The New York Times

Welcome to the 10th summer 2026 window edition of The Transfer DealSheet.

Our team of dedicated writers will take you inside the market to explain the deals being worked on in what promises to be an extremely busy few months. This includes the players who could arrive and the ones on their way out across the Premier League.

The information in this article has been gathered in line with The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Unless stated, our reporters have spoken to more than one person briefed on each mooted deal before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment. Those responses, when they were given, have been included. Sources were granted anonymity to protect their positions.

In this edition, we have Seb Stafford-Bloor’s One To Watch and updates on Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

We aim to bring you analysis you can trust on what is happening at Europe’s leading clubs and the latest information we’re hearing from across the market.

This article is long but detailed, so enjoy it all — or search for the team or player you want to read about.

One To Watch

With their midfield and defence already improved, Tottenham are expected to make several attacking additions before the window closes on September 1. Asked about his club’s recruiting plans ahead of the friendly against Chelsea in Australia over the weekend, head coach Roberto De Zerbi said that he was hoping for “two, maybe three” more players.

Who are they likely to be?

Manchester City winger Savinho has been a Spurs target for more than a year. The two clubs have maintained contact regarding the player, but City would want to secure a replacement before considering a sale.

Tottenham have also registered their interest with Cody Gakpo’s representatives, but have yet to make contact with Liverpool or begin a formal negotiation. Liverpool have no intention of selling the midfielder, but would judge his value relative to other deals this summer, including Elliot Anderson’s move to Manchester City and Morgan Rogers’ transfer to Chelsea. In addition, the club are eager to add to their attacking strength rather than to reduce it, and are mindful that Andoni Iraola, their new head coach, has not had a chance to work with Gakpo yet.

Spurs have also expressed an interest in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Jean-Matteo Bahoya and spoke with the French winger’s representatives before the window began. The player has never been seen as a primary target, though, and there has been no club-to-club contact to this point. Bahoya is now attracting interest from Saudi Arabia.

Rafael Leao, Milan’s Portuguese forward, is in a similar situation. While there was contact between the club’s recruiting department and the player’s representatives before the World Cup, nothing has materialised since, and Leao is not currently considered an active target.

Seb Stafford-Bloor

Would Gakpo’s arrival help Spurs — and would his exit hurt Liverpool?

Though Gakpo was a frustrating watch at times throughout last season at Liverpool, his nose for a goalscoring opportunity cannot be denied. Only seven wide players averaged more touches in the opposition penalty area than his 2.2 per 90 minutes in 2025-26, while he also ranked inside the top 10 for chances created and shots from open play. Crucially, he was comfortably ahead of every Spurs player in all three of those metrics.

Gakpo would add firepower to a Tottenham forward line that is technically gifted, but lacks a killer instinct in front of goal. He strikes through the ball cleanly, and though his finishing was a little wayward last season, he generally scores more than the quality of his chances suggests that he should.

But most importantly, Gakpo will make that forward run into the penalty area, gamble on the ball reaching him at the back post, and get into promising positions with more frequency than most wingers do. That is reflected by his player pizza wheel below, where he scores highly on box threat, shot frequency and advanced involvement.

Losing both Gakpo and Mohamed Salah in the same window would remove a large chunk of Liverpool’s threat from wide areas. This is clearly why they are not interested in doing so. Some fans felt that Gakpo was too predictable, frequently choosing to cut inside onto his right foot, but he showed at the World Cup for the Netherlands that he is capable of mixing his game up.

For De Zerbi, the skill is getting into those positions in the first place. And Gakpo offers a solution both on the wing and through the middle, should injuries plague Spurs’ centre-forwards again.

Thom Harris

What Else We’re Hearing

Real Madrid and RB Leipzig are still to reach an agreement for Yan Diomande, as has now been confirmed by Marcel Schaefer, the latter’s sporting director. More talks are scheduled between the two clubs on Tuesday, with the hope of completing a deal before the weekend. Seb Stafford-Bloor and Mario Cortegana

Alex Scott’s situation remains unchanged. Chelsea had an offer for the 22-year-old midfielder rejected in the middle of June and they are yet to return with an improved bid. Scott, who was a training member of England’s pre-World Cup squad, has two years left on his contract and has so far resisted Bournemouth’s offer of an extension. Nevertheless, the club insist he is not for sale this summer, regardless of whether he accepts that new deal or not. Seb Stafford-Bloor

Everton have continued their interest in Celtic’s Alistair Johnston as they look to strengthen at right-back. Merseyside sources have played down suggestions of a formal bid for the Canada international, but talks have taken place between the two clubs. Celtic’s valuation is expected to be around £15million. Everton have explored other targets for the priority position, with RB Leipzig’s Germany international Ridle Baku another who has been considered. The £7m move for Arsenal’s Christian Norgaard, first reported by The Athletic over the weekend, could lead to departures in midfield, with Hull City having enquired about Tim Iroegbunam. The 22-year-old has also been monitored by clubs in Italy. Everton are also looking to strengthen their under-21 setup, and have discussed a move for young Manchester United striker Ethan Wheatley. Patrick Boyland

Tottenham and West Ham United are in negotiations for the permanent transfer of Manor Solomon. Solomon joined Spurs in 2023, but has appeared in just five Premier League games for them, having suffered an injury in his first season and then spent time on loan at Leeds United, Villarreal and Fiorentina. Seb Stafford-Bloor

Club Brugge are in advanced negotiations to sign Crystal Palace’s England Under-21 forward Romain Esse. Seb Stafford-Bloor

With a month to go, what does the Premier League’s net-spend situation look like?

Seven weeks down, four to go. With a little under a month remaining in the transfer window, Premier League club spending is down almost £200million, both gross and net, on this time last year.

Of course, 2025 didn’t have the all-encompassing men’s World Cup getting in the way, so a dip shouldn’t be surprising. And even with a recession to date, English teams’ spending is hardly in terminal decline and still trounces that of all other nations.

At the end of Monday, this season’s 20 Premier League sides had committed a total £1.652billion on new players this summer, and £680m net. That is just the reported transfer fees, too, so does not include agent fees or the league’s transfer levy applied to incoming deals. The true cost to clubs is even higher.

According to Transfermarkt, of the 20, 13 are in a net-spend position, and some likely suspects top the charts: Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City are all into nine figures. Both Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United have shelled out over £100million on new players but each, and particularly the latter, have recouped plenty too.

Chelsea’s £217million net spend so far is remarkable given they are up against a UEFA settlement agreement and have no Champions League football to bolster revenues this season.

Last week’s capture of Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace took their spending on new players beyond £300million, and even if we remove fees paid for Geovany Quenda, Emmanuel Emegha and Denner, a trio signed previously but who only officially joined this summer, Chelsea’s net spend is less than £10m behind that of Tottenham, who are having their own summer of splurge. The imminent sale of Trevoh Chalobah to Como will, though, bring their net spend down further.

At the other end of the scale, Palace are one of just two clubs not to have spent a penny — Sunderland being the other. It was much the same at Selhurst Park a year ago, when Palace were also in the bottom two spenders on new players at the beginning of August. Sunderland’s big and worthwhile post-promotion outlay last season has reduced their scope in this one.

Unsurprisingly, following the huge moves of Morgan Rogers and Elliot Anderson, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are the biggest net sellers to date, and divisional gross sales of £972million are a little ahead of a year ago.

Now, as then, the division’s richest are feasting on the rest. Those richest — the oft-referred-to ‘Big Six’ — occupy the top four spending spots currently, just as they did by the time last year’s summer window closed.

The Premier League’s collective wealth is abundant relative to the rest of the world but the ability to spend big year after year is concentrated in the hands of the few.

Chris Weatherspoon

Arsenal

What has happened this week?

Perhaps last week will come to be seen as the calm before the storm.

Bruno Guimaraes and Vinicius Junior are Arsenal’s top targets to strengthen midfield and attack respectively.

Guimaraes flew to Spain yesterday to join his Newcastle team-mates at their La Manga training camp. Vinicius, meanwhile, reported back to Real Madrid after his post-World Cup holiday.

Sources at Arsenal and Newcastle suggest that the protracted pursuit of Guimaraes is now entering its end game. While Newcastle have never wanted to sell the midfielder, the growing feeling on both sides is that a transfer may now be inevitable.

As for Vinicius Jr, Arsenal’s hopes of signing the 26-year-old still hinge on the outcome of his contract-renewal talks with Madrid.

Is Vinicius Junior a statement signing or one with the potential to revolutionise the squad?

There is a clear football logic to Arsenal’s pursuit of him. They want a left-sided attacker, and have been looking for an upgrade in that position for some time. Vinicius Jr is one of the best in his position. If there is a chance he comes available, Arsenal are determined to be at the front of the queue.

Of course, it’s a deal which would come at enormous expense. Arsenal feel that cost could be partially offset by the commercial windfall prompted by landing a genuine global star. Moreover, they believe that being at the negotiating table for a player of Vinicius Jr’s stature is indicative of the club’s progress.

What positions/players are they looking at?

Aside from Guimaraes and Vinicius Jr, Arsenal’s focus is also on adding another defender to cover for the injured William Saliba.

Which players could be leaving?

Christian Norgaard will undergo a medical soon, ahead of joining Everton for £7million. The likes of Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson and Gabriel Jesus remain available for transfer should an appropriate buyer be found.

James McNicholas

Chelsea

What has happened this week?

Chelsea officially announced the signings of Maxence Lacroix, Danny Welbeck, Valentin Barco and Jordan Henderson.

Lacroix completed a £52million move from Crystal Palace. The central defender signed a six-year deal. Welbeck’s move from Brighton for an undisclosed fee was done in time for him to join up with the squad in Hong Kong, which is the second stop of the club’s pre-season tour. The 35-year-old striker’s deal runs until 2028.

