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Tottenham Hotspur have been urged to allow Pape Sarr to leave, with Alfie Devine set to replace him in the squad.

Sarr has made 34 appearances for Spurs this season, but his performances have often underwhelmed supporters in North London.

Meanwhile, Devine has starred on loan in the Championship with Preston, making 44 appearances, with eight goals and five assists.

It leaves Roberto De Zerbi with an interesting dilemma as he plans his squad for the new season, hopefully, still in the Premier League.

Tottenham could pull off a masterstroke if they sold the Senegalese midfielder and replaced him with the Englishman.

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Why Sarr could be sold to accommodate Divine at Tottenham

John Wenham has tipped Tottenham to rebuild around a young English core, and Devine fits that model.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “We’ve seen some reports about Pape Sarr and links to a move to Turkey.

“He has some good moments, but overall, would I move him on? I probably would. He is 23 now; he’s not 21 anymore, so a couple of years from his absolute peak, but I just don’t think he’s consistent enough, and he doesn’t offer a threat going forward at all.

“Defensively, he’s not that strong in the tackle; he’s a fantastic runner, box to box, but other than that, I wouldn’t be disappointed if he was sold, I’ll put it that way.

“Then you look at someone like Alfie Devine, who’s more aggressive, scores a lot of goals, you could bring him back and effectively replace Sarr for free, I wouldn’t be averse to that

“He’s building up his value nicely. He’s probably worth £6-7 million now. I know Preston has this £4.5 million buy option on him, but obviously, it comes down to the player.

“At the end of the day, you can have a buy option, but if the player doesn’t want to do it, if Tottenham have said, ‘look, we’re going to get you back involved in our first team’, he won’t go.

“He’s one I would like to see maybe integrated, and the way you would do that is by moving on Sarr for £15-20 million to Turkey.”

Why Devine is destined for Tottenham role

Devine seems like he is set to be a part of Tottenham’s future, whether Sarr is around or not.

He is the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer, as he scored in the FA Cup against Marine at just 16 years and 163 days old.

He has served his time away from the club on loan, getting experience in the senior game, and he is destined for a role in the near future after all the club has invested into his development.

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Callum Olusesi is once again knocking on the first team door at Tottenham Hotspur.

It’s been quite clear for months now that the senior players in North London are not up to standard when it comes to keeping Spurs in the Premier League, and yet they are the ones handed renewed chances.

That is despite the fact that Spurs have a whole host of youngsters waiting for their chance to make their mark under Roberto De Zerbi, having not had the chance under Thomas Frank or Igur Tudor.

Olusesi is towards the top of that list, having had an excellent campaign in the Premier League 2.

And having impressed again in Tottenham Under-21’s 1-0 win over Wolves on Friday night, he has staked an even bigger claim for his place.

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Callum Olusesi’s numbers vs Wolves

Tottenham’s latest defeat to Sunderland came down to several factors, but perhaps none more so than their lack of bite in midfield.

Lucas Bergvall had a shocker in midfield, winning none of his 12 duels in the game, which is something that Olusesi would strive to have an impact on.

Against Wolves, the teenager won 100 per cent of his seven duels in the game, while also making four tackles to keep the visitors at bay.

Olusesi created one chance and won the penalty that led to the winning goal with his willingness to get forward.

The 19-year-old certainly has the bite that Tottenham need so desperately in midfield, and De Zerbi cannot wait any longer to introduce him into the fold.

Why are Tottenham unwilling to test youth?

The one thing you always get from young players looking to make a name for themselves is effort, which is what Spurs have lacked.

For the season to have almost come to an end, with relegation fears still strong, and very few of them having been given a chance, is baffling.

Tottenham need some new energy and a new mentality on the pitch, and the use of their academy would bring that.

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Roberto De Zerbi‘s decision to start Richarlison on the wing for Tottenham Hotspur proved costly.

Things couldn’t have gone much worse for De Zerbi in his first game in charge of Spurs, with the North Londoners falling to yet another defeat while also seeing Cristian Romero forced off with injury.

The latter cannot be blamed on the Italian, but the lack of attacking threat posed by Tottenham at the Stadium of Light certainly can be.

De Zerbi opted to play Dominic Solanke as the focal point up top for Spurs, with Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlsionb on either side of him.

And while Richarlison has had a good season for Tottenham, his display against Sunderland showcased the first error made by De Zerbi, and one that shouldn’t be repeated.

