TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur have endured a tricky start to the 2024/25 campaign with just four points on the board.

Going into the international break, Tottenham have one won, drawn one and lost one in their opening three Premier League games.

The game on the weekend against Newcastle was a seriously disappointing one for Ange Postecoglou as he watched his side fail to take their chances once again.

But there are some positives to take from the early stages of the season with some of the Tottenham youngsters knocking on the door to get into the starting XI.

One of those is Lucas Bergvall who came on for the final nine minutes at St James’ Park on Sunday for James Maddison.

Although he awaits his first start in the league, Bergvall has admitted there’s one player that has really impressed him since he joined.

Lucas Bergvall seriously impressed by £110k-per-week Tottenham player

Having landed in north London over the summer, Bergvall has really impressed Postecoglou with how well he has settled at Tottenham.

And with Maddison struggling for form, there are some calls for Bergvall to potentially replace Maddison in the North London Derby.

But it is something that another Spurs player has done behind the scenes which has seriously impressed the young Swede.

Speaking to Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen, Bergvall has waxed lyrical about the £110k-per-week Dejan Kulusevski and what he has been doing for him away from the cameras.

“He has helped me a lot on and off the pitch. A good person and an incredibly good footballer,” he said.

“I have received an incredible amount of help. He’s a fantastic person and player, who has helped me get into the group and everything around it.”

“More generally an extra support if you have a tougher training. It could be a gym session or exercises. He helps, it can be anything.”

Lucas Bergvall has just earned his first senior Sweden call up

Since joining up with Tottenham, Bergvall has proven himself to be one seriously exciting youngster who could well be knocking on the door for his first Spurs start.

This comes at a time when Maddison is receiving a lot of criticism for his Tottenham performances.

However, he has now received a call up for the Sweden senior side on the back of his early showings at Tottenham.

Although a start in the North London Derby next week may be a big ask, the upcoming Carabao Cup trip to Coventry City may be a more realistic opportunity for him to make his first start.

Tottenham Hotspur’s coaches will be eager to put things right during the international break and many of their players link up with their national sides.

Spurs have had a rollercoaster start to the Premier League season, with some familiar issues coming to the fore once again.

Tottenham drew 1-1 at Leicester City in their season opener, a game they should have won convincingly but for a glut of wasted chances.

Ange Postecoglou’s charges then hammered Everton 4-0 in a display of what Spurs really can do when firing on all cylinders.

However, Tottenham went on to lose their next game as Newcastle United ran out 2-1 winners at St James’ Park, despite Spurs dominating on Tyneside.

The Leicester game at the start of the season also saw an incident between two Spurs players late on which split opinion among Lilywhites fans.

Lucas Bergvall made an error which resulted in goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario having to make a save, and the Italian was seen reprimanding his teammate.

Now, Bergvall has spoken about the incident, and also shared what Vicario said to him in the aftermath of the game.

Lucas Bergvall says ‘all is calm now’ between himself and Guglielmo Vicario

Bergvall, speaking to Aftonbladet, said: “Sometimes you do slightly worse things, sometimes you do better things.

“We were 1-0 up with a fairly comfortable lead. We conceded 1-1 and then that happens [when he lost the ball].

“All is calm now. We have talked about it. Vicario said that there are hot feelings and things like that, that happen.”

Premier League baptism of fire

The Premier League, as everyone knows, is a difficult and unforgiving league.

The slightest errors by any players can be pounced upon and have serious consequences in terms of goals and results.

Bergvall was lucky to get away with his error against Leicester, and Vicario’s reaction shows just much it means to him, and how high the standards are at the club.

It’s good to hear that it’s water under the bridge now, and no doubt Bergvall will have learned from the experience.

Tottenham Hotspur were beaten at Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon as defensive problems continue under Ange Postecoglou.

After opening the season with a draw and a victory, Tottenham Hotspur headed to St James’ Park on Sunday.

