Sizzling Summer Ahead
I put off writing this week's issue as long as I could in hopes of a manager update—on either side of the club—but no such luck. Which isn't to say it's been a week devoid of news!
Some underwhelming squad updates from Spurs Women have slightly deflated my post-Europa League bubble of happiness. Just as it looks like Spurs Men are on an upward trajectory (mostly...), I'm already bracing for another disappointing season on the Women's side. And the transfer window isn't even open yet! But often, the initial squad update can serve as a signal of intent, and I have concerns about what the club is signaling so far.
We're still in the dark on whether one or both of the senior team managers will be departing this summer, and I worry that we'll roll into the pre-season still lacking certainty. The risk of leaving these decisions open-ended (or at least opaque to fans and prospective players alike) is that we may weaken our position in both transfer markets.
In this issue: Brighton recap | Transfer talk | News from around the Lane
I'll touch on transfer needs & wants in next week's end-of-season bumper special, but there are a few announcements to round up already, as well as an extremely depressing injury update for a key Spurs Women player. If you haven't already heard, this is your warning to brace yourself.
It feels strange not to have a match preview to write, but there's a reprieve until July when Spurs Men begin their pre-season friendlies ahead of the UEFA Super Cup. No word yet on any friendlies for Spurs Women (of course there isn't).
PL Matchday 38 recap | Tottenham 1 - 4 Brighton
Solanke (Pen) 17' | Hinshelwood 51' • 64', O'Riley (Pen) 88', Gómez 90+3'
The way this match played out kind of encapsulated Spurs' Premier League campaign as a whole this season. It started off surprisingly strong in the first half and then quickly deteriorated in the second half. And like the league season as a whole, it just didn't matter that much in the grand scheme of things because we are European champions.
But on the other hand, it's impossible to judge the performance seriously knowing that the squad was coming off a three-day celebratory bender. The fatigue was evident in the second half, even with substitutes. Plus, Brighton very much needed the win for their own hopes of qualifying for Europe next season. It ended up being a moot point since Chelsea didn't drop down to 7th place, though they did win this season's Europa Conference League final, which was the other condition Brighton was counting on. Better luck next time to the Seagulls.
Starting XI:
A big factor in the bright start to the game was Ange Postecoglou starting a fairly strong lineup. Several players who started the Europa League final the previous Wednesday were involved again, with Kevin Danso, Archie Gray, and Mathys Tel the only changes.
As for substitutions, Ben Davies may have played his final game in a Spurs shirt, (potentially) signing off with just over twenty minutes of play and a yellow card.
It was kind of a bummer not to get to see any of the youth players make one last appearance of the season, but at least they were all around to enjoy the post-game lap of appreciation.
SAtP Player of the Match: Mathys Tel
Please stay, Mathys!
Notable & quotable:
• So much for the absurd positive goal difference in 17th place; Brighton's final goal of the match tipped us into the negative.
• I did not fact-check this, but I'm reasonably sure this is the only game this season where we both scored and conceded a penalty.
• We ended the PL campaign on a seven-game winless streak, with only one draw during that stretch. But we also won a European trophy, so it balanced out in the end.
• I could go back and pull quotes from the lap of appreciation stream, but honestly, just go watch the whole thing yourself. I particularly loved Archie Gray appreciating Ben Davies and Mikey Moore hugging Ben Haines throughout his whole interview.
Transfer talk
It's that time of year again (she says wearily): transfer season. Although no signings have been made since the transfer windows are not yet open, that doesn't mean there has been a lack of news. The teams are already starting to announce some of the initial player departures, retentions, and contract extensions. I'll break it down by team.
Spurs Women
• The club took up the one-year options on the contracts of Ashleigh Neville, Kit Graham, Olga Ahtinen, and Josefine Rybrink. That's particularly welcome news for the first two (Graham since she deserves a chance to come back from her ACL injury, and Neville because she's a key veteran in the squad), but surprising for the latter two. If Robert Vilahamn is still in charge of the team next season, I am concerned for Ahtinen's chances of game time, since she had fallen out of favor this season. I have not been impressed by Rybrink and would have preferred for the club to let her move on after her half-season introduction.
• Even more perplexing, Martha Thomas has signed a new deal until 2028.
She reflected on staying at Spurs:
This Club means a lot to me, so I’m excited to look forward to the future... We can put on better performances than we have of late, but we can achieve what we want to achieve and push for the goals.
While Thomas has always seemed like a kind person and great teammate, this contract extension just doesn't make sense from a footballing perspective. She went the whole WSL campaign with a single goal this season, and in fact hasn't scored in league play since November 2023. For the 2024/25 season, she had just one goal in the League Cup quarter-final and had one assist in the WSL. Work rate is important, but in a team that has often struggled both to create and convert chances, we simply need more tangible output from a frequent starter.