The Transfer DealSheet has reported for several weeks that midfielder Barco was joining from Strasbourg. He has now arrived for an undisclosed fee. Midfielder Henderson’s move was always a matter of time after Brentford announced an agreement had been reached for him to leave as a free agent.

Mykhailo Mudryk was given permission to resume his football career at Chelsea after his doping case with the Football Association was resolved. The Ukraine international has also travelled to Hong Kong. There have been multiple enquiries from clubs elsewhere, now that he is able to play again. A decision on whether the winger will have a chance to be involved in the first-team squad, loaned out or sold, has yet to be taken by the club.

Meanwhile, the Football Association has fined Chelsea £10million and given them a suspended two-window transfer ban for rules breaches connected to agents and third parties during the Roman Abramovich ownership era. The wrongdoing took place between 2011 and 2018.

Can we realistically expect any further incomings after the recent flurry of signings?

Well, we already know they want to acquire left-back Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano, so that is at least one more that could be added to the group.

Other arrivals will probably depend on exits, which is the main priority right now. For example, new manager Xabi Alonso has confirmed he wants a maximum of four or five centre-halves to work with, and they currently have 10 senior pros who play in that position — a number that will drop with Trevoh Chalobah’s impending exit to Como.

Selling is also important to comply with financial rules. Chelsea are confident they will make over £300million in outgoings come the deadline next month.

What positions/players are they looking at?

Chelsea remain in talks with Rayo over Chavarria. There are other options being considered, but the 28-year-old full-back has been their main target for several weeks. The two clubs are still to agree a fee.

An enquiry was made for Bayer Leverkusen winger Kerim Alajbegovic, but he has opted to join Juventus instead. The 18-year-old was being earmarked as a signing for Strasbourg rather than Chelsea, though.

Reports of their interest in Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa have been downplayed. Teddy Sharman-Lowe, who started both of Chelsea’s pre-season friendlies in Australia, and USMNT international Gaga Slonina remain contenders for the third-choice ’keeper role.

Which players could be leaving?

Chelsea now have six strikers in the senior squad following Welbeck’s transfer, and they intend to have half as many going into the season.

Joao Pedro is going nowhere and is being given a new deal, as The Athletic reported. Liam Delap is one of the players most likely to go. He joined from Ipswich Town for £30million last summer, but the club are looking for a fee in excess of that. Nicolas Jackson is valued at £65m and is liked by Aston Villa, while the asking price for Marc Guiu is £25m. All three have interest from clubs in England and abroad. Emmanuel Emegha, currently recovering from a hamstring injury, is not assured of his role yet.

Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen left the pre-season tour early to formalise a move away. A loan to Strasbourg is being considered.

Como have agreed a deal to buy Trevoh Chalobah. He will join them for €36m.

Pedro Neto, Malo Gusto (priced at £75m) and Enzo Fernandez (£120m) are all appreciated by the club but have been left off the ‘not for sale’ list.

Alonso’s revelation that Chelsea intend to have a maximum of five centre-backs for 2026-27 means at least five must go. Benoit Badiashile is up for sale at £30million, and there are clubs keen in England and Europe. Axel Disasi can go for £25m. The plan is to loan Mamadou Sarr to an English club. Aaron Anselmino is another contender for a loan away.

USMNT international Caleb Wiley has loan options in England. Strikers Deivid Washington (loan or permanent) and David Datro Fofana (permanent) will be leaving, and Genesis Antwi has been sent to Strasbourg for the season.

Omari Kellyman, Reggie Walsh, Shumaira Mheuka and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen are all discussing loan moves.

Simon Johnson

What is the plan with Mudryk — and what does he want?

After 20 months spent on the sidelines fighting to resume his career, Mykhailo Mudryk’s top priority is to play as much football as possible next season. Despite not yet being assigned a squad number, there could be a chance for him to begin doing so in Chelsea colours this week.

Mudryk flew to Hong Kong to train with Xabi Alonso’s pre-season tour squad for the first time on Monday evening. Chelsea have three Asian friendlies against Juventus, AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta’zim in the coming days, but the club and their new manager primarily want to see Mudryk train up close with the first team to get a better sense of where he is after so long out of professional action.

Beyond that, all options are open. If they conclude he can play a big role in helping the team get back into the Champions League this season, it is possible that Mudryk could be reintegrated into Chelsea’s first team.

But the reality for every player in Chelsea’s large senior squad is that there will be fewer minutes to go around with no European football in 2026-27. In the days since the Football Association confirmed Mudryk is free to play again, high-level clubs in England, Italy, Germany and Spain have signalled interest in the 25-year-old. Strasbourg has not yet been raised as a destination.

Mudryk and Chelsea could be presented with a range of options for a season-long loan or permanent departure. A source close to the player told The Athletic that his future could be resolved in the final week of the transfer window as he and his representatives work in partnership with the club to carefully identify the best path forward.

This decision is hugely important for his career. Regular game time is paramount for Mudryk, but the context also matters — it has to be for a team competing at a good level that matches his ambition, and with a style of play that suits his qualities. Playing in a lower-level side with less ball possession and more defensive tactics may not put him in the best position to succeed.

Mudryk’s relationship with Chelsea, which has been strengthened by the support the club gave him during his time away, should help all parties in figuring out what happens next. He does not yet know where he will play this season, but he does at least know that he will play.

Liam Twomey

Liverpool

What has happened this week?

Liverpool began preparing a formal approach for Bradley Barcola, the Paris Saint-Germain winger who is their top transfer target. The wheels are in motion, and Liverpool want to do the deal at around £100million. PSG have indicated they value him at around £145m.

Elsewhere, the team rounded off a busy three-match tour in the United States and will continue preparations ahead of the new Premier League season back on Merseyside.

Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch were all given a first run-out of the summer, while a number of youngsters continued to impress. Joe Gomez picked up an injury and will miss the start of the season, while Inter informed Liverpool they would be prepared to pay €35million for Curtis Jones, who only has a year left on his deal.

If Liverpool can get a deal done for Barcola, is the squad in a good place?

Bringing in the Frenchman would certainly be a statement signing, and significantly boost an attacking line that is depleted following the exit of Mohamed Salah and the long-term loss of Hugo Ekitike to injury. The priority all summer has been to strengthen the wide positions and Barcola, who typically plays on the left, would certainly do that.

There are other gaps that need filling, though.

A durable and versatile right-sided defender would be useful, as Conor Bradley is also out for a lengthy period and Gomez has struggled to stay fit for years. Centre-backs Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni are also recovering from injuries and need time to settle in. The midfield area could also do with a boost unless Trey Nyoni is given more first-team game time.

What positions/players are they looking at?

As well as Barcola, midfield and defensive options are being considered. If Jones leaves, a new midfielder must be signed to boost that department.

Liverpool also continue to scour the market for the next batch of emerging talent and are continuing to assess a number of players around the ages of 16 and 17.

Which players could be leaving?

There are the curious cases of Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa. Both say they’re happy at the club, but unless Andoni Iraola sees something others have missed, they’re likely going to struggle for game time and may need to move on to further their careers.

Inter’s desire to bring in Jones is growing, and Cody Gakpo is admired by several clubs, including Tottenham, although there’s no intent at Liverpool to sell.

Elsewhere, many of the younger players who joined the pre-season tour are expected to leave on loan.

Ifeanyi Nduwke will be one of those, after failing to qualify for a UK work permit. Luke Chambers, Callum Scanlon, James McConnell, Lewis Koumas and Kieran Morrison all have plenty of interest, but goalkeeper Harvey Davies will stick around until at least January as cover and is expected to see his contract extended.

Gregg Evans

Manchester City

What has happened this week?

Not a lot! Director of football Hugo Viana has joined their pre-season trip to Hong Kong, and there had been some expectation within the club that some transfer activity would have happened by now, but it is yet to materialise.

City have been anticipating this will be a busy summer for them and that could yet be the case, but so far there has been little to go at since the signing of Elliot Anderson. Geronimo Rulli of Marseille is being targeted as a replacement for backup goalkeeper James Trafford, though, with the England international set to join Leeds.

Are City in a good position if Rodri leaves or do they need additions?

They could really do with reinforcements in Rodri’s midfield area, and are trying for Ayyoub Bouaddi. Even if they can sign the 18-year-old from Lille, it would be a big ask to expect him to make a huge impact immediately, especially if being compared to Rodri.

City could spend around £200million combined on Anderson and Bouaddi, but it could still be argued that they need an additional midfielder, especially if anyone comes in for Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders and/or Mateo Kovacic.

What positions/players are they looking at?

The priority areas heading into the summer were right-back, central midfield and winger, but other areas would be strengthened depending on outgoings, like Rulli to replace Trafford.

Which players could be leaving?

The big question mark is around Rodri, who is wanted by Real Madrid and has only one year left on his contract. New manager Enzo Maresca suggested that Kovacic’s future is still up in the air recently, although the expectation is that he will stay, while Savinho is being courted by Tottenham.

There are some doubts around the futures of Omar Marmoush and Reijnders, as well as Nico and Rico Lewis. Ruben Dias has also been of interest to Madrid, although he is preparing for another season in Manchester.

Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish will be moved on if the right options come along.

Sam Lee

Manchester United

What has happened this week?

United beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in a friendly in Stockholm, coming from behind through two Bryan Mbeumo goals.

JJ Gabriel played for the senior side for the first time, aged 15 years and 299 days old. He came off the bench for the final eight minutes.

Senne Lammens and new signing Youri Tielemans reported early from their summer breaks after playing for Belgium at the World Cup, with Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Matheus Cunha and Noussair Mazraoui due back this week following theirs.

Did United ever consider going for Danny Welbeck?

