TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur are set to add another defender to their ranks in the coming days.

Indeed, Kota Takai is set to join Spurs and he’ll become Spurs’ second signing of the summer after Tottenham did a permanent deal to sign Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich.

Takai apparently arrives at Tottenham as a first-team option, and, in turn, he shakes up the pecking order at centre-back.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold has been discussing what Takai’s arrival means for Ashley Phillips and he reckons it’s not good news for the young defender.

Ashley Phillips could be in danger at Tottenham

Gold shared his verdict on Phillips’ future, and, sadly, it doesn’t sound like good news for the youngster.

Phillips was seen as a ‘phenomenal’ young talent at one point, but, sadly, he’s never really had a shot at Tottenham.

“Ashley Phillips, you know, do you want a third loan spell? It looked like he was never going to break in under Postecoglou and now he must feel like he won’t under Thomas Frank either,” Gold said.

“If he has a long enough contract, you could get away with another loan, but it could be down to the player, he might not want to do that again. Yeah, Takai coming in, it’s not a good sign for him.”

Tottenham’s centre-back pecking order

Gold reckons Takai’s arrival may be bad news for Phillips, and it’s easy to see why.

Tottenham’s centre-back pecking order is now incredibly competitive, and what’s more concerning is that there are a number of players in the same age bracket as Phillips who are trying to break through at the moment as well.

Phillips is now one of four centre-backs at Tottenham under the age of 21 looking to break into the first-team, and, beyond that, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin all have their best years ahead of them as well.

Spurs are set at centre-back for the moment, and, by the looks of things, Phillips may have to leave the club if he wants to develop into a top-quality defender.

Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on their second summer signing with Kota Takai being signed from J1 League club Kawasaki Frontale.

TBR Football understands that Tottenham are close to signing Takai and have fended off strong competition to land his signature.

Liverpool, Newcastle United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich have all been to watch the Japanese international, however, Spurs are set to win the race.

Reports suggest that Tottenham have agreed to break the J1 League transfer record by paying £5 million to sign the talented defender.

The 20-year-old is now expected to join Thomas Frank’s first-team squad next season and the Dane’s stance over the transfer has now been revealed.

Thomas Frank green-lights Tottenham’s Kota Takai move

New head coach Frank gave his stamp of approval for Tottenham Hotspur to sign Kota Takai, according to Alasdair Gold.

Meanwhile, Spurs’ sporting director Johan Lange pushed for his signing and he believes that the defender is already well-equipped to make the step up to the Premier League.

Gold told his YouTube channel: “From what I understand, Johan Lange and his staff identified him as one they felt who could step into the Premier League.

“They think he can follow in the footsteps of Bergvall, Udogie, and Sarr, players the club have signed over the years and Thomas Frank gave it the green light.”

There is already excitement from Tottenham fans about Takai, who they believe is going to be a huge player in the future for them.

Japanese football expert, Sam Robson, told TBR Football that Takai is similar to Takehiro Tomiyasu, who is currently playing for Spurs’ bitter rivals, Arsenal.

Kota Takai looks ready to make step up to Premier League

Despite only being 20, Takai already has a vast amount of experience under his belt, having made 78 appearances for Kawasaki Frontale.

The player has already broken into the Japanese national team, in which he made his debut back in September 2024.

He has already shown his ability at the highest level of Asian football, playing a key role in Frontale reaching the final of the AFC Champions League.

Takai was part of the team that defeated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in the semi-final of the competition in what was a major upset.

Spurs will now be hoping that the defender can follow in the footsteps of the recent young players who have broken into the first team.

TBR Football understands that Tottenham Hotspur are now confident that they’ll beat off strong competition to land a top Premier League attacker.

Thomas Frank is keen to add to his forward line this summer, and Spurs are now working hard on several targets to ensure they deliver him one.

Tottenham have signed Mathys Tel permanently for £30 million, but there remains a desire to add further reinforcements, especially out wide.

Sources have now informed TBR Football that one of Frank’s top targets is now eager to join him in North London and is pushing to leave his current club.

Tottenham think they are Eberechi Eze’s ‘first choice’ transfer destination

TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey understands that Eberechi Eze is now very keen on a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

As previously revealed by TBR Football, Eze is ready to leave Crystal Palace this summer, with his £60 million release clause now active.

