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Transfer notebook: Richarlison sale key to Tottenham striker search, Ramsdale and Johnstone wanted, World Cup winner to Brighton, Zouma out of favour

Submitted by daniel on Tue, 06/08/2024 - 11:00

Tottenham are waiting on a firm offer from Saudi Arabia for Richarlison to fund their move for a new number nine.

talkSPORT understands Saudi deal makers have indicated they are willing to meet Spurs’ £60million asking price for Richarlison with Al-Ahli a potential destination.

The Brazilian international is also believed to be open to making the lucrative switch to the Middle East.

Once Richarlison is sold, Tottenham will step up their efforts for a new front-man with Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke and Brentford’s Ivan Toney both potential options.

Solanke has a £65m release clause in his contract and the Cherries are determined not to sell for any less while Brentford are under increasing pressure to offload Toney, who has less than a year left on his contract.

Merry-go-round

England duo Aaron Ramsdale and Sam Johnstone are key components in a possible goalkeeper merry-go-round.

Ramsdale and Johnstone are both high on the wanted list of a number of Premier League clubs including Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Southampton.

Johnstone wants to leave Selhurst Park after falling behind Dean Henderson in the Palace pecking order while Ramsdale has only started one Premier League game since December.

If Wolves manage to sign either shot-stopper then they will listen to offers for regular number one Jose Sa while Arsenal are still keen to snare Molineux number two Dan Bentley as a Ramsdale replacement to help their homegrown quota.

Meanwhile Newcastle are still considering a fresh move for Burnley’s James Trafford after failing to agree a fee earlier in the window so it appears to be a good time to be a member of the goalkeeper’s union.

World Cup winner

Brighton are among the many admirers of free agent former Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels.

The Seagulls are looking to add an experienced head to their dressing room after losing both Adam Lallana and Pascal Gross this summer.

At 35, four years older than recently-appointed Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler, the 2014 World Cup winner Hummels certainly fits the bill.

Persuading the decorated centre-back to spend his twilight years on the Sussex coast would be a major coup given he has interest from a number of top European leagues and the MLS.

Out of favour

It appears West Ham will soon be appointing a new captain with current skipper Kurt Zouma seemingly surplus to requirements.

Zouma was a somewhat controversial choice to be given the armband less than two years after being caught on camera horrifically kicking his cat.

The Frenchman turned his image around with the Hammers faithful with his whole-hearted displays, but talkSPORT understands club hierarchy have reservations about his value to the club due to an ongoing knee issue.

Technical director Tim Steidten is on the lookout for a new home for Zouma and even if he stays he is unlikely to be a regular starter following the £40m arrival of Max Kilman from Wolves.

Kilman, who successfully skippered Wolves last season, is one option to succeed Zouma as captain along with England winger and fans’ favourite Jarrod Bowen.

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Manchester United come out on top but Arsenal and Tottenham rank bottom when it comes to giving teenagers a chance

Submitted by daniel on Sat, 03/08/2024 - 13:25

Manchester United boast their fair share of exciting young talent, and they weren't afraid to use it in the 2023/24 season

In fact, no Premier League team gave more playing time to teenagers than the Red Devils last term, with manager Erik ten Hag leaning heavily on some of the youngest members of his squad.

The Dutch boss handed 4,971 combined minutes to six teenagers last season in the league, according to Transfermmarkt, with breakout star Kobbie Mainoo and pacy winger Alejandro Garnacho responsible for 91 per cent of this total.

Recently turned 20, Garnacho has been a regular in Ten Hag's starting XI since the 2022/23 campaign, and ranks highest among their teenage representatives, spending 2,576 minutes on the pitch.

Meanwhile 19-year-old Mainoo was next closest (1,940), having become indispensable in the centre of the park for United after forcing his way into the side in November 2023.

The 20-time English champions could well better their numbers in this category next year, having recently announced the signing of highly-rated 18-year-old Leny Yoro for a fee of £52million.

Unfortunately, Yoro will faces a wait to make his Premier League debut after being ruled out for three months with a foot injury sustained in pre-season.

United are also reportedly poised to sign 16-year-old Arsenal wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin, who grabbed the headlines in February after he scored 10 goals in an U16 match against Liverpool.

