Football London

Micky van de Ven sends emotional message to Tottenham 'brothers' as transfers confirmed  Football London

Tottenham joined an exclusive club this summer when they splashed out £100million on one player and Sandro Tonali showed them at the weekend what that sort of money buys.

Just nine clubs have spent a nine-figure sum in pounds sterling on a single player in the history of the game. Spurs became only the fifth Premier League side to do so when they agreed the overall package with Newcastle for £92.5million plus another £7.5million in add-ons for the Italy international.

Tottenham have always paid their bigger fees for potential, albeit nothing like that sort of sum. Tonali is a ready-made Premier League star. He played 110 games for Newcastle, 130 for AC Milan, another 89 for Brescia and has made 32 appearances for his country.

The 26-year-old will become Spurs' metronome. He will dictate their rhythm, their tempo and the way that Roberto De Zerbi's team will play. The Tottenham boss has wanted Tonali to play for him for years and finally he has taken charge of a club with the means and willingness to make it happen.

The 54,345 fans inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium watching Saturday's 3-0 pre-season win against Hoffenheim got to see what all the fuss was about.

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Tonali is not a headline maker. He won't score many goals or crunch into tackles but he is the conductor of the orchestra.

Former Newcastle manager Eddie Howe once admitted he "fell in love" with Tonali while watching him play for Milan and pushed the club to pursue him for "a long, long time".

"He is an outstanding talent, he can do a little bit of everything," he said after getting his man.

Now the Italian will orchestrate the Tottenham midfield and he was involved in everything good they did on Saturday.

He has an in-built radar of what's around him so when he receives the ball he can quickly move into pockets of space. It's not with a surge of pace, more an understanding of the gaps and what the right touch will do with his body's momentum.

He set Mikey Moore away in the first half for a chance that neither Richarlison nor Mathys Tel could slide home.

Then on 35 minutes, Tonali took a great touch that set him free into the Hoffenheim half. He picked out fellow summer arrival Andy Robertson's run down the left with a pinpoint pass and the Scot found Richarlison in the box to open the scoring.

It's no coincidence that Tonali played the entire 90 minutes. De Zerbi wants him as fit and sharp as possible to hit the ground running for the season ahead.

"Tonali can carve out a leadership role here. I convinced him, I told the truth. I always say what I think and I believe he's always been a leader in big teams," the Tottenham boss said this week.

"He was already a leader when I watched Brescia, a team I support. Already at 18-years-old he was playing like a veteran."

The Tottenham fans streamed away from the stadium on Saturday evening raving in the queues for their trains home about their £100million Italian and it marks a new era at the club.

It was a day in which Tottenham waved goodbye with little fanfare to two World Cup stars and began to look to the future.

In any other era in N17, selling the captain and one of their England internationals might have brought wailing from the fans and heartfelt tributes from the club to the departed duo.

Instead Cristian Romero and Djed Spence announced their own departures on social media to Atletico Madrid and Inter respectively, and later on Spurs gave them two social media posts each. One a straight announcement and the second containing two basic sentences.

Some might suggest that it was entirely in keeping with both players that Romero announced his departure more than 12 hours before his move actually happened. Spence did his two-and-a-half hours ahead of his official announcement and exactly two minutes before Tottenham kicked off against Hoffenheim.

Both players had special moments for Spurs, not least that night in Bilbao, but there is no real outcry about their departure. It feels like the right time for both to leave, Romero having wanted to head to La Liga for years and Spence unlikely to get the minutes he needs this season as he sits firmly behind Pedro Porro in the pecking order.

Spurs were always better for having Romero in their team than not, which says plenty about how good he could be. On his day, few are better. You want the 28-year-old beside you rather than against you, in training as well as he left his mark on your legs. He was far from perfect, by his own admission, but he wanted more from the club.

The Argentine did not play enough, missing almost 100 Spurs games across five years for a variety of reasons. Behind the scenes he went from a quiet character to someone who probably had too much sway and leeway to do what he liked. He produced though on many of the biggest nights of all for the club.

