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Chelsea agreed personal terms with Mohammed Kudus before he decided to join Tottenham, according to reports. Last month, the former West Ham winger moved to north London in a deal worth around £55million. He has enjoyed a great start to life at his new club, registering two assists in their victory over Burnley on the weekend.

Things nearly ended up very differently, though, with Kudus fielding interest from several clubs before committing to Tottenham. Newcastle were linked with the 25-year-old but a move to St James' Park never materialised. He was also keenly admired by Chelsea, who reportedly firmed up their interest with a player-plus-cash offer.

They offered Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in addition to a proposed £20m fee in exchange for Kudus, according to The Sun. It is claimed that Chelsea valued Dewsbury-Hall at around £30m, bringing the total value of the package up to £50m.

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West Ham, however, thought the midfielder was only worth £20m and rejected Chelsea's ambitious offer. Dewsbury-Hall has since joined Everton with the Toffees reportedly paying around £28m for his signature.

The report adds that Kudus agreed personal terms with Chelsea, having been placed high on their shortlist of targets. Before the Blues could submit a renewed offer, Tottenham jumped in with a £55m bid which was accepted by West Ham.

Hammers vice-chairman Karren Brady aimed a thinly-veiled dig at Kudus on Monday morning, insisting that he was sold after failing to meet expectations last season.

Appearing on talkSPORT, she said: "It’s always difficult to lose players you want to keep, but the financial restraints and the PSR and all the rules and regulations in football mean you have to do some trading, that’s just the way it is.

"All clubs are having to do it. You’re either restricted on what you can buy because you have to be careful of the financial rules, or you have to sell to try and buy.

"That was the decision that was made. He [Kudus] didn’t have a particularly good season for West Ham last year by his own standards, so we looked to move on."

Speaking after his move to Tottenham was confirmed, Kudus said: "I've always wanted to play at the highest level. I know how big the club is, the history and the Champions League as well, so it’s a big moment for me.

"I'm finally here, I’m very happy and can't wait to start. The most important part of why I came here is the project and how the manager sees I can develop under him.

"Where he's come from and seeing the amount of talent he’s developed to become great players, it’s a big sign of why I wanted to work under him as well."

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Crystal Palace have made a £26million bid for Club Brugge forward Christos Tzolis, according to reports. The south London club and Tottenham Hotspur are discussing a deal for Eberechi Eze, with Palace now pursuing replacements.

Eze seemed to wave Palace fans goodbye at Stamford Bridge on Sunday after being substituted during their 0-0 draw against Chelsea. Spurs want to sign the playmaker as a replacement for the injured James Maddison.

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Palace had a release clause in Eze's contract for much of this summer transfer window, but that expired last week when the Premier League season kicked off. However, they appear to be bracing themselves for his departure.

According to The Telegraph football reporter Mike McGrath, Palace have tabled a £26million offer for Tzolis, although Brugge reportedly value their forward closer to £35million. McGrath suggests that the Greece international is one of the players they are considering, linking this to Tottenham's attempts to sign Eze.

The Athletic football correspondent David Ornstein reported on Sunday that Palace already had a bid turned down, but did not reveal any fee. However, he stated that they plan to come back with a better offer while acknowledging that the club are in discussions with Tzolis' representatives, who is emerging as a serious contender.

Bilal El Khannouss appears to be another target for Palace. They have reportedly contacted Leicester City about the possibility of a move for the Morocco international.

The Athletic, however, concedes that the conditions of a departure are intricate, with no assurances that the 21-year-old will depart. That is despite the midfielder reportedly being receptive to such a move.

Leicester shelled out approximately £20million to Genk, Brugge's rivals, for El Khannouss last summer, so they would presumably want to recoup their investment at the very least. Any fee Palace garner for Eze could essentially fund both of these transfers.

Arsenal star Ethan Nwaneri will be under pressure to deliver at the Emirates Stadium this season after the Gunners opted not to pursue a transfer for Eberechi Eze. The 18-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season in north London last time around and penned a new contract in the summer.

Arsenal had been strongly linked with Eze ahead of the new campaign and were said to be considering a swap deal to get him to the club last month. Gunners transfer chief Andrea Berta reportedly held talks with the winger’s representatives, with Eze believed to be keen on a move to the Emirates. But they never followed up to get a deal over the line, and Tottenham are now close to signing him instead.

