TBR Football

TBR Football can exclusively reveal that Arsenal’s move for Eberechi Eze is currently considered to be off the table, with Tottenham Hotspur set to firm up their interest.

On Tuesday, TBR Football revealed that Tottenham had made contact with Eze’s camp, and there is an expectation that Spurs could now land him.

There is a sense from some at the North London club that Steve Parish’s valuation of over £60 million is too expensive, but Tottenham Hotspur are expected to press ahead with plans to sign him.

But for the Gunners, their bid to recruit the England international is unlikely to happen, as it stands, and the reason why is clear.

Exclusive: Arsenal’s priorities have now moved away from Eberechi Eze

Arsenal no longer view Eberechi Eze as a priority summer transfer target, and they would rather sign a true left-wing option, sources have told TBR Football’s Chief Correspondent, Graeme Bailey.

As revealed by TBR Football last month, Arsenal view Eze as a number ten, an area in which they are pretty strong, with Martin Odegaard, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman.

Meanwhile, out on the left, the struggles of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard mean that signing a left-sided attacker is paramount.

Bailey told TBR Football: “Eze is a tricky one. Steve Parish is asking well over £60 million, which is a difficult price. Arsenal liked the player, but that move seems to be off for now.

“Some people think Spurs might consider him too expensive, but I suspect they’ll try. They’ve paid that sort of money before, and I think Spurs will come in for him and probably get him.

“Unlike Arsenal, who always viewed Eze as a number 10 rather than a solution for the left-hand side, Tottenham see him as someone who can play on the left. That flexibility is likely to push Spurs to make a move in the coming days.

“Meanwhile, Arsenal are expected to focus on strengthening the left-hand side rather than pursuing someone they see primarily as a number 10. They are unlikely but not completely impossible to make a move for Eze at this point.”

How Eberechi Eze compares to Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri

Arsenal are probably right to move on from Eze, given how well stocked they are in terms of attacking midfielders.

After Nwaneri signed a new contract at Arsenal, the need for another number ten has certainly reduced and blocking his opportunities would not be smart.

The Gunners have high hopes for the 18-year-old, so spending £60 million on a position in which one of their brightest young talents plays could stunt his progression.

Despite the disappointment attached to Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat in the Super Cup, there were positives to take for Thomas Frank’s side.

Going 2-0 up against a very good Paris Saint-Germain team, Tottenham proved that they will be a lot more resolute under Frank, even if they did surrender their lead late on.

Perhaps that was partly down to Joao Palhinha coming off the pitch in the second half – he was the unsung hero in midfield for Spurs, a steely presence who will be an excellent addition in N17.

And whilst it would be easy to criticise Frank for taking him off, the Dane will be aware that he needs to manage Palhinha’s minutes, as he didn’t play an awful lot at Bayern Munich.

That being said, Spurs might not often line up in a 5-3-2 this season as they did in the Super Cup.

And whilst Mohammed Kudus impressed for Tottenham, Frank is arguably still lacking numbers in attack.

Gabriel Agbonlahor says Tottenham will sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace

With that in mind, pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has now discussed Tottenham’s pursuit of Eberechi Eze on talkSPORT.

TBR Football recently confirmed that Tottenham were back in for Eze after links had gone cold – Daniel Levy wants to bring the Crystal Palace midfielder to north London.

And when discussing Wednesday’s game and Spurs’ situation moving forward, Agbonlahor confessed that he did expect Spurs to sign Eze.

Agbonlahor said: “Yeah that’s the only thing they were missing last night (Eze), because you can play that formation, but you can’t play the same formation and personnel when you’re probably playing a lesser team.

“You only had Richarlison and Kudus, I know you had Solanke on the bench to come on, Tel, who I’m not sure about – but they need a number 10, someone who’s going to open up defences, get on the ball and make things happen.

