming season about the summer transfer window and more

Tottenham Hotspur's chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham has sent his opening message of the season to the supporters.

As is the custom on the eve of the first home Premier League match of the season, the man at the top of the club pens an open letter to the fans and Venkatesham has done so in the club's matchday programme ahead of Saturday's match against Newcastle United.

It has been a busy summer with Spurs committing £382million towards five new signings this summer with another three experienced heads brought in on free transfers. Manchester City duo Omar Marmoush and Savio are the latest to have arrived. and head coach Roberto De Zerbi said on Friday that he wants one more new arrival and expects one or two to depart before deadline day.

It has been a major rebuild at the north London club with more than £200million coming back in through sales and loans with options or obligations to sell, with captain Cristian Romero, Djed Spence and young talent Luka Vuskovic among those heading out the door.

Now Venkatesham has spoken to the supporters and this is what he said:

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"Dear Supporters, As we begin a new Premier League season, I wanted to welcome you back to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on behalf of everyone at the Club.

The start of any campaign brings anticipation, but this season feels especially important. Last season was one of the most challenging this Club has ever experienced and we all know that can never be repeated.

There have been significant changes made to put us on the right path for the future and there is a real sense of energy and optimism for the season ahead.

The focus of our Ownership and Board is clear. We want to build teams capable of competing at the highest level. This applies across both our Men’s and Women’s teams. Tottenham is ‘one club, two teams’ and both will be given the support, resources and environment they need to fulfil our ambitions.

I know that many supporters feel they have too often just heard words and not seen actions. This summer has been focussed on action and I wanted to summarise some of the most significant work undertaken around our Men’s team:

Our Squad: We have strengthened our men’s squad with a clear focus on the quality, character and physical robustness needed to achieve our aims. We have attracted the names we wanted to attract, adding players with proven Premier League experience alongside talent we believe can continue to develop and improve with us.

Player Availability: We have suffered too many injuries in recent years. Sweeping changes have been made to our Performance team, bringing in top experts with new skills and expertise to transform the way we work across performance, medical and physical preparation. We have made significant changes to our first team gym to provide the right environment to improve the resilience of our squad. Things cannot be expected to change overnight, but we have the right building blocks in place to improve player availability.

Player Trading: Successful clubs have to be decisive about both recruitment and sales, and selling well is critical in modern football. We have too often held onto players for too long. This summer, we have been more aggressive in selling players at what we believe is the right point, structuring deals to ensure we enjoy future upside as players achieve future milestones in their careers.

Young Players: We want to develop players through our Academy that can play for our first team. Our Academy must remain fundamental to the future of Tottenham Hotspur. We have been very active in signing a number of players this summer aged 16 and below, to ensure we have the best possible pipeline of players for the future.

Hotspur Way: A number of changes have been made at our Training Centre focussed on ensuring the environment is optimised to drive results. Whether that be a new tactical briefing room, changes to the player restaurant or simply changing imagery and branding so the building looks and feels like a home for high performance.

Connection: I have consistently heard from supporters and ex-players that they feel disconnected from their Club. We are determined to correct this and have us all connected as one Spurs family. Our history and heritage are fundamental to that. Tottenham has a rich identity, shaped by generations of players, supporters and moments that have made this Club what it is, and we want to ensure that history is much more visible and connected. Hopefully you have seen some steps we have started to take in doing this, whether through the content we have been putting out on our channels or welcoming back a large number of our ex-players for lunch with our current squad. There is much more to do and rebuilding that sense of connection and belonging will take time, but it matters enormously to us.

It has been a busy summer, a lot of work is underway and we will continue to rebuild and reset. There will be challenges, as there always are in football, but we start this season with belief, determination and togetherness.

Thank you for your incredible support. Welcome back, let’s make this a season we can all be proud of.

Thank you,

Vinai Venkatesham

Chief Executive Officer"

Liverpool have agreed a deal worth up to £123m for Paris St-Germain winger Bradley Barcola.

