Tottenham Hotspur need to act quick in the transfer market if they want to close the gap on their rivals next season. As many fans expected, the Lilywhites are taking their own sweet time to conduct business while other clubs are signing players left, right, and centre. It is fair to suggest that Daniel Levy is already setting Thomas Frank to fail at N17 following his high-profile switch from Brentford.
The Europa League success that the North London club endured last month should not overshadow the Premier League failures under Ange Postecoglou. Many key players underperformed in domestic competitions, and failed to step up when it mattered the most. The need for a massive squad overhaul should be one of the first things on the agenda for Spurs heading into the business end of the transfer window.
With only two weeks left before pre-season actually starts, the Lilywhites have still not managed to make the most of the summer. The fans have showcased their frustration as well, blaming Daniel Levy for not taking advantage of the Europa League success. There are many areas on the pitch that need to be strengthened in the summer, but Levy’s incompetence to address these issues might hinder the progress of the club under Thomas Frank.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy recently put out a bold statement that basically said the club is aiming to win the Premier League and the Champions League in the coming years. However, the Spurs chairman has still not done anything in the summer to indicate that he wants to change the fortunes of the club for good.
But reliable journalist Alasdair Gold believes that the Lilywhites will conduct some business in the coming weeks before pre-season commences. Writing for Football.london, Gold said,
“The club moved pretty quickly when Postecoglou was appointed two years ago so hopefully they spring into action soon. I’d expect two or three signings by that point, but that might depend on some outgoings as well to ensure there’s the space more than anything. Technically, I think the first friendly though will be around July 19.”
Alasdair Gold pointed out that Tottenham moved quickly in the summer when Ange Postecoglou was appointed as the new manager. The reliable journalist adds that he expects the same thing to happen again following Thomas Frank’s arrival at N17. Gold also suggests that Spurs will bring in two or three players before pre-season begins, but it will depend on outgoing as well so that there is space in the squad for next season.
Now, the fans can only hope that their patience isn’t tested in the coming weeks. The Lilywhites need to aim high and build on the Europa League success next season. For that, it is necessary for Daniel Levy to back Thomas Frank and bring in new players quickly. The Danish tactician has already put out that he wants to make Spurs ‘serial winners’ during his time at the helm, and for that Daniel Levy will need to bring in reinforcements in the summer.
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According to reports from Spain, Liverpool could explore a familiar transfer path as they contemplate prospective replacements for Luis Diaz. The 28-year-old is on the verge of completing a £65.5m move to Bayern Munich, having arrived in Germany ahead of his proposed medical later today, leaving Cody Gakpo as the only natural left winger in Arne Slot’s squad. The Reds have reinforced their centre-forward options this summer by bringing in Hugo Ekitike, and they’re also pursuing another striker in Alexander Isak, but they might be in the market for a new winger too once the Colombian’s exit is officially confirmed. Liverpool line up three potential replacements for Diaz On Monday, Spanish outlet Fichajes reported that Liverpool have shortlisted three candidates to potentially replace Diaz. Rodrygo (Real Madrid) and Malick Fofana (Lyon) have frequently been mentioned on the Anfield rumour mill throughout the summer, but the other name on the list is perhaps the most intriguing – RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa. The former of those three names is considered the ‘big favourite’ on Merseyside, but the other two are deemed to be ‘more affordable’. Are Liverpool likely to push for Nusa in August? Whilst another left winger would be desirable, Liverpool have a few options who can deputise for Gakpo in that role; and it’s not as urgent a transfer priority as bringing in another centre-back, where our current squad depth is negligible. In terms of the Reds’ attack, a bid for Isak seems more likely than a serious pursuit of a wide forward, so it remains to be seen just how heavily FSG will push for a player like Nusa. The 20-year-old does play for a club with whom we’ve done plenty of business in recent years, and he’d arrive with a ringing endorsement from Norway teammate Erling Haaland, who’s dubbed him ‘exceptional’ and ‘incredibly talented’ (Nogo Mania). Although the youngster is hugely experienced for a player of his age (more than 150 senior games for club and country combined), his goal return hasn’t been mindblowing. In 122 appearances for Club Brugge and RB Leipzig, he’s found the net only 12 times (Transfermarkt). Also, as per FBref, many of Nusa’s underlying performance figures from last season in comparison to other wingers in Europe’s five main leagues were below average – for example, he ranked in the bottom 17% with his 90-minute averages for shots taken, non-penalty goals and non-penalty xG. As of now, we’d be quite surprised if Liverpool were to heavily pursue the Norwegian forward in the final month of the transfer window. Given how the summer has gone so far, though, there might yet be a drastic plot twist to come.
