TBR Football

TBR Football understands that Tottenham Hotspur have shown an interest in signing Adam Wharton this summer, however, Crystal Palace’s price tag is likely to deter them.

The 21-year-old enjoyed another stellar season in South London, and he has now established himself as one of the top young talents in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur are keen to bolster their options in midfield during this transfer window, and he is one of the names they like.

But Steve Parish has made his stance very clear on selling the player this summer and has set a hefty price tag on one of his key assets.

Sources: Adam Wharton is in no rush to leave Crystal Palace

Adam Wharton is in no rush to leave Crystal Palace this summer, despite interest from major clubs, sources have told TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey.

Meanwhile, the South London club would likely demand at least a nine-figure sum to sell him at this moment in time.

The futures of Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze, who has a release clause, remain unresolved, and Palace won’t want to lose a third star.

Manchester City scouted Wharton, as TBR Football revealed, but Pep Guardiola’s team have since moved on to other targets.

Speaking exclusively to TBR Football, Bailey said: “Adam Wharton is not leaving Crystal Palace this summer. What I’ve been told from the Palace end is that it would take an astronomical amount of money to get him out.

“Obviously these these things change very quickly, but we’re hearing at the moment that if you were to go to Palace and (Steve) Parish, you’d be looking at over £100 million.

“I don’t think anyone’s willing to do that for Adam Wharton this summer, as it stands. He’s a player Tottenham likes, but I think he’s one who they’ll address again, just not this summer.

“I don’t believe the player’s in a massive rush to get out either, because he had a very stop-start season last term.”

Tottenham regret not signing Adam Wharton in 2023

Tottenham will likely be kicking themselves, having failed to secure a deal for Adam Wharton in 2023 when he was at Blackburn Rovers.

The Lilywhites are known for having a great scouting set up in England, but they opted not to take a punt on the player, despite having had him on their radar.

Instead, Palace signed Wharton for £22m, and now they have an exciting young English talent at their disposal.

Bailey added: “Tottenham have a very good scouting system in England. Tottenham knew all about Wharton, and they were interested in it, as alluded to a long time ago.

“Tottenham probably have some regret about not moving for him because, as we’ve seen with the likes of Bergvall and Gray, they’re willing to roll the dice on these younger players.

“At the time, the ball sat up nicely for Palace, and it was in a sweet spot for them to grab him, which they did.”

Morgan Gibbs-White’s potential transfer to Tottenham Hotspur remains in limbo, with Nottingham Forest desperate to keep him.

Tottenham paid Gibbs-White’s £60m release clause, but Nottingham Forest are claiming that this clause should not have been known about.

The Midlands club want to find out how Spurs knew about this information, and for now, they consider the move for their captain to be off the table.

As he awaits a resolution over his potential move to North London, Gibbs-White will ensure that one thing doesn’t happen in the meantime.

Morgan Gibbs-White doesn’t want to leave Nottingham Forest on bad terms

Morgan Gibbs-White wants to make sure that he doesn’t leave Nottingham Forest on bad terms, according to Ben Jacobs.

Gibbs-White returned to training on Monday as pre-season commences at Forest and is present again on Tuesday.

As we saw with Viktor Gyokeres at Sporting CP, the striker went on strike to force through a move to Arsenal, but Gibbs-White is unwilling to damage his reputation with the Midlands club.

As TBR Football exclusively revealed on Monday, Gibbs-White told Evangelos Marinakis he wants to join Tottenham, and he is waiting for the issue to be resolved.

Forest have been offering Gibbs-White a new contract, however, at this stage, the 25-year-old has shown a reluctance to discuss a deal.

For now, Spurs and Forest remain in talks over a potential deal for the captain, as the player awaits clarification over his future.

One thing that could happen is that Tottenham pay over Gibbs-White’s clause in an attempt to appease Forest, and the knowledge that their captain wants the move.

Tottenham should turn to Xavi Simons as Morgan Gibbs-White alternative

If the deal for Gibbs-White were to fall through, Tottenham should turn to Xavi Simons, who could be the perfect alternative for the England international.

The Dutch star would offer something quite different to Gibbs-White in terms of his versatility, but he can fill roles across the front line.

The 22-year-old could even be the perfect long-term successor for Son Heung-min, with his favoured role being off the left.

