FootballFanCast.com

Tottenham Hotspur are among the Premier League sides who could be bidding around £83m for an "incredible" attacker, according to an interesting update this week.

Tottenham identify new forward options for summer window

Spurs are reportedly identifying potential forward targets ahead of next season, amid claims that a trio of their current options could depart this summer.

Tottenham are open to selling Richarlison, according to GiveMeSport, with the Brazilian enduring an injury-ridden 2024/25 campaign. Meanwhile, Timo Werner has failed to impress during his second season on loan at Spurs, meaning he is most likely to return to RB Leipzig.

There is even uncertainty surrounding the future of Lilywhites superstar Son Heung-min, despite the club's decision to trigger a one-year extension option in his contract, with Saudi Pro League sides taking a keen interest.

Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad are prepared to offer £41m for Son, according to CaughtOffside, but it remains to be seen whether Tottenham would accept an offer in and around this figure for a club legend - even if he is about to enter the final 12 months of his deal at 32 years old.

Even Mathys Tel could return to Bayern Munich after his loan spell at Spurs, regardless of their option to buy for around £45 million, as the final decision to remain will rest solely on the Frenchman's shoulders.

As such, the north Londoners are considering their options in the final third, with Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens said to be piquing their interest.

The England Under-21 international has been in electric form this season, hitting double figures for goals in all competitions, with Gittens attracting attention from the Premier League as a result.

Ange Postecoglou and Spurs are very keen on the 20-year-old winger (GiveMeSport), with reliable Bundesliga journalist Christian Falk backing this information on SportBILD.

Tottenham "said to be offering" £83m for Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Gittens

According to Falk, as relayed by Sport Witness, Tottenham are "said to be offering €100m" for Gittens - equivalent to £83m - and could go "big" to secure his signing.

This figure would make the former Chelsea and Man City academy ace their most expensive transfer, so this is quite the claim.

"Dortmund crashed in the league, the Champions League is getting further and further away, and with that the income from the Champions League next season," he said.

"They have to win it to be in it again. If they miss out, they’ll have to sell players and Gittens is highly regarded. Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are said to be offering €100m. You have to say that would be nice money.

"[Dortmund CEO] Hans-Joachim Watzke recently admitted that they will have to sell one or two players if they miss out on the Champions League. So, a transfer for Gittens could happen.

"The English have the money; they have the TV contracts. Bayern Munich won’t pay this summer, and they could have him with that. But yes, Tottenham I think they’ll bet big."

Tottenham Hotspur put in a dominant performance away to struggling Ipswich Town to win 4-1 at Portman Road. The Lilywhites were impressive, and took their chances well, with standout performances across the pitch for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

It was a fast start from Spurs, with Brennan Johnson scoring two goals inside the first half an hour of the game. The Welshman was impressive and managed to fire home two passes from captain Son Heung-min.

Ipswich did get themselves a goal back, thanks to former Chelsea and Arsenal academy star Omari Hutchinson. It was poor defending from the Lilywhites, leaving the Tractor Boys' attacking midfielder unmarked in the box, for a simple finish.

However, with 77 minutes on the clock, the in-form Djed Spence saw his effort deflect home, after some brilliant quick feet from James Maddison. Dejan Kulusevski made it 4-1 with six minutes of the 90 left, with a wonderful strike. After picking up the ball from a flick-on, he went on a marauding run into the Ipswich half, cut inside on his left foot and curled his shot home.

It was an impressive and dominant showing from Postecoglou’s side, with Johnson one of the standout players in East Anglia.

Johnson’s stats vs. Ipswich

The first goal was a typical poacher’s finish from the winger this season. He got on the end of a low cross from Son at the back post, deflecting the ball into the back of the net. His second was also set up by his captain, but this was a well-directed effort from 12 yards out, into the right-hand corner.

He has now scored more League goals than any other Spurs player this term, an impressive return from the winger. He was given an 8/10 post-match rating from Alasdair Gold, Tottenham Hotspur correspondent for Football.London, who described his first goal as a 'trademark' finish.

