Tottenham Hotspur will attempt to sign an England star who Real Madrid were pushing to sign last year, with chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange showcasing some ambition already before the summer transfer window.
Ange Postecoglou praises Tottenham players despite Man City loss
Spurs' brief winning streak came to an abrupt end against Premier League champions Man City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Erling Haaland's eventual winner proved the difference between Ange Postecoglou and Pep Guardiola's sides, but the former still found positives to take away from the 90 minutes, despite it being their fourteenth top flight loss of the campaign.
"Yeah I think so. First half we were just a little bit too eager to get forward with the ball," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's positive second-half against Man City.
"I thought we were really wasteful and when you are (like that) against City it allows them to get into a rhythm of their game. They can pick you off at different times and we just didn’t handle that part of the game well. They scored and had a couple of good chances to get further ahead.
"I certainly felt second half we dominated the game and territory. We were pretty relentless. Much better with the ball and a lot calmer but just missing a goal and ultimately fell short.
"It did look more like us today. At least from my perspective. We were really relentless. We played aggressive football. We took it to a very good opponent. We never tapered off at all. If anything, like you said, bringing the guys on made us stronger towards the end of the game. Disappointing to lose but I think you see the benefit of us being refreshed and going into a game well prepared. That level of performance in the second half, if we can begin to get consistent with that then we will be able to push on."
Overall, it's been a disappointing second campaign in charge for Postecoglou, who is relying on a good run in the Europa League to end Tottenham's 17-year trophy drought.
Preparations are already underway to bolster the squad ahead of next campaign, with Tottenham believed to be targeting a new centre-back this summer.
Tottenham set to attempt move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite
According to CaughtOffside, Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite is on their transfer shortlist in that regard, following the Lilywhites' repeated shortages at centre-half throughout 2024/2025.
Tottenham are ready to rival Man United in the race for Branthwaite this summer, as per this report, and it is believed even Real Madrid were once pushing to land the England international, though a move failed to materialise.
The 22-year-old will apparently command a price tag of around £70 million, though, so Levy will need to invest heavily in his acquisition. That being said, he currently stands out as one of the country's most promising centre-backs.