This has not been a happy hunting ground for Tottenham having 6-1 there in April 2023 and 4-0 there in April 2024.

Tottenham’s fate this time around wasn’t quite as embarrassing but still painful.

Spurs dominated the game; 66% of possession, 20 shots, nearly twice the number of passes as Newcastle.

It’s all about putting the ball in the net though and Tottenham ended up losing 2-1 as the Magpies took their chances.

Former Romania star on Tottenham Hotspur’s Radu Dragusin

The winning goal was a major source of frustration for Tottenham.

Joelinton’s pass was able to take the Tottenham defence out of the game with Jacob Murphy racing clear to pick out Alexander Isak for a tap-in.

Tottenham had no way back into the game and Ange Postecoglou is now facing questions over his defensive approach once again.

The Spurs back line were stationed virtually on the half-way line as Joelinton played his pass in behind for Murphy.

Micky van de Ven was ruled out through injury so, without his blazing speed, Tottenham were left a little exposed.

Radu Dragusin came into the side and he did impress despite not being able to prevent that winning goal.

One moment saw Dragusin close down Isak in real Van de Ven fashion before executing a perfect sliding challenge.

Tottenham fans and even Postecoglou have been impressed with Dragusin, but the Australian doesn’t seem to be too popular in Romania.

Former Romania defender Florin Gardos – a one-time Premier League defender with Southampton – has offered stinging criticism for the Spurs boss.

As noted by Digispor, Gardos admitted that he is ‘not a fan’ of Postecoglou as he pushes his defence so high.

Gardos thinks that fellow Romanian Dragusin will continue to have problems in that high line, suggesting that even being as fast as Usain Bolt wouldn’t help.

“That’s why I’m not a fan of Postecoglou and I don’t think he’ll have any notable performances,” said Gardos. “Joelinton has the ball a few meters from the centre circle and Tottenham’s back line is in midfield.

“You can have Usain Bolt on defence, he still doesn’t get to those kind of balls. It’s a pity for Dragusin, he played well, but if something doesn’t change he will be exposed in every match,” he added.

Defensive frailty could be Postecoglou’s Tottenham downfall

We love watching ‘Angeball’; at its best, it is fast, incisive and brilliant to watch.

Tottenham fans have certainly had fun watching Postecoglou’s style of play, especially after the likes of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.

Those Spurs supporters won’t just want fun though – they will want success to go along with a more entertaining approach amid a strong defence from Chris Sutton.

The first year was almost a free hit for Postecoglou but the pressure will increase now he is into his second campaign at Tottenham.

Money has been spent, the squad has been moulded and Postecoglou needs to show that Tottenham are going in the right direction.

Losing games like Sunday, where Tottenham are on top and get caught out by one ball through the high line, will become increasingly frustrating.

Dragusin has shown his talent but there really wasn’t much that he could do about Newcastle’s winner on Sunday and Postecoglou may need to have a think about his defensive approach if he is to truly take Spurs to the next level.

The reasons that Tottenham and Daniel Levy are yet to finalise their search for fresh equity investment are becoming increasingly clearer.

Spurs officially announced that they were open to a takeover earlier this year, with chairman and co-owner Levy using language that left the door open for majority or minority investment.

Having raised £500m for a new football acquisition, former Newcastle United supremo Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners have been linked with investing in Tottenham.

Previously, Formula 1 owners Liberty Media have reportedly shown an interest, as have MSP Sports Capital, who recently failed in a bid to buy Everton.

But there has been next to nothing in the way of reliable reports suggesting that any investment is imminent – experts believe that may be because Tottenham’s £3.75bn valuation is too high.

What’s more, Spurs have actually been on the market for several years. The announcement in April merely confirmed what was already widely known within the industry.

Levy and ENIC’s stewardship of Spurs over the last two decades has been controversial among fans, but from a business perspective they are considered one of the best run clubs in the world.

