TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur have had their fair share of legends and cult heroes over the decades.

From the icons of yesteryear like Jimmy Greaves to contemporary stars like Robbie Keane, plenty of players have enthralled Spurs fans for generations.

Gareth Bale is one such icon, joining Tottenham as a talented prospect and leaving as the world’s most expensive player at the time.

Bale has played with some great talents over his career, including a fair few at Spurs.

Indeed, one defender who was at N17 at the same time as Bale was once described by the Welshman as the best centre-back he had ever seen.

Gareth Bale hails Tottenham icon Ledley King

The player in question is Ledley King, who played for Tottenham between 1999 and 2012.

In March 2021, Bale took part in a Q&A on Twitch where he gave his all-time five-a-side team composed of Spurs players.

King made the cut alongside Hugo Lloris, Tanguy Ndombele, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

“I’d go Hugo in goal just because he’s the best I’ve seen in a Tottenham shirt because I’m 31 (at the time it went out) and I’m not that old,” he explained, as per football.london.

“I would go Ledley King at the back just because he’s the king and he was the best centre-back I’ve ever seen.

“If it wasn’t for injuries he would have been the best in the world no doubt.”

Bale continued: “I would go upfront Harry for the amount of goals he’s scored and he’s an amazing player. Then I’d go me and Sonny beside him.”

When he was asked why he didn’t select Ndombele or Mousa Dembele in the middle of the park, he said: “I’ve only got five and I feel loyal to Sonny and H. I’ve got to see them tomorrow.

“Actually I’d take myself out and put Tanguy in. I’ll be manager.”

Ledley King’s Tottenham career

King was born in Bow in 1980 and played for Senrab FC – the team which also produced the likes of Jermain Defoe, John Terry and Ezri Konsa – as a youngster.

The defender joined Tottenham as a trainee in July 1996 and progressed through the youth system before making his first-team debut in May 1999.

King made 323 competitive appearances for Spurs, registering 14 goals and eight goals, and he lifted the 2008 League Cup, the last major trophy won by the Lilywhites.

Harry Redknapp was recently asked to build a combined XI of his former players and today’s current crop of Spurs stars, and was asked to pick between King and Micky van de Ven.

Having trained and played with several top players at Tottenham Hotspur, Djed Spence must need no reminding of the quality they possess.

Tottenham have had a disappointing season but that does not take away from how good some of the personnel is at their disposal.

Ledley King has called Spence “fantastic” and his form is an insight into the fact that Spurs’ struggles are multi-factorial.

Djed Spence perhaps knows better than most than football has his twists and turns and an underwhelming spell cannot define a player’s career.

Stalwarts like Heung-min Son and James Maddison serve as perfect examples as they have not had their finest seasons but it would be disingenuous to deny that they remain assets to this Tottenham side.

Djed Spence calls James Maddison one of the Premier League’s best

Spence would especially look up to Maddison, given the fact that he is also English and rose up from the lower leagues to become a star in the Premier League.

Maddison has lauded Spence’s displays at Tottenham himself as the 24-year-old has turned his career around.

But the former Leicester City maverick has come under fire this campaign, with Emmanuel Petit accusing Maddison of not stepping up.

However, Spence said on Rio Ferdinand Presents that in his eyes, Maddison is undeniably one of the best players in the Premier League: “He’a a top player, man. For me, he’s one of the best in the Premier League. You can’t discredit him.”

“I feel like when he’s in the team, he’s just someone we can look to and he can make the difference so I feel he’s a pivotal part of the team, Madders.”

How Maddison has helped Djed Spence behind the scenes

Maddison would be delighted by Spence’s praise towards him as appreciation from a fellow teammate must feel particularly special for players.

Ange Postecoglou revealed Maddison has worked hard in training and his work ethic led to an early return from injury as he started against Manchester United and scored the one and only goal in the Lilywhites’ 1-0 win.

Spence also told Rio Ferdinand on his podcast that the £40 million (BBC Sport) man is the one player at Tottenham who he always goes to for advice.

“To be fair, I would say Madders, to be fair. Yeah, he always gives me a little pep talk sometimes. Not a pep talk but…he’s there for me, makes sure I’m ready before games.”

