The Guardian

Ange Postecoglou has said Yves Bissouma must earn back his trust after confirming the Mali midfielder has been suspended by Tottenham for their opening game of the season against Leicester on Monday after he was seen inhaling laughing gas last weekend.

The 27-year-old described his actions as a “severe lack of judgement” and apologised after a video emerged on Saturday night of him inhaling from a balloon believed to contain nitrous oxide – widely known as laughing gas. Tottenham announced they had opened an internal investigation and Postecoglou said on Thursday the former Brighton midfielder had been handed a one-match suspension as punishment.

“There are still sanctions involved and some of those are educational. He is a footballer with responsibilities,” said the Spurs manager. “He won’t be available on Monday. We’ve suspended him from Monday’s game. He needs to build that trust back with both me and the group. The door is open for him and we can help him realise the decisions he makes impact the group.”

Asked how Bissouma can regain his trust, Postecoglou said: “Behaviour, mate. It’s that simple. It’s about making better decisions. He was very apologetic to me, the club and everyone involved but that’s just part of it. I think the best way is awareness and education, and understanding the ramifications of making those kinds of decisions.

“There is a responsibility in what you do. He’s made a poor choice. But within that context, we all make mistakes, there should always be an opportunity there for rehabilitation and redemption for every human being, including footballers. That’s up to Biss now.”

Aside from Bissouma, Postecoglou expects to have almost a full squad to pick from for the meeting with newly promoted Leicester after the Brazil forward Richarlison made his return to full training. The new £55m signing Dominic Solanke is expected to make his debut, while Archie Gray could be in contention to start in midfield in Bissouma’s absence having played in several different positions during pre-season.

“Great kid, strong mindset,” said Postecoglou of the 18-year-old signed from Leeds. “Part of the attraction was that he can play in more than one position. He has a big chance to play on Monday.”

Ange Postecoglou confirmed Tottenham Hotspur have suspended midfielder Yves Bissouma for their opening game of the new Premier League season after footage emerged appearing to show the midfielder inhaling laughing gas. The 27-year-old won’t be available for selection against Leicester after posting a video of himself on social media which showed him inhaling from a balloon. Bissouma has since apologised, but Postecoglou said 'He has responsibilities. He has the responsibility of the club, he has responsibilities to his team-mates, he has responsibility to our supporters, everyone associated with the club. And he’s failed in those duties'.

Tottenham suspend Yves Bissouma for season opener over laughing gas video

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Sachin Nakrani’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 5th

Prospects

Is there a club that spark greater existential debate than Tottenham? After all, what is their purpose? It doesn’t appear to be winning trophies given they’ve now gone more than 6,000 days without doing so. Perhaps it’s purely to entertain – “to dare is to do”, and all that – but, if so, then what was with hiring mangers for whom playing exciting, appealing football appeared to be anathema?

Regardless, here they are, ready to start all over again, and what feels clear is that Spurs’ primary objective for the new season is securing a top-four finish for the first time in three years, thereby reestablishing their place among Europe’s elite. An eye-catching stride has been made with the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth for an initial £55m, the striker, who scored 21 goals last season, 19 of which came in the Premier League, arriving alongside two highly rated 18-year-olds in Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. All exciting additions to an exciting, talented squad but further incomings feel necessary, most notably a high-class winger, with a left-back and centre-back also required to bolster resources, which is especially important given Spurs’ return to European competition and the demands that come with that.

Tactically Tottenham are, to use that most modern of football phrases, in a good place. There is collective buy-in to the bold, positive approach Ange Postecoglou established in his debut campaign, providing as it did a much-needed contrast to the negative drudgery of the Mourinho and Conte years and almost proving enough to secure a top four finish. For that to happen this time, the most obvious thing the manager needs to sort out is how his players defend at set pieces given how bad they were at it last season. Worryingly, displays during pre-season, most notably in defeat to Bayern Munich at the weekend, suggest little to no improvement has been made in that regard.

And then there is the pursuit of a first piece of silverware since 2008. The Carabao Cup, the FA Cup, the Europa League; it’s fair to presume Tottenham fans would take any of them at this stage.

