Football London

Tottenham star wanted by European giants as Roberto De Zerbi's comments put to test  Football London

Liverpool to regret Tottenham transfer decision as Johan Lange pounces on 'massive opportunity'  Football London

Tottenham eye huge double transfer deal as Roberto De Zerbi 'bomba' wish close  Football London

Tottenham players respond as Guglielmo Vicario makes emotional statement after transfer  Football London

The Tottenham Hotspur players have been working hard to prepare for this weekend's clash against Brentford.

Roberto De Zerbi has been putting the Tottenham Hotspur players through their paces ahead of the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. On Saturday evening, the Lilywhites will hope to get off to a winning start when they face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Earlier this month, the Spurs boss explained how he plans to rebuild his side's confidence following back-to-back relegation scares. Speaking on the Men in Blazers YouTube channel, De Zerbi said: "I usually think about the soul, passion, spirit and mentality of the team and then the improvement we can do in the future, because I can't stay with the focus just on the present."

The 47-year-old continued: "I would like when we go to play in the Premier League... the people recognise one's soul, passion, value of the player. The qualities of the players are not enough.

"If you don't put something more, something of yourself, something you feel inside of you, it's very tough to now compete with the top teams in the world, in the Premier League."

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Eager not to let the supporters down and show character, De Zerbi has been working hard to finalise preparations ahead of the new campaign. So, with that being said, football.london has looked at the four things you may have missed in training at Hotspur Way this week.

De Zerbi embraces Udogie

De Zerbi embraced Destiny Udogie upon his return to training at Hotspur Way this week. The 23-year-old defender, who nursed a handful of muscle injuries last season, will be carefully managed by the Tottenham head coach as he looks to bolster the backline.

At the end of last term, Udogie started six of the seven possible Premier League games under De Zerbi, only missing the 1-0 win over Wolves at Molineux due to a knock. Shortly after helping Spurs escape relegation from the English top-flight, he was back on the sidelines, failing to feature in each of the pre-season friendlies.

Van de Ven still absent

Micky van de Ven wasn't spotted in training at Hotspur Way this week, casting greater doubt over his availability on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. The 25-year-old defender didn't feature at all for Tottenham in pre-season, so it may be a while until he's named in a matchday squad, which is obviously quite problematic.

Dominic Solanke wasn't spotted in training pictures either, although he was deployed sparingly over the summer, playing the first half of the friendlies against MK Dons and Chelsea. Mateus Fernandes and James Maddison were, however, laced up and on the grass.

De Zerbi finalises Bergvall role

De Zerbi appears to have assigned Bergvall a position in midfield. From shielding the backline in a double pivot to roaming forward and supporting the striker, the 20-year-old has played a number of roles in the middle of the park since joining Tottenham.

During Thomas Frank's spell in charge, which ended in tears, Bergvall was even deployed on the wings at times. But, under new management, the Sweden international looks set to be used as a box-to-box midfielder.

During a particular drill at Hotspur Way, Bergvall was spotted wearing an orange bib with the number eight on the back, Ben Davies with the number five, and Conor Gallagher seemingly with the number 10. Although their roles won't be set in stone, it's a good indicator of how they've been profiled by De Zerbi.

Relaxed Richy in great spirits

For a player who has less than 12 months left on his contract and faces such an uncertain future, Richarlison looked to be in great spirits. football.london understands that Tottenham have an option to extend his stay by a further year, but even De Zerbi doesn't know where the striker could play his football this term.

When quizzed on the future of relaxed Richarlison while on tour in Australia, the Spurs boss confessed: "I don't know because I like him as a player and as a guy. He's unbelievable in terms of attitude and behaviour.

"But, in the end, we have to respect what he wants to do," added De Zerbi. "I didn't understand well because sometimes he says he wants to stay, sometimes he wants to leave. We have to speak anyway. There is not any problem. He's a lovely guy."

On the Brazilian's character, De Zerbi said: "For me, he's still an important player because it's not easy to find another striker like Richarlison. Richarlison scores goals. He knows the way. With any new striker, we don't know.

"He scored 12 goals last season, not because of luck but because he knows how to score. All of us love him, the team-mates, the club and the staff because he works hard every day, seriously every day, and we can't say anything about him on the pitch..."

Roberto De Zerbi can unlock Tottenham's new Christen Eriksen and Dele Alli with £51m transfer  Football London

Tottenham transfer news LIVE: Savinho deadline, Pedro Neto price named, deal confirmed  Football London

The BBC reportedly fears a mass exodus of Match of the Day pundits ahead of the new Premier League season but a familiar name is set to join

Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld will join the Match of the Day punditry team for the upcoming season. The Belgian has arrived amid reports that BBC higher-ups fear an exodus of other pundits from the flagship show.

Alderweireld, 37, spent six years at Tottenham and was part of the squad which reached the final of the 2018/19 Champions League. He hung up his boots in 2025, finishing his career in his native Belgium with Royal Antwerp.

The 127-cap international will join a growing list of former Tottenham players to move into the punditry game. Former Match of the Day host Gary Lineker is one of the more recognisable names in that camp, while one-time Spurs keeper Joe Hart has been an increasingly common presence in the Beeb's studio.

The broadcaster confirmed the former centre-back as one of a number of names set to join the show throughout the season. Others due to join the established line-up include ex-Spurs boss Thomas Frank, who was also part of the BBC's World Cup coverage.

