TBR Football

Southampton have hardly troubled anyone in the Premier League this season.

The Saints currently sit rock bottom of the Premier League with only nine points from 29 games – winning just twice.

Southampton are even on track to beat Derby’s record as the worst Premier League side in history, with the Rams team of 2007/08 mustering just 11 points.

Despite their struggles on the pitch, Southampton have still found a way to frustrate Tottenham and other sides after a decision was made over Tyler Dibling.

Tottenham and others left frustrated as Southampton put £100m price tag on Tyler Dibling

The Telegraph now report that Southampton’s lofty valuation of the England U21 international is frustrating the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City, as well as other unnamed Premier League clubs.

In fact, it is said the Saints actually want just over £100m for Dibling – using the £100m fee Manchester City spent on Jack Grealish as a reference point.

Tottenham are said to have made the 19-year-old a priority target this summer and enquired about the winger during the winter transfer window, while Manchester United, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig have all scouted the teenager this season.

Dibling – who Theo Walcott likened to Gareth Bale – has scored four goals and provided two assists in 30 appearances across all competitions so far this season.

What Tottenham think about Tyler Dibling deal

TBR Football understand Tottenham feel they are favourites to sign Dibling this summer.

Sources state that the Southampton No.33 is eager to join Spurs – who have placed a real emphasis on signing top young talent in recent times, such as Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

Dibling is also understood to have no intention of signing a new contract at Southampton, with his current terms expiring in July 2026.

Therefore, the Saints might need to adjust that £100m asking price this summer if no bids arrive, or else they risk losing the Exeter-born wonderkid for nothing in 2026.

After the tumultuous season they have endured, Tottenham Hotspur almost cannot afford to make mistakes in the summer transfer window.

Injuries piling up and Ange Postecoglou’s tactics might be cited as reasons behind Spurs’ woes but so can their improper squad-building over the past few years.

Tottenham are ready to sell Yves Bissouma, a player they signed as recently as in 2022 which sums up why the roster at Postecoglou’s disposal might not have been fit for purpose.

Radu Dragusin has been recommended to leave Tottenham and his disappointing displays this season have summed up why the Lilywhites should have always steered clear of signing a centre-back who clearly does not fit their system.

On Monday, TBR Football revealed that Tottenham are interested in signing Noni Madueke — another potential move that looks questionable to say the least.

Tottenham should steer clear of Noni Madueke move

Madueke has impressed in flashes and there is no denying that Chelsea have a player in the former Tottenham academy graduate.

But Chelsea have been happy to move Madueke on as far back as in September.

The Blues’ reasons for doing so are understandable as the England international is far too inconsistent — with his primary flaws being poor decision-making in the final third, unreliability in terms of his production and being overtly direct.

In the Premier League this season, Madueke has just seven goals and three assists — a tally that should discourage Tottenham as Brennan Johnson — a right-winger who is already struggling in North London has nine goals and two assists.

While John Terry pinpointed Madueke’s improvement this season and there has certainly been one from the previous campaign, he has largely failed to impress since his £30 million (BBC Sport) move in 2023. Tottenham fear Heung-min Son is over the hill and considering the 32-year-old is not getting any younger, Spurs’ priority should be to try and sign an heir to him — even if that is on the opposite flank to shoulder the burden of producing consistent goals and assists.

Madueke is just 23 and perhaps one day, he could become a top player but Tottenham should avoid taking uncalculated gambles that could further sink their project under Ange Postecoglou.

Better wingers Spurs can actually sign over Noni Madueke

The Barnet-born wideman started the season on fire but his dip in form is indicative of the fact that he is yet to become the potential superstar Chelsea would have hoped he would morph into.

Besides, Tottenham are already targeting a few wingers who can be classed as better players than Madueke.

One of them is Tyler Dibling, who is keen to join Tottenham. Another name that springs to mind is Bryan Mbeumo, who Ange Postecoglou loves and would like to see donning a Spurs shirt.

