TBR Football

There is no player doing it like Harry Kane right now, with the Bayern Munich forward in scintillating form. But, he owes a lot to a former Tottenham striker who he idolised as a youngster.

Since Harry Kane left Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023, he has taken the Bundesliga by storm. He’s already racked up over 100 goals for Bayern, broken all kinds of records, and finally landed his first trophy.

Even Kane himself said he’s playing the best football of his life right now. With 19 goals in 11 matches this season, it’s hard to disagree.

There are now rumours Kane could return to Spurs in the near future, and given how he feels about one Tottenham legend, there’s a good chance he will want to come back home and pick up where he left off.

Harry Kane reveals his four best strikers, including Spurs legend

In a recent TikTok on the GOAL account, Kane was asked for his Mount Rushmore of retired strikers. Among the four choices, he picked out Ronaldo (the Brazil legend), England superstar Wayne Rooney, whom he described as “one of the best strikers to do it”, and former Real Madrid icon Raul.

Then, in a bit of a surprise choice, Kane named former Spurs man Teddy Sheringham as the fourth and final pick.

On Sheringham, Kane said: “I watched him growing up. A very clever footballer. He had an amazing career. He’s someone who I watched a lot and learned a lot from when I was younger.”

Sheringham is a member of the Premier League Hall of Fame, was part of Manchester United’s famous treble-winning side of 1999, and made a whopping 277 appearances for Spurs during his time there.

He scored 125 goals for the Lilywhites and has remained strongly connected with the club since retiring.

Teddy Sheringham and Harry Kane are incredibly similar players

In many ways, it’s obvious that Kane idolised Sheringham and drew influences from his game. They’re both strikers who know where the back of the net is, of course, and who were able to use both physicality and intelligence to create chances.

Sheringham was a brilliant aerial threat, just like Kane, but was also wonderfully nimble and tricky with his feet, too. The only main difference, really, is that Kane is arguably more mobile and covers more ground, with a willingness to drop deep to make things happen.

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That’s not to say Sheringham wouldn’t put in the hard yards, but he was a more old-fashioned forward; the type that would hang around in the box and find space, with an impeccable knack of being in the right place at the right time.

Bournemouth are not expecting to lose Antoine Semenyo in January, but they are already working on potential replacements, knowing he is almost certain to leave in the summer of 2026, TBR Football understands.

Semenyo signed a new contract with The Cherries last summer, but as previously revealed, it does include a release clause.

While the number of Semenyo suitors seems to increase week by week, Bournemouth and their recruitment team – led by president of football operations Tiago Pinto – are already considering how they might replace him.

Sources have confirmed to TBR Football that the club have been impressed by a number of different players, but they could once again turn to the Championship – something they have done successfully in recent years.

Exclusive: Bournemouth like Ipswich Town’s Jaden Philogene

The likes of Marcus Tavernier, Alex Scott, and indeed Semenyo himself were all recruited from the Championship.

Now, TBR Football can reveal that one player Bournemouth rate very highly is Ipswich Town’s Jaden Philogene.

Philogene is one of the Championship’s standout forwards and has started the season in superb form, scoring five goals so far.

We can confirm that Bournemouth are one of several Premier League clubs keeping close tabs on Philogene, with Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Brentford also monitoring the 23-year-old.

TBR Football also understands that Bournemouth have been keeping an eye on other potential options this season, including Real Sociedad’s Barrene, Roma’s Mathias Soule, Rio Ave’s Andre Luiz, and Bodo/Glimt’s Jens Petter Hauge.

Chief correspondent Graeme Bailey said: “Bournemouth have confirmed Semenyo has a clause, but they are really are insistent that he won’t be leaving in January.

“Nobody at this point knows if the clause can be activated in January or not, but I am led to believe it is more than than the Dominic Solanke clause which was £65million and is someone willing to do that in the January window? It is unlikely.

“Semenyo for his part is keeping quiet, but Bournemouth are making sure that the message is out there that Semenyo is not available.

“But off the back of the Semenyo interest, Tiago and his team are doing work on potential replacements but again they see that for the summer rather than January.

“Whilst I believe what Bournemouth are saying, within football, the noises are getting louder and some think he could move.”

Tottenham suffered their second defeat of the Premier League season on Sunday.

Spurs were stung by goals from Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia after Rodrigo Bentancur put Tottenham ahead, ultimately losing 2-1 to drop down to sixth in the Premier League.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – who made 391 appearances for Aston Villa – was inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the game, where he was “shocked” by the lack of atmosphere and spotted Richarlison thinking likewise.

Tottenham fans slammed for staying “silent” against Aston Villa

Speaking to Jeff Stelling on talkSPORT, the 39-year-old said: “I was like, what’s going on? What am I hearing?

