TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur have had a whole host of incredible midfielders at their disposal throughout their history.

Luka Modric is perhaps the standout name, who used Tottenham as a stepping stone to sign for Real Madrid in 2013 and etched his reputation as one of the best midfielders the game has ever seen.

Antonio Rudiger raved about Mousa Dembele and named him as the most underrated player he has ever come across, which speaks volumes of how tremendous he was for Spurs in particular.

Sir Alex Ferguson wished to manage Paul Gascoigne but as the former Manchester United boss admitted, the English legend went on to sign for Tottenham and became a Lilywhites legend.

In 2018, Sam Allardyce saw a lot of potential in Eric Dier when he was still a defensive midfielder after he competed against Sergio Busquets and his Barcelona side as Spurs lost 4-2 in the Champions League.

Sam Allardyce compared Eric Dier to Sergio Busquets at Tottenham

Allardyce commented on Dier’s display after the contest, who was just 24 at the time.

Seven years ago, the former Sporting CP dynamo looked like he could become a top-class number six — capable of breaking up play expertly and anchoring the back four for both Tottenham and England.

Dier, who Brighton wish to sign as well as Brentford and Wolves went on to become a centre-back eventually.

But in 2018, Sam Allardyce told talkSPORT that Dier was just as good a midfielder as Sergio Busquets, who is widely considered the greatest player in his position in history.

“The praise about Busquets must be stopped, was never evident last night because he’s no better or worse than Eric Dier for me and Eric Dier. Busquets is a sitting midfield player that breaks it up, intercepts and passes it very simply and is intelligent. That’s what he is, he’s not much more than that but gets a huge amount of praise for it whereas Eric Dier does a similar job but sometimes, gets lots of criticism for it.”

Sam Allardyce also claimed Busquets was hailed for what Dier was slated for, explaining: “I’m only saying he’s got the capabilities of being that. If the rest of the team is as good as the Spanish and Busquets’ been a great player for Barcelona, don’t get me wrong but he’s a very effective, first-pick for every manager because he plays such a simple game and because he plays such a simple game, it’s great for the team and we laud him as a genius. Whereas our own, we don’t, we criticise and that’s all I’m saying.”

At the time, the former Leeds United boss’ comments generated plenty of headlines as the comparison was a staggering one to say the least.

But Sam Allardyce went on to admit on Sky Sports later that year that while Dier did outperform Busquets on the night, his claims were off the mark.

“I slipped up a little bit, but on the night, he was better than him.”

“In career terms, he’s not. But what I was doing was sticking up for Dier, after the amount of stick he’s been getting People saying he’s not good enough for England, people saying he shouldn’t be playing. There’s been a lot of negative comments in the press.”

Tottenham have a crop of exciting young players coming through.

Indeed, while Spurs’ season, on the whole, has been terrible, the young players at Tottenham have been a bright spark.

Archie Gray has received praise for his performances this season, while Lucas Bergvall has been hailed for his showings as well.

On top of that, Mikey Moore has been tipped for big things too.

However, there’s also a young player away from the club who has been identified as a potential top talent too.

According to Rob Guest, speaking on the Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham Podcast, Alfie Devine is a player who is rated very highly by Ange Postecoglou at Spurs.

Alfie Define is rated highly by Ange Postecoglou

Guest shared what he knows about Devine and how he’s viewed by Postecoglou.

According to the journalist, Devine has made a big impression on Postecoglou in pre-season in the past, and he’s rated quite highly by the manager.

Devine is currently out on loan at Westerlo.

“Alfie Devine, probably another one where a decision’s got to be made, whether he’s going to be another loan spell for him. But what I would say with Devine, whenever he has played for Tottenham in preseason, he’s made a big impression on Ange Postecoglou and he’s someone who the head coach does rate quite highly.”

Alfie Devine stats this season

Devine is highly rated by Postecoglou, but the sad reality is that he may not be doing enough in Belgium to force his way into the Spurs team next season.

Devine was tipped to compete with James Maddison at Spurs at one point, but the stats suggest that the 20-year-old isn’t quite at that level yet.

Unfortunately, Devine hasn’t taken the Belgian Pro League by storm, and the reality is that Spurs would never be looking at signing a player with those stats in Belgium if he wasn’t already on their books.

