TBR Football

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.

Wolverhampton Wanderers might now take advantage of a potential mistake that Tottenham Hotspur made in the transfer market last summer.

Wolves have been going from strength to strength under Vitor Pereira in recent months and they have now remarkably leapfrogged Tottenham in the Premier League table.

After 34 games Wolves now have 41 points and Pereira’s side are on a completely different trajectory to Spurs — who are now more familiar with losing four or five games in a row as opposed to winning.

Of course, Tottenham plan to sack Ange Postecoglou at the end of the season, perhaps to welcome back Mauricio Pochettino to north London.

Whereas Wolves will be planning for Pereira’s continued stay, a manager who’s proving why he’s already won four league titles in his career to date.

Wolves are considering a move for Troy Parrott

That being said, journalist Ben Jacobs has just revealed on ‘The Wolfpack’ podcast that Wolves are interested in AZ Alkmaar striker Troy Parrott.

Parrott only made four senior appearances before leaving but he scored a ton of goals for Spurs’ youth sides, as well as impressing in some of his Football League loans.

Of course, Tottenham sold Parrott to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar for £7m last summer, seemingly deciding that the striker couldn’t make the step up to Postecoglou’s first team.

But after 20 goals in 45 games for Alkmaar, Wolves are now said to have an interest in the striker, who perhaps has unfinished business in England.

The striker has never lacked belief in his own ability it seems, and Parrott claimed he was better than Dominic Solanke recently — Spurs’ big money signing in the same summer that he left.

Wolves begin their search for Matheus Cunha’s replacement

Of course, it should be noted that Parrott actually played against Spurs three times in the Europa League this season, games in which he did impress.

And with Manchester United pushing to sign Matheus Cunha, perhaps Parrott is being seen as a potential replacement at Molinuex.

Whilst predominantly being a number nine, Parrott has operated out wide or in roles behind the striker in his career, explaining why he might thrive in a similar role to Cunha.

It won’t be an easy task to replace the Brazilian should he leave, but perhaps Parrott could be a clever option.

Tottenham Hotspur haven’t exactly had a brilliant season, but there have still been quite a few positives for Spurs fans.

Despite Tottenham’s Premier League woes, they are still in the picture for silverware, having reached the Europa League semi-finals.

In addition, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has put a lot of emphasis in youth, promoting top talents like Mikey Moore and signing some superb young players.

Postecoglou has now sung the praises of a teenage player who has “worked really hard at his game” this season and is now reaping the rewards.

Ange Postecoglou says Lucas Bergvall has ‘worked really hard’ at Tottenham

The player in question is Lucas Bergvall, who has just signed a new contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

On Tuesday evening, the club revealed that Bergvall has put pen to paper on a deal set to run until the summer of 2031.

Postecoglou, speaking ahead of Tottenham’s semi-final first-leg meeting with Bodo/Glimt, explained what Bergvall did to earn himself a new contract.

“I am delighted for Lucas,” Postecoglou told reporters. “It is the reward for his development this year, his performances and how well he has adapted.

“You have got to remember you have a lot of young guys who come to the Premier League and have a step in between, maybe playing in another league, but he’s come straight from the Swedish league and [adapted] his football in the Premier League.

“It’s a credit to him. He has worked really hard at his game. At the beginning he was really struggling to cope with a lot of the intensity and tempo, as you would expect, and we expected.

“A lot of life and football is opportunity and he had an opportunity this year because of the situation we’re in and he grabbed it with both hands.

“Now we have a full squad to choose from, he is still being selected because he took the opportunity.”

Tottenham fans were buzzing over the Bergvall contract update, with one saying it was the best news of the season.

Glenn Hoddle’s exciting Lucas Bergvall prediction

Bergvall certainly had a tricky start to life at Tottenham and initially looked out of his depth, which is normal for such a young player joining from a different league.

However, Bergvall has developed incredibly quickly and is now firmly head and shoulders above many of his peers in the league.

Glenn Hoddle recently noted how Bergvall has shown exceptional improvement in less than one full season and backed him to become “frightening” in the coming years.

“He’s had to be thrown in in half the games, but mentality-wise, he’s more than coped with it,” Hoddle said on TNT Sports.

“And it’s just going to grow and grow. When he’s 24, what’s he going to be like?

“He’s learnt so quickly. Some people take two seasons to grow and they progress and they improve.