“To be fair, even after games, he’ll text me, if he’s not been in the squad through injury, he’ll text me and be like, ‘Yeah, Djed, you know what to do today’ or he wants to see this from me so yeah, I think Madders supports me a lot to be fair.”

Tottenham Hotspur need to turn some heads in the summer transfer window after what has been a very disappointing season.

Indeed, Spurs have been terrible this term. Tottenham sit 15th in the Premier League table and Ange Postecoglou is under some serious pressure.

Spurs need to make a statement in the summer and showcase their intent to get back to challenging at the top level.

Fans have protested against Daniel Levy, and the chairman needs to spend some serious cash this summer to improve the squad.

The north London club have been linked with some exciting signings this summer.

Indeed, Marc Guehi has been linked to Spurs, while Johnny Cardoso could join Tottenham at the end of the season.

Speaking on TalkSPORT, Troy Deeney has been discussing Jack Grealish’s future, and he thinks the £100m man could end up at Spurs this summer.

Troy Deeney backs Jack Grealish to join Tottenham

Deeney spoke about Grealish and his struggles at City this year.

The pundit says that the England international has been left out in the cold by Pep Guardiola, and that he should move on.

Deeney then tipped Grealish to join Tottenham.

Grealish has been linked to Tottenham recently, so this move could well be possible.

“I think Pep Guardiola’s one of the best coaches we’ve ever seen. I don’t think he’s handled the Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne situation very well this year, at all. I think he’s kind of just left them in the cold,” Deeney said.

“He will have to leave and I think he won’t be short of suitors. But I think now it’s a massive situation for him to find that right situation. He may have to lower his expectations in terms of wages and where he’s playing, but you could definitely see him going somewhere like Spurs, playing week in week out.”

Tottenham could’ve signed Jack Grealish for £8m

Tottenham could be a potential destination for Grealish this summer, but if things turned out slightly differently, Grealish would’ve been a Spurs player a long time ago.

Indeed, Tottenham tried to sign Jack Grealish years ago when he was at Aston Villa.

Steve Bruce shared the story of how Spurs tried to sign Grealish for just £8m.

“One of the best things I did in management was not sell him to Tottenham for £8 million,” Bruce said

“Daniel Levy badgered me every day on holiday to sell him when Aston Villa weren’t the best in finances.”

“I was the only one left, if you remember when Keith Wyness unfortunately left and the club was in a bit of chaos until the new people came in,” he said.

“But I think Mr Levy in his own great way was trying to get a bargain and we did all we could to not sell him to Tottenham for £8 million.”

Bruce added: “I think he accepted it and then the new people came in and the first thing they did was offer Jack a new contract, which he thoroughly deserved.

“The rest is history from then. Also, I have to say he was a huge Aston Villa fan and enjoyed playing for the club and enjoyed being the star man, which he undoubtedly was.”

Grealish would go on to become the most expensive English player in history after his £100m move to City.

Unfortunately though, Grealish has slipped down the pecking order at the Etihad, and a move away could be what’s needed in order to reignite his career.

Tottenham Hotspur came ‘so close’ to pulling off one the most dramatic transfers in 2002 as they just missed out on the signature of one of Brazil’s World Cup winners.

In 2002, one of the greatest ever Brazilian teams won the World Cup in South Korea and Japan as Luiz Felipe Scolari’s star-studded side won the nation’s fifth title.

This Brazilian team was stacked in each department with some of the game’s finest players, one of whom nearly moved to North London just after the triumph.

It would have been one of Tottenham’s most audacious coups had Daniel Levy been able to pull off a deal, however, this Brazilian superstar ended up moving to Italian giants AC Milan.

Tottenham were ‘so close’ to signing Rivaldo

BBC Sport reported back in August 2002 that Rivaldo almost joined Tottenham Hotspur from FC Barcelona, only for the then 30-year-old to instead opt for a move to Milan.

Just one year into his tenure as chairman, Daniel Levy flew to Spain to convince Rivaldo that his future should be in the Premier League with Tottenham.

It would have been one of the most sensational transfers in the league’s history, with the forward having just been a key member of Brazil’s World Cup-winning team.

Rivaldo scored in each of Selecao’s first five matches up until the semi-finals as he finished joint-second top scorer behind his teammate, Ronaldo.

