The Spurs Web

Tottenham Hotspur are blessed with a number of talented midfielders, one of them being Pape Matar Sarr. While he may not the most high profile player, here’s a handy guide to everything you need to know about the young Spurs star.

A lot has changed in the Tottenham midfield since Ange Postecoglou took over as manager in June 2023, with players leaving and arriving. One player who has really benefitted from the management of the Spurs boss is Pape Matar Sarr.

He has steadily climbed the pecking order for the Lilywhites, and is now a really useful and influential player. But, who is Pape Sarr exactly?

Where did Spurs sign Pape Matar Sarr from?

Tottenham signed Sarr from French outfit FC Metz in 2021, however, he did not officially arrive in North London until a year later, in the summer of 2022.

The youngster cost Spurs roughly £14m at the time. The decision was made to leave Sarr on loan at Metz for another year before introducing him into the fold at Tottenham.

He made 59 appearances for Metz, scoring five goals and registering three assists. Before that, he came through the ranks at Académie Génération Foot in Senegal, moving to France in 2020.

Sarr was brought to Tottenham by former managing director of football Fabio Paratici, who admitted in September 2021 that Spurs had secured the signing of “one of the most talented in Europe”.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Pape Matar Sarr’s Tottenham career

Sarr had to be patient early on at Tottenham since he wasn’t given many opportunities to play under Antonio Conte. yet his career has flourished thanks to Postecoglou.

With Conte at the helm, Sarr was limited to bit-part substitute appearances, and only managed to rack up 17 appearances (totalling 646 minutes) across all competitions in the 2022/23 campaign.

This did include, however, a very impressive 90 minutes in the 1-0 defeat against AC Milan in the Champions League. Sarr was hailed as Tottenham’s best performer on the night in that game.

Since Postecoglou’s arrival at the club, Sarr has been part of the rotation between Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur in the deeper midfield roles.

He has started to add goals to his game, and is able to impact the matches he is involved in with his composure, work ethic, and vision. At the time of writing, Sarr had registered five goals and six assists for the Lilywhites.

Pape Matar Sarr’s wages and market value

After a nice pay rise last year, Pape Matar Sarr is thought to earn around £70,000 per week at Tottenham.

That’s according to data from Capology, who reveal Sarr is now paid £3.64m per year, which puts him on par with the likes of Brennan Johnson, and just behind Destiny Udogie, Fraser Forster, Guglielmo Vicario, Archie Gray, and Rodrigo Bentancur (who all earn £75k per week).

Sarr was previously earning a reported £15,000 per week on his original deal at Spurs, but signed a new contract that saw him commit his future to the club until 2030.

As per information from Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old is worth €45m, which equates to roughly £37.6m. That means Spurs have already more than doubled their investment in the Senegal star.

Sarr is a versatile midfielder

Pape Matar Sarr is a central midfielder, to put it simply. But, he’s capable of playing as a number 6, 8, or even pushing up as a makeshift 10 at times.

His strength, athleticism, and impeccable reading of the game make him an ideal holding midfielder, and he’s really adept at breaking up play and turning defence into attack.

However, his best role is arguably as an 8, where he is able to dictate the flow of the game a little more and use his creativity. Sarr has great stamina, and is brilliant at carrying the ball, making him a really useful box-to-box midfielder.

Postecoglou has employed Sarr as an out-and-out playmaker before, though, and he is pretty useful in that role. While he’s perhaps not as fluid or as adventurous as the likes of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, Sarr offers lots of energy and intelligence in the hole behind the strikers.

Sarr becoming a star for Senegal in international football

Since making his international debut in March 2021, Sarr has racked up 24 caps for Senegal to date and is now a regular for his country.

Just like at club level, Sarr has had to be patient when it comes to representing Senegal. After his debut, he remained a part of the Senegal squad in every international break, but was largely an unused substitute for the next two years.

He was not included in the squad for the African Cup of Nations in January 2023 but, by the end of the year, after his successful integration into Postecoglou’s squad, Sarr was brought back into the national team.

He hasn’t looked back since, featuring heavily in the AFCON journey for Senegal at the start of 2024, and being involved in all but one of their AFCON qualifiers through the summer and the last two international breaks.