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According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal ultimately chose not to pursue Eze as they were quite happy with their situation.

And Nwaneri’s contract extension was an important factor in determining the Gunners’ sentiments around Eze, with the Arsenal man previously linked with a move to Chelsea.

Nwaneri featured 37 times for the Gunners in all competitions last season and contributed nine goals and two assists. He was named in the starting line-up in 11 Premier League matches and also found the back of the net during his two Champions League starts.

The teenager went on to star for England at the European Under-21 Championship in the summer as his country won the title, so he clearly has a big future at the top of the game.

If Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta avoided signing Eze because of Nwaneri, then the youngster is clearly held in high regard in the capital.

But he will need to produce the goods when given the opportunity to shine as Arsenal would have welcomed a proven Premier League gem if Eze had joined the club.

Nwaneri is unlikely to be given a starting spot immediately this season, with Arteta having a plethora of talented attackers to choose from. But the young player should get plenty of game time throughout the campaign and is more than capable of playing a big role in any success his team enjoy.

“Signing this contract means everything to me,” Nwaneri told the Arsenal website after putting pen-to-paper on his new long-term contract.

“I see this as my first real season in men’s senior football, as part of the squad in the changing room.

“I'm so excited for what I can bring to the team, I want to help us win as much as possible and bring happiness and glory to the club. This is where I feel at home.”

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner said Eberechi Eze will play for as long as he remains at the club and urged fans not to believe "rumours" the England international is about to be sold.

Amid reports of an imminent move, Eze was a surprise inclusion as Palace began their Premier League campaign with a goalless draw against a lacklustre Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

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He looked to have delivered a potential parting gift to supporters with a brilliant first-half free-kick before VAR intervened controversially to disallow the goal.

Referee Darren England initially allowed Eze's bullet finish after 15 minutes to stand, but a rarely-invoked rule stating an attacking player may not stand within a yard of the defensive wall at a free-kick meant the presence of Marc Guehi - another surprise starter amid interest from Liverpool - next to Moises Caicedo constituted a foul.

"We know the rule that you have to be one yard away from the wall," said Glasner. "At the beginning we were, maybe we stepped too early because you have to wait until the kicker kicks the ball. If this was the case then maybe it's right."

Palace have had talks with Tottenham over Eze and Arsenal are also reported to be keen to sign the midfielder, who scored the winner when the Eagles beat Manchester City to lift the FA Cup at Wembley in May, in light of which he was not expected to feature in west London.

The 27-year-old's contract included a £68million release clause that expired on Friday, with neither Spurs nor Arsenal reportedly willing to go that high.

"As much as I know, Eze has a contract with Crystal Palace, he's a Crystal Palace player and he showed it today," said Glasner. "As long as he is a Palace player and performs like this he will play for us. Nobody has told me something else.

"He was picked because he's a Crystal Palace player and he's a very good player. He trained the whole week so there was no reason not to pick him.

"The players are giving their answer (to press speculation) week by week. Last week winning against Liverpool on penalties (in the Community Shield) and here against the club world champions.

"Don't always believe what you read, especially on the internet. And here it's the same. Who knows that this is the truth, what is written? You've got rumours, so many rumours."

After a truncated pre-season following victory in the Club World Cup, everything pointed to a Chelsea side lacking both preparation and rest as Glasner's men coped relative easily with a new-look yet disjointed attack.

Playing 35 days after their win in the final against Paris Saint-Germain, Enzo Maresca's team bore signs of mental fatigue, particularly in a first half low on creativity.

Marc Cucurella came close with a header that was cleared off the line, while on their league debuts for the club Liam Delap and 18-year-old Brazil international Estevao Willian also missed chances.

However, Maresca was reluctant to blame limited pre-season preparations for a leggy display.

"I don't think so, because in the end we competed, we tried to win the game," he said. "We had some chances at the end with Estevao, with Andrey Santos. That showed probably we competed quite good.

"They (Palace) have played already seven or eight games, for us we played two friendly games where we tried to share minutes, so our first real game was today.

"(Estevao) was very good, he showed personality. He has already showed that in training. No doubt that slowly, slowly he will be a very important player for this club."

