TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur have made a strong start to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign having picked up four points from a possible six.

Monday night’s opener certainly was not a straightforward one but Saturday’s win over Everton got the Lilywhites back on track.

Ange Postecoglou‘s side were able to win in emphatic fashion in north London as they really put down a marker for where they are at following a positive summer.

Tottenham have not been overly busy in the market when it comes to player arrivals with their business done so far perhaps best described as selective.

Ironically, it is Spurs who have made the biggest move of the summer having brought in Dominic Solanke for around £65m.

And Daniel Levy is looking for outside investment so Spurs can continue their growth with big money signings like this over the coming years.

Saudi-backed investor wants £650m slice of Tottenham

Earlier in the summer, Levy revealed that Spurs were in conversation with a number of parties over potential investment into the club.

One of the names to crop up was the former Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley who was said to be keen on investing in Tottenham.

And it seems as if she may just have been working behind the scenes in recent weeks to put together some financial backing to fund her bid for the north London side.

According to The Sun, Staveley is now looking for a 25% stake in Tottenham which would cost in the region of £650m.

Having brokered the deal for Newcastle’s takeover back in 2021, Staveley’s connections in the Middle East remain strong with ‘serious money’ said to be backing her.

The 51-year-old is said to be ready to step up her bid to buy into Tottenham before eventually looking to purchase a bigger stake in the Lilywhites.

What Amanda Staveley recently said about investing in Tottenham

Having now departed her role at St James’ Park, Staveley is free to invest in whatever club she would like to.

And it seems as if that is something in which the 51-year-old is keen to do having spent around three years on Tyneside overseeing Newcastle’s progression.

When asked earlier in the summer if she could potentially invest into Tottenham, Staveley admitted it was a possibility.

“Not much, I’m afraid. My preference would have been to stay with Newcastle, but life doesn’t always work out exactly how you want it to,” she replied when asked on talks with with Rothschild & Co.

“Mehrdad and I are keen to be hands-on. We’re hard-working people, I love to be very busy and to engage and I love football. Very sadly, we have to move on to other projects and that might involve us taking a stake in another club or buying another club and that’s difficult. But it’s possible.”

If Ange Postecoglou was frustrated by Tottenham Hotspur’s draw against Leicester City last week, he’ll feel a whole lot better after game week two.

Tottenham were superb against Everton, even if the visitors failed to provide the kind of test Postecoglou’s side seemed to be prepared for.

The Spurs boss was bold in his selection, choosing to use Yves Bissouma as a single pivot against Sean Dyche’s side, then fielding five attackers ahead of the midfielder.

Without Dominic Solanke, Postecoglou decided against simply dropping Richarlison into his eleven.

Richarlison didn’t seem happy with that decision, but Postecoglou’s idea to put Wilson Odobert on left and Son Heung-min back through the middle paid dividends.

Odobert was superb on his debut – justifying why Vincent Kompany once spoke so highly about his potential.

But it wasn’t just going forward where Spurs excelled, the likes of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were also brilliant at the back.

Romero played the odd stray pass in the first half, but certainly showed his dominance later on when heading home.

Cristian Romero celebrated by teammates after reaching 100 games for Tottenham

After the game, Romero took to Instagram to celebrate the win and a landmark he achieved during the 4-0 victory.

The match was Romero’s 100th in a Tottenham shirt since he made his £43m move back in 2021.

Sharing a collection of photos from the game, Romero attached a caption saying: “A special match and an honour to reach 100 games played with this shirt.

“Great game by all, this is the way to go! Thank you all for the support as always. Let’s go Spurs.”

As you may expect, a number of Tottenham players were quick to reply with their congratulations, including both Solanke and Van de Ven.

Of course, given how much he’s already achieved in his career, particularly with Argentina, it’s remarkable to consider that Romero is still only 26-years-old.

The defender still has a decade of football ahead, and Tottenham fans will hope the majority of those years will be spent in north London.

Romero has definitely matured since Postecoglou arrived, and he’s also improved with the ball on the ground too.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to put their first three points on the board following their opening day draw against Leicester City.

Ange Postecoglou was clearly a frustrated figure on Monday night as his Tottenham side squandered so many chances to beat the Foxes.

However, Spurs need to put their disappointment to one side with a game against Everton coming up on Saturday afternoon.

And it is going to be the perfect opportunity for Tottenham to get their season up and running properly as they come up against an Everton side that were heavily beaten in their opening game.

It may only have been one game but Spurs are already suffering from a major injury issue but it seems as if the Spurs manager has been impressed with what he has seen from one specific player in training.

