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Tottenham Hotspur have announced the signing of Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United, subject to a work permit.

The 26-year-old Italy international midfielder joins for a reported club-record £92.5m, with top-ups taking the total package to £100m.

It’s the second big-money midfield signing in a week, following the capture of Mateus Fernandes from relegated West Ham United.

“Sandro is one of the best midfielders in Europe and we are delighted to welcome him to the Club.

“He has outstanding technical quality to go with real football intelligence, and has the character to thrive in a demanding, high-pressure environment. Sandro brings valuable experience at the highest level, both domestically and in European competition and I know our supporters will love his energy and commitment on the pitch.

“We are all excited to see him pull on our famous Lilywhite shirt for the first time.” – Spurs’ sporting director, Johan Lange

There’s usually a big overlap in the Venn diagram of players who command an exorbitant transfer fee and premium Fantasy picks.

Not in this case, however.

Tonali made 31 starts and appeared a further four times off the bench for Newcastle last season… and delivered just two attacking returns.

A season-long expected goal involvement (xGI) figure of 4.63 wasn’t much to shout about, either.

The season before was only marginally better, as Tonali scored four goals and assisted a further two.

It’s not like he’s a defensive contribution (DefCon) monster, either: he only banked eight DefCon points in 2025/26.

He’ll improve the Spurs midfield, no doubt, but he’s likely to be of little interest to FPL managers come the relaunch.

Late drama saw Europa League holders Tottenham Hotspur throw away a 2-0 lead against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, before going on to lose the penalty shoot-out.

Not only was this a first major look at head coach Thomas Frank since moving across London, a few notable Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points came up.

Paris Saint-Germain *2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

*PSG won 4-3 on penalties

Goals: Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero

Assists: Joao Palhinha, Pedro Porro

PORRO IS TOUGH TO RESIST

Frank surprised Luis Enrique by trying a wing-back system, although those who studied his time at Brentford know that he’d often do so on trickier occasions.

In Udine, it gave attacking full-back Pedro Porro (£5.5m) even more license to get forward. Last season’s number two for crossing the ball (196) probably would’ve been first, had his minutes not been so heavily managed before May’s final.

Instead of sharing set-pieces, the Spaniard now gets to dominate them in the absence of Son Heung-min and injured pair James Maddison (£7.0m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£6.5m).

Early in the second half, Porro’s free-kick picked out an unmarked Cristian Romero (£5.0m) to double Spurs’ lead. All this makes him a compelling Fantasy option.

Furthermore, aggregated data from bookmakers says this defence is most likely to keep a Gameweek 1 clean sheet. It’s just a shame that the next match takes Tottenham to Manchester City. Then again, Frank could use this formation again, making Porro feel fixture-proof.

VAN DE VEN GOAL

Not that 25.4% owned Micky van de Ven (£4.5m) did anything wrong on Wednesday.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario (£5.0m), in his hometown, saw his long free-kick be headed into the box. Joao Palhinha‘s (£5.5m) subsequent shot was tipped onto the crossbar but landed at van de Ven’s feet, giving Spurs a deserved lead.

However, after a season hindered by hamstring problems, the slight concern over his minutes being managed was worsened when seeing Kevin Danso (£4.5m) launch some threatening long throws. In 2024/25, Frank’s Brentford had, by far, the most attempts (48) and goals (six) derived from throw-ins.

Still, it’s probably right to assume Danso is no more than a backup.

But the night ended in agony for the Dutchman. Late PSG pressure eventually paid off when substitutes Kang-in Lee and Goncalo Ramos scored – the second deep into stoppage time.

Successive penalty shoot-out misses from van de Ven and Mathys Tel (£6.5m) then brought victory to the French capital.

“Basically, for 75 to 80 minutes, we were close to playing the perfect match, 2-0 up, that’s what makes it so brutal. Then it’s a penalty shoot-out, and that’s a flip of the coin. Many positives, but football is about winning, so it’s also brutal. In the end, key – good performances that over time, will bring us success.

“This was a good start. The players put in an unbelievable shift. They worked so hard throughout the game. We showed that we will be tactically adaptable throughout the season, whoever we’re facing. We were so close with everything in the game plan, then in football, it’s margins.” – Thomas Frank

BRIGHT NIGHT FOR KUDUS + SARR

Elsewhere, midfielders Mohammad Kudus (£6.5m) and Pape Matar Sarr (£5.0m) looked good.

The recent arrival from West Ham United had one shot blocked and made three key passes, also throwing himself towards a Richarlison (£6.5m) header that proceeded to hit the post.

He has a larger ownership than Sarr, but the 22-year-old scored three times in pre-season and might play the number 10 role versus Burnley. He even exceeded 12 defensive contribution actions, which would’ve brought in two extra FPL points.

Of course, the potential signing of Eberechi Eze (£7.5m) could dent Sarr’s appeal over a longer period.

LIMITED SOLANKE MINUTES

Managers hoping to begin with Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) won’t be happy that his first minutes since 19th July were merely a cameo appearance.

Unless Frank makes a promise in his press conference, we can’t now assume he’ll start against the Clarets.

NO UDOGIE OR JOHNSON

Similarly, the initial excitement over Destiny Udogie‘s (£4.5m) price feels like a long time ago. He hurt his knee when warming up to face Luton Town and won’t be ready for these opening weeks.

Doubts over Solanke might have started a Brennan Johnson (£7.0m) bandwagon, as an alternative route into their attack. But the club’s top FPL scorer of last season couldn’t get off the bench on this occasion. His minutes are therefore too risky.

Check out our predicted XIs for the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 1 clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley.

The match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium kicks off at 15:00 BST on Saturday 16 August.

PREDICTED FPL GAMEWEEK 1 LINE-UPS

More in-depth team news is available here, updated with the latest press conference information.

Below are the likely XIs, as of Thursday morning. Tottenham’s could change after Friday’s presser.

TOTTENHAM

BURNLEY

PRE-SEASON FORM

Using our ultimate, in-depth pre-season guide, FPL managers can quickly find all 20 team previews, alongside articles on transfer activity, Pro Pundit team reveals and the best players for each price point.

There’s also a breakdown of the game’s new rules for 2025/26.

Our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) 2025/26 team preview guides continue with Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur.

Here, their best FPL picks for the upcoming campaign are discussed. We’ll also attempt to predict the line-up for Gameweek 1, review pre-season, detail the best players for defensive contributions (DC) and more.

GET ALL THE KEY FPL DATA!

The data and graphics in this article come from either our Members Area or Statsbomb, with whom we are again partnering in 2025/26.

Fantasy managers can get access to the wealth of Statsbomb numbers, as well as the usual Opta stats, new defensive contribution (DC) points, recalculated points from last season, exclusive articles, transfer planner, tools and app, with a 40% discounted Chief Scout membership today.

Use code ‘TEAMSCOUT5’ for an extra 5% off!

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

THOMAS THE FRANK ENGINE

Asked about this nickname by a journalist who clearly read our list of funny(ish) team names, new head coach Thomas Frank responded politely. It sums him up, really. A well-liked boss, he’s here to bring in a new era, fresh from the eggshell-trodding needed under Ange Postecoglou.

It wasn’t an easy decision to dismiss the latter, mind. Spurs finished in an embarrassing 17th place but were still able to lift a European trophy and – incredibly – qualify for the Champions League.

That’ll be testing for Frank, as he’s not used to balancing domestic and European action. Our analysis of the Dane noticed that his tactics reflect a dislike of long-range efforts. Wanting players to get the ball into the box, only Liverpool scored more 2024/25 goals from inside the penalty area.

Additionally, Frank likes defending in a way that forces opponents to shoot from distance, thinking they’re harmless. While Brentford conceded the second-most overall attempts (647), they allowed the seventh-fewest big chances (80), as goalkeeper Mark Flekken made more saves (156) than the rest.

The tactics, innovation and personality of Frank are already bringing optimism to north London.

ENTERTAINMENT

As bad as last season was, at least supporters weren’t bored. No team was involved in more goals (129), which of course meant very few clean sheets.

Also, big-money signing Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) ended both previous Premier League campaigns as the most frequent attempter of take-ons. Watching dribblers is fun.

REASONS TO BE FEARFUL

INJURIES

Unfortunately, last season’s horrific injury record seems to be carrying over into this one.

Dejan Kulusevski (£6.5m) is expected to miss the first month due to May’s knee surgery. Popular upon FPL’s launch, managers are slowly ditching Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) and Destiny Udogie (£4.5m) because their only pre-season minutes came several weeks ago.

“I think it’s three different cases. I think Dom [Solanke] is quite soon that he’ll be available. Destiny [Udogie], we’ll know more about in the next couple of days, in terms of how it looks in detail. And Kulusevski is out for a long time, which I spoke about before.” – Thomas Frank after Thursday’s 4-0 defeat to Bayern Munich

Worst of all, James Maddison (£7.0m) has ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament – a huge injury that’ll sideline him until 2026.

THEY’RE USED TO LOSING

Ok, it’s a fresh new start under Frank. But Spurs picked up a shocking five points from their final 12 league matches. In fairness, Europa League glory was the clear priority at this point, reflected by Postecoglou’s lineups.

However, the truth is that no team has ever lost more often in a 38-game Premier League season and survived.

Home defeats occurred against Ipswich Town and Leicester City. Those, plus fellow relegation victims Southampton, were the only sides with worse numbers for expected goals conceded (xGC, 64.42) and allowing big chances (119).

Can such a habit suddenly disappear?

TOTTENHAM: SUMMER TRANSFER ACTIVITY

Without doubt, this summer’s biggest departure has been the emotional farewell of club and FPL legend Son Heung-min. After 10 years consisting of 173 goals, 101 assists and 1,730 Fantasy points, he believed it was time to take on a new challenge at Los Angeles FC.

That, combined with Maddison’s injury, will surely force Spurs back into the transfer market. They thought Morgan Gibbs-White‘s (£7.5m) release clause had been triggered, but things then took a weird turn. Nottingham Forest claimed the approach was illegal and the midfielder swiftly signed a new contract.

Elsewhere, the loans of Kevin Danso (£4.5m) and Mathys Tel (£6.5m) have been made permanent, while Timo Werner’s wasn’t. And a rare West Ham United to Tottenham transfer took place, one that has 25.1% of FPL managers excited about Kudus.

TOTTENHAM: PRE-SEASON FPL REPORTS

Globetrotting Spurs have sampled the delights of South Korea, Hong Kong, Munich and Reading, with an imminent trip to Italy for the UEFA Super Cup.

The highlight so far has been the 1-0 win over Arsenal, where Kudus shone.

“I think he was really good today. His hold-up play, the way he takes hold of the ball in tricky situations. His one-vs-one skills, his creating opportunities for the team was top class. On top of that I think he’s working extremely hard and there was a recovery run from a set piece when he was straining all the way back and he won the ball.

“That’s how he can help the team so much. He will make a lot of the fans excited with his offensive actions and he will also help the team defensively.” – Thomas Frank on Mohammed Kudus’ performance v Arsenal

OPENING FIXTURES

The Members Area’s Fixture Ticker ranks Tottenham’s initial half-dozen as the seventh-best. Our ‘jump on jump off’ article suggests going heavy on them between Gameweeks 1 and 9, when only one is labelled as a ‘red’ match.

Then again, last season’s equivalent meetings brought a mixed record. They lost at Brighton and Hove Albion and drew against Bournemouth (h), West Ham United (a) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (h), yet pulled off a stunning 4-0 win away at Manchester City.

As for FPL rotations – either in defence or attack – the Tottenham fixtures dovetail nicely with those of Crystal Palace, Fulham and Wolves.

TOTTENHAM: PREDICTED FPL GAMEWEEK 1 LINE-UP

Hopefully, answers about both Solanke and Udogie will be provided in Wednesday’s Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain.

In a blow to FPL participants, it looks like Guglielmo Vicario (£5.0m) remains Frank’s number one goalkeeper over Antonin Kinsky (£4.0m).

Joao Palhinha (£5.5m) is now an option in midfield but against the low block of Burnley, you wonder whether he’s a necessary inclusion in Gameweek 1.

*This line-up prediction was made on August 9. For the latest predicted XI, check out of Team News tab closer to the deadline.

PLAYERS WITH DEFENSIVE CONTRIBUTION (DC) POTENTIAL

With James Maddison (£7.0m) picking up what looks to be a serious knee injury in pre-season, Tottenham Hotspur fan Sam talks us through what this means for the Lilywhites – and Pape Matar Sarr (£5.0m) – ahead of the new season.

Sam calls on Statsbomb graphics for this piece, something you can see in our Members articles throughout the season.

Make sure you sign up for the new season to get all the Member-only articles, tools and features to make 2025/26 your best FPL campaign yet!

Pre-season was all going a little too well, wasn’t it?

The new management team had settled well, Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) had made his move across London, and Joao Palhinha (£5.5m) was flying over for a medical. Then Maddison went down in his first minutes back after the injury that kept him out of the UEFA Europa League final.

That injury to Maddison is problematic for Spurs. The number 10 position is critical for the way Thomas Frank’s side’s play, as we saw with Mikkel Damsgaard (£6.0m) at Brentford last season. As Marc reported in his Moving Target article, when Frank first arrived at Spurs, Brentford almost exclusively played a 4-2-3-1 system last season. This allowed Damsgaard to shine. The playmaker assisted 10 times, thriving around three attackers who each scored at least 11 goals.

With Maddison out and Dejan Kulusevski (£6.5m) sharing this week that he only just kicked a ball for the first time since his surgery in the spring, this leaves Frank with an issue in who might play in ‘the hole’.

Get the credit card out?

Daniel Levy and Frank now have two options.

Look in the market and see whether they can buy a creative engine to power the front three

Look inside the ranks and see if there is a viable out-of-position player

This whole article could turn into a ‘who Sam wants to see in a Spurs shirt’ at this stage – Eberechi Eze (£7.5m), I’m still looking at you!

But time is short as Spurs have just two matches left before the start of the season. First up, it’s a friendly against Bayern Munich before the Super Cup Final against PSG. So could there be a player in the Spurs’ team who could step up in that role?

Pape Matar Sarr

At just £5.0m, Sarr is a cheap way to invest in Spurs ahead of a great fixture run to start the season.

Manager Frank’s comments on Sarr also suggest that he will be an important player for Spurs this season.

“I know he won player of the match and, for me, he was player of the match. He took it (the goal) so well and so quickly, saw David Raya was too far out of his goal and put it away.

“By the way, I think Pape has been amazing. I really like how he has played and performed in the last four weeks, training and in games. He’s building, and his all-round game today… top.”

Thomas Frank on Pape Matar Sarr

Sarr was player of the match twice in pre-season for Spurs. In these games, he has played more minutes than any other Spurs player and he has scored three goals, including a spectacular one from the halfway line against Arsenal.

On-field position

During the 2024/25 Premier League season, Sarr spent most of his time playing left-centre mid. He was also deployed on the right of midfield, too. He did get some minutes in the hole, but this wasn’t his standard position under Ange Postecoglou.

Sarr registered two goals and three assists in the Premier League last season. Those are totals that you would expect to grow significantly if he’s in the 10 role.

Defensive contributions

Sarr would have registered ‘DC’ points in five of his 22 starts last season – not Caicedo levels, but a nice little bonus:

In fact, across the Spurs team, Sarr’s 10 DefCon points would only have been bettered by one player – Rodrigo Bentancur (£5.5m). Sarr registered 228 defensive contributions last season, the vast majority of these (115) coming from recoveries.

With increased minutes, I would expect his potential for defensive points to rise, and if playing in a more forward-thinking role, if this is coupled with an increase in attacking returns, it could make him a great budget enabler.

Damsgaard still racked up 14 DC points from a ’10’ role last season, so even a more advanced role in Frank’s side doesn’t kill all defensive contribution potential.

Is it a risk?

There is a good chance that Spurs attempt to sign a new creative midfielder in the window. The likes of Jack Grealish (£6.5m), Eze and Harvey Elliott (£5.5m) have all been rumoured to be being watched this summer.

Obviously, if Spurs sign a natural creator, that would mean Sarr moving back into a less attacking midfield slot alongside Palhinha. However, with a wealth of other options including Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall (£5.5m), Archie Gray (£5.0m) and Yves Bissouma (£5.5m), there is way more risk of rotated minutes.

With just a week left to the start of the season, time is running out for Levy and co. So, Sarr could be a good short-term differential option – especially for those managers considering an early Wildcard, if Spurs eventually do sign someone new.

Better Options?

There are other options from Spurs, especially if Sarr isn’t nailed to start in the attack. The likes of Kudus, Brennan Johnson (£7.0m) and Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) all offer attacking potential.

Johnson scored 11 goals last season from 54 shots. The majority of Johnson’s starts last season came on the right wing. This might be different with Kudus in the squad. In pre-season, we have season Johnson on the left with Kudus on the right.

Kudus had 75 attempts on goal last season, scoring five goals for West Ham. Kudus has played 46.7% of minutes for Spurs in pre-season and has registered an assist for his new club. With Maddison and Kulusevski injured, Kudus and Johnson both look very good bets to start the season.

Up front, Solanke has only played 45 minutes in pre-season. These minutes came in the first match and his absence has been described as precautionary. The forward is due to return in the next match against Bayern Munich.

Solanke had an injury-hit season last year. He started 25 games and scored nine Premier League goals in his first season at Spurs. Son Heung-min (£8.5m) leaving Spurs means that Solanke will also likely now be on penalty duty. This increases his appeal in FPL by broadening his route to points.

Kudus and, if he proves his fitness, Solanke are better options for investment than Sarr if you want a guaranteed (or as good as!) medium-term starter for your first XI.

However, at just £5.0m, Sarr could be a very nice fifth midfielder option – especially for Gameweek 1 Bench Boosters. Even if he loses his place eventually, he’s not eating up much of the budget and there perhaps won’t be as much of a hurry to ship him out, with seven other playable, and more expensive, attackers.

The end of an era: Son Heung-min (£8.5m) waved farewell to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as the Lilywhites and Newcastle United drew 1-1.

There’s no time for too much sentiment as Gameweek 1 approaches, though – it’s all about the key takeaways for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.

From a big injury blow for Spurs to a welcome return for the Magpies, here’s what we saw.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-1 NEWCASTLE UNITED

Goals: Johnson | Barnes

Assist: Danso | Gordon

MADDISON INJURY

James Maddison‘s (£7.0m) second appearance of the summer ended in more injury misery.

The midfielder was in trouble not 10 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute, being replaced himself shortly afterwards. Maddison had to be stretchered off, later being seen on crutches.

The bad news is that it’s the same knee that plagued him at the end of 2024/25.

“Yeah, it’s like in life, in football. I think sometimes life and football can be brutal, but also sometimes very beautiful. So I think it was brutal what happened to Madders. It looks like a bad injury. Of course, we don’t know exactly the status on it. It didn’t look good.

“We are pretty sure it was the same knee that he had the previous injury in.” – Thomas Frank on James Maddison

Where one door shuts, another one opens. Pape Matar Sarr (£5.0m) started this game in the hole, having bagged three goals in his previous two pre-season outings. Will he get a sustained run in that role now? You’d have to think that Spurs, given how close they were to nabbing Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.5m), would seriously consider moving for another ’10’ if Maddison is ruled out for a long period. But with Joao Palhinha signing on Sunday night, and Rodrigo Bentancur (£5.5m), Archie Gray (£5.0m) and Lucas Bergvall (£5.5m) already options deeper, perhaps Thomas Frank really does see Sarr’s future further forward.

The Senegalese midfielder registered a decent five touches in the box here, although his only effort came from a set play.

GORDON UP TOP

Both sides were without their main strikers on Sunday, with Alexander Isak‘s (£10.5m) future uncertain and Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) injured. Solanke may be back for the next friendly, which is a good job as Mathys Tel (£6.5m) and Richarlison (£6.5m) weren’t up to much up top. Tel missed an absolute sitter to make it 2-0.

As for Newcastle, Eddie Howe admitted after full-time that “there’s not much time” to get a new striker in – or any new players – ahead of Gameweek 1.

After Will Osula (£5.5m) fluffed his lines in midweek, Anthony Gordon (£7.5m) led the line against Spurs.

He did very well, too, linking up nicely with Harvey Barnes (£6.5m) and Jacob Murphy (£6.5m) on either side of him. Unless Newcastle really get a move on in the transfer market, that may well be the front three at Aston Villa.

Gordon set Barnes on his way for Newcastle’s (well taken) only goal, having come inches away from assisting Joelinton (£6.0m) earlier. Gordon himself went close with two predatory efforts, also seeing a goal chalked off for offside.

Newcastle really need a striker or two, but Gordon isn’t a bad Plan C.

“I thought Anthony did really up front, leading the line. Very pleased with him today.” – Eddie Howe on Anthony Gordon

HALL RETURNS

After remaining unused against Team K League, Lewis Hall (£5.5m) made his first appearance of the summer. It was his first outing since February, indeed.

Hall was only on the field for the final 13 minutes, and judging by Howe’s post-match comments, it may be Kieran Trippier (£5.0m) and Tino Livramento (£5.0m) at full-back in Gameweek 1.

“Massive. I mean, what a player to get back into our ranks. He’ll need a bit of time to get back to his best and we’ll give him that time and try and support him. Today was just a taste for him. He’s worked really hard to get to this point.” – Eddie Howe on Lewis Hall

EVEN CONTEST

It was a fairly even contest in Seoul, with Newcastle maybe just edging it.

Perhaps the two teamsheets explained why. Other than Livramento for Matt Targett (£4.0m) and Sandro Tonali (£5.5m) for Lewis Miley (£4.5m), this might have been the Newcastle team for the opening weekend.

Frank, however, only gave 45 minutes apiece to several of his regulars, such as Pedro Porro (£5.5m), Micky van de Ven (£4.5m) and Cristian Romero (£5.0m). Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) was also only on the bench.

Brennan Johnson (£7.0m), in Kudus’s right-wing role, issued a ‘don’t forget about me’ plea to his new manager, scoring the game’s opener.

Porro went close with a direct free-kick attempt, while Joelinton missed an easy header from a Bruno Guimaraes (£6.5m) cross. Bruno G was the game’s top creator, with four key passes.

Newcastle United XI: Pope (Gillespie 82), Trippier (Hall 77), Targett (Livramento 62), Schar (Krafth 82), Burn, Guimaraes, L. Miley, Joelinton (Hernes 87), J. Murphy (Park 77), Gordon (Osula 62), Barnes (Elanga 82).

Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) picked up an injury as Tottenham Hotspur claimed a 1-0 pre-season friendly victory over Arsenal on Thursday.

The key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from this clash are covered here.

ARSENAL 0-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Goal: Sarr

Assist: none

SAKA + TROSSARD SUBBED OFF

Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard (£7.0m) were both forced off with injuries on Thursday.

Saka fell to the ground following a collision in the second half, appearing to clutch his thigh. He received treatment shortly after, before Mikel Arteta hauled him off as part of a series of changes.

There were further injury concerns when substitute Trossard had to exit the pitch.

Post-match interviews failed to yield any update on Saka, perhaps indicating it’s a minor problem, but Arteta did discuss Trossard’s injury:

“He felt a little tweak, I think he tried to turn and he was pushed and he felt something muscular so we’ll have to assess him.” – Mikel Arteta on Leandro Trossard

GABRIEL, CALAFIORI + TIMBER LATEST

There was better news regarding Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.0m), Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m) and Jurrien Timber (£5.5m), with the defensive trio expected to be fit for Gameweek 1.

Asked if there were any doubts about their availability, Arteta said:

“I don’t think so, they’ve been involved in the last few days so Gabriel, Calafiori, Timber, the three of them will be available.” – Mikel Arteta

Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.5m), meanwhile, felt something in the previous friendly against Newcastle United and wasn’t risked.

GYOKERES DEBUT

As for the on-pitch action, Arsenal weren’t quite at it, as they failed to register a shot on target in the first half.

They improved after the break but failed to find a breakthrough, as they lacked creativity in and around the Tottenham box.

Given Kai Havertz’s (£7.5m) lack of influence up top, it was a surprise Arteta waited until the 77th minute to throw on debutant Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m).

The Swedish striker failed to have a shot and only had two touches, but did show a willingness to run in behind.

New signing Cristhian Mosquera (£5.5m) also appeared off the bench.

“Really happy obviously to have them here, I think they’re going to have a lot of value. You see this right away, as well as the energy and the quality that they’re going to bring. It was a short one but at least that one is off now and when they play against Villarreal now, I’m sure it will be a bit different.” – Mikel Arteta on Viktor Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquera

Elsewhere, Arsenal trialled a new set-piece routine, with five players lined up on the edge of the box. They often looked to go long via David Raya (£5.5m), too, so there was a slight change in approach.

Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard (£8.0m) bossed the underlying stats, with four shots and three key passes.

ANOTHER SARR GOAL/KUDUS IMPRESSES

This was easily Tottenham’s best display under Thomas Frank so far.

They got the win thanks to Pape Matar Sarr’s (£5.0m) superb strike, as he lobbed a stranded Raya from the centre circle.

It’s now three goals in three pre-season matches for Sarr, who moved into a No 10 role here after Lucas Bergvall (£5.5m) was withdrawn. He also racked up 13 defensive contributions.

Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) was heavily involved down the right, causing Myles Lewis-Skelly (£5.5m) plenty of problems.

“I think he was really good today Kudus. His hold-up play, the way he takes hold of the ball in tricky situations. His one-vs-one skills, his creating opportunities for the team was top class. On top of that I think he’s working extremely hard and there was a recovery run from a set piece when he was straining all the way back and he won the ball. That’s how he can help the team so much. He will make a lot of the fans excited with his offensive actions and he will also help the team defensively.” – Thomas Frank on Mohammed Kudus

Spurs also showed a resilient side in the second half, with Pedro Porro (£5.5m), who almost scored direct from a corner, and Micky van de Ven (£4.5m) solid at the back.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario (£5.0m) didn’t have much to do as a result, making one straightforward save late on.

SOLANKE LATEST

With Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) absent, Richarlison (£6.5m) led the line for Spurs in Hong Kong, with Mathys Tel (£6.5m) taking over for the final half hour.

However, Solanke, who is currently in just over 15% of FPL squads, should be back soon.

Asked about his ankle injury, Frank said:

“He’s close, if not for Sunday then he should be fit to play against Bayern.” – Thomas Frank on Dominic Solanke

Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior (Mosquera 77), Lewis-Skelly (Zinchenko 77); Norgaard (Zubimendi 77), Odegaard, Rice (Merino 77); Saka (Dowman 77), Martinelli (Trossard 68, Nelson 85), Havertz (Gyokeres 77)

There were more pre-season friendlies over the weekend, with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley, Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers among the teams in action.

In our Scout Notes article, we take a look at the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from these matches.

LIVERPOOL 2-4 AC MILAN

Goals: Szoboszlai, Gakpo

Assists: Ngumoha, Konate

Liverpool succumbed to a surprising 4-2 defeat at the hands of AC Milan in Singapore, with Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.5m) and Cody Gakpo (£7.5m) on target for the Reds.

The Premier League champions fielded two separate teams for each half, with Alisson (£5.5m), Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m), Andrew Robertson (£6.0m), Mohamed Salah (£14.5m) and new signing Florian Wirtz (£8.5m) in the first line-up.

Liverpool are clearly undercooked and succumbed early on when Rafael Leao punished van Dijk after the Dutchman showed the winger space on his left foot to crash a shot past Alisson.

Gravenberch was used as a utility centre-back in the first half, while Kostas Tsimikas (£5.0m) partnered Konate in two unsuccessful experiments.

Szoboszlai’s equaliser was a thing of beauty, however, a curling right-footed shot into the top corner, and Wirtz showed some superb moments of skill, playing in the false-nine role.

Wirtz looked neat and tidy, but the worry about whether he takes anything away from Salah’s potency will linger until we have more match evidence to go on, as for the second friendly running the Egyptian failed to score.

Liverpool first half XI: Alisson, Stephenson, Gravenberch, van Dijk, Robertson, Morton (Nyoni 32), Szoboszlai, Salah, Elliott, Ngumoha, Wirtz

Liverpool second half XI: Mamardashvili, Bradley, Konate, Tsimikas, Kerkez, Jones, Gravenberch (Morton 62), Frimpong, Doak, Nyoni, Gakpo

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2-2 WYCOMBE WANDERERS

LUTON TOWN 0-0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Goals: Sarr x2

Assists: Odobert, Thompson

Tottenham squeezed in two pre-season friendlies in one day before heading off on their tour of the Far East, the first of which was a 2-2 draw with Wycombe.

Pape Matar Sarr (£5.0m) scored both Spurs goals in the behind-closed-doors friendly, in which several academy graduates took part.

Wilson Odobert (£5.5m) played particularly well on the right flank, creating havoc with his pace, while Tottenham came close through a Pedro Porro (£5.5m) free-kick.

There were more first-team players on show for the trip to Kenilworth Road, but the closest Spurs came to a breakthrough was when Mohammed Kudus’ (£6.5m) 10th-minute shot was cleared off the line.

Guglielmo Vicario (£5.0m) had little to do, but his half-time replacement, Antonin Kinsky (£4.0m), had to produce an excellent save to keep out Nahki Wells’ volley eight minutes into the second half.

There were bright spells from new signing Kudus, but the draw was a fair outcome.

The main takeaways were injury-related, however, with Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) and Destiny Udogie (£4.5m) both left out of the Luton match as a precaution.

“Dom has a minor ankle issue, nothing we’re worried about, just a precaution for today.

“Destiny felt something in the warm up, so, again, just a precaution, we just want to be on top of that.” – Thomas Frank

Tottenham Hotspur XI v Wycombe Wanderers: Austin, Porro (Ashcroft 75), Romero (Cassanova 75), Vuskovic (Arganese-McDermott 75), Davies (Akhamrich 75), Abbott (Tyrese Hall 75), Bergvall (Olusesi 75), Sarr (Williams-Barnett 75), Odobert (Thompson 61), Richarlison (Irow 61), Son (Lehane 75)

Tottenham Hotspur XI v Luton Town: Vicario (Kinsky 46), Spence (Kyerematen 77), Danso (Byfield 64), van de Ven (Rowswell 77), Donley, Bissouma (Olusesi 77), Gray (Russell-Denny 77), Moore (Devine 77), Kudus (Yang 77), Johnson (Lankshear 77), Tel (Scarlett 77)

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-2 BURNLEY

SHREWSBURY TOWN 2-2 BURNLEY

Goals: McDermott, Westley

Assists: Koleosho, Tweedy

Goals: Edwards x2 (pen)

Assists: Worrall

Scott Parker split his side into two for these matches, with the other half of the squad taking on Shrewsbury Town at the same time in Shropshire.

Goals from Tommy McDermott and Joe Westley earned Burnley an away win at the Acuu Stadium.

Meanwhile, new signing Marcus Edwards (£5.0m) struck twice as a heavily-rotated Burnley XI shared a draw with Shrewsbury Town.

Jaydon Banel twice went close for Burnley before Edwards equalised on 52 minutes with a well-taken free-kick, and the former Spurs man then forced a save from Harrison before converting a penalty after Joe Worrall (£4.0m) had been brought down.

Notably, Josh Brownhill and Jay Rodriguez took all of Burnley’s penalties in 2024/25 but have now left the club.

Elsewhere, Axel Tuanzebe (£4.0m) picked up an injury which will need monitoring.

Burnley XI v Huddersfield Town: Hladky (Weiß 45), Walker (McDermott 61), Hartman (Brierley 70), Ekdal (Leuluai 70), Esteve (Pye 70), Anthony (Pouani 61), Bruun Larsen (Balogun 61), Laurent (Bauress 70), Hannibal (Pimlott 70), Koleosho (Tweedy 70), Foster (Westley 70)

Burnley XI v Shrewsbury Town: Green, Worrall (Ashton 82), Delcroix (Campbell 82), Tuanzebe (Sambo 23, Blackie 88), Sonne (Williams 82), Pires (Adekoya 82), Ramsey (Tresor 65), Cullen (McCoy 73), Banel (McMahon-Brown 82), Edwards (Adewumi 82), Barnes (Tchaouna 46)

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN 3-0 SUNDERLAND

Sunderland issued a public apology for their defeat in Scotland after they were resoundingly beaten by Hearts.

Regis Le Bris made three changes from the side that faced Sporting, with Dan Neil (£5.0m), Simon Moore (£4.0m) and Niall Huggins (£4.0m) coming in for Habib Diarra (£5.5m), Blondy Nna Noukeu (£4.0m) and Harrison Jones (£4.5m).

Enzo Le Fée (£5.0m) showed glimpses of his quality and remains a set-piece threat, his free-kick whistling narrowly wide in the 53rd minute, but with three weeks to go before the new season, this was not an encouraging display.

“I think, for the first time this pre-season, we faced a team with high intensity, direct play, man for man – and we struggled. Maybe we are a bit tired, but it’s not an excuse. So, a strong reminder: sometimes you need a punch in your face to say, oh, the season has restarted – and that was the case.” – Regis Le Bris

Sunderland XI: Moore, Hume (Tutierov 70), Ballard (J Jones 70), Seelt (Lavery 70), Huggins (H Jones 70), Sadiki (Diarra 31), Neil (Sadiki 63), Le Fee (Browne 70), Adingra (Roberts 70), Talbi (Aleksic 70), Mayenda (Abdullahi 70)

STOKE CITY 1-1 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Goals: Hwang

Hwang Hee-chan (£6.0m) was on target as Wolves earned a hard-fought draw at Stoke.

The South Korean stepped up to take his side’s penalty only to see it saved by Viktor Johansson, but the forward was first to the rebound to spare his blushes and level the match.

Stoke had taken the lead through Bae Junho’s first-half effort, with Fer Lopez (£5.5m) coming close at the other end for Wolves. But the visitors improved in the second half following the introductions of Hugo Bueno (£4.5m), fresh from his loan spell at Feyenoord, and Rodrigo Gomes (£4.5m).

Goncalo Guedes (£5.5m) fired over and Hwang had a chance cleared off the line, but Wolves had to settle for parity.

Elsewhere, there was more involvement from budget defender Ki-Jana Hoever (£4.0m), who has been on various loan spells over the last three years. Last week, he provided an assist and this weekend he played as both a right-back and right centre-back.

“I feel like I’m a wing back. I think he [Pereira] sees that as well. But he spoke to me in half-time and asked if I could play as a third centre-back and obviously the way we play, I think it’s also something I can do, and it’s no problem for me.” – Ki-Jana Hoever

Among the 11 pre-season friendlies taking place on Saturday was Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to third-tier Reading.

The match at the Select Car Leasing Stadium (bring back Elm Park!) was Thomas Frank’s first game in charge of Spurs.

And there were new faces on show for the Lilywhites, including big-money signing Mohammed Kudus.

Here’s what we saw in Berkshire.

READING 0-2 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Goals: Lankshear, Vuskovic

Assists: Vuskovic, Kudus

KUDUS DEBUT

Anyone who saw Kudus going through the motions at West Ham United last season would have no doubt been wondering what on earth possessed Spurs to shell out north of £50m on the Ghana international.

But Saturday’s display at Reading was a reminder of why he was sought-after.

Boy, he was good – even if it was just against a League One side.

Introduced at half-time and used on the right flank, he was a big upgrade on Brennan Johnson, who floundered there in the first half.

Pacy, fleet-footed and strong on the ball, the highlight of his 45-minute showing was a superb bit of trickery on the wing (even if the ball may have gone out…) to set up Jamie Donley for a chance in the 78th minute.

Another one of his match-high four chances created was an assist for young centre-half Luka Vuskovic.

He was on set plays, too, with his corners on point. One of his deliveries was nodded on by Vuskovic for Will Lankshear to head in.

An encouraging debut.

“He was exciting to watch. He had four, five very good actions where you could see what he’s about. His pace, one-on-one skills, the way he can twist and turn going forward. That was a positive.” – Thomas Frank on Mohammed Kudus

UDOGIE + PORRO POSITIONING

Arguably the most eye-catching aspect of Frank’s first match at the helm was his use of full-backs.

Pedro Porro has been the go-to Spurs defender in FPL in recent seasons, thanks to his attacking threat.

But on Saturday, it was Destiny Udogie who was afforded more attacking license.

While the formation was 4-2-3-1 on paper, the 3-2-5 build-up was common throughout the first half.

It was Udogie who was pushed high and wide up the field, however, not Porro. The Spaniard instead hung back more, trying to break the Reading defence with balls from deep.

Above: Spurs’ first-half set-up against Reading, via Sofascore. 31 = Kinsky. 13 = Udogie. 4 = Danso. 17 = Romero. 23 = Porro. 30 = Bentancur. 29 = Sarr. 47 = Moore. 45 = Devine. 22 = Johnson. 19 = Solanke.

But before we get too carried away, maybe this was just horses-for-courses. In the second half, the roles were reversed: Ben Davies hanging back at left-back, Djed Spence advancing more from the right. Perhaps if Porro is playing behind the drifting Kudus, he’ll be asked to get forward more.

Porro did retain set-piece duties in the first half, at least. And, with defensive contribution points brought in, who is to say that a centre-half stationing wouldn’t benefit him either…

ABSENCES EXPLAINED

There were some rusty performances elsewhere, Johnson aside. Dominic Solanke and Son Heung-min delivered two of them, the former skying over in the first half.

As for absences, Archie Gray, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert were late back from the European U21 Championships and not involved. Richarlison should be back next week, meanwhile, James Maddison is training partly.

Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin look set to miss the start of 2025/26, however.

While the Morgan Gibbs-White pursuit looks like becoming a saga, Tottenham Hotspur have relatively decisively wrapped up a move for Mohammed Kudus.

Arriving as their first major signing since Thomas Frank’s appointment as head coach, Kudus slides across London from West Ham United in a £55m deal.

After an underwhelming 2024/25, what impact will the 24-year-old attacking midfielder have in Fantasy Premier League (FPL)?

We’ll take a look during this Moving Target piece, including data and images from our Premium Members Area.

HISTORY

At Nordsjaelland, the Ghanaian impressed Ajax enough for the Dutch giants to make a move in 2020.

While an early meniscus injury kept Kudus out for several months, he went on to win consecutive Eredivisie titles before catching attention with his 2022/23 breakthrough.

It wasn’t just his 11 league goals. He netted four times in a Champions League group featuring Liverpool, Napoli and Rangers.

He even found time to score a goodbye hat-trick versus Ludogorets in August 2023, before sealing the switch to England.

From the initial £100m received for Declan Rice, West Ham dedicated a larger chunk to Kudus than to other incomings. Fans quickly discovered why.

Season one peaked with a 10-match winter spell of five goals and four assists, while he scored another five during their run to the Europa League quarter-finals. One of them – an incredible solo effort versus Freiburg – was nominated for FIFA’s end-of-year Puskas Award.

The spectacular strikes didn’t end there either, as acrobatic moments stunned Brentford and Manchester City. As for FPL, a brace against Wolverhampton Wanderers brought in a 16-point haul, later racking up 12 at Newcastle United.