If anything he left a year too late, last season an unnecessary epilogue even if his goals played their part in keeping Spurs up. His rollercoaster ways mean he won't be celebrated like others over the years, but he was one of the best centre-backs to wear the shirt even if he played fewer games than most.

There's an irony that he departs a Tottenham Hotspur that's finally becoming the one he always called for and held the board accountable about. The low transfer fee for him indicates the absence of a stampede to sign him and that Spurs just wanted to move on. Time will show what comes next for both.

The main gripe with both the transfers is those fees. Both players signed new contracts last summer and starred at the World Cup but Spurs will get just £34.2million for Romero and £30million for Spence, including add-ons for each.

Romero has a 15% sell-on clause for future profit if Atletico later part company with him, while Spence has a 10% sell-on but on the full amount if Inter move him on rather than just profit.

Combined though that money will not even get Savinho through the door in the week ahead.

Tottenham and their fans are looking forward and De Zerbi is looking at his forwards. He wants new additions with Savinho, Cody Gakpo and Omar Marmoush among those he has a hankering for.

Both Tel and Moore looked to remind him what they can do on the flanks on Saturday. The former has been bright throughout pre-season after De Zerbi gave the Frenchman a confidence-boosting pep talk before his summer break, making it clear that he would be counting on the 21-year-old as part of his new-look squad.

Moore has been more subdued this summer as he awaits a likely loan move to Bundesliga side Koln but he exploded to life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the weekend.

Both of his goals were created by Tel. For the first on 59 minutes, the France U21 international left two Hoffenheim defenders for dead before hitting a powerful low ball that Moore ghosted into the six-yard box to flick home.

The second, in the 79th minute, brought a clever switch-foot pass from Tel to find the 19-year-old and Moore took a touch before deftly sending the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

Moore admits he's taken his time to get into his groove again this pre-season after a big season on loan at Rangers and his first brace as a senior player was the reward.

"I think I'm building my way into it. I showed a lot more today and I thought I did quite well. So, hopefully I can build on that and bring that into the season," the youngster said.

Moore can see the transformation in Tottenham's squad this summer after a season away, with the influx of six new faces and De Zerbi's full style being drilled into them all.

"There's a clear idea of what the manager wants to do and everyone's really clear on that. The players that we've brought in are top Premier League players and they've brought in experience and the characters that have come in are top," he explained.

"To see them in training, they're top footballers as well. They're going to help throughout the season and we're in a good place."

Moore admitted that life under De Zerbi is demanding but exactly what he needs.

"He's very, very intense. He's clear in all of his ideas and he makes sure that we all know that," said the teenager. "And he won't give you a second to be sloppy on or off the ball. That's 100 per cent what you need.

"I think I'm learning a lot from that, where I know that I can't switch off. I can't switch off on my touch. I think there might have been one in the first half today and he's going to call me out on it.

"He's telling me that's not good enough and I'm like 'yeah, fair enough'. You're not going to get away with it. So, he's been unbelievable."

Moore admitted that playing on the right is "not my most comfortable" position and that's why a loan move still looks likely. De Zerbi wants those new wing arrivals, who can play on either flank, and Mohammed Kudus is also on the way back.

Spurs have time with Moore. He is still so young but it's imperative that in the future he is given an opportunity to try to impress. There's just too much talent there to waste.

The club may well already be looking at Will Lankshear scoring three goals in his first two games at Middlesbrough as a warning for taking the first big offer that comes for their best youth products.

They have no plans to sell Moore but there must be a plan for him after a summer in which Spurs have sold Lankshear, Luka Vuskovic, Alfie Devine, Alejo Veliz and, on Saturday, Ashley Phillips.

Phillips departed for Middlesbrough in a £20million package, with an initial £7million plus £13million in add-ons as well as a 20 per cent sell-on clause and matching rights.

Those five youngsters could eventually bring £106million into the club, which justifies their purchases from a financial point of view but at some point Tottenham have to use their own talent from within rather than let it flourish elsewhere.

There were other positives from Saturday's win, the first of the summer in which Spurs have scored more than one or two goals.

