TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur have had some wicked players down the years, and Wayne Rooney reckons one of their top players was actually superior to this year’s Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembele.

Tottenham attempted to sign Dembele in 2022, before he ultimately made the switch from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.

The winger’s performances for PSG in Ligue 1 and the Champions League helped him to clinch the prestigious award.

Wayne Rooney has now been asked to compare the Frenchman to one of Tottenham Hotspur’s greatest ever players, and he’s made his pick.

Wayne Rooney picks Gareth Bale over Ousmane Dembele

Rooney has picked a prime Gareth Bale over the latest Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembele.

The 28-year-old managed an impressive 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 appearances last term, which actually trumps the Welshman’s most productive campaign.

But of course, in terms of a career as a whole, Bale’s goal, assist, and trophy hauls are far greater than Dembele’s.

When asked to pick between the two, Rooney told Prime Video Sport: “Tough one, I think just because of his record and the trophies he won, I would say Gareth Bale.”

Bale won five Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, three European Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cup titles across his career.

The 36-year-old also managed a staggering 185 goals and 133 assists in 554 matches during his time playing for four different clubs.

Gareth Bale admits to being a ‘big Tottenham fan’

Bale has recently admitted to being a ‘big Tottenham fan’ when discussing the Europa League final triumph back in May.

The former Tottenham star was asked about being on punditry duty with Rio Ferdinand, and he revealed he loved poking fun at him for beating Man United.

Bale told Shoot for Love: “It was great because he (Ferdinand) is obviously a massive Man United fan and I’m not. I’m a big Tottenham fan.

“It wasn’t the best final, but finals are never normally that good. The most important thing in a final is you win, it doesn’t matter how you win, as long as you win, nobody remembers.”

Luca Williams-Barnett created a special piece of history for Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday as he became the 900th player to appear for the club.

The 16-year-old came off the bench against the League One side to replace Mathys Tel and was given his first eight minutes of senior action.

Williams-Barnett has earned his senior debut for Tottenham, having been very impressive for the club’s Under-21s side since being promoted from the Under-18s.

After coming off the bench to make his debut, old footage has now resurfaced from when he was given the chance to interview Lucas Moura.

Lucas Moura’s advice for Luca Williams-Barnett in 2019

Footage from the end of 2019 has re-emerged from a Tottenham Hotspur video in which some of the academy players got the chance to ask first-team stars questions.

One of the youngsters who was included was the North London club’s most recent debutant, Luca Williams-Barnett.

The youngster was given the chance to quiz the now-former Tottenham star, Moura, during a drive around Hotspur Way.

When asked for his best piece of advice, Moura told a very young Williams-Barnett: “Never give up, always give your best, every day, every time.

“And for your life, never get tired of doing good things for people. To be a gentleman.”

After making his senior debut, Xavi Simons also had advice for Williams-Barnett, as the teenager was swamped with congratulatory messages.

Lucas Moura tells Luca Williams-Barnett about being benched for Harry Kane in the UCL final

Moura was also asked by Williams-Barnett about his thoughts on being benched in the Champions League final for Harry Kane earlier that year.

Moura scored a hat-trick against Ajax in the semi-final, but instead of being rewarded, he lost his place in the team to Kane, who was just back from injury.

Speaking about the moment, the Brazilian admitted: “This game was… I cried a lot. Of course, it was difficult for me, especially because of what happened in the semi-final.

“But I wanted to win the game. I wanted to win this trophy, and I believed we could win. So, it was very difficult.”

Rio Ferdinand is quite excited about the form of one Tottenham player, who once again impressed in Spurs’ win over Doncaster Rovers.

Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the Carabao Cup fourth round as they defeated Doncaster Rovers 3-0 in North London.

Brennan Johnson, Joao Palhinha and a deflected Wilson Odobert cross allowed them to cruise into the next round, where they will travel away to Newcastle United.

After the game, the former Manchester United defender was quick to hail one of Spurs’ stars and believes he is playing with great confidence right now.

Rio Ferdinand hails Djed Spence’s confidence

Rio Ferdinand has hailed the confidence of Djed Spence following another strong display for Tottenham as they defeated Doncaster.

