TBR Football

Despite the transfer window in England being shut, clubs can still make signings from the free agent market.

There’s a depth of talent who are still yet to find their next club and there are a number of Premier League sides who are considering making a move.

West Ham are looking at former Liverpool defender Joel Matip and now TBR Football can exclusively reveal that Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have been approached by one of the best free agents available.

Adrien Rabiot’s representatives have approached Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur

TBR Football understands that the Pro League have made him a very large offer for Adrien Rabiot, as have Galatasaray, and Fenerbahce before them, but as it stands the Frenchman does not plan on leaving Europe.

AC Milan have backed away after refusing to meet his demands last week, whilst we understand Bayern Munich and Monaco have held talks but as yet no firm offers.

The same is true of England – talks have taken place with every major club in England, the big six plus Villa and Newcastle in that they have all been approached by Rabiot’s people – indeed they have been speaking all summer, trying to get a deal but we can confirm he is yet to get an offer from any Premier League club.

As it stands the 29-year-old’s wage demands are understood to be around £220,000-a-week.

Rabiot was dropped from the French squad for their Nations League games and TBR Football understands Didier Deschamps has told him to get his club career sorted out.

Adrien Rabiot’s wage demands could be putting off Premier League clubs

It appears as though Rabiot’s wage demands are pushing away a lot of Premier League suitors.

So, with the season now well underway, the former Juventus midfielder will likely have to accept significantly lower wages if he is to stay in Europe.

Otherwise, a switch to the Saudi Pro League looks his most likely destination at this stage.

Tottenham Hotspur have certainly had some iconic midfielders over the years, the likes of Luka Modric and Rafael van de Vaart immediately spring to mind.

Right now, Tottenham fans will hope that both Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall could one day be mentioned in such high esteem, talents who start in north London at much younger age.

Ange Postecoglou opted against recruiting a ready-made solution for his midfield this summer, preferring to put his faith in Yves Bissouma predominantly.

Bissouma even played as a single-pivot against Everton in Spurs’ dominant win, a welcome return from his disappointing actions off of the pitch.

That being said, Postecoglou does also have Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur to turn to as well, two exciting talents in their own right.

Former Tottenham and Barcelona player Paulinho announces his retirement

Although Sarr is Spurs’ most effective box-to-box option right now, that was previously a task that was manned by Brazilian midfielder Paulinho.

Paulinho signed for Tottenham back in 2013 for £17m, Andre Villas-Boas’ first summer signing at the time.

In total, Paulinho made 67 appearances for Spurs, scoring 10 times and assisting his teammates on seven occasions.

The Brazilian was always an exciting player to watch, playing under Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood and Mauricio Pochettino during his time in north London.

Paulinho eventually left Tottenham in 2015, heading to Guangzhou Evergrande during the influx of money into Chinese football at the time.

The midfielder then went on to play for Barcelona when returning to Europe, before eventually ending his career at Brazilian side Corinthians.

That being said, Paulinho has just announced his retirement from football on social media at the age of 36-years-old after an excellent career.

Paulinho says he asked to leave Tottenham after struggles

Speaking to The Players’ Tribune in 2018, Paulinho actually lifted the lid on his struggles at Tottenham off the pitch, as well as on it.

The Brazilian found London life difficult and didn’t feel as if he was the right player for Villas-Boas.

Paulinho said: “Actually, I would like to clear up something about my time at Spurs. I really cannot say a bad word about the club or the staff or the president.

“It is true that it was a very difficult period for me as a player, and there were times when I did not want to leave my apartment in London because I was so stressed about not playing.

“For a footballer, not playing is like a fish not being in the water. I felt as though I were suffocating.

“For whatever reason, I was not in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. I didn’t fit his philosophy, I guess.

“But we never even had a disagreement. One day, I went to the club president and told him that if they got an offer close to what they paid for me, that I would like to move on. They were very professional about it.”

Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison may be amongst a raft of Premier League players who were quite happy to see Neal Maupay secure a move away from England in the final hours of the summer transfer window.