“He’s improved in such a quick time. So what he’s going to be like when he’s 23, 24… he’s going to be frightening.”

Tottenham Hotspur haven’t had the best of seasons amid inconsistency, injuries and far too many poor results.

However, Spurs are still very much in the picture for silverware this season, having reached the Europa League semi-finals.

Tottenham have also shown they can beat anyone on their day, and they have a young team that should develop into a superb unit over the coming years.

There has also been some particularly exciting news at Tottenham that has led to praise from many fans along with Spurs cult heroes Robbie Keane and Michel Vorm.

Robbie Keane and Michel Vorm applaud Lucas Bergvall’s new Tottenham contract

On Tuesday, Tottenham announced that Lucas Bergvall had signed a new contract at the club that runs until 2031.

Bergvall has been one of the big success stories at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this year, developing into a superb midfielder.

Now, he is contracted to Spurs until the new decade, and the news has gone down well with plenty of people, including Keane and Vorm.

Both players posted applause emojis in response to two of Tottenham’s Instagram posts celebrating Bergvall’s new contract.

Tottenham fans were also buzzing about Bergvall’s new contract, with one calling it the best news of the season.

Glenn Hoddle previously hailed Bergvall’s development, saying it normally takes young players two seasons to get where the Spurs gem has got to in less than one full campaign.

What Lucas Bergvall has said about his new Tottenham contract

Bergvall’s new contract comes in wake of an impressive first campaign in England following his arrival last summer from Djurgarden.

The 19-year-old admitted he’s been through a learning process both on and off the pitch since joining Spurs, but says he’s thrilled to have committed his future to the Lilywhites.

“I’m really excited and really grateful to everyone who has helped me and I’m excited for this journey to continue,” he told the official Tottenham website.

“It’s a club with great ambitions, I’m really enjoying being here and playing for this amazing football club.

“I’ve learned a lot. Coming to a new country, a new culture, of course I had Deki (Dejan Kulusevski) helping me a lot in the beginning.

“But still, living on your own, making food and everything… it’s not only to be a footballer to train every day, it’s everything around it.

You have to take care of the car, the house or apartment… everything really, so I think I’ve developed a lot as a person as well as a player.”

Tottenham Hotspur could be set for a big summer of change and Ange Postecoglou might not be the only senior figure who leaves the club.

Cristian Romero wants to leave Tottenham amid interest from Spain and there’s also speculation over the futures of several other players.

Spurs are trying to sell Richarlison and it’s clear that Daniel Levy and Johan Lange will be overseeing a lot of change.

Of course, judging by Tottenham’s position in the Premier League table, change would be very welcome.

Tottenham are considering a Mauricio Pochettino return this summer — someone Levy thinks could be well placed to succeed with their young squad.

And perhaps Pochettino might end up working with a player who Spurs have been in pursuit of for some time.

Tottenham still interested in Conor Gallagher this summer

According to Give Me Sport, Tottenham are still interested in a move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer.

Tottenham were seriously interested in Gallagher whilst he was still a Chelsea player, only for him to ultimately opt for a move abroad.

According to the report, Spurs could explore a move for Gallagher in lieu of Atletico’s interest in Romero and Rodrigo Bentancur.

If the Spanish club approach Tottenham about the duo, it’s thought that Spurs could ask about Gallagher, who only joined Diego Simeone’s side last summer.

That being said, TBR Football recently revealed that Tottenham wanted to start contract talks with Bentancur given that they were aware of the growing interest in the midfielder.

Bentancur has been impressing behind the scenes at Spurs this season and it would appear that the north Londoners are reluctant to lose their experienced midfielder.

Gallagher might be reluctant to join Tottenham

Gallagher was described as a ‘leader’ whilst at Chelsea, a player who often wore the captain’s armband.

Atletico paid £33m to sign the England international according to reports, and it has to be considered whether the midfielder would actually want to return to England.

Gallagher has made 42 appearances for Atleti in all competitions this season, scoring four goals and providing five assists.

And in truth, joining Tottenham might not look like the most attractive proposition right now, a club in crisis somewhat.

Therefore it might be a much better solution for Spurs to simply resist any interest in Bentancur, providing that the midfielder is happy to stay and contribute to the club’s rebuild.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are likely to be busy in the summer transfer window in a bid to enjoy more fruitful seasons next time round.

Tottenham and Manchester United are considered two of the Premier League’s traditional big six, but neither are anywhere near that position this season.