“I mean when you look at Cunha and Mbeumo, it’s similar fees (to Eze), Kudus was £55m, I just look at Eze, I think he’s worth like £90/95m, never mind £68m.

“Something must be going on, can they agree personal terms first before they put a bid in? That normally happens.

“But if they were in for Morgan Gibbs-White, that would have been similar money, so I don’t see any reason why not.

“They’ve got the money available, I’m sure it will happen, it wouldn’t surprise me in the next couple of weeks that he does go to Spurs.”

Richarlison might have ended Spurs’ need for a new striker

Before the summer began, it was believed that Levy wanted to sign another striker at Tottenham, even though the club had spent big on Dominic Solanke the summer before.

Of course, that might have partly been because Richarlison was expected to leave Spurs.

But after backing up his Europa League final contribution with another promising showing in the Super Cup, Richarlison has perhaps earned the right to stay at Tottenham to compete with Solanke.

Everton have shown interest in signing Richarlison, and the Brazilian will be desperate for regular minutes this season ahead of the World Cup.

But perhaps that could work to Tottenham’s favour whilst Richarlison remains in N17 – he could really push Solanke on to bigger and better things.

Solanke had a steady first season under Ange Postecoglou, but Spurs fans will surely be expecting a lot more from the record signing moving forward.

Tottenham Hotspur were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.

Spurs fans were hopeful of getting a result against the European champions, but they were always the underdogs going into the game.

However, the manner of the defeat is what broke the supporters’ hearts.

Tottenham were leading 2-0 until the 84th minute, and you would expect a top side to see it out. Unfortunately for them, PSG scored twice, took the game to penalties and won the shootout.

Jamie O’Hara thinks he knows the reason why Spurs lost.

Jamie O’Hara pinpoints Thomas Frank’s mistake during Tottenham vs PSG

Thomas Frank deserves immense praise for his tactics against PSG.

The Dane got it spot on and completely bamboozled Luis Enrique’s side. The European champions had no answer to Spurs’ way of playing for the first 70 minutes.

Tottenham were in complete control of the game at that point and were on track to lift the trophy in Udine on Wednesday night.

However, PSG pulled one back in the 85th minute and then equalised in the 94th to take the game to a penalty shootout, which they won.

O’Hara watched the game, and he felt that Frank made one mistake that cost him the game – substitutions.

He said on talkSPORT: “The only thing I can say is that Thomas Frank got the subs wrong, and the players that came on should be ashamed of themselves.

“Nowhere near good enough. Nowhere near up to the standard, up to the level. You’ve got to get up to the levels quickly. You’ve got to get up to pace, you’ve got to be up to speed, you’ve got to get tight, you’ve got to stop crosses, you’ve got to stop the ball coming in your box and causing problems.

“The last 20 minutes, just kicking the ball away. It wasn’t good enough.”

Key stat shows Tottenham’s substitutes offered nothing vs PSG

One of the biggest reasons why Tottenham barely faced any problems against PSG in the first 70 minutes was that they were brave on the ball.

Late in the game, Spurs became content with kicking the ball away and inviting pressure.

That happened when Frank started making substitutions, and the four players he brought on the pitch didn’t touch the ball enough.

A combined 14 touches of the ball from the four substitutes is simply not good enough, which is why O’Hara feels that Frank got his changes wrong.

Tottenham lost the ability to carry the ball and keep it high up the pitch after Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus were taken off.

Spurs fans can only wonder what would’ve happened if he kept them on the pitch.

Mohammed Kudus impressed in his first competitive appearance for Tottenham Hotspur as they lost the UEFA Super Cup final.

Tottenham Hotspur were 2-0 up and in control when he was subbed off for Mathys Tel in the 79th minute, but without him, they struggled.

Spurs lost the final in agonising circumstances as they conceded with just three minutes left in stoppage time and then lost on penalties.

Overall, Thomas Frank will be pleased by his team’s performance and especially that of Kudus, who tormented Nuno Mendes.

