The New York Times

When Cristian Romero joined Atletico Madrid for £34million in August, he became the third captain to leave Tottenham Hotspur in the last four years, following in the footsteps of Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-min. Other senior figures have also been sold, including the club’s all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

There has been a huge loss of leadership, which at least partly explains their determination to sign Andy Robertson.

Spurs spent more than £300m ($405m) on 10 new players but a tricky start to the season has underlined the need for experience. They have failed to score in their first four league games and have only taken two points. Roberto De Zerbi criticised the team’s mentality and response to Anthony Elanga’s goal in the 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United, and the last thing they need right now is for panic to set in.

Fortunately for Spurs, one of Robertson’s biggest strengths is his upbeat attitude, according to former Liverpool team-mate Caoimhin Kelleher.

“He is going to be brilliant,” Kelleher said after playing against Robertson in Spurs’ 3-0 defeat by Brentford. “He has got a wealth of experience. He’s won every trophy, he’s a winner, and also he’s just a great human being. He’s very positive. He’s been a Scotland captain, he was vice-captain of Liverpool. He’s going to lead them and guide them in a good direction.”

Spurs wanted to sign Robertson in January, but Liverpool could not find a replacement left-back, so he stayed until his contract expired in June. He returns to Anfield for the first time in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie.

Robertson does not need an armband to be a good role model.

The 32-year-old has not been included in De Zerbi’s leadership group, which consists of captain Micky van de Ven, vice-captain Pedro Porro, Ben Davies, James Maddison and Archie Gray. Robertson demonstrated his value against Brentford, as he kept telling team-mates where to position their defensive line. In the second half, he played out of position at right-back.

Robertson was an unused substitute in August’s 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup but still shook hands with opponents and gave his shirt to Rob Apter. He encouraged his team-mates after Neco Williams’ disallowed goal in the draw with Nottingham Forest. These are all little things that can make a big difference.

Robertson’s leadership style is directly linked to his unconventional path to the top. In 2009, he was released by Celtic, the club he grew up supporting, aged 15 due to concerns about his size. Robertson joined Queen’s Park, who were semi-professional at the time, and made his debut at 18. Within a year, he had joined Scottish top-flight side Dundee United. Robertson’s rapid ascent continued with a move to Hull City in England shortly after turning 20.

“When he turned up, he was a young kid from Dundee United nobody knew about,” Curtis Davies, Robertson’s team-mate at Hull, tells The Athletic. “He had that inner belief and work ethic. He always wanted to push himself in training and do his best even when he wasn’t in the team.

“We had big characters including myself, Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore. Once he settled, he became more vocal. If something was not right, he wouldn’t wait for the captain to say something. He always had that edge but in a constructive way.

“There might be a few swear words in there but it wasn’t moaning or groaning. He wanted to motivate other people.”

Davies made 144 appearances for Hull and regularly played next to Robertson as the left centre-back. Davies was 29 when Robertson arrived and had already represented Birmingham City, Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League. But Robertson was unafraid to call out senior players.

“I like it when young players are verbal,” says Davies, who regularly captained Hull. “I talk 24/7. I don’t want to be the guy who has to lead everyone and orchestrate everything. If I’m doing something wrong, pull me up on it. He was always good for that.

“When he first came to the Premier League, he was known more for his attacking. He had a few harsh lessons where he was caught out at the back post or ball-watching. In his second season, when we were in the Championship, he could express himself more and grow as a defender. There is nowhere to hide in the Championship when you play so often and he had a lot of learning to do quickly. The following season, he looked more confident, earned a transfer to Liverpool and never looked back.”

Robertson moved to Anfield for £8m in July 2017 but struggled in the first few months. He knocked on the door of then-manager Jurgen Klopp, seeking advice.

“It was getting to a point where I had to say something,” Robertson told The Athletic in May. “It wasn’t confrontational, I wasn’t having a go — and that is why the conversation was so good. I asked him, ‘What do I need to do to get in your team?’. He thought it was obvious. I just went in the next day and thought, ‘Everything he has said, defensively, I am going to do. If I fail, I fail’.”

Robertson evolved into one of the best left-backs in the world under Klopp. He won nine trophies in as many years at Liverpool, including the Premier League (twice) and the Champions League. Robertson reached double figures for assists in four seasons and scored some crucial goals, including a header in the Merseyside derby against Everton in April 2022.

He became a key voice in the dressing room after being heavily influenced by Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson and James Milner. Robertson was one of the first players to arrive at the training ground each morning and would receive treatment on the massage tables. He trained at a high level and pushed others to maintain the same standards.

He became part of the official leadership group in 2021 and took on the responsibility of collecting fines following Milner’s departure to Brighton & Hove Albion two years later. Robertson was named vice-captain in August 2025 following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid.

Goalkeeper Adrian, who played and trained alongside Robertson for five years at Liverpool, praised his “energy” and motivational skills.

“He lifted the dressing room constantly and set the tone with his intensity and quality,” Adrian told The Athletic in May. “Always joking, always talking, always winding people up, especially in training. He kept everyone entertained. He plays every game with aggression, passion and unbelievable work rate, but he’s also a top leader. Liverpool wouldn’t have achieved what they did without him.”

Robertson would offer advice to academy players and help them integrate into the first-team squad. When Liverpool secured the title with a 5-1 victory over Spurs at Anfield in April 2025, he celebrated by dancing with Alisson and the academy players who were ball boys.

Robertson had a strong bond with academy graduate Conor Bradley and supported the right-back through his rehab from a knee injury he suffered in January. Hopefully, Spurs’ highly rated young players, including Gray, Souza and 17-year-old defender Jun’ai Byfield, will soak up Robertson’s knowledge.

Robertson grew close to Freddie Woodman after the goalkeeper joined Liverpool last summer. Woodman is a former England Under-21 international who made a few top-flight appearances for Newcastle United before dropping into the second tier, initially on loan at Swansea City and Bournemouth, before he joined Preston North End permanently in June 2022. Woodman was 28 when he moved to Anfield. Robertson helped him adjust to the new environment and drastically different expectations.

Robertson’s game time dropped after Milos Kerkez arrived from Bournemouth last summer for £40m. Robertson had a healthy relationship with his positional rival and will aim to strike up a similar dynamic with Destiny Udogie.

“Andy helped me a lot throughout my first year,” Kerkez told a group of reporters, including The Athletic, during Liverpool’s pre-season tour. “He’s a legend. He’s someone I look up to. We had a few conversations about crossing and about how big lungs we need to have so we can run until tomorrow. Where to put the last ball, to stay focused, to get your head up and sometimes put better crosses in. We had chats like that. He was a big help.”