Of course, it only takes one pre-season for everything to change sometimes, but, at the moment, it’s hard to see how Devine breaks into the Tottenham team.

Postecoglou is a big fan of Devine, but unfortunately for the midfielder, Postecoglou is likely to leave Tottenham in the near future, and he may face another uphill battle to win over the next gaffer.

As we approach the end of the 2024/25 campaign, several clubs – including Tottenham – are putting plans for the summer in place.

TBR Football understand Tottenham are trying to bring Fabio Paratici back to N17 ahead of the summer – where Ange Postecoglou could be replaced after a tough season.

A decision will also have to be made on Mathys Tel – who Spurs have the option to sign permanently from Bayern Munich for £45m.

While the above remains up in the air, there is a deal which seems more certain to happen for Tottenham this summer involving Johnny Cardoso.

Real Betis believe Tottenham will take Johnny Cardoso

A story from AS in Spain now states that Real Betis think Spurs are going to sign the United States international this summer in a €25m (£20m) deal.

For those unaware of the situation, Tottenham agreed a £20m option to buy Cardoso this summer when negotiating the £8m sale of Giovani Lo Celso to Real Betis back in August.

The man born in Denville has since enjoyed an impressive 2024/25 campaign with the Spanish side, recently scoring in a 2-1 win over Real Madrid as he excels in his defensive midfield position.

AS claim that Real Betis are already operating under the expectation Cardoso will move to north London in a £20m deal, with Manuel Pellegrini’s side said to be ‘crying out’ for an injection of funds.

Therefore, unless the 23-year-old himself refuses to join Tottenham, it would seem this deal is practically already done.

Johnny Cardoso unlikely to scupper the agreement

Spurs fans shouldn’t worry about the United States international ruining the deal.

TBR Football have been told Cardoso is keen to join Tottenham this summer – although we understand Real Betis want Spurs to pay up by July 10th in order for them to proceed with their own recruitment plans.

That is a fair request from Real Betis, seeing as Spurs have had since August to decide what to do with the American.

Tottenham face Chelsea in the Premier League in midweek as both teams look to build a bit of momentum as we head into the business end of the season.

Tottenham need to bring the feel-good factor back within the squad as they desperately try to win the Europa League and qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Ange Postecoglou is under pressure, and results need to improve quickly.

Meanwhile, the chasing pack are breathing down Chelsea’s neck as they look to hang onto their Champions League qualification spot.

Both teams aren’t in great form, and writing in his column for the BBC, Chris Sutton has now predicted how this game will go.

Chris Sutton predicts Chelsea vs Tottenham

Sutton shared his verdict on how this game will go.

The pundit says that this should be a cracking game with plenty of goals.

Ultimately though, Sutton tipped Chelsea to win this match, claiming that the Blues will win 3-2.

“This is a great game to finish the week off. It ended up 4-3 to Chelsea earlier in the season, and there are likely to be a few more goals this time too,” Sutton wrote.

“Chelsea have people like Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke back from injury to bolster their attack, but Spurs have got some key players like Micky van de Ven fit again too.

“Tottenham’s league campaign has been disappointing – it is winning the Europa League or bust for them – while Chelsea are still chasing the Champions League places.

“Spurs looked tired to me before the international break, so it will be interesting to see what they are like here. We know how exciting they can be on their day, it is just those days have been few and far between this season.

“Chelsea have been a bit flat as well, but maybe this is the game where both teams come to life and serve up a thriller – that is what I am hoping for anyway.”

Tottenham recent record vs Chelsea

Sutton believes that Chelsea will beat Spurs here, and his prediction is backed up by the formbook.

Indeed, Spurs have had a lot of trouble against Chelsea in recent times, particularly since Ange Postecoglou took charge.

Postecoglou famously suffered his first defeat as Spurs boss against Chelsea last season as Spurs lost 4-1 at home and went down to nine men.

Tottenham played a crazy style against Chelsea on that day.

That defeat started a real downturn in form for Spurs, and, since then, things haven’t been the same.

Postecoglou has actually lost every game he’s played vs Chelsea so far, while Spurs themselves have won just one of their last 10 meetings against the west London side.

