• The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...

    Get involved!

Transfers Summer 2026 Transfer Thread

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports

You don’t have to play a back 3 as a counter attack style. Pochettino played it a few times and we played some amazing football. It only work as a ball domination formation with ball playing CB’s as they need to become CM’s almost. Mostly back 3 is played as a counter attacking system but that isn’t really De Zerbi’s philosophy.
Yeah personally I'm not against it if we're playing decent football and have the right attacking principles in place. But a lot of fans won't like the idea of it, that's for sure.
 
Newcastle would probably want £100m for Bruno and I could see why they would want that. Would be transformative for our midfield though.

If they didn't just shift Gordon for big money, I'd be more willing to believe there would be even the slightest chance.

But lets hope RDZ is willing to settle for less. Coming in and asking for untouchable players won't end well.
 
Not that I am against of signing Van Hecke, but we are strenghtening a defence that is already quite good. Were does that leave the midfield and attack? And what does it mean for Vuscovic (ready to play his part IMO). Will we spend a lot of money on Van Hecke only to find out that Vuscovic s as good and that money could have been spend on midfield/attack.

Certainly Romero and Dragusin are off. What about Danso? He off too or do we send Vuscovic on loan, which would be mistake IMO. Vuscovic needs to start to feel like a Yiddo or he will definitely be off within a year.
Cannot believe we are in for another Cb & £70m not enough. We will lose Vuscovic if we do not integrate him & in a couple of years he will be the world's best CB & we have let him go. Hope this falls through & we spend that sort of money on positions we need to cover with someone better, GK, Striker, Winger, Midfield etc. Anywhere but another CB when we are buying Senesi & have VDV, Vuskovic, Danso & still have Dragusin & Romero & Davies that all could still be here next year.

Also we have been linked to several Brighton players & they will not sell them all to us & so best to concentrate on those we need most.
 
It's a negotiation (I actually have a friend who works at CAA Base). Club obviously tries to push it down the road, as with transfers. tbh, we're splitting hairs vs the main point, which is that "free" transfers are absolutely not free.

Oh I agree, I think the only point I was trying to make was that of where the money comes from - either fees or wages

My thinking being there are different budgets for each, so in the typical fan maths thing of :

van Hecke (-£40m) + Senesi (£0) + Robertson (£0) - Romero (£50) - Dragusin (£10) = +£20m net profit

Is essentially correct in terms of fees / asset cost

But of course, Senesi and Robertson will be big bucks wages = you are of course right there is expense in signing them

Its more just the accounting of it. Asset vs Expense. Ultimately the club pays either way....




People won't like this, but I wonder if De Zerbi is thinking about playing a back 3, or at least making sure we have a squad that can play a back 3. He played some variant of a back 3 about half the time in Marseille so clearly likes it as an option and our window so far points in that direction. Looking to sign Senesi AND Van Hecke when we already have Vuskovic, VdV + Danso in a season with no Europe. Apparently extending Davies' contract (solid LCB cover in a back 3). These moves make far more sense if a back 3 is in his thoughts, plus Vusko predominantly played in a 3 for Hamburg...


I dont like it, am generally averse to 3 at the back - cant deny though RDZ has used it a lot - and that combo looks pretty decent to be fair

Senesi - VDV - van Hecke

Youve got pace, and TWO ball players to progress the ball, both of whom can step forward a bit and play football...

I mean, Im still not a fan but I can see that it could work
 
The Wire GIF


We go the ReUp!!!
 
I dont like it, am generally averse to 3 at the back - cant deny though RDZ has used it a lot - and that combo looks pretty decent to be fair

Senesi - VDV - van Hecke

Youve got pace, and TWO ball players to progress the ball, both of whom can step forward a bit and play football...

I mean, Im still not a fan but I can see that it could work
Yeah or you put Vuskovic in there too so you've got a classic penalty box defender in the mix (Danso as his backup). A lot of the questions/doubt people have atm are around how we'd play two left footers together in Senesi/VdV, why we'd block Vuskovic's path by signing Van Hecke, why on earth we'd extend Davies' contract. Playing a back 3 would neatly answer all of those questions at least. Not to mention we already have a bunch of wingbacks in the squad. We shall see...
 
You say that but the 2yr mark is where clubs will try and renew contracts..... If the players refuse then the door to a sale opens.

Yes, it is true that 2y mark is the first where there is more room for negotiations.
Basically the shorter the better.

But 2 years is a very long time in footballers career. There could either be change of mind, change of circumstance, new suitors, injuries whatever.

Basically the way I would look at this -
1 year / 0,5 years left on the contract - very big (40-60%) discount
2 years left on contract - first stronger negotiating opportunity but the discount is many times smaller (max 5-15%)
 
The disappointing thing is that we probably need a starting No.9. But the market appears much stronger last season. Sesko, Gyokeres, Mbeumo among others.

What quality options could we look at this summer? Serious question as I haven't read much about strikers looking to move thus far.
 
Okay, but so to understand your point better - if we do plug all the holes in the side with players that are of quality, fit into RDZ preferences AND happen to be free agents or players in their last contract years - would you be happy with that window?