So why have the hierarchy failed to get a deal of any description over the line?

Cost control a major hurdle to Spurs takeover

In recent years, US private equity funds have tightened their grip on football, investing en masse in the Premier League and further afield.

However, in the first genuine development in the investment saga in months, it was reported last week that private equity’s interest in the likes of Spurs is decreasing.

There are a number of factors at play here, but perhaps the most significant is the perception that cost control in the Premier League is almost non-existent.

Spurs are in the minority in that they live within their financial means.

Increasingly, clubs are spending as much as possible within the spending regulations. And that means that profitability is nosediving across the division. Not ideal for investors.

In a second development that illustrates this trend, FIFA have confirmed that almost £5bn has been spent this summer on international transfers, the second most of all time.

Unsurprisingly, the Premier League was by far the biggest individual driver even in a relatively fallow year by its own opulent standards.

The last thing would-be investors want from a club like Spurs is to get into an arms race. That is why the NFL or NBA, where costs are essentially fixed and predictable, are more attractive.

Champions League revolution could breathe life into Tottenham auction

The US investors that own more than half of the Premier League’s clubs are banking on there being a big bang moment in terms of revenue.

Otherwise, clubs will continue to sustain losses and owners will be unable to realise any value.

For clubs like Spurs, the previous solution had been the European Super League.

That would have transformed the North London club’s finances overnight, but the monumental fan backlash coupled with mounting legislative hurdles mean that is a near impossibility at present.

FIFA have promised that the expanded Club World Cup can bring revenues north of £35m per tournament, but that will be a sporadic financial uplift at Spurs because of the qualifying criteria.

The Champions League, however, has moved permanently to an expanded model that UEFA thinks can deliver 25 per cent more income for top clubs each year.

Spurs missed out on the inaugural edition of the revamped tournament in 2024-25, but they see themselves as regulars in the competition going forward.

As many as six Premier League clubs could qualify for the Champions League in future years, so investors might see these near-guaranteed revenues as the golden goose in terms of investing in Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur have seen an influx of young talent over the last couple of years with their transfer strategy slightly changing.

This summer, Tottenham have already seen the likes of Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert arrive to bolster Ange Postecoglou‘s side.

But there is another youngster who has landed in north London over recent months despite having been signed earlier in the year.

Lucas Bergvall made his long-awaited move to N17 after signing for Spurs back in January before he returned to Djurgardens on loan until the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Since landing at Spurs, Bergvall has seriously impressed those around Tottenham with the youngster showing his potential from the off.

And it seems as if there is another player in Tottenham’s ranks who could be set to replicate Bergvall’s fortunes in north London as he impresses out on loan.

Tottenham have seriously exciting youngster in Luka Vuskovic

Spurs signed Luka Vuskovic last summer from Hajduk Split for around £12m despite him being just 16-years-old at the time.

But the Croatian has been a long way from joining up with the Tottenham side having spent last season out on loan with Hajduk Split and Radomiak before then joining KVC Westerlo this season.

The youngster is already impressing over in Belgium having started all six of their league games this season where he has even netted one goal.

Over recent days, a stunning piece of footage has emerged from a training session which saw Vuskovic acrobatically picking himself off the ground before cannoning a half volley into the top corner.

It is early indications like this which are showing just why Tottenham invested such big money into the centre-back last summer.

And the decision to loan him back out – as they did with Bergvall – is looking like a smart decision from Spurs who are reaping the benefits of Vuskovic earning experience elsewhere.

Tottenham may have unearthed their Cristian Romero successor

It feels like an interesting season lies ahead of Cristian Romero and Tottenham with the Argentina international closing in on his final two years of his contract.

There is an expectation Tottenham will open talks with Romero over a new deal over the season but nothing is guaranteed.

Romero has already received interest from Real Madrid as his success at international level is failing to be matched at Tottenham.