Leroy Sane is on Tottenham’s radar as well and it is believed that the Bayern Munich speedster has not ruled out any options as he could leave Germany this summer. Eberechi Eze is a Tottenham target as well and while he is not a traditional winger, he has often impressed as a wide playmaker — making it four wingers who can be classed as superior players to Madueke.

Johan Lange should bide his time in deciding the wide forward he wishes to sign as a cracker of a signing in such a position could transform this Tottenham side.

Croatia’s manager, Zlatko Dalic, has just made an exciting claim about the future of Tottenham Hotspur defender Luka Vuskovic.

Vuskovic continues to impress as the defender netted his eighth goal of the season with his first for Croatia’s U23 as he scored against Thailand U23.

Next summer is when Vuskovic will finally join Tottenham, which will be two years on from when they paid £12 million to sign him at the age of just 16.

Now, Croatia’s manager has been discussing the youngster and has made a claim about him which proves why he is so highly rated.

Luka Vuskovic is under consideration for the next Croatian squad

Zlatko Dalic says that Luka Vuskovic is under consideration for Croatia’s next squad with the national team in need of defenders.

Following his team’s defeat to France in the Nations League, the Croatian manager was asked about how impressed he’d been by the teenager’s form and wether he could be a solution to the nation’s defensive issues.

When asked about the Tottenham defender being included in the next Croatian squad, Dalic told the media: “It’s too early, we’re still thinking by the game with France, we have three months to prepare these things.

“He’s definitely a player we’re focusing on, we played the last 15 minutes in Paris with three defenders, we have good solutions there.”

Could Luka Vuskovic be the answer to Tottenham’s Cristian Romero replacement?

TBR Football understands that Ateltico Madrid are targeting a move for Cristian Romero, and the defender is keen to play Champions League football next season.

In addition to Atletico, Real Madrid are also interested in signing Romero and the North London club look set to face a tough battle to keep him.

Romero’s departure would leave a big hole in Ange Postecoglou’s squad, which Spurs will need to fill, but the replacement could be Vuskovic.

The 18-year-old has already shown he is ready to play at the top level having been one of the best defenders in the Belgian Pro League this season.

TBR Football can exclusively reveal that Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham would make Romero their highest earner if he agreed to sign a contract extension but the World Cup winner’s future is uncertain as his current deal runs out in two years.

The worry for Spurs is that the Argentine has seemed discontent for a while, with Romero famously calling Tottenham’s ownership out for their lack of ambition in the transfer market.

Romero seemingly called out Tottenham’s medical staff as well after crediting his national team for helping him recover from a hamstring injury that kept him out for months.

Now, an update has emerged around Cristian Romero’s future amid interest from Atletico Madrid.

Cristian Romero assessing future as Atletico Madrid plot move

TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has been informed that as things stands, Romero is assessing his future and his sights are not set on signing for any club in particular.

But Atletico Madrid have entered the fray to bring the former Atalanta centre-back to the Spanish capital and are one of the many clubs keen on securing the 26-year-old’s services.

Romero eyes Champions League football at Tottenham, which looks impossible at this stage of the season and a factor that has held him back from extending his contract. But Atletico Madrid are ready to offer the Tottenham defender the chance to play in Europe’s elite competition next season.

Even Real Madrid are interested in signing Romero but he is not at the top of their shortlist as they plot a move for Dean Huijsen this summer.

For Ange Postecoglou, the prospect of losing Spurs’ vice-captain would be a devastating blow as he is one of the best players at the club and a leader in the dressing room.

What Tottenham plan to do about Cristian Romero’s future

TBR Football understands that Tottenham’s plan is to hold fresh contract talks with Romero once again.

After months of uncertainty, it now appears as if Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave Liverpool for Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer.

Liverpool supporters have been willing their homegrown star to sign a new deal at Anfield, however Alexander-Arnold now seems on the verge of a move to Spain where he’ll play alongside Jude Bellingham.

