Football London

The four key Tottenham stars who will be delayed in their return to Roberto De Zerbi's plans  Football London

The Argentina centre-back has been linked with a transfer out of Tottenham Hotspur this summer and that would mean a new skipper at the club

Cristian Romero has been tipped to leave Tottenham this summer and that would leave Roberto De Zerbi with a decision to make over his new captain.

The Argentine, who will play in Sunday's World Cup final against Spurs team-mate Pedro Porro, has been heavily linked with a transfer this summer despite only signing a new contract a year ago and becoming the club's captain in the process. With De Zerbi bringing in his former Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke for £52million as well as the more left-sided Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi on a free transfer there is depth in the squad now to allow Romero to depart if all parties want it.

The key will be whether any of the big clubs often linked with Romero actually meet Tottenham's valuation of a World Cup-winning centre-back with three years left on his contract. He could potentially have another winner's medal around his neck after this weekend following a tournament in which the 28-year-old has put in some big performances.

If Romero does depart the north London club then De Zerbi will have to select a new captain and here are seven strong candidates for the role.

Micky van de Ven

This feels a bit like the Romero scenario but hopefully with a better outcome in that Tottenham offer Micky van de Ven a big new contract and the captain's armband as well. The Dutchman had the role of skipper 18 times last season during Romero's absence and also in all but the first of the matches in De Zerbi's reign.

He is only 25 but the Dutchman is a player that the Spurs players look to, which made his red card against Crystal Palace all the more disappointing back in March.

Van de Ven has also been more available in the past 12 months. After the previous season's injury problems, he played more minutes (3,943) than any other outfield Spurs player in the 25/26 campaign.

The Netherlands international now has strong competition from Senesi for his spot and that should push him to even better performances and he will have plenty of senior players to lean upon if he does become the captain.

James Maddison

James Maddison has been one of the club's vice-captains in recent years to first Son Heung-min and then Cristian Romero and could be a contender to step up.

The issue might be that he has barely played any football in the past year due to that anterior cruciate ligament injury and De Zerbi might want his focus to be on his game and simply getting back to playing regular matches again rather than pushing himself too far as captain.

The 29-year-old is a popular player within the dressing room and De Zerbi wanted him on the bench for his presence even when he wasn't ready yet to play towards the end of last season.

Much will depend on how much the Italian sees Maddison playing this season within his system and beyond once Xavi Simons returns.

Andy Robertson

Spurs knew they needed more leadership within the club so it's no coincidence that many of the new arrivals are known for such an ability.

Andy Robertson is Scotland's captain and won it all as a player at Liverpool so the defender knows what it takes to get over the line in club football.

The 32-year-old will be one of Tottenham's senior players and will arrive with an air of authority thanks to what he's achieved in his career so far, so if De Zerbi looks outside the squad from last season for his new skipper then the left-back would be a strong option.

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Pedro Porro

With Ben Davies an unlikely candidate purely based on game time, unless he became club captain rather than a matchday one, there's another full-back who will be a senior player this season.

That's World Cup finalist Porro who penned a new long-term deal with Spurs before starring at the tournament across the Atlantic and has been adding experience by the bucketload this summer.

The Spaniard has always been a go-to player for each head coach at Tottenham and De Zerbi looks to be no different. He's not always considered for leadership positions but that might change as he gets older and more experienced.

Jan Paul van Hecke

Both the two incoming centre-backs are seen as players with the ability to lead so we could have also gone for Senesi here, but we're going with Van Hecke simply because he knows De Zerbi's football inside out from their time together on the south coast.

The Spurs boss said of the Dutchman back in the winter of 2023: "I think the most important quality of JP is the balance between the arrogance and the confidence in himself. He is not arrogant but his confidence in himself is high, high, high. It is his secret to keep this level because he has an incredible personality, shows incredible leadership and he is so young. It's not common to see one young player with that level of personality."

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said of Van Hecke's leadership last season: "I think every team needs leaders, someone with a voice in the dressing room. Jan Paul is a player who takes responsibility and naturally embraces that leadership role. He’s a player that others look up to, and that’s not just because of his performances on the pitch, but also the way he conducts himself off it.

