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We are now approaching a year since Johan Lange joined Tottenham Hotspur as their technical director, and he’s largely operated from behind the scenes during that time. But, he’s spoken now about how that might change, and how much Ange Postecoglou has a say in transfer strategy, too.

Lange plans to step out of the shadows

Much has changed at Tottenham over the last couple of years. Fabio Paratici’s global ban from football sparked the need for an overhaul in the scouting and recruiting department at Tottenham, but the club’s successful transfer record of late has been maintained with effective signings over the summer.

Spurs moved swiftly and shrewdly in the summer market to sign Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, and the more high-profile Dominic Solanke.

Discussing how he operates within the club, and how his role may evolve in the near future, Johan Lange reflected on the ways of the past and how the demands of modern football now call for something different from a man in his position.

He told TV 3 Sport: “[The lack of public comments] is undoubtedly cultural… In the old days, there was a local rich man who owned his local club, and he hired his manager, and then they met on Friday afternoon for a cup of tea, and then they turned the world upside down and found out how the team was supposed to play the next day, and what kind of players they had to buy.

“But you could say it’s about changing a culture, it’s not something that happens overnight. It takes time, but I think you’re starting to see sports directors and technical directors in the clubs be a bit more in the media as well, and I think you’ll see that more in the future.”

Postecoglou is key to transfer talk

There is always a concern that, when there are technical directors and the sort involved in a club, a manager can be excluded from important decisions when it comes to transfers.

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There should be no such fear at Spurs, though, as Lange explains the way he and Ange Postecoglou collaborate to determine the short-term and long-term future of the squad.

He added: “It’s not like, you can just put it in a formula and say, well then it’s me who makes the decision at that point. It’s about discussing different topics over months and weeks, and then of course you arrive with a shorter list, and then you discuss back and forth.

“It’s about a process where we end up agreeing, that this is our top target. We discuss our performance and the game, but Ange and his coaches are the ones who work with the game and the players, for everyday life, and prepare the team for matches.

“And then my role is more to concentrate on the longer term, and ensure that we are successful, not only this year, but also in three years, in five years.”

The system seems to be working at Spurs

There appears to be a real cohesion and clear strategy at Spurs right now, with the owners, the higher-ups like Lange, the coaches, and the players all pulling in the same direction. I don’t want to get carried away, but everything I see and hear from within the club tells me we are destined for great things very soon, and for a long time beyond that, too.

Tottenham are now closely watching the developments over the future of one Premier League star, who is not keen on signing a new contract.

Tottenham in need of reinforcements at the back

Spurs chose not to sign another centre-back during the summer transfer window despite the fact that Ange Postecoglou has just three full-time central defenders at his disposal.

Postecoglou has used Ben Davies in central defence but that is an area he might be keen to reinforce in January.

It has now emerged that one of the club’s long-term targets could be on the market, with Tottenham reportedly alerted to that possibility.

England star’s future up in the air

The player in question is Marc Guehi, with TBR Football reporting that the centre-back is not keen on signing a new contract with Crystal Palace after his proposed move to Newcastle fell through in the summer.

The Eagles have reportedly made it clear to the defender that if he does not extend his current deal, which runs out in 2026, he will be sold sooner rather than later.

It is explained that the Eagles demanded £75m from the Magpies for the England international in the summer but their asking price will likely drop in January.

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Tottenham could have a battle on their hands

However, TBR Football do not think that Spurs will have a free run at Guehi, revealing that Liverpool are also alert to his situation.

The Reds are said to be keen on adding a central defender to their squad and are thought to be admirers of the Palace star.

The publication further adds that the 24-year-old’s availability could ‘spark a transfer frenzy’ in January, with other clubs also potentially entering the race.

Football finance expert Stefan Borson believes that Chelsea will find it much more challenging to do what Tottenham Hotspur did back in 2019.

Chelsea following Tottenham’s lead

After seeing their London rivals move to a state-of-the-art stadium in 2019, Chelsea are now making plans to do the same.

Just like Spurs constructed their new stadium in the same location as the old White Hart Lane, The Standard reported earlier this month that the Blues want to redevelop Stamford Bridge and thus have purchased a 2.47-acre site next to their stadium for that purpose.

However, it was explained that the West London club will not be in possession of the newly acquired site until 2027 so that the site’s current residents can first be re-housed.

