The New York Times

Nottingham Forest have identified Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall as a potential replacement for Elliot Anderson.

The Athletic reported earlier on Sunday that Bergvall’s preference is to move on from Tottenham and seek a new challenge this summer — and his situation has alerted suitors in England and beyond.

Forest are interested in a deal as they consider a future without Anderson, who has been the subject of bids from Manchester City and interest from their rivals Manchester United.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, previously expressed an interest in Bergvall and remain admirers of the 20-year-old, but are not actively looking at a midfield acquisition without first making a sale. In their midfield department, they have Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, Ross Barkley and Youri Tielemans, the latter of whom is entering the final two years of his contract. While Villa hope to renew Tielemans’ deal, the 29-year-old does have interest from elsewhere.

Bergvall is under contract at Spurs until 2031.

He is at the World Cup with Sweden and has made two substitute appearances, providing an assist in their opening 5-1 win over Tunisia.

Tottenham fended off interest from Villa and Chelsea for the midfielder in the winter window, as both clubs made direct contact with the north London side before it was made clear they did not intend to consider his departure.

Since head coach Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival in March, Bergvall was given one start against Sunderland but only tallied 54 minutes in substitute appearances thereafter.

This summer, Tottenham have opened talks with Newcastle United over Sandro Tonali, and are also in pursuit of West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes.

Bergvall arrived in north London from Swedish side Djurgarden in 2024 and has made 78 appearances since. In his first season, he was Tottenham’s player of the year and helped them win the 2025 Europa League, the team’s first trophy in 17 years.

Lucas Bergvall has informed Tottenham Hotspur of his preference to seek a new challenge elsewhere, amid strong interest from sides in England and across Europe.

The 20-year-old midfielder is competing for Sweden at the 2026 World Cup but Spurs are now aware that he would like to depart this summer in search of a fresh start.

Bergvall joined from Swedish club Djurgarden in 2024 and remains under contract until June 2031.

The Athletic revealed in February that Tottenham could face a battle to keep hold of him after rebuffing enquiries during the winter market.

Bergvall’s first campaign saw him occupy a key role under Ange Postecoglou — he was named Spurs player of the year and helped them win the 2025 Europa League, the team’s first trophy in 17 years.

Postecoglou’s replacement as head coach, Thomas Frank, used the midfielder less frequently and often out wide, rather than the central area he favours and tends to operate best in.

Frank’s exit saw Igor Tudor take charge for a brief spell, in which Bergvall appeared twice, as a substitute on both occasions.

The arrival of Roberto De Zerbi in March led to Bergvall getting a start at Sunderland, however he was substituted during the second half and barely featured thereafter. His preferred number eight position does not appear best suited to the 4-2-3-1 system De Zerbi used at the end of last season and that is said to be noticeable in training, too.

Furthermore, Tottenham pursuing options like Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes perhaps gives a glimpse of De Zerbi’s vision for the future.

Bergvall’s case has alerted suitors in the Premier League and beyond.

Previously, both Aston Villa and Chelsea established contact with Spurs to check if an opportunity existed — but it was clarified they had no wish to consider a sale and the matter did not advance.

Bergvall became his country’s youngest player to make a World Cup appearance when he emerged from the bench against Tunisia on June 14, providing an assist in a 5-1 win for Graham Potter’s men.

He was also introduced in the second half during Saturday’s heavy loss to the Netherlands by the same scoreline, which leaves Sweden’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage in the balance.

Would a departure for Bergvall make sense?

Analysis by Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke

Tottenham Hotspur beat competition from around Europe when they signed Lucas Bergvall from Djurgarden two years ago.

But for all his obvious talent, he was not an integral player under Roberto De Zerbi as Tottenham fought their way to Premier League safety. De Zerbi preferred Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha sat in front of the defence with Conor Gallagher running hard in the no10 role. And Bergvall was left on the sidelines.

