TBR Football

There have been a fair few transfers that got away at Tottenham.

Harry Redknapp wanted Eden Hazard at Spurs during his time at the club, while Jack Grealish was set to join Tottenham at one point, but a deal fell through.

Paolo Dybala was also a Spurs target in the summer of 2019, and he wasn’t the only big-name player Tottenham looked at that summer.

Indeed, Bruno Fernandes was linked to Tottenham heavily that summer, and according to Darren Lewis, speaking on Last Word on Spurs, Tottenham actually put a bid in for Fernandes straight after losing the 2019 Champions League final.

Tottenham bid for Bruno Fernandes after losing 2019 Champions League final

It’s an open secret that Tottenham wanted Fernandes in the summer of 2019.

However, according to Lewis, Spurs actually bid for Fernandes straight after losing the 2019 Champions League final to Liverpool.

Indeed, the journalist says it was actually on the flight back from Madrid after the game that it emerged that Tottenham had bid for Fernandes.

“You can go back to Harry Redknapp who wanted Gary Cahill and Carlos Tevez and he got Ryan Nelson and Luis Saha. When Pochettino was at the club he saw that Alderweireld and Vertonghen were just past their best and it was time to reinvest.

“It was that same, we were on the plane back from the Champions League final when we got wind on the plane that the bid had gone in for Bruno Fernandes. We thought he would be a great acquisition. How did Man Utd beat Tottenham to the punch when they had first dibs?”

What Bruno Fernandes said about failed Tottenham move

Tottenham bid for Fernandes just after their loss to Liverpool in 2019, but, as we all know, the bid didn’t lead to a transfer.

Indeed, Tottenham didn’t get their man, and Fernandes has since become a star at Manchester United.

Interestingly, Fernandes was angry with this situation at the time.

“Obviously, I wanted to go to the Premier League. The manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was the one who wanted me there. It was a good offer but Sporting tried their best to keep me,” Fernandes said.

“The president (Frederico Varandas) spoke with me but he spoke with me on the wrong day. It was the day after they decided to refuse the offer from Tottenham and I was really angry.

“Luckily for me, the manager (Marcel Keizer) was the right one at the right time.”

Tottenham would instead sign Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele that summer, and a look at the stats show that Spurs messed this one up.

Fernandes has gone on to become infinitely better than Lo Celso or Ndombele, and this may be one of the most painful missed transfers at Spurs in recent history.

Daniel Levy has been ruthless when it comes to sacking managers at Tottenham over the years.

Mauricio Pochettino was sacked just months after reaching a Champions League final with Spurs, while Kyle Walker was left in tears when Andre Villas-Boas was sacked.

Antonio Conte was sacked while Tottenham were in fourth-place after his infamous rant after drawing with Southampton, while Jose Mourinho was let go just days before a cup final.

However, perhaps the most cut-throat sacking of them all was the departure of Harry Redknapp in 2012.

Redknapp had finished fourth, only missing out on Champions League football by virtue of Chelsea’s remarkable European campaign that season, but, for Spurs, that was enough to decide they needed a change in the dugout.

Now, speaking on The Rest is Football, Redknapp has discussed his Tottenham sacking.

How Harry Redknapp felt about his Tottenham sacking

Redknapp spoke about his departure from Spurs.

The manager says that he found the way this situation was handled disrespectful, claiming that he didn’t have a clue that he was going to be sacked after securing a fourth-place finish.

“I had that. It is disrespectful. I had it at Tottenham at the end. I never had a clue, it was completely out of the blue to me It was going great, we finished fourth and we were in the Champions League, but Chelsea got to the final of the Champions League that year and finished sixth.

“When they won it was a disaster. I’d gone from qualifying for the Champions League, and when I got home I was told that Daniel had a meeting with one or two managers at the time.

“It was quite a shock, but yeah, sadly that was it.”

Harry Redknapp compared to other Tottenham managers

Redknapp has every right to feel hard done by, but when you look at the stats, it’s clear that Levy often gets rid of managers in similar circumstances.

Indeed, of all the managers Levy has sacked over the past decade or so, Redknapp does have the worst win percentage.

Of course, Redknapp took over Spurs in a poor position after a terrible spell under Juande Ramos, and the reality is that he did finish fourth in his final season.

However, Levy decided that a change was needed, and he got rid of the veteran coach.

Interestingly, Ange Postecoglou is currently in a much worse position than Redknapp was, but Postecoglou’s job is safe.

Levy has been lenient with Postecoglou so far, but based on recent managerial sackings at Spurs, the Australian could well be on thin ice before too long if results don’t change.

