Inside Futbol

Stoke City sporting director Jon Walters believes that Tottenham Hotspur loan star Ashley Phillips has all the qualities to become an outstanding defender.

Spurs signed the Under-19 England international from Blackburn Rovers last summer on a five-year deal.

Phillips spent the second half of the last campaign with Championship side Plymouth Argyle and played 20 times for them.

The teenager now has been loaned out to Stoke City for a season and the Potters’ sporting director revealed that the club waited for the right player to be available before they made a move for Phillips.

Walters insisted that the Spurs loanee possesses all the qualities to become a top-level central defender in future.

“Whilst we identified the need to bring another central defender into our squad sometime ago, we opted to remain patient and await the right player of the right quality to become available”, Walters told his club’s in-house media about their centre-back search this summer.

“We’re delighted that our conversations with Ashley and with Tottenham have led to them each believing that Stoke City is the right club for him amid no shortage of competition.

“It’s clear that he has all the attributes to become an outstanding defender at this level and beyond, and we’re all excited to see what he can achieve for us this season.”

Ange Postecoglou will be keeping a close eye on the game time Phillips gets during his loan stay at the bet365 Stadium.

The defender, who has made one Championship appearance for the Potters so far, will want to play himself into Postecoglou’s plans for next term.

David Prutton believes Tottenham Hotspur have taken a ‘calculated risk’ by signing one of the players they brought in during the summer transfer window.

Spurs shipped out a whole host of players in the summer with the likes of Oliver Skipp and Emerson Royal going, while their incoming business was more limited and targeted.

Tottenham managed to convince Leeds United to part with 18-year-old Archie Gray for a transfer fee in the region of £40m, with the midfielder one of Spurs’ signings.

Former Premier League midfielder Prutton pointed out that Gray stands in the infancy of his career and stressed that the youngster only has one year of Championship football experience under his belt.

He believes that other Leeds stars who went to the Premier League, in the shape of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter, were more of a gamble than Gray though, who is a ‘calculated risk’.

“One of them in Archie Gray is in the very infancy of his career with one Championship season under his belt and the other two didn’t really do anything in the Premier League apart from the odd game here and there so the teams that have bought them are taking a bit of a punt”, wrote in his Yorkshire Evening Post column.

“Archie feels like a bit more of a calculated risk, given now the age of him, and also the ability to develop.”

Gray has featured twice for Ange Postecoglou’s side in the league so far, both of those outings coming off the bench.

Tottenham beat Brentford to the signing of the midfielder.

Tottenham Hotspur made a number of signings over the course of the summer transfer window and one of the new arrivals is already feeling settled, with golf possibly on the agenda.

Ange Postecoglou made four big signings of note in the summer with Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert arriving.

Spurs agreed a deal for 18-year-old Swedish midfielder Bergvall in February and he joined them during pre-season in the summer.

Bergvall managed to impress Postecoglou during Tottenham’s pre-season and has already made three appearances for Spurs coming off the bench in the Premier League.

The youngster, who is currently with the national team, revealed that everything at Tottenham feels like a step up from Djurgarden and praised the north London outfit’s facilities and coaches.

When asked about things he has found better in Spurs than his previous club, Bergvall was quoted as saying by Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen: “It is everything.

“Facilities, recovery, food. Everything becomes like a better step.

“The training, the coaches, everything in general.”

Bergvall also stated that he is settling well and loving life in London and added that he is enjoying off-the-pitch activities there.

The Spurs starlet also stressed that playing golf is one of the off-the-pitch activities that he likes to do and enjoys.

“I have settled in well”, he added.

“Since I signed last winter, the apartment and everything was ready when I arrived.

“I’m enjoying myself.

“I can go down for a coffee, and have lots of activities in London, like playing golf, so there’s lots to do”.

Bergvall will be hoping that Jon Dahl Tomasson will give him his national team debut during the ongoing international break.

One of the fresh faces at Tottenham Hotspur this summer feels that he has ‘taken very big steps’ when it comes to adapting to life at the club and in the Premier League.

Spurs brought in Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke for big fees this summer, while Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall also arrived.

Bergvall, an 18-year-old central midfielder, joined the north London side this summer after they agreed a fee with Djurgarden back in February.

He is considered a huge talent at Spurs and Ange Postecoglou has given him minutes in each of Tottenham’s opening three matches in the league.

The teenage midfielder believes that he has made rapid improvements in the past two months for the London club.

Bergvall, though, is aware that he needs to improve more and insists that he is adapting to the English game.

“Yes, it feels like I have taken very big steps these two months”, the Tottenham midfielder told Swedish outlet Aftonbladet about his progress at Spurs.

“That I get into it more and more and have been able to adapt more to the game that is played in the Premier League.”

Bergvall will be looking to become a more prominent member of Postecoglou’s side in the upcoming months of the season.

Real Betis president Angel Haro has admitted that the Spanish club have granted Tottenham Hotspur an option to buy midfielder Johnny Cardoso.

The Spanish side were desperate to land Giovani Lo Celso from Tottenham before the transfer window slammed shut.

