Football London

It looks like it will once again be another mad rush for Tottenham in what remains of the transfer window. We are now into the final week of the summer market and Thomas Frank is crying out for new signings in a couple of important positions.

Transfer outgoings also need to take place to ensure that the Spurs boss has the perfect squad to contend with Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup football in the 2025/26 season. It has been a summer transfer window to forget for Tottenham after seeing high-profile moves for Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze fall apart.

It is imperative that Johan Lange finishes the final week of the window on a positive note by concluding a number of deals for Frank. So what do Spurs have left to do before Monday's 7pm deadline? football.london takes a look below.

New No.10

Tottenham are in desperate need of a new No.10 after losing out on the signatures of both Gibbs-White and Eze. Frank's team are so light in the position right now due to Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison's injuries that have left them in the treatment room for a considerable period of time.

Nico Paz, Bilal El Khannouss, Morgan Rogers and Maghnes Akliouche have been in the headlines regarding a transfer to Tottenham. Spurs have to ensure that they get a new No.10 in through the door as a priority or else it could really hurt them with the amount of games on the calendar between now and January.

Savinho or alternative winger

The final week of the transfer window will see Savinho's future resolved one way or another. The Man City winger has been linked with a switch to Tottenham of late and football.london understands the north London club remain intent on trying to sign the Brazilian.

Savinho is said to be keen on a move to the capital but it will all depend on Tottenham submitting a large bid that City deem acceptable. If they cannot come to terms on a deal with Pep Guardiola's team then they will have to shift their attention elsewhere for another winger.

Senior centre-back

Tottenham require a new centre-back in what remains of the transfer window to ensure Frank has sufficient cover at the back. However, a new No.10 and winger are higher up on the transfer priority list right now.

The Spurs boss does switch to a back three at times and it's important that he has another senior option at his disposal amid Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven's injury issues last season and Radu Dragusin working his way back to fitness from an ACL injury.

Dane Scarlett

Dane Scarlett is still waiting to secure a move away from Tottenham as we approach the final few days of the transfer window. The striker was not included in the squad for the pre-season tour of Asia to explore a loan move away but one has not come to fruition just yet.

The player needs to be playing week in, week out and all will be hoping that a deal can be agreed on very soon.

Luka Vuskovic

Luka Vuskovic has been part of the Tottenham matchday squad for all three games so far this season but he is still waiting to make his first competitive appearance for the Lilywhites. A temporary move does look likely before Monday's transfer deadline as he is expected to depart on loan.

Hamburg have been heavily linked with the Croat and a switch to the Bundesliga team would see him link up with his brother at the club. After excelling for Radomiak Radom and Westerlo previously, another spell of regular first-team football is needed to aid Vuskovic's development.

Bryan Gil

Bryan Gil clearly does not have a future at Tottenham having missed out on a squad number for the new season. The Spaniard is currently working his way back to fitness from a knee injury and that could potentially impact a possible move given it's not clear yet when he will be fit to return to the pitch.

Yves Bissouma

Yves Bissouma could possibly be in the headlines over the next few days due to his contract situation at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Mali international is now in the final year of his Spurs deal and the club really need to sell him this window to ensure his value does not drop too much.

Tottenham are looking to move on the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion player, who was recently disciplined by Frank and left out of the squad for the PSG game due to poor timekeeping.

Manor Solomon

Manor Solomon is now back in training after injury stopped him from getting a chance to impress Frank earlier in the summer. The Israeli wowed for Leeds United in the Championship last season and a move remains likely for the winger.

Solomon is already down the Tottenham pecking order and he will drop a further place if a new winger comes in before the deadline.

So far, so good for Tottenham in the 2025/26 season. Thomas Frank has got off to the perfect start at Spurs after replacing Ange Postecoglou with victories over Burnley and Manchester City.

The victory over City has made people sit-up and take notice of Tottenham. Not only did Frank's team catch City on the counter-attack and nullify their play, they controlled the second-half to keep another clean sheet at the Etihad Stadium.

Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha have both impressed in their first two games in Tottenham colours but with less than a week until the transfer window closes until the New Year, time is running out for more additions to be made ahead of a hectic season.

After missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze and Bryan Mbeumo, Spurs are still in the market for new players. Frank's clear preference of Richarlison with Dominic Solanke and Mathys Tel also options means the centre-forward slot isn't a priority.

Behind the number nine and despite Kudus' arrival from West Ham, Tottenham need numbers in the attacking positions. Son Heung-min's move to LAFC and James Maddison's ACL injury means the area is now a priority.

football.london understands that Spurs remain intent on signing Savinho from Manchester City with the 21-year-old keen on the move. City want to keep the Brazilian but a teasing offer could be enough to bring the versatile forward to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche and Atalanta's Ademola Lookman are alternatives for Spurs but Savinho's capability to play in the No.10 role makes him the 'better' signing. As a Brazilian international with a year of Premier League experience under his belt, he would take Frank's attack to the next level.

In a dream world, Spurs will also strengthen their attacking midfielder options. Dejan Kulusevski's injury means a player like Lucas Paqueta would go down a treat in north London. According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham are monitoring the developments of the Brazilian at West Ham.

The 27-year-old could leave Graham Potter's squad before Monday's deadline if a suitable offer comes in with it expected that the Hammers would demand close to £60m for the playmaker to ensure they don't make a loss.

On the topic of surprise signings and doing something others have done to Spurs, a move to hijack Crystal Palace's raid on Atletico Madrid for Conor Gallagher would significantly improve the numbers in midfield.

Palhinha has impressed in his first two games for the club with Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur also catching the eye. But with Champions League football returning to the club, quality options in depth is a necessity.

Spurs were linked with Gallagher before he moved to Atleti and now, The Sun have claimed that the midfielder is open to a return to England with Palace keen. With the World Cup taking place next summer, regular football is vital.

Gallagher has only played 67 minutes of Atletico's opening two games this season and is one to keep an eye on. His arrival would supply strong competition in midfield and provide competition in midfield that Spurs have lacked for some time.

If Destiny Udogie is called up to the Italy squad despite having not played a competitive Tottenham game yet for Thomas Frank that might help the new head coach.

Djed Spence has been starring on the left in Udogie's absence following the Italian's knee injury which kept him out of the club's pre-season tour to Hong Kong and South Korea. In all the 22-year-old left-back has been out since feeling a problem with that knee during the warm-up before Spurs' pre-season friendly against Luton Town on July 26.

Udogie has had a slightly fragmented time at Tottenham since arriving from Udinese, having played 28 and 25 Premier League games in his first two seasons at the north London club due to hamstring and adductor injuries over those past couple of years.

However, he returned to be a key part of Spurs' Europa League-winning run last season and Frank had some good news on the young full-back at his press conference at Hotspur Way on Friday.

"Destiny is better, he's trained with the team twice, full training, but just too short to be involved at City," he said. "We want him to train tomorrow and have another good week next week, but he's in a good place, we're very positive about him."

Despite his lack of game time, new Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso might decide to call up Udogie for the World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and Israel early next month with the squad set to be announced on Friday.

While some Tottenham supporters might be concerned about Udogie being pushed too hard on Italy duty, if both club and country consider him to be ready and he gets minutes against Bournemouth, then the appropriate amount of time spent playing for his country could help Udogie overcome some of the lack of pre-season he had.

Every little will help Frank and the player as the games come thick and fast after the international break with the Champions League and Carabao Cup on the menu so bumping up his match fitness and sharpness could be a welcome boost to all concerned.

Kota Takai is edging towards a return to training with Tottenham Hotspur after a frustrating start to life at the Premier League club.

Spurs completed a £5million deal for the 20-year-old Japan international back in early July to bring him over from J.League side Kawasaki Frontale. However, not long after beginning training with the team after securing his work permit, Takai began to struggle with a problem with his foot and he is yet to play a single game, even a pre-season friendly, in the club shirt.

"Kota's got plantar fascia unfortunately. I don’t know exactly the scale of it, weeks," said his new boss Thomas Frank out in South Korea during the club's tour, with the Japanese centre-back left at Hotspur Way to recover.

Now football.london understands that the player has been working outside on the training pitches at the Enfield complex which hopefully means he is on the path to returning to training.