Crystal Palace are open to Eze’s release clause being paid in instalments, with £25 million to £30 million up front and the rest being paid over two instalments.

Palace will want interested clubs to pay just over the release clause to agree for this to happen, and there is also a potential £8 million extra in bonuses based on his performances.

Eze’s people are working hard and are talking to numerous suitors, including Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester United – but the most work has gone into Tottenham, who in turn are the side showing the strongest interest.

The North London club now believe that they are his first-choice destination, with Frank having told Tottenham he likes Eze.

James Maddison once hailed Eberechi Eze as a ‘baller’

James Maddison has previously hailed Tottenham target Eze as he congratulated him on making his England debut back in June 2023.

Eze came on for the Tottenham midfielder in the 70th minute in a 4–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying win against Malta.

In response to Eze making his England debut, Maddison wrote under the Palace forward’s Instagram post: “Deserved. Baller.”

Son Heung-min has also hailed Eze’s ‘fantastic’ quality following the 26-year-old’s free-kick goal he scored against Tottenham back in the 2023/24 season.

Tottenham have long been after Eze, having first expressed an interest in him in 2019, whilst he was playing for Queens Park Rangers.

Now, the Lilywhites look finally ready to make their move for the attacker and he could make the switch across London this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur are now closing in on the signing of Kawasaki Frontale defender Kota Takai.

The likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid were also interested in the 20-year-old this summer, but Tottenham have won the race for Takai.

Takai is considered to be one of the most talented young prospects to emerge from Asian football in recent years, a defender who has already won four caps for Japan.

Takai is currently in the middle of the J-League season with Kawasaki Frontale, but the defender is expected to arrive in north London next month.

The plan is for the youngster to be part of Thomas Frank’s first team initially, before a decision is perhaps then taken with regard to where he plays his football across the league season.

Tottenham fans given expert insight into new signing Kota Takai

That being said, TBR Football have spoken to Japanese football expert Sam Robson to get an insight into Takai’s style, and how he might fit in at Spurs.

Robson said it was pretty ‘unheard of’ for a player of Takai’s age to have already played for Japan’s national team, and the J-League expert also provided an interesting comparison to Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu at a similar age.

Robson said: “I’ve already seen a bit of Takai. He’s capped by Japan already which for a 20 year old defender is pretty much unheard of in Japan.

“He’s a bit over eager in the tackle, dives in a little too much, but his positioning is very good and one of if not the best defender in possession in the league.

“Talk of a record fee for a J.Leaguer. I don’t think he would be a likely starter for Spurs this year, would probably need a year out on loan.

“He’s better at this age than Tomiyasu was in some respects. Tomiyasu was probably a better fit to the Premier League physically, although ironically, the Arsenal man cannot stay fit.”

Kota Takai can compete with Luka Vuskovic at Spurs

Given that Takai is a right-footed centre-back, perhaps some Tottenham fans are already wondering if the Japan international is being lined up as Cristian Romero’s long-term replacement.

Romero is ready to leave Tottenham according to TBR Football’s information, even if it remains to be seen what happens with his future.

Micky van de Ven obviously has his first team slot cemented for the years to come, and perhaps Takai might eventually slot in alongside him.

Of course, Tottenham were impressed by Luka Vuskovic out on loan last season and he too might be hoping to partner Van de Ven in the near future.

Clearly it’s a very healthy situation for Frank to inherit, even if Ange Postecoglou’s options at the back often looked short last season.

Tottenham Hotspur look set to make their second signing of the summer transfer window.

Spurs signed Mathys Tel on a permanent deal earlier this month to kickstart their transfer business under Thomas Frank, and now, another new name could be coming in.

Indeed, 20-year-old Japanese defender, Kota Takai is set to sign for Tottenham in what sounds like a very exciting move.

Takai is apparently set for a first-team role at Tottenham, and at the age of just 20, he could grow into a star at Spurs.

This is an exciting move for Tottenham, that’s for sure. However, spare a thought for Ange Postecoglou after seeing this rumour.

