TBR Football

Daniel Levy’s stewardship of Tottenham is under the microscope at present – for obvious reasons.

It is almost two decades since a Spurs captain lifted a trophy on a podium and, despite the club’s staggering commercial growth in that time, they do not look likely to do so this season.

Granted, they are now into the semi-finals of the League Cup, but Ange Postecoglou’s side’s 6-3 humbling at the hands of Liverpool will not have filled many fans with optimism about their chances.

In theory, Spurs should be able to outspend almost every club in the Premier League.

Only Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs had higher annual revenue in the last financial year, and the gap is narrowing every season.

But Levy and ENIC want the club to self-fund as opposed to bankrolling lavish transfer sprees out of their own pockets.

Spending on wages and transfers has increased, true, but not as quickly as revenue itself is rising.

For many fans, that is particularly jarring given that Levy is comfortably the best paid executive in the Premier League.

The owners’ level of investment was criticised by Cristian Romero in a bombshell interview with Spanish media recently, with the defender blaming “all the same people” for Spurs’ lack of progress.

The absurdity of the club’s partnership with Squid Game, which saw actors dress up as the antagonists from the Netflix drama during the Liverpool defeat, was seen as the club’s problems in microcosm.

In a similar vein, the club’s decision to redesign their crest, removing the team name and creating a new ‘brand identity’, was also viewed as emblematic of the club’s commercial orientation.

It has been widely speculated in the world of football finance that the decision to bring back the monogram logo could be a precursor to a new Spurs-branded streetwear range.

Spurs are partnered with Nike in a deal worth £450m over its contract length, and Nike’s Air Jordan brand has been a rumoured collaborator ahead of next season.

That could be a major financial boon for Spurs – just look at what the Air Jordan treatment has done for Paris Saint-Germain.

However, they have competition from London rivals Chelsea.

To explore what this commercial move could mean for the club, TBR Football spoke exclusively to Liverpool University football finance lecturer and Price of Football author Kieran Maguire .

Nike’s 15-year commitment to Spurs is a measure of how the club’s stock has reason under Levy and ENIC – from a commercial perspective, at least.

But, while Maguire has hailed the club’s move to branch out into the so-called ‘athleisure’ market, he does not think Spurs will be the first in line for the Air Jordan collaboration.

“Broadening the demographic in terms of who might buy the merchandise is a logical step to take.

“It is also a challenging one, however. You are entering a different market and people want to be associated with positivity.

“That is why the Air Jordan brand did so well – Michael Jordan just delivered.

“There is a limit to the number of brands that are competing for same dollar when you have already got US franchise sport in the mix as well.

“Spurs are not top of the pops when it comes the Nike’s global brand representation. They are senior, but not top.

“So broadening the amount of products available is smart, especially given the tourist following that they get.

“The margins that are available on these products means that if you can increase the number of products that a fan is willing to buy, it can be very good news for the club.”

What is Spurs’ budget for January?

When it comes to setting budgets, there are a number of considerations.

Firstly, does the club have the capacity to spend under PSR. In Spurs’ case, they have oceans of headroom. Few Premier League clubs can best them in that department.

The liquidity of the owners is another big consideration. Do Levy and ENIC have the personal funds to bankroll financial losses than come with big expenditure in the transfer market?

In the context of the Premier League, Spurs owners are mid-table as far as the independent wealth of their owners go.

However, given that Tottenham are miles off the pace in the hunt for the Champions League, the owners may feel they have no choice but to put their hand in their pocket.

Could a new investor open the door for greater spending in the transfer market? Perhaps, but Amanda Staveley or any other party will not have a deal signed off for some time, if indeed it materialises at all.

James Maddison was one of Tottenham Hotspur’s few positives in their 6-3 defeat against Liverpool.

When Arne Slot’s side were leading 2-0, James Maddison gave Spurs a ray of hope with a wonderful strike from outside the box.

But ultimately, Tottenham felt flat against Liverpool as the Englishman’s efforts were deemed inconsequential.

Jamie Carragher felt Arne Slot’s ploy against Ange Postecoglou was to praise his attacking tactics in his press conference to entice the Australian to set up in such a manner, allowing his Liverpool side to feast on their defensive deficiencies.

But throughout the contest, it seemed like Maddison alongside Dejan Kulusevski were the only two players who could help the hosts get back into the contest against Liverpool.

Gary Neville slated Heung-min Son’s display against Liverpool as several of the Lilywhites’ big names let themselves down on Sunday. After the contest, Maddison was reflecting on the reasons why Ange Postecoglou’s side were well beaten by the visitors.