Alexander-Arnold will follow in Steve McManaman’s footsteps and perhaps the full-back should pay close attention to some of the former Liverpool’s man’s reflections on that famous move.

That being said, if the 26-year-old does leave, Richard Hughes and his team will need to find a swift replacement, even if Conor Bradley is bustling with talent on the sidelines.

And on evidence of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle United, Arne Slot needs to find a full-back who can somewhat replicate Alexander-Arnold’s creativity and passing on the right.

Bradley is an excellent full-back, but he’s not in the same mould.

Pedro Porro could be Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold fix

All that considered, perhaps Tottenham Hotspur full-back Pedro Porro could actually be a surprise solution for Liverpool.

As expected, it’s difficult to find a similar full-back profile to Alexander-Arnold in world football, he’s not a typical defender by any means.

But Porro, who arrived at Spurs for £40m back in 2023, is arguably the most creative option available to Hughes and his transfer team.

At a simplistic level, Porro is one of the only well-established full-backs around who can somewhat come near to the Liverpool man’s xG and xGA per 90.

And when diving deeper into Porro’s passing, he does come close to the progressive passing distance that Alexander-Arnold manages each game too.

Unfortunately, Porro’s attacking qualities are also accompanied by some questionable defensive decisions, but Alexander-Arnold has always been similar and Slot has built a system which covers for those weaknesses.

Three replacements for Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool

In reality, Porro would appear as an immediate downgrade on Alexander-Arnold for Liverpool, but that’s going to be the unfortunate reality of most who would come to replace the England international.

Perhaps Liverpool fans will still favour Jeremie Frimpong – a name who is often linked to the Anfield.

But the Dutchman is very different stylistically to Alexander-Arnold, meaning Slot’s plans would be heading in a different direction.

In terms of alternatives to Porro, Quentin Merlin (22) of Olympique Marseille and Anthony Caci (27) of Mainz would also be similar alternatives, albeit ones who may take longer to adapt to the Premier League.

It’s no easy situation to solve if Alexander-Arnold leaves, but Liverpool should be in a strong financial position to find the right replacement.

The Argentinian media have been reacting to Cristian Romero’s performance against Brazil following the Totteham Hotspur defender’s ‘uncharacteristic error’.

Argentina had already secured qualification to the 2026 World Cup, however, they still managed to stroll to victory in Buenos Aires by thrashing their bitter rivals 4-1.

Brazil’s goal was a consolation scored by Matheus Cunha after Cristian Romero, who has just returned from three months out, gifted the Wolves forward with a goal following a sloppy error

However, the nation’s media were left very impressed by what the Tottenham Hotspur defender did after his ‘uncharacteristic error’.

Cristian Romero’s ‘uncharacteristic error’ vs Brazil

Just when Argentina thought they were set for an easy win over Brazil, Cristian Romero was caught in possession and punished by Cunha.

The 26-year-old was far too casual with the ball as he looked to play out from the back, but he took far too long and had his pocket picked by the Brazilian striker.

Romero made a similar error against Bournemouth, which fortunately for him, went unpunished, however, this time, his mistake was capitalised upon.

Argentinian media react to Cristian Romero vs Brazil

But despite Romero’s mistake against Brazil, the Argentinian media were so impressed by how he reacted after and have been raving about his performance.

TyC Sport gave him 8/10 and wrote: “He made an uncharacteristic error that led to Cunha’s goal, but it was his only mistake. Other than that, Cuti had a superb performance.”

Meanwhile, BOLAVIP rated him 6/10: “He made a gross error that led to Matheus Cunha’s goal, but he managed to recover and win convincingly in the individual duels.”

Tottenham have had some remarkable strikers over the years.

Indeed, Dimitar Berbatov was a top class player when he was at Spurs, and while he’s had a difficult debut season, Dominic Solanke has earned praise since signing for Tottenham.

Of course though, when you think of iconic Tottenham strikers in recent years, the first player to come to mind is Harry Kane.

Kane was Tottenham’s talisman for a long time, and Kane was a world class player during his time at Spurs.

