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Daily Mirror
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Managing Tottenham as Morgan Gibbs-White decision made and Daniel Levy calls in £120m favours
Mirror Football takes on the role of Tottenham Hotspur transfer chief in order to save the Europa League winners' summer after a lacklustre start to the transfer window While the other 'Big Six' Premier League clubs have burst out of the blocks in terms of their transfer activity this summer, Tottenham have been left in their dust. A Europa League final victory win in May salvaged an otherwise torrid campaign where Spurs finished down in 17th. Despite Ange Postecoglou's gamble to secure Champions League football paying off, the Australian head coach was sacked, paving the way for Brentford's impressive Thomas Frank to come in and take the reins. Yet, the north Londoners have done little to capitalise on the allure of the Champions League so far in the window when it comes to bringing in top quality players. The only big player Daniel Levy has brought in up to now is Mohammed Kudus, signed from West Ham earlier this month for £55million. Spurs had looked to follow that up with the £60m signing of Morgan Gibbs-White, but Nottingham Forest intervened, meaning the England international remains their player two weeks on. The Lilywhites risk falling even further behind their rivals, who have all made big improvements to their squads. Yet, all hope is not lost. There are still quality players available on the market which Levy can pull some strings to orchestrate moves for. Spurs don't need to address their goalkeeping or defensive departments either as they possess enough depth, meaning they can instead focus on other crucial positions. Mirror Football now takes a look at three things Tottenham can do ahead of 2025/26 season getting underway next month. End Gibbs-White pursuit The Gibbs-White saga has now rumbled on for 15 days with little to show for it. News of Spurs' pursuit of the midfielder came suddenly on July 10 when it was claimed that the move was at an advanced stage, with the player reportedly set for a medical the following day. That didn't come to fruition as Forest took issue with Spurs' attempt to activate the player's £60m release clause, with Forest accusing the club of an illegal approach as the release clause was meant to be confidential. Gibbs-White has since rejoined the Forest squad for pre-season, despite reportedly still wanting a move. However, Spurs would do well to move past the messy and seemingly endless saga, which has already stalled their other activity over the past two weeks. Aside from that, Gibbs-White is a player profile that, despite being a very exciting potential addition, Frank does not need. Occupying his favoured position already is James Maddison, who primarily operates as a creative, central-attacking midfielder, and was signed just two years ago for £40m. Flog star for Bayern ace Ahead of their tour of Asia this Sunday, The Telegraph reported that Spurs are still interested in signing Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich. The report claims there is a strong chance they will be able to reach an agreement for the out-of-favour defensive midfielder. But Spurs are keen to first offload one of their current players in that position to facilitate the move, which would mark the first time they have paid a transfer fee for an outfielder aged 30 or older in almost a decade. One player that could make way is Yves Bissouma, who's now entering the final year of his contract. Palhinha established himself as one of the most consistent and combative players in the league during his two seasons with Fulham, bringing him to the attention of several big clubs, including Arsenal. The Portuguese has struggled with fitness issues since his £42m move to Bayern Munich last summer. Levy already has a good relationship with Bayern after selling talisman Harry Kane to the German champions and following Mathys Tel's recent move in the opposite direction. That could allow negotiations to unfold more speedily and successfully than the pursuit of Gibbs-White. Son out - Galactico in In addition to Palhinha, Spurs could look to splash further on £78m-rated Real Madrid winger Rodrygo. The Brazilian star, 24, has been linked with a Los Blancos exit in recent months following the arrival of new manager Xabi Alonso, which has left him unsure about his future. Meanwhile, Spurs legend Son Heung-min's own future remains unclear after an offer came in from Los Angeles FC for the 33-year-old. Rodrygo could therefore be a younger direct replacement on the left flank. Despite him mainly being linked with Arsenal and Liverpool until now, Tottenham are ready to join the race, according to Spanish outlet AS. The report claims Spurs may have to fend off competition for his signature, but also that Levy is hopeful of getting a discount on the forward, with no formal discussions taking place as of yet. Levy may look to capitalise on the good relationship he has with Real to get the price below £78m, with the likes of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart all transferring between the clubs in the past. And with Palhinha expected to cost less than the £42m paid for him last summer, Spurs could get £120m worth of talent for much less if their chairman can work some magic.


Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Eddie Howe breaks silence on Alexander Isak's future after Liverpool target told hierarchy he wants to leave the club this summer
Eddie Howe has revealed that Newcastle have a 'decision to make' on the future of want-away Alexander Isak - but says it must be for the best of the club. Mail Sport revealed on Thursday that the striker has told the hierarchy he wants to leave this summer, with Liverpool preparing a British record offer. Isak is not here with the squad in Singapore - he reported a thigh injury on Monday - and after Howe's comments at the team hotel on Saturday afternoon, it would appear far from certain that he will still be at the club beyond this transfer window. When asked if he wanted a quick resolution, the Newcastle boss said: 'I wouldn't put a timescale on it. I think with these situations it has to be right for the football club, and everything then is taken into context below that. 'But the club will make the right decision with all the information that it has, and ultimately to try and move the club forward in whatever way that is. Then it's up to us to make good decisions the other way and try and improve the squad as best we can. That's what we're trying to do, regardless of Alex's situation. 'But I think there's a wider picture here. There's a whole football club that has to make the decision. The ownership, together with the board of directors, especially with the money involved in modern day transfers. The manager of course has an opinion, but ultimately the decision will rest with the board.' Howe added: 'Of course there's things going on behind the scenes (with Alex). He will be aware he's in the news every day, and I'm sure that's not easy for anyone in that situation. Conversations that happen between Alex and the club or Alex and myself will stay private for obvious reasons. We do share a really good relationship with him. 'He's been magnificent for us and he's very popular in the dressing room. We'd love him to continue his journey at Newcastle. I certainly hope he stays. And I said (last weekend) I was confident that he'd stay. I don't see anything that's going to change that opinion of mine at the moment, but it's football and who knows what the future may bring. 'All I would say on the broader picture is whatever happens has to be right for Newcastle. We're in a very strong position financially. We're determined to be successful. We are ambitious. We've got a great season ahead of us. We need to add to the squad and continue to improve, and the journey can continue in an upward trajectory.' Howe also revealed that no contract talks are taking place with Isak. 'As far as I'm aware, I don't think there are any contract talks taking place at the moment,' he said. 'That'll be for a later date potentially. I think for now, with the situation as it is and the state of the window, in the sense that it's hurtling towards the end of the window very quickly, from our perspective, there's still so much that could happen.' Of Isak's injury situation, Howe said: 'I've got no major update on that. He first mentioned his thigh just before the Celtic game. We assumed it would be a very minimal injury, nothing too serious. And then on the Monday after the Celtic game, he went in from training very early and didn't feel right. 'So he's now in Newcastle getting that injury assessed and hopefully he'll be back soon and playing in the black-and-white shirt. That's what we all want to see.'


BBC News
12 minutes ago
- BBC News
Warwickshire towns proud of local Lionesses ahead of final
Friends and fans in the Warwickshire hometowns of football stars Jess Carter and Hannah Hampton have spoken of their pride at the Lioness' took her first steps in football with Warwick Juniors as a six-year-old and those who watched it happen said she stood out instantly."She just shone, she had to play against the quality players of West Bromwich Albion, and Coventry City FC and was superb, " said Dean Brandrick, a coach for Warwick added: "At the end of her career with us she won the county cup, she was just above anybody at that time." Mr Brandrick coached Carter until she left for Birmingham City and they have remained in contact. He described how seeing her being presented with a cap to mark her 50th appearance was a proud moment."Tremendous achievement for her, from being a grassroots footballer for so long, she's achieved everything I think possible," the coach Studley, where goalkeeper Hampton grew up, pride is evident as specially knitted postbox toppers have lined the Smith, of Spotty Pots Pottery Painting, told the BBC: "She came from Studley, she's played here, she's part of the fabric of this little village. "There's a lot of buzz around, we've got lots of flags in shops, people are talking about it and we are just so proud of them all and so excited to see what happens on Sunday."England will face Spain in Sunday's final at 17:00 BST. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.