Football London

Former Tottenham chairman Alan Sugar played a pivotal role in the signing of one of the club's best ever players

Jurgen Klinsmann revealed his move to Tottenham was completed in two hours after meeting Alan Sugar on his yacht.

The Spurs icon joined the club after the 1994 World Cup and made an instant impact with 29 goals in 50 across all competitions in his only permanent season in north London.

The German had played under Arsene Wenger at Monaco for the previous two seasons and cited the insistence of Sugar - who was the Spurs chairman at the time - for speedily getting the deal done.

Speaking on The Overlap's Stick to Football podcast earlier this week, Klinsmann said: "I played the '94 World Cup in the United States and I had an agreement with Arsene that if a team comes and pays $2million, I'm allowed to go. Arsene said, 'I get you, I kept you now for two years here.'

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"I came back from the World Cup and I sat in my place in Monte Carlo and suddenly Alan Sugar calls and says, 'Hey, I'm the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur and we would like to talk to you if you're interested.' I said, 'Yeah absolutely I'm interested, where are you', [he said], 'I'm sitting on my yacht in the harbour.'

"I said, 'That's 300 yards away from me.' So, I walked down to him, we had a cappuccino, he explained the situation of the -12 points deduction because of financial mismanagement in the past and out of the FA Cup.

"The coach is Ossie Ardiles and I adored Argentinian football and I think it was done in 10 minutes. He threw out the numbers directly face to face. I said, 'This is what I earn here in Monaco, this is what I got here in Inter Milan and I want to have it kind of somewhere that is matching your best players at Spurs'.

"'I don't want to be off too much but I want to be recognised there financially too', and he says, 'Yeah we can do that.'" He left after just a year to join Bayern Munich but returned to Spurs on loan in 1997 where he scored nine goals in 18 games before hanging up his boots at the end of the season.

Discussing how the club's fanbase embraced him upon his initial arrival, Klinsmann said on talkSPORT 2's Sportsday: "The way the people welcomed me and the way things excelled on the pitch was amazing.

"I just felt so at home at Tottenham, with the people and with everything. That's why I'm always back in London as often as we can." Klinsmann's last managerial post was with South Korea's national team and prior to Roberto De Zerbi's appointment at Spurs, he refused to rule himself out of taking the job.

After Igor Tudor's sacking in March, he said on ESPN FC: "Who wouldn't want the job, it is Tottenham. Whoever you choose, you need a person who can connect to everyone emotionally, that knows the club, that feels the club, that feels the people.

"Because, to get out of this mess, they need to develop a fighting spirit, a really nasty, ugly, fighting spirit and that goes only over the emotions."

Tottenham could find themselves impacted by a Marcos Senesi U-turn ahead of the World Cup kicking off

Marcos Senesi appears set to be a late call-up to Argentina's World Cup squad with the decision possibly impacting Tottenham. The central defender, who is set to depart Bournemouth and officially join Spurs on July 1, was left out of Lionel Scaloni's squad but an injury statement could see a U-turn performed.

On Saturday, an Argentina statement read: "Defender Leonardo Balerdi suffered a muscle injury in the soleus of his right leg and will not be able to be part of the squad that will play the World Cup. Chin up, strength, and a speedy recovery, skinny!"

According to ESPN Argentina, Senesi is among the names that could be called up as Balerdi's replacement with Marcos Acuna, Nicolas Capaldo, Agustin Giay, Kevin Mac Allister and Martinez Quarta as others under consideration.

The latter and Senesi are the only two natural centre-backs in that list which suggests one of them will be replacing Balerdi. German Pezzella, who is the River Plate team-mate of Quarta, is another option for Scaloni.

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Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Otamendi and Facundo Medina are the other central defenders in their squad.

Senesi's initial omission from Argentina's squad came as quite the shock to many following such an impressive season at Bournemouth.

The 29-year-old was part of their squad for the March international fixtures and if he is selected to represent his country, Spurs will almost certainly be impacted.

The World Cup final is due to take place on July 19, 2026 with pre-season for the 2026/27 campaign due to officially commence a few weeks later.

Argentina have a real chance of going deep in the tournament and if they do, Senesi is likely to arrive to Hotspur Way later than what was expected having initially been left out.

Senesi's girlfriend Kelci-Rose Bowers, who has also departed Bournemouth, has been posting regular updates of the pair out on holiday in Ibiza.