The 6ft 3ins defender has plenty of experience despite his age, having played 78 times at a senior level for Kawasaki, with 57 of those games coming in the J.League and he played a big role in his club winning the Japanese Super Cup last year and was duly named the J.League's Young Player of the Year.

Takai has also got plenty of experience in the AFC Champions League as an integral part of the Kawasaki side that reached the final this year. He made his Japan senior debut just after his 20th birthday and has appeared in four World Cup qualifiers so far. It would have been more but for an adductor injury suffered in October last year in a Japan squad featuring players that mostly ply their trade in European football.

Tottenham fans will be hoping to see the centre-back in training soon and getting back up to speed which may not take that long after playing half the season already in Japan.

Tottenham Hotspur will be keen to learn from their costly transfer mistakes as Thomas Frank’s side continues to search for reinforcements. Spurs have made a perfect start to the new Premier League campaign, but are still working on strengthening in certain positions before deadline day.

New Spurs boss Frank has welcomed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United and secured a loan deal for Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha, who got on the scoresheet in the club’s impressive win over Manchester City at the weekend. However, Tottenham’s failed effort to sign Nottingham Forest Star Morgan Gibbs-White and losing out to Arsenal in a move for Eberechi Eze highlights the club’s desire to bring in a new number 10.

Son Heung-min’s departure to LAFC, James Maddison’s long-term injury and Dejan Kulusevski being sidelined also outlines the need for more attacking options. The club will be wary of repeating past mistakes, though, with the club taking five years to deal with a trio of marquee signings in similar positions.

In 2019, Spurs snapped up Tanguy Ndombele for a club-record £63million from Lyon. The centre-midfielder was joined by Fulham youngster Ryan Sessegnon for £25m, while Giovani Lo Celso initially joined on loan in a deal worth £42m.

Unfortunately for Spurs, the three new signings never quite lived up to their sizeable price tags and only recouped a small portion of their £130m combined transfer fees. Both Ndombele and Sessegnon joined Nice and Fulham, respectively, as free agents last summer. Only Lo Celso was able to command a fee, joining Real Betis for around £4m.

Back to the present day, Spurs have addressed centre-midfield and brought in a forward, but are still searching for an attacking midfielder. The team may have missed out on Gibbs-White and Eze, but have since been linked with several different targets.

Football.london understands Tottenham are intent on a move for Manchester City’s Savinho, who was not included in Pep Guardiola’s matchday squad at the weekend. The Brazilian could play either as a wide player or number 10 for Frank’s side, but Spurs will need to meet Man City’s valuation.

It was reported by the Independent last week that Tottenham had approached intermediaries over a possible move for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers. However, it is thought that any deal is unlikely, with Villa likely demand more than Spurs had agreed to pay for Eze.

Elsewhere, Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche has been linked with a move to Spurs. The club also hold an interest in Como’s Nico Paz, while Tottenham have also looked at Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss.

However, Spurs boss Frank is seemingly not concerned about the club’s prolonged search for new signings. Pape Matar Sarr was deployed in a more attacking midfield role against Man City, in front of Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur, and the Spurs manager has insisted he is not concerned about missing out on transfer targets who would prefer to be elsewhere.

“To make it very, very clear, I don't want any players that don't want to come to the club,” Frank said. “Who don't want to come to the club and wear this fantastic badge -- we don't want them here.

“I think that's very clear, and also pretty sure that the fans will feel the same if they don't want to put the fantastic shirt over their head. Play for the badge, play for the club. Really enjoy it. No problem, then we don't want them there. I think that's a key message.”

Tottenham have left themselves with plenty to get done in the remaining week of the summer transfer window in order to back Thomas Frank for the season ahead.

Spurs want to compete across all four competitions this season, including their return to the Champions League, but have thus far only brought in two new faces in the shape of Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha while selling Son Heung-min to LAFC and losing James Maddison to an ACL injury for much of the season, with Dejan Kulusevski also out for the long term.

Frank admitted to football.london on Friday that numbers-wise his Tottenham squad was therefore similar to the one he inherited before the window opened, albeit with the added quality of Kudus and Palhinha within his new system.

So what do Spurs have left to do in the window before it closes on September 1 if they are going to bring in the number 10, winger and the centre-back that football.london has previously reported that Frank would like to bolster his squad with to the levels required for the fixture-packed season ahead?