Robertson also had a strong connection with the backroom staff members at Liverpool’s training complex. This year, they took him on a tour of the traditional pubs in Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter. He pulled a pint in Ye Cracke and the evening finished with a meal at Cucina di Vincenzo, an Italian restaurant.

Robertson enjoys horse racing and organised trips to the Cheltenham Festival. He would offer spaces in his Anfield executive box to staff and their families. When his departure was finally confirmed, Robertson wrote individual letters to members of staff by hand and gave them signed shirts.

Robertson also supported and comforted team-mates and other staff around the club following Diogo Jota’s death in July 2025. The pair were close friends, and Robertson had attended Jota’s wedding to his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, just 11 days earlier with his wife, Rachel. Robertson’s kindness and emotional intelligence stood out at a difficult time.

Before Robertson could start the next chapter of his club career in north London, he captained Scotland at this summer’s World Cup. He started all six of their qualifiers and provided the assist for Scott McTominay’s goal in a crucial 2-1 victory over Belarus, as Scotland reached the tournament for the first time since 1998.

When Scotland’s squad arrived at their base camp for the World Cup, Robertson left a handwritten letter to every single player in their hotel room, along with gifts. He started all of their games but they were eliminated in the group stage.

Robertson was given the armband in 2018, when he was only 24, under then-manager Alex McLeish, and retained it following Steve Clarke’s appointment the following year. Robertson made his debut for Scotland a week before his 20th birthday and is second on the all-time appearances list (97, behind Sir Kenny Dalglish on 102).

In north London, Robertson has made a positive impression on his new team-mates and staff. Spurs finished 17th in consecutive seasons and have lost 41 of their last 80 league games. De Zerbi thinks Robertson can play a crucial role in breaking that cycle.

“I believe in him as a player, as a guy,” De Zerbi said before Spurs beat Charlton. “I want him to show his personality. We need his mentality as a winner because we have to get used to winning games and games and games.”

Beating his former side would be a statement victory that could kickstart Spurs’ season.

Additional reporting: James Pearce

Welcome to The Athletic’s data notebook, a periodic look at the key trends, standout figures and tactical quirks shaping the Premier League season.

Newcastle United’s trip to Leeds United on Monday night rounds out its fourth gameweek, so it is far too early to draw any sweeping conclusions from the initial data. Free-scoring Brighton & Hove Albion will probably not play every second game against 10 men, and presumably Tottenham Hotspur will score a goal at some stage between now and the final whistle away to Aston Villa on May 30.

Still, the early signs are worth digging into, and some already look like more than early-rounds noise. Arsenal and Manchester City are four points clear of the rest already, and it is hard to see anyone else muscling in on the title race, while rock-bottom Coventry City look doomed less than a month in.

Allow us to guide you through some of the numbers behind the weekend’s fixtures that you might not have spotted.

Mauled by left-sided crosses

Speaking of early-season variance, even the most ardent Hull City fan will struggle to imagine them holding on to their lofty third-place position in the Premier League until the season ends in the spring. But their unbeaten run has been no fluke either, shaped by the clear tactical identity head coach Sergej Jakirovic established in the Championship last season, one which has scaled up well to their new surroundings.

Hull were never going to dominate possession in the top flight, and they have averaged only 29.7 per cent so far — the lowest rate in the division, but their promotion campaign was built on fast, direct football rather than a patient passing game. Alongside that robust approach, another theme from last season resurfaced in Saturday’s 2-2 draw away to Chelsea: threatening crosses from left wing-back Ryan Giles.

Giles assisted eight goals in the 2025-26 Championship, more than any other Hull player, and registered his first of this campaign at Stamford Bridge. After goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis launched the ball towards the left corner, Giles shrugged off Malo Gusto with a strong shoulder before lofting a cross towards Mohamed Belloumi. Jorrel Hato misjudged the flight of the delivery, allowing Belloumi to emphatically half-volley a shot into the bottom corner.

Hull have made 70 per cent of their crosses from that left flank, the highest share in the league. Giles should have been rewarded with a match-winning assist too, sweeping an inch-perfect cross to the back post for Mohamed-Ali Cho in the 87th minute, only for the French forward to fire straight at goalkeeper Emi Martinez.

The death of the outswinging corner

Belloumi’s second goal of the game also came from a cross, though this time it was a corner. Regan Slater curled his delivery towards centre-back Semi Ajayi, whose header crashed off the crossbar before Oli McBurnie poked the loose ball back to Belloumi on the edge of the box, from where he converted with the help of a deflection.

That sort of whipped, inswinging ball from Slater that caused so much havoc is hugely familiar to avid Premier League watchers.

The set-piece revolution of the past few seasons has coincided with the decline of the outswinging corner, with teams increasingly looking to drop crosses on top of the goalkeeper. Only 8.2 per cent of corners league-wide across these first four gameweeks have been outswingers, marking a fifth consecutive season-on-season decline.

Even with new rules designed to clamp down on the physical grappling that has helped make inswinging deliveries so effective, teams are not turning to alternatives.

Hull are one of nine teams yet to deliver an outswinging corner this season.

Tottenham’s dribble-heavy approach brings no reward

It looks set to be another season of contrasting fortunes for north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.

Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs, who remain winless and without a goal, take a wildly different approach in possession from that of their Premier League champion neighbours — one built around dribbling. They have completed 11.5 take-ons per game this season, the most in the league, while Arsenal are joint-bottom with Coventry on just 4.3.

New arrivals Omar Marmoush and Savio are joint-second with nine completed dribbles, while Mathys Tel tops the leaderboard alongside Ipswich Town’s Abdul Fatawu on 10. Yet despite that squad-wide one-v-one ability, Tottenham still lack cutting edge where it counts, with De Zerbi telling the BBC’s Match of the Day that their problem lies in the final “30 metres”.

Their take-on numbers perhaps point to a team full of talented soloists, but not one with the cohesion and understanding to construct free-flowing attacking moves.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, by contrast, have developed that understanding over several years, focusing less on one-v-ones in risky areas and more on well-choreographed, fluid routines.

Bournemouth and Brentford continue to embrace the chaos

These two are the flag-bearers for the more chaotic, end-to-end brand of football that has taken root in the Premier League in recent years. And sure enough, their 2-2 draw on Saturday was, by the numbers at least, the most frenetic game of the season so far.

The ball changed hands 206 times, more than in any other match, and both sides top the list when it comes to the number of possessions per game.

