In the Mud(ryk)
It's probably not fair to put our newest signing on blast like that since I don't really know much about him yet, but I couldn't pass up the pun.
Real talk though, this was a pretty bleak week to be a Spurs Men fan. There appears to have been a minor dressing room implosion sparked by RDZ, and we're probably not even done dealing with the fallout. The pressure is now on the manager to get a tune out of a squad that has been radically overhauled to his specifications. More on that below.
In this issue: Newcastle United recap | Pre-season check-in | Transfer talk | Manager talk | News from around the Lane | Pub chat | Spurs Women season predictions
But first, I'll quickly (and I mean quickly) recap the second straight loss in the Premier League, touch on Spurs Women's final behind-closed-doors friendly, and then round up the final transfer business of the window (primarily on the Men's side). We'll end the issue on a positive note with some Spurs Women bonus bookmarks and some quick-fire season predictions.
Buckle up, because this issue is a doozy!
PL MD 2 | Tottenham 0 - 2 Newcastle United
Elanga 62', Wissa 72'
Was the performance better? Sure. But many of the same issues we saw on matchday 1 persist, and we have now conceded five goals to start the season without scoring a single goal ourselves. A -5 goal difference and zero points is a poor way to kick off the campaign, period.
Newcastle United are also a work in progress under a new manager, but we allowed them to score off their only two shots on target.
Candidly, I've already repressed most of this game in my memory, so let's just go straight to some takeaways:
• Antonín Kinský is still struggling, though having a different centerback duo in front of him for all three games so far this season surely hasn't helped matters.
• Persisting with Archie Gray at right fullback isn't doing him or the team any favors long-term. I think we all scratched our heads when we saw that Pedro Porro was making his first appearance of the Premier League season... but at winger. I'm just spitballing here, but maybe that's not the best use of one of the current best rightbacks in the world.
• The one moment from the game I haven't managed to forget but would love to never think about again was Mathys Tel's ill-fated free kick. What a lowlight.
• On a positive note, Mateus Fernandes continues to look bright, and Omar Marmoush had a decent debut. I would have loved to see Sávio added to that mix if he had been fit to play in this game.
• On a perplexing note, why did Mikey Moore get minutes off the bench when he was just about to head out on loan?
Notable & quotable:
• This matchup with Newcastle United is the most-played Premier League fixture never to end in a scoreless draw (h/t NBC match commentary).
• This result was just the third time that Spurs Men have lost their opening two matches and failed to score in club history, and just the second time they've done so in the top flight.
• Mohammed Kudus made his first appearance since January 4.
• Omar Marmoush made his club debut.
Pre-season check-in
Once again, the final Spurs Women pre-season friendly was not streamed, and instead of proper highlights, we just have this goal-line view social post and a match report. But the important thing is that we won 5-0 over Bristol City.
Key takeaways:
- Shekiera Martinez and Matilda Nildén scored their first goals for the club (albeit not competitive goals)
- Signe Gaupset scored her second goal of the pre-season
- Eveliina Summanen converted a penalty kick
- Lize Kop played the whole game and kept a clean sheet
Transfer talk
Spurs Men
It was a busy end to the transfer window on the Men's side, with several outgoings and a couple more signings.
Outgoings
- Pape Sarr is going on loan to Juventus in Serie A, with the Italian club having an obligation to make the move permanent if certain performance conditions are met
- Kevin Danso is going on loan to Sunderland AFC and likewise will be making the move permanent after this season
- Jamie Donley is going on loan to Luton Town in League One
- Mikey Moore is going on loan to 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga
- Souza is going on loan to FC Porto in the Portuguese Primeira Liga
- Kōta Takai is going on loan to Sint-Truidense VV in the Belgian Pro League
- George Abbott is going on loan to Mansfield Town in League One
- Damola Ajayi is going on loan to Barnet in League Two
- Dane Scarlett is leaving the club on a permanent transfer to Leyton Orient in League One.
Incomings
There are obviously some sad outgoings to process there, not least Kevin Danso, who had just scored his first goal for the club in the Charlton game. Dane Scarlett was one of our own and had earned the distinction of being the youngest player to play for the club, and was one of the goal-scorers in the memorable run to the Europa League title. Pape Sarr was another young player with a lot of potential who suffered from the frequent changes in manager over the last few seasons. All three of these players are Europa League winners and leave the club with a lot of affection and thanks from the fanbase.