Only eight plate appearances into his New York Yankees career, Ryan McMahon has already been more productive than the team’s previous third base options. What might sound hyperbolic or outright false at first glance is actually true, at least from a certain point of view. Analytics — specifically, Wins Above Replacement — proves that argument, and it’s one that Yankees manager Aaron Boone should be ashamed of. McMahon went 2-for-3 with a two-run double in Sunday’s victory over the Phillies, giving him four hits in his first eight at-bats. FanGraphs ruled that McMahon is already worth 0.2 fWAR through two games in a Yankees uniform. Amazingly, McMahon has a higher fWAR than the trio of DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, and Jorbit Vivas, who have played a combined 148 games in the infield thus far. LeMahieu provided -0.1 fWAR over 45 games before being unceremoniously cut earlier this month, while Vivas (-0.2) is currently at Triple-A. Peraza and his -0.6 fWAR remain on the active roster, though he’s shifted into a bench role. Baseball-Reference has been slightly more generous, giving Peraza -0.2 bWAR. Boone stuck with LeMahieu and Peraza until he couldn’t anymore, and it’s partly why the Yankees have dropped to 5 1/2 games back in the AL East. Injuries and age took their toll on LeMahieu, who only played second after returning from calf and hip problems. Peraza owns a .152 average and .452 OPS in 170 plate appearances. We’ll see if McMahon can elevate the Yankees, who open a pivotal four-game set with the rival Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
Ryne Sandberg died on Monday at 65 after battling prostate cancer. His death came a day after the 2025 class was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Apparently the former second baseman’s health status was the worst-kept secret over the weekend. MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi said on X that Wade Boggs had cried when mentioning Sandberg during an interview with Morosi recently. Boggs had cried because he knew his Hall of Fame classmate of 2005 was in declining health. Veteran MLB reporter Jayson Stark said that there was sadness around Cooperstown as people prepared to hear the news about Sandberg. Sandberg played in Major League Baseball for 16 seasons from 1981-97. He played 15 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and became a beloved figure in the city. Sandberg earned 10 All-Star selections, nine Gold Glove Awards, and seven Silver Slugger Awards while in Chicago. Sandberg also was named National League MVP in 1984 and led the NL with 40 home runs in the 1990 season. Sandberg first announced in January 2024 that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. A positive development then followed in August when Sandberg revealed that tests had detected no more cancer in his body following treatment. However, Sandberg announced just a few months later that his cancer had returned. Additionally, Sandberg revealed that the cancer had spread to his other organs as well. After retiring as a player, Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005, his third year on the ballot. He also had his No. 23 retired by the Cubs later that year and briefly had a stint from 2013-15 as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, Sandberg’s first MLB team.
The New York Islanders are entering a new era under a revamped front office, and signs point to a potential retool—or even a rebuild. The most telling move came at the NHL Draft in June, when the team traded star defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for two first-round picks. It’s a rare move in today’s NHL to deal your top blueliner, and it raised eyebrows across the league. Analysts and fans have wondered if more moves are coming. Since there are several teams looking for quality assets at a reasonable salary cap, it’s a logical question. Is Bo Horvat A Potential Trade Candidate? During an appearance on the Cam and Strick Podcast, newly appointed assistant to the general manager Matt Martin—an Islanders fan favorite and longtime forward—revealed a humorous but telling moment from inside the locker room. Martin, now working closely with the Isles’ new GM, said that Bo Horvat texted him immediately after the front office changes were announced. “You better not trade me,” Horvat reportedly wrote. The comments from Martin suggest that Horvat has no desire to leave the team, even if the Islanders aren’t set to be competitive this coming season. If the team is dumping some of their best talents, he does not want to be among those the organization chooses to sell. Horvat likely didn’t have to worry. He has a full no-trade clause as part of his contract, and even if management were open to asking him to waive it, he could have blocked any deal. It sounds like that would be his intention, so he was getting ahead of things by making sure they knew not to even ask.