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Tottenham used free agent market to sign 124-goal legend and Man Utd targets

Tottenham have mastered the free agent market over the years, signing big names throughout the Premier League era

Tottenham Hotspur have been severely hampered by injuries this campaign, leaving them with a depleted squad as they fight to stave off relegation. They have utilised only 24 of the 25 permitted slots in their Premier League squad allowance, however, and clubs in a previous position in recent years have taken advantage of being able to sign free agents outside the transfer window.

Even without such a pressing need for reinforcements, Spurs may well wish to explore picking up a free signing or two as a means of keeping costs down during their summer rebuilding efforts. It's a strategy that has served them admirably over the years, whether that involved adding depth to their ranks or securing players capable of making an immediate impact.

The north London club splashed out heavily in January, recruiting Conor Gallagher and Souza for a combined £48million. Results have yet to turn around, however, with the club sacking manager Thomas Frank and installing Igor Tudor as interim boss after failing to win a single league game so far in 2026.

Several Premier League players are eligible to sign pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs ahead of their contracts expiring this summer. Spurs could make their move should any of those individuals choose to run down their deals - while also remaining able to speak to out-of-contract stars from other leagues.

Whether the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Marcos Senesi or Harry Wilson feature on their wishlist remains to be seen - and the same goes for other players out of contract this summer. Even so, fans will be well aware that Spurs have capitalised shrewdly on the free agent market in recent years.

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Ivan Perisic

During Antonio Conte's spell in charge, Spurs moved quickly to bring in Ivan Perisic on a free transfer in the summer of 2022. A Champions League winner with Bayern Munich and Serie A champion with Inter Milan under Conte, the 33-year-old joined on a two-year deal.

The experienced Croatian had long been a target for Premier League rivals Manchester United, with Jose Mourinho desperate to bring him to England during the summer of 2017. However, Inter rebuffed the Red Devils' approach, and it would take a further five years before the wide player finally made his way to the Premier League.

Perisic made a significant impact during his maiden season at Tottenham, but suffered an ACL injury barely a month into his second season. He joined Hajduk Split on loan in the latter half of the season before moving to PSV Eindhoven in 2024, claiming the Eredivisie title in his debut season in the Netherlands

Fraser Forster

Fraser Forster touched down just days after Perisic in June 2022, making it two free transfers in two weeks for Conte. The England international stopper signed a two-year deal in north London once his Southampton contract had officially expired and would ultimately extend his stay until 2025.

Forster made 34 Spurs appearances in total and four in the Europa League last season. He received a winner's medal despite being absent from the final, but left weeks later and is now back on the south coast with Bournemouth.

Teddy Sheringham

Tottenham announced in May 2001 that legendary striker Teddy Sheringham would be returning, years after a first spell in which he scored 98 goals in all competitions. He had spend the intervening period at Manchester United, winning the Treble under Sir Alex Ferguson in the 1998/99 season.

Glenn Hoddle, Spurs' manager at the time, was a huge fan and had regularly selected Sheringham at international level during a stint as England manager. This history helped Spurs secure a pre-contract agreement to bring the 35 year old back to north London when his deal at Old Trafford expired.

Spurs finished ninth and reached the League Cup final in Sheringham's first campaign back at White Hart Lane, their strongest finish in six years. His second stint yielded 26 goals across 80 appearances, and he ultimately retired aged 42 after stints with Portsmouth, West Ham and Colchester United.

Brad Friedel

Tottenham pulled off a shrewd piece of business by snapping up experienced goalkeeper Friedel on a free transfer in June 2011. The USA legend arrived on a two-year deal after more than 100 appearances for previous club Aston Villa.

During his time at Spurs, the goalkeeper became the oldest player to appear in a Premier League fixture and was a regular as they secured fourth place under Harry Redknapp in 2011/12. He made 67 appearances for the club before hanging up his boots at the end of the 2014/15 campaign.

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Declan Rice 'showed true colours' as Arsenal icon disagrees with Paul Scholes comment

Declan Rice is facing criticism from some quarters following the North London Derby after being at fault for the Tottenham Hotspur equaliser that Arsenal conceded

Ray Parlour has leapt to Declan Rice's defence after Paul Scholes criticised the Arsenal midfielder for being overly emotional during the North London derby. Scholes lambasted Rice following his error that gifted Tottenham Hotspur their solitary goal of the encounter.

