TBR Football

Ange Postecoglou is currently finding it very tough to replicate his success at Celtic ever since he made the switch to Tottenham Hotspur in 2023.

In a 113 game spell in charge at Celtic Park, Postecoglou managed to win five major honours, yielding a points per game ratio of 2.31.

It’s obviously a very different challenge at Tottenham but Postecoglou is nowhere near reaching those levels in north London.

Postecoglou might need to win the Europa League this season to save his job at Spurs, a win that would also return Tottenham to the Champions League next term.

It’s a big ask, and right Spurs are showing no signs that they’re capable of such a feat owing to their seriously depleted squad.

Postecoglou might welcome three players back against Manchester United this weekend, but he’ll still be missing key figures.

Ian Wright thinks Ange Postecoglou has less support at Tottenham

That being said, both Ian Wright and Roy Keane discussed the idea of Postecoglou using injuries as an ‘excuse’ at Tottenham right now on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast.

Keane was quite incensed by the idea that Postecoglou would blame a thin squad for poor performances, making a point about how other Scottish teams used to feel facing his Celtic side.

Wright seemed to agree with Keane somewhat, and then also pointed to how different things are for Postecoglou under Daniel Levy, who he thinks is ‘not backing’ him.

Kean began: “Yeah, but Ange, when Ange was manager at Celtic, he keeps playing Dundee and Hibs every week, and they’ve got the smallest squads ever.

“You know, I don’t think Ange was feeling sorry for them. So no, it’s Ange’s time, now to go, you have to suffer Ange, like lots of other managers.

“Celtic have the biggest budget, the best players, and do you think he had sympathy at Dundee when he was winning 7,8 and 9-0.

“He won there one day and 9-0. I didn’t see him after the game going, do you know what I feel for the other manager?

“They’ve got a small budget. He didn’t care less. Managers are getting sacked all around him.”

Wright then replied: “Yeah he’s at Celtic who obviously in that league are, that they’re the guys, he’s got an owner now who’s not gonna back him like, maybe that’s how he’s backed in Celtic. It’s gonna be easier for him.

“I think that his squad, it’ll be interesting to see if he does get through this phase.”

Tottenham can’t afford to lose to Manchester United

Whichever way you look at it, Spurs now have a crucial game against Man United on the weekend.

Gary Neville thinks Man United will beat Tottenham, a scenario which would surely put Postecoglou under even more pressure in N17.

Celtic is obviously a much easier job than Tottenham, but Postecoglou can’t have envisioned things getting to this point.

As said, Spurs should welcome back one or two quality players to help out on Sunday.

Daniel Levy has been at the centre of a lot of criticism at Tottenham recently.

Spurs have been terrible this season, and they currently sit 14th in the Premier League table.

However, somehow, Ange Postecoglou is still being backed, and the fans are also still, somewhat, behind the manager.

Instead, a lot of Spurs’ fans’ fury has been pointed towards Daniel Levy, despite the fact Tottenham have spent heavily in recent times.

Levy has been under fire as of late, and this isn’t the first time we’ve heard these sorts of complaints.

Indeed, Antonio Conte’s infamous rant after drawing with Southampton clearly outlined the problems with Levy at Tottenham.

However speaking on TalkSPORT, Martin O’Neill has come out to bat for Levy, claiming that he’d have no problem working with the Tottenham chairman if he was in Ange Postecoglou’s position.

Martin O’Neill would have no problem working with Daniel Levy

O’Neill spoke about the idea of working alongside Levy.

The League Cup-winning manager says that he would have no issue working with the Spurs chairman, claiming that he has met him before and they got on well.

O’Neill says that he didn’t exactly interview for the Spurs job at any point, but he did have a lengthy chat with Levy at one point.

“I would have absolutely no problem working with Daniel Levy. None at all. I met him some years ago and he’s very affable, really good and no problem whatsoever,” O’Neill said.

“I’m not just saying that, I would have no problem. Of course it’s important to know who you’re working with, but you know your job and you know what to do. You know if you get support from someone.