Here's the state of play with Tottenham's transfer window, split into the three main areas.

Defence

The goalkeeping department appears to be set with Frank making it clear that Antonin Kinsky would not be heading out of the club this summer, despite links with a move to Ligue 1 side Lille. That means he has Guglielmo Vicario, Kinsky and Spurs' only senior club-trained player in Brandon Austin as three senior goalkeepers to use across the season.

Josh Keeley left the club for Luton in a £1million deal with a sell-on clause this summer and the club also have young keeper Luca Gunter, who could get a loan again after last season's spell at non-league Wealdstone.

Frank told football.london out in South Korea during the club's pre-season tour that he felt he had enough cover in the full-back spots with Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie, who returned to training last week, Djed Spence and Ben Davies, with Archie Gray also able to cover both sides.

Frank made it clear that Davies is an important, experienced player for his squad but the player himself admitted on the tour to football.london that with 10 months left on his contract, he's not entirely sure what the future holds for him.

Frank does want another centre-back because of his propensity to switch to a back three at times and concerns over the availability of new captain Cristian Romero and Micky van de Vento after the pair played in just 26 and 22 games respectively of the 60 fixtures in the previous campaign.

There is also Kevin Danso, Davies, Radu Dragusin who is on his way back from his own ACL injury, and summer signing Kota Takai, who is back training outdoors as he recovers from a plantar fascia problem in his foot, while 18-year-old Luka Vuskovic is expected to join Ashley Phillips and Alfie Dorrington by heading out on loan to get regular match experience if Spurs can bring another defender through the door, with football.london previously reporting that Hamburg, where his brother plays, are keen to bring him to Germany.

A new centre-back is lower down Tottenham's priority list than the new number 10 and winger but it is a position Frank would like bolstered if possible before the window closes.

football.london understands Spurs held discussions earlier in the summer about a potential transfer for Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie, with the 23-year-old Ecuadorian having long been a player of interest under former managing director of football Fabio Paratici.

However, a move for the player did not proceed after that point and those within the club claim there has been no active interest or contact with Leverkusen regarding the defender since.

Links to Burnley's Maxime Esteve were also knocked down earlier in the window, with the Frenchman later signing a new contract with the Clarets.

It could be that, as is the case with Hincapie, Spurs look for a centre-back who can also cover one of the full-back slots to give some extra depth to Frank's options.

The new contract for Romero was seen as a big building block for the Dane's defence but he still wants a further body in there for when the games mount up with technical director Johan Lange and the now consultant Paratici working through a list of potential targets in the role.

Midfield

The signing of Joao Palhinha has already proved to be a popular one within the squad with the 30-year-old former Fulham midfielder quickly settling into life at Tottenham. It's no secret that Frank would have liked to have brought long-time player Christian Norgaard with him from Brentford but by that point the Bees captain was already locked into a move to Arsenal.

However, Palhinha has already proved to be a great fit for Frank's system and Spurs have a £27million option to sign him from Bayern next summer after this season-long loan.

Spurs are looking to tie up a new contract for Rodrigo Bentancur this season with the Uruguayan in the final year of his deal and revelling in Frank's midfield. Yves Bissouma is in the same contract situation but Tottenham are looking to move on the Mali international, who has been disciplined by Frank after being repeatedly late this summer. It was the 28-year-old's third summer in a row of disappointing a head coach before the season began.

Frank has plenty of young, exciting midfield talent in Pape Matar Sarr, who has quickly emerged as one of his favourite go-to-players, along with teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

Tottenham have tried to sign a new number 10 to play in Frank's midfield with two bids made for Morgan Gibbs-White - the first at £60million and the second amid a chaotic couple of weeks that ended with the England international signing a new contract with Nottingham Forest.

That collapse was especially disappointing for Frank because he had wanted the midfielder for years at Brentford and Spurs had also tracked him for some time. He was his top choice for the role as the Dane felt that his mobility and creativity as a number 10 would be perfect for his new-look Tottenham side and it was a deal the club felt they could make happen.

Gibbs-White is believed to have called the new head coach to apologise for how things played out, with the Dane said to have told him he had nothing to apologise for.

