TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur are getting ready to take on Arsenal in the latest edition of the North London derby.

Both Spurs and the Gunners are in tricky situations ahead of the fixture as they failed to win their respective last games before the international break.

In addition, both Tottenham and Arsenal have some personnel issues ahead of the North London derby.

Spurs are sweating on Yves Bissouma’s fitness, while the Gunners could be without three key midfielders.

Both teams have strong front lines who could have a big say in terms of where the points and bragging rights will go.

Much of the attention will be on Dominic Solanke, Tottenham’s record signing and the man expected to lead their line.

Spurs paid an initial £55million – with a further £10million in add-ons – to sign Solanke, whose contract at N17 runs until 2030.

Paul Merson has now given his verdict on the England international’s signing, what he expects from him, and what he needs to get used to.

Paul Merson says Dominic Solanke needs to get used to scrutiny for his efforts in front of goal

Merson, writing on Sky Sports, believes Solanke will take Tottenham to “another level” and has backed him to get to 20 goals this season.

However, the Arsenal legend also stressed that the 26-year-old will be under the microscope when it comes to putting chances away, something he’ll need to get used to.

“Dominic Solanke is a good signing and takes Tottenham to another level,” said Merson.

“What he’s got to get used to is if you miss a few good chances then you’re under the microscope.

“With no disrespect, when you’re playing for Bournemouth and you miss three chances, there are no headlines about it. He’ll have to get used to being at a big club and putting his chances away.

“When he starts scoring, I think he could get 20 goals this season whereas Arsenal might be short of a centre-forward. I’m not sure they did enough in the transfer window.”

Solanke has a chance to endear himself to Tottenham fanbase immediately

Solanke had to miss out on Tottenham’s last two games due to injury, while his first game was always going to be a case of finding his feet as he didn’t have a pre-season with Spurs.

Now, he has had more time to get used to Ange Postecoglou’s methods, so he should hopefully hit the ground running.

To impress in the North London derby – perhaps even get a goal or assist – will immediately endear him to his new fanbase.

Tottenham v Arsenal team news

Spurs will hope to have Micky van de Ven back after he missed the Newcastle loss before pulling out of Netherlands duty.

Likewise, Solanke should return, while Richarlison is not expected to be fit and Bissouma is a doubt.

As for Arsenal, Martin Odegaard is a serious doubt with an ankle injury, while Mikel Merino, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are also sidelined.

Riccardo Calafiori suffered a knock on Italy duty, while Gabriel Jesus has been dealing with a groin problem of late and Declan Rice is suspended.

Tottenham have recruited impressively when it comes to securing talents for the future – and the present.

In the likes of Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven and Pape Matar Sarr, Spurs have signed some top prospects who can help Ange Postecoglou achieve results now, but also grow into world class footballers in the meantime.

Now, Tottenham have been told they have another talent who is worth over £67m – one who hardly plays for the north Londoners…

George Becali praises Radu Dragusin

George Becali – owner of FC Steaua Bucuresti – has now been speaking about Radu Dragusin in an interview with Fanatik.

The Tottenham No.6 emerged from the youth ranks at Regal Sport Bucuresti before moving to Juventus in 2018.

Speaking about Dragusin, Becali said: “Dragusin is a central defender. He can grow. He can sell for €70m – €80m (£59.1m – £67.6m). He’s young, he’s tall, a central defender. You rarely find this.”

The Romania international is certainly an interesting profile at the age of 22 – having already amassed 23 caps for Romania and 40 appearances in Serie A.

However, Dragusin is yet to assert himself at Tottenham since his £26m move from Genoa in January, making just five Premier League starts under Postecoglou.

In fairness, the Australian has a selection headache when it comes to central defenders, with the aforementioned Van de Ven usually one of Tottenham’s most consistent performers, while Cristian Romero is also one of Europe’s best, meaning the Romanian often misses out.

Despite a lack of starts for the man from Bucharest, Postecoglou has recently heralded Dragusin for his bravery in possession, with Guglielmo Vicario also impressed by his Spurs teammate in training, so he is still doing something right behind the scenes at Hotspur Way.