It was never quite clear last season what Bergvall’s best role was. Thomas Frank tried to use him as someone who ran hard and arrived late in the box, but he rarely got the chance to showcase his technical skill. He started to look like a midfielder who relied more on his physicality than what he could do on the ball. Two years after arriving, it is still not certain whether he is a 6, an 8 or even a 10.

Spurs’ early moves in the transfer market this summer have shown that they want to upgrade the midfield, with a focus on Premier League experience. And with Tottenham out of European competition for the forthcoming season, they will not have a lot of games to be shared out.

That means that chances for Bergvall could be few and far between. And he may not get the opportunities that he would need to continue to his development.

Tottenham Hotspur have opened talks with Newcastle United over a deal for Sandro Tonali.

The north London club are vying with Manchester City to sign Tonali if he leaves St James’ Park — but by making club-to-club contact, it steps up the pursuit and underlines their intent to strike a deal.

Discussions between the 26-year-old midfielder’s representatives and both suitors continue, as they attempt to strike an agreement on personal terms.

Newcastle will seek about £100million ($133m) to consider selling the Italy international, whose contract runs until 2029 and has a 12-month extension option.

The Athletic reported on June 16 that Tottenham were in positive talks with Tonali’s camp, they had yet to engage Newcastle on the matter.

This has now changed and Spurs will hope that a high salary offer, head coach Roberto De Zerbi pushing for the transfer and the appeal of London may help swing the situation in their direction.

In addition to Tonali, Spurs are among multiple sides targeting Mateus Fernandes of West Ham United. Likewise, City’s push for Tonali does not impact their work to recruit Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.

Newcastle have remained open to selling Tonali this summer, should a bid meet their demands, having already sold winger Anthony Gordon for £69.3m to Barcelona.

In February, The Athletic reported that Arsenal had been offered Tonali by his agent towards the end of the January transfer window, but Newcastle were unwilling to entertain a deal so late on.

Tonali made 53 appearances for Newcastle in all competitions last season, scoring three times, as they finished 12th in the Premier League and reached the last-16 of the Champions League.

He moved to St James’ Park from Milan in July 2023 for a fee in the region of £60.5m, but received an immediate 10-month suspension in October of that year after being found guilty of breaching rules on gambling by the Italian Football Federation, subsequently missing the remainder of the season and Italy’s Euro 2024 campaign.

Since his return in August 2024, he has made 110 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 10 and assisting 10, forming a stellar partnership with club captain Bruno Guimaraes in midfield.

Tonali was born 19 miles south of Milan in the town of Lodi, coming through the youth set up at Serie C side Brescia and joining Milan initially on loan in 2020, signing permanently a year later.

Tonali signing would be statement of intent from Spurs

Analysis from Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Jay Harris

Spurs should be admired for the ambition they have shown in this transfer window. They have already completed the signings of Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi and have submitted two offers for Brighton & Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke.

They have acted shrewdly but pulling off a deal for Tonali would be a real statement of intent under De Zerbi. Fans could start truly getting excited again about the future after narrowly avoiding relegation on the final day of last season.

Spurs’ midfield has needed upgrading for the last two years. Yves Bissouma is leaving when his contract expires at the end of the month and there is uncertainty over whether Joao Palhinha’s loan from Bayern Munich will be made permanent. Rodrigo Bentancur impressed after returning from a hamstring injury for the final six games of the season and Conor Gallagher showed flashes of his quality following De Zerbi’s appointment. Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray are talented prospects but Tonali would instantly raise the team’s level.

The Italy international is a powerful box-to-box midfielder and pairing him alongside James Maddison and Bentancur is a tantalising prospect. It will be a difficult deal to pull off though. Tottenham’s club-record signing is the £65m they paid Bournemouth to sign Dominic Solanke in August 2024. Newcastle signed Tonali from Milan in July 2023 for a fee in the region of €70m and could expect to make a significant profit.