Spurs then suffered double trouble when they went for Eberechi Eze and thought they had a deal done for the 27-year-old with both Crystal Palace and the player, only for Arsenal to come in and sign the boyhood Gunners fan, who they released as a 13-year-old youngster.

With the injury to Maddison on top of the Kulusevski wait following his patella surgery, the need for a new number 10 is even more pressing.

As a younger player with a high ceiling Tottenham have shown plenty of interest and held discussions about Como's 20-year-old starlet Nico Paz, but there has been a feeling within the club that any move was likely to be a non-starter. Real Madrid own 50 per cent of the player and have a 10m euros buy-back clause for him with many believing that he is still a Madrid player in all but name.

Spurs are long-time admirers of Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, along with most of the Premier League's big clubs, but suggestions of a successful move being launched have been played down for the 23-year-old who has a long contract until 2030 with Unai Emery's side.

The north London club have looked at Leicester's Bilal El Khannouss, although the 21-year-old would come with far less top flight experience than the likes of Gibbs-White and Eze.

Lucas Paqueta would certainly bring that and Spurs have interest in him, but it remains to be seen whether West Ham, even with their financial restrictions, would let yet another key player leave the club, and a second to the north London side following Kudus' exit. The Hammers are reported to be interested in Bissouma and perhaps that could be an avenue of attack for Tottenham.

Lange, Paratici and head of scouting Rob Mackenzie have drawn up a list of number 10s for Frank's priority position, some of which are not believed to have reached the public domain yet.

Heading out of the club have been youngsters Alfie Devine and Jamie Donley, who can play in that number 10 role, to Preston and Stoke respectively, while deeper midfielder George Abbott has gone to Wycombe Wanderers and Tyrese Hall to Notts County.

Attack

During the club's tour to Asia, Frank continued to assess his squad and when Son finally made the move to LAFC, the new Spurs boss made it clear to the hierarchy that another winger was required to add more guile and creativity to the flanks.

football.london understands that Tottenham remain intent on trying to sign Savinho from Manchester City, with the 21-year-old said to be keen to head to north London. Key will be Spurs making a big enough bid to change the stance of the Citizens, with some inside the Manchester club wanting to keep the Brazilian who has the potential to become a star, but also the need to replace him if he does go.

For Spurs, Savinho can also play in a number 10 role while there is the option to play him on the right with Kudus able to move inside into the central position.

If Tottenham cannot wrestle Savinho away then they have other wing targets to turn to. Frank had been interested in bringing Bryan Mbeumo with him from Brentford but the 26-year-old was always set on moving to Manchester United.

Southampton's Tyler Dibling is a player Spurs have tracked for a while although the youngster looks set for a move to Everton, while the older, versatile Ademola Lookman is an attacking player the north London club and various Premier League sides have been offered as his time at Atalanta appears to coming to a close.

Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche is someone who Tottenham have been tracking in recent seasons and the exciting 23-year-old, who can play out wide or centrally, is on the radar of plenty of clubs across Europe as his reputation grows following a strong campaign in Ligue 1 last time out.

Frank has Kudus and last season's top scorer Brennan Johnson as his senior wing options while Spurs made Mathys Tel's loan from Bayern a permanent deal this summer and the head coach has Wilson Odobert able to play on both sides, while Kulusevski can also play on the right when he eventually returns.

Manor Solomon is back in training although a move remains likely for the Israel international this summer, especially if Tottenham do bring in another winger while the club are looking to find Bryan Gil an exit route as his contract runs towards its conclusion this season.

Yang Min-hyeok was sent to Portsmouth on loan to continue to gain experience of the English game and young talent Mikey Moore is at Rangers to get plenty of minutes for his development, while Damola Ajayi is enjoying his first loan spell at Doncaster Rovers.

Up front, Frank said Richarlison told him on the first day of pre-season that he wants to stay at the club and the Spurs boss told him he wanted the same. Richarlison has responded with fine performances in recent weeks and now it is about keeping him fit as the other striker option to Dominic Solanke, a player Frank has always admired.

Yoane Wissa was a player Spurs would have looked at had they lost a striker and the 28-year-old Brentford star can play out wide, although Newcastle currently appears to be a potential destination for him if the Bees do decide to let yet another key man go.

