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Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has responded after Eberechi Eze snubbed his club in order to sign for rivals Arsenal in a blockbuster £67.5million transfer instead

Thomas Frank has fired a not-so-subtle message at Eberechi Eze after he snubbed Tottenham to join Arsenal. Eze is poised to sign for Arsenal from Crystal Palace after the Gunners hijacked Spurs’ move at the last moment.

Spurs had been in talks with Palace for some time over a deal for the 27-year-old midfielder. But Eze, a boyhood Arsenal fan and former member of their academy, had always preferred to join Mikel Arteta’s side.

So when Arsenal returned to the fray on Wednesday and made it clear they were willing to meet Palace’s asking price of £60million plus £7.5m in potential add-ons, there was only going to be one outcome. Eze sat out of Palace’s Conference League play-off first leg against Fredrikstad on Thursday and is now due to have a medical with Arsenal.

His snub came as a major blow to Spurs, who are desperate for creative reinforcements after James Maddison suffered a serious knee injury. But, speaking in a pre-match press conference ahead of Tottenham’s clash against Manchester City on Saturday, Frank tried to play down the significance of Eze’s decision.

“I don't speak about specific players unless they are at our fantastic club,” he said. “There have been a lot of rumours including players linked when I think that's interesting because there's nothing in it. There have been a lot of links and lot of links in the future.

“In general, talking generally, I don't want any players that don't want to come to this club and wear this fantastic badge. We don't want them here and I'm sure the fans feel the same.”

Spurs are without Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski and Mirror Football understands they could turn to Monaco midfielder Maghnes Akliouche as their next target. They have now missed out on Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White, who signed a new deal with Nottingham Forest to rebuff their interest.

“Of course we need to do everything we can,” Frank added about transfers. “We have six good front players [and] that is very competitive. Kulusevski will come back this season, probably longer term with Maddison, I am also confident we will sign a player before the end of the window.”

Richarlison scored twice in their 3-0 win over Burnley last weekend and, after it was suggested he could move to Palace as part of a swap for Eze, Frank reassured fans of his status in the squad.

“Right now he is my starting No.9,” he said. “He scored two top goals. Richy wants to stay, I want to keep him and there's been no talks about anything else.

“I think we just played the first game and scored three goals so I think that was pretty promising. [Mohammed] Kudus has that spark and creativity. I think Mathys Tel can play in different positions. Dom [Solanke] and Richy can score goals and Brennan [Johnson] is our deep runner. We have variations.”

The fiery Tottenham Hotspur boss hit back at a journalist at his press conference in Bilbao ahead of Wednesday night's Europa League final against Manchester United

Ange Postecoglou launched a furious attack on his critics ahead of the Europa League final, declaring: “I’m no clown.”

Asked in the final media conference ahead of Spurs’ showdown with Manchester United in Bilbao if he was conscious of a ‘fine line between two different types of infamy and history’, an angry Postecoglou responded: “I'll tell you one thing, irrespective of tomorrow, I'm not a clown and never will be.

"You really disappointed me that you (the reporter’s publication) used such terminology to describe a person that for 26 years, without any favours from anyone, has worked his way to a position where he is leading out a club in a European final.

"For you to suggest that somehow us not being successful means that I'm a clown, I'm not sure how to answer that question …”

The final against United will be Postecoglou’s 100th game in charge of Spurs and most observers expect it to be his penultimate match in charge. Spurs will wrap up their season against Brighton on the final day of the Premier League on Sunday.

At times in Bilbao, Postecoglou gave hints that he knows he is very unlikely to be in charge next season but said that talk about his future was “irrelevant”.

He did, however, claim his long-term Spurs project is still on track, saying: “I don't think my job is done here. I really feel like we are building something and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerate that.

"I still think there is a lot of work to be done. That is quite obvious with the challenges we've had this year, but I think there is some reasoning in the context of that but also there has been some growth that I would like to see through.