Ange Postecoglou wowed by ‘outstanding’ Tottenham player in training

There has been some positive news for Postecoglou with Tottenham seeing Pedro Porro return to training following his injury scare on Monday night.

However, Dominic Solanke is not going to be available for the game against Everton and could even face missing further games with an ankle injury.

But there is one other player who Spurs will have at their disposal and he has left Postecoglou seriously impressed.

Postecoglou has now been in the job for over a year now and it is apparent that there has become a core group of players who he heavily depends on.

One of those is Cristian Romero and the Australian has now admitted just how impressed he has been by the World Cup winner.

“Outstanding. Obviously with all these kind of things you have the image of a player from afar and before I got here I thought he was going to be really important to me because he’s such a fantastic centre-back for club and country,” he told football.london on Friday.

“But being here, watching him, the way he trains and the way he plays, unbelievably strong mindset. An absolute winner in every thing he does. He was really important last year and he’s going to be really important moving forward.

“He is one of the players within this group who has achieved things from a team perspective and those kind of things are transferable. He has won the World Cup, he has won the Copa America, so he’s part of a successful team and I think he’s a really strong influence in the group.”

Tottenham are at risk of losing Cristian Romero next summer

Romero still has three years remaining on his deal in north London but there has been reports of interest coming from some of Europe’s elite.

Real Madrid are believed to be showing an interest in Romero but face a big asking price from Spurs if they are to make a serious move.

After all, this is a player who has now won the World Cup and two Copa Americas with his national side in recent years.

However, he is still yet to win anything at club level since joining Spurs and that is surely something he is wanting to change.

If Spurs are unable to provide him with silverware this season, the upcoming summer window could provide a big concern for Tottenham when it comes keeping their Argentine centre-back.

Daniel Levy is one of the most divisive figures in football but one of the more controversial episodes in the Tottenham chairman’s may still be to come.

Levy, who also owns just less than a third of the North London club, is a respected operator in industry circles but has frustrated Spurs fans wit his conservative approach.

Since the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019, Spurs have become a global brand and tripled their revenues.

But they are still without silverware in nearly two decades.

Many supporters alleged that ENIC and Levy care more about the club’s commercial operation than results on the pitch.

And with Spurs currently looking to sell a minority stake and valuing themselves at £3.75bn, they will think that now is the most important time to prove out their business model.

To understand the latest about the club and the interplay between the sporting and commercial department, TBR Football spoke to Liverpool University football finance lecturer Kieran Maguire.

Spurs set to make new behind-the-scenes appointment shortly

In February, Spurs announced that commercial director Todd Kline would be leaving to join Chelsea in cursory statement that suggested that the departure was not on the best terms.

There has been update, official or otherwise, until recently for quite some time, with Chelsea yet to announce his appointment and Spurs yet to confirm Kline’s successor.

But The Telegraph recently reported that Kline is still seeing out his notice period.

Maguire suggests that someone will have filled Kline’s role, albeit unofficially, in the interim period.

“There is no doubt that somebody will have been hard at work at Spurs following Todd Kline’s departure to become Todd 2.0 at Chelsea.

“As they didn’t have the best of seasons in 2023-24, they will be focusing on off-field activities and revenue maximisation.

“The commercial department is absolutely critical for Spurs. We have seen commercial revenues triple since the move to the new stadium.

“With Daniel Levy in charge, he will be a hard taskmaster. He will have someone trying to serve up long-term global partners and region-specific partners for Spurs.

“They will try to use that additional money to improve things on the pitch.“

Tottenham want to catch Liverpool in the commercial stakes

Spurs’ commercial income totalled £228m in 2021-22, the last season for which full data is available.

They have benefitted hugely from the new stadium, which has wrought new sponsorship opportunities and the ability to host non-football matches on mass.

Now, it is being reported that Spurs want to catch Liverpool‘s commercial income total of £272m.

But can they really bridge the £44m gap any time soon?

“Liverpool have doubled their commercial income from 2017 from £1356m to £272m. That’s an incredible achievement,” said Maguire.

“The Jurgen Klopp factor is built into that, there’s winning the Champions League, winning the Premier League, the rivalry they have with Man City and the excitement that has brought to the top of the league.

“All of that has been monetised by the club. They are owed a huge amount of credit.

“In the same time, Spurs have triple their revenue from commercial sources. It’s now £228m.

“Can they catch up with Liverpool? It’s a case of running to stand still to a certain extent.

“Liverpool certainly have growth in front of them. Spurs have some advantages in terms of the London premium, which allows them to charge more for matchday and non-matchday activities, for instance.