Chelsea cannot mimic Spurs

However, Borson pointed out that the project will be much more challenging for Chelsea than it was for Tottenham.

He explained that while Spurs were able to play at White Hart Lane during the early phase of their stadium construction, Chelsea will have to spend a much longer duration away from Stamford Bridge as there is not enough space for them to imitate what Tottenham did.

Borson told Football Insider about Chelsea’s plans: “I’m not sure they have got the amount of space Spurs had. If you remember what Spurs did, for most of the build, they built on an adjacent site.

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“That meant they were able to keep the stadium open for most of the build. I don’t know if Chelsea can do that. I don’t know if there is sufficient space to do that. It’s not a simple project.”

Tottenham’s stadium is the envy of Premier League

Spurs did have to go through significant hardships when the stadium was being constructed as not only did they have to play at Wembley nearly for two full seasons but they were also restricted in the transfer market due to the cost of the operation.

However, having taken their medicine, the Lilywhites are now enjoying the fruits of their sacrifice, with the club’s revenue continuing to increase every season due to the earning potential of the stadium.

The likes of Chelsea, Everton and others would now have to negotiate an extremely tricky spell if they want to ape Spurs.

Son Heung-min reveals he is shocked by one thing that Dejan Kulusevski does at Tottenham every single week.

Kulusevski’s move to the middle

There were always question marks regarding Kulusevski’s fit for the wide birth in Ange Postecoglou’s system, with the Australian preferring pacy wingers who stay high and wide.

The Swede did impress when he played through the middle on a few occasions last season, and it now seems like Postecoglou has made that his permanent home.

On several occasions this season, the 24-year-old has started through the middle as one of two number-eights alongside James Maddison and he has been extremely influential for the Lilywhites.

Son identifies Kulusevski’s underrated attribute

Son has now heaped praise on his Tottenham teammate, insisting that Kulusevski is finally playing in his favourite position.

The Spurs captain suggested that the attacker does not get the credit he deserves for his work-rate, explaining that the distance that the former Juventus man covers on a weekly basis leaves him shocked.

When asked about the Sweden international’s change of position, Son told Football.London: “Deki is the kind of guy who wants to be more in the middle so that he can handle the ball really well with his back to the opponent and I think that’s his game and he’s a joy. At the moment, he’s having a great season.

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“One thing that not everybody is talking about is that Deki’s work-rate is unbelievable. He’s everywhere on the pitch, you know?

“I think people don’t always see that, you know, but like, he works really hard that I think so hard that when I see all the data and sometimes I get shocked, you know? So it feels like he never stops running.

“I think players all appreciate what he does and with the ball, with the quality that he has, there is no doubt that every position he can do.

“I think as a manager, I think he can put him anywhere and he’ll do the right thing for what he asked to. So, yeah, there is no doubt about what he does, and he’s doing amazing at the moment.”

Kulusevski in Tottenham’s engine room

While some might worry that Spurs are too open with Kulusevski and Maddison as number eights, the 24-year-old has the engine to constantly get up and down the pitch all game.

Time and again over recent weeks, we have seen Kulusevski running back to cover for his teammates while also having the ability to tirelessly drive forward with the ball and get Spurs up the pitch.

The draw for the fourth round of the Carabao Cup has now taken place and Tottenham Hotspur have learned of who they will face next.

Tottenham booked their place in the draw following a nervy 2-1 victory over Coventry City in the third round which saw them come minutes from being eliminated.

The North Londoners found themselves 1-0 down with just two minutes of regular time to play, only for Djed Spence to equalise and Brennan Johnson to score the winner in injury time.

Spurs were kept away from some of the other big guns during the third round draw due to European involvement, however, the latest draw has seen it revert back to the usual method.

Who will Spurs play in the Carabao Cup fourth round?

Ange Postecoglou‘s side will next take on Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they look to secure their first piece of silverware.

The Carabao Cup ties will be played in the week commencing Monday, October 28, 2024, between a trip to Crystal Palace and a home match against Aston Villa.

This season, Spurs are looking to compete on multiple fronts having secured a return to European football with qualification to the Europa League, and will also be hoping for successful campaigns in the FA Cup and Premier League.

Tottenham have not won a trophy since 2008

Tottenham have not won a competitive trophy since they were last victorious in this very competition back in 2008 when it was known as the Carling Cup.