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Richarlison was hung out to dry by Roberto De Zerbi

With 10 goals across all competitions, including nine in the Premier League, Richarlison is Tottenham’s top scorer this season.

However, all but one of those goals have arrived while the Brazilian has been utilised centrally.

For reasons unknown, De Zerbi decided to change that against Sunderland, and it didn’t have anywhere near the impact that he would have hoped.

Richarlison completed just five of his 13 attempted passes against the Black Cats, while also failing to create a single chance.

He completed just one of his three dribbles and struggled massively to contend with the physicality of Nordi Mukiele before the Frenchman was withdrawn.

Mukiele won four of his seven ground duels against the Brazilian, who failed to offer the level of creativity needed in the wide areas.

It may only have been one game, but De Zerbi needs to have learned from that mistake and ensure that it isn’t repeated.

Xavi Simons needs to be the answer for De Zerbi

Dominic Solanke was another Spurs player who failed to showcase any quality against Sunderland, and when he isnt scoring goals, his impact is minimal.

Richarlison needs to be the one chosen to lead the line next time out against Brighton, which would allow Xavi Simons to return.

The Dutchman is arguably Tottenham’s only creative outlet available at the moment, and for De Zerbi to have handed him just five minutes against Sunderland was baffling to say the least.

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Cristian Romero’s injury could give Kevin Danso the chance to be an unlikely hero at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Argentine defender has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a partial tear of his medial cruciate ligament.

BBC journalist Sami Mokbel reported on 13 April that the injury was set to leave Romero on the sidelines for eight weeks.

Roberto De Zerbi can rely on Danso to step up in the absence of his captain, if he is given the chance to start.

The Frenchman has already proved that he has the quality, which was evident in Tottenham’s loss to Sunderland when he replaced Romero.

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How did Danso perform in Tottenham’s loss to Sunderland?

Danso came on for the last 20 minutes but couldn’t help Tottenham recover, as they stayed in the relegation zone.

Despite the disappointing result, his performance was exceptional when he was on the pitch, for 20 minutes at the Stadium of Light.

Danso completed all 18 of his passes, not giving the ball away with any attempts, for a 100 per cent pass accuracy, per Fotmob.

He made two tackles, two clearances and one recovery in a solid defensive display in De Zerbi’s first game in charge.

In terms of duels, he won both that he contested on the ground and both that he went for in the air, for a 100 per cent success rate.

Why Danso may be a better option than Romero anyway

There were question marks over whether De Zerbi would like Romero and would keep him as his captain, as he is often a liability.

Danso may prove to be a better asset than the skipper in the final few weeks of the season, as he is less likely to get himself sent off and do something rash, which would have required the back-up to come in anyway.

It may actually benefit the Lilywhites to have the Austrian in the side instead, as his stats from his cameo against Regis Le Bris’ side were almost flawless.

If he can keep that up in the next few weeks, it could make all the difference as Spurs try to avoid a humiliating relegation to the Championship, just one season after winning the Europa League.

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Tottenham: January blunder leaves Roberto De Zerbi with zero inspiration at Hotspur Way

Tottenham Hotspur fell to yet another defeat in the Premier League on Sunday, with Sunderland securing a 1-0 win in Roberto De Zerbi’s maiden bout.

The Italian arrived at Hotspur Way over the international break and was given one task for the time being: to drag Spurs away from the relegation zone.

Instead, his side now sit 18th due to results elsewhere, while the winless run stretching back to last year continues.

It was not the worst Tottenham performance at the Stadium of Light, but it was not the best either, with the Lilywhites once again toothless in the final third.

And looking back at the season as a whole, it is hard to look at anyone else other than the club itself, which left any potential incoming manager extremely short in terms of depth.

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Tottenham had to take January opportunity

Following Thomas Frank’s appointment last summer, Mohammed Kudus made the move to North London from rivals West Ham, before quickly becoming one of the most influential players at Spurs.

While his numbers did not necessarily skyrocket, Kudus was the real difference maker out wide for the Lilywhites, with his pace and physical attributes constantly causing a problem for opposition defences.

Though back in January, the Ghanaian wideman was ruled out for multiple months due to a quad issue.

And now, after being eased back into training, the Lilywhites have confirmed that there has been a setback in his recovery – sending new boss De Zerbi back to the drawing board.

The simple fact of the matter is that Tottenham missed the opportunity to fix the problem in the transfer market.