“Harringay Council meanwhile have given them license to double the number of concerts and events they hold.

“You could potentially have more non-football events than football events taking place at the stadium. That can’t be replicated at Anfield given the issues with the pitch and so on.

“There is also the fact that Spurs’ stadium was built as a multi-function venue, whereas Anfield is first and foremost a football stadium that has some capacity to host other events.

“So Spurs are certainly in a very strong position. But what Liverpool have that Spurs don’t is a very global brand and appeal thanks to the success of Shankly, Paisley, Dalglish and so on.

“That has created a huge fanbase across the globe. And that in and of itself is very attractive to sponsors.“

Competitive Premier League matches overseas – would Spurs be onboard?

Recently, it emerged that Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are planning to take their La Liga game to the United States later this year in what would be an historic move for Spanish football.

The idea of taking competitive games abroad has long hungover English football too, and Levy himself has previously said he would be open to Premier League games outside the country.

Premier League CEO Richard Masters recently revealed that there was nothing to suggest that such a move was close, but Maguire does not believe that it should be ruled out because of the official party line.

“The clubs are aware that there would be opposition from fans over this.

“Although, that hasn’t stopped them treating their fans in a very shabby manner with regards to the prices that fans are now expect to pay.

“There is no doubt that Levy would be happy for matches to take place overseas if the price is right.

“That is the case for many club owners, but it has to be managed – expect this to be stage-managed over a period of time.

“If we look at the comments made by Richard Masters, it wasn’t an unequivocal rejection of matches taking place overseas. He said nothing had been discussed at Premier League CEO meetings.

“That doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been discussions on chief executives’ WhatsApp groups, or other similar modes of communication.

“They will be talking about how they can persuade the fans that they are doing it in their interests.

“They will say: ‘If La Liga are doing it, we don’t want to fall behind them.’

“In due course, they will say Premier League clubs will be forced to take matches overseas.

“If you get to the point where you are being paid £5m for a match in, say, New York and then you are offered £15m for the same match to take place in Riyadh or Seoul, clubs will say ‘let’s just follow the money’.

Club owners are completely out of touch with supporters. We saw that with the protests after the Super League, but they are conscious of not falling into a similar position where everything is done all very suddenly.

Tottenham Hotspur are likely to be busy on the transfer front in the coming days as Ange Postecoglou looks to apply the finishing touches to his squad.

Spurs have done well in the market this summer, bringing in a host of players for the present and future.

Tottenham have also been busy on the outgoings front, with fringe players being offloaded and young talents being loaned out for experience.

On Friday, an exciting youngster on Tottenham’s books sealed a loan move to a Championship club, and some of his peers have wished him well.

Peers wish Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips well as he joins Stoke City on loan

The player in question is Ashley Phillips, who has joined Stoke City on loan until the end of the season.

The 18-year-old defender spent the second half of last season on loan at Plymouth Argyle and will be reunited with manager Steven Schumacher at Stoke.

Phillips impressed at Home Park last term as he helped the Pilgrims survive in the second tier by the skin of their teeth.

Now, the Tottenham centre-back will hope to help bring the Potters into the promotion picture after they finished six points above the bottom three last season.

Phillips took to Instagram to say: “Really excited to be joining Stoke City on loan for the season, looking forward to the season ahead.”

Spurs teammates Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson all wished him well.

Likewise, Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton praised his former colleague at Blackburn Rovers.

Ashley Phillips a star in the making

Phillips is a top talent who looks like he has everything he needs to become a star, and Tottenham did well to sign him.

Phillips’ Plymouth debut, against Huddersfield, saw Sky Sports pundit Alan McInally sing his praises.

“Merse, remember about 20 years ago we spoke about a young full-back called Mr Trippier, I’ve got another one for us,” he said, as transcribed by HotspurReports.

“Ashley Phillips… on loan from Spurs, centre-back, boy’s gonna be a superstar!”

It’ll be exciting to see how Phillips gets on at Stoke, a team that will have hopes of doing well in the second tier this season.

Tottenham Hotspur are not yet done with their transfer business in this window.

Ange Postecoglou has addressed several problem positions in his squad already. Timo Werner has been brought back on loan, while the likes of Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert have also arrived.

Tottenham’s squad looks really good now, and they should be aiming for big things this season despite their opening-day disappointment against Leicester City.

With just a week left in the transfer window, Tottenham fans are hoping for at least one new incoming. L’Equipe have now shared who it could be.

Monaco’s stance as Tottenham are ready to bid for Vanderson

Tottenham sold Emerson Royal to AC Milan this summer.

