Football.London

We have made it to the final five - the best five players to have worn the Lilywhite shirt of Tottenham Hotspur in the last 25 years.

For 2025 we have been counting down the list of the best 25 players to have played for Spurs since 2000. It has not been easy with some absolute greats to have come and gone in N17 in that time.

And as much as we're happy with the list, we may not have got it right, which is why we wanted you readers to have your say too. And you still can. You can pick your favourite five players in the poll in the story here and see if they tally up with what we believe.

Because now we're at the last stage, the final five, the cream of the crop of the last 25 years.

You can find numbers 25-21 here, 20-16 here, 15-11 here and 10-6 here to recap.

This is sure to cause some debate, and we're here for it. You can tell us what you think of our rankings in the comments section below.

Alejo Veliz has 11 games remaining to try and finish his 2024/25 campaign on a positive note. Joining Spanish side Espanyol on a season-long loan deal back in August, Veliz's return to La Liga just hasn't quite worked out for him.

After such a frustrating time at Sevilla in the second half of last season with only six outings coming his way, a switch to Espanyol appeared to be the perfect move in his quest to gain some more first-team experience. The 21-year-old has featured a lot more regularly than at Sevilla but it is pretty much an even split between starts and substitute appearances.

Veliz has started 12 games in all competitions for the Spanish club and come on as a substitute on 11 occasions. In Espanyol's last three league fixtures, the frontman has been reduced to only a single minute of football after finding himself an unused substitute on two occasions.

In such a big year in his young career with limited football coming his way the previous term, his loan switch has not worked out at all. That can be seen from the fact that he has only played the full 90 minutes twice in La Liga since joining Espanyol.

Veliz does have four goals to his name but three of those did come against San Tirso, who play at level six in the Spanish football pyramid, in the Copa del Rey back in October. After securing promotion back to La Liga last season, Periquitos are in danger of an immediate return to the Segunda Division as they are one point clear of the relegation zone as things stand right now.

Espanyol are going to need a hero in the run-in, with Veliz hopefully the player to score the goals required to help them achieve La Liga safety come the end of May. Once his time at RCDE Stadium does come to an end, the youngster will return to Tottenham and a decision will have to be made over what comes next.

Since he was brought to Spurs as a £13million investment for Ange Postecoglou in the summer of 2023, Veliz has been limited to eight games for the north London club. Even last summer upon his return from Sevilla and with limited options up front due to Richarlison's injury and Dominic Solanke not having signed yet, the Argentine only featured in two of the team's six pre-season games.

Veliz was part of the Tottenham squad for the tour of Japan and South Korea but he did not play in any of their three games. Instead, Dejan Kulusevski was used through the middle as a striker and then Will Lankshear was utilised from the bench.

Veliz did appear to drop behind Lankshear and Dane Scarlett in the pecking order and that may well remain the case ahead of next season. Mathys Tel will be another striker option for Spurs if he joins on a permanent contract and you cannot rule out the club possibly looking at another addition in that area of the pitch amid Richarlison's struggles to stay fit.

One way or another Spurs are going to have a decision to make over Veliz as they plan for the future. It probably is now or never this summer when it comes to his Tottenham career.

Romero fitness boost, Bergvall absence and Donley's Spurs future - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Johnny Cardoso has revealed that Tottenham having an option to sign him this summer is something that gives him confidence and makes him feel valued. Only joining Real Betis midway through last season, the 23-year-old has come to the attention of a number of clubs, including Spurs, following his impressive performances in La Liga.

It does appear that Cardoso will be moving on from the Estadio Benito Villamarin at some point in the not too distant future, with a summer switch to north London a real possibility. Tottenham are believed to have a two-week window in the summer where they can secure the signing of Cardoso for £21million.

The agreement between the clubs all came about after Giovani Lo Celso returned to Real Betis on a permanent deal from Spurs late in the summer transfer window. As the end of the season is now fast approaching, Cardoso was asked about the option and what it feels like to have interest from Ange Postecoglou's side.

