TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur spent around £125m over the summer transfer window with more than half of that spent on Dominic Solanke.

However, Ange Postecoglou is struggling to extract the best out of his Tottenham side in the Premier League with four losses already to their name.

The Lilywhites handed Crystal Palace with their first win in the league on Sunday in what was a hugely underwhelming performance.

Postecoglou is already eyeing up January signings with a winger capable of playing on either flank of real interest to Tottenham.

But it may not just be players coming in through the doors at Hotspur Way in January with one player, specifically, potentially set for interest to arrive in the winter market.

Tottenham expecting January loan interest in Archie Gray

According to GiveMeSport, Tottenham are braced for clubs to show their interest in signing Archie Gray on loan for the rest of the term.

Gray joined Tottenham for £40m over the summer from Leeds United but has failed to make much of an impression in the Premier League.

Intermediaries are already warning Tottenham that interested clubs are preparing their approaches ahead of the January window.

It is claimed Gray was hoping to land in north London and make a much bigger impact than what he actually has done so far.

Ange Postecoglou has been really impressed by Gray

Although Gray has only featured as a substitute in the Premier League, he has still impressed his manager since landing over the summer.

Postecoglou hailed Gray as ‘incredible’ following his start in the Europa League against Qarabag at right-back.

But Gray did arrive at Spurs as a natural midfielder but Postecoglou is yet to start the 18-year-old in the middle.

This comes amid Yves Bissouma’s struggles at Tottenham of late and Postecoglou’s inability to maintain a regular midfield three.

Tottenham Hotspur are currently struggling to nail down some consistency in the Premier League despite a spending over £100m in the summer.

Ange Postecoglou has now seen his side win as many games as they have lost in the Premier League as they sit just four points ahead of 16th-placed Everton.

This comes after Tottenham sanctioned some considerable purchases over the summer with the likes of Dominic Solanke marking a new club record transfer.

Although Postecoglou has been impressed by Archie Gray, the youngster has failed to make an impact on the starting XI in the Premier League.

The Australian continues to experiment with his midfield, though, with the Spurs boss constantly switching players from game to game.

But it seems another midfield addition could be eyed by the Lilywhites with one current Premier League star catching Postecoglou’s eye.

Tottenham eyeing move for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba

According to TalkSPORT, Tottenham are one of the club’s who are already showing an interest in Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba ahead of the summer.

Postecoglou is believed to be a big admirer of the Cameroonian midfielder with a number of other Premier League sides also monitoring the player.

After making the move to the south coast last summer for £23m, Arsenal are also showing an interest in Baleba with Liverpool also credited in the report.

Former Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma is on his last chance at Tottenham after an off-field incident over the summer.

But the Lilywhites are still struggling to nail down a starting midfield three with the Spurs boss making constant changes.

Baleba could be Tottenham’s upgrade on Yves Bissouma

Tottenham have a serious defensive issue under Postecoglou with only two clean sheets kept through the opening nine Premier League games.

Micah Richards slammed Bissouma last season but the Mali international has made four starts in the league this season having returned two goals.

But it has to be questioned whether he provides the defensive cover which is needed for Postecoglou’s attack-minded philosophy.

Not only could Baleba provide more solidity in front of Tottenham’s back four, he has also shown his ability to progress the play.

But Baleba is a player who is not going to be signed easily with some of the Premier League’s top dogs also monitoring his situation.

Tottenham Hotspur are establishing a very exciting group of young players at the club currently with a clear focus on future prospects.

Ange Postecoglou is seeing some of the club’s youngsters come through into the starting XI with Mikey Moore having earned his first Premier League start.

Moore has already impressed Glenn Hoddle with his early performances in a Spurs shirt, but there are other examples with Tottenham also investing in talented youngsters like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

However, some of Tottenham’s talent has been sent out on loan to pick up some more regular first team minutes.

And there is one who is seriously impressing his manager who is expecting a big future from the Tottenham loanee.

Stoke City manager wowed by Tottenham loanee Ashley Phillips

Stoke City were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night but Tottenham’s Ashley Phillips was able to score a stunning goal.

Speaking to StokeOnTrentLive after the game, Stoke’s manager Narcis Pelach admitted Phillips could be in for a big future if he continues to develop.

“He had chances against Sheffield United the other day. I’m impressed with his performance today and the other day and he needs to continue in this direction because I think he’s a good centre-back, can be very good in the future,” Pelach said.

