FootballFanCast.com

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has been handed a potential opportunity to recoup over £40 million on an out-of-form player, amid reports that manager Ange Postecoglou could soon demote him.

Tottenham chase three straight Premier League wins against Ipswich

Spurs are aiming to secure three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time this season against Ipswich Town on Saturday, with Postecoglou's side travelling to Portman Road on their best run of league form for months.

Wins over Brentford and Man United sealed back-to-back victories for the Lilywhites for the first time since September last year, but Kieran McKenna's relegation-threatened hosts will be a tough task for Spurs as they look to solidify their Premier League status.

The returns of key squad members proved vital during their 1-0 win at home to United last Sunday, with James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert all playing a part after coming back from injury, while Destiny Udogie was fit enough for a place on the bench as an unused substitute.

However, there have been some concerns surrounding the form of Spurs captain Son Heung-min, who hasn't delivered often enough during what has been a truly torrid last two months for the team at N17.

There are reports that Postecoglou could even drop Son from his Tottenham starting line-up, once Dominic Solanke returns from injury, as it would allow the Australian to deploy new signing Mathys Tel out wide in his stead.

Son has bagged just one goal and an assist in the top flight since late December, attracting some criticism for his displays as a result, with pundit Jamie O'Hara regularly questioning the 32-year-old's suitability to captain the side.

"When you look at Tottenham’s two recent games, this was the moment to show that they could compete. Unfortunately, they’ve shown the complete opposite. There’s no fight, no heart, no desire, and certainly no leadership," O'Hara said recently, via Tottenham News.

"For me, that lack of leadership comes from the manager and the captain. I hate to say it, but Son Heung-Min is not the right captain for this team anymore. A captain should be someone who can lead from the front, someone who can grab the team by the scruff of the neck and get the team out of a hole.

"Son isn’t that, it’s time to take the captaincy off him and give it to someone else."

Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal prepared to pay £41 million for Son from Tottenham

According to CaughtOffside, after Levy and co elected to trigger the one-year extension clause in his contract, keeping him at the club until 2026, it is believed Tottenham now have a chance to recoup significant money on the South Korean star.

Indeed, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad are now prepared to pay £41 million to sign Son from Tottenham, which comes as a very tempting fee considering he has just another season on his deal at Hotspur Way, not to mention Son has now entered his twilight years.

However, as things stand, Spurs are actually in favour of keeping the former Bayer Leverkusen star, with both the club and player open to discussing a contract extension beyond next season.

That being said, with this Saudi interest emerging, £41 million is surely a figure which will spark some debate within the Tottenham corridors at least.

It's been an unforgiving season for Tottenham Hotspur this year.

Ange Postecoglou's side have been dismal in the Premier League, losing more games than they've won, and were dumped out of both the FA Cup and League Cup within the space of five days earlier this month.

Now, while their form has been dire for much of the campaign, they have had to deal with an incredible number of injuries to players all over the pitch.

Moreover, while the results would suggest otherwise, one player has stepped up a level this year and is now winning comparisons to another Premier League star who is worth a king's ransom.

Spurs' top performers compared to last season

While the player in question has taken a massive step forward this season, the same cannot be said for Spurs' top goalscorer from last year: Son Heung-min.

Despite not always being as dynamic as he was in prior years, the South Korean superstar still managed to rack up a sensational tally of 17 goals and ten assists in 36 appearances, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games.

This season, the 32-year-old has still been somewhat effective in front of goal - perhaps more than people have given him credit for - but his haul of ten goals and eight assists in 34 appearances is still some way off what he managed in 23/24.

Likewise, Richarlison, who managed to produce 12 goals and four assists last term, which made him the club's second-top scorer, hasn't been able to get anywhere near that, although a significant reason for that has been his injuries.

That said, he has still made 14 appearances so far, in which he's only been able to score three goals and provide one assist for Postecoglou and Co.

So, it would be fair to say that some of the club's best players just haven't stepped up this season, well, except for one who has been compared to another star worth an incredible amount of money.