Mere seconds after Eberechi Eze's opener, Rice surrendered possession after intercepting a Djed Spence pass to hand Randal Kolo Muani an equaliser. The former Manchester United player called out Rice's reaction, underlining the need to stay composed when challenging for the Premier League crown.

He said: "When I look at Declan Rice, he almost looks too emotional. He’s lively, he’s, 'Come on! Come on! Come on!’ and then he makes his mistake. When you’re going for a league title, when you’ve got tough games, there has to be a calmness about you. I think potentially [he’s a captain]. It’s just when I look at him now, he’s so emotional."

Scholes also questioned Rice's decision to demand concentration from his colleagues following the opening goal. Parlour, though, commended the England international for refusing to let the blunder derail his display, insisting that it showed the kind of person he is.

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Speaking with BetMGM via Football London, he said: "On paper, you'd make Arsenal the favourites to win the game. But it doesn't work like that in North London derbies; everybody has got to play well; everybody has got to be at their standards.

"I thought they played well and got the first goal, which is always very important, but then they conceded thirty seconds later. Declan – he's not made many mistakes, but it was a bad mistake he made there.

"But it shows what sort of player he is, though. It didn't affect his game, and he went on to be good again, as usual."

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Parlour added: "We talk about consistency. You've got to do that week in, week out. That's why Gabriel and Saliba have been so good, Rice as well."

His view mirrored the feelings Mikel Arteta expressed following the fixture. The Arsenal boss reflected: "I said at half-time: 'We carry on playing, with the attitude like Declan has done today."

"When he made an error, the way he played after, that's attitude, personality and courage to stand up in a difficult moment – attitude, how you approach things.

"You can feel sorry for yourself. You can look at: 'Oh, look at this stage.' But when you're kids, you dream to play these kinds of games, you recognise the opportunity that we are lucky to be where they are."

A lip reading expert has uncovered what Eberechi Eze said on the bench during Arsenal's 4-1 North London Derby victory over Tottenham, after social media speculation claimed he called Spurs 'trash'

A lip reader has disclosed what Eberechi Eze told Riccardo Calafiori and Noni Madueke during Arsenal's 4-1 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur. It had been suggested that the 27-year-old midfielder, who propelled the Gunners to success in the North London Derby on Sunday evening, had some forthright remarks about Igor Tudor's team.

A portion of the Arsenal support on social media believed that Eze had branded Spurs as 'trash', moments after settling onto the bench. The England international was substituted by Martin Odegaard with roughly a quarter of an hour remaining.

An expert has examined the interaction, which was captured on camera by Sky Sports. An official transcript from lip reading specialist Nicola Hickling at LipReader told Football London: "[Eze] appears to say, 'It's f****d,' whilst rotating his finger in an upward circular motion.

"He then says, 'It's not working,' pulling his shirt up over his head briefly before wiping his face and lowering it again. A voice off-screen (partially not visible) seems to respond.

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"He reacts with: 'I remember... the boss said it's cool, Eze, Er not today.' He raises his hand and says, 'Why should I,' flicking his hand outward in a dismissive or disagreeing gesture.

"The other speaker remains mostly off-camera, so their words are not visible. Whilst biting the edge of his shirt, appearing to process what's being said, he replies, 'Right now, yeah.' Looking away, he adds: 'He trashed 'em... it's trash, it's all trash.'".

The voice heard off-screen during the exchange belonged to Peter Drury, who provided commentary on the match for Sky Sports. Eze broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark, hammering the ball beyond Guglielmo Vicario from close quarters.

Spurs drew level barely a minute afterwards, with Randal Kolo Mauni capitalising on a Declan Rice error. Viktor Gyokeres restored the Gunners' advantage before the ex-Crystal Palace star grabbed his second of the day.

Deep into added time, Arsenal delivered the decisive fourth goal, wrapping up a vital victory in the championship race. The north Londoners successfully re-established their five-point advantage at the summit, shifting the focus back onto Manchester City, who possess a match in hand.