Not far behind the English giants in this category are Brighton, who awarded just 20 minutes less combined playing time (4,951) to their young prospects.

Facundo Buonanotte, Evan Ferguson and Julio Enciso are the pick of Albion's eight players under the age of 20 to have turned out for them in their last league campaign.

Elsewhere, Burnley (3162), Newcastle (2062) and Bournemouth (873) complete the top five, ahead of champions Manchester City in sixth place.

While former boss Jurgen Klopp relied on youngsters in Liverpool's Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea, this did not translate in the Premier League, as his teenagers played only 136 minutes.

But not all clubs were quite so trusting of their youth.

North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham rank 19th and 20th respectively, with the three teenagers appearing for Spurs last season only featuring for a combined seven minutes.

Gunners midfielder Ethan Nwaneri became the Premier League's youngest ever player when he made his debut aged just 15 in 2022, but spent only 13 minutes on the pitch last term, and was his club's only representative in this category.

Despite this, it is worth mentioning that Arsenal had the league's third youngest average starting line-up last season (25 years and 157 days) while Tottenham ranked fourth (25y 192d).

And it could be a different story for Ange Postecoglou's side in 2024/25, with summer signings Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall both aged 18 and likely to feature heavily over the coming months.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans will be hoping to see more of 16-year-old winger Mikey Moore next term, who has impressed in pre-season, scoring two goals and showing real promise.

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‘He’s an upgrade’ – Jamie O’Hara left delighted by Tottenham transfer rumour

Submitted by daniel on Fri, 02/08/2024 - 12:01

Tottenham have reportedly got their eyes on the potential signing of Dominic Solanke this summer.

And talkSPORT's Jamie O'Hara is absolutely delighted about it.

Solanke netted an impressive 19 goals in the Premier League last season, with only three strikers scoring more across the top tier.

Just last year Solanke signed a contract extension which would keep him at Bournemouth until 2027.

But the Chelsea academy graduate, who has been with the Cherries since 2019, could now be on the move back to London, according to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The 26-year-old is said to have a £65 million release clause in his contract and has also been linked with moves to Arsenal and Chelsea.

But Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is on the hunt for a new striker, particularly with striker Richarlison's future not yet certain.

The Brazilian only scored 12 times in the Premier League last season and O'Hara believes Solanke would represent a serious 'upgrade' given those statistics.

"I think it's a great signing," he admitted. "I think he's really good. Big season last season. I think he’d do well for Spurs."

"The problem he's got with Richarlison, he can finish, he knows where the net is. But his link up play comes off him too much.

"It goes into him - little one twos and that around the box. He's not clever enough. And that for me, he’s got to work on.

"I’m hoping Ange has got into him and been like, look I need you to step up if you're gonna play number nine for us. You've got to be that player.

"But Solanke’s link up is really good. You can stick it into him, runners will play off him. You know you can get Son beyond him but he's got pace as well, he can finish.

"I think he's an upgrade. I think he’d be a really good player for us.

"In January there was talk about the potential of him moving on. He was doing well. Bournemouth didn't want to let him go because I think they're worried about relegation.

"I think now would be a great time to get Solanke, I really like him. I think he’s a decent signing."

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has admitted that while Solanke is currently doing pre-season with the club, his future is not yet certain.

"Dom is happy," he said. "He has come back in very good shape, is training very well and the relationship he has with his team-mates is very good.

"But the market is open. You cannot say he is going to stay or that he is going to leave because we don't know. In the end, it is something you cannot control."

The Cherries are currently on a pre-season tour of the USA where they've already played out a 1-1 draw in a friendly against Wrexham and the same in a clash against Arsenal - although the Gunners won 5-4 on penalties.

They have two more US fixtures as they prepare to face Rayo Vallecano and Girona before their return home.

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Tottenham tried to sign Emmanuel Petit then Arsenal hijacked transfer - and Spurs even paid for his taxi to sign for north London rivals

Submitted by daniel on Fri, 02/08/2024 - 08:30

How's your luck? Tottenham believed they were about to sign midfielder Emmanuel Petit in 1997, but Arsenal had other plans.

This was a period of great success for the Gunners - Dennis Bergkamp and David Platt were added to the squad that summer, while manager Arsene Wenger was appointed manager in 1996.