“I can’t lie, and it’s true that it’s something that gives me confidence, that makes me feel valued because I’m doing a good job," said the United States international in an interview with Spanish publication Diario de Sevilla. “But I always try to improve and do my best for the benefit of the group and grow as a person on and off the field. However, right now my focus is only on Betis. This season we have important things to think about.”

One of the "important things" Manuel Pellegrini's side have to think about is Champions League qualification. Betis are eight points adrift of Athletic Club in the final Champions League spot in the La Liga table but they do have form on their side after winning their last five league fixtures.

That may be a sizeable gap at present but it is something that can be whittled down with ten games of the term remaining. Certainly a contender for a place in Europe's premier competition, Cardoso has admitted that Betis are "growing more ambitious" and he would like to play for his current team in the Champions League.

"Yes. In the end, we're just taking it one game at a time," said Cardoso on Champions League talk creeping into the Betis dressing room. "We've won five games, and that gives us a lot of confidence and makes us excited about the Champions League.

"With each passing game, we're growing more ambitious, but I've said from the start that we always play to fight for the maximum because we have the qualities to do so. We believe in the group and in our work, and if we continue like this, why not dream?"

On playing for Betis in the Champions League, he added: "Of course. It's a team that's been my home since I arrived, and I feel very good here."

Romero fitness boost, Bergvall absence and Donley's Spurs future - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Hotspur Way should certainly be a bit busier over the next couple of days following the conclusion of the first international break of 2025. The vast majority of Ange Postecoglou's squad were called up for international action and only a handful of players remained behind.

As Spurs have no fixture this weekend due to their FA Cup exit at the hands of Aston Villa in early February, the north London club do have plenty of time to prepare for next Thursday's Premier League encounter at Chelsea. Tottenham's preparation for the match is going to be absolutely vital as they look to climb up the Premier League table from their lowly position of 14th.

What should help matters leading up to the game in west London is that a number of Tottenham players enjoyed really good international breaks for their respective countries. So who were the Spurs winners and losers of the international break? football.london takes a look below.

Winners

One of the main positives Postecoglou can take from this month's international games is that Cristian Romero played two 90-minute matches for Argentina. Since returning from injury earlier this month, the centre-back had only completed one full game from a possible three as the head coach was clearly managing his minutes.

Well, his two outings for the current World Cup winners suggests that the 26-year-old is now in a position to start week in, week out for Tottenham between now and the end of May. Romero was at fault for Matheus Cunha's goal for Brazil on Tuesday evening but it has been a positive international break for the defender.

Micky van de Ven could also be considered a winner from the break in play if he can join Romero in playing consistent football for Tottenham in the weeks ahead after his injury woes this term. The Dutchman was not part of the Netherlands squad for their UEFA Nations League fixtures after they elected not to call him up and that will have allowed him to top up his fitness at Hotspur Way.

Two players who did enjoy a good week or so with their country were France Under-21 duo Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel. Odobert assisted two of Hugo Ekitike's treble in a 5-3 win over England Under-21s, which should give him a further confidence boost after a good period for Spurs prior to departing for international duty.

Tel came on from the bench in the game against England Under-21s but he marked his return to the starting XI against Slovakia Under-21s with a fine double. It may not have gone to plan for the youngster in front of goal in a Spurs shirt since his loan move from Bayern Munich but he looked every inch a player full of confidence with two excellent strikes in a 4-0 win.

His first was a curling effort from the left side of the penalty area that found the far corner of the goal, with his second a sublime dink over the advancing goalkeeper. His two goals for his country will hopefully be a sign of things to come over the coming weeks.

Yves Bissouma was also another player who had an impact on the international stage after a tough period at Tottenham. The midfielder assisted two of Mali's three goals in a 3-0 win at Comoros, before then playing 90 minutes four days later in a 0-0 draw with Central Africa.

