Napoli have joined Crystal Palace in the race to buy young Spurs midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, with Tottenham ready to offload the youngster, according to the Daily Mail. 

The Mail claim that Spurs are preparing to offload Bentaleb, to free up the squad as they look to bring in other midfield targets such as Victor Wanyama from Southampton.

Bentaleb broke into the first team after Tim Sherwood took over as Heach Coach following the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, and has featured much less regularly recently under Mauricio Pochettino.

The Algerian lost his place in the first team when he picked up an injury, since Eric Dier has occupied the defensive midfield position, who has since cemented his spot in the starting eleven and in the England squad.

With Belgian Mousa Dembele being on form and Ryan Mason being preferred to Bentaleb, first team minutes have been very limited for the 21-year-old.

For me, the midfielder was very unfortunate to lose his first team spot when he picked up an injury, but you cannot argue with the lads that have replaced him and how they have performed. It would be good for squad depth to hand onto Bentaleb, but if the plan is to sign higher quality defensive midfielders, then unfortunately, I see no place in the setup for Nabil Bentaleb.

Reported Tottenham target Max Kruse has alarmed Spurs after he handed in a transfer request at current club Wolfsburg, according to kicker. 

The striker only joined the Bundesliga outfit last year, but has endured a poor run of form, and is looking for a fresh start abroad this summer.

The 28-year-old front-man managed a below-par six goals in 32 league appearances last season, and the German has decided to hand in a transfer request and look for a move abroad rather than try to rediscover his best form at Wolfsburg.

Despite last season’s hiccup, Kruse has shown that he can score goals, scoring 23 goals in a two-year spell at Borussia Monchengladbach, where he appeared 66 times. However, this may not be the number of goals that Mauricio Pochettino will be looking for in his next striker.

It is no secret that Spurs have been looking fir a striker to provide backup for Harry Kane, and although 23 goals in two seasons may not be sufficient for a new first-choice striker, Kruse could prove to provide good backup.

However, Kruse has yet to play in the Premier League, and it remains to be seen whether the striker would be suited to the style of play in the England’s top division. This is why maybe Troy Deeney would seem a safer move for Spurs, but taking the risk could in the end pay off.

Today the Premier League fixtures for the 2016/17 were released by the Premier League, and Spurs will begin their season on the road again, this time with a trip up to Everton, and end the season again away from home against newly-promoted Hull City. We take a look at eight fixtures that could prove to be key in Tottenham’s season. All dates are subject to change. 

1) Tottenham v Liverpool- Saturday 27th August

Looking at the fixture list, this is the first real test that our Spurs side will face, three weeks into the Premier League season after a trip to Everton and a home test against Crystal Palace.

We will of course be without Mousa Demebele, who will miss the start of next season through a ban, and the game against Jurgen Klopp’s will be a good test for our stand-in midfield partnership, whoever that may be. This game will be a good indicator of how well we have actually started the new campaign.

2) Arsenal v Tottenham- Saturday 5th November

This is the big one for Spurs, the first of our two league clashes with Arsenal is at the Emirates, where we drew 1-1 last season, and perhaps should have taken all three points.

There is always a special atmosphere at North London derbies, and there is no reason why this would be any different. Spurs will be desperate to get one back on Arsenal after the Reds pipped Spurs to second place last season

3) Chelsea v Tottenham- Saturday 26th November

Spurs got the better of Chelsea last season in terms of league finishing position, but Chelsea will feel that they had the last laugh in the infamous ‘Battle Of The Bridge’, where we lost the league before our capitulation in the last two games of the season.

It is fair to say that Chelsea underperformed last season, and under new manager Antonio Conte, the Blues will be aiming high this season, providing another tough away test for Spurs in November.

4) Manchester City v Tottenham- Saturday 21st January

We have good memories of a visit to the Etihad Stadium last season with Christian Eriksen striking late to hand Spurs all three points after Harry Kane dispatched a spot-kick earlier on in the game.

City will also have a new manager at the helm next season, who has been labelled the best in the business by some. The Manchester club could prove an extremely tough team to best next season, and three points for visiting teams at the Etihad are likely to be hard to come by.

5) Leicester v Tottenham- Saturday 22nd April

Spurs and Leicester battled it out for the title last season, and this fixture next season may not have as serious implications as it would have done last term, but we could be wrong yet again.

This fixture signals the start of an extremely tough run-in where we face three very big rivals in the last four weeks, so three points here if Leicester are not as strong as last year might become a must if we are challenging for Champions League or maybe even the title.

6) Tottenham v Arsenal- Saturday 29th April

This will be the last ever North London derby at White Hart Lane before it is knocked down, and it is likely to be a very emotional affair.

Not only will the occasion be special, but being the fourth from last fixture of the season, the two rivals could be battling it out for top four spots, and could prove to be a six-pointer.

7) West Ham v Tottenham- Saturday 6th May

This will be the first fixture between the London rivals since West Ham’s move to the Olympic Stadium, and it seems that West Ham are always up for a game against Spurs, and this could prove to be a very tough game.

It was a 1-0 loss at Upton Park that seriously dented out Premier League title hopes, and hopefully it will not be a similar result away at West Ham that costs us dear come the end of the season.