So when it was put to France international Petit: Do you want to fight relegation or challenge for Premier League titles, it was a no-brainer.

Petit was in London, talking to Tottenham chairman Alan Sugar about moving to the capital from Monaco. Arsenal heard about the meeting and got word to him not to sign anything until the midfielder had at least heard Wenger's pitch about this new era that was about to unfold at Highbury.

That seemed fair enough considering Wenger was the man who brought him through at the French club, so Petit asked Sugar for time to think about the offer at his hotel.

Spurs even paid for the taxi to drive him there, but the player instead diverted the cab to Wenger's house where he was joined by vice-chairman David Dein and a £3.5m deal was sealed.

Speaking to Andy Goldstein on talkSPORT Drive, Petit said: “I had meetings on the same day with Tottenham and Arsenal and had a meeting with Tottenham in the morning, but when I came to England I didn’t know about the rivalry between the two clubs.

"When I left the Spurs stadium, they booked me a cab and the cab driver asked me for directions, so I gave him the Arsenal address and I didn’t realise that the cab was pre-paid by Spurs, so they knew where I was going!

"I’d told Spurs that I needed time to think about it but knew that I had to see Arsenal, as well as other clubs in Italy and Spain.

“I told everyone that I’d make my mind up and when I knew the answer I would give it, but after a couple of days I signed for Arsenal and it went into newspapers and all of a sudden the story came.

“I realised the pressure of the rivalry then.”

Speaking about it in 2018, Petit added: "It’s part of the legend now. David Dein still loves that story - and [more than] 20 years later he’s still telling it!”

His transfer began Wenger's revolution, with Gilles Grimandi and Nicolas Anelka also arriving at Highbury.

And Petit was a very busy man.

Speaking of the World Cup, he credits Zinedine Zidane with inspiring the nation to beat Brazil in the 1998 final.

But those long blond locks he became known for may never have been seen by British fans, as his teammates threatened to cut them off owing to an apparent rudeness.

“When the French lads came over, the atmosphere was a little different," Ray Parlour recalled to talkSPORT.

“Us British guys had a little bit more fun.

“Dennis Bergkamp was another one, they were a little more bit serious and we tried to get a bit of fun out of them.

“They did change quickly and they did really enjoy the banter, but every now again, for example, Manu Petit sometimes would walk straight past you.

“You’d say, ‘morning, Manu’, and he’d walk straight past you.

"He did it to all the players. He did it to Tony Adams, he did it to David Seaman and that’s not acceptable.

“Whatever problems you have, you say good morning to somebody, don’t you? It’s very rude if you just walk past someone. It’s just having that respect for other people.

“So, one morning we nailed him against the wall and told him: ‘Make sure you say good morning to everybody because, if you don’t, we’ll cut your ponytail off!’

“We even had scissors.

“After that, he was good as gold!"

Petit, though, would have been more worried by Martin Keown telling him to behave. Working alongside other former Arsenal teammates Luis Boa-Morte and Nicolas Anelka, he said the talkSPORT host was the player he'd want next to him in a fight or midfield partner Vieira. He even joked football saved Keown from a stretch in jail. "Martin is such a nice guy but all of a sudden, in the space of one second, he can change."

Petit also found himself part of the talkSPORT network and was in Germany as part of the Euro 2024 team. He lambasted Kylian Mbappe for wearing a mask after the France star broke his nose, willing his compatriot to be tougher, while he also said he was bored watching England play.

His deal wasn't the first to be hijacked - Spurs nabbed Paul Gascoigne from Man United - and it won't be the last given Chelsea also stole a march on Spurs by pinching Willian in 2012.

Keep up to date with the latest transfer news with the talkSPORT transfer blog

Ange Postecoglou delivers X-rated rant at Tottenham players during pre-season friendly win

Submitted by daniel on Wed, 31/07/2024 - 17:38

Ange Postecoglou was heard giving expletive tactical demands to his Tottenham players during their latest pre-season friendly win.

Spurs have travelled to Asia for their summer tour off the back of a strong first season under boss Postecoglou.

Their latest test came against a K League XI featuring some of the best players from the top flight of South Korean football.