Tottenham Hotspur could be set to shatter a near decade-long transfer policy if they opt to make Joao Palhinha's move permanent next summer. The Portuguese sensation arrived in north London earlier this month on loan from Bayern Munich.

This comes as Spurs are looking to rebuild and recover from a lacklustre Premier League season. The club found themselves in a woeful 17th place last season under Ange Postecoglou, although he did manage to end the club's trophy drought by securing the Europa League title. After an impressive seven-year stint at Brentford, Thomas Frank made the move across London this summer to replace Postecoglou, and he has hit the ground running in strengthening the squad he took over.

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Alongside securing permanent contracts for Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso, Frank has been given a lift with the arrival of Palhinha on a season-long loan, with an option to buy for £27million next summer.

Fernando Llorente, the last outfield player over 30 that Spurs shelled out a transfer fee for, was a £12.1m acquisition from Swansea City in the summer of 2017 when he was 32. Unfortunately, the move turned out to be a disaster for Spurs, with Llorente only managing to score two goals in 36 Premier League appearances before being offloaded to Napoli on a free transfer in 2019.

However, Palhinha, who is primarily a defensive midfielder, won't have the same goal-scoring pressure. With an impressive resume that includes spells at Sporting CP, Fulham and Bayern, Palhinha arrives in north London boasting a host of accolades, including a Primeira Liga title, three Taca de Ligas and a Bundesliga crown.

He's also earned 34 caps for Portugal, winning the Nations League with them earlier this year. Palhinha made his official debut for Spurs during Saturday's Premier League opener against newly-promoted Burnley at home, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute for Lucas Bergvall to help secure a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Richarlison kicked off the scoring for Spurs just 10 minutes into the match, volleying Kudus' cross from the right past Martin Dubravka. The Brazilian doubled his tally 15 minutes into the second half with a spectacular overhead kick, again connecting with a Kudus cross, before celebrating in style.

Brennan Johnson sealed the deal six minutes later, with Pape Matar Sarr providing the assist. Despite the high spirits in the Spurs camp, Frank is fully aware of the daunting task his team faces when they travel to the Etihad Stadium next week to face a rejuvenated Manchester City side.

Pep Guardiola's Cityzens ascended to the top of the Premier League after a commanding 4-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux on Saturday evening, with goals from new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, as well as a brace from Erling Haaland.

Savinho's agent, Rodrigo Zeitel, is set for face-to-face discussions with Tottenham in London this weekend. The Brazilian winger, who Pep Guardiola is keen to retain this summer, has become a key attacking target for Spurs.

Despite an initial approach being rejected by Manchester City, the door remains open and Tottenham are exploring the possibility of a deal. A £45million offer was turned down, but Spurs believe Savinho is interested in the move, giving them hope of reaching an agreement with their Premier League rivals, whom they face next weekend at the Etihad Stadium.

Savinho's representative, Zeitel, arrived in London on Friday, reportedly flying in from South America for talks. On Friday, Guardiola expressed his desire to keep the 21-year-old for "many, many years", revealing that the forward has sustained an injury that will keep him out for several weeks.

Guardiola stated: "As always, the desire of the player prevails above everything and after that there has to be an agreement with the club."

He added: "If you don't make an agreement, the player will be here."

Thomas Frank toasted the perfect start to life at Tottenham in the Premier League after a 3-0 win over Burnley, but joked Richarlison already had their goal of the season.

Frank's managerial debut for Spurs on Wednesday almost ended with silverware, but Paris Saint-Germain fought back from two down late on to clinch Super Cup success on penalties.

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Former Brentford head coach Frank had warned newly-promoted Burnley would pose a stern test and yet a double by Richarlison secured a first league win since April 6.

Richarlison steered home the opener after 10 minutes before his second goal on the hour mark was a superb volley from a Mohammed Kudus cross and Brennan Johnson added another - six minutes later - on a tough top-flight return for Burnley boss Scott Parker at his old club.

"Perfect start or dream start," Frank reflected. "We all know we need to follow up on it. Today I will just enjoy it and I hope the players, the club and the fans enjoy it because that is important.

"I think overall it was a good performance, not through the roof. A good performance against a difficult opponent. It's never easy in the Premier League - we know that - and after the very short turnaround against PSG.