Still a smart signing by Tottenham

Some Spurs fans might question why £26m was spent on a defender who rarely plays, but it was a necessary – and clever – deal nonetheless.

After Eric Dier moved to Bayern Munich, Postecoglou didn’t actually have another central defender behind Van de Ven and Romero, so another option was needed.

Of course, a cheaper defender could have been signed, but in Dragusin, Spurs secured a top talent who is unlikely to drop below his initial £26m value given his immense potential.

If anything, Dragusin is already more valuable than that, as Becali states – an investment, if you will.

Tottenham spent over £100 million in the summer transfer window, and that appears to have halted their pursuit of one player in particular.

Ange Postecoglou‘s marquee summer signing, Dominic Solanke, has only played one competitive game since joining from Bournemouth for £65 million in the summer.

Solanke is currently facing an anxious wait to see if he’s going to be fit enough to play a big part in the North London derby this weekend.

The Englishman scored 21 goals and assisted four in 42 appearances in all competitions last season, which was enough for Spurs to move to secure his services.

However, it appears as if the £65 million signing has seen Daniel Levy abandon his plans for another striker target moving forward…

Arsenal now get a potential free run at ‘phenomenal’ star as Dominic Solanke rules Tottenham out

Spurs already have the likes of Son Heung-min, Timo Werner and Richarlison, who can operate at the pinnacle of the attack if needed in the absence of Solanke.

However, Spurs’ lack of need for a striker could see Arsenal get a free run at one of the best strikers in world football, according to Give Me Sport.

It’s been claimed that Arsenal are prepared to test Newcastle’s resolve if there are any indications that Alexander Isak is available next year. The Gunners remain keen on completing the deal after showing interest during the summer transfer window.

Spurs will not join their North London rivals in upping the ante in their pursuit. Their decision to turn their attentions towards landing Dominic Solanke has resulted in them no longer wanting a striker.

Is Alexander Isak better than Dominic Solanke?

Dominic Solanke is two years older than Isak, with the pair 26 and 24 respectively.

Last season, Isak was Newcastle’s main man with 25 goals in 40 games, which narrowly beats Solanke’s tally.

However, it’s not guaranteed that the striker will even leave Newcastle as he’s currently locked in transfer talks, and Isak demands a release clause be inserted into the deal.

Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a productive summer transfer window.

The North Londoners outlaid £124m on five new signings, including the statement arrival of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth.

Tottenham also raised a healthy £46m in player sales and remarkably, one of their fringe player who was offloaded now has a substantial release clause in his contract at his new club.

Giovani Lo Celso has release clause worth over £50m

Giovani Lo Celso left Tottenham on a permanent deal in the summer, returning to his former club Real Betis for a fee of around £8.4m.

The Argentina international was a fringe player under Ange Postecolgou last term, starting just four Premier League games.

Now, at Betis, it’s just emerged that he has a release clause in his contract worth in excess of £50m, which is pretty staggering.

That’s according to ABC Sevilla, who claim it’s a deliberate tactic to fend off interest from the Saudi Pro League.

It also amplifies how desperate Lo Celso was to return to Betis – accepting such a high release clause that’ll put off nearly every suitor.

Tottenham may regret Giovani Lo Celso sale

For whatever reason, Lo Celso never really showed his true potential at Tottenham across his five-year stint.

Though, on the international stage with Argentina, he consistently delievers and looks like a top-level midfielder.

Perhaps he’ll find that level with Betis and that could see Spurs regret their decision to sell him, especially for such a low fee.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to compete in the Europa League this season, a much-welcome return to European action after missing out in 2023/24.

However, one decision made by Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou relating to the competition has caused some controversy.

The decision in question is that Tottenham defender Djed Spence is not in the Europa League squad for the group stage, despite his impressive pre-season.

In addition, Spurs’ Europa League selection only has 23 players instead of the 25-man limit.

This is because of the rules around Europa League squads, which stipulate that a 25-man squad must have four homegrown players.