However, speaking to ESPN, one former Tottenham striker has actually claimed that he was a better forward than Harry Kane in his prime.

Jermain Defoe claims he was better than Harry Kane in his prime

Jermain Defoe was asked to compare himself to a number of top modern-day strikers.

Defoe wasn’t in the mood for being modest as he picked himself over a number of top stars.

Indeed, Defoe claimed that he was better than numerous big-name strikers, including Kane.

However, Defoe did concede that he wasn’t as good as Robert Lewandowski.

Jermain Defoe compared to Harry Kane

Defoe says that he was better than Kane in his prime, and that’s quite an audacious claim.

Indeed, Kane is one of the best strikers of all-time, and, with all due respect, Defoe has never been discussed on that sort of level.

The stats show that Kane has been on another stratosphere to Defoe throughout his career.

Kane has scored more goals at both club and international level, and when he eventually did leave Tottenham, he fetched a record fee, while, at one point, Defoe was sold to Portsmouth for just £9m.

Of course, you need to have a serious level of self-belief and self-confidence to make it at the top level, but it would appear that Defoe has backed himself a little bit too much here.

Defoe was a top striker in his day, make no mistake about it, but to suggest that he was anywhere near Kane’s level would be remiss and would be doing the current England captain a massive disservice.

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to strengthen their attack this summer.

Ange Postecoglou has several options at the top end of his pitch already, but the way many of them have performed this season proves that there is a need for reinforcements.

Son Heung-min hasn’t looked at his best this term, while Timo Werner has been really poor. Brennan Johnson has come under criticism for his performances, while Mathys Tel’s future still remains unclear. To add to that, Richarlison has barely been available this season.

Tottenham could do with a top-class attacker in the upcoming summer transfer window, and they have now been linked with a move to sign a Premier League star.

Tottenham and three other clubs interested in signing Justin Kluivert from Bournemouth

Bournemouth are having a stunning campaign in the Premier League this season.

Andoni Iraola has done a phenomenal job at the Vitality Stadium, and his side could finish in one of the European places at the end of the campaign.

One of Bournemouth’s best players this term has been Justin Kluivert.

The Netherlands international has had a fine campaign and even entered the record books by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties in the history of the Premier League.

CaughtOffside now claim that Tottenham, along with Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United, are interested in signing Kluivert this summer.

The Dutchman is open to a move away from Bournemouth if a bigger club comes calling, and he is set to be available for a fee between £41 million and £46 million.

The report claims that all the interested clubs truly believe that Kluivert ‘will make a significant contribution to their team’ if they get him in the summer.

It remains to be seen if Spurs or any other interested club will meet Bournemouth’s demands.

Justin Kluivert’s stats compared to Tottenham’s attackers in 2024/25

Kluivert is having a fine season at Bournemouth.

The former Roma man has scored 13 goals and provided seven assists for the Cherries, which is a fantastic return considering that he has played most of the campaign as a number 10.

His numbers, compared to almost every Spurs attacker, are superior.

As the table shows above, Kluivert has outscored all of Spurs’ players this season, bar Johnson, despite playing fewer games than many of them. His goal tally is even better than that of Son and Dominic Solanke.

To add to that, the Dutchman did not have Europa League games, where the level of competition is nowhere near as high as in the Premier League.

If Tottenham can get Kluivert this summer, we think he will be a hit in North London – even if he doesn’t play as regularly as he has done at Bournemouth.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies was in action for Wales on Tuesday night as they played out a 1-1 draw with North Macedonia in 2026 World Cup qualifying.

The Tottenham veteran captained his country to a fourth point from their opening two World Cup qualifiers in dramatic circumstances.

Wales and North Macedonia were goalless going into second-half injury time before a Joe Allen mistake enabled the hosts to go a goal up.

Wales sent men forward in a bid to get something from the game at the Tose Proeski Arena, and duly got their rewards.