Speaking after a pre-season friendly in the summer of 2002, Spurs’ manager Glenn Hoddle revealed: “We came so close to getting Rivaldo and I thought it was a touch of class for him to send us a terrific letter explaining his decision. I’ve never had that before when I’ve just missed out on a player.

“We were pipped to the post but it shows we’re going in the right direction. It’s ‘have a go at Tottenham’ time but we’re not the only club not signing players.”

What Rivaldo said about nearly signing for Tottenham

Rivaldo admitted that he was ‘very excited’ about the possibility of playing for Tottenham and thanked the North London club for their efforts in trying to sign him.

Rivaldo said: “I was very excited about the possibility of playing for Spurs and in England. I would like to thank the club for their efforts in trying to sign me.”

The forward’s contract had just expired with Barcelona and he signed for Milan on a free transfer.

Djed Spence has opened the lid on what Ange Postecoglou asks of his players at Tottenham Hostpur and what he really thinks about the Australian’s tactics.

Ange Postecoglou is currently under pressure at Tottenham given the team’s woeful form, which has seen them lose 15 matches this season, which has them sitting 14th in the Premier League.

It’s well documented how attacking and set in his ways Postecoglou is as a manager, but Spence has now provided his perspective on the 59-year-old’s methods as a coach.

Djed Spence loves playing Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham system

Djed Spence claims that he finds Ange Postecoglou’s system ‘fun’ to play at Tottenham Hotspur, and his teammates also enjoy playing his attacking brand of football.

As a full-back, the former Nottingham Forest defender is given plenty of freedom to attack and venture into the middle of the pitch, where he can get stuck into the action.

Spence told Rio Ferdinand Presents: “He’s a manager, so we’ve got to buy into it, but I think the players enjoy it. It’s a fun way of playing, it’s attacking.

“Me as a full-back, I get to go forward a lot, I get to be inside the middle of the park where all the commotion is. I enjoy it, to be fair.”

Meanwhile, Spence also spoke about his poor relationship with Antonio Conte and how the Italian never really gave him a fair chance in North London.

Djed Spence on the freedom Ange Postecoglou gives his Tottenham players

When asked about the freedom Postecoglou allows his players, Spence added: “We have a system, but I feel like we’ve got players who can have a bit of freedom, we’ve got quality players like Madders – he plays the system but he’s got his own quality to produce a bit of magic.”

“He does say, ‘you can’t do x,y,z’, we obviously play our way, but if you can do a bit of magic, you can do a bit of magic.”

The 24-year-old was asked about Postecoglou’s in-game management, and he suggested that the manager insists the players should continue playing his way no matter how the game is going.

“To be fair to the manager, we will never get in trouble for playing his way, even if we’re under pressure. If we play his way, he takes it on himself – that’s the way I want my players to play,” he added.

Djed Spence has enjoyed a breakout season at Tottenham this year.

A difficult campaign in terms of results and injuries led Ange Postecoglou to throw the England U21 international into his backline, where he has truly shone.

Ledley King has praised Spence – along with the likes of Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer – calling the defender “fantastic” in a campaign where he has really stepped up for Tottenham.

The Spurs No.24 has impressed both defensively and going forwards, shackling Mohamed Salah as Tottenham beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, while registering four goal involvements in his 24 appearances.

Confidence seems to be high for Djed Spence – as the Londoner even laughed at the suggestion of Gabriel Martinelli troubling him when speaking to Rio Ferdinand on Five.

Djed Spence laughs off Gabriel Martinelli question

When the 24-year-old was asked if there are any attackers who worry him, he confidently replied: “A 1v1 battle? Nah, I don’t think there’s many out there.”

Joel Beya, co-host of Ferdinand’s Five podcast on YouTube, then asked: “What about my boy? Martinelli?”

Spence did not even justify that question with any words in response, instead bursting into laughter.

It was a quite brutal way of saying the Brazil international causes him no concern whatsoever, without even uttering a word.

Conversely, Gabriel Martinelli rates Djed Spence highly

Interestingly, Martinelli actually chose Spence as his toughest opponent when asked the question by The Athletic back in February 2022.