Juande Ramos’ side beat Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea 2-1 in extra time at Wembley. Jonathan Woodgate scored the winner in extra time after Didier Drogba gave Chelsea the lead, with Dimitar Berbatov having levelled from the penalty spot.

Carabao Cup fourth round draw in full

Brentford vs. Sheffield Wednesday

Southampton vs. Stoke City

Tottenham vs. Manchester City

AFC Wimbledon/Newcastle United vs. Chelsea

Manchester United vs. Leicester City

Brighton vs. Liverpool

Preston North End vs. Arsenal

Aston Villa vs. Crystal Palace

While Daniel Levy is often seen as a rather dictatorial character at the helm of Tottenham, the chairman insists his manager is given free rein to sign who he wants.

Tottenham’s shift in transfer policy

Since Postecoglou arrived through the door last year, there has been a clear shift in Tottenham’s transfer approach, with the club going after young, up-and-coming talents.

The North London club did the same during the summer transfer window, bringing the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Yang Min-hyuk through the door.

This policy has not gone down particularly well with some Spurs fans, who feel that the club are taking the cheaper option. They suggest that Tottenham need to splash the cash on big-name signings in order to be able to compete with the best sides in the Premier League.

Ange gets who he wants

Levy has now insisted that there is no directive from the top regarding the profile of transfer targets, claiming that the decisions ultimately rest with Postecoglou.

However, the Spurs chairman admitted that the club are channelling more resources towards the academy as they want more players to come through the ranks to represent the first-team.

When asked about Tottenham’s decision to sign younger players, Levy said on Monday at the Tottenham fan forum (via The Standard): “Our view is we want to play a certain way. I don’t think we’re dictating to Ange that he can only sign a young player. He will sign who he feels is best for his team.

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“Obviously we feel that bringing young players through the academy is what Spurs fans want to see. That’s why we’re going to be putting more resources into the academy because we love seeing a player come all the way through and he’s one of our own. As a result of that, we’ll end up probably being younger than we otherwise would be.”

Postecoglou likes working with young players

Postcoglou himself has made it clear that the signings Tottenham have made are ones that he wanted, with the Australian also admitting that he prefers working with young players.

The 59-year-old has spoken recently about how it is sometimes easier to get younger players to play fearlessly as they are more open to new ideas (Chris Cowlin’s YouTube channel).

Tottenham Hotspur are looking for a cash injection and we have now heard from the horse’s mouth about the North London club’s plans.

Tottenham of interest to many investors

Over recent months, we have read many reports about various consortiums being in talks with Spurs over buying a minority stake in the North London club.

It has been suggested recently that former Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley, backed by ‘serious money’ from Middle Eastern investors, is now stepping up talks to invest in Tottenham (The Sun).

Earlier this year, we also heard claims that multiple US-based investment groups were interested in purchasing a stake in Spurs, including MSP Sports Capital (Daily Mail).

Levy makes admission

Speaking at the fan forum held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday, Levy himself has now confessed that the club have not made any secret of the fact that they are looking for a minority investment.

He explained that a cash injection would help Spurs push ahead with exciting new projects and make further investments in the first-team.

When asked if the club are open to a minority sale, the Tottenham chairman said (via The Standard): “We announced with our last results that we believe this club needs a bigger capital base because we’ve got a lot of exciting projects on the horizon and we want to make further investment in the teams.

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“Some form of minority investment is what we’re looking for. We’ve got nothing to announce at the moment but we are in the market.”

Totteham’s plans an open secret

It has been a known fact for several years now that Spurs are listening to parties interested in buying a minority stake in the club.

That would be perfect for Levy as it would allow him to retain control of the club’s operations while also giving the club a big cash injection.

Daniel Levy insisted that he will not apologise for increasing Tottenham’s operating revenue by hosting more non-football events at the club’s stadium.

Tottenham’s stadium is a major money printer

Since its opening back in 2019, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has proven a major money printer for the North London club.

With the venue having a retractable pitch, it is able to host other sporting events and concerts on a regular basis, without having to worry about how it will impact the footballing calendar.

According to Sports Business Institute Barcelona, the Lilywhites earn an average of £100.50 per fan who walks through the turnstiles at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which is the second-highest figure in the Premier League after Chelsea.