Johnson’s stats from Sofascore at the end of the game show just how well he played. The winger had 26 crucial touches at Portman Road, completed 15 out of 20 passes and had an expected goals tally of 1.11xG.

As effective as the Spurs winger was against Ipswich, the same cannot be said for a fellow attacker, who struggled to impact the game.

The Spurs player who struggled vs. Ipswich

In a game where so many attacking players in that famous White shirt stood out, it was a disappointing performance from January signing Mathys Tel, who was leading the line today. The Frenchman was substituted with 15 minutes to go.

His performances warranted a 5/10 rating from Gold after full-time, which was the lowest of any Spurs starter. The journalist said it was a 'tough day at the office' for Tel, who 'didn't do too much' with the ball when he managed to get possession.

Indeed, Tel did not see much of the ball during the game. The attacker, whose parent club is German side Bayern Munich, had just 17 touches of the ball, fewer even than Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s 36. Tel also won one duel out of six and had a pass accuracy of 63%.

That will certainly be a performance that might worry Postecoglou. There is no doubting Tel’s quality; he was once described as a “talented player” by former Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann.

However, perhaps his adaption to the Premier League will take a few games, which is more than understandable. Assuming he joins Spurs permanently, this is an investment for the future as well as the present.

However, for the Lilywhites’ next fixture, a midweek clash with Manchester City in North London, there is every chance Postecoglou takes him out of the starting lineup to give him respite, in what is a must-win game for his side.

Tottenham Hotspur came into this season hopeful of doing one better than last year and getting into the Champions League.

Instead, Ange Postecoglou has had to deal with a seemingly never-ending stream of injuries to key players in his squad, which has seen the team crash out of both domestic cups and languish in 12th place in the Premier League.

That said, there have been some positive developments over the last week or so, as some players have started to return, and the team beat Manchester United for the third time this season last weekend.

However, this afternoon's game away to Ipswich poses another challenge for the Lilywhites to get over, and to ensure they do, Postecoglou should look to unleash his best player in his best position, although that would mean dropping Lucas Bergvall.

Spurs' last game vs Ipswich

On top of winning for the sake of climbing back up the Premier League table, Postecoglou's side will have the added incentive of getting revenge for the reverse fixture.

When Ipswich travelled to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November earlier this season, they had yet to win a game in the league, but unfortunately for the hosts, that was no longer the case at full-time.

It was Sammie Szmodics who opened the scoring with a simply sensational bicycle kick that nestled in the bottom right corner, and then a mix-up between Guglielmo Vicario and Radu Dragusin allowed Liam Delap to simply tap in the second.

Dominic Solanke thought he pulled one back in the second half but saw it ruled out for offside, and while Rodrigo Bentancur was able to finally pull one back, it ultimately led to nothing.

Worse still, while the North Londoners had 66% of the ball, the game itself was fairly even, as they amassed an expected goals figure of 1.55 to the Blues' 1.66 and took five shots on target to their three.

So, it would be fair to say that revenge is on the menu this afternoon and to ensure they get it, the manager has to unleash one of his best players who'd walk into the Ipswich team, even though that means dropping Bergvall.

The Spurs star who'd walk into Ipswich's team

As you'd expect for a team the size of Spurs, there are quite a few players who, when on form, would easily walk into McKenna's starting lineup.

However, in this instance, we are talking about arguably the North Londoners' best player this season: Dejan Kulusevski.

The Swedish international started off the right against United, and while he did okay there and has spent much of his Tottenham career as a winger, he's been at his very best in midfield this year.

For example, of the 19 goal involvements he's produced in 40 appearances this season, 11 of them have come in the 20 games he's played in either attacking or central midfield, coming out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.81 games.

Therefore, to get the most out of him, he should drop back into the middle of the park, and with James Maddison scoring the winner last week and Bentancur anchoring the midfield, it's got to be Bergvall who drops out this time.

Now, in terms of walking into the visitors' first team, the only real competition he'd have from an attacking sense would be Szmodics and Omari Hutchinson, and considering the former has a total of five goal involvements this season and the latter a total of four, it's a competition the "world-class" Swede, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, would win handily.