“I would have absolutely no problem, from my conversation with him that was a few hours some years ago.

“A few hours? Was this a job interview?

“Not really. No, no, I was just wanting him to tell me how good I was and Daniel actually told me how good he was. It was a very decent meeting, but I’d have no problem at all working with somebody because the buck stops with you.”

Martin O’Neill has worked with worse than Daniel Levy

Tottenham fans are fed up with Daniel Levy at the moment, and that is understandable. After all, results on the pitch have been terrible.

However, it could be so much worse, and O’Neill knows that first-hand.

Indeed, O’Neill has had to work under some very strenuous circumstances during his career.

O’Neill won two League Cups with Leicester City, but he didn’t have the easiest of times at Filbert Street as Kevin Elsom was involved in a serious power struggle with the board of directors – four of which eventually resigned, via The Guardian.

Meanwhile, O’Neill was also very successful at Aston Villa, leading the club to numerous European finishes, but he ultimately resigned due to not seeing eye-to-eye with Randy Lerner.

Lerner’s ownership would eventually lead Villa into the Championship, and after selling up to Tony Xia, almost financial ruin.

Daniel Levy is far from perfect, make no mistake about it, but Spurs could do a lot worse than a chairman who has helped build and incredible stadium and spent a lot of money on the first-team squad in recent years.

Ange Postecoglou is not having a great season at all at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Australian, who finished fifth in his debut Premier League campaign, was adamant last year that he wins trophies in his second season.

However, Tottenham crashed out of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup in the space of four days, and the Europa League is now their only hope of winning a trophy.

Silverware aside, some of Postecoglou’s decisions haven’t made much sense this season, despite all the injury issues.

Pascal Chimbonda has highlighted one such call.

Pascal Chimbonda questions Ange Postecoglou’s goalkeeper decision

Tottenham started the season with Guglielmo Vicario as their number one. The Italian is still their first-choice goalkeeper, but he has been out injured for a few months now.

Fraser Forster took over from him for a few games, but that experiment did not work. Brandon Austin did well in the three opportunities he got, but he was quickly pushed back down to the bench.

That’s because Antonin Kinsky was brought in, and he has been playing regularly in recent weeks.

Chimbonda has claimed that it was a ‘strange’ decision to sign Kinsky because Austin was already there. He feels that the 26-year-old Englishman deserved more opportunities.

Speaking on Inside Spurs on talkSPORT, Chimbonda was asked why he thinks Austin hasn’t played more games.

He replied: “Because it’s the manager who decides, you have a goalkeeper coach as well who decides. But, I think they should’ve given him a chance early and see what he’s capable of doing.

“You can’t keep a young, tall, big keeper on the bench, and he’s been at Spurs for so long. They should’ve given a chance before when Vicario was even playing. Alternate sometimes to see what this kid’s capable of doing and take it from there.

“You can’t have a goalkeeper on your bench and after a couple of weeks, you go get another one (Kinsky). That, for me, is strange.”

Brandon Austin has an easy decision to make

Austin has been at Tottenham since he was a kid.

The Englishman came through the ranks at the club’s academy and has been around the senior setup since the pre-season of 2014.

However, Austin has made just three senior appearances for Tottenham, and with Vicario, Kinsky and Forster all at the club, he is probably the fourth choice right now.

The signing of Kinsky made it clear that Postecoglou didn’t have faith in Austin. That makes it an easy decision for the 26-year-old – he should leave the club for first-team opportunities elsewhere.

Austin, however, signed a new contract at Spurs just last year, and that deal does not run out until the end of the 2028/29 season.

When he first arrived at Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, most Premier League fans were baffled by the relatively modest price tag Spurs paid to sign James Maddison from Leicester City.

Maddison took to Tottenham brilliantly and actually looked to be inspiring a push for the title after 10 or so games alongside Ange Postecoglou in N17.

However, the England international, like a lot of his teammates, then succumbed to injury, and in truth, it’s all been a bit disjointed for Maddison ever since.

Missing with a calf issue recently, Maddison has played 31 games this season, yielding nine goals and six assists – decent numbers for an attacking midfielder.