The Brazil international was a backup to Pedro Porro in the 2023/24 season, but he filled in across the backline due to injuries to his teammates.

Postecoglou no longer has that option at his disposal, which is probably why Tottenham have been linked with a move to sign Vanderson.

The Brazilian has been ‘exceptional‘ in the Ligue 1 over the last year, and he has the potential to leave France to play in a bigger league.

Spurs are said to be interested, and L’Equipe have revealed they ‘would be willing to pay €30 million (£25m)’ to sign him this summer.

Although Monaco would ideally want to keep hold of Vanderson, the report claims that the club’s president, Dmitry Rybolovlev, ‘rarely refuses’ such an offer.

Vanderson still has four years left on his contract at Monaco.

Signing Vanderson would be a mistake by Tottenham

Vanderson is a very good player, and we’re convinced that he would be a good fit at Tottenham if they sign him this summer.

However, Spurs just don’t need him.

Yes, Emerson is gone now, but Postecoglou still has Porro as the first choice. Djed Spence is set to stay at Tottenham as well, while Archie Gray can also fill in at right-back.

That’s why spending £25 million on Vanderson makes no sense at all.

Tottenham should use the same money to sign a new left-back, someone who is much better than Ben Davies and can compete with Destiny Udogie for a starting role.

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to put their first three points on the board this weekend when they face Everton in north London.

Monday night will have been a disappointing one for Ange Postecoglou and all those around Tottenham after a positive pre-season.

But it is a quick turnaround for the Lilywhites who will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they take to home soil for the first time this season.

The draw against Leicester City provided Spurs with some injury concerns after Rodrigo Bentancur was stretchered off the pitch following a head injury.

However, there was another issue for the Lilywhites coming out of the game with another potential omission from the upcoming game against the Toffees.

Ange Postecoglou handed injury boost ahead of Everton clash

Considering the injury issues which Tottenham endured last season, starting off the first week of the new campaign with two injuries is far from what Postecoglou will have hoped for.

Pedro Porro sustained a foot issue during the game at the King Power Stadium on Monday night which saw him struggle for being removed near the end.

But there may just have been a positive sign for Spurs fans ahead of the game on the weekend.

On Thursday, Spurs shared some footage from their latest training session in which the players were shaking hands with their manager.

And one of the players spotted in the video at the end of the footage appeared to be the Spanish right-back.

It seems as if Porro was the final player in the footage to shake hands with Postecoglou ahead of their training session at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham have great right-back cover for Pedro Porro with Djed Spence

It has been a surprising summer when it comes to Tottenham’s options at right-back with Djed Spence making his case to be included in the squad.

Spence has impressed Postecoglou during Tottenham’s pre-season with the Spurs boss admitting he may have just saved his Tottenham career.

Despite report linking Tottenham with a move for Vanderson from Monaco but the Lilywhites are yet to make their move.

Tottenham Hotspur’s 2024/25 campaign is up and running with the north London side recording a point in their opening game.

Ange Postecoglou has now been handed a number of new signings this summer in what has proven to be a busy transfer market for Tottenham.

The majority of deals done by the Lilywhites this summer have seen players departing the club.

However, there has also been some big money arrivals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the likes of Dominic Solanke and Archie Gray landing at the club.

More signings could be on the way for Tottenham who are eyeing a potential move for Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes.

But there has been further off-field news to emerge out of Tottenham in recent days which has even seen Daniel Levy react.

Daniel Levy reacts to new coming out of Tottenham

There is still just over one week for Tottenham to secure any further signings in the transfer market before the window shuts until January.

Monday night’s game suggested Spurs may well need to dive back into the market and it would seem they have the right board behind them to make the right call.

Levy has now been reacting to the news that Tottenham have been voted as the best ran club in England.

It has been recently announced that the Fair Game Index have announced Spurs to be the county’s best run football club

“As a club that prides itself on good governance – with a key focus on sustainability, fan engagement and delivering for our local communities – we are delighted to have been recognised as England’s best-run club by the Fair Game Index,” Levy told The Guardian.

“This ranking further demonstrates the huge strides that are being made off the pitch, with our world-class stadium and innovative partnerships enabling sustainable, recurring investment into our football operations to ensure we remain competitive on the pitch and challenge for major honours.

“We welcome Fair Game’s work in highlighting the important role we can all play in operating sustainably to ensure our clubs remain at the heart of our local communities and for fans to enjoy for many generations to come.”

Tottenham need to improve their attack before deadline day

Despite their dominance of Monday night, Spurs were unable to find their cutting edge in front of goal with the Lilywhites left to rue their missed opportunities.

