Issue 14 - Tottenham Being Frank

The heatwave’s real — and so is the drama. Kudus, Gibbs-White and the Spurs soap opera. Gyökeres gets recalibrated. Football’s new regulator arrives with a bark (but will it bite?).

From FPL AI assistants to £1m WSL transfers, it’s all here. Let’s filter the chaos.

Shock And Awe

With the news that Mohammed Kudus was edging closer to a Tottenham move at the start of the week, it signalled the Thomas Frank era of business in N17. A transfer that has deflated West Ham fans and allowed their Spurs counterparts to revel in their misfortune.

However, the good fortune does not stop there and in a world where everyone is ITK (In The Know, for those who do not know) or at least they think they know, the recent Europa League winners then concluded a smash and grab on the banks of the River Trent.

One Trent already on the move as Alexander-Arnold swapped Liverpool for Real Madrid. One of the Trent’s golden boys of the past 12 months now swapping Nottingham for the capital and it is fair to say that nobody saw the move of Morgan Gibbs-White coming.

A proper “wow, where has that come from?” feeling was set ablaze through social media platforms on Thursday evening. A £60m release clause being triggered to activate interest in the England international, the purse strings seemingly loosened by Daniel Levy.

Levy the figure who has been so maligned during his tenure at Tottenham - and at times, rightly so has hopefully heard the rousing boos that have more than rippled through N17 these past few months and decided that now is the time to act.

Admittedly the capture of either Kudus or Gibbs-White can hardly be considered as a priority in terms of Tottenham’s issues from last season but if a defender was Thomas Frank’s first signing (not including Mathys Tel), would it get pulses racing as much?

On All Fronts

The answer is likely to be no but the feeling is an emphatic yes to the two new arrivals and with eight additional Champions League games to factor in, it looks as if squad depth is back in vogue in the white half of North London.

Last season highlighted just how harsh Ange Postecoglou’s method’s were and with at one stage just 13 senior professionals to call upon because of a litany of injuries, it is not a scenario that his Danish successor wants to find himself in.

Nor will he or his new paymasters want a repeat of the 17th place finish that was recorded just a few months ago. With the additions of Kudus and Gibbs-White, the minimum expectation will be to shave 10 places off at least.

But what does this mean in terms of who plays were for Spurs? Are they oversubscribed in certain positions? Yes. Do they need to be? Also yes.

With that being said, do not be surprised if Heung min-Son is sold after the upcoming tour to South Korea - it would be financially reckless to sell the golden boy beforehand and that is not a misstep that Daniel Levy will make.

Do not also be surprised if Richarlison exits the club on at least a loan for the season ahead. Yes, he will go down as a hero in Bilbao but his time at the club has been borderline flop.

Forwards Going Forwards

Bar Dominic Solanke who will be playing through the middle, the rest of the cast will allow for interchange and the ability to play in multiple position across the front three (or in the AMC role).

Just what you would expect from someone such as Thomas Frank but the £115m spent in the space of two days is certainly not what you would expect from the man who presides ove the annual warchest.

Does this mean new investment is on the way in the form of Qatari influence?

Does this mean a stadium sponsor has finally be found?

Does this mean Spurs will have to pay West Ham those Premier League and Champions League winning add ons after all?

The next few months may tell us all but so might the next few days.

EDIT: As soon as I write all of that, news breaks that the Gibbs-White move has been delayed.

Nottingham Forest suggest the approach was illegal and have now cut all communications with Spurs.

Evangelos Marinakis throwing his toys out the pram it sees.

If the release clause has been met, I can only see this move being delayed rather than cancelled but once again, it is more soap opera coming out of the City Ground.

The Gyokeres Exchange Rate

In the previous issue I took a look at Arsenal target Viktor Gyokeres and what would be the benchmark for Premier League scoring output when compared to his sensational efforts for Sporting.

39 goals in 31 games and a suggestion that they would be worth 19 Premier League goals if he were to sign for Arsenal.

However, an excellent bit of feedback came in and it mentioned penalty duties. Gyokeres was the man from 12 yards in Lisbon, Bukayo Saka is the man from 12 yards in London and therefore, we need to recalibrate the calculations.

27 non-Penalty league goals were scored by the Swede last season. Transfer that to half in the Premier League and the benchmark is lowered to 13. A bakers dozen at the Emirates - you would expect so with his talents.

If the move does come about and he’s not on pens, then 13 will be our par for the season ahead. Should he be given 12-yard duty, that 13 can be increased to 19.

