TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur have got their season up and running over the weekend after putting a convincing three points on the board.

Ange Postecoglou‘s side were able to put any concerns following their opening day draw to Leicester City to one side with an emphatic win over Everton.

Next up for Tottenham is a trip to Tyneside which has not fared them well in recent seasons but there is, of course, the transfer deadline before then.

Spurs have been busy in this summer’s window but the large majority of their business done has focused on player departures.

Daniel Levy and Johan Lange have been able to dramatically cut down the size of the squad with players like Emerson Royal being sold to AC Milan.

But there is still time for Tottenham to add one more player before the end of play on Friday evening.

Tottenham looking to address key position in the transfer window

The latest arrival to land in north London has been Wilson Odobert who seriously impressed James Maddison on his Tottenham debut over the weekend.

However, there could still be room for further additions to arrive with Spurs having focused largely on bringing in young prospects.

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has now claimed there is one position which is still slightly concerning those within the club.

Speaking on the Last Word on Spurs, Bridge has said those at Spurs have said a new backup goalkeeper is of interest.

“Goalkeeper area is an issue. I’m told it’s not a pressing issue, at the moment,” said Bridge.

“Personally. I would like to see more competition for Vicario. When I asked, it is an area which they will be looking at. Whether that gets addressed now or January… I’m leaning more towards January.”

Tottenham need competition for Guglielmo Vicario

Last season, Guglielmo Vicario played every single game in Tottenham’s season with the Italy international making an immediate impact at the club.

However, there have been some concerning moments from the goalkeeper over pre-season with a goal in each of the friendlies against Bayern Munich gifted by Vicario.

Of course, if he is going to make a mistake fans would wish for it to come in the pre-season friendlies.

However, it could well be suggested that the lack of competition may have Vicario sitting comfortably in his spot between the sticks.

If Spurs can add a goalkeeper who can keep Vicario on his toes regarding his spot as the starting goalkeeper then perhaps the Italian’s game will continue to develop after an impressive first season.

Tottenham Hotspur will be bouncing into their next game following what was a really impressive win over Everton.

Any concerns that lingered from the draw on Monday against Leicester City will have been forgotten by Ange Postecoglou with Tottenham looking mightily impressive.

The Lilywhites were clinical against the Toffees with Spurs taking a two-goal lead within the opening 25 minutes of the game.

Tottenham have put themselves among the top four following their victory on Saturday as they now prepare for a trip north to face Newcastle United.

It would be difficult to narrow down one standout player from the game in north London but it was apparent James Maddison was impressed by one, in particular.

James Maddison shares his verdict on Wilson Odobert’s Tottenham debut

Spurs have operated carefully in this summer’s transfer market with Postecoglou only bringing in players he really feels are suited to the club.

Tottenham’s business in the summer transfer window may now be completed following their fifth addition of the market.

Wilson Odobert was the latest Spurs signing made and he was handed his debut at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against the Blues.

The French winger was unavailable for the game on Monday night against the Foxes as he was awaiting his work permit to return.

However, he was ready to go on Saturday and Postecoglou wasted no time in bringing him straight into the starting XI.

Following the game, Odobert posted on his Instagram account where he said: ‘What a feeling to make my debut at home with a big win thank you all for your support we keep going.’

With the Spurs youngster impressing on his debut, vice-captain Maddison took to the comments to share his thoughts on Odobert’s display: ‘Sharp,’ replied the Spurs midfielder.

Ange Postecoglou says Maddison and Odobert have formed a strong partnership

Maddison has struggled over the large majority of this year to find his absolute best form in a Spurs shirt.

However, he has had a full summer of rest to come back for the 2024/25 campaign full recharged after being left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

But it seems as if the addition of the £25m Odobert could well be a signing which could help to bring the best out of Maddison this season.

Postecoglou has already said he was impressed by the synergy Maddison and Odobert showed in their first game together on Saturday.

“He [Maddison] had a really good synergy with Wilson early on, they worked really well together. And then he made some great runs,” Postecoglou said.

There were a lot of things to like about Tottenham Hotspur’s victory on Saturday afternoon in their first home game of the season.

After a wasteful display against Leicester City on Monday night, Tottenham really turned the screw against Everton in N17.

Ange Postecoglou was left delighted with the showing from his side which has put them up into the top four ahead of their trip to Tyneside next weekend.

It would be difficult to pinpoint one specific Man of the Match for Tottenham with a number of their players putting a solid shift in.

But there was one impressive showing with Heung-min Son waxing lyrical about Wilson Odobert on his Tottenham debut.

And the Spurs boss has already admitted one of his players is forming a good partnership with the new Tottenham winger.

Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham player has formed Wilson Odobert partnership

Tottenham’s transfer business has not been overly extravagant this summer despite the £65m signing of Dominic Solanke.

Chelsea were able to beat Tottenham to the signing of Pedro Neto this summer which led the Lilywhites to signing Odobert instead.

However, the 19-year-old enjoyed a strong debut which showed a lot of promise to the on watching Tottenham fans in the crowd.

And it seems as if the young winger may also have just brought the best out of James Maddison with Postecoglou singing the midfielder’s praise after the game.

“Yeah, I thought Madders was really good and again, really disciplined. It’s not an easy game when you play against a team like Everton because you know there’s not gonna be a hell of a lot of space in the front third,” Postecoglou told football.london.

“But you’ve also got to work defensively for second balls. I thought he was really good at doing that for us. He kind of mopped up a few times when they’ve gone long and, and kept the ball for us.

“He had a really good synergy with Wilson early on, they worked really well together. And then he made some great runs.”

James Maddison has made a strong start to the 2024/25 season

After a strange 2023/24 campaign, the £40m Maddison was coming into the new season on the back of his England squad omission.

Maddison certainly has something to prove after he was unable to rediscover his best form following his ankle injury last term.

However, the Spurs midfielder has made a strong start to the new campaign with an assist in Monday’s opener against Leicester.

And he also added another assist on Saturday, here is a rundown of his display…

Although Maddison may be hoping for Solanke to make a quick recovery, it seems as if he is already showing positive signs inside the opening two games.

Tottenham Hotspur fans got their first glimpse of Wilson Odobert in action for their club on Saturday as Ange Postecoglou handed the surprise summer signing his debut in the win over Everton.

Spurs secured their first victory of the campaign with an emphatic 4-0 thrashing of the Toffees at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Heung-min Son scoring twice while Yves Bissouma and Cristian Romero also got on the scoresheet.

Tottenham caught many off-guard by signing Wilson Odobert during the transfer window, with very few links surrounding the deal before it was all but completed. And it may have surprised some when Ange Postecoglou decided to hand him a full debut against Sean Dyche’s side on Saturday.

Odobert was never afraid to run at players and saw plenty of the ball on his Tottenham bow. He was taken off midway through the second-half, with Richarlison replacing the 19-year-old. But it seems that he managed to impress.

Wilson Odobert makes Tottenham debut in emphatic win over Everton

Speaking on Sky Sports (broadcast on 24/8; 17:34), Michael Dawson issued his verdict on Odobert’s performance, and made an exciting prediction.

“Wilson Odobert coming in for his first start for Spurs since signing from Burnley, very, very positive. I think he will be really good. The way he drives, the way he attacks the full-backs, good performance,” he said.

The statistics which will really please Ange Postecoglou as youngster makes Spurs bow

A couple of statistics from the game may well really please Postecoglou when it comes to Odobert’s performance, particularly as he is still finding his feet in North London and is going to need some time to fully adapt to his new surroundings.

As shown by Whoscored, Odobert completed 31 accurate passes during his time on the pitch – that is more than Heung-min Son, Brennan Johnson or Dejan Kulusevski. Son and Johnson saw out the full 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, Odobert also completed three challenges. Cristian Romero was the only Tottenham player to make more, with the co-vice-captain managing to make six against the Toffees.

Of course, he is likely to be judged by the impact he makes in the final third in the years to come, but it is encouraging that he is already working extremely hard for the team when you consider what Postecoglou often wants his players to do.

Tottenham Hotspur have made a strong start to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign having picked up four points from a possible six.

Monday night’s opener certainly was not a straightforward one but Saturday’s win over Everton got the Lilywhites back on track.

Ange Postecoglou‘s side were able to win in emphatic fashion in north London as they really put down a marker for where they are at following a positive summer.

Tottenham have not been overly busy in the market when it comes to player arrivals with their business done so far perhaps best described as selective.

Ironically, it is Spurs who have made the biggest move of the summer having brought in Dominic Solanke for around £65m.

And Daniel Levy is looking for outside investment so Spurs can continue their growth with big money signings like this over the coming years.

Saudi-backed investor wants £650m slice of Tottenham

Earlier in the summer, Levy revealed that Spurs were in conversation with a number of parties over potential investment into the club.

One of the names to crop up was the former Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley who was said to be keen on investing in Tottenham.

And it seems as if she may just have been working behind the scenes in recent weeks to put together some financial backing to fund her bid for the north London side.

According to The Sun, Staveley is now looking for a 25% stake in Tottenham which would cost in the region of £650m.