If Spurs do not manage to get their hands on silverware this term then perhaps Romero has no other choice but to consider his options.

But in Vuskovic, Tottenham have a defender who Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol has admitted has the potential to become a huge star.

Tottenham Hotspur have broken their transfer record this summer with Dominic Solanke now sitting at the top of the list.

Tottenham Hotspur have spent big money on signings over the years but have often seen deals come back to bite them.

The less said about the signings Tottenham made after selling Gareth Bale, the better.

Look down the list of Tottenham’s biggest signings and you will find the likes of Richarlison and Davinson Sanchez – decent players who maybe didn’t live up to expectations.

More recent investments such as Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero and Brennan Johnson appear better value for money and there is excitement around Archie Gray.

Yet look at the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Steven Bergwijn, Roberto Soldado, Sergio Reguilon and Ryan Sessegnon and you will see considerable funds sunk into signings who didn’t work out.

Jamie Carragher on Tanguy Ndombele at Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham have now splashed the cash on striker Dominic Solanke, luring him away from Bournemouth.

Solanke has already impressed Gary Neville but has only been able to make on appearance for Spurs due to injury.

Solanke has become Tottenham’s most expensive signing this summer at £65million, narrowly eclipsing Tanguy Ndombele.

Midfielder Ndombele sums up the idea of a big-money, exciting signing who is backed for stardom but never lives up to the hype.

Ndombele looked set to become Mousa Dembele’s long-term heir after signing from Lyon but ended up playing just 63 Premier League games for Spurs.

One moment in the 2019-20 season saw Ndombele substituted at half-time in a 1-1 draw at Burnley just before the 2020 lockdown.

Jose Mourinho was losing patience with Ndombele and Jamie Carragher slammed him as a ‘disgrace’ in terms of effort out of possession.

Carragher has now told The Overlap that Mauricio Pochettino – the man who signed Ndombele at Tottenham – actually hit back at his criticism.

Carragher claims that Pochettino was convinced that Ndombele would come good and prove Carragher wrong, but it just never happened at Spurs.

“He was lazy, wasn’t he? I remember analysing him on a game, yeah,” said Carragher. “I remember a game away at Burnley because I looked at it on the Monday Night Football. Did Jose bring him off before half-time? It was something that stood out.

“I did analysis on him, because at the time everyone was having a go at Jose and I was almost sort of defending him and saying ‘well that’s why he’s done it’, and then a few weeks later, I bumped into Pochettino at a Champions League game at Anfield.

“He’d brought him and he was adamant saying ‘no, you’ve got it wrong, this fella’s a good player’, obviously he brought him in, but he never, ever showed anything did he?” he added.

Where is Tanguy Ndombele now?

Ndombele’s Tottenham contract was ripped up this summer after a series of loan spells away from the club.

The Frenchman returned to Lyon in 2022 before then moving on to Napoli and finally Galatasaray.

Ndombele showed flashes at times but it just wasn’t enough and his poor campaign in Turkey last season sealed his fate.

Tottenham have finally moved on from Ndombele but the 27-year-old has found a new club over the summer.

Nice have snapped up Ndombele, handing him a return to French football.

Ndombele has started all three of Nice’s Ligue 1 games so far this season and chipped in with an assist in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Angers.

Maybe this is the move Ndombele needed to get back on track but Tottenham will not feel any sense of regret over letting him go.

Tottenham Hotspur didn’t technically make a new signing on transfer deadline day but did strike rather fascinating deal.

The final day of the transfer window passed without much business being done at Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s major summer business was done well in advance of the deadline as Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke arrived.

Wilson Odobert proved to be Tottenham’s final signing of the window and there wasn’t much outgoing business either.

Giovani Lo Celso was the headline departure on deadline day, completing a return to former club Real Betis.

Few tears will be shed in North London over Lo Celso’s departure after five disappointing years on the Tottenham books but his exit has caused some intrigue.