Tottenham have added to their attack this summer with the likes of Solanke and, more recently, Wilson Odobert.

The Frenchman arrived from Burnley last week and Odobert has been training at right-wing for Tottenham at Hotspur Way.

This has been an area of concern going into the new season and perhaps it could even see Postecoglou hand out a debut to Odobert on the weekend.

If Spurs are unable to show any signs of being clinical in front of goal on Saturday then there could well be some major concerns with just one week left in the window.

As Tottenham Hotspur push to offload several unwanted players before next week’s deadline, perhaps there is still potential for one or two more deals.

Tottenham are following Hayden Hackney extensively at Middlesbrough in the Championship right now, their scouts have been at both of the club’s opening league games.

But whilst they keep an on the market, perhaps hoping to sign a new number eight or another forward to add further fire-power to their attack, Spurs have three players to sell.

Whilst it wouldn’t be a surprise if any of the trio stayed beyond the deadline, it’s believed that Tottenham are seeking permanent exits for Sergio Reguilon, Manor Solomon and Giovani Lo Celso.

Three talented players in their own right, but profiles that Ange Postecoglou simply doesn’t need right now.

That being said, if Tottenham are able to sell both Solomon and Lo Celso then perhaps they will target a versatile forward, someone who can play as a number 10 or out wide.

And given his availability this summer, perhaps Federico Chiesa remains the perfect candidate.

Federico Chiesa now happy to join Barcelona after no Tottenham bid arrived

Chiesa has played predominantly as a winger for Juventus, but was often deployed as a second striker during his excellent years at Fiorentina.

Fortunately, Chiesa is prepared to join Tottenham this summer, at least that was the situation in recent weeks.

However, it would appear via reports in Spain that Chiesa’s head has now been turned by interest from Barcelona – which is a lot more forthcoming than anything on Spurs’ end.

Tottenham are yet to bid for Chiesa despite their interest.

And judging by an update by Sport, it would seem that any pursuit of Chiesa in the final week of the window may not be off the table for Spurs.

Chiesa has now green-lighted a move to Barcelona, excited to embark on the next chapter of his career at 26-years-old.

The ‘superstar’ Italian is yet to play outside of the Serie A, and in all honesty it is something of a surprise that a Premier League side haven’t made a more concerted effort to sign the winger.

But as the likes of Spurs, Arsenal and even Newcastle United watch on, it seems as if Chiesa will now become a new Barcelona player, unless there’s a late twist.

Wilson Odobert has begun training with his new Tottenham Hotspur teammates.

Spurs shocked everyone after signing the talented French attacker from Burnley just before the start of the new Premier League season.

The move came out of absolutely nowhere, but Tottenham have got themselves a really exciting talent who could become a star in the coming years.

Odobert could make his Tottenham debut when Everton come to town this weekend.

Wilson Odobert’s position in Tottenham training

Ange Postecoglou has been getting his side ready for the game against Everton after a disappointing result in their opening fixture.

Spurs were held to a 1-1 draw against Leicester City in a game that they should’ve won comfortably. However, plenty of missed chances later, Jamie Vardy got the hosts a point.

Tottenham will want a win against Everton, and at some point in the game, there is a chance we will see Odobert make his Spurs debut.

The 19-year-old played 29 games in the Premier League for Burnley in the 2023/24 season and he was deployed across the frontline by Vincent Kompany. But, most of his appearances came from the left flank.

Postecoglou may have a different plan for young Odobert at Tottenham.

Football London reveal that ‘Odobert was playing from the right side in the training session’ and he was spotted scoring from Manor Solomon’s crosses.

The Frenchman was also seen alongside Dejan Kulusevski later on.

The good thing for Tottenham with Odobert is the fact that the teenager can play on either flank, as a striker and also in a number 10 role.

Odobert ‘bamboozled’ one Tottenham teammate in training

Odobert is still only 19 years old, so he should be given the time he needs to adapt to the way Tottenham play under Postecoglou.

However, it looks like he is already impressing in training.

During a session at Hotspur Way ahead of the game against Everton, Odobert rinsed new Tottenham teammate Archie Gray, who has been a revelation himself,

Here’s how Football London described what he did: “Odobert showcased in training that he is extremely pacey, tricky and that he is more than capable of scoring a goal.

“Finding the net on a couple of occasions, his best strike came when he bamboozled Gray, who was operating as a centre-back alongside Dragusin, by turning him inside and out and producing a Cruyff turn to get a yard of space to blast the ball into the bottom corner beyond Whiteman.”