"He has made incredible progress not just as a player, which is evident, but also as a person. He is increasingly aware of his role in the dressing room, speaking with many teammates, helping them, and pushing the team to give everything in every match. That’s what makes him special. He doesn’t just lead by example with his performances, but he actively engages with the squad to create a winning mentality."

Conor Gallagher

We were tempted to go for Rodrigo Bentancur here but the Uruguayan has rarely if ever worn the captain's armband despite being 29-years-old now, while Guglielmo Vicario is expected to leave the club this summer.

That's why we're including January arrival Conor Gallagher instead, because the 26-year-old was Mauricio Pochettino's captain for much of the 2023/24 season when Reece James was out injured.

The problem for both Gallagher and Bentancur is how many games they will start next season, which knocks their chances of becoming the new leader.

De Zerbi has also tipped another midfielder Archie Gray as a future Tottenham captain but it seems too soon right now for the 20-year-old.

Sandro Tonali

We're adding Sandro Tonali in here because quite frankly if you're the club's first £100million man then it means the team is going to be built around you.

The 26-year-old wore the captain's armband once for Newcastle last season and used to wear it in his Italy international youth days. He is set to become a central figure for Tottenham but De Zerbi might just want him to focus on that and living up to that huge price tag.

At least De Zerbi has plenty of options now at his disposal to become captain should Romero leave north London this summer.

Classy touch from Xavi Simons for family of young Tottenham fan after tragic death  Football London

Argentina's players held up a Falkland Islands banner after their 2-1 win over England in the World Cup semi-final

FIFA have issued a statement confirming they are "assessing" and "considering the relevant circumstances" after members of the Argentina squad - including Tottenham Hotspur star Cristian Romero - held a banner referencing the Falkland Islands. The incident occurred after the reigning World Cup winners beat England in the semi-final on Wednesday.

Argentina were trailing 1-0 until the 85th minute thanks to a second-half strike from Anthony Gordon, before late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez in Atlanta saw the 2022 winners progress to the final.

After the full-time whistle, some members of the Argentina squad, including Romero, held up a banner which said "Las Malvinas son Argentinas", which translates to English as "The Falklands are Argentinian".

In response, the Falkland Islands government has issued a statement condemning the actions of the Argentina players, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on FIFA to launch an investigation into the flag, saying that the Falkland Islands are "ours".

Within hours, FIFA issued their own response regarding the banner, which was also held by Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez and former Spurs midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, among others.

"As is standard procedure, FIFA's independent Disciplinary Committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps," FIFA's statement read.

FIFA's statement followed swiftly after Jack Ford, Chair of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, wrote a letter addressing the banner displayed by Argentina, in which he expressed that the Assembly were 'disappointed but not surprised' by the actions taken.

"I am writing on behalf of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, the democratically elected body representing the people of the Falkland Islands, regarding a matter following the England v Argentina game on the 15th of July 2026," Ford said.

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"Following Argentina's victory, members of the Argentina squad displayed a sign reading "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas" in what was a clear political statement relating to the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. Videos were also leaked following their Argentina v Egypt fixture in which the Argentinian squad sang chants about the Falkland Islands in their locker rooms.

"We are disappointed, though regrettably not surprised, by this manner of action, as this is not the first such incident: the Argentine Football Association was sanctioned for £20,000 by FIFA in 2014 for comparable conduct.

"We raise this matter for FIFA's attention on the following grounds:

Consistency with FIFA's own rules. FIFA's Statutes and Disciplinary Code prohibit the use of football matches and facilities for political, religious, or personal messaging [FIFA Stadium Code of Conduct, section 2.14 and FIFA Disciplinary Code articles 15.1 and 17.2.e].

The people affected by this act have a settled, democratic position. The Falkland Islands are a diverse, self-governing, self-funding British Overseas Territory; and engage internationally in sport, science, and humanitarian work as such. In the 2013 referendum on our political status, 99.8% of Falkland Islanders voted to remain a British Overseas Territory, on a turnout of approximately 92%, in a vote independently monitored by international observers. The Falkland Islands were invaded by Argentina in 1982, resulting in a 74-day hostile occupation. The events of this war left Falkland Islanders traumatised, causing such political acts as those after the game to be particularly insensitive to the people of the Falklands. FIFA should bear this context in mind as they make their decision.