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Following the final whistle, Eze adopted a more measured tone when reflecting on proceedings. After composing himself, the Arsenal midfielder informed club media: "We played with dominance today, with confidence and just the connection that we had on the pitch.

"I think it was a special performance from us and something that we can continue to build on and something to work towards our goals. We know what these types of games are.

"We know the energy that the fans are bringing and how we need to be emotionally ready for the games as well. I think we've done so well with that and we took advantage of that for sure.

"These games are all about momentum and being in the moment. I'm just thankful to God for the opportunities that we took today. We worked so hard, we gave everything and when we perform like this it motivates us."

Tottenham are set to change their approach to player wages come the summer as they seek to ramp up their investment in an effort to improve their Premier League standing

Tottenham owners are ready to do away with the wage structure that is currently in place in north London - which they accept needs changing if they want to climb the table.

Their grand plans are based on them retaining Premier League status, which is widely expected, but their demise down the table has led to talk of the unthinkable happening to a team that have been in the league since its inception in 1992.

The Guardian reports that those within the club accept they have been frugal when it comes to wages, which has seen them miss out on certain players in the market. As a result changes are being prepared following a second successive season of struggle.

Tottenham’s wage bill is lowest of the big six clubs. It was £222m in the most recently published accounts for 2023-24, which is just over half the sum Manchester City pay to their players, with their wage costs hitting £413m. Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus and Conor Gallagher have upped the wage bill following their recent arrivals.

The arrival of Gallagher from Atletico Madrid, who is being paid weekly wages of £200,000, is seen as a pivotal moment following years of the club attempting to keep wages down.

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Gallagher is now Tottenham's highest-paid player and more big signings are expected should Tottenham remain in the Premier League. This summer will be the first time in two decades that Daniel Levy, who had a reputation for being reluctant to spend big, is not pulling the strings in north London.

It is understood that owners, the Lewis family, accept that league position is being more determined by how much teams pay on wages, rather than the amount they invest in transfer fees. Tottenham’s chief executive Vinai Venkatesham hinted last month that they were preparing to loosen the purse strings.

Former boss Ange Postecoglou, who presided over major signings like Dominic Solanke during his time at the club, recently rejected the idea Tottenham were a 'big club' when you consider how much they're willing to pay players - which has outgunned in the market.

He said on Stick to Football: "Obviously, they've [Spurs] built an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable training facilities, but when you look at the expenditure, particularly in the wage structure, they're not a big club. I saw that, because when we were trying to sign players, we weren't in the market for those players."

Mirror Football takes a look at two stories involving and potentially affecting Arsenal

As the dust settles on Arsenal’s spectacular 4-1 victory over Tottenham, several stories involving the Gunners have made headlines. Mikel Arteta’s side claimed their second north London derby win of the season in convincing fashion away from home thanks to braces from Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres.

Sunday's drubbing restored their lead in the Premier League table to five points after a nervy few weeks which saw them drop four points at Brentford and Wolves. Second-placed Manchester City still have a game in hand to play, however, and next face Leeds this Saturday.

Arsenal’s next game is another high-stakes London derby this Sunday against Chelsea at home, who they beat in the Carabao Cup semi-final twice earlier this year. Now, Mirror Football brings you two of the biggest news stories relating to the north Londoners.

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Scholes labels Rice 'emotional'

Paul Scholes has taken issue with Declan Rice’s "overly-emotional" behaviour following his mistake against Spurs. Rice was spotted telling his team-mates to keep their focus after Arsenal first took the lead at Tottenham, only to make a sloppy mistake and give the ball away in a dangerous area two minutes later, gifting the home side an equaliser.

The midfielder held his hands up and apologised before going on to have a solid game. But Scholes thinks the England international still lacks the calm leadership of a Premier League legend like Roy Keane.

The Manchester United icon said on the Good, the Bad and the Football podcast: "When Roy [Keane] was getting the team together and leading the team really well, there was a certain calmness about it. When I look at Declan Rice, he almost looks too emotional.

"He’s lively, he’s, 'Come on! Come on! Come on!’ And then he makes his mistake. When you’re going for a league title, when you’ve got tough games, there has to be a calmness about you. I think potentially [he’s a captain]. It’s just when I look at him now, he’s so emotional."