David Brooks fired home in the sixth minute of injury time after a North Macedonia defender failed to clear Kieffer Moore’s header.

Davies, who won his 94th cap, played the full 90 minutes and received praise from the Welsh press for how he performed in Skopje.

Tottenham defender Ben Davies hailed for ‘another solid display’ for Wales

Clwb Peldroed gave Davies a 7 out of 10 for his efforts on the night, particularly praising the left-back’s desire to push forward.

They wrote: “Another solid display from the captain as looked to advance more with the ball compared to the home fixture and got the side moving in the right direction regularly.”

Wales Online also gave the Tottenham ace a 7 out of 10 as they praised him for “an understated but reasonably solid showing.”

What Ben Davies said about Wales’ draw against North Macedonia

Davies spoke to the Welsh media after the game and admitted it was a “rollercoaster” of a game complete with “crazy finish”.

The £10million man told Match of the Day Wales: “It’s a bit of a rollercoaster.

“We felt like we were the only team in that game pushing to win it through most of the game.

“It was a crazy finish. We have to be happy to take away a point but overall if you look at how the game went, we’ve got to be disappointed not to take all three.”

Davies continued: “I’m very proud of this team, it’s an honour to captain it.

“It was never in doubt that we were going to give it our all until the last minute.

“It’s the bare minimum we expect from this group that we’re going to fight for everything and everyone’s going to give their best.

“Tonight is just another example of that. There is definitely stuff to improve on but we will kick on from here.”

With Wales’ international break now over, Davies is set to return to Tottenham ahead of their return to action.

Spurs’ next game is in the Premier League as they head to Chelsea next Thursday night.

It would be fair to assume that Djed Spence harbours at least a degree of animosity towards Arsenal as a Tottenham Hotspur player.

Tottenham and Arsenal have one of the most intense rivalries across world football and naturally, the players on both sets of sides buy into the enmity between the North London clubs.

Djed Spence is perhaps no different and even in his side’s 2-1 defeat against the Gunners in December, he was arguably one of the few Spurs players who rose the occasion as he kept Raheem Sterling quiet.

However, Spence knows what comes with being a player and one of the downsides of being in the limelight is being on the receiving end of widespread criticism.

Being an active player, the Lilywhites defender was asked about how he felt about Myles Lewis-Skelly taking aim at Erling Haaland by doing his celebration after scoring in Arsenal’s 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City.

Djed Spence backs Myles Lewis-Skelly in Erling Haaland celebration drama

Lewis-Skelly’s celebration is no longer a topic of conversation but at the time, it certainly was.

So much so that Jamie Carragher felt Declan Rice was “disappointed” with Lewis-Skelly for effectively mocking Haaland.

Graeme Souness criticised Lewis-Skelly’s infamous celebration as well and urged the youngster “to wind his neck in.”

But Spence was a huge fan of the Arsenal left-back’s celebration, telling Rio Ferdinand Presents’ YouTube channel: “I loved it man, he’s a bad boy for that, you know what I mean, you know Haaland said to him, ‘Who are you?’ and he let him know who he was.”

“Why not do that? I heard comments of, you know, ‘He’s a young kid, he hasn’t won anything’ but…”

Rio Ferdinand added: “Gary Neville said it’s disrespectful, like what are you talking about?.”

Spence disagreed, defending Lewis-Skelly: “But why’s it disrespectful? It’s just part of the game. When did the game…it’s just a response, me personally, I think that’s the perfect response. So, I loved it, to be fair.”

What Myles Lewis-Skelly is like behind the scenes at Arsenal

While some would have jumped to the conclusion that the 18-year-old was getting too big for his boots, Jack Wilshere called Lewis-Skelly a “natural leader” who is completely focused on his football.

He’s [Lewis-Skelly] the type of person who wants to be in a team, wants to lead, and he has an incredible family around him. That’s important as well, he’d be able to handle that.”

“In the world we live in now, with social media and all these other distractions for players, it’s harder. Some players get distracted, but Ethan and Myles were never like that.”