Football FanCast

If, and it's looking more and more like it's a big if, Ange Postecoglou is still manager of Tottenham Hotspur at the end of this season, he'll need a monumental summer to set the club on the right path.

To ensure the North Londoners don't finish in the bottom half of the Premier League, the Australian will need to overhaul large parts of the squad, from the attack to the defence.

Fortunately, Daniel Levy and Co do seem set on signing some exciting players when the window opens, with one of the most significant links in recent weeks being to Bournemouth's incredible Dean Huijsen, who has a £50m release clause in his current deal.

However, if the Spaniard does make his way to N5 in the coming months, he'll have to hit the ground running to see his valuation even match one of his new teammates.

Why Spurs want Huijsen

There are really two reasons why Spurs want to sign Huijsen this summer, and the first is fairly obvious: he's an exceptionally talented defender.

Despite being just 19 years old, the former Juventus gem has made 30 first-team appearances for the Cherries this term, scoring two goals, providing one assist, and averaging 1.63 points per game, which is undeniably impressive.

Moreover, according to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues for interceptions, the top 2% for non-penalty expected goals plus assists, the top 5% for key passes, the top 9% for progressive carries and more, all per 90.

However, on top of his impressive performances and statistics, one of the other key reasons why Tottenham may be so keen to sign the Amsterdam-born prospect is that with each passing week, it seems more and more likely that Cristian Romero will be leaving the team in the summer.

At first, there were links to Real Madrid, and now, in the last month or so, the links to Atlético Madrid have become stronger and stronger, with some reports suggesting talks have already taken place between the player and Diego Simeone.

So, if the World Cup winner does leave, the North Londoners will need another starting centre-back, although Huijsen would have to be imperious from the word go to match the valuation of his potential new partner.

The Spurs star worth millions more than Huijsen

Now, while there are a few other centre-backs in Spurs squad, like Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin, it will likely come as no surprise that the defender in question is Micky van de Ven.

The Flying Dutchman joined the North Londoners from VfL Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023 for a fee of around £43m, but according to the CIES Football Observatory, is now worth €70.4m, which converts to about £60m, or £10m more than Huijsen's release clause.

This is a rather substantial rise in valuation, but it would be hard to deny that it's not justified, as when the 23-year-old international is fit and available, he's undoubtedly one of Spurs' best and most important players.

The Wormer-born titan has a brilliant sense of danger and where he needs to be on the pitch, but perhaps even more important than that, he is unbelievably rapid.

It was in a game against Brentford last season that he set a new Premier League record for the fastest sprint, clocking in at an incredible 37.38 km/h, and it's this outstanding speed which helps him snuff out so many counter-attacks before they have the chance of developing into something more substantial.

Finally, the "complete & dominant" centre-back, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is also able to contribute at the sharp end of the pitch and currently has a tally of three goals and two assists in 45 games for the Lilywhites.

Ultimately, Spurs should sign Huijsen if they can, but in Van de Ven, they already have a defender who could go on to be a true superstar.

When people think of Tottenham Hotspur's modern greats, there are a few names that always pop up, and understandably so.

The first will almost certainly be Harry Kane, followed by Gareth Bale and then perhaps Son Heung-min or Luka Modrić, but one player who doesn't get enough recognition from outside the fanbase is Christian Eriksen.

The Dane may be in the twilight of his career at Manchester United today, but for the six and a half years he spent in North London, he was one of the most exciting attacking midfielders in the Premier League.

So, fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club to one of the most exciting midfielders on the continent, who could not only be their new Eriksen but also a dream upgrade on the inconsistent James Maddison.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

With how poorly this season has gone for Spurs, the summer has to be a big one in terms of recruitment, and based on the last few weeks of reports, it certainly seems like it will, with Dean Huijsen being one of the latest stars touted for a move to N5.

The Bournemouth star supposedly has a release clause worth £50m in his contract, and while that seems like a lot of money for a teenager, he's already a regular starter for an upwardly mobile Premier League side and now has two senior caps for the Spanish national team.

