TBR Football

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have both enjoyed European glory this season.

Chelsea hammered Real Betis 4-1 in Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final, while Tottenham won the Europa League final a week earlier.

The Blues’ victory means they have become the first club to win each of the five major European trophies, while Tottenham’s triumph is their first major trophy since 2008.

In addition, both Chelsea and Tottenham have combined to achieve something never seen before in football history.

Chelsea’s triumph means five different English clubs have won a major trophy this season

Two English teams winning two European trophies in one season isn’t especially rare.

Manchester City and West Ham did it just two years ago, and Liverpool and Chelsea did the same in 2019.

However, what has never happened before is for five different English teams to all win a major trophy in the same season.

Chelsea’s Europa Conference League triumph has contributed to this record after Tottenham, Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United all got their hands on silverware earlier this term.

Tottenham are set to bank just under £11million for winning the Europa League, while Chelsea are set to earn just under £6million, according to talkSPORT.

Which English clubs will be playing in which European competition next season

Nine Premier League clubs will be playing in European competition next season.

Tottenham have qualified for the Champions League by virtue of winning the Europa League, while Chelsea’s fourth-placed finish has also guaranteed them a spot in the elite competition.

Spurs and Chelsea are joined by Premier League winners Liverpool, runners-up Arsenal, third-placed Manchester City and fifth-placed Newcastle United.

Aston Villa’s controversial final-day defeat at Manchester United saw them miss out on a Champions League spot as they finished sixth and sealed a Europa League place.

The Villans are joined by Crystal Palace, who booked their spot in the competition after winning the FA Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is often in the news.

The 63-year-old has been at Spurs since 2000, and a lot has been said about him over the last two decades – both good and bad.

Levy deserves enormous credit for the business side of Tottenham, but almost every fan of the club will point the finger at him for the lack of silverware.

The Europa League was just the second trophy won under Levy, which is not good enough considering he has been at the club for nearly a quarter of a century.

However, one thing Levy is incredible at is negotiations.

What Daniel Levy demanded from Real Madrid when they tried to appoint Mauricio Pochettino in 2018

Even though Mauricio Pochettino didn’t win any trophies at Tottenham, he took the club to a whole new level.

The Argentine is adored by Spurs fans even to this day, and many at the club would take him back in a heartbeat if that were possible.

Back in the summer of 2018, after Zinedine Zidane unexpectedly left his role at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid were keen to appoint Pochettino.

But, Daniel Levy had just extended his then-manager’s contract, allowed no release clause to be put into his deal, and had complete control over his future.

The Athletic revealed in 2024 that Pochettino was open to speaking to the Galacticos at the time, so Real Madrid president Florentino Perez picked up the phone and called Levy.

The Tottenham chairman laid out his demand – Marco Asensio, Mateo Kovacic and £100 million!

That outrageous demand brought an end to negotiations right away, and Real Madrid appointed Julen Lopetegui as the manager soon after.

Tottenham need Daniel Levy’s negotiating skills more than ever before this summer

Levy’s demand to Real Madrid to stop them from luring Pochettino away from the club is one of many examples that prove that he is the best negotiator in the game.

The Tottenham chairman will have to be at his best again this summer, as Spurs have a lot of work to do in the transfer market.

All eyes will be on incomings, but the Europa League winners have the big job of convincing Cristian Romero to stay as well.

Atletico Madrid are expected to make an offer to sign the Argentine. If Levy is as strong as he was with Pochettino seven years ago, Diego Simeone’s side will give up.

Then, the Spurs co-owner can focus on persuading Romero to sign a new deal at the club.

Tottenham Hotspur have had a truly bizarre season.

Spurs have become the first team ever to finish 17th in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League after winning the Europa League.

However, despite winning some silverware and qualifying for the Champions League, Ange Postecoglou’s job is not safe.

It’s been a season of ups and downs for Spurs, but there have been some star performers this year.

James Maddison has earned praise for his performances this season, while Dejan Kulusevski has been Spurs’ best player this term according to some.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Rio Ferdinand has been naming who he believes have been the star performers in the Premier League this term, and he made an interesting claim when naming Tottenham’s best player.