Amid his current woes at Tottenham with limited minutes coming his way due to his performances, Bissouma's exploits for his country will hopefully give him a much-needed lift. Tottenham teammate Ben Davies was then a shock goalscorer in Wales' 3-1 win over Kazakhstan last Saturday.

The centre-back was in the right place to head home from point-blank range as he scored only his third goal for his country. Davies did also get an assist in the game after teeing up Daniel James for a seventh-minute opener.

Destiny Udogie managed two 90-minute appearances for Italy in their UEFA Nations League double-header against Germany. Starts for Italy have been hard to come by for the left-back with Federico Dimarco in his position but the Spurs man profited from his rival's absence due to injury.

Finally, it was a good international break for Jamie Donley and Yang Min-hyeok as they made their senior international debuts for Northern Ireland and South Korea respectively. Donley came on as a substitute against Switzerland and then started four days later in a 5-1 defeat at Sweden, with Yang getting 45 minutes to his name from the bench in a 1-1 draw with Jordan.

Losers

It was unfortunately an international break to forget for Lucas Bergvall as he missed out on his first start for Sweden. Previously making four senior appearances off the bench, head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson had indicated prior to their friendly against Luxembourg that the in-form Tottenham midfielder would start the game.

However, Bergvall was absent from training in the middle of the week due to illness and that sadly saw him miss out. The youngster was then not part of the squad for Tuesday's Northern Ireland friendly and that means his long-awaited first start for Sweden remains on hold for now.

Bergvall's next opportunity to start for Sweden could come at the beginning of June when they travel to Hungary. Tottenham teammate Dominic Solanke also missed out on international minutes over the past week after Thomas Tuchel elected not to bring him on in England's wins over Albania and Latvia.

Due to his watching brief from the substitutes' bench, Solanke should be raring to go for Tottenham in their upcoming fixtures against Chelsea and Southampton. The striker will be hoping to get his first minutes under Tuchel in June when England face Andorra and Senegal.

Guglielmo Vicario also missed out on adding to his Italy international caps as he had to watch on from the bench with Gianluigi Donnarumma starting in the games against Germany. The Tottenham shot-stopper had started ahead of his rival in two of Italy's last three fixtures but it appears that the ex-PSG man is ahead of him in the pecking order.

Romero fitness boost, Bergvall absence and Donley's Spurs future - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

There is only one more week to go until Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham side return to action. Facing another weekend off with no game on the calendar due to their FA Cup exit, the Premier League resumes in midweek with fixtures spread over three days.

Tottenham fans will have to remain patient, though, as their fixture at Chelsea is the last to be played in gameweek 30. Postecoglou has lost all three of his games against the Blues since taking on the Tottenham job and he will be intent on putting that record right.

Tottenham do not fare well at the home of their London rivals, with their last win at Stamford Bridge coming seven years ago following a 3-1 victory courtesy of Dele Alli's double and Christian Eriksen's wonderful strike. Spurs head into Thursday's match 14th in the Premier League table and in desperate need of three points as they look to clinch a top-half finish despite the current ten-point deficit. Chelsea, who have also endured a mixed run of late, sit fourth and are firmly in the mix for a Champions League finish.

Ahead of Thursday's showdown in SW6, Postecoglou will be hoping for some positive news on the injury front with Kevin Danso, Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison currently in the treatment room. Regardless of whether or not the trio are in a position to return to the matchday squad, the Spurs boss does now have options at his disposal following a big injury boost over the past month or so.

Who is the best player to have turned out for Tottenham Hotspur in the last 25 years? We are on course to find out now.

At football.london we have been counting down the best 25 players since the turn of the century all this week and we're now into the top ten.

We revealed 25-21 on Monday, 20-16 on Tuesday and 15-11 on Wednesday and now we're up to the best ten players of the last 25 years.