Lucas Bergvall was bright in his 87 minute stint with touches, twists and turns aplenty as De Zerbi continues to try to show the Swede that he wants him to stick around.

The 20-year-old is understood to simply want to develop as a number eight and is not pleading for game time, just the opportunity to grow in the role he wants in both training and matches. De Zerbi has given him that in sessions at Hotspur Way and Bergvall has featured heavily in pre-season.

So has Archie Gray, who again captained the side. The England U21 international showed that he can do a solid job at right-back despite desperately wanting to be a midfielder like Bergvall.

His versatility continues to be both his greatest strength and weakness and whether Spurs can bring in a replacement for Spence will define what comes next for Gray.

In the other full-back slot, Robertson curled in plenty of fine first-time crosses and will bring similar threat from the left as Porro does from the right, which should give Spurs more avenues towards goal.

Marcos Senesi also got more minutes into his legs and with Micky van de Ven yet to play a single minute of pre-season, the Argentine could start the season alongside Jan Paul van Hecke.

Both men use the ball well and are communicators in the backline, which will help settle the new-look defence quickly in front of a goalkeeper in Antonin Kinsky who looks galvanised by De Zerbi's faith in him. The 23-year-old Czech made a string of good saves and commanded his box like an older goalkeeper.

The man Kinsky has usurped, Guglielmo Vicario, sat up in the stands as he awaits a club to come in for him, preferably one back home in Italy.

There were plenty of other Spurs stars up there with the Italian at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Kudus, Mateus Fernandes, James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Micky van de Ven, Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert.

Xavi Simons was also present but as he was doing some club work on the day - a half-time interview and surprising fans in the south podium - he was sat in his usual box behind the press area.

football.london also spotted Dejan Kulusevski and Martin Dubravka walking along corridors inside the stadium with their families at one point.

Sunday will bring another match against Hoffenheim at Hotspur Way and many of the above are likely to play, with Kudus and Maddison potentially in line for their first minutes from the bench.

All eyes will be on whether Van de Ven is ready yet to join them or if De Zerbi will have to deliver an update on the Dutchman at his press conference next week.

The club will continue to take it cautiously with Kulusevski after 15 months out of action, but it's hopefully a positive sign that he continues to be in and around the squad after his lost season.

The Tottenham players will all get Monday off before the final preparations begin for the season opener at Brentford.

"We have not got a clear first XI," De Zerbi admitted on Saturday. "We are a work in progress. From Tuesday we start to prepare, considering the physical condition, considering the players ready to play."

The Spurs boss has not got a clear first XI because he wants new attacking arrivals and, when fit, Kudus and Maddison will boost the team's creativity tenfold. Tottenham will make progress on an attacking signing this week with the cash from Saturday's sales, simply because they have to in order to keep their Italian happy at the helm and maintain their momentum this summer.

It's a new dawn and a new Tottenham Hotspur but there's still plenty to be done before it's even close to being the new day Roberto De Zerbi wants it to be.

Victor Osimhen's dream transfer as Arsenal and Tottenham linked with huge offer on table  Football London

Djed Spence has left Tottenham to join Inter Milan in a £30million move.

Spurs have decided to part ways with the versatile defender, despite his heroics for England at the World Cup. With Pedro Porro signing a new contract and Andy Robertson arriving in north London, there was no guarantee of regular football for Spence.

And he's now followed Cristian Romero - who has joined Atletico Madrid - out the exit door. Spence was given permission to travel to Italy for his medical and has now completed his move.

He posted an emotional farewell video on social media before both clubs confirmed the deal.

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In a statement released less than an hour after Spurs beat Hoffenheim 3-0 in their pre-season friendly, the north Londoners said: "We have reached agreement with Internazionale for the transfer of Djed Spence.

"An arrival from Middlesbrough in July, 2022, the defender made a total of 85 appearances in our colours, scoring twice. The 26-year-old spent time on loan with Ligue 1 side Stade Resnais, Leeds United and Italian outfit Genoa before returning to N17 in the summer of 2024 and helping the team to European glory in Bilbao in May, 2025.

