Daily Express

Tottenham's board has firmly stated that the club is "not for sale", following Amanda Staveley's firm withdrawing from a potential takeover bid. PCP International Finance, the investment group led by former Newcastle shareholder Staveley, confirmed its interest in a potential move on Monday morning.

However, it also clarified that "it does not intend to make an offer for Tottenham". Due to takeover regulations, the company is now barred from making another offer for the Premier League club within the next six months.

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This development comes amidst increasing rumours of an imminent takeover, particularly after the unexpected exit of long-standing executive chairman Daniel Levy last week.

Levy had been the longest-serving chairman in the Premier League, having held the position for 24 years.

On Sunday evening, Tottenham's board acknowledged receiving takeover interest from two parties but maintained they had no plans to sell.

ENIC Sports & Developments Holdings Ltd, the majority shareholder of the club, revealed interest from PCP and a consortium of investors led by Roger Kennedy and Wing-Fai Ng through Firehawk Holdings Limited.

Tottenham's board announced they had "received, and unequivocally rejected, separate preliminary expressions of interest in relation to proposals to acquire the entire issued, and to be issued, share capital of ENIC".

The statement concluded: "The board of the club and ENIC confirm that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale and ENIC has no intention to accept any such offer to acquire its interest in the club."

ENIC, controlled by the Lewis family trust, holds nearly 87 per cent of Tottenham, but due to the remaining shares being publicly traded, the club is subject to the UK Takeover Code. The PA news agency has learned that the Lewis family trust is open to external investment.

However, after inviting Levy to step down in a bid to secure "more wins, more often" for Tottenham, the majority owners' primary focus is on providing the necessary support to new non-executive chairman Peter Charrington, chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and head coach Thomas Frank – all appointed in 2025 – to help deliver greater on-field success.

Tottenham Hotspur have been given a glimmer of hope in their pursuit of former star and current Bayern Munich striker, Harry Kane. Kane, who rose through the ranks at Spurs to become the club's all-time leading goalscorer, left the north London side in search of silverware.

Despite initial resistance from ex-chairman Daniel Levy, Kane eventually made his way to Bayern where he clinched the Bundesliga title on his second attempt. The England captain has been nothing short of sensational in Bavaria, netting 91 times in just 100 appearances.

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The prolific forward has hit the ground running this season too, already boasting six goals across all competitions. However, rumours are swirling that Bayern may be open to selling Kane back to a Premier League side next summer, with his contract set to expire in 2027.

Such a move could see Kane challenge Alan Shearer's record as the Premier League's all-time top scorer and potentially don the Spurs shirt once more. German football expert Raphael Honigstein recently told talkSPORT that it's no secret within Bayern that Kane harbours ambitions to finish his career back on English soil.

He further stated that it currently seems improbable that the 32-year-old will extend his contract beyond 2027, and the club is already planning for the future. Bayern boss Vincent Kompany secured the signing of Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson in the summer transfer window.

Honigstein was quick to clarify though, that there are no current plans for Jackson to permanently replace Kane, and he was brought in as a backup to the English striker. Whether he is viewed as a long-term solution once Kane departs remains uncertain.

This news will be a delight to Spurs fans who would relish the return of their club legend at an age where he could still consistently find the back of the net. Levy suggested shortly after Kane's departure that Tottenham had some form of buyback clause in the agreement.

It is thought that Tottenham would have the chance to match any offer from another club attempting to sign Kane in the future. Manchester United were previously linked with a move for the England skipper but that interest was never formalised.

Rio Ferdinand has called Manchester United’s failure to sign Harry Kane the club’s “biggest mistake in the last 10 years” and United are still paying the price for not signing him. Reports linking United with the England captain span the best part of a decade.

From former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward reportedly calling Kane a “dream signing” in boardroom discussions in 2017, to holding internal talks about entering the race for him when he pushed to leave Tottenham in 2021, the Red Devils have on several occasions sought to land the striker. They came closest to signing the 32-year-old in 2023, when then-manager Erik ten Hag made Kane his primary transfer target for the summer window.