Ultimately, Spurs need to keep the positive momentum going this afternoon by getting revenge for the reverse fixture and one of the ways Postecoglou can make that a whole lot more likely is by unleashing Kulusevski in midfield.

There is no getting away from it: this season has been a disaster for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou's side crashed out of the FA Cup against Aston Villa, were demolished in their League Cup semi-final against Liverpool and are currently 12th in the Premier League.

Now, while much of the team's misfortune could and probably should be put down to their dreadful injury record, it's hard not to criticise some of those who have remained fit for subpar performances.

With that said, and while it might not feel like it, the future is bright for Spurs, as they have some exciting young talents in the squad and a number of first-teamers worth an awful lot of money, including one who has won comparisons to a Premier League star with an eye-watering price tag.

Spurs' most valuable players

So, before getting to the player in question, it's worth looking at which Spurs players currently have the highest valuations, and perhaps to nobody's surprise, the number one spot belongs to Cristian Romero.

According to Football Transfers, the no-nonsense centre-back is worth up to €80.7m, which converts to around £67m, and while that is an enormous sum of money for a defender, it's hard to argue it's not justified.

For example, while he's had plenty of injury problems this season, the former Atalanta star is undoubtedly one of the Lilywhites' most important players, both for his performances and leadership.

Since moving to N17, the 26-year-old titan has made 112 appearances for the club, in which he's scored seven goals and provided one assist.

Moreover, he was named one of the club's co-vice-captains in 2023, and away from Tottenham, he's won a World Cup and two Copa América titles, which feels like more than enough justification for his lofty valuation.

Moving from defence to attack now, and the second most valuable player in Postecoglou's squad at the moment is Brennan Johnson, who Football Transfers have priced at up to €69.5m, which is about £58m, and since moving to N17 in 2023, he's probably just about justified that number.

In his first season, the Welshman racked up a tally of five goals and ten assists in 34 appearances, but this year, he's taken it up another level and is currently the team's top scorer with 12 goals and three assists in 33 games.

Moreover, at just 23 years old, there are still a few years in which he could further improve, which might also be considered in his valuation. With all that said, another star in the squad has been compared to a Premier League star who is worth even more than Johnson and Romero.

Spurs' £82m superstar in the making

While this season has been far from ideal, there are a number of other players alongside Romero and Johnson who could be a part of the next great Spurs team, like Dominic Solanke, Djed Spence and Mikey Moore.

However, in this instance, the player is the club's other first-choice centre-back, Micky van de Ven.

The Dutch international completed his £43m move from VfL Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023 and, within just a few games, became one of the best players in the squad, thanks to his defensive nous, quality on the ball and blisteringly quick pace.

In fact, he's so fast he set a Premier League record for the fastest sprint when he hit 37.38km/h against Brentford last year.

On top of this, he has also been likened to William Saliba by FBref, which compared players in similar positions in the Premier League last season, then created a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and concluded that the Frenchman was the fourth most similar centre-back to the Lilywhites ace.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair ranked closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes, passing accuracy, passes into the final third and penalty area, shots and passes blocked, ball recoveries and more, all per 90.

While the comparison to an Arsenal star is probably not one the Lilywhites faithful will welcome with open arms - understandably so - it is encouraging for the Dutchmam's future price tag.

For example, the Gunners' number two is currently valued at up to a whopping €99m by Football Transfers, which converts to about £82m, and if he's so statistically similar to Tottenham's star defender, who's to say he too won't be worth as much in the future.

Ultimately, things might not be going well for Spurs this season, but their squad is full of exciting and promising players, with Van de Ven very much one of them.

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has been handed a potential opportunity to recoup over £40 million on an out-of-form player, amid reports that manager Ange Postecoglou could soon demote him.

Tottenham chase three straight Premier League wins against Ipswich

Spurs are aiming to secure three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time this season against Ipswich Town on Saturday, with Postecoglou's side travelling to Portman Road on their best run of league form for months.

Wins over Brentford and Man United sealed back-to-back victories for the Lilywhites for the first time since September last year, but Kieran McKenna's relegation-threatened hosts will be a tough task for Spurs as they look to solidify their Premier League status.