Scholes added: "I don’t like all that (Rice geeing up the crowd just moments before Kolo Muani’s goal). I don’t like people being so emotional like that. People will call me a miserable b****** and say that you don’t want to take emotion out of the game.

"And of course we don’t, we want emotion but it has to be in the right way. Scoring goals and celebrating, that’s great. But game-management in game situations, there needs to be a calmness."

Man City charges update

A football finance expert claims Manchester City could be deducted between 40 and 60 points if they are found guilty of the most serious charges put against them. City and the Premier League are still waiting for the verdict over 115 alleged financial breaches by the club between 2009 and 2018.

While the hearing into City’s alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules ended in December 2024, following a 12-week tribunal, the independent commission still hasn’t made its decision public. Meanwhile, City have denied any wrongdoing and are understood to be confident of being cleared.

It has already been 14 months since the tribunal, with the commission still deliberating. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire says an estimated 500,000 pieces of evidence were presented by the defence and prosecution throughout.

Maguire thinks that a verdict could be announced in the next few months. He also said precedent from Everton and Nottingham Forest being hit with six and four-point deductions respectively for a single offence covering a three-year period could mean City receive a far harsher punishment due to the accusations covering a nine-year period, if found guilty.

He said on The Overlap Fan Debate: "I think you have to add a zero to what we’ve seen from Forest and Everton, so somewhere between a 40 and 60-point deduction would, I think, on merit, be consistent with what we’ve seen from other decisions on logic. If they want to go further then we don’t know the severity."

Whether such an extreme punishment will be dished out remains to be seen. And Arsenal would be wise not to pay too much attention to it, given it is unclear which season a possible deduction would even end up impacting.

Former Everton star John Heitinga only joined Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year but the Dutchman chose to move on very quickly after Thomas Frank was sacked in favour of Igor Tudor

John Heitinga turned down the chance to stay at Tottenham Hotspur in the aftermath of Thomas Frank’s sacking. The former Everton defender only arrived in North London last month as an assistant.

But with Spurs under real threat of relegation to the Championship, club chiefs elected for a dugout. Frank was replaced by Igor Tudor, who was handed the reins until the end of the season.

Surprisingly, Heitinga was also among those to depart but he could actually have ended up staying. His agent Rob Jansen said: “He was allowed to stay. They even asked him to stay.

“All other coaches, all Scandinavian, left. And after three weeks, they told him: ‘Please stay and see out your contract here.’ That's quite an achievement for someone who worked there for three weeks.

“But he said: 'Yes, but now Igor Tudor, a Croatian coach, is coming with a whole staff for three or four months'. That man is always hired for emergency jobs.

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“That almost never works. Why they did that is a mystery to me. And then another coach will come in. So, you can leave twice. That new coach will also come in with 45 people. He said: ‘This is pointless, Rob. I have to leave now’.”

Hansen has also suggested that Spurs had a plan for Heitinga to eventually claim the hot seat but given his relatively recent arrival, it was decided that he wouldn’t be appointed just yet.

He added: “But there was a chance he would take over; we had that in mind. Only: the club didn't. After three weeks, they decided it was too soon.

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“So, then you have an interim manager. What does the management do, or in this case, the owners, the Lewis family?

“They opt for some kind of security. They hire someone with a track record, someone known as a crisis manager at struggling clubs for a few months. That saves their image. Unless they dare to continue with Heitinga and a new staff, but they won't.”

Tudor’s appointment at Spurs did not have the desired impact for the North London Derby, having lost 4-1 on his debut. That defeat has left the club sitting 16th in the Premier League table and just four points clear of the drop zone.

The Tottenham star left the Arsenal fans seething at his actions after Spurs equalised in Sunday's north London derby

Archie Gray's actions following Tottenham's equalising goal against Arsenal were caught on camera from an irate away end. The 19-year-old was at the far post as Randal Kolo Muani slotted home the equaliser in the 34th minute of Sunday's north London derby.

This goal came a mere 120 seconds after Eberechi Eze had broken the deadlock. In a video shared on social media by TikToker afcdylan, the Spurs star can be seen kicking the ball towards the away fans, seemingly striking one as he made his way back to the centre circle.