Tottenham fans shocked by Mohammed Kudus’ strength

Tottenham fans were stunned to see how strong Mohammed Kudus was against Paris Saint-Germain as he bullied one of the best left-backs in Europe.

The French media were full of praise for Kudus’ performance against PSG and were impressed by how well he did against Mendes.

Kudus, whom Brennan Johnson has hailed, won five of his 11 ground duels against PSG and won two fouls against the European champions.

The likes of Bukayo Saka and Lamine Yamal struggled against Mendes last season, but Spurs’ new summer signing showed how to deal with him.

The 24-year-old is set to be a key player for Spurs over the coming season and against the European champions, he showed a great deal of promise.

After the game, Spurs supporters took to X to share their thoughts on the winger and they were full of praise for him.

One fan said: “Nuno Mendes thought he was strong till he met Mohammed Kudus.”

“Kudus is incredible; his guy rarely loses duels. He just bodies whoever is defending against him. Nuno Mendes is suffering big time against him,” claimed another.

There was further praise for Kudus, with another fan stating: “Nuno Mendes needs to get in the weight room if he wants to hang with Kudus.”

Finally, one fan claimed: “They said Kudus isn’t good. He smoked Mendes throughout. A strong ball carrier, you can hardly get the ball off him, no matter who you are.”

Tottenham signed Kudus for £55m earlier this summer, which is starting to look like an astute piece of business from the North London club.

But the club need more attackers who can produce what the Ghanaian can, and that is why Tottenham are trying to sign Savinho.

Mohammed Kudus on how Tottenham must react to PSG defeat

Kudus has urged his teammates to learn from their penalty shootout defeat against PSG and the importance of staying focused for 90 minutes.

Kudus told the media: “It was disappointing to lose the game in the end. This is a big lesson to stay focused for the whole 90 minutes.

“But I’m really proud of the team for our work ethic, the energy, because I think we had them for the most part of the game, it’s just the last part where we need to stay focused.

“But we will take this as a lesson, we have a game on the weekend and full focus on that.”

Thomas Frank suffered a defeat in his first competitive game at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Dane replaced Ange Postecoglou just 16 days after the latter won them the Europa League title. That victory gave them an opportunity to win another trophy – the UEFA Super Cup.

Tottenham faced Paris Saint-Germain in Udine on Wednesday night, and the North Londoners were on their way to winning the game.

However, their 2-0 lead was cancelled out in the last nine minutes, and Frank’s side ended up losing the penalty shootout.

Jason Cundy has a new nickname for Thomas Frank after PSG beat Tottenham

Tottenham were the better side against PSG in the UEFA Super Cup.

Spurs contained the French champions without any trouble for large parts of the game, and were even leading 2-0 in the 48th minute.

Both goals came from set-pieces, and the Europa League winners troubled PSG with impressive long throws from Kevin Danso.

On talkSPORT after the game, Jason Cundy tried to wind up an angry Tottenham supporter by sarcastically praising Danso’s throws.

“Can I ask you a question? One thing I thought was really good with Spurs, I mean excellent, were Danso’s long throws, mate, they were good! They’re good throws, mate, come on, give Danso some credit.

“Come on. Those long throws, you can see the effort he has put in during pre-season. Danso, with those big, strong arms, good throws Danso put in.”

Then, Cundy decided to give Frank a new nickname for using set-pieces so effectively – “Thomas Pulis” – comparing him to former Stoke City boss Tony Pulis.

Later in the show, when Jamie O’Hara argued against Cundy mocking Spurs’ throws, the latter replied: “The hypocrisy from you, right? Honestly!

“All you were doing last year was having a pop at Arsenal, calling them Set-piece FC. Now, all of a sudden, you’re boasting about long throws and you scored two goals from set-pieces. You were basically saying that’s all they are. It’s okay now?”

Thomas Frank may have fixed a major problem Tottenham had under Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham had a number of problems when Postecoglou was at the helm.

