TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur are set to compete in the Europa League this season, a much-welcome return to European action after missing out in 2023/24.

However, one decision made by Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou relating to the competition has caused some controversy.

The decision in question is that Tottenham defender Djed Spence is not in the Europa League squad for the group stage, despite his impressive pre-season.

In addition, Spurs’ Europa League selection only has 23 players instead of the 25-man limit.

This is because of the rules around Europa League squads, which stipulate that a 25-man squad must have four homegrown players.

Alasdair Gold, speaking on the Gold & Guest podcast, has now discussed the “ridiculous” situation which has led Tottenham to this point.

Alasdair Gold not impressed with Tottenham’s lack of homegrown players

Gold noted how Spurs’ “poor squad management” has led to them not having enough homegrown players to compose a full Europa League squad.

In the Premier League, a player under the age of 21 does not have to be in the registered squad.

However, UEFA rules say Under-21 players must have been at the club for at least two years to qualify.

Spence does not fall into that category and as a result was omitted from the squad as Ange Postecoglou went for Fraser Forster instead.

In addition, Tottenham only have Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman as homegrown players, and both are goalkeepers.

Gold said: “Spurs stuffing themselves completely by poor squad management, really, over the years of just not having any now outfield senior club-trained players in their squad, which is a ridiculous situation to get yourself in.”

Later on, Gold said: “Jose Mourinho pointed out a few years back, didn’t he? He said there was this gap in the players coming through from the academy.

“He was looking down at that point. It was to the likes of Alfie Devine and Dane Scarlett back then who were like, I think they were both sixteen at the time.

“He was saying there was no little kind of middle section coming through. And he’s been proved absolutely right because no one’s come through to fill that void.”

Tottenham’s Europa League group-stage squad

Goalkeepers

Guglielmo Vicario

Fraser Forster

Brandon Austin

Alfie Whiteman

Defenders

Radu Dragusin

Destiny Udogie

Cristian Romero

Pedro Porro

Ben Davies

Micky van de Ven

Midfielders

Son Heung-Min

Yves Bissouma

James Maddison

Archie Gray

Lucas Bergvall

Dejan Kulusevski

Brennan Johnson

Wilson Odobert

Pape Sarr

Rodrigo Bentancur

Forwards

Richarlison

Timo Werner

Dominic Solanke

Who do Tottenham play first in the Europa League?

Spurs will host Azeri club Qarabag FK at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday 26 September, 8pm kick-off.

Postecoglou’s charges have three games – in two different competitions – before they get under way in European club action.

They host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday 15 September, then head to Coventry City in the League Cup on Wednesday 18 September, and then host Brentford in the league on Saturday 21 September.

Daniel Levy has held talks over a deal that could be financially transformative for Tottenham.

Since the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened in 2019, Spurs have reached a new plane in terms of their turnover, especially across matchday and commercial income.

The North London club reached the £550m revenue mark in 2022-23 and are expected to surpass that figure when they release their accounts for 2023-24 early next year.

Given that ENIC and Levy‘s external wealth is dwarfed by most owners in the Premier League – and particularly by the so-called Big Six – maintaining an upwards revenue curve is paramount for Spurs.

This season, Tottenham have added cryptocurrency exchange Kraken as sleeve sponsor in a deal worth around £15m per year.

After a lucrative summer saw acts like Pink and Travis Scott perform at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs have now attained a license to double the number of non-football events they can hold annually.

Given that the club can earn almost £1m per matchday from catering alone at the 62,850-seater arena and will be entitled to a hosting fee, they can expect an eight-figure return from the new license.

However, there is one major income stream related to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that continues to elude them.

Tottenham explore deals with Amazon, Google, FedEx and Uber

When the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosts the North London derby on Sunday, it will do so as an unbranded venue.

Daniel Levy made a naming rights deal a priority when the stadium opened in 2019, with the chairman and co-owners targeting a world-record £25m-a-year deal.

TBR Football understands that, if Spurs can find a willing partner, a £150m, 10-year deal is now more realistic.