The manager

“I adore him,” the Spurs-supporting football writer Harry Sherlock says of Postecoglou and there is little doubt most fans feel the same. The Australian revitalised the club after his arrival from Celtic, on and off the pitch, albeit the “mates” became increasingly laced with simmering fury as the campaign went on, with Postecoglou well and truly boiling over after the 2-0 loss to Manchester City in May, a result that all but ended Tottenham’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League but was nonetheless cheered by practically everyone associated with the club, inside and out, given it also all but ended Arsenal’s hopes of winning the title. “The foundations are really fragile [here],” Postecoglou said in reaction to the widespread glee in his only misstep when it came to the feelgood connection he more than anyone had reestablished to that particular part of north London.

Off-field picture

Tottenham are in healthy financial state, and in light of ownership troubles elsewhere there appears to be newfound respect and appreciation within the fanbase for Daniel Levy’s steady stewardship of the club, albeit the relationship has been strained by the 6% increase in season-ticket prices for the new season, with concessions also removed for new senior season-ticket holders – those aged 65 and above – from the 2025-26 campaign. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust has described the first move as “unacceptable” and the second as a case of the club “pulling the rug out from under the feet of pensioners after years of loyal support”.

Breakout star

Who needs signings when you’ve got exciting academy talent, and there is growing belief at Tottenham that they have nurtured another star in Mikey Moore. The forward scored 19 goals and provided 13 assists at under-18 level, leading to his senior debut as a substitute in May’s defeat to City, in the process becoming Spurs’ youngest player to appear in the Premier League at 16 years, nine months and three days. Moore then shone for England at the European Under-17 Championship in Cyprus before further impressing for his club during pre-season, leading to praise from Postecoglou and the signing of a first professional contract. “It’s an unreal feeling,” said Moore of the deal. “It’s a big step, but all the boys have welcomed me in. It’s now about me trying to prove myself. I’ve done nothing yet.”

The A-lister

James Maddison was “devastated” by Gareth Southgate’s decision to omit him from England’s squad for Euro 2024 but that at least meant he had the summer off and the chance to fully recharge before a crucial second season at Tottenham. His first started brilliantly before an ankle injury sustained in November curtailed his momentum. The 27-year-old returned in the new year but was largely poor during the remainder of the campaign. Spurs need Maddison to again be the creative heartbeat of the team, otherwise the £40m spent on signing him from Leicester is increasingly going to look like a waste of money.

What they did this summer

The Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma has apologised after he was recorded inhaling nitrous oxide. Bissouma reportedly uploaded clips of himself using the class C drug, widely known as laughing gas, on to Snapchat at the weekend.

. “I want to apologise for these videos. This was a severe lack of judgment,” the Mali international said. “I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously.”

Tottenham said: “We are looking into the events. This will be dealt with as an internal matter.”

Nitrous oxide was made a class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act last November, as part of the government’s antisocial behaviour action plan. Possession of nitrous oxide, where a person intends to wrongfully inhale it for a psychoactive effect, is now an offence but it is still possible to use the gas for legitimate reasons, such as in catering or pain relief during labour.

Bissouma joined Tottenham in 2022 and has made 56 appearances for the club, including 26 starts last season.

Meanwhile, the Spurs defender Emerson Royal is in Italy to complete a medical with a view to a permanent move to Milan.

It may have been the second match in a glamour friendly double header, but this game carried greater significance for Tottenham fans. Harry Kane loomed large over proceedings: as the massed crowds in white shirts funnelled out of White Hart Lane station and down Whitehall Street, they could not help but be reminded of their all-time record goalscorer as they shuffled past the enormous mural of his face gazing searchingly back at them.

He was an inescapable presence on his first return to the club since leaving for Bayern Munich last summer, his likeness emblazoned on half-and-half scarves, his name on the back of home and away shirts alike. When his name was first read out among the Bayern substitutes, there was a swell of noise that belied the half-empty stadium.

When Kane and Eric Dier, also making his first return since moving to Bayern, were presented with ceremonial gifts by Ledley King before kick-off, fans rose in unison for a standing ovation. Ange Postecoglou spoke before the match about recognising the pair’s contributions and giving them “a proper farewell”; as the first summer for several years in which speculation over Kane’s future has not dominated the agenda, there was no hint of the bubbling angst which accompanied his drawn-out exit.

This was also a reminder of how quickly the game moves on. When Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke were introduced to the crowd – with Solanke’s £55m transfer from Bournemouth announced earlier in the day – nostalgia made way for a crackle of excitement. While Postecoglou insisted that Solanke cannot be expected to replace Kane like for like, he will be tasked with making the centre-forward role his own after a season in which Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison rotated through the middle. Solanke was restricted to a smile and a wave at his unveiling, having not yet trained with his new teammates, but the thunderous roar in response suggested his signing has met with approval.

