TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur have a lot of work to do in the summer transfer window.

The North Londoners are set to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table. That is not good enough, but that’s where they are right now.

Ange Postecoglou is expected to leave Tottenham in the summer – irrespective of whether he wins the Europa League or not.

Fabio Paratici has agreed to return to Spurs after his 30-month ban, and he will call the shots in the transfer market once the window opens.

Jamie O’Hara has now offered a suggestion for the Italian and the other decision-makers at the club.

Jamie O’Hara says he would sign Jamie Vardy for Tottenham

Jamie Vardy has announced that he will be leaving Leicester City this summer.

The Foxes icon has been at the King Power for over a decade now. He is an absolute legend of the club, but following their relegation, he has decided to part ways at the end of his contract in July.

Vardy, who is 38 now, is in the twilight of his career, and it will be interesting to see where he will end up this summer. He could choose to stay in England or move abroad to the MLS or the Saudi Pro League.

O’Hara, who has watched Tottenham all season, believes Vardy will have plenty of suitors and has gone as far as saying that he would take him at Spurs.

The pundit believes that Vardy, even at 38, is better than two of his side’s attackers – Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel.

O’Hara said on talkSPORT: “I think he’s not going to be short of suitors, genuinely.

“He has scored eight Premier League goals this season in a terrible Leicester side. He has played a lot of football. He still looks sharp, looks fit, he’s still quick, it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down.

“I’m putting it out there, he’s better than Mathys Tel and Odobert at Tottenham.

“I’d have him at Tottenham. I would. Not to play very week, but as a backup to Solanke. Who’s our backup? We ain’t got anyone.”

Should Tottenham sign Jamie Vardy?

Tottenham’s summer completely depends on what happens in the Europa League.

If Spurs get past Bodo/Glimt and win the final, they will be back in the Champions League and will be able to attract and afford top players.

If they fail to win the Europa League, Spurs will not be in any European competition next season, and that will have an impact on their transfer plan.

In an ideal world, Vardy at 38 is not an option for a top club, but if Spurs need to spend their budget on other areas of the pitch, the Englishman on a free transfer for a year wouldn’t be the worst idea.

We all know that Daniel Levy loves a bargain, and Vardy would definitely be one.

As O’Hara said above, he could play as a backup at Tottenham, and he is more than capable of scoring a few goals off the bench.

Tottenham Hotspur need reinforcements in the summer transfer window.

Spurs have been terrible this season, but they still have an opportunity to make this a memorable campaign by winning the Europa League.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have one foot in the final after beating Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in the first leg of their semi-finals, and there is confidence within the club that they can go all the way.

Irrespective of what happens in the final, Tottenham need new players in the summer to have a much better domestic campaign next season.

Lucas Bergvall could aid them in their pursuit of one target.

Tottenham think Lucas Bergvall could help them sign Roony Bardghji

Roony Bardghji has been viewed as one of Europe’s most exciting talents for a while now.

The teenager has been at Copenhagen for over three years, and he is destined to move to a bigger club sooner rather than later.

Tottenham have been interested in Bardghji for over a year, while several other clubs have been watching the young attacker as well.

TBR Football exclusively revealed in February that Tottenham are joined by the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United in the race for Bardghji.

Now, GiveMeSport have claimed that the Copenhagen star is aware that Spurs want to sign him, and the North Londoners are ‘increasingly confident that the prospect of pairing up with’ Bergvall, who is his international teammate, will be tempting for him.

It has further been revealed that Tottenham hope that the opportunity for Bardghji to unite with Bergvall will ‘persuade him to make North London his preferred destination’ over the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and other interested clubs.

Tottenham can sign Bardghji for a bargain fee

Bardghji is almost certain to leave Copenhagen for a bigger club this summer.

The 19-year-old, who has been compared to Lionel Messi by Football Talent Scout, has all the attributes to play in a tougher league, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets there.

Bardghji’s current contract at Copenhagen will expire at the end of this year. The Danish club will have to sell him this summer if they want a fee for him.

That is good news for all the interested clubs, and the report claims that Tottenham can sign Bardghji for less than £10 million.

That is almost nothing for a club as big as Tottenham, but it remains to be seen if they can be quicker than the other clubs to make their move this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur picked up what was perhaps their most important win of the season on Thursday evening as they beat Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League semi-finals.

However, off the back of that win there was some bad news.

Indeed, Lucas Bergvall has picked up an injury and the midfielder is unlikely to play again this season.

