Sport Witness

On August 12th, Emerson Royal left Tottenham Hotspur and completed a permanent move to AC Milan.

The Serie A side chased the right-back for most of the window. They initially refused to meet Tottenham’s demand, before reaching an agreement for around €15m plus €5m bonuses.

Journalist Gianni Visnadi spoke to Sky, relayed by TuttoMercatoWeb. He claims the Serie A side paid more than what the 25-year-old was actually worth to Tottenham.

Milan advisor Zlatan Ibrahimović was in charge of the club’s summer business, along with technical director Geoffrey Moncada.

The Rossoneri have picked up two points from three league games. Paulo Fonseca left Rafael Leão and Theo Hernández out of the starting lineup in their 2-2 draw against Lazio.

The duo came off the bench in the second half, but didn’t join the rest of the group while the manager was giving instructions during the cooling break.

Former AC Milan midfielder Zvonimir Boban was critical of the Swede, stating that he’s not aware of Ibrahimović’s role at the San Siro. The journalist has now joined Boban and even blamed the advisor for not supporting Fonseca.

Visnadi then used the 25-year-old right-back’s arrival from Tottenham as an example to criticise Ibrahimović’.

“That’s where [in Leão- Hernández case] Ibrahimović was missing. Beyond the roles, they entrusted him with an enormous role given his modest experience: he should have prevented Fonseca from reaching the breaking point with his two most important players, but we all talked about it too little because we only concentrated on the exclusion of the two, who had just restarted the match,” he said.

“There are a million things that don’t work in Milan. There is no sporting director at Milan: they spent money, but they spent it badly. There is no one with the experience needed to make the right deals at the right prices.

“One above all: in England they are still rubbing their hands for having dismissed someone like Emerson Royal, who arrived to solve problems that he won’t solve. Milan only arrived at the end of the transfer market on Fofana, their best signing, after chasing him for two months.”

AC Milan’s Noah Okafor has ended up on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer radar, according to a report from Italy.

The striker has scored one goal from three games this season. MilanLive.it say his displays haven’t been convincing and he could lose his place in the starting XI to Tammy Abraham.

Milan signed Abraham on loan from AS Roma this summer and his arrival is a concern for Okafor. That’s because the report says Paulo Fonseca will favour the Englishman. This could ‘lead to a divorce’ between the 24-year-old and the Serie A side as early as January. When discussing interested parties, only Tottenham are mentioned.

The Premier League side have been following him to provide Ange Postecoglou more options in the attack.

It’s claimed ‘Spurs in particular’ are willing to table an offer of €20m plus bonuses for Okafor. MilanLive.it claim there’s a good chance of the deal going through for this figure.

Spurs invested over €60m to sign Dominic Solanke in the last window. Postecoglou has him and Richarlison as the two strikers in the squad. In addition to this, both Timo Werner and Heung-min Son can operate up front.

Tottenham Hotspur tried to sign US Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu in the last window, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

The 19-year-old has been a regular since making his first team debut last year. His displays for the Serie A side helped him also make debut for Denmark earlier this month.

Dorgu’s rise at the Italian club have seen him attract interest from Tottenham and other clubs.

Towards the end of the summer window, Spurs arrived ‘with an offer’ to sign him. The details of their proposal aren’t mentioned.

Gazzetta state Dorgu currently earns €90,000 per year, and it was ‘more difficult’ for him this summer than others. This suggests he may have found it hard to walk away from Tottenham’s offer. Napoli, AC Milan and Juventus have also tried to sign him.

Maurice Ogbodo, the Denmark international’s agent, has links with Base Soccer. The British agency has ‘direct relationship’ with top Premier League sides, and they seem to have had a role in Tottenham’s assault.

Lecce are ready to open the door for Dorgu’s transfer next summer and have informed the same to his agent. Gazzetta indicate Tottenham or another club could agree a deal in January and then send him back on loan to Lecce until the end of this season.

His valuation could increase from €30m to €40m, if he were to impress for the Italian club in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Calcio Lecce claim Ange Postecoglou’s side ‘remain very interested’ in the left-back, who has been used in the attacking positions this season.