“Jeff, it was silent. They only sang when they scored the first goal… Richarlison when he came on kept throwing his arms up saying come on, give us a bit more. I was so shocked. I’ve been to the Etihad where it’s been quiet but Spurs fans cannot banter Manchester City for atmosphere because it was silent.”

It was eerily quiet inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, almost as if the north Londoners were right at the bottom of the Premier League.

We appreciate the fact Thomas Frank is yet to get his Tottenham side playing scintillating football, but Spurs were third in the table heading into this game and also boasted a goal difference of eight – the best in the league behind Arsenal and Manchester City.

Therefore, it was quite a surprise to see Tottenham fans give the Dane and his side so little backing, and the silence seemed to give Aston Villa confidence to go on and secure all three points.

Thomas Frank deserves backing

We would understand silence around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium if Daniel Levy was still at the helm, given how little was accomplished in his 25 years at Spurs and the pessimism that surrounded his very existence.

However, the 63-year-old is now gone, with Tottenham embarking on a new era after further changes were made to the footballing structure.

Fabio Paratici is back working alongside Johan Lange, a positive, honest coach is in place in Frank, and Spurs can boast some of the most exciting talents in Europe such as Lucas Bergvall, Micky van de Ven, Pape Sarr and Xavi Simons.

There is so much to be excited about at Spurs right now, but the vast potential of the club may not be realised if Tottenham fans needlessly create a negative atmosphere.

Alan Shearer has named two Aston Villa players in his Premier League Team of the Week after their win over Tottenham Hotspur.

After zero wins in five, Unai Emery’s men have now picked up nine points in their last three Premier League matches.

Aston Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 on Sunday thanks to goals from Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers.

The result moved the Villans up to 12th in the Premier League table and saw Alan Shearer waxing lyrical about two of their stars.

Alan Shearer names Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne in Premier League Team of the Week

Speaking to the Premier League’s official website, Shearer selected Rogers and Lucas Digne in his Team of the Week.

On Rogers, he said: “What a way to open your account for the season! An outstanding goal. He was just too hot for Spurs to handle.”

Shearer was also quick to praise Digne for how he handled one of Tottenham’s big-money summer signings, Mohammed Kudus.

He said: “Kept Spurs’ in-form winger Mohammed Kudus quiet and was a constant outlet on the left channel.”

While Digne was solid defensively, Rogers was one of the best performers on the day and earned a ‘quality’ verdict from Thomas Frank post-match.

He said: “If you said to me before the game, ‘they will shoot from there, Rogers and Buendia’, from that situation, I would say, ‘of course, it’s not dangerous’, but fantastic quality shot from Rogers.

How much is Morgan Rogers worth

Sunday’s strike against Spurs was Rogers’ first of the season in all competitions.

Despite a slow start on the goal front, TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey, revealed recently that Villa are pleased with the midfielder’s development.

He said: “Aston Villa are massively happy with Rogers, he has gone from strength to strength under Unai Emery.

“However, he has become a prominent figure for England and Villa know they need to reward him again, and he is in line to become their highest earner.”

Bailey also mentioned transfer interest from Chelsea and PSG, but it looks like any potentially interested parties would have to break the bank to land the 23-year-old.

Peter Crouch has been asked to build his perfect footballer, and selected one of his former Tottenham Hotspur teammates alongside some world-class talent.

After a prolific spell at Portsmouth, Crouch followed Harry Redknapp to Tottenham in the summer of 2009.

The 44-year-old spent two seasons at White Hart Lane before signing for Stoke City.

Crouch featured alongside some top talent, including the likes of Gareth Bale and Jermain Defoe, but it is another ex-Spurs man who he has now name-dropped.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, the former England international was asked six questions to build his dream player. Here are his answers:

A year after Crouch’s exit, Modric also departed North London, signing for Real Madrid in 2012.

During their two years at Spurs, the duo played together on 66 occasions.

Jermaine Jenas disagrees with Peter Crouch’s Luka Modric verdict

Zinedine Zidane has been left similarly in awe of Modric, dubbing him the best long-distance shooter in the world.

But while Crouch and Zidane have been quick to praise the Croatian, Jermaine Jenas actually believes he played with somebody better at Tottenham.

When naming his best midfield teammates for club and country, Jenas opted for Michael Carrick as his number one and put Modric in second place.

On Carrick, he said: “I think from playing with him at Spurs, seeing Michael at the peak of his powers controlling midfields in the way that he did, it gave everyone else more freedom.

“It gave Davids more freedom, it gave me more freedom. He absorbed so much pressure.”

Carrick has now become a manager, but has been out of work since the summer following his Middlesbrough exit.

Harry Kane claims that a Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate is the name that comes to mind when thinking about the biggest aerial danger in football history.

Harry Kane scored goals galore for Tottenham, eventually becoming the club’s all-time top goalscorer.