The South American said: “Actually, the guy from Nottingham Forest, Djed Spence, who I played against in the FA Cup. He is very strong, good on the ball, calm and quick. I was surprised – he is a really good player.”

At that point, Spence had only ever played Championship football, and was yet to make his Premier League debut, so it could be argued that the Tottenham star is a much better footballer nowadays than the one Martinelli struggled against.

Perhaps one of the biggest attractions for Djed Spence about signing for Tottenham Hotspur would have been working with Heung-min Son.

Son is a Premier League legend and for years, he has been one of the best wingers in the world — making him a player that anyone would love to play alongside.

Being a natural right-back as well, Djed Spence would have had a chance to improve his defensive ability by training alongside the South Korean, who has always had pace to burn and quick feet. David Seaman has highlighted Spence’s improvement at Tottenham and this season, he has been one of Tottenham’s best players.

Son admitted to being in excellent shape and as a result, he is likely to help in the Englishman’s development even more by testing him in training.

Having worked with the former Schalke winger for years now at Tottenham, Spence was quizzed about what he is like behind the scenes.

Djed Spence says Heung-min Son works so hard in Tottenham training

Spence knows the kind of player, character and leader Heung-min Son is at Spurs inside and out at this point.

Tottenham midfielder Archie Gray lauded Son for his helpful presence behind the scenes and revealed that he is “one of the nicest guys around.”

For the English duo who still have plenty to prove, the Lilywhites hero must be a role-model.

Spence has now revealed that Son leads by example at Tottenham, especially with how hard he trains on Rio Ferdinand Presents: “I mean, depends on what you want from your captain, like you say, he’s not your typical…shouting and stuff and digging people out. I feel like, he’s more like, lead by example, you know.”

“In early every day, does the right things and just sets the example on the pitch, trains hard every day and when it comes to matchday, he gives his best so I think just numbers speak for themselves and in that regard, shows the example like that.”

What Heung-min Son has said about Djed Spence

The fact that Son is Tottenham’s second-highest goalscorer and yet, he pushes himself in training on a daily basis must inspire Spence and the rest of the Tottenham squad.

Son pledged to take more responsibility at Tottenham amidst their struggles earlier this season and he certainly seems to do working his socks off behind closed doors.

What must motivate Son as well is witnessing Spence’s rise this campaign, who he lauded after the North Londoners beat Southampton 5-0 in December.

Tottenham have had their fair share of transfer near misses over the years.

Indeed, Tottenham could’ve signed Eden Hazard at one point under Harry Redknapp, while Bruno Fernandes almost signed for Tottenham before joining Manchester United.

Meanwhile, back in the mid-2010s, Spurs nearly signed a bright young talent from Liverpool.

Speaking on Filthy Fellas, Jordon Ibe has been discussing his career to date, and he says that before his £15m move to Bournemouth from Liverpool, Tottenham came in for him for £9m.

Ibe says he was angry that he didn’t get the chance to join Tottenham, claiming that he would have wanted to sign for Mauricio Pochettino’s team at the time as they were Premier League contenders.

Jordon Ibe could have joined Tottenham

Ibe spoke about Spurs making a move for him when he was at Liverpool.

Ibe says he found out that Spurs made a bid for him and that he was angry that a move didn’t pan out as he was excited by the idea of joining Tottenham as they were on an upward trajectory at that point.

“The thing is like, even Spurs came in for me, which I found out for like nine million. I was vexed. Because obviously, you know it was like a Premier League contender. At the time, it was that Poch team,” Ibe said.

Jordon Ibe stats for Bournemouth

Ibe was frustrated to miss out on a move to Tottenham, but it’s fair to say that Spurs didn’t miss out too much here.

Indeed, while Ibe was seen as a top prospect at Liverpool, but he never quite reached that potential, as his stats for Bournemouth show.

Some claim that Ibe didn’t work hard enough to fulfil his potential.

Of course, things could have been different under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino, but let’s not forget, Ibe was working with Eddie Howe at Bournemouth at this time.

Howe himself is a top manager in his own right, as he’s showing at Newcastle, and if he couldn’t get the best out of Ibe, then perhaps Pochettino wouldn’t have been successful either.

Of course, the entire trajectory of your career can change off the back of one move, and perhaps Ibe would have had a brighter career in football if he’d joined Tottenham instead of Bournemouth.