And yet, even when he’s been fit, the former Leicester man has often been left on the bench by Postecoglou – something hasn’t quite been working.

Roy Keane questions James Maddison’s impact at Tottenham

That being said, Roy Keane shared some candid thoughts about Maddison at Tottenham on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast.

Maddison was being tipped as one of those who will make a big difference for Spurs once he returns, sentiments that Keane disagreed with.

Keane eventually admitted that Maddison was a ‘talented player’, but he started off on a much more critical foot.

He said: “Hold on a second. Maddison coming in. We saw Maddison at Tamworth. He was taken off. Tamworth non-league. People said, Maddison is the man.

“When’s he going to step up to the plate? He got relegated with Leicester. He’ll probably get relegated with Spurs.

“Maddison isn’t bad. He’s not at the darts. But let me tell you, if you think he’s going to come back and get Spurs top six, you’re in cuckoo land.

“He’s a good, he’s a talented player. But if you’re a player in the Spurs dressing room and Madison’s back in the squad, you wouldn’t be looking and going, oh, he’s back today. We’re going to be fine.”

James Maddison has a fresh chance to impress Thomas Tuchel

Tottenham hope to have Maddison back against United, but it does remain to be seen if the playmaker would immediately be considered for the eleven in that scenario.

When given the chance as Postecoglou’s number 10, Dejan Kulusevski has arguably performed better this season.

However, Kulusevski will likely be pushed out wide as soon as possible given all the wingers that Spurs are currently missing.

It’s going to be a big 12-months or so ahead for Maddison, who will be determined to go to the World Cup with England next summer.

Maddison has a fresh chance to impress Thomas Tuchel, and Spurs will certainly welcome any improved form.

After 24 games played, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are only separated by one position and two points in the Premier League.

Usually at this stage of the season, either Tottenham or Man United would be chasing the other for a European spot, perhaps even a place in the Champions League.

However, Spurs and United are in 14th and 13th place respectively, two sides who are performing well below expectation.

Of course, United have attempted to remedy that situation by replacing Erik ten Hag with Ruben Amorim, even if that process will require a lot of patience long-term.

On their part, Tottenham are sticking by Ange Postecoglou, and decision-makers at the club are still hoping that he can win the Europa League this season, a competition where they could still meet United at one stage.

Gary Neville and Roy Keane back Man United to beat Tottenham

That being said United will make their way down to N17 on Sunday for a game that seems almost guaranteed to provide entertainment.

Speaking on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast, both Gary Neville and Roy Keane have shared their verdicts on the scoreline, with both actually agreeing that United would win.

The two sides are only 10 or so points ahead of the relegation places and whilst that’s not necessarily a threat right now, neither team will even want to be mentioned near the drop zone.

Speaking on the podcast, Neville started the chat by saying: “I think United win, I think United win.”

Keane then jovially asked, after questioning the impact that James Maddison would have when he does return earlier on in the podcast: “Have Spurs got their players back? Is Maddison back?

“I think United, I’m going to go 3-1 United.”

Neville added: “2-1 United.”

Jill Scott asked: “Really? United are going to score three goals away from home?”

Keane: “Yes they will.”

Tottenham could be undone by Ruben Amorim’s tactics

Of course, Spurs have now gone seven games without a win at home in the Premier League, losing five of those matches.

In those games, Postecoglou’s side have often still dominated the ball, but succumbed to lapses in concentration at the back.

And it perhaps bodes well for Amorim’s side that they have often looked very resolute when playing compact and counter-attacking on the road, a game plan which inspired strong shows against Manchester City and Arsenal of late.

A fascinating tie, and one that Spurs in particular can’t afford to lose.

And from United’s perspective, the game marks another opportunity to prove that their project is heading in the right direction.

One of the most frustrating facets of Tottenham Hotspur’s nightmarish season for Ange Postecoglou must be the constant pile-up of injuries.

Jamie O’Hara has called for Postecoglou’s sacking and while the Australian will admit things are far from good enough at Spurs, he would be feeling sorry for himself due to the injuries he has had to deal with.