"Football is, first and foremost, a sport, and it is the policy of the Falkland Islands Government to wish to not see politics brought into sport, and we support the statement by UK Minister Peter Kyle to this effect."

Tottenham wonderkid earmarked by FA for international call-up ahead of next World Cup  Football London

Here are the seven different things we spotted during Tottenham Hotspur's most recent batch of pre-season training footage and images

Tottenham's first pre-season under Roberto De Zerbi continues ahead of their first friendly match of the summer next week.

The Italian and his staff have been putting the Spurs players through their paces out in the sunshine on the grass at Hotspur Way with the recent work focused on passing drills, including plenty of one-touch play. The players have also been working on their fitness levels with runs, speed and responses with slalom work as well as strength work in the gym within The Lodge as the main first team gym continues to be renovated and improved.

Despite all the World Cup stars still being either involved in the tournament or now on their three-week holiday period, De Zerbi has a big group of players to work with as more than 25 of them returned to the Enfield training complex, including a number of the loan players being back in the building for the Italian to cast an eye over them.

Tottenham's first pre-season friendly comes next Wednesday as they welcome MK Dons to the training ground before heading off on the tour to New Zealand and Australia.

Here are seven things we spotted in the latest footage released by the club from their pre-season sessions this week:

Kudus working hard

We're yet to see footage of Mohammed Kudus involved with the group yet on the grass, but he certainly appears to be working hard with the strength and conditioning coaches as well as showing off some dance moves.

We're obviously not medically qualified and might be getting a little presumptuous but the high intensity movements and repetitions the Ghana international has been shown doing with his body, with twisting and turning aplenty, appear to suggest he can't be far off returning to the group as he seems to be replicating what his body would be doing on the grass.

Spurs will be cautious though after Kudus' setback during De Zerbi's early days at the club in April having returned then from the quad injury he suffered in January that would eventually scupper his World Cup hopes.

Dejan Kulusevski was shown again in recent footage but once more in gym work with the club yet to show the Swede on the grass at Hotspur Way, more than a year on from his complicated patella injury and subsequent setbacks.

Xavi returns

There was another returning face in the latest footage as playmaker Xavi Simons was shown back in the building.

The Dutchman will likely be out until early next year with his anterior cruciate ligament injury if the 23-year-old follows the usual nine-month recovery period for such injuries but he was back in Enfield to continue his rehabilitation and catch up with his team-mate.

Xavi, who suffered the injury during the crucial win at Wolves, could be seen walking into the gym and shaking hands with James Maddison and Archie Gray among others.

The Netherlands international will be able to see his next steps as Wilson Odobert, who suffered the same injury a couple of months before, has also been working at the training ground.

Luca's getting involved

He might only be 17-years-old but Luca Williams-Barnett continues to be involved in the first team pre-season work with De Zerbi and his staff.

There are high hopes for the teenager within the club and he was handed his debut from the bench in the Carabao Cup last season. Now he is being put to work this summer after the end of his previous campaign was marred by injury.

The young attacker could be seen involved in the ball work, runs and also being bossed by Italy international left-back Destiny Udogie in a gym exercise where in pairs, the players had to grab the other's arms while balanced on all fours and try to unbalance the other. It's fair to say the 23-year-old had a bit more strength than the youngster, who kept tumbling to the mat.

Other under-21 players involved in recent pre-season footage have been the likes of Maeson King, Tye Hall and Rio Kyerematen while George Abbott, who made his Premier League debut a couple of years back, was shown greeting various members of the first team in passing.

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Gaffer joining in

Not about to let his players go through all the work while he just watched on, De Zerbi could also be seen working in the gym during one bit of footage.

The 47-year-old could be seen doing sit-ups in The Lodge gym with a medicine ball in his hands during one session in there as he looks to keep himself in shape as well for the long season ahead.

So far the work with the ball on the grass has been more drill-based than match-based but the Italian has still been a vocal presence among the coaching staff.