Tottenham Hotspur take on Tamworth in the FA Cup at the Lamb Ground.

Spurs beat the best team in the world – Liverpool – just a few days ago. Now, a different challenge awaits them as they travel to Kettlebrook to face a team who are currently 16th in the National League.

Ange Postecoglou has had a lot of injury issues at Tottenham this season. He hasn’t been able to rest some of his key players because he has had no other options.

However, against Tamworth, we expect to see some of the young players get an opportunity, and Postecoglou has confirmed that one of them will definitely play.

Ange Postecoglou confirms Mikey Moore will play for Tottenham vs Tamworth

Mikey Moore is one of Tottenham’s most talented young players.

The teenager, now 17, broke the record to become Spurs’ youngest-ever player to play in the Premier League when he made his debut against Manchester City last year.

Since then, Tottenham fans have been in love with young Moore, who has even been compared to Neymar by his teammate James Maddison.

Sadly for the youngster, he had to spend a few weeks on the sidelines because of an injury, but Moore is back fit now and available for selection.

Ahead of the game against Tamworth, Postecoglou was asked if he would give opportunities to young players. The Australian initially dismissed it, but then confirmed that Moore will get some minutes.

He said, as per Football London: “No, it gives me an opportunity to pick a team who I think will win a game of football for us. The ones who will play will be the ones who will do that.

“It’s good getting Mikey back and I think it is important we will give him some game time on the weekend but aside from that it will be a time who most importantly we think can get us through to the next round.”

Tottenham have another youngster who could be like Mikey Moore

Tottenham fans have seen a fair bit of Moore over the last year, and they know what to expect from him.

The 17-year-old is a phenomenal talent, and we’re sure he will play a lot more for Spurs in the coming months, starting from Sunday.

Moore, however, is not the only exciting young player at Tottenham, there are a few others as well. New arrival Yang Min-Hyeok is one of them.

The South Korean joined Spurs last summer but officially made the move at the end of last year. He is at the club now, and fans are excited to see him play.

TBR Football can exclusively confirm that Manchester City have struck an initial £33million deal for Abdukodir Khusanov, winning the race ahead of the likes of Tottenham Hotspur.

Khusanov has been watched by Tottenham, Chelsea, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Brentford, Brighton and West Ham this season, according to TBR Football sources.

Two of his main suitors, Spurs and Newcastle, were left concerned as Man City joined the race for Khusanov, and those fears were certainly not unfounded.

Abdukodir Khusanov set to sign four-and-a-half-year deal at Manchester City

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has been told that Abdukodir Khusanov is to join Manchester City in a deal worth an initial £33million deal plus add-ons.

The Uzbekistan international is set to sign a four-and-a-half-year deal at the Etihad Stadium with a further year’s option, with a medical scheduled in the next few days.

What Khusanov is set to bring to Manchester City

Tottenham and many other Premier League suitors have lost out to reigning champions Manchester City in pursuit of one of the best young defenders in the game.

Khusanov has well and truly taken the French top flight by storm since his move from Belarusian club Energetik-BCU in 2023, and now he’s set to showcase his talents in the Premier League.

The Ligue 1 website wrote in January: ‘Almost never caught out by opposing attackers, the calm defender very often dominates his opponent physically, and has added another asset to his game: anticipation.

‘Often well placed, he is the player who has made the most interceptions since the start of the season in the championship (17), tied with the Parisian Willian Pacho and Marseille’s Pierre-Emile Hojberg.’

Meanwhile, Lens head coach Will Still is quoted as saying: “He’s calm, powerful, he’s fast… He doesn’t talk but he’s good.

“When I arrived, with the departure of “Kev’” in sight, Jean-Louis Leca told me ‘don’t worry, there’s “Kodir” who is here, and he’s ready.’ He wasn’t wrong. He has very, very impressive potential.”

Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are both on the lookout for attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window.

Neither the Villans nor Spurs are currently where they want to be in the Premier League table and, as such, they are looking to bolster their ranks.

Both Villa and Tottenham are interested in Donyell Malen, who has slipped down the pecking order at Borussia Dortmund.

Now, Sky Sports News have reported that the Villans have taken another step forward in pursuit of the Dutch forward.

Aston Villa increase Donyell Malen bid to around £21m

According to journalist Lyall Thomas, Aston Villa have increased their offer for Donyell Malen and are now getting closer to Dortmund’s valuation of the player.

Thomas, speaking on Sky Sports News, said a source told him Villa’s latest offer for Malen is around £21million.

Dortmund are currently demanding a fee closer to £21million and negotiations continue, added Thomas.