Pape Matar Sarr’s personal information and social media

Pape Matar Sarr was born on September 14, 2002, making him 22-years-old at the time of writing. He was born in Thiaroye, Senegal.

Sarr is 1.84m in height, but weighs just 70kg, giving him a very tall, lean, athletic build.

You can find Pape on Instagram, where he has over 822k followers, and he is pretty active on that platform. He also uses Twitter/X fairly regularly, and has just over 191k followers there.

Tottenham captain Heung-Min Son turns thirty-three at the end of the season, and he’s not getting any younger. It might just be time to discuss: who is the heir to Heung-Min Son’s throne?

Son is currently enjoying a tenth season in the north of the English capital, having scored 123 goals in the Premier League across that period. He has no doubt left an acclaim for legendary status at Tottenham after a tremendous decade of performances, and his reciprocated love for the club is no secret either.

Unfortunately, however, Son isn’t going to be around forever. With his current contract expiring in 2026 (if Spurs take up their option to extend), sooner or later his last appearance in Lilywhite will come and go, and Spurs will need someone to succeed him.

We have looked at three players in the current squad who are best placed to assume Son’s spot on the left wing once the time has come.

Wilson Odobert

Odobert, 19, is a French winger who signed for Tottenham from Burnley in the summer of 2024. He possesses a fleeting pace and mesmerising technique on the ball.

Ange Postecoglou identified the PSG academy graduate as his ideal one-on-one specialist, and the tricky winger showed flashes of brilliance in the matches he featured in before pulling a hamstring away at Coventry.

At Burnley, Wilson was a fan favourite, recording 8 goals and 5 assists in claret and blue (TransferMarkt). His departure from the Championship side in the summer led to anguish amongst the Burnley supporters, although there was also a buzz of excitement around Odobert being granted the opportunity to unlock his potential at a top club.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The 19-year-old still has an abundance of seasons ahead of him and will hope to spend the majority of those on Tottenham’s left-hand side.

Yang Min-Hyuk

The youngster has already received his first call-up for the South Korean national team at just eighteen, although he is yet to debut. Yang was also selected for the K-League All Stars, where he played against Tottenham on their pre-season tour just days after putting pen to paper on a deal that will run until 2030.

In the current K-League campaign, Yang has contributed an impressive 10 goals and 6 assists to Gangwon FC’s title charge, marking himself as the eighth-highest scorer in the league.

Yang boasts the proficiency to play on either wing, with his agile style of play and quick thinking granting him the ability to beat defenders effortlessly. Yang will have the opportunity to learn from a seasoned veteran like Son, and the Spurs captain will be acting as a mentor for the 18-year-old. Sonny will be eager to aid Yang in adapting to life in England as he has been in a similar position before.

Mikey Moore

Since being gifted his competitive debut by Ange Postecoglou, Mikey Moore has raised eyebrows and turned the heads of many Tottenham supporters with his exciting displays in Lilywhite.

After becoming the club’s youngest-ever player at sixteen years and nine months last May, he was trusted heavily by Postecoglou in pre-season, and he undoubtedly repaid that trust with six goal contributions (including friendlies behind closed doors).

Moore was named amongst the starting eleven for Spurs’ most recent Europa League contest vs Ferencvaros after being fast-tracked to the senior team. This came subject to an incredible season with the Under-18s, where he was involved in an unthinkable 22 goals (14 goals, 8 assists) in only 12 games.

The Englishman possesses the expertise to play on either wing, and his hubristic manner is certainly backed up by his talent. He maintains an attacking mindset throughout a match, constantly pursuing a positive outcome for his team. He creates, he converts, and he consistently delivers.

At such a young age, adapting to professional football may seem like a mammoth task, however, Moore claimed, “It’s a step I’m ready to take.” The future is Moore’s and Tottenham fans cannot wait for him to unlock his potential.

In Conclusion

All three of the players mentioned certainly have the talent and potential to succeed Son and become an integral part of Tottenham’s future. However, only time will tell who seizes the opportunity to make a name for themselves in a Spurs shirt.

There has now been a big development which comes proof that Tottenham Hotspur have already appointed a new chief commercial officer to take the place of the departing Todd Kline.