Rio Ferdinand names Dominic Solanke as Tottenham’s best player this season

Ferdinand was asked to name who he believes to be the Player of the Season for a number of Premier League clubs.

Some of these answers were easier than others, but for Tottenham, Ferdinand actually picked Solanke.

Solanke has been criticised at times this season after his club-record move to Spurs last summer, but Ferdinand believes he was actually Tottenham’s best player this term.

Dominic Solanke’s stats for Tottenham

Ferdinand believes Solanke has been Tottenham’s best player this season, but it’s hard to agree with that point of view.

If anything, Solanke has been a bit of a disappointment this season. The striker arrived in club-record £65m deal this summer, and he’s not even hit 10 league goals.

Nine league goals is a poor return for a £65m striker, and a number of cheaper and less-prolific names have actually scored as many or more than Solanke this year.

Solanke hasn’t been terrible for Tottenham, that would be unfair to say, but he’s hardly been a standout player for Spurs, especially when you consider the pricetag attached to this deal last summer.

Ange Postecoglou’s future at Tottenham Hotspur remains in some doubt despite leading the club to European glory.

Tottenham have been looking at replacements since at least January, but in the end, they opted to stick with the Australian until the end of the season.

Daniel Levy’s decision to do so paid off big time as Spurs won the Europa League, but question marks remain as to whether he will keep his job.

In the event that Ange Postecoglou is sacked, one of the North London club’s targets has just all but ruled himself out of the running to take over the reins from the 59-year-old.

Tottenham target Oliver Glasner ’99 percent sure’ to stay at Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner has revealed that he is ’99 percent sure’ he will still be the manager of Crystal Palace next season.

The Austrian coach failed to completely rule out the possibility of leaving South London, however, he expects to remain at Selhurst Park.

Glasner told Sky Germany: “In football, you never know 100 percent, but I would say I am 99 percent sure to be the coach of Crystal Palace next season.”

TBR Football revealed last month that Tottenham approached Glasner at a stage where the 50-year-old was locked in contract talks with Palace.

The former Frankfurt boss went on to win the FA Cup with the Eagles and secure qualification to the Europa League. An exciting summer awaits the Eagles, so getting Glasner out of his current job could be very tricky.

Glasner now has three titles to his name, having also guided Frankfurt to the Europa League title in 2022 and LASK to the Austrian Second League title in 2017.

Will Daniel Levy sack Ange Postecoglou?

Levy has gone on holiday, as has Postecoglou, and therefore any decision over the manager’s future is not expected to arrive for at least a week.

Tottenham fans sang Postecoglou’s name during the match against Brighton as the home support made their feelings very clear about the manager.

Postecoglou was in popular demand for pictures after the matches with legends and staff wanting to celebrate with their title-winning coach.

Levy now faces one of the biggest decisions during his 25 years as chairman as he must decide whether to sack just his second trophy-winning coach.

Heung-min Son is one of the best players to have ever donned a Tottenham Hotspur shirt.

However, it seems like the Spurs legend is on his last legs.

Tottenham have been worried about Son’s form, as he scored just seven goals in the Premier League during the 2024/2025 season.

Ange Postecoglou admitted Son looked exhausted at one point of the campaign but the fact that he did not start the Lilywhites captain in the Europa League final speaks volumes of his decline as a player.

Leroy Sane could be Tottenham’s heir to Heung-min Son

Leroy Sane has been offered to Tottenham, as per Sky Sports as they look to freshen up their attack next season.

In Sane, Spurs could sign a player who could be the long-term replacement for Heung-min Son, who at his best was a world-class winger as well.

While the German has not particularly lived up to the billing at Bayern Munich, the 2023/2024 season was proof that he can still operate at very high standards — as he registered 23 goal involvements.

Tottenham have started talks to sign Sane and he profiles very similarly to Son as a player, also playing his best football on the left-wing, being incredibly quick, an exceptional dribbler and a terrific outlet.