Italian duo

The £100million man Sandro Tonali has got stuck into training now his work permit has arrived and has been busy getting his fitness up for the new season in N17.

In terms of who he's been spending his time with, the former Newcastle midfielder has mostly been spotted chatting away with his compatriot and international team-mate Destiny Udogie on the pitches and gym as the 26-year-old begins his adaptation to life at Tottenham.

There is a growing Italian contingent at Spurs although that could shrink slightly in the coming weeks if Guglielmo Vicario gets his move back home. The goalkeeper's next steps are likely to be shown by whether he is named in the travelling tour squad or allowed to miss that and seek a move.

Two youngsters bulking up

A big loan season can do wonders not only for confidence but also for a young player's physical stature as they experience the battle of men's football week in, week out.

That can be seen in both the increased bulk of Will Lankshear and Mikey Moore. In Lankshear's case, the 21-year-old hit 12 goals in the Championship despite Oxford's relegation and became a physical presence up front for them with his hold-up play and finish. The striker's bigger frame is clear in the images and footage of him with the first team at Hotspur Way this week.

For 18-year-old Moore, it will also be a case of simply naturally growing up and the young attacker's body filling out after a season at Rangers in which he played 47 times and won the Scottish Premiership Young Player of the Year and Rangers' Young Player of the Year awards.

That increased physicality will help both young academy products in trying to convince De Zerbi to keep them around this summer, with plenty of interest in both of them from clubs across the UK and Europe. Moore is deemed not for sale while Spurs have rejected approaches so far for Lankshear from Sporting, Wolves and Southampton.

A new old face

That Italian connection at Tottenham has also grown because of De Zerbi bringing in a trusted face from his past to help for the season ahead.

Agostino Tibaudi has become part of Spurs' sports science and fitness staff. The 60-year-old joined De Zerbi's backroom personnel at Sassuolo in 2018 and has been an ever-present by his side since.

He previously worked at AC Milan, Sampdoria and Cagliari and spent a season at Chelsea at the beginning of the 2000s. He also has a master’s degree in Science and Technology of Physical Activity.

Roberto De Zerbi has been backed so far in the transfer window with £237million spent, six new arrivals signing for Tottenham and a string of departures but the club will be wary of a long-running problem.

Spurs have smashed their transfer record twice this summer, first to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85million and then to bring in Sandro Tonali from Newcastle for £92.5million plus £7.5million in potential add-ons, which could make the Italian the north London club's first £100million player.

Tottenham also spent £52million on Jan Paul van Hecke to snap the centre-back up from De Zerbi's old club Brighton with free transfers also agreed for the experienced trio of Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka.

Heading out the door so far from De Zerbi's squad have been Luka Vuskovic to Brighton for £46million with £4million in add-ons, Radu Dragusin to Fiorentina on loan but with an £21.4million obligation to buy, while Alfie Devine has joined Preston in a £6million deal and Alejo Veliz has gone to Bahia for £7.8million.

Yves Bissouma has left the club after the expiry of his contract, with Spurs not taking up the option to extend it by another year, while Randal Kolo Muani and Joao Palhinha have departed after their loan deals came to an end.

So what does that all mean for Spurs' Premier League squad and the rules over homegrown players and eventually European competition, even though they will not be in it this season?

Premier League

This season will automatically bring less of the problems Spurs have faced in previous years with being unable to register players in continental competition, simply because obviously they have not qualified for Europe but also because the Premier League rules are more relaxed.

That's mainly because a club's Under-21 players do not need to be included on their 25-man squad list yet are eligible to play in the Premier League.

To be considered an Under-21 player for this coming Premier League season, players must have been born on or after January 1, 2005. That means a number of players such as Souza, Mason Melia, Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear as well as Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel can all go on that under-21s list.

For once though, all of Spurs' signings this summer so far are too old to get on that list and all of them must instead take their spot in the non-homegrown list. We have also included the returning first team loan players for now, despite many of them being likely to move on either permanently or on another loan.

Currently that means Tottenham have 20 non-homegrown players, when they are only allowed to have 17. The likes of Manor Solomon and Kota Takai will move on, while Guglielmo Vicario and Cristian Romero are among those who have been linked with a move out of the club.

