It's Raining Transfers

When I last wrote, the only "new" transfer yet for Spurs Men was the conversion of Dejan Kulusevski's loan contract to a permanent deal. Now, we have two brand new players already in the door and two more who are close to signing—or so the reports say. Still nothing concrete to share on the Women's side, unfortunately.

I'll talk about the new Men's team players below, address the Harry Kane to Bayern rumors, and do a quick visit to the Kit Room to review the new training gear. Plus, a news roundup from around the Lane.

In this issue: Squad talk: Men's team signings & rumors | Harry Kane transfer saga: Bundesliga edition | Kit room: training gear | News from around the Lane

Squad Talk: Welcome, Venom and Madders!

Although we had been strongly linked with Brentford keeper David Raya previously, Spurs ended up opting for a more affordable option from Empoli, Guglielmo Vicario. The 26-year-old joins us on a contract that runs til 2028 for a fee of just over £16 million.

I will freely admit I've never watched him play, but by all accounts, he has a pretty similar skill profile to Raya and is on track to challenge Gianluigi Donnarumma for the first keeper spot on the Italian national team—impressive! The only real downside to signing him instead of Raya is that he won't contribute to the homegrown ranks in our squad. You could also argue that Raya was the safer bet since he has Premier League experience, but I'm not sure that factor is as relevant for the keeper position as it is for outfield roles.

His name is a little tricky for those of us non-Italian speakers, but thankfully, the club has provided a helpful pronunciation video:

If you're still struggling, just call him "Venom." I'm not sure how exactly he came to be known by that nickname, but he's a self-proclaimed fierce competitor who delights in frustrating opposing strikers. Love it!

Another fun fact about our new keeper: he took in a Ukranian family who fled from the war. This tidbit comes from the below profile on Vicario at The Athletic, which I definitely recommend reading, not least because it includes some highlight analysis from former Spurs Women keeper Chloe Morgan. (Side note: Chloe's podcast with Rachel O'Sullivan, Upfront, is a must-listen for WSL chat and UK women's football in general. They're doing an interview series at the moment around the Women's World Cup that has been superb.)

Why Spurs wanted ‘Venom’ Vicario - ball-playing, shot-stopping keeper extraordinaire

What Spurs can expect from Guglielmo Vicario - the good and the bad

Charlie Eccleshare and James HorncastleThe Athletic

The club is definitely taking a calculated risk with this signing, but at the very least I like his attitude already.

Then the next day, Spurs announced another new signing, James Maddison from Leicester City. His contract also runs until 2028. Spurs paid a £40m fee to sign him from just-relegated Leicester.

Bringing in a creative attacking midfielder was undoubtedly one of our top priorities for the summer window, equally as important as getting in the right center-back(s). Statistically, he's been one of the most prolific attackers in the Premier League in recent seasons, contributing both goals and assists.

In spite of knowing that he's an objectively talented player, I wasn't that excited about this transfer initially. I suppose I still felt a little prejudiced toward him for some of his disciplinary lapses in the past, such as the lockdown-breaking party that saw him and two other Leicester teammates dropped from the Leicester squad for an important game. His extended absence from the England squad was another mark against him. But by most accounts, he has matured since the birth of his first child (funny how that always seems to work, eh?). And I was genuinely tickled by how pleased he seemed at signing with Tottenham, so I guess I'll give him a chance. He's on probation though...

The thing I enjoyed the most from Maddison's first club interview was not necessarily about him, but rather a quote from Ange Postecouglou, recalled from one of their conversations when Postecoglou was recruiting him:

Whether you come or not, you’re going to see a completely different Spurs team under me.

I absolutely love the confidence and belief from Ange that he can transform this beleaguered Tottenham team, as well as the fact that his words were a big motivator for Maddison to want to join the club, since he recognized his own hunger and drive in Ange's statement. All you can really ask for as a fan is that everyone involved is giving their best to succeed.

Meanwhile, Harry Winks went in the opposite direction of Maddison, departing Spurs to join the Foxes on a three-year deal.

Winks' career has been hampered lately by injuries, but hopefully he can get back on track with Leicester and help them return to the Premier League quickly. We will always remember him fondly as one of our own. Good luck, Winksy!

Pedro Porro's loan has been made permanent for a fee of €40m. It was apparently a mandatory buy option, so no surprises there. What could be surprising is how he's employed in Ange's system, since the wingback role for which we initially signed him is likely to be made redundant under the new manager. A rumored new signing could also complicate things...