"Big positive; our medical department and performance department did a top job to make sure the players were ready to go. I think we had eight starters again so that I am happy with."

Richarlison impressed in a 2-2 draw with PSG before Spurs lost on penalties and retained his place with £65million forward Dominic Solanke only recently fit again after an ankle issue.

After a largely injury-affected three years at Tottenham, Brazil international Richarlison may have left this summer if a suitable offer was tabled but remains part of the squad and Frank is excited to get more consistency out of the 28-year-old.

He added: "Fantastic he is scoring. The first one is definitely easier to score without being easy, but I have a striker that takes those two chances and helps us win the game.

"He deserves a lot of praise. He was very good against PSG and today he was exceptional, with his work-rate, driving the team, link-up play, hold-up play, just dominating and then the two finishes.

"So happy on his behalf and again, performance department, medical department did a top job to build him. Second goal 17 passes in the team I have been told, every player touched the ball and finished with two top actions.

"First from Mohammed Kudus and then second, an exceptional finish by Richarlison. I'm a little disappointed that so early we have goal of the season - but must be a contender."

Spurs boss Frank revealed Yves Bissouma, who was dropped for the Super Cup for repeatedly being late for training, missed this fixture due to injury.

Burnley had created a number of first-half chances, but were punished for a lack of clinical edge in both boxes.

"It's really fine margins of the Premier League and that's probably the main thing to come out of it today," Parker admitted.

"The clinicalness of the Premier League, they produce an outstanding, world-class finish to see the game away from us, but I saw some real positives.

"We're disappointed because we came here to try to get a result, but overall there were some really pleasing things."

Burnley's Martin Dubravka has become the first goalkeeper in Premier League history to be penalised under new rules designed to curb time-wasting.

During Burnley's defeat against Tottenham, Dubravka conceded a corner after holding onto the ball for more than eight seconds. This season has seen several rule changes, with referees now tasked with giving goalkeepers a countdown to release the ball, awarding a corner if they fail to do so in time.

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The incident took place early in the game, which Spurs easily won 3-0, thanks to a double from Richarlison and a goal from Brennan Johnson. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved the rule change earlier this year, and it was implemented at the Club World Cup.

FIFA's head of referees, Pierluigi Collina, spoke positively about the change after the tournament: "It was very successful; the tempo of the match was improved. We had no time lost by goalkeepers keeping the ball between their hands for a very long time - as happened quite often in matches before.

"The purpose was not to give corner kicks, but to prevent the eight seconds rule from being ignored. The purpose was 100% achieved."

Ahead of the new Premier League season, PGMOL boss Howard Webb explained the rationale behind the change: "It's quite a radical change, really, but the basic idea is to get the ball back into play more quickly.

"It's meant to be preventative, not punitive. Like in other sports - if you play tennis at Wimbledon, you have to serve within a certain amount of seconds."

However, West Ham's vice-chairman Karren Brady has expressed her disapproval of the rule change, labelling it as "daft tinkering" in a column for the Sun. Brady penned: "What was wrong with the old rule which gave keepers six seconds to release, with punishment in the form of an indirect free-kick?"

"Beats me. It was hardly ever enforced anyway. The body which has come up with this latest daft tinkering, I meant well-researched brainstorm, the International Football Association Board, must have spent ages on it.

"Probably in a well-stocked five-star hotel somewhere near FIFA's Swiss Alps headquarters. The purpose of this newest change is to cut down on time-wasting but how can extending possession from six to eight seconds do that?

"And also the fact that the 'old' rule was almost never imposed surely means it was a good rule. A bit like competent refereeing, if you don't know they are there, chances are the official is doing a decent job."

Tottenham made a winning start to their Premier League campaign with a one-sided victory over newly-promoted Burnley. The north Londoners had Richarlison to thank with the Brazilian scoring two fine goals to get them up and running. Brennan Johnson added a third in the second half to make sure of the points and wrap up a routine victory.

It did not take long for Tottenham to open the scoring with Richarlison turning the ball home after some great work from Mohammed Kudus. Burnley responded well, growing into the match and finding some joy through the middle of the pitch. They were undone again in the second half as Richarlison pulled off an acrobatic volley before Johnson's routine finish ended the game as a contest.