The returns of key squad members proved vital during their 1-0 win at home to United last Sunday, with James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert all playing a part after coming back from injury, while Destiny Udogie was fit enough for a place on the bench as an unused substitute.

However, there have been some concerns surrounding the form of Spurs captain Son Heung-min, who hasn't delivered often enough during what has been a truly torrid last two months for the team at N17.

There are reports that Postecoglou could even drop Son from his Tottenham starting line-up, once Dominic Solanke returns from injury, as it would allow the Australian to deploy new signing Mathys Tel out wide in his stead.

Son has bagged just one goal and an assist in the top flight since late December, attracting some criticism for his displays as a result, with pundit Jamie O'Hara regularly questioning the 32-year-old's suitability to captain the side.

"When you look at Tottenham’s two recent games, this was the moment to show that they could compete. Unfortunately, they’ve shown the complete opposite. There’s no fight, no heart, no desire, and certainly no leadership," O'Hara said recently, via Tottenham News.

"For me, that lack of leadership comes from the manager and the captain. I hate to say it, but Son Heung-Min is not the right captain for this team anymore. A captain should be someone who can lead from the front, someone who can grab the team by the scruff of the neck and get the team out of a hole.

"Son isn’t that, it’s time to take the captaincy off him and give it to someone else."

Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal prepared to pay £41 million for Son from Tottenham

According to CaughtOffside, after Levy and co elected to trigger the one-year extension clause in his contract, keeping him at the club until 2026, it is believed Tottenham now have a chance to recoup significant money on the South Korean star.

Indeed, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad are now prepared to pay £41 million to sign Son from Tottenham, which comes as a very tempting fee considering he has just another season on his deal at Hotspur Way, not to mention Son has now entered his twilight years.

However, as things stand, Spurs are actually in favour of keeping the former Bayer Leverkusen star, with both the club and player open to discussing a contract extension beyond next season.

That being said, with this Saudi interest emerging, £41 million is surely a figure which will spark some debate within the Tottenham corridors at least.

It's been an unforgiving season for Tottenham Hotspur this year.

Ange Postecoglou's side have been dismal in the Premier League, losing more games than they've won, and were dumped out of both the FA Cup and League Cup within the space of five days earlier this month.

Now, while their form has been dire for much of the campaign, they have had to deal with an incredible number of injuries to players all over the pitch.

Moreover, while the results would suggest otherwise, one player has stepped up a level this year and is now winning comparisons to another Premier League star who is worth a king's ransom.

Spurs' top performers compared to last season

While the player in question has taken a massive step forward this season, the same cannot be said for Spurs' top goalscorer from last year: Son Heung-min.

Despite not always being as dynamic as he was in prior years, the South Korean superstar still managed to rack up a sensational tally of 17 goals and ten assists in 36 appearances, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games.

This season, the 32-year-old has still been somewhat effective in front of goal - perhaps more than people have given him credit for - but his haul of ten goals and eight assists in 34 appearances is still some way off what he managed in 23/24.

Likewise, Richarlison, who managed to produce 12 goals and four assists last term, which made him the club's second-top scorer, hasn't been able to get anywhere near that, although a significant reason for that has been his injuries.

That said, he has still made 14 appearances so far, in which he's only been able to score three goals and provide one assist for Postecoglou and Co.

So, it would be fair to say that some of the club's best players just haven't stepped up this season, well, except for one who has been compared to another star worth an incredible amount of money.

The £116m Spurs star in the making

The likes of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence have all stepped up to the plate for Spurs this season and look like they could be core members of the first team for years to come.

Still, when it comes to the established stars in the squad who have excelled this season, it's impossible to look past Dejan Kulusevski.

The Swedish international has played out wide and in the middle of the park this year, and while there is an argument to be made that his performances have tailed off somewhat in recent weeks, his form for the season as a whole has been brilliant.

For example, in 40 appearances, the "world-class" dynamo, as dubbed by respected talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored nine goals and provided ten assists.

That means that, despite constantly changing positions, the 24-year-old ace has averaged a goal involvement every 2.1 games and is also the most productive player in the squad.

