SPORTbible

An independent analysis of 34 EFL and non-league clubs has named a Premier League side as the best-run club in England.

Fair Game, a group which stands for better governance and sustainability in football, conducted an independent review 34 EFL and non-league clubs.

It scored the clubs out of 100 based on the criteria of "financial sustainability, good governance, fan engagement and equality standards."

And, perhaps surprisingly, it is a Premier League club that tops the list.

According to The Guardian, the report named Tottenham Hotspur as the best-run football club, earning a score of 68.2 out of 100 on the 'Fair Game Index.'

And closely behind Spurs in second place with a score of 65.4, was Manchester United, a club which has regularly made headlines due to their ownership.

However, under the leadership of new owners INEOS, this appears to have changed, with financial stability and good governance

In total, five Premier League clubs make the top 10 on the Fair Game Index, with Brentford, Fulham and Liverpool the other three.

Fair Game chief executive Niall Couper spoke about the importance of the index.

He said: "To deliver real and meaningful change we need to understand the problems. We’ve designed the Fair Game "Index to do exactly that and help reshape the game we love.

"It is the most comprehensive analysis yet of what it means to be a well-run club, and we’re calling on the authorities, the Football Regulator and football’s governing bodies to work with us."

Reacting to Tottenham's success on the index, club chair Daniel Levy said: “As a club that prides itself on good governance, we are delighted to have been recognised as England’s best-run club by the Fair Game Index,”

“This ranking further demonstrates the huge strides that are being made off the pitch, with our world-class stadium and innovative partnerships enabling sustainable, recurring investment into our football operations to ensure we remain competitive on the pitch and challenge for major honours.

“We welcome Fair Game’s work in highlighting the important role we can all play in operating sustainably to ensure our clubs remain at the heart of our local communities and for fans to enjoy for many generations to come.”

With Monday Night Football making its long-awaited return for Leicester City vs Tottenham Hotspur, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have locked in their predictions for the 24/25 season.

The Premier League returned with four straight days of action over the weekend, with the expected main title contenders Arsenal and Manchester City both getting off to a winning start.

The weekend's action concluded at the King Power, where Leicester snatched a 1-1 draw against Spurs despite being dominated for the majority of the 90 minutes.

During the MNF, Neville and Carragher completed their annual predictions for the season ahead, and it's fair to say there is a few fanbases who aren't impressed with the two pundits.

Carragher opted for City to be champions, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool to make up the top four, with Man United and Aston Villa making up the top six.

Neville went a slightly different route with Arsenal as champions, Man United, Chelsea, and City squeezing into the top four ahead of Liverpool and Tottenham.

The former United defender's choices have faced significantly more backlash than his Liverpoodlian colleague, with his decision to completely snub Aston Villa causing a stir online.

One fan wrote: "Neville writing off Villa again, as usual, I'm sure we will prove him wrong again."

A second added: "Neville putting Villa not in top 6 because despite getting 4th while in Europe ahead of Spurs who didn’t have Europe but do now and you think will finish above us. Hmmm"

It wasn't just the absence of Villa that ruffled feathers, as fans were far from convinced at Man Utd's place in the predictions.

"Gary saying Man United have a better midfield depth than Liverpool is an absolute mental take, does he count Mainoo as 4 players or something? Probably doesn't even include Casemiro either when discussing them," one fan replied.

While Neville has taken most of the stick for the predictions, fans weren't convinced with the logic of either for their 'impact signing of the season with Neville choosing Dominic Solanke and Carragher going with Chelsea's Pedro Neto.

"Pedro Neto impact signing… Chelsea not in the top 7 and Dominic Solanke impact signing but Tottenham finish lower than last season, make it make sense."

Ange Postecoglou tore into his Tottenham players after they failed to beat Leicester in their opening game of the Premier League season.

Spurs completely dominated the first half and went ahead through right-back Pedro Porro.

But Leicester came out much stronger in the second half - having nine more touches in the opposition box than the first 45 minutes - and Jamie Vardy soon equalised on his return to Premier League football.