Inevitably, fans were gutted to hear that Lucas Bergvall was out for the season, and many have discussed how big a blow this is.

However, according to Dan Kilpatrick, speaking on The Tottenham Way Podcast, those within Tottenham have been rather surprised by the reaction to Bergvall’s injury.

Indeed, people at Spurs have been a bit shocked by the reaction to Bergvall being ‘out for the season’ with the internal view being that this isn’t a huge deal because there aren’t many games left.

Tottenham surprised by Lucas Bergvall injury reaction

Kilpatrick shared what he’s heard from Tottenham about Bergvall’s injury and the discussion around this issue.

The journalist says that Spurs have been left shocked by the reaction of some to this news, playing down the idea that Bergvall’s injury is a huge problem.

“Well, it’s worth saying, I think, the club were slightly sort of raising eyebrows at the idea that Bergvall being out for the season is a huge thing because obviously in terms of the timeline, there’s only three or four weeks left of the season. It’s that thing, I think, when you’re in November and people say, X, Y, Z is out for the rest of the year, and it sounds slightly more dramatic than actually it is.

“Clearly, though, this is very dramatic for Tottenham because, let’s be honest, I think Lucas Bergvall, if they give the award out tomorrow, he’s Tottenham’s player of the season. I don’t know, he’ll certainly be up there in terms of their most impressive performers in the squad. It’s a huge blow. What Ange said in the press conference last night was that he tweaked his ankle.”

Lucas Bergvall Europa League stats this season

There has been a big reaction to Bergvall’s injury this week, and while Spurs are surprised, it’s easy to understand why.

Indeed, the Europa League is on the line, and Bergvall has been a star performer in this competition so far this season.

Bergvall has earned huge praise for his performances lately.

The stats show that Bergvall has played a key role in Spurs’ run to the semi-finals.

Luckily, Yves Bissouma did put in his best performance for a while vs Bodo/Glimt this week, so Spurs will be hoping their midfield will have enough about it to get them over the line in this competition.

In the grand scheme of things, Bergvall’s injury isn’t all that serious, but he will miss some key games in Europe that Spurs are hoping will define their season.

Tottenham Hotspur have had a dismal season at domestic level, but there have still been some positives at the club this term.

The main positive for Tottenham is that they have a 3-1 first-leg lead in their Europa League semi-final tie with Bodo/Glimt.

Not only are Spurs favourites to reach the final, but from a long-term perspective, they have a talented young squad that’s set to grow.

Archie Gray is one such player, having lit up the Premier League since his £30million move from Leeds United last year.

And while Gray struggled in midfield against Liverpool in their last Premier League encounter, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is not concerned.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou backs Archie Gray to ‘come back stronger than ever’

Postecoglou spoke to the press ahead of Tottenham’s trip to West Ham United on Sunday, where he was asked about Gray.

The 19-year-old was given a tough time by the new Premier League champions and Postecoglou was asked how he has reacted this week.

“He’ll learn enormously and again that’s another example of no career is linear,” Postecoglou said, as per football.london.

“Just because you start well doesn’t mean it always goes well, there are always challenges for young players.

“Archie’s been outstanding for us this year, and he was disappointed with the way the Liverpool game went, but he’s cracked down at training now and he’ll get another opportunity and he’ll grow from that.

“I think he’ll learn from that. I think the more we expose our young players to those kind of environments, we’ve seen the growth in others and including him this year.

“I’ve got no doubt he’ll come back stronger than ever and again it’s all part of the process of becoming the footballer he wants to be.”

In recent years, Tottenham have worked hard to bring in some of the world’s best young players and turn them into established Premier League stars.

The likes of Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie arrived at Tottenham as relative unknowns and are now firmly in the Tottenham first-team picture.

Now, players from Tottenham make up one tenth of the list of the world’s 50 best young footballers.

Yang Min-Hyeok, Luka Vuskovic, Mikey Moore, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray were all named in Goal.com’s NxGn 2025 list, which came out in March.

Meanwhile, back in September Postecoglou said he loved watching Moore, Gray, Bergvall, Wilson Odobert and Will Lankshear in training.

He told reporters that he hoped all five would be “flying” by the time they’re 21 years of age and stressed that it’s Spurs’ responsibility to develop them.

Tottenham Hotspur will look to wrap up a hugely disappointing season on a high note over the coming weeks.

Spurs are not only still in the Europa League picture, but their 3-1 semi-final first-leg win over Bodo/Glimt makes them favourites to reach the final.