They did manage to do a deal with Spurs for Lo Celso, but the Premier League club brought up Cardoso in the talks and agreed an option to sign him in the future.

The 22-year-old American midfielder is highly rated and Haro admits there are several sides that like him – but Spurs are now in the driving seat.

“Johnny is a player who is of interest not only to Tottenham, but to many other teams, who has great potential”, Haro was quoted as saying by Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo.

“And in this case, within the Gio operation, they asked us for an option to buy for a value that was important and interesting for us.

“And we did give them that option.”

Spurs’ option to buy Cardoso is set at €25m and is strictly time limited.

The Premier League side have a two-week window in June next year to trigger the option and if they fail to do so then it will expire.

Fixture: Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 13:30 UK time

Tottenham Hotspur have announced their side and substitutes to go up against Newcastle United in the Premier League this afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou takes his Spurs side to St James’ Park without new signing Dominic Solanke, with the club keen to be cautious on the striker’s return.

The visitors are also without Richarlison, who is injured and expected to miss the next few weeks.

Spurs thrashed Everton 4-0 on their last outing, but lost 4-0 on their last visit to St James’ Park.

Guglielmo Vicario is in goal for Tottenham today, who have a back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin and Destiny Udogie.

In midfield, Postecoglou picks Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma, while James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert support Heung-Min Son.

The Spurs boss can shake things up if needed and his options include Timo Werner and Lucas Bergvall.

Tottenham Hotspur Team vs Newcastle United

Vicario, Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Udogie, Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison, Kulusevski, Son, Odobert

Substitutes: Forster, Spence, Davies, Devine, Gray, Bentancur, Bergvall, Johnson, Werner

Fixture: Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 13:30 UK time

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has picked his team to host Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Magpies had a disappointing end to the summer transfer window as they failed to get any deals over the line on deadline day.

Howe was keen on another centre-back and a winger, but must now go with what he has got and is at least boosted by having Sandro Tonali again available for selection.

Newcastle come into the clash on the back of a penalty shootout win over Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup.

Nick Pope slots in between the sticks for Newcastle, who have a back four of Tino Livramento, Emil Krafth, Lloyd Kelly and Dan Burn.

Midfield sees Newcastle boss Howe pick Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Longstaff, while Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon support Alexander Isak.

If Howe wants to introduce fresh faces then he can turn to the bench, where his options include Miguel Almiron and Sandro Tonali.

Newcastle United Team vs Tottenham Hotspur

Pope, Livramento, Krafth, Kelly, Burn, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Longstaff, Barnes, Gordon, Isak

Substitutes: Dubravka, Trippier, Tonali, Targett, Osula, Hall, J Murphy, A Murphy, Almiron

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alfie Devine has loan interest from England and abroad as Spurs try to find him a move, according to The Athletic.

Spurs are looking for loan destinations for some of their youngsters, who are not yet in the picture for first-team minutes.

Earlier in the transfer window Devine was set for a loan to League One side Birmingham City but it fell through.

He is still expected to leave the club and the Spurs hierarchy only prefer a straight loan without any option to buy.

And it has been suggested that the young midfielder has suitors from both home and outside England.

It has been suggested that even though he has interest from abroad, Devine is expected to find a loan destination in England.

Now it remains to be seen if Spurs will be able to find a suitable loan destination for the 20-year-old midfielder by the end of the day.

Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce have launched a double raid on Tottenham Hotspur to bring two Spurs stars to Istanbul this summer.

The Yellow Canaries are keen to back Mourinho in the transfer market and have done business with Tottenham in recent windows.

Last summer, Fenerbahce signed Davinson Sanchez on a permanent deal from Tottenham, while they loaned Tanguy Ndombele.

Now Fenerbahce want another double deal with Spurs as, according to Turkish outlet As Marca, they have made a bid for Sergio Reguilon and Giovani Lo Celso.

Mourinho wants the Tottenham pair bringing to Istanbul.

The offer on the table for both players is a €15m package.

Whether Tottenham will consider that enough for Reguilon and Lo Celso remains to be seen, but both are players Spurs want to offload.

The transfer window in Turkey is open until 13th September, giving Fenerbahce extra time to do a deal.

Lo Celso also has interest from Real Betis.

La Liga side Real Betis have advanced in negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur for a player the north London side are looking to offload.

The Premier League giants recently made a big money move to bring in goalscorer Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth on a deal which could reach £65m.

Now Spurs are concentrating on lightening the squad further by offloading fringe players after the departures of the likes of Emerson Royal and Oliver Skipp.

Spanish side Real Betis are set to lose their star midfielder and captain Nabil Fekir to UAE outfit Al-Jazira and they are working to replace him.

According to Argentine outlet Mercado de Pases, the La Liga side have reached advanced stages in negotiations to bring in Giovani Lo Celso from Spurs.

It was suggested earlier today that Lo Celso is a player Spurs still want to move on this summer and he could be on his way out now.

The Argentina international has played for Los Verdiblancos before and has made 45 senior appearances for them.

Now it remains to be seen if the La Liga side will be able to secure Lo Celso’s comeback by Friday.