While Tottenham were not exactly playing champagne football when all their key players were fit, missing 11 players during their latest 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa in the FA Cup would not have helped matters whatsoever as well.

Unai Emery predicted Tottenham to return to form once their injury crisis becomes a thing of the past — highlighting that even fellow managers realise the struggles Postecoglou has endured this campaign.

The challenge for Ange Postecoglou during this rough period of injuries has also been that he does not have the luxury to rest players.

Tottenham simply lack enough players capable of being relied upon as starters to be resting vital cogs to his side, which includes youngsters like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

Ange Postecoglou told Tottenham’s injury crisis is down to his style of play

While the Lilywhites languishing in 14th place in the Premier League is unacceptable, the job that the former Celtic boss has had on his hands in managing an injury-raved squad has also not been an enviable one.

But Jamie Carragher has a theory that Tottenham’s persisting injury woes are down to the high-octane brand of football that Ange Postecoglou plays. The pundit compared Liverpool’s reduced injury problems as a squad from Jurgen Klopp’s final season at Anfield to Arne Slot’s debut campaign to drive his point about how the Dutchman’s more controlled style of play has helped them attain an increased level of fitness as side.

Carragher said on The Overlap US’ ‘It’s Called Soccer!’ show: “When you look at styles of play, now Tottenham are one of the most intense teams in the league, they press really high, they get the ball back in play really quickly from throw-ins and goal kicks. So, they’re always at it and we think that’s a good thing, that’s how we like football to be played, quick, on the front foot, exactly.”

“But when you think of teams like that, you think of Bournemouth, you think of Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool last season, the reason Liverpool are doing better this season, I don’t think all of a sudden they’re a completely different team, they’re slightly different. I don’t think they’re a million miles better but they’re fit.”

“They don’t have any injuries, Liverpool last season were in Tottenham’s sort of situation where they had like six or seven first-team players out, you go back to the Carabao Cup final, bringing kids on in the final and that had to be with how Jurgen Klopp played, now it’s slightly different with Arne Slot, there’s not as many injuries.”

Jamie Carragher feels that a simple case of misfortune cannot be attributed to Tottenham’s injury problems while linking them to how Ange Postecoglou sets up his side to approach games.

“You look at Bournemouth, they’re flying in the league but a couple of weeks ago, they went to Newcastle, they had nine first-team players out, Tottenham is the same. I don’t think that’s bad luck. I think sometimes you can have a little bit of bad luck, that can happen but when you’re continually getting muscle injuries, you’ve got to then look at the style of play from your manager.”

“And think, ‘Okay, well, do we need a bigger squad if we’re going to keep with this manager and have this style of play? Or do we have to accept that this style brings a success but the fall down is that we’re going to bring their players?’ So, has to be in the owners’ mind when they bring managers in and that was one of the reasons why Slot was chosen by Liverpool, when they analysed managers, not just about results and trophies, how often do his players get injured?”

“That seems to happen a lot under [Ange] Postecoglou. So, I understand, he’s using that as mitigiation and understandably as his best players are off the pitch. But is his style of play contributing to the amount of injuries that they get? I probably think there’s a good chance that it is.”

Ange Postecoglou explained why he suffered similar injury problems at Celtic

Ange Postecoglou’s response to the constant injuries at Celtic in 2021 was that his former side did suffer some fitness issues due to his style of play but also due to players being rushed back from their recovery process.

“No, it’s not possible. It’s a by-product of the team we want to be and it’s part of the process. I’ve been through it a number of times with teams I’ve taken over and the initial process is always difficult.”

“Games are coming thick and fast, but that’s the level we want to be at. We’ve still got seven games to go between now and the break, so we have to make sure we keep presenting ourselves well and get some game time to the guys who played well tonight. It’s not ideal but the guys have coped with it in the past. As you saw tonight, we have a good level of intensity and energy and we are just going to keep doing that in every game we play.”

Tottenham have employed a fair few managers throughout the 21st century so far.