Ange Postecoglou must be so confused by Kota Takai move

Tottenham are signing a young Japanese star just weeks after sacking Ange Postecoglou – there’s a real cruel irony in that.

Postecoglou has a remarkable track record of bringing in players from Japan and helping them improve – the likes of Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate are prime examples from his time at Celtic.

On top of that, Postecoglou did some incredible work in the J-League during his time at Yokohama.

Postecoglou tried to bring some Japanese stars to Spurs. Takefusa Kubo was linked to Tottenham last year, Ko Itakura was a Spurs target at one point, while Ange Postecoglou wanted Kyogo Furuhashi at Spurs.

Tottenham didn’t sign a single Japanese player under Postecoglou, despite the manager’s eye for players from this part of the world, but now, less than a month after sacking Postecoglou, Takai is set to join.

More than anything else, Postecoglou must be confused about Tottenham’s approach here. They’ve signed a perfect player for him just weeks after he was sacked.

Thomas Frank’s transfer preference has also been ignored

Ange Postecoglou has always had a preference for signing Japanese players, as he showed at Celtic.

Meanwhile, Thomas Frank has his own transfer preference, signing players from his native Denmark.

Indeed, Frank’s Brentford squad was littered with Danish players, but after arriving at Tottenham, Spurs’ first port of call was to sell their only Danish player.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has officially joined Marseille on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell last year.

Of course, that was as a part of an obligation to buy in the loan deal, but there is some irony in the fact that Tottenham hired Frank and immediately sold their only Danish player and are now set to sign their first-ever Japanese player just weeks after sacking Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham Hotspur are finally starting to kick into gear in the transfer window, with the North London club close to making their second summer signing.

Mathys Tel’s move being made permanent from Bayern Munich for £30 million was their first addition, and now they are looking at other areas of the squad.

With Thomas Frank now in place as manager, Spurs appear to have stepped up their efforts in the transfer window to build on the Dane’s squad.

The North London club are now close to making another signing, and the supporters think they’ve just done a ‘smart’ bit of business.

Tottenham fans are excited by the signing of Kota Takai

Tottenham Hotspur fans are raving about the signing of Kota Takai, with the club closing in on their second summer arrival.

TBR Football understands that Tottenham are confident they’ll sign Takai and beat off strong competition to capture his signature.

Liverpool, Newcastle United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich are among the clubs that have watched him in action over the last 18 months.

The 20-year-old is very highly rated in Japan and is seen as one of the best defenders Asia has produced since Kim Min-jae.

The centre-back is reportedly set to join Frank’s first-team squad this summer and will be working alongside defenders like Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso.

The Japanese international could also be joined by Ashley Phillips and Luka Vuskovic to form a trio of exciting, young defenders in North London.

Following the news about Takai’s arrival in N17, Spurs supporters have taken to X to share their excitement about the defender’s potential.

One fan said: “In him and Vuskovic, we also have two aerial monsters Frank will love that.”

Another claimed: “Takai looks like a world-class talent… But can he make the transition to the Premier League? If he can, this could be the signing of the Premier League season.”

A rival supporter added: “What a pickup from Spurs getting Kota Takai. Huge talent, prototypical modern centre-back, really tall, good with the ball, only 20 and has impressed a lot in Japan and for international Japan youth sides.”

There was yet more praise for Spurs signing the defender: “Takai looks a brilliant buy for £5m. Young, versatile, aggressive and capable of playing. The more I see, the more it seems like a smart bit of business!”

What Johan Lange thinks about Kota Takai

Johan Lange was the man who pushed for the signing of Takai from J1 League club Kawasaki Frontale, according to Alasdair Gold.

The Spurs sporting director believes that the player is capable of making the step up to the Premier League and following in the footsteps of other youngsters at Tottenham.

Meanwhile, Frank is believed to have given the green light for the Japanese youngster to be signed and assessed over pre-season.

Gold told his YouTube channel: “From what I understand, Johan Lange and his staff identified him as one who could step into the Premier League.

“They think he can follow in the footsteps of Bergvall, Udogie, and Sarr, players the club have signed over the years and Thomas Frank gave it the green light.”

Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes for signing one of their top transfer targets are about to be complicated by Liverpool.