Perhaps one of the reasons behind the two-time Premier League winner’s decline has been that several managers at Bayern tasked him to play on the right flank, as they perhaps viewed him as the heir to Arjen Robben.

However, much like Son, Sane is at his best when he hugs the touchline, which seems to be a tactical requirement in Ange Postecoglou’s system anyway and as a result, will suit his game.

The 29-year-old’s directness and creativity also makes him the right candidate to replace the South Korean in the long haul — providing 55 assists in 220 appearances for Bayern — which is an impressive return considering his struggles in Bavaria.

With Sane available on a free transfer and not having the pressure to live up to a hefty price tag if he joined Spurs could also help him play his natural game.

Leroy Sane stats compared to Heung-min Son

The Essen-born speedster would bring a winning mentality to Spurs’ squad, having won Bundesliga titles and the FIFA Club World Cup amongst other trophies at Bayern.

Furthermore, the former Manchester City forward was outstanding during his time in the Premier League, prompting Pep Guardiola to laud Sane by dubbing him as the best winger in the world in 2019.

When comparing his stats to those of Son’s for Tottenham this season, it is clear to see that Son could be the perfect candidate to take his place for years to come.

In terms of the number of successful take-ons he pulls off as well as his goals per game over the past year, Sane has the edge on Son.

However, the latter trumps the former when it comes to carrying the ball and creating chances.

Ultimately, the pair can perform similar functions on the pitch and potentially making a move to Tottenham and becoming one of their main men could unleash the best version of Sane.

TBR Football understands that Mathys Tel has been delighted with life in North London and is ready to make the switch to Tottenham Hotspur permanent.

Spurs have now commenced talks with Bayern Munich over a deal, however, the Lilywhites are unwilling to pay the £50m fee which the two clubs initially agreed upon.

Despite his struggles breaking into Ange Postecoglou’s team, behind the scenes, the young Frenchman has impressed, which has led to them pursuing a permanent deal.

Tottenham impressed by Mathys Tel’s loan spell

Mathys Tel has impressed Spurs hugely during his spell with his manner and how he adapted – the club believe he has enormous potential and is too good not to bring in, sources have told TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey.

The North London club’s hierarchy are well on board with getting a deal over the line and talks have taken place with Bayern, who are open to selling the forward this summer.

As mentioned, though, Spurs will not pay the original option of £50 million and are keen for the deal to be reduced to around £33.5m plus potential performance-related add-ons.

On the pitch, the former Bayern man struggled to make the desired impact many had hoped he would, although behind the scenes, it appears he has managed to make a strong impression. In 20 appearances, Tel netted just three times and got one assist, having struggled to break into Postecoglou’s starting lineup.

Tottenham fans called for Tel to be made permanent following his solid cameo against Brighton. The French youth international got an assist for winning the penalty, which Dominic Solanke dispatched.

Mathys Tel is keen to join Tottenham permanently

TBR Football can also reveal that the player himself has settled well into London life and is ready to make the move permanent. Having fellow countryman Wilson Odobert already at the club has been a big help for the youngster.

The fact that Spurs managed to qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League has only underlined his desire to make the move.

The 20-year-old seemed to suggest he wanted to remain at Spurs following the team’s defeat to Brighton by underlining his desire to win more trophies in North London.

Tel told SpursPLAY: “Tottenham is not just a club, it’s everything for us. We have to keep going and win more trophies.”

Tottenham Hotspur haven’t had the best of seasons, but they do still have some fantastic players.

Heung-Min Son is world-class at his best, Cristian Romero is a World Cup winner, while Dejan Kulusevski has been Spurs’ best player this season.

Speaking to The Mail. Glenn Hoddle has been building his all-time footballing XI, and he’s made quite an interesting claim about a current Tottenham player.

Hoddle was heavily biased towards players he knows well in this team, and he actually picked one current Spurs player in his all-time XI.

Glenn Hoddle picks Micky van de Ven in his all-time XI

Glenn Hoddle was picking his all-time XI, and he had the choice of any player in football history.

However, at centre-back, he picked Micky van de Ven, the current Tottenham defender.