Tottenham Hotspur deal confirmed

Reports on deadline day suggested that Tottenham took a lower fee for Lo Celso in order to strike an agreement with Betis.

The deal has included an agreement for Tottenham to essentially have first option on signing Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso.

Spurs can activate a deal to sign Cardoso down the line or take a percentage of the deal if he is sold elsewhere.

Tottenham clearly want some kind of stake in Cardoso’s future just months after he joined Betis from Internacional in Brazil.

Reports suggested that Tottenham were remaining ‘silent’ and refusing to confirm whether such an agreement for Cardoso existed.

Tottenham have nowhere to hide now though as Real Betis have confirmed that Tottenham have an option to sign Cardoso.

Betis president Angel Haro has told Estadio Deportivo that Tottenham have a purchase option between €25million and €30million (£21million and £25million).

Haro claims that a number of teams wanted to sign Cardoso but the option over his future has been ‘given’ to Tottenham.

“Johnny is a player who is of interest to many teams. It is a purchase option and we have given it to Tottenham for the amounts published,” said Haro.

Who is potential Tottenham signing Johnny Cardoso?

Cardoso was born in the United States but moved to Brazil with his family at the age of just three.

Cardoso spent time in the ranks with Criciuma and Avai in Brazil before joining Internacional.

That is where Cardoso became a first-team star, racking up nearly 150 appearances for the club whilst scoring seven goals.

Real Betis came calling in January 2024 and lured Cardoso to La Liga, where he has now made 23 appearances.

Cardoso qualified to play for Brazil but has already racked up 15 caps for the United States.

Tottenham Hotspur were quiet on transfer deadline day but Johan Lange did find time to strike a rather interesting deal for the future.

Ange Postecoglou spent his cash on two big signings this summer, luring Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke to Tottenham Hotspur.

Lucas Bergvall, Timo Werner and Wilson Odobert have also strengthened the Tottenham squad but results have been a little mixed so far.

Tottenham were so up and down in the 1-1 draw against Leicester City before beating Everton 4-0 last weekend.

Postecoglou then watched his side dominate against Newcastle United on Sunday, only to lose 2-1 at St James’ Park.

Tottenham can’t just keep playing well and failing to win, leaving Spurs fans a little frustrated with the start to the season and the summer business.

Johnny Cardoso praised after Tottenham Hotspur agreement

Tottenham didn’t bring in a natural holding midfielder this summer, something which may have been needed after allowing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to join Marseille.

Deadline day passed without Tottenham finding a solution in that area of the pitch but an interesting agreement has been reached.

Tottenham have allowed Giovani Lo Celso to rejoin Real Betis after five rather disappointing years on the Spurs books.

Intriguingly, Tottenham have negotiated a first option on Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso as part of the deal.

Tottenham can either activate a deal to sign Cardoso or take a percentage of any sale if he moves elsewhere – even if Spurs are remaining quiet on the agreement right now.

The American midfielder isn’t a household in Europe just yet having only joined Betis from Internacional in January.

European football expert Andy Brassell has now offered his view whilst speaking to Sky Sports (30/08, 17:40).

Brassell noted that Cardoso is ‘very popular’ as a person and and ‘very energetic’ on the pitch, highlighting that he is essentially a Brazilian player due to his upbringing.

Brassell added that Cardoso ‘loves a tackle’ and his style of play suits the Premier League perfectly, potentially becoming the answer for Tottenham in holding midfielder.

“The interesting thing is this might help Tottenham negotiate an option, it seems, for Johnny Cardoso,” said Brassell. “Quite an interesting backstory, so he was born in the US to Brazilian parents but he moved back to Brazil when he was three or four months old. To all intents and purposes, he is a Brazilian player, he’s come through the system there before going over to Betis.

“Very popular, very energetic, you can imagine Cardoso working really well in the Premier League because he loves a tackle, he loves to get stuck in, so you can imagine him protecting that Tottenham defence going forward,” he added.