Alasdair Gold, speaking on the Gold & Guest podcast, has now discussed the “ridiculous” situation which has led Tottenham to this point.

Alasdair Gold not impressed with Tottenham’s lack of homegrown players

Gold noted how Spurs’ “poor squad management” has led to them not having enough homegrown players to compose a full Europa League squad.

In the Premier League, a player under the age of 21 does not have to be in the registered squad.

However, UEFA rules say Under-21 players must have been at the club for at least two years to qualify.

Spence does not fall into that category and as a result was omitted from the squad as Ange Postecoglou went for Fraser Forster instead.

In addition, Tottenham only have Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman as homegrown players, and both are goalkeepers.

Gold said: “Spurs stuffing themselves completely by poor squad management, really, over the years of just not having any now outfield senior club-trained players in their squad, which is a ridiculous situation to get yourself in.”

Later on, Gold said: “Jose Mourinho pointed out a few years back, didn’t he? He said there was this gap in the players coming through from the academy.

“He was looking down at that point. It was to the likes of Alfie Devine and Dane Scarlett back then who were like, I think they were both sixteen at the time.

“He was saying there was no little kind of middle section coming through. And he’s been proved absolutely right because no one’s come through to fill that void.”

Tottenham’s Europa League group-stage squad

Goalkeepers

Guglielmo Vicario

Fraser Forster

Brandon Austin

Alfie Whiteman

Defenders

Radu Dragusin

Destiny Udogie

Cristian Romero

Pedro Porro

Ben Davies

Micky van de Ven

Midfielders

Son Heung-Min

Yves Bissouma

James Maddison

Archie Gray

Lucas Bergvall

Dejan Kulusevski

Brennan Johnson

Wilson Odobert

Pape Sarr

Rodrigo Bentancur

Forwards

Richarlison

Timo Werner

Dominic Solanke

Who do Tottenham play first in the Europa League?

Spurs will host Azeri club Qarabag FK at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday 26 September, 8pm kick-off.

Postecoglou’s charges have three games – in two different competitions – before they get under way in European club action.

They host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday 15 September, then head to Coventry City in the League Cup on Wednesday 18 September, and then host Brentford in the league on Saturday 21 September.

Daniel Levy has held talks over a deal that could be financially transformative for Tottenham.

Since the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened in 2019, Spurs have reached a new plane in terms of their turnover, especially across matchday and commercial income.

The North London club reached the £550m revenue mark in 2022-23 and are expected to surpass that figure when they release their accounts for 2023-24 early next year.

Given that ENIC and Levy‘s external wealth is dwarfed by most owners in the Premier League – and particularly by the so-called Big Six – maintaining an upwards revenue curve is paramount for Spurs.

This season, Tottenham have added cryptocurrency exchange Kraken as sleeve sponsor in a deal worth around £15m per year.

After a lucrative summer saw acts like Pink and Travis Scott perform at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs have now attained a license to double the number of non-football events they can hold annually.

Given that the club can earn almost £1m per matchday from catering alone at the 62,850-seater arena and will be entitled to a hosting fee, they can expect an eight-figure return from the new license.

However, there is one major income stream related to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that continues to elude them.

Tottenham explore deals with Amazon, Google, FedEx and Uber

When the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosts the North London derby on Sunday, it will do so as an unbranded venue.

Daniel Levy made a naming rights deal a priority when the stadium opened in 2019, with the chairman and co-owners targeting a world-record £25m-a-year deal.

TBR Football understands that, if Spurs can find a willing partner, a £150m, 10-year deal is now more realistic.

Updates on a potential naming rights deal have been thin on the ground in recent years, but Sportcal have now relayed that Google, FedEx, Uber and Amazon have all held talks with Spurs.

These discussions are not likely to be recent. Indeed, TBR understands that preliminary negotiations with Google and Amazon began and ended in 2022.

A naming rights deal is the closest thing a football club can get to free money. There are almost no costs associated, although fan sentiment to these deals is generally not particularly favourable.

The value of Spurs’ naming rights

In Europe, stadium naming rights are not the big-ticket commercial proposition that they are in the United States.