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But The Guardian reported in June 2023 that United abandoned their pursuit of the Spurs talisman due to the north Londoners’ lofty asking price, which was in excess of £100million. The Red Devils hierarchy felt that was unreasonable for a player approaching 30 years of age with only a year left on his contract.

Daniel Levy’s preference not to sell his captain to a Premier League rival played a key role in bumping up Kane’s price-tag. And he was eventually sold to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich for an initial fee of £86m that summer, leaving Ten Hag to land Rasmus Hojlund for £72m instead - a player who massively underwhelmed before his loan move to Napoli on deadline day.

Many fans and former players of the Old Trafford club believe that summer to be the turning point in United’s recent history, with the team sliding further down the table each year since, all the way to 15th last season. Kane's goals might have helped prevent that decline.

Ex-Red Devils stars Michael Owen and Ferdinand were of the same view when discussing United’s lacklustre transfer activity as a whole in recent years on the Rio Presents podcast.

Owen began by saying the current environment at United makes it harder for new signings to thrive, before adding: "I mean, Harry Kane should have [been signed]... Should have a year ago, a couple of years ago. That should have happened, I think. They could have got him, I think."

Ferdinand agreed, saying: "That's the biggest mistake I think they've made in the last 10 years. Yeah, well, I think if they go and pay the number that Spurs want, they would have got him. And if we're to believe that, then I think if it didn't happen because of a couple of million here or there, I think it was a terrible decision.

"I honestly think, I'll say this and I'm convinced, if United had gone and got Declan Rice and Harry Kane in that window, Man United are in a different place now. Because again, it goes back to the environment. Those two drive an environment, I think."

United also signed Mason Mount, who has repeatedly been out with injury since his arrival, for £55m, while Rice joined rivals Arsenal in a £105m deal in the summer of 2023. Meanwhile, Kane has scored 91 goals in 100 appearances for Bayern, winning the Bundesliga's golden boot in each his first two seasons while claiming the first trophy of his career earlier this term with the league title.

Mauricio Pochettino has disclosed that he sent a message to Daniel Levy following his exit as Tottenham Hotspur chairman. The club announced on Thursday evening that the 63-year-old had "stepped down from his role as executive chairman after nearly 25 years."

As football.london reported back in May, a substantial summer of upheaval was expected, and Levy's departure from the North London outfit represents the pinnacle of this transformation. A turbulent summer at N17 has witnessed head coach Ange Postecoglou being sacked, with Thomas Frank selected as his replacement.

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At boardroom level, Vinai Venkatesham has been named as the club's chief executive officer, whilst Scott Munn has been placed on gardening leave from his role as chief football officer. And Pochettino, who led Tottenham under Levy between 2014 and 2019, has now addressed the exit of a chairman he characterises as having enjoyed a "very good" relationship with.

"I knew the news about Daniel Levy yesterday," he said, via Sky Sports. "I am a little bit in shock, because he was my former president. I don't know what happened there.

"Of course, I sent a text to him and I sent a text to different people that were very close to him. Still no answer (from Levy). I don't have more information.

"What I want to say is I wish all the best for his life and his family time. My relationship was always very good. I was in shock like many people that know him."

The Argentine was touted for the vacant position at Real Madrid following Zinedine Zidane's departure after the Frenchman's initial tenure at the club in 2018. Yet when Los Blancos came knocking, a pledge Pochettino had given to Levy ultimately contributed to derailing the most significant managerial opportunity of his career.

"As a player, I had the chance to play for Madrid , but it didn't happen. As a coach, I had a couple of opportunities, but sometimes, that's how things happen in football," the current USA manager revealed in an interview with Chiringuito TV.

"I don't know whether to tell the story or not. Zidane is leaving and logically there's the possibility of signing for Real Madrid. Surely other coaches too.

"I had given Levy my word that I would stay until Tottenham's new ground was finished. At that moment I told him that I would go to Madrid if Levy gave the OK. I don't know what happened afterwards. Surely he didn't give the OK."

He continued: "I don't know how Florentino Perez took it; it wasn't my fault. I wasn't out of contract. But it's never too late if the luck is right."