James Maddison tells Tottenham fans the players are hurt after Liverpool defeat

The former Leicester City midfielder initially told SPURSPLAY that the whole host of injuries that Tottenham have suffered are impacting their displays, as was the case against Liverpool.

Maddison said: “Busy physio room at the minute, with senior players, big experienced players that are in there. On nights like this against the top opposition, that is invaluable really, the seniority of players and experience of Premier League big games like this.”

“But credit to our young lads who are stepping up and lads who haven’t played. I don’t want to sound like I am making excuses but Djed [Spence] only started his first Premier League last week, Archie [Gray] is 18, we bought him from the Championship, Radu [Dragusin] didn’t play a lot of football last year in the Premier League, Frase [Fraser Forster] has come in with Vic [Guglielmo Vicario] out.”

“There are a lot of lads who I am proud of who keep going out because we are rolling out the same team every game at the minute because we play every three days and the squad’s quite depleted.”

Maddison went out of his way to inform Tottenham fans that it is not just them who are gutted after their sobering defeat to Liverpool but the players and the club as a whole.

“We will all keep going, we will stick together. I feel for the fans but I want them to know that it hurts us as well. Results like that don’t just hurt supporters, they hurt the club on a whole.”

What are Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures after Liverpool defeat?

Tottenham will be looking to move on swiftly after their defeat to Liverpool.

At the end of the day, Spurs were not expected to beat what is arguably the best team in the world.

However, Tottenham supporters will be expecting Maddison to lead his side to beat the likes of Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Newcastle United and Everton.

The North London Derby is sandwiched between this run of fixtures, a game where Ange Postecoglou will have no reason to motivate his players as the magnitude of the clash needs no introduction and where form goes out of the window in any case.

Tottenham Hotspur were taken apart by Liverpool and one player in particular should be worried about his status at the club following another poor showing in North London.

Liverpool ran riot at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they netted six times to expose Spurs defensive frailties. Ange Postecoglou cannot continue to keep setting up his team the way he does whilst he persists with players who have shown they are not up to the task.

Against Liverpool, several of Tottenham’s players showed to Postecoglou that they need to be upgraded and their £25 million man was one of them.

Yves Bissouma’s unacceptable display vs Liverpool

Poor form and fatigue are one thing, but there is no excuse for a lack of effort and against Liverpool, Yves Bissouma’s display was simply unacceptable. There was a moment for Liverpool’s third goal where the Malian international could be seen jogging back to defend.

Postecoglou cannot persist with a single-pivot midfielder if he is going to play Bissouma there as the £25 million man just doesn’t cover enough ground. Liverpool played one long ball over the top and found themselves in a three versus two situation in their favour with Bissouma not in sight.

The midfielder didn’t show enough defensive awareness as after Radu Dragusin lost the header to Dominik Szoboszlai he failed to react to the danger which left the Lilywhites outnumbered. Postecoglou’s system can’t afford for the number six to be caught so high up the pitch, especially against the likes of Mohamed Salah.

How can Tottenham upgrade Yves Bissouma?

Tottenham will be delighted to know that Rodrigo Bentancur is now back with his seven-match domestic ban now over. The Uruguayan will need time to get back up to speed, but he should offer much more than Bissouma.

Lucas Bergvall has also impressed in the number six role over recent weeks and the Swede should certainly be considered ahead of the former Brighton man. Archie Gray will be desperate to have his moment in midfield too and he has certainly earned his chance to play in the number six role at some point.

Back when it was first announced that Jurgen Klopp would be leaving Liverpool, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was high up on the club’s list of potential replacements.

When he first arrived at Tottenham, Postecoglou had a scintillating impact, Spurs were top of the league for a period only to be halted by some untimely injuries to the likes of Micky van de Ven and James Maddison.

However, judging by his first few months in the job, Tottenham had bagged one of the world’s best tacticians, explaining why Liverpool were keen to steal Postecoglou.

Of course, Arne Slot was eventually the man to arrive on Merseyside, an appointment that no one at Anfield will regret, not even those who may have wanted Ruben Amorim.

Tottenham refused to lose Ange Postecoglou when Liverpool came knocking

Either way, if Spurs were more receptive to Liverpool’s interest earlier this year, it’s interesting to consider how different things could be for both clubs.

Reported by the Metro back in February, Postecoglou was being considered as an alternative to Xabi Alonso, another strong contender for the job at the time.

Liverpool had noticed Postecoglou’s impact in north London and were seriously interested.

Fortunately for Tottenham, at the time at least, the club were confident that Postecoglou wouldn’t leave , as came true.

