The Mirror

Tottenham have been named as the best-run club in the Premier League.

Football campaign group Fair Game have put Tottenham at the top of their list after a comprehensive study across the whole of English football. Tottenham scored well in the club-by-club Fair Play Index 2024 on the four key areas of financial sustainability, good governance, equality and ethical standards and fan and community engagement.

They have built a £1billion stadium and made themselves hugely successful off the pitch but they have not won a trophy since the League Cup in 2008 which still frustrates fans. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said: “As a Club that prides itself on good governance - with a key focus on sustainability, fan engagement and delivering for our local communities - we are delighted to have been recognised as England’s best-run club by the Fair Game Index.

“This ranking further demonstrates the huge strides that are being made off the pitch, with our world-class stadium and innovative partnerships enabling sustainable, recurring investment into our football operations to ensure we remain competitive on the pitch and challenge for major honours. We welcome Fair Game’s work in highlighting the important role we can all play in operating sustainably to ensure our clubs remain at the heart of our local communities and for fans to enjoy for many generations to come.”

Adam Davis, who is head of Fair Game Index, said: “Spurs are widely regarded as one of the best run football businesses, both in England and globally. They score above average in good governance, equality standards and fan and community engagement and the best in the Premier League for financial sustainability.

"The research goes beyond this but one of very few who are profitable. They do score very well in all of the sub-pillars them making them a very well rounded organisation.”

Fair Game has been campaigning for better governance in football and has been supporting legislation for a new independent regulator. The report says that Premier League clubs performed well overall but Celtic were comfortably top in the overall table which also included British clubs with Hearts, Hibernian, Aberdeen, St Mirren, Motherwell and Kilmarnock in the top ten. League One Cambridge United also finished tenth in the overall table, gaining rich praise for their work on and off the pitch.

Were you surprised by the Fair Game results? Let us know in the comments section

Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game, said: “Football is far from perfect but with the likelihood of an incoming football regulator there is a real chance to change it for the better.

“To deliver real and meaningful change we need to understand the problems. We’ve designed the Fair Game Index to do exactly that and help reshape the game we love.

“This year, several overall themes have emerged: financial sustainability goes hand in hand with good governance and fan engagement; football’s financial flow is undermining sustainability; and equality and ethical standards are on average treated as lip service.

“In short, football in England needs a truly independent regulator that can oversee good governance, re-shape football’s financial flow, and ensure issues around equality and ethics get the support and respect they deserve. In Scotland, the authorities have the chance to learn from England, not repeat their mistakes, and build a stronger future for the game north of the border.”

Catfish and the Bottlemen have been mocked by the public for their choice of stadiums for next year's tour.

The band confirmed they would play two dates in August 2025 in a post to their Twitter /X account. With Van McCann and the rest of Catfish and the Bottlemen confirming dates at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, the "jokes write themselves" according to one post.

Holding a gig at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium led to a comparison of the band's name to the form of the London-based team over the past decade. Football fans have frequently referred to the squad as bottle jobs, and the jokes since then have been as expected.

"THE BOTTLEMEN PLAYING AT SPURS," one user posted, with a GIF of Homer Simpson doubled over laughing. Another user referenced September 15 as a date for the "Bottlemen," but was referring to the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham that day. A third joked: "Catfish and The Bottlemen at the Tottenham stadium HAD to be on purpose it’s too perfect."

"Something really really funny about The Bottlemen playing at Spurs’ stadium," another wrote. Some users believe Catfish and the Bottlemen will follow the trend of failing Tottenham Hotspur teams and fail to meet high expectations for the tour. One wrote: "Wish I was as confident as these lot thinking they can even get close to selling out a 60,000+ capacity stadium."

Another added: "I’m going to be bold here and suggest that Catfish and the Bottlemen aren’t Beyoncé and should, for want of a better term, consider pubs or an 02 Academy." The band's return has seen a series of festival date announcements including a headline slot at Leeds Festival. But two dates at the Principality in Wales Cardiff and Spurs' football stadium has been described as a "shambles".

"No new music and no chance they sell these out, shambles," one fan wrote. Another added: "The jokes write themselves. Tottenham Hotspur stadium hosting the Bottlemen." One user predicted: "This is going to be embarrassingly undersold."

The cuts from his England snub run deep.

But James Maddison hasn’t just come to terms with them - he’s using the heartache as fuel to repair those broken dreams.

"I was devastated to miss out on the Euros," he said, "but I’m using it as motivation to remind myself I can be at that level.