The £116m Spurs star in the making

The likes of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence have all stepped up to the plate for Spurs this season and look like they could be core members of the first team for years to come.

Still, when it comes to the established stars in the squad who have excelled this season, it's impossible to look past Dejan Kulusevski.

The Swedish international has played out wide and in the middle of the park this year, and while there is an argument to be made that his performances have tailed off somewhat in recent weeks, his form for the season as a whole has been brilliant.

For example, in 40 appearances, the "world-class" dynamo, as dubbed by respected talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored nine goals and provided ten assists.

That means that, despite constantly changing positions, the 24-year-old ace has averaged a goal involvement every 2.1 games and is also the most productive player in the squad.

On top of this, he has also been likened to Martin Odegaard by FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the Norwegian is the fourth most similar midfielder to the Swedish dynamo.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots on target, assists, crosses into the final third and more, all per 90.

Now, Spurs fans may not like these comparisons to the captain of their fiercest rivals, especially not when he's been somewhat out of form this season, but the positive is that it does bode well for Kulusevski's future valuation as, according to Football Transfers, the Gunners' number eight is currently worth up to €140m which is about £116m.

Ultimately, Tottenham and a number of their star players might not be having the best of seasons, but in Kulusevski, it looks like the club have a potential superstar who could keep getting better for years to come.

It would be hard to describe this season as anything other than a failure for Tottenham Hotspur.

The North Londoners have had to deal with an astounding number of injuries to key players, but even then, their domestic form has been nothing short of shambolic, with a run to the League Cup semi-final their only saving grace in that respect.

Moreover, while the club backed Ange Postecoglou with three first-team additions in the winter transfer window, we can't help but think he needed one or two more.

Alternatively, perhaps the club were too quick to sell a player in the summer who has since won comparisons to the incredible Jude Bellingham.

Spurs' 2024 departures

Quite a few first-teamers finally left Spurs during the summer, so before getting to the player in question, it's worth seeing how a couple of them got on, starting with Emerson Royal.

The Brazilian full-back joined the Lilywhites in August 2021 but was never quite able to justify his £25.8m price tag and, after consistently underwhelming, eventually became something of a scapegoat, with former Tottenham player turned pundit Jamie O'Hara going as far as calling him a "liability."

He was finally sold to AC Milan for around £13m in August, and it would be fair to say that his start to life at the San Siro was somewhat rocky, with Italian football expert James Horncastle writing that his move looked 'like the biggest donation in the history of Fondazione Milan as the club charitably tries to make his wish to become a footballer come true.'

However, he has since become a reasonably important part of the first team, and before his recent calf injury, he had made 26 appearances across all competitions, of which 22 had been starts.

Another defender who left the club in the summer was Joe Rodon, who moved to Leeds United on a permanent deal for around £10m after spending last season on loan with the club at the same time as Archie Gray went the other way.

Thus far, it looks like a move that has panned out perfectly for the Welshman.

Thus far, the centre-back has started 100% of league games for the Whites and played 100% of the minutes, which, when combined with his one start in the FA Cup and League Cup, means he's made 35 appearances this season for a team that looks destined to win promotion at the second time of asking.

With that said, while both Rodon and Royal are doing well for their respective teams, we can't imagine Ange regrets letting them leave, which might not be the case for a player who has won comparisons to Bellingham.

The former Spurs ace compared to Bellingham

As a modern midfielder, there probably isn't a more complimentary modern-day comparison than that of Jude Bellingham, as the former Birmingham City gem has already established himself as one of the best in the world and played a pivotal role in Real Madrid's La Liga and Champions League triumphs last season.

So, it might surprise some Spurs fans that their former player, Giovani Lo Celso, who was eventually sold back to Real Betis for just £8m in the summer, has recently been likened to the Englishman.

The comparison primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in La Liga this season, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the former Borussia Dortmund star is the ninth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Argentine dynamo.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots, goal-creating actions, tackles plus interceptions, successful take-ons, carries and more, all per 90.