Villa certainly seem to be well ahead of Tottenham in the race for Malen.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Spurs were discussing internally whether to enter strongly into the conversation for Malen.

Meanwhile, the Villans are in active talks with the relevant parties, reportedly submitting offers, and player-side talks are said to be at the final stages.

Whoever signs Malen would be getting themselves a player in his prime who teammate Mario Gomez has deemed “extremely fast and very dangerous”.

The Bundesliga website, which carried Gomez’s quotes, also compared Malen to Chelsea and Belgium icon Eden Hazard.

‘Malen is almost the complete package when you think of a modern-day forward,’ they wrote of the versatile forward.

‘Malen combines his incredible speed and technical ability on the ball with an eye for goal and aptitude for defensive work, which have endeared him to the Dortmund faithful.

‘Standing at 5’8″, Malen is no big man up front, but rather a forward who prefers to run in behind to get defenders chasing him, or come short to link up with players around him.

‘In that sense he is reminiscent of Chelsea great Eden Hazard, whose squat dribbling style and long-range shooting made him a nightmare for defenders.’

Tottenham Hotspur have hit the ground running in the January transfer window with the signing of Antonin Kinsky and it looks as though they’re only just getting started.

Spurs are looking to bolster their attacking ranks and have identified Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani as a potential target.

Tottenham are believed to have told Muani he’ll play a key role in them going forward into the future and they were hoping to wrap a deal up quickly.

And though there have been reports from Italy suggesting Muani has agreed terms with Juventus, the race isn’t quite over just yet.

TBR Football sources have confirmed that Juve insist they’ve not yet won the race for Muani and they acknowledge he is still talking to others.

Furthermore, while Muani has said he would move to Juventus, Tottenham and others are not out of the picture yet, and Spurs are still pushing to try to sign him.

Manchester United have also been linked with Muani, with Tottenham said to be ‘aware of the threat of a hijack’.

Now, Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has provided an update on Spurs and Muani, and mentioned an ace up their sleeve that could help them out.

PSG owners have ‘very good relationship’ with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy

Bridge, speaking on Sky Sports, said Tottenham are prioritising the signing of a forward this month as interest in Muani remains.

In addition, Bridge noted how PSG’s owners have a “very good” relationship with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

“They’re still interested, he can play across the whole front three and Spurs are looking for reinforcements there,” said Bridge.

“They’ve signed Kinsky, and he had a fantastic debut against Liverpool.

“People are asking if they’re going to get a defender in, but I think the priority is a forward and there is interest in Kolo Muani.

If Spurs retain the interest, it must be said the owners of PSG have a very good relationship with Daniel Levy.”

Muani, hailed as a ‘powerful’ player by Bundesliga.com, hasn’t received the game time that he would’ve liked at PSG this term.

The relationship between PSG owners and Levy

As per Sky Sports, Levy and Nasser Al-Khelaifi meet each other regularly because they are both involved in the European Club Association.

Al-Khelaifi is the chairman of the ECA and Levy has been an executive board member since 2021.

Antonin Kinsky has arrived at Tottenham as their first signing of the January transfer window.

The Czech goalkeeper has arrived as Spurs’ new glovesman, and he’s already settling in well in north London.

Kinsky impressed during his Tottenham debut against Liverpool this week, and according to Alasdair Gold, Kinsky is already settling in well at Spurs.

Dominic Solanke praised Kinsky after his performance in the cup.

Indeed, the journalist noted a few incidents during the Liverpool game that showed Kinsky’s bond with his teammates, while he also noted that the goalkeeper already has a fresh nickname at Tottenham.

Antonin Kinsky’s new nickname at Tottenham

Antonin Kinsky may have only been a Tottenham player for a few days, but he’s already earned a new nickname at Spurs.

According to Gold, the 21-year-old is now going by ‘Toni’ behind the scenes at Tottenham.

“He’s known as Tonda back home that’s one of his nicknames and Toni, with an I, that’s what they’re calling him at Spurs since he’s come in,” Gold said.

“He just did really well consistently speaking to players around him throughout. He was having a laugh with them, he seems to have settled quite quickly. He was having these little chats, and even after the goal that was disallowed he had a massive hug with Archie Gray. He said something in Solanke’s ear at one point that Solanke laughed at, just those minor things. It shows you how he’s settling in I think.”

Tottenham players’ nicknames

Kinsky has already earned a new nickname at Spurs, and there are a lot of players at Tottenham who are known by other names.

Indeed, when you see Spurs players interact or speak in interviews, there are a number of nicknames that Tottenham’s players have taken on – for example, Rodrigo Bentancur is known as ‘Lolo’.

