TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur supporters are getting very excited about one of their academy stars.

Arsenal youngster Max Dowman’s performances in pre-season have been receiving a lot of praise, and there appears to be a fair amount of hype around him.

But Tottenham fans think they’ve already produced their answer to the 15-year-old with an exciting teenager of their own.

Hotspur Way has seen some promising talent emerge over recent years, with the likes of Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear, but the latest star seems to be the most exciting of the lot.

Luca Williams-Barnett scores hat-trick for Tottenham U-21

Luca Williams-Barnett’s impressive form for Tottenham Hotspur’s academy continues as he netted a hat-trick against Liga Portugal 2 side Portimonense, according to Spurs youth expert Lilywhite Rose.

The 16-year-old took the Premier League U18 by storm last season as he managed 19 goals and nine assists in 20 matches.

Williams-Barnett recently signed a scholarship with Tottenham, despite several top clubs looking to prise him away from N17.

Against AS Roma in the Europa League, Williams-Barnett was on the bench, showing just how highly rated he is by the club.

Now, making his first appearance for the U21, the attacking midfielder managed to score three goals against senior opposition.

Some fans have taken to X to question whether he could be Spurs’ answer to Dowman following his hat-trick against Portimonense.

One fan stated: “Could Luca Williams-Barnett be fast-tracked just like Dowman?”

Following James Maddison’s ‘brutal’ injury, one fan asked whether he could be fast-tracked into the first team: “With the Maddison injury, is it time to promote him?”

There was further praise for the teenager: “He deserves a chance with the main squad in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.”

Finally, another claimed: “Next star rising before our eyes.”

Arsenal think it’s too soon for Dowman to be getting regular minutes, despite being good enough, and that’s likely to be the case for the Spurs starlet.

Exposing the two young English stars to the physicality of senior football at such an age, perhaps, isn’t so ideal for their development.

When Luca Williams-Barnett outshone Max Dowman in Premier League U18

Some Tottenham fans might recall earlier this year the U-18s defeating Arsenal 6-4 in an enthralling match at Hotspur Way.

Williams-Barnett and Dowman shared the pitch that day and lined up opposite one another, both wearing the number ten shirts.

But it was Williams-Barnett who came out on top that day as he netted two goals and got an assist as the young Spurs side claimed the win.

The youngster even managed to score a screamer against the young Gunners as he found the back of the net from around 25 yards out.

Tottenham delivered a new defensive midfielder for Thomas Frank on Sunday evening.

Spurs announced the arrival of Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich for the 2025/26 campaign for a sum of £4.3m – and negotiated an option to buy the Portugal international permanently next summer for a fee of £27m.

Palhinha shone at Fulham before moving to Bavaria in July 2024 and should bring some real grit to the No.6 role at Tottenham, which has lacked a formidable presence since Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama departed.

However – according to Sport in Spain – Tottenham actually tried to buy Marc Casado from Barcelona before taking the Portuguese stalwart on loan.

Tottenham made approach for Marc Casado

The Spanish news outlet believe Spurs opened talks with Barcelona over a deal for the 21-year-old before approaching Bayern Munich for the man born in Lisbon.

Sport explain that Barcelona are open to selling Casado, as Hansi Flick deems Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal to be ahead of him in the pecking order in the defensive midfield department.

However, the Spain international himself is eager to prove himself in Catalonia and wants to stay, something Tottenham were made aware of.

Sport then explain that Spurs closed negotiations with Barcelona and swiftly completed the signing of Palhinha – who admires Pedro Porro – on loan instead.

Marc Casado could still join Tottenham

Spurs deserve credit for moving on so quickly rather than be drawn into a lengthy saga, but they would be wise to keep an eye on developments at Barcelona.

The Spanish news outlet state that Tottenham are ideally looking for two new defensive midfielders, and mention that Casado – who Sport say has been nicknamed Joshua Kimmich at Barcelona – could change his stance once the 2025/26 season gets underway, should Flick leave him out of the squad.

It is also said that Barcelona remain open to selling their No.17 if a respectable bid arrives – given his status in the squad and the need for cash at the Camp Nou.

As things stand, Barcelona are still unable to register Marcus Rashford to be eligible for the 2025/26 campaign due to financial issues.

Therefore, this deal is not entirely dead by any means.

Daniel Levy has demanded “strict oversight” over one Premier League trend, which is increasingly concerning the Tottenham Hotspur chairman.

Tottenham have ground to make up on their Premier League rivals as they look to bounce back from a 17th-place finish.