The Sun reports that Alderweireld's arrival comes amid uncertainty around other pundits. The publication alleges clashes between BBC Sport chief Alex Kay-Jelski and figures associated with Match of the Day but the BBC said in a statement: “We have repeatedly told The Sun these anonymous claims are untrue and we look forward to bringing audiences the return of Match of the Day this weekend with its established line-up of presenters and pundits – alongside a host of new guest voices bringing fresh insight from inside the game.”

The latest claims come just one year after the Beeb completed an overhaul of the presenting lineup for the Saturday night highlights show. Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan form a rotating cast of anchors following Lineker's exit at the end of the 2024/25 season.

Lineker was on Netflix during the World Cup as he presented The Rest is Football from the other side of the Atlantic and extended an agreement with the streaming giant for the next two Premier League campaigns. Alan Shearer and Micah Richards split their commitments between both programmes during the World Cup and The Sun now claims several Match of the Day pundits are considering departing for Lineker's new venture.

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Lineker had originally been scheduled to front the BBC's World Cup broadcasts even following his departure from Match of the Day. Yet this arrangement shifted when he stepped away in May 2025 following controversy over a social media post, and he has discussed his life away from the Beeb in an interview on the eve of the international tournament.

"I've got a bit more time, I'm not treading on quite so many eggshells these days, I'm allowed an opinion on things.," he told the Press Association.

"But no, I had a wonderful period at the Beeb, and I've covered so many major tournaments, and obviously I was going to do this (the 2026 World Cup) originally, but now I'm doing something different, which is really exciting."

Alderweireld's next step comes just two months after he volunteered to help former club Spurs in the light of their narrow relegation escape. "I'm not saying that I will fix every problem. Of course not. But if they ask me what I think, of course I want to try to help. But I'm not saying I can fix it all," he told The Standard.

"Antwerp was an unbelievable end of my career, and that's the club of my heart because it's my city. But I'm so thankful with Spurs, my best period as a football player at my peak.

"I think I've always had a very, very, very good connection with the fans, with the club. Yeah, so I'm very grateful. If I can help, if they want my help, why not?"

Tottenham given Marcus Rashford encouragement as Robert De Zerbi able to offer major carrot  Football London

Roberto De Zerbi will be determined to secure Tottenham Hotspur qualification to European football this season.

Although Tottenham Hotspur have been embroiled in back-to-back relegation battles, Roberto De Zerbi will want to rub shoulders with the heavy-hitters at the top of the Premier League this season. The Italian guided the Lilywhites to safety at the end of last term, securing a place in the English top-flight on the final day of the campaign.

Having shown 'character' and the 'right spirit' in the face of adversity, De Zerbi now wants to take his squad to the next level. Speaking to reporters this summer, the 47-year-old said: "Last season, I think we reached the target of showing character, showing the right spirit.

"Now we have to push in the style of play, the quality of the play and the organisation -- this is an important part because now we are building our journey. To build a new team with the qualities for sure, but with soul, with patience, with all the values we have

"Because football now is not just on the pitch, it's not just with the ball, it's before, it's in private life. They have to be happy and proud to stay in Tottenham."

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So, with that being said, journalists at football.london have previewed the upcoming season.

Alasdair Gold

With each new season comes fresh hope, but in Tottenham's case it's more understandable than in recent years. Roberto De Zerbi has had an extended pre-season of sorts with his couple of months spent saving the club at the end of the previous campaign and that means he will have a head start on many of the new managers taking the helm around him.

Spurs have also spent £237million, breaking their transfer record twice, and the overhaul has seen plenty of players heading out of the door with a potential £213million to come back into the coffers. That gives the club even more financial fair play leeway to go big with attacking signings to ensure De Zerbi has a smile on his face come the end of the transfer window on September 1.

With De Zerbi's high energy football, the lack of European fixtures with mostly one game a week should leave the players fresh and ready to take on opponents who will be more disjointed or jaded. It also helps reduce the injury risk which has been a huge issue for Tottenham in recent years.

Every season you see a big club that missed out on continental football sweep up the table and take advantage of their freshness and Spurs and also Chelsea could be those teams this season.

I was telling my fellow Spurs beat reporters with a month to go of last season that if the club remained in the Premier League then they would finish in the top six, maybe even top four, next time around. So I guess I'd better stick with that prediction and go big.

Prediction: 4th

Jake Stokes

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have a lot to look forward to this season. I've been really impressed with Roberto De Zerbi's work on and off the pitch this summer. Not only has the Italian essentially rebuilt the squad from scratch and laid the foundations for an exciting brand of football in such a short period of time, but he's also embraced the club's culture and instilled a new mentality.

The last couple of years have been a bit doom and gloom, to say the least, so De Zerbi has been a breath of fresh air. If Johan Lange can get a top left-sided forward through the door before the transfer window shuts, I think the Lilywhites could finish in the top five of the Premier League and perhaps qualify for the Champions League.

Spurs should benefit from having fewer fixtures in the calendar this season. De Zerbi will have more time on the training pitch than the likes of Andoni Iraola, Michael Carrick, and Unai Emery, which will allow him to develop his ideas at a greater rate and potentially leapfrog the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, and Aston Villa.

Of course, it will be a difficult task, and there will be bumps along the way, but I think the Italian has the tools to get Tottenham back into Europe. De Zerbi is a top head coach, and he's got some good players at his disposal.