Further up the pitch, the North Londoners are also reportedly keen on signing Sunderland's incredibly exciting Jobe Bellingham.

The younger brother of Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham would be available for around £20m, and considering he's been compared to a young Dele Alli and has already amassed a tally of seven-goal involvements in 36 games this season, that could prove value for money in the long term.

However, Daniel Levy and Co will also be after a midfielder who'd be able to hit the ground running and make an instant impact next season, which helps explain their interest in Oihan Sancet.

According to recent reports from Spain, the Lilywhites are one of three Premier League sides keen on signing the Athletic Bilbao star, alongside Liverpool and Aston Villa.

Unfortunately, on top of having to contend with the competition, the North Londoners would have to stump up some serious cash to get their man, as he has a release clause in his current contract worth around €80m, which converts to about £69m.

It would be an incredibly costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but as he could be a dream Maddison upgrade and Spurs' first genuinely great attacking midfielder since Eriksen, it's one worth fighting for.

How Sancet compares to Maddison & Eriksen

So, before we get into the comparison between Sancet and Maddison, what makes the latter capable of being Tottenham's next Eriksen?

Well, the first thing to say is that since the Dane left in January 2020, the North Londoners haven't really replaced him, as even though the former Leicester City star has impressed here and there, he, nor has anyone else, been able to produce the consistent performances that the former Lilywhites star did.

This is where the Bilbao star could come in, as, since the start of the 22/23 campaign, he has scored 32 goals and provided 11 assists in 108 appearances, totalling just 7197 minutes, meaning he's averaged a goal involvement every 2.51 games or every 167.37 minutes, primarily from attacking midfield.

Moreover, he also scored in the final of the Copa del Rey last season, a trophy the Basque side last won in the 1983/84 season, so it would be fair to say that he has the track record and CV to be viewed as a player capable of carrying on the mantle last held by Eriksen.

With that said, how does he stack up against the player he could replace in Ange Postecoglou's midfield?

Well, when looking at their raw output from this season, it appears as if the Englishman comes out on top, as he's managed to rack up a haul of 11 goals and nine assists to the Spaniard's 16 goals and three assists, but when you take a look at how much they've played this season, the picture changes.

The Coventry-born star has made 42 appearances, totalling 2562 minutes, meaning he's averaged a goal involvement every 2.1 games, or every 128.1 minutes, which is still impressive but pale in comparison to the Bilbao ace.

For example, the "box-crashing" game-changer, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has made 29 appearances, totalling 1782 minutes this season, meaning he's averaging a goal involvement every 1.52 games or every 93.78 minutes, which might be verging on world-class territory.

Ultimately, while Maddison is a useful player to have in the squad, he's not been able to reach the heady height that Eriksen did in his pomp at Spurs, whereas Sancet is currently showing that he very much could.

So, Levy and Co should do all they can to sign the Spanish maestro this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou's future appears more and more likely to be away from north London, and his potential exit could have a knock-on effect when it comes to Spurs keeping a "top-class" player this summer.

Ange Postecoglou faces Tottenham sack regardless of Europa League

Last week, Postecoglou conceded that the general sentiment around his position was that he could be sacked regardless of how the Lilywhites perform in Europe.

This remains the case, especially after Spurs' seventeenth Premier League defeat of the campaign against Wolves, with journalist John Cross of The Mirror reporting of a "growing belief" that Postecoglou may well be fired even if they win the Europa League.

Supporters will be very keen to put this season behind them following a 2024/2025 of historic lows, and there is a serious lack of confidence in Postecoglou being the right man to take them forward, regardless of the Australian's misfortune with injuries.

In terms of Tottenham's managerial targets to replace Postecoglou, it is believed Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, Fulham's Marco Silva, Brentford's Thomas Frank, Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner and Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi are all admired.

Spurs' managerial situation also appears set to play a key role in keeping their best players at the club this summer, as well as attracting key transfer targets.