Much to the disappointment of those fans who hoped to see Welbeck wear United’s shirt again, the club never showed any indication of pursuing him this summer. They did explore a move in 2024 and then, more significantly, last year, but ultimately the length of contract potentially on offer did not appeal to Welbeck, who effectively had terms until 2027.

This time, with the player now aged 35, United did not pursue a move, leaving Chelsea to agree a two-year deal for a striker with 23 Premier League goals in the past two seasons.

United are still weighing up the striker market, although a deal is not expected for Ollie Watkins, another player who has been linked. The Aston Villa front man was of interest to United last summer before they signed Benjamin Sesko, but they are not set to revisit that situation a year on.

What positions/players are they looking at?

It had been anticipated that United would bring in a third new midfielder to supplement the signings of Tielemans and Andrey Santos, but staff are considering where to next put their resources. It is now not certain that another player arrives in that position.

Mason Mount has started all three pre-season fixtures in a deeper role, which could mean United have four to rotate in those two spots, with Kobbie Mainoo completing the quartet. Mount has been one of United’s best performers in these initial friendly games, but staff are conscious he needs to stay fit after an injury-hit time since joining from Chelsea three years ago.

United might decide to target their focus on other positions, with left-back being a prime consideration. Lewis Hall is well liked, but a deal looks highly complicated. Sources say Newcastle are now privately insisting the 21-year-old will not leave. Newcastle have already sold Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer, while Arsenal are pursuing Bruno Guimaraes, their captain.

Which players could be leaving?

Everton are eyeing Ethan Wheatley, United’s 20-year-old striker who had productive loan spells at League One sides Northampton Town and Bradford City last season. There is interest in Joshua Zirkzee, and goalkeepers Radek Vitek and Altay Bayindir. Harry Amass and Toby Collyer are younger players who could leave.

Laurie Whitwell

Newcastle United

What has happened this week?

Where to start?

Eddie Howe has stepped down as head coach after a glorious, frenetic, exhausting five-year spell at St James’ Park in which Newcastle were transformed from relegation fodder into trophy-winning legends.

After telling the club at the end of last season — which was long and bruising — that he wished to carry on, Howe reconsidered not long after players returned to training. After some high-profile departures, a couple of rejections in the transfer market and with Bruno Guimaraes, the captain, expressing a desire to join Arsenal, Howe decided he could give nothing more and that it was time for a fresh start for Newcastle.

Matthias Jaissle will be the public face of this fresh start, a 38-year-old German who Newcastle are hiring from Al Ahli, the Saudi club who have won the past two Asian Champions League titles, for a big release fee. This cements the sense that the club are heading into a new era, with a young manager leading what will be a young and energetic team, stocked with players who actively want to be on Tyneside.

Newcastle have also completed their fifth senior signing of the summer, with Lukas Hornicek joining on a five-year contract from Braga for a fee of €30million (£25.7m; $34.5m), the value of his release clause. Hornicek, 24, has been described by Ross Wilson, Newcastle’s sporting director, as “one of Europe’s top young goalkeepers” and he is expected to be first-choice this season.

There remains continuing uncertainty around the position of Guimaraes. The Brazil midfielder has expressed a desire to join Arsenal, but Newcastle did not want to sell him this summer and have been perplexed by the lack of direct contact from the London club. Howe last week described the saga as “unhealthy” and a “distraction,” and Newcastle are keen for a resolution.

Do Newcastle have the right players for Jaissle’s style?

On the face of it, there are stylistic similarities between Howe and Jaissle. Both men favour hard running and pressing. In an interview with The Athletic from earlier this year, Jaissle described his approach like this: “I want stress on the opponent as soon as possible. And when we win the ball, I want to go as quickly as possible towards the opponent’s goal. I’m very vertical in that approach.”

In this sense, the appointment of Jaissle is very deliberate. “We had a very clear set of criteria for the type of football that suits this squad because this is a squad that Eddie’s had a hand in building,” says one senior source, speaking anonymously to protect relationships.

At Red Bull Salzburg, where he won two league titles and the Austrian Cup, Jaissle’s age helped him connect with a youthful team; four of Newcastle’s five signings this window are 20 or under.

The bigger picture, of course, can only be a little unfocused because there are so many unknowns.

Newcastle have lost experience and huge quality in Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali. If Guimaraes follows them out of the club, they will also have lost their captain and talisman, without whom they were effectively unable to win in the Premier League under Howe. They have more work to do, and they definitely require a dash of leadership.

There was plenty of positional fluidity under Howe, but his go-to system was 4-3-3. At Al Ahli, Jaissle has often used a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-1-2 shape. It will be fascinating to see how he accommodates Nick Woltemade, who was signed at great expense in the desperate aftermath of Alexander Isak’s contentious exit to Liverpool last summer, but who struggled to find a consistent position in Howe’s XI.

The Athletic’s Anantaajith Raghuraman has taken a closer look at Jaissle’s tactical approach.

What positions/players are they looking at?

As of last week, Newcastle were not aggressively pursuing a Guimaraes replacement, but since Howe’s departure there has been a growing feeling that the situation cannot drift on. All clubs have succession plans and Stuttgart’s Germany midfielder Angelo Stiller and Victor Froholdt of Porto, a Denmark international, are among the players to have been scouted intensively.

Howe also wanted at least one more full-back, while other positions may be strengthened later in the window, partially depending on outgoings.

Which players could be leaving?

Again, Guimaraes is the big one — a melodrama which is still being played out.

Hornicek’s arrival, plus the earlier signing of Ewen Jaouen, the young French goalkeeper, means that Nick Pope will be allowed to leave, although on this, as with everything, Jaissle will surely have his own ideas.

Joe Willock and Jacob Murphy have both entered the final year of their contracts and bids for them will be considered.

George Caulkin

Tottenham Hotspur

What has happened this week?

Roberto De Zerbi teased that Tottenham were working on a ‘bomba’ attacking signing. Spurs have already spent nearly £250million on upgrading their midfield and defence this summer, but their attention will turn to further up the pitch in the final month of the window.

They are confident of completing a move for long-term target Savinho from Manchester City, but the ‘bomba’ signing is understood to be a separate deal. De Zerbi slightly backtracked on his comments the next day by saying “bomba in Italian is different from bomba in English” but did add that he expects “two, maybe three” more arrivals.

That ‘bomba’ signing could be a backup striker to Dominic Solanke, as Richarlison’s future is uncertain. The Brazil international scored a stoppage-time winner against Chelsea on Saturday in the final game of Tottenham’s pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand. De Zerbi revealed afterwards that he “does not know” if the 29-year-old will stay because “sometimes he wants to leave”. Richarlison only has a year left on his contract.

Does this Spurs squad need a ‘bomba signing?’

Tottenham’s squad desperately needs an injection of quality in the final third. Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are both recovering from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, Dejan Kulusevski has not played in over a year due to a complicated issue with his patella (kneecap), and Mohammed Kudus is working back to full fitness after a hamstring problem. Solanke struggled with ankle and muscle issues last season, while that campaign’s top goalscorer Richarlison could leave. James Maddison went on the tour to New Zealand and Australia but did not play in any of the three games because of a “small problem”, according to De Zerbi. He will need to be managed carefully after only returning from two ACL injuries in May.

Spurs are light on numbers, and none of their attacking players have consistently impressed over the past couple of seasons anyway. Savinho would be a great addition because of his ability to play on either wing, but they still require more. The Athletic has tried to identify who the ‘bomba’ signing could be.

What positions/players are they looking at?

Tottenham have struggled in the final third ever since Harry Kane joined Bayern Munich three years ago. It did not help that Son Heung-min’s output dropped off during his final two seasons in north London.

Mathys Tel has shown a few moments of brilliance on the left wing, but De Zerbi needs somebody capable of delivering on a consistent basis. Solanke has only scored 12 goals in 42 Premier League appearances for the club, although in the England striker’s defence, he has played under four different head coaches since joining from Bournemouth in August 2024.

Spurs need multiple first-class attacking options to keep up with their rivals. As my colleague Seb Stafford-Bloor reports above, they have made contact with Cody Gakpo’s representatives. Liverpool do not want to sell the Dutchman.

Which players could be leaving?

At the beginning of last week, De Zerbi said he planned to talk to Lucas Bergvall about the midfielder’s future. The Athletic reported earlier this summer that the 20-year-old expressed a preference to move on after two years in north London. Nottingham Forest and Newcastle’s offers for the Sweden international have been rejected.

However, De Zerbi said he understands Bergvall’s best position now and “would like” him to stay. Bergvall started the pre-season friendlies against Sydney FC and Chelsea. In the latter, he forged a solid partnership with new record signing Sandro Tonali. Bergvall faces a lot of competition in midfield, though, from £85million signing Mateus Fernandes, who was rested on tour as a precaution, Rodrigo Bentancur, who was granted a slightly longer break following the World Cup, Archie Gray and Conor Gallagher.

Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario are expected to leave. It would be a drain of experience and leadership, but selling them would help finance any ambitious attacking signings.

Mason Melia, 18, is expected to go out on loan to a Championship side, and Lincoln City are a strong contender for his signature. Mikey Moore, who spent last season on loan with Rangers, is attracting interest from German top-flight side Koln.

The only other piece of business is that Randal Kolo Muani has joined Juventus in a deal worth up to €50million. The centre-forward spent last season on loan at Spurs from Paris Saint-Germain and only scored once in 30 league games.

Jay Harris

Barcelona

What has happened this week?

Barcelona announced their third signing of the summer: Jesse Bisiwu. They paid Club Brugge an initial fee of €8.5million for the 18-year-old left-winger, and the Belgian club will retain a 20 per cent sell-on clause.