Daniel Levy has been involved at Spurs for most of this time – when ENIC purchased 29.9% of Tottenham from Alan Sugar in 2001 before a full takeover in 2007 – but the vast turnover of coaches in the dugout has only yielded one trophy, the League Cup in 2008 with Juande Ramos at the helm.

On that note, let’s take a look at every manager Tottenham have employed since the end of the 20th century – ranked by their win percentage.

George Graham

George Graham actually won Tottenham a trophy – the League Cup – in 1999 just before the 21st century began.

The man from Scotland – who managed Arsenal before arriving in N17 – led Spurs into the 2000s but was sacked on 16th March 2001 for an alleged breach of contract.

Graham’s 40 wins from 108 games earned him a 37% win ratio.

Jacques Santini

Jacques Santini arrived at Tottenham in 2004 immediately after managing France at UEFA Euro 2004.

The Frenchman only oversaw 13 games before resigning for personal reasons, but won five to secure himself a 38.46% win ratio.

Juande Ramos

The aforementioned Ramos – who rates Gareth Bale highly – remains the only Tottenham manager to win a trophy in the 21st century.

Arriving in October 2007 after leaving Sevilla, the Spaniard left just 12 months later in October 2008 with 21 wins in 54 attempts, resulting in a 38.89% win ratio.

Glenn Hoddle

Glenn Hoddle oversaw 104 games as manager of Spurs – after racking up 377 appearances for the north Londoners as a player.

The Englishman won 41 of these 104 outings to cement a 39.42% win ratio.

Martin Jol

Martin Jol took over in November 2004 after the aforementioned Santini’s resignation.

The Dutchman remained in the role for almost three years – departing in October 2007 – with a 45.27% win ratio following 67 wins from 148 games.

Nuno Espirito Santo

Nuno Espirito Santo is currently sitting third in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest – but was not given much of a chance to impress at Tottenham after his appointment in June 2021.

The man from Sao Tome won all three of his first three Premier League games in charge at Spurs – securing the Manager of the Month award for August 2021 – before things turned sour.

Nuno was sacked after just 17 games at the helm – leaving with a 47.06% win ratio following eight victories.

Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou is currently under pressure with Tottenham sitting 14th in the Premier League.

However, the Australian still boasts an impressive record overall with 39 wins from his 80 games in charge, which have earned him a 48.75% win ratio at the time of writing.

Harry Redknapp

Tottenham paid £5m to take Harry Redknapp from Portsmouth in October 2008 – and he turned out to be a fine appointment.

The Londoner brought the likes of Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch to N17 – while Bale also blossomed under his guidance.

Redknapp was even named Premier League Manager of the Year in 2010 after guiding Tottenham into the UEFA Champions League – leaving in 2012 with a win ratio of 49.49% following an impressive 98 wins in 198 games.

Tim Sherwood

Tim Sherwood may only have managed 28 games for Tottenham – but he won exactly half of them.

The man who made 93 appearances for Spurs in his playing days took over in December 2013 after the departure of Andre Villas-Boas initially on a caretaker basis, but did enough to secure an 18-month contract before being sacked in May 2014.

Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho was tasked with taking over from Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 – a hugely popular figure who had only recently guided Spurs into their first UEFA Champions League final.

The Portuguese tactician could have won Tottenham a trophy, but was sacked in April 2021 just days before a League Cup final clash against Manchester City.

Mourinho won 44 of his 86 games in charge to secure a 51.16% win ratio.

Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte took over from Nuno in November 2021.

The Italian was sacked in March 2023 after an extraordinary outburst aimed at his own players and ENIC – having won 41 of his 76 games to secure a 53.95% win percentage.

Mauricio Pochettino

As aforesaid, the Argentine was very popular at Spurs, which comes as no surprise after he impressively won 159 of his 293 games at the helm – resulting in a superb 54.27% win ratio.

Tottenham fans even chanted for Pochettino during the recent 2-1 FA Cup defeat against Aston Villa, well over five years on from the day he was sacked.

Andre Villas-Boas

Some accuse Villas-Boas of being carried by Bale in his peak.