Todd Kline’s short Spurs tenure

Kline was appointed as the North London club’s chief commercial officer back in March of 2021 and one of his remits was to source a naming rights partner for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He never managed to achieve that and it emerged earlier this year that Kline had vacated his position at Spurs to take over at Chelsea.

The American executive is currently on gardening leave at Tottenham but it looks like the Lilywhites have already secured his replacement.

Kline has been replaced

TBR Football claim that although Tottenham have not officially announced Kline’s successor, the club already have someone working in that position on an informal basis.

The outlet points out that in the recently held Leaders Week, which is the biggest annual conference for sport business professionals, one of the attendees listed was the ‘chief commercial officer for Tottenham Hotspur’.

The conference took place in London last week, which means that the executives who attended the function will be aware of who Kline’s successor is, although it is yet to be officially confirmed by the club.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The state of the naming rights deal

It was previously reported that Spurs had held talks with the likes of Google, Uber, FedEx and Amazon about potentially being the naming rights partner (The Times).

However, those talks seemingly did not progress and it does not appear as if the club are particularly close to striking a deal with anyone at the moment.

Tottenham Hotspur welcome AZ Alkmaar to North London on the 24th of October, looking to maintain their strong Europa League form.

Spurs sit third in their group with six points from two matches, while Alkmaar are in a tough spot with only three points. Both teams come into this game with contrasting fortunes, and this matchup could be a critical step in Spurs’ pursuit of European success.

What time does Tottenham v AZ Alkmaar kick-off?

How both teams enter Tottenham vs AZ Alkmaar

Tottenham head into this game off a dominant 4-1 win over West Ham United, a result that adds to their strong run of form. With four wins in their last five games, Ange Postecoglou’s men are building momentum in both domestic and European competitions.

AZ Alkmaar, on the other hand, are enduring a rough patch. They have lost four consecutive games, including a 1-2 home defeat to PSV in the Eredivisie. With only one win from their last five matches, Alkmaar will be desperate to turn things around.

Tottenham Team News

Spurs are in good shape heading into this clash. Mikey Moore and Archie Gray are expected to feature after impressing in earlier Europa League matches, while Lucas Bergvall will likely retain his spot after assisting in the last European fixture. Wilson Odobert remains the only absentee due to a hamstring injury but is nearing a return. Djed Spence is not eligible to play either way.

AZ Alkmaar Team News

There’s no confirmation yet on the availability of the Ghanian forward, Ibrahim Sadiq, who missed Alkmaar’s last game. The forward has been in excellent form this season, contributing 7 goals and assists in 8 games. If fit, he could pose a serious threat to Tottenham’s defence. AZ will also look to Troy Parrott, who will be facing his former team. Wouter Goes is likely the only confirmed player to miss the game.

Predicted Tottenham Line-Up

Vicario; Gray, Romero, Drǎguşin, Davies; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Moore, Richarlison, Werner.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Our Prediction

Tottenham will be eager to secure the top spot in their Europa League group, and this home fixture against a struggling AZ Alkmaar provides a prime opportunity. Spurs’ defence has looked more cohesive, and Radu Drǎguşin, fresh from his goal for Romania, will be key to their efforts. After an early red card in the competition, Drǎguşin will be determined to make amends and prove his quality on the European stage.

AZ Alkmaar, struggling with form, will look to Troy Parrott, who has been in solid scoring form with six goals in 11 games. His ability to receive progressive passes, demonstrated by a record of 54, means Spurs will need to be wary of their high defensive line.

However, given Spurs’ firepower and AZ’s recent slump, it’s hard to see the Dutch side causing too many problems. Tottenham should take advantage of Alkmaar’s vulnerabilities and secure a convincing win.

Dejan Kulusevski puts his improvement this season at Tottenham down to the changes he made during the summer break.

Dejan Kulusvski hits new heights

There is now ample evidence that this is the year Dejan Kulusevski finally explodes and lives up to the potential he has always had.

The change of position has worked a treat for the Swede, who appears to be getting better and better with each passing game.

He continues to receive plenty of praise, with Glenn Hoddle even suggesting that the 24-year-old’s display against the Hammers was the best he has seen of the player in a Spurs shirt so far (TNT Sports).

Kulusevski’s on change he has incorporated

Kulusevski was asked after the 4-1 win against West Ham about the reason why he has been able to take his game to the next level.