RB Leipzig are believed to want around £60m for the attacker, which is similar to what Spurs offered to sign Gibbs-White.

Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers are two other players whom the Lilywhites should target.

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s players has made a dramatic recovery from injury, which could be a major boost for Thomas Frank.

Thomas Frank arrived at the North London club with several key players sidelined and currently undergoing rehabilitation work at Hotspur Way.

Given Spurs’ injury record last season and so many matches on the horizon, the Danish manager will be keen to have as many players available as possible.

One of the players who suffered a bad injury last term has just returned to training outside, and fans have been shocked by how quickly he has recovered.

Radu Dragusin returns to Tottenham training after ACL injury

Radu Dragusin has returned to training outside, doing ball work, just five months on from surgery on an ACL injury.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been impressed to see that the Romanian defender is already well advanced in his recovery from the major injury.

Dragusin suffered a bad knee injury back in February, which cut short his season at just the wrong moment for Spurs, who already had so many injuries.

Reports claim that Dragusin is expected back in August, and given that he’s already doing work with a ball, that could mean he’s ready to start playing again next month.

TBR Football revealed back in June that Tottenham wanted to sell Dragusin, although Frank might want to assess him first.

Spurs are well stocked in central defence, and given the interest in him from Italy, that is why the decision to move him on may have already been taken.

Spurs supporters have now taken to X to share their amazement at how quickly Dragusin, who cost £26m, has managed to recover from such a serious issue.

One fan said: “He’s an athletic freak (like Ivan Perisic), so I’m sure his recovery is going well and maybe more accelerated than normal, BUT I hope we don’t try to rush him back too soon. Although no doubt he wants to be involved in the remaining four World Cup qualifying matches for Romania.”

Another claimed: “We have some serious units at centre back now between him, Luka (Vuskovic), (Kevin) Danso, and (Kota) Takai.”

There was yet more surprise to see him back training: “Dragusin tore his ACL five months ago and now he’s out training on grass with the ball. He’s definitely way ahead of schedule.”

Finally, another added: “Wonder if he got a future under Frank. Perhaps his style suits him better.”

Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai could replace Radu Dragusin at Tottenham

Frank’s list of central defenders continues to grow with Kota Takai and Luka Vuskovic being added to the mix.

The two young defenders are likely to now take the 23-year-old’s place in the squad, allowing him to make his return to Italy.

The Dane now has so many options in defence, which could allow him to make the switch to a back-five in some games next term.

Frank has shown he can be tactically flexible at Brentford, and that is one of the key reasons why the Lilywhites brought him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

TBR Football sources have revealed that Atletico Madrid are backing away from Cristian Romero, with a sense that they have tried their best to sign the Argentine.

Spurs have been desperate to keep their vice captain, and now they look set to do so, with the Spanish club assessing other options.

Mohammed Kudus is already getting well acquainted with life as a Tottenham Hotspur player after leaving West Ham United.

Tottenham pre-season training has just begun and Mohammed Kudus is already impressing in north London.

Kudus looked sharp when blitzing past the likes of Destiny Udogie, and Thomas Frank will undoubtedly be excited to work with the former West Ham player.

Of course, on the Hammers’ part, they will also be somewhat relieved to have completed a deal — West Ham can now go to work on improving Graham Potter’s squad with the funds they’ve raised.

Kudus was a key player for West Ham, but there’s a feeling in east London that now was the right time to cash in order to improve their playing staff elsewhere.

That being said, Jeff Stelling and Alan Pardew have just been discussing a comment Kudus made during his Spurs medical.

West Ham fans might cringe at Kudus’ words, who was having his heartbeat checked by the club doctor.

The doctor said: “I’m just going to listen to your heart, okay?” To which Kudus replied: “You’ll find Spurs there.”

And whilst Tottenham fans might find that comment endearing, Pardew thought it was actually quite disrespectful to his old club, where he has just spent two seasons.

Stelling originally said: “A few days ago he could hear the Hammers, couldn’t he? Inside that heart.

“13th of September, West Ham against Spurs, I bet he’ll get a hot reception back there.”

Pardew replied: “When you move football clubs it’s very very important to show a bit of respect, do you know what I mean?

“And that is disrespectful, what he’s done there. I don’t think he actually meant it, I think it was just a jokey throwaway line, and unfortunately for him, it’s going to turn out more than that.”