And Postecoglou's side almost lost the game in the late stages when Lucas Bergvall lost possession, before Guglielmo Vicario made a smart save to deny Wilfried Ndidi's header.

After the match, the Australian boss made his feelings clear about how his side played at the King Power Stadium.

He told Sky Sports: "Disappointing night for us. First half, excellent, controlled the game. Wasteful in front of goal.

"The second half was the same. We started off well, wasteful in front of goal. Once Leicester scored, you could tell they lifted, the crowd lifted. We lost our composure and let them back in the game.

"I don't buy ring rust. It's an issue we had last year as well - we need to keep working hard at it and being more ruthless in front of goal.

"We make poor decisions, we lack the composure we need. But when we're that dominant, we should be really well out of sight of the opposition and we weren't."

Questioned whether he saw the Tottenham he wanted to see during the first 60 minutes, Postecoglou fired back: "No. Because we do everything to score goals, and we didn't score goals.

"The dominance of the football is great, but it's kind of meaningless and pointless.

"We've got to be stronger in our mindset in the final third. To be that wasteful tonight when we had that much of the ball and territory - yeah, it's disappointing.

"We allowed them to get a grip on the game. Once we made the changes, again we got back into the rhythm. Some good chances. We just weren't clinical."

Tottenham have completed their fourth signing of the summer transfer window out of nowhere.

Spurs have been busy this summer as they look to build on Ange Postecoglou's first season in charge of the club.

The club moved quickly to secure the signature of highly-rated English midfielder Archie Gray from Leeds early in the window and smashed the club's transfer record earlier this week with a £65million move for Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke.

Just a few days before kicking off the campaign against Leicester, Postecoglou has added another signing to his ranks which no-one expected.

Tottenham have announced a deal has been agreed with Burnley for ex-Paris Saint-Germain star Wilson Odobert.

The 19-year-old has agreed a five-year deal with Spurs and joins after making 29 Premier League appearances for the Clarets in the Premier League last season, scoring three goals.

Last season, ex-Burnley manager Vincent Kompany said on his ability: “I will almost refrain from what I really think about him, because at this moment in time, I don’t think people realise how good he is."

Fans on social media have been stunned at how quickly the transfer was announced with virtually zero speculation ahead of Tottenham's confirmation.

One fan said: "This might genuinely be the most bizzare transfer I’ve ever been apart of on FT"

Another added: "That was the quickest transfer I've seen in a while"

A third said: "Wow absolutely zero ITK calls on this one"

"A signing out of nowhere, be interesting to see if he’s any good, looked lively for Burnley last season," a fourth fan added.

A fifth concluded: "No spurs tshirt, just a pic of the player in Burnley jersey shows you how under the wraps it was."

Odobert could make his debut for the club in their Premier League opener against Leicester on Monday night.

The youngster already has one game under his belt this season after featuring against Luton in Burnley's Championship opener against Luton, scoring in the 4-1 win.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou held nothing back when asked about a video of midfielder Yves Bissouma that showed him appearing to inhale nitrous oxide.

Possession of nitrous oxide - also known as laughing gas - for recreational use has been a criminal offence since last year, when the former Conservative government graded it as a Class C drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Spurs midfielder Bissouma posted a video to his Snapchat account on Sunday which showed him appearing to inhale nitrous oxide from a balloon.

The Mali international later apologised for his actions, stating: "I want to apologise for these videos.

"This was a severe lack of judgment. I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model."

Spurs did not respond to comment when approached by SPORTbible, but a club spokesperson told The Sun that the matter would be dealt with 'internally'.

Now, Postecoglou has addressed the matter for the first time - and confirmed that Bissouma has been suspended by the club for their Premier League season opener at Leicester on Monday.

He said: "I've been in the game for a long time. When a situation like this arises, I've tried to look at them in a couple of ways.

"First there as a person, and it's Biss, and he's made a poor decision.

"There are still sanctions involved, and some of those are educational. He is a footballer with responsibilities.

"He won't be available on Monday. We've suspended him from Monday's game.

"He needs to build that trust back with both me and the group. The door is open for him and we can help him realise the decisions he makes impacts the group."