On top of this, he has also been likened to Martin Odegaard by FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the Norwegian is the fourth most similar midfielder to the Swedish dynamo.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots on target, assists, crosses into the final third and more, all per 90.

Now, Spurs fans may not like these comparisons to the captain of their fiercest rivals, especially not when he's been somewhat out of form this season, but the positive is that it does bode well for Kulusevski's future valuation as, according to Football Transfers, the Gunners' number eight is currently worth up to €140m which is about £116m.

Ultimately, Tottenham and a number of their star players might not be having the best of seasons, but in Kulusevski, it looks like the club have a potential superstar who could keep getting better for years to come.

It would be hard to describe this season as anything other than a failure for Tottenham Hotspur.

The North Londoners have had to deal with an astounding number of injuries to key players, but even then, their domestic form has been nothing short of shambolic, with a run to the League Cup semi-final their only saving grace in that respect.

Moreover, while the club backed Ange Postecoglou with three first-team additions in the winter transfer window, we can't help but think he needed one or two more.

Alternatively, perhaps the club were too quick to sell a player in the summer who has since won comparisons to the incredible Jude Bellingham.

Spurs' 2024 departures

Quite a few first-teamers finally left Spurs during the summer, so before getting to the player in question, it's worth seeing how a couple of them got on, starting with Emerson Royal.

The Brazilian full-back joined the Lilywhites in August 2021 but was never quite able to justify his £25.8m price tag and, after consistently underwhelming, eventually became something of a scapegoat, with former Tottenham player turned pundit Jamie O'Hara going as far as calling him a "liability."

He was finally sold to AC Milan for around £13m in August, and it would be fair to say that his start to life at the San Siro was somewhat rocky, with Italian football expert James Horncastle writing that his move looked 'like the biggest donation in the history of Fondazione Milan as the club charitably tries to make his wish to become a footballer come true.'

However, he has since become a reasonably important part of the first team, and before his recent calf injury, he had made 26 appearances across all competitions, of which 22 had been starts.

Another defender who left the club in the summer was Joe Rodon, who moved to Leeds United on a permanent deal for around £10m after spending last season on loan with the club at the same time as Archie Gray went the other way.

Thus far, it looks like a move that has panned out perfectly for the Welshman.

Thus far, the centre-back has started 100% of league games for the Whites and played 100% of the minutes, which, when combined with his one start in the FA Cup and League Cup, means he's made 35 appearances this season for a team that looks destined to win promotion at the second time of asking.

With that said, while both Rodon and Royal are doing well for their respective teams, we can't imagine Ange regrets letting them leave, which might not be the case for a player who has won comparisons to Bellingham.

The former Spurs ace compared to Bellingham

As a modern midfielder, there probably isn't a more complimentary modern-day comparison than that of Jude Bellingham, as the former Birmingham City gem has already established himself as one of the best in the world and played a pivotal role in Real Madrid's La Liga and Champions League triumphs last season.

So, it might surprise some Spurs fans that their former player, Giovani Lo Celso, who was eventually sold back to Real Betis for just £8m in the summer, has recently been likened to the Englishman.

The comparison primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in La Liga this season, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the former Borussia Dortmund star is the ninth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Argentine dynamo.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots, goal-creating actions, tackles plus interceptions, successful take-ons, carries and more, all per 90.

On top of their statistical similarities, the pair can also fulfil a few different roles in the middle of the park, such as attacking, central, or even, at times, defensive midfield.

However, away from the comparison to one of the game's most exciting superstars, the former Spurs ace has also been having a great season from an output perspective, as even though he's playing for a midtable side, he's been able to rack up a haul of eight goals and one assist in just 20 appearances, totalling 1363 minutes.

That comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 2.22 games, or every 151.44 minutes.

Ultimately, Spurs had to clear out a number of players over the summer, so while it was probably the right choice in the long term, we imagine Postecoglou would love to have Lo Celso in his squad today.

It is no secret that Tottenham Hotspur wish to make Mathys Tel's stay indefinite after his initial loan move from Bayern Munich, but it is now believed that manager Ange Postecoglou has been given a real bit of encouragement as he looks to make it happen.

