TBR Football

Thomas Frank might be looking to reunite with Ivan Toney at Tottenham Hotspur, but a significant issue could prevent that.

Frank is well aware of Toney’s qualities as a player after they worked together at Brentford, with the England international thriving under his leadership.

Now he’s in charge of Tottenham, there has been speculation that he could try to bring Toney back to the Premier League, ending his spell in Saudi Arabia.

At 29 years of age, Toney certainly has plenty of great years ahead of him if Tottenham could bring him in, but there’s a reason why the transfer is unlikely.

Ivan Toney’s wages would be a stumbling block for Tottenham Hotspur

Toney would immediately improve the current Tottenham squad due to his qualities as a striker and a proven goalscorer.

However, as Alex Crook explained on the Premier League’s All Access podcast, that doesn’t mean it will be a routine deal for the Premier League side to pull off.

“I think that would be difficult because he’s earning so much money in the Saudi Pro League.

“But that for me would be a game changer and would turn Tottenham from a team, who I don’t think are top four contenders at this moment in time, to a team that could well challenge for the Champions League.”

Toney scored 36 goals in 85 Premier League games during his time in England’s top flight, proving his ability to perform at that level.

Since moving to Saudi Arabia, he has maintained the same standard for scoring goals, and adding him to Tottenham’s current squad would be of obvious benefit.

Tottenham Hotspur might bring back Harry Kane instead

If Tottenham hope to increase their firepower, they could end up looking to the past to inspire the future in Harry Kane.

The England captain is currently thriving in Germany for Bayern Munich, and next summer they have the opportunity to bring him back to the club for just £57million.

A clause in his contract means that Tottenham would have first refusal on Kane if he wants to leave the Bundesliga giants, potentially opening up the chance for a romantic end to his career.

Unfortunately, like Toney, this potential deal could end up being a problem because of Kane’s wages.

TBR Football revealed that Tottenham can afford to sign Kane, but his £400,000-per-week wages are significantly higher than the current top earners, who are on £195,000.

An American group has lodged a sensational £4.5billion offer to buy Tottenham.

Led by tech entrepreneur and former DJ Brooklyn Earick, the consortium would pay £3.3bn to Tottenham‘s owners ENIC and the Lewis family, with £1.2bn set aside to splash out on transfers.

However, Spurs have now officially responded to the interest, which was first reported by The Sun.

The informal expression of interest has been “unequivocally rejected”, and the club hierarchy has no intention of selling up, despite the speculation over a potential takeover.

Ray Parlour says Tottenham takeover would make them ‘big players’

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has predicted what could immediately happen to the club should Earick’s takeover go through, despite Spurs’ insistence that it won’t.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, he said: “What happens if Spurs do get that takeover and they do get sold, then suddenly they are big players. You know, the money coming into the club and whatever.”

There is no doubt that the consortium is offering Tottenham a huge war chest to spend on incomings, while they are also said to have lined up a naming rights deal for the stadium.

Earick has continued to stoke the fire, posting an image of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dressing room on social media alongside a timer ticking down to October 24.

Takeover rules in the UK state that the group must make a concrete offer to buy the club, or confirm they do not intend to do so, by that date after the rejected expression of interest.

Three different consortia have approached Spurs over a potential sale so far this month.

Thomas Frank reacts to Tottenham takeover talk

Spurs boss Thomas Frank has praised the transparency of the club’s ownership despite the rumours.

“The start was very stable,” Frank told reporters. “Daniel’s [Levy] been here for almost 25 years. The change came. OK, I didn’t expect that.

“But since then, the new, old owners, or whatever we call it, the Lewis family, have been very transparent, very good in the way they communicated. It’s very clear the club’s not for sale.

“Vinai [Venkatesham] is on top of everything. For me personally, I feel it’s a very stable environment going into work every day.”

Brooklyn Earick appears to already have connections in North London amid the emerging news of his consortium’s informal takeover bid for Tottenham Hotspur.

Earick, a former DJ turned entrepreneur, is leading a US-based group to assume control of the Lilywhites from ENIC and the Lewis family.

The group, which consists of investors from the NFL and NBA, has reportedly lodged an informal approach to begin negotiations over a potential deal.

Tottenham released a statement addressing the claims and have confirmed the club have “unequivocally rejected” the approach – ENIC have no intentions to sell.

However, Earick does have long-term ties at Spurs, particularly with a former board member who departed his role at the North London club last year.