"Setbacks are set-ups for comebacks - I’ve seen that quote somewhere. It’s how you deal with adversity. My network around me, my parents, partner, agent, the manager, my dad - they wouldn’t let me dwell on that - my dad especially wouldn’t let that define me.

“I knew I would come back with a hunger. I knew I’d be ready - by game one - to have a good season.‌

“And I want to show the gaffer, the fans, my team-mates that I can be back consistently to my best. I couldn’t quite find that post-injury. But it’s always about how you respond.”

Maddison was at his silky best at the King Power Stadium as he ran the show in the opening 45 minutes, reminding everyone - including former England manager Gareth Southgate - what the Three Lions could have had in Germany as they huffed and puffed their way through the tournament.

“It was so disappointing to miss out,” he added, “I trained really well.

“We had the warm-up game against North Macedonia and I felt I played well in that…I had a good chat with Gareth about it - I couldn’t change it, once it happened.

“He’s a great man. He explained his reasonings. It was never personal. He’s a good person. We have a great relationship.

"I messaged him not long ago to congratulate him on his managerial career with England. There’s no hatred towards him.

“I knew it was a business decision he thought was best for the team. I didn’t agree with him - no doubt about that - I felt I could have bought something to the squad. My focus is to have a really good season. All of it is motivation now, because it’s gone.

“And it’s about being upset but using it as fuel to be good for Tottenham this season and I’m desperate to be a top player this season for the whole season, stay fit and show everyone the best version of myself.”

Maddison was given a mixed reaction by Leicester ’s fans. But when he was substituted late on by Ange Postecoglou, he was given a rousing ovation.

He added: “I never ever doubt myself. There’s always going to be outside noise. Every player deals with that outside noise. I had no doubt that in the first game of the season I was going to be ready to go and put in a good performance. I felt like I did that.

“I did some of the build-up stuff well, maybe just been a bit more clinical with the final pass if I’m being harsh on myself. But I’m always self-criticial. I felt good out there. I knew I would be.

“Pre-season is pre-season but when the Premier League comes and the big games and it’s furious, it’s a completely different ball-game. But that’s where I thrive and I knew I would be ready.”

Spurs were Spurs at the King Power Stadium. Seemingly in control thanks to Pedro Porro’s first half header. A raft of missed chances to boot - and the whole football-watching world can guess at the pay-off line.

Jamie Vardy’s equaliser and then a few mad scrambles towards the end to protect a point.

Maddison said: “It was very frustrating. We should have been three or four up in the first half. But I know this place better than anyone. When they get a little bit of momentum, the fans here go with it. They get behind the team and we didn’t have as much control over the second half as we did with the first.

“If we were a little bit more ruthless in the first half, we could have been out of sight. But we should be getting three points at places like this. It’s Tottenham Hotspur so, no disrespect to Leicester, of course, but they are a newly-promoted team.

“We’re a big club, what we want to achieve and what we are striving for, we need to come away with three points, especially how the game went so it was frustrating to drop points.”

And what about whether it was the same old familiar story, the playmaker replied: “ The only important messages we need to listen to are the manager’s. We know what we are capable of.

“Nights like this - you lot in the media will get carried away about Spurs dropping points from winning positions but it’s all outside noise.

“It’s about what we do within the walls of the training ground and our stadium. It’s about blocking you lot out to get to what we want to achieve.”

Tottenham made six substitutes during Monday night's draw at Leicester with IFAB's rules around concussion allowing for an extra change.

Ange Postecoglou was seeking a winner in the final moments of the clash at the King Power and made a double change in stoppage time. Richarlison was bought on for Son-Heung min and Djed Spence for Pedro Porro - which took them to six subs.

Usually Premier League clubs are only permitted to make five during a game, but top flight bosses agreed to trial the IFAB recommended rules on concussion changes several years ago - with a view to adding extra measures to protect players from suffering neurological injuries after sustaining head injuries. They are also designed to ensure teams are not at a numerical disadvantage.

This means Tottenham, for example, were able to make a maximum of two extra concussion substitutes during a match, on top of the five tactical substitutions they can make, if a player sustains a head injury and has symptoms of concussion - which was the case with Rodrigo Bentancur.

The midfielder was knocked out after clashing heads with Leicester's Abdul Fatawu while attacking a corner with 20 minutes remaining - leading him to need oxygen. He would be replaced by Archie Gray, making his debut after his summer switch from Leeds.

The teenager came on in the 78th minute but, with Tottenham seeking a winner, Postecoglou also made three further changes. He bought Timo Werner, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall onto the pitch - before making his two stoppage time changes - taking them to six.