The one name that I couldn't include on this list because it's not yet official is Richarlison, rumored to be joining Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super Lig after an initial move to return to Everton was scuppered. But he was left off the official Premier League squad list and has publicly expressed frustration over how his potential transfer to Everton was handled. More on this in a minute under Manager Talk. But whether he gets a transfer or not, he won't be playing for Spurs in the Premier League this season. This is probably a good time to remember that Richarlison was the club's leading goal-scorer in the league last season by a considerable margin. For him not to have even been an acceptable back-up option is baffling to me, especially with Dane Scarlett also exiting the striker pecking order.
I was proud to have all four of those players representing our football club, and wish them the best of luck in the rest of their careers (again, making the safe assumption that Richarlison's departure is imminent).
I should probably attempt to muster some enthusiasm for the incoming players, but I have to be honest, it's difficult when I already feel some measure of resentment towards them for replacing much-loved players in the squad. Trying to look at these signings objectively, Adarabioyo has been a solid, if not exceptional, centerback at his previous clubs and at least was a like-for-like replacement with Danso in terms of homegrown status. He wasn't giving us much personality-wise in his signing videos, but that's fine—I'm in my "don't get attached" era with Spurs Men anyway. As for Mudryk, I am going to make a concerted effort not to feel prejudiced towards him for his previous doping ban (whether it was fair or not—as a figure skating fan I have some strong opinions on this that I won't get into here), though I do think it's fair to point that he's the second player we have now signed not long after they served a lengthy suspension (Sandro Tonali being the other one). Y'all know I am constantly concerned about what this club does and does not consider a troubling precedent when it comes to signings.
I will now include this graphic the club shared that shows all of Spurs Men's summer signings. It's a real mixed bag of business, but undeniably a sign of the club going all-in on RDZ. In the words of the seminal 2000s sports comedy Dodgeball, "It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for 'em."
Spurs Women
• The only update on the Women's side was that Jhanaie Pierre signed her first professional contract with the club. She has often trained with the senior team and is truly one of our own, so fingers crossed she is able to breakthrough season and finally make her competitive debut for the first team (she already featured in pre-season this summer).
I've been at Tottenham Hotspur since Under-10s and it's been such a journey, to be honest. Obviously with highs and lows, but it's been great and I've learnt a lot through this experience. I'm just grateful that now I get to show the world who I am.
Men's Academy
• Kwasi Senyah is joining the U21s from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Manager talk
Opinions obviously vary across the fanbase regarding who should be believed or who was in the right in the Richarlison situation, but from my point of view, I am not at all shocked that RDZ threw multiple players under the bus (including Sarr and Danso also) and refused to take any responsibility for the Richarlison transfer saga. This is sadly in keeping with RDZ's character as demonstrated at his previous clubs. It's his way or the highway, quite literally in the case of Richarlison being forced out despite being willing to play for Spurs this season. I don't for a second believe that any of these three players wanted to leave the club until it was made clear to them that they were no longer welcome or going to be utilized by RDZ. He would rather work with a sparse squad than even attempt to keep fringe players happy and motivated.
Look, my overall stance on RDZ has not changed. I never wanted the club to hire him, and I would be counting down the days until he's gone if we had a firm timeline on when that might be (if only). I simply cannot trust anyone who protected and advocated for an abuser, and his own actions as a manager are also fair reason to have concern about just how much more damage he will be allowed to do to Spurs' squad before he inevitably gets himself sacked in dramatic fashion.
To a lesser extent, we have been here before with José Mourinho and Antonio Conte. The job of football management has a tendency to attract toxic, bullying personalities. But not only do I think the trade-offs aren't worth it for sporting success (which rarely comes about anyway), I'm more concerned about the long-term effects. At a certain point, we have to accept that Tottenham has become an unattractive destination for top prospects (and it's more difficult to hold onto the quality players we do have) because of the club's insistence on appointing volatile managers. It's become a feature, not a bug, of the club's reputation.
There will surely be more repercussions to come, and although it was my beloved Richarlison this time, next time it might be your favorite player, or another highly promising Academy product. It's going to get worse before it gets better.
News from around the Lane
• Spurs Women confirmed the squad numbers for the 2026/27 WSL season.
• Spurs Men's League Cup third-round tie with Liverpool has been rescheduled to September 15.
• Angus Hall is joining the Spurs Women Academy coaching staff as Head Coach for the U16s.
• The Fan Advisory Board held representative elections, with Women from the Lane having a representative for the first time.
• The club is re-launching the club's Hall of Fame, which had been paused in 2017. Inductees from Spurs Women will now be included as well. This year's inductees will be announced soon. Starting next year, fans will also be involved in the selection process through a public vote.
• In other important recognition news, the club has finally introduced legacy numbers for Spurs Women. The list begins with players who made at least one competitive appearance starting from the 2011/12 campaign, when the team entered the national league pyramid. Key figures from earlier seasons received non-numerical recognition, going back to the team's formation as Broxbourne Ladies in 1985. Spurs are the first WSL club to undertake such an initiative.
