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Tottenham have been busy in the transfer window so far, securing the moves for Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson, and most recently, Jan Paul van Hecke, who will be making the move to North London from the South Coast, for a reported fee of £52 million. This has seen the Lilywhites' defensive department entirely overhauled in a short period of time, which makes sense given that they allowed the fourth-most goals in the Premier League last season, with the three relegated sides beating them out.

But as a team brings in an influx of players, it creates a problem for those who are already there, as they will have increased competition for playing time. This is the exact situation that Tottenham's wonderkid, Luka Vuskovic, has found himself in, with the Croatian defender returning from a loan spell with Bundesliga outfit Hamburg, to a crowded depth chart.

For some, it could just be a case of fighting for your spot, but given the money spent on the transfer market and in the salary demands of those incoming players, it's not as simple as getting a shot.

The Croatian wants out of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

When you put things this way, it becomes a lot easier to understand the frustrations of Vuskovic, who is reportedly disgruntled with the Lilywhites and would be gearing towards a permanent departure rather than another loan move, according to a recent report from talkSPORT's Alex Crook.

Looking at the 19-year-old's loan spell with Hamburg, one in which he would score six goals while also recording 44 interceptions and 18 won tackles, it's no wonder that he wants the opportunity to prove himself on the highest level possible.

Vuskovic is getting to do that at the moment on the international stage, being included in Croatia's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with his potential debut in the global spectacle coming on Wednesday afternoon, when the Vatreni take on England for their opening match of the tournament.

All of this comes only a year after Tottenham spent €11.00m on the Croatian wonderkid, having him make the move from Hajduk Split to the English top flight.

Vuskovic could stay in England

While a defender of his talents is wanted all around Europe, as we've seen so far in the summer transfer window, it appears that one team could want to bring Vuskovic in: Brighton.

The Seagulls are currently looking to fill the void left by the aforementioned van Hecke following his move to North London, which prompted their contact with Tottenham over acquiring him; the £30 million fee that was proposed was promptly rejected, with the Lilywhites looking for a higher fee.

While the Croatian has never worked with Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton has become known to be quite the talent incubator in recent years, helping produce the likes of Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro, and Alexis Mac Allister before their moves to bigger clubs.

For now, Vuskovic's future in North London will be a storyline to follow as the summer rolls on.

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The big storyline surrounding Tottenham Hotspur in the early going of the summer transfer window has been their aspirations to improve their team, as the squad they had last season led them to a second straight 17th-place finish in the Premier League, with the more recent campaign coming down to the final day to guarantee their spot in the English top flight next year.

So far, the Lilywhites have confirmed the captures of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson, both being brought in on free transfers, which allows the North London club to bring in proven Premier League talents, while keeping money tucked away in their pockets to spend on further improvements to their squad.

One of those improvements that Tottenham executives had identified was further support for their backline, this time coming in the form of Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke, whom the Lilywhites had been looking at for some time. This interest had resulted in the North London club sending a bid to the South Coast side, which was subsequently rejected due to a failure to be on the same page, financially speaking.

van Hecke reunited with De Zerbi

While the two sides didn't see eye-to-eye on a deal at that point in time, things have changed since then, as it appears that the Dutch defender will be making a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, after the two sides agreed to a deal for £52 million, according to a recent report from The Athletic's David Ornstein.

van Hecke's move to North London will see him play under head coach Roberto De Zerbi once again, as the two were a part of the same squad a few seasons back with the Seagulls, alongside the South Coast. The Dutchman has proven to be defensively resolute for Brighton, with last season being no exception, recording 46 interceptions and beating his opponents out on 32 tackles.

The Dutchman's inclusion into the Lilywhites' backline should, in theory, help patch the holes that made their season so difficult, as Tottenham allowed 57 goals last year, the fourth most in the league, only trailing the three relegated teams.

For now, it will be up to see how the Lilywhites will spend the rest of their transfer window, with the £52 million being quite a sizeable chunk, even for a large club such as Tottenham.