In terms of Tottenham's young forward prospects, Will Lankshear has gone to Oxford United on loan for the season with Alejo Veliz back at Rosario Central, while the club are looking to move on Dane Scarlett as well.

There is plenty for Tottenham to do in the week ahead if they are to build upon Frank's fine start to life in N17.

Morgan Rogers showed love to former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson after Brentford beat Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Henderson signed for the Bees during this summer transfer window after leaving Ajax and made his first start in their surprise 1-0 win at the weekend. Rogers reportedly could also be on the move, with Tottenham Hotspur said to have contacted intermediaries about the possibility of a deal.

Both played against each other for just the third time in their careers on Saturday. Those other occasions were when back Villa played Ajax in a two-legged Conference League round of 16 tie two seasons ago.

However, that happened before Rogers became an England international and a teammate of Henderson's in the two camps thus far this year. The veteran midfielder is part of their leadership group alongside captain Harry Kane and several more experienced squad members.

That is perhaps why Rodgers captioned a photo of him and Henderson competing during the match "Skip" before adding a red heart emoji and tagging him in the Instagram story post. Spurs may be hoping they face off for a second time this season when Thomas Frank's team host his former club at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during December.

The Independent reported last week that Tottenham have made Rogers a priority target, claiming there is a feeling that a proper bid could change Villa's stance on not wanting to sell the PFA Young Player of the Year. However, such an offer would reportedly have to be upwards of £80million before it even comes under consideration.

Piero Hincapie continues to be linked with a move to Tottenham with just one week of the summer transfer window remaining.

Spurs are looking for a number 10 and a new senior centre-back in the transfer window to help bolster Thomas Frank's squad, football.london understands. Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha are the only senior additions so far this window, with 20-year-old Japanese centre-back Koto Takai also arriving from Kawasaki Frontale.

But more additions are expected in the coming week and Hincapie continues to be linked with a move to north London. The 23-year-old centre-back has impressed during his four years at Bayer Leverkusen and the Ecuadorian may now be looking to test himself in England's top flight.

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Hincapie wants to leave Leverkusen ahead of the summer transfer window closing on Monday, September 1 at 7pm. "Premier League clubs attentive after Tottenham made an enquiry 10 days ago," Romano wrote on social media.

Hincapie is said to have a release clause of €60million (£52million) in his contract. The defender regularly plays as the left sided centre-back in a back three for the Bundesliga side, but is also capable of playing left-back.

Frank does currently have Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Radu Dragusin and Kevin Danso as his senior centre-back options, while Ben Davies can also operate in the role. Injuries plagued Spurs' 2024/25 season, however, and Frank does not want a repeat this campaign.

The Dane has so far watched his side keep two clean sheets in the Premier League, against Burnley and Manchester City, but speaking after the 2-0 victory against Pep Guardiola's side on Saturday, Frank did not rule out further players being brought in to improve the squad.

He said: "Yeah, I think it's extremely important that, a couple of things that we understand we have a good group of players, a talented group players, a group of good quality players that I'm very pleased with. So that's why we brought in two good players to help. Can we improve it? Perfect. If we can't, you know, then we have very good players and we just showed that today, so yeah, very happy with that."

Eberechi Eze has revealed it was always a childhood ambition to represent Arsenal after turning down Tottenham in favour of a £67.5million move to the Emirates Stadium.

The former Crystal Palace star was unveiled to the Emirates Stadium faithful moments before Arsenal's commanding 5-0 victory over Leeds which propelled the Gunners towards an early glimpse of the Premier League summit. Spurs appeared poised to secure Eze's signature after striking a deal with Crystal Palace on Wednesday, before Mikel Arteta's outfit intervened to hijack the transfer.

An exit this summer had always remained on the cards given the former Arsenal academy prospect had entered the final two years of his contract at Selhurst Park, with Tottenham making their move earlier this month. Spurs had agreed to Palace's terms after having already agreed to Eze's with the player ready to come to Tottenham.

The deal had dragged on, though, as Palace had not finalised the deal because they wanted the player to be available for Thursday night's historic first European game for the Eagles. After an injury to Kai Havertz, Arsenal moved quickly and tied up a deal for Eze, with the player favouring a move to the Gunners.