When asked about how Bissouma can build back that trust, Postecoglou replied: "Behaviour, mate. It's that simple. It's about making better decisions.

"He was very apologetic to me, the club and everyone involved, but that's just part of it."

A Tottenham Hotspur star has apologised after the club launched an investigation into footage that appears to show him committing a crime.

On Saturday Spurs lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich in their final pre-season friendly of the summer, as Harry Kane made his first return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since leaving last year.

Ange Postecoglou will be hoping his side can kick on from an encouraging first season under his leadership, but he was dealt a blow after Saturday's match.

Midfielder Yves Bissouma, who impressed under Postecoglou last season, decided to hit the town after Saturday's game.

Inexplicably, the 27-year-old decided to film himself inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon while sat in the back of a limousine and shared it on his Snapchat account.

The star could face a police probe, as possession of laughing gas - dubbed 'hippy crack' - was made illegal late last year.

Under the Conservative government's Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, nitrous oxide became a Class C drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Use of nitrous oxide can lead to brain disorders, depression, memory loss, incontinence, hallucinations and nerve damage.

Repeat serious users face up to two years in prison and dealers up to 14 years. If prosecuted and found guilty, Bissouma could face an unlimited fine.

Tottenham have launched their own investigation into the matter. When approached for comment by The Sun, a club spokesperson said that the incident "will be dealt with as an internal matter."

On Sunday Bissouma released a statement apologising for his actions, admitting that he showed a "severe lack of judgement."

"I want to apologise for these videos," Bissouma said.

"This was a severe lack of judgment. I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously."

Bissouma joined Spurs from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022 for a fee that could rise to £35 million.

Tottenham will kick off their 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a trip to Leicester City on Monday, August 19.

SPORTbible has contacted Tottenham Hotspur for comment.

Harry Kane has offered new Tottenham Hotspur forward Dominic Solanke some words of wisdom.

Solanke made a permanent switch to Spurs from Bournemouth this summer moving for a fee in the region of £55m.

The England captain, Kane, spent 19 years with the Lilywhites before moving onto pastures new with Bayern Munich last summer.

Bayern ran out 3-2 winners as Kane faced his old side in North London yesterday in a club friendly.

After the game, the 31-year-old offered some key advice the way of Solanke after he joined Spurs recently.

Kane said to Sky Sports: "It should be great. Dom is a great player, plays with high intensity, high speed.

"For sure he’s going to get chances in this team with the way that Ange plays.

"You saw that today with two top teams going at it toe-to-toe so I think it’s a really good signing.

"I saw him in the dressing room there and just wished him all the best and of course I hope that he has a good season."

Solanke enjoyed a decorated season in front of goal in 23/24 for the Cherries notching 21 goals in all competitions.

With Spurs vowing to kick on in Ange Postecoglou's second season, the England international admitted the lure of playing under the former Celtic boss was too big to turn down.

“It means so much – to sign for a club like Tottenham is everything I’ve wanted really.

"It’s a magnificent club, a huge club with ambitions that match mine so I’m delighted to start and meet all the boys,” he said.

“What excites me most about the club is how ambitious it is.

"It has a great manager, great players and I feel like it suits my style of play as well, so I can’t wait to get started and do my stuff on the pitch."

The Ivan Toney transfer saga has taken a fresh twist with a Premier League club set to sell a key player to fund a move for the Brentford star.

Toney has been the subject of intense transfer speculation this summer, with a slew of English clubs thought to be monitoring his developments at Brentford.

Manchester United and West Ham United had been linked with a transfer for Toney, who is out of contract in 2025.

Tottenham are believed to be keeping tabs on the England international, too.

And the North London outfit are prepared to offload Richarlison, who's attracting interest from Al Ahli.

The Saudi Pro League side are willing to meet the club's £60 million asking price, according to a report.

Richarlison, who joined Spurs from Everton in a transfer worth £50 million, is also open to making the switch to the Middle East.

The report claims that the sale of Richarlison will prompt Spurs to step up their efforts for a new forward, with Toney and Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke on their transfer wish-list.