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Saturday afternoon saw the 2026 FIFA World Cup usher in one of the names for the future into the global game, Morocco's Ayyoub Buaddi, with the wonderkid playing a large part of his national team's draw against perennial powerhouse Brazil. Against A Seleção, Buaddi would put on quite the show, completing 60 passes, winning nine duels, and recording five interceptions as he stormed through the midfield, making it tough for his opponents to string a run of possession together.

It was just more than just a debut, as it showed that Bouaddi can perform on the global stage against some of the best players in the world, emboldening the interest that teams had in him following his stellar campaign with Lille in Ligue 1, winning out on 49 tackles and recording 33 interceptions last season for the French outfit.

All in all, the Moroccan wonderkid has been looked at and is being closely followed by the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, and Paris-Saint Germain, amongst others, but according to a recent report, yet another English club is pursuing the 18-year-old.

Bouaddi is being eyed by Spurs

As reported by Foot Mercato's Santi Aouna, Tottenham Hotspur are now in the running to sign Bouaddi away from Lille, with the aforementioned clubs still in hot pursuit.

The Lilywhites' interest comes in the midst of a squad rebuild for the English side, as they have seen a few key members of their midfield depart following the conclusion of last season, with Yves Bissouma being among those, as well as a critical overhaul of their backline. A move for the Moroccan midfielder could make sense to provide the depth that Bissouma leaves behind, as well as being a critical piece of the club moving forward, given his age.

It's important to note that while there lies all of this interest around Bouaddi, the wonderkid himself isn't focusing on it for the time being, being rather focused on his national team's performance at the World Cup.

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The story of Tottenham Hotspur's offseason planning has been all about overhauling their backline, following a season that saw them allow 57 goals, the fourth most in the league, only trailing the three teams that were relegated to the Championship. This overhauling has come through the acquisition of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson on free transfers, while also being in pursuit of Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke, with the Lilywhites' initial bid of £30 million getting rejected in favor of a fee somewhere close to double their original one.

But according to recent reports, Spurs aren't just fixated on fixing their defensive woes, as they've looked towards the Serie A to add a new member to their front line, Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian forward is in the midst of a dispute with the Italian side over a new contract, with the two sides failing to reach an agreement regarding the salary, with Vlahovic requesting an annual salary of £8 million, per TEAMtalk's Graeme Bailey.

Vlahovic tied to North London, again?

Given that Vlahovic is a free agent at the end of the month, with his contract at the Allianz set to expire then, he'd be free to talk to clubs all around the association about the setting for the next chapter of his career. It appears that one of those settings could be in North London with Tottenham Hotspur.

According to Bailey, the Lilywhites are keeping a close eye on Vlahovic's contract discussions in Italy, and are interested in bringing him over to the English top flight, a division that he was linked with a move to years ago when Arsenal and Manchester City came knocking. It's not hard to see why Tottenham are reportedly interested in acquiring the Serbian, as he bagged 12 goal involvements last season.

This might not sound impressive when looking around at some of the talents already present in the Premier League, but given that a move, if complete, would be absent of a fee, it's not so bad after all. When it comes to the reported annual salary of £8 million, this wouldn't be a big deal for Spurs, as they have several players either at that mark or well above it, according to Spotrac.

Given that Vlahovic's contract expires at the end of the month, it will be an interesting two weeks to see what comes out of the further discussions in Italy and the potential negotiations in North London.

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The Netherlands has a high-powered group of playmakers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

They aren't entirely at what some would consider full strength, though. Xavi Simons isn't there in the Dutch squad.

The midfielder moved to Tottenham Hotspur in the 2025-26 season, and he helped Spurs barely stay up in the English Premier League after a brutal relegation battle.

Simons has represented the Netherlands on a major stage before, the 2024 Euros, but he's not in North America to suit up for this tournament.

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Why isn't Xavi Simons playing at the World Cup?

Simons isn't in the squad, and it wasn't really a decision. He's injured.

The playmaker tore his right ACL in his knee late in the season for Tottenham.

That's an injury that can keep a player out for nearly an entire year.

When Simons got hurt for Spurs, the emotion on his face made it clear that he knew he was probably going to miss the World Cup.