Bisiwu is rated as a top prospect by Barcelona’s sporting director Deco, and the club saw this deal as a market opportunity, with the player’s contract running out next year. The plan is for him to stay close to the first team, with the possibility of getting some minutes with reserve side Barca Atletic, who play in Spain’s fourth tier.

On the departures front, Marc-Andre ter Stegen joined Barcelona’s training camp in England but left on Friday as he was finally set to join Ajax on loan for this season. The deal was announced on Tuesday morning. Barca sources say they will be paying around 90 per cent of his wages, although the Dutch side might end up paying a larger share, depending on his involvement and success.

Will Barcelona’s pursuit of Alvarez be hurt by Atletico’s report to the Spanish FA?

Barca sources believe that the report Atletico filed to the Spanish FA regarding Julian Alvarez will not have any significant consequences for them. The club maintain that their stance with Alvarez has not changed, although that does not mean there has been positive progress for them.

Officials insist they submitted, in early June, a first formal offer to Atletico for Argentina striker Alvarez of around €100million. Atletico sources denied that at the time. Barca say their offer has not been responded to, but their interest remains. However, their position is that they will not stay in the mix forever, and nor will they drastically increase their valuation.

With all that taken into account, there is growing pessimism at the Barcelona end over their chances of signing Alvarez by the end of the window. He is expected back at training with Atletico on August 10. It is around this time that the Catalans are expected to make a final decision in their chase for the player.

If Barca were to withdraw their interest in Alvarez, club officials have told The Athletic they might not add anybody else this summer. They also say the signings of fellow forwards Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi offer versatility, and that other players within the squad could perform as central strikers.

One of those is 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim, who joined in January from Cairo’s Al Ahly and played for Egypt at the World Cup. After scoring two goals in the friendly with Birmingham City on Friday, he is expected to stay around the first team as backup for the No 9 role — which needs to be filled following Robert Lewandowski’s departure on the expiry of his contract in June.

What positions/players are they looking at?

The No 9 spot is still their biggest priority, but senior Barca officials admit that the pool of strikers suited to their requirements is very limited, and that it might be hard to find the right player if Alvarez cannot be signed.

Barcelona have also been eyeing defensive reinforcements, but the chances of moves being made here have cooled. Some senior club figures believe a left-footed centre-back would improve the team, but manager Hansi Flick is happy with the options he has. Gerard Martin is expected to be fully regarded as a centre-back from now on, and for a new defensive signing to come in, Barca would need to sell from that area of the squad — something which looks unlikely right now.

Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde have no intention of leaving, while Alejandro Balde — another player the club were open to selling — confirmed this week he won’t be moving in an interview with Diario Sport.

Which players could be leaving?

Ferran Torres is arguably the hottest topic in that department. The scorer of Spain’s World Cup-winning goal is entering the final year of his contract, and no extension has been agreed.

There have been reports in Spain of interest from Paris Saint-Germain in the 26-year-old. The Athletic has not verified this. Those close to the forward insist that all scenarios are open, and that talks will take place as soon as he returns from his post-World Cup holiday. All of Barca’s world-champion Spain internationals are expected back at work by August 12.

In an interview with NBC in New York on Monday, Torres was asked where he will be playing in the coming season. “I have a contract at Barcelona, but in football you never know,” he replied. “I’m just waiting to make the right decision, but I don’t know yet.”

Then there are Marc Casado and Roony Bardghji.

Both know they will have very limited roles under Flick in 2026-27, and all sides involved are exploring the best options available. Casado, now 22 and a boyhood Barca fan, has always been very keen on staying, despite the club sanctioning his sale. In the case of 20-year-old Bardghji, a loan where he could gain more regular minutes is seen as the most likely scenario.

Pol Ballus and Laia Cervello

Real Madrid

What has happened this week?

It has been a busy week, with transfer news on Yan Diomande, Rodri, Carlos Espi, Gonzalo Garcia, Cesar Palacios and more.

After a standstill that lasted several days, Madrid made progress over the weekend with RB Leipzig regarding the signing of 19-year-old Diomande. The Ivory Coast winger was not part of the German side’s pre-season friendly on Saturday, with Leipzig saying that he was unwell. There is a general expectation that a deal will be sealed this week, with talks to take place today (Tuesday).

Meanwhile, work continues on the signing of Rodri. Personal terms with Spain’s World Cup winner are not an issue, but talks with Manchester City over a fee have not yet been completed.

Espi‘s arrival was announced on Thursday, with Madrid and Levante agreeing a lightning-fast transfer for the 21-year-old Spanish striker in a deal worth around €25million.

That move was finalised following an agreement for the sale of Garcia to Fulham for around €40million. That transfer has now been confirmed. Madrid will also retain 30 per cent of any future sale, a right of first refusal and exclusive buy-back clauses from the second season onwards. The 22-year-old striker was a key target for new Fulham coach Alvaro Arbeloa, who worked with him at academy and senior levels at Madrid.

The same is true of Palacios, another former Madrid youth-teamer. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has also joined Fulham in a similarly structured deal, this one worth around €10million.

Two other Madrid academy graduates have also moved on. Goalkeeper Fran Gonzalez, 21, joined Sevilla for €3million and defender Victor Valdepenas, 19, signed for Fiorentina for €8m. Madrid inserted 50 per cent sell-on clauses in both cases.

Does it feel like the Vinicius Junior situation needs to be resolved soon?

Yes, and proof of this is the meeting scheduled for this week between Madrid and the player’s agents to discuss a contract renewal, with his current one expiring in June 2027.

The Athletic revealed that Arsenal are exploring the possibility of a move for the Brazilian if he does not re-sign, and that the anticipated figures for what that deal would entail have been approved by the club’s ownership.

Vinicius Jr is open to lowering his demands to Madrid, having previously asked for a package approaching but not quite reaching €30million a year, comprising a base salary, performance-related bonuses and, in what would be an unprecedented move at Madrid, a renewal bonus. This is the main point of contention between the parties. Madrid have shown no willingness to accept this condition, out of fear of creating a knock-on effect among the squad.

Key figures at the club are in favour of a sale this month if no agreement is reached on an extension, in order to prevent Vinicius Jr potentially leaving as a free agent next summer.

The 26-year-old returned to pre-season training on Monday under Jose Mourinho. The new head coach has been in contact with him and likes his profile, but the decision over his extension or sale will rest with the club. In this regard, president Florentino Perez will have the final say.

What positions/players are they looking at?

Mourinho is still keen to sign a centre-back, but is aware that a first-team player would have to leave for this to happen, and that any deal must be considered financially viable.

Which players could be leaving?

Madrid and Mourinho are open to the departures of Raul Asencio and Eduardo Camavinga, both 23. However, neither player has shown a sign of wanting to seek a new club.

Spanish centre-back Asencio suffered a muscle injury last week that will keep him out of action for at least a month, which complicates any potential move. He is under contract until 2031. Camavinga’s deal expires in 2029.

Franco Mastantuono is expected to leave on loan. The 18-year-old Argentine, signed in 2025 from River Plate for €63.2million, has failed to impress during pre-season, and Madrid and his agents are looking for a club where he can get regular playing time, following a disappointing debut campaign.

The Athletic reported that Mastantuono’s preference was to return to River, but that is an option that Madrid are not considering. The club had an approach from a Saudi Arabian team, but rejected the idea as they want him to stay in Europe, with a preference for Spain. Italy is also on the table, though. My colleague James Horncastle reports that Fiorentina have shown concrete interest and they consider themselves the right team and Florence the right city for him. However, there is an acknowledgement it will be an uphill struggle and that there is a lot of competition.

Several other Italian clubs have also contacted Madrid, and a resolution is expected this week. Mastantuono was not part of the squad for their 2-2 friendly draw against, ironically, Fiorentina in Austria on Saturday.

There have been rumours of another possible departure for Endrick following Espi’s signing. However, sources with knowledge of the situation say the Brazilian striker, who got loaned to Lyon in last season’s winter window, wants to stay, and Mourinho has been impressed by his efforts.

Mario Cortegana

While Mateus Fernandes was fast asleep in Sydney, there was a social media meltdown developing at home.

Scarred by injury crises in recent seasons, Tottenham Hotspur fans are understandably more anxious than usual about their players’ conditions, so when Fernandes was absent from training videos that the club posted on social media, some supporters feared the worst.

In the early hours of the morning in Australia, theories about potential long-term knee injuries began to gain traction online, with fans scrambling to find the truth about his absence. You can only imagine his surprise when he woke up to a flood of texts and missed calls from his friends at home, asking if he was OK.

“I saw my friends,” Fernandes told reporters at Spurs House, a dedicated fan space in Sydney showcasing the club’s identity and history. “They started to call me to ask, ‘What’s happened? What’s happened? You’re injured?’.

“‘No, I’m just a little bit fatigued, but hopefully it’s not too serious, and now I’m ready’.”

Fernandes sat out Tottenham’s final game of their summer tour against Chelsea, but he is expected to be involved as normal when Spurs ramp up their preparations back in north London on Wednesday, when Roberto De Zerbi can begin building a midfield duo that could become the envy of the Premier League.

Tottenham acted quickly and aggressively to bring Fernandes from West Ham United, despite significant interest from Manchester United. A fee of £85million ($115m) may sound extortionate for a 22-year-old with just one senior cap for Portugal, but Fernandes is rated as one of the most exciting midfield talents in the world.

Last season, he ranked in the top five for tackles won (67; third), ground duels won (180; third) and accurate switches of play (23; fourth) in the Premier League, and was in the top 10 for total distance covered among midfielders, but the data hardly scratches the surface. He is as comfortable dribbling through the midfield as he is breaking lines with passes, which should help to solve Tottenham’s longstanding issues with central progression. De Zerbi pulled out all the stops to get the deal over the line.