Of course, some of these names are just for ease, but it does go to show how tight-knit a group this is at Tottenham as the players all feel quite comfortable with one another and have that informal, conversational relationship.

Kinsky is already settling in well into this group, and while the fact that he already has a new nickname isn’t all that significant, it is a small signifier that the new signing has settled in well already and is starting to gel with his new teammates.

Kinsky’s start to life at Tottenham seemingly couldn’t be going any better.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United both need reinforcements in the ongoing winter transfer window.

The two big English clubs haven’t had a great season so far.

Tottenham are currently 12th in the Premier League table after winning just seven of their first 20 games, while United are a point and a place below them.

Both clubs need to turn their season around, and they are on the market for new signings. Spurs and the Red Devils have a common target.

Randal Kolo Muani is very likely to leave PSG in this window.

The Frenchman, hailed as a ‘powerful’ player by Bundesliga.com, hasn’t received the game time that he would’ve liked in the French capital, and as TBR Football revealed in November, PSG are open to letting Kolo Muani leave this month.

We confirmed this week that Tottenham are close to agreeing personal terms with Kolo Muani after holding talks with his agents.

GiveMeSport now have an update on the situation.

The report claims that Tottenham are hoping to finalise the deal to sign Kolo Muani before the end of this week and are making progress.

However, other interested clubs have not given up.

It has been claimed that Tottenham are ‘aware of the threat of a hijack from rivals such as Juventus and Manchester United‘, who are both keen to sign Kolo Muani.

The one problem in negotiations between PSG and Tottenham over Kolo Muani deal

Tottenham and PSG have been locked in negotiations over a deal to sign Kolo Muani.

Discussions have been taking place over the terms of a loan deal, and as TBR Football revealed on Wednesday, PSG are pushing for a loan with an obligation-to-buy clause for Kolo Muani this month.

Spurs, as things stand, are trying to convince PSG to let their striker leave with just an option-to-buy clause inserted in the loan deal.

GMS claim that despite their unwillingness to commit to an obligation clause, Tottenham are ‘serious’ about keeping Kolo Muani beyond the end of this season.

Spurs are in a strong position in the race to sign the France international, but they should wrap this deal up as soon as possible to avoid a hijack.

Tottenham Hotspur are in FA Cup third-round action this weekend when they head to Tamworth FC on Sunday.

All eyes will be on the 12:30pm kick-off at the Lamb Ground as neutrals will hope for a classic third-round giant-killing.

Tottenham go into the game on the back of a 1-0 win over Liverpool in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, but they’ve been beset by injuries and inconsistency this season.

Meanwhile, Tamworth currently sit 16th in the National League, having last won just before Christmas.

Troy Deeney has now given his thoughts on the fixture between Tamworth and Spurs, explaining why the stage is set for a FA Cup giant killing.

Troy Deeney says Tamworth pitch is ‘horrible’ and team are ‘really good at set pieces’

Deeney, speaking to The Joy of Football, said Tottenham will hate playing at Tamworth because the pitch is “horrible” and “on a slant”.

In addition, the team boasts a long-throw specialist in Tom Tonks and they’re “really good at set pieces”, suggesting “this is the game” that’ll end in a giant killing.

“Tamworth – I’m going to the game on Sunday,” began Deeney.

“Tamworth getting Spurs at the Lamb is perfect – everything that Spurs don’t like.

“It’s a horrible pitch, it’s on a slant, they’ve got a long throw, they are really good at set pieces…

“It’s just set up that this is the game that we’re all watching at the weekend and go ‘oh my god, Tamworth got into the fourth round’ – I think it’s brilliant.”

Tamworth v Tottenham match facts

Sunday’s game will be the fourth time that Tamworth will compete in the FA Cup third round, having reached this stage in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2011-12.

It will be the second time that Tamworth have taken on a top-flight side, the first time coming in 2011-12 when they lost 2-0 against David Moyes’ Everton.

The omens for Tottenham are good, as they have progressed from each of their last nine FA Cup ties against non-league opponents.

In addition, Spurs have progressed from 17 of their last 18 FA Cup third-round ties.

In football’s business sphere, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is universally known as one of the best executives around. For the Spurs fans waiting for a first trophy since 2008, it’s often a different story.

Levy has turned the North London club into a financial monster, of that there is no doubt. With annual revenue of £550m at the last count, turnover is up over 1000 per cent since ENIC bought the club.

Yes, the quantum leap has been the explosion in the value of the Premier League’s TV rights, but Spurs’ income has risen faster than anyone else’s. They are also the most profitable team in the league’s history.