The North Londoners were definitely exciting to watch, but they were really easy to score against – from open play but especially in set-pieces.

Spurs were so bad in both boxes during corners and free-kicks, but that seems to have changed now since Frank’s arrival.

Tottenham dealt with the Premier League’s set-piece kings, Arsenal, comfortably in Hong Kong, and they caused PSG all sorts of problems on Wednesday as well.

Andreas Georgsen, who is the new set-piece coach, seems to have fixed the problem Tottenham had with set-pieces last season.

Tottenham Hotspur’s dream of winning the UEFA Super Cup was crushed by Paris Saint-Germain.

The Europa League and Champions League winners faced each other in Udine on Wednesday night, and there were surprises.

PSG were the absolute favourites to win, but for the first 70 minutes of the game, Tottenham were comfortably the better side and were 2-0 up.

However, two late goals from Luis Enrique’s side took the game to penalties, and Spurs ended up losing the shootout.

What Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange were doing in the stands during Tottenham vs PSG

Fabio Paratici is still really close to Tottenham.

The Italian worked for the club for nearly two years between 2021 and 2023, but he had to resign from his position after Paratici was handed a two-and-a-half-year ban by FIFA.

In July this year, his ban came to an end, and TBR Football revealed at the time that Daniel Levy was confident that Paratici would return to Spurs.

No official announcement has been made yet about the 53-year-old taking up a role at Tottenham, but he has been spotted around the club.

On Wednesday night in Udine, Paratici and technical director Johan Lange were seated together, watching Spurs’ defeat to PSG.

Alasdair Gold revealed that the two men were having several ‘animated conversations’ during the game.

“Fabio Paratici alongside Johan Lange in the stands tonight here in Udine. Having plenty of animated conversations so far,” he tweeted.

Johan Lange has work to do at Tottenham

Lange and Thomas Frank have a lot of positives to take from Tottenham’s game against PSG, despite the heartbreaking defeat in the end.

However, the Spurs director would’ve also learned that his manager needs help.

Tottenham were superior for 70 minutes of the game, but the fact that they fell off late on showed that they need to improve their squad depth.

Lange needs to bring in a few new players in the coming weeks. Perhaps that was what he and Paratici were animatedly talking about during the game.

Tottenham Hotspur have reignited their pursuit of Eberechi Eze and they are looking to beat Arsenal to his signature.

Jermain Defoe has backed Tottenham to sign Eze, and Spurs are now making their move to bring the Crystal Palace forward across London.

TBR Football understands that Tottenham have held talks with Eze, with Arsenal still undecided whether or not to make their move for the player.

Spurs could now make a pitch to Eze, which both he and Son Heung-min are sure to love.

Eberechi Eze is the perfect number seven replacement for Son Heung-min

Following the departure of Son to LAFC, the number seven shirt has become available at Tottenham Hotspur.

Currently, there is no obvious or worthy candidate to take the number from the South Korean, unless Eberechi Eze were to arrive in North London.

Eze and Son sat together at Burberry’s London Fashion Week show back in September 2024, and the England international posted an image of them on his Instagram.

Son hailed Eze’s ‘fantastic’ free-kick goal following Spurs’ 3-1 win over Palace back in March 2024 and it’s clear that the pair had become quite closely acquainted.

After the match, Son, Oliver Skipp, Brandon Austin and Eze could be seen laughing and joking on the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But the former Spurs captain is not the only person with whom the 27-year-old shares a strong bond, as Justin Cochrane, Thomas Frank’s assistant, is also close to Eze. Meanwhile, James Maddison has previously called Eze a ‘baller’.

Since 2018, Tottenham have been linked with Eze, and now this summer could finally be the moment he signs for the Lilywhites.

Arsenal’s interest in Eberechi Eze is diminishing

Arsenal’s interest in signing Eze isn’t quite as pressing as it was when Ethan Nwaneri’s future was in doubt, according to David Ornstein.