"Making his England debut in September, 2025, Djed now has 14 caps to his name and featured for his country at this summer’s World Cup as the Three Lions reached the semi-final of the competition. We wish him well for the future."

Spence enjoyed an excellent World Cup with England, but opportunities for the 26-year-old were set to be limited in the 2026-27 campaign.

It opened the door for Spence to find a new challenge and he will continue his career in Milan. He told onlookers “Forza Inter” after he was filmed landing in Milan in the early hours of Friday morning.

England international Spence will depart Tottenham after four years in north London and 85 appearances along with a Europa League winners’ medal.

Signed from Middlesbrough in 2022 for an initial £12.5million fee after a successful season-long loan at Nottingham Forest, Spence struggled for chances at Spurs and had to wait two years to make his full debut after loans at Stade Rennes, Leeds and Genoa.

Ange Postecoglou provided Spence with a lifeline at Tottenham during the 2024-25 campaign before the versatile full-back played 44 times in a difficult last season for the club where relegation was only avoided on the final day.

During a summer of mass change, Roberto De Zerbi has given the green light for ex-Fulham youngster Spence to leave and he will aim to build on a breakout World Cup with Inter in Serie A.

It will be Spence’s second spell in Italy after a six-month loan at Genoa in 2024.

Tottenham player ratings vs Hoffenheim - Mikey Moore sends De Zerbi message as Tel and Tonali shine  Football London

Djed Spence is closing in on a move to Inter Milan from Tottenham Hotspur this summer

Djed Spence has sent a farewell message to Tottenham Hotspur fans. Spence has sealed a move to Inter Milan on a permanent deal.

Spence's move to Inter has gone through, with the understanding that a £27million (€31.5million) deal was agreed between both clubs.

Spence first joined Spurs in the summer of 2022 from Middlesbrough in a deal worth around £20million, including add-ons, and the England international is now set to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just four years later.

Ahead of his move being announced, Spence posted a video on his social media looking back on his time in north London and thanking the fans and the club.

The video includes the caption 'Memories of a lifetime', and features a compilation of Spence's best moments in a Tottenham shirt during his four years at the club.

Spence's video ends with a 'thank you' across the screen. Xavi Simons commented on Spence's post on Instagram, posting three crying eye emojis and writing "my boyyy".

Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi previously delivered a message about players who do not wish to be at the club, with the policy being clearly set for the summer.

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"I was very clear at the start of my time in Tottenham. I said 'Who doesn't want to stay in Tottenham, who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave'," De Zerbi said.

"I want proud players who are happy to stay here and to go on the pitch at Tottenham Stadium with a big motivation. If you think also in the World Cup, the motivation makes the difference. The motivation is to be happy to stay in one team."

He added: "I think the top clubs now, they are not worried about selling players. No. Even Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, when they have to sell, they have to sell. Right price, you don't have to be shy.

"But when you have to spend money, you have to do that. Strong, fast, quickly, the right player, the right investment."

Here are our first half Tottenham Hotspur player ratings from their friendly match against Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon

Tottenham lead Hoffenheim 1-0 in front of their supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday and here are our first half player ratings.

Spurs are playing the first of two games against the Bundesliga side with the remaining group of Lilywhites players to face the rest of the German side's squad on Sunday in a behind-closed-doors match at Hotspur Way. Roberto De Zerbi is going to pick two strong starting XIs for each match with youngsters on the bench.

The Tottenham boss handed debuts in front of the stadium crowd to £100million man Sandro Tonali and £52million centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke as well as Marcos Senesi. There was no Cristian Romero and Djed Spence after their moves to Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan respectively.

World Cup winner Pedro Porro received a presentation from former Tottenham striker Fernando Llorente in front of the crowd before kick-off.

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Spurs opened the scoring on 35 minutes. Tonali took a lovely touch to beat his man and then surged forward before flicking the ball out wide to fellow summer arrival Andy Robertson and the Scot's first-time ball was smashed home by Richarlison.