The Reds have agreed a package worth an initial £106m with £17m in potential add-ons.

With the 23-year-old expected to have a medical this weekend, his arrival creates further doubt around Cody Gakpo's future at Anfield, with the Frenchman expected to be Andoni Iraola's first choice on the left flank and Gakpo set for more minutes on the bench.

Spurs have been pursuing Gakpo in recent weeks but a deal was unlikely as long as Liverpool had not signed their key target in Barcola.

De Zerbi says he wants to include Dejan Kulusevski in Tottenham's 25-man Premier League squad, which has to be submitted next week.

The manager said: "I want to put Kulusevski on the list because he is working very well, very hard. He's a good guy and he's a different player.

"He's improving day by day. It's great watching him during the season and also because he deserves it because he suffered too much for his career for his age, for his level of human.

"I'm not speaking of him as a player but as a human. He deserves to stay in the list."

Tottenham have rejected Sunderland's loan offer for Kevin Danso, according to BBC Sport.

The Black Cats want the Austrian centre-back, 27, on a season-long loan, but their initial approach was rebuffed.

Danso's first-team chances are likely to be limited this season after the signings of central defenders Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, while Micky van de Ven has signed a new contract and been named captain.

Roberto De Zerbi wants Tottenham to sign "one more player" before the transfer deadline, amid interest in Cody Gakpo.

Spurs have a long-term interest in Gakpo but a deal appears difficult to pull off, with Liverpool adamant they want to sign a replacement before entertaining any negotiations over the 27-year-old.

Andoni Iraola wants more than one winger through the door before the end of the transfer window, however.

Liverpool look set to sign Bradley Barcola from PSG and reports indicate the Reds have made checks on Crystal Palace wide man Ismaila Sarr.

Here's the Tottenham starting line-up that we reckon Roberto De Zerbi could select to take on Newcastle United on Saturday

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi suddenly has decisions aplenty to make with his starting line-up to face Newcastle on Saturday.

Spurs are in Premier League home action for the first time since they beat Everton on the final day to save their top-flight status and they have two new signings ready to make their mark. Savio is pushing to feature from the off while fellow new signing Omar Marmoush is available after sealing an initial loan from Manchester City.

De Zerbi's men will have some positive momentum from their first victory of the season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after beating Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and now they must take that in the league clash.

Both of the two new boys from Manchester City were involved heavily in their previous club's pre-season so could be in a position to start for Spurs if called upon.

In the back four, World Cup winner Pedro Porro will be looking to start after getting half an hour under his belt on Wednesday night. Micky van de Ven did the same but the Dutch defender has played less minutes this summer so might be on the bench again while left-back Destiny Udogie could be managed carefully after his strong showing in midweek with Andy Robertson getting the start.

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In midfield, De Zerbi might be tempted to play Sandro Tonali and Rodrigo Bentancur alongside each other with Mateus Fernandes just ahead of them with Conor Gallagher and Lucas Bergvall unable to impress in recent games.

Up top it's all about whether Marmoush and Savio are ready to be thrown in from the start. Dominic Solanke staked his own claim to keep his spot with his goal on Wednesday night after Richarlison's struggles at Brentford. Mohammed Kudus could be on the bench after returning to full training.

Here's the Tottenham team we reckon De Zerbi could select:

Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's home clash against Newcastle United, eight players from both sides are expected to be absent

At least eight players are expected to be absent for Tottenham Hotspur''s battle with Newcastle United. Roberto De Zerbi's side's first Premier League home clash is one against a new-look, but confident, Newcastle.

Matthias Jaissle's team came so close to beating Liverpool in their first match. Spurs go into the contest wounded having been comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Brentford in west London.

De Zerbi did at least have one big injury boost in regards to Spurs' squad, as Mohammed Kudus could be set for his first Premier League appearance since January, although it would not be a surprise if he chooses not to risk the Ghanaian.