Many analysts believe this is because there is no front-of-shirt sponsorship in the likes of the NFL and NBA, so naming rights are top of the pile in America.

However, there are signs that naming rights are beginning to climb in value this side of the Atlantic.

In a development that will encourage Spurs, another London venue, England rugby’s Twickenham, recently secured a £100m, 10-year naming rights deal.

In the Premier League, Spurs are not the only club looking for a branding partner. West Ham, Everton and perhaps Man United are all on the hunt too.

Whether that saturation will depress the market remains to be seen.

The value of Spurs’ naming rights has also likely declined somewhat given that half a decade has elapsed since the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Ange Postecoglou has been very open to giving younger players a chance in his Tottenham side this season, with so many exciting talents at the club.

It’s clear that Tottenham‘s transfer policy is now heavily geared towards signing the biggest talents after seeing the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Min hyeok-Yang all put pen to paper.

Ange Postecoglou has already given minutes to Bergvall, Gray and Odobert, with all three looking very comfortable in the Premier League.

With Europa League football secured and the groups drawn, as well as the EFL cup on the horizon, it appears as if Bergvall is set to make his full debut.

Archie Gray has already impressed on international duty during this break. He put in a brilliant display as the England Under-21s drew 0-0 with the Northern Ireland Under-21s.

However, it appears as if it was a different Spurs youngster who attracted bids in the summer transfer window…

Alasdair Gold says Spurs rejected numerous loan-to-buy offers for Alfie Devine

Alfie Devine secured a season-long loan to Belgian Pro League club Westerlo in the summer.

After an impressive pre-season it was thought that maybe Devine would be in and around the first-team, but things didn’t pan out that way.

Now, Alasdair Gold when speaking on his YouTube channel has revealed that a number of clubs put in loan with the option to buy bids for Alfie Devine prior to his loan move, which Spurs rejected.

“Straight loan, no option to buy. I think some clubs, from what I understand, were putting in bids for him of loan with an option to buy, but Spurs weren’t looking at that because they believe he can be something pretty decent as time goes on.”

What does Ange Postecoglou think of Alfie Devine?

Back in the summer of last year, Ange was full of praise for Devine, stating that he was doing ‘really well’ prior to his loan move.

And the youngster is keen to impress his boss, stating that he knew ‘Ange is watching’ when on loan at Port Vale last season.

At just 20 years of age, he still has plenty of developing to do, which is why these loan moves are being sorted out for him.

He shouldn’t have any worries about not being with the squad. Alasdair Gold even states that the club see something in him, so he will very much be a part of the future plans.

Tottenham might have had a good summer in the market but things could have been different had a number of big clubs got their way.

In the end, Ange Postecoglou managed to bring in a number of key players and also move some on.

That’s left Tottenham with a healthy looking squad, bolstered further by the fact they managed to keep hold of some of their best players as well.

As we know, the likes of Heung-Min Son, Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero are all very much considered untouchables for most Spurs fans.

And thankfully for those fans, Tottenham’s board had the same response when clubs came calling for Cristian Romero this summer.

Tottenham issue hands off warning as Manchester United and Real Madrid look at Cristian Romero

According to South American journalist Gaston Edul, Tottenham did indeed receive approaches from the likes of Manchester United, PSG, and Real Madrid for Romero in the summer.

Edul has claimed via his X account that Spurs simply rejected the notion of selling Romero and even refused to put a price on him for this summer, such is their regard for the defender.

However, while that is the accepted stance for now, Edul has also claimed that Tottenham could end up fielding further enquires in the future, with Romero due to enter the final couple of years on his contract.

Tottenham need to get Romero a new deal

In an ideal world, Tottenham simply get Romero to agree to fresh terms and suddenly it means they’ve protected their asset.

If he does then go, he goes for huge money.

However, that needs to happen quickly really and Tottenham fans will be worried that this is the start of unsettling a player who is very much respected in the game for his defensive abilities.

Indeed, Ange Postecoglou has admitted to being really impressed by Romero in training lately, while Romero has also impressed for Argentina recently.