The Lilywhites have been in pole position to sign Senesi as a free agent since April but a move for Jan Paul Van Hecke and concerns over a potential hijack from other Premier League clubs have placed doubt over that.

Having lost Ibrahima Konate on a free, Liverpool were touted as a potential destination but reports state he will be joining Andy Robertson in north London next season having undergone his medical on Saturday and subsequently signed a four-year Tottenham contract.

The Tottenham Hotspur attacker has had a tough year but appeared to be showing some promising signs in a couple of new social media posts

Dejan Kulusevski's latest social media activity appears to suggest the Tottenham star's problematic knee is on the road to recovery after his difficult year.

The 26-year-old missed Spurs ' entire 2025/26 season after he suffered a patella injury in his right knee following a challenge from then Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi in May 2025. The Swede underwent surgery soon after and then required a clean-up procedure this year following setbacks in his attempts to return during the season as he felt discomfort in that knee.

Kulusevski was desperate to at least return to fitness in time to be considered in Sweden's World Cup squad but he found out on the year anniversary of his injury that Graham Potter had decided not to include him among those travelling to the competition.

Potter said then that he hoped the Tottenham man would be back for his club's pre-season this summer and on Saturday Kulusevski uploaded a string of positive Instagram Story posts.

The first was a video of his Sweden team-mates about to board their flight to their World Cup training camp with the Spurs attacker writing above it: "Les go boyz, make it happen, make us proud."

What will have been more positive for Tottenham supporters though was his next Instagram Story which was an extended video clip of him playing his other sporting love, basketball, with some friends. Kulusevski was twisting, turning, accelerating, putting plenty of pressure on that right knee and moving around the court in the two-vs-two session, before setting up his team-mate to score.

The Swede then followed up that post with another one of him either before or after heading out on to a football pitch to work with a Spurs-branded football. Combined with his World Cup good luck post, it all felt like a concerted effort to remind everyone not to forget about him and that he is working hard to return.

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Kulusevski had returned from his rehabilitation abroad to be on the sidelines for Tottenham's crucial final day win against Everton under Roberto De Zerbi which saved the club's Premier League status.

Last week, Sweden's national team doctor Jonas Werner said at a press conference ahead of the World Cup that he has been in continuous contact with Kulusevski and Tottenham's medical team.

"It's been a long story with Dejan. He's done everything he can to get ready, but when it came to deciding [if he would make the squad] he wasn't," said Werner.

"The reason is that he hasn't played football in a year, but even the medical assessments made this spring have pointed in the direction that he wouldn't be ready."

Werner explained in more depth about the problem that Kulusevski faces with his knee.

"Cartilage injuries, like in Dejan's case, are troublesome. They are difficult to treat. Plus, he has it in a place that gets a lot of stress. The injury simply hasn't healed enough to handle that stress," he explained.

When asked if the attacker will be able to come back and play football again, the doctor said: "I have high hopes for that and I really hope so."

The Premier League have caused a stir with Tottenham Hotspur fans on social media after sharing a graphic of next season's Premier League table with Spurs in 20th place

Tottenham Hotspur are bottom of the 2026/27 Premier League table despite Spurs being alphabetically ahead of Sunderland.

The Premier League started a new season on Friday, with that change formalised during their annual general meeting. They have also refreshed the table, rearranging the 20 clubs in alphabetical order, but their standings show that 'Spurs' are below 'Sunderland'.

West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers being relegated last season means Tottenham would alphabetically be in 20th place. However, the league lists them as Spurs in their table and still positions them below the Black Cats before the season gets underway in August.

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One user X said in response to the table: "If you're going to call us Spurs it's definitely before Sunderland alphabetically."

Another account added: "Firstly, our proper name is Tottenham, not Spurs And secondly, if you’re going to call us Spurs, why are #THFC below Sunderland when P comes before U in the alphabet…"

The club asked to be called either 'Spurs' or 'Tottenham Hotspur' and not just 'Tottenham'. Some have suggested that using the former is due to a lack of space, but Nottingham Forest are named in full just two places ahead of them.

Whatever the reason, Spurs supporters are unhappy about it on social media. One more user on X said: "I hate the fact they call us spurs but alphabetically “Spurs” is not 20th in the league."

Fans of other clubs also noticed. A Manchester United fan account pointed out: "They put Spurs last even though they shouldn’t be alphabetically."