While the Welshman was undoubtedly winning games almost singlehandedly for the Portuguese tactician before joining Real Madrid in September 2013, Villas-Boas still deserves credit for achieving 72 points in the 2012/13 campaign, a club record for Spurs in the Premier League at that time.

The man from Porto was eventually sacked by Levy in December 2013 after a poor start to the season – partly caused by some poor recruitment using the Bale money – but can hold his head high with a 55% win ratio following 44 wins from 80 games.

Dimitar Berbatov has named the five players he most enjoys watching in world football.

Back in his day, Berbatov was one of the most entertaining players in world football.

The Bulgarian was perhaps the most naturally-talented player in the Premier League at one point. He could score five goals in a game without breaking a sweat, and Berbatov had the most remarkable first-touch.

Berbatov was one of Daniel Levy’s favourite players at Tottenham, and speaking to Goal, the striker has hailed another of Levy’s favourite Spurs legends.

Indeed, when naming his five favourite players to watch, Berbatov gave a special mention to Harry Kane, ranking him just above Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva.

Harry Kane is one of Dimitar Berbatov’s favourite players

Berbatov named the five players he most enjoys watching in world football.

The pundit put Harry Kane in fourth place ahead of Bernardo Silva, claiming that the England captain is still scoring goals for fun.

“Give us your top five players you love to watch,” Berbatov was asked.

“I’ll go with Bernardo Silva at number five because he’s good on the ball and knows how to play,” Berbatov said.

“Four, I’ll go with Harry Kane because he’s still scoring goals. Three, Lewandowski, he’s still also scoring goals for fun. Two, Kevin De Bruyne, he’s still good on the ball and reading the game, number one I’ll put Messi because I love watching him.”

Harry Kane compared to Dimitar Berbatov

Kane and Berbatov are undoubtedly two of the best strikers Tottenham have had in recent years, and it’s interesting to compare the two players statistically.

Stylistically, Kane and Berbatov are quite similar. They both like to drop deep and have the ball played into feet, and they were both lethal in front of goal.

However, when you look at the stats, it’s clear to see that Kane was the better player.

Of course, Berbatov does have one key thing over Kane – he has won major trophies in his career.

Indeed, Kane is still yet to win a piece of silverware at club or international level, while Berbatov won the Premier League twice with Manchester United.

Despite a lack of success since ENIC took over in 2007, Tottenham have spent a fair bit of cash.

Spurs fans often chant against Daniel Levy and ENIC – having gone without a trophy since winning the League Cup back in 2008 – although money has been spent on players, just not very wisely.

The likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Richarlison have arrived in N17 for huge fees – but failed to take Tottenham any closer to silverware.

On that note, let’s take a look at the ten most expensive signings in the history of Tottenham.

Archie Gray

Archie Gray might prove to be the wisest investment Tottenham have made in many years.

The £30m signing from Leeds United, made back in July 2024, currently looks a steal for an 18-year-old who can operate competently in either the centre of defence or on the right, as well as in central midfield.

Micky van de Ven

The £34.5m signing of Micky van de Ven was also a fine acquisition by Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou is able to squeeze opponents and adopt a much higher backline with the rapid Dutchman in his defence, while the Spurs No. 37 has also proven himself to be a strong attacking outlet.

Van de Ven even broke the record for quickest Premier League player in history during his debut campaign at Tottenham.

Pedro Porro

Like Gray and Van de Ven, Pedro Porro has also been a solid addition in N17.

The Spain international cost £39m in a move from Sporting CP back in January 2023, and has since scored nine goals, while also providing 17 assists, in 89 games from full-back for Spurs.

James Maddison

Tottenham moved quickly to snap James Maddison up in a £40m move after Leicester were relegated from the Premier League back in 2023.

The England international has since scored 13 goals and provided 15 assists in 61 appearances for Spurs.

Davinson Sanchez

Davinson Sanchez unfortunately struggled to assert himself at Tottenham.

Spurs showed plenty of faith in the Colombian, spending a then club-record £42m to sign him from Ajax at the age of just 21.