“The desire of playing for a big club, winning games, to fight for the Premier League, for the first place,” Fernandes responded when asked how De Zerbi sold the club to him. “The way he spoke with me and my family was very important for me.

“He was calling me every day, so I’m very happy to work with him, and hopefully we can do great things.”

His sales pitch included a meeting with Fernandes’ parents, where he promised to be his “second dad”.

“It was more about (forming a) connection, because my dad and my mum don’t speak English very well,” he says. “It was more about feelings. He said he would take care of me, that he would be my second dad in England. I’m very happy to work with him.”

Tottenham had another ace up their sleeve to ensure Spurs won the race for Fernandes’ signature: Pedro Porro. The duo were team-mates at Sporting CP in Lisbon before Porro moved to Tottenham, and started two games together. The 26-year-old agreed a new long-term contract this summer, but before he became a World Cup winner with Spain, he helped broker the deal with a well-timed chat.

“He called me one day — I didn’t answer because I was sleeping — he said, in Portuguese, ‘Come on Mateus, you need to play with us, we want you’,” he said. ‘It was me that told the manager to bring you’.

“Then when everything was done, I spoke with him a bit about the club, the mentality in the team, the team-mates as well. He’s an important player. He’s one of the best right-backs in the world. He’s a top guy.”

While Fernandes’ stock has risen rapidly over the past two seasons, his emergence has been despite wider team struggles. In his debut Premier League season, he played 36 times for Southampton as they were relegated in 20th place with 12 points. He left the south coast to join West Ham United last summer for around £40million, where he developed into one of the brightest midfield talents in the Premier League, but could not help Spurs’ fierce London rivals escape the drop.

Back-to-back relegations never reflect well on any player, but Fernandes’ performances rarely slid, particularly last season. He was a major part of why West Ham’s results improved in 2026, pushing a once-seemingly inevitable relegation to the final day. And while Tottenham have no intention of finishing anywhere near the drop zone next term, he looks back on those seasons as valuable learning opportunities.

“This is football, this is life,” he says. “You need to learn about everything. The first season, at Southampton, was the most difficult because I was living alone in another country. I didn’t speak English, and I didn’t have anybody there who spoke Portuguese or Spanish, so it was a little bit difficult.

“It was important to go to West Ham and prepare the season well. These two seasons, I learned a lot off the pitch — take my time after games, do other things, and I’m much more ready now than two years ago.

“I was very happy at Southampton and West Ham. They always showed me a lot of love, and they took care of me. I’m ready for this step as well.”

All being well, it’s a step that should help him achieve one of his biggest targets: becoming a regular for Portugal. Fernandes was left out of Roberto Martinez’s World Cup squad after making his debut in a friendly against the United States in March. Portugal are stacked with world-class talent in midfield, and there is no shame in losing out on a spot to Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, Joao Neves or Bruno Fernandes. Still, he admits it was a major disappointment not to be selected.

“Yeah, one of my targets last season was playing for Portugal in the World Cup,” he says. “It was very disappointing not to be there, but that’s not a thing I can control, so I don’t take too much time on that.

“It was very difficult because the midfielders in Portugal are very good, so I need to show my quality now. I believe, I fully believe, and hopefully the next World Cup I will be there.”

Roberto De Zerbi says Tottenham Hotspur “do not know” whether forward Richarlison will stay at the club as he “sometimes” wants to leave.

The 29-year-old has entered the final year of his contract with the north London club, and scored a stoppage-time winner in Spurs’ 2-1 pre-season win against Chelsea on Saturday.

Speaking after the match, De Zerbi said Tottenham “have to respect” what the Brazil international wants to do this summer and admitted the striker himself is uncertain.

“I don’t know, I didn’t understand well, because sometimes he said to stay, sometimes he leaves,” De Zerbi said.

“We have to speak anyway, there is not any problem, he’s a lovely guy. All of us love him, the team-mates, the club, the staff, because he works hard every day, seriously every day, and we can’t say anything on the pitch.”

Richarlison was the club’s top scorer in the league last season with 11 goals (12 in all competitions), two of which coming after De Zerbi’s appointment in March.

The 47-year-old Italian said he likes Richarlison “as a player, as a guy” and praised his “unbelievable” attitude and behaviour.

“Every one of us knows what he wants to do,” De Zerbi said. “But for me he’s still an important player, because it’s not so easy to find another striker like Richarlison, because Richarlison scores goals and he knows the way.

“The new striker, we don’t know. The other striker, we don’t know. He scored 12 goals last season, not through luck, because he feels the way to score.”

Tottenham have had a busy summer transfer window with Sandro Tonali joining from Newcastle United for £100million ($135m), alongside Mateus Fernandes signing from West Ham in a deal worth £85m ($115m) and Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton & Hove Albion for £52m ($70m). Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have all joined on free transfers.

Spurs have yet to recruit a striker in the transfer window, leaving Richarlison and Dominic Solanke their primary options, while academy product Will Lankshear departed in a permanent move to Championship side Middlesbrough.

Roberto De Zerbi says he expects “two, maybe three” more arrivals at Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Spurs have had a busy start to the window, breaking their record transfer fee twice and completing six signings. Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka signed as free agents, before they spent £52 million on Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton and Hove Albion, a then-club record £85m fee for Mateus Fernandes, and then £100m (including add-ons) to bring Sandro Tonali to the club from Newcastle United.

But when asked how many further incomings he expects at Spurs this summer, De Zerbi said he is targeting a few more before the window shuts on September 1.

“I think two, maybe three,” he told reporters in his pre-match press conference on Friday before Tottenham’s pre-season friendly against Chelsea in Sydney on Saturday. “We have to see.”

De Zerbi also confirmed that midfielder James Maddison, who missed the majority of last season due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, will not be risked during Spurs’ pre-season tour due to a “small problem.”

He said: “I don’t want to take any risks, especially in this part of the season and especially for James because he suffered a long injury last season. He’s an important player for us and it is not the right moment to take risks. We will work again when we are back in London.”

In a roundtable interview on Thursday, De Zerbi told reporters, that the club is working on a “bomba” signing. It is understood that this deal is separate from their pursuit of Manchester City winger Savinho, which the club are confident of completing.

“Bomba in Italian is different from bomba in English,” he said. “You can write what you want, no problem, no pressure. But I said we have to complete the transfer market. I think we have some other players to complete the squad, and the player will be here in the next days are for me, top player. I don’t know if the expectation are bigger than two days ago, but we have to go forward and to think to the good of the team, of the club, of the squad, But in Italian it’s a different word.

When asked to clarify what “bomba” means, De Zerbi described it as a “top player”, in the ilk of some of their major summer signings.

“I think Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Senesi, Robertson are bomba,” he said. “For me, top player for us.”

Spurs have spent more than £230 million on three transfer fees for Tonali, Fernandes and Van Hecke, and are positioned to continue spending in the window, a notable departure from their transfer strategy in recent years under former executive chairman Daniel Levy. Referencing the activity of some of their ‘big six’ competition, De Zerbi says spending of this magnitude is a requirement for clubs to compete at the “highest level”.

“Zero pressure,” De Zerbi responded when asked whether the club-record fees increase the pressure to compete this season. “You know why? Because one day the taxi man in London stopped me to congratulate me on the transfer market. He said, “Eh, you are spending a lot of money”. I said, “But who are you a fan of?” “Arsenal”. You have spent the money for a long time in the last three or four years.

“I think Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, to stay at the top of the table, they have spent money. If you want to compete, now, for the top of the Premier League, and to put Tottenham in the highest level, I think we need to bring top players, like we are doing.”

Lucas Bergvall started Tottenham’s 1-1 draw (4-2 on penalties) against Sydney FC on Wednesday, but he has been linked with a move away, with Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest among his suitors. Guglielmo Vicario is expected to depart, as is current club captain Cristian Romero, both of whom have attracted interest from Serie A clubs. These potential departures may help to facilitate incomings.

Sandro Tonali officially became a Tottenham Hotspur player on July 6, but Roberto De Zerbi had laid the groundwork for this transfer months before.

After reading that Newcastle United expected to lose his fellow Italian this summer, De Zerbi made immediate contact with a mutual friend to help grease the wheels in his pursuit of the eventual club-record £100million ($133.8m at the current rate)signing.

“The story is very simple,” De Zerbi told reporters in Sydney during Spurs’ ongoing pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia. “I saw Sandro wanted to leave before the end of the season and we have one friend in common; the team manager of Brescia.

“I sent a message to my friend to say, ‘Hey, inform Sandro, if we stay up, I’ll go to him’. After 10 minutes, my friend answered me, ‘I said to Sandro, and he’s open’. I said, ‘Now we have to win one game to stay up!’

“I watched Newcastle’s game against West Ham, 90 minutes (indicates sweat coming down his face), and Sandro played very well in the first half. I said (to myself), ‘If I stay up, I come to you, I come to you, I come to you’.”

Tonali played his part as Newcastle beat Spurs’ fellow relegation candidates West Ham United 3-1 that day on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, a result which meant De Zerbi and company needed just a point from their final two matches, away to Chelsea and at home against Everton.

After a 2-1 midweek loss at Stamford Bridge, Spurs confirmed their top-flight status for 2026-27 with a 1-0 win on the final Sunday.

In his post-match press conference afterwards, De Zerbi said that the work of assembling a squad for this season would start the very next day, and proved true to his word. Tonali was one of the first people he contacted to set up a meeting in Brescia, the northern city where De Zerbi grew up and where the midfielder spent more than a decade as a player before joining Milan in 2020.

“When we won the last game with Everton, the day after the game, at 4pm, I sent a message to Sandro, ‘Sandro, I want to speak with you’,” De Zerbi revealed. “After 10 minutes, we spoke, and after two days, I came back to Italy, and we met in his home.”