Despite scoring 33 goals in the Premier League over his career, Neal Maupay will perhaps be remembered best for a number of antics which often infuriated rival players and fans.

Perhaps his most famous moment last season came at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, when the 28-year-old scored to put Brentford in front back in February. Maupay decided to mimic James Maddison‘s darts celebration, just to annoy the Spurs fans that little bit more.

It was perhaps not the smartest idea from Maupay as the goal came just 15 minutes in. Tottenham would then score three times on their way to a 3-2 victory, with Maddison playing an important role in the third goal.

James Maddison shares what he made of Neal Maupay stealing his celebration

Maupay would claim that Maddison was offended by the celebration, but it seems that it was something else which actually annoyed him more.

Speaking on Golf Life, the England international was asked about whether he has spoken to Maupay about the incident, and whether there remains any animosity towards the forward.

“No,” he said, when asked about if he had spoken to Maupay.

“No beef. I was more frustrated because we conceded than he did my celebration. I’m a bad loser, I love winning more than actually hating him. He’s trying to be a wind up merchant, he’s trying to create that image, but no, nothing from my side.”

The bizarre actions continued – long after Brentford’s defeat

Of course, Tottenham’s players will argue that their comeback had little to do with what Maupay did in the game, but it is hard to imagine that it did not fire them up even more.

Bizarrely, Maupay joked afterwards about having the Tottenham players on toast – after all of them celebrated a goal by throwing an imaginary dart in his direction. While that would have been something to potentially be proud of had Brentford won, it does seem incredibly strange to take that view after a defeat.

Maupay would also be quick to seemingly mock Maddison after the attacking midfielder was left out of the England squad for the European Championships this summer. So he had little problem doubling down on his actions.

Maddison meanwhile, probably feels that he has little reason to stoop to that level, particularly with their paths unlikely to cross again anytime soon.

Tottenham Hotspur have unearthed a number of raw talents from the EFL in recent years.

Dele Alli is a prime example of that having joined from League One outfit MK Dons back in February 2015 before establishing himself as one of the best players in the Premier League for a time.

Archie Gray is the latest example in that recruitment strategy as he looks to build on his phenomenal season with Leeds United last term.

Though, it’s now just emerged that the club turned down the chance to sign another EFL diamond for a staggeringly low fee.

David Pleat advised Tottenham to sign Ivan Toney

Former Tottenham scout David Pleat has identified a number of top talents for the club in recent years, namely Dele, Heung-min Son and Christian Eriksen.

But, some whom Pleat recommended were snubbed by Spurs and it’s just come to light that they turned down the opportunity to sign Ivan Toney for around £8m, according to The Athletic.

He also put forward Jarrod Bowen when he was at Hull City and Ollie Watkins whilst he was plying his trade as a midfielder at Exeter City.

However, evidently, Tottenham felt they couldn’t make the step up or have the desired impact – which in hindsight is a real transfer blunder.

Ivan Toney, Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins now some of the best players in Europe

Toney, who’s now considered a ‘world class’ striker per talkSPORT, has just completed a £40m switch to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, meanwhile, Bowen and Watkins are among some of the best players in the Premier League.

There’s an argument to make that all three would start for Ange Postecoglou’s side in their own right.

This season, Tottenham Hotspur will be returning to European competition after 2023/24 ended up being a fallow year.

Spurs made it to the last 16 of the Champions League in 2022/23, narrowly losing to AC Milan.

However, their eighth-placed Premier League finish that year deprived them of Europe the following season.

Tottenham have since put that right, finishing fifth last season to earn a place in this season’s Europa League.

The tournament means Spurs will have great opportunities to give competitive game time to some of their fringe players and academy stars.

Football.london journalist and Tottenham expert Alasdair Gold has now looked at which Spurs players could get the bulk of their minutes in the Europa League.

Alasdair Gold backs Fraser Forster and Radu Dragusin for Europa League starring role

On Saturday, Gold hosted a fan Q&A on football.london, with supporters fielding questions about the latest goings-on at N17.