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When it comes to Spurs, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are long-term absentees who will play no part. The pair are both recovering from ACL ruptures from last season and will not be available until February and December respectively.

Dejan Kulusevski is also expected to be unavailable, but De Zerbi did suggest he is close to recovery, saying: "Kulusevski [is] fit and right, he's one of the best players we have in the squad.

"I wouldn't like to put too much pressure on him to accelerate the process of rehab, but I hope he can be available as early as possible."

For Newcastle, Jaissle is missing plenty of key players. He revealed Joelinton will be absent for the next fortnight, saying: “He's out for a couple of weeks.

"I don't want to go too much into detail as there will always be specialists involved. The medical department are aware of it, and I'm really confident that he will be back ASAP."

William Osula looks set to be unavailable, although Jaissle believes his injury is not too serious and that there's a chance he could feature, stating: "We will need to see. Hopefully, it's not that serious. He will be back as soon as possible as well. For now, it looks quite good."

England international Dan Burn is a major absentee for the next couple of weeks, with the Newcastle boss adding: "With Dan, it's clear that he will be out for a couple of weeks.

"How long exactly? That will be decided. But for sure, our medical department is excellent, so he will be back on the grass as soon as possible."

One Premier League icon made the "biggest mistake of his career" by joining Tottenham Hotspur from Saturday's opponents Newcastle United

Les Ferdinand described his move to Tottenham Hotspur as the single biggest regret of his football career. He painted a damning picture of a club ill-equipped to get the best out of one of England's most feared strikers at the time.

The former Three Lions forward arrived at White Hart Lane in the summer of 1997 for a £6million fee and a reputation built on 50 goals in two prolific seasons at Newcastle. Yet what Ferdinand found at Spurs bore little resemblance to the professional environment he had been accustomed to and the goals quickly dried up.

Ferdinand spent six seasons at Tottenham, managing just 39 goals across 149 appearances and reaching double figures in the league only once. He would later reflect the warning signs were there from the start, acknowledging he had known almost immediately the move had been a mistake.

"When I say it was the worst decision, I said it was the worst decision of my footballing career," he stated on the Upfront with Simon Jordan podcast in 2024.

"One of the things I say to people is that when I got there we were sponsored by Pony and that was quite apt. I went to Tottenham, who I would have thought were on par with Newcastle in terms of the way they did things. It wasn't, it was so, so different.

"Everything about it, Gerry [Francis] was the manager then and I always remember my first day of pre-season I walked out and there was a group of players doing keepy-uppies in one corner and a group in another corner, and another one in another corner.

"There used to be like a slope and a couple of boys were lying on it waiting for the manager to come out and I thought, 'What the hell have I come to?'

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"I had been warned, a couple of players had said, 'Les, Tottenham isn't what you think it is.' And to be fair, when I spoke to [then-chairman] Alan [Sugar], he knew it wasn't what he wanted it to be."

Ferdinand also likened Tottenham's training facilities to the notoriously sodden pitches of Hackney Marshes. He joked the medical room seemed to be the sole area of the complex providing any genuine comfort.

"They had six beds and had TVs on in there and I thought no wonder everyone is injured at this football club," he laughed. "It was too comfortable."

Ferdinand had arrived at Newcastle from QPR in a £6m transfer in 1995, establishing himself as the club's record acquisition at that point. That benchmark stood for just 12 months before the Magpies splashed out £15m on Alan Shearer.

He had claimed the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in his first year with Newcastle but never reached those heights in north London. It certainly helped that he formed a devastating connection with Shearer at St. James' Park but lacked the same cohesion in the capital.

His switch to Tottenham was marred by a challenging opening year, with fitness problems limiting him to just five goals. He managed only seven more over the following two seasons and his decline eventually cost him his place in the England squad.

Despite his difficulties in north London, Ferdinand contributed to Tottenham's League Cup success in 1999. It marked the club's first significant silverware since 1991 and their last until the League Cup victory in 2008.