The right-back played 75 minutes in the win over the League One side, and he helped Spurs to comfortably keep a clean sheet.

After the match, Ferdinand took to Instagram to write on Spence’s post: “Confidence on 100.”

Spence’s Instagram post was poking fun at Tottenham loanee Damola Ajayi, who faced his parent club and Spence in the EFL Cup.

The 19-year-old was playing on the right wing for Doncaster, which meant he was matched up against Spence, who was starting at left back.

Ferdinand names Spence as England’s best one-versus-one defender and believes that the full-back should be going to the World Cup next summer.

The 25-year-old recently made his England debut, after which former Spurs striker Harry Kane gave Spence an emotional speech before handing him his first cap.

Destiny Udogie gives Thomas Frank a welcome headache ahead of Wolves clash

Destiny Udogie’s impressive display against Brighton last Saturday has handed Thomas Frank a welcome headache ahead of Spurs clash with Wolves.

The Danish manager must now pick between Udogie and Spence for the left-back spot, or the latter could take Pedro Porro’s spot at right-back.

Udogie has just returned from injury, but on the South Coast, he reminded Frank that he has a real full-back dilemma on his hands.

The Italian defender is likely to come into the team on the weekend, with Spence set to be rested for the Premier League match.

Tottenham Hotspur had an interesting summer transfer window to say the least.

Spurs made some really good signings this summer, Joao Palhinha has already earned plenty of praise, while Xavi Simons looks exciting too.

Meanwhile, Tottenham also bolstered their forward line.

Mathys Tel arrived on a permanent deal, while Randal Kolo Muani joined on loan from PSG.

Tottenham had tried to sign Kolo Muani in January, but he went to Juventus instead.

Now, a former Juventus striker has made an interesting claim about the French forward.

Luca Toni praises Randal Kolo Muani

Speaking to Amazon Prime Video in Italy, former Bayern Munich star, Luca Toni has been comparing some notable strikers from across the planet.

The World Cup winner made some intriguing claims about the likes of Rasmus Hojlund and Alexander Isak, and he also made an interesting call about Kolo Muani.

Indeed, Toni was asked to compare Kolo Muani to some of his peers such as Hojlund, Nicolas Jackson and Joao Pedro, and interestingly, he picked the Spurs loanee over each of those players.

However, when push came to shove, Alexander Isak was picked ahead of Kolo Muani.

Randal Kolo Muani compared to his peers

Toni picked Kolo Muani over some notable players here as he chose the Frenchman over Joao Pedro, Rasmus Hojlund and Nicolas Jackson.

Spurs fans will be excited by these claims, especially as Joao Pedro has been very good for Chelsea so far, and if Kolo Muani can deliver to those levels, he’ll prove to be a great addition to this Tottenham team.

Kolo Muani’s stats for Juventus last season show just how good he can be, and if he can carry that sort of form through to the Premier League, he’ll prove to be one of the signings of the summer.

Of course, whether or not Kolo Muani can adapt to life in the Premier League remains to be seen.

Tottenham Hotspur drew Newcastle United in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, and Jamie O’Hara has given his honest prediction of who will win that match.

Tottenham defeated Doncaster Rovers in the third round to earn their place in the next stage of the competition as Thomas Frank looks to guide the team to his first trophy in charge of the club.

Goals from Joao Palhinha and Brennan Johnson, as well as an own goal from Jay McGrath, decided Tottenham’s fixture, giving them a comfortable victory.

They have now been drawn against Newcastle United in an all-Premier League tie for the fourth round, and they will aim to continue moving forward in the competition.

Jamie O’Hara backs Newcastle United to progress in the EFL Cup

Newcastle United defeated Bradford City 4-1 at St. James’ Park, with Joelinton and William Osula both scoring a brace to ensure they remained in the competition.

It has continued Newcastle United’s journey in the competition as Eddie Howe’s side look to retain the trophy they won last season, and O’Hara revealed to talkSPORT that he’s backing the Magpies to win.

“We’re playing Newcastle, come on. Newcastle is a tough game, I don’t think we’ll go there and win, I don’t think we will. Newcastle want to win it, you’re playing the holders.”