One fan asked him how much rotation he expects to see in the Europa League and whether the likes of Brandon Austin, Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin would feature plentifully.

Gold replied: “I think naturally there will need to be a hefty dose of rotation although much will depend on the opposition.

“With games every three days for much of the coming months, Postecoglou can’t afford to just put out his strongest team in every match otherwise they will tire quickly or even worse, get injured. He has already spoken about keeping his main men fresher this season with more rotation.

“I would think Fraser Forster will play in goal for most of the games, otherwise the decision to include him instead of (Djed) Spence looks a bit daft. Radu Dragusin will play plenty but Davies may be needed at left-back at times.

“It’s a good competition to give (Lucas) Bergvall and (Archie) Gray – perhaps at right-back – plenty of minutes in as well as others like Timo Werner and the many central midfielders who will be vying for spots in all the games.

“Richarlison, when he returns, will likely be able to get his sharpness and goalscoring on point in the competition and we’ll get to see youngsters like Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear hopefully.”

How Guglielmo Vicario stands to benefit

Tottenham were being widely tipped to leave Forster out of their Europa League squad, but Ange Postecoglou controversially opted to leave Spence out.

Although it’s a huge shame for Spence to miss out, it makes sense to include Forster in the squad.

The Tottenham goalkeeper is an “unbelievable” player with extensive experience who deserves to be in the spotlight, and he’s very popular in the dressing room too.

Last season, Forster made just one appearance for Tottenham, in the League Cup, so it’ll be good to see him get many more minutes.

Obviously it’s not all about sentimentality – Forster playing in in the Europa League means Guglielmo Vicario will get some rest so he can remain fresh and focused for the Premier League campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur have a busy spell after the international break comes to an end, with games in three competitions all coming up in the next few weeks.

Spurs will look to make amends for their mixed start to the Premier League season in the most high-stakes fixture they’ll have this season, the North London derby.

Tottenham then enter the League Cup at the third-round stage after the Arsenal game, as they head to Championship side Coventry City.

Then comes the Europa League, with matches against Qarabag at home and a trip to Ferencvaros before the October international break.

Earlier this week, Spurs announced their Europa League group stage squad, and there was a glaring omission, with Djed Spence failing to make the cut.

As per football.london, the Europa League regulations meant Ange Postecoglou had to omit two senior players.

Sergio Reguilon was one, and Spence – rather than Fraser Forster, who was heavily touted to miss out – was the other.

Alasdair Gold has now issued a damning verdict on Postecoglou’s decision to omit Spence from Spurs’ Europa League squad.

Alasdair Gold says Djed Spence omission from Tottenham Europa League squad is ‘big red flag’

On Saturday, Gold hosted his latest Q&A session on football.london, and a fan asked him about what the Tottenham boss thinks of Spence.

The journalist responded by saying the full-back has been “really unfortunate” and questioned the “very risky” decision to leave him out.

Indeed, Gold even went as far as to describe the lack of an outfield club-trained player in the first-team as a “big red flag”.

Gold wrote: “Spence has done really well this summer and impressed everyone inside the club, including Postecoglou.

“I think he’s just been really unfortunate in that the squad choice would suggest the Spurs boss does not trust his back-up goalkeeper options enough to leave out the experienced Fraser Forster. That means Spence was the odd man out.

“It’s a very risky decision because it leaves the defensive cover very light for the group stages. Romero is suspended for the first game against Qarabag and an injury or two more and there’s going to be some problems. Spence was able to cover both right and left-back spots.

“How the 24-year-old will react is going to be interesting. He’s come on in two of the first three Premier League games and will likely play in the Carabao Cup, so he should still get game time. It’s just a massive shame because he would have played a lot in Europe.

“Overall it’s a big red flag against the squad management Spurs have overlooked in recent years with not a single outfield club-trained player in the first team now. They have made moves to change that but it’s been a problem they should have sorted a long time ago.”