On top of their statistical similarities, the pair can also fulfil a few different roles in the middle of the park, such as attacking, central, or even, at times, defensive midfield.

However, away from the comparison to one of the game's most exciting superstars, the former Spurs ace has also been having a great season from an output perspective, as even though he's playing for a midtable side, he's been able to rack up a haul of eight goals and one assist in just 20 appearances, totalling 1363 minutes.

That comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 2.22 games, or every 151.44 minutes.

Ultimately, Spurs had to clear out a number of players over the summer, so while it was probably the right choice in the long term, we imagine Postecoglou would love to have Lo Celso in his squad today.

It is no secret that Tottenham Hotspur wish to make Mathys Tel's stay indefinite after his initial loan move from Bayern Munich, but it is now believed that manager Ange Postecoglou has been given a real bit of encouragement as he looks to make it happen.

Likelihood of Mathys Tel staying at Tottenham uncertain

While Postecoglou is convinced that Tel is staying at Spurs for the long-haul, there is still uncertainty surrounding the 19-year-old's future in north London.

Tel put pen to paper on a potential six-year contract at Tottenham, if the club opt to trigger the £45 million buy-option in his temporary deal, but German media have reported that his stay is certainly not a foregone conclusion.

Tel is believed to still be keen on a move to Man United, and he could even decide to remain at Bayern for the 2025/2026 season.

"There were also talks with Manchester United who were interested in Mathys Tel’s signature," wrote Bundesliga insider Christian Falk on his own version of the Dailybriefing recently.

"Tel was certainly open to the move, but United weren’t prepared to pay the loan fee Bayern Munich were demanding at the time (€5m). So, you see, there was a huge difference to the offer Tottenham came to the table with. Whether Tel stays with Bayern beyond the summer or moves on, it’s entirely up to him. If he can make the step to United, he would like to do it."

The versatile teenage attacker has already impressed in flashes since his switch to N17, so much so that sections of supporters are extremely keen to see Tel don Lilywhite next term and beyond.

While a summer move to Old Trafford or staying at Bayern hasn't been ruled out yet, a report by GiveMeSport has shared some good news for Spurs in regard to Tel's future.

Tottenham given "significant boost" in permanent Mathys Tel deal

As per journalist Dean Jones, writing for GMS, Tottenham have been handed a "significant boost" as they eye a permanent deal for Tel.

This comes in the form of him being very happy with life in London right now, with Tel apparently giving "indications" that he is interested in making his Hotspur Way stay permanent behind-the-scenes.

As such, Spurs are now growing increasingly optimistic about signing the forward indefinitely this summer, with Tel's new-found stance giving Postecoglou's side a real reason to be confident.

This follows on from Postecoglou's comments, stating that Tel is "100 per cent" wants to be in north London.

"Yes, 100 per cent. I am more than 100 per cent sure because he took so much time, was so diligent about finding out everything," said Postecoglou when asked if Tel really wanted to join Spurs in January.

"He had other options so it gave me more confidence that we are getting the right kind of mentality, the right kind of player."

Since taking the reins at Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, Ange Postecoglou has endured his ups and downs.

In terms of the latter, the Australian has had to deal with an unbelievable number of injuries, which derailed his incredible start to last season and sees his team down in 12th in the Premier League this year.

However, one of the undeniable successes of his time in North London is how he took what was a diabolically boring team to watch under Antonio Conte and turned them into arguably the most entertaining in the league.

Moreover, the former Celtic boss is trying to reshape the squad with younger, less experienced but more promising players for the long term, whereas that didn't feel like a goal under Conte, especially as one of the players he sold in 2022 is now back in the Premier League and worth an astonishing 2300% more than the fee he left for.

Spurs' 2022 sales

Before getting to the player in question, it's worth looking at a couple of other sales made that summer, starting with an attacker who could never quite get to grips with English football: Steven Bergwijn.