For Tonali, the move to Tottenham after three years at Newcastle made sense on many levels — for a start, there was that natural connection with De Zerbi.

While De Zerbi spent only half a season playing for Brescia while on loan from Napoli, he was born and raised there and still visits in the summer. His father used to organise away days for Brescia’s ultras, during which he watched Tonali develop from academy kid into one of the most in-demand and exciting midfield prospects in the world.

Tonali spends time there in the off-season too, and can’t help but run into local legends, not just De Zerbi, but perhaps the most iconic Roberto in Italian football.

“Brescia is so small,” the 26-year-old told reporters in a roundtable interview in Sydney. “I spent two weeks there, and (De Zerbi) as well. I met him two or three times in the city, with the car. But not just him. I met my old team manager in Brescia. (and) I met Roberto Baggio twice.

“I spoke with him (De Zerbi) when he was (managing) in Sassuolo, and at Brighton and Marseille; we spoke every time, because we are Italian, we are from Brescia, and it’s a mini-connection together.”

For Tonali, who describes himself as a “normal person” who likes “normal people” and is happiest spending time with those closest to him, including his grandmother and nephew in his hometown, his family’s happiness and contentment were top of mind.

He had considered a move back to Italy, but Serie A clubs could not afford the level of transfer fee Newcastle wanted. After feeling De Zerbi’s desire to work together and hearing Tottenham’s pitch, it became evident that this would be the best option for him, despite serious rival interest from Manchester City.

“I spoke with Tottenham,” he said. “When you speak with one team, the first impression is a big thing. My first impression was really positive. I spoke after two minutes with my wife and my family, and I said, ‘Probably it will be one of the best decisions of my career’. She told me, ‘You have 100 per cent control over this decision’. I wanted to speak with her because it’s our life.

“So my first impression was really positive. When you are happy after a 10-minute speech, it’s everything, everything is perfect. The gaffer was Italian, Roberto. I knew him. Roberto really cares about his work, his football. He said, ‘The project will be tough but will be perfect for me, for you, for the city, and we can do one of the best seasons, because we have big players. We just have to put a lot of work in’.”

The mini Italian revolution led by De Zerbi on the lilywhite side of north London certainly helped, as well.

Countryman goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is expected to leave Spurs in this window, but Tonali was accompanied on their long journey from London to Auckland by another compatriot in defender Destiny Udogie, who joked he was sitting next to “Mr £100m” on his Snapchat story. De Zerbi has Italians on his backroom team too in assistant Marcello Quinto, who he had as a player at Foggia in 2016, fitness coach Marco Marcattilio and new strength and conditioning coach Agostino Tibaudi.

Tonali grinned that he now hears as much Italian about the place as he does English.

“It’s nice,” he says. “So many staff, three Italian players… It’s funny because sometimes we speak more Italian than English. But it’s fine, because I was at Newcastle for three years and I spoke just English for three years! I only spoke Italian in my house with my wife. So it was a bit different.”

While at Newcastle, Tonali says he managed to head home twice a month, returning for two or three days when the players were given time off.

While the home comforts in north London provided by De Zerbi and his staff played a part in swaying him to Tottenham, Tonali has fond memories of Newcastle, a city that “lives for football”, and wanted to ensure he got the best deal for the club, who supported him through a 10-month ban in 2023 and 2024 for placing illegal bets on football matches.

“The first thing was to get the best deal for Newcastle. I met there some of the best people for football, for their work in the training ground,” said Tonali, speaking hours before it was revealed by The Athletic on Thursday morning that head coach Eddie Howe is to leave the club.

“When I decided to move, I told my agent and (sporting director) Ross Wilson that I wanted the best deal for Newcastle because they deserve everything, and if I have to move, then I can say hello to you or Eddie (Howe) in two or three years. If we meet in 10 years, I want to have a good dinner with the staff, with Ross, because they are very great people.”

While Tonali’s fee meant he overtook fellow newcomer Mateus Fernandes as Tottenham’s record signing mere days after the 22-year-old Portugal international joined from relegated West Ham, hopes are high at the club that they can become an outstanding midfield partnership on an equal footing. The pair have already hit it off away from football, which should only help their understanding flourish.

“(De Zerbi) wants our relationship to be 100 per cent, especially on the pitch, because off the pitch, our relationship is already top,” Tonali says. “We have to keep our football, our work on the pitch, because it’s tough. We played in two different teams last season, two different shapes, two different football (styles). Now we are together, and we have to find our shape, our football.

“Sometimes it’s not easy. Maybe you need two or three weeks. But after four or five days, me and Mateus said, ‘It’s not really difficult, this football, because we know the rules about this shape’. We played in the past with two midfielders, and if you play with two midfielders, you already know everything. You know the offensive phase, the defensive phase, and it’s a little easier. You need less time.”

Tonali spent much of last season operating as a No 6 for Newcastle due to team-mates’ injuries, but has often played his best football as a dynamic No 8. While Fernandes is also capable in both roles, Tonali thinks his new running mate’s qualities should allow him to have more influence higher up the pitch.

“I don’t know, we don’t decide already, but I think him,” he said, when asked who will be the sitting midfielder in their partnership. “For me, I played at No 6 last season, but for him, I think his characteristics are more No 6 than No 8.”

And if there’s any worry that Tonali now thinks he’s top dog at the club because of what Spurs are paying for him, he is very happy to allay those concerns. Then again, it’s no wonder that someone who is not interested in the glamour of being a superstar footballer could not care less about being one of the latest inductees into the Premier League’s £100million club.

“If I was another player, sometimes it’s tough, sometimes the pressure is different, but you have to understand that this is football,” he says. “The price is different now than 10 years ago. I know I have a lot of pressure, but I know I’m a football player, I know my responsibilities, I know this team, I know the people here. I have to play like I’m a normal player, a normal Tottenham player, with passion, putting my energy in every day.

“If you put this into the pitch every day, it’s different; it’s not £1million, £10m, or £100m. You just have to be a passionate player for this gaffer. Put everything onto the pitch.”

Tottenham Hotspur are working on “another bomba” transfer, according to head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who says he is “like a shark” when he wants a player in the transfer market.

Spurs have made six signings this summer, breaking their transfer record twice, first for Mateus Fernandes (£85million) from West Ham United, followed by a deal worth up to £100m for Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United. They are now focusing on attacking reinforcements to bolster a forward line weakened by long-term knee injuries to Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski, and De Zerbi has suggested their big business is far from done.

“No, at the moment, no,” De Zerbi replied when asked whether there are any players on his list of targets that Spurs have not been able to sign. “But the transfer market, it’s not finished for sure. We have completed 60 per cent of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another bomba.”

When asked whether the “bomba” deal was close, De Zerbi said, “I hope, but it’s not finished, for sure.”

Manchester City winger Savinho is a long-term target, and Tottenham are confident that they can complete a deal for the 22-year-old Brazil international in the coming weeks. The “bomba” signing is expected to be separate to the pursuit of Savinho, and relates to another major attacking addition.

“In the transfer market, when I want one player, I become like a shark,” De Zerbi added. “No chance to say no.

“I love working in the transfer market. It’s not pressure; it’s one of the nicest parts of my work, my job.”

Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson were identified as free agent additions before De Zerbi joined the club, while Tottenham were also working on a deal to bring Jan Paul van Hecke before De Zerbi’s arrival.

“The list of the players for the transfer market was born before I joined Tottenham, he added. “Because after Marseille, I spoke with Vinai (Venkatesham, CEO), with Johan Lange (sporting director), but I didn’t want to come before, because I suffered on my way out from Marseille.

“But with Johan, we were working on the plan, so a lot of players you are watching now on the pitch started from March, mid-March. And then, normally, when you work with the players, you can change your opinion, maybe for the human quality, for the character, for the quality as a player also, because a lot of players are different than I thought.”

Robertson has joined Destiny Udogie, Souza and Ben Davies as options from the left, while Djed Spence, who impressed for England under Thomas Tuchel this summer, may serve as a back-up to World Cup winner Pedro Porro, whom De Zerbi rates as the “best right back in the world”.

“We have four, at the moment, great full-backs,” De Zerbi said. “Maybe the four most important full-backs in the world — because I think Pedro Porro is the best right back in the world — with Udogie, Robertson, and Djed Spence can play right and left.”

There are several expected outgoings this summer, including Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario, following the departure of Luka Vuskovic, who joined Brighton & Hove Albion for a club-record fixed fee of £46m, plus add-ons.

Antonin Kinsky won the No 1 shirt from Vicario last term, impressing in De Zerbi’s seven matches while Vicario was sidelined after undergoing hernia surgery and helping Tottenham avoid relegation.

“At the beginning of my time, in April I had, I don’t know, one million individual meetings, and they told me their idea,” he told reporters, when asked whether any players had come to him and asked him to leave during that period. “I said: Yes, help me to stay up, and then I help you to leave. If you don’t help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me.”

Roberto De Zerbi says he would like Lucas Bergvall to remain at Tottenham Hotspur, but he cannot guarantee him a starting role and doesn’t want to “convince anyone to stay”.

Bergvall informed the club of his desire to seek a new challenge in June, and Tottenham have fielded interest from Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest for his signature.

Before Tottenham’s game against Auckland last Sunday, De Zerbi said he had not spoken to Bergvall, but after handing the Sweden international his first minutes of pre-season in their 4-2 (1-1 in regular time) penalty shoot-out win over Sydney FC on Wednesday, the Italian said he would like the 20-year-old to remain at the club.

“I’m always being very clear with him and with you,” De Zerbi said in his post-match press conference. “I would like that he stays with us. I think he’s potentially a top, top, top player. But then I don’t want to convince anyone to stay. Tottenham is already, without me, a top club and we are not to convince anyone to stay. He can find the space if he stays with us.