Eze featured at the Emirates Stadium on four occasions during his time with Palace and he confessed it had always been an aspiration to don the Gunners jersey, reports the Mirror. "I thought about coming back from the moment I understood other clubs and what it meant to become a pro," he disclosed to Ian Wright.

"I've always thought: 'Arsenal is where it's at, that's what I want to achieve, what I want to get to.' I've been on trial for four years, if I'm being honest. Every time I came to Arsenal, I looked at the seat that I used to sit on when I used to come to games with my brothers, and I've said every single time: 'this is it - it's time, this is an opportunity.' I'm not going to say I knew it was going to happen, but that's the feeling.

"As a player, I have a level of belief in myself. I've been playing how I've been playing, I've been developing this and that, and I had the heart that if it's meant to be, it will happen, and I believe it will. But if it doesn't, I'm at peace because I know I'm giving everything. So for it to happen now and to be in this position, there is a bit more energy inside the tank."

Spurs boss Thomas Frank, fresh from a victory at Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime, was candid on Friday about only wanting to sign players who are eager to wear the club's badge. He is keen to bolster his squad with another creative midfielder due to injuries to James Maddison, likely out for the season, and Dejan Kulusevski.

"There has been a lot of links, there will be a lot of links in the future and just to generalise that, to make it very, very clear, I don't want any players that don't want to come to the club," said Frank, seemingly taking a subtle swipe at Eze.

"Who don't want to come to the club and wear this fantastic badge - we don't want them here. I think that's very clear.

"Pretty sure that the fans will feel the same if they don't want to put the fantastic shirt over their head. Play for the badge, play for the club. Really enjoy it. No problem, then we don't them there. I think that's a key message.

"Of course we need to do everything we can to make sure we are as competitive as possible. Kulusevski, he will come back in this season. I think that's a big thing. It's probably longer term with Maddison unfortunately, but I am also pretty confident that we will sign a player before the end of the window."

Goran Sorloth, the father of reportted Tottenham target Alexander Sorloth, has reacted to rumours linking the Atletico Madrid forward with a move back to the Premier League. The 29-year-old has attracted interest from Spurs and Newcastle United with his Atletico future said to be uncertain this summer.

The Norwegian, who scored 24 goals in 53 appearances for Diego Simeone's side last season, was last week reported to be unhappy after falling behind Giacomo Raspadori and Antoine Griezmann in the pecking order.

Although Sorloth returned to the XI and scored during Atletico's 1-1 draw against Elche at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Saturday, there is still talk that he could leave the La Liga club before the end of the transfer window.

Indeed, Sorloth's dad Goran has since spoken about his son's future and admitted that he can "deny" the rumours that the former Villarreal and RB Leipzig man could be en route to English football once again.

"I can deny most of it. It's a transfer window, and that's how it is, all summer and throughout January. I can deny that. It's just wild rumours," he told Dagbladet. "There are definitely clubs that have their feelers out and want to strengthen their team. That's not surprising. Alexander Isak won’t be a Newcastle player any longer, I see. There are several teams that have injuries and things like that."

"But Alexander is an Atletico Madrid player. Hopefully he'll start [against Elche]. Then suddenly there's a little less chance… Then I think the rumour mill will quiet down a bit."

Sorloth spent two-and-a-half years at Crystal Palace between 2018 and 2020, scoring ONCE in 20 appearances but has improved since that spell, finding some scintillating form in the last couple of years.

After impressing on loan at Real Sociedad and then at Villarreal, Sorloth signed for Atletico in a £27.6m deal last summer. Following a prolific season for Simeone's men, there is no surprise that interest has increased in him.

While Tottenham are in the market for attacking reinforcements, Newcastle's need to strengthen their front line is all-but greater, with Alexander Isak's future up in the air and Callum Wilson leaving at the end of his contract.

When asked about whether Sorloth could move to Newcastle, Goran replied: "I certainly hope Alexander [Sørloth] is not satisfied with not getting more playing time. If he is satisfied, he will have to find something else to do."

"The season has just started. He had a slight hamstring injury before last weekend’s game. Now he is fit."