Both sets of players took to a water break midway through the first half due to warm temperature at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

It allowed Postecoglou the opportunity to dictate his game plan to his Spurs players, although he certainly didn't do it calmly.

Live on TV, Postecoglou was heard shouting: "I've got one f****** thing to say. We go and have a crack.

"We're going on the press, man for man. Just go man for man!"

Postecoglou's rant appeared to do the trick though as Spurs ran out 4-3 winners, with Heung-min Son scoring two goals on the night.

Dejan Kulusevski and Will Lankshear also found the target in what was the north London side's fourth victory during pre-season so far.

Speaking after the win, Postecoglou seemingly played down his moment on the touchline when asked about it, being quoted saying by football.london: "Nothing really specific.

"It was more just about making sure we kept pressing on, because with the conditions the way they are and the training loads been pretty high, I didn't want us to back off in that moment and really [wanted to] push to half time, just more for our fitness than anything else.

"We thought it was a good opportunity for us to push on and try to be even more aggressive than we had been up to that point."

Spurs' pre-season schedule commenced when they thrashed Hearts 5-1 before a 2-0 London derby win away at QPR.

A 3-2 victory over Japanese side Vissel Kobe continued their winning run before Wednesday's triumph saw them impress once again.

They return to the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Saturday for a clash against Bayern Munich, who they then face again at their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a week later.

However, a reunion with club legend Harry Kane is unlikely with Bayern boss Vincent Kompany confirming the England captain won't feature in Saturday's clash.

Spurs' opening match of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign sees them travel to the newly-promoted Leicester on August 19, live on talkSPORT.

Everton are their first home opponents, with a trip to Newcastle and a north London derby against Arsenal coming either side of the first international break.

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'His aura was different'- David Beckham trained at Tottenham and Jamie O'Hara recalls big names being in his shadow

Submitted by daniel on Tue, 30/07/2024 - 15:04

talkSPORT's Jamie O'Hara has revealed that he was left starstruck when he found himself sharing a pitch with David Beckham.

This came in January 2011, when the Manchester United and England icon spent six weeks training with Tottenham, where O'Hara was a player at the time.

Although still contracted to LA Galaxy, a 35-year-old Beckham joined up with Spurs, who were managed by Harry Redknapp, to keep up his fitness during the MLS off-season.

And talkSPORT host O'Hara explained that he was totally in awe of the football legend during the pair's training ground encounters.

Appearing on The Sports Breakfast alongside Kevin Nolan and Alan Brazil, O'Hara's response was immediate when asked to pinpoint a moment in his career where he was left starstruck.

He said: “David Beckham was one for me. When he came in at Tottenham, I think we were trying to get him on loan. I was a young lad.

“And he came over, I think he was at [LA] Galaxy, we were trying to get him to play for maybe three months, and he came in and he was training with us."

Despite the Spurs squad at the time boasting future serial Champions League winners Gareth Bale and Luka Modric among others, O'Hara admitted that Beckham's status as a global star made him untouchable in the dressing room.

He went on: “That room was filled with stars already, there were big players at Tottenham at the time. But when he walked in, it was just a different aura, just a different energy.

“There was something about him, you know when you have that something about a person?"

Being one of the most recognisable faces in the world, O'Hara added that Beckham's presence around the club was felt by everyone.

“When they [big players] talk, you listen.

“It was a weird feeling because I'd never had that before, I always felt quite comfortable around footballers- we're all the same, we're all lads.

“But when Beckham walked in the room, even the big boys were like: ‘He's a big deal’."

Despite strong rumours that Redknapp was set to bring the 115-cap ex-England international to White Hart Lane on loan, a deal ultimately never materialised.

But Spurs were not the only side in north London to welcome Beckham into their club.

In January 2008, the six-time Premier League winner was pictured training with fierce rivals Arsenal, with then Gunners boss Arsene Wenger confirming that this was also to help the star maintain his fitness during the US close season.

Phillipe Senderos, who was in the squad then, told talkSPORT Beckham was in a different class when it came to training.

"His application, what he would do every single day to prepare himself and be one of the best performers at the weekend was unbelievable," he said, recalling his incredible set-pieces.