Fabrizio Romano reported that Spurs are close to signing Israeli winger Manor Solomon, formally of Shakhtar Donetsk but most recently playing on loan with Fulham. The only reason he ended up at Fulham temporarily was because of FIFA's ruling that players at Ukrainian clubs could suspend their contracts for the past season due to the war; that ruling has now been updated to allow for the complete dissolution of those contracts. At least, I think I'm understanding that correctly. There must be some element of disagreement over the ruling because Shakhtar Donetsk have threatened to sue Spurs if we sign Solomon. Yikes.

Most fans have wondered if this transfer could signal an imminent departure for Bryan Gil, who is likewise a winger taking up an international spot on the squad, but I wonder if it could also have implications for Porro's positioning this season. If Bryan were to stay (and I personally hope he does), and assuming that he would be competing with Kulusevski for minutes at right wing while Solomon would be challenging Son on the left wing, there might not be as much wiggle room for Porro to adapt into a right winger role as many have predicted. In other words, we could be more likely to see him feature at right fullback instead and split minutes with Emerson Royal. This is just a theory, of course. For all we know, Ange could be about to get even more creative with these players' skillsets and employ them in totally different positions than those speculated above (like Kulusevski as a 10, or Porro as the right-most player in a midfield-3). It's all up for negotiation under the new manager as he juggles a squad that is currently overstuffed and unbalanced.

Back to Solomon, this transfer doesn't fill me with much excitement—mostly because it seems opportunistic more than anything—but I'm open to being pleasantly surprised. And I mean, it's a free transfer, so not a big risk no matter how he works out. Some reports have said he'll be on a four-year deal and others have said it'll be a five-year deal, so it does seem like the club views him as a promising long-term prospect.

The other incoming transfer rumor that's picking up steam is the potential signing of Dutch center-back Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg. This could be instead of Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba, or in addition to his fellow Bundesliga defender. I'm always complaining that we don't recruit from the German league often enough, so it would be hilarious if we signed two players from the Bundesliga in the same window. Tapsoba is more experienced, but they're both players with a high ceiling and I would be happy to see either or both of them sign with Spurs. For a homegrown option, Tosin Adarabioyo of Fulham is also rumored to be under consideration.

I kind of wish we had taken care of signings for this key area of need, the defense, before the goalkeeper and CAM transfers, but sometimes it's like a game of Tetris and you just have to handle the blocks as they fall—in the order they fall. For one thing, ensuring that Winks was replaced by another homegrown player gives us more flexibility to sign a foreign defender. There are a lot of other outgoings that need to happen soon as well, both to raise further funds for incomings and to make space for those new transfers. Overall, it feels like we're in a good place at this point in the transfer window, and certainly coming in under budget so far. And unlike under the Conte regime, we don't have to worry about Ange breaking anyone's spirit.

Not another Harry Kane transfer saga

If you're new here (and hello, new subscribers!), you may not know that I'm also a big supporter of Bayern Munich. So in theory, the rumor that Harry Kane may be making a shock move to Bayern should be a win-win situation for me. But it honestly doesn't feel that way, for several reasons.

For one thing, I truly believe that no transfer fee is worth the loss of Kane's performances. It's not just that I doubt we could spend any potential windfall in a productive manner, but also that so much of what Kane brings to Spurs is irreplaceable. And I'm not even talking about the intangibles of him playing for his boyhood club and being one of the most tenured players at Tottenham. I'm talking about things like his built-up chemistry on the pitch with Sonny, his ability to be both scorer and playmaker, and even his absurdly effective commitment to tracking back on defense. If there is any player in the world who can legitimately be called a "complete footballer," it's Harry. Players like him don't come around often, and it's all but impossible to sign them. So if the choice is between getting one more year of his services before he leaves on a free (with the important acknowledgment that he could still sign a contract extension) or taking the money, I choose the former. Better to get the Ange project up and running at pace rather than throwing a major obstacle in the way from the start.

From the Bayern-colored glasses perspective, this possible transfer makes slightly more sense: Kane fills a stark need in the squad for a world-class striker to replace Robert Lewandowski (a season too late, at that). As much as I like Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting as a player, he cannot compensate for Lewandowski's goals on his own, and Sadio Mané has not exactly panned out as a successful transfer. Serge Gnabry often plays striker for Germany (mostly out of necessity in that situation, too) but has been far more successful as a winger for Bayern. And then there was the Thomas Müller as a number 9 experiment. Der Raumdeuter is not meant to play in such a limited role; he needs, well, space. Instead of trying to force one of those round pegs into a square hole, why not just sign an actual elite striker?