Lecce technical director Pantaleo Corvino, who values Dorgu at €40m, has started talks with Dorgu’s entourage to extend his contract.

Tottenham Hotspur could make a huge profit from Radu Drăgușin’s sale in the future.

That’s at least what FC Steaua București owner George ‘Gigi’ Becali claims, and he said this during a chat with Fanatik.

Tottenham invested around €30m to buy the centre-back from Genoa in January. The 22-year-old’s game time has been limited at the north London club, but that was to be expected.

The Romania international clocked in 424 minutes from nine games last season and has made one appearance this season. Ange Postecoglou started him in Spurs’ 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United earlier this month due to Micky van de Ven’s injury.

Drăgușin has a contract at the Premier League side lasting until 2030. Despite the limited role under the former Celtic man so far, Becali insists Tottenham can earn big from his sale.

Steaua București sold Dennis Man to Parma in 2021. The Romanian side are entitled to receive a percentage of a future sale. When discussing this, Becali used the Tottenham player as an example of making a big money move.

“He [Dennis Man] is a valuable player, of European stature, but €60/70/100m players, those are the ones… [Editor’s note – Drăgușin was sold for €30m] I told you €30m for Drăgușin and that’s what they sold him for, €30m,” he said.

“Drăgușin is a centre-back. He can grow. How old is he? [He’s 22.] Drăgușin, yes. He can be sold for €70-80m. He’s young, he’s tall, a centre-back. You rarely find it.”

Tottenham invested €30m on the defender and can earn more than double if they sell him for at least €70m. This would only be possible if he were to feature regularly for Spurs.

Patrick Dorgu is one of the most impressive youngsters in Serie A right now and probably won’t stay around at Lecce for long.

He recently scored on his debut for the Denmark national team, showing his worth at the highest level as well as underlining that this is going to be a key season for him.

As his value continues to increase, Tottenham and Chelsea are pulled into the picture.

La Gazzetta dello Sport report that while Spurs and the Blues are in ‘pole position’ to land the Dane, his initial valuation could now be €40m.

In the summer, Lecce wanted around €30m for the teenager but his valuation has now increased and his sale should pocket the Italian side a record profit.

Lecce have already informed Dorgu’s agents about their desire for a contract renewal and that could play a role in the the player’s value.

Of the two London club, Tottenham were linked more strongly over the summer, and Chelsea look like they’re reviving old interest.

Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester United are all in the mix to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Jonathan Tah, according to this week’s edition of SportBild.

The centre-back was keen on joining Bayern Munich in the summer window, but the deal didn’t take shape.

Tah has less than a year left on his deal and has confirmed he won’t sign a new contract. Despite this, the Bundesliga winners will make another attempt to extend his deal.

Without an extension, the 28-year-old can leave the German club as a free agent at the end of this season. SportBild claim a move to Bayern is no longer on the cards.

The Germany international’s desire is to play for an English club. He’s not short of options there as Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United are all keen.

Barcelona are also in the picture, after a failed attempt in the last window. The La Liga side’s sporting director, Deco, personally called Bayer CEO Fernando Carro to make a last-minute attempt.

Among Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United, the Reds look best placed to sign Tah. Virgil van Dijk’s contract expires in 2025 and his future beyond this season remains uncertain.

It’s not yet clear whether Van Dijk will sign an extension. Taking this into account, Arne Slot’s side can start talks with Tah soon over a potential free transfer next summer.

The Red Devils are unlikely to be thinking about a centre-back, after signing Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt in the last window. Tottenham have the same position well covered and it’s not clear whether they would consider signing Tah.

Tottenham’s Cristian Romero again showed a bit of emotion on Tuesday evening, this time for his country.

Known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, this time he was reacting to disappointed as Colombia got revenge for their Copa America final defeat.

He was part of the Argentina side that lost to Colombia yesterday in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Things ended on an ugly note, with Argentina angry at a penalty that was given against them.

More so, they were just hugely disappointed with the defeat and couldn’t keep that emotion under check.

Clarin report that Romero was at the centre of protests. For his actions, the Tottenham man was shown a yellow card due to which he has reached his limit of cautions. As a result, he has been suspended for Argentina’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against Venezuela.

It is a blow for Lionel Scaloni, with the defender being one of the players he relies on.