Former captain Jenna Schillaci remarked:
It is a proud moment to see Tottenham Hotspur recognise the players who have been part of the incredible journey of our women’s team in this way. Every player has contributed to the story of the Club, and Legacy Numbers are a meaningful way to honour that history while inspiring the players who will wear the shirt in the future.
You can see the full list here and take a trip down memory lane. #125 Alex Morgan was something of a jump scare, in a good way!
Pub chat: Bonus bookmarks
• The club shared a new video today with Ben Haines interviewing Martin Ho and Vinai Venkatesham about Spurs Women's summer transfer business & objectives for the season:
Tottenham Hotspur Women
The most interesting tidbit to me was the reveal that a Women's Growth Director has in fact been hired and "she" is starting next week. Eager to see how that goes and if we will see a marked improvement on last season's underwhelming match attendance figures.
• Ben Haines is a busy man; he also interviewed new signing Victoria Pelova for BBC Women's Football:
BBC Women's Football
I'll be honest, Pelova is probably the signing I'm least excited about simply because of anti-Arsenal bias, but this interview does give a fun glimpse into her personality.
• Sticking with Pelova, there was also an interview with her in The Guardian that gets further into the controversial decision to swap Arsenal for Spurs:
Suzanne Wrack
The article also notes that Pelova lost her mother in June and the decision to stay in London was partly motivated by wanting to stay in a familiar setting near family and friends.
It also sounds like pre-season was productive for Pelova and the other players in terms of building up fitness, which is particularly important for Pelova as she continues her return from a prior ACL injury. Per Pelova, the training is a step up physically from what she was accustomed to at Arsenal:
We train really hard. That’s different to what I’m used to. So, obviously it goes up and down, but I’m confident that in a few weeks everything as a team will have progressed so much.
• Then back over at BBC Sport, there's an interview with another new signing, Kirsty Hanson, where she explains that she joined Spurs to have a new challenge and continue improving her game:
Emma Sanders
She credits Aston Villa with helping her get her career back on track after struggling for minutes at Manchester United:
It was obviously a very tough decision to leave Villa but just looking at Spurs, you could see their ambition and each season they have been improving.
She also noted that Martin Ho was a big draw for her in signing with Spurs:
When they appointed Martin [Ho] as manager, I think that was a big statement because he is one of the best coaches I've worked with... I know he gets the best out of me with the detail he puts in. I really think that will push me further on in my career.
Hanson also echoed Pelova's thoughts about the rigor of the pre-season training:
Training's been really tough. It was probably one of the toughest pre-seasons I've done so far. Martin is challenging us, trying to push us to our limits.
Another interesting tidbit: Hanson has a degree in sports coaching, suggesting that she will also be providing leadership on the pitch (despite not formally being part of the "performance group").
• Check out my N17 Women co-host Rachel's latest blog post about three reasons to be excited about the return of Spurs Women, including some insights from Martin Ho's latest press conference:
Rachel Lara Cohen
Her point about actually retaining our top players is huge for the club and suggests we can actually break the one up season, one down season yo-yo cycle.
Spurs Women season predictions
Well, my prediction for top scorer for Spurs Men has already been mooted, so surely I can't do any worse with these predictions...
Player of the season - Signe Gaupset
Best new signing - Alice Sombath
Best young player - Tōko Koga
Most minutes - also Koga
Top scorer - Shekiera Martinez
Ashleigh Neville memorial yellow card award - Cathinka Tandberg (honorable mention for captain Drew)
I didn't do a breakout player category for my Spurs Men season predictions, but I want it on record that I believe this is the Year of Ella Morris. I will also note that Kirsty Hanson was my second choice for a lot of the categories, so I'm backing her to have a big debut Spurs season.
Up next:
September 5 | Spurs Men @ Nottingham Forest
Team news — Sávio is available after recovering from muscle fatigue; both deadline day signings (Tosin Adarabioyo and Mykhailo Mudryk) are available; James Maddison is back in training but not available for selection
September 6 | Spurs Women vs West Ham United
Team news — Jess Naz, Maite Oroz, and Clare Hunt are all out as they continue rehabbing long-term injuries, though Naz and Oroz have recently returned to team training; Alice Sombath is questionable to play but not ruled out
I'm just really relieved that we get to end the weekend with Spurs Women opening the season at home, in a derby match, with lots of exciting new players to watch. The situation with Spurs Men will likely get worse before it gets better, but at least the other side of the club can provide us with some hope and good football in the meantime.
COYS
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