Likelihood of Mathys Tel staying at Tottenham uncertain

While Postecoglou is convinced that Tel is staying at Spurs for the long-haul, there is still uncertainty surrounding the 19-year-old's future in north London.

Tel put pen to paper on a potential six-year contract at Tottenham, if the club opt to trigger the £45 million buy-option in his temporary deal, but German media have reported that his stay is certainly not a foregone conclusion.

Tel is believed to still be keen on a move to Man United, and he could even decide to remain at Bayern for the 2025/2026 season.

"There were also talks with Manchester United who were interested in Mathys Tel’s signature," wrote Bundesliga insider Christian Falk on his own version of the Dailybriefing recently.

"Tel was certainly open to the move, but United weren’t prepared to pay the loan fee Bayern Munich were demanding at the time (€5m). So, you see, there was a huge difference to the offer Tottenham came to the table with. Whether Tel stays with Bayern beyond the summer or moves on, it’s entirely up to him. If he can make the step to United, he would like to do it."

The versatile teenage attacker has already impressed in flashes since his switch to N17, so much so that sections of supporters are extremely keen to see Tel don Lilywhite next term and beyond.

While a summer move to Old Trafford or staying at Bayern hasn't been ruled out yet, a report by GiveMeSport has shared some good news for Spurs in regard to Tel's future.

Tottenham given "significant boost" in permanent Mathys Tel deal

As per journalist Dean Jones, writing for GMS, Tottenham have been handed a "significant boost" as they eye a permanent deal for Tel.

This comes in the form of him being very happy with life in London right now, with Tel apparently giving "indications" that he is interested in making his Hotspur Way stay permanent behind-the-scenes.

As such, Spurs are now growing increasingly optimistic about signing the forward indefinitely this summer, with Tel's new-found stance giving Postecoglou's side a real reason to be confident.

This follows on from Postecoglou's comments, stating that Tel is "100 per cent" wants to be in north London.

"Yes, 100 per cent. I am more than 100 per cent sure because he took so much time, was so diligent about finding out everything," said Postecoglou when asked if Tel really wanted to join Spurs in January.

"He had other options so it gave me more confidence that we are getting the right kind of mentality, the right kind of player."

Since taking the reins at Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, Ange Postecoglou has endured his ups and downs.

In terms of the latter, the Australian has had to deal with an unbelievable number of injuries, which derailed his incredible start to last season and sees his team down in 12th in the Premier League this year.

However, one of the undeniable successes of his time in North London is how he took what was a diabolically boring team to watch under Antonio Conte and turned them into arguably the most entertaining in the league.

Moreover, the former Celtic boss is trying to reshape the squad with younger, less experienced but more promising players for the long term, whereas that didn't feel like a goal under Conte, especially as one of the players he sold in 2022 is now back in the Premier League and worth an astonishing 2300% more than the fee he left for.

Spurs' 2022 sales

Before getting to the player in question, it's worth looking at a couple of other sales made that summer, starting with an attacker who could never quite get to grips with English football: Steven Bergwijn.

The Dutch winger was undeniably talented and had some stellar moments during his time with the North Londoners - like that late comeback against Leicester City.

However, as he never established himself as a key member of the first team, it made sense to move him on when Ajax came in with an offer of around £26m in July 2022.

The 27-year-old winger would go on to score 29 goals and provide 12 assists in 83 appearances for the Amsterdam side before agreeing to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad for around £17.7m in September.

Since then, he has scored eight goals and provided six assists in 21 games while picking up a salary of £147k-per-week.

Another exit from the summer of 2022 was centre-back and American international Cameron Carter-Vickers, who rejoined Celtic on a permanent deal for around £6m after spending the previous season on loan with the Scottish giants.

The Tottenham academy gem only made five first-team appearances for the club but has since become a key member of the Hoops' first team, racking up 146 appearances, in which he's scored seven goals, provided two assists, won three league titles, three League Cups and two Scottish Cups as well.

However, there was another exit that summer, a player who has since returned to the top flight and is now millions more than he was when he left Spurs.