Tottenham though couldn't find the winner that their dominance, particularly in the first-half, perhaps deserved. Porro headed home a James Maddison cross to give them the lead at the break, but new signing Dominic Solanke will have been frustrated to miss certain chances.

Tottenham subs vs Leicester

Bentancur (Gray 78') - Concussion substitution

Sarr (Bergvall 78')

Johnson (Werner 78')

Maddison (Kulusevski 79')

Porro (Spence 90+2')

Son (Richarlison 90+2')

Jamie Vardy's second-half header ensured the Foxes got themselves a share of the spoils on their return to the top flight with the Tottenham boss left to bemoan his team's wasteful nature.

He said: "[It was a] disappointing outcome. Very dominant first half, really wasteful in front of goal. First 15-20 minutes we were very dominant, wasteful but you know at 1-0 there is always an opportunity for the opposition to come back into the game. That's what happened and we lost our way for 15 or 20 minutes.

"We lost our composure and the crowd got behind them, but again finished strong. [I'm] just really disappointed we lacked a little cutting edge in the front third, made some poor decisions, lacked some composure and didn't get the reward our football deserved."

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed Rodrigo Bentancur is “conscious and communicating” after his sickening head injury.

The Uruguayan midfielder was at the heart of a bruising collision with Leicester star Abdul Fatawu during Monday evening’s 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium. The clash occurred at a corner, with medical staff quickly beckoned onto the pitch.

Bentancur received lengthy treatment and was put onto oxygen after appearing to be knocked out cold. He was then stretchered off the pitch to warm applause from both home and away supporters.

Postecoglou was asked for an update after the game and gave a promising prognosis, confirming that Bentancur was awake. Speaking at the King Power Stadium, the Australian said: “We've got to be very careful.

“The good news is he was up and talking. We'll let the medical team take care of that. I don't have a lot of information but I know he is up and he's communicating so he's fine from that point of view.

“But obviously a head injury and I'll leave it in the hands of medical team now. The key thing is that he's definitely conscious and communicating.

“Whenever it's a head injury and you see a player go down, I think nowadays we're always cautious in that moment and I don't know the actual circumstances but I know it was a head collision.”

Bentancur received a host of supportive messages in the aftermath of his injury. His club Spurs said in a message on social media: "We're all with you, Lolo." Leicester also rallied behind the midfielder, writing: "Sending our best wishes to you, Rodrigo."

Where will Spurs finish in the Premier League? Make your predictions in the comments below

Spurs are next back in action this weekend as they host Everton in North London. It appears unlikely that Bentancur will be able to play in that game regardless.

The FA’s concussion guidelines suggest that a player returning to play should not occur before 21 days. But as it stands, it remains to be seen whether the former Juventus star suffered from concussion at the King Power Stadium.

Should Bentancur be ruled out, that could see one of Spurs’ summer signings the chance for a Premier League debut. Both Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall were introduced as substitutes at the King Power Stadium and could be an option for Postecoglou.

Wrexham's bid to bolster their attacking line-up has been dealt a setback as Tottenham have had a change of heart regarding the availability of Will Lankshear.

The Red Dragons' League One campaign has kicked off on a high note with a 3-2 victory over Wycombe Wanderers, followed by a goalless stalemate away against promotion contenders Bolton on Sunday. Phil Parkinson's squad also netted twice in their Carabao Cup loss to Sheffield United last Tuesday.

However, it appears that Parkinson is keen to bring another forward into the fold alongside Paul Mullin, Ollie Palmer and Jack Marriott. Wrexham were rumoured to be eyeing a loan deal for Premier League striker Lankshear for the upcoming season.

'I watched Chelsea vs Man City at Cosm - an 8K, immersive EPL viewing experience from the future'

Rob McElhenney's wife admits what she 'hates' about Wrexham documentary

As per GiveMeSport, Lankshear inked a fresh five-year contract at Tottenham earlier this summer and was anticipated to be loaned out, with Championship outfits Sunderland and Hull City expressing interest in his services along with the Red Dragons.

Nonetheless, the deal was put on hold as Lankshear joined Spurs for pre-season, giving Ange Postecoglou the opportunity to assess the young player up close. It now seems that the forward has persuaded his boss to keep him in the first-team squad for this year.

PA Sport reports that Lankshear will remain at Spurs as part of Postecoglou's first-team squad. The same outlet has revealed that the young Lilywhites striker, Dane Scarlett, who is currently on loan at Championship side Oxford United, and Alejo Veliz have been overtaken in the pecking order by Lankshear after his impressive pre-season performance.

The youngster is expected to provide backup for new £65million signing Dominic Solanke, who joined from Bournemouth after netting 19 Premier League goals last season. However, it's suggested that Lankshear's position could shift come deadline day.