Postecoglou was happy in London at the time and was set for a ‘significant bonus’ when Spurs finished in the top four, which looked almost set in stone at the time.

Now, Postecoglou is being criticised in the wake of Liverpool’s 6-3 win in N17.

And whilst no one is suggesting that the former Celtic boss is at risk of losing his job, it’s interesting to think how different things could have been.

Postecoglou’s Tottenham record has taken a turn for the worse

Of course, Liverpool were interested in Postecoglou following his brilliant start at Tottenham, progress that was arguably halted by a damaging 4-1 defeat to Chelsea back in November 2013.

Since, Spurs’ form has mostly been disappointing, and it’s fair to say that Liverpool may not be so interested in Postecoglou today were Slot to make a shock exit.

In the game mentioned against Chelsea, Tottenham lost some important players to injury, a situation that is repeating itself today.

However, Spurs simply aren’t responding with enough pragmatism.

Slot praised Tottenham and Postecoglou after Sunday’s game, but the Spurs boss should probably take more compliment were his side able to get under Liverpool’s skin.

Perhaps Postecoglou can still turn things around in N17 with the right personnel, after all, he’s still the same tactician that had Spurs top of the league, but there’s no doubt that his stock has fallen since links to Liverpool.

Given those who Ange Postecoglou was missing against Liverpool, it was always going to be tough for Tottenham Hotspur to get a result in N17 on Sunday evening.

Postecoglou was right to point out that even Liverpool would have struggled were they missing almost their entire back five, including their goalkeeper like Tottenham.

However, many would feel that in that situation, Arne Slot would adapt Liverpool’s style – whether that would be making them more compact or simply setting up not to lose.

In typical Spurs fashion under Postecoglou, the home side did neither.

For the neutral, it’s a brilliant thing – Tottenham are never involved in a dull game.

But for those wearing white in N17 watching their side concede six goals, such a performance may not be so enthralling.

Arne Slot explains why he’s a fan of Ange Postecoglou’s work at Spurs

That being said, when speaking to Sky Sports immediately after Sunday’s result, Slot made some interesting comments about how Spurs continue to play under Postecoglou.

The Dutchman said he ‘liked’ what Postecoglou is doing at Tottenham, even if his side found it relatively easy to overcome their game plan.

Slot said: “The first 50-55 minutes is what you want, apart from the goal we conceded. 3-1 up and then it ended up being 5-1.

“We thought it was enough but Tottenham have far too much quality and they’re able to create and score.

“In the games they’ve lost here against the bigger teams, they’ve been in the game. It was a really good performance from us apart from the 20 minutes we decided not to run anymore.

“That 15 minutes is maybe useful for us. It didn’t hurt us today but in other moments, it’s good.

“Against every team, there’s an opportunity. If they go for man for man which they did for the first goal, then it needs one player to outplay the other and then you have an extra man.

“They have a very good idea about football. If you give them too much space then they will hurt you.

“I like what Ange does. He is at a club where they don’t win that much in the last 15 to 20 years.

“They should be one of the best players in the world otherwise you don’t play for Liverpool.

“Mo [Salah] got two goals and two assists. He played a very good game. With Trent, the focus might be on the great cross for the first goal but playing against Son is not easy but he did very well.”

Mohamed Salah praises Tottenham despite straightforward win

Interestingly, Mohamed Salah also commended Tottenham’s approach immediately after Liverpool’s 6-3 win in north London.

And whilst some of this praise will be welcome during a difficult period for Spurs, perhaps it shouldn’t be too well received.

Tottenham would surely prefer Liverpool to be leaving N17 in glum mood, furious that their opponents had outwitted them on the pitch.

But this Spurs side are so open and honest – they’re essentially there for the taking if you are as good as Liverpool.

Perhaps some will be pleased that Postecoglou refuses to change his style, even if several players are missing, but a bit of pragmatism would surely benefit results.

Ange Postecoglou has admitted that he loved what Tottenham Hotspur’s supporters were singing despite their team losing 5-2 to Liverpool.

Tottenham ended the game being beaten 6-3 by Liverpool in another crazy game with Postecoglou at the helm. Despite a difficult defeat and the team now left in 11th place, there appears to be an understanding from the fans as to the situation the manager has been left in.

Spurs had five starters missing against the Reds with players missing which included their first-choice centre-backs and goalkeeper. The Australian head coach admitted that he loved the chant he heard from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, especially given the scoreline.

Ange Postecoglou thanks Tottenham’s supporters

Ange Postecoglou thought Tottenham’s supporters were impressive against Liverpool considering the result. The Spurs faithful sang the manager’s name even when the team were losing by three goals and the 59-year-old is very grateful.