Manchester City are reportedly on the brink of signing Tottenham Hotspur's academy starlet Dexter Oliver. Spurs were active in the recent summer transfer window, bolstering Thomas Frank's squad with fresh talent.

Tottenham secured the services of Kota Takai and Mohammed Kudus from Kawasaki Frontale and West Ham respectively, before finalising a loan agreement with Bayern Munich for Joao Palhinha. They also forked out £51.8million to lure Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.

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Randal Kolo Muani was the last addition, joining on loan from PSG as the transfer deadline approached. The Lilywhites also made Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel's moves permanent following their successful loan stints last season, while Luka Vuskovic finally joined the club nearly two years after an initial agreement with Hajduk Split for the promising centre-back.

The summer window shut at 7pm UK time across most of Europe. However, clubs can still sign academy players and Tottenham are now reportedly set to lose 16 year old attacking midfielder Oliver to City.

Transfer specialist journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that City are close to signing the teenager and Aston Villa's Freddie Lawrie for their academy. Oliver provided two assists across all competitions for Tottenham's academy last season and can also play in central midfield.

Oliver has bid farewell to North London, following a string of recent departures, including Bryan Gil's £8.6m transfer to Girona after four years with the club.

There was last-minute frustration in negotiations with Crystal Palace as a loan deal for Manor Solomon fell through at the eleventh hour, despite Spurs agreeing to their terms. However, Tottenham acted swiftly to secure a loan move to Villarreal for the Israel international, who has only made six appearances for Spurs in two years, ahead of the later La Liga deadline.

No moves materialised for Yves Bissouma or young academy striker Dane Scarlett, but there are still opportunities for them to secure a late transfer as various windows remain open across Europe.

Thomas Frank has shockingly left Mathys Tel out of Tottenham's 25-man Champions League squad. The France under-21 international moved to north London in January when Spurs paid Bayern Munich £8.7million for a six-month loan.

Tel netted three goals and featured regularly under Ange Postecoglou before a £30m fee secured his permanent transfer in June. However, Tel has struggled to make his mark since becoming a fully-fledged Spurs player. Having delivered two underwhelming substitute appearances under Frank in the Premier League this term, he has now been excluded from the manager's European selection. While his immediate prospects in the English capital appear grim, Tel was hailed as a world-class prospect in Germany. He even received acclaim from Spurs legend Harry Kane and caused a stir with some bold training ground behaviour, suggesting Tottenham supporters have yet to witness what the 20-year-old can truly deliver.

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Back in 2023, when Julian Nagelsmann was at the helm at the Allianz Arena, a teenage Tel was one year into his Bayern spell, having joined from Rennes in July 2022 for £25m. He arrived with considerable expectations after leading France to the Under-17 European Championship, and he acknowledges that such self-assurance may have affected his judgment.

Reflecting on his questionable training ground conduct when he first arrived in the Bundesliga, Tel told French daily L'Equipe in 2023: "I was a bit crazy in training. I used to tell myself, 'Today I'll do what I want, I'll take the ball and do everything by myself.' My team-mates shouted at me. I quickly realised that I was doing something crazy."

These tendencies clearly diminished during his spell with Bayern. And following his permanent switch to Tottenham this summer, England skipper Kane was swift to offer his endorsement.

"He's got great potential. Whether he's playing as a left winger or a striker, he gets into dangerous areas, he can finish the ball well and he's good one-v-one," said Kane after his Bayern outfit defeated Tel's Tottenham 4-0 in pre-season.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on him. He's going to the Premier League, he's still extremely young, although he has a lot of experience here. He still has to develop and improve.

"He knows that, and he works hard to do that. So I just want him to go and enjoy himself, have confidence, and hopefully he can shine in the Premier League."

While being omitted from Spurs' European squad by Frank represents a setback, Tel has been in the Premier League for less than a year. And he still has ample opportunity to demonstrate his ability in the club's other commitments.