Updates on a potential naming rights deal have been thin on the ground in recent years, but Sportcal have now relayed that Google, FedEx, Uber and Amazon have all held talks with Spurs.

These discussions are not likely to be recent. Indeed, TBR understands that preliminary negotiations with Google and Amazon began and ended in 2022.

A naming rights deal is the closest thing a football club can get to free money. There are almost no costs associated, although fan sentiment to these deals is generally not particularly favourable.

The value of Spurs’ naming rights

In Europe, stadium naming rights are not the big-ticket commercial proposition that they are in the United States.

Many analysts believe this is because there is no front-of-shirt sponsorship in the likes of the NFL and NBA, so naming rights are top of the pile in America.

However, there are signs that naming rights are beginning to climb in value this side of the Atlantic.

In a development that will encourage Spurs, another London venue, England rugby’s Twickenham, recently secured a £100m, 10-year naming rights deal.

In the Premier League, Spurs are not the only club looking for a branding partner. West Ham, Everton and perhaps Man United are all on the hunt too.

Whether that saturation will depress the market remains to be seen.

The value of Spurs’ naming rights has also likely declined somewhat given that half a decade has elapsed since the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Ange Postecoglou has been very open to giving younger players a chance in his Tottenham side this season, with so many exciting talents at the club.

It’s clear that Tottenham‘s transfer policy is now heavily geared towards signing the biggest talents after seeing the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Min hyeok-Yang all put pen to paper.

Ange Postecoglou has already given minutes to Bergvall, Gray and Odobert, with all three looking very comfortable in the Premier League.

With Europa League football secured and the groups drawn, as well as the EFL cup on the horizon, it appears as if Bergvall is set to make his full debut.

Archie Gray has already impressed on international duty during this break. He put in a brilliant display as the England Under-21s drew 0-0 with the Northern Ireland Under-21s.

However, it appears as if it was a different Spurs youngster who attracted bids in the summer transfer window…

Alasdair Gold says Spurs rejected numerous loan-to-buy offers for Alfie Devine

Alfie Devine secured a season-long loan to Belgian Pro League club Westerlo in the summer.

After an impressive pre-season it was thought that maybe Devine would be in and around the first-team, but things didn’t pan out that way.

Now, Alasdair Gold when speaking on his YouTube channel has revealed that a number of clubs put in loan with the option to buy bids for Alfie Devine prior to his loan move, which Spurs rejected.

“Straight loan, no option to buy. I think some clubs, from what I understand, were putting in bids for him of loan with an option to buy, but Spurs weren’t looking at that because they believe he can be something pretty decent as time goes on.”

What does Ange Postecoglou think of Alfie Devine?

Back in the summer of last year, Ange was full of praise for Devine, stating that he was doing ‘really well’ prior to his loan move.

And the youngster is keen to impress his boss, stating that he knew ‘Ange is watching’ when on loan at Port Vale last season.

At just 20 years of age, he still has plenty of developing to do, which is why these loan moves are being sorted out for him.

He shouldn’t have any worries about not being with the squad. Alasdair Gold even states that the club see something in him, so he will very much be a part of the future plans.

Tottenham might have had a good summer in the market but things could have been different had a number of big clubs got their way.

In the end, Ange Postecoglou managed to bring in a number of key players and also move some on.

That’s left Tottenham with a healthy looking squad, bolstered further by the fact they managed to keep hold of some of their best players as well.

As we know, the likes of Heung-Min Son, Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero are all very much considered untouchables for most Spurs fans.

And thankfully for those fans, Tottenham’s board had the same response when clubs came calling for Cristian Romero this summer.

Tottenham issue hands off warning as Manchester United and Real Madrid look at Cristian Romero

According to South American journalist Gaston Edul, Tottenham did indeed receive approaches from the likes of Manchester United, PSG, and Real Madrid for Romero in the summer.

Edul has claimed via his X account that Spurs simply rejected the notion of selling Romero and even refused to put a price on him for this summer, such is their regard for the defender.

However, while that is the accepted stance for now, Edul has also claimed that Tottenham could end up fielding further enquires in the future, with Romero due to enter the final couple of years on his contract.