Many struggle to live with their high-octane styles, but there is an inevitable downside to such an approach. Their reliance on second balls and fast breaks makes it hard to control games, a trait that can make leads difficult to protect. Bournemouth have dropped a league-high nine points from winning positions, while Brentford are second on six. Both were in the lead on Saturday, but couldn’t hold it for more than four minutes.

Neither team will suddenly abandon the entertaining style that has brought them so much success, but both Keith Andrews of Brentford and Bournemouth counterpart Marco Rose might want to consider a more measured approach when protecting a lead.

Manchester United’s ongoing woodwork woes

Even with an insipid attacking performance in which they failed to capitalise on Phil Foden’s early red card, Manchester United can still feel slightly hard done by after Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat by Manchester City.

Officials’ body Pro Ref admitted making an error in judgement when VAR adjudicated that Erling Haaland was onside for the winner.

Outside of those moments of drama, United hit the post twice, first through a thunderous Marcus Rashford free kick and then a sweetly-struck Kobbie Mainoo effort in the second half. It is now 22 times that United have clattered the woodwork since the start of last season, the most of any Premier League side and five clear of Crystal Palace in second.

Beyond those two near-misses, and a huge late chance for Bryan Mbeumo, United created little though, and can only apportion so much blame for the loss to bad luck.

Tottenham Hotspur will be without Pedro Porro and Sandro Tonali when they travel to Liverpool for their Carabao Cup third round game on Tuesday night, while head coach Roberto De Zerbi will not be recalling Richarlison for the tie.

Porro is still missing with the muscular issue which ruled him out of Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Everton, while record signing Tonali, who started the game, picked up a knock and will not be available.

But there was better news for Destiny Udogie, with the Italy left-back available again having missed the draw with the Merseyside club. Meanwhile, De Zerbi added that Dominic Solanke is “not fit yet” but will be involved on Tuesday night as he builds up his fitness and rhythm.

Solanke had a difficult season with injuries last year but De Zerbi spoke with him on Monday morning and believes he can get back to his best.

“I would like to manage him in the best way I can,” the Italian said. “In the physical aspect and in mental aspect, because he’s a sensitive guy, he needs to feel full confidence and from myself he has big, big confidence.

“I believe he can score 10 to 15 goals for sure. He has already scored in Bournemouth and so why can’t he score in Tottenham. It’s the same sport, a different stadium, but no pressure, because in our stadium if we push, if we play well, the fans are with us.”

De Zerbi will not be bringing back Richarlison for the trip to Anfield, even though the Brazil international would technically be eligible because the game is not in the Premier League. Richarlison was not included on Spurs’ 25-man Premier League list, but still has not been able to find a move away from the club.

“You already know everything,” De Zerbi said, when asked about Richarlison’s potential involvement in his press conference on Monday afternoon. “Nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same.”

De Zerbi re-iterated that he had proposed a new contract for Richarlison at the start of the window but that after that there was nothing else he could do.

“I can’t say anything more because it’s not my job,” De Zerbi said. “I can answer about the results, the players in the squad, the offensive space, the defensive space, but not for the other things. What I’ve done, at the beginning of this season, was to speak with him, and to propose an extension of the contract. If he said no thank you, I have finished my job.”

De Zerbi reiterated that it was not his job to “pray” for Richarlison to stay after he had already made up his mind to leave.

“I said in the last press conference, I know what happened in the last 45 days,” he said.

“It’s not right if I explained. It’s not my behaviour, it is the relationship and the problem is with [between] the player and the club. And I stay inside of the club. It’s coach and club together because at the start of this season, I spoke with him many times to convince him to stay and he didn’t want to. I can’t go every day to pray for him to stay.”

This felt like a significant result for Arsenal. In the second half against a spirited Sunderland side, they conceded a penalty when Ezri Konsa appeared to grapple with Dan Ballard. It was a decision that incensed Mikel Arteta, who described it as “unacceptable” in his post-match press conference and left the champions facing the prospect of defeat at the Stadium of Light.

David Raya had other ideas. Enzo Le Fee struck a perfectly good penalty, low to Raya’s left, but the Spanish goalkeeper had anticipated it and plunged down tot tip the ball onto the base of the post. It was a stunning save. Even more remarkable: 121 seconds later, Arsenal were ahead, with Bruno Guimaraes scoring a debut goal from outside the area, having come off the bench at half-time.

Sunderland threw everything at Arsenal, but the champions stood firm. Can anyone stop them this season?

Their north London rivals Tottenham, however, endured another tough afternoon, failing to score for a fourth straight game as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton. At the final whistle, boos echoed around the Tottenham Stadium.

Liverpool and Chelsea, two other sides who came into the season full of optimism, were also held to frustrating home draws. Andoni Iraola’s side still do not look like they are clicking and could not find a way past Fulham at Anfield, while Chelsea continued to attack with verve and defend catastrophically in their 2-2 draw with Hull.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was furious after his side’s defeat to Nottingham Forest, believing James McAtee should have been sent off for the challenge that left Ian Maatsen injured. In Crystal Palace’s defeat to Ipswich, Axel Disasi was sent off for a reckless challenge on Jack Clarke.

Amid the goals and the controversy, the two least-fancied promoted teams continue to impress. At the end of the day, Ipswich were sitting in eighth and Hull in third and might have a better chance of staying up than many expected.

This is the latest Premier League Forum, in which writers from The Athletic give their views on the weekend talking points so far, and you can join the discussion in the comments.

This time, they discuss whether anyone can stop Arsenal defending their title, whether Spurs are in trouble again and if Ipswich and Hull might stay up.

Let us know your views and what else you noticed from the weekend’s action so far.

Game week 4 results so far…

Aston Villa 1-2 Nottingham Forest

Bournemouth 2-2 Brentford

Chelsea 2-2 Hull City

Crystal Palace 2-3 Ipswich Town

Liverpool 0-0 Fulham

Tottenham 0-0 Everton

Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal

Can anyone stop Arsenal?

Ahmed Walid: No.

While every other contender is still sorting their weaknesses and adapting to a new manager, Arsenal already have a strong base and have added to it by signing Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa.

With a fully fit Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz — who only started one Premier League game together last season — stopping this team is harder than it seems.

This is a side with no clear weakness, proficient in all phases of play, and has the individual quality to win any match even if they aren’t at their best.

Dan Sheldon: The strength of Arsenal’s squad is undeniable, and their win over Sunderland, which saw Bruno Guimaraes come off the bench to break the deadlock, is evidence of that.

It wasn’t Arsenal’s best performance, but they scored twice, kept a clean sheet and maintained their unbeaten start to the season.