Confusion continues about the reason why, with another Spurs supporter asking: "Why are we the only team listed as our nickname? And if they’re using our nickname why is Sunderland above us??"

Others asked: "Does ‘u’ come before ‘p’ now in the alphabet?" One critique sarcastically said: "Great alphabet usage here....."

It is not just the case on this graphic shared across Premier League social media channels, either, which on X had over six million views inside 24 hours. They are also in the same position on the league's website, which also lists them as 'Spurs' rather than 'Tottenham Hotspur'.

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender has been speaking about the north London club and what he wants to do next in his future

Toby Alderweireld believes that the next few decisions made by Tottenham are going to be 'crucial' as to whether they move forward under Roberto De Zerbi or discover that it's three strikes and they're out.

This version of Spurs must feel somewhat alien to the Belgian centre-back. During his 236 appearances for the north London club they were fighting at the other end of the table with three top-three finishes under Mauricio Pochettino, including two title challenges, before reaching their first ever Champions League final in 2019 while finishing fourth in the Premier League.

In contrast, in the past two seasons Tottenham have twice finished 17th, albeit around winning the Europa League in 2025. The recently-finished campaign was nearly a disastrous one as the Lilywhites only escaped relegation on the final day of the season after 12 months in which they had four different head coaches at the helm.

In the second part of football.london's interview with Alderweireld - you can read part one here as he speaks about Van Hecke, Senesi, Vuskovic and Romero - the 37-year-old Belgian said Spurs need to get this summer's planning and execution spot on if they are to avoid another season from hell.

"We need stability and the next few choices are going to be crucial. Proven players, not that they are 35 or 36-years-old but proven a little bit in the Premier League, and the club needs players with desire, and they must give time," said the former defender.

"De Zerbi, give him time, and get the fans back on your side by playing positive football, like a team that really wants to play for the badge. That feeling, because what you can say about the fans, the fans are the club, that's it. You have to know this and how they supported the team in the last couple of weeks of the season was unbelievable.

"You need to use that. The players need to know 'look, this is something special, this is not normal' and if you get this, I think everything will work out. Everyone needs to work very hard to get back in that position, because one time, two times, third time you're out, and it's difficult to come back again."

It's noticeable throughout that Alderweireld still calls Tottenham "we". The Belgian, who racked up 127 caps for his country, spent six years of his career in N17 before - after a season in Qatar - he wrapped up his playing days with a remarkable fairytale ending at his hometown club Royal Antwerp.

Not only did he win the Belgian Cup with them but a month later on the final day of the season the centre-back crashed home a stunning 94-minute rocket of a goal to hand Antwerp their first league title in 66 years. The following season he led them into the Champions League group stages for the first time in their history before announcing that he would retire at the end of that 2024/25 campaign.

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So what has Alderweireld been doing in the past year since he hung up his boots? Well he made headlines after performing as Oehoe the Owl in the Belgian version of The Masked Singer. Videos of his performances and unmasking went viral across social media as the most unexpected of reality show contestants.

Around that Alderweireld has been ticking off those things in life that he just could not do as a footballer, but now he's starting to get the itch to become involved in the sport again.

"I climbed a mountain in Peru! Some stuff like this. Things that I never could do in my football career. I do some punditry work on the Champions League and the national team and then I have my liquor company (MM Antverpia), of course, that's going very well in Belgium. I'm happy with that," he said.

"I decided to go away a little bit from football, to step back, because I think for 20 years I've been in there. I needed to get refreshed, breathe a little bit and then see what opportunities were there. And after a year now, I'm starting to get the feeling back that I really want to get involved."

Don't expect Alderweireld to be the next Tottenham head coach though.

"I never want to be a manager because it's like one day you're the best and you win games, then you get sacked and then you get all over the world," he said. "I want something for the long term, so I can help and build on a bigger story, not like today, tomorrow, and then the next day is different. I don't like this.

"So if something is coming and there's opportunities...not to be arrogant, but a lot of things came on my path, but I said 'no, no, no' because I really want to find something that is 'okay that's what I want to do'. I'm waiting a little bit for that and I think you need a year to experience other things.

"Then when you go back into football, you go in fresh and you want to go back again. Because if I do something, people that know me know I do everything 100%. It demands a lot of time and effort, but I think I'm coming a little bit more back into football."

Alderweireld's long-time central defensive partner Jan Vertonghen has spoken in the past about potentially becoming a sporting director at a club and that also appeals to his fellow Ajax academy graduate.