Among his many strengths, the England captain was, and still is, particularly lethal in the air – a crucial skill for any striker who knows where the back of the net is.

That said, Kane doesn’t even consider himself the biggest aerial threat to have ever played for Spurs.

Harry Kane backs Peter Crouch in the air

Speaking with GOAL for a TikTok, Kane was tasked with building his ‘perfect player’ based on a variety of attributes.

When asked about aerial ability, he made no hesitation in naming former Tottenham striker Peter Crouch.

Crouch began his career in the Tottenham Hotspur academy, leaving without making a senior appearance after loan spells elsewhere.

However, after making a name for himself at Queens Park Rangers, Liverpool, and Portsmouth, he returned to Spurs in 2009 for £10m.

At 6’7”, it’s no surprise Crouch was Kane’s choice as the ideal aerial threat, as he was widely regarded as one of the best in the business in that department.

Kane holds the Premier League record for most headed goals in a season

Despite Kane’s admiration for Crouch, the now-Bayern Munich forward has also made life difficult for defenders in the air.

Kane holds the Premier League record for most headed goals in a single season, scoring 10 during the 2022/23 campaign:

Crouch? Nowhere to be seen! Give yourself some credit, Harry.

Gary Lineker claims Thomas Frank is using Mathys Tel all wrong at Tottenham Hotspur, with the French forward once again struggling as they lost to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Despite being a goal to the good after an early Rodrigo Bentancur strike, it was Unai Emery’s side who prevailed on Sunday afternoon, with Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia goals inspiring a comeback.

The loss meant Spurs dropped down to sixth in the Premier League table under Thomas Frank, with the initial honeymoon period for the new manager seemingly over.

A few cracks are starting to show in the Spurs side, particularly in the attacking positions – and that includes Mathys Tel.

Lineker and Richards on Mathys Tel at Tottenham

The French forward was signed permanently from Bayern Munich in the summer after a loan spell under Ange Postecoglou last season – but he hasn’t hit the ground running.

Despite scoring his first Premier League goal for Tottenham last weekend, Tel struggled against Villa – something both Gary Lineker and Micah Richards acknowledged.

Lineker told Stick to Football: “Thought Tel struggled a little to make an impact, and a lot of the times because, obviously, I look at this side of football when they played a really high line like Villa did today with not necessarily that much pressure on the ball.

“I’ve said before, I don’t mind when players get offside, but he was going so early. He wasn’t just offside – he was like five yards offside most of the time.

“He needs a little bit of work. I preferred him perhaps on the left-hand side when I’m seeing him play there. But he wasn’t making the natural runs of a striker that understands how to beat an offside trap, which is not that difficult when a team plays such a high line with no pressure on the ball.”

Richards responded: “Exactly that. I echo your thoughts as well. I like him better off the left. But in terms of what Thomas Frank was trying to do, there’s a clip or an image of him when they got the goal – he was so happy with the way they pressed.

“He wants pace, he wants mobility, and in terms of Tel, he’s done all right in recent weeks, but I don’t think he’s a natural number nine. He doesn’t look like it yet, but he’s very young and can learn.”

Where is Mathys Tel’s best position?

The proof is in the pudding. As both pundits stated, Tel’s best position is the wing, and he performs better off the left – as suggested in the table below.

As a Bayern Munich player, Tel also spoke in an interview with the Bundesliga’s English channel about his favourite position:

“I’m somewhere between a number nine and a left winger. I can also play on the right, but I’m more comfortable as a striker and on the left.”

Tel is most effective cutting inside and, with his height, actually provides a different option on the wings – one that Frank and his Tottenham side can utilise.

Tottenham’s season took a blow after their defeat against Aston Villa, but Thomas Frank couldn’t help but marvel at the performance of one player against his side.

Spurs lost 2-1 on Saturday afternoon despite taking the lead in the fifth minute through Rodrigo Bentancur, with goals from Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia completing the turnaround.

Rogers slammed a superb strike beyond Guglielmo Vicario for the equaliser before Buendia jinked inside and fired into the bottom corner to stun the hosts on 77 minutes.

However, Thomas Frank insisted post-match that he was satisfied with his side’s performance, believing they were only undone by two moments of magic.

Thomas Frank praises Morgan Rogers’ goal

Morgan Rogers scored 14 goals last season but started the new campaign poorly despite being linked to several ‘Big Six’ Premier League clubs during the summer.

But he had netted for England against Wales during the international break and finally ended his Aston Villa drought with a sumptuous, confidence-boosting effort.

Frank admitted he was also impressed with the goal, saying: “If you said to me before the game, ‘they will shoot from there, Rogers and Buendia’, from that situation, I would say, ‘of course, it’s not dangerous’, but fantastic quality shot from Rogers.

“In those very little moments, they had more quality in the end.”

According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham are among Rogers’ admirers, and they are even said to have begun exploring moving for him after making him a dream target.