But if anyone is going to be able to catch them, which, over the course of a 38-game campaign seems unlikely, then it will likely be Manchester City.

In Erling Haaland, Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City has the firepower to blow teams away, but they are getting used to life without Pep Guardiola, whose exit left a huge void, and that, along with their squad, is why Arsenal will be difficult to stop.

Greg O’Keeffe: Arsenal have come through a couple of difficult Premier League games, at home to Chelsea and now the Stadium of Light, and still their defence looks fearsome.

Chelsea and Sunderland — not to mention Napoli in the Champions League — all posed different and exacting challenges, but Mikel Arteta’s men are imperious.

Their spine is built of top players operating at their best, with goalkeeper Davd Raya’s penalty save in the second half proving pivotal.

Bruno Guimaraes is fitting in just nicely, and getting that long-awaited title over the line seems to have dimmed not an ounce of Arteta’s intensity (he fumed afterwards about the decision to award Sunderland the spot kick).

Manchester City will push them all the way, and Enzo Maresca’s extra firepower might just make the difference, but it’s only the men from the Etihad who look capable of making the Gunners sweat as they mount their convincing case for a title defence.

Are Spurs in trouble again?

Dan Sheldon: All that money spent in the summer, yet not a single goal scored in six hours of Premier League football is nothing short of an embarrassment.

If there was any momentum heading into this season, buoyed by the promise of a respected coach in Roberto De Zerbi, and significant investment in the transfer window, then it left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

And it left to a chorus of boos as the club’s supporters let their feelings be known.

Although the table currently says otherwise, Spurs should still have more than enough quality to avoid a repeat of 2025-26, but the onus is on De Zerbi to solve their myriad problems sooner rather than later.

Greg O’Keeffe: Everton didn’t spend a penny on strikers, they even ended the transfer window in a goalscorer deficit.

It’s well known that Tottenham, at least on paper, had a far more ambitious summer. They are committed to forking out £60million ($81.2m) on Omar Marmoush, and spent more on attackers such as Savio. They also boast the experience and prowess of Dominic Solanke.

Somehow on Saturday evening, though, Marmoush did not manage a single shot on target in his 77 minutes on the field, and his team tested Jordan Pickford directly just twice as their goalless pain continued.

It was David Moyes’ side who had the greater expected goals too (1.17 to the hosts’ 0.64).

Last week Marmoush said his new team should “not be too hectic” or “pressured” to score goals, and eventually they would arrive. He also had glowing praise for the manager, Roberto De Zerbi.

But after another hapless blank, the pressure on Tottenham to start scoring will only become greater.

De Zerbi didn’t waste a second at the final whistle, running onto the pitch to give Mathys Tel some coaching. He will need to expedite those lessons if he is to convince the booing fans they are not, somehow after all that lavish recruitment, in for another difficult campaign.

Ahmed Walid: Yes, and they need to sort their attack and high press quickly.

Tottenham struggled to break down Everton’s defence, which follows weak attacking performances against Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United — even if they had bright spells in the latter.

Meanwhile, the high press was dysfunctional once more against David Moyes’ side, as was the case in the defeats against Brentford and Newcastle.

Time is needed for this newly assembled team to gel, but without goals — and consequentially wins — pressure is added on a squad that is clearly devoid of any confidence.

Despite the millions of pounds spent, it’s ironic that Spurs’ best player in their four Premier League games has been Rodrigo Bentancur.

Ipswich and Hull were favourites for relegation. Can they stay up?

Greg O’Keeffe: Selhurst Park is a notoriously difficult place for away teams, and yet there went promoted Ipswich — boldly sealing victory at the death and finishing the day in eighth place.

Hull City pulled off an even more surprising result, grabbing a well-deserved point from an encounter at Stamford Bridge which they navigated with confidence and ambition.

Sergej Jakirovic’s defensively tough side are now third. Tigers fans may want to print off the league table right now, because while it may not get much better for them this season in terms of league position, it serves as further tangible proof that their many doubters before a ball was kicked this season were premature.

For Gary O’Neill’s side, Zian Flemming always felt like a smart signing. His first goal for the club since his deadline-day move bodes well, as does the patient and potent manner in which they sought the win when other promoted teams may have settled for a point.

It’s early days but you’d be a brave man to bet against at least one of these two, if not both, leveraging their bright starts into survival.

Dan Sheldon: The Premier League is seemingly bucking what was becoming a worrying trend.

In the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, the three promoted teams were all relegated at the end of the campaign, which was the first time in the league’s history that this had happened in consecutive years.

Sunderland and Leeds United bucked that trend in 2025-26, and Ipswich Town and Hull City have shown early signs that they will, too.

It has been a tough start for Coventry City, rooted to the bottom of the table, but their fellow promoted teams have shown enough quality in the opening matches that survival is more than possible.

Ahmed Walid: Maybe — it’s too early to tell.

Hull City and Ipswich Town have put in positive performances, with clear ideas of what they want to do on and off the ball.

The problem, though, is that the rest of the league is stacked with individual talent.

Even if Fulham and Crystal Palace have endured tough starts to the season, they have the player quality and experience to edge Hull, Ipswich and Coventry City.

It’s always good to remember that Hull were third in the Premier League table in late October 2008, and only managed to avoid relegation on the final day of that season.

What next?

Manchester has become one of the most talked-about cities in the world in recent months and today the city hosts its first derby of the season. Enzo Maresca’s side travel to Old Trafford with a 100 per cent record as the transition to the post-Pep era appears to be going smoothly.

Michael Carrick has had a more challenging start to the season, after that surprising defeat to Hull in their first game, but there have been positive signs in recent performances that United are finding their stride.

In the earlier kick-off, Frank Lampard is looking for his first Premier League point as his Coventry side host free-scoring Brighton.

On Monday, Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle travel to Elland Road to face Daniel Farke’s Leeds, with both sides unbeaten in their first three games.

Premier League fixtures

Sunday Sep 12

Coventry City v Brighton & Hove Albion (2:00pm BST/9:00am ET)

Manchester United v Manchester City (4:30pm BST/11:30am ET)

Monday Sep 13

Leeds United v Newcastle United (8:00pm BST/3:00pm ET)

The problems mount for Tottenham Hotspur and Roberto De Zerbi.

A summer outlay of more than £300million appears to have done little for his team’s attacking output and for a fourth successive game they failed to scored. It was the first 0-0 in a Premier League game since the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was rebuilt.

Savio, Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush started as the front three for the first time for Spurs and it was the Brazil forward who was often the brightest spark for the hosts from the off.