"Yeah, that's something. Of course, I will never be so arrogant to say I will be very good at it," said Alderweireld. "You need to learn things, but other than that, I think we've been in football. We know how the world works a little bit and you can learn stuff like this.

"For some things, of course, you can have a degree but it's like I went to school [in football]. There's everything you learn on the pitch, off the pitch, close to the people that work there, you know. Everything in theory is good and I know this, but you have to feel and to know 'I'm good at this and I'm not good at that'. And I'm good at a lot of things, but a lot more things I'm not good at.

"And those are the things you want to know. Of course, there's some pressure. You need to perform. That's always like this, but it's something more stable. I can really work for a long term and try to help a team in a different way than becoming a manager."

So perhaps while Alderweireld might not be the man in the dugout in the future for Tottenham, he could be found operating higher up within his old club one day. First though, he needs to complete something not many sporting directors can boast - a huge tattoo that will cover his entire back.

"It's not finished yet. I'm working on it. It needs a couple more sessions, but it's going well. It's recovery time now," he said.

So what's it going to be?

"Oh, nobody knows! I will show it on my Instagram when it's finished!" came the coy response.

Like that art being inked on to his skin, both Alderweireld and Tottenham remain unfinished in what they want to achieve. Both will hopefully be back in the game sooner rather than later.

Roberto De Zerbi is looking to rebuild the squad following a difficult season that saw Tottenham survive relegation on the final day

Tottenham are poised to continue their busy summer in the transfer market with a swoop for Manchester City winger Savinho.

Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi is overseeing a substantial spending drive to strengthen the squad, with the £50m-rated Brazilian ready to make the move to North London.

This follows Tottenham securing the free transfer of former Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, bringing much-needed experience to the club.

The club have also agreed a deal in principle for Bournemouth's centre-half Marcos Senesi, while they also want Brighton's £70m-rated defender Jan Paul ven Hecke. An initial offer has been knocked back, though negotiations are continuing.

The pursuit of Savinho signals Tottenham's serious intent this summer, as the club's hierarchy look to completely overhaul a squad that only secured their top-flight status on the final day of last season.

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The 22-year-old was a target for Spurs last summer, but City held firm and the Brazilian was equally determined to remain and battle for his place.

However, with City embarking on their own rebuilding project, Savinho is now keen to embrace a fresh challenge at Spurs and will push to get the move over the line.

Departures also look likely, with Cristian Romero expected to leave the club, while there is considerable interest in Mathys Tel.

On Friday, Tottenham announced the signing of former Liverpool defender Robertson on a free transfer.

Scotland captain Robertson was close to a move to Spurs in January, but Liverpool were unable to bring back Kostas Tsimikas from his loan at Roma and pulled the plug on the switch.

Even though Tottenham have since changed manager, De Zerbi has given the green light for Robertson to join on July 1 after he made the decision to leave Anfield at the expiration of his contract this month after 378 appearances for Liverpool.

De Zerbi said: “Andy is someone I’ve admired for a number of years and he will bring outstanding technical qualities, experience, leadership and mentality to our team.

“He is a proven winner at the highest level over a long period and is someone who can be a big player for us, both on and off the pitch.

“I can’t wait to start working with him and seeing the positive impact he will have on everyone around him.”

Robertson’s immediate focus will be on captaining Scotland at this summer’s World Cup, but he will bring much-needed leadership at Tottenham once he officially joins the squad in July.

“I’m in America just now preparing for the World Cup, but I just wanted to send you a quick message to say I cannot wait to play for you guys,” Robertson said in a short video message from Scotland’s World Cup camp.

“I cannot wait to meet you guys, I cannot wait to play in the stadium for the first time in front of you and I’m already looking forward next season.”

The Tottenham youngster had a big moment in only his second international appearance as the Republic of Ireland gave Canada a World Cup warm-up

Mason Melia was denied the opportunity to send the perfect summer message to Roberto De Zerbi as he saw a big chance saved late on in the Republic of Ireland's 1-1 draw in Canada.

The 18-year-old striker is so highly rated in his homeland that he was called up by Heimir Hallgrimsson to make his senior Irish debut before he has even been in a matchday squad for Tottenham. After just a couple of minutes late on in the friendly win against Qatar in Dublin last week, Melia experienced his first transatlantic trip with the senior team as they eventually gave Jesse Marsch's Canada side a tough World Cup warm-up game in Montreal on Friday night.

Ireland struggled in the first half against their hosts and former Spurs forward Troy Parrott flicked a Canadian corner on and it hit Jake O'Brien and bounced in for an own goal. The visitors reorganised and improved in the second half and while Parrott's 59th minute penalty was saved, Chiedozie Ogbene nipped in ahead of him to ram home the rebound to level the match.

Melia made his entrance in the 70th minute and had a huge chance to win the friendly game 12 minutes later. As the Irish broke up the pitch, an Ogbene ball from the right fell perfectly to the teenager in the Canadian box after Niko Sigur made a mess of his clearance and completely missed it.

The Spurs youngster reacted quickly, controlling the ball with his right foot before hitting a low shot that the hosts' diving goalkeeper Max Crepeau did well to get a hand to and then gathered at the second attempt, leaving Melia with his hands on his head as his first senior international goal eluded him on this occasion.

"That’s just football. You get your chances and he got his because he’s a willing runner," said Hallgrimsson. "He went in behind and all of a sudden he was one on one with the keeper Sometimes you score. Sometimes you are the hero."

Melia, who joined Spurs in January from St Patrick's Athletic after the deal was agreed last year, had needed to overcome a back issue and a chest infection before finally getting to work at Tottenham in April for the club's U21s. Despite his age, he had played 98 senior games for St Pat's before arriving in north London, scoring 25 goals and providing eight assists, so he is well aware of the physicality of the men's game.

After his Irish debut last week the teenager was left buzzing by the sudden rise in his career.

"It was a surreal moment to come on, even though it was short but I had all my family there and it was a dream for me to make my debut, especially in the Aviva, so buzzing," Melia told RTE. "It shows there is a path if you prove what you can do on the pitch in League of Ireland, you're going to get your chance. There's a lot of LOI players in the squad at the moment. But yeah, there is a chance."

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Now Melia is aiming to impress Spurs boss De Zerbi this summer after getting involved in some of the Italian's training sessions last month.

"When I first went over, it was quite hard," he said. "They found a little niggle in my back, but I just had to get myself right, all the other stuff off the pitch right.

"But since I've been back fit, I've been feeling really good and obviously getting my call-up here, so something must be going well. But I'm enjoying it at the moment. I've been playing just to get my fitness back mainly. Scoring is always nice."

Now Melia must wait to see whether he remains with Spurs this season or gets sent out on loan to play more minutes to help his development.

"It's hard to say right now. I know they want me to come in, do my pre-season and pretty much go from there," he said. "But there isn't really a structural plan at the bottom for what my future is. I'm really open to anything. I just want to get playing.

"It's nice for De Zerbi to see that I've made my international debut, but I just want to make a good impression when I get back in pre-season."

Roberto De Zerbi has sealed his first summer signing at Tottenham but already has his second transfer of the window lined up

Tottenham Hotspur are already up and running in the summer transfer market after confirming the arrival of Andy Robertson. And in-keeping with the free agent theme, Spurs' next recruitment decision needs to be the signing of Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi after the defender confirmed he'll be leaving the Vitality Stadium.

One of the Premier League's stand-out central defenders in recent years, the recently turned 29-year-old is, in short, too bright an opportunity to pass up. Roberto De Zerbi's biggest priority by far this summer has to be tightening up a defence that shipped 57 Premier League goals this season and Senesi comes with too much upside to ignore.

Lionel Scaloni has, for some reason, decided to go without the Concordia-born star for his World Cup 2026 squad. That makes negotiations all the simpler from a Spurs perspective in that there need not be any delay in committing to talks with the player and his representatives.

That also comes with the added risk that if Tottenham don't move quickly and with intent, another suitor could swoop in. All the more reason to ensure he becomes the club's highest priority as their next recruit.

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Micky van de Ven's future remains up for discussion amid a swell of interest in his signature. That fear has been somewhat allayed after securing top-flight survival but there are other factors at play that force the need for additions at centre-back all the same.

Captain Cristian Romero continues to be linked with a move away from north London once the World Cup is over. There's also the Luka Vukskovic situation to consider after the youngster's marvellous campaign on loan at Hamburg, though he too is being touted for a big move away.

It remains to be seen whether Ben Davies will be offered a new short-term extension, though it's possible the Welsh defender leaves this summer. There are also doubts over whether Joao Palhinha will sign permanently from Bayern Munich and the Portugal star was a key defensive presence at the base of midfield.