And much like Lewandowski, Kane could score goals for fun alongside a team of five-year-olds, let alone the (mostly) impressive Bayern squad. Although I have questions about what exactly the Bayern system is under Thomas Tuchel, I don't doubt that Kane could adapt to suit whatever style of striker he was asked to be. You know the famous line from Jurassic Park about "life finds a way?" Kane also finds a way. Then again, as Mané and Leroy Sané before him have shown, marquee transfers aren't always the most successful ones for Bayern in the club's recent history.

But this is the classic problem of supporting two high-level clubs, even when they play in different leagues. I don't actually want to see one of them strengthened while the other is weakened—can't they both thrive, for my sake? And frankly, Bayern is such a mess right now organizationally that I would hate to see Kane go from one frying pan into another (if he thinks dealing with Daniel Levy is difficult, just wait until he meets the Bayern board).

On a sentimental note, I would hate to see him abandon Spurs to chase a trophy even more. Surely he will realize that securing the Premier League goals record would do more for his legacy than winning a title with a team he has no real history with, but as I talked about last issue, footballers' motivations don't always line up with our idealized priorities as fans. And it's true that perhaps more than any other player of his generation, he has been hounded in the media for his lack of trophies—despite all the individual records he has achieved.

And on a practical note... why on earth would he want to move his family onto the continent when his wife is about to give birth to their fourth child? Baffling.

My inclination is still to believe that he'll be with Spurs on opening day. I just hope it's not another awkward one like it was two seasons ago during the Manchester City transfer saga.

Kit Room: 2023/24 Training

It's not as exciting as a launch for one of the main kits, but it's still cool to see what the players will be training in. The club released two new training shirts right in time for the Men's pre-season to begin.

My grade: C

I call this one the "modified scuba." It's not quite as similar to a wetsuit as last season's away kit (god am I glad to see the end of that kit's reign of terror), but the aquatic vibe is definitely still there... I think it's because the texture on the sleeves looks vaguely like fish scales. I'm glad Nike is moving away from the previous neckline design for their kit templates. This look with the sleeve detail only is much more streamlined. I'm not a huge fan of the muted purple palette, although after seeing it on some of the players in the pre-season photos, it's growing on me a little bit. So overall: not the best, but not the worst either.

My grade: B+

I like this one much more. I get why people are calling it the "QR code" kit because... well, yes. The pattern does look like that. But I kind of like the zaniness of it. Plus, this darker purple hue makes the yellow sponsor text pop better. And I love the holographic Nike and Tottenham logos. So sue me, I'm a child of the 90s. I was raised with Pokémon cards! The only thing that keeps this one from being an A grade for me is the lack of any trim or contrasting panels to balance out the intense print—although that's less of a concern for a training top than an actual matchday kit.

News from around the Lane

Just a few quick news items for today:

• Spurs Men will be playing a friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk on August 6. I'm sure this has absolutely nothing to do with us supposedly signing Manor Solomon. Total coincidence! But on a less cynical note, the match will raise funds for Shakhtar's charitable foundation to support victims of the ongoing war in Ukraine. It's also the first home match for Postecoglou and the last friendly before the 2023/24 season officially begins.

• Speaking of Ange, his coaching staff was finally announced and Ryan Mason is indeed sticking around as one of his assistants. And elsewhere in club staff news, Simon Davies was appointed as Academy Director. Like Ange and our new Chief Football Officer, Scott Munn, Davies previously worked for City Football Group.

• Two Academy players signed new contracts this past week, Matthew Craig until 2026 and Nile John until 2025. Craig made his first team debut in the last PL game of the season against Leeds, while John debuted in a Europa League game against Wolfsberger AC in 2021.

• And finally, the Proud Lilywhites supporters group marched in the London Pride Parade to represent Tottenham.

We'll end with a gallery of photos from the start of the Men's pre-season training.

Nice to see the lads back at Hotspur Way! And Ange already looks right at home. Hopefully it's a fruitful pre-season and I can't wait to see the new tactics in action. I thought I needed the summer break from Spurs games, but I'm honestly ready for the friendlies to start.

COYS

Thank you for reading!

If you’re enjoying the newsletter, make sure to sign up for a free subscription to receive new issues in your inbox, or upgrade to a paid membership to unlock additional bonus content every month. You can also buy me a Ko-fi for a one-time tip. Your support keeps Spurs Across the Pond running and is much appreciated.

You can also find me on Twitter and podcasting at N17 Women and The Tottenham Depot.