But the first half was far from entertaining, not helped by a visibly patchy pitch, and James Garner’s free kick, beaten away by Antonin Kinsky, was the only shot on target. Mateus Fernandes finally tested Jordan Pickford in the opening exchanges of the second period before Kinsky kept out Thierno Barry’s header with his head.

The home fans’ frustration was audible and Kinsky almost gifted Everton the lead when he passed straight to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall but he redeemed himself by saving well. Former Spurs forward Brennan Johnson should have broken the deadlock in the 75th minute from 15 yards but failed to hit the target.

Pickford followed Kinsky’s lead in the closing stages by handing Lucas Bergvall possession but got back to palm the shot wide and Spurs’ challenge fizzled out.

How did Spurs’ new-look front three perform?

One of the concerns when signing De Zerbi to lead Tottenham was how he was going to set up his team to break deep defences. It was one of the problems he had at Brighton & Hove Albion in his previous spell in the Premier League.

The logic was that with the quality of players added to Spurs’ squad, the input of the individuals and their profiles would provide De Zerbi with more solutions in the final third.

However, Tottenham struggled to break down Everton’s defence, which follows weak attacking performances against Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United — even if they had bright spells in the latter.

The front three of Savio, Solanke, and Marmoush, who occupied a narrow position from the left side, didn’t knock on Everton’s door and had no shots on target between them.

Spurs’ main attacking threat came from right-back Archie Gray and midfielder Mateus Fernandes’ runs in the right half-space, which David Moyes’ side were more aware of in the second part of the first half.

Even when Spurs changed the attacking shape by introducing Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Bergvall in place of Solanke, Fernandes and Rodrigo Bentancur, they were still toothless.

Thus far, Tottenham’s inability to break down deep defences remains the biggest question for De Zerbi and his players this season.

Ahmed Walid

What’s going on with Spurs’ pitch?

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is not just a football ground. It has become one of London’s primary venues for music artists and is home to two NFL games per year.

The revenue Tottenham earn through their stadium is, in part, the reason why they were so busy in the transfer market. It is not often that a team that finishes 17th in successive seasons fall behind only Manchester City and Chelsea as the Premier League’s third-biggest spenders, with their total outlay well beyond the £300m mark.

But an unwanted consequence of hosting so many events is that the pitch’s quality may suffer. Last week, American rapper Jay-Z performed two nights in the stadium, which may explain the patches of yellow turf dotted around the pitch.

The pitch at the stadium is retractable, and grow lights are used to keep it in top condition even when it is underground. Tottenham ground staff operate autonomous mowers programmed to cover the entire pitch and ensure it is Premier League-ready.

Still, despite it being just the third game hosted at the stadium this season, Tottenham’s pitch appeared more like one you would expect to see in May.

Elias Burke

Is Archie Gray’s future at right-back?

Archie Gray wants to be a central midfielder, but, on the evidence of his performance against Everton, his qualities may be better suited to a right-back role under De Zerbi.

Tottenham opted against replacing Djed Spence as Pedro Porro’s back-up right-back, after the England international moved to Inter in a deal worth around €30m (£25m; $34m). Part of that is down to Porro’s outstanding record of availability — he has comfortably played more minutes than any Spurs player since he signed permanently in 2023.

It was also down to the faith De Zerbi has in Gray, to whom he handed the armband throughout pre-season and for their season opener against Brentford.

But with Porro sidelined with a minor injury — something that may become more commonplace as Tottenham switch to preventive measures to limit the chances of another injury crisis — the 20-year-old got another chance.

Defensively, Gray dealt well with the trickery of Tyrique George, and later Jack Grealish, who replaced the 20-year-old in the 65th minute. But it was on the offensive side where he looked most natural, rotating with Fernandes in the right half-space and demonstrating his athleticism and passing range.

When playing in midfield, Gray has occasionally struggled with the speed of the Premier League. From right-back, he was able to charge forward into space with and without the ball, which suits his qualities much better at this stage of his career.

The Premier League is stacked with electric wingers, so he may face tougher defensive tests down the line. But, overall, it was one of his more complete displays in a Spurs shirt.

Elias Burke

Did both teams need a Richarlison?

Had things turned out differently, he might have been in Rio de Janeiro. But the man who could have made a difference for both these teams was still at the Tottenham stadium on Saturday — if only as a disconsolate onlooker.

Clad in casual black shirt, shorts and trainers, Richarlison watched as his current(ish) and former teams traded blows but suffered from mutual woe in front of goal.

It was a contest that showed how both Spurs, who have found scoring so painfully hard, and Everton, with only one senior centre forward on their books, may regret not having him in their ranks. The Brazil forward’s 11 Premier League goals last term made him Tottenham’s top scorer and would, had they come in royal blue, have meant the same on Merseyside.

Instead, De Zerbi left the 29-year-old out of his top-flight squad after losing patience with his wantaway outbursts, and Everton’s attempts to re-sign a player who was so popular during his spell as a Toffee faltered on deadline day.

At least the visitors can say their failure to have Richarlison in their ranks was out of their control. He decided against a return to Merseyside, as part of a reported deal in which the numbers made little financial sense anyway, even if his goals would have been much welcomed.

For the second game running Barry, who Moyes must hang his hat on solely, failed to convert a strong chance as he headed Tyrique George’s teasing cross straight at Kinsky.

Richarlison has said he was close to getting the move he wanted to Vasco de Gama on loan until December, but the move broke down.

Limbo for him then — and just as many question marks for both of these clubs in terms of goalscoring.

Greg O’Keeffe

What did De Zerbi say?

“I’m honest. I’m always honest with you, no? Because when we play bad, I say we play we played very bad. But when I come in to the press conference, 99 per cent I’m honest, like with the players, like with the club. I said we started this season late in many many reasons. Many players for the World Cup, many problems, injuries in Australia. Mateus Fernandes, Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke. Not our responsibility or the club’s, but we bought two players late: Savio and Marmoush. I started to work with this group two Thursdays ago. We do not have the right physical condition yet.

“We played very well the first 30 minutes, and then maybe the energy, maybe the fact we didn’t score, maybe we lost in some players a little confidence. We have to be not positive but realistic. If we extend that part of the game 30 minutes to 70, 80, 90, my belief is that we’re gonna win many games. We have to improve in the last third of the pitch. The last decision, the last pass. We have to shoot more times, especially when we have space and time to do. We have to do with the right spirit. But I can’t say nothing bad because I know how the players are working very well.