The Gunners were considering Eze when there were doubts over Nwaneri’s future as he entered the final year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium.

Ornstein told The Sports Agents: “I think it was being looked at when there was a possibility of Ethan Nwaneri leaving because he was into the last year of his contract.

“Arsenal now see him in the eight to ten role, as opposed to the right side, where he played last season and Eze occupies the same space. They’ve got Martin Odegaard there and Max Dowman coming through.

“So I think if Nwaneri had departed, the idea was Eze, but Nwaneri signs his contract and Eze is a less pressing concern, I think the left side is an area where Arsenal are thinking of as a priority.”

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.

Spurs were definitely the underdogs going into the game, but PSG not having a full pre-season gave the Europa League winners some hope.

Thomas Frank got his tactics spot on against the French champions, and Tottenham were completely the better team for the first 70 minutes of the game.

However, two late goals from PSG took the game to a penalty shootout, and Luis Enrique’s side emerged victorious.

One Spurs player has come under a lot of criticism now.

Jamie O’Hara says Tottenham have made a ‘terrible’ signing in Mathys Tel

Mathys Tel joined Tottenham on loan in the winter transfer window this year.

The Frenchman was viewed by many as a big talent, and his time at Bayern Munich convinced those at Spurs that he would be a great signing.

Tel’s loan spell wasn’t as successful as everybody hoped, but Tottenham still signed him on a permanent deal for £30 million (BBC).

The 20-year-old came on as a substitute for the final 11 minutes of the game, and he was nowhere near his best. Unfortunately for him, he missed his penalty in the shootout too.

Jamie O’Hara was frustrated to see Spurs lose the game after being 2-0 up, and he had a go at Tel for his performance on Wednesday night.

He said on talkSPORT: “The penalty was a ridiculous penalty. He sat the keeper down, he saw him go down and still put it wide.

“Listen, I’m not going to sit here and really hammer Tel because he’s missed a penalty. We’ve all missed a penalty. I’ve missed a penalty. But, I agree, it’s a terrible signing. I don’t think he’s good enough. But, we’ve signed him, so we’ve got to deal with him.”

O’Hara repeated himself later in the show by saying: “Mathys Tel isn’t good enough. Sorry, he isn’t good enough!”

Tottenham need to sign another attacker

Tel is still just 20 years old, so the criticism is a bit harsh.

The Frenchman is a very talented player, and he has the potential to become a big star for Tottenham in the coming years.

However, with Son Heung-min gone, Tottenham need another attacker this summer – someone who is more experienced and can hit the ground running.

That will not just help Spurs, but it will also take some pressure off Tel’s shoulders too. He will then have the time to develop and fulfil his potential.

Mohammed Kudus played his first competitive game for Tottenham Hotspur against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.

The Ghana international joined Spurs from West Ham United for £55 million earlier this summer, and fans have been really excited about him.

Kudus has looked good throughout pre-season, and Thomas Frank gave him the nod to start against the European champions on Wednesday night.

The French press have had their say on him.

France’s media deliver verdict on Tottenham star Mohammed Kudus’ performance vs PSG

Tottenham suffered heartbreak in Udine against PSG.

The North Londoners were comfortably the better side for the first 70 minutes of the game and were deservedly 2-0 up.

Frank was on his way to lift a major trophy in his first competitive game, but two goals from the French champions in the last nine minutes took the tie to penalties.

PSG came out on top in the shootout, winning 4-3 after Micky van de Ven and Mathys Tel missed their penalties.

The result is heartbreaking for Spurs fans, but there are a lot of positives to take from the game. One of them is Kudus’ performance.

The Ghanaian was very good when he was on the pitch, and he has received some praise from media outlets in France.