He might draw motivation from Djed Spence following this disappointment. That's after the full-back was excluded from Postecoglou's original Europa League squad last year before earning more respect in the squad, which was recently recognised by his first England call-up.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence has accused former boss Antonio Conte of "shattering his confidence." Spence, 25, was recently called up to the England squad for the first time in his career by Thomas Tuchel.

He has enjoyed a transformative 18 months in north London, which has seen him go from a Spurs outcast to a soon-to-be full England international. If you were to ask the versatile defender if he envisaged pulling on the Three Lions shirt a few years ago, he may have shaken his head. When Conte was boss, the Italian made it clear he did not really want the ex-Nottingham Forest star, describing him as a "club signing" and even blasting Spurs fans who called for him to give the defender an opportunity.

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Conte, who is now in charge at Napoli, made it clear Spence was not his signing, saying: "Spence is an investment of the club. The club wanted to do it. The club decided to buy him."

Under Conte's management, Spence didn't start a single Premier League match before being loaned out to French side Rennes just five months later. Looking back on the Italian's damning comments, Spence suggested it helped drive him on.

He said: "I would probably say the biggest hurdle is when I signed for Tottenham and I didn't necessarily feel the love straight away, with the manager and everything. I was on such a high going into the club.

"When I went there, I was on a high, and then I almost came crashing down because of comments from the manager and not playing. I was in a difficult space then.

"I am buzzing, I am going to sign for Tottenham. So to hear comments like that wasn't nice. It does shatter your confidence a bit. But, you know, I am a fighter. So, whatever I do I will try to do my best in everything I can. Fast forward, I am here now, so I am happy.

"I wouldn't say I particularly have a list or anything, but I do have a mental note of people who doubted me, for sure, and it does feel good to prove them wrong. Obviously, at the time it wasn't nice but I feel like I don't put my energy into certain things like that. I just focus, do what I need to do. I've got a good family behind me that keeps me focused."

Spence did not play his best football while on loan at Rennes, Middlesbrough, Leeds United and Genoa, but played a big role under Ange Postecoglou. He started all but two of the final 15 Premier League matches of the campaign.

Under Thomas Frank, he has played every single available minute for Spurs, including their narrow penalty shoot-out loss to Paris Saint Germain in the Super Cup. Spence will hope to play a similarly important role in England's World Cup qualifier clashes against Andorra and Serbia.

Mathys Tel is among six players who have been left out of Tottenham's Champions League squad for the first half of the 2025/26 season. The club had to submit their 25-man squad for the league phase to UEFA by 11pm on Tuesday, September 2, ahead of Spurs' return to Europe's top competition later this month. Tottenham has faced significant issues with their European squad in the past due to differing rules from those in the Premier League.

Spurs have struggled with a lack of club-trained players and having more than the required four association-trained players and the allotted 17 non-homegrown players. This has led to previous managers having to exclude players from a European squad. The situation has worsened this season, with a total of six players being dropped by Thomas Frank for the league phase. The players to miss out are: Radu Dragusin, Kota Takai, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Mathys Tel.

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Unfortunately, Tottenham are not in a position where they can name a full 25-man squad for the Champions League due to not having all four positions filled when it comes to club-trained players.

Brandon Austin is the only player in that category and three gaps are left open as a result, thus leaving them in a predicament where they can only name a 22-man squad rather than the usual 25.

A fresh squad list can be submitted for the knockout round with a maximum of three changes for the remaining matches in the competition. In last season's Europa League, Djed Spence was added to the Tottenham squad for the knockout phase after being left out for the first part of the competition, with manager Ange Postecoglou unfortunately having to make cuts.

In this season's Champions League, Spurs will go head-to-head with Villarreal, Bodo/Glimt, AS Monaco, FC Copenhagen, PSG, Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Tottenham Hotspur could follow up their £51million deal for Xavi Simons by launching an ambitious transfer deadline day move for Manchester City winger Savinho. If Thomas Frank's side did push through their interest in the Brazilian winger, they would have the perfect shirt number for him.