West Ham will need to spend their Kudus money wisely

All said and done, Kudus will probably be forgiven pretty quickly by West Ham fans if the club are able to reinvest the funds they received from Spurs wisely.

After Declan Rice, Kudus became West Ham’s second biggest sale of all time this summer, and supporters in east London will be expecting a flurry of signings as a result.

Of course, West Ham are interested in signing Harvey Elliott from Liverpool this summer.

And although Liverpool’s asking price is relatively high, perhaps Elliott might follow El Hadji Malick Diouf to the London Stadium.

And incidentally, left-sided defender Diouf might actually be the man tasked with nullifying Kudus’ threat when Spurs do arrive in east London in September.

Tottenham Hotspur have made their first blockbuster signing of the summer in the shape of Mohammed Kudus.

Tottenham have splashed the cash to sign Mohammed Kudus from West Ham, and the attacker is already in training for his new club.

It may well take Kudus some time to adjust to his new surroundings, but in a video released by Spurs on YouTube, Kudus has already showed some bright signs in training.

Kudus appeared to link up well with Yang-Min Hyeuk during this session, while one moment in particular stood out as the forward used his pace brilliantly to get past Destiny Udogie at one point.

In fact, Kudus completely outran Udogie in this moment making the £15m man look slow in comparison.

Mohammed Kudus tears past Destiny Udogie in Tottenham training

Spurs put out a lengthy video documenting Kudus’ first training session at Tottenham after signing.

Kudus is an excellent player, and he showed his talent in this session with multiple moments of brilliance.

However, perhaps the most impressive moment in this video was one instance where Kudus used his pace to brilliantly get past Destiny Udogie, despite giving the Italian a serious headstart.

Kudus showcased his blistering pace here, and that is an exciting new dynamic that he will be adding to Tottenham’s attack from here on in.

Mohammed Kudus compared to Tottenham’s fastest players

Kudus joins Tottenham and immediately becomes one of the quickest players in this Spurs squad.

Indeed, while Tottenham have plenty of speedsters in the team, Kudus is up there with the quickest.

Of course, Micky van de Ven is one of the fastest players in the world, so he is still top of the pile here, but Kudus slots in just behind the Dutchman as the second-fastest player at Spurs now.

Destiny Udogie is no slouch himself, but in this instance, Kudus seriously outpaced the Italian, leaving him for dead as he tracked back.

Kudus will be hoping to hit the ground running at Spurs, and there are some exciting signs already on show in the Ghanaian’s first training session.

Nottingham Forest are trying everything to ensure that Morgan Gibbs-White remains at the City Ground this summer, despite strong interest from Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham activated Gibbs-White’s release clause, however, Forest are furious as they believe this should not have been publicly known.

The Midlands club have now submitted a complaint to the Premier League about Tottenham Hotspur.

Evangelos Marinakis is furious about Gibbs-White’s situation, as he doesn’t want to lose his best player for just £60 million.

Morgan Gibbs-White not interested in Nottingham Forest’s contract offer

Nottingham Forest have been trying to offer Morgan Gibbs-White a new contract for the last year, but the midfielder has not been interested, according to Tom Barclay.

Currently, his heart appears to be set on a move to Tottenham Hotspur, who remain hopeful that a deal for the 25-year-old will eventually get done.

Gibbs-White returned to training with Forest, and it appears that he will not be going on strike, like Viktor Gyokeres, to force through a move.

But as TBR Football exclusively revealed on Monday, Gibbs-White told Marinakis he wants to join Tottenham, which could help to accelerate the move.

Barclay told his YouTube channel: “I understand that Forest have been trying to get Gibbs-White or have been keen to offer him a new contract for the last year.

“He’s got two years left on his current deal, and they were even willing to either get rid of the release clause completely or up the release clause.

“But he’s not been interested in doing that during this time; he is keen on this particular move (to Tottenham), so that’s where we’re at for the moment.”

Nottingham Forest make Thiago Almada approach

Reports from Portugal claim that Nottingham Forest want to sign Thiago Almada from Botafogo, and he could be the replacement for Gibbs-White.

The Argentine midfielder has interest from elsewhere, though, as Atletico Madrid are also keen on him.

The number ten has a price tag at Lyon worth around £26m, making him a very attainable option should they lose their captain.