Spence may well be questioning his Tottenham future now

It wasn’t that long ago that Spence was being talked about as a potential departure from Spurs, but he has worked so hard to get back in contention.

The outcome of this is that he remains at the club and is in line for more minutes, but leaving him out of the Europa League squad will have been a bitter pill to swallow.

The Europa League will be a great opportunity for some of the fringe players to get starts and give Postecoglou food for thought, but that won’t be happening now.

It wouldn’t be surprising if this decision would’ve prompted Spence to start thinking about finding another club in the January transfer window.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies was in international action on Friday night as Wales took on Turkiye in Cardiff.

The Tottenham stalwart has made a name for himself as a solid and dependable option at N17, with so many managers rating him highly.

Davies is also a key player for the Dragons. The Spurs ace is now closing in on 100 appearances for his nation and has captained them on many occasions.

Friday saw a new chapter for Wales as Craig Bellamy took his country’s reins for the first time, and first up were the Euro 2024 quarter-finalists.

Wales weren’t quite at their best in attack as they failed to breach Turkiye’s defensive lines, but they stood firm at the back and kept a clean sheet.

As per Sofascore, Davies won two ground duels and two aerial duels against his opponents, took 115 touches of the ball and completed 100 of his 115 passes.

The Tottenham veteran also weighed in with two interceptions, one tackle and one block. All this meant the Welsh media sung his praises after the game.

Tottenham star Ben Davies kept Arda Guler quiet throughout

Wales Online gave Davies an 8 out of 10 rating and wrote: “Did everything asked of him all night. A colossal performance.”

Likewise, Y Clwb Pel-Droed awarded the Spurs ace an 8 out of 10, adding: “Davies was solid at the back playing up against Real Madrid talent Arda Guler keeping him quiet through the game.

“He provided a crucial block following poor pass from (Danny) Ward and made some key interceptions to deny the away side opportunities.”

Davies’ Tottenham teammate Brennan Johnson was also in action for his country, receiving a mixed reaction from the Welsh press.

What next for Davies?

Davies’ Wales are next in action on Monday night as they take on Montenegro in Niksic, and the £10million Spurs ace is likely to start once again.

That will be Wales’ last international game this month, so Davies is then set to return to Hotspur Way, where preparations for next Sunday’s North London derby will be in full swing.

Tottenham Hotspur signed a number of youngsters in the summer months, and it appears as if it’s already starting to pay off for Ange Postecoglou.

The Lilywhites’ transfer approach appears to be heading in the direction of younger players under Ange Postecoglou.

Wilson Odobert, Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Yang Min-hyeok all put pen to paper on deals at Tottenham, though the latter won’t join until January.

It’s been claimed that Bergvall and Gray could get a fair bit of game time in the months to come, and from what we’ve seen of them already it certainly looks like they can handle the pressure.

Jon Dahl Tomasson has predicted that Bergvall would have a big future with his national side after his performance during the international break.

But, it was the turn of another youngster to catch the eye last night for his country…

£30m Spurs talent catches the eye with international display

Archie Gray has already been tipped for big things by Harry Redknapp at Tottenham after joining for around £30 million in the summer.

And, England fans were blessed with an eye-catching performance from him last night for the Under-21 side as they drew 0-0 with Northern Ireland.

The 18-year-old started as a right wing-back almost, which is a position that he has played in before.

He had 101 touches, won 4/4 of his duels, had a 90% pass success rate and completed both of his dribbles in a very accomplished display.

What does Ange Postecoglou think of Archie Gray?

It didn’t take long for Ange Postecoglou to praise Archie Gray in pre-season as he said this after his performance against Hearts.

“Yeah no Archie did well and yeah look him, Skipp and Jamie probably weren’t expecting to be starting in our back four.

“But, that’s okay, you know, it’s about guys like Archie getting accustomed to how we play and how we train.

“He’s an intelligent kid and he coped with it okay today and like I say it’s just about letting him and Lucas settle into things.

“But I thought he was good today, Archie really good today, you know, he did things we know he can do today.

“He’s adapting to the intensity and tempo, so yeah he did well.”

Tottenham Hotspur will look to get their season fully up and running after the international break.

Spurs picked up just four points from their opening three Premier League games, and the coaches and players know they could’ve easily won all three.

Tottenham host Arsenal in the North London derby on Sunday 15 September, and they’ll be eager to use that match as a springboard for the rest of the season.

Likewise, Lucas Bergvall reportedly has similar plans in store for his own career at Tottenham, as reported by GiveMeSport.

Lucas Bergvall plans to kickstart Tottenham career this month amid possible EFL Cup start

According to GiveMeSport, Bergvall plans to use the rest of September as a launchpad for his Tottenham career, with a starting spot in his sights.

The 18-year-old is ‘desperate to make an impact in his new surroundings’ after making the decision to swap Djurgarden for the Premier League.

In addition, Bergvall has reportedly been earmarked to make his debut in the EFL Cup third-round trip to Coventry City on Wednesday 18 September.

There’s also be scope for Bergvall to play a ‘key role’ when Tottenham get their Europa League campaign underway at home to Qarabag on Thursday 26 September.

The report says Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou has been left impressed by the Swede’s ‘ability and the way in which he has carried himself’.

Though Postecoglou is still eager to remain cautious over Bergvall’s game time, the expectation is that the player will soon start causing him a selection headache.

Exciting times ahead for Bergvall and Tottenham

Bergvall is an “extraordinary” talent with the world at his feet and, at just 18 years of age, is already in and around the starting picture for club and country.

Hopefully September will prove to be a fruitful month for the Sweden international as he looks to really kick off his career at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham have put their trust in youth since Ange Postecoglou took over and it’s beginning to pay off for the North London club.

The Lilywhites did spend a hefty sum of money on five additions this summer though four of them are below the age of 20, so they’re very much building for the future.

Postecoglou has looked to give younger players a chance in the current campaign, with Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert all enjoying minutes in the side.

Dominic Solanke was the big-money striker signing that Ange craved at Tottenham but he’s not been able to play much football due to an injury.

But, it looks as if another deal caught the eye of the people behind the scenes at Spurs…

Tottenham think they have secured an absolute bargain signing

Bergvall has been earning all the plaudits after his second cap for Sweden, while Harry Redknapp has backed Archie Gray to become a ‘top player’.

But, as promising as they are, they’re not the player who Spurs believe has huge value potential.

According to Give Me Sport, there is a desire for Yang Min-hyeok, who joined for £3.4 million, to turn into one of their best summer signings as he has the potential to go on and be worth significantly more than the amount they paid, while following in his fellow countryman’s footsteps would go down well.

It’s stated that the South Korean’s next outing will be crucial in helping Tottenham to identify how far along he is with his game-changing ability in pivotal clashes as Gangwon will go head-to-head with fellow title-chasers Ulsan in a top-of-the-table encounter later this month.

Who is Yang Min-Hyeok?

Joel Kim provided the full lowdown on what Tottenham fans can expect from Yang Min-hyeok.

“If Yang Min-hyuk can be described in two words, it’s power and pace. Add adaptability, and he becomes a versatile asset for Tottenham’s attacking football,” Kim said.

“At just 18, Yang brings incredible speed to the attack, running with youthful vigour. His surprising physical strength allows him to dominate veteran defenders in the K-League 1, Asia’s most physical league.

“His greatest asset might be his adaptability; like Son Heung-min, Yang is two-footed and can play on either the left or right wing. Comparisons to Anthony Gordon and Federico Chiesa highlight his potential.

“Yang loves to charge forward with the ball, whether along the flanks or through the middle, overwhelming defenders with his pace. Defensively, he’s underrated, often intercepting passes and reading plays before they unfold.”

Kim continued and revealed what Min-hyuk needs to improve on: “His weaknesses include occasional clumsiness and dispossession, common among downhill running wingers.

“Recently, he has struggled to find space when tightly marked by several defenders, preventing him from even touching the ball. He needs to step up in those moments and make his presence felt.”