TBR Football can exclusively reveal that Juventus have their sights set on potentially appointing Fulham boss Marco Silva to replace Thiago Motta.

Tottenham admire Marco Silva as well as one of the managers who could replace Ange Postecoglou if they decide to part ways with the Australian tactician at the end of the season.

Fulham were confident of keeping Silva purely down to the fact that his costly £8 million release clause would be an obstacle for any club in their pursuit to hire him.

But there seems to be a twist in the tale as Marco Silva attracts interest from both Tottenham and Juventus.

Juventus’ advantage over Tottenham in Marco Silva pursuit

Sources have now told Graeme Bailey — TBR Football’s chief correspondent that as Juventus look to make a move for Marco Silva, the advantage that the Italian giants have is that his release clause is less than £2 million for teams outside the Premier League.

While in the summer, Silva’s release clause drops down to £6 million.

TBR Football understands that while Marco Silva is one of the leading candidates for Tottenham in case Ange Postecoglou departs at the end of the season, his release clause has remained an issue for them.

Current Juventus manager Igor Tudor could be handed the job on a permanent basis as well but chief Cristiano Guintoli is looking at other coaches and the Portuguese manager is one who appeals to him. Jamie Carragher described Marco Silva as a “proper coach” and he has proven that at Fulham this season, who are flying high in eighth place in the league this season.

Juventus’ Marco Silva plan B is good news for Fulham and Tottenham

For both Fulham and Tottenham, the hope would be that Juventus turn their attention to bringing in another manager instead of Marco Silva.

The former Everton boss is an expert tactician and especially at Craven Cottage, he has worked wonders.

TBR Football have been informed that Roberto De Zerbi is another name on Juventus’ managerial shortlist.

Since leaving Brighton, De Zerbi has done a fine job at Marseille and he is also being considered for a role in Turin.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence was actually a fairly high-profile omission from Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad given his recent form at club level.

Ange Postecoglou had previously been reluctant to turn to Spence but Tottenham’s injury crisis handed the 24-year-old an opportunity, one he’s taken with both hands.

Spence has predominantly thrived as a left-back for Spurs this season, even if it’s Spain international Pedro Porro who he’s been keeping out of the starting XI on the right most recently.

Surprisingly, Ledley King thinks Spence could even play as an attacker – an experiment that Postecoglou seems unlikely to explore just yet.

But the full-back has certainly done enough to at least catch the attention of England’s selectors with his performances in defence – he was unlucky to be overlooked for games against Albania and Latvia.

Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer deliver their Djed Spence verdict

That being said, both Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer delivered their verdict on Spence playing for England on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast.

And whilst the duo had been impressed by the Tottenham defender, they recognised all the competition that currently exists in the England set up.

Lineker begun: “He’s doing really well. I think he’s got to do it probably for a longer period of time before he breaks into the squad.

“And we’ve suddenly had an emergence of strongly, I suppose, decent full-backs now at present.

“Even on the left now, you’ve got, obviously, Lewis-Skelly and Lewis Hall at Newcastle would probably get an opportunity at some point – he’s been brilliant for you a lot, Alan, hasn’t he?”

Shearer replied: “I agree. I think it’s really, really unfortunate that we’re really, really strong in those positions. I mean, Kyle Walker came on.

“You’ve got Reece James, you’ve got Trent and as you said, two really good left backs now, so I think we’re all okay in that position.

“But he’s having a good season, you know? And I think it’s right that he actually gets to mention.

“But whether he would get in ahead of those that we mentioned, I’m not sure. Not yet, anyway.

Lineker: “No, but he’s making progress. And he’s started to become a regular in the Tottenham side and that’s the start, and you see where he goes from there.”

What is Djed Spence’s strongest position?

Whether he’s playing for England or not, Postecoglou will need to determine how best to use Spence moving forward.

Destiny Udogie is now back fit and Porro is also available – a duo who were regarded as Tottenham’s strongest.

To take a simplistic view at Spurs’ results when Spence starts on either the left or right of Postecoglou’s defence this season, the side’s win-rate is actually the same.

And it will be interesting to see how Tottenham line up for their crucial Europa League ties against Eintracht Frankfurt next month.