Unsurprisingly, Villa are desperate to keep Rogers, and there is a belief among figures in football that a deal for the 23-year-old would currently be ‘almost impossible’.

Unai Emery on Morgan Rogers’ performance

Rogers looked back to his scintillating best against Spurs and deservedly scored his first Villa goal in 20 games across all competitions after a testing couple of months.

Boss Unai Emery was always confident his big moment would eventually arrive at club level, and he believes it was a testament to his tireless efforts across the pitch.

“Morgan is playing and scoring, but he’s helping the team for 90 minutes,” Emery said. “He has that capacity. He was always doing his task. He’s a hard worker. When you work, you show your skill.

“[Ollie] Watkins didn’t score or assist, but he played fantastic for 30 minutes. They are both very important for us.”

TBR Football understands that Tottenham Hotspur have been keeping a close eye on the progress of FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa.

The Spanish striker has been enjoying a successful spell over in Portugal and now looks primed to finally make his big move to one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Aghehowa almost joined Chelsea back in 2024 from Atletico Madrid, only for the deal to fall apart in the final stages, and the Blues signed Joao Felix instead.

But following a successful spell at the Estadio do Dragao, in which he has netted 35 goals in 54 matches, Spurs are now eyeing a deal.

Exclusive: Fabio Paratici is a fan of Samu Aghehowa

Fabio Paratici is believed to be an avid admirer of Samu Aghehowa and has added him to Tottenham Hotspur’s list of targets, sources have told TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey.

Paratici’s return to Tottenham was confirmed earlier this week, and work has already started on adding reinforcements to Thomas Frank’s squad.

The 21-year-old is now a name added to the list of strikers Spurs are potentially looking to sign over the next 12 months.

Aghehowa has an £87 million release clause at Porto, but would be available for much less than that fee owing to Porto’s financial position.

Currently, the Lilywhites have a strong selection of strikers, although Richarlison’s form has been rather volatile, Dominic Solanke has struggled with injuries, and Mathys Tel is still young and learning.

Newcastle tried to sign Aghehowa, but ended up bringing in Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade over the Spaniard.

The youngster has made a great start to the new season in Portugal, netting eight goals in nine games for Porto.

Paratici could now lead Spurs’ pursuit of the striker, who was included in the latest Spanish squad for the October international break.

Dusan Vlahovic remains a target for Tottenham in 2026

As TBR Football has already revealed, Paratici is fully versed on Dusan Vlahovic’s situation, with his contract with Juventus set to expire next summer.

But with him being available on a free transfer in 2026, he is emerging as a potential option for the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, so he would not be an easy pick-up for Spurs.

The 25-year-old has shown decent form for Juve this season, producing four goals and one assist in nine appearances.

TBR Football understands that Newcastle and Tottenham both possess strong interest in Brazilian youngster Rayan from Vasco Da Gama, with a Premier League transfer race hotting up.

The 19-year-old starlet is enjoying his breakout season at present, with the Vasco teenager claiming ten league goals so far this season inside just 26 games, alongside a further five in other competitions.

The left-footed right winger is emerging on the radar of a number of Premier League clubs, with TBR Football learning that Tottenham and Newcastle have been watching him closely in recent weeks.

And with both clubs having been in for a winger in the summer market, it could spark another transfer battle in the coming windows if the duo are looking to land the South American talent.

Exclusive: Newcastle and Tottenham have closely watched Rayan ahead of potential Vasco Da Gama transfer

TBR Football understands that Rayan is emerging on the radar of a number of Premier League clubs, with Tottenham, Newcastle and Brighton watching him closely in recent weeks.

Furthermore, the likes of BlueCo, The City Group, Arsenal and Liverpool are all understood to have assessed him in 2025, adding to English interest in his services.

It is also believed a number of suitors from Italy, Spain and Portugal are keen and intermediaries are working hard on moving him in the January window and have engaged in preliminary talks.

TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey, confirmed: “Rayan has enjoyed a very good season, but it remains to be seen if Vasco are willing sellers, but I am told intermediaries are operating with the belief a deal is there to be had.

“He has impressed hugely in recent months and a move to Europe is looking likely and it could very well be England.”

If Vasco name their price, he could be on the move sooner than anticipated.

Rayan could follow other Premier League Brazilians who have excelled in England

Rayan could join a growing list of stars to have swapped early Brazilian stardom for the Premier League.

Notable inclusions over the past few years include Chelsea bright spark Estevao, who has taken to Stamford Bridge with ease, whilst other notable players such as Joao Pedro, Richarlison, Murillo, Gabriel Martinelli and Rodrigo Muniz have all excelled after moving over from South America.

At just 19, and with 11 caps for Brazil’s under-20 side, he’s evidently a talent for the future, though it could take him a while to get into Spurs or Newcastle’s side.