"Whether that happens or not, that's not important right now but I don't think this job is finished. I feel like there is some growth there that we can take this club where it needs to be."

Manchester United are a week out from the Europa League final but victory will activate a number of Champions League contract clauses - resulting in huge pay rises

Manchester United could end up forking out £30million in contract upgrades if the club win the Europa League final next week. Victory would ensure passage back into the Champions League - which would see the players rewarded.

United need to overcome Tottenham in an all-English final when they head to Bilbao with silverware and huge financial benefits at stake. The Red Devils have massively underwhelmed domestically, but can salvage some pride on the European stage.

A number of the players at Old Trafford have underperformed this term, which is partly why the team languish in 16th place in the Premier League. Yet their exploits in Europe could see them receive new contract upgrades, reports the Telegraph.

The salary hikes are set to total more than £30m. Ruben Amorim and his squad will largely be in line for a 25 percent pay bump if they beat Spurs and land themselves a seat at the Champions League table.

The players also stand to share a bonus pool of around £1m - which is £2m less than the shared bonus that will be handed to the Tottenham players if they edge out the all-Premier League affair.

Victory in the final will go someway to easing the feeling around Amorim, who has his doubters following a slow start to life in Manchester. He's led the team on a lengthy unbeaten run in Europe and admits there is a different feeling around the place for such matches.

He said: "A final is different. This season has been really difficult on everyone - the results and also the change in the staff and you can feel it in our club. We are addressing that during the season, we are changing the way we play during the season, we have so many bad results in the Premier League.

"The environment is different at the moment but I guarantee you when we are preparing a game in the Europa League, the environment is a little bit different, then you can feel the excitement."

United's squad is set to be overhauled this summer, which means certain players may not get the chance to benefit from any potential pay rises. Amorim needs players who can thrive in his unique system and the Manchester hierarchy are set to stick by him for now.

The head coach has also claimed qualification for the Champions League would supersede the trophy on offer. He said: "Personally for me, Champions League is more important, for everything, to prepare the next season, and we are supposed to be in the Champions League, Europa League here is not enough and you feel it here. This is the best way to help us to get to the top."

It's a battle between 16th and 17th as Tottenham Hotspur travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham United on Sunday, but the game will not be shown on live TV in the UK

West Ham United welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the London Stadium on Sunday as a lacklustre Premier League season for both winds down. The Hammers are languishing down in 17th and could have been scrapping in a relegation battle down to the wire had it not have been for dismal performances from Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town for the duration of 2024/25.

Winless under Graham Potter since their 2-0 victory over Leicester at the end of February, the east London outfit will be concentrating on damage limitation ahead of the summer break.

However, they aren't alone in their hardship from the current campaign, with Spurs sitting just one place above them in the standings by a mere point. Ange Postecoglou has felt the pressure from fans this term after achieving victory on just 11 occasions overall.

Entering the fray on the back of a 4-2 loss to Wolves, a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest, and a 5-1 thrashing from Liverpool that saw the Reds lift the Premier League title last Sunday, spirits are certainly low in north London.

However, Postecoglou may hope to utilise momentum from Spurs' 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday to inspire a result against their neighbours in the capital this weekend.

While the fixture will be on offer for Premier League fans around the world, it will not be broadcast live on TV in the UK - meaning that the only way to watch along is by securing a spot at the London Stadium. Here, Mirror Football explains why...

Why isn't West Ham vs Tottenham on TV?

The Hammers' clash with the Lilywhites is one of four fixtures which are scheduled for Sunday afternoon, with Brighton facing Newcastle United and Brentford hosting Manchester United at 2pm, while Chelsea welcome champions Liverpool at 4.30pm. Brighton and Newcastle have been selected for live screening by Sky Sports during their 2pm slot, while Chelsea's clash with Liverpool is the main event.

West Ham were initially set to welcome Spurs to east London on Saturday, but the game was rescheduled when the visitors qualified for the semi-finals of the Europa League to allow ample time to recover from their initial clash with Bodo/Glimt.

