Counting Down to Kickoff
I was going to say that it's Premier League Eve, but as of this writing the first game of the matchweek has already taken place (we don't need to talk about the result...).
But most importantly, Spurs Men kick off their 2026/27 campaign tomorrow (or today, depending on your time zone). Spurs Women won't be far behind, with the Women's Super League opening weekend starting on September 4.
In this issue: Pre-season check-in | Transfer talk | News from around the Lane | Kit room | Pub chat | Spurs Men season predictions
There could yet be a few more transfers, but the squads are mostly set, and pre-season matches already done and dusted (with the exception of a couple more for the Women's team).
The start of the season crept up on me even more than usual, so I've unfortunately not left myself enough time to do a proper preview for the PL season. But I'll slip in a few cheeky predictions at the end of the issue just for fun.
Before we get to my light-hearted attempt at telling the future, I'll share a few more pre-season takeaways, round up the latest transfer and club news, give my thoughts on the newly released third kit, and share a couple of bonus bookmarks from my recent Spurs-adjacent reading.
Let's dig in!
Pre-season check-in
Spurs Men
We'll start with the Men's team, since they have already wrapped up their slate of pre-season fixtures.
The final two friendlies were both against Hoffenheim on back-to-back days, with only the first open to the public. Spurs kept a clean sheet in the 3-0 win in the first game, then played out a 2-2 draw the following day.
I only saw the first game, but these were my takeaways:
• Mikey Moore might actually be ready to claim a spot in the first team rather than going out on another loan. His linkup play with Mathys Tel in particular was superb, and he was able to display the range of his abilities across the game, from timing & positioning in the box to accurate first-touch shooting.
• There are still question marks around how much game time Andy Robertson will be able to handle across the season, but his exquisite cross for Richarlison's opening goal showed why he was signed. So far in pre-season, at least, he has seemed physically robust, and it would be foolish to count him out of contention for a regular spot in the starting XI.
• As with Moore, I'm hopeful that Tel is going to have his true breakout Premier League season. It's fair to point out that pre-season success is not always an indicator of actual season potential, but both of these players have the benefit of prior experience in the league and other top flight leagues across Europe, so they're far from unknown quantities who would be a gamble to back. Tel in particular has been hampered by instability at the manager level during his time at Spurs, and has sometimes struggled for game time simply because of the talent ahead of him in the pecking order. The situation could change if more signings come in before the window closes, but right now he's a clear first choice for left winger due to injuries in the squad.
I can't help it, I will always root for Tel as a former Bayern player, but it's nice to see that a lot of Spurs fans are getting on the Tel train with me after his stellar pre-season.
Spurs Women
Once again, I only saw one of the matches, the friendly against Real Madrid. From what I heard about the Granada match, it was pretty un-friendly and chippy so perhaps not the best practice, but the Real Madrid matchup was pretty competitive and a better test than we usually get from our pre-season opponents.
Here were my takeaways from the game:
• Kirsty Hanson scored a corker of a goal and just generally looked ready to start the season immediately. This is the benefit of signing a proven WSL-level player. On a positional note, since she's able to play across the forward line, she lined up at left winger for this match.
• Linda Caicedo is one of the best attackers in world football, period, and new signing Felicia Schröder is an up-and-coming talent for Real Madrid. Both players kept our defenders on their toes and unfortunately were able to capitalize on some mistakes. This was also not the best game for my Lize Kop agenda. Also of note is that Amanda Nildén partnered with Tōko Koga in the centerback partnership.
• Finishing is still a concern, in particular for Cathinka Tandberg (hopefully the #9 shirt isn't already weighing on her). Signe Gaupset and Matilda Vinberg had probably the best opportunities to equalize, and funnily, Vinberg's attempt was a header—not exactly her forte.
• Real Madrid were less challenging from an attacking perspective after Caicedo and Schröder subbed off.
There have been two more friendlies announced for Spurs Women, against Birmingham City (newly promoted to the WSL this season) on August 23 and Bristol City on August 30, but both matches will be behind-closed-doors and not streamed. On that note, I am wondering if the club has hired someone yet for that new Women's Growth Director role and if so, how they thought this regression in friendly access for fans factors into that growth strategy...
Transfer talk
Before I recap the latest transfer news, a quick reminder that the Premier League transfer window closes on September 1 at 11 pm BST, while the Women's Super League window closes a couple of days later on September 3 at 11 pm BST.
Spurs Men
• Starting with the good news first, Micky van de Ven has signed a new long-term contract to keep him at the club. He has since been named club captain for the Men's team (more on the full leadership group below in News from the Lane) and will now be playing alongside his national teammate Jan Paul van Hecke.
• His former centerback partner, Cristian Romero, has made the opposite decision. He departs the club on a permanent transfer to Atlético Madrid in La Liga. There were a lot of good and bad memories in Cuti's tenure at Spurs, but we should always remember him fondly for leading the team out in the victorious Europa Cup final in 2025. Plus, he gave us this iconic celebration moment in the bus parade.