With Dejan Kulusevski sidelined for over a year, there is no depth when it comes to the wide positions in the squad, made even more of an issue when Wilson Odobert was ruled out for the remainder of the season back in February.

With the issue impacting both Frank and his replacement, Igor Tudor, the same can now be said for De Zerbi, who has walked into a squad with no real depth.

The injuries have been unfortunate, but Spurs simply had to go out in January and secure a suitable replacement for Kudus, and add some depth for the opposite flank, instead of blowing a figure of around £38million on Conor Gallagher.

Tottenham are left without a difference maker

De Zerbi’s first match at the helm said it all when it comes to the players at his disposal.

Lining up against Sunderland, the 46-year-old started Randal Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel out on the right and left.

Both are supremely talented; that goes without saying. But neither are natural wingers, and they fail to have the same impact as someone with the pace and experience out on the flank to cause real damage.

Tottenham fans had seen a level far from Kudus’ best during his early days at the club. But even on his worst days, he makes a real difference.

With pace to burn, he eats up ground better than most in the division, with 3.03 dribbles per 90, registering a ball carrying distance of 3131.2m.

He is a difference maker and a momentum shifter in every sense.

Capable of turning a game on its head in a matter of moments, the Ghanian adds something to the team even at his worst – a stark comparison to both Kolo Muani and Tel against Sunderland, with both operating much more effectively in and around the penalty area.

Without electric pace on the wings and a wideman who knows the role inside and out, De Zerbi has been sold short as he looks to guide the Lilywhites to safety with a squad full of square pegs in round holes.

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Roberto De Zerbi fell to defeat in his first match as Tottenham Hotspur manager on Sunday.

Making the trip to the Stadium of Light, the Lilywhites would fall to a 1-0 defeat against Sunderland, with a deflected effort from Nordi Mukiele sealing the deal for the Black Cats.

De Zerbi arrived at the North London club over the international break, taking over after Igor Tudor’s dismal spell in charge.

His task became much more difficult before Tottenham took to the pitch too, with West Ham’s 4-0 win against Wolves on Friday pushing Spurs into the relegation zone for the first time since 2008.

Looking back on Sunday’s defeat, Simon Jordan insists that the Italian will be able to learn a lot from his first match at the helm.

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Simon Jordan backs Roberto De Zerbi after Sunderland defeat

Known for his positive style of play from his time at Brighton, De Zerbi has a different task in the early days of his Tottenham career.

For now, the simple goal is to keep the Lilywhites in the Premier League, something that he believes he can do despite the loss on Wearside.

Over the course of the bout, there was actually not too much to separate the two sides, with Sunderland’s breakthrough coming through a deflected Mukiele strike in the second half.

Though Spurs did look toothless in the final third, as has been the case for large parts of the season. Despite this, Jordan backs De Zerbi to continue learning more about his side in the coming weeks.

“De Zerbi is not Harry Potter,” Jordan told TalkSPORT. “He’s not going to be able to just turn it around instantaneously. He is going to have learned something from that particular game about certain players.

“They are in jeopardy, clearly there’s no doubt about it, they’re in the bottom three and can’t hide from it. But I still think that De Zerbi has the ability to get something from this group of players more than they’ve got previously.”

As of now, the North London giants sit 18th in the standings, with two points separating them and West Ham heading into what is set to be a monumental home clash with Brighton on Saturday.

Tottenham in search of quick fix before Roberto De Zerbi rebuild

Throughout his career, the Italian has become known for building some fantastic teams – most certainly the case at Brighton, where he guided them to the Europa League.

However, Tottenham are not in a position where they can begin thinking too far into the future just yet, simply due to the predicament that they find themselves in.

The simple fact of the matter is that they need a quick fix to get them to safety, before the real fix starts.

As things stand, there is set to be a mass exodus at Spurs, irrespective of the division that they find themselves in next term.

This is where De Zerbi will have the time to begin fully implementing his ideas, while the task for now is to simply keep Tottenham in the division, no matter what, while hopefully gaining insight on who he believes could stick around for the rebuild.

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Lucas Bergvall was woeful for Tottenham Hotspur in their defeat to Sunderland.

Roberto De Zerbi is already up against it when it comes to trying to keep Tottenham in the Premier League, and the last thing he needs is for Spurs’ usual performers to drop off.

However, in Bergvall’s case, that is exactly what happened, with the Swede eventually hooked at the Stadium of Light.