Van de Ven has earned huge praise since signing for Spurs, and Hoddle is clearly a big fan of the £43m man.

“I’d go Van de Ven, I love him,” Hoddle said when picking his defensive pairing.

Glenn Hoddle’s all-time XI

Glenn Hoddle knows more about football than most others in the world.

However, when picking his all-time XI, he made some very left-field picks.

Hoddle clearly wanted to show a bit of bias towards Tottenham and England as he chose a number of players he knows very well.

Hoddle picked no fewer than three former Tottenham players here in Kyle Walker, Micky van de Ven and Ossie Ardilles.

There was also a bit of Arsenal representation here as Hoddle picked Kenny Sansom as his right-back.

Glenn Hoddle had issues with David Beckham at one point when he was England manager, but, there was room for Becks in Hoddle’s team here.

Diego Maradona earned his spot in the attack, alongside George Weah.

Hoddle picked a very different XI here, but it is refreshing to hear some excellent players of yesteryear getting the credit they deserve for once instead of the usual overflow of modern stars.

Tottenham Hotspur have a big summer transfer window on the horizon.

Indeed, after finishing 17th in the Premier League, while also qualifying for the Champions League, Spurs need a rebuild and they have the money to do it.

Tottenham have some exciting targets in mind – Angel Gomes has been linked to Spurs, while Johnny Cardoso could join Tottenham too.

Spurs also need reinforcements in the attack, Dominic Solanke only scored nine league goals this season, while Richarlison could be set to leave the club.

Luckily, help could be on the way as according to Dean Jones, writing on the Ranks FC Ultras Patreon page, Spurs could now step up talks to sign a very exciting striker.

Tottenham set to accelerate Liam Delap talks

According to Jones, Tottenham have made initial contact about signing Liam Delap and are looking to accelerate talks in the coming days.

Delap has been linked to Manchester United, but Spurs are now looking to steal a march and get this deal done for the £30m man.

“United’s other major target is Liam Delap, but that’s still in the air. He’s carefully weighing his next move, with Everton, Chelsea, and now Tottenham all very much in the mix. Spurs have made initial contact and hope to accelerate talks this week,” Jones wrote.

Liam Delap compared to Dominic Solanke

Dominic Solanke arrived at Tottenham as the club’s record signing last summer, and now, he could already be pushed aside by Liam Delap.

Indeed, Delap wants first-team football next season, and, if he came to Spurs, he’d certainly have a case to make for starting.

Statistically, Delap has been better than Solanke this season.

Of course, this is just one season, but, similarly, Solanke only has one truly stellar Premier League campaign under his belt too.

It is interesting to hear that Tottenham are pushing to get these sorts of deals done. After all, Ange Postecoglou’s future remains unclear, and they don’t even know who their manager will be next season, let alone if they’d want to sign a player like Delap.

Tottenham Hotspur are in a state of limbo at the moment.

Indeed, it appears as though there are two very opposing forces acting on Daniel Levy at Spurs right now.

On one hand, Tottenham have just won the Europa League, hitting the highest high for a generation. However, at the same time, Spurs have just finished 17th, their lowest league finish in a long time.

Ange Postecoglou’s future remains unclear, and according to Tom Barclay, speaking on his YouTube channel, there won’t necessarily be an update on this front for a little while yet.

According to Barclay, a decision won’t come on Ange Postecoglou for at least another week, with the journalist noting that Daniel Levy is about to go on holiday so he’s not ready to make a decision yet.

Daniel Levy is about to go on holiday

Barclay shared what he knows about Levy and his upcoming plans.

According to the journalist, the Tottenham chairman is delaying taking action on Ange Postecoglou due to the fact he’s about to go on holiday.

“The main news is that we think it’s going to be at least a week. During this week it’s not expected to have a decision on Ange Postecoglou’s future, which I know is frustrating for everyone,” Barclay said.

“Primarily that’s because pretty much everyone is on holiday it appears. Ange has gone on holiday and a lot of the decision makers have gone on a post-season vacation as well. I believe Daniel Levy is going on holiday soon as well, if he hasn’t already. I’m not quite sure on that one, but I believe that’s the case.”