Almada netted one goal and got five assists in 16 appearances in Ligue 1 last season while on loan at Lyon.

Mohammed Kudus becomes Thomas Frank’s third summer signing at Tottenham Hotspur, with plenty more new arrivals still expected.

Following several weeks of negotiations, Mohammed Kudus has finally become a Tottenham Hotspur player.

The 24-year-old will get his first chance to play for the North London club on Saturday when they travel away to Reading in a friendly.

However, the new Danish head coach has just been warned about his latest arrival and why he could prove to be a ‘strange’ signing.

Mohammed Kudus is a ‘strange signing’ for Thomas Frank

Former Arsenal player Perry Groves believes that Tottenham signing Mohammed Kudus is a strange addition for Thomas Frank’s team.

Tottenham had three bids for Kudus rejected before they eventually agreed a £55m deal to sign the winger from the East London club.

The TalkSPORT pundit has questioned the forward’s attitude and his work ethic out of possession, something that the Dane won’t stand for.

He also believes that West Ham United supporters won’t be too upset to see him leave after he had a rather underwhelming campaign at the London Stadium.

Groves told TalkSPORT: “Kudus has gone there, which I think is a bit of a strange signing. Because not last season, the season before, he had a good season. If you ask West Ham fans, they won’t be crying their eyes out.

“I saw him a few times again, and his attitude wasn’t great. Under Julen Lopetegui, and when Graham Potter went there, he played him out of position a few times as a false nine.

“But again, his reaction when he’s going one versus using the ball, his reaction getting back and helping his team out wasn’t great.

“Now, Thomas Frank won’t stand for that whatsoever, but going forward, he can be exciting. The jury is out.”

Frank could have his work cut out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with Kudus, but his track record with improving attacking talents makes him the ideal coach.

The 51-year-old has already helped improve players like Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins and Bryan Mbeumo during his time at Brentford.

Mohammed Kudus looks sharp in Tottenham training

Kudus completed his first training session on the grass with his new Spurs teammates on Monday, and the forward was looking sharp.

He looks to be settling in well in N17 already and has been taken under the wing of the experienced Ben Davies.

The Ghanaian is known for his impressive dribbling ability, and that was on show at Hotspur Way in front of the cameras.

Kudus has completed more dribbles than any other Premier League player since the start of the 2023/24 season, with 216.

It has been an eventful summer for both Tottenham and Chelsea so far.

Spurs have made a change in the dugout after swapping Ange Postecoglou with Thomas Frank, and are also showing real ambition in the market, having spent £55m on Mohammed Kudus and £30m on Mathys Tel, while a £60m deal for Morgan Gibbs-White is in the pipeline too.

In regards to Chelsea, the Blues acquired Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro, before becoming champions of the world with a 3-0 win over PSG in the FIFA Club World Cup final.

Tottenham face the French giants themselves soon when the UEFA Super Cup commences on 13th of August, and Chelsea may have just given Spurs a blueprint on how to defeat the Parisians.

Thomas Frank will feel he can beat PSG after witnessing Chelsea masterclass

Few expected Chelsea to beat PSG, let alone thrash the UEFA Champions League winners by a 3-0 scoreline, but Enzo Maresca achieved the feat by adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation in New Jersey, with the inverted Reece James proving influential.

Having the England international tucked inside, supported by Malo Gusto at right-back, nullified Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and afforded Cole Palmer all sorts of space down the right, which the Chelsea No.10 took full advantage of as he scored twice and assisted Joao Pedro, all within 43 minutes.

Interestingly, Frank has the tools to do likewise, and such a system should not require much of a shift for the Dane, who typically used a 4-2-3-1 formation at Brentford.

The aforementioned Kudus boasts a similar profile to Palmer, typically lining up on the right where he cuts inside on his left foot to devastating effect, while Pedro Porro has the technical skills to carry out the same job James performed in an inverted role, with Djed Spence mimicking the Gusto role too.

No Tottenham manager has ever won a trophy in their first official match in charge, so if this blueprint does help Frank win the UEFA Super Cup, history would be made.

Tottenham could be even stronger before the UEFA Super Cup commences

Gibbs-White should be a Tottenham player before this clash in Udine, and more could follow the England international in time for the meeting with PSG.