Defender Cristian Romero is rumoured to be pushing for an exit from Tottenham, amid interest from La Liga heavyweights Atlético and Real Madrid, while striker Richarlison is another who's repeatedly been linked with a departure.

The Brazil international has been unable to showcase his best this campaign due to consistent injury problems, but did score against Wolves over the weekend and has impressed in flashes under Postecoglou when given the chance.

As well as Romero, it has been claimed that Richarlison is also keen on leaving Tottenham (Football Insider), and South American journalist Jorge Nicola reported earlier this month that the £60 million forward is a target for the likes of Palmeiras, Fluminense and Flamengo - even if the cost of an operation makes their moves for him unlikely.

Now, journalist Graeme Bailey has shared an interesting update on his future.

Richarlison could decide to stay at Tottenham if Postecoglou is sacked

Writing for The Boot Room, Bailey reports that Richarlison could decide to stay at Tottenham if Postecoglou is sacked, due to the prospect of a new manager potentially being keen to work with him.

However, while the 27-year-old threatens to perform a full U-turn over leaving N17, Spurs' stance is that they'd like to find a permanent buyer amid interest from the Saudi Pro League.

While Richarlison's suffered from a lack of availability when he has played, the former Everton star's notched an impressive 16 goals and five assists over the last two seasons under Postecoglou - so there can be no complaints about his return in the final third.

Another frontrunner to replace Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham is now "emerging", after news today that Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is more likely to remain at the Vitality Stadium next season.

Tottenham dealt blow with Andoni Iraola stance revealed

As per The Telegraph and reliable journalist Mike McGrath, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has already been dealt a blow in his pursuit of a possible heir to Postecoglou, as top target Iraola is weighing more towards committing his future on the south coast.

The 42-year-old has guided Bournemouth to an unprecedented campaign where the prospect of European football is very much alive, and this subsequently attracted attention from Tottenham amid their worst ever Premier League season to date.

Spurs remain in the Europa League as Postecoglou seeks to end their 17-year wait for a major trophy, but some reports suggest that the Australian could be sacked regardless of whether he wins the competition (John Cross).

The Lilywhites are on the look-out for managerial replacements, and Iraola is believed to be Tottenham's leading candidate for the job. However, the Spaniard is now more inclined to stay at Bournemouth for 2025/2026, with Levy looking set to be disappointed as things stand.

There are alternative names in the frame, including Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, Brentford's Thomas Frank, Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi, ex-Juve manager Thiago Motta and Fulham's Marco Silva, who've all been linked in the last fortnight.

The latter, similarly to Iraola, has guided his team to unlikely contention for a European qualification spot - picking up very impressive results along the way despite working with a shoe-string budget compared to the big six.

Fabrizio Romano backs Silva as one of the most concrete names for the Spurs job, with talkSPORT's Alex Crook sharing an update of his own this afternoon.

Marco Silva "emerging as a frontrunner" for Tottenham job

According to the reporter, Silva is now "emerging as a frontrunner" for the Tottenham job, following news of Iraola preferring to remain at Bournemouth and the Cherries hopeful they can agree a new deal.

The £4 million-per-year boss is set to be a man in demand this summer, according to Crook, and it is believed Fulham now face a battle on their hands to keep the tactician after yet another noteworthy campaign in west London.

The Whites would ideally like to tie him down with another deal, but Silva isn't exactly rushing to agree a new contract. His current terms include an £8 million release clause, which could render Fulham powerless if Levy decides to trigger it and open talks with Silva.

The 42-year-old's reputation is growing stronger by the year, and perhaps it is time for Spurs to grant him a big move.

"He is a master,” said Evandro, Silva's former striker at Hull City, to Premier League Brasil. “I like to put Marco Silva on the same level as Sampaoli, because he has a management model that I also look up to. Marco Silva has an excellent way of managing the group and his greatest characteristic is being rational and not emotional.

“I believe that in this role as a coach, if you let emotions take over, things get lost easily, because in football you have to deal with fans and the press.”