Spurs are committed to overhauling their squad this summer but the awkward question remains of how they will fund all these moves. Along with their interest in Tonali and Van Hecke, The Athletic has reported they want to sign a new left winger this summer with Manchester City’s Savinho a target. They need to sell players to raise funds and Brighton have given them a tricky dilemma by making multiple bids for centre-back for Luka Vuskovic. There is a strong chance captain Cristian Romero will leave, but they might have to wait until after his commitments with Argentina at the World Cup, and there is also uncertainty over the futures of Richarlison, Guglielmo Vicario and Radu Dragusin.

Spurs have traditionally held back on huge wages but senior figures have spoken in public about the need to address this. Convincing Pedro Porro to sign a new deal and following it up with the signing of Tonali would go some way to convince Spurs fans that this truly is a new era — even if the same majority shareholders, the Lewis family, remain in charge.

Leeds United vs Tottenham Hotspur Box Score - January 16, 2027 - The Athletic  The New York Times

Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur Box Score - September 05, 2026 - The Athletic  The New York Times

There was a time when a World Cup would effectively put the summer transfer window on pause.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Gary Lineker made Barcelona wait until after the 1986 World Cup, even after they had attempted to issue a “now or never” ultimatum to his agent, delivered by phone to his hotel in Mexico.

There were no such complications with Barcelona signing their latest England star, Anthony Gordon, who joined the Spanish champions from Newcastle United for €80million (£69.3m; $93.2m) before flying out to meet his international team-mates.

Tottenham have been decisive in their pre-tournament moves too. They have signed experienced Premier League duo Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi, from Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively, as free agents — and their continued activity suggests they are far from done.

Spurs got out in front of the competition to sign Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton & Hove Albion for £52million ($68.6m). Sporting a nasty black eye — cue the Spurs injury jokes — sustained in their 2-2 draw with Japan, his World Cup debut, Van Hecke completed his medical in Kansas City, where the Netherlands are based.

Like Robertson and Senesi, Van Hecke is a player Tottenham admired long before Roberto De Zerbi took the reins on March 31. With one year remaining on his contract, Van Hecke, 26, represented an opportunity to sign a player with Premier League and elite international experience, approaching his prime, for less than their typical market value. De Zerbi, with whom he shares a “really strong connection” after working together at Brighton, provided the final flourish.

After the January window, sporting director Johan Lange spoke publicly about the intention to pursue “the right players” who could help the team’s long-term ambitions, rather than be influenced by short-term fixes.

It was a decision that came agonisingly close to incurring the immeasurable financial and reputational costs of relegation. Ultimately, it may pay dividends. Tottenham have long had the potential to conduct themselves like a ‘big’ Premier League club in the market, and their swift and successful pursuit of Van Hecke is an indication that they are getting out ahead of their competition to secure primary targets.

While there has been some suggestion that such a fee for a player with one year left on his contract is hardly outstanding business, Tottenham are not in a position to haggle.

Indecision in the market led to successive 17th-place finishes, but this could be the type of deal Spurs could shave millions off in the future if signings like these help to bring them back into Europe and strengthen their negotiating position.

Including Pedro Porro’s contract extension, it’s Tottenham’s fourth defensive signing of the summer and signals De Zerbi’s intention to revamp the squad. After breaking through at Brighton under the Italian in 2023, Van Hecke is considered among the best ball-playing centre-backs in the Premier League.

Last season, Van Hecke led the English top flight in line-breaking passes (457), a highly encouraging feat, considering Tottenham’s protracted struggles in building central possession through the thirds.

As a right-sided central defender, he played an essential role in the build-up for Fabian Hurzeler’s side, as he was often tasked with zipping passes into midfielders and forwards. And with typical first-choice right-sided centre-back Jurrien Timber failing to recover in time from a groin injury, Van Hecke has continued firing passes through the lines for the Netherlands at the World Cup. Here are three examples of the centre-back finding Tijjani Reijnders with a reverse pass through Japan’s midfield.

In this aspect, he appears a like-for-like replacement for Cristian Romero, who could be on his way after a disappointing season as captain. But as defenders, they profile quite differently.

Romero is as front-footed as defenders come, looking to engage at the point of contact wherever possible. Van Hecke is more comfortable maintaining his position on the line, likely due to a visible lack of recovery pace, though he ranked in the top five in the league for interceptions (47) last term.