Brentford are under increasing pressure to sell Toney amid his contract situation while Solanke has a release clause of £65 million.

Toney's name continues to do the rounds in the transfer rumour mills with the window set to slam shut on August 30.

But Thomas Frank is hoping to hold onto his prized asset this summer.

"What I’m focusing on is that Ivan [Toney] is a Brentford player and I’m very happy that he’s here," he said. "If he’s here when we start the season, I would be over the moon. I’ve said before we’re a selling club but what I know is that Ivan is a player for us."

Toney has been at Brentford since 2020 when he signed from Peterborough.

He has scored 72 goals in 141 appearances for the club.

Jose Mourinho has once again delivered a brutal dig to his former club Tottenham Hotspur.

Mourinho, 61, is now in charge of Turkish side Fenerbahce as he prepares for his first season at the helm.

Having delivered wholesale success wherever he has worked in the past, confidence is high in Turkey as to what can be achieved.

Having been quizzed on his past endeavours in Europe, one reporter asked about his record in qualifying matches.

Mourinho boldly admitted that one of his former clubs had easily slipped his mind. No prizes for guessing who...

"I forgot [about] Tottenham," said the former Spurs boss.

The former Manchester United manager was of course sacked by the Lilywhites just days before the League Cup final in April 2021.

That quite clearly hurt the experienced coach, and Mourinho has taken several digs at Spurs in the years since.

Speaking to Sky Sports in 2022, the ex-Porto boss admitted he was upset by the way Tottenham treated him.

“I am in the maturity of my career and also my life where I don’t have bad feelings, I just try to accept things the way they are,” he said.

“Yes. Yes it hurt. I react in a funny way when I speak with some English journalists at press conferences.

"I always say the joke about qualifying for the [Conference League] final, I hope not to be sacked this time, because it’s something that doesn’t happen to too many coaches.

“This time I cannot say I’m the privileged one, because it happened to me.

“I don’t have regrets. I don’t have bad feelings.

"There are lots of nice people in Tottenham and I wish them the best.

"Even to Mr Levy. But for a guy with my career and my history I think it was a strange thing to happen.

“But in the end it opened the door for me to be in Rome and I’m very happy to be in Rome.

“Of course, I would love to be in a position of fighting to win titles or to be in the Champions League where I played 160 or 170 games there."

Ange Postecoglou was spotted berating his Tottenham players in furious touchline rant during their latest pre-season friendly.

Spurs are currently abroad on a tour of Asia ahead of the new Premier League season.

They beat Japanese side Vissel Kobe 3-2 on Saturday, with Pedro Porro, Son Heung-min and Mikey Moore scoring the goals for the north London club.

Tottenham continued their tour by travelling to South Korea to take on a K-League XI on Wednesday morning at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

After a goalless first quarter of the match, Postecoglou struggled to hide his frustration with his players.

During a water break midway through the first half, the Australian was filmed shouting at his starting XI during a team talk – urging them to go "man to man" with their opponents.

"I've got one f***ing thing to say. We go and have a crack," shouted Postecoglou.

"We're going on the press, man for man. Just go man for man!"

Tottenham fans on social media were quick to praise Postecoglou for his passionate speech and desire to win.

"Proper manager," one supporter posted on X.

While another added: "Ange needs to stay healthy to win this team trophy."

Postecoglou's rant clearly had an effect on his players, with Tottenham going on to score three unanswered first-half goals through Dejan Kulusevski and a brace from Son.

But the K-League XI bounced back after the break, with FC Seoul striker Stanislav Iljutcenko scoring two goals in as many minutes to cut Spurs' lead to just one.

Tottenham's nerves looked to be settled with 15 minutes to go when youngster Will Lankshear added a fourth for the Premier League club.

But the Korean side hit back again through Oberdan Alionco de Lima nine minutes from time to set up a tense finish.

Spurs eventually held on to win 4-3 and will next face Bayern Munich in a friendly in Germany on Saturday before replaying the fixture in London on August 10.

They will then face Leicester in their opening game of the new Premier League season on August 19.