For a defender to score a goal which Phillips did on Tuesday night showcases the talent which the youngster has.

But making the step up to playing in the Premier League for Tottenham is a much bigger challenge to anything the defender has faced so far.

How old is Ashley Phillips?

Another encouraging sign for Tottenham is Phillips has only just turned 19 years of age earlier this year with plenty of time on his side.

It is being suggested Napoli hold an interest in Radu Dragusin with the central defender not receiving a great deal of minutes at Tottenham.

Postecoglou is currently locked in with the partnership of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven despite Tottenham’s defensive record leaving a lot to be desired.

Although Dragusin’s agent has played down exit talk ahead of January, the spot as the third centre-back in north London could become available over the summer.

And it appears Phillips is trending in the right direction with the Stoke manager expecting a big future from the England youth player.

Tottenham Hotspur’s season was summed up on the weekend when they lost in disappointing fashion to Crystal Palace.

Ange Postecoglou‘s side came into the game on the back of an encouraging victory over West Ham and were facing a Palace side without a win in the league.

The Eagles found themselves slumped inside the bottom three with Tottenham having the chance to close the gap on the top four down to two points.

Instead, the Lilywhites put in a shocking performance which now has them just four points ahead of Everton in 16th place.

Tottenham are believed to be monitoring Andreas Skov Olsen ahead of the coming transfer windows.

But there is one player who the club are already looking to move on after a dismal start to the season from him.

Ange Postecoglou keen to upgrade summer addition already

The summer was not a particularly busy one for Tottenham when it came to player arrivals and it has only really been Dominic Solanke who’s impacted the starting XI.

The Lilywhites did, however, see double digit player exits over the summer with Daniel Levy and Johan Lange sanctioning a considerable clear out.

And it seems as if the departures could continue over the upcoming transfer windows.

After signing Timo Werner to another loan deal in the summer, GiveMeSport are now claiming Postecoglou wants an upgrade.

Werner has come under considerable criticism already this season with the German looking shot of confidence.

The RB Leipzig forward is signed on a loan deal until the end of the season but it is already expected he will make his return to Germany.

After his poor start to the term, it is reported Tottenham are seriously monitoring the market for a winger capable of playing on both flanks.

Tottenham open to early Timo Werner exit

After landing initially in January on a short-term deal, Werner was able to return Tottenham with two goals and three assists.

The German clearly done enough for Spurs to warrant him an extended opportunity at the club but he is failing to show his worth with one assist in his 11 appearances this season.

Tottenham are now said to be open to allowing Werner to depart in January if another club was to show real interest.

Tottenham might have inconsistencies in their team at the minute but hasn’t stopped some of Europe’s elite looking at some of their top stars.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has once again seen his team struggle for consistency and once again this weekend, they lost points after losing at Palace.

For Postecoglou, addressing the consistency issues is a huge problem and it’s something the Aussie seems to be struggling to get a grip of.

Of course, on the days when it goes well for Tottenham, it goes very well, and it’s normally down to the exciting attacking players they have to call upon.

However, with those players producing in certain moments, it now looks like Spurs face a battle to keep hold of one of them.

AC Milan considering Dejan Kulusevski bid

According to a report from Juve Live, AC Milan are keen on landing Dejan Kulusevski after a personal recommendation from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Zlatan is now in a role above playing level at Milan and reportedly sees his fellow Swedish star as an ideal signing for the seven-time European Cup winners.

It’s claimed that Tottenham value Kulusevski around the £45m mark, which would bring a profit from the £25m or so they paid back in 2023.

Kulusevski has been a shining light for Spurs this season, playing both wide and as a number ten at times.

Recently, Kulusevski was lauded as ‘terrific’ for his performance against West Ham by Alan Shearer and Postecoglou will not want to lose such a talent.

Tottenham have to keep Kulusevski

Of all the players Tottenham could sell and bring money in for, Dejan Kulusevski is one who needs to remain in north London if they are to keep improving.

While some of Spurs’ top stars have inconsistencies in their game, you generally get a 7/10 performance from ‘Deki’ and that’s important.

£45m also seems a low valuation for a player of his calibre and it would seem strange for Spurs to sell.

Still, the lure of Ibrahimovic and Milan might factor into things and if a serious offer did come, then Tottenham fans may well worry.