The Tottenham manager Daniel Levy used to go on holiday with

Levy is off on holiday over the next week, and it’s fair to suggest that he won’t be joined by Ange Postecoglou.

Once upon a time, Levy would actually go on holiday with one of his Spurs managers.

Indeed, according to The Sun, Levy used to often take Mauricio Pochettino on holiday with him to France and even South America at times.

Pochettino and Levy were very close, but even that couldn’t save the Argentine’s job.

Tottenham Hotspur won the Europa League a week ago, and the entire vibe around Spurs has changed after that win.

Ange Postecoglou was on the verge of the sack before the Europa League final, and while Postecoglou may still get sacked, at the moment, he’s the man of the hour.

Indeed, Postecoglou is being lauded as a hero by many at Tottenham, and it appears that he could well save his job.

On paper, Postecoglou achieved what he set out to achieve, he won silverware and qualified for the Champions League – albeit via the back door.

However, one former Tottenham manager does have a right to be annoyed by the adulation Ange Postecoglou is now receiving.

Harry Redknapp has right to be annoyed by Ange Postecoglou plaudits

Postecoglou has benefitted from UEFA’s rules regarding European qualification as he’s taken Spurs into the Champions League via winning the Europa League.

In recent years, rules regarding qualification to the Champions League via other UEFA competitions have changed.

Now, you can qualify for the Champions League directly by winning the Europa League or winning the Champions League without affecting the places allocated via top four/five finishes in the league – hence why, at one point, 11 English clubs could’ve qualified for Europe this season.

However, those rules weren’t always laid out this way.

In the old system, if a team won a Champions League place by winning a UEFA competition, they would take that spot from a team in their league, as Tottenham found out the hard way back in 2012.

In 2012, Harry Redknapp led Spurs to a fourth-place finish, and it looked as though Spurs had qualified for the Champions League.

However, just a week after the season finished, Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, and, despite finishing seventh in the Premier League, they pinched Spurs’ Champions League spot and relegated them to the Europa League.

Redknapp was shocked by this decision, saying:

“I had that. It is disrespectful. I had it at Tottenham at the end. I never had a clue, it was completely out of the blue to me It was going great, we finished fourth and we were in the Champions League, but Chelsea got to the final of the Champions League that year and finished sixth.

“When they won it was a disaster. I’d gone from qualifying for the Champions League, and when I got home I was told that Daniel had a meeting with one or two managers at the time.

“It was quite a shock, but yeah, sadly that was it.”

Nowadays, if this situation occurred, both Spurs and Chelsea would be in the Champions League next season, but back in 2012, the rules were much more brutal – Europa League winners didn’t even qualify for the Champions League, that rule was introduced in 2014.

Ultimately, Harry Redknapp would lose his job in the summer of 2012 – owing partly to these rules, now, 13 years later, Ange Postecoglou may be set to keep his job via a change in UEFA rules that have changed since Redknapp’s sacking.

Simply due to how the rules work, Redknapp was sacked and Postecoglou is being lauded as a hero, despite the fact one manager had Spurs in 4th and the other has Tottenham in 17th.

The other UEFA rule change that benefitted Tottenham

The Champions League qualification system isn’t the only UEFA rule that has benefitted Tottenham.

Indeed, according to Michael Owen, another UEFA rule change has benefitted Spurs.

Owen believes that Tottenham only won the Europa League this season because Champions League sides no longer drop into the competition.

‘As a total neutral I’m doom and gloom for Tottenham. The only reason they won that competition is because no Champions League sides now drop into the Europa League. Did they play anybody any good?” Owen asked.

“Even the final, it was probably the worst game of football I’ve ever watched, it was so bad. I rarely ever want to switch over the game, but that final, I mean…”

Of course, UEFA didn’t have all of this in mind when they were coming up with their qualification rules, but Ange Postecoglou has been a key beneficiary from modern changes, while Harry Redknapp was ultimately ousted at Spurs due to how the old format used to work.