Wrexham has yet to bolster their squad with a new striker during this transfer window. They will likely be on the hunt for other forward targets as Lankshear seems to be off the market and their current striker options are limited due to Mullin's injury absence.

Jamie Vardy was part of the Premier League’s greatest fairytale - and he delivered another chapter at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester striker Vardy, 37, was the unlikely hero on a night which was supposed to be about Tottenham’s £65m new boy Dominic Solanke. But only Vardy, the goalscoring hero of Leicester’s 2016 title miracle, could steal the show in such dramatic fashion with a priceless equaliser.

And in typical Vardy fashion, he taunted the travelling Spurs fans when he was substituted by pointing to his badge and then putting up one finger to remind them of how many titles he has won. The Tottenham fans will probably still be wondering how on earth they did not take all three points because they were so dominant and so wasteful all at the same time.

Yes, there were encouraging signs as Pedro Porro gave them a lead and James Maddison - on his first return to Leicester - ran the show in the first half. But the way they lost control and dropped two points will be a huge concern to Ange Postecoglou who knows he is under pressure to get back into the Champions League places this season.

Last year, Tottenham started like a train and then fell away and the club have backed him heavily with the signing of Solanke who showed encouraging signs. But rather like the rest of the Spurs forward line, they wasted chances and then failed to kill the game off when they were in complete control and 1-0 up.

It was another harsh lesson for Postecoglou while Leicester showed all the fight with a stirring second half comeback which left everyone wondering what on earth Steve Cooper said to his players at half time.

Leicester were so outclassed in the first half that they actually only managed ONE touch in the Spurs box in the opening 45 minutes. It felt like a huge wake-up call for a Leicester team who know they are up against a huge fight for survival this season. But with the fight they showed, they are clearly not giving up.

Tottenham were so in control and should have scored even before Porro’s 29th minute opener. Rodrigo Bentancur’s back header was cleared off the line by Leicester’s Wilfred Ndidi while Brennan Johnson, Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min all went close.

Maddison, whose every touch was booed by a big section of Leicester fans, floated a lovely ball into the box and then Porro’s glancing header then flew into the far corner to break the home side’s resistance. But Leicester were up for the fight in the second half. And if you need a fighter then you can always rely on Vardy.

Ndidi led a charge down the left, Spurs did not clear their lines and then Abdul Fatawu put over a cross from the right. There was Vardy at the back post, completely unmarked, to head home to send Leicester’s fans wild and completely change the mood in the King Power Stadium.

What a moment. Leicester’s club motto is “Foxes Never Quit” and there is no chance that Vardy is giving up any time soon. Leicester’s Facundo Buonanotte played in Vardy again in the 70th minute but this time the former England striker’s shot was blocked by Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario’s legs.

Bentancur suffered a serious looking injury amid a penalty box melee and the game was held up for six minutes before he was stretchered off. Cruelly, it was at Leicester when Bentancur suffered a serious knee ligament injury 18 months ago. Leicester were made to hang on for nine minutes of injury time but, heroically, they battled and got a point which was celebrated by the home fans as if it was a huge win.

Jamie Vardy brutally taunted Tottenham fans over their team's failure to win a Premier League title after scoring against Ange Postecoglou's men to rescue a draw for Leicester.

The veteran striker fired the Foxes to the title back in the 2015/2016 season, during with Spurs were their main rivals for much of the campaign. Ultimately the London side fell away to finish third, with Vardy and Leicester celebrating a remarkable win.

He proved to be their nemisis once again on Monday night when Postecoglou brought his side to the King Power Stadium for their opening Premier League game of the new season. The visitors dominated for much of the clash and opened the scoring through Pedro Porro just before the half-hour mark.

But Spurs were unable to find a second goal, setting up Vardy to equalise 12 minutes into the second-half. The Leicester captain lost his man, with Abdul Fatawu crossing in for him to nod home at the back post.

There is clearly no love lost between Vardy and Spurs, which the 37-year-old made everyone aware of as he was substituted with 11 minutes to go. Before making his way to the sideline, Vardy turned to he corner of the stadium where the Spurs fans were watching the game from.

He then pointed to the Premier League badge on the sleeve of his shirt, before pointing to his chest and holding up one finger, signalling his title win. Vardy then pointed to the Spurs fans before holding up his hand to form a zero, highlighting the number of times Tottenham have won the Premier League.

Vardy made light of his gesture after the game, insisting it is 'part of football'. He also disclosed his Leicester team held a half-time inquest in a bid to turn the game around.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Who was man of the match as Leicester drew with Tottenham? Comment below.