Tottenham need to get Romero a new deal

In an ideal world, Tottenham simply get Romero to agree to fresh terms and suddenly it means they’ve protected their asset.

If he does then go, he goes for huge money.

However, that needs to happen quickly really and Tottenham fans will be worried that this is the start of unsettling a player who is very much respected in the game for his defensive abilities.

Indeed, Ange Postecoglou has admitted to being really impressed by Romero in training lately, while Romero has also impressed for Argentina recently.

Daniel Levy is always trying to find new ways to make money through Tottenham and it appears as if another deal is in the works.

The Tottenham Hotspur stadium opened in April of 2019 after many years of developments.

Daniel Levy has undoubtedly made use of the stadium with concerts, the NFL, Rugby Premiership, Barclays Women’s Super League and the boxing all being shown.

And, it’s been claimed that the Tottenham Hotspur stadium could even host the Champions League final.

Spurs are the most profitable club in the history of the Premier League, so Levy must have done something right.

As much as fans have been unhappy with his lack of spending at times in the past, this transfer window has shown that he will back Ange Postecoglou having spent over £100 million.

Now, it looks as if Levy has another deal up his sleeve at Tottenham, but this one is more of a low-level deal that the club will make use of…

Alasdair Gold says he’s hearing about a behind-scenes Tottenham deal with a ‘big, big’ tech company

Interestingly, there was a potential takeover of Tottenham involving MSP Capital, but they opted to turn their attention to Everton last year, which didn’t materialise into anything.

To be fair to Levy, the Tottenham Hotspur stadium is considered one of the best in Europe, if not the world, and has trebled Tottenham‘s matchday and commercial income.

And, he managed to finance the stadium at a time of low interest rates, which made it even better.

Alasdair Gold has now claimed that a tech deal is in the works at Tottenham when speaking on his YouTube channel.

“I’ve got a feeling that there’s some like a tech deal in the pipe works that’s coming for Spurs this month. Like a tech partner deal.

“Like quite a big company that doesn’t normally do this sort of stuff, so we’ll see what comes of that. I don’t know whether that’s like a financial boost.

“I think it’s more just to do with the tech they’re using so it’s not particularly exciting but it was just something I keep hearing about and I don’t know who it is with yet.

“But I think it’s just with a big, big company.”

What has Daniel Levy had to say on potential investment?

Back in April, Daniel Levy spoke on potential investors.

“To capitalise on our long-term potential, to continue to invest in the teams and undertake future capital projects, the Club requires a significant increase in its equity base.

“The Board and its advisors, Rothschild & Co, are in discussions with prospective investors. Any recommended investment proposal would require the support of the Club’s shareholders.”

The English transfer window has closed but one Tottenham player could still be on the move this week.

There was a big clear-out at Tottenham this summer as Ange Postecoglou made his mark on the squad one year on from his appointment as manager.

Nine players left the club, including five as free agents, while five new players were brought in to bolster the first-team squad.

Tottenham even backed Postecoglou with a club-record £65m deal for Dominic Solanke, who was described as one of the “top three” signings of the summer.

Overall, it was a great summer for Spurs after managing to clear out several fringe players while adding young talent to their squad.

But their business is not done yet with one player now subject to interest from Turkey.

Galatasaray target Ben Davies deal

Postecoglou has made his thoughts on Ben Davies very clear this season after leaving him on the bench for all three of their Premier League games.

Destiny Udogie has cemented a starting spot at Spurs and pushed Davies down the pecking order, and he has now been offered a route out of North London.

According to Turkish outlet Takvim, Galatasaray have set their sights on a possible deal for Ben Davies after his lack of game time this season.

The Turkish giants are pleased with their deal to sign Davinson Sanchez from Spurs and are hopeful that they can reunite him with Davies.

Davies only has one year remaining on his deal at Tottenham, so Spurs could be open to a deal for the 31-year-old.

Any deal would have to be finalised before the Turkish transfer window closes on Friday.

Tottenham can afford to let Ben Davies go

Postecoglou has previously praised Davies for his “outstanding” character, but it is clear that he is no longer deemed a starter for Spurs.