The 20-year-old has had a solid campaign from an individual perspective, but he struggled massively to influence proceedings against Sunderland.

And with Tottenham at serious risk of relegation, that level of performance is unacceptable.

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Lucas Bergvall’s numbers (or lack of) vs Sunderland

Bergvall is so often the focal point of Tottenham’s midfield, with the Swede usually the main connection between defence and attack.

But against Sunderland, he offered quite literally nothing in the 61 minutes he played.

A 70 per cent pass accuracy is average at best, but made to look a whole lot worse when taking into account that he only attempted 10 passes in the game.

Both of his attempted dribbles resulted in him losing the ball, but the main concern stems from his work off of it.

The Swede lost all 12 of his duels against the Black Cats, including a zero per cent win rate from the 11 that were on the ground.

In a De Zerbi team, that lack of physicality is simply not going to end well.

In fact, out of the 19 duels that Tottenham’s starting midfield were involved in, Spurs came out with the ball on just three occasions.

Roberto De Zerbi has clear change to make vs Brighton

Spurs have no time to dwell on yet another defeat, with a clash against Brighton up next, and it could be a crucial one in the relegation battle.

If things are to change, De Zerbi can’t be afraid to make big decisions, and dropping Bergvall for Pape Sarr has to be one of them.

The latter has hardly shone this season, but he completed over double the number of passes that Bergvall did against Sunderland, despite playing half the amount of time.

Spurs need some bite in midfield, and he would bring that.

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Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring Bestiktas star Hyeon-Gyu Oh ahead of the summer.

The Lilywhites are staring relegation in the face, but aren’t letting that hamper their transfer preparations.

Business will certainly depend on which division Roberto De Zerbi has on his side as he moves into the new campaign, but deals will still be necessary.

Spurs have already looked to Turkiye as the South Korea international has been raised as a target with six Premier League games remaining.

Oh could be on his way to Tottenham in the summer, with the North London club potentially set to act quickly while a potential bargain is on the cards.

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Tottenham closely monitoring Hyeon-Gyu Oh

The N17 outfit is in desperate need of improvement next season after a dreadful year under a whole host of managers.

Neither Igor Tudor nor Thomas Frank could get a positive tune out of their side, with goals hard to come by despite a raft of attacking talent.

New attacking talent is bound to be on the agenda at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and it seems that it already is being targeted.

Turkish outlet Turkiye Gazetesi reported on Monday that Spurs are keeping a close eye on Besiktas forward Oh, alongside Manchester United.

The South Korean international joined the Black and Whites for around £12million in January and has already scored six Super Lig goals.

That value is only set to increase further due to that form and his potential performances at the World Cup in the summer.

The North London club have to be on alert, even if De Zerbi faces a mission to keep Tottenham in the Premier League.

Oh set for inflated transfer fee after World Cup

There are always transfers sparked by excellent tournaments on the international stage.

The likes of Wayne Rooney, James Rodriguez and Fabio Cannavaro all made big moves after shining for their countries, and Oh could be next.

His value is expected to spike as his South Korea side travels to the USA, Canada, and Mexico this summer.

If the former Celtic man can live up to the hype and add to his six international goals, he is likely to seal a transfer away from Besiktas.

Tottenham could make a move for Oh before the World Cup and take advantage of a potential cut-price deal in a move that could continue their ties with the South Korean market.

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Tottenham Hotspur fell to defeat once again as Roberto De Zerbi took to the dugout for the first time against Sunderland on Sunday.

The Italian arrived at the club over the international break, tasked with guiding Spurs to safety after a dismal season in North London.

Though his first competitive week in charge could not have gone much worse, with the Lilywhites dropping into the relegation zone on Friday, and staying there with a 1-0 loss at the Stadium of Light.

Spurs now have six Premier League matches remaining to secure their future, with Brighton’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next up.

Looking back on the defeat at the Stadium of Light, former boss Tim Sherwood launched a scathing attack on defensive duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

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Tim Sherwood points out “irresponsible” Tottenham problem

After making the trip to the North East, there was not too much to separate Sunderland and Spurs for large parts of Sunday’s clash.

However, the visitors remained toothless in the final third, while they had little to no control over the encounter despite De Zerbi’s arrival.

Speaking live on Sky Sports News on Monday morning, Sherwood questioned the mentality of the group, particularly that of the centre-back partnership.

“These centre halves that they’ve got, very good centre halves who are possibly looking to get away from the club at the end of the season,” said Sherwood.