It has been a season full of ups and downs already for Tottenham Hotspur and the north London side are not even into November.

Ange Postecoglou‘s side are going well in the Premier League but it could have been so much better for Tottenham.

Some sloppy results like the defeats away to Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion will be seen as missed opportunities to put themselves right amongst the mix at the top.

Instead, Spurs are sat in seventh spot of the table and four points off the top four following Aston Villa’s win on the weekend.

There have been some standout performers with the likes of Heung-min Son receiving a lot of praise after the win over West Ham United.

But there are also a number of players who are underperforming with one potentially already failing to impress ahead of the January transfer market.

Tottenham open to letting forward leave in January

One player who has seriously impressed this season is Brennan Johnson with Ryan Mason helping him behind the scenes at Tottenham.

However, the same cannot be said about Timo Werner with the RB Leipzig loanee failing to meet the high standards set by the likes of Son and Johnson.

Former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has admitted he’s been left really underwhelmed by Werner in a Tottenham shirt.

According to German outlet Kicker, Tottenham would not stand in the way of Werner if another opportunity was to arise in the January window for him.

After joining back in January on a short-term loan deal until the end of the last season, Spurs signed Werner again on an extended loan.

But the Lilywhites simply are not seeing a return from the German who has only been able to provide one assist in his nine appearances.

Across his 23 appearances for Spurs – since January – Werner has scored just twice and has failed to find the back of the net since March.

Timo Werner is blocking Mikey Moore’s development

At the age of 28, Tottenham know what they are going to get from Werner and it simply has not been good enough.

Gary Neville has already criticised Werner’s finishing with the German wasting chances constantly for Tottenham.

And with the £165k-per-week winger playing nine times this season, he is blocking the path for 17-year-old Mikey Moore to make an impact.

In comparison, Redknapp thinks Moore is an extremely exciting young prospect for Tottenham and has urged Postecoglou to start him more often.

Moore has only been allotted 21 minutes of Premier League action but the Europa League has been more kind to him with 95 minutes and a start against Ferencvaros.

With Werner not contributing, perhaps it is time for Spurs to move on and provide those minutes to their homegrown talent.

Tottenham Hotspur have recruited really well since Ange Postecoglou’s arrival in 2023.

Tottenham have placed great emphasis on recruiting emerging talent rather than the finished article.

That’s been evinced by the arrivals of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert during the summer window.

That model is expected to continue and ahead of the January window, it’s just come to light that they’re keeping tabs on a promising Bournemouth attacker.

Bournemouth confident they can keep Antoine Semenyo amid Tottenham and Newcastle interest

TBR Football reported earlier this month that Tottenham are eyeing a move for Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.

The Bournemouth attacker, who’s considered a ‘rising star’ per FootBoom, has enjoyed a sensational start to the season.

Semenyo has registered four goal involvements in eight appearances and is also attracting interest from Newcastle.

However, according to talkSPORT, Bournemouth remain relaxed about his future having only just tied him down on a new contract until 2029.

The South Coasters can now demand a significant fee for his signature, with some reports suggesting he’s valued at £50m.

Speaking to The Athletic recently, Semenyo admitted that he has aspirations to play Champions League football.

“I aspire to compete in the Champions League or Europa League,” the former Bristol City attacker said.

“I understand that such opportunities require dedication and are not achieved overnight. I need to stay consistent and keep scoring goals to advance my career.”

Evidently, there will come a time when Semenyo will have to leave Bournemouth to achieve those dreams, but perhaps Europa League football at the Vitality is within reach.

Andoni Iraola appears to be taking the Cherries to new heights.

Erik Lamela remains something of a fan favourite at Tottenham – despite leaving N17 for Sevilla several years ago back in 2021.

The Argentina international made a total of 257 appearances for Spurs following a £25.8m move from Roma back in August 2013 – scoring 37 goals while also providing 44 assists.

Tottenham fans respected the fiery South American for his spirited performances and determination to turn himself into a key man under Mauricio Pochettino, after initially struggling in the Premier League under Andre Villas-Boas.

Now – writing on Instagram – Erik Lamela has sent a message to Tottenham.

Erik Lamela tells Spurs he misses the club

The Argentine has now written “I miss you” to Spurs – after Tottenham posted footage of his iconic rabona goal against Asteras Tripoli back in October 2014.