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With the tournament only once every four years, an injury like that can greatly limit a player's ability to make an international impact.

Simons is young enough that he'd hope and expect to be back at the tournament in 2030, but nothing is a given.

This is a big missed chance for Simons, due simply to the fact that injury luck wasn't on his side.

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Tottenham Hotspur's start to the summer transfer window has seen them add plenty of depth to their backline, securing the likes of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson on free transfers, as their contracts with their previous clubs had expired at the end of the season. It's worth noting that they've also been linked to the likes of Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke and Dinamo Zagreb's Sergi Dominguez in recent weeks, as their defensive bolstering campaign seems to be all but over.

While they're looking to bring players in for their defensive battery, it appears a few players could be leaving North London in the offseason, with Cristian Romero linked with a move away, as well as one of their more promising defenders, Luka Vuskovic. The Croatian defender has caught the eyes of the aforementioned Brighton, who were interested in exploring a £30 million deal for the wonderkid, with the bid being reported on Friday.

Tottenham are not satisfied with the Seagulls' offer

While it was reported that the Croatian was interested in working with Seagulls' gaffer Fabian Hurzeler, it appears that the South Coast side will have to up their offer, as Spurs have rejected their initial proposal outright, as reported by Sky Sports' Florian Plettenberg.

It seems that the real bump in the road standing between a deal between the two clubs falls on the fee for Vuskovic, with the £30 million put up by Brighton falling short of the estimated £60 million that the Lilywhites are expected to value you him, according to GiveMeSport's Ben Jacobs.

For some, the reported £60 million fee could be a bit shocking, but given his age and production with Bundesliga side Hamburg last season, it's no surprise to see the North London club raising their price to those heights. Across his 30 appearances with Hamburg, Vuskovic would find the back of the net on six occasions, while recording 44 interceptions and 18 won tackles, which was enough to earn him a spot in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.

Vuskovic's evaluation could soar above that previously reported amount in the coming weeks, as he received the call to represent Croatia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, being pitted in Group L, along with England, Ghana, and Panama.

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Richarlison is one of Brazil's most well-known current players thanks to his time in the English Premier League with Everton and now Tottenham.

But you won't see his face in the famous Selecao uniform during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Richarlison is missing in action, and he won't be showing up at any point during the major tournament.

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Why isn't Richarlison playing for Brazil?

Simply, Richarlison wasn't chosen in the squad.

Brazil has always had a large group of forwards and attacking-minded players to choose from, and for the 2026 World Cup, they went in directions other than Richarlison.

One of the toughest selections was the legendary Neymar, who is far from his peak ability but still proved in the end too tough to leave off the roster.

Richarlison had a solid, but not spectacular, season for Spurs as they staved off relegation on the final day. He played in 32 league matches and scored 11 goals with four assists.

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The 29-year old forward is capable of playing down the middle or on a wing, which could've raised his appeal for a World Cup roster with versatility, but wasn't appealing enough in the end.

Given his age, this may have been his last best chance to represent his nation at a World Cup. It's tough to imagine him getting onto the roster in four years.

Brazil will have plenty of firepower without Richarlison, but it's a tough break for him to miss out.

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One of the mainstays with Tottenham Hotspur over the last four seasons has been that of Yves Bissouma, who has been a fixture in the Lilywhites’ midfield for that time period. The 29-year-old made the move to North London in 2022, having previously been a part of the Brighton squad, which was jampacked with some of the bigger names of the English topflight today: Marc Cucurella, Alexis Mac Allister, and Leandro Trossard, among others.

So it was quite a big deal when the Lilywhites were able to bring the Malian to bolster their midfield department, which at the time consisted of Pedro Porro, Oliver Skipp, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Ivan Perisic, amongst others.

However, while Bissouma would be a part of the Tottenham squad to end the club’s infamous trophy drought in 2025, hoisting the Europa League trophy over their Premier League counterpart Manchester United, he was also a part of the team’s recent struggles domestically.

In the same season that the Lilywhites lifted the Europa League trophy, they finished 17th in the Premier League table, which would carry on to the next season, this time going through three managers in the process, and having their top-flight survival be decided on the final day of the season.