The attacker responded on SpursPlay: “Yeah, I know because every season I just get better and better because I understand what I am doing wrong and I’m understanding things to improve.

“This was my plan in the summer, to work on the things I want to work on so I changed my mindset and I even started training even more than before and this is only the beginning. I know I can play much better than this so I just want to keep on improving and become one of the best players in the world.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

When the host Ben Haines asked if he meant physically, the Tottenham man added: “Yeah, absolutely. I changed my training routine and that’s why you can’t understand everything when you’re young. Every year you get experience and you improve on every side of the football.”

Kulusevski maturing as a footballer

Apart from the physical and tactical improvements that Kulusevski has made, it is also clear that he now understands his game much better.

The former Juventus man seems to have come of age and given how high a ceiling he has always had, there is not really much of a limit to just how good he can become.

Tottenham Hotspur could be tempted to push ahead with a move for a Bundesliga starlet who is turning a lot of heads with his performances this season.

The player in question is Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who has developed impressively since swapping Man City for Borussia Dortmund back in 2020 and has now established himself as a regular in the Bundesliga side.

The exciting winger has been on fire at the start of this season, with four goals and two assists to his name so far and this has reportedly attracted interest from the Premier League.

It was reported by The Mirror last week that Spurs were one of the clubs having an eye on the youngster ahead of the January window.

Tottenham tempted to make a move

Football Insider have now claimed that Spurs are ‘tracking the progress’ of Bynoe-Gittens and could look to bring him through the door when the transfer window reopens.

It is explained that signing a winger is not a priority for Ange Postecoglou’s men at the moment, but they could be tempted to land the Dortmund starlet if he becomes available.

The outlet suggests that the young attacker is a good fit for the profile of players that Tottenham want to sign as a part of their long-term project.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Deal will not be easy

However, it is made clear that Tottenham would have to pay a ‘steep price’ to bring Bynoe-Gittens through the door in January.

This is because the youngster is contracted until 2028 at the Westfalenstadion and is rated very highly at the German club.

Furthermore, Ange Postecoglou’s men may have to see off competition from other top Premier League sides to sign the England Under-21 international.

Tottenham Hotspur are now leading the race to sign a new left-back to offer competition to Destiny Udogie in North London.

Patrick Dorgu attracting plenty of interest

Dorgu has emerged as one of the most exciting young wing-backs in the Serie A over the last year and a half, and the 19-year-old is thought to be attracting plenty of interest from the Premier League.

It has emerged over recent months that Tottenham are keen on securing the teenager’s services (Gazzetta dello Sport), while Chelsea also has a keen eye on his development (TuttoJuve).

However, Lecce announced on Friday that the youngster had penned a new long-term contract until 2029.

Tottenham favourites to sign Dorgu

FiorentinaNews now claim that even though Dorgu has extended his deal, that certainly does not rule out a departure from Lecce.

The report says that both Spurs and Chelsea are still circling the left-back, with Ange Postecoglou’s men currently at the front of the queue to land the player.

It is explained that Lecce offered the defender a new contract so that they could get a bigger fee for him when he departs.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Will be on the move next summer

The outlet suggests that Dorgu is expected to see out the remainder of the season at Lecce but he is ‘very likely’ to depart the club next summer.

It is asserted that the Serie A club hope to make a huge profit on the Denmark international, who they signed for a measly €200k.

Lecce are allegedly hoping that a bidding war ensues for the full-back so that they pocket a big fee.

Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa could battle it out for one of Europe’s most prolific strikers in 2025.

Tottenham’s Jonathan David pursuit

Over recent weeks, a number of outlets have suggested that Spurs could enter the market for a striker in January, with Lille’s Jonathan David said to be near the top of the North London club’s wishlist (Football Insider).

The Canadian international has made an outstanding start to the new season, having found the back of the net eight times and provided two assists in 13 matches across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Tottenham set for transfer battle in January

Tutto Juve have now backed up Spurs’ interest in David while they also name Premier League rivals, Aston Villa, as contenders for the striker’s signature.

They assert that the 24-year-old has decided against renewing his current deal at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, which runs out at the end of next season.

The forward’s displays in the Champions League this season and his contract situation are thought to be attracting quite a bit of attention.