But while we're counting down our top 25, we want you to have your say too. You can name your top five players of the last 25 years by voting in our poll below.

Spurs best 25 players poll

This is sure to cause some debate, and we're here for it. You can tell us what you think of our rankings in the comments section below.

Former Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama has sealed a shock return to British football after signing a short-term contract at Scottish Championship side Dunfermline Athletic.

The 33-year-old has spent the last five years playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) having joined CF Montreal from Spurs back in March 2020. After leaving Canada following 2024 season in January, Wanyama had been searching for his next club. A move back to England had been touted, but Wanyama has instead reunited with Neil Lennon in Scotland.

Lennon appointed in charge of Scottish second-tier side Dunfermline on Tuesday on a deal until the end of the season. And his first piece of transfer business was to bring in free agent Wanyama.

In a club statement released on Wednesday, Dunfermline said: "DAFC are delighted to announce the signing of Kenyan international, Victor Wanyama, on a deal until the end of the season, subject to international clearance."

Dunfermline have endured a difficult campaign so far and they are at risk of relegation to the third tier. The club sit ninth place in the table, six points clear of rock bottom Airdrieonians and are in danger of competing in the Championship play-offs. However, they do have a game-in-hand on eighth-place Hamilton, who are two points ahead.

Wanyama and Lennon worked together during their time at Celtic. Having signed from Beerschot in summer 2011, Kenya ace Wanyama spent two years in Glasgow, winning the Scottish Premier League twice and the Scottish Cup once, before leaving to join Southampton for £12.5million.

A fruitful spell in the Premier League with Saints caught the eye of Tottenham, who brought him to north London in June 2016, as Mauricio Pochettino tried to strengthen up his midfield. Wanyama hit the ground running at Spurs, making 47 appearances in his debut season and helping them compete for the title.

But that is as good as it got for Wanyama at Tottenham as his second campaign was blighted with injuries and he struggled for form in his third year. In August 2019, Spurs agreed to sell Wanyama to Club Brugge for £13m, though he had concerns over the move and the deal ultimately broke down.

Wanyama did up leaving Spurs in March 2020 - a matter of weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic paused football around the world - as he signed for MLS side Montreal as a Designated Player. Wanyama helped Montreal win the Canada Championship in 2021 and enjoyed a successive five years in North America.

However, it was agreed late in 2024 that Wanyama would depart Montreal after making 133 appearances, scoring six goals, during his time there. Now at Dunfermline, Wanyama will be hoping to make a similar impact as he has at almost every club he has been at, as he approaches his 34th birthday in June.

Chelsea have been given a major injury boost ahead of their return to Premier League action next week.

Enzo Maresca's side are set to take on Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge next Thursday in the latest edition of a London derby this season.

Blues' striker Nicolas Jackson was spotted in training ahead of the clash with Spurs, with Maresca's side hopeful of getting back to winning ways.

Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal last time out with makeshift striker Mikel Merino grabbing the only goal of the game at the Emirates.

Jackson could return for the clash with Spurs having missed the last two months or so with a hamstring injury he sustained in the 2-1 win over West Ham United.

The Senegalese striker has scored nine goals for Chelsea in the Premier League this season, making him the Blues second highest goal scorer behind Cole Palmer.

The club shared an update on their website, showing Jackson in the gym and back training. When describing which players were in training this week during the international break, Chelsea revealed: "Among them is striker Nicolas Jackson, who was on the grass today, and is one of those Maresca had previously stated he hoped would be close to a comeback after this international break."

"He [Jackson] will be back probably after the international break," Maresca said when providing an update on injuries prior to the international break. "Him and Noni [Madueke].

"Before the international break we have two games, and finally, [the] break where we can recover the players and go for the last sprint."

Jackson has struggled again this season with consistency and it raises further questions about the club's transfer strategy in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The 23-year-old will be hoping for a strong end to the season in order to quash any talk of Chelsea strengthening their forward line, having missed out on a move for Victor Osimhen last summer.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed an update amid reported interest in signing Southampton star Tyler Dibling.