And say our overall transfer outlay would be 150 mil and net spend maybe 60-70 mil?

Yes if we managed to fill the whole squad with free agents or bargains of high quality and challenge for honours accordingly I'd be delighted and would see it as a major feat.

I just don't have faith we'd be so lucky or smart to make it a reality
 
The disappointing thing is that we probably need a starting No.9. But the market appears much stronger last season. Sesko, Gyokeres, Mbeumo among others.

What quality options could we look at this summer? Serious question as I haven't read much about strikers looking to move thus far.
Goncalo Ramos from PSG is available.

Really, thats the only one on the top of my head I can picture.. I'm sure there are plenty of serviceable strikers that are far better than Richarlison and more available than Solanke, though.
 
I'm not sure. People call Robbo and Senesi "free" but they aren't free. The player negotiates the fee. I'd have thought Robbo could negotiate £10m odd and Senesi perhaps £15m-£20m.

Yea only that is not really the case, is it.
I mean find me even one single example of credible confirmation of a player that is not on Haaland-Mbappe level that would have negotiated 20 million pounds / 23 million euro signing fee ?!?

They might agree some signing fee but as far as I have read and am aware off - the lack/miniature fee is compensated by much stronger position in salary negotiations.

So in Robertson example there are alternatives -
A. he would be on mid-to-long contract with Liverpool - we buy his previous contract out for say 10 million £ and then pay him 150 thousand £ per week for 2 seasons for example. Total cost being 10+ (2x 52x 150k) = 25,6 mil £ for that time
B. he is (like he actually is) free from contract - we don't buy out his rights, maybe do pay him symbolic signing fee of 1 million but then offer him a 2 season contract worth 250 thousand per week - so this being 1+(2x52x250k) = 27 mil £

What you suggest does not make absolutely any economical sense at all. Basically meaning that we would pay him the money otherwise would be paid for the previous contract owner AND then would pay higher salary. That would make free agents cost double the amount compared to buying their contract out.
Or to illustrate.
C. (what you suggested) we pay Robertson 10 mil £ signing fee. And then we pay him 250 th EUR per week for 2 years. Meaning total of 10+26 mil = 36 mil £.

Does not make any sense.
 
The disappointing thing is that we probably need a starting No.9. But the market appears much stronger last season. Sesko, Gyokeres, Mbeumo among others.

What quality options could we look at this summer? Serious question as I haven't read much about strikers looking to move thus far.

Depends on how much we're willing to spend but id rather just have solanke and lankshear, Tel as a CFs if it means we can get elite midfielders as well as elite wide men.

Solanke is good enough to bury chances that are handed to him on a plate at the very least.

Imo our midfield is awful, don't trust any of them to start many
 
Yea only that is not really the case, is it.
I mean find me even one single example of credible confirmation of a player that is not on Haaland-Mbappe level that would have negotiated 20 million pounds / 23 million euro signing fee ?!?

They might agree some signing fee but as far as I have read and am aware off - the lack/miniature fee is compensated by much stronger position in salary negotiations.

So in Robertson example there are alternatives -
A. he would be on mid-to-long contract with Liverpool - we buy his previous contract out for say 10 million £ and then pay him 150 thousand £ per week for 2 seasons for example. Total cost being 10+ (2x 52x 150k) = 25,6 mil £ for that time
B. he is (like he actually is) free from contract - we don't buy out his rights, maybe do pay him symbolic signing fee of 1 million but then offer him a 2 season contract worth 250 thousand per week - so this being 1+(2x52x250k) = 27 mil £

What you suggest does not make absolutely any economical sense at all. Basically meaning that we would pay him the money otherwise would be paid for the previous contract owner AND then would pay higher salary. That would make free agents cost double the amount compared to buying their contract out.
Or to illustrate.
C. (what you suggested) we pay Robertson 10 mil £ signing fee. And then we pay him 250 th EUR per week for 2 years. Meaning total of 10+26 mil = 36 mil £.

Does not make any sense.
No, I haven't suggested that at all. You haven't read carefully enough.

What I've suggested is Robertson is able to command a fee (whether it's paid up-front or added to wages or split between the two). The reason is that Robertson is a substitute, an alternative, for players who are under contract. The key issue is what he brings vs the total cost of "ownership". Once he signs he is also under contract and would command a transfer fee should he leave (this being the flipside of his out-of-contract fee on signing/paid through wages).

So to repeat my earlier point, a player like Robertson is not "free" as some on this thread are assuming. We pay effectively a transfer fee to Robertson via the above mechanism.

It makes perfect economic sense, and what's more, happens.
 
I would take Guimares over that cringy gooner scumbag every day of the week.

I will concede that from nowhere, Rice has taken on a cringey kind of feel.

You take Guumares wherever you like but on the pitch I would take Rice at this stage all day long.

I alsi think most Spurs fans, at lesst those not scared by horror movies would also take Rice, over Guimares, good though the Brazilian is.

We might get to see them against each other in the world cup..
 
Last edited:
Back
Top