With Tottenham at their lowest ebb in years, Chelsea will certainly fancy their chances heading into this match, and, as Sutton says, the Blues could come away from this game with all three points.

Ahead of the summer, both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur fans will be hoping that their clubs go big on new signings.

Unfortunately for Tottenham, that seems like a much more realistic proposition at Arsenal right now, who are ready to splash the cash by all reports in a few months time.

Arsenal are looking at several strikers and Mikel Arteta will also be hoping that new sporting director Andrea Berta can improve his squad in other areas too.

Arsenal are pushing to sign Martin Zubimendi – the kind of ambition a lot of Spurs fans would like to see in N17.

Tottenham recruited three first-team players in January: Antonin Kinsky, Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel, but Ange Postecoglou’s best starting XI is arguably still no stronger.

Ramon Veiga is jealous of Mikel Arteta’s backing at Arsenal

That being said, former Spurs player Ramon Vega took to X to deliver a quite damning verdict of Tottenham’s ambitions right now.

Vega was replying to Arteta’s comments on Monday when he claimed that Arsenal were going to have a ‘big transfer window’ this summer, one he was very excited about.

Arteta said: “It’s going to be a big transfer window for us, we are very excited about it.

“We need to increase the depth of the squad but, as well, you want to increase certain qualities and skills that we need to now go to the next step.”

In reply, Vega lamented the fact that Postecoglou would never be able to say something similar at one of his press conferences right now – highlighting a big difference between the two clubs.

Vega said: “It would be unbelievable if Spurs could announce a message like that from their manager.

“Unfortunately, it will never happen. This shows where the problem lies.”

Tottenham announce decrease in wage expenditure

Of course, Tottenham fans have protested about Daniel Levy and ENIC – many are unhappy and feel as if the club lacks ambition on a footballing front.

With that in mind, Spurs actually published their accounts for 2023/24 this week, revealing a 12% decrease in their wage expenditure.

Tottenham want to sign a striker this summer according to reports, but it must be considered that a fair bit of the club’s budget would be taken up by securing permanent deals for Danso and Tel.

Spurs believe that Tel will come good despite an indifferent start in north London.

And on Danso’s part, he’s already proven that he is capable of backing up Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, a profile that Postecoglou has lacked for some time.

Tottenham Hotspur have been told that there is a top young manager who they could appoint in the summer which could be very similar to Mauricio Pocheettino.

Pochettino is not keen to leave the USA job at this stage, therefore, Spurs will need to find someone else who can replicate the job he did in North London.

Tottenham Hotspur are drawing up a shortlist of replacements for Ange Postecoglou should they decide to sack him in the summer.

Tottenham told Andoni Iraola could be the next Mauricio Pochettino

Jack Pitt-Brooke has revealed how Andoni Iraola is seen as the next big up-and-coming manager in football and how he is similar to Mauricio Pochettino.

Irola is a contender for the Tottenham job with Ange Postecoglou’s future at Spurs being brought into question.

Tottenham appointed Pochettino in 2014 as a young, hungry manager who had done well in Spain before coming to England and impressing on the South Coast, which is the same path Iraola is currently taking.

Pitt-Brooke told The Athletic FC Podcast: “There just seems to be a consensus in football that he is the next he is the next new, exciting young manager.

“I think he is at that sweet spot where he’s only 42, so he’s young enough to be original, brave and really convinced about the strength of his ideas, but he’s also experienced enough that his ideas have been tested.

“He did really well in Spain at Rayo Vallecano and then he’s come over to Bournemouth and done well, so from a Tottenham point of view, if you’re thinking who reminds us most of Mauricio Pochettino in 2014, then Iraola is the obvious choice.”

Will Tottenham be able to get Andoni Iraola out of Tottenham

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Phil Hay has questioned whether Irola would actually want to leave Bournemouth for Tottenham, considering the struggles Ange Postecoglou is currently facing.

The Spanish coach will want assurances that the Spurs project is right for him and that the North London club will change their transfer policy to help him succeed.

Hay added: “I reckon the consideration for him less about leaving Bournemouth and more about what he’s going, the credibility of the club in question and the creditability of the project because he strikes me 100 percent as a project manager.

“I suppose the support he gets in a different job facilities the targets that are set for him and that leads me to think that whilst Tottenham are appealing, they would have to work hard to convince him 100 percent, I think, because the job is slowly eating Postecoglou.