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Express Sport rates and slates the Tottenham players following the victory...

Tottenham player ratings vs Burnley

Guglielmo Vicario - 7

Was equal to everything thrown at him by Burnley's forwards. Helped to start attacks from the very back with some fine passing. A solid display between the sticks.

Pedro Porro - 6

Got caught out of position on a few occasions after bombing up the right flank. Fared better with the ball, using his range of passing to begin forward moves. Was lucky not to concede a penalty with a needless shove on Jaidon Anthony.

Cristian Romero - 6

Took a while to settle into the match, giving the ball away with some sloppy passing. Conceded a few silly fouls in dangerous areas but got away without a booking. Not bad, but certainly room for improvement.

Micky van de Ven - 7

Did his defensive duties well enough and looked mostly comfortable throughout. Used his electric pace to snuff out counter-attacking moves. Decent.

Djed Spence - 6

Got himself involved in attacking moves with overlapping runs down the left flank. Tried hard to make things happen with his crossing from wide areas. Not bad.

Archie Gray - 5

Didn't look comfortable in the first half as Burnley found some joy through the middle. Reluctant to make himself available when Spurs were looking to build from the back. Not his best performance.

Pape Matar Sarr - 6

Started slowly as Tottenham's midfield was carved open in the first 45 minutes. Grew into the game and offered some extra stability as the match progressed. Got the assist for Johnson's goal.

Lucas Bergvall - 7

Made things happen with some direct running through the middle. Always wanted the ball and looked lively on the transition. Still raw but looks like he will develop into a top player.

Mohammed Kudus - 8

Great work out wide to create the chance which led to Richarlison's opener before setting him up again in the second half. Looked a threat whenever he was on the ball and was rewarded with two assists. Good stuff.

Brennan Johnson - 6

Was relatively quiet until he scored Tottenham's third goal of the afternoon. Took his finish well but was unable to have as much impact on the game as he would have liked.

Richarlison - 8

Opened the scoring with a superb first-time effort from the middle of the box. Doubled his tally in acrobatic style, slamming a bicycle kick into the net. A great effort.

Substitutes

Dominic Solanke - 6

Came on for the final 20 minutes and did okay without setting the world alight.

Rodrigo Bentancur - 6

Did the basics well enough, helping Tottenham to keep things tight in the closing stages.

Wilson Odobert - n/a

A late addition.

Mathys Tel - n/a

A late addition.

Joao Palhinha - n/a

A late addition.

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Eberechi Eze expects to miss Crystal Palace's Premier League opener against Chelsea as he nears a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, according to reports. The Eagles will visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but look set to travel without one of their star players amid strong interest from Spurs.

Eze is believed to be interested in a switch, with Champions League football on offer in north London, as Tottenham continue talks with Palace over his transfer fee. The 27-year-old has also been the subject of interest from Arsenal, but Mikel Arteta prioritised adding Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres to his attack.

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Spurs are working to strike a deal with Palace after Eze's £68million release clause expired on Friday, a price that neither suitor wanted to pay.

According to The Sun, he will not play a part in Palace's trip to Chelsea, indicating that a transfer agreement could be getting closer.

Thomas Frank has already added Mohammed Kudus to his attack from West Ham United, completing a £55m deal earlier this summer.

Spurs have been forced into further action, though, after James Maddison suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that will rule him out of most of the campaign.

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Eze might not be the last attacking arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the Lilywhites continue talks with Manchester City over Savinho.

Spurs reportedly saw a bid worth £60m for the 21-year-old winger rejected, with City demanding up to £70m.

It remains to be seen whether they will return to the table, but Eze's arrival would ease Frank's need for further attacking reinforcements.

Eze has scored 40 goals and provided 28 assists in 168 appearances for Palace since arriving from Queens Park Rangers in 2020.

The talented No. 10 scored the only goal in May's historic FA Cup final triumph against City at Wembley Stadium.

He has also earned 12 caps since his England debut in June 2023 and was selected in Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad.

According to The Athletic, Palace are targeting Leicester City midfielder Bilal El Khannouss as Eze's replacement.

The 21-year-old is said to be open to a switch to Selhurst Park, which will host Conference League football this term, after Leicester's Premier League relegation.