All Within Regulation

Tuesday saw the UK Government vote to finally introduce the Independent Football Regulator to oversee the top five leagues of the English game. A seismic moment for governance of the sport but how much power will the man or women actually have?

Like with many regulators, the promised remit is always one that is full of bite but the execution has a habit of breaking the skin.

This announcement is too late for the likes of Bury, Reading, Sheffield Wed, Morecambe and many others who have gone through ownership turmoil, but will it be in time to stop another club going through the ringer due to malpractice?

English football will certainly hope so and it hopes so due to the powers that have been attached to this role. At the same time, whoever is given the honour of this role may have to be wary of not trying to do too much too soon.

The Real Powerbrokers

Especially in the direction of the Premier League and although the top tier does have plenty of ills attached to it, there is no doubt the amount of global soft power that has been generated through the competition.

Yes it is an absolutely unweilded beast when it comes to financial might but if you are a regulator why would you want to chain that beast when it comes to doing what it does best.

If regulation makes Premier League club weaker does that make it better? Does that go on to tarnish the reputation of the competition when up against their European counterparts and then undercut the league’s own value?

Add the fact that the Premier League lobbyists will be in the ear of the regulator from Day - you could argue those lobbyists already scored a goal earlier in the week by stopping 10 games a season being on free TV and the size of the task is far bigger than first thought.

To the point where this may just be a collection of quick wins and lip service for fans up and down the country but nothing that brings fundamental change to the game. I reserve the right to hold judgement for now.

The Filter Five

Five football Ice Lollies to help you beat the weekend heat.

Henderson In Red And White

With the news that Jordan Henderson was leaving Ajax a year before his contract ended, a lot of observers would have put two and two together. A move to Sunderland and the famous red and white was a no-brainer…..or was it?

It turned out that those people putting two and two together got five instead and although the former Liverpool captain will be playing in red and white, it will be Brentford who have captured his services instead.

A replacement for Christian Nørgaard who completed his move to Arsenal. A replacement that still adds an element of unease to Brentford’s chances under new manager Keith Andrews.

Microsoft Transfer Windows

The Premier League’s ability to complete sponsorship deal is something that should be lauded and the announcement of a deal with Microsoft has opened up all kinds of concepts on how football could be be consumed in the next five to ten years.

Data feeds flashing before your eyes on a VR headset cannot be all that far away and although they are yet to be announced, there is one digital development for next season - one within the world of FPL.

With FPL being played by all corners of the globe, some corners have looked to implement AI in their bid to be top of the leaderboard. Now it seems as if AI assistant managers are now going to be available for all.

It may have been the edge in the past but if everyone has the edge, then a new angle will have to be found by those desperate to grind out a few more points. Exciting or not, is it in the sprit of the game or is it no different from copying FPL Spidey again (If you know, you know).

Petition To Stop Petitions

The great thing about online petitions is that it gives everyone a voice.

The worst thing about online petitions is that it gives everyone a voice.

The latest example of this is the one circulating the internet by Arsenal fans who are showing their displeasure at the prospect of Noni Madueke being the latest player to switch from Chelsea to the Emirates.

A deal of £50m looks like it will soon be completed and for the 2,000 so Gunners that have signed this online document in a bid to stop it. You are wasting your time.

Transfer Records

The first ever Women’s transfer fee to exceed £999,999 is soon to be signed off as Olivia Smith moves from Liverpool to fellow WSL outfit Arsenal.

As a sense of scale, the male equivalent of that fee was recorded back in 1979 when Trevor Francis switched from Birmingham to Nottingham Forest.

When converted for inflation that fee of £1,180,000 would be worth £9,000,000 today. It just goes to show how much transfer fees have beaten inflation by in the past 45 years. It also highlights just how vast the chasm is between the male and female sides of the game.

The Final Countdown

The first 32-team edition of the FIFA Club World Cup finally comes to an end this weekend when Chelsea play host to PSG. If the Blues win, they will be club champions for the second time but it all just feels a bit bizarre.

Case in point, the signing of Joao Pedro during the tournament. Scores twice on his debut in the semi-final. Whatever happened to not being registered in a competition? Then again, I’m not losing too much sleep because they will have to pretty special to stop this current PSG crop.

Other Reading

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Admin

Right, that’s the end of issue 13 as we edge closer to a new season.

The sprint to 50 subscribers begins. 40 subcribers are now signed up and on the books, those 40 need to help me get the next 10.

Also, continual feedback is certainly going to help drive this forward. The inbox is active, get in touch and let me know your hot topics for discussion.

My email for correspondence and any networking/promo requests is

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Issue 15 will be out on Tuesday July 15th

Thanks for reading

Dan