• Djed Spence likewise departs on a permanent transfer to Inter Milan in Serie A. As one of the breakout stars for England in the 2026 World Cup, I find it somewhat baffling that RDZ couldn't prioritize him in the Tottenham squad, but here we are. Our loss, Inter's gain.
• Ashley Phillips has made a permanent transfer to Middlesbrough in the Championship. Phillips never made a first-team appearance with Spurs.
• Manor Solomon departs the club to join West Ham United.
• Yang Min-hyeok is going on loan to Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League. That makes him the third Spurs player to go on loan to this Belgian club in recent seasons. The bad news for Yang is that both of the other two players have since left the club on permanent transfers this summer.
• Guglielmo Vicario has gone on loan to Juventus, who have an option to make the move permanent after this season. I hardly even want to speak about this one because it makes me too sad. I know I'm in the minority of fans in being a Vicario supporter, but the one thing you could never doubt him for was his commitment to the club, and that matters to me. I'm happy for him that he'll be back in his home country, however.
Good luck to the departing players, and congrats to Micky on his new deal!
Men's Academy
• Armend Muslika has signed his first professional contract with the club.
• Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny has gone on loan to Bristol Rovers in League Two.
News from around the Lane
• As mentioned above, RDZ has confirmed his leadership team for the season. While Micky van de Ven is the primary captain, he will be supported by Pedro Porro, Ben Davies, James Maddison, and Archie Gray as vice-captains.
• Davies is not shying away from responsibility, having also been appointed to the Football Association of Wales Council.
• The club confirmed the Premier League squad numbers for Spurs Men this season.
• Spurs Men were drawn at home to Charlton Athletic in the second round of the League Cup. The match will be on August 26 at 7:45 pm UK.
• Here's a rundown of rule changes being implemented at the start of this Premier League season.
• The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation has been renamed to Spurs in the Community.
Kit room
The club launched the third kit recently, completing the kit lineup for the 2026/27 season.
Third kit
Nike went full 90s Spurple for the third kit.
Let's be honest, there's a lot going on here—perhaps too much. I definitely see the retro (god it hurts to use that word to describe the 90s) inspiration with the zany pattern, but I'm glad it's only a tonal print and not adding a competing color to the mix, since the purple is plenty bold enough on its own. However, the large side panels detract from the simplicity of the look, as do the oddly tapering stripes in the center of the kit. I don't hate the white detail on the sides of the collar, though in photos of the kit on actual players it somehow evokes a set of over-ear headphones hanging around the neck. I also feel like Nike are in attempting-to-reinvent-the-wheel territory with the design of the shoulder seams, but that's typical of them in our current decade. They definitely don't believe in the maxim of "less is more."
Personally, this kit doesn't thrill me, but I suspect it will become a cult hit.
My grade: D+
Pub chat: Bonus bookmarks
• Check out this new interview with Ella Morris about her recovery from an ACL tear (the second such injury in her career).
Amelie Kirk
Morris emphasizes how important it was to take care of her mental health alongside her injury rehab, particularly praising Spurs Women's team psychologist.
When you add that to the external therapist she saw through the PFA, you get a picture of a player whose mindset was being worked on as deliberately as her knee and who now talks about that with the same matter-of-factness as a gym session.
• This piece from Tom Garry at The Guardian confirms what we all pretty much knew: that Arsenal and Chelsea are in a different stratosphere than the rest of the WSL when it comes to transfer fees and revenue.
Tom Garry
Financially speaking, that is a myth. There has actually been no such thing [as a WSL big four] in recent times. There has, in fact, been a big two: Arsenal and Chelsea.
Spurs Men season predictions
These are just for fun, so don't come for me with receipts at the end of the season 😛. And I obviously can't pick players who haven't officially signed (yet), so... Let's just say to take my pick for Spurs' top scorer with a grain of salt.
Player of the season - Micky van de Ven (this is me manifesting a good season for our new captain)
Best new signing - Mateus Fernandes (but Sandro Tonali won't be far behind)
Best young player - Mathys Tel (honorable mention for Archie Gray)
Most minutes - Pedro Porro (it's not fair to pick a goal keeper)
Top scorer - Richarlison (I just don't believe in Solanke anymore, I'm sorry)
Cuti Romero memorial yellow card award - Jan Paul van Hecke
I thought about doing Premier League/domestic cup predictions too, but to be totally honest, I have been so out of the transfer window loop outside of Tottenham, so I couldn't tell you whose squad is looking promising and who looks likely to be relegation fodder. But I do at least feel fairly confident about our own squad, and I feel safe predicting at least a top six finish for Spurs. A cup trophy is not outside the realm of possibility either if we manage said squad well.
Up next:
August 22 | Spurs Men @ Brentford
Team news — Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven are both out, as is Pape Sarr; long-term absentees include Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, and Mohammed Kudus; James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie, and Mateus Fernandes are all available after recently missing time in pre-season
I will close with this photo of Mateus Fernandes looking hopefully into the distance, because that is the optimism I want to bring into the season.
See y'all on the other side of Matchday 1!
COYS
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