Sanchez eventually left for Galatasaray in a £12.8m deal – a huge financial loss for Tottenham – after six years in north London.

Cristian Romero

Cristian Romero has also proved to be a wise signing by Tottenham like his defensive partner Van de Ven – although their injury records must improve.

The Argentina international arrived from Atalanta for £42.5m back in August 2021 – impressing those in N17 with his strong tackling and composed passing out from the back.

Brennan Johnson

Brennan Johnson was an expensive gamble by Tottenham.

Spurs spent £47m to sign the Wales international from Nottingham Forest back in September 2023, and he has since netted 17 goals in 66 appearances for Tottenham.

Spurs fans actually criticised Johnson earlier in the 2024/25 campaign, but he responded well, and could yet prove to be a key player for the north Londoners with time on his side at the age of 23.

Tanguy Ndombele

The aforementioned Ndombele has to go down as the worst signing in Tottenham’s history, when all is said and done.

Spurs paid a then club-record £53.8m to sign the Frenchman from Lyon back in July 2019, but ultimately made a 100% loss after terminating his contract in June 2024.

Richarlison

Tottenham signed Richarlison in a £60m move from Everton back in July 2022.

Aside from a purple patch midway through the 2023/24 campaign, where the Brazilian netted nine goals in eight Premier League appearances, he has largely struggled to stay fit, scoring a total of just 18 goals in 80 games.

Dominic Solanke

Dominic Solanke has proven to be a clever use of funds at Tottenham.

Due to Harry Kane leaving for Bayern Munich and Richarlison’s injury problems, Postecoglou lacked a proper No.9 to lead the line.

However, the England international looks to have solved that problem after Tottenham triggered his £65m release clause in August 2024, with 11 goals and six assists in his first 29 appearances for Spurs so far following a switch from Bournemouth.

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal share a very fierce rivalry in England.

The two North London clubs have no love for each other. The hatred grew when Sol Campbell, who was a hero to Spurs fans, crossed the divide to join Arsenal.

Since then, Spurs have signed players who used to represent Arsenal. The likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and William Gallas donned Spurs’ colours after playing for the Gunners.

Even Harry Kane used to be a part of Arsenal’s academy – he joined Tottenham after being released by Hale End and went on to become one of the best players in the world.

Now, Spurs are keeping an eye on another player who grew up at Arsenal.

Tottenham are closely following AC Milan star Yunus Musah

Tottenham and AC Milan are very familiar with each other.

The two clubs negotiated a deal that saw Emerson Royal swap North London for Milan in the summer of 2024. That move didn’t work, but it was viewed as a good deal for both sides at the time.

In the winter window, Tottenham and AC Milan held talks for the transfer of Fikayo Tomori and a deal was almost agreed.

However, Tomori rejected a move to Tottenham.

Now, Milan Live claim that Spurs could try and sign the England defender again in the summer, but he isn’t the only AC Milan player they are looking at.

The report claims that Ange Postecoglou’s side are also ‘closely following’ Yunus Musah, the USMNT midfielder who has become a regular at the San Siro since Sergio Conceicao took charge.

Musah, who was hailed as ‘spectacular‘ during the last World Cup, still has over three years left on his contract at Milan.

Yunus Musah’s Arsenal story

Musah relocated from Italy to London in 2012, when he was just nine years old.

That is when he joined the Arsenal academy. He came through the ranks at Hale End and made 18 appearances for the U18s’ side.

In 2019, when he was 16 years old, Musah decided to leave Arsenal and joined Valencia’s academy in Spain.

“That (playing senior football) was one of the reasons I chose to move to Spain – I felt at the time maybe, we’ll never know, that I wasn’t able to be in the Arsenal first-team so early,” Musah told the Standard in 2022 about his departure.

“Their team was really good and I felt at my age I could play first-team football and there was the chance to move to Valencia. Things turned out great. I’m very grateful for that.”

In the upcoming summer window, if things go Tottenham’s way, Spurs could end up signing the Arsenal academy product six years after he left the red side of North London.