Spurs are currently 16th in the table, while Man United are 14th and, though both are in the Europa League semi-finals, there’s a lot of work to be done at both clubs.

Both Tottenham and Man United have recently been linked with River Plate prodigy Franco Mastantuono.

Fabrizio Romano has now made a big claim about the Argentine youngster in wake of his superb free kick in the Superclasico.

Fabrizio Romano deems Franco Mastantuono ‘one of the best talents in the world in this moment’

Mastantuono has already made 55 competitive appearances for Argentine giants River Plate despite being just 17 years old.

Spurs are said to have made contact with River Plate to find out whether they would be willing to cash in on Mastantuono and how much money it would take.

Man United have also been linked with Mastantuono, and Romano, speaking in his latest YouTube video, touched upon interest in the player from the Red Devils and Chelsea.

Romano spoke in wake of the teenager scoring a superb free kick in the win over Boca Juniors as he deemed him one of the best youngsters in the world right now.

“I wanted to say something on one of the best talents in the world in this moment, Franco Mastantuono’s talent and release clause,” said Romano.

“This Franco Mastantuono, what a goal he scored against Boca Juniors on a free kick, but this boy is really special, his left foot feels something really, really special.

“There is a clause there, something around £40-41million plus taxes, so the clause is there and this probably the only way to convince River Plate to sell Franco Mastantuono.”

Romano then spoke of Real Madrid having held talks over Mastantuono, but they’ve not proceeded despite talks because they’re not happy with the package on offer.

The transfer insider then continued: “English clubs interested in Mastantuono – Chelsea, (Man) United, all these clubs are well informed on the situation of Franco.

“So it will be one to watch for sure, but is an open race because you need to pay the clause, you need to convince the player, and you need also to reach an agreement with the agents.

“So it is a deal that needs a big structure before saying it’s done.”

What Franco Mastantuono could bring to the Premier League

It’s rare to see a 17-year-old footballer on the fringes of an elite club’s first-team, but when such a player is already past 50 appearances for said club, that suggests he’s a superstar in the making.

Mastantuono has not only made 55 competitive appearances for River Plate and has an Argentinian Supercup to his name, but he also has seven goals and five assists for the club.

The teenager has mostly been playing as a No. 10, though he can also feature on the right wing and has been utilised on the left wing twice in his career.

Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig has likened Mastantuono to Colombia icon James Rodriguez and gave him a perfect 10 out of 10 for “world-class potential”.

He has been deemed a ‘creative player with excellent technique on the ball, mobility, short-dribbling, and good short-mid through passing ability’.

Tottenham Hotspur have endured a nightmare season in the Premier League, one that could well see them finish in the bottom five.

Spurs have impressed at times in the Premier League this season, claiming some impressive results against the likes of Manchester United and Aston Villa.

However, Tottenham have really struggled of late, and their last match saw them lose 5-1 at Liverpool, whose victory confirmed them as title winners.

Les Ferdinand has now spoken about two Spurs youngsters who played at Anfield and admitted he felt sorry for them.

Les Ferdinand felt sorry for Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall in Tottenham loss at Liverpool

Ferdinand, the latest guest on the Seaman Says podcast, spoke with the panel about how many changes Ange Postecoglou made for the trip to Liverpool.

The Tottenham manager made eight changes, with an eye on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first-leg meeting against Bodo/Glimt.

Ferdinand admitted he felt sorry for Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall for being up against such strong opposition without much senior guidance.

“I felt for the two boys in Gray and Bergvall in the middle of the park,” said Ferdinand. “Because that was always going to be tough for them against those.

“You know, you want to see youngsters get an opportunity, you know what I mean, but… sometimes you need them with a senior player, especially in a game like that.”

However, Ferdinand did acknowledge that both players have clocked up a lot of senior minutes this season.

“Both of them have played a lot of games this season,” he said. “I know Gray has played a lot as a centre-back.”

Where Tottenham see Archie Gray playing in future

Seaman asked Ferdinand where Gray normally plays, to which he said Tottenham see the youngster as a midfielder.

“He played right-back for Leeds a lot,” said Ferdinand. “But they see him as a midfield player.

“But then he was playing centre-back – so it’s all a good learning curve for him!”.

Gray is one of the most exciting young players in English football right now.

Indeed, some have argued that Gray might just be the biggest English talent since Declan Rice.

And considering how well he has done in his maiden season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him become a superstar at N17.