Brooklyn Earick has a connection with Todd Kline

Seven months ago, former Tottenham chief commercial officer Todd Kline posted on LinkedIn to announce a new multi-year partnership deal at Chelsea.

Earick responded to the post, writing: “Congratulations, Todd”.

It is clear that the prospective Spurs owner is well-versed in the business side of football and keeps himself well-informed.

While there is no notable connection between Earick and Kline, aside from the fact that they are both American, it remains to be seen just how deep his connections run in the sport.

Kline left Spurs for Chelsea after being placed on gardening leave at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and has held the role of president of commercial affairs ever since.

The £4.5 billion offer Earick is willing to propose to ENIC would eclipse the £4.25bn Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital paid when taking control of Chelsea from Roman Abramovich in 2022.

This is also significantly more than the £3.75bn valuation Daniel Levy and ENIC initially laid out when agreeing to seek minority investment.

As previously revealed by TBR Football, Levy was reluctant to leave his role, but the Lewis family felt Spurs needed a fresh approach to improve their fortunes on the pitch.

Tottenham have not stopped in their pursuit of investment despite the drastic board change. Former Newcastle United owner Amanda Staveley also expressed interest in Spurs, but it now appears that Earick is in the driving seat as things stand.

Tottenham are an attractive club to investors

Although the Lewis family are adamant about rejecting Earick’s bid, it should come as no surprise to the owners that Spurs are so well received by potential investors.

Since their move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019, the club have established themselves as one of the top ten revenue generators in world football.

Indeed, Tottenham have the Premier League’s lowest wages-to-turnover ratio with the revenue to match. Spurs have shown their top-flight rivals how best to generate profit from non-football events.

Their stadium has become the home of the NFL in the UK and hosts several high-profile artists every year. With Thomas Frank settling into life in North London with ease, it appears the success on the pitch is just around the corner.

Tottenham have issued an official statement after an American consortium launched an informal takeover bid worth a staggering £4.5billion.

As reported by The Sun, tech entrepreneur and former DJ Brooklyn Earick is leading a group that has made an approach to buy the club.

The proposal from the 12-strong group, which is also made up of investors from the NFL and NBA, would see £3.3bn offered to owners ENIC and the Lewis family, with £1.2bn put aside for a transfer war chest.

Earick is said to have first made contact with Daniel Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy several months ago, before the businessman stepped down as chairman after a sporting review.

Tottenham respond to takeover interest

However, it has now been confirmed that Tottenham have “unequivocally rejected” the informal expression of interest – and that they have no intention of selling up.

“The Board of the Club and ENIC reconfirm that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale and ENIC is not looking to sell its stake in the Club,” Spurs said.

Earick’s group must, by law, either announce a concrete intention to make an offer or confirm that they do not intend to do so by 5pm on October 24.

ENIC own 87 per cent of the club but the remaining shares are publicly traded, meaning Spurs must abide by the UK takeover code.

This states that any expression of interest or bid must be made public.

Two expressions of interest, including one from former Newcastle United shareholder Amanda Staveley, were also rebuffed earlier this month, but speculation around a potential sale continues to build.

Who is Brooklyn Earick

Earick spent around a decade as a DJ, performing across North America and Europe.

He fell in love with football during that time, saying in 2011: “It’s crazy how big electronic music is everywhere. I always relate it to soccer.

“Soccer is massive everywhere else in the world, and it’s just starting to gain a little steam here in the US. It’s kind of the same with electronic music.”

After leaving the music scene, he took a job with NASA as an electrical engineer.

This enabled him to take a step into the tech industry, with Earick founding Redacted RnD, a self-described “thought leader in blockchain innovation and digital assets”.

Earick’s bid to buy the Maserati MSG Formula E team fell through earlier this year.

Next summer, Tottenham Hotspur could be presented with the chance to sign Harry Kane, with his release clause of around £57m set to kick in.

Tottenham Hotspur are well aware of Kane’s situation at Bayern Munich and would jump at the chance to bring him back to N17.

But, TBR Football exclusively revealed that the North London club are set to face competition from Real Madrid for Kane’s signature, along with Bayern, Chelsea, Man United and Barcelona.

Of course, a move for the 32-year-old would not come cheaply, so to assess whether Spurs could actually afford to re-sign the striker, TBR Football has spoken to the site’s financial expert, Adam Williams, to find out more.