Daniel Levy is always trying to find new ways to make money through Tottenham and it appears as if another deal is in the works.

The Tottenham Hotspur stadium opened in April of 2019 after many years of developments.

Daniel Levy has undoubtedly made use of the stadium with concerts, the NFL, Rugby Premiership, Barclays Women’s Super League and the boxing all being shown.

And, it’s been claimed that the Tottenham Hotspur stadium could even host the Champions League final.

Spurs are the most profitable club in the history of the Premier League, so Levy must have done something right.

As much as fans have been unhappy with his lack of spending at times in the past, this transfer window has shown that he will back Ange Postecoglou having spent over £100 million.

Now, it looks as if Levy has another deal up his sleeve at Tottenham, but this one is more of a low-level deal that the club will make use of…

Alasdair Gold says he’s hearing about a behind-scenes Tottenham deal with a ‘big, big’ tech company

Interestingly, there was a potential takeover of Tottenham involving MSP Capital, but they opted to turn their attention to Everton last year, which didn’t materialise into anything.

To be fair to Levy, the Tottenham Hotspur stadium is considered one of the best in Europe, if not the world, and has trebled Tottenham‘s matchday and commercial income.

And, he managed to finance the stadium at a time of low interest rates, which made it even better.

Alasdair Gold has now claimed that a tech deal is in the works at Tottenham when speaking on his YouTube channel.

“I’ve got a feeling that there’s some like a tech deal in the pipe works that’s coming for Spurs this month. Like a tech partner deal.

“Like quite a big company that doesn’t normally do this sort of stuff, so we’ll see what comes of that. I don’t know whether that’s like a financial boost.

“I think it’s more just to do with the tech they’re using so it’s not particularly exciting but it was just something I keep hearing about and I don’t know who it is with yet.

“But I think it’s just with a big, big company.”

What has Daniel Levy had to say on potential investment?

Back in April, Daniel Levy spoke on potential investors.

“To capitalise on our long-term potential, to continue to invest in the teams and undertake future capital projects, the Club requires a significant increase in its equity base.

“The Board and its advisors, Rothschild & Co, are in discussions with prospective investors. Any recommended investment proposal would require the support of the Club’s shareholders.”

The English transfer window has closed but one Tottenham player could still be on the move this week.

There was a big clear-out at Tottenham this summer as Ange Postecoglou made his mark on the squad one year on from his appointment as manager.

Nine players left the club, including five as free agents, while five new players were brought in to bolster the first-team squad.

Tottenham even backed Postecoglou with a club-record £65m deal for Dominic Solanke, who was described as one of the “top three” signings of the summer.

Overall, it was a great summer for Spurs after managing to clear out several fringe players while adding young talent to their squad.

But their business is not done yet with one player now subject to interest from Turkey.

Galatasaray target Ben Davies deal

Postecoglou has made his thoughts on Ben Davies very clear this season after leaving him on the bench for all three of their Premier League games.

Destiny Udogie has cemented a starting spot at Spurs and pushed Davies down the pecking order, and he has now been offered a route out of North London.

According to Turkish outlet Takvim, Galatasaray have set their sights on a possible deal for Ben Davies after his lack of game time this season.

The Turkish giants are pleased with their deal to sign Davinson Sanchez from Spurs and are hopeful that they can reunite him with Davies.

Davies only has one year remaining on his deal at Tottenham, so Spurs could be open to a deal for the 31-year-old.

Any deal would have to be finalised before the Turkish transfer window closes on Friday.

Tottenham can afford to let Ben Davies go

Postecoglou has previously praised Davies for his “outstanding” character, but it is clear that he is no longer deemed a starter for Spurs.

Udogie has locked down the left-back position and even in his absence, Spurs have played Micky van de Ven on the left.

Sergio Reguilon is another option at left-back, although his future at the club is also up in the air after he was left out of their Europa League squad.

But ultimately, Spurs have enough depth at the back that if Davies agreed to a move, they can afford to let him go. However, expect a new left-back to be targeted either in January or next summer if that is the case.