From next season, however, all matches that aren't set for a 3pm kick-off on a Saturday will be broadcast live across the UK courtesy of a new Premier League TV deal.

How to watch West Ham vs Tottenham outside of the UK

Though football fans won't be able to tune in to watch the game live on TV in the UK, those living abroad may still be able to do so. You can find out who your local Premier League broadcaster is here.

How to follow West Ham vs Tottenham

UK-based football fans won't have to wait long to catch the highlights of West Ham vs Spurs, as they will be shown on the Sky Sports website and on Sky Sports' YouTube channel around 20 minutes after the final whistle. Meanwhile, Match of the Day 2 will show extended highlights of the fixture, as well as all of the action from around the grounds on Sunday evening on BBC One at 10.30pm.

Those who wish to follow it live will be restricted to audio, with BBC London amongst those providing radio commentary in the UK.

The Reds confirmed themselves as champions with their 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, as World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister added another trophy to his fast-growing collection

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has praised the contribution his “stand-out” midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has made to their Premier League title success. While the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and even Ryan Gravenberch may be high up in the running for the club’s player of the year Mac Allister has, at times, gone unnoticed.

However, the Argentina World Cup winner started to reach peak form after Christmas and it was his goal to put Liverpool 2-1 up against Tottenham which kicked off the title party at Anfield last weekend.

“I don’t think he is underrated by me because he played maybe every game or close to every game,” said Slot. “Maybe the few times he didn’t play that was because he needed rest or he got a knock, so he couldn’t play. (He’s a) very important player, (has) game intelligence (and is) so comfortable on the ball.

“But what makes him even more special to me is normally players that have so much game inside and are so comfortable on the ball are not as aggressive and intense without the ball.

“He is one of the few players in the world that combines this great game intelligence, great on the ball, but (with) a tenacity without the ball. In our midfield, he stands out in terms of tenacity.”

Slot has promised to make changes in the final four matches of the season to ensure fringe players are given an opportunity to increase their pitch time.

However, even though the title has been secured, holding a 15-point lead over second-placed Arsenal heading into the weekend, that does not mean he expects his players to be any less competitive, although he accepts with the job done there may be a drop in performance.

“We are going into these four games trying to win them all, of course, that’s what we always want, that’s what every player, every Liverpool shirt should aim for – winning a game of football,” the Dutchman added.

“I would judge us more on the amount of points we have now compared to teams that won it in the past four games before the end, because there’s definitely a difference if we’re still competing than the games we play now.

“That’s not to say that we’re going to lose them, we have a lot of trust in the players we’re going to play now as well.”

Tottenham's top goalscorer Brennan Johnson netted his 17th of the season on Thursday night in the Europa League semi-final first leg win over Bodo/Glimt and now he's determined to earn Sunday's derby bragging rights vs West Ham

Brennan Johnson insists Tottenham are fired up to face West Ham - because victory would set the tone for next week's crunch Europa League semi-final second leg against Bodo/Glimt.

Spurs now have one foot in Bilbao as they'll take a precious two-goal lead to the Arctic Circle. But Johnson, who headed home the opener inside 40 seconds to stun the Norwegians, is determined to build upon Thursday's success by inflicting further misery upon their struggling London rivals.

He said ahead of today's trip across the capital: "It could be massive, it's a big game so for us, it's the most important game. Momentum is such a big thing in football, we're looking to get as much momentum going as we can before next week.

"It's been tough because the Premier League results have not been great and that's something that we're all aware of. It's a tough switch, we wish we could just roll into these big European games having won matches in the Premier League but unfortunately it just hasn't been like that this season."

Tottenham savaged 10-man West Ham in a brutal 4-1 beatdown on home soil back in October. However, Spurs have still lost three more top-flight matches (19) than the crisis-hit Hammers (16) this season and defeat to Graham Potter's side would see Tottenham plummet to 17th place in the table.