The Australian is hopeful they are understanding of the situation the team find themselves in with seven first-team players currently unavailable. Postecoglou’s tactics were slammed after Liverpool but his team will keep playing their attacking brand of football even in difficult moments.

Postecoglou told the media: “The fans, I’ve often said, should feel they need to about what’s happening. I thought they were good today, very good, given it was a difficult day for sure. But they still got the support of the players which was important.

“And who knows, maybe some of them understand the situation we’re in right now. It seems many don’t. In the context of what we’re trying to do, where we’re at, I hope they see what we’re trying to build here because I really believe it’s going to be something that gives the club and fans what they want.”

What Ange Postecoglou said about adapting Tottenham’s style of play

Postecoglou remains defiant over his style of play and insists he will continue to set his team up in the same way regardless of recent results. The 6-3 defeat to Arne Slot’s team leaves the North London club sitting in 11th place.

He added: “I’ve been really patient the last 18 months sitting up here answering the same questions over and over again. If people want me to change my approach it’s not gonna change. We’re doing it for a reason, we’re doing it because it’ll help us be successful. If people don’t understand the circumstances we’re in at the moment from a squad perspective which are as obvious as they can be.

“I get the idea that people think I should just flip the switch and that would just miraculously make us a different team. It is what it is, I’m just going to continue to stay focused on trying to build the team we want to be and for the time being we’re going to have to accept that there are going to be challenges.”

Mohamed Salah was one of the senior architects behind Liverpool’s stunning attacking performance against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.

Ange Postecoglou was once again without several Tottenham players, meaning a centre-back partnership of Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin were tasked to stop Liverpool.

Put bluntly, the pair were never equipped to deal with the likes of Salah, Luis Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai who were bypassing Spurs’ midfield in front of that centre-back pairing with ease.

Of course, Postecoglou once again refused to change the way Spurs approached the game despite how many players he was missing, particularly at the back.

The result? Spurs were torn defensively, and never stopped conceding chances until the full-time whistle blew.

Mohamed Salah discusses Tottenham’s ‘intense’ approach after Liverpool defeat

After scoring and assisting twice, Salah spoke to Sky Sports after the game and made some interesting comments about Tottenham’s approach.

The Egyptian wasn’t talking negatively about Spurs at all, but noted that their approach never changes – something that might be frustrating fans in N17 at this point.

In fairness, Salah noted that Manchester City struggled on their visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, even if his side didn’t.

Salah said: “We were quite good up front but defensively we need to improve as a team. Conceding three goals is quite hard. It’s a good result, hopefully we just keep going.

“We expected that [a chaotic game], the way they play, they open the game, they enjoy their football, physically tough and mentally we always have to be in the game.

“They don’t change much the way they play, it’s intense. City came here and struggled, other teams too. I’m happy we won because they play an intense game.”

Ange Postecoglou goes on the defensive after Liverpool loss

As mentioned, Tottenham were missing several key players at the back, even if that won’t spare them from any criticism.

Spurs will have to face a few more difficult fixtures over the festive period without their main centre-backs, and they can’t keep shipping goals like they have.

However, when speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Postecoglou was asked if there were any other factors other than injuries behind Spurs’ poor display at the back, a question that seemed to frustrate the manager.

He replied: “I’m just going to stop answering these questions. If people can’t see the obvious I‘m not going to point it out. Make of it what you want, yes we’re conceding goals.

“If you want to discount the fact we’re missing a goalkeeper, two centre-backs and left-back and that hasn’t coincided with what we’re doing… I don’t know what to say anymore.”

Tottenham were hammered by Liverpool in front of their own fans and Peter Schmeichel has stuck the boot into manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou looked on as his injury hit defence struggled to contain Liverpool and in the end, the Reds scored six and could have had even more.

Tottenham have now conceded 14 in their last five games and will go into the Christmas period in the bottom half of the table.

However, while some will point to injuries and other factors, former Man United ace Peter Schmeichel has took aim at Postecoglou.

Peter Schmeichel unhappy with Ange Postecoglou after Tottenham v Liverpool

Speaking about the way Tottenham player under Postecoglou, former Man United stopper Schmeichel lamented the Aussie and says the defeat is on him, not his players.

“It’s on [Ange Postecoglou]. He’s playing to his principles. Today it was crazy, the high-line, the space they left behind, they’re not playing with a ‘keeper who’s comfortable cleaning up behind. You can’t play a system the players can’t play because of principle. For that they’ve conceded three on Thursday [in the League Cup] and six today,” Schmeichel said.