Speaking to football.london recently, club legend Toby Alderweireld commented on the links to Senesi and Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke. He rated both deals highly, though Van Hecke comes with the not-so-slight complication that he's expected to cost in excess of £70million.

"They both know the Premier League. That's good, because I think Spurs now need stability," said the Belgian. "They need to know the players can perform every week, week in, week out. They perform on a good level. Of course, a transfer to a new club, it's always a bit different, but they know the Premier League and that's very important.

"Because next season, it's impossible that we go back to this [awful] period. So I think it's understanding they are looking for players who are proven in the Premier League. That's something they should do. They should have a little bit more security in that."

Alderweireld rightly went on to stress Spurs "don't have the time" to wait on transfers that may need time to adapt to the Premier League. Senesi has proved over the course of his four years in England that he's up to the task, and his free agent status mitigates any concern caused by the fact he's slightly older than Spurs may want in an ideal signing.

In the event Vuskovic is committed to trying his hand under De Zerbi, it would ease the defensive burden greatly. However, that appears a big 'if' amid rumours of interest from Bayern, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

In the meantime, it would be folly to ignore the opportunity presented by the free signing of Senesi. The South American would be an ideal replacement in the event compatriot Romero decides to leave but Spurs have to act now as a statement of intent to get back in the ring for top-six contention.

The former Tottenham Hotspur centre-back has been speaking to football.london about what is going on at the north London club this summer

If anyone knows a top centre-back or a star defender in the making, it's Toby Alderweireld.

During his career the polished Belgian won six league titles across three different countries, played at three World Cups, two European Championships, appeared in two Champions League finals and turned out 236 times in a Tottenham shirt. So when you want to know about Spurs centre-backs of the present and future, the 37-year-old from the recent past is the man you go to.

The Lilywhites' defence is set to undergo some major surgery this summer for new head coach Roberto De Zerbi. On Friday Spurs announced the free transfer of left-back Andy Robertson and Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi is expected to follow him through the door in north London.

Tottenham have also been in talks to sign another central defender in Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke. Senesi recently won the Cherries' player of the season award while Van Hecke earned that prize with the Seagulls at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

"They both know the Premier League. That's good, because I think Spurs now need stability," Alderweireld said in part one of his interview with football.london. "They need to know the players can perform every week, week in, week out. They perform on a good level. Of course, a transfer to a new club, it's always a bit different, but they know the Premier League and that's very important.

"Because next season, it's impossible that we go back to this [awful] period. So I think it's understanding they are looking for players who are proven in the Premier League. That's something they should do. They should have a little bit more security in that.

"I want players that the desire is there to improve. The best example is PSG. They had the biggest players. They won the French league, but never in the Champions League. They went back, sold their best players and went with people that have a fire in them.

"I can only speak from my own experience. We had people that wanted to improve - Harry Kane, Sonny, Eric Dier, Wanyama. There were players that want to improve and put the team as number one."

He added: "So you might say 'Spurs need to become better so we need to pay for big players'. We don't need big players. We need players with big hearts who can improve and that's something I really want to see. The team, the club, comes number one and that's very important.

"I think with, for example, those two (Senesi and Van Hecke), they're on the right direction to do the good transfers. To buy some players with a lot of potential from abroad, they need time and we don't have the time now. We need to be there very quick to be ready and to get directly into the new season with points.

"Directly is not top three again. I understand that's not easy, but it's not like two points or something from [the first] five games. Then you get in the same thing as last season."

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The knock-on effect of Spurs potentially signing both Senesi and Van Hecke is that there would be no room for the club's rising star Luka Vuskovic. The 19-year-old centre-back is yet to play a competitive game for Tottenham but has had a season to remember on loan at Hamburg where he was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.

The Croatian teenager, who will play at the World Cup this summer, has clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich circling him and his value has shot up to become a £50million or £60million player, depending on who you ask.

Alderweireld came up against Vuskovic before he hung up his boots in Antwerp and he believes a certain former Spurs manager would have given the youngster a chance.

"I played against him in Belgium. He played for Westerlo. He was, of course, a very good defender. He was very aggressive in the opposite box with corners. So he's got a good header and he has a nose for goals," said the Belgian. "Is he ready? I think if you have a manager like Pochettino, for example, he gives players a chance. It's possible.