While O’Hara is a notorious Tottenham fan and former player, he’s not confident that Frank’s squad will be able to get the job done at St. James’ Park later on this season in the EFL Cup.

Thomas Frank will be under pressure to deliver some silverware

Even though Frank is only in his first season in charge of Tottenham, there will be an element of expectation on him to deliver some trophies after what Ange Postecoglou achieved.

Postecoglou guided Tottenham to the Europa League, proving that they have the quality to secure silverware in a knockout competition.

Fans will want to see the former Brentford boss deliver after being financially backed by the board throughout the summer transfer window, and the EFL Cup could provide that.

TBR Football understands that Fabio Paratici has held shock talks with Vinai Venkatesham over a permanent return to Tottenham Hotspur.

Paratici was shocked by Daniel Levy’s exit, as TBR Football revealed, although his ties with the club were never cut and he remained a consultant.

Things have now changed, with the Italian director surprised that Spurs’ new CEO is so keen to bring him back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a permanent basis.

Back in August, Paratici agreed a return with Levy, but following the chairman’s departure, he was left unsure about his future with the North London club.

Exclusive: Fabio Paratici holds talks over Tottenham return

Sources have now informed TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey, that Fabio Paratici has been approached and has held talks with Vinai Venkatesham, who has been impressed with him and is prepared to offer him a full-time role.

Currently, Paratici is undecided whether to take on a full-time role at Tottenham Hotspur without Levy, but he, too, has been impressed with Venkatesham, and there is a chance he could make a return.

However, we can confirm that Paratici has spoken to several clubs in recent months, including Premier League rivals.

Venkatesham is aware of this, and he has told the Lewis Family that Paratici is someone they should bring back into the fold. He agrees with the previous stance of Daniel Levy.

Speaking about the situation, Bailey told TBR Football: “Paratici was very close to Daniel Levy and when he left, he was not thinking that he would still possibly return to Spurs but the club have reached out to him – they know the players he has brought in and Vinai Venkatesham recognises that fact, they know he is one of the best in football at what he does.

“But a big part is that Venkatesham and Paratici, during the Levy days, actually get on really well – they respect each other and Venkatesham feels they could work together very successfully.

“Venkatesham is pushing to the Lewis Family that Paratici knows the squad, he knows what the club needs, he isn’t starting with a blank sheet of paper, and that is a huge advantage. So, whilst far from done, it is a possibility now that Venkatesham has made the first move.”

What Thomas Frank said about Fabio Paratici

Thomas Frank has recently admitted that he shares a good relationship with Paratici and that the pair were in regular contact during the transfer window.

Frank told the media: “Fabio is a consultant. Of course, I speak to him. I’ve spoken to him mainly in the transfer window while he’s part of the group that works and deals with the transfers. I’ve got a good relationship with him.”

The Italian has made some superb signings for Spurs, and surely Frank would love for him to return premenalty at some stage.

Frank has made Cristian Romero his captain; meanwhile, Pape Matar Sarr, Guglielmo Vicario, and Pedro Porro have all become key players under him.

Tottenham Hotspur cruised into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup by defeating Doncaster Rovers, but it was the debut of Luca Williams-Barnett which has fans buzzing.

The 16-year-old came off the bench against the League One side to become the 900th player to play for Tottenham Hotspur.

Williams-Barnett has earned his senior debut for Tottenham following a hugely impressive start to life playing Under-21s football.

The winger has six goals and three assists in six appearances, despite having only made the step up this season.

Now, the teenager has already made his first senior appearance under Thomas Frank and more chances are likely to come his way soon.

Xavi Simons congratulates Luca Williams-Barnett on his Tottenham debut

Xavi Simons has taken to social media to congratulate Luca Williams-Barnett on making his Tottenham debut against Doncaster.

Simons, Tottenham’s new £52m signing, looks to have already become a rather vocal member of Spurs’ squad and was quick to send the youngster a message.

The Dutch international wrote on Williams-Barnett’s Instagram: “Don’t forget to smile!!!! Congrats!!!”

Despite only being young himself, Simons should be able to offer the Spurs academy star some good advice on dealing with pressure at such a young age.