The driving force for Tottenham has, of course, been the move to the new stadium, still rather clunkily called the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the absence of a naming rights deal.

Gate receipts have soared, as has income from events and sponsorship linked to the 62,850-seater arena.

The vision for the new stadium was sold to supporters with the promise of increased investment in recruitment and retention – and ENIC have delivered on that front.

While Spurs are often accused of being too conservative in the transfer market, amortisation (how clubs account for transfer fees over a period of time) and wages have risen in tandem with revenue.

Levy presides over the lowest wages-to-revenue ratio in the Premier League, true, but there an argument that is simply because they are the only ones with a realistic, sustainable business model.

But these KPIs are just hot air to supporters, who measure success via more traditional metrics – points on the board and trophies in the cabinet, not brand partnerships with Netflix’s Squid Game.

Ultimately, the history books don’t lie. In 2024 years of ENIC-Levy ownership, Spurs have won one solitary League Cup.

Tottenham honours

We can debate the root cause, whether it’s cultural, financial, or structural, but the buck stops with Levy, the club’s all-seeing eye who appears to involve himself at every level of the business.

Ange Postecoglou has got Spurs into a good position to end their silverware drought thanks to their 1-0 League Cup semi-final first leg win over Liverpool last night.

But it’s unlikely that lifting England’s least prestigious trophy will scratch the itch for fans, especially given that they are currently 12th in the league, closer in points to the bottom three than top six.

Next Wednesday, Spurs make the short trip to the Emirates Stadium to face Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

Arsenal have had some fallow seasons in recent history too, but they are currently streets ahead of Spurs on the pitch, accumulating 63 more points than their arch rivals over the last two-and-a-half seasons.

Now, Arteta has highlighted another way in which the Gunners could soon steal a march on their North London neighbours.

Tottenham: the last multi-club holdouts?

When ENIC first invested in Spurs, the Lilywhites weren’t the only club in their football portfolio.

Joe Lewis, who is no longer involved at Spurs following his 2023 conviction for insider trading, and his fellow shareholders held stakes in Rangers, Slavia Prague, AEK Athens, Vicenza and Basel too.

They have long since divested all of those interests, however, with Spurs now their sole focus.

Now, the multi-club model is back in vogue, popularised by the likes of Manchester City’s City Football Group and the sprawling Red Bull network.

As well as City, Chelsea and Manchester United have sister clubs under a multi-club umbrella, while Liverpool are actively exploring the prospect and nearly took over Bordeaux last year.

Arsenal’s owner, Stan Kroenke, owns the MLS franchise Colorado Rapids, although that is more or less an entirely separate business venture as opposed to a cog in a wider multi-club machine.

Living up to his ‘Silent Stan’ moniker, Kroenke has been labelled an absentee landlord by Rapids fans, who are pining for infrastructure upgrades and more ambition in the transfer market.

They are the MLS’s least valuable side.

However, Arteta recently suggested that Arsenal should launch their own multi-club network in order to aid recruitment

The Spaniard recently said: “[The multi-club model] is something that a lot of clubs have at the moment.

“So, that restriction in the country has provoked that many other clubs have now, like sister clubs or multi-club systems to be able to do that.

“So, looking ahead in the future it’s something basically to explore because obviously with the actual system it’s very, very difficult.

“Every club is very different in the way that they are set up and the clubs that they have picked are various.

“But in our way, it’s obviously a decision from our ownership and the board to understand what is the best thing for the club in the future.”

If Arsenal were to launch a multi-club network as Arteta wants, that would leave Spurs as the only remaining club in the so-called ‘Big Six’ without one.

Amanda Staveley investment: A gateway for Spurs to take over a new club?

As part of the deal that brought Lucas Bergvall, Spurs’ goalscorer in last night’s victory, to the club last summer, Levy explored a link-up with the 18-year-old’s now-former club Djurgardens.

But those talks were relating to a strategic cooperation only, not a takeover or investment of any formal kind. In any case, it appears that those discussions came to nothing.

It has been suggested that the appointment of Scott Mun, a former City Football Group executive, as chief football officer could signal interest in the multi-club model from Spurs.

If that is the plan, ENIC would need sufficient liquidity to buy out and fund a sister club.

Leagues in the FA’s Band 2 (Portugal, Holland, Belgium, and Turkey’s top tiers) are the most popular multi-club market at present, so an acquisition probably wouldn’t come cheap.

However, with Amanda Staveley interested in investing in Tottenham, selling a minority stake would raise more than enough capital.