A Europa League win could not save former head coach Ange Postecoglou. Thomas Frank replaced him as Tottenham head coach ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Whilst Spurs have been busy bolstering Frank’s playing squad, with Joao Palhinha becoming the latest signing ahead of the new Premier League season, Levy also has an eye on developments off the field.

Now, Daniel Levy has pinpointed the one major governance development that worries him ahead of the new season.

Daniel Levy demands ‘strict governance’ of multi-club ownership

Speaking on The Overlap, alongside former Manchester United and England player Gary Neville, Levy addressed his concerns with the increasing prevalence of multi-club ownership in the English game.

According to Levy, the possibility of the multi-club model being abused means it requires close observation. Levy said: “I’d say we’re going through a period of significant change. The Premier League is already the most competitive league in the world – more competitive now than it’s ever been.

“We’re also entering a new phase of government intervention and regulation. Personally, I’m not in favour of that, but it’s coming, and we have to accept and embrace it.

“Sustainability is absolutely fundamental to the long-term health of the game across the entire football pyramid. One of the biggest issues right now is multi-club ownership, which barely existed five years ago but is now becoming far more prevalent.

“Am I against it? I think we have to be very careful. When a single ownership group is involved in multiple clubs, and with the kind of money in the game today, there needs to be strict oversight.

“Are we talking about how costs are distributed among those clubs? Yes, that’s part of it. We have financial control measures in place, but the system can be abused. And that worries me.

“There’s so much money in the game now that it only takes one owner behaving inappropriately to damage the confidence of sponsors and broadcasters, not just here but across European football. That’s why this needs very tight control.”

Crystal Palace have already fallen foul of multi-club rules

When the 49ers Enterprises completed their investment in Scottish giants Rangers, newly-promoted Leeds United became the latest Premier League club to enter into a multi-club ownership model.

Whilst the model can bring benefits through the sharing of resources such as scouting and analytics, it has been criticised as creating potential conflicts of interest, particularly in European competitions.

Crystal Palace have already fallen foul of the increasing regulation of multi-club ownership models, after they were demoted from the Europa League due to Textor’s ownership stake in Palace and French club Olympique Lyonnais.

Levy’s cautionary words could fire the starting gun on a wider debate on an issue which could change the way football clubs are governed across the world.

Joao Palhinha is now at Tottenham after a difficult 2024/25 campaign with Bayern Munich.

The Portugal international found his first experience of German football to be quite underwhelming, making just six Bundesliga starts after a £47m move from Fulham in July 2024.

As a result, the 30-year-old is now back in London on loan, where he made a name for himself at Fulham, and the presence of Pedro Porro at Tottenham should help him settle back in.

Palhinha praised Porro during his first interview with Spurs, after the pair made 57 appearances together for Sporting CP.

There is another player at Tottenham who Joao Palhinha knows well, although Spurs are likely to sell him.

Joao Palhinha unlikely to get chance to play alongside Manor Solomon once again

The man born in Lisbon made 21 appearances alongside Manor Solomon at Fulham during the 2022/23 campaign, and seemed to enjoy himself.

Palhinha told Solomon it “was a pleasure” to share the pitch with him during that season, as the Cottagers beat Chelsea and drew against Liverpool in what was a strong campaign.

However, the Israel international could leave Tottenham before getting the chance to play alongside the Portuguese maestro once again.

TBR Football understand Tottenham are open to selling Solomon for £20m after an impressive loan spell at Leeds last term, where he scored ten goals and provided 12 assists in 39 Championship appearances.

The 26-year-old was understood to be keen on staying in north London and hoped to impress Thomas Frank, but the fact he is yet to play a single second of football in any friendly this summer strongly suggests the winger is on his way out.

Leeds remain keen on signing Solomon, and could make a late move to bring him back to Elland Road, sources have informed TBR Football.

Heung-min Son definitely leaving Tottenham

While Solomon is yet to find a new club, another attacker at Tottenham is edging closer to an exit.

Heung-min Son is nearing a move to LAFC after deciding to call time on his successful Spurs career, having incredibly scored 173 goals in 454 games for the north Londoners, also providing 101 assists.

Following the arrival of Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munich last season, Tottenham Hotspur have now completed a temporary move to bring Joao Palhinha to the club.

Joao Palhinha made his name in the Premier League whilst playing for Fulham — he quickly earned a reputation for being one of the toughest defensive midfielders in England.

Of course, Thomas Frank has been bereft of that kind of player during his short stint at Tottenham so far.

