Spurs Summer Transfer Window Day 61

Spurs Summer Transfer Window Day 61


Morning folks, the seagulls have woken me at 5 in the morning again which means I can put the finishing touches to this morning's Spurs Summer Transfer Window Day 61.

Spurs have played one game and already we are above Arsenal in the table!

Ok, so you shouldn't look at it until 10 games have gone as that is generally where you are going to finish, but this season is a unique one for everyone with a break for the World Cup.

How is this going to affect the teams not in Europe, not stuffed full with internationals?

They will effectively have a second pre-season and be better drilled in their own game.

Will this make the second half of the season harder, it is going to be interesting, but we have only just started so let's concentrate on the now.

Spurs vs Southampton

Spurs Summer Transfer Window Day 60

And there are silly people out there who think Richarlison has been bought as a first choice attacker to replace Kulusevski!

Utterly unbelievable, well Deki showed them again, he holds the slot, Richarlison is the 4th choice rotation player, which is essential for us to challenge for trophies, especially when e have 8 weeks of double fixtures before a World Cup break.

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The players under threat all performed, Emmerson looked better than last season, as you'd expect, although he still can't head a ball in attack and Ryan Sessegnon was a different player altogether.

Sessegnon has grown now and has the physique for the Premier League which must affect his mentality.

Before he was a child playing against men, bullied off the ball, he simply wasn't ready for the Premier League until the back end of last season, but the new guy, we could be looking at Luke Shaw's successor at left-back for England.

Will he be an outside bet for a place at the World Cup?

It has probably come too early for him, had it been at the end of the season as normal, then he would have a fantastic chance of making it.

Tis is why, even though I would write he simply wasn't mentally right for the Premier League, that I never proposed selling him, you have to wait for their bodies to grow.

Think about it, if you know in your head that you are too weak against these seasoned professionals, then you are not going to be confident, there are going to be doubts and anxiousness.

Anxious equals mistakes.

He went to see a sports psychologist, now that told me something, it told me he recognised his mental problem and let's face, most people don't know they have a mentality problem because they don't know what a winning mentality is.

They don't appreciate that how you think affects what you do and how ell you do it.

He did.

That shouts out I have the right mentality.

Dele Alli didn't do that did he, still hasn't.

He was sat on the bench yesterday, only getting on as a sub for the last 30 minutes.

That Sessegnon header showed me we had a different player, last season he would have ducked his head and the ball could have gone anywhere.

This season, confidence and bang, in the net, Walker-Peters prone on the floor having basically given him a free header.

What he can learn from Ivan Perišić will stand us in very good stead in the coming years with 19-year-old (20 in November) Destiny Udogie coming to join him next season, who is expected to develop in to Italy's left-back for years to come.

Ryan Sessegnon is 22-years-old (23 next May) and for me, that was the first time I have seen him and thought he was worth buying.

Ryan Sessegnon: “If I hadn’t scored that I think he would have killed me!

“There was a moment earlier, I arrived too late. I couldn’t arrive too late the next time. When he cut back on his left foot I had to be there. I want to learn from Perisic, he has helped me a lot already.”
Dejan Kulusevski scored his first goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after all five of his goals last season were away from home.

Jermain Defoe on Dejan Kulusevski's display against Southampton:

“Really sharp, I thought his overall performance was brilliant, really direct, a goal and an assist, it is the perfect start. He took the goal really well."

 

Simon Jordan

"I think they'll [Tottenham] win something this year. I don't know whether they'll go at the early stages of the Champions League and then drop into the Europa League and win that by default.

"It's still a major tournament, still worth winning. I don't know whether they will take one of the FA or League cups. I just feel that with Conte you've overcome the problems.

"We've overcome the backdrop of the media being focused on how combustible his relationship with Daniel Levy is going to be, he's got them into the top four, we're not hearing the rumblings, we're buying a team that is beginning to reflect the image that he wants.

"He's beginning to get the players to grasp the nettle of what's expected to play for Conte, we're seeing the pre-season training about how hard they're having to work so we know that they're going to come out fast and hard and strong and capable and I think Conti is a proven elite manager, he's proven.

"Ten Hag is an elite manager in Holland and that's not decrying the quality of football that comes out of Holland, but the leagues are not as competitive as the Premier League or Serie A and he's [Conte] won in both.

"I think Tottenham will finish above Man United and I think there's a distinct possibility they may finish above Chelsea."

 

The THBN Man of the Match

Rodrigo Bentancur is a professionals professional. He plays simple passes but has great calmness in front of the back-four and has become vital to Antonio Conte's team.

Antonio Conte was a workhorse in the Juventus side as a player and knowwhat is required of a defensive midfielder. He sees those qualities in the Uruguayan, who seems to have excellent vision as he passes out of tight situations and releases players.

Oliver Skipp should be able to learn a lot from him.

He is a player Conte asked for and our head coach has started him in 18 of the 19 Premier League games Spurs have played since he arrived at the club in January 2022, along with Dejan Kulusevski.

Fans may not be aware that Bentancur has a greater passing range than he has shown so far at Spurs because Conte has given him a specific role in this Spurs team and he is performing it to a high standard.

The infrastructure is all there at Tottenham now, the training facilities, the medical facilities, the stadium, the off-field revenue generation and a world class manager.

That means you are investing at a time to give yourself the best chance of success, not investing too early when everything 
was not in place, there was not the finances to pay increased wages and for a lesser manager.

Spurs Summer Transfer Window Day 61

Ashley Phillips

Ashley Phillips has received plaudits for his dominant performances at youth level say the Lancashire Telegraph.

Apparently there is no agreement on his contract talks and Spurs are watching the situation.

Phillips is a 17-year-old (18 next June) right-footed Blackburn Rovers centre-back who played one game for Wales U-16's and has played 5 games for England U-17's.

Fabio Paratici is being cited but it is David Pleat who deals with young English Football League scouting. He will of course feed that information to Paratici in his role as Managing Director of Football.

Manchester United and Chelsea are watching him and it as suggested Spurs were interested in offering £3m for him in May.

Giovanni Lo Celso

Giovanni Lo Celso's first choice has always been in returning to Villarreal in LaLiga here he as on loan last season.

Talks have continued with Spurs and further talks are taking place next week but a deal finally is beginning to look likely to happen.

His agent has also agreed personal terms with Fiorentina and they are also in discussions to acquire his services.

Nicolò Zaniolo

Nicolò Zaniolo is happy to join Spurs and play under Antonio Conte, but the talks are at a stalemate.

It's all about the structure of the deal and so further talks will take place this week.

Roma want money up front, Spurs want to delay it basically.

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