Fabrizio Romano has shared an update on Tottenham Hotspur and their managerial search, following another blow for Ange Postecoglou in the form of Spurs' seventeenth Premier League defeat of the campaign against Wolves.

A series of calamitous goals, thanks to errors from key players, cemented yet another Spurs loss in the top flight on Sunday, with Wolves running out 4-2 winners against the Lilywhites on another lacklustre afternoon for Postecoglou.

You couldn't have asked for worse preparation ahead of Tottenham's vital Europa League quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, a must-win game for Postecoglou after their 1-1 draw with the Bundesliga side last week.

Rayan Ait-Nouri, Djed Spence's own goal, Jorgen Strand Larsen's strike and a Matheus Cunha finish compounded a miserable day at Molineux for the north Londoners. Mathys Tel and Richarlison made the scoreline less embarrassing with consolation goals in their 4-2 defeat, but Postecoglou did his best to back the players following a series of high-profile errors.

"Obviously a disappointing result," said Postecoglou after Tottenham's defeat at Wolves.

"Funny game, because for the most part, I thought our football was decent considering all the changes we've made. For the most part we controlled large parts of it, were a threat going forward and didn't give them too much. But then obviously we conceded some pretty poor goals and that made it awfully difficult to get an outcome today.

"It's not like the players are doing it on purpose, so you have an understanding that that's the unfortunate things that sometimes happen in a game of football. Probably be more frustrated if it was something that we did from a tactical perspective or organisational perspective, but they're individual errors, you know, the players don't mean to do it and, especially Lucas and Romero, I mean they're two fantastic footballers and what's important now for both of them is that they recover and we focus on the next game."

In the background, chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly contemplating the sacking of Postecoglou, with Spurs on course for their worst-ever Premier League season.

Tottenham stance on appointing Thiago Motta to replace Ange Postecoglou

According to recent reports, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is Tottenham's top managerial target after his very impressive campaign in the Cherries dugout, while both Thomas Frank (Brentford) and Marco Silva (Fulham) are also on their radar (The Athletic).

There's also been recent murmurs of a potential Spurs move for Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, as well as former Juventus head coach Thiago Motta, who was recently sacked by the Serie A heavyweights.

The Italian failed to mount a successful title challenge, or show any signs of promise in terms of winning major silverware, prompting Juve to ruthlessly hand Motta his P45.

The 42-year-old is now without a club, and is currently linked with a move to N17, but Romano has since told GiveMeSport that Tottenham have no plans to appoint Motta as things stand.

"I’m still hearing about Iraola and Silva as two concrete options," said Romano.

"For Motta, no contacts at this stage."

Despite his failed stint at Juve, Motta did attract praise as a tactician during his time in Turin.

"Thiago is unique and unrepeatable: he is not at Juve, Juve is at him," said journalist Ivan Zazzaroni.

"Inside the notebook that he always carries with him and shows during press conferences, also to note down the questions and their authors, there must be a world of ideas that he scrupulously hides from the eyes of the laymen. Motta is undoubtedly the most stimulating and original coach in the championship."

Tottenham Hotspur slipped to their 17th defeat in the Premier League this season when they were beaten 4-2 by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou's side were well beaten by the Old Gold, who moved to within two points of Spurs, and they remain sat in 15th place in the top-flight.

There was a small positive to come out of the match, though, as Brennan Johnson continued his recent form with an assist for Mathys Tel's strike.

Why Spurs need more from Brennan Johnson

The Wales international has now produced two goals and one assist in his last two Premier League matches, but that comes off the back of two goals and zero assists in his previous nine games in all competitions.

Inconsistency is the word. Spurs need consistency from their forward players if they want more success as a team moving forward, which is why they need Johnson to improve his output on a week-to-week basis.

The former Nottingham Forest forward, who has provided 11 goals and three assists in the league, has not been reliable on a consistent basis, instead delivering goals and assists in purple patches.