The Dutch winger was undeniably talented and had some stellar moments during his time with the North Londoners - like that late comeback against Leicester City.

However, as he never established himself as a key member of the first team, it made sense to move him on when Ajax came in with an offer of around £26m in July 2022.

The 27-year-old winger would go on to score 29 goals and provide 12 assists in 83 appearances for the Amsterdam side before agreeing to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad for around £17.7m in September.

Since then, he has scored eight goals and provided six assists in 21 games while picking up a salary of £147k-per-week.

Another exit from the summer of 2022 was centre-back and American international Cameron Carter-Vickers, who rejoined Celtic on a permanent deal for around £6m after spending the previous season on loan with the Scottish giants.

The Tottenham academy gem only made five first-team appearances for the club but has since become a key member of the Hoops' first team, racking up 146 appearances, in which he's scored seven goals, provided two assists, won three league titles, three League Cups and two Scottish Cups as well.

However, there was another exit that summer, a player who has since returned to the top flight and is now millions more than he was when he left Spurs.

The Ex-Spurs player worth millions more today

Now, it's famously difficult to judge how good a young player is and how good they could one day be, so every club has several youngsters they probably let go too soon, and in this instance, that youngster was Jack Clarke.

The Englishman joined Spurs from Leeds United in 2019 for about £8.5m, but after a number of lacklustre loan spells back with the Whites, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City and a slightly better six months with Sunderland, the club opted to sell him to the latter in July 2022 for a fee reportedly as low as £750k, but with a 25% sell-on clause.

Over the next two seasons, the often "unplayable" ace, as dubbed by pundit Alan Clarke, racked up a brilliant haul of 26 goals and 18 assists in just 92 appearances for the Black Cats, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 2.09 games, which was also enough to convince Ipswich Town to splash £15m on him in the summer.

Now, while the talent is undeniably there, it would be fair to say that the York-born dynamo has struggled at points this season.

The step-up to the top flight has seen his output come down by a significant margin, but even then, he's been able to score three goals and provide four assists in 23 appearances, totalling just 883 minutes.

That means he's still been able to average a goal involvement every 3.28 games for the Tractor Boys or, more impressively, every 126.14 minutes.

This, combined with his previous campaigns and the fact he's still just 24, has seen his valuation remain relatively high, with Football Transfers pricing him at €21.7m, which is about £18m or a massive 2300% increase on the price Spurs sold him for under Conte.

Ultimately, the club probably made the right call for Clarke's career, but we reckon they might regret letting him go for such a low fee.

Tottenham Hotspur insiders have made the club's feelings known about out-of-form star Son Heung-min behind-the-scenes, and it is believed Ange Postecoglou's side could turn to a £45 million star as a long-term replacement.

Son Heung-min criticised for recent form at Tottenham

The Lilywhites secured their captain's future for another campaign by activating the one-year extension clause in his contract, as it was previously set to expire at the end of this Premier League campaign.

Son was a key player for Postecoglou last season - bagging 17 goals and 10 assists in all competitions as Tottenham finished fifth and qualified for the Europa League - but the South Korean's form has dwindled in recent months.

During what was a torrid time for Tottenham in terms of player availability, and a period where Postecoglou needed the very best from his big-name star, Son managed just one goal and an assist in the top flight from late December to now - with the forward attracting some criticism as a result.

“I’ve been taking so much stick from South Korea fans. I’ve been getting loads of stick 24/7 on my Instagram because I said Son’s not a captain, not a leader, and we have to start looking at a replacement for him," said pundit Jamie O'Hara on talkSPORT (via Tottenham News).

“He has been an unbelievable servant to the football club, and he’s a top player. He’s been world-class, but he isn’t anymore. He has lost a yard of pace. He doesn’t go past anyone. He doesn’t really make anything happen.

“Sometimes age gets the better of you, and you’ve got to start looking elsewhere. I think we’ve got to find someone else. I don’t think Son should be captain anymore. He shouldn’t be captain for Tottenham.”