“Tottenham just don’t push the boat out when it comes to recruitment or a budget which allows them to compete right at the very top and as much as Iraola has shown himself to be very good at finding gains in players, the question in his head will surely be is Tottenham’s attitude the transfer market going to change with him in charge.”

It is safe to say Richarlison has struggled at Tottenham.

Spurs paid £60m to sign the Brazilian from Everton back in July 2022 after his impressive stint at Everton – where he scored 53 goals in 152 appearances and also became the outright No.9 for Brazil.

However, the South American has failed to make a similar impact in north London, netting just 18 goals in 80 games for Tottenham – while also missing 58 games through injury.

However, Richarlison could soon receive a lifeline in his Tottenham career – amid rumours Spurs are considering Marco Silva as a replacement for Ange Postecoglou.

Marco Silva could ignite Richarlison at Tottenham

TBR Football understand Silva is under consideration at Spurs amid doubts over the future of Postecoglou – following a dismal campaign which has Tottenham sat 14th in the Premier League at the time of writing.

Interestingly, it was the Portuguese tactician who signed Richarlison for Everton – having also worked with him at Watford – and proceeded to coach some very impressive performances out of the Brazil international.

The man from Nova Venecia scored 26 goals in 82 appearances under Silva – more than he has netted under any other manager throughout his career – while also providing seven assists, form which later tempted Tottenham into spending £60m on his signature.

Of course, Tottenham is an entirely different landscape than Watford or Everton, with loftier ambitions.

However, the mere presence of a familiar face in Silva – who has got more out of Richarlison than any other manager since the forward turned professional – would suggest this appointment has as good a chance of revitalising the Brazilian than any other.

What Richarlison has said about Marco Silva – and vice versa

Richarlison has already admitted that he sees Silva – who Mikel Arteta admires – as an influential figure.

After sealing his move to Everton, the 27-year-old said: “I think it is going to be important for me here to be with Marco Silva again… I’ve known the manager for a while obviously, so I know how he works. I developed really well with him while he was with me at Watford. It was really good working with him.”

The feeling is mutual, with the 47-year-old previously adding: “He’s a talent, it’s easy for you to understand that, but he’s not only a talent. He’s a player who comes every day to work hard, to learn as well.”

Could the pair reunite at Tottenham this summer? Only time will tell.

Tottenham Hotspur have endured a terrible season so far.

Indeed, Spurs sit 14th in the Premier League table, and unless there’s a huge change in fortunes in the coming weeks, Tottenham will finish in the bottom-half of the Premier League table.

Of course, with that bring some level of pressure for the manager.

Ange Postecoglou is under pressure at the moment, and Spurs are already eyeing up replacements.

Andoni Iraola has been linked to Tottenham, and Spurs could be considering a change in the dugout.

In fact, according to Jack Pitt-Brooke, speaking on The View From The Lane, a managerial change is actually likely this summer.

Ange Postecoglou likely to leave Tottenham

Pitt-Brooke shared what he knows about Postecoglou and how safe the Australian’s job is.

According to the reporter, it’s more likely than not that a change will be made in the summer at Spurs.

“Our information is Postecoglou’s position as manager is in real doubt, I think. But I think that it’s probably, to me it feels likelier rather than not, that they will make a change this summer.

“Of course, I don’t think anything’s been, you know, formally, officially decided yet. There’s still nine league games left this season. Of course, there is also still the Europa League.

“Certainly, the noise from Tottenham is that everyone’s very much focused on, on a successful as possible conclusion to this season. But it does feel to me as if a change is likely. And while I think Iraola is the leading candidate, I don’t think there’s any, there’s any certainty that he would necessarily get the job.

“We don’t know what he wants, which of course is important to this. We also mentioned the piece that Marco Silva of Fulham and Thomas Frank of Brentford are also names under consideration. Which means that we’re heading into, it looks like we’re probably going to head into another one of those summers, a bit like the summer of 2023 or the summer of 2021, where everything is up for grabs really, and we know what these summers are like”

Ange Postecoglou compared to his potential replacements

Tottenham are likely to replace Postecoglou this summer, and, to be honest, it’s hard to blame Daniel Levy if he does make this decision.