The north Londoners have been heavily linked with a move for the 21-year-old, who was injured for City's 2-1 away defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion and their prior 2-0 loss at home to Tottenham. Earlier reports have claimed the winger is worried a move to Tottenham could collapse, leaving him competing with Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva, Oscar Bobb, Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush at City. Spurs were understood to be willing to launch a £65m move for the versatile winger, but with Cherki being ruled out for at least two months, a move could be difficult. If Tottenham were able to wrap up an astonishing swoop, they could provide Savinho with the ideal welcome gift.

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They could hand him the No. 26 shirt he sports at City. Had a move been secured around a fortnigtht earlier, Spurs could have given him the No. 7, a number he briefly wore while he was at PSV Eindhoven U21s. However, Simons claimed the No. 7 shirt when he was unveiled last week. Shirt numbers may not be on Savinho's mind as his hopes of moving to north London appear to be on the brink.

TBR Football claimed Savinho was interested in a move to north London, with talks over a move between the two clubs initially looking promising. It has also been claimed any potential transfer was hingeing on City signing Real Madrid winger Rodrygo, who has fallen out of favour with Xabi Alonso at the Bernabeu.

With no move between City and the La Liga heavyweights appearing to be on the horizon, Savinho may have to stay put. Last week, reports from ESPN claimed City have informed Tottenham that Savinho, who is yet to feature in the new Premier League campaign due to a pre-season injury, is not for sale.

This situation may have only been cemented by the injury of summer signing Cherki. In his post-match press conference after losing 2-1 away to Brighton, Guardiola said the Frenchman is set to miss around two months due to a torn left quadricep.

He has already been replaced by in-form Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike in the French international squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland. When asked if City's loss to the Seagulls or the injury to Cherki may force a late flurry on transfer deadline aay, Guardiola simply replied: "No."

City sit in 13th following their back-to-back losses. Tottenham, meanwhile, failed to build on their impressive showing over Guardiola's men in a limp home loss to Bournemouth.

Despite having more possession, Spurs were lucky the final score was only 1-0, as the Cherries had 20 efforts on goal and were only thwarted by an impressive showing from goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Tottenham are winning a bidding war with AC Milan as they look to secure their next transfer after Xavi Simons, according to reports. Earlier this week, the north Londoners confirmed they had signed the Dutchman from RB Leipzig in a deal worth around £51million. They have also been linked with a move for Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji ahead of Monday's deadline.

Akanji looks almost certain to leave the Etihad Stadium before the transfer window slams shut. He is said to be attracting interest from elsewhere with Tottenham among the clubs keen on snapping him up. Milan have also been credited with a desire to land the Swiss defender, who has not played a single minute of Premier League football this season.

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Tottenham are leading the race for Akanji, according to Sky Sports in Italy, having submitted an offer in the region of £17.3million. It is said that Milan are only willing to pay around £12.9m, meaning Spurs are in the driving seat as things stand.

It remains to be seen if the Italian giants will change their stance in order to strike a deal, with sporting director Igli Tare recently confirming his desire to bring Akanji to the San Siro.

He said: "This change in formation in the last few days has put us in a bit of trouble. In the next four or five days, we need to try to bring home an experienced player like Akanji. He can play for AC Milan, but it’s not easy."

The report adds that Akanji would prefer to stay in the Premier League, which suggests Tottenham would be his most likely destination.

Thomas Frank recently said that he wanted to build a squad capable of competing on all fronts, telling the Daily Mail: "‘I want, how can I say this, a big enough, small enough squad.

"It needs to be big enough and robust enough to compete in all four tournaments, because that’s important, but I can’t have too many players. It’s just so difficult to keep everyone happy, it’s almost impossible.

"Then we also want to see if we can add enough quality, but we don’t want to sign players we don’t think can really improve the squad. I would rather wait.

"I’m not here for the short-term fix. I want to build something to last, so we need to think longer term. Yes, we need to compete now, but that’s my thought process."

In the event Akanji joins Tottenham before the transfer window closes on Monday, he would become the club's eighth arrival of the summer.

Before welcoming Simons, they signed Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso, Luka Vuksovic and Kota Tatai on permanent deals. Joao Palhinha has also joined Tottenham on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the season.

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