Reports suggest that Tottenham have made contact with Antonio Cordero's representatives ahead of a potential free summer transfer (The Boot Room), with the Malaga winger seemingly among Spurs' candidates to succeed Son in the coming years. However, Postecoglou's side could also look for solutions internally.

What Tottenham are feeling about Son with Mathys Tel tipped to replace him

According to a report by GiveMeSport this week, Bayern Munich loanee Mathys Tel, who Spurs have an option to buy permanently for around £45 million, could be Son's long-term heir in north London.

The news outlet states that Tottenham are increasingly concerned about Son's form, and the versatile Tel, who can play both out wide and as a striker, is seen as someone who can step into the South Korea international star's shoes.

Tel has already agreed terms on a six-year Spurs contract, for if the club decide to trigger his buy-option and the Frenchman ultimately decides he wants to stay at N17 indefinitely.

The 19-year-old scored his first goal for Spurs in an FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa, and has shown flashes of brilliance since deciding to take up Postecoglou's offer to join the club.

He could be an adept successor for Son, and GMS report that, when Dominic Solanke returns to the fold, there is a real possibility Tottenham's legendary winger could be dropped to the bench.

As with all clubs, Tottenham Hotspur have made their fair share of ill-thought-out and expensive signings over the years.

The likes of Richarlison, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso, while not necessarily bad players, are all examples of transfers that proved to be a massive waste of funds.

However, aside from the Brazilian, at least most of the club's poor investments have been taken off the books in recent seasons.

That said, there is a player who joined the club in 2020 for a sizable fee and has since seen his valuation crater, so when he does eventually leave N17, it will be for an enormous loss.

Spurs' 2020 signings

While it would be fair to describe Tottenham's signings in 2020 as mixed, that would imply there were at least a couple of successes in there, and the loaning in of Gareth Bale was certainly one of those.

The Welsh icon returned to North London for the 20/21 season, and while he wasn't the same player who left, he was still a great addition to the squad.

For example, in 34 appearances, totalling just 1680 minutes, the Cardiff-born star racked up an impressive tally of 16 goals and three assists.

That means he averaged a goal involvement every 1.78 games or every 88.42 minutes.

A far less successful signing that summer was Matt Doherty, who joined the North Londoners from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a £14.7m deal that August.

Unfortunately for the Irish international, he would make 71 appearances for the first team across the next two and a half seasons, only to have his contract terminated by mutual agreement in January 2023, after which he joined Atlético Madrid for an even more unsuccessful six-month stint.

However, while Doherty's time with Spurs was ultimately a failure, at least the club was able to cut their losses early and move on, which cannot be said about another player signed that summer.

The Spurs signing worth millions less today

There were a few other signings that didn't work out from the summer of 2020, such as Carlos Vinicius and Joe Rodon, but neither of those players ended up costing Spurs too much in the long run.

The same, however, cannot be said for Sergio Reguilón, who joined the North Londoners in September that year for a fee of around £28m.

Things started well enough for the Spaniard, as in his first campaign for the Lilywhites, he ended up making 36 appearances, in which he provided five assists, and then for much of his second year with the club, he remained the first-choice left-back, making 31 appearances, scoring two goals and providing three assists.

However, towards the end of that season, he picked up a groin injury and then, at the start of the following season, he was sent on loan to Atlético Madrid, where a combination of injuries and lacklustre form saw him make just 12 appearances across all competitions.

The following year saw him spend the first half of the campaign on loan with Manchester United, where he played just 12 games, and then the second half of the campaign on loan with Brentford, where he made 16 appearances, including one against West Ham United, where a particularly bad foul saw Gary Neville brand him "absolutely ridiculous."

This season has seen the Madrid-born full-back remain in North London.

However, it's crystal clear that Postecoglou does not rate him, as even though he's been fit, the Australian has handed the Spaniard just 242 minutes of first-team football across five appearances, and that was only likely down to the club's defensive injury crisis.