“You take a bit of stick during the game, but it’s part of football. As long as they can take it when I’m giving it back, that’s all that matters," Vardy told Sky Sports.

"We just had a little chat between ourselves at half-time. Tottenham are a really good team but we have them too much respect and we started getting after them and it changed the momentum. We said when it got to 40 minutes make sure you go in not conceding any more. We'll take the point and move on now."

"I was as fit as a fiddle until I got to about 65 minutes, if I'm honest! I wouldn't say I am doing anything differently playing-wise. Probably adapted a bit by dropping in but I think the main thing is I am looking after myself recovery-wise to the maximum."

Vardy had been injured for much of pre-season and only made himself available to Leicester boss Steve Cooper this week. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was left delighted Vardy was fit enough to start and hailed the veteran's performance.

He told Sky Sports: "Thank god Jamie Vardy went to see Steve Cooper and say he was ready to play. Never change, Jamie Vardy. t was chalk and cheese the second half and that's because there was energy in the stadium and that came from them getting at Tottenham more."

Tottenham star Rodrigo Bentancur was left needing oxygen after a horror mid-air collision left him sprawled on the ground.

The midfielder went down following a corner in the second-half of his side's clash against Leicester City. Both sets of players immediately began frantically waving for medical staff, with Bentancur later stretchered off after receiving treatment.

He appeared to have clashed heads with Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu, with images later showing the Spurs man with a cut above his eye. Bentancur was left sprawled on the ground and appeared to have been knocked out in the collision.

After an eight minute stoppage, the Spurs star was stretchered off having also received oxygen. Both team's medical staffs were involved in treating him, with the players gathered around him in concern.

Sky Sports later reported that Bentancur was up and talking in the dressing room, though Tottenham's team doctor confirmed he would continue to be monitored, in line with the Premier League's concussion protocols.

Spurs added in a message on social media: "We're all with you, Lolo." Leicester sent a message themselves, writing: "Sending our best wishes to you, Rodrigo."

Fatawu appeared to be unaffected physically by his collision with Bentancur. The Spurs star was replaced by Archie Gray, who made his debut for Ange Postecoglou's side.

Bentancur was applauded off the pitch by all four corners of the King Power Stadium. He previously ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament playing at Leicester in February 2023, which kept him out for eight months.

Spurs had taken the lead through Pedro Porro's header just before the half-hour mark after a clever cross from James Maddison. Postecoglou's side dominated for large parts of the match, but were unable to add a second goal.

That allowed Leicester to get back into the game, with Jamie Vardy levelling things up 12 minutes after the break. Fatawu played the ball in towards an unmarked Vardy at the back post, with the veteran striker nodding home an equaliser.

Neither side were able to find a winner, with referee Chris Kavanagh playing nine minutes of injury time following Bentancur's collision. That leaves both sides midtable in the Premier League following one round of games.

Gary Lineker has admitted he "made an error" with his pre-season prediction for Tottenham.

Lineker, who spent three seasons with Spurs as a player, initially tipped Ange Postecoglou's side to finish fifth in the Premier League this season. However, Lineker has since revealed he actually meant to put Tottenham in the top four.

"Just a quick one on Leicester and Tottenham while I think about it," the BBC Match of the Day presenter said on the latest episode of The Rest is Football podcast. "When we did our predictions, I made an error.

"It's okay to change it now, because they haven't played yet. "But I was meant to put Tottenham in the top four. I only had three Champions League spots. I am just going to correct myself there and put Tottenham in the top four.

"It's myself. I listen to the podcast, to check that we don’t mess up too much and I thought, 'hang on a minute? Why did I put Tottenham fifth when I was meant to put them third or fourth, battling with Liverpool'.

"I even said 'batting with Liverpool'. So, just to be clear." Tottenham will start their season with a trip to newly-promoted Leicester and Postecoglou is looking forward to his second campaign in charge.

"I go into every season with the same kind of target of trying to be successful," he said. "The starting point for us is improvement. Improvement in our football, improvement in the consistency of our football. As you said, we had a decent season last year.

"We certainly improved on the season last year in terms of results alone. Obviously, we changed the football and we had some really good moments and some moments where we had to work really hard to get some results and probably the back end of last season was disappointing for us.

"There's a lot in there but for us if we can get improvement in that then more consistency gives us an opportunity and a platform to try to achieve something which is what you go into every season trying to do.

"The biggest thing for us is that we laid a decent platform and foundation for the team we want to be. I was disappointed after last season, but it wasn't just the results the club wanted to change, they wanted to change the way the club plays its football."