With Thomas Frank now in place, the North London club can now start to accelerate their transfer plans and are particularly keen to add to their attacking line.

Tottenham have already made deals for Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso permanent, and now they are looking to bring in more new additions.

However, one of their top targets for the forward areas could now be very tricky to prise away with what Liverpool are about to do.

Tottenham Hotspur are keeping in touch with Antoine Semenyo about a potential transfer to North London this summer, sources have told TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey.

However, Bournemouth are insisting on a transfer fee of £70 million, which is complicating the deal, as Spurs will not pay that amount.

Tottenham signed Dominic Solanke from the Cherries for £5 million less only last summer, and they don’t want to exceed that fee for the winger.

Semenyo has just enjoyed a very productive season on the South Coast as he netted 11 goals and got six assists in the Premier League.

The 25-year-old’s versatility is something which stands out to Tottenham, with the forward having made 19 appearances playing on the right and 20 as a left-sided attacker last term.

Bournemouth don’t need to sell any more players this summer

But here’s where Liverpool might come into the frame, as their move for Milos Kerkez is part of the reason why they can stand so firm over their £70 million valuation.

Bournemouth have agreed to sell Kerkez for £40 million, Dean Huijsen joined Real Madrid for £50 million, and Ilya Zabarnyi could join PSG for around £51 million.

The Premier League club now have very little need to sell a fourth star, therefore, they can tell Tottenham to pay up or they can move on.

Tottenham do have other targets, with Frank a big fan of Eberechi Eze, as TBR Football has revealed, meanwhile, Bryan Mbeumo remains a target.

Eze’s £60 million release clause has just been made easier to pay as Crystal Palace are willing to accept the deal paid in three instalments, with £30 million to £35 million up front.

Tottenham Hotspur are ready to back Thomas Frank in this summer’s transfer window.

The Dane has replaced Ange Postecoglou at Spurs, and although Frank has publicly praised many Tottenham players, he needs more help.

Mathys Tel has already arrived on a permanent deal, but the Europa League winners could do with more reinforcements in attack.

Now, it looks like Daniel Levy is ready to break the bank to sign one player.

Tottenham have made a bid to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford

Bryan Mbeumo is expected to be on the move this summer.

The Cameroon international was outstanding for the Bees in the Premier League last season, scoring 20 goals and providing eight assists.

His brilliant performances have put him on the radar of several big clubs, and it is almost certain that he will be joining one of them this summer.

TBR Football first broke Tottenham’s interest in Mbeumo after Frank’s arrival, and it looks like Spurs have followed up on their interest.

The Mirror have claimed that Daniel Levy’s club have tabled a £65 million-plus bid to sign Mbeumo, who was hailed as the ‘most underrated player in the Premier League’ and compared to Bukayo Saka by Martin Keown on TNT Sports (01/01/2025, 17:05).

If that offer does get accepted, Mbeumo will become Tottenham’s record signing, surpassing the initial £55 million plus £10 million in add-ons they agreed to pay for Dominic Solanke last year.

However, it still remains to be seen which club the player wants to join — reports have claimed that Mbeumo prefers Manchester United over Tottenham.

The other attackers Tottenham are looking at if Bryan Mbeumo rejects them

The bid clearly suggests that Tottenham are very keen to sign Mbeumo, but they are not putting all their eggs in one basket.

Spurs have other options in attack as well – two of them to be exact.

The report claims that Antoine Semenyo is being targeted by Tottenham, and he would be a brilliant signing for them.

The other player Spurs are looking at is Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace. The Englishman has been on the club’s radar for a long time now, and they could finally act on their interest if they can’t land Mbeumo.

Like the Brentford star, both Semenyo and Eze are expected to cost club-record fees for Tottenham if they want to sign them.

TBR Football understands that Daniel Levy still sees Fabio Paratici as a hugely important figure at Tottenham Hotspur.

Fabio Paratici was the sporting director at Tottenham Hotspur for almost two years before he was hit with a ban from football by FIFA for 18 months.

During that time, the Italian director remained a close ally of Daniel Levy and continued to give him advice over footballing matters.

But this summer, the 52-year-old will be able to permanently return to working in football and Spurs already have big plans for him.