This contract decision could be a possible sign that Vilahamn will also be sticking around, since Thomas is one of the players he has been (stubbornly) loyal to. I can't imagine the club would extend her stay if a new manager were coming in who likely wouldn't favor her for the starting lineup going forward. But you never know; this club has made plenty of baffling choices where the Women's team is concerned in recent seasons. Combined with the contract options and the increased likelihood of Vilahamn keeping his job, Thomas' new contract suggests the club is sticking with the status quo for next season.
Nevertheless, congrats to Martha. Please let us love you again by getting back to scoring ways soon!
Spurs Men
• Fraser Forster, Sergio Reguilon, and Alfie Whiteman are all leaving the club at the conclusion of their contracts, while Timo Werner also exits at the end of his loan. My only real comment here is that it's good to see the club being properly ruthless ahead of the summer overhaul, but with the exception of Werner (who visibly gave up in his second loan season), these players all had a decent attitude about their lack of game time and seemed to be good teammates. We'll also miss Whiteman for his club-trained status. (Yes, I have seen his Letterboxd, but we have very different tastes in film, so...). I wouldn't be surprised to see Forster retire, but good luck to the others on finding a new club.
• There were two loan conversions, one outgoing and one incoming. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg will be staying with Marseille, while Kevin Danso now joins us on a permanent contract. Again, common-sense business. Danso has been a refreshing addition to the squad since January, helping to see out the Europa League win as well as providing valuable cover in league play so other players could rest for the most important competition. I also love his attitude and energy. Welcome (officially) aboard, Kevin.
Academy teams
• In the Women's Academy, it was announced that Persis Oteng, Emily McMaster, Liamara Hensel-Burg, Maia Lazaro, Eloise Hall, and Elkie Bowyer will all be leaving. We had learned about Oteng's departure previously when RB Leipzig announced her signing, but the others were new information. Bowyer had been in and around the senior squad at times, and Hall's name often popped up in this season's Academy match updates, so those two were a bit surprising.
• In the Men's Academy, the club announced the departures of Will Andiyapan, Archie Baptiste, Jahziah Linton, Maxwell McKnight, Max Robson, Jaden Williams, and Elliot Krasniqi from the development squad, as well as Timileyin Adekunle, Dante Orr, and Charlie Warren from the U18s.
Good luck and best wishes to all of the departing Academy players in their future careers!
• The Men's Academy also confirmed two new contracts: Tynan Thompson signed his professional deal after a successful campaign in the U18s and making his U21s debut, while Harry Byrne followed a similar path to signing his first contract, including playing a part in the U17's Premier League Cup win. Byrne was also named Spurs' Scholar of the Year.
Congrats to Tynan and Harry on their pro deals!
A quick note on transfer windows
I can't remember if I mentioned this in a previous issue, but there's a special 10-day transfer window opening up tomorrow on the Men's side of the game to accommodate the Club World Cup teams, running from June 1 to June 10. The regular summer window will then open up on June 16 and close on September 1 (with a 7 pm UK deadline for both windows).
On the Women's side, there is only one transfer window running from June 18 to September 4.
News from around the Lane
• Sticking with the Academy for a second, Luca Williams-Barnett has won the award for the Premier League U18's Goal of the Season.
• Guglielmo Vicario has been nominated for the Premier League Save of the Season award. Unfortunately, voting has already closed.
• Richarlison will be returning to the Brazil squad for the first time since March 2024.
• In extremely frustrating news from the current women's international break, Ella Morris has torn her ACL while training with England. This was her first senior call-up. Morris was going to be one of the key players for Spurs Women in the upcoming season, despite her young age; this injury definitely complicates the team's summer transfer business. Wishing Ella a speedy recovery so we get to see her play again by the end of next season!
• Spurs Men's opponent for the Coupang Play Series has been confirmed. We will play Newcastle United in South Korea, with the fixture details still TBD.
• Spurs Men's 2025/26 Premier League fixtures will be released on June 18 at 9 am UK time. The newly promoted teams include Leeds United, Burnley, and playoff winners Sunderland.
• Our first competitive fixture of the season will be the UEFA Super Cup on August 13. We will take on Paris Saint-Germain since they beat Inter Milan by an incredible five unanswered goals in the Champions League final today.
• The draw for the Champions Leaguephase (yes, I shall be continuing my stubborn insistence on shortening the official name of the European competition league phases; it's not my fault that the powers that be had their own insistence on a redundant name) will take place on August 26.
• And two fun Spurs alumni notes:
- Wang Shuang won the AFC Women's Champions League with her new club, Wuhan Jiangda. She scored Wuhan's sole goal in the 1-1 draw, which they then won on penalties thanks to a penalty save from their substitute goalkeeper, Chen Chen.
- Juan Carlos Amorós won the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup with Gotham, their second title under his management. They won 1-0 against Tigres, with a rebounded penalty kick goal from Esther González.
I think that's everything... For the start of the off-season, it sure has been eventful so far.
Keep an eye out for the end-of-season bumper special next week!
COYS
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