And while he is profiled as a “channel defender” on our player dashboards, reflecting his capacity and tendency to move into wide areas, he can struggle as a one-v-one defender when isolated.

Here’s an example of Van Hecke being beaten fairly easily in the box by West Ham United right-back Oliver Scarles.

And another instance where he allows Burnley winger Loum Tchaouna a chance to cross, though it was late in the game and there is no questioning his commitment to block the delivery.

Given Porro’s tendency to push higher up and into more central areas, these may be situations Van Hecke finds himself in regularly at Spurs. It will be up to De Zerbi to devise a system to offer protection.

Van Hecke and fellow Dutchman Micky van de Ven is an interesting partnership, given that both seem more comfortable as covering defenders. Senesi, whose instinct is to win the ball high, complements his game more naturally, as does Kevin Danso, who ended the season excellently and should not be overlooked.

With or without Romero, Tottenham’s early-window business has provided De Zerbi with the players he needs to execute in the first phase of play. The challenge now is to secure their in-demand targets to ensure they are as formidable in midfield and attack.

Brighton & Hove Albion have made an improved offer for Tottenham Hotspur and Croatia defender Luka Vuskovic.

Sources briefed on the deal have indicated that this latest offer from Brighton will still fall short of Spurs’ valuation of the 19-year-old.

The south-coast side previously made a £30million ($39.7m) bid for Vuskovic, who is open to the move, believing Brighton have shown themselves to be a good developing ground for talent.

Vuskovic is also the subject of strong interest from leading clubs elsewhere in Europe after a strong season in the Bundesliga.

Brighton’s interest in Vuskovic — who is regarded as one of the best emerging defenders in world football — comes with Spurs having completed the signing of fellow centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke from the Amex Stadium club.

The Athletic reported earlier this month that despite catching attention from clubs around Europe, Vuskovic wanted to wait until after the World Cup to decide his next steps.

Vuskovic is part of Croatia’s squad in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He has been capped six times for the senior team, starting in their opening group-stage defeat by England.

Vuskovic’s contract at Tottenham does not expire until 2030. He agreed to move from Hajduk Split for £12m ($16m) in September 2023 and officially joined Spurs when he turned 18.

He has yet to make a first-team appearance for Tottenham, but played 30 times on loan at Hamburg during the 2025-26 campaign. He recorded six goals and provided one assist in 28 Bundesliga appearances.

If Vuskovic leaves, Spurs can only blame themselves

Analysis by Tottenham correspondent Jay Harris

Spurs will be without European football next season and if Vuskovic is not going to be the first-choice right-sided centre-back, there is certainly an argument it would be more beneficial to temporarily send him away. Vuskovic has spent the last three seasons on loan, though, and might feel the time is right to settle.

The parallels with Arsenal’s William Saliba are obvious. Saliba went on loan to Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille before breaking into Arsenal’s starting XI under Mikel Arteta. The difference here is that Spurs’ financial situation might force them to let Vuskovic go — Spurs hold some of the highest transfer debt in football.

It is understandable if Vuskovic has reservations about staying with Spurs. They have had four different head coaches since he initially agreed to join them. Brighton finished eighth and will be competing in the Europa Conference League next season while Spurs narrowly avoided relegation. Mathys Tel, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall’s stop-start development could be another concern.

If Vuskovic decides it is better for his career to leave Spurs, then they only have themselves to blame.

The 2026-27 Premier League season will get underway on Friday, August 21, when champions Arsenal host Coventry City.

Arsenal begin their title defence at the Emirates against Frank Lampard’s newly-promoted side, while Manchester City start their new post-Pep Guardiola era at home to Bournemouth.

Coventry are back in the Premier League after 25 years away, and fellow promoted side Hull City are pitted against Manchester United. Ipswich Town, who also sealed a return to the top flight, face Sunderland.

In the highlight fixture of the opening weekend, Newcastle United and Liverpool meet at St James’ Park on Sunday, August 23.