8) Tottenham v Manchester United- Saturday 13th May

This will be the last game ever to be played at White Hart Lane, and what a great send-off it would be if we could beat Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United in our final game at the Lane.

It will be a special occasion, but the players must not get distracted as crucial points will be up for grabs, and these could be precious points for either side on the day.

Milan Badelj could be looking for a move away in the near future, if his contract demands are not met at current club Fiorentina. Spurs are interested in making a move, claim Calcio Mercato. 

The Express report that the agent of Badelj’s agent has made Fiorentina a ‘take it or leave demand’ over a new contract, the newest offer from the Italian club reportedly does not include a sufficient agent’s fee. The player’s agent has also indicated that his client could move away over the summer in an interview, originally published in a print version of Corriere Fiorentino, but later published on Tutto Mercatto Web.

“There are top European clubs ready to do important jobs for Badelj. After Euro 2016 there will be important news. But at the moment I think it is hard to think of a future in purple for Milan.”

So, with this issue of a new contract yet to be sorted, Badelj could be looking at a move away from Fiorentina over the summer, with Spurs reportedly interested, and it would take a bid of around about £7.9m to secure his services.

The midfielder is currently in action for Croatia at the European Championships in France, and the Express believe that Fiorentina Sporting Director Pantaleo Corvino is set to meet with the player to discus his future after his participation in France, meaning that we may have to wait until the middle of July for a decision.

Badelji operates in a defensive midfield role, an area that Spurs will surely be looking to strengthen this summer judging by the way the Lilywhites struggled without the presence of Mousa Dembele in midfield.

The Croatian featured regularly for Fiorentina last season, but it is hard to say whether the midfielder would fit in at Spurs under the Pochettino regime. However, for just under £8m, he would of course be a cheap option to add that extra squad depth that Spurs will require for next season.

Following an extremely promising season for Spurs, challenging Leicester City for the Premier League title, Mauricio Pochettino will be keen to strengthen his squad and improve squad depth as the Lilywhites prepare to go again in August, and this time they will be Champions League participants.

Here are three players that various reports are linking Spurs with a move for in the upcoming transfer window this summer.

Michy Batshuayi

The Marseille front man has been linked with a move to Spurs for the last couple of weeks, but new reports from Squawka have led us to believe that the striker would prepare a move to White Hart Lane than a move to London rivals West Ham.

Batshuayi managed a more than solid seventeen goals last season in Ligue 1 for Marseille, and as a result, his goalscoring form has brought forward reports of interest from Premier League clubs, Spurs being one of them.

The Express claim that West Ham have submitted a £31m bid for the 22-year-old, but with his preferred move being to Spurs, he might choose to wait for an offer from Tottenham before he begins talks with West Ham.

However, The Express go onto say that Spurs have concerns over the striker’s wage demands, and if these are met, then he would become the joint-highest earner at the club if the move goes through.

His record abroad seems to say that he would provide good backup for Harry Kane, but £31m is a big price to pay for just a backup striker, and it would make sense if in the end Mauricio Pochettino went for a cheaper option to backup Kane. Unless his plans are to replace the England ace?

England began their Euro 2016 campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Russia in Marseille. Spurs midfielder Eric Dier looked to have grabbed the winning goal with a fantastic free-kick, but the Russians struck late to halt England celebrations.

Aside from the goal, there was more to Eric Dier’s performance against Russia, the stats show. The youngster completed 89% of his passes and won 100% tackles in a solid holding midfield performance.

In addition to this, Dier made three interceptions and four clearances as well as winning 67% of his aerial duels. Here are Dier’s full stats from Saturday evening:

Shots: 2
Goals: 1
Passing: 89%
Chances Created: 0
Crosses: 1
Take-Ons: 0
Tackles: 100%
Aerial Duels: 67%
Interceptions: 3
Clearances: 4
Blocks: 2
Fouls: 0

Performances and statistics like this will of course do the Spurs man absolutely no harm as he looks to cement his place in Roy Hodgson’s starting eleven ahead of further group matches against Wales and Slovakia.

Dele Alli, Harry Kane, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose also started for England on Saturday, and completed the full ninety minutes, and will all be hoping that they can maintain their places in the team ahead of England’s crunch game against group leaders Wales on Thursday afternoon.

Stats via Squawka. 

Manchester United and Jose Mourinho are reportedly in pole position to sign young striker Breel Embolo in front of Tottenham, Leipziger Volkszeitung believe.

Manchester Evening News claim that the striker is valued at around £20m, with Mourinho looking to bolster his attacking options ahead of his debut season as Manchester United manager.

It is no secret that Spurs would love to add an additional striker to their squad to take some of the pressure off of in-form front man Harry Kane, with current second-choice striker Clinton N’Jie not performing well enough in an injury-hit campaign.

The Swiss international has scored 20 goals in 56 leagues appearances and 10 international caps since he made his debut for FC Basel at of seventeen years of age.

German newspaper Leipziger Volkszeitung claim that United are extremely confident of signing the young striker, despite interest from RB Leipzig. The Telegraph also state that Tottenham are interested in bringing the striker to White Hart Lane.