At Brentford, Frank had Christian Norgaard playing as his physically imposing number six, a midfield leader who often dropped into the backline.

And whilst Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur might both feel as if they can operate in a holding role, they don’t offer the same qualities as Palhinha.

Gary Lineker and Micah Richards excited by Tottenham signing Joao Palhinha

That being said, both Gary Lineker and Micah Richards have delivered their honest thoughts on Tottenham signing Palhinha on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast.

Palhinha is excited to get going at Tottenham, and both pundits were similarly enthused to see the Portugal international back in the Premier League.

Palhinha was linked with several big moves before leaving Fulham for Bayern.

And although it hasn’t worked out for the 30-year-old in the Bundesliga, he could still have a lot to offer in N17.

Lineker began: “Interesting start to the season in terms of who they’ve bought and even in their pre-season friendlies, Spurs.

“Just hearing that Palhinha’s loan move has been confirmed.”

Richards interjected: “What a signing.”

Lineker: “Really solid Premier League player, really good. So an impressive start, I think, for Thomas Frank.

“Beat Arsenal, of course, I know these pre-season friendlies mean absolutely nothing, but it’s still good for your confidence.

“Kudus has come, Kevin Danso, Mathys Tel as well — he was on loan last season, of course, they’ve taken that option to buy. So, you know, good business for Thomas Frank.”

Marco Silva has already outlined why Joao Palhinha can be crucial for Spurs

Although the job was ultimately given to Frank, Tottenham were interested in Fulham boss Marco Silva to replace Ange Postecoglou this summer.

Daniel Levy has now explained his decision to sack Postecoglou in order to appoint Frank, a move which many Spurs fans now seem to have accepted.

But when it comes to what Palhinha can add in north London, Silva’s words should still be pertinent to Tottenham fans.

Speaking back in 2023, Silva claimed that Palhinha’s qualities were ‘hard to find in football’.

Silva said: “He leads through his attitude, he’s not the most vocal guy and he’s improving his English as well. I want him to be more vocal and in that position it’s important.

“His attitude, his commitment, the way he leads the others around are things that are hard to find in football.

“In moments [when] we lose the ball, his reaction is impressive and we want to take the best from him and in other moments we want him to keep improving.”

TBR Football has been told that Tottenham Hotspur remain adamant that another attacking midfielder will be signed after James Maddison’s injury.

The North London club had already been looking in that area for reinforcements, with Dejan Kulusevski also sidelined with an injury.

Tottenham attempted to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest, although the 25-year-old ended up signing a new contract.

But the message from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium remains clear that they will attempt to land another number ten this summer.

Tottenham remain intent on signing a midfielder after James Maddison’s injury

Tottenham Hotspur insist that James Maddison’s ‘brutal’ injury only underlines their belief they need a new midfielder this summer, TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has been told.

Thomas Frank has now been left quite short in terms of creativity in the midfield with Maddison returning to the injury table.

Pape Matar Sarr has been the player tasked with filling the number ten role during pre-season, meanwhile, Lucas Bergvall was spotted there during training.

Tottenham have drawn up a list of targets, as revealed by TBR Football, which currently includes James McAtee, Jacob Ramsey, Alejandro Garnacho and Harvey Elliott.

Son Heung-min’s departure could also see Spurs move for a left winger, although Frank has hinted at finding an internal replacement at Tottenham.

Son has agreed to join LAFC, TBR Football sources have been told, with the final details of the deal being ironed out between the two clubs.

In his place, TBR Football exclusively reported that Tottenham would be willing to match Rodrygo’s wages to bring him to N17.

In a recent interview, Daniel Levy insists Frank will be backed in the transfer window, but he will need to get a move on with 28 days left.

Graeme Le Saux thinks Thomas Frank will be gutted by James Maddison’s injury

Graeme Le Saux believes Frank will be gutted by Maddison’s injury, having been so excited to work with talented players like the 28-year-old midfielder.

‘The former Leicester City player’s chances of making the 2026 World Cup squad will also have been dealt a major blow if he is ruled out for a lengthy period of time.

Maddison told Sky Sports: “He will have had hopes of having a great season with Tottenham and working his way into the England squad.

“If it’s a long-term injury, you’ve got to just take your time and build yourself back, and it’s the inevitable risk when you cross that line.

“Particularly for James Maddison, he had injuries last season and he was looking to be a key player in this Spurs team. Thomas Frank was obviously very excited to be working with players of the quality of Maddison.”