TBR football revealed at the start of this month that Spurs earn £800,000 from food and drink sales alone per matchday at the stadium.

Levy gives blunt responses about non-football events

Levy has now pointed out that it is in the club’s best interest to maximise the revenue-generating potential of the stadium so that they can invest more in the team.

When it was put to the Tottenham chairman at the fan forum that the club were in danger of becoming an entertainment brand first and a football club second, he responded (via The Standard): “I think that’s just a lot of misinformation.

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“We just had a get-together with our staff and there were perhaps 500 or 600 staff here. If you were to ask those staff, they understand what this is about.

“We’re about providing the resources for our teams to win. And we don’t make any apologies that we’re trying to increase our revenue base so we can invest more in our teams.

“If that means we have the opportunity because of this great stadium to have concerts, that’s great because we’re giving it all to the teams. I don’t apologise at all. I think it’s good.”

Levy also made it clear that Spurs have a long way to go before they can compete with the biggest clubs in Europe in terms of revenue.

He added: “Last year we broke the £500m [revenue] mark which puts us in the league of the eighth largest club in the world by revenue.

“But we’re still a long way away from some of our biggest competitors and that’s the gap we need to close in order to give more resources to our football teams. And that’s what we’re working on.”

Critics will question Levy’s motive

Most Spurs fans will agree with the principle that hosting more concerts and sporting events at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will benefit the club’s brand and their bottom line.

However, some will perhaps wonder if the funds will even trickle into the first-team and be put to use in the transfer market so that the Lilywhites can go toe-to-toe with the biggest sides in Europe for top players.

Daniel Levy defends Tottenham’s decision to do away with concessions for senior season ticket holders but his reasoning might not sit well with a lot of Spurs fans.

Tottenham’s controversial decision

Spurs decided to increase season ticket prices by an average of 6 per cent this season, with the decision not going down well with large swaths of the fan base.

Along with the price increase, the club have also removed the concessions for new senior season ticket holders aged 65 and above.

When this announcement was made back in March of this year, The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust said that they were ‘dismayed’ by the club’s move, with many questioning why they felt the need to do that at a time when their revenue is soaring.

Levy defends decision

Speaking at the Tottenham Hotspur fan forum on Monday, Levy insisted that the club’s financing model would become unsustainable if they continued giving concessions to seniors.

When asked why the concessions were removed, the Spurs chairman said (via The Standard): “We announced a few months ago that we would do a review on the whole concession policy at the club.

“We haven’t stopped senior season tickets because this year we’ve actually increased the number of seniors. We met the FAB last week and we’re going to form a working group.

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“There’s an underlying problem that as time goes on if we don’t curtail the number of concession seats in our stadium, our whole financing model will come into question. Because obviously, we can’t have a situation where our ticket revenue ends up falling.

“So it’s a very complicated subject which we are going to review. But match-day concessions are still available, we’re certainly not going to stop them. And we haven’t said that we’re stopping seniors. We’ve just said we’ll put a pause on it at the moment.”

Levy was then asked by fan forum host Nihal Arthanayake if it was true that Spurs do not care about older fans, and he responded: “Absolutely not. We have a duty to look at all fans.

“And we have to make sure we have enough space in the stadium to bring through new fans. So we have to somehow find a balance which is what we’re going to engage with the FAB on and see what we can come up with.”

Levy’s reasoning unlikely to go down well with fans

The critics of the club’s decision will argue that the removal of the concessions and the price increase in tickets will hardly make a dent in the club’s overall revenue, with matchday revenue only constituting a small portion.

They will perhaps view this as further evidence that the current Spurs regime will always put profit ahead of fan welfare or glory.

However, Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy will perhaps point out that the club have posted significant operating losses over the last three years and cannot afford to further reduce ticketing revenue when the demand is so high.

Fraser Forster had his first minutes in a Spurs shirt for over a year against Coventry City with the 36-year-old’s performance hardly a comfortable watch, emphasising that Spurs could have a big issue should Vicario get injured this season.

Tottenham’s goalkeeper roster is worryingly thin

Spurs have effectively gone all in with their decision to not sign a top-quality second-choice goalkeeper in the summer, leaving every fan anxiously waiting to see whether a potential injury to Vicario could tear their season apart.