“When you look at the table, they’re not on the front page, they’re on the second page. Tottenham are not supposed to be on the second page, it’s because of the way they play.

“The stubbornness of wanting to play that way, they got what they deserved and it could have been a lot worse.”

Tottenham need to replace Fraser Forster

Fraser Forster is an experienced goalkeeper and has had a fine career but he’s simply not the man to do the business in the way Postecoglou wants to play.

That is, of course, not Forster’s fault and the manager has to take responsibility for trying to carry on the same way without the right personnel.

Postecoglou apparently wants to sign James Trafford to replace Forster and in all honesty, that move needs to happen soon.

As for Schmeichel’s comments, well, that’s something a lot of Spurs fans are likely to agree on.

Tottenham have bounced back from a run of five games without a win with two successive victories.

Spurs hammered Southampton 5-0 in the Premier League last Sunday before netting four against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Thursday, albeit while conceding three as Fraser Forster delivered a nightmarish performance.

Despite this small upturn in form, there is still a lot of room for improvement under Ange Postecoglou – who could use some fresh faces in his squad to provide added depth.

Now – according to Football Transfers – there is a player Tottenham feel they could sign this January in Julian Brandt.

Tottenham want Julian Brandt

Spurs have now decided to step up their interest in the Germany international – after deeming Crystal Palace No.10 Eberechi Eze as too expensive.

Steve Kay writes that Tottenham feel Brandt – who is best friends with Kai Havertz – could provide cover for James Maddison in the attacking midfield department, while also giving Postecoglou the option to rotate his frontline.

The Borussia Dortmund No.10 is capable of playing on either wing, while he has also been deployed as a striker at times throughout his career.

Football Transfers explain that transfer funds will be limited for Tottenham in the January window, although Spurs feel they have a good chance of signing Brandt for a reasonable fee due to the fact his contract expires in 18 months.

Borussia Dortmund may be open to losing the German – who they signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £22.1m back in May 2019 – in January, rather than wait until his value decreases in the summer due to the contract situation.

Brandt – who has captained Borussia Dortmund six times in the absence of Emre Can this term – has scored two goals and provided five assists in 18 appearances across all competitions so far this season.

Julian Brandt was once put above Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho

The 28-year-old is highly rated in Germany. Jurgen Klopp even famously wanted to sign him instead of Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.

Interestingly, the aforementioned Havertz once said Brandt was outdoing Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho, a partly biased claim given the fact they are close friends, but an intriguing statement nonetheless.

The Arsenal No.29 said: “I wrote to him (Brandt) on Tuesday after the game. Sancho and Haaland aren’t playing too badly either, but at the moment he’s the best player at Dortmund.”

Soon, the pair could become even closer – at least geographically – if Spurs bring the Borussia Dortmund playmaker to north London.

Heung-min Son oversaw Yang Min-hyeok’s first session at Hotspur Way and the Tottenham Hotspur captain has a message for the club’s supporters.

Yang flew to London last week and was in attendance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to watch Spurs beat Manchester United. The teenager also started his preparation to become a Tottenham player as he used the club’s state-of-the-art training facilities to complete his first gym work in London.

Having watched his fellow compatriot train at Hotspur Way, Son was keen to get a message across regarding what to expect from the youngster.

Heung-min Son keen to taper Yang Min-hyeok expectations

Heung-min Son has told Tottenham fans not to put too much pressure on the shoulders of Yang Min-hyeok. Yang will officially become a Spurs player on January 1 when he can start playing and training with Ange Postecoglou’s squad.

However, Son claims that people are too quick to pile expectation on the shoulders of young players nowadays and he has called for Tottenham’s latest recruit to be given time. The Lilywhites captain also revealed that he is trying to help the teenagers as much as possible following his arrival in London.

Son told Hayters TV: “I’m trying my best, obviously there are some situations he will have to handle by himself, so I can’t help him like I’m his dad, but I am going to help him on and off the pitch. I hope he can bring some great football and great talent to the club, so I can’t wait to see him with us.”

When asked about what fans can expect from the young winger, Son said: “I don’t want to give him big pressure, he is only 18. I think nowadays people are going too early over their excitement for young players so I want to keep him quiet. I just hope he works hard and helps the team.”

Heung-min Son watches Yang Min-hyeok’s first session at Hotspur Way

The work at Hotspur Way has started for Yang as the young winger was put through his paces in his first session as a player for Tottenham. Yang has revealed he is at about 80 to 90 percent fitness having only just finished his season with Gangwon FC.

Son was there to oversee Yang’s first session at the Enfield training complex. The 18-year-old will only be able to start training with his teammates as of next month.