Fans hurled insults at the youngster, expressing their fury at both the goal and the Spurs player's response. However, Gray's elation was shortlived as Arsenal regained the lead shortly after the second half kicked off.

Viktor Gyokeres put the Gunners ahead 2-1 in the 47th minute with a stunning shot from the edge of the box, sharing his trademark mask celebration to the home crowd. Eze netted his second of the match on the hour mark following some superb play from Bukayo Saka, sending a rebound into the net to extend the lead to 3-1.

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Gyokeres added the finishing touch in injury time, brushing past Gray in the box to secure all three points for his team. The latter's conduct wasn't the only flashpoint in the match.

David Raya clawed a Dominic Solanke effort away from the goal line when it was 3-1, but the most fiercely debated incident occurred immediately after Gyokeres' goal put Arsenal in front.

Muani appeared to have levelled proceedings again at 2-2, but referee Peter Bankes awarded a foul against Gabriel. VAR chose not to overturn this call, leaving numerous Tottenham supporters fuming.

One said: "How's that a foul on Gabriel? If at all, he should be carded for diving. Proper clown!" Another said: "In what world is this a foul?" Whilst a third added: "Such a soft foul. Just touched and Gabriel jumped like he was being tortured."

The north London derby win has extended Arsenal's advantage at the Premier League summit to five points, after Manchester City had narrowed the gap to two with a 2-1 victory over Newcastle.

Mikel Arteta was delighted with how his side responded to City piling the pressure on. Speaking post-match, the Arsenal manager said: "It feels like we showed what we are made of.

"But then you have to show it again and again and again because if you have to just analyse how you feel after every game, it's a massive rollercoaster and it's not sustainable.

"I cannot be prouder and happier for what I've seen out there, but especially the way we lived the last 72 hours because I think this game in particular needed some context.

"After what happened against Wolves and the manner that we lost two points in the last kick of the game, it was tough. But that's the beauty of this game. There is no explanation watching the game back how the hell we draw that game. From any angle, you watch it back and say, 'It's impossible,' and you have to watch it again and say it's not going to happen.

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"But it happened, and then you have to lift yourself up because you're feeling angry, upset, [and] ashamed at some point. And we are all different nationalities, we all have different feelings, and then you have to bring everybody together.

"And it's been a joy to spend that time together with them, to align everybody and to say, 'OK, what is going to be happening in the next chapter?'"

Arsenal are riding high following their 4-1 north London derby win over Tottenham but not everyone was positive after the game

Arsenal will still be in high spirits thanks to their 4-1 thumping of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Mikel Arteta’s side overcame a period of disappointing form with a dominant performance away from home in the north London derby.

Despite an error from Declan Rice which gifted Spurs an instant equaliser seconds after Eberechi Eze’s opener, Eze’s second goal and Viktor Gyokeres’ brace sealed a memorable victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The victory restored Arsenal’s five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table, though Manchester City still have a game in hand away at Leeds to play.

The Gunners will now enjoy a rare period of respite to recover, with their next Premier League fixture being another London derby against Chelsea this Sunday. Now, Mirror Football brings you the latest stories surrounding the league leaders.

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Rooney’s brutal Eze assessment

Wayne Rooney has taken issue with praise over Eze’s mentality this season. The attacking midfielder made a dream £67.5million move to his boyhood club in the summer from Crystal Palace, snubbing Spurs in the process.

Yet, five of his six Premier League goals this season have come in the two fixtures against Tottenham, with the England international going long spells without registering a goal or an assist. His most recent display earned him praise from Kelly Somers, the host of The Wayne Rooney Show podcast, who waxed lyrical about Eze’s ‘mentality’ and ‘character’.

But Rooney was not convinced by that assessment, saying: "I disagree a bit because I don’t think he’s been good enough this season. The two Tottenham games have shined a big light on him but in other games I’ve watched him and not thought he’s been good enough.

"I think a lot of that is probably through not playing consistently, I get that, but when you talk about mentality and character, if I was him I would be trying to make it very difficult for the manager to leave me out, both with your performances and in training. Clearly he’s not doing enough to warrant a place in the team consistently.