"But then you need someone next to him. For example, I was at Antwerp and I played with Willian Pacho. Before I was there, he didn't play one minute, but then I played with him and now he has won the Champions League two times. Not because of me, but I mean, you need someone who's there and he can count on, because if you put all the pressure on him, it's going to be difficult.

"But if you're someone who's a leader, a leader not only with talking, then why not? Why not give him a chance? He proved in Belgium he was good. In the Bundesliga, he was good."

On the alternative of sending the young defender out again, Alderweireld said: "You can loan him again. He's very young, so he has time, but the thing is, you have to have someone next to him who is there all the time and not this guy and this guy.

"He needs to be together [with a regular partner] because he has to improve, he has to improve by himself, but as well, you're a team. At centre-back, I think Jan [Vertonghen] and me are the best example. We were one team and that's very important.

"Even, maybe I don't want to talk about it, but the quality of Arsenal at centre-back. Those two, they play together all the time, and they play good together. They know he's doing this and he's doing that. That's the quality of him and the quality of him and they play together.

"That's something, at Spurs, we need to get as quickly as possible to get a good partnership as centre-backs."

Tottenham's current leader at the back is Cristian Romero but the Argentine has been tipped to depart this summer after the World Cup. De Zerbi was unable to confirm at the end of the season that the club's captain would be part of his plans for the future.

Alderweireld knows what is required in the Tottenham defence, as part of the backline under Mauricio Pochettino that conceded fewer goals than any other Premier League clubs for a couple of seasons in a row. In Romero, he sees a world class defender on his day but one who he believes is not always there in the difficult moments because of his decision-making.

"He's an unbelievable player. Very aggressive. When he's on his level he can beat any striker," said the Belgian. "But on the other hand, as a centre-back, you need to see not only yourself, but you need to help the team, you know? And some moments with the red cards, moments that he's injured - injury is not always, of course, your own fault - but especially the red cards and moments.

"The moment at Old Trafford, 29 minutes in and you get a red card, this is not possible, you understand? There's a red card, if he's the last man and he wants to try to tackle ok, but with a 50-50 challenge, then I think 'wow, you don't help the team in the situation they're in' and then I get a little bit of my doubts.

"Because if he can get all that anger sometimes in the right moments with his head, I think he's one of the best centre-backs in the world. But sometimes those things, it doesn't help the team. Especially in difficult moments, real leaders, they get to the level of thinking 'now we're going to help the team'.

"And sometimes we missed him. That says a lot, because he's an unbelievable player, that's why we miss him. But he wasn't always there when the club needed him."

Thomas Frank has opened up on his Tottenham exit and made a decision on his next job amid rumours linking him with a return to a Premier League club this summer

Former Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has confirmed he will not return to management this summer - and has a new job lined up in the meantime.

Frank was sacked by Spurs back in mid-February, despite only being appointed last June. The Dane, who previously spent five years at Brentford, has been linked with a number of jobs since leaving the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He has been placed on Crystal Palace's shortlist to replace Oliver Glasner and has been tipped to succeed Marco Silva at Fulham. But now, Frank has revealed he won't be stepping back into the dugout before the start of next season, instead taking a break, spending time with family and friends, as well as working at the World Cup.

Frank will be working for the BBC during the tournament and will also appear on television in his native Denmark.

"I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has reached out over the past few months," Frank said in a statement released on Friday afternoon. "Your support and encouragement have been greatly appreciated.

"Leaving Tottenham has given me the chance to step back and reflect on my journey so far. Football management is a profession that demands complete commitment every single day, and periods like this are a rare opportunity to assess, learn and gain a fresh perspective.

"From the outside, it may have looked like a time of many challenges at Tottenham when results were not what we wanted. From within, however, it becomes clear why the club is so special - full of talented people who work tirelessly every day. I have no doubt Tottenham has a bright future.

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"Football remains a huge part of who I am, and I have chosen to use this time productively. Over the coming months, besides spending time with family and friends, I will continue studying, observing and learning from other leaders both within sport and beyond it.

"I am also looking forward to covering the World Cup for Danish television and the BBC, as well as experiencing the Tour de France. Time away from the touchline is allowing me to broaden my perspective and gather insights that I look forward to bringing into my next challenge.

"There have been conversations and opportunities since leaving Spurs, but I have decided not to rush into the next role. For me, this summer is not the right time to go back into management.

"When the time is right, I will look forward to my return as a manager, ready to embrace the job with great energy and dedication."