Fabio Paratici has an agreement with Tottenham over return

Paratici already has an agreement with Levy to take on his next role at Tottenham, sources have told TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey.

The North London club are just waiting for all the legal matters to clear to allow for his return, and then, plans are in place for him to return.

The former Juventus director remains a hugely important figure to Levy, with the Spurs chairman desperate to ensure he does eventually return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Bailey told TBR Football: “Paratici is Daniel Levy’s closest confidant in football, there is nobody he trusts more.

“He is already actively involved this summer, and that will continue beyond. But clearly, an agreement on a permanent new deal can and will be done after the transfer window.

“Spurs will need to do it, he is hugely respected in football. Paratici had interest from the Saudi Pro League, Italy and England. Daniel fought for him in the summer when AC Milan came calling for Paratici and he does not want to lose him now.”

New CEO Vinai Venkatesham is already close with Paratici, and he too is keen for the sporting director to return to set up at Spurs.

Meanwhile, as TBR Football has previously revealed, current sporting director, Johan Lange, is expected to take a more commercial role, whilst Paratici focuses on the football.

Fabio Paratici’s top five Tottenham signings

Paratici’s number one addition as sporting director has to be Cristian Romero, who played such a key role in helping win the Europa League.

The Argentine was signed for around £42 million back in 2021 and has gone on to become one of the best defenders in the club’s recent history.

Dejan Kulusevski was another player he signed from Juventus, and last season, the Swede was one of the most creative players in Europe.

Rodrigo Bentancur joined with Kulusevski during the same January 2022 transfer window. Bentancur could be Tottenham’s next captain, showing what a big influence he has had on the dressing room.

Meanwhile, the full-back duo of Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie has also been a major success in North London, with Paratici signing both players.

Cristian Romero is being linked with a move away from Tottenham Hotspur this summer, as Atletico Madrid target the defender.

The World Cup winner has become such a key part of Spurs’ squad in North London, as shown by his performance in the Europa League final against Manchester United.

Thomas Frank is eager to keep Cristian Romero at the club, and losing such an important player so early on would be a significant blow for the Danish head coach.

The North London club’s fans are now making a strong point to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy about what he should do after seeing one of the latest transfers to go through involving Liverpool.

Tottenham fans want Cristian Romero’s value increased after Jarell Quansah sale

Tottenham Hotspur fans want Levy to increase Romero’s value after seeing Liverpool sell Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £35 million.

The Reds managed to offload a player who started just four times in the Premier League under Arne Slot for a significant fee.

Tottenham want £50 million for Romero, which is just £15 million more than what the Premier League champions got for Quansah.

If Spurs were to sell Romero for £50 million, he wouldn’t even crack the top ten most expensive defenders and would be behind Marc Cucurella, Lucas Hernandez and Mathijs de Ligt.

Despite the 27-year-old having two years left on his contract and being five years older than the former Liverpool defender, he is one of the top central defenders in the world, and his value this summer should reflect that.

After seeing that Liverpool had agreed to sell Quansah to Leverkusen for £35 million, Spurs fans have taken to X to make their feelings clear about the Argentine defender.

One fan said: “Atletico Madrid seriously offered £38.3 million for Cristian Romero.”

Another stated: “£35 million for Quansah, £60 million for Zabarnyi, but yet Romero is worth only £50 million?”

There were further question marks over Romero’s value: “If Qunasah’s value is £35 million, then what is the value of Cristian Romero?”

Finally, another fan added: “£35 million for Quansah? If we sell Romero for anything less than £75 million, I’m out.”

Tottenham will find it hard to keep Cristian Romero

The issue facing Tottenham, as revealed by TBR Football, is the fact that Romero’s heart is set on joining Atletico Madrid.

The North London club will now find it tricky to stand in his way, with Diego Simeone turning up the heat by contacting Romero regularly.

Atletico have a strong contingent of Argentines at the Metropolitano Stadium, and that is likely to be something which is attracting him to the Spanish club.

Tottenham need to be demanding at least £60 million to sell Romero, as they will find it near impossible to find a replacement close to his level.

Even then, £60 million doesn’t give them a great deal to play with after sorting a new defender to take his place in the team.