However, Spurs must also be wary about this number if they are looking to bring in further foreign players, such as Savinho among others. Xavi Simons could potentially be left out of the initial squad and brought back in when January arrives as his ACL injury means he's unlikely to play competitive football again in 2026 if he falls within the usual recovery period of at least nine months.

The Premier League rules state that "a 'Home Grown Player' is a player who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)."

That creates the strange situation where Kevin Danso qualifies as a homegrown player in Premier League terms because he was in the youth academies at Reading and MK Dons for years before leaving England at the age of 16 and later returning for a season at Southampton. However Robertson does not, because he was first registered with the English FA at 20 when he joined Hull.

Spurs currently have the eight homegrown players if the returning Dane Scarlett is included in that as he's now too old for the under-21s list.

Scarlett is likely to head off but if Tottenham did go over the eight homegrown spots with new signings then they would have to choose between, for instance one of the homegrown players or one of the non-homegrown to be sacrificed.

Here's how the club's Premier League squad looks now:

Premier League non-homegrown players (20 currently, 17 maximum allowed): Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson, Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, Kota Takai, Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr, Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Manor Solomon.

Premier League homegrown players (Eight currently and eight minimum required): Dominic Solanke, Kevin Danso, Brandon Austin, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Djed Spence, Dane Scarlett.

Notable Under-21s players: Souza, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel, Dane Scarlett, Mason Melia, Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear, Ashley Phillips, Yang Min-hyeok.

A messy European future

It should be stressed that Tottenham do not have to worry this season about the pitfalls of the European squad selection issues that have dogged them over the years.

However, they want to get back into continental competition as soon as possible so cannot allow themselves to continue in a vein that has seen countless players had to be left out of the squad over recent seasons. They don't want to leave themselves with a clearance sale required next summer if they get back into Europe at the end of this campaign.

The main differences between the European and domestic squads are that to go on UEFA's U21s list you need to have been at the club for two seasons and also that the homegrown section falls into two very different and awkward - for Tottenham - categories.

First off, UEFA's rules say that no club can have more than 25 players on their A-List during the season, of whom at least two must be goalkeepers.

The rules then state that "as a minimum, eight of those 25 places are reserved exclusively for 'locally trained players' and no club may have more than four 'association-trained players' listed among those eight places. If a club have fewer than eight locally-trained players in their squad, then the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly".

There are two different types of locally-trained player. One is a 'club-trained player', those who have been on a club's books for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21. The other is an 'association-trained player', those who were on another club's books in the same association for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21.

So while Danso is homegrown in the Premier League, he does not fit into that association-trained category in Europe because he left England at the age of 16.

Now for the problematic registration of new young players. In Europe, there is a B-List for players born on, or after, (for the 27/28 season) January 1, 2006 but they must have been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years since their 15th birthday – or for a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year. Players aged 16 may be submitted if they have been registered with the club for the previous two years without interruption.

In recent seasons, Spurs have only had one club-trained senior player in goalkeeper Brandon Austin. As they need to register four in that club-trained category, Tottenham have been required to leave three spots open, meaning what should be a 25-man squad instead shrinks to just a 22-man one.

However, if they remain in N17, both Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray would become club-trained in the 2027/28 season and technically could also have been included on the B list from this season and next, along with Souza, if he's not loaned out which seems likely, and Mikey Moore plus Will Lankshear (this coming season only).

In essence, in 2027/28 Spurs would have a 34-man squad from the current bunch that would need to be squeezed into 25 spots, if they are able to take Gray, Bergvall, Melia and Souza on to the B list for one season.

Here's how it would look if the current Tottenham squad were in Europe in the 2027/28 season to give you a guide as to what needs to be fixed, hopefully, over the next 12 months:

European non-locally trained players (24 currently, 17 maximum): Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson, Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, Kevin Danso, Kota Takai, Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr, Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel, Manor Solomon, Yang Min-hyeok.

Association trained players (eight currently, only four can be used in exclusive slots): Dominic Solanke, Brandon Austin, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Djed Spence, Dane Scarlett, Ashley Phillips.

Club trained players (five currently, four required): Brandon Austin, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear.

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