The Tottenham Hotspur head coach has been speaking about his special meal with the powers-that-be and his Swedish attacking star

Roberto De Zerbi splashed the cash on a slap-up Italian meal for Tottenham's owners and hopes they will respond in kind with one more big transfer before deadline day.

The Spurs boss took out members of the Lewis family, who have helped fund a massive transfer push this summer, along with club CEO Vinai Venkatesham, sporting director Johan Lange and his translator Enrico Venturelli for the meal on Thursday night just days before the transfer window comes to close.

It has been a busy window for Tottenham who have signed eight players so far with £382million committed in fees and potential add-ons with Manchester City duo Omar Marmoush and Savio the latest additions this week to bolster the front line.

It has been a huge rebuild for Spurs with more than £200million coming into the club through sales with captain Cristian Romero, Djed Spence and young talent Luka Vuskovic among those heading out the door.

De Zerbi, who described himself as a "shark" when he sets sights on a player he wants to sign, wants the club to bring in one more player to complete his set even if this transfer window has already been beyond his wildest expectations.

"I didn't expect a transfer window like we have done. I think we can do one player more and in one specific position, but yesterday we went for dinner with the owner, with Vinai, Johan and Enrico. We spoke about this. We have all of us on the same page and there is a very good connection," he said.

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After a week in which some reports have suggested De Zerbi was unhappy with the lengths he and his players had to travel on their summer tour to New Zealand and Australia, he made it clear that the slap-up meal showed how happy he is.

"It was an Italian restaurant and I paid, just so you don’t write about a problem between me and the club for the pre-season in Australia because it’s not true!" said the 47-year-old. "We went to an Italian restaurant and it went very well.

"It’s a normal relationship. We went before the Chelsea game last season with Vinai and Johan, and it’s a part of our job to organise and make the last plans in the last days of the transfer market, to speak about the condition of the players and the transfers we can do in the next three or four days. Nothing more but there is seriously a great relationship with all of them."

De Zerbi maintains that he is so happy with the business Spurs have been doing that it's the first time in his career that he hasn't been pushing the powers-that-be constantly for more.

"I’m not pushing… really it’s the first time I didn’t push to complete the squad. They pushed to build the top players. Johan Lange was brilliant in terms of ideas to make solutions," he said. "Also, Vinai, I remember when we closed [Sandro] Tonali and he made a video call to me when I was on holiday and he had a big smile, very happy.

"It’s not my business the transfer market. I work for Tottenham to make Tottenham better than the last two seasons. The last two seasons is not Roberto wants the players. No Roberto works for Tottenham and he wants the board like the staff like the players the best thing we can do."

While De Zerbi admitted that one of his attackers might depart before the transfer window closes, he offered a positive update on Dejan Kulusevski who has been out for 15 months with a complicated knee injury.

The 26-year-old is being phased back into training with the group. football.london understands Kulusevski is being treated carefully and cautiously by staff with no pressure on him from anyone when it comes to a timeline but there is positivity around him after his long road back.

De Zerbi must name his final Premier League squad list when the window closes next week and he would love the Swede to be in it.

"Odobert is injured for a long time. Before February, March, he is not available, and then maybe one of these [attacking] players can leave before the end of the window. I think we have not too many players," he said. "And also if you consider last season, not for Tottenham, the Premier League … all clubs suffered many injuries, no? And we have Kudus after six months injured.

"I will be very very happy to see Kulusevski in [the squad list]. I want to put Kulusevski on the list because he is working very well, very hard. He’s a good guy and he’s a different player. Xavi Simons … before March, April, he’s not ready. So I think we need players; this number of players."

He added on the Swede: "If [Kulusevski] feels good like now [he'll be in the squad list], he’s improving day by day. It’s great watching him during the season and also because he deserves it because he suffered too much for his career for his age, for his level of human. I’m not speaking of him as a player but as a human. He deserves to stay in the list."

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