Deal will not be straightforward

The outlet says that the deal will involve some complications as David expects a ‘huge salary’ at his next club while the agent commission for the deal is also expected to be high.

This is the reason why it would be difficult for the likes of AC Milan and Atletico Madrid to complete the deal while Barcelona are looking at other alternatives due to the cost of the operation.

Juventus continue to show interest in the Lille star but the publication adds that they would have to ‘watch out’ for competition from Spurs and Villa.

After adding several of Europe’s best football prospects to their ranks, Tottenham continue their transfer strategy by targeting more outstanding talents.

Signings for now and the future

Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou have been undergoing a complete transformation on and off the pitch. In collaboration with Technical Director, Johan Lange, Postecoglou’s target to build a team in his footballing image and shape the future of Tottenham Hotspur has been an unwavering focus.

Spurs are hoping to achieve this by adhering to a transfer strategy which will make Tottenham the home of Europe’s biggest talents. Four of the five deals concluded over the summer were for players under the age of 20.

Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall have all joined Tottenham being lauded as some of the most promising players in their age group, with Yang Min-Hyeok to join in January and Mikey Moore rising from Spurs’ Academy.

Lange has spoken about a distinct shift to Tottenham’s transfer strategy being ‘data-informed’, while Postecoglou has established his need for players with the right attitude who can contribute now and develop more in the future. This has already led to the likes of Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr being established first team members and Tottenham are looking to continue this approach.

Tottenham continue to target special talents

Transfer correspondent, Pete O’Rourke confirmed on Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast that this transfer ideology is one Tottenham have “implemented to strengthen the squad going forward”.

This was in relation to Tottenham’s interest in a deal for Lecce’s star teenager, Patrick Dorgu (Football Insider). Considered one of the most exciting young players in Serie A, Dorgu possesses the qualities of versatility and attacking intent, which makes it easy to imagine him alongside the other elite under-21 players already at Tottenham.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Finding outstanding talent before other top clubs is the goal of every recruitment department. After claiming Gray and Bergvall before Brentford and Barcelona were able to secure deals, Tottenham appear committed to pursuing this ideology after these transfer successes.

The joy of watching players develop

What is so exciting about these transfers for Tottenham is that they already have the ability to contribute to the first-team, while also having the potential to grow into players of the highest quality.

Gray, Bergvall and Odobert are already showing that they possess equal technical quality to established senior footballers. Their natural physical development and senior match experience will only help them grow and improve with time.

There is no greater feeling than when a young footballer at your club announces themself. Those who watched Gareth Bale’s hat-trick in Milan knew in that moment there was a player who would go to the heights of European football.

The joy for Spurs fans going forward is that with so many talented young players in their squad, with surely more to be signed going forward, there are plenty of these Milan moments to come.

After his red card for violent conduct in the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, West Ham star Mohammed Kudus is in line for a potential six-game ban according to former referee Mike Dean.

Monumental head loss for Mohammed Kudus

The Ghanaian forward may have given West Ham the lead in the London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, but Kudus did not even make it to the end of the game after picking up a red card in the 86th minute.

It is still not quite clear what provoked the intense reaction from Kudus, who lashed out at Micky van de Ven, striking the Spurs defender in the face.

This incident sparked chaos on the pitch, with numerous players involved. Among the fracas, Kudus also made contact with Pape Matar Sarr‘s face, too.

The West Ham man was given a yellow card by referee Andrew Madley, but this was later escalated to a straight red after VAR intervention.

Big ban incoming for Kudus

Kudus will now serve a standard three-match suspension for the red card, but this could be extended to up to six matches.

According to Mike Dean, this is exactly what should happen, and he believes Kudus should be reprimanded for the attack on van de Ven and Sarr as two separate incidents.

Dean told Sky Sports: “Hopefully with the second one the FA will then take retrospective action so he’ll get done twice in my opinion, because he’s hit two different players in the face on two occasions.”

Kudus is still a top player

He may have sullied his reputation somewhat with that incident at the weekend, but Kudus is still a brilliant player and he’s definitely the most exciting talent West Ham have in their squad. He would be a great fit for Spurs, and it’s a shame we didn’t sign him when we were looking at him last year.