Unsurprisingly, two years of underwhelming loan moves and being completely frozen out of the first team this season has seen the 28-year-old's valuation plummet, with Football Transfers now valuing him at up to €8.5M, which comes to about £7m, or a whopping £21m decrease on what he cost Spurs in 2020.

The last few years have seen seismic changes take place at Tottenham Hotspur.

The club have churned through managers who employ dramatically different tactics, signed a plethora of players with varying levels of success, and perhaps most notably, sold Harry Kane.

The former captain was the club's all-time top goalscorer and, at the very least, the second-best striker in the Premier League, but after over a decade of service, he wanted to move on to pastures new.

Unsurprisingly, Ange Postecoglou and Co haven't been able to replace the iconic goalscorer yet, but there is a player out on loan who could potentially be their next Kane.

How Spurs' players are doing on loan

So, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is out on loan this season, the deal that took him to Marseille in July included an obligation to buy at £17m, so for all intents and purposes, he is out of the picture.

Of those Spurs players in and around the first team who are still out on loan and set to return this summer, the player who's had the most success has been Manor Solomon, who joined Leeds United in August.

Since moving to Elland Road, the 25-year-old winger has scored seven goals and provided eight assists in just 28 games, which comes out to a stellar average of a goal involvement every 1.86 games.

Bryan Gil, while not quite as prolific, is still having a decent campaign of his own away from N17, racking up a haul of four goals and three assists in 29 appearances for Girona, while Alejo Veliz and Alfie Devine have both scored four goals this season, for Espanyol and KVC Westerlo respectively.

Lastly, Ashley Phillips has become an integral player for Stoke City, starting 70% of their league games and making 25 appearances overall.

At the same time, it's too early to make a judgement on Min-hyeok Yang's time with Queens Park Rangers, as he's only made four appearances thus far.

In all, the Lilywhites' loanees are looking quite impressive this season, although there is one more player who might be the most exciting of the lot, a player who's mirroring a part of Kane's early career.

The Spurs loanee who's emulating Kane

Before he got the chance to show his stuff on a regular basis for the first team, Kane went out on several loan moves to varying levels of success.

He played for the likes of Leicester City, Norwich City, Millwall and Leyton Orient, where he did reasonably well, scoring five goals in 902 minutes, and it's the League One side who currently have the Spurs player who could emulate the great number nine: Jamie Donley.

Now, we appreciate the fact that a comparison such as this is quite extreme, but like the England captain, the young Englishman is starting to show his quality with the O's.

For example, while he's primarily played as an attacking midfielder this season, he has played as a central and second striker in the past, and more importantly than that, he has shown himself to be a real threat this year.

In 34 games for the East London outfit, totalling just 2305 minutes, the "perfect" prospect, as dubbed by Alasdair Gold, has scored six goals and provided six assists as well as forcing Stefan Ortega into an own goal in the FA Cup thanks to a brilliant shot from the halfway line.

That means the 20-year-old is currently averaging a goal involvement every 2.83 games, or every 192 minutes, which is seriously impressive for a youngster playing in the middle of the park.

Ultimately, there is an awful long way to go if Donley is to get anywhere near the level Kane did during his time with the North Londoners.

Still, if the Hotspur Way talent continues to progress the way he has this season, then there is no telling how good he may be in four or five years.

Tottenham Hotspur have moved in with a transfer offer to one "skilful" player behind-the-scenes, following failed talks with his teammate, as chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange attempt an astute pre-summer move.

Tottenham prepare for Ipswich after back-to-back Premier League wins

Spurs are fresh off the back of two consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since September, which funnily enough also came against Brentford and Man United, as manager Ange Postecoglou seeks to resurrect their dwindling season.

The Australian is now aiming for Spurs' first hat-trick of consecutive wins this season, as he prepares the Tottenham squad for a tough trip to relegation-threatened Ipswich Town, who'll be aiming to take advantage of Postecoglou's weakened squad.

Spurs welcomed back Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson against United last Sunday, with left-back Destiny Udogie also fit enough for an appearance on the bench.