Amid the swirling mix of old flames and new beginnings, there were familiar limitations. Having lost the first of two pre-season fixtures against Bayern in Seoul last weekend, Spurs took the lead within a minute after Kulusevski won a bouncing ball in midfield, freed Brennan Johnson and bundled in the return. By half-time, they were 3-1 down after soft goals for Dayot Upamecano and Thomas Müller at set pieces and a rocket from Serge Gnabry. While it pays not to read too much into pre-season results, lax defending for all three goals may cause some concern.

Gray and Bergvall entered the fray after half-time along with another new signing of sorts in Timo Werner, whose loan from RB Leipzig was extended in May. Gray showed the versatility which helped him stand out at Leeds last season, giving a mature performance at right-back while marauding into midfield when Spurs got a handle on possession. Bergvall looked sharp in the middle of the park, producing a smart assist for Kulusevski to make it 3-2. The move started with Bergvall winning the ball high up the pitch and ended with him threading through his teammate with a delicate touch. Spurs fans will hope to see that combination many times over this season.

As for Kane, he had to settle for bystander status until he replaced Joshua Kimmich on 80 minutes. Again, fans rose to their feet all around the ground to applaud, answering Postecoglou’s call for a belated show of love for a player whose legacy at the club is almost too vast to reckon with. When Kane left for Bayern he would not have imagined that, a year on, he would still be chasing an elusive first league title despite another excellent individual season, again a beaten finalist at the Euros, the clock essentially wound back three years. The game moves on, except when it doesn’t.

Kane has another shot at a title with a side strengthened by some new faces of its own, not least Michael Olise and João Palhinha, the latter making a steady second-half cameo as Bayern saw out the win. Embarking on a lap of honour after the match, receiving and returning the applause, Kane can make a fresh start in the glow of a warm send-off.

As for Spurs, there are high hopes for three recruits who, with an average age of 21, have been trusted with shaping the future. Having made it through his first season with a Kane-shaped hole in his side, Postecoglou has more of the materials needed to build anew.

Tottenham have completed the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth on a six-year deal. Spurs have been on the hunt for attacking reinforcements all summer and after Solanke emerged as the club’s preferred candidate, advanced talks began with the Cherries before an agreement was reached on Friday afternoon.

The deal could eventually be worth £65m, with Tottenham spending an initial £55m and a further £10m included in the transfer as add-ons.

Bournemouth’s owner, Bill Foley, had confirmed earlier this summer that Solanke’s contract included a release clause in the region of £65m and his exit is a club-record sale, bettering the £40m they received for Nathan Aké from Manchester City in 2020.

If Solanke can be a success in north London, his move would surpass Spurs’ £63m record deal for Tanguy Ndombele in 2019. Postecoglou gave approval for Tottenham to pursue Solanke after the best season of his career. He scored 21 goals in all competitions for Bournemouth last term – including 19 in the Premier League – but also caught the eye with his pressing statistics and link-up play for Andoni Iraola’s side.

His transfer to Spurs will give Solanke another opportunity at a top-six club, after he progressed through Chelsea’s academy before he departed for Liverpool in 2017. While chances were limited for Solanke at Anfield and he left in 2019, he has been a key figure in keeping Bournemouth in the Premier League during the past two seasons but was eager to grasp what he views as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in signing for Tottenham.

Tottenham have stepped up their pursuit of Dominic Solanke and entered advanced talks with Bournemouth over signing the forward.

Ange Postecoglou said recently that the striker department was the “thinnest” of his Spurs squad. Solanke has emerged as the club’s preferred candidate and personal terms are not expected to be an issue.

Bournemouth’s owner, Bill Foley, confirmed this summer that Solanke’s deal until 2027 included a release clause of about £65m and the anticipated exit would be a club-record sale. Nathan Aké’s £40m transfer to Manchester City in 2020 was Bournemouth’s previous biggest departure.

Postecoglou gave the go-ahead for Spurs to pursue Solanke after the best season of the 26-year-old’s career. He scored 21 goals , including 19 in the Premier League, but also caught the eye with his pressing statistics and link-up play.

This expected transfer to Tottenham would give Solanke another opportunity at a top-six club, after he progressed through Chelsea’s academy as a teenager before he departed for Liverpool in 2017.