The striker would look to be a good signing for Spurs with bags of potential, but would it be the correct decision to put all of that pressure on such a young player should Harry Kane come off the boil or pick up an injury? It is also questionable if he would adapt successfully in the Premier League.

Embolo would look to be a good signing should Spurs beat United to his signature, but £20m would seem a lot of money to pay for such a young player, and in my opinion, Spurs would need to sign another striker in addition to the youngster in order to provide sufficient backup for Harry Kane next season.

The Evening Standard claim that Tottenham are interested in making a move for Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama, with the player reportedly keen on a switch to White Hart Lane.

Wanyama and Pochettino worked together during a successful spell at St. Mary’s, and the Kenyan is keen on working with the Argentine again in the near future, according to reports from the Evening Standard.

The 24-year-old has been the subject of interest from Spurs before, who enquired about the midfielder’s availability last summer, but the approaches were rejected by the Saints, who were keen on keeping hold of their key players, Wanyama being one of those.

A move for Wanyama would be a good move for Spurs in terms of moving forward in my opinion. The midfielder has previously worked with Pochettino, so has had time to get used to the style of play he adopts, and has also got the all-important experience of Premier League.

We have to question the lack of squad depth that Spurs appear to have as they prepare for another stint in the Champions League, and to be brutally honest, they looked well short of a title-winning side once they lost Dembele in the middle of the park through a ban.

This area of the midfield is something that Pochettino will have to look at and strengthen, because with backups of Ryan Mason, Nabil Bentaleb and Tom Carroll behind regular starters Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele. The latter of course will miss the start of the season as he serves the rest of his ban.

Reports have emerged from German Magazine Kicker, that Spurs target Henrikh Mkhitaryan is set to refuse signing a new contract with current club Borussia Dortmund.

Reports suggest that the Armenian has refused to sign a contract extension at Dortmund due to a dispute over the German club declining the player’s request to put a release clause in his new contract.

Dortmund are thought to be remaining stubborn on the issue, having lost previous key players to rivals after their release clauses’ were triggered, and are now unwilling to place release clauses in any of their player’s contracts.

Now having seen Dortmund’s key men move away from the German giants, the 27-year-old may now also be looking towards the exit door with many clubs reportedly interested in his services, including Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham, claim football website 90min.

Mkhitaryan had a fantastic season last term, bagging 23 goals and 32 assists in all competitions, 11 goals and 20 assists of which coming in the Bundesliga.

Prior to the meeting of Borussia Dortmund and Spurs in the Europa League, the suggestion was made that the two teams play with very similar styles, which in many areas is true, so if the midfielder was to make the move to England, he should have no problems with playing to Mauricio Pochettino’s tactics in the Premier League.

However, if Spurs are to land the signing of the Bundesliga ace, then they will have to fight off interest from North London rivals Arsenal, who will be targeting the Premier League title next season.

Although it looks like a long-shot, if Tottenham could pull this deal off, then he would be an excellent addition to the squad, taking the pressure off the likes of Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, and would provide that all important squad depth that has eluded Spurs in the last few seasons as they prepare for their latest stint in the Champions League.

Sales of England National Team squad shirts with the name of Harry Kane on the back have rocketed since Roy Hodgson’s preliminary England squad was announced, a study carried out by UKSoccershop has revealed.

The study shows that Harry Kane shirts have outsold any other England player’s in the lead up to England’s Euro 2016 campaign, which begins in France on Saturday evening with a game against Russia, but Jamie Vardy’s shirt has also proved to be a popular choice, with Vardy taking 35% of the striker shirt sales since the kit release.

Marcus Rashford has also found his way onto the back of 25% of striker shirts since his surprise inclusion in the preliminary squad off the back of the good form he has shown at Manchester United.

However, Spurs star Harry Kane has sold the most shirts out of the whole squad since the preliminary squad announcement, with 22% of people choosing to have his name on the back of their shirt. Jack Wilshere has sold the second most with 20% of the shirt sporting his name, followed closely by Marcus Rashford with 15%. Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has taken 12% of the sales. Spurs young talent Dele Alli has sold the eighth most, with 4% after a more than successful debut season at Tottenham.

Here are the results from the study in full:

Striker Sales Since Kit Release:

1. Jamie Vardy (35%)

2. Harry Kane (30%)

3. Wayne Rooney (20%)

4. Danny Welbeck (10%)

5. Daniel Sturridge (5%)

Striker Sales Since Preliminary Squad Announcement:

1. Harry Kane (30%)

2. Marcus Rashford (25%)

3. Jamie Vardy (20%)

4. Wayne Rooney (18%)

5. Daniel Sturridge (7%)

Entire Sales Since Preliminary Squad Announcement:

1. Harry Kane (22%)

2. Jack Wilshere (20%)

3. Marcus Rashford (15%)

4. Jamie Vardy (12%)

5. Adam Lallana (10%)

6. Wayne Rooney (9%)

7. Ross Barkley (5%)

8. Delle Ali (4%)

9. Daniel Sturridge (2%)

10. Raheem Sterling (1%)