“It’s tough to explain because four games without goals is tough to accept. We are sorry for the fans, but the fans they went today behind the players. When the players in the first 30 minutes they played very well, it was a hot, hot stadium. And then, like me, like every fan of Tottenham or the people inside of the club, we were sad because we were 75 times in the goal area and did not shoot enough.

“But what is the problem? The problem is the goal. The real problem, the most important problem, is the players have to be focused on the first 30 minutes and on the improvement we can do and we have to do. Not about the media, social media, not about the the journalists, because today, if we had we won today we’d have stayed in a different way with a smile. Great first half, great spirit. The second half: great, great, great. But the result changed the opinion. My opinion, no. Because I’m a coach, not a journalist. I’m not a fan.”

What next for Spurs?

Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison has said he was “very close” to joining Vasco da Gama before the Brazilian transfer window closed on Friday.

Addressing Vasco fans in a video posted to his personal Instagram account, the 29-year-old said he had made it clear during negotiations he wished to join Vasco on a loan deal through to December — the end of the Brazil 2026 club season — but claimed the deal broke down over Tottenham’s demands.

It comes after the ex-Watford and Everton striker, who was Tottenham’s leading scorer in the Premier League last season with 11 goals to help the club avoid relegation, was omitted from their Premier League squad for the season.

“Other offers were made to me but I made it very clear I wanted to join Vasco until December,” Richarlison, whose family support the Rio de Janeiro-based club, said.

“Unfortunately, Tottenham set a limit on the loan, which is why it didn’t work out.”

Richarlison added in his video that a move to the Brazilian club may happen in the near future: “I think I’ll be at Sao Januario (Vasco’s stadium) soon, and in Barreira (the Rio district in which they play), and you know how fond I am of you all.

“One day I’m going to make this dream come true; it’s my dream, my grandfather’s dream, and my family’s dream. I’m speaking from the heart here because I really wanted to play for Vasco.”

A move back to Brazil is now off the table, with the nation’s transfer window closing at 11pm local time on Friday (4am UK on Saturday).

On Friday, Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi said Richarlison was a “very good guy” but added on his future: “I spent time to convince him to stay, but if you ask me, I know the truth.

“I know what happened in the last month, the last 45 days, and it’s clear, but I’m not frustrated.

“If I had decided myself to leave him outside of the squad, I would have regrets, but the decision has not even been taken by the club. It has been a consequence of what I told you already that he has decided (to leave).”

The Athletic reported earlier this month that Turkish club Trabzonspor had made an unsuccessful attempt to sign Richarlison. The deadline for Turkish clubs to register players was September 4, three days after the UK window closed, but no deal came to fruition.

Tottenham agreed a deal with Everton for the transfer of Richarlison before the UK deadline but he declined the personal terms on offer, before making a series of cryptic remarks on Instagram.

“After everything I’ve been through in the last few years, I’ve decided that never again will anyone decide my future for me,” Richarlison wrote. “I went through a lot of bad things, and almost all of them happened because decisions were made by other people. Pressure, threats, retaliation — none of that scares me. I’ve been through far worse, believe me.”

Richarlison is into the final 12 months of the five-year contract he signed upon joining Tottenham from Everton in 2022.

The Brazil international was pushed further down the pecking order by the arrival of Omar Marmoush from Manchester City, and has not been involved in a matchday squad since the opening-day defeat at Brentford.

Lucas Bergvall has signed a new contract with Tottenham Hotspur.

Friday’s announcement comes after the 20-year-old midfielder’s future was uncertain throughout the summer. The Athletic reported in June that the Sweden international had expressed a preference to leave, with Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United submitting bids which were rejected by Spurs.

At the start of Spurs’ pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand, head coach Roberto De Zerbi said the pair had not spoken and that anyone “who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave”.

De Zerbi performed a U-turn after a productive conversation with Bergvall during the tour. The Swede was never unhappy in north London but wanted a clear development plan. De Zerbi then said in public he knew what Bergvall’s best position was and he had “needed time to understand the characteristics of the players” in the squad.

“I think we’re building something great here. It’s an exciting time for the club and that’s why I’m happy to extend my contract,” Bergvall said in a club release.

De Zerbi added: “Every day in training you can see Lucas’ desire to learn, improve and push himself to the highest level. I believe his best football is still ahead of him and we want to give Lucas the platform to reach his full potential.”

Bergvall started Spurs’ opening two games of the season, the 3-0 defeat by Brentford in the Premier League and the 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup. He was substituted at half-time against Brentford after making a mistake which led to Vitaly Janelt scoring and has not come off the bench in their last two top-flight fixtures against Newcastle and Forest.

Bergvall joined Spurs from Swedish side Djurgarden in the summer of 2024. He previously signed a contract extension in April 2025, which ran until 2031. This latest deal reflects how Spurs view Bergvall as an important member of the squad right now and for the long term.

Bergvall’s future sorted – now he needs to kick on

A strange sequence of events has led to a positive outcome.

Bergvall became frustrated towards the end of last season at being played out of position in training and due to restricted game time. At the beginning of the summer, he expressed a preference to leave Spurs despite enjoying the majority of his time in north London and having a strong connection with the fans. Spurs’ record-breaking signings of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali appeared, on paper, to signal the end of his time with the club.

Spurs rejected bids from Forest and Newcastle. Then Bergvall impressed De Zerbi on tour and the pair’s relationship improved following a productive conversation. Bergvall wanted, and was given, a clear development plan. This new deal reflects how all parties think he can be a force for Spurs right now and in the long-term.

Bergvall’s pathway to more consistent game time is still not going to be easy. He has not featured in the Premier League since the opening day of the season when he underwhelmed against Brentford and was taken off at half-time. Along with new signings Fernandes and Tonali, he needs to compete with Rodrigo Bentancur, Conor Gallagher, James Maddison and Archie Gray for minutes.

However, Bergvall showed during the 2024-25 season that he can be a positive influence when he plays regularly. Bergvall won multiple player of the year awards in his first season in English football after leaving Sweden at only 18.

With his future finally settled after months of uncertainty, hopefully Bergvall can kick on and show people why Spurs had to fight off interest from Barcelona to sign him in 2024.

Richarlison is considering legal action against Tottenham Hotspur to try to cancel his contract.

The Brazil international has been in limbo ever since he was left out of Tottenham’s 25-man Premier League squad for this season, which was announced one week ago.

Attempts to find a move for Richarlison have so far failed. He was close to a return to former club Everton at the end of the Premier League window, only to fail to agree terms. He was then subject to interest from Trabzonspor, just before the Turkish window closed.