However, in 2024/25, no double-digit tallies took place. Only once did Kudus exceed seven points. Accusations of the attacking midfielder not putting in the graft became more frequent from the Hammers’ faithful.

And after putting West Ham 1-0 up at *checks notes* Spurs last October, he was sent off and given a five-match ban for hitting Micky van de Ven‘s face.

Luckily, there’s already an uploaded video of the new teammates definitely shaking hands. But these rival teams aren’t usually as friendly with each other.

COMPARING HIS TWO FPL SEASONS

With the early 00s flurry of Frederic Kanoute, Jermain Defoe and Michael Carrick long gone, it’s very rare for them to do business together. This is the first time since 2011, when the recently-relegated Hammers sold Scott Parker and loaned in David Bentley.

Is it, therefore, a huge red flag that West Ham were willing to sell Kudus to Spurs for far below his £85m domestic release clause? Or is it deemed a necessary sacrifice that allows Graham Potter’s overhaul to take place?

Playing a similar amount of league minutes in both campaigns (2,521, then 2,591), the latest one brought a big drop from 17 attacking returns.

Part of this can be explained by managerial upheaval and the team dropping down to 14th – still higher than Spurs – but looking at Kudus’ underlying data tells a different story.

Using our Members Area to compare, he was actually better in season two.

The first was a huge overachievement for expected goal involvement (xGI, +8.19). This time had him more productive in most areas, such as chances created, expected goals (xG) and touches in the box.

Above: Statsbomb shows that several low xG Kudus shots became goals in 2023/24

Furthermore, Kudus ended with a greater number of shots than Chris Wood, Luis Diaz and Jean-Philippe Mateta, a higher number on target than Morgan Rogers, more big chances than Matheus Cunha and an xGI tally that bettered Anthony Elanga.

Despite this, he didn’t finish among the best 45 FPL midfielders.

Though what both seasons have in common is this strong dribbler being the league’s number one for attempted take-ons.

Above: Players ranked by total attempted take-ons during 2023/24 (left) and 2024/25 (right)

Using his low centre of gravity, Kudus is a superb ball carrier and can attract lots of fouls. That’s potentially good news for Spurs’ set-piece takers.

WHERE KUDUS FITS IN AT SPURS

It should fit in well with Frank’s preferred style of quick and direct attacks. So it’s just a question of where he’ll be deployed.

“I’m a very direct winger, strong, very good at taking players on and creating chances, so there is a lot of flair in my game. I like to entertain the fans as well.” – Mohammed Kudus to the Spurs website

The left-footed attacker prefers the right flank, but the untouchable presence of Jarrod Bowen forced Kudus to showcase his versatility once Potter came in and applied a wing-back system.

Above: A graphic from Sky Sports showing the many positions of Kudus

He’s spoken of the frustrations this brings, but has been professional about it.

“When you play in a certain position for a long period of time, it becomes natural. The movements are natural. But being versatile is good for the coach, especially with the injuries. I can play a number of positions and I don’t mind that and I don’t mind doing a job for the team to get the three points.” – Mohammed Kudus to Sky Sports

Right now, his new side employs Dominic Solanke, Son Heung-min, Brennan Johnson, Mathys Tel, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison. We might soon be able to add Gibbs-White to the mix, too.

Until several of these names depart, our resident Spurs fan, Sam Bonfield, thinks there’s lots of uncertainty about Kudus’ main position. She spoke about this on one of our recent videos.

“What we seem to have is a lot of players who can play a bit of everywhere. Even Tel, he can play on the left or the centre-forward position. Now that’s great, it’s helpful because it gives you better backups. I just don’t know that Kudus is the thing that we’re missing.” – Sam Bonfield from FPLFamily

“You would expect that Johnson would be out on the right. The left is more contentious because I’m not convinced that Son is still going to be at Spurs next season. Even if he is, I’m not convinced he’s going to get the same level of minutes.

“We’ve just signed Tel full-time, maybe he wants to give [Maddison] more game time, so maybe he puts Johnson on the left.” – Sam Bonfield from FPLFamily

Frank surely has a position in mind. While Potter inherited Kudus, Spurs have actively gone out and bought him for £55m. And West Ham didn’t really have a striker, whereas the Lilywhites do.

Perhaps Frank intends to play Kudus on the right, as his next Bryan Mbeumo. But that’s Johnson’s best position – he was the club’s leading player for goals (11) and FPL points (137).

WILL KUDUS BE WORTH BUYING IN FPL?

Either way, Spurs fans can be hopeful that their new signing will be a success. Not needing Premier League adaptation is good, as are the two seasons of underlying stats.

Because, as excellent as his 2023/24 was, numbers say he was even more threatening in 2024/25. Sometimes players just fit better in a different team.

Tottenham’s campaign begins at home to Burnley and the early fixtures are generally attractive.

But competition for places is currently strong. Although Frank won’t ignore the league like Ange Postecoglou did near the end, there’ll still be rotation once the Champions League gets underway after Gameweek 4.

Sam reckons a better, more reliable Spurs attacker will emerge for investment.

“I don’t think he comes in as the best Spurs attacker to own. I’d still rather go for Solanke. And depending upon who we see playing in the Damsgaard role during friendlies and the Super Cup, I’d rather have them. If it’s Kulu or if it’s Madders, he’ll be high on my wishlist.” – Sam Bonfield from FPLFamily

“It doesn’t make me feel lots of joy, as a Spurs fan. And as an FPL manager, I’m very lukewarm to this one. Whereas last summer, when we got Solanke, I ripped my FPL team up to bring him into it.” – Sam Bonfield from FPLFamily

Initially priced at £6.5m both times, this high-profile move probably keeps him there for 2025/26, rather than dropping to £6.0m.

As exciting as Kudus can be, we need lineup answers from their final friendly and upcoming European Super Cup encounter.