This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing former Spurs left back and 57 cap Sweden international Erik Edman on Last Word On Spurs.
We discuss:
You can listen again here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7584261-erik-edman-special
We have just hit 20,000 followers on Twitter – from Dan, Ed, Jack and John, thank you so much for all of your support!
We feel very lucky to be able to share our love for Tottenham Hotspur with so many people!
Credit to Peter Farrell for more great graphics.
#THFC #COYS
Ferdinand Okoh has not been offered a scholarship to become a full-time Academy Year One player for next season. He will instead join Bournemouth on a two-year deal.
The Nigerian youth player also had a trial with Stoke City but opted to head to the south coast to join The Cherries.
Okoh, a central midfielder, joined Spurs as a 15 year old from West Ham last year.
We wish him well for the future.
The leaked designs for Tottenham’s four 2020/21 kits are here:
Ratings out of 10?
[Credit to GraphicStyler]
Tottenham are interested in signing Legia Warsaw’s left back, Michal Karbownik, this summer, according to the Daily Mirror.
Spurs have reportedly been been watching Karbownik, 19 for around a year now, and have been building up a strong relationship with Legia during that time in order to smooth the path for a move.
Karbownik has come up through the ranks with Legia, and is now featuring as their main left back despite being right-footed. He can operate at right back or even in central midfield, and he has been a sensation in the Ekstraklasa this season, racking up six assists in just 19 games.
He is also a Polish youth international, having featured in every age group up to the Under 19s.
This week, I had the of pleasure interviewing former Spurs player, Johnnie Jackson, on Last Word On Spurs.
Now Charlton Athletic’s Assistant Manager, Jackson looked back over his time at Tottenham; spoke about Glenn Hoddle, Martin Jol, Jaques Santini, David Pleat and Chris Houghton; relived THAT goal at the Valley; and even dropped in some Troy Parrott insider information!
You can listen again here: https://player.fm/series/last-word-on-spurs/johnnie-jackson-special
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been named Venue of the Year at TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2020.
The Stadium has picked up 12 industry awards since opening a year ago in categories including: structural engineering; architecture; building design; branding and wayfinding; and inclusivity.
Belgian side Anderlecht are interested in Spurs’ Michel Vorm and Jonathan De Bie this summer, according to Het Nieuwsblad.
Both goalkeepers are out of contract this summer and neither player is likely to receive a new offer from Tottenham.
Vorm has already been released once by the club and was only brought back as emergency cover with Hugo Lloris suffering a long-term injury. He has only made one appearance since his return, gifting a goal to Norwich City which helped see Tottenham exit the FA Cup.
De Bie hasn’t made the progress expected of him despite a promising start to his time at Hotspur Way.
At 36 and 19 years old respectively, Vorm, a Dutch international, and De Bie, a Belgian youth international, are at opposite ends of their careers, but the move could work for both players.
Despite the highly publicised appointment of Vincent Kompany as Player/Captain/Manager, Anderlecht have been disappointing in Belgian First Division A this season and are currently lying in 8th place. They are most successful club in Belgian history, winning the League 34 times.
Amazon have emerged as one of the frontrunners for the naming rights of Spurs’ new stadium, according to the Daily Mail.
The firm are understood to have lodged their interest, with Daniel Levy aiming to secure a £25m a season deal that will run for ten years. If successful, he will secure the most lucrative stadium naming rights in history.
Spurs already have ties with Amazon, having spent the season filming the behind-the-scenes documentary, ‘All or Nothing’, but there is understood to be a number of other interested parties, with Spurs’ kit sponsors Nike among them.
The appeal for potential sponsors is obvious – not only is Tottenham now established as a major Premier League club, their new state-of-the-art stadium is also set to host NFL games, as well as numerous high-profile sporting events and concerts.
Levy will want to finalise a deal quickly in order to help meet the loan repayments on the £1billion stadium, especially with the anticipated loss of Champions League income next season.
The news comes after Tottenham became the first Premier League club to host a coronavirus testing operation at their stadium, with the basement car park being used as a site for drive-through tests for North Middlesex University Hospital staff and their families.
For those who follow Spurs’ youth teams, the loss of Luis Binks to Thierry Henry’s Montreal Impact came as a shock.
Both Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are the wrong side of 30 and the England youth international, whose grace on the ball and leadership qualities stood out, was viewed by many as their natural successor. To lose a highly promising player, only a year or two away from competing for a first team spot, was incredibly disappointing.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Binks outlined some of the reasons why he chose to move to the MLS and join Montreal, despite a late intervention from Jose Mourinho:
‘I told the academy staff I was leaving and they said, “We’ll get Mourinho here”. He said how much he liked me, that I would be going on pre-season and, if I did well, I could play a few games next year.
‘That made the decision even tougher, but it also reassured me that, if I’m good enough, I will get to the top.
‘I didn’t want to take the risk of waiting for something that might never come. You then get to 21 and you still haven’t played.
‘I play for England with Mason Greenwood at Man United and it’s brilliant to see him getting on and doing so well. But he’s a forward, it’s different for a centre-half, they don’t bring you on for the last 15 minutes, do they?
‘So I needed to push myself, I couldn’t sit around in the 23s, that just wasn’t for me.’
He said that the success of Jadon Sancho was a major influence on his decision to leave Hostpur Way in search on first team football:
‘My debut here there were 30,000 fans. Last year, for the Under 23s, you’d be away to Derby on a Thursday night in front of 50 people.
‘The crowd, the occasion, it motivates you, you want more of it. You can still learn playing Under 23s, but not as much as this.
‘When Jadon Sancho went to Dortmund and did so well, it really inspired me. So I thought, “Yeah, why not?”. It felt like a no-brainer.’
Binks also recalls not holding back when mixing it with Spurs’ senior players for the first time:
‘My first training session at Tottenham, I was only 16, there was a 50-50 and I went in with Jan Vertonghen.
‘I went in hard – but fair, I think – and he got up and shouted at me, “You f***ing idiot”. Literally, 20 seconds later, the same 50-50 challenge came along… I went in full blooded again and he rolled his ankle.
‘He went mental. For six months he wouldn’t shake my hand. He’d just laugh and say, “You’re that kid who did me!”.’
Losing Luis Binks was undoubtably a blow, but you can can hardly blame him for seeking guaranteed first team football and it’s clear he has a plan of how he is going to make it as a top player. We hope he fulfils his obvious potential and eventually finds his way home to play in lilywhite.
Lilywhite Rose 