In the final days of the English transfer window, Richarlison made a series of cryptic remarks on Instagram regarding his future.

“After everything I’ve been through in the last few years, I’ve decided that never again will anyone decide my future for me,” he wrote. “I went through a lot of bad things, and almost all of them happened because decisions were made by other people. Pressure, threats, retaliation — none of that scares me. I’ve been through far worse, believe me.”

Roberto De Zerbi, who picked Richarlison for the opening game of the season at Brentford, but has not picked him since, has been clear in his position that it was Richarlison’s responsibility to find a solution.

“Richarlison decided everything alone,” De Zerbi said in his press conference last week. “He spoke with me at the beginning of pre-season and told me his desire was to leave. I want to keep just the players that want to stay and be proud, with the right passion to stay here.”

Now Richarlison and his team are exploring the possibility of trying to take legal action to cancel what remains of his Tottenham contract, following his sidelining from Spurs’ Premier League squad for this season. Richarlison still has one year remaining on the deal he signed when he joined from Everton in 2022 for an initial £50million.

Under FIFA’s updated ‘Regulations on the Status and Transfers of Players’, parties can in theory cancel a contract when they have ‘Just Cause’, defined as “any circumstance in which a party can no longer reasonably and in good faith be expected to continue a contractual relationship.”

The FIFA regulations state that no club may “abuse the registration or de-registration of a player as a means of pressure” or “separate a player in an abusive manner from training with the team”.

In Brazil, Richarlison has been linked with a move to Vasco da Gama by local media. If he was released from his Tottenham contract then he would be free to join Vasco on a short-term deal without their having to negotiate a fee with Spurs. The Brazilian transfer window shuts early on Saturday morning.

Mauricio Pochettino believes that his Tottenham Hotspur team should be awarded the 2016-17 Premier League title because of Chelsea’s 74 breaches of financial rules.

Chelsea were fined £10million by the FA this summer, and given a suspended transfer ban, after admitting breaching agent regulations during the Roman Abramovich era, specifically regarding signing players between 2011 and 2018.

But there was no sporting sanction and Pochettino, who managed Tottenham to a second-placed finish behind Chelsea in 2016-17, believes that title should be stripped from Chelsea and re-awarded.

“I’ve said that we should win one title, one Premier League,” Pochettino told reporters. “We should have been awarded it. If that was true, and that happened, for sure we deserve to be champions for that year. Because we were the second best.”

Tottenham finished the 2016-17 campaign with the fewest defeats in the Premier League, and having scored the most goals and conceded the fewest, but ultimately seven points behind Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.

Chelsea’s new ownership found irregularities in the accounts during their purchase of the club in 2022 and self-reported to the authorities, and then admitted to the 74 breaches of FA Rule E1.2. But Pochettino believes that Chelsea and Tottenham were fundamentally playing by different rules during the affected years.

“They were punished, they admitted (it), so that’s it,” Pochettino said. “The title should be for the team that was second. We didn’t compete with the same rules. OK, now we can say that they scored goals, they won games. But it’s completely fair to say that we didn’t compete before the start of the season with the same card. Maybe with the same rules, if we apply the same things, maybe we could have signed some players that would have made the team better, or scored more goals. It’s not me complaining. It’s the truth.”

The FA’s case centres on millions of pounds of payments made to unregistered agents in connection with signings, including Eden Hazard, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic, all of whom were part of Chelsea’s title-winning side in 2016-17. Pochettino believes that Hazard may have made the difference that year.

“The Chelsea fans will be upset with me because I’m saying this,” said Pochettino, who managed Chelsea in the 2023-24 season. “But if we were at Tottenham and broke the rules, I would admit the same and say, ‘Look, we don’t deserve the title because we broke the rules’. It’s impossible if only some clubs play with offside and another plays with no offside. Or one plays with VAR and another plays with no VAR. No. For everyone, it needs to be the same rules, and the capacity to create the best team.”

Pochettino made clear that his issue was not with the players or coaches. “I don’t say that they did not play well. Conte, the coach, was great. I don’t want this message twisted. But if you broke the rules, in the moment, then ‘ciao’. You need to give it to another team.”

English football has traditionally been reluctant to strip titles in cases of wrongdoing but Pochettino believes this sends the worst possible message to clubs.

“What is being promoted and incentivised is to break the rules,” he said. “If you don’t punish the way that you need to punish, I say ‘yes, but I lost my job because we didn’t win the title.”

And Pochettino, who was sacked by Tottenham in November 2019 without winning anything, thinks that his work should be viewed differently in that context. “We were fighting with clubs (who worked) in a completely different way to us. I think we deserve more. We operated in a different way.”

For Mauricio Pochettino, it all comes down to human connections.

That is how he sees the world, sees football, and sees his own role in it. All of the best work of his career has been built on that foundation; making players work together, making fans believe in the team, trying to leave a legacy bigger than just wins and losses.

That is how Pochettino wants to look back at his summer, when he took the United States to the last 16 of their home World Cup, invigorating a football nation, before it all ended acrimoniously.

It is why Pochettino says he recommitted to the job, signing a new four-year contract, to repay the trust he feels from U.S. Soccer, and from the American public. There was some surprise in September 2024 — four months after he left Chelsea — when Pochettino was announced as the new head coach of the U.S. side. Before then all five of his jobs were in club football.

But he was recruited, after a huge effort by U.S. Soccer, to take the team into the World Cup. When Pochettino signed that contract, as he explained in detail to reporters in central London earlier this week, he knew that he was fully committed until after the tournament. He wanted to be a man of his word.

“When we gave our word to the federation, it was about starting and finishing, after the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “For us, it was impossible to think about coming back, or going to another club. Because we received some calls from different clubs. But we cannot go away. First, because we didn’t want to go. But in the moment I think it wasn’t right for us to create all these situations and expectations.”

Pochettino is determined to keep the good feelings from the summer going. It was because of that sense of trust and human connection that he decided, against expectations, to sign a new deal last month. It had widely been assumed he would return to the club game this summer instead.

“The one thing that changed our mind: the people,” Pochettino said. “The human beings in the federation.” Even before the World Cup kicked off, the U.S. Soccer board offered him a new deal as a sign of trust in his work. As Pochettino tells it, they respected the fact that he gave them his word and stayed, even when he was attracting interest from the club game. “This type of people, I like to be with them.” Even Pochettino did not expect to generate this much enthusiasm from players and fans, but now he wants to build on it.