Following his six weeks amongst Redknapp's group, Beckham returned to the States, where he spent two more seasons, winning consecutive MLS Cups in 2011 and 2012.

He then joined Paris Saint-Germain at the end of January 2013 and retired that year with 19 major honours to his name, including multiple Premier League titles, the Champions League and LaLiga.

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Man United-linked Mikey Moore seals victory for Tottenham as Heung-min Son also stars in Japan

Submitted by daniel on Sat, 27/07/2024 - 14:19

Tottenham kicked off their tour of Japan and South Korea with a 3-2 victory over Vissel Kobe thanks to their next ‘one of our own’ starlet, Mikey Moore.

Spurs are now three from three in their pre-season campaign, with one of their young diamonds shining brightly amid reported interest from both Manchester United and Man City.

Kobe took an early lead at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo thanks to a ninth minute strike from Yuya Osako, following an error in midfield from Pape Matar Sarr.

But Pedro Porro soon levelled, slotting home after a lovely backheeled assist from Dejan Kulusevski, before the Tokyo crowd erupted as they watched Heung-min Son put the Premier League visitors in front.

Brazilian ace Jean Patric then pulled Kobe back to 2-2 with a deflected effort, before Moore struck from close-range in the late stages to claim victory.

It’s only the second senior Spurs goal for the 16-year-old, who made two late cameos in the Premier League last season to become the youngest player to feature for the north London club in the top flight.

Now training with the first-team, Moore scored his first Tottenham goal in the 5-1 pre-season win over Hearts and added his second strike on Saturday in Tokyo.

And the 'super exciting' youngster earned praise from manager Ange Postecoglou after Saturday's win: "Mikey has been fantastic since we brought him in. He’s earned his spot on the roster at the moment - he did at the end of last year.

"He got a run with the first team because we could see in training that he was handling himself really well and that’s followed through into pre-season training.

"He’s been good in all the games - he probably should have had three tonight - but he did take his goal well by being in the right areas. All we can do is keep allowing him to develop.

"We have to remember that last year he had some injuries and he is only 16, but yes - super exciting. I think the future with a lot of our young guys looks pretty promising, but it’s our responsibility to make sure they realise their potential and continue to work hard at their game."

The Spurs ace has previously boasted a stunning record for the club’s youth teams, with 19 goals and 13 assists in 24 appearances at Under-18 level, having broken into that team at the age of 15.

He later became the youngest player to break into the Tottenham Under-21s side, and made his Premier League debut the following season.

His rise through the ranks at club and international level - 18 goals in 31 games for England at U15 to U17 level - has seen the young forward catch the eye of a number of rival clubs in England and Europe.

According to reports, Manchester United, Man City plus German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have all cast glances at the Spurs teen.

However, it is widely expected he will pen professional terms with Tottenham when he turns 17 in August.

That will be welcome news for Spurs fans eager to get behind their next homegrown star following Harry Kane’s exit to Bayern last season.

It appears this could be a breakout campaign for the teenage ace - particularly with the team back in the Europa League, where Kane earned his stripes during his early career.

That will be the hope after watching his impressive pre-season displays, and with games still to come against Team K League and then Bayern Munich - both in Seoul - there’s still plenty of time for Moore to impress before the new Premier League season begins.

This is Tottenham's fourth pre-season trip to South Korea, but it will be the first time national icon Son will be representing Spurs as captain in his home country.

And he'll surely get a rapturous welcome when Tottenham arrive ahead of the game against the K League All-Stars on July 31.

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Man United-linked Mikey Moore seals victory for Tottenham as Heung-min Son also stars in Japan

Submitted by daniel on Sat, 27/07/2024 - 14:19

Tottenham kicked off their tour of Japan and South Korea with a 3-2 victory over Vissel Kobe thanks to their next ‘one of our own’ starlet, Mikey Moore.

Spurs are now three from three in their pre-season campaign, with one of their young diamonds shining brightly amid reported interest from both Manchester United and Man City.

Vissel took an early lead at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo thanks to a ninth minute strike from Yuya Osako, following an error in midfield from Pape Matar Sarr.

Brazilian ace Jean Patric then pulled Vissel back to 2-2 with a deflected effort, before Moore struck from close-range in the late stages to claim victory.