Spurs have Adam Wharton on their radar as Frank targets a new central midfielder to pull the strings, although it may be tough to sign the England international, as he still has four years remaining on his contract at Crystal Palace, which does not include a release clause.

However, Douglas Luiz is keen on a move to Tottenham as Juventus aim to offload the Brazilian, and TBR Football understand Joao Palhinha of Bayern Munich is also an option for Spurs this summer.

Therefore, Frank could have an even stronger squad by the time the UEFA Super Cup comes around.

Everton are showing real ambition under David Moyes this summer.

The Toffees have already spent £27m to sign Thierno Barry from Villarreal, who scored 19 goals in 41 appearances last season, after releasing Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

It came after Everton also opted to sign Carlos Alcaraz from Flamengo in a permanent £15m deal, following a successful loan spell for the Argentine last season.

Now, Everton are trying to add Douglas Luiz to these signings, but Tottenham may pose a problem.

Everton ready to bid for Douglas Luiz

Calciomercato in Italy now state that Everton are deep in talks with Juventus over a deal for the Brazil international, but there is currently a disagreement on the structure of the deal.

Juventus want €40m (£35m) for Luiz – who Manchester United also like – having paid £42.4m to sign the South American from Aston Villa as recently as June 2024.

However, Everton are only willing to take the Brazilian on loan for the 2025/26 campaign with an option to buy next summer, which is the same agreement they struck with Flamengo over Alcaraz – effectively, it would be a ‘try before you buy’ deal.

Calciomercato write that this is currently a stumbling block in negotiations, as Juventus want cash immediately to reinvest in the squad this summer.

Tottenham pose a real threat to Everton

Even if Everton manage to shake hands on terms with Juventus, they must still find a way to convince the 27-year-old to move to Merseyside, which could be an issue.

TBR Football understand Luiz is keen on a move to Tottenham, and the Juventus No.26 currently has his representatives working on that deal.

Spurs are looking to sign a new central midfielder after signing Mohammed Kudus, with Crystal Palace No.20 Adam Wharton also on their radar.

Everton will surely be desperate for Tottenham focus on the England international instead of Luiz, or else an approach from Spurs could well jeopardise their hopes of an agreement with Juventus.

Following the arrival of Mohammed Kudus, Tottenham Hotspur are now pushing to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest.

Morgan Gibbs-White was crucial for Nuno Espirito Santo’s overachieving Forest side last season, hence why Tottenham would like to sign the England international.

Of course, Forest are currently furious with Tottenham’s Gibbs-White approach, meaning any deal might be delayed for a while yet.

But Spurs are determined to sign the 25-year-old, who will have an eye on Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad.

Gibbs-White currently has four caps for his country, two of which have come since Tuchel replaced interim boss Lee Carlsey.

Thomas Frank plans to play Morgan Gibbs-White in James Maddison’s role

That being said, The Sun are now reporting that new Spurs boss Thomas Frank has already decided where he wants to play Gibbs-White next season.

In what will make interesting reading for James Maddison, Frank sees Gibbs-White as a ‘dynamic’ number 10, a role he often played for Forest.

Of course, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers star is also able to play in a deeper role as a number eight.

However, it seems as if Frank will want to play his new big money signing in his strongest position, if the deal gets over the line.

Interestingly, the report also explains that Frank wanted Gibbs-White during his time in charge at Brentford.

Therefore, it’s reasonable to think that although Tottenham’s Gibbs-White interest predates Frank, he might be the one pushing for the signing now.

Despite the criticism he’s often received from fans in N17, it’s clear that Daniel Levy is prepared to back his new manager.

And perhaps Tottenham will still sign Yoane Wissa from Brentford too, another Frank favourite.

James Maddison might be a peripheral figure under Thomas Frank

Of course, Frank’s Gibbs-White decision will have a big impact on James Maddison next season.

Although they get on well on a personal level, Maddison might be gutted to see Tottenham sign Gibbs-White, a player who many consider to be an upgrade.

And when you consider that Dejan Kulusevski also often outperformed Maddison as a number 10 under Ange Postecoglou, it could be worrying times for the England hopeful.

Maddison endured many England frustrations whilst Gareth Southgate was in charge of the national team — he never seemed to be one of his favoured options.

And now Maddison might not have the club platform to prove a point to Tuchel either, even if Spurs have the added games in the shape of Champions League football next term.