Daniel Levy has chosen Thomas Frank as his 16th manager in 25 years in charge of Tottenham Hotspur.

Thomas Frank arrives at Tottenham Hotspur following six successful seasons at Brentford, and he is now tasked with bringing sustained success to North London.

Frank has already impressed staff at Tottenham just a few weeks into the job, and his team’s recent 1-0 win over Arsenal will have certainly helped.

But the Lilywhites have their eyes on the biggest prizes, and the 51-year-old head coach is the latest head coach tasked with taking them to the top of English football.

Thomas Frank told Tottenham’s expectations by Daniel Levy

Frank has been told by Daniel Levy that he will be given time to deliver the biggest honours at Tottenham, but ultimately, winning titles is the aim.

Back in June, Levy spoke about his ambitions of Tottenham winning the Premier League and the Champions League following their Europa League triumph.

The Spurs chairman now wants to bring sustained success to the North London club, and he believes that Frank is the man who can deliver that in N17.

When asked by Gary Neville why he believes Frank is the right appointment to take Spurs to the top, Levy told The Overlap: “I think Thomas is a highly intelligent individual. I think he’s got a fantastic way about him in terms of communication.

“I think he will be great at developing both young players and older players and making them better. He gets the style of football we want to play.

“He understands that, you know, Rome wasn’t built today. We haven’t said to him, you’ve got to win the league this year.”

Neville then jokingly asked him: “So when does he have to win it?”, to which Levy responded: “As soon as possible, but no pressure. Look, we just want to compete at the highest level.”

Levy also promised to back Frank in the transfer window, with Mohammed Kudus and Kota Takai his first two additions in charge.

But having just lost Son Heung-min to his final game in a Tottenham shirt, and James Maddison suffering a bad-looking injury, plenty of new arrivals are still required.

Daniel Levy on Tottenham winning more trophies

Levy, who could take on a new role at Tottenham, has also revealed that winning the Europa League title back in May has motivated him even more to win further silverware.

He admitted that Tottenham should and could have won so much more during his time at the club, having been in multiple semi-finals and finals.

Levy added: “So nothing has changed in terms of our ambition. It’s always been the case. I think that having won the Europa League, thanks to Ange, you get a taste of it, but it’s not enough. And it’s never been enough.

“I mean, we’ve been, I think, in 16 or 17 semi-finals, seven finals, and we haven’t won enough. We now need to use that as a springboard to keep winning because that’s what this is all about. We’ve won two trophies in the last 20-plus years. We’ve been so close so many times.”

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich.

The 30-year-old joins on loan from Bayern Munich and Spurs will have the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.

Palhinha had a poor season at Bayern following his £47m move from Fulham last summer, but under Thomas Frank, he will be hoping to return to his best.

TBR Football understands that Tottenham think Palhinha can become a key player for Frank, in a position where the team needed a significant upgrade.

The Portuguese international has now been speaking about the move to North London and revealed the teammate he is looking forward to playing alongside.

Joao Palhinha on playing alongside Pedro Porro again

Joao Palhinha claims that he is looking forward to the opportunity of playing alongside Tottenham Hotspur defender Pedro Porro again.

The duo were teammates during their spell at Sporting CP, in which they won the Liga Portugal.

The former Fulham midfielder is now hoping that they can win more trophies together following his return to London.

Palhinha told SpursOfficial: “We played at Sporting together, we won the league there, we have great memories together.

“I told him when I spoke to him in the last few weeks that I hope to win titles again with him. For me, he’s a top player, one of the best right-backs as well, and I’m really motivated to win titles with him again.”

Porro and Palhinha both now bring a great deal of experience and know-how in terms of winning to Frank’s team.

Palhinha enjoyed a great summer, having won the Bundesliga with Bayern before also winning the Nations League with Portugal.

Joao Palhinha could get back to his best in the Premier League

The Portuguese international has admitted that he’s buzzing to be back in the Premier League, where he had so much success previously in West London.

Palhinha spent two seasons in the English top-flight ahead of his move to Bayern, in which he gained a reputation for his strong tackling.

Since the start of the 2022/23 season, only Moises Caicedo and Idrissa Gueye have made more tackles than him, despite him missing one full season.

Palhinha added: “It’s an amazing feeling to return to the Premier League and to London, I’m somewhere I already know.

“I’m so happy to be here again and enjoy the Premier League because, in my opinion, I always said, it’s the best league in the world.”

Thomas Frank becomes the latest manager to work under Daniel Levy at Tottenham Hotspur.