Udogie has locked down the left-back position and even in his absence, Spurs have played Micky van de Ven on the left.

Sergio Reguilon is another option at left-back, although his future at the club is also up in the air after he was left out of their Europa League squad.

But ultimately, Spurs have enough depth at the back that if Davies agreed to a move, they can afford to let him go. However, expect a new left-back to be targeted either in January or next summer if that is the case.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a goldmine and will be Daniel Levy’s legacy at Spurs, but the arena has also sparked a number of controversies in North London.

The 62,850-seater arena is considered one of the best in Europe if not the world and has trebled Tottenham‘s matchday and commercial income since they moved in 2019.

What’s more, Levy and his peers in the Spurs boardroom managed to finance the stadium at a time of low interest rates, which are totally inaccessible in today’s economic environment.

Vacating White Hart Lane has been the single most transformative event in the club’s history, catapulting Spurs to global attention and cementing them among the financial elite of the so-called Big Six.

However, there are a core element of Tottenham’s bedrock fanbase that see the new stadium as emblematic of the club’s increasing commercial focus.

Spurs generated £550m in revenue in the last recorded financial year and some supporters believe that emphasis on the bottom line has come at the expense

When on examines Tottenham’s controversial new concessions policy, which essentially amounts to phasing out more affordable senior tickets, it is hard to argue that is not true at least to some extent.

And that contingent of supporters will point to the latest story involving Spurs and UEFA to validate their convictions.

Tottenham respond to UEFA controversy

Tottenham generated £118m through the turnstiles in 2022-23, the last season for which financial data is publicly available.

Alongside Chelsea, Spurs also generate more money per fan than any other club, according to research from Sports Business Institute Barcelona.

But it appears Spurs are not prepared to stand still as they look to compete with rivals Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool who can also expect to generate £100m-plus every season from matchday income.

Last week, it was reported that Tottenham had voted against a new cap on away ticket prices voted by UEFA for its club competitions – the Europa League, in Spurs’ case.

The cap, which has now been passed, limit clubs to charging £51 in the Champions League and £17 in the Conference League, while Spurs’ ceiling for away tickets in the Europa League is now £34.

However, as has been relayed by a number of outlets, Spurs have responded with an official statement, saying: “It is factually incorrect to state that there was a vote on this matter at the UEFA Club Competitions Committee. It is therefore entirely inaccurate to say that the Club voted against ticket price caps.”

But The Athletic’s Matt Slater has now reported that, while the matter did not go to a vote, Spurs did voice their opposition to the new price cap at the committee meeting.

They are believed to be one of several clubs to do so, although their resistance did not amount to any kind of formal action.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, naming rights, Euro 2028, and the Champions League final

Tottenham will host Euro 2028 matches, which will guarantee them a modest hosting fee and catering proceeds up to £1m, but the true benefit will be to the Spurs ‘brand’.

The same principle applies to Spurs potentially hosting the Champions League final.

They have also been granted a new license to stage double the number of football events they can host per year, which are worth eight figures to the club after costs on an annual basis.

A naming rights deal continues to elude them, however.

TBR Football understands that Spurs originally wanted more than £20m per year for their naming rights but there has been little interest at that price.

And with no chief commercial officer currently in place as Todd Kline sees out his gardening leave before he joins Chelsea, it seems that ambition is on ice or the time being.

Tottenham Hotspur had a really productive transfer window, recruiting five exciting players.

The North Londoners outlaid £124m and four of their five signings were teenagers – evincing Ange Postecoglou’s long-term vision.

Dominic Solanke’s £65m arrival from Bournemouth was their most expensive recruit of the window, followed by Archie Gray, who cost £40m.

Before signing Solanke, Tottenham were looking at a striker on the continent and now it’s just emerged that he’s open to leaving the club.

Jonathan David open to leaving Lille

Tottenham were interested in Jonathan David, who’s been labelled ‘one of the best strikers in the world’ per Toby Marinaro, earlier this summer and now he’s just hinted that he’d be open to a move to the Premier League despite being in talks to renew his Lille contract.