"I get that Martin Odegaard is the captain but you’ve got to make it almost impossible for Mikel Arteta to leave you out. After the first Tottenham game I don’t think he did enough to stay in the team so you just hope now for him he plays better consistently to stay in the game. I think he needs to perform a little bit better than he has so far this season."

Rooney added: "I think Eze is better in the penalty box but Odegaard is better when he’s a bit deeper. He’s very clever and picks up some great positions, his movement is very good, you just want to see a bit more from him in the final third. If you could combine the two of them you’d have a great player!"

Arteta 'upset' Eze

Arteta has opened up about Eze’s somewhat underwhelming start to life at Arsenal. Following his hat-trick against Spurs in November, the former Crystal Palace talisman struggled to stamp down his authority and convince his manager that he deserved to be one of the first names on the team sheet.

Eze was handed a rare start in the disappointing 1-1 draw with Brentford earlier this month before being taken off at half time. The 27-year-old was then left out of the starting eleven by Arteta against Wolves, who admitted the player was upset at the decision, though he now knows how to utilise Eze’s strengths going forward.

The Spaniard said: "He scored five goals in the last two games against them, which is extremely difficult to do. But I could see that he wanted to prove something.

"He was upset, even with me, because I didn't play him the other day from the beginning and some of the decisions that I made. And I start to understand how we're going to get the best out of him now.

"You just have to look at his face and the way he was in the dressing room with a big smile, and his eyes are just expressing everything that you need to. He came here for a reason and we need those moments from these players. I think he and the front players today, they've done what we expect from them."

Igor Tudor certainly knows the size of the task in front of him now.

It was a brutal introduction to English football as they were battered 4-1 by Arsenal in the North London derby and the few remaining Tottenham fans in the stadium booed the players off at the final whistle.

The familiar question no longer feels such a given. Are Spurs are too good to go down? Well, are they? On the evidence of Sunday, Tottenham are in a full-scale relegation scrap and are facing the fight of their lives to stay up.

Relegation would be unthinkable. It is why they sacked Thomas Frank and rolled the dice with Tudor in a desperate attempt to bring in some new manager bounce.

Tudor, whose last job was at Juventus, introduced his own style into the Spurs line-up as it was high press, energy, five at the back and warriors in midfield. It simply did not work. They were exposed by Arsenal. That is on Tudor. Yes, they do have got a catalogue of injuries for a start but their form is so alarming.

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They are the only team in the entire league without a win in 2026. They have not won in the Premier League since a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace on December 28. They have not won in nine Premier League games, they have drawn at Burnley in that time and lost at home to West Ham who are perhaps the biggest threat to their survival.

West Ham were unlucky not to beat Bournemouth on Saturday or hold on to win against Manchester United. If they had, Spurs would be right in it.

Even so, they are fifth from bottom, just four points above the drop zone and now face a trip to Fulham in their next game then it’s Palace at home followed by Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland.

The plain truth is that Tottenham are in serious trouble. That quickly became obvious to Tudor who looked a worried man on the touchline.

One of his coaching staff sat in the press box and was getting increasingly agitated at the way Arsenal ripped Spurs apart in the first half, particularly down the home side’s left.

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It was probably a good idea that they found a different seat for him in the second half. Mind you, there is always an army of analysts in any press box these days.

They know they have got problems because they are the team without hope, without form and momentum and a crippling absentee list.

Tottenham last went down in 1977 and, despite finishing fourth from bottom last year under Ange Postecoglou, they were never going to go down. They finished 13 points above the drop zone.

That is the key difference this year. It’s tight. West Ham are picking up points. Wolves are doomed and it looks bleak for Burnley. But West Ham are picking up points. Nottingham Forest played well but lost to Liverpool and Vitor Pereira will give them a lift.

This is a full-blown crisis. The last team who were cast as being too good to go down? I think it was West Ham in 2003. They finished with 42 points - the highest in a 20 team Premier League season - and still went down.

That team had David James, Paolo di Canio, Glen Johnson, Trevor Sinclair, Joe Cole, Freddie Kanoute, Jermain Defoe and Don Hutchinson. And a few more besides.

To good to go down? Up against that team, are Spurs really any better. It is hard to argue that Tottenham really are in serious trouble.

And the specie of relegation for a club in a £1billion stadium would be catastrophic let alone the humiliation for the fans.