Still, Johnson claims Thursday's rip-roaring display against Bodo/Glimt was living proof the dressing room still has total faith in under-fire boss Ange Postecoglou. He said confidently when asked if the Aussie still has the backing of his squad: "For sure, that's never been in question.

"Games like Thursday hopefully show that all the lads listen to everything that he says and at the end of the day, especially in the Europa League, the game plans have come off perfectly as you also saw in Frankfurt. Hopefully we can do that again next week and get to the final."

Back-post merchant Johnson is Tottenham's top-goalscorer this season having found the net an impressive 17 times in all competitions. That's more than he's managed in each of his last two seasons combined.

And the last time Spurs netted inside the opening minute of a European match - December 1971 against Rapid Bucharest - they went on to lift the trophy (UEFA Cup).

Johnson revealed his father David, who was a prolific forward for Ipswich and Nottingham Forest after coming through the ranks at Manchester United, serves as his greatest source of inspiration.

The 23-year-old said: "I want to make him and the whole family proud. It's something I always want to do whenever I step onto the pitch and I feel that energy with me, I feel the team's energy with me and yeah, scoring that many goals this season is something I'm really happy with.

"It's a challenge that I set myself at the start of the season so I'm happy with how it's going, especially after scoring in a game like Thursday."

Ange Postecoglou has come out fighting, with the Tottenham Hotspur manager under huge pressure after a disappointing season that could yet be rescued by a Europa League triumph

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has taken a swipe at Liverpool, claiming there is a "national campaign" when refereeing decisions go against them. Postecoglou also took aim at his own club and suggested that former players who now work as pundits should be more positive about Spurs.

Tottenham currently sit 14th in the Premier League and Postecoglou is under huge pressure, with Spurs' Europa League challenge expected to be a key factor in his future at the club. Tottenham face Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals this month and would qualify for the Champions League if they can win the tournament.

Speaking ahead of Tottenham's clash with Southampton on Sunday, Postecoglou came out fighting in his pre-match press conference. "I think in the time I've been here, we've had two decisions that have gone for us against Liverpool and there has been a national campaign, almost," he said.

"It seems like every fight ends up being an internal fight at this club. There's never any sort of defending of the club or the club defending itself. That's a unique challenge, but I accepted that challenge so I've got to try to find a way to overcome it."

When asked how Spurs should defend itself, Postecoglou explained: "By being more vocal. I hope not [just the manager]. I think you hear enough from me, you probably hear too much from me, to be honest.

"It doesn't have to be just from people at the club. I hear plenty of people talking and defending other clubs but it seems, with Tottenham, wherever there's a sore there's a real pile-on to sort of stick a finger in that sore and then we kind of accept our fate.

"You guys know the landscape better than I do, but it seems like…I never switch it [the television] on and hear any sort of strong voice. The only voice you hear is me. When we're talking about the bigger clubs, there seems to be a lot more voices. And not always defending. You need scrutiny and constructive criticism as well.

"We definitely get enough of that! But we never get any of the other stuff. I think the fact that out of last night the big story is my interaction with the fans and not the fact a game of football was materially changed by technology.

"VAR said 'clear and obvious'. Six minutes for clear and obvious and I'd have thought that would be the story from last night, but it's not. Again, it's my interaction with the fans and how I've made things more difficult. You kind of go 'OK, well, that's the challenge we face'."

Postecoglou is referencing the fact that Spurs fans chanted "you don't know what you're doing" after he replaced Lucas Bergvall with Pape Sarr against Chelsea on Thursday. Sarr then scored moments later and Postecoglou appeared to cup his ear towards the fans, only for the goal to be ruled out after a lengthy VAR check.

Postecoglou, though, denied claims his gesture was a response to the chants in a tense interview with Sky Sports after the 1-0 defeat. "I wanted the supporters to cheer," he insisted.

"I thought it was a cracking goal. They've booed my substitutions before. It had nothing to do with them booing my substitutions."