Tottenham paying £57m could still prove great value for Harry Kane

Harry Kane remains arguably the best striker in world football right now, so despite his age, Tottenham Hotspur could still find decent value in paying £57m to bring him back.

Williams told TBR Football: “£57m for a 33-year-old looks like an extortionate sum on first reading, but elite-level footballers are playing longer these days. Harry Kane looks after himself.

“He’s one of the ultimate pros, and I’m sure he’s invested a lot – both financially and psychologically – in keeping himself in the best possible condition to keep his career going as long as possible.

“He may rely on his physicality less than other players of his vintage, which probably means he has more left to give even if his body starts to slow down. At 33, he’s still the one, if not the best striker in the world.

“I’m no expert on tactics or anything like that, so I can’t say whether or not he would fit in with what the football department are planning at Spurs, but commercially, a return to Tottenham for Kane would clearly be a huge success. He’s going to sell a lot of shirts, attract a lot of sponsors and so on.”

Tottenham’s £337m transfer debt could be hurdle in signing Harry Kane

Kane earns a rather extraordinary £400,000 per week at Bayern, which is double Spurs’ current highest earners, who are Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero, both on £195,000 per week.

Williams suggests that one way the Lilywhites could get around that figure is by offering him a highly incentivised contract.

“He is on £400,000 per week at Bayern, but I imagine it might be more of an incentivised contract if he came back to North London, although clearly with a very high basic wage too, of course. That would insulate Spurs a little bit,” added Williams.

“Germany also has slightly higher tax in the top bracket than the UK, so there might be a little bit of room for manoeuvre on salary there too. Then again, there are a million variables when we start to get into the discussions of the relative financial benefits of each country.

“I have no doubt that if Spurs wanted to make a deal happen, they could easily afford £400,000 per week, it would be a question of whether it would be the best use of their money.

“ENIC don’t look like they’re putting any more money into the club at this stage, so they’ll want to get the best return on every pound they spend. They’ll look at it through a cost-benefit lens, not a sentimental one.”

One potential hurdle in bringing him back to North London would be the fact that Tottenham’s current transfer debt stands at £337m.

TBR Football’s financial expert continued: “The transfer fee also probably wouldn’t be a problem – just look at what they spent this summer. One thing they will be conscious of is transfer debt, however, which is very, very high at Spurs. It was £337m at the last count, which was the second highest in the league behind Chelsea. Sometimes a release clause can specify that it has to be paid in one go, but there are ways around that. You can go through a transfer creditor, for example.

“Instalments are a perfectly logical way to pay for transfers, but if your debt keeps increasing faster than revenue, that’s not really sustainable in the long term. That is not something that would inherently stop them from signing a player like Kane, though, of course, he’s not going to have any resale value at this stage in his career.”

Tottenham Hotspur have a number of players who could be considered underrated at the moment.

Indeed, Pape Sarr is underrated, James Maddison sometimes doesn’t get the credit he should, while Dejan Kulusevski called Dane Scarlett underrated too.

However, now, speaking on All Out Football, Joleon Lescott has gone in the opposite direction, claiming that another of Spurs’ players is actually very overrated.

Indeed, when asked to name the most overrated player in the Premier League right now, Lescott claimed that Cristian Romero holds that unwanted crown.

Cristian Romero is overrated

Lescott was asked to name the most overrated player in the Premier League.

The pundit initially named Moises Caicedo as his answer in an attempt to wind-up the Chelsea supporting host.

However, the former England defender then changed his answer to Cristian Romero.

“The most overrated player in the Premier League is?” The host asked.

“Caicedo, no I’m joking,” Lescott said.

“Van de Ven or Romero,” The co-host said.

“Yeah, I would say Romero,” Lescott said.”

James Maddison called Cristian Romero underrated

It is interesting how judgment differs among pundits and fellow professionals.

Indeed, while Lescott believes Romero is wildly overrated, James Maddison reckons Romero is actually very underrated.

Maddison named Romero as his most underrated teammate earlier this year, stating:

“Underrated? Cristian Romero. Top, top centre-back,”

“For some reason in England I feel like he has the perception of being a hot head who gets a lot of red cards and isn’t disciplined, but it’s the opposite, he’s a World Cup winner and he’s a top player.”

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, Romero can be an inconsistent player, and that leads to inconsistent views of his ability.

Romero can be brilliant, but, at the same time, he can also be something of a liability if he’s not on his game.

The Argentine is a player who will always divide opinion, that’s for sure.

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.