Johan Lange has pulled off a masterstroke

Cardoso may not even join Tottenham in 2025 but he will be a name on the radar for upcoming transfer windows at Spurs.

This deal may not amount to much; Spurs may end up feeling that Cardoso just isn’t right down the line.

Having that option is so valuable though as the market for holding midfielders has exploded in recent years.

Finding quality players who can play in that number six position at a high level is becoming increasingly difficult – and increasingly expensive.

Cardoso hasn’t even in European football for a year yet, so it’s too early to tell whether he can really take the next step in his development.

If he does though, Tottenham have that first option to bring him to North London, providing an advantage over other clubs who may join the race.

Tottenham have no plans for Lo Celso, so taking a cheaper deal doesn’t really affect Spurs too much right now but allows that option for Cardoso down the line.

Deadline day was a quiet one for Tottenham but technical director Johan Lange may have set up a very interesting deal for the future in a potential masterstroke for Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a productive summer transfer window.

The North Londoners made five exciting additions, with Dominic Solanke’s £65m arrival from Bournemouth perhaps the statement deal.

On the outgoing front, Tottenham offloaded a staggering 15 players, with six of them heading out on loan.

Here are all of their loan departures for the 2024/25 campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur loanees 2024/25

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (on loan to Marseille)

Tottenham Hotspur shipped Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on loan to Ligue 1 outfit Marseille for the 2024/25 season.

According to BBC Sport, Hojbjerg’s move will become a permanent one for a fee in the region of £17m.

Bryan Gil (on loan to Girona)

Bryan Gil, who has failed to make an impact in North London since his £21m switch from Sevilla in 2021, has joined La Liga high-flyers Girona for the season.

Manor Solomon (on loan to Leeds United)

Manor Solomon was sidelined for much of last season through injury but he’s built himself back up to fitness and has now dropped down to the Championship, joining Leeds United.

Solomon laid on an assist on his debut against Hull City.

Alejo Veliz (on loan to Espanyol)

Alejo Veliz made the switch to Espanyol last month and got off the mark with a stoppage-time winner against Raya Vallecano last night.

Ashley Phillips (on loan to Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips enjoyed a productive loan spell at Plymouth Argyle last season and has now joined fellow Championship outfit Stoke City to continue his development.

Dane Scarlett (on loan to Oxford United)

It’s safe to say that young Tottenham forward Alejo Veliz has not had a good time of things since making his move to England.

The young striker was farmed out on loan to Sevilla last season but did little of note in a spell which was disappointing for everyone involved.

Tottenham paid £13m to sign Veliz and he is seen as someone who can indeed be a star in the future.

Indeed, Erik Lamela has backed Veliz to go on and be a star, praising the Tottenham forward just last month.

Still, Veliz will feel he needs a big season this year after joining Espanyol and he’s on the right path to doing just that after scoring a late, late winner last night.

Veliz hit a stoppage time goal to see Espanyol beat Raya Vallecano 2-1 and after the game, it’s safe to say Veliz got a bit emotional.

Alejo Veliz gets upset after scoring Espanyol winner

Speaking in an interview after the game, Veliz was being quizzed by the Spanish interviewer on how he felt to get the goal.

And Veliz, clearly emotional, spoke from the heart.

In comments translated by the Spurs Web, Veliz admitted he’d had a tough year in general.

“I had a year that honestly wasn’t great for me football-istically,” Veliz said.

“I just want to thank my family, my girlfriend who always supported me, the coaching staff for giving me the chance to come here and prove myself, and my teammates.”

Clearly, then, Veliz is looking to really make an impression in Spain this time around and show he can do the business.

With Tottenham buying Dominic Solanke for big money, keeping Richarlison, and having Mikey Moore breaking through, Veliz knows it will be tough in London.

But this is a good start and more goals like this can only help him, as can his obvious desire to impress.