“The competition within the players will be very strong because we are Tottenham and we have to build a strong squad. Not just 11 players. Especially considering a lot of injuries we suffered in the last two, three seasons. Football is going in a clear direction – to compete for the highest places in the table, you have to manage 22, 23, 24 players. I don’t want 24, but 21, 22, of a high level, for sure.”

In an injury-hit season last term, Bergvall was in and out of the side under Thomas Frank, Igor Tudor and De Zerbi, and was used in various positions. Bergvall typically played as one of two players at the base of midfield under Ange Postecoglou in his debut season at Tottenham, where he won the club’s player of the year award, and after experimenting with him in several roles, De Zerbi says he now recognises that position as his strongest, but he cannot give him assurances over consistent starting minutes.

“It’s very clear, his idea,” says De Zerbi. “He wants space. He wants to play as a double pivot as a position. I can’t give, for any player in the world, the place in the first XI guaranteed. Especially for me. I want to be honest with the players. I want to be clear. I don’t want to make the first mistake. In terms of position, I can’t give guarantee. It’s right when he wants to play as a central midfielder. But to play as a central midfielder, sometimes it is to attack, sometimes to keep the holder, to move the ball faster.

“He has to improve. He’s a 2006 (born player). I would like that he stays. But if he doesn’t want, then what can I do? Nothing. He has to speak with (chief executive) Vinai (Venkatesham) or (sporting director) Johan Lange. To stay with us, we have to have the right spirit to stay. He’s a good guy. We will see in the next weeks.”

According to De Zerbi, Bergvall has not directly had a conversation with him about wanting to depart. He also added that they spoke during the World Cup, but having time together in pre-season, where they can talk face to face, is “better”.

“No, never,” De Zerbi responded when asked whether Bergvall had ever told him directly that he wants to leave. “I’m speaking with him before the end of last season and during the World Cup two times, but now we are speaking better. On the face (face to face). Without competition, in this moment, I have started to work like my style. Because in the last season we prepared the game working on the mentality more than the style of play.

“His position is very clear for me now, also because I needed time to understand the characteristic of the players, but I would like him to stay with us. He’s a very young, very good player. Good guy. It’s not so easy and so fast to find a young player of that level.”

Bergvall is one of many central midfielders Tottenham had at the club before the summer, and they have since broken their transfer record twice for Matheus Fernandes (£85million) from West Ham United, followed by a deal worth up to £100m for Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United.

Tonali was a second-half substitute and dispatched his penalty in the shootout, but Fernandes was left out of the squad, along with several senior players, including Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Jan Paul van Hecke and Dominic Solanke.

While the rest of the group could be involved in Saturday’s fixture against Chelsea, De Zerbi does not expect Fernandes back until they return to pre-season training in London next Wednesday due to a fatigue issue in his calf.

“(His injury is) just fatigue, the calf,” he said. “Also for him we took the decision to not take any risk and to recover. But next Wednesday when we start the pre-season in London, he will be ready to work.”

Tottenham Hotspur beat Sydney FC 4-2 on penalties after drawing 1-1 in regular time, continuing their positive start to pre-season.

Unsettled midfielder Lucas Bergvall was handed his first start of pre-season alongside Archie Gray, who captained the side for the second time in as many matches ahead of senior players like Ben Davies, Conor Gallagher and Richarlison.

Mathys Tel opened the scoring for Spurs with a free kick from 25 yards, before Takahiro Sekine levelled in the 55th minute for the A-League side after defender Kota Takai inadvertently poked the ball into his path. With the game drawn in normal time, starlet Luca Williams-Barnett ensured Tottenham started strongly in the shootout with a Panenka penalty, but Martin Dubravka was the hero, saving the decisive penalty from Alexandar Popovic.

The Athletic dissects the main talking points.

How did Bergvall do?

Bergvall has been heavily linked with a move this summer and boasts several suitors across the Premier League. Newcastle United had a £46million ($61.2m) bid rejected earlier this month, while Nottingham Forest have had multiple approaches rebuffed.

Despite the growing likelihood that the Sweden international will depart, Roberto De Zerbi included him in his 35-man squad for the pre-season tour, and he earned his first minutes of the trip in Sydney.

Bergvall started alongside Gray, who wore the captain’s armband for the second time in four days, and brought a sharp first touch and dribbling quality to the midfield before being taken off at half-time for Sandro Tonali.

The 20-year-old sees his best position as a No 8 and is keen to play there more often in the coming season after deputising in various midfield roles and on the wing last season. On the evidence of his performance at the Allianz Stadium, his desire to play more consistently in his preferred position is not without justification, though Sydney in pre-season is no comparison to Premier League competition.

But it seems likely those minutes will come away from north London. After being asked whether Bergvall’s inclusion indicates his future belongs at Spurs, De Zerbi told reporters he wanted “proud” players and those who are not “happy” or proud to stay at the club “have to leave”. But while Bergvall may be on his way out, his inclusion from the start suggests De Zerbi has not washed his hands of him completely yet.

What system did Spurs play?

Long-term injuries to Dejan Kulusevski and Xavi Simons, as well as a minor issue for James Maddison — who was sidelined for the majority of last season — mean Spurs are without any of their natural No 10s.

Gallagher deputised in that position under De Zerbi last season, and Williams-Barnett is among the club’s most exciting prospects from the academy, but there does not seem to be an obvious candidate to play that role if the Italian opts to stick with his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation next term.

De Zerbi went with a single pivot for Tottenham’s 2-0 win over reigning A-League champions Auckland FC on Sunday, with Gray sitting behind two No 8s — a system the head coach could revisit in the early weeks of the Premier League season. Rodrigo Bentancur asked to return for pre-season training a week later than originally scheduled after a demanding season last time round, but De Zerbi insists he is a crucial part of the squad and firmly in his plans.

There is a chance he sees the Uruguayan operating alongside or behind their two record-breaking midfield signings, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

De Zerbi returned to a double pivot against Sydney, using Gray and Bergvall in the first period before Tonali and Jamie Donley came on in the second half. As in the latter stages of last season, when Pedro Porro would invert and play high in the opponents’ half when Spurs had possession, De Zerbi instructed Rio Kyerematen and Tye Hall — both typically midfielders — to occupy a similar role, suggesting that dynamic will continue into the new campaign.

Where does Tel fit in?

De Zerbi has made no secret about his desire to add attacking reinforcements to the squad, with Tottenham currently prioritising additions in the wide areas.

Manchester City and Brazil winger Savinho, 22, is among their top targets, resuming their long-standing interest from last summer. But Tel, who started on the left wing today, showed why he shouldn’t be overlooked.

Tel started every game from the left wing after Xavi suffered an ACL injury in the 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in late April, and wowed and frustrated in relatively equal measure. It was his brilliant strike that opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw with Leeds United in Tottenham’s penultimate home game of the season, but it was also his wild attempted clearance that Ethan Ampadu threw his body in front of to earn a penalty and prevent Spurs from taking three much-needed points in the relegation fight.

A brilliant free kick in the first half opened the scoring against Sydney — another demonstration of his obvious talent and excellent ball-striking ability.

Should he improve his decision-making and consistency, there’s no reason why Tel should not continue as an important contributor under De Zerbi next term, regardless of potential additions.

Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season campaign continues today as they face Sydney FC in Australia.

Spurs winger Mathys Tel scored a brilliant free kick to give the Premier League side the lead just before the half-hour mark.

Sydney striker Mathias Macallister's lob from long range and then a chip over Martin Dubravka both drifted narrowly wide.

Spurs XI: Dubravka (GK); Tye Hall, Hardy, Davies, Kyerematen; Gray (c), Gallagher; Solomon, Bergvall, Tel; Richarlison.

Watch: Paramount+, Spursplay

Join the conversation and email us at: live@theathletic.com

Despite Tottenham dominating that first half, they needed a moment of magic to get their noses in front.

That moment of magic came from Mathys Tel in the 29th minute as he whipped a superb free kick into the top corner.

Gus Hoefsloot had no chance of keeping it out.

And while we’re handing out credit, let’s give some to Sydney FC too. After barely getting a kick in the opening 15 minutes, they grew into the first half and seemed to shed some of their nerves to eventually start threatening themselves.

Mathias Macallister has led that threat, but it’s also fair to think that this Sydney side looks more passive and a bit short compared to what Western Sydney Wanderers were capable of last night against Chelsea.

Credit to Tottenham there. They dominated the early exchanges and Sydney barely had a kick.

High-quality chances have been in short supply, but the goal was an excellent free kick from Mathys Tel and Spurs’ hosts have been kept at bay mostly.

The passing has been neat too, with Spurs finishing the half on 69 per cent possession.

I’ve spotted Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall cycling around Sydney harbour together in recent days, and they have looked pretty tidy together at the base of midfield tonight.

Although Bergvall could depart, De Zerbi’s decision to stick with Gray as captain looks a smart one thus far.

And again from Macallister, who has come to life here. He races onto the lengthy through ball down the left, beats both Dubravka and the defender to it and prods the ball towards the empty net.

Sadly, it’s just wide and Ben Davies is on hand to watch the loose ball out of play.

A couple of chances for Sydney to respond here.

Oh my goodness. Mathias Macallister receives the ball on the halfway line, spots Dubravka off his line and goes for the ridiculous.

And I can tell you, I thought that was going in.

In the end, it just drifts past the right post — but what a moment and what an effort. Love that.

Conor Gallagher could have had a hat-trick already! He wipes his face with his hand, disappointed with his third miss of the match.

The first was a miscue from a very promising position with lots of space, blocked, the second that horribly ballooned effort with the goal gaping after Gus Hoefsloot’s slip.

That time, he got the right contact and shape on the ball, but it struck the base of the post.