Spurs have recently been credited with an interest in signing the Saints talent, who looks set to be one of the most sought-after players in England this summer. Dibling has scored four goals for Southampton this season in all competitions, including two in the Premier League.

According to The Telegraph, Southampton will demand a fee of more than £100million for Dibling this summer, sending a clear message to the likes of Tottenham in the process.

Manchester City are also reported to be interested in signing Dibling in the summer, while Manchester United, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig have been mentioned as exploring the possibility of signing the 19-year-old.

The report claims that Dibling is now a "priority" target for Tottenham heading into the summer transfer window.

However, Southampton's stance of demanding a £100million-plus fee for the teenager is said to have "frustrated" interested clubs, although it's not specified if Spurs have this view.

Spurs apparently made initial steps to try and sign Dibling in January when they are reported to have approached Southampton to enquire about the playmaker. It remains to be seen, though, if Tottenham will try and tempt the Saints to sell their star asset in the summer.

Dibling signed his first professional contract with Southampton in December 2023, which runs until the summer of 2026.

However, various reports have claimed that the teenager is increasingly likely to leave St Mary's when the summer transfer window opens.

Southampton are bottom of the Premier League table with just nine points and are on the verge of being relegated to the Championship.

Tottenham are in 14th place with 34 points and have a Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt to prepare for after the international break.

Cristian Romero has issued a message after helping Argentina to the World Cup in 2026. The Tottenham defender has been a key performer for Lionel Scaloni's side over the last couple of years and started both of their matches during the March international break.

First, Argentina beat Uruguay 1-0 in a tense encounter last Friday. They were on the brink of securing qualification for the next World Cup from that point on, and Argentina's destiny was confirmed after Uruguay were held to a goalless draw against Bolivia.

Although Argentina had already qualified for the World Cup, they were still able to put on a dominant performance to thrash arch rivals Brazil on Tuesday. Goals from Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Giuliano Simeone earned Argentina a fine 4-1 win.

However, after Alvarez and Fernandez put Argentina 2-0 ahead, Spurs ace Romero had a moment to forget. He gave the ball away to Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, who pounced on the mistake to fire the ball into the bottom corner and give Brazil a lifeline.

But Argentina restored their two-lead through Liverpool's Mac Allister, before Simeone put gloss on the scoreline with a fourth in the second half. And after the game, Romero reflected on his side's thumping win and thanked the Argentine fans for their support.

Speaking on X, formerly known as Twitter, Romero said: "With humility and the desire to continue taking our team to the top always. Objective achieved and great triumph Thank you all for your continued love, see you soon [Argentina flag emoji] @Argentina."

Argentina's win over Brazil came a matter of hours after it was reported that Atletico Madrid were targeting a summer move for Romero. The 26-year-old is approaching the final two years of his contract and Atletico, who are looking to strengthen their defence, have been tracking his progress closely.

Romero has played just three Premier League matches for Tottenham since November due to a number of separate issues. Early into his first injury comeback which was against Chelsea in late 2024, Romero picked up a groin issue and despite returning to training in February, was nowhere to be seen for several weeks.

In that spell out of the team, Romero brutally called out the club's ownership, including Daniel Levy for not backing Ange Postecoglou in the transfer market.

"Manchester City competes every year, you see how Liverpool strengthens its squad, Chelsea strengthens their squad, doesn't do well, so strengthens again, and now they're seeing results. Those are the things to imitate," he told Spanish broadcaster Telemundo Deportes on live TV.

"You have to realise that something is going wrong, hopefully, they [the board] realise it. The last few years, it's always the same; first the players, then the coaching staff changes, and it's always the same people responsible.

"Hopefully they realise who the true responsible ones are and we can move forward, because it's a beautiful club that, with the structure it has, could easily be competing for the title every year."