Everybody laughs at Spursy Spurs for drawing with best team in Europe
Spurs get a kicking for – checks notes – drawing 2-2 with the Champions League winners. Plus, one man’s Premier League table revealed.
Mail us at theeditor@football365.com; you might want to read our pre-season predictions first.
Spursy? Not this time
I am sure the emails and articles are already being written, calling us ‘Spursy’ for not winning. I’m writing to rebuff them.
Firstly, we didn’t lose. Not in the game, not in real time. We drew.
Secondly, we were the better team until Dembele changed position.
But most of all, this isn’t us throwing away a lead at Fulham or dropping four points in two weeks from winning positions against Sunderland and Man U away. This was Paris Saint-Germain, European champions. This is against a team bankrolled by limitless wealth, featuring many of the best players in the world.
We did well tonight. Call us Spursy when we throw away leads at home to Sunderland, not today.
Sam
F365 says: Frank outclasses Enrique and PSG but Levy is already letting him down at Tottenham
Tiresome Spursy chat ahoy
Luis Enrique (presumably): Lads, it’s Tottenham.
Sanjit (Donnarumma > Chevalier) Randhawa, Kuala Lumpur
…Go 2-0 up and throw away the lead with lazy defending against a team that’s only been in training for 1 week . Sh*t the bed after going up in the resulting penalty shootout. One word.
Spursy.
Some things just never change.
James Jones, STFC
…Les Gars – C’est Le Tottenham!!!!
Mark Johnson
…Same old Spurs. Wonderful.
Mike, WHU
…2-0 up in the match until the 85th minute, 2-0 up in the shootout and still lost. Never change Spurs, never change.
Andrew Worby
Transfer values make no sense at all
Transfer valuations don’t make sense, in fact very little valuations do, essentially something or someone is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it or them.
But this summer seems really strange and some clubs do much better than others. For me Spurs have always been one of the best but lately Chelsea have really upped their game, Arsenal seem poor and Man U are terrible.
Man U buy Hojlund who is a young international striker for £64m from Atalanta where he scored 9 goals in 32 games. He then goes on to be not great for Man U scoring 14 goals in 62 games, while his international record is 8 goals in 26 games. Apparently, he’s now available for around £30m.
Liverpool buy Nunez who is a young international striker for £64m and had scored 32 goals in 57 games for Benfica before joining. He then goes on to be not great for Liverpool scoring 25 goals in 95 games while his international record is 13 goals in 35 games. He gets sold for £46m.
Chelesa buy Jackson who is a young international striker for £32m and had scored 12 goals in 35 games for Villarreal before joining. He then goes on to be not great for Chelesa scoring 24 goals in 65 games while his international record is 1 goal in 20 games. Apparently, he is now available for £80m.
You can argue Hojlund has been “more” of a failure than Jackson, but not to the point where his value has more than halved while Jackson’s has more than doubled especially when you consider before their Premier League moves their form was similar and actually Hojlund’s international record is much better. Then tag on what happens to Man U players when they leave, think McTominay and Elanga then I think there is a fair case to say that ignoring the valuation Hojlund who is younger could turn out to be a better player.
Spurs meanwhile somehow get £20m for a 33 year old Son who had 1 year left of his contract and seemed to have been suffering from injuries for the last couple of years vs Arsenal who let 33 year old Jorginho leave for free even though he also had a year left of his contract. Additionally compare the fact that although Son has been amazing for Spurs his game was built on pace vs Jorginho who never had pace and is the sort of player you can imagine influencing games well into his late 30’s similar to Modric or Scholes, he also won a lot more than Son and even came 3rd in the Ballon d’Or a whopping 4 years ago.
The ultimate p!ss take from Chelsea is managing to sell young and good-ish international winger Madueke for £50m while trying to buy young and good-ish international winger Garnacho for £30-40m.
Obviously, lots of this is speculation as I’m sure my friends in the comments sections will point out, still strange world.
Paul K, London
CHECK OUT: Every Premier League transfer and release confirmed in the summer of 2025
How can transfers be woke?
It was only a matter of time before one of the meaningless phrases ‘woke’ or ‘wokeness’ were applied to transfers.
For those who have been living under a rock for the majority of the last decade, these phrases are used by right wing politicians, their minions and supporters to decry something they don’t like but know that fully verbalising their reasons would require racism, sexism, homophobia or some other form of bigotry which they are trying to avoid.
What Chris fails to explain is how aligning footballer’s contracts closer to other business sectors is anything other that ‘woke’.
A, LFC, Montreal
Liverpool fan does not want to be defined by minority
I am a little surprised that Crystal Palace’s fans are getting away with their disgraceful failure to keep a minute’s silence for Diogo Jota on Sunday. Obviously, they should all be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and perhaps the FA should consider banning them from the next half dozen away games. What’s that you say? It was only a tiny minority? It’s not fair to tar them all with the same brush, just because some of their fans behaved badly?
Well, that’s just not how it works, is it?
You don’t have to believe me, but what about the intellectual behemoth that is Dave Tickner? He explains in his latest article, about Liverpool fans, saying that they:
paint Trent Alexander-Arnold as a legacy-ruining disgrace for wanting to join the biggest club in the world having fulfilled the terms of his contract
…because, of course, this is exactly what happened. It wasn’t that a small (but vocal – have you noticed that the most mentally challenged often have the loudest voices) minority gave him a hard time on Twitter, some booed him at a game, only for there to be a big backlash both within the club and outside it, and for this to not be repeated, with Alexander-Arnold leaving on clearly positive terms, despite the disappointment of losing him.