Premier League 2026-27 opening weekend fixtures

All times BST

Friday, August 21

Saturday, August 22

Sunday, August 23

Monday, August 24

Premier League 2026-27 final day fixtures

All times BST

Sunday, May 30

Premier League fixtures by club

Click or tap on the team names below to see a full fixture list for your Premier League club.

Arsenal

Aston Villa

Bournemouth

Brentford

Brighton & Hove Albion

Chelsea

Coventry City

Crystal Palace

Everton

Fulham

Hull City

Ipswich Town

Leeds United

Liverpool

Manchester City

Manchester United

Newcastle United

Nottingham Forest

Tottenham Hotspur

Sunderland

Broadcast picks

Premier League champions Arsenal will raise the curtain on the 2026-27 season at the Emirates Stadium on August 21, when they host newly-promoted Coventry City, managed by former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard, on Friday night.

Championship play-off winners Hull City will host Manchester United in their first Premier League match since 2017, with the game kicking off at 12.30pm on Saturday, August 22. Brentford then host Tottenham Hotspur in an all-London contest at 5.30pm.

The first Sunday of the season will feature Manchester City’s first league match since Pep Guardiola’s departure, with Bournemouth visiting the Etihad Stadium at 2pm on August 23. Europa League champions Aston Villa begin their campaign at the same time with a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion. Andoni Iraola then begins his tenure as Liverpool manager with a trip to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United at 4.30pm.

The opening weekend concludes with a west London derby on Monday night, as Chelsea travel to Fulham on August 24.

Key derby dates

North London derbies:

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal — Saturday, December 5

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur — Saturday, May 1

Manchester derbies:

Manchester United v Manchester City — Saturday, September 12

Manchester City v Manchester United — Saturday, March 20

Merseyside derbies:

Everton v Liverpool — Saturday, November 28

Liverpool v Everton — Saturday, January 30

Tyne-Wear derbies:

Newcastle United v Sunderland — Saturday, December 5

Sunderland v Newcastle United — Saturday, May 1

North-west derbies:

Liverpool v Manchester United — Saturday, November 21

Manchester United v Liverpool — Saturday, January 23

Key dates for the 2026-27 season

The summer transfer window officially opened on Monday, June 15 and closes on Tuesday, September 1 at 11pm (BST).

Clubs will have a further opportunity to do business during the winter transfer window, which will open on Friday, January 1 and close on Friday, February 1 at 11pm (GMT).

The season begins with the 2026 Community Shield between league champions Arsenal and FA Cup winners Manchester City on Sunday, August 16.

The 11 Premier League teams not participating in European competition will enter the Carabao Cup at the second round, while the nine teams who qualified for Europe will join in round three. These are set to take place in August.

Premier League teams will enter the FA Cup at the third round stage, which takes place across the weekend of January 9 to 10.

The 2026-27 Premier League season will conclude on Sunday, May 30, 2027.

Those in the Champions League will begin their European campaigns between September 8-10, following the league phase draw on August 27. The 2026-27 Champions League final takes place on June 5, 2027 at Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano.

The Europa League ‘league phase’ begins on September 16, with the draw taking place on August 28. The final will be played at Deutsche Bank Park, formerly known as Waldstadion, the home of Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany on May 26, 2027.

The Conference League, meanwhile, commences its league phase on October 15. Brighton will have to go through a two-legged play-off on August 20 and 27 in order to make it into the hat for the draw on August 28. The final will take place at Besiktas Park on June 2.

Tottenham Hotspur will begin their Premier League campaign away to Brentford.

Last season saw the north London side escape relegation by only two points, and have three different head coaches at the helm.

Roberto De Zerbi replaced Igor Tudor in March, after Thomas Frank had left earlier in the season, and has already added defenders Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke to his squad, with Pedro Porro having signed a new contract.

Their first test against a fellow Big Six side will come on away at Manchester United on the weekend of October 10-11. The first north London derby against rivals and Premier League champions Arsenal will take place on the first weekend of December at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before the reverse fixture on the weekend of May 1-2.