The Ex-Spurs player worth millions more today

Now, it's famously difficult to judge how good a young player is and how good they could one day be, so every club has several youngsters they probably let go too soon, and in this instance, that youngster was Jack Clarke.

The Englishman joined Spurs from Leeds United in 2019 for about £8.5m, but after a number of lacklustre loan spells back with the Whites, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City and a slightly better six months with Sunderland, the club opted to sell him to the latter in July 2022 for a fee reportedly as low as £750k, but with a 25% sell-on clause.

Over the next two seasons, the often "unplayable" ace, as dubbed by pundit Alan Clarke, racked up a brilliant haul of 26 goals and 18 assists in just 92 appearances for the Black Cats, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 2.09 games, which was also enough to convince Ipswich Town to splash £15m on him in the summer.

Now, while the talent is undeniably there, it would be fair to say that the York-born dynamo has struggled at points this season.

The step-up to the top flight has seen his output come down by a significant margin, but even then, he's been able to score three goals and provide four assists in 23 appearances, totalling just 883 minutes.

That means he's still been able to average a goal involvement every 3.28 games for the Tractor Boys or, more impressively, every 126.14 minutes.

This, combined with his previous campaigns and the fact he's still just 24, has seen his valuation remain relatively high, with Football Transfers pricing him at €21.7m, which is about £18m or a massive 2300% increase on the price Spurs sold him for under Conte.

Ultimately, the club probably made the right call for Clarke's career, but we reckon they might regret letting him go for such a low fee.

Tottenham Hotspur insiders have made the club's feelings known about out-of-form star Son Heung-min behind-the-scenes, and it is believed Ange Postecoglou's side could turn to a £45 million star as a long-term replacement.

Son Heung-min criticised for recent form at Tottenham

The Lilywhites secured their captain's future for another campaign by activating the one-year extension clause in his contract, as it was previously set to expire at the end of this Premier League campaign.

Son was a key player for Postecoglou last season - bagging 17 goals and 10 assists in all competitions as Tottenham finished fifth and qualified for the Europa League - but the South Korean's form has dwindled in recent months.

During what was a torrid time for Tottenham in terms of player availability, and a period where Postecoglou needed the very best from his big-name star, Son managed just one goal and an assist in the top flight from late December to now - with the forward attracting some criticism as a result.

“I’ve been taking so much stick from South Korea fans. I’ve been getting loads of stick 24/7 on my Instagram because I said Son’s not a captain, not a leader, and we have to start looking at a replacement for him," said pundit Jamie O'Hara on talkSPORT (via Tottenham News).

“He has been an unbelievable servant to the football club, and he’s a top player. He’s been world-class, but he isn’t anymore. He has lost a yard of pace. He doesn’t go past anyone. He doesn’t really make anything happen.

“Sometimes age gets the better of you, and you’ve got to start looking elsewhere. I think we’ve got to find someone else. I don’t think Son should be captain anymore. He shouldn’t be captain for Tottenham.”

Reports suggest that Tottenham have made contact with Antonio Cordero's representatives ahead of a potential free summer transfer (The Boot Room), with the Malaga winger seemingly among Spurs' candidates to succeed Son in the coming years. However, Postecoglou's side could also look for solutions internally.

What Tottenham are feeling about Son with Mathys Tel tipped to replace him

According to a report by GiveMeSport this week, Bayern Munich loanee Mathys Tel, who Spurs have an option to buy permanently for around £45 million, could be Son's long-term heir in north London.

The news outlet states that Tottenham are increasingly concerned about Son's form, and the versatile Tel, who can play both out wide and as a striker, is seen as someone who can step into the South Korea international star's shoes.

Tel has already agreed terms on a six-year Spurs contract, for if the club decide to trigger his buy-option and the Frenchman ultimately decides he wants to stay at N17 indefinitely.

The 19-year-old scored his first goal for Spurs in an FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa, and has shown flashes of brilliance since deciding to take up Postecoglou's offer to join the club.

He could be an adept successor for Son, and GMS report that, when Dominic Solanke returns to the fold, there is a real possibility Tottenham's legendary winger could be dropped to the bench.