No, none of that happened, what Dave conveyed is the unimpeachable truth, Liverpool fans now all hate TAA because he left the club on a “free” (they actually got more for him than they did Michael Owen) transfer, and he can never show his face in Liverpool again. And what’s more, because of this, the very idea that they might encourage Alexander Isak to leave Newcastle (for in the region of £150m) is of course, the rankest hypocrisy imaginable, and it’s only fair that literally every Liverpool fan should hang their head in shame. Forever, obviously. This shit sticks, and really, the shame should be passed on for generations.
This is how it works, yes? I’m off to walk down the street naked whilst my neighbours shout shame and throw rotten vegetables at me, and I deserve it, because it turns out that some people who support the same team as me are dickheads. If only I had chosen another team to support.
Mat (my god the Isak saga is unbelievably boring)
Isak more hassle than he’s worth?
I enjoyed Dave Tickner’s article poring over the stink that Alexander Isak and his entourage have created in the past few weeks. I wrote in earlier in the window, when Liverpool were on the verge of signing Wirtz, saying that I’d have been more nervous if they were using that money to buy Isak. But now that that scenario has materialised, I find myself wondering if their pursuit is worth the huffluff?
I’m well aware that that question will provoke a whole gallery of Pool fans screaming about getting a world-class striker coming into his prime etc. And Isak himself would no doubt suggest that getting his way would suit him just fine. But given the grubby mess that this has become, surely there’s been some pause for thought on the Liverpool side of the equation?
We’re not talking about prime Messi or Ronaldo here. Isak is an eye-catching finisher who tracks around the 20-goal mark in a full Premier League season, and you could probably expect him to up that output in a stronger team. But his fitness record in England has been patchy and he’s shown himself to be prepared to throw a petulant hissy fit this pre-season. He remains the best option in a position they’d like to add depth to, but the furore feels overblown.
Add in the crazy sums being touted, whereby he’ll probably cost north of £130m, and it all just makes for a cocktail that would have me twitching if it were United pissing the Geordies off. The fact that he won’t just put in a formal transfer request, and his team is using the media to squeeze Newcastle, adds another layer of oddness to the whole scenario. I get that Liverpool probably do need another striker, and that he clearly wants to go there, so the whole sorry fiasco will continue to tiresomely rumble on until deadline day approaches and someone has to make a final decision.
On a related note, fair play to Newcastle for taking a hard stance. Player power in football is at a level that often makes contracts and adult behaviour (I know) seem like forlorn concepts. But in the cold light of day, Isak signed a 5 year contract and he has 3 years left. If he has any maturity or a smidgeon of pride in how he’s perceived, he has to accept it if they choose not to sell him when they’re in a position of strength.
Realistically, his hand becomes impossible to counter in a maximum of 18 months’ time, and he has a World Cup to focus his mind in the meantime. Sitting on a bench getting splinters in his arse really won’t stand to him when that rolls around. But I guess forward thinking and perspective went out the window some time ago.
Keith Reilly
One man’s predicted Premier League table
Okay, traditions are traditions and here we are with the predictions for what is about to come.
1. Arsenal – they’ll win it eventually. Some time in the next 40 years. I don’t want to not predict them to win when they actually go and do it. I’ve been saying buy Zubimendi and Gyokeres for years (and I take personal responsibility for the manifestation of these deals) so it would border on cowardly to say anything other than first place this year. Bigger and better squad, rested Saka, less injuries, 25/26 champions, maybe. If Saliba and Gabriel stay fit.
2. Liverpool – expect chaotic games. I think they’ll get Isak and Guehi and the nice chap Wirtz moves the ball so well. Ekitike is going to score at least ten replicas of that Community Shield goal. Still light in central midfield and it might be too much change at once. ‘What a ping from Frimpong’ should be mandatory commentary each game. It will be a tight title race and Salah and Van Dijk need to maintain form and fitness. How long can they go on for? 11 wins and 1 draw to begin with last season was followed by a marginal but noticeable drop off afterwards. Isak will obviously sign after the weekend’s game and might take a month to settle but once he gets going….
3. Man City – Marmoush is both a very good player and a nice word to say. Haaland is looking slightly more Ivan Drago year by year. But he will still score 25 goals. The bloke from AC Milan who I’m going to refer to as Reindeers is nice but I don’t know if he is of top four level. That’s honestly a ‘I don’t know’ rather than ‘he isn’t’. Milan had a very curious season. Rodri complained of overload and then broke. City need him at his absolute best to punch with the punchers. I’m not sure he will reach his previous levels and missing an opportunity to sell high and get Baleba might bring regret. An agitated Pep could walk mid season if this goes wrong. Who is Phil Foden again? What does he do? Savinho and Doku aren’t fantastic enough.
4. Chelsea – teams A-C could manage a top four finish if we are to be honest. They have two very good forwards now who will take turns to get sent off and Cold Palmer should continue to lower the temperature. While Reece James’ fitness is incredibly important, Lavia, Caicedo and Enzo are now settled gentlemen and should be indