Tottenham are expected to be major players in the summer transfer market after their young squad was stretched way beyond its limits this season, but there are four senior players who could be sold at the end of the current campaign before their contracts expire in 2026.
The north London outfit have switched their focus to landing top young talents in recent windows, while sporadically adding the odd experienced performer to balance out their squad.
For every Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, it’s important that they continue adding players like Dominic Solanke and Kevin Danso to keep that balance from becoming one-sided and end up leaving the club woefully short on experience – as has happened this term.
However, three of Tottenham‘s biggest names will be out of contract in the summer of 2026, leaving the club in a predicament as to whether they stick or twist going forward – especially if they continue with Ange Postecoglou and the focus remains largely on building with youth.
To that end, TEAMtalk takes a look at the quartet in north London who can walk away for nothing in 2026 and what the future might hold for them…
Son Heung-min
The Tottenham skipper extended his deal by a further year at the start of the January transfer window, but there’s no hiding behind the fact that the South Korean is no longer the force he once was.
The 32-year-old no longer has that searing pace and is certainly not as clinical with his finishing, but there is still some value in keeping him around.
Realistically, Tottenham are not going to recoup a significant amount if they opt to sell this summer, especially with Son turning 33 in July and his overall form trending in a downward direction.
He remains extremely popular in the changing room and, as a rotational figure in the Spurs attack, could still do a good job for Ange Postecoglou – assuming the Australian is still in charge.
Son would, however, have to relinquish the captaincy as Tottenham need better on-field leadership going forward – given their tendency to fall apart in games if things don’t go to plan.
To that end, the club should allow the former Bayer Leverkusen man to walk away as a free agent in the summer of 2026 and earn a handsome signing-on fee at his next club. Indeed, 172 goals and 94 assists in 444 Tottenham games (with more to come) very much earns him that right.
Verdict: KEEP (for now)
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Yves Bissouma
As a Tottenham fan, this one is an easy decision but also an incredibly frustrating one when it comes to what might have been for Bissouma in north London.
When he signed in a bargain £25million deal from Brighton in the summer of 2022, there was so much buzz around Spurs landing the Mali star for a bargain fee considering what he had done on the south coast.
Make no bones about it, Bissouma emerged as one the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League while he was with the Seagulls but that form has NOT transformed to the capital.
He mostly struggled to find his feet under Antonio Conte, a manager he should have been perfect for given the Italian’s more pragmatic approach.
There was an uplift when Postecoglou walked through the door, with Bissouma forming an excellent partnership with Pape Sarr as Tottenham went 10 games unbeaten to start the 2023/24 campaign before the wheels came off dramatically.
The 28-year-old has never been able to recapture that form and has been in out of the Spurs side ever since, with injuries and fitness issues playing a part.
There is no doubt that Tottenham need to cash in on the player this summer, while they can still recoup a decent fee, with an upgrade definitely needed in that No.6 role.
However, many Spurs fans will probably then be watching closely to see if Bissouma annoyingly hits those Brighton heights again elsewhere.
Verdict: SELL
Rodrigo Bentancur
Up until a few weeks ago, this was looking like a ‘cash in while you still can’ scenario but the Uruguayan has shown in recent games that he is starting to find his best form again.
Bentancur was arguably at the peak of his powers before suffering an horrific ACL injury at Leicester back in February 2023, an issue that kept him on the sidelines until November that year.
Making his first start back, he was looking imperious until a terrible Matty Cash challenge against Aston Villa saw him suffer ankle ligament damage that ruled him out for a further three months – and the road back to his best form has been a very bumpy one since.
At his best, the 27-year-old is one the top box-to-box midfielders in English football. Indeed, be could even be better if Postecoglou paired him with a player who is more capable of protecting an often-exposed backline due to the Tottenham manager’s cavalier style of play.
In the recent clashes with Ipswich and Manchester City, Bentancur was the driving force of the Spurs midfield again and his hard work and perseverance is fully deserving of an extended stay in north London.
Indeed, it’s been reported that talks are already underway to extend Bentancur’s contract, with Postecoglou a huge fan of the former Juventus man’s talents.
Verdict: KEEP
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Bryan Gil
Successive managers have packed the talented Spanish winger off on loan, which probably tells you all you need to know about Gil’s long-term future in north London.
Signed from Sevilla in part-exchange deal for Erik Lamela in the summer of 2021, Gil has played just 43 times for Tottenham since then without scoring a single goal and laying on two assists.
The 24-year-old has been loaned out three times – all back to LaLiga – and is currently at Girona, where he has notched four goals and added three assists in 30 games in all competitions. Six of those outings have come in the Champions League, where he started every time.
When you consider what he’s achieved back in Spain, Tottenham have either mis-evaluated Gil’s abilities completely or he is just not suited to the style of football in England.
At 5ft 9in and with a slight build, Gil was often pushed around in his rare outings for Tottenham, despite clearly having plenty of talent and quality on the ball – suggesting that the latter argument above is the right one.
It’s been reported that Spurs added a €15m (£12m) option to buy in the loan deal with Girona and, at that price, there is every chance that a permanent switch will happen.
Verdict: SELL