Spurs fans have protested against Levy recently, but there wouldn’t be many Tottenham fans lining the streets to argue against the decision to sack Postecoglou.

Just compare Postecoglou’s stats this season to his potential replacements, and you can see exactly why Spurs may be keen to make a change.

A Europa League win could change Tottenham’s mind, but Manchester United made this mistake last year when they kept Erik ten Hag on after winning the FA Cup only to sack him a few months later.

As Pitt-Brooke says, it may just be a matter of time before Tottenham sack Postecoglou and get a new gaffer through the door.

Ange Postecoglou has been assessing Tottenham Hotspur’s tricky season and what he would have done differently now looking back.

Postecoglou is facing no immediate danger of being sacked by Tottenham, although the Europa League looks to be his final chance to prove he is still the right man for the job.

The North London club are currently sitting in 14th in the Premier League which has led to serious question marks over the manager’s future.

However, the Australian coach remains in charge for now and has been talking about the biggest mistake he has made this campaign.

Ange Postecoglou on his big mistake at Tottenham this season

Ange Postecoglou claims that his biggest mistake at Tottenham Hotspur this term was attacking the early part of the campaign with too much force.

The 59-year-old admitted that he underestimated the challenges of being back in Europe and believes he should have taken a more cautious approach with managing his squad.

In Spurs’ last match, Postecoglou was arguably too cautious against Fulham when he left Micky van de Ven on the bench and took off Cristian Romero just after the hour mark.

The multiplying effect of so many matches and losing players to injury has left the Lilywhites ‘chasing their tail’ this season and the team have struggled to find stability, Postecoglou admitted.

When asked to look back at what he might have done differently this season, Postecoglou told Optus Sport: “I guess the dominio effect of certain things happening. You try and assess things as you go along but my inclination is we probably got the start of the year wrong.

“It’s becoming increasingly challenging for footballers these days they don’t get a traditional break, I just think we went into the start of the season really hard and probably underestimated the challenges of Euorpe this year with your two extra games and having a big cup run.

“Then you add into the mix that we lost some key players earlier on and it feels like we’ve been chasing our tail ever since and we haven’t been able to get some steady ground. A lot of that goes back to the start of the year, maybe we would have taken a different approach knowing the season we had ahead.”

Can Ange Postecoglou save his job at Tottenham?

TBR Football reported last month that Levy had informed Postecoglou that at minimum, he would be required to qualify for Europe and winning the Europa League appears to be his only hope.

Postecoglou’s team face a tricky quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt this month, with the German club currently third in the Bundesliga.

Spurs would need to show significant signs of improvement to stand any chance of defeating Dino Toppmoller’s side who have been impressing over recent weeks.

Tottenham Hotspur are keen on Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi as a possible contender to replace Ange Postecoglou and their hopes of landing him have been assessed.

Tottenham are believed to have added Inzgahi to their shortlist of names to potentially replace Postecoglou should they decide to sack him.

The Italian joins Spurs’ list which currently includes Thomas Frank and Andoni Iraola, along with Fulham boss Marco Silva.

Postecoglou remains safe at Tottenham for now, however, should results continue to get worse in North London, then Daniel Levy could well take action.

Tottenham’s chances of getting Simone Inzaghi rated

Fabrizio Romano has told Tottenham Hotspur that their hopes of landing Simone Inzaghi in the summer are looking increasingly slim.

The Lilywhites admire the work Inzaghi, who Thierry Henry has called ‘outstanding’, has done with Inter and have added him to their list of replacements for Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs are expected to face an uphill battle to snatch him away from Inter Milan should they decide he is the man they want as their next manager.

Inzaghi remains fully focused on his project at the San Siro with Inter, especially so with his team still in strong contention for the Serie A title, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.

What are Tottenham saying about sacking Ange Postecoglou?

Tottenham insist that they have not yet made a decision on whether to sack Postecoglou and that his future depends on the team’s progression in the Europa League.

The North London club face a tricky quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt this month, with the German club currently third in the Bundesliga.

TBR Football revealed last month that Levy had informed Postecoglou that at minimum, he would be required to qualify for Europe and winning the Europa League appears to be his only hope.

Spurs are currently sitting 15th in the Premier League and finishing in a European spot now looks to have gone.