He’s getting closer!

Woah! Conor Gallagher now strikes the outside of the post with a side-footed effort. So at least he’s getting closer, after fluffing his contact with a similar chance earlier.

Youlley then gets another look at goal from range but balloons his shot, before we do finally see the yellow card as Alexandar Popovic flies through Richarlison.

I’m sure Gus Hoefsloot is enjoying the experience but now he’s just slipped as he takes a routine clearance, sends the ball straight to Conor Gallagher — and the midfielder can’t take advantage under pressure as his shot flies over and behind the goal.

Meanwhile, I hope you’re enjoying the lack of hydration breaks!

What a wonderful goal that is. Mathys Tel takes the free kick from about 22 yards and central — and he hits it with bend and dip to fly into the top corner past Hoefsloot who was left diving for thin air.

Tel puffed out his cheeks at the sight too. I think he liked that! Stunner.

Well, after Tottenham’s early domination, Sydney FC have settled into this now and it’s all got a big bogged down in midfield.

Takahiro Sekine then tries to catch a piggy-back ride off Manor Solomon without his permission and that concedes the silliest free kick I’ve seen in a while.

Tel to take from a promising position outside the box.

Lovely effort from the busy Youlley, which forces Dubravka into a smart stop down low to his right.

It all came from Archie Gray being too slow on the ball in front of his back four and getting robbed of the ball.

Gray had been doing OK to that point, but you do need to be sharper than that, even in a friendly.

Sydney midfielder Rhys Youlley is enjoying throwing his legs around here. He catches Archie Gray’s ankles and then fouls Conor Gallagher as Spurs build again.

The free-kick delivery is poor but another chance arrives shortly after as the low cross from the right finds Gallagher on his own, 12 yards out.

And he completely fluffs the effort, which is blocked.

That should be 1-0. Or maybe we’re already at 2-0 in the ‘should be’ scoreline. Either way, it remains goalless.

Some have achieved greater heights at the club and elsewhere, but very few, if any, are more “Tottenham” than Ledley King.

Outside their part of north London, King is perhaps not spoken about as much as he should be, but around White Hart Lane, the street in the district that gave the club’s former stadium its name, he is as revered as anyone.

The 25-foot-high mural of him on nearby Tottenham High Road is a celebration of one of the finest players Spurs ever produced; a one-club man who played through the pain as a chronic knee issue that plagued his career, and eventually forced him into an early retirement in 2012, aged 31.

His name demands respect among the neighbours, too, with Arsenal icon Thierry Henry describing King as one of the best central defenders he ever faced, praising his ability to win the ball without committing a foul.

After a brief period as an assistant coach on Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham staff in 2020-21, the now-45-year-old is active in his role as a club ambassador.

King has travelled with the squad to Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia, for their ongoing pre-season tour, and helped deliver a community football session in the latter, in partnership with social enterprise Creating Chances’ Football United programme. The initiative uses football to strengthen social cohesion, belonging and leadership among young people from culturally diverse communities.

Listening to him reflect on his career in a question-and-answer session with the children involved at the end of the session, it was evident that the love Tottenham fans shower King with to this day is reciprocated.

Speaking to local fans a few days earlier in Auckland, King admitted that he had spoken to other former Spurs players about what, if anything, they could do to help the club navigate the unthinkable and unprecedented prospect of a first relegation since the 1970s last season.

As it transpired, Roberto De Zerbi, Spurs’ fourth head coach in less than a year, kept them up via a 1-0 home win against Everton on the final day of the Premier League campaign, and King was pleasantly surprised by how straightforward survival was in the end, given the circumstances.

“Before the game, I was really nervous,” King tells The Athletic. “But actually, when we kicked off, and the game was in flow, I felt pretty comfortable. I felt like we handled the occasion pretty well. We kept Everton away from our goal and limited their chances. I think we were as comfortable as you can be in that situation.”

“It was a tough season, of course. For me, it showed how much a lot of the ex-players still cared about the club, because when things were not going well, so many people reached out to see if there was anything they could do, in any way, to try to support.

“It’s tough when you’re at every home game, and your home form is not good, and you’re searching for results. Everyone feels it at the club. It was a tough, tough season, but we got through it in the end, and things are looking a lot more positive now.”

Backed by the Lewis family, the majority owners who have ramped up their commitment to investing in transfers after sacking long-serving executive chairman Daniel Levy last September, Spurs have been one of the Premier League’s most active sides in the summer transfer window.

They twice broke their transfer record in early July, first signing West Ham’s Matheus Fernandes for £85million, followed by fellow midfielder Sandro Tonali (up to £100m) from Newcastle days later. Centre-backs Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth) and Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton) have signed to bolster De Zerbi’s options in defence, as has Liverpool stalwart Andy Robertson, a player who was recruited as much for his experience and standards as for his quality from left-back.

Ahead of Spurs’ 2-0 win over Auckland FC at the city’s Eden Park on Sunday in the opening match of the tour, De Zerbi said he believed the club needed more players in Robertson’s mould because, as the Italian put it: “We need to increase experience, we have to improve in mentality, we have to be stronger.”

The 97-time Scotland international and long-time captain had nine trophy-laden years at Liverpool, including winning the Premier League twice and a Champions League, before leaving this summer at the end of his contract, and King can spot some similarities with the impact Edgar Davids had when he joined Tottenham from Inter of Italy in summer 2005, also as a 32-year-old free agent.

“Edgar, in terms of what he’d won, definitely had an impact on us as a young group at the time,” King says of the Netherlands international, who won a Champions League with Ajax in the Netherlands and three Serie A titles with Juventus and also played for Milan and Barcelona before coming to England. “Andy, I’m sure, can have that on the group. You know what it takes to win, setting the standards, and Edgar definitely did that, so I can see that similarity.

“Edgar had been at (big) clubs and won trophies. Immediately when he came into the building, the first question that he asked me when we sat down at lunch was, ‘Can we win things?’ That was his mentality straight away. I think he helped a young group of players become better players by his standards on the training pitch and after training. He spent a lot of time with young players.”

Davids did not increase his silverware collection during the two years he spent with Tottenham (though many of the young players he helped nurture were part of Spurs’ League Cup-winning side of 2008), but Robertson will no doubt be keen to add more medals to his cabinet.

Few would have predicted the club would have to wait 17 years before they next tasted glory after King lifted that League Cup as captain in 2008. But with De Zerbi now at the helm, and a squad who finally reached the summit again with the Europa League triumph under Ange Postecoglou in May 2025, King believes they are not as far away from challenging for trophies again as back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League over the past two seasons might suggest.

“I think it was important to get one over the line,” King adds. “To have that feeling. We did it in 2008, and got to the (League Cup) final again the next season and lost on penalties. This group of players, the majority of them have done that, so I think that puts them in good stead going into any tournament. It’s an exciting prospect.

“Of course, there’s a lot of hard work to be done. There are a lot of good teams in the league thinking along the same lines. We believe we have a really talented group of players, and when they perform to their level, we can be right up there.”

Within the Tottenham fanbase, green shoots of belief that the club could be on to something special are beginning to sprout.

Several of the usual suspects at the top of the league table are entering transition phases with new managers, and while De Zerbi falls in that bracket having only been appointed in late March, he will benefit from the time spent on the training ground during those weeks at the end of last season and the strong bond he formed with many of the players as they dodged relegation.

“We made our change last season,” says King. “There are a few teams that made their change and are starting from fresh now. For Spurs, it’s just about starting the season as well as possible, trying to get some momentum off the back of last season, and then taking each game and month as it comes and seeing where you land.”

Reinforcements in attack, with De Zerbi publicising his desire for two or more “first-level” forward players to make a difference in the final third, will be essential if Spurs are to embark on a special season, but the squad looks stacked with difference-makers in defence.

Pedro Porro was a key player as Spain won the World Cup, while Senesi and Cristian Romero (albeit the latter is expected to leave the club in this transfer window) are scheduled back at Hotspur Way not long before the start of the season after reaching that July 12 final with Argentina. However, arguably none of them raised as many eyebrows in their home nation during the tournament as full-back Djed Spence, who was England’s breakout star of the World Cup as they finished third.

His standout moment, a tackle on Giuliano Simeone of Argentina in the semi-final, drew comparisons to one King made on Chelsea forward Arjen Robben in 2006. In King’s view, it was a challenge that typified Spence’s athletic quality and desire to dig in and defend.

“I thought Djed was really good,” King says. “He surprised some people away from Tottenham, probably. It didn’t surprise me, as I’ve seen him throughout the season, so I knew what he brings to the table. I thought he grew into the tournament and gained confidence, and the tackle was a great one. As defenders, you’re always taught to run back as hard as you can, and I think when you’re a defender of Djed’s speed, you always believe that there’s a chance to get back.

“I think that’s why he was picked for the squad. Especially his one-on-one ability. He can play on both sides; players like that are always important to the squad.”

Near-mastery of the art of defending is what endeared King to the Spurs faithful, and it’s what he enjoys looking out for now in young prospects.

Tottenham are blessed with an outstanding crop of academy-level youngsters who play at centre-back, with Malachi Hardy, 18, and Jun’ai Byfield, 17, considered two of the best in the nation among their age group.

And while King is understandably hesitant to put any undue pressure on their teenage shoulders, he can’t help but get excited by a future heir to his crown — perhaps even one worthy of his unofficially retired No 26 shirt.

“I love seeing it,” he says. “I take a big interest in young defenders at the football club. But at the same time, I realise how difficult it is. I don’t like to put any pressure on young players. We’ve always had great talent coming through, but a lot of it is up to them and their dedication and discipline. And of course, you need a good manager who has belief in you.

“So it’s up to them to put in the hard work now, and we’ll hopefully see them in the future.”