TBR Football

Under Thomas Frank’s guidance, Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to compete with north London rivals Arsenal once again next term.

Tottenham will join Arsenal in next season’s edition of the Champions League, a parting gift from former boss Ange Postecoglou.

Frank will soon have time to assess his squad in N17, and once Spurs decide their summer targets, significant upgrades should arrive.

Tottenham are already interested in Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, a player they were keen to sign for much of Postecoglou’s tenure.

But when it comes to finding upgrades up top, Spurs are now reportedly eyeing a move for a player who’s also very high up on Arsenal’s shortlist.

Tottenham are monitoring Rodrygo’s situation at Real Madrid

According to Spanish outlet Cadena Ser, Spurs have now registered their interest in Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.

Rodrygo is unhappy at Real Madrid right now owing to frustrations with his game time — a player who is no longer an undisputed starter.

As a result, Arsenal are considering a move for Rodrygo, but they might soon have some unwelcome competition from their London rivals.

According to the report, both Chelsea and Tottenham are also now monitoring Rodrygo’s situation who is ‘exploring the Premier League’.

It’s stated that Real would ask for around €90m (£77m) for the Brazilian this summer, a fee that would gazump the £65m Spurs paid for Dominic Solanke last summer.

However, if Rodrygo could be convinced to join Tottenham this summer, Daniel Levy would surely have no issue breaking the club’s transfer record once again.

Of course, it should be noted that Arsenal have already held talks with Rodrygo’s camp this summer, meaning any move to Spurs would represent a serious coup.

Rodrygo could be Tottenham’s Son Heung-min replacement

Were Tottenham able to pull off an audacious move for Rodrygo to mark the new Frank era, the Brazilian would perhaps come in as Son Heung-min’s long-term replacement.

Son is ready to leave Tottenham this summer after winning the Europa League, and the 32-year-old will have plenty of suitors.

Interestingly, Rodrygo’s frustrations in Spain are also somewhat being caused by his desire to play in a left wing role, something which simply isn’t possible in Madrid owing to Vinicius Junior’s importance.

But for a player of Rodrygo’s quality, the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal would likely go out of their way to accommodate the Brazilian in any position.

And whilst a switch to Spurs might seem unlikely for Rodrygo right now, Frank would surely love to mark the club’s new era with such an ambitious deal.

Thomas Frank has suffered an early blow at Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window.

The Danish head coach has learned that one of Tottenham Hotspur’s top transfer targets won’t be joining his squad this summer.

Frank has already seen one player sign this month, with Mathys Tel joining Tottenham permanently for £30 million from Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, TBR Football can reveal that Tottenham are close to signing Kota Takai from J1 League club Kawasaki Frontale.

However, one of their top midfield transfer targets is set to move elsewhere, but there remains good news, as Spurs could yet profit from his decision.

Tottenham will get fee from Johnny Cardoso deal

Johnny Cardoso will not be joining Tottenham this summer from Real Betis, as per Dean Jones, despite the Lilywhites having the option to sign him.

Tottenham agreed a £21m option for Cardoso when they sold Giovani Lo Celso to Real Betis during the 2024 summer transfer window.

However, Cardoso wants to join Atletico Madrid instead, but Spurs are due to receive some of the fee that the Spanish club will pay to sign the United States international.

Jones told Ranks FC: “Spurs are not signing Johnny Cardoso. If he goes somewhere else, they still get a fee, so they are taking a fee instead.”

Cardoso has been called ‘amazing’ by the Spanish media, with the 23-year-old producing many impressive performances for the Andalusia club.

The midfielder started in the Europa Conference League final, however, he had a tough evening as Betis were thrashed 4-1 by Chelsea.

Tottenham want to sign a central defender, defensive midfielder, winger and striker

Tottenham will now look elsewhere and are targeting a central defender, a defensive midfielder, another winger and a striker.

Yves Bissouma could leave Tottenham, therefore, they will need to sort out a replacement, and unfortunately, that won’t be Cardoso.

In attack, Spurs want to sign another winger even after getting Tel, with Eberechi Eze, Antoine Semenyo and Bryan Mbeumo among their top targets.

Meanwhile, a striker who can rotate with Dominic Solanke and take some of the burden off the 27-year-old.

Speaking about where Spurs could turn next, Jones added: “They want a centre-back, a defensive midfielder, one more wide attacker and a player to rotate with Solanke.”

Eberechi Eze has many a friend at Tottenham as speculation involving the England international grows louder.

James Maddison has already called Eze a “baller” after previous interactions between the Crystal Palace No.10 and the Spurs No.10 on the pitch, while the man born in Greenwich has also been seen chatting to the likes of Brandon Austin and Heung-min Son at length after games.