Whilst Postecoglou and his team will look to work with Johnson to improve the consistency of his output on the wing, Spurs could have an upgrade on the Welsh attacker brewing in the form of Min-hyeok Yang.

Why Yang could be a future Johnson upgrade

The 18-year-old winger was sent out on loan to Championship side Queens Park Rangers in January and has already shown glimpses of his quality at that level, despite his age and inexperience.

Yang, who talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed could be "something special", has started six of his 12 appearances in the second tier for QPR and contributed with two goals and one assist so far.

As you can see in the table above, the teenage wizard is unfortunate to only have one assist to his name because he has created three 'big chances' for his teammates, and they have only taken one of them.

Johnson, meanwhile, has only created four 'big chances' in 29 appearances in the Premier League this season, which suggests that he has struggled to consistently create high-quality opportunities for his fellow attackers.

This suggests that Yang, who also scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 38 games for Gangwon in K League 1 in 2024, is a forward who has the potential to offer more creativity than Johnson.

His goal return for Gangwon last year, and his two goals in six starts for QPR, also suggest that he could provide a decent goal threat from a wide position as well, just as the Welsh ace does.

Yang is five years younger than Johnson and, therefore, has more time ahead of him to develop and improve as a player before making his breakthrough in the first-team with Spurs.

Tottenham should aim to send the teenage starlet out on loan, whether that is back to the Championship or to a top-flight side in Europe, to continue his development in the 2025/26 campaign.

Hopefully, Yang will be able to play week-in-week-out to hone his goalscoring and creative talents to eventually emerge as an upgrade on Johnson, based on the potential he has already shown in his short career to date.

As the Premier League season enters the final stage, Manchester City are already starting to prepare for the summer transfer window and are now willing to make a £60 million offer to sign a “magician” for Pep Guardiola, according to a recent report.

Man City eye new midfielder to possibly replace Bernardo Silva

Given how busy the Blues were during the January transfer window, it is expected to be even busier at the Etihad this summer, as the club looks to potentially move players on and bring in new, young, and hungrier replacements.

Over the weekend it was reported that Portuguese giants Benfica are interested in a move to sign Bernardo Silva from City. It is claimed that Silva is willing to take a pay cut on his current wage to secure a move to his homeland and to return to his boyhood club. His exit could be granted by Guardiola and the City chiefs, as his contract expires at the end of next season, and the Blues seemingly have their eyes on both a future successor and an immediate replacement.

According to The Star, City have seen an offer rejected for Sheffield Wednesday’s Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri. The attacker is only 15 years old, but the Blues see him as a player who has a bright future in the game, and the Premier League champions are willing to spend a seven-figure deal on him to secure a transfer. He may not be ready-made for the Premier League, but he could be seen as a long-term replacement for Silva.

Man City prepared to offer £60m to sign “magician”

If Silva does leave the Etihad, the Blues have their eyes on finding a more ready-made replacement as well. According to a report from Spain, Man City have made Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison one of their transfer targets ahead of this summer.

The report states that the Blues are looking ahead to the future, and Maddison’s excellent campaign for Spurs hasn’t gone unnoticed by Guardiola. So much so, that City are now willing to offer £60 million to secure the Englishman’s signature. Maddison isn’t seen as a player who can just become a squad player; in fact, they see him as the perfect replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, who is leaving City at the end of the campaign.

Maddison, who has been dubbed a “magician” by Statman Dave in the past, is seen as the perfect player for Guardiola’s system, and the City boss hasn’t hidden his admiration for the player, calling him “quality” this season.

“Of course, the quality of Kulusevski and Maddison was good.”

Maddison has netted nine goals and recorded six assists in 30 league games this season, and that has been achieved in an underperforming Tottenham side. The 28-year-old is a key player for Spurs and Ange Postecoglou and is under contract until 2028, but they will consider a possible sale should they receive an offer of £60 million.

Tottenham Hotspur have contacted the representatives of a managerial target, and he's now thought to be stalling talks over a new contract at his current club.