Frank has been making a big impression at Tottenham already following his first few weeks at the football club.

The Danish manager is tasked with building on Spurs’ Europa League triumph last term, whilst also helping improve the team’s position in the Premier League.

Levy has now been speaking about Tottenham Hotspur’s plans for the transfer window under their new manager and how they will be looking to support him.

Daniel Levy insists Tottenham plan to support Thomas Frank “to the best of our ability” with transfers

Daniel Levy states that Tottenham will look to back Thomas Frank “to the best of our ability” in the transfer window.

However, the Spurs chairman was quick to add that it’s “not all about money” and that plenty of things need to come together for a team to win.

Levy claims the North London club have spent around £700m net since the opening of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which makes them one of the top spenders in the Premier League.

Levy told The Overlap: “We will support him to the best of our ability. If you look at transfer fees, we’ve been in the top four since the stadium opened. I think we’ve spent close to £700m net on new players.

“This isn’t just about money, this is about some luck, having the right balance in the team, having the right coach – there are a lot of things that have to come together.

“So I very much hope that Thomas will bring all the right ingredients and bring this team to where it belongs, which is right at the top.”

The Danish manager will need help with new arrivals following James Maddison’s injury and Son Heung-min leaving the club for LAFC.

Tottenham have already spent a fair amount this summer, signing Mohammed Kudus for £55m, Kota Takai for around £5m, whilst also making deals for Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso permanent.

Tottenham’s plans for the summer transfer window

It’s clear that a left winger is going to be targeted in the final weeks of the transfer window after Son played his final game for Tottenham.

TBR Football understands that Tottenham have looked at Rodrygo Goes, Randal Kolo Muani and Alejandro Garnacho as options.

Spurs have budgeted to make a big-name addition in the left wing role after losing such a key name in their squad.

Another attacking midfielder also appears to be on the agenda, with Tottenham missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White’s signature, who instead signed a new deal with Nottingham Forest.

As mentioned, Maddison’s injury only further underlines Spurs’ need for a new number ten, as they are also missing Dejan Kulusevski through injury.

Destiny Udogie’s injury means that another left-back is also required with Djed Spence having to cover both sides of the defence.

There’s plenty of work that still needs to be done on Spurs’ squad, and Levy must now prove he’s willing to back his new manager in the final month of the window.

TBR Football understands that Tottenham Hotspur are keeping very close tabs on Paris Saint-Germain attacker Randal Kolo Muani.

As revealed by TBR Football, Tottenham attempted to sign Kolo Muani back in January, but he instead opted to sign for Juventus.

The Italian club want to make the deal for the Frenchman permanent; however, talks with PSG are not progressing well at this stage.

Kolo Muani is giving Juve his priority as he looks to leave the Parc Des Princes, but Spurs are waiting in the background in case a deal cannot be agreed.

Tottenham front of the queue to sign Randal Kolo Muani

Tottenham Hotspur are at the front of the queue to sign PSG attacker Randal Kolo Muani in case his move to Juventus fails, sources have told TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey.

The North London club do not want to annoy Juventus and risk ruining their strong relationship with the Serie A giants.

The striker enjoyed a great six-month loan spell in Turin last season as he netted ten goals in 22 matches for Juventus.

Tottenham offered Kolo Muani a starring role in North London and the chance to become the successor to Son Heung-min, but at the time, he decided to join Juve instead.

Kolo Muani, who cost PSG £77m, remains intent on signing for the Old Lady, but a return to the Allianz Stadium is currently in the balance.

Back in April, Tottenham asked to be kept informed on Kolo Muani’s situation, and that remains the case three months on.

Son played his final game for Tottenham on Sunday, and the Lilywhites are looking for a new left-sided attacker. The 26-year-old fits the bill perfectly, but he is not the only option.

Alejandro Garnacho and Rodrygo Goes are also on Tottenham’s list

Alejandro Garnacho and Rodrygo Goes are among the other names on Tottenham’s list of replacements for their former 33-year-old captain.

As revealed by TBR Football, Tottenham are one of the clubs monitoring Garnacho, whom Ruben Amorim is keen for Manchester United to sell this summer.

Garnacho is keen to stay in the Premier League, and one of his options could be a move to North London.

TBR Football also exclusively revealed that Tottenham would be willing to make Rodrygo their highest earner.

The Brazilian is also open to the prospect of a move to North London, with talks having already started with intermediaries.

Tottenham are believed to have budgeted for a big-name arrival to replace Son, and it will be fascinating to see what develops over the coming weeks.