Spurs even arranged a box for the Londoner’s entourage when Crystal Palace travelled to N17 in the 2023/24 campaign.

Tottenham therefore seem to be in a strong position to sign Eberechi Eze – although he will surely feel torn over a rumour coming from Spurs as he ponders his future.

Eberechi Eze might not get a chance to play with his close pal Heung-min Son

TBR Football understand Eze is keen on a move to Tottenham this summer, but his enthusiasm for the transfer could potentially lessen if Spurs sell his South Korean pal.

Sources state that Thomas Frank is ready to sell Son, and the Tottenham No.7 understands his time at Spurs is coming to an end at the age of 32 – after a tough 2024/25 campaign in which he scored just seven goals in 30 Premier League appearances.

However, should an exit materialise, we imagine Eze would be gutted.

The 26-year-old and Son have previously attended Burberry’s London Fashion Week show together, sitting alongside each other in good spirits.

Not only have the pair also been seen chatting at length on the pitch after meetings between Crystal Palace and Tottenham, but Son praised Eze for scoring against Spurs in March 2024 – keen to acknowledge his friend’s ability despite it coming at the expense of the north Londoners.

Heung-min Son exit could benefit Eberechi Eze

We previously mentioned that Eze may feel torn over this situation, as there is a potential upside to it.

Son leaving would lessen the competition for places on the left flank, an area where Eze has thrived under Oliver Glasner for Crystal Palace when cutting inside on his right foot.

Therefore, a departure for the South Korean could increase his chances of making the starting XI under Frank if a move materialises, despite the fact he would have to play without a good friend.

Tottenham Hotspur have some big decisions to make this summer.

Spurs are entering a new era under Thomas Frank, and they have some huge calls to make on some big name players.

Cristian Romero’s future remains up in the air, while Richarlison’s future at Tottenham is unclear.

Heung-Min Son could also leave Tottenham this summer, and according to Tom Barclay, there’s one key reason as to why Son is now open to leaving Spurs.

According to the journalist, Son is now ready to leave Tottenham after winning the Europa League as he wants to leave on a high.

Heung-Min Son ready to leave Tottenham after Europa League win

Barclay shared what he knows about Son and how he’s feeling about his Tottenham future.

According to the journalist, Son is ready to leave Tottenham as he wants to leave Spurs on a high.

Son is a ‘world class’ player at his best, and he’s ready to depart Tottenham on the highest of notes.

“Regarding Son, I’m under the understanding that Son is open to leaving for the first time in a long time, ending 10 years at the club. There is this sort of thinking in his mindset I believe that maybe going out on a high because of lifting the club’s first trophy in 17 years, the first trophy in the decade he’s been at the club,” Barclay said.

Players who left clubs after winning trophies

Son wants to leave Tottenham on a high after winning a trophy in his final game, and a number of notable players have followed this exact pattern over the years.

Indeed, some legendary players have left their clubs after winning major trophies in their final matches.

Patrick Vieira left Arsenal after winning the FA Cup in 2005, Didier Drogba left Chelsea after becoming a Champions League winner in 2012, while Eden Hazard left Chelsea after winning the Europa League in 2019, much like Son.

The most high-profile example may be Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid departure that came in 2018 after winning the Champions League with Los Blancos for the third time in a row.

As painful as it will be to see Son leave Spurs, now is as good a time as ever for the attacker to leave north London.

Tottenham Hotspur haven’t been all that busy in the summer transfer window so far.

Indeed, Spurs have only secured one summer signing so far, and even then, that was the signing of Mathys Tel, a player who was already at Spurs last season.

Luckily, more reinforcements are on the way, and Tottenham have some interesting signings in mind.

Eberechi Eze is a Tottenham target, while Antoine Semenyo is someone Spurs are keen on too.

However, it sounds as though Spurs’ second signing of the summer could be a more left-field option as they close in on the signing of Kota Takai.

Takai is set to join Tottenham as a first-team option, and one player in particular should be excited by this move.

Archie Gray should be excited by Kota Takai arrival

Archie Gray could end up being a key beneficiary after Kota Takai’s arrival at Tottenham.

The Spurs midfielder endured a strange first season in north London, it must be said.

Gray earned plenty of praise from his peers and pundits at times, but, he wasn’t able to showcase his full potential.

Indeed, sadly, due to a serious injury crisis last season, Gray spent most of the campaign playing out of position at centre-back.

However, with Takai set to arrive in north London, Gray will surely now have played his last game at centre-back for Spurs.

Gray was signed to play in midfield for Tottenham, but, so far, that hasn’t quite gone to plan, but now, with more depth in defence, the youngster should be able to focus on playing his natural position.