The 22-year-old has been in the spotlight since the age of 12, when he was part of Barcelona’s famed academy, La Masia.

Mauricio Pochettino gave Simons his senior debut at Paris Saint-Germain, and it took him a while to finally find his feet at senior level.

Tottenham have high hopes for Williams-Barnett, so it will be great that the first-team squad are already showing him love after making his first appearance.

Thomas Frank ‘very happy’ with Luca Williams-Barnett’s first Tottenham appearance

Speaking after the game, Frank admitted he was ‘very happy’ with Williams-Barnett’s first appearance in a Tottenham shirt.

The Danish head coach said it’s ‘always a pleasure’ to be part of a young player’s development, and Frank will hope he’s just unleashed a new star.

Frank told the media: “Yeah, very happy with that. I think it’s always a pleasure to be part of a young player’s debut. So, yeah, happy with that.”

The teenager is likely to return to playing with the Under-21s for now, but should his form continue, he will soon be back with the first-team.

It was a positive night for Thomas Frank’s Tottenham, but one which highlighted how the Danish head coach is getting it wrong with one of his summer signings.

Tottenham Hotspur cruised through to the Carabao Cup fourth round as they defeated Doncaster Rovers 3-0 in North London.

Goals from Brennan Johnson, Joao Palhinha and a deflected Wilson Odobert cross allowed them to book their place in the next round of the competition.

Thomas Frank will be mostly pleased with what he saw from his players on Wednesday, although there was one star who struggled yet again against the League One side.

Thomas Frank needs to change Mathys Tel’s position

Tottenham’s display against Doncaster further reinforced the point that Frank needs to change Mathys Tel’s position.

Speaking ahead of the game, Frank suggested Tel’s best position is left wing, but in the Carabao Cup, the Frenchman led the line for Spurs.

The attacker struggled against weaker opposition, and despite his age, Spurs’ head coach needs to reassess where he is using him moving forward.

Throughout the tie, Tel showed some promising attributes, including his work rate off the ball and his ability to get into dangerous positions.

But ultimately, it was another underwhelming display from the former Bayern Munich star, who missed some big chances.

Tottenham view Tel as a ‘generational talent’ and there is a strong belief that eventually he will come good, but so far, the signs aren’t promising.

Tel was signed by Tottenham for £30m over the summer and the North London club are unlikely to be best pleased with their investment thus far.

Thomas Frank explains Mathys Tel’s best attributes

Speaking after the game, Frank was quite positive about Tel as he spoke about his best attributes.

The 51-year-old highlighted the Frenchman’s position, speed, pressing ability and his link play.

Frank told the media: “I think you can see that his ability in this game to arrive in the box and the pace he got to both running behind and also getting into the right areas, I think it’s good.

“I think his pressing ability is very good. I like the way he works in that situation. And then I think his link-up play is something that is at a good level, but he can be even better.”

Gary Neville and Ian Wright have now deliberated the prospect of former Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane making a return to England from Bayern Munich.

Since he left Tottenham for the Bundesliga in 2023, Harry Kane has continued to score an extraordinary amount of goals.

In 103 games for Bayern, Kane has netted 98 goals, meaning he’s eclipsed his goalscoring ratio at Spurs.

As things stand, Kane has a contract with Bayern until 2027, but the England captain can leave the German side next summer for less than £60m.

In fact, TBR Football recently shared that Real Madrid would rival Tottenham to sign Kane, even if he is now 32 years old.

Gary Neville and Ian Wright discuss Harry Kane going back to Tottenham

That being said, the likes of Ian Wright, Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher have all debated the merits of Kane returning to England and potentially Spurs on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast.

Initially prompted by the question of Kane returning to England as a whole, Wright said: “I think he’d probably want to come back.”

Neville then agreed: “I think he’ll come back.”

Keane asked: “Just for the record?”

Wright: “I think not just for the record, I just think to just finish off there and probably maybe try and see if he can be a part of a team that wins something at Tottenham.

“Obviously, they’ve won the Europa. But for him and his legacy to be at Tottenham and maybe win something at the end of it and then go on to maybe get the goals.”

However, the panel then discussed the clubs that would be available to Kane, eventually whittling it down to either Tottenham or Chelsea.