Foot Mercato gave him a 7/10 rating – no Spurs player was rated higher – and wrote: “The Ghanaian international used his physical power to challenge PSG’s midfield and defence. His duel with Portuguese full-back Nuno Mendes was a beautiful sight to behold.

“Mohammed Kudus made numerous runs with the ball at his feet to gain yards for his team, demonstrating a good understanding with Richarlison, to whom he gave England’s first chance of the match.”

Maxifoot gave Kudus a 6.5/10 rating and said: “What a burst of energy! Tottenham’s summer signing put in the work, pressing and defending deep enough, but also offering solutions in attacking phases.”

Ouest-France’s Made in Foot gave Kudus a 7/10 rating – again, no other Spurs player was rated higher.

Mohammed Kudus’ stats vs PSG

Kudus was very impressive for Tottenham against PSG.

The 25-year-old started up top with Richarlison and often drifted to the right. He showed immense strength and often came out on top against Nuno Mendes.

To add to the above, Kudus boasted a 100 per cent success rate with his crosses against PSG, finding a teammate with all four of his attempts.

The result was not what Tottenham wanted, but Kudus’ performance is a major positive going into the new season.

Tottenham Hotspur lost to PSG in the UEFA Super Cup – and Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle has it out for one player in particular.

Tottenham, all in all, will be disappointed with the result against the Parisians. Despite banking some money in Super Cup winnings, there is little to shout about result-wise.

Alas, the performance was still excellent for the majority. Thomas Frank was lauded by fans for his tactics, which just fell short as PSG fought back in the dying embers, then defeated Spurs on penalties.

Tottenham’s players did well, but the two goals were avoidable, and Glenn Hoddle in particular had it out for Cristian Romero for Lee Kang-In’s strike.

Glenn Hoddle slams Cristian Romero

New Tottenham captain Romero could have done a little better for PSG’s first goal, which got them back into the game. Speaking to TNT Sports post-match, Hoddle pointed out his “poor” header.

“Romero’s header there… poor,” Hoddle begins. “He’s knocked it right into the middle of the goal, straight back into the danger area.

“That ball needed to go back out towards where the cross came from. It’s a great finish in the end – the first touch from Lee was excellent – but as the ball’s whipped in, Romero has tried something difficult and it’s gone exactly where it shouldn’t. If he sends it back where the cross came from, the danger’s gone.”

Hoddle then went on to explain that a tactic Romero learned under Ange Postecoglou made a reappearance and caused Spurs to concede.

He continued: “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great goal, but I’m not happy with him. Last season, it was drilled into them – whenever they were defending crosses, they’d all step up to the edge of the 18-yard box once the ball was cleared. You can see all the Spurs players doing it here.

“But Romero’s stepped up too soon, and that’s not what the manager wants now. He needs to stay in and block off the near post.

“Because of that bad habit from last year, he’s left space and can’t get across to block it. Fabulous finish, fabulous ball – but once it goes into that area, you have to protect the near post. This year, everyone else has adjusted… except Romero. It’s just an old habit that’s stuck with him, and it costs them.”

It’s still early days in this new Thomas Frank era for Spurs, and there’s a bit of reprogramming required.

Tottenham can be happy despite Super Cup loss

Tottenham can take so many positives from the loss. PSG are one of the most difficult sides to face in Europe, and Spurs dominated for the majority of the fixture.

Hoddle also noted this and urged Daniel Levy to bring in reinforcements before the Premier League campaign fully kicks off.

He continues: “So that’s why you’ve got to bolster your squad and make sure your squad’s good enough, not just your starting 11.

“I think Spurs have learned that lesson tonight. But my word, from their performance, they realise now, going over that plane, they’re saying, “We can go toe-to-toe with anyone this season,” because if we perform like that, that’s a template to play against the top, top teams.

“And if we do that right, we’ve just proved to ourselves – nobody else, just ourselves – that we can do that.”

Spurs face Burnley on Saturday, where they’ll look to get off to a good start in England’s top flight.