“Right now, we’re speaking with (LOSC president) Olivier Letang about a possible extension,” David told The Athletic.

“We’ll see how that goes. I’m open to anything. I think obviously the Premier League is regarded as one of the best leagues in the world.

“And for me it’s not the Premier League or bust. I’m open to anything and every league has its challenges.”

Tottenham should go back in for Jonathan David in Janaury

Tottenham are lacking depth up front and need a suitable back-up to Solanke.

So, with David now in the final year of his contract, there’s a chance to get him in Janaury for a significantly reduced fee.

The Canada international had a £25m price tag in the summer so it’ll be even lower come the winter transfer window.

Though, they wont be alone in their interest.

Tottenham Hotspur have a rich history of academy graduates.

Harry Kane is a prime example of that and is widely considered one of the greatest players to ever pull on the Tottenham strip.

With that said, it appears Spurs have another star emerging from the academy who is showing genuine promise to one day represent England at senior level – just like Kane.

Will Lankshear one of the brightest prospects in Tottenham’s academy

Will Lankshear, who’s been labelled a ‘wonderkid’ per The Sun, is perhaps the brightest prospect in Tottenham Hotspur’s academy at the moment.

Indeed, Mikey Moore certainly rivals him for that notion but considering he’s already made his senior debut, we’ve focused on Lankshear.

The former Sheffield United youth star is prolific for the under-21s, netting 26 times in 33 outings and he’s continued that vein in form with the young lions.

Since making his England under-19s debut last October, Lankshear has scored three goals in five appearances, so evidently he’s ready for senior football.

That came in pre-season and he made a real impression in Ange Postecoglou’s side, however, he is still awaiting his debut in a competitive match.

What the youth talent expert thinks of Will Lankshear

Superhotspur, who is well respected for his judgment on Tottenham academy players, provided a summary of his profile.

“With some good pace to his game, as well as being a tireless runner, Will is always on the move in and around the penalty area.

“However, what has been even more evident from this season in particular, is his clinical ability in front of goal.

“He has a real variety of finishes, and he is very clever in how he finishes his chances from inside the box.”

If Lankshear continues on the path of his lofty trajectory, he really could be a future England international.

Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a big summer window of overhaul but there is one signing that Ange Postecoglou will already be regretting.

Spurs boss Postecoglou wanted a summer of change and he got that in the main as a number of top signings arrived and certain ‘dead wood’ was moved on.

For Postecoglou, the key now is to embed all these new players into his system and deliver consistent results.

In terms of results so far, it couldn’t be much more Tottenham if they tried. One draw, one comfortable win, and then a poor defeat just about sum up Spurs as a Premier League club.

Still, there have been enough positive signs in those games to suggest the summer window – as a whole – was a success for Spurs.

However, while certain players look the business already, it’s safe to say Postecoglou might already be regretting one signing.

And that man, is Timo Werner.

Tottenham should have moved on from Timo Werner

Spurs signed Werner way back in May when they exercised an option to take him on loan for a further season.

At the time, the moved seemed sensible and it was another player capable of covering multiple positions through the door.

However, just three games in, Spurs fans will be wondering why they bothered.

Werner has played just 28 minutes so far and coincidentally, the only time he hasn’t come on was in the game where they hammered Everton 4-0.

For whatever reason, Werner simply never looks like scoring and right now, you have to wonder where he fits in.

Tottenham’s youngsters mean Werner is not needed

There are some exciting young players emerging at Spurs right now and sadly for Timo Werner, that means he might not get a look in.

The signing of Wilson Odobert came out of nowhere but he’s already started under Postecoglou and looks ahead of Werner in the pecking order.

Likewise, Spurs are also excited by the signing of Yang Min-Hyeok. The South Korean is seen as a bargain and given his position, it’s another wide player.

Further, Lucas Bergvall has also impressed since signing and he is expected to get plenty of minutes.

Finally, the signing of Dominic Solanke means that Heung-Min Son is going to be playing in his more natural position down the left, once again, meaning Werner is surplus.

The German, then, albeit only three games in, will already be wondering if he has any sort of role to play this season.