Tottenham's shortlist of targets to replace Ange Postecoglou

While the consensus is that an historic campaign in the Europa League could save Ange Postecoglou, starting with their all-important quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt, there are those who believe the Australian could be gone regardless.

Following a lowly Premier League campaign where Spurs lie 14th in the table, recording 16 defeats, Postecoglou's tenure has been described as "irreparable", and the Australian is fully aware of this narrative.

"I don't think you're going to win that argument of convincing people, well I think [someone] wrote that even if we win it, I'm gone anyway," said Postecoglou on his future in a pre-match press conference before their tie with Eintracht.

"We've been through a really tough time, but we're still in a position where we can make an impact, and you don't know how often you get those opportunities."

If the Lilywhites do opt to part company with Postecoglou, Tottenham have their shortlist of ideal candidates.

According to The Athletic, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, Fulham's Marco Silva and Brentford's Thomas Frank all feature highly in the club's thinking, while the reliable Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi has admirers within Spurs.'

More potential candidates are emerging as we approach the end of the campaign, and one of them is believed to be Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner.

The Austrian is attracting rumoured interest from north London, following an impressive 2024/2025 at Selhurst Park where he's even guided Palace to an FA Cup semi-final spot at Wembley.

Tottenham started to become linked with Glasner last week, with Sport Bild reporting in the last few days that contact has now been made for the 50-year-old.

Now, as per The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, another update has come to light on their interest in Glasner.

According to their information, Glasner is stalling talks over a new contract at Palace, and Spurs have indeed reached out to the tactician's representatives to express their interest in appointing him.

Glasner is believed to be fully aware of Tottenham's approach, and he's postponing new deal talks until he gets more clarity on Steve Parish's long-term plans for the club.

The £4.5 million-per-year Palace boss has enjoyed a stellar 2025, with only Premier League title frontrunners Liverpool taking more points this calendar year than the south Londoners, so his job is rightfully turning heads across the English capital.

"He’s very structured, very well organised, meticulous, observes the opposition very closely and prepares the team very well for them,” said former Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovač to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, during Glasner's tenure at Eintracht.

“He doesn’t just let Eintracht run their boots off. He adjusts tactics, tries to simulate the opponent during the week in training. Oliver has transferred his ideas of football well to his team because he works methodically, because there’s no chopping and changing.”

Away from their terrible form this season, there is something exciting happening at Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou might not be in the hot seat for much longer, but he has helped bring in some tremendously promising youngsters who could be the club's future, like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and Wilson Odobert.

It's the first time in a long time that the North Londoners have had such an exciting crop of prospects, and so long as they keep developing, there is no telling how good they'll be.

Moreover, Daniel Levy and Co appear to want to sign more up-and-coming stars, with reports linking the club with someone who's previously won comparisons to Dele Alli.

Tottenham Transfer news

Alongside adding more young talent to the squad, Tottenham also seem keen to sign some first-team quality players, with Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo on their list.

The Cherries ace is supposedly available for around £43m, which might prove to be good value, as not only is he capable of playing in multiple positions, but has also racked up a tally of nine goals and six assists in 35 games this season.

Another star who'd be able to slot into the first team right away is Eberechi Eze, who remains a target for the North Londoners and would be gettable for £60m.

So far this season, the England international has scored six goals and provided 11 assists in 33 games for Crystal Palace.

However, the latest player to be touted for a move to N17 could be the most exciting and possesses the most potential of the lot: Jobe Bellingham.

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Spurs are one of several top sides keen on signing the Sunderland star this summer, alongside Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.

The report does not mention how much the teenager might cost, but stories from last month revealed he could be available for around £20m.

It would be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Bellingham's ability and sky-high potential, one well worth pursuing, especially as he's been compared to Dele.

How Bellingham compares to Dele

So before we get into some of the other reasons why signing Bellingham would be a good idea, it's worth examining this comparison to Dele and where it came from.

In this instance, it stems from former professional Adrian Clarke, who described the Englishman as possessing a "Dele Alli-style" in the way he plays, in that he often ghosts "in from that box-to-box role."