Archie Gray’s positional breakdown for Tottenham

Archie Gray was bought by Tottenham as an option in the midfield, but, more often than not, he’s been shifted around in numerous different positions.

After his first season at Spurs, Gray’s positional breakdown looks utterly bizarre.

This is a testament to just how versatile Gray is, but in football it’s not ideal to be a jack of all trades at times.

Gray will be hoping to develop into a top-level player, and in order to do that he needs to specialise in one position and develop a level of consistency in that role.

With Takai headed to Tottenham, Gray should be allowed a real run playing in his preferred midfield role at Spurs.

Following the arrival of Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur, Daniel Levy is now keen to hand his new head coach a statement signing.

Tottenham Hotspur are working hard to add to their squad ahead of their return to the Champions League next season.

Mathys Tel is Spurs’ first signing of the summer, and he is expected to be joined by Kota Takai who is close to joining Tottenham, TBR Football understands.

But now, the Spurs chairman wants to go big by delivering a ‘statement’ addition, and he has already put the money on the table for the player.

Daniel Levy really wants to sign Bryan Mbeumo for Tottenham

Daniel Levy is working ‘really hard’ to sign Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo for Tottenham this summer, according to Darren Lewis.

Mbeumo, who’s been dubbed ‘outstanding’, is subject to strong interest from both Spurs and Manchester United.

TBR Football sources believe that Spurs are starting to accept that the 25-year-old is committed to United, with the North London club having made their pitch to him.

But Levy is trying extremely hard to also bring the Cameroonian across London and provide his new head coach with a statement addition.

Lewis told the Last Word On Spurs podcast: “It’s still too close to call, United have the edge, but Spurs are prepared to pay the money. The chairman wants to deliver a statement signing for the manager.

“I know that he’s really trying hard, and if Mbeumo does go to United, it won’t be because Spurs haven’t tried incredibly hard to take him.”

Brentford want £62.5million for Mbeumo and the Lilywhites are believed to have already put that sort of money on the table to sign him for Brentford.

But if his heart is set on a move to Old Trafford, Spurs will need to move on and it is believed that they already have another target in mind.

Tottenham ready Antoine Semenyo move if Bryan Mbeumo joins Man United

Tottenham are ready to go ‘full steam ahead’ for Antonine Semenyo if Mbeumo does eventually choose to join United.

TBR Football can reveal that Tottenham won’t pay £60 million for Semenyo, at this stage, and Bournemouth are standing firm over that valuation.

But Lewis expects the North London club to make another strong push for the Ghanaian forward if they miss out on their top target.

Lewis added: “I think that if Man United sign Mbeumo, Spurs will go full steam ahead for Semenyo and vice versa.”

TBR Football understands that Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are set to go head-to-head this summer to sign the same attacking target.

Arsenal are eager to add to their forward line following last season’s injury crisis, which derailed their pursuit of Liverpool in the title race.

Thomas Frank also wants to add new attackers to his Tottenham Hotspur team to help them try to climb up the Premier League following last season’s dismal 17th-place finish.

The two North London clubs have recently held talks with a forward from the Premier League about a possible move, and they are now both considering offers.

Arsenal and Tottenham hold Mohammed Kudus talks

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur both had talks about Mohammed Kudus in the last week, and they are now thinking about bidding for him, according to TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey.

West Ham United need to sell Kudus this summer to give them the funds to help Graham Potter and his staff rework the squad.

The 24-year-old has a release clause of over £80 million, however, the Hammers will not demand that, especially with Kudus unwilling to join the Saudi Pro League.

TBR Football has now been told that West Ham are set to accept a deal north of £60 million for the Ghanaian international.

The West Ham forward is not short of interest, with Manchester United and Chelsea having already seen exchange offers rejected earlier in the window.

Chelsea’s interest remains, but a fresh bid has not yet been made. Meanwhile, Newcastle United also admire Kudus, but he is not their top priority.

How Mohammed Kudus compares to Tottenham and Arsenal’s current attackers

Kudus is coming off the back of a tough season in East London, as he failed to break double digits for goals and assists.

The attacker managed just five goals and four assists in total, which was quite a significant fall off from the 2023/24 season.

The former Ajax star produced a very impressive 18 goals and ten assists in the season prior which is why he remains in such high demand.

Kudus’ ability to play on either flank and as a number ten is something which could make interested clubs even more eager to land him.

Although his main position is on the right, which might mean the Gunners may decide not to continue with Bukayo Saka already there. Spurs, on the other hand, are keen to sign a right-sided attacker to compete with Brennan Johnson.

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.