At the end of that 2014/15 campaign, Lamela was awarded the UEFA Europa League Goal of the Season for his outrageous effort against the Greek outfit, and remarkably, it was not the only rabona he scored during his time with the north Londoners.

The man born in Buenos Aires also netted a stunning rabona in a north London derby of all stages, an effort which won the FIFA Puskas Award in 2021.

Erik Lamela is rooting for Tottenham wonderkid

Lamela still keeps an eye on developments at Spurs, and he seems to be a huge fan of Alejo Veliz.

Tottenham signed the Argentinian striker in a £13m move from Rosario Central in August 2023 – and he has already scored a Premier League goal for Spurs despite playing just 45 minutes.

Veliz spent time with Lamela at Sevilla while on loan last season, and after the South American sealed another loan move to Espanyol during the summer, the current AEK Athens No.9 called him “the best of the best” in a kind message.

Lamela is also a big fan of Bryan Gil – who Spurs have loaned out to Girona.

Hopefully, the Tottenham fan favourite can help guide the 21-year-old to stardom in N17 by providing a shoulder to lean on for advice.

Tottenham Hotspur have endured a topsy-turvy start to the new Premier League season but they dispatched West Ham United at the weekend.

Spurs defeated West Ham 4-1 on Saturday to move up to seventh in the table – four points off the top four.

Evidently, there is plenty of room for improvement as Ange Postecoglou’s young squad continues to develop.

So, with that said, it’s understood that Tottenham are considering dipping into the January transfer window with a potential swap deal on the cards.

Tottenham could offer Radu Dragusin for Yann Bisseck

According to Inter Live, Tottenham could offer Radu Dragusin in exchange for Inter centre-back Yann Bisseck.

Dragusin has barely had a look in under Postecoglou’s stewardship – playing less than 100 minutes of Premier League football this season.

For that reason, it’s thought Spurs could look to move him on and a swap deal has emerged as a possibility.

The North Londoners are strongly interested in Bisseck, though, Inter would only consider a substantial cash offer, they aren’t interested in a swap.

Yann Bisseck compared to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero

Bisseck is valued at around £21m, which is a pretty feasible fee for the 23-year-old.

The German defender, who has ‘remarkable speed’ per Breaking The Lines, would be competing against Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, if he were to join the North Londoners.

Here is how their statistics compare.

Evidently, Bisseck would have a tough task trying to displace the current pairing, however, given his age, he has plenty of time to develop and improve.

Tottenham bounced back from that 3-2 defeat against Brighton emphatically on Saturday with a comprehensive victory over West Ham.

Strikes from Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Heung-min Son and an own goal from Alphonse Areola secured all three points for Spurs in N17, leaving them seventh in the Premier League.

The result means Tottenham have now won six of their last seven games across all competitions, form Ange Postecoglou is surely proud of after September’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal ramped up the pressure on Spurs.

Now – as quoted by the Independent – Dominic Solanke has shared what Tottenham players were saying to each other after Saturday’s win against West Ham.

Dominic Solanke urges Spurs to kick on after 4-1 win over West Ham

Speaking after victory in the London derby on Saturday, the England international said: “It was huge. Before that Brighton game we were on a good run of form. We started that game well, maybe got a bit complacent so it was important we bounced back and showed we had learned from it.

“Speaking to a couple of the boys after, I think we need to play like this as much as we can because we know we can do it.”

That lack of consistency does seem to be Tottenham’s Achilles heel.

As the 3-2 defeat against Brighton showed, Spurs often slip up just as Postecoglou seems to have stumbled across a recipe for success, so it is now down to Solanke, who Tony Cascarino compared to Didier Drogba, and his teammates to keep the momentum going.

Ange Postecoglou is close to a breakthrough at Tottenham

Spurs seem to perennially be described as bottlers and underachievers – with rival fans even creating a new adjective, Spursy, for the north Londoners as a result of their struggles.

It has been 14 years since Tottenham last won a trophy, although we can’t help but feel Postecoglou is on to something in N17.

Spurs finally have a proper No.9 for the first time since Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich in Solanke, whose clever movement helped to create many openings against West Ham, even though he failed to provide a goal or assist.

Furthermore, the decision to move Kulusevski – who Graham Roberts called “fantastic” – into central midfield has proven to be a masterstroke from Postecoglou.

These tweaks – along with a settled backline of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie – are the sign of a top team, who could quite conceivably win a trophy this season if they keep performing at this level.