For Tottenham, it might be a positive as the centre-back will play one game less in a potentially packed season.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Alejo Véliz made a switch to Espanyol on a loan deal in the last window.

The striker has scored a goal from four games for the La Liga side this season. He’s had a detailed chat with La Grada Ràdio, discussing various topics, including his transfer to Tottenham.

Véliz arrived at Tottenham from Argentine side Rosario Central in August 2023 and signed a deal until 2029.

The frontman managed 11 goals and an assist from 24 matches in the first half of 2023 for Rosario Central. Véliz was enjoying life in Argentina and was surprised when he learnt about Spurs’ interest to secure his services.

“It was something very crazy; I was living a beautiful moment in my career, nothing could go better, I was very happy with the club and the people and when my agent announced to me that there was this possibility, we all went into shock, it was an incredible thing, you still can’t quite believe it,” he said.

“You have to enjoy everything, football is an up and down, when the opportunity came from Tottenham it was crazy.”

The Argentina U21 international knew he couldn’t let the opportunity to join Spurs slip away.

Ange Postecoglou hasn’t found a meaningful place for the player at Tottenham, and the club let him join Sevilla on loan in January, but his situation didn’t improve in Andalusia.

The South American is now enjoying life at Espanyol and is hopeful of having a successful career at Tottenham.

“Today I’m here, and hopefully one day I can add a little more to the club that set their eyes on me and bought me,” Véliz explained.

The Tottenham owned player now needs to play a big part in La Liga and convince Postecoglou to consider him for next season.

Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak has told the Swedish media that Tottenham Hotspur’s Dejan Kulusevski is terrible at the Mafia game which has taken over much of the Sweden squad.

The game involves two groups that interrogate each other to find out who are mafia members or not. It’s a bit like the TV show Traitors.

Speaking to Fotbollskanalen, Isak was asked about his national teammates playing the game and who he thought struggled with it.

The Newcastle United player instantly said Kulusevski was terrible at the game as he just can’t hude what he’s thinking.

“Yes, ouff… He was a disaster. I saw through him immediately. As soon as he became a mafia, I looked him in the eyes and then I knew immediately,” said the Newcastle man about Kulusevski.

Sweden got off to the perfect start to their Nations League campaign after wins over Azerbaijan and Estonia.

The Tottenham attacker was made the stand in captain in the absence of Manchester United’s Victor Lindelöf, whilst Isak provided goals in both games.

Kulusevski appears to have created a great environment around the squad, with these games just one example. The Swedish media believe there’s bonding on show which hasn’t been there for a long time, and a lot of that has to be down to the Tottenham player.

Even if he is rubbish at Mafia.

Tottenham Hotspur allowed Jude Soonsup-Bell to complete a permanent move to Córdoba CF in the summer window.

Last month, the Spanish media stated Córdoba were thrilled to have signed the 20-year-old from Tottenham.

Córdoba CEO Antonio Fernández Monterrubio pointed out big data convinced his side to bet on the striker. The youngster made his debut for the Segunda División when he came off the bench against Malaga at home last weekend.

El Día de Córdoba aren’t pleased with what they saw from the Englishman so far. He arrived at the Spanish club without making an appearance for Tottenham’s senior team.

Tottenham signed Soonsup-Bell from Chelsea in January 2023, and he featured for Spurs U21 side for the last 18 months. He’s experiencing senior football for the first time and there’s been expectations for him to perform at his new club.

The attacker received a ‘loud ovation’ from the home supporters when he was brought on. He was moved to the left wing, but ‘looked quite lost’ on his debut.

El Día de Córdoba suggests the former Tottenham youngster could have been nervous to play in front of around 20,000 fans. This is something he has never experienced before. He needs time to adapt and adjust to the new surroundings, both on and off the pitch.

The newspaper states: ‘The Brit showed the courage to seek the limelight but also showed a lack of adaptation and a huge margin for improvement to start to be an element that adds to the team coached by Iván Ania.’

They have asked the Córdoba supporters to be patient with their summer signing as he needs time. This was given, but the media local to the Spanish club didn’t take it into consideration when they initially created huge hype around Soonsup-Bell.