The Athletic revealed early in the summer that Spurs weren’t looking to sign a goalkeeper in the transfer window with there being an acknowledgement that while Forster isn’t the ideal fit for Spurs’ style of play, the 36-year-old has a year left on his deal and therefore Tottenham won’t upgrade him.

A baffling revelation after Spurs renewed Forster’s contract until 2025 just six months prior to the summer transfer window, despite Postecoglou having implemented his style of play. This was highlighted even further by his woeful performance in Spurs’ shock early exit of the Carabao Cup to Fulham. (BBC Sport)

Forster and Spurs almost repeated last season’s Carabao Cup troubles in spectacular fashion this season too. The veteran keeper made a couple of routine saves before unbelievably flying out of his goal only to miss a ball that was bouncing towards his net, with Ben Davies having to heroically spare the keeper’s blushes.

It was therefore evidently clear against Coventry that Tottenham have left themselves, perhaps unnecessarily, short in goal. Forster’s calamitous performance against the Sky Blues only induced many Spurs fans’ anxieties around Vicario’s fitness this season.

Vicario’s set piece troubles only emphasise Spurs’ issue

Only amplifying the issue of not having an apt second-choice goalkeeper is Vicario’s set-piece woes so far this season, with Arsenal’s North London derby winner only resurfacing Spurs and Vicario’s weakness at dealing with set-pieces.

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The corner conceded against Arsenal was Vicario’s first set-piece conceded of the season but saw a continuation of a trend that characterised his debut season in North London, despite the Italian often excelling at shot-stopping.

Gabriel’s header was the 18th set-piece Spurs conceded since Vicario and Postecoglou’s arrival, the second-worst tally in the league. Such a concerning record has started to raise questions around Vicario – although Tottenham are banking on the 27-year-old improving, and quick. (Sky Sports)

Most top sides have ensured they have the luxury of a high-calibre number two; Man City have Ortega, Arsenal have Neto, Liverpool have Kelleher, the list goes on. While not every side has an outstanding second choice, each ‘keeper can comfortably deputise their club’s primary goalie.

Spurs haven’t afforded themselves that luxury, meaning that should Vicario continue to struggle at set-pieces, and it escalates into a consistently game-defining season, Tottenham will be extremely reluctant to drop the Italian, given the vast gap in quality between Vicario and Forster.

It may not be even a luxury that Tottenham haven’t afforded themselves, but a necessity, should Vicario pick up an injury in the season. Whilst the former Empoli ‘keeper has a pretty good injury record, only missing nine games in 2022/23, Spurs seem to be taking an unnecessary risk. (TransferMarkt)

Spurs academy goalkeepers could provide a surprise solution

There is an unlikely solution to the currently precarious goalkeeper issue at Tottenham, with the club’s current and graduate academy ‘keepers an ideal fix to Postecoglou’s problem.

Brandon Austin and Luca Gunter are the primary choices should Postecoglou wish to choose a keeper other than Forster or Vicario, perhaps in the Europa League or in a favourable FA Cup draw.

Alfie Whiteman does remain on the club’s books, but it appears to be an open secret that the 25-year-old will depart N17 come the end of his contract and may be excluded from Ange’s pecking order.

Austin signed a new deal in the summer, extending the 25-year-old’s stay with Spurs until 2029 (Tottenham Hotspur). Postecoglou could call upon the academy graduate for Tottenham’s so-called ‘easier’ ties in the Europa League, impressing performances in the competition could pave the way for Austin to climb the goalkeeper pecking order.

Luca Gunter is the other option, who may be a higher risk than Austin but one that almost undoubtedly wields greater rewards.

Gunter shone extremely brightly in Tottenham’s U21’s PL2 double-winning season last campaign, with his penalty shootout heroics even booking Tottenham’s place in the semi-finals of the play-offs.

The issue is that Gunter’s chance may only come should Spurs ensure qualification before the end of their 8th Europa League, league phase – and even then, an impressive display on a stage of lesser importance may not earn the 19-year-old enough discussion to impose himself as a first-team ‘keeper.

However, should either goalkeeper perform when given the chance, however unlikely, it could kill two birds with one stone for Tottenham.

Spurs are currently trying to balance their homegrown quota, a homegrown goalkeeper to replace Forster would certainly elevate such issues, and if either goalie proves able enough to be a competitive second choice for Vicario it could save Spurs a large sum of money, they would likely have to spend this summer after Forster’s contract ends.