However, at the time of writing, Postecoglou still remains without star striker Dominic Solanke, alongside centre-back trio Radu Dragusin, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero due to injury.

"It does make a massive difference," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's returning players from injury. "Getting guys like Vic and Madders contributing straight away, you can see the quality they have and the presence they have.

"As you said I can put guys on and for guys like Brennan and Wilson, Vic, Madders to a certain extent, it might take them one or two games to get up to speed, but the fact we have them available, yeah, it's an enormous boost for us.

"It was an important game for us and an important week. We needed to put in a performance today to get us the result and I think we did that. That coupled with the fact that we've got some significant players back, and they got through the game.

"They got through unscathed and really contributed, it was important for us. It signals a little bit of an opportunity for us to push on from here."

In the background, Levy, Lange and the Lilywhites recruitment team will be mindful of making sure they're less likely to be plunged into a player-selection crisis next season.

Tottenham make offer to Lille midfielder Angel Gomes

According to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, Lille midfielder Angel Gomes is a summer target for the club.

The England international is out of contract at the end of 2024/2025 and available as a free agent, piquing interest from north London. It is believed that Tottenham have already made a transfer offer to Gomes after holding talks, following failed negotiations with his teammate at Lille, Jonathan David.

Spurs are seriously pushing for the midfield technician, with a return to the Premier League described as possible, while David appears most likely to head to Barcelona despite some discussions with Postecoglou's side.

However, that being said, Man United are still in the picture, and Gomes' former club could well tempt him with a return to Old Trafford.

A big-name attacker is seemingly open to the idea of signing for Tottenham Hotspur, with there being a willingness on his side to make the move to north London behind-the-scenes.

Tottenham targeting new forward for Ange this summer

Spurs secured a dramatic, deadline-busting deal for Bayern Munich sensation Mathys Tel near the very end of the winter transfer window - which includes an option to buy the Frenchman for around £45 million - but it is far from a foregone conclusion that he'll stay beyond this season.

The Lilywhites keeping hold of Tel will depend on the teenager's final decision, even if he has already agreed terms on a six-year contract if he is to remain (The Athletic), so it is perhaps wise for Spurs to identify attacking alternatives ahead of next campaign.

Tottenham are among the clubs displaying interest in Lille star Jonathan David, who has been a consistently prolific marksman in France and is set to be available on a free transfer this summer when his contract expires.

However, given the Canada international will be one of the bargains of the summer window, following a record of 104 goals across 218 appearances for Lille in all competitions, the competition for his signature will be fierce.

It is already believed that Barcelona are out in pole position to sign David from Lille, with the 25-year-old making no secret of the fact he's a boyhood fan of the La Liga heavyweights.

"(Barcelona) was always the team I grew up supporting," he told The Athletic. "When you grow up supporting a team, it’s your dream to play for them."

Bearing this in mind, Spurs do have other options, albeit potentially much more expensive. Tottenham's all-time top goalscorer and England legend Harry Kane has been linked with a sensational return to N17, with The Telegraph reporting that they have a first-option agreement in potential talks for the £400,000-per-week Bayern Munich superstar.

However, there is no fixed fee in this arrangement, meaning they'd have to negotiate a price or trigger his release clause (The Telegraph). They'd also have to convince Kane himself, but reliable journalist Ben Jacobs has some encouraging news on that front.

Harry Kane privately refusing to rule out returning to Tottenham

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs says that Kane is privately refusing to rule out re-joining Tottenham, in what could be a boost for Ange Postecoglou.

“I think if Kane returns to the Premier League, there is a willingness to go back to Spurs. That's not been ruled out by the player," said Jacobs.

“We have to wait and see if there's an appetite for Tottenham to do that deal, especially with Dominic Solanke.”

The 31-year-old may be approaching his twilight years, but Kane's exceptional goalscoring record has not faltered in the slightest. This season, the prolific marksman boasts 29 goals and 10 assists across all competitions, adding to his total Bayern tally of 73 strikes in 76 outings.