Pochettino still clearly values his unique bond with Tottenham Hotspur fans, a relationship that means the world to him. But you can detect some of the same sense of pride when he talks about his bond with the fans Stateside. The way his team played in the World Cup, especially in those thrilling wins over Paraguay, Australia and Bosnia and Herzogovina, was integral to generating a sense of public momentum behind his team. Pochettino feels that his team helped to “change the view” of the American public, to feel that soccer is no longer “a boring game.”

“I think, through our messaging for nearly two years, people started to buy that this is completely different,” he said. “You can feel proud to be American, to show your flag, your country. It’s a sport that is about being brave. We started to provide them the possibility to see that sport in a different way. They started to see in a different way, they started to buy the idea. Amazing.”

The U.S. campaign ended in controversy and disappointment, though, with Folarin Balogun’s overturned suspension dominating the build-up to the last-16 game, in which Belgium was clearly the superior side. Pochettino denied again that it was why the U.S. lost. “What I don’t like is to put an excuse,” he said, “Belgium was much better.”

This is a delicate political matter, and Pochettino acknowledged that it was a “rare” and “unique” situation, but pointed out that this was not the only time FIFA overturned a suspension for this World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo got the same treatment, too.

But there is now a chance to start fresh, with plenty to play for over the next four years. There will be a Concacaf Gold Cup next year and potentially a Copa America the year after, which would help to fill the buildup to the 2030 World Cup. But Pochettino also made clear that while his first contract, leading up to this summer, was unbreakable, this situation is slightly different.

Simply put, there are circumstances under which he could leave between now and June 2030.

“Now it’s a four-year contract, it’s different,” Pochettino said. “We can next season lose the Copa America, or the Gold Cup, and they’re not happy with us, they can sack us. Or we can say ‘OK, it’s not the way that we think.’ Four years is different. Maybe now if someone calls in the future, it’s a different type (of situation). We are excited, we are thinking to spend four years, to the next World Cup. But now it’s a long period.”

But before any of that, Pochettino is ready for the USMNT’s four high-interest friendlies this forthcoming international break, against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada. It already feels very different from Pochettino’s start in the job, when it was a struggle to always get U.S. fans into home games. But this was always part of the attraction, “to make history, to change football there.”

After so much time working in club football, this is why the international game is so appealing. “It’s more pure,” Pochettino said, because the players are more motivated and less distracted. “The players are not toxic, they come because they want to enjoy, they want to enjoy, they don’t have time to become upset or disappointed.” And for Pochettino, who sees himself as a manager born in an analogue era, now working in a digital one, it allows him to build those human relations, to work on the chemistry of football, that means so much to him.

While Pochettino and his staff were working hard to prepare the U.S. for the World Cup, Tottenham, the club closest to his heart, was in crisis. The appointment of Thomas Frank had not worked and Spurs were, in the winter and spring of last season, heading for relegation. For many fans, Pochettino was the saviour, the king over the water, and his name was often sung last season, including during Frank’s final game, a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United in February.

There have been various points in recent years when it felt as if a Pochettino return to Tottenham might happen. Perhaps the closest was in May 2021, when there was a push at Spurs to bring him back, only for PSG to say no, just six months after Pochettino started there. Then two years later, after Pochettino had left PSG but before he signed for Chelsea, there was plenty of public enthusiasm for him to return, but no approach from Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. And then most recently earlier this year, when Pochettino says that he got a call about the Tottenham job, but at a moment when his full focus was on the World Cup. There was never any prospect of his walking out before the tournament.

“The problem was that the timings were never the best,” Pochettino said. “When I was free, I never received a contact. And then when I was working, I received a contact, but I cannot make the decision to come back. It was a little bit unlucky. Maybe one day the stars will align, and it can happen. But the problem was that when we wanted and we were free, we didn’t receive the approach. When we were working, we received the approach.”

In the end, Spurs sacked Frank in February, tried and failed to get Roberto De Zerbi, appointed Igor Tudor and then sacked him when De Zerbi became persuadable to take the job. And the only way to get someone of De Zerbi’s calibre was with a five-year contract. “They were under pressure to bring another coach, to give him the possibility to stay for a long period like happened with De Zerbi,” Pochettino explained. “It was an obvious situation.”

Pochettino joked that there was nothing special about him getting a call. “In this moment they called everyone, they called all the coaches! Free and not free!” But when De Zerbi signed that deal in March, the prospect of Pochettino taking over even after the World Cup was gone. But Pochettino leaves no doubt that he would have been delighted to take over had he not been committed to the U.S. “If I was free, of course I come,” he said. “But I wasn’t free, I was preparing for the World Cup.”

During this period of uncertainty there was a question about what Spurs would do if they were relegated, and who might manage them in the Championship. In the end it remained a hypothetical. But Pochettino does not mind this sort of speculation, and he jumped at the chance to clear it up. So would he have taken it in the second tier? “Yes of course,” he said. “It’s the only club that always I am open to help. Whatever division. Another club, no. But Tottenham, yes.”

Clearly that connection for Pochettino is as strong as ever. (That in part is why he believes that Tottenham ought to be awarded the 2016-17 Premier League title, given Chelsea’s breaches of rules over payments between 2009 and 2022.) But he also knows Tottenham is a very different place from the club he left in 2019. In part because Levy, who ran everything at Spurs throughout Pochettino’s tenure, was dismissed one year ago. Pochettino and Levy are still close. And so it was with genuine kindness rather than any schadenfreude that Pochettino said that Levy must now know what it is like to be sacked, with the sudden switch-off that implies.

“Now he knows the feeling,” Pochettino said. “The way that I felt in this moment, that we felt, you receive the letter, you are sacked, pick up your things and you can never come back. And the people, maybe 200, 300 people that were your family, you cannot say goodbye, you cannot send a text, you cannot do nothing. That was really, really tough for me. I was talking with him about that. Of course I am not happy that now he feels the same. Because I am not a person who has bad feelings. I am so sorry for him and for everyone.”

The post-Levy changes at Tottenham led to the club embarking on their boldest transfer window, spending more money on fees and wages this summer than ever before. It is a far cry from the era during which Pochettino worked, when Tottenham famously did not sign a single player in the 2018 summer window. But Pochettino’s love for Tottenham, his enthusiasm for them to do well, means that he is pleased that De Zerbi has this opportunity to build the team that he wants.

“I am happy if Tottenham now have the possibility to spend and to bring proven players, who have already played in the Premier League,” he said. “It’s good for the club. Because after the last two or three years, what the club is trying to find, is to improve, and not suffer. Now it’s about performing. I am happy because I feel Tottenham. It’s still my club and I want the best for them. And if that happens, it’s good. I’d be so happy for the fans and for the people.”