They end the season away to Aston Villa.

Tottenham’s Premier League fixtures 2026-27

All times BST/GMT

A brutal ending to the season

Analysis by The Athletic’s Elias Burke

After starting and ending their season with a home fixture last season, it’s perhaps understandable that they should be on the road for the opening and climax in 2026-27.

They won’t have far to travel for their first game of the season, taking on Brentford in west London. Improving on last season’s trip to the Gtech Community Stadium shouldn’t be too hard, with Spurs and Brentford playing out a 0-0 draw that was surely a contender for the worst game played by any team, in any league, anywhere in the world last term.

Then it’s three home matches in their next four, which should, in theory, be a nice opportunity to put some points on the board, though the opposition is tricky: Newcastle (H), Nottingham Forest (A), Everton (H) and Aston Villa (H).

Tottenham have a dire record at Stamford Bridge, but Spurs fans will surely be getting out the red pens to circle their first fierce London derby on October 24-25. But they will have to wait until December 5 for the big one, the North London Derby, which will be played in front of a home crowd.

Spurs end 2026 with a two-game home stand against Bournemouth on Boxing Day, followed by Brighton on December 30. While a trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City is a cruel way to bring in 2027, a five-game run up to early February, where Spurs face Fulham, Leeds United, Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Ipswich Town, could be an opportunity to build momentum for the second half of the season.

And they might need it too, with a brutal run of fixtures to close. Spurs’ last five games of the season include trips to Arsenal and Aston Villa (on the final day) and home fixtures against Chelsea and Manchester United. An away match against Coventry City, which is sandwiched between those four matches, may be a welcome one, though Spurs only won two of their six games against promoted sides last season.

Key dates for the 2026-27 season

The summer transfer window officially opened on Monday, June 15 and closes on Tuesday, September 1 at 11pm (BST).

Clubs will have a further opportunity to do business during the winter transfer window, which will open on Friday, January 1 and close on Friday, February 1 at 11pm (GMT).

The season begins with the 2026 Community Shield between league champions Arsenal and FA Cup winners Manchester City on Sunday, August 16.

The 11 Premier League teams not participating in European competition will enter the Carabao Cup at the second round, while the nine teams who qualified for Europe will join in round three. These are set to take place in August.

Premier League teams will enter the FA Cup at the third round stage, which takes place across the weekend of January 9 to 10.

The 2026-27 Premier League season will conclude on Sunday, May 30, 2027.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a move for West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, while they remain keen on signing Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali.

Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi is pushing to sign Fernandes, 21, who West Ham have set an asking price of £80million ($106.7m).

Tottenham have also held talks with the camp of Newcastle’s Tonali but face competition from other clubs including Manchester City, who are serious contenders for the Italian’s signature.

Manchester United have held talks over a potential fee and wages for Fernandes and are focusing their efforts on the Portuguese with Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson appearing too expensive. European champions Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are also among Fernandes’ suitors.

West Ham need to raise £150m this summer following their relegation to the Championship, and Fernandes — who joined the club from Southampton for £38m in August 2025 — is one of their most saleable assets. Southampton negotiated a 15 per cent sell-on fee.

The Athletic reported in May that Fernandes does not have a release clause in his contract, which expires in 2030.

Manchester United have already bolstered their midfield by reaching an agreement to sign Ederson from Atalanta in a deal worth up to €45m. Fernandes remains on their list of targets, with United head coach Michael Carrick eager to find a midfield partner for Kobbie Mainoo.

Fernandes recorded five goals and five assists in 42 appearances in all competitions for West Ham in the 2025-26 campaign. He was a contender for the club’s player of the season award, which was won by defender Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Fernandes won his first international cap for Portugal in April, but was not named in Roberto Martinez’s squad for this summer’s World Cup.

Spurs, meanwhile, are looking to revamp their squad after consecutive 17th-place finishes. They have allowed midfielder Yves Bissouma to leave on a free transfer.