The Malian leaves North London

Bissouma wouldn’t put out his best performances during the recent campaign, recording eight interceptions and winning 11 tackles, all of which were cast down by two big injuries, with all of it happening in what was his contract year. It appears these will be his last outings with Tottenham, as the team announced his departure on Wednesday morning, opting not to work towards a new deal.

The 28-year-old will be able to reach out elsewhere to see who is interested in acquiring his talents, while it will allow Spurs to give more playing time to some of the younger talents they have in Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

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Tottenham Hotspur have gone into the summer transfer window with one thing on their mind: improving their defensive backline. This goal comes after the Lilywhites struggled in the Premier League, narrowly avoiding relegation to the Championship, while allowing the fourth most goals in the English top flight.

It would appear that the North London club has been making significant headway on their defensive improvements, with the recent signings of Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi, both of whom have left their previous clubs for Tottenham on a free transfer. While Spurs have also been tied to Dinamo Zagreb’s Sergi Dominguez in recent weeks, they’ve been showing interest in a defender from the south coast, Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke.

Tottenham’s negotiations fall flat with Brighton

It was reported earlier in the week that the Lilywhites were keen on bringing in the Dutchman, as he had previously worked under Roberto De Zerbi during his time at the American Express Stadium, but there hadn’t been any moves made.

That has since changed, as according to talkSPORTS’ Anton Stanley, Spurs have sent over two offers to the Seagulls, but both have been rejected.

“Yes, we have rejected a bid from Tottenham over the last week or so, in fact, two bids,” Paul Barber, Brighton’s chief executive, told talkSPORT.

It appears that while the Seagulls are playing tough to get for their star defender, they’re only doing it as they need things to be right for both the organization and the player.

"From that point of view, it has to be right for us as well as the player,“ stated Barber.

All of this interest comes after a season in which van Hecke was the defensive anchor in Brighton’s backline, recording 46 interceptions and winning 32 tackles.

While in the initial report on Tottenham’s interest in the Dutchman, it was also stated that they had an interest in Brighton’s goalkeeper, Bart Verbruggen, it doesn’t appear that there are any updates on that front from talkSPORT’s interactions with Barber.

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It wouldn’t be bold to say that anything is better than what Tottenham Hotspur just did during the 2025-26 Premier League campaign, narrowly avoiding relegation to the Championship on the final day of the season, one point above the line. It’s become apparent that the Lilywhites are doing their best to avoid even getting close to that zone again, which can be reflected in their activity early on in the summer transfer window.

It’s being heavily speculated that Spurs are set to sign both Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson to help bolster their backline, something that was quite the issue for them, as the team only kept nine clean sheets, allowing 54 goals during the domestic campaign.

There have also been links to Dinamo Zagreb’s Sergi Dominguez, with the North London club jumping in on a target of Italian side Lazio, but their search appears to have gone to the South Coast of England.

De Zerbi looking for a reunion

According to TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey, Spurs’ manager Roberto De Zerbi is keen on signing two of his former players, Jan Paul van Hecke and Bart Berbruggen.

“Tottenham Hotspur are preparing to test Brighton and Hove Albion’s resolve as they weigh up moves for Dutch duo Bart Verbruggen and Jan Paul van Hecke this summer,” writes Bailey.

This would reunite the Seagulls’ pair with their former manager, and would certainly put Guglielmo Vicario’s future in North London under question, given his shaky performances last season.

Van Hecke, on the other hand, would slot in well with the Spurs’ backline, as he was a huge part of the Sea Gulls’ defensive strategy, recording 46 interceptions, while winning 32 tackles across his 40 appearances last season.

While there isn’t a known fee for the partnership, TEAMtalk reports that it would be quite high, given that Brighton is rather relaxed about selling the pair.

“The Seagulls are under no pressure to sell Verbruggen or Van Hecke and are expected to demand substantial fees should formal approaches arrive,” stated Bailey.

For now, it’ll be another one of the storylines to follow as the Lilywhites look to rebound from what was quite the lackluster campaign.

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