Here are our first half Spurs player ratings:

Antonin Kinsky

Didn't have much to do until a save from Daghim late in the half. 6

Archie Gray

Captain once again in pre-season and did little wrong at right-back. 6

Jan Paul van Hecke

A couple of strong interceptions at the back in the first half. Going to be a talker in the backline. 7

Marcos Senesi

A little behind Van Hecke in his sharpness and some of his passing showed that, with a little hesitation at times, but still plenty of good little moments. 6

Andy Robertson

Curled in some dangerous early balls in the first period of the half and then did so again with his first-time ball to Richarlison to score. 8

Sandro Tonali

Showed that he's going to be the man who dictates the tempo. Took a lovely touch to beat his man and surge up the pitch before playing in Robertson for Richarlison's goal. 8

Lucas Bergvall

Really strong half, with plenty of good touches and turns in the midfield. Had a low shot on the run saved by Baumann. 8

Mikey Moore

A bright half with a couple of dangerous runs and balls across the face of goal, one of which Richarlison and Tel were inches away from. 7

Conor Gallagher

A trademark busy first half without impacting play too much. Kept coming out to the left rather than staying central. 6

Mathys Tel

Plenty of runs down the left without quite having the cutting edge. 6

Richarlison

Welcome to our Tottenham Hotspur transfer live blog. Spurs have already spent £237million on players with more signings on the way.

Roberto De Zerbi has splashed big on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, bolstering the midfield with £185m worth of talent. Jan Paul van Hecke was the next to sign a deal in north London, joining from Brighton for a fee of £52m.

The Spurs boss also dipped into the free agency market to acquire Martin Dubravka, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson. In terms of departures, Djed Spence is edging closer to moving away from the club and Cristian Romero has said his final goodbyes.

Tottenham continue to be linked with Manchester City's Savinho and Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo, with Victor Osimhen and Igor Matanovic also connected with moves to north London.

Here's the Spurs team that Roberto De Zerbi has selected to face Hoffenheim in front of the fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Roberto De Zerbi has named his Spurs team to face Hoffenheim in their first game of the season in front of the supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs welcome Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in two friendly encounters this weekend. First up at the stadium on Saturday afternoon (3pm kick-off) and then the remaining group of Lilywhites players will face the rest of the German side's squad on Sunday at Hotspur Way in a behind-closed-doors match with a midday start.

The Tottenham boss has handed debuts in front of the stadium crowd to £100million man Sandro Tonali and £52million centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke as well as Marcos Senesi.

The £85million arrival Mateus Fernandes is not in the squad but could well be part of the other starting XI that will face Hoffenheim on Sunday at the training ground.

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Up top, Richarlison and Mathys Tel have had plenty of minutes in pre-season and continue that together against the German side.

Cristian Romero and Djed Spence are off to Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan respectively while World Cup winner Pedro Porro is likely to be gradually brought back in, with Archie Gray continuing at right-back and captaining the side once again.

Here's the Tottenham team De Zerbi has selected:

Why the writing was on the wall for Cristian Romero to leave Spurs: “The writing was on the wall for him. Towards the end of last season there were lots of rumblings and it’s probably best for him to leave.“He had definitely run his course at the club. To me it looked like he wanted to get out.“It was always a case of when he was going to leave rather than if.“Spurs have signed [Jan Paul] Van Hecke and they’ve still got good depth at that position.“Signing Micky Van de Ven to a new contract was big. So overall it’s been a decent window for Spurs.”His surprise at Djed Spence moving to Inter Milan: “It’s a great move for Djed.“He’s a player that I really like and it’s a shame he’s had to move on.“He had some really really good games but then he had his fair share of difficult moments at the club too.“But he proved people wrong in the World Cup when he played. He did well across the tournament and he’s earned himself a great move, playing in the Champions League.“For all concerned it’s a decent move.”Why he sees Cody Gakpo as a good fit for Spurs: “Spurs would be perfect for him.“He’d do really well there. He would go straight into the squad and be one of the main men.“Going forward has obviously been a problem for Spurs the last couple of seasons. Certainly last year they missed a lot of creativity and a lot of goals.“Gakpo would bring something different to the team for sure.”