Moreover, across his short career so far, the Sunderland gem has shown an impressive ability to play in several positions, like defensive, central and attacking midfield, and he's even made a few appearances up top and out wide as well.

Likewise, while in North London, the former Spurs superstar could play almost anywhere on the pitch, from attacking midfield to second striker and, on occasion, as a deep-lying playmaker.

On top of their stylistic and positional similarities, the Black Cats' "freak of nature," as dubbed by teammate Dan Neil, would be another youngster with incredible potential moving from a lower league team to the Lilywhites, as the former MK Dons gem did back in 2015.

With all that said, and away from the comparisons, one of the reasons the North Londoners should look to sign the former Birmingham City prospect is that his underlying numbers are seriously impressive for someone so young.

According to FBref, the 19-year-old sits in the top 1% of midfielders in the Championship for long pass completion, the top 9% for passes blocked, the top 11% for goal-creating actions from take-ons and aerial duels won, the top 12% for ball recoveries and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while it might seem like a lot to spend on a teenager from the Championship, Bellingham would be worth it, and if he can make good on the comparisons to Dele, £20m will be a steal.

Tottenham Hotspur have initiated contact over potentially appointing an "exciting" and "attacking" manager to replace Ange Postecoglou, with speculation continuing to mount in regard to the Spurs boss' long-term future.

Ange Postecoglou makes admission over Spurs job

The 59-year-old is said to be facing a last chance to maintain his position in the dugout for next season, following a lacklustre Premier League campaign where Spurs find themselves 14th in the league after 16 top-flight defeats in total.

Fabrizio Romano and other reliable media outlets report that the Europa League will be crucial in saving Postecoglou's job at Spurs, and failure to perform in the competition will more than likely result in a change of manager.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is also believed to be Tottenham's top managerial target if they decide to go in a different direction to the ex-Celtic gaffer, while Fulham's Marco Silva, Inter Milan's Simone Inzaghi and Brentford's Thomas Frank have all been linked in the last fortnight.

Speaking in a pre-match press conference ahead of the Lilywhites' crucial Europa League quarter-final clash with Eintracht Frankfurt, Postecoglou admitted he's aware of some sentiments that he could be sacked regardless of their European campaign.

"I came to this club with a clear purpose of rejuvenating a squad that was coming to the end of a cycle," said Postecoglou on his future.

"I just think we're in that position that the good stuff we may do is going to be turned into a glass half full rhetoric and from that perspective I don't think that can be a driver in what we want to do. The lads are really keen to bring success to the club.

"I don't think you're going to win that argument of convincing people, well I think [someone] wrote that even if we win it, I'm gone anyway.

"That's not having a go at you, that's just saying the general sentiment of people."

Tottenham are also reportedly interested in Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, who's just guided the Eagles to an FA Cup semi-final and has impressed with the job he's done at Selhurst Park.

Last week, it was claimed that Tottenham are real admirers of Glasner, who Red Bull's head of Global Soccer, Jurgen Klopp, really likes and is targeting for RB Leipzig.

Now, Sport Bild have another update on the Austrian and Spurs' interest.

It is believed Tottenham have made contact for Glasner, and they're seen as serious threats to Leipzig's prospects of hiring the 50-year-old, considering they can tempt the Austrian with a higher wage packet.

With an approach apparently made, supporters will be intrigued to see Palace chairman Steve Parish's glowing endorsement of Glasner, who lavished the head coach with praise following his appointment last year.

"He has an outstanding record, and we believe he is the right manager to take the club forward at this pivotal stage," said Parish last season.

"Wherever Oliver has gone so far in his managerial journey, success has been quick to follow, and we believe his ambition, as well as his exciting and attacking approach is the perfect fit for getting the most from our talented young squad in the remainder of this Premier League season and beyond."

Taking this into account, and his solid managerial candidate, he could be a strong outside candidate to rival the likes of Iraola and Silva.