Tottenham must briefly put their Europa League plans to one side as they return to Premier League action this weekend with a trip to West Ham United.

Speaking ahead of the game, Ange Postecoglou spoke about a player who impressed against Bodo/Glimt, saying he did well but suggesting he’s still suffering from inconsistency.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou praises Yves Bissouma for efforts against Bodo/Glimt

Lucas Bergvall was unable to play against Bodo/Glimt as he suffered an ankle injury that has ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Yves Bissouma went into the starting XI in Bergvall’s place and he delivered a solid display, helping Spurs triumph in the first leg.

Postecoglou, speaking ahead of the West Ham game, said Bissouma was “really important for us” against Bodo/Glimt and said he was “such a good technical player”.

The Tottenham manager also mentioned how he feels “the game just passes him by” at times, though that was not the case on Thursday night.

“Biss is such a good technical player, particularly in tight areas,” Postecoglou told football.london on Friday.

“I’ve said before, at times the game just passes him by and I feel like he needs to make more of an impact in games, and (Thursday) night he did that.

“And when he’s at his best, that’s what he does, he gets himself to the action, he gets himself to where we need him.

“And you know, it’s a credit to him because obviously he hasn’t played a lot recently, but he was really important for us (Thursday) night.”

What Tottenham sources have said about Yves Bissouma’s future at N17

Bissouma joined Tottenham to much fanfare in 2022 when he signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee which could rise to £30million.

However, Bissouma has never quite managed to nail down a regular starting place in Spurs’ starting XI and questions remain over his consistency.

His display against Bodo/Glimt was impressive and Tottenham fans certainly liked what they saw from Bissouma on the night.

However, it would appear that Tottenham’s mind has been made up.

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey recently confirmed that Spurs are actively working to offload Bissouma this summer.

Sources say Bissouma is expected to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer and Spurs are working on options to move him on.

Bissouma, who has suitors from the Saudi Pro League along with Spain and Italy, is almost certainly going to be part of the overhaul.

Tottenham Hotspur have been heavily linked with Wolverhampton Wanderers full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri in recent months.

Back in March, Tottenham were reported to have made contact with Wolves over a potential move for Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Indeed, Tottenham were said to have made a €35million (£30million) offer and were deemed ‘the most likely candidates’ to sign Ait-Nouri.

Now, former Spurs full-back Matt Doherty has made an admission about Ait-Nouri that will be music to Tottenham fans’ ears.

Matt Doherty reveals just how skilful Tottenham target Rayan Ait-Nouri is in Wolves training

Doherty is the latest guest on Sky Sports’ Sticker Book Challenge, in which guests have to make their top pick out of four options.

When it came to a teammate’s skill he wishes he had, he opted for Ait-Nouri’s flair ahead of the other options.

Doherty then shared just how skilful Ait-Nouri is in training, admitting he and his teammates are often in awe of him.

“His flair,” he began. “Some of the things he does in games, but there’s times in training where you’re like in boxes and you’re like walking with your legs closed, you don’t even want to go near him!

“His flair for sure I would swap… when we we played Liverpool away, and when I watched it back, you could hear Jamie Carragher go on about his the footwork he had.

“And this was like 80 minutes in so he’s obviously been watching it the whole game. It was just unbelievable, so to see some of the things that he would see – unbelievable.”

What Rayan Ait-Nouri could bring to Tottenham

It’s not surprising to see Tottenham being linked with Ait-Nouri, given how good he has been for Wolves.

Ait-Nouri is versatile enough to be able to play as a left-winger, a right-winger, and even as a No. 10 or a centre-back.

Indeed, he has been great in attack, so he could complement or even cover for Son Heung-min further up the pitch.

Former teammate Conor Coady previously said Ait-Nouri has “bags of tricks” and is “brilliant to have around”.

Meanwhile, pundit Ally McCoist said Ait-Nouri is capable of producing “ridiculous” and “majestic” passes.

With Ait-Nouri’s contract running until 2026 – albeit with a year’s option – Wolves’ hand may not overly strong in negotiations.

Tottenham Hotspur haven’t had the best of seasons this term as they risk finishing in the bottom five of the Premier League.

Admittedly, Spurs are still in contention for silverware, with their Europa League semi-final tie against Bodo/Glimt coming up.

However, Tottenham’s domestic woes have led to increasing speculation over Ange Postecoglou’s future at N17.

Les Ferdinand is one of the footballing figures who, by his own admission, has been “shouting from the rooftops” in support of Postecoglou.

However, Ferdinand has suggested that something he’s noticed about Postecoglou is now concerning him, likening it to “Russian roulette”.

Les Ferdinand says managers who don’t tweak things mid-game are effectively playing ‘Russian roulette’

Ferdinand is the latest guest on the Seaman Says podcast as he talked about a number of topics including Tottenham.

The former Spurs striker suggested he was concerned about Postecoglou’s tactical inflexibility, saying the best coaches in the world can “tweak things” mid-game.

Those who are unwilling or unable to do so are effectively playing “Russian roulette”, according to Ferdinand.

“I’ve been shouting from the rooftops for him most of the season in terms of, you’ve got to give him a chance, the injuries we’ve had,” began Ferdinand.

“My biggest concern is when you’ve had those injuries and… I think this is a theme in with a lot of managers coming into the Premier League at the moment, they’re saying, ‘right, I’ll play this way, I’ll play this one way, and that’s the only way I’m going to play.’

“And I think the best coaches in the world are able to see things and tweak it. I’m not saying change your system completely, I’m not saying change the way you do things, but sometimes you need to tweak things.

“And if you’re saying to me well, in game they’ve worked out what we’re doing and this is how they they’re counteracting us, and then we can’t change it in game to suit us, to get us back another advantage, that means you’re just playing Russian roulette.

“It’s ‘they’ll score two, we’ll score three’, and if you don’t score three you’re losing 2-0.”

Could Tottenham sack Ange Postecoglou this summer?

Ferdinand is not the first person to make a point about Postecoglou’s desire to stick to his guns.

Earlier this season, Jamie Carragher said Postecoglou would not be here next term if he didn’t look to be more tactically flexible.

He said: “You can’t have this idea about ‘we’re going to do this and have our way of playing football’, it won’t work! If it doesn’t change, he won’t be here next season.”

And with how poorly Tottenham have done in the league, it looks as though the Spurs hierarchy’s patience has run out.

TBR Football sources recently revealed that not even winning the Europa League will not be enough to save Postecoglou’s job at Tottenham.

This is due to Spurs’ dismal league form, which could very well see them set a new record for their most league defeats in a season.

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has been told that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has so far stopped short of telling Postecoglou that he’s leaving.

Instead, Levy has made it known to the current manager that Tottenham are now exploring other options, including former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Lucas Bergvall recently put pen to paper on a new contract that will see him stay at Tottenham Hotspur long-term.

Tottenham beat Barcelona to Bergvall’s signature last summer and the midfielder has since gone on to make 45 appearances under Ange Postecoglou this season so far.

In truth, the 19-year-old is probably playing a much bigger role that he anticipated in his first campaign in north London — it’s pretty unheard of for a youngster to immediately swap the Allsvenskan for the Premier League.

However, Bergvall has coped with the physical demands of English top flight football brilliantly.

James Maddison has been impressed by Bergvall at Tottenham recently and it seems as if the youngster is already extremely happy at the club.

Lucas Bergvall isn’t worried about Tottenham’s league position

That being said, Give Me Sport are now reporting that Real Madrid are still interested in Bergvall despite the new contract he’s just signed with Spurs.

Real plan to continue their checks on Bergvall irrespective of his new deal, a player who they believe to have serious potential.

However, fortunately for Tottenham fans, Bergvall is not considering leaving the club this summer regardless of who might be interested.

On his part, Bergvall has been very pleased with his personal growth at Tottenham so far and is determined to become an important player for the club.

Interestingly, the report also confirms that Bergall thinks that Tottenham’s current recruitment strategy will pay off with time.

The youngster is therefore not concerned about Spurs being in the bottom half of the Premier League, nor the prospect of a season without European football in N17 next term.

Senior Tottenham players need to step up

Of course, some Tottenham fans might be puzzled by that stance — no Spurs player should be content with results and performances right now.

Perhaps Postecoglou’s players being somewhat indifferent about recent defeats has actually been part of the issue.

However, 19-year-old Bergvall shouldn’t be the one having to take responsibility — senior players at Tottenham should be setting the standards.

But with Cristian Romero keen to leave Tottenham and there also being some uncertainty over Son Heung-min’s own future, it’s hard to tell who will step up from the outside looking in.

A difficult period for Spurs, but at least Bergvall is fully committed to the club’s long-term project.

Tottenham Hotspur seem to be looking at the bigger picture rather than focusing on their ongoing struggles this season, as demonstrated by how they tied Lucas Bergvall up to a six-year new contract.

Perhaps Bergvall has been informed about Tottenham’s plans for the future which is why he decided to sign a long-term deal despite what has been a tumultuous campaign for Spurs to say the least.

Tottenham admire managers like Scott Parker and it seems like Ange Postecoglou may not be a part of their project next season.

Regardless of whether Postecoglou stays or not, the Lilywhites need to have a statement window as this 16th-placed Spurs could be set for their lowest finish in the Premier League era.

However, what will be a relief for the supporters is the club already have their sights set on potential summer signings — with Tottenham interested in signing Franco Mastantuono.

Tottenham target Franco Mastantuono decides to wait for Real Madrid move

River Plate attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono has a release clause of £41 million despite just being 17 years old — which highlights just how gifted the Tottenham target is.

While even Manchester United are keen on signing Mastantuno apart from Tottenham, the worrying news for both Premier League clubs is that Real Madrid are in the race for the Argentine’s signature too.

TyC Sports journalist German Garcia Grova has even more bad news for Tottenham and United as when Marseille president Pablo Longoria travelled to Argentina to negotiate a potential deal for Mastantuno, he was informed that the teenager is willing to wait to sign for Real Madrid.

The highly-rated attacker is happy to wait for a move to the Spanish capital until the last minute and is in no hurry to leave River Plate.

Unlike Tottenham, Manchester United have already held two meetings to sign Mastantuno but Ruben Amorim’s side did not put forward a fee that was even close to that of his release clause.

Tottenham could have an in-house alternative to Mastantuono

From Spurs’ point of view, they can only take two courses of action: which include either signing another wonderkid or looking for in-house solutions.

But the River Plate sensation is truly a special talent, with Thierry Henry singing his praises on CBS Sports after lauding Lamine Yamal’s genius: “But then, you have a new guy also in Argentina, Mastantuno that already plays for River Plate, winning that derby game with the free-kick against Boca Juniors.”

But as Ange Postecoglou raved about Lucas Bergvall after he penned his contract extension, perhaps he could serve as an alternative to Mastantuno for Tottenham.

The Swede looks more comfortable as a central midfielder based on his displays this season.

Tottenham Hotspur’s efforts this season effectively boil down to their next two games in the Europa League as they take on Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals.

Spurs have endured a dismal season in the Premier League, with the real risk that they might finish in the bottom five of the table.

However, Tottenham have excelled in Europe and now find themselves two games away from the Europa League final, where they would face either Athletic Bilbao or Manchester United.

TBR Football looks at who Ange Postecoglou could name in the Tottenham starting XI for the meeting with Norway’s Bodo/Glimt in North London.

Tottenham v Bodo/Glimt team news

Tottenham have no fresh injury worries ahead of the 8pm kick-off against Bodo/Glimt.

Spurs captain Son Heung-min remains on the sidelines with a foot injury, while Radu Dragusin is the Lilywhites’ only long-term absentee.

Tottenham trio Antonin Kinsky, Sergio Reguilon and Timo Werner are ineligible in Europe.

Meanwhile, Bodo/Glimt are set to be without captain Patrick Berg, while winger Ole Didrik Blomberg is a doubt.

Hakon Evjen and Andreas Helmersen are suspended for the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Mathys Tel tipped to start at left wing for Tottenham while Brennan Johnson backed to drop out

Postecoglou rung the changes against Liverpool and, while Tottenham fell to an embarrassing 5-1 loss at Anfield, it won’t be remembered if they get past Bodo/Glimt.

Spurs have most of their big guns available – indeed, Postecoglou has a selection headache at full-back.

With Djed Spence struggling for form lately, we predict that Pedro Porro will start at right-back and Destiny Udogie will be picked at left-back.

Guglielmo Vicario is expected to start in goal, while Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are shoo-ins at centre-back.

Lucas Bergvall – who has just signed a new contract – is also likely to start alongside Rodrigo Bentancur, the two having established themselves as Spurs’ first-choice midfield duo.

Bentancur would replace Archie Gray in the starting XI, while James Maddison is likely to keep his spot at LCM.

Dejan Kulusevski is likely to return to the starting XI and we predict he’ll take the place of £48million winger Brennan Johnson.

Elsewhere, Dominic Solanke should lead the line, while Mathys Tel is likely to keep his spot in Son’s absence ahead of Wilson Odobert.