Neville then asked: “So he can’t go to Arsenal, but can he go to Chelsea?”

Wright: “I’d go back to Tottenham if Tottenham wanted me.”

Neville: “No, but he wants to win things that you just said at the end of his career…”

Wright: “If he comes back, he wants to win things with Tottenham.”

Carragher added: “I think he’d want to finish with his club, wouldn’t he?”

Neville: “Chelsea are the club that I can see them having the biggest impact in and shooting most.

“I think at Chelsea, if you look at the team at the moment and you think what’s missing, they have got a lack of sort of what would be prominence up front and they’ve got a lot of energy and enthusiasm and potential around it with Parma and all the rest of them.

“He would be great at Chelsea as a player, but can he go to Chelsea because of the rivalry?”

Wright: “I think he’d want to go back to Spurs.”

Harry Kane could replace Randal Kolo Muani at Tottenham

On-loan Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani has barely kicked a football yet for Tottenham.

Kolo Muani has been injured over the past week or so, meaning fans in N17 have been limited to one short cameo from the Frenchman.

But given that Kolo Muani’s loan isn’t thought to have an option or obligation to buy clause, perhaps the 26-year-old could be perfectly placed to make way for Kane, should he become available.

Perhaps owing to the striker’s injury issues, Thomas Frank seemingly feels the need to have one other established striker alongside Dominic Solanke.

And even if Kolo Muani goes on to have an excellent season for Spurs, the temptation to offer his squad spot to Kane might still be too much to ignore.

Tottenham are excited about Kolo Muani right now, they believe he can help Frank’s squad in more than one role.

But Kane has unfinished business in England, and Frank’s side would surely hate to see him playing his football anywhere else.

Harry Kane could leave Bayern Munich next summer for less than £60 million, sources have confirmed to TBR Football, and some suitors are looking closely at his situation.

The 32-year-old could leave Germany because of a clause in his contract which kicks in should Kane confirm that he wants to leave.

Bayern Munich are confident that Kane does not want to leave, given his huge success since arriving in Germany, scoring nearly a goal a game since he arrived. As it stands, he has 98 goals from 103 appearances.

Tottenham Hotspur have first refusal on Kane as part of their deal and their manager Thomas Frank was asked and quipped he would be more than happy to welcome him to the club.

“I didn’t know there was a clause. He is an unbelievable player who did fantastic for Spurs and is doing fantastically well for Bayern. Top player, if he wants to join us, he’s more than welcome,” Frank told the media.

Exclusive: Real Madrid want rival Tottenham to sign Harry Kane

Sources have told TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey, that Tottenham are aware of Harry Kane’s clause and would dearly like to offer him a return to the club, but they are aware that others are keen.

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a huge fan of Kane, as TBR Football has previously confirmed, and would love to bring him to Old Trafford.

But Spurs and United would face tough competition to land Kane. Chelsea have long been linked with an interest; meanwhile, TBR Football has been told Bayern are ready to offer him fresh terms with his current deal expiring in 2027.

However, we can confirm that both Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have a firm interest in Kane and they could be in the market for him next summer, should he decide that he wants or needs to leave Bayern.

Speaking about the striker’s situation, Bailey confirmed: “Both Real and Barca have huge respect for Harry Kane. They love the way he holds himself, the way he comes across; he is the consummate professional.

“Florentino Perez and Joan Laporta would both love to land him, and at 32, he still has a few very good years left in him.

“Clearly, should Kane move, a return to England would be appealing given the all-time Premier League goalscorer record is within his sights, which could be a huge lure for him.”

How close Harry Kane is to catching Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal record

Kane, who was told he was ‘nuts’ for leaving Tottenham, is just 47 goals away from matching Alan Shearer’s Premier League record for the most goals of all time in the competition.

The Tottenham legend’s goal-to-game ratio currently stands at 0.67, which just about beats Shearer’s, which is 0.59.

The 32-year-old would therefore need around 70 matches, continuing at the same goal-scoring rate to match the former Newcastle United star.

So it’s certainly possible that Kane could break the record, but he would need to join an English club where he’d get regular minutes and that can supply him with plenty of chances.