Tottenham have reached an agreement with Bournemouth over signing the forward Dominic Solanke for an initial £55m, plus £10m in add-ons. Ange Postecoglou said recently the striker department was the “thinnest” of his Spurs squad and Solanke emerged as the club’s preferred candidate.

Bournemouth’s owner, Bill Foley, confirmed this summer that Solanke’s contract until 2027 included a release clause of about £65m and the deal represents a club-record sale. Nathan Aké’s £40m transfer to Manchester City in 2020 was Bournemouth’s previous biggest departure.

Postecoglou gave the go-ahead for Spurs to pursue Solanke after the best season of the 26-year-old’s career. He scored 21 goals, including 19 in the Premier League, but also caught the eye with his pressing statistics and link-up play.

A transfer to Tottenham would give Solanke another opportunity at a top-six club, after he progressed through Chelsea’s academy as a teenager before he departed for Liverpool in 2017. He joined Bournemouth in 2019.

Chelsea have completed the signing of the Paris Saint-Germain defensive midfielder Oriane Jean-François on a three-year contract, with the option of a further year.

The 22-year-old France international sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in October 2023 but, before that, had enjoyed a bright start to her career, signing her first professional contract at Paris FC before moving across the French capital to their neighbours in 2022.

“It is a good moment for my career and the player I want to be,” Jean-François said of her move to the Women’s Super League champions. “I’m very happy to sign here and I’m excited to start my journey.”

Jean-François made her senior France debut in October 2020 and Chelsea’s general manager, Paul Green, praised his club’s new addition: “She has shown a great attitude and we are looking forward to seeing how she takes the next steps in her career while at the club.”

Tottenham have signed the England youth international defender Ella Morris on a free transfer following the expiration of her contract at the Championship side Southampton.

Morris, 21, has signed a deal with the north London club until 2027. She had been with Southampton since joining their youth academy at the age of 14. She helped them to win promotion to the second tier in 2022 and then made 23 appearances for the club last season.

The England midfielder Lucy Staniforth has signed an extended contract at Aston Villa until June 2025. The former Manchester United player has been with Villa since 2023 and has played 32 times for the West Midlands club.

“We are pleased to keep Lucy on board for another year,” Villa’s head of women’s football, Lee Billiard, said. “She possesses such experience, technical ability and knowledge of the game that rubs off on those around her.

“Lucy is a good leader on the field and an experienced head in games. We all missed her presence during the final months of last season but we are looking forward to having her back fit and healthy for the upcoming campaign.”

There are moments when tonight’s stop on Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus tour feels more metal gig than rap-show. It’s not just the numerous circle-pits (with the passion if not the ferocity of a Slayer crowd) or the boulder-strewn, prehistoric stage-set straight out of Masters of the Universe. It’s the blunt assault of the music – the buildup of tension and the cathartic relief, the puncturing, kinetic power of those drum-machine pulses – and how the tireless Scott commands this gargantuan stadium with sheer force of will, and a massive box of fireworks.

Sporting quarterback shoulder-pads, he bounds and pogos across the stage, the rich-guy ennui that sometimes fugs his records entirely absent. His energy is matched by his fans, whom he’s named “ragers”, and who jump when he says “jump!” and thrust their middle-fingers in the air when he asks them to do that. Little of the Dolby Atmos-ready, cathedral-of-sound aesthetic that made albums such as Astroworld and Utopia such psychedelic experiences survives the transition to this vast space. Instead, Scott leans on the pugilistic likes of Meltdown and No Bystanders, whose bold, bellowed hooks make Onyx sound like Clannad, and whose blitzing, acid-trap beats sound like early Schoolly D on steroids, coldly mechanical and raw.

It’s not all brawny bangers. Scott sings Bon Iver collab My Eyes bathed in green lasers upon a raised platform, his Auto-Tune-enhanced croon sounding like holy music – the sweetest dancehall balladry, a canary singing from a coalmine of chopped and screwed noise. In such intimate moments he holds his ragers rapt, turning them loose in the next breath and demanding they raise their middle fingers again. Scott’s a crowd-pleasing ham in the lineage of Freddie Mercury, stopping and starting a ground-shaking Fein so often it goes past Rickroll into genius, and bringing on Ice Spice to rap her Think U The Shit (Fart) to a fan waving an Ice Spice flag.