“Romero there crying as he is coming off the pitch – irresponsible, you couldn’t trust him as far as you could throw him,” he added. “The captain of the club, throwing the club under the bus time and time again this season.

“Then you have Van de Ven, who, for me, has got all the attributes to be a top drawer player, but plays for himself. You need characters,” added the former boss.

Adding to his point, Sherwood mentioned one of Tottenham’s rivals for comparison.

“Look at West Ham”, he said. “A team that are putting some results together, Disasi and Mavropanos are like two rocks at the back. They are putting their head on everything, putting their bodies on the line.

“I still believe that they can do it,” he added on Spurs. “I don’t know what gives me that belief.”

Mentality issues far from uncommon at Tottenham

The issues within the squad are hardly a new thing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

For years, Spurs as a club have failed to progress on the pitch, while players have come and gone. With the current scenario in mind, those capable of getting moves away will absolutely get them over the summer, irrespective of what the result of the campaign is.

With Romero on the pitch, Spurs’ xG against stat sits at 28.37, compared to the 39.42 of van de Ven – sitting in the eighth percentile across the entirety of the Premier League.

At the same time, the aforementioned Disasi has racked up a stat of 9.6 since his move to West Ham.

It also goes without saying that Romero’s consistent discipline issues are a huge problem for Tottenham, who have seen their captain sent off twice in the league this term, while he has been booked nine times.

For a large part of the current squad, relegation would have little to no impact. The simple fact of the matter is that they will get their moves.

The lack of accountability is exactly what has led the Lilywhites to this current predicament, with certain players who have played a huge part in their current form being the ones who will be rewarded with a move away over the summer.

Should Tottenham drop down, it will be others left to pick up the pieces, not the ones who deem themselves fit to play at the highest level.

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Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on an historic Derby County record in the Premier League, as Ben Foster was left shocked by their performance against Sunderland.

Roberto De Zerbi‘s first game in charge of Tottenham did not go to plan as they fell to an uninspiring 1-0 loss at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Tottenham had 47.9 per cent possession, 11 shots to Sunderland’s 13, although seven of Spurs’ efforts were on target compared to the hosts’ two, and an Expected Goals tally of 0.91 versus 1.79.

The Italian clearly has a big job on his hands as Spurs stayed in the relegation zone, on a day where the visitors lost captain Cristian Romero to injury.

De Zerbi will have a reunion with his former side Brighton when the south coast side comes to Tottenham next Saturday, but at this rate, another loss beckons.

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Tottenham’s wretched 2026 continues

After West Ham’s 4-0 win over basement side Wolves on Friday, Tottenham slipped into the relegation zone for the first time this season.

In fact, that was the first time the north London team had been in the bottom three since August 2015.

It was also a first for De Zerbi in the Premier League, with his Brighton side (2022-24) never tumbling into the relegation zone.

Tottenham haven’t won in the Premier League in 2026, with their last league win coming under Thomas Frank in a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on 28 December.

Spurs’ luck was out on Sunday when Randal Kolo Muani’s penalty was overturned following a lengthy VAR review, Brian Brobbey escaped a red card for an apparent elbow to the face of Pedro Porro, and Nordi Mukiele’s winner took a huge deflection off Micky van de Ven.

That defeat took them into the company of some of the worst Premier League teams ever, including Derby County (2007-08), Sunderland (2002-23), and Swindon Town (1992-93).

All three of those sides went on similar runs to Tottenham to start a calendar year, and all three teams were relegated.

Tottenham’s 14-game winless run in the league is their second-longest stretch without a victory since Spurs went 16 matches without a win from December 1934 to April 1935, with Derby’s record sitting at 18.

Ben Foster worries for Tottenham’s survival

Former Manchester United and West Brom goalkeeper Foster admitted he was shocked by the downbeat demeanour of the Tottenham players in their loss at Sunderland.

Despite having a lot of quality at their disposal, Spurs look completely shot confidence-wise. And unless that changes soon, Foster fears for the north London team.

He said on Match of the Day 2: “Having watched the Tottenham game in detail, I was really taken aback by the lack of confidence and positivity.

“They’ve got some very good players in that team, but when your confidence has gone, like Spurs are at the moment, it’s a really tough place.

“I’ve been in four or five relegation battles, and when you’re down there and in that rut of losing games like Spurs are, it’s such a tough place to get out of.”

It’s not looking good right now, but one result could change everything.

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