Having brokered the deal for Newcastle’s takeover back in 2021, Staveley’s connections in the Middle East remain strong with ‘serious money’ said to be backing her.

The 51-year-old is said to be ready to step up her bid to buy into Tottenham before eventually looking to purchase a bigger stake in the Lilywhites.

What Amanda Staveley recently said about investing in Tottenham

Having now departed her role at St James’ Park, Staveley is free to invest in whatever club she would like to.

And it seems as if that is something in which the 51-year-old is keen to do having spent around three years on Tyneside overseeing Newcastle’s progression.

When asked earlier in the summer if she could potentially invest into Tottenham, Staveley admitted it was a possibility.

“Not much, I’m afraid. My preference would have been to stay with Newcastle, but life doesn’t always work out exactly how you want it to,” she replied when asked on talks with with Rothschild & Co.

“Mehrdad and I are keen to be hands-on. We’re hard-working people, I love to be very busy and to engage and I love football. Very sadly, we have to move on to other projects and that might involve us taking a stake in another club or buying another club and that’s difficult. But it’s possible.”

If Ange Postecoglou was frustrated by Tottenham Hotspur’s draw against Leicester City last week, he’ll feel a whole lot better after game week two.

Tottenham were superb against Everton, even if the visitors failed to provide the kind of test Postecoglou’s side seemed to be prepared for.

The Spurs boss was bold in his selection, choosing to use Yves Bissouma as a single pivot against Sean Dyche’s side, then fielding five attackers ahead of the midfielder.

Without Dominic Solanke, Postecoglou decided against simply dropping Richarlison into his eleven.

Richarlison didn’t seem happy with that decision, but Postecoglou’s idea to put Wilson Odobert on left and Son Heung-min back through the middle paid dividends.

Odobert was superb on his debut – justifying why Vincent Kompany once spoke so highly about his potential.

But it wasn’t just going forward where Spurs excelled, the likes of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were also brilliant at the back.

Romero played the odd stray pass in the first half, but certainly showed his dominance later on when heading home.

Cristian Romero celebrated by teammates after reaching 100 games for Tottenham

After the game, Romero took to Instagram to celebrate the win and a landmark he achieved during the 4-0 victory.

The match was Romero’s 100th in a Tottenham shirt since he made his £43m move back in 2021.

Sharing a collection of photos from the game, Romero attached a caption saying: “A special match and an honour to reach 100 games played with this shirt.

“Great game by all, this is the way to go! Thank you all for the support as always. Let’s go Spurs.”

As you may expect, a number of Tottenham players were quick to reply with their congratulations, including both Solanke and Van de Ven.

Of course, given how much he’s already achieved in his career, particularly with Argentina, it’s remarkable to consider that Romero is still only 26-years-old.

The defender still has a decade of football ahead, and Tottenham fans will hope the majority of those years will be spent in north London.

Romero has definitely matured since Postecoglou arrived, and he’s also improved with the ball on the ground too.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to put their first three points on the board following their opening day draw against Leicester City.

Ange Postecoglou was clearly a frustrated figure on Monday night as his Tottenham side squandered so many chances to beat the Foxes.

However, Spurs need to put their disappointment to one side with a game against Everton coming up on Saturday afternoon.

And it is going to be the perfect opportunity for Tottenham to get their season up and running properly as they come up against an Everton side that were heavily beaten in their opening game.

It may only have been one game but Spurs are already suffering from a major injury issue but it seems as if the Spurs manager has been impressed with what he has seen from one specific player in training.

Ange Postecoglou wowed by ‘outstanding’ Tottenham player in training

There has been some positive news for Postecoglou with Tottenham seeing Pedro Porro return to training following his injury scare on Monday night.

However, Dominic Solanke is not going to be available for the game against Everton and could even face missing further games with an ankle injury.

But there is one other player who Spurs will have at their disposal and he has left Postecoglou seriously impressed.

Postecoglou has now been in the job for over a year now and it is apparent that there has become a core group of players who he heavily depends on.

One of those is Cristian Romero and the Australian has now admitted just how impressed he has been by the World Cup winner.

“Outstanding. Obviously with all these kind of things you have the image of a player from afar and before I got here I thought he was going to be really important to me because he’s such a fantastic centre-back for club and country,” he told football.london on Friday.

“But being here, watching him, the way he trains and the way he plays, unbelievably strong mindset. An absolute winner in every thing he does. He was really important last year and he’s going to be really important moving forward.

“He is one of the players within this group who has achieved things from a team perspective and those kind of things are transferable. He has won the World Cup, he has won the Copa America, so he’s part of a successful team and I think he’s a really strong influence in the group.”

Tottenham are at risk of losing Cristian Romero next summer

Romero still has three years remaining on his deal in north London but there has been reports of interest coming from some of Europe’s elite.

Real Madrid are believed to be showing an interest in Romero but face a big asking price from Spurs if they are to make a serious move.

After all, this is a player who has now won the World Cup and two Copa Americas with his national side in recent years.

However, he is still yet to win anything at club level since joining Spurs and that is surely something he is wanting to change.

If Spurs are unable to provide him with silverware this season, the upcoming summer window could provide a big concern for Tottenham when it comes keeping their Argentine centre-back.

Daniel Levy is one of the most divisive figures in football but one of the more controversial episodes in the Tottenham chairman’s may still be to come.

Levy, who also owns just less than a third of the North London club, is a respected operator in industry circles but has frustrated Spurs fans wit his conservative approach.

Since the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019, Spurs have become a global brand and tripled their revenues.

But they are still without silverware in nearly two decades.

Many supporters alleged that ENIC and Levy care more about the club’s commercial operation than results on the pitch.

And with Spurs currently looking to sell a minority stake and valuing themselves at £3.75bn, they will think that now is the most important time to prove out their business model.

To understand the latest about the club and the interplay between the sporting and commercial department, TBR Football spoke to Liverpool University football finance lecturer Kieran Maguire.

Spurs set to make new behind-the-scenes appointment shortly

In February, Spurs announced that commercial director Todd Kline would be leaving to join Chelsea in cursory statement that suggested that the departure was not on the best terms.

There has been update, official or otherwise, until recently for quite some time, with Chelsea yet to announce his appointment and Spurs yet to confirm Kline’s successor.

But The Telegraph recently reported that Kline is still seeing out his notice period.

Maguire suggests that someone will have filled Kline’s role, albeit unofficially, in the interim period.

“There is no doubt that somebody will have been hard at work at Spurs following Todd Kline’s departure to become Todd 2.0 at Chelsea.

“As they didn’t have the best of seasons in 2023-24, they will be focusing on off-field activities and revenue maximisation.

“The commercial department is absolutely critical for Spurs. We have seen commercial revenues triple since the move to the new stadium.

“With Daniel Levy in charge, he will be a hard taskmaster. He will have someone trying to serve up long-term global partners and region-specific partners for Spurs.

“They will try to use that additional money to improve things on the pitch.“

Tottenham want to catch Liverpool in the commercial stakes

Spurs’ commercial income totalled £228m in 2021-22, the last season for which full data is available.

They have benefitted hugely from the new stadium, which has wrought new sponsorship opportunities and the ability to host non-football matches on mass.

Now, it is being reported that Spurs want to catch Liverpool‘s commercial income total of £272m.

But can they really bridge the £44m gap any time soon?

“Liverpool have doubled their commercial income from 2017 from £1356m to £272m. That’s an incredible achievement,” said Maguire.

“The Jurgen Klopp factor is built into that, there’s winning the Champions League, winning the Premier League, the rivalry they have with Man City and the excitement that has brought to the top of the league.

“All of that has been monetised by the club. They are owed a huge amount of credit.

“In the same time, Spurs have triple their revenue from commercial sources. It’s now £228m.

“Can they catch up with Liverpool? It’s a case of running to stand still to a certain extent.

“Liverpool certainly have growth in front of them. Spurs have some advantages in terms of the London premium, which allows them to charge more for matchday and non-matchday activities, for instance.

“Harringay Council meanwhile have given them license to double the number of concerts and events they hold.

“You could potentially have more non-football events than football events taking place at the stadium. That can’t be replicated at Anfield given the issues with the pitch and so on.

“There is also the fact that Spurs’ stadium was built as a multi-function venue, whereas Anfield is first and foremost a football stadium that has some capacity to host other events.

“So Spurs are certainly in a very strong position. But what Liverpool have that Spurs don’t is a very global brand and appeal thanks to the success of Shankly, Paisley, Dalglish and so on.

“That has created a huge fanbase across the globe. And that in and of itself is very attractive to sponsors.“

Competitive Premier League matches overseas – would Spurs be onboard?

Recently, it emerged that Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are planning to take their La Liga game to the United States later this year in what would be an historic move for Spanish football.

The idea of taking competitive games abroad has long hungover English football too, and Levy himself has previously said he would be open to Premier League games outside the country.

Premier League CEO Richard Masters recently revealed that there was nothing to suggest that such a move was close, but Maguire does not believe that it should be ruled out because of the official party line.

“The clubs are aware that there would be opposition from fans over this.

“Although, that hasn’t stopped them treating their fans in a very shabby manner with regards to the prices that fans are now expect to pay.

“There is no doubt that Levy would be happy for matches to take place overseas if the price is right.

“That is the case for many club owners, but it has to be managed – expect this to be stage-managed over a period of time.

“If we look at the comments made by Richard Masters, it wasn’t an unequivocal rejection of matches taking place overseas. He said nothing had been discussed at Premier League CEO meetings.

“That doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been discussions on chief executives’ WhatsApp groups, or other similar modes of communication.

“They will be talking about how they can persuade the fans that they are doing it in their interests.

“They will say: ‘If La Liga are doing it, we don’t want to fall behind them.’

“In due course, they will say Premier League clubs will be forced to take matches overseas.

“If you get to the point where you are being paid £5m for a match in, say, New York and then you are offered £15m for the same match to take place in Riyadh or Seoul, clubs will say ‘let’s just follow the money’.

Club owners are completely out of touch with supporters. We saw that with the protests after the Super League, but they are conscious of not falling into a similar position where everything is done all very suddenly.

Tottenham Hotspur are likely to be busy on the transfer front in the coming days as Ange Postecoglou looks to apply the finishing touches to his squad.

Spurs have done well in the market this summer, bringing in a host of players for the present and future.

Tottenham have also been busy on the outgoings front, with fringe players being offloaded and young talents being loaned out for experience.

On Friday, an exciting youngster on Tottenham’s books sealed a loan move to a Championship club, and some of his peers have wished him well.

Peers wish Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips well as he joins Stoke City on loan

The player in question is Ashley Phillips, who has joined Stoke City on loan until the end of the season.

The 18-year-old defender spent the second half of last season on loan at Plymouth Argyle and will be reunited with manager Steven Schumacher at Stoke.

Phillips impressed at Home Park last term as he helped the Pilgrims survive in the second tier by the skin of their teeth.

Now, the Tottenham centre-back will hope to help bring the Potters into the promotion picture after they finished six points above the bottom three last season.

Phillips took to Instagram to say: “Really excited to be joining Stoke City on loan for the season, looking forward to the season ahead.”

Spurs teammates Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson all wished him well.

Likewise, Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton praised his former colleague at Blackburn Rovers.

Ashley Phillips a star in the making

Phillips is a top talent who looks like he has everything he needs to become a star, and Tottenham did well to sign him.

Phillips’ Plymouth debut, against Huddersfield, saw Sky Sports pundit Alan McInally sing his praises.

“Merse, remember about 20 years ago we spoke about a young full-back called Mr Trippier, I’ve got another one for us,” he said, as transcribed by HotspurReports.

“Ashley Phillips… on loan from Spurs, centre-back, boy’s gonna be a superstar!”

It’ll be exciting to see how Phillips gets on at Stoke, a team that will have hopes of doing well in the second tier this season.

Tottenham Hotspur are not yet done with their transfer business in this window.

Ange Postecoglou has addressed several problem positions in his squad already. Timo Werner has been brought back on loan, while the likes of Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert have also arrived.

Tottenham’s squad looks really good now, and they should be aiming for big things this season despite their opening-day disappointment against Leicester City.

With just a week left in the transfer window, Tottenham fans are hoping for at least one new incoming. L’Equipe have now shared who it could be.

Monaco’s stance as Tottenham are ready to bid for Vanderson

Tottenham sold Emerson Royal to AC Milan this summer.

The Brazil international was a backup to Pedro Porro in the 2023/24 season, but he filled in across the backline due to injuries to his teammates.

Postecoglou no longer has that option at his disposal, which is probably why Tottenham have been linked with a move to sign Vanderson.

The Brazilian has been ‘exceptional‘ in the Ligue 1 over the last year, and he has the potential to leave France to play in a bigger league.

Spurs are said to be interested, and L’Equipe have revealed they ‘would be willing to pay €30 million (£25m)’ to sign him this summer.

Although Monaco would ideally want to keep hold of Vanderson, the report claims that the club’s president, Dmitry Rybolovlev, ‘rarely refuses’ such an offer.

Vanderson still has four years left on his contract at Monaco.

Signing Vanderson would be a mistake by Tottenham

Vanderson is a very good player, and we’re convinced that he would be a good fit at Tottenham if they sign him this summer.

However, Spurs just don’t need him.

Yes, Emerson is gone now, but Postecoglou still has Porro as the first choice. Djed Spence is set to stay at Tottenham as well, while Archie Gray can also fill in at right-back.

That’s why spending £25 million on Vanderson makes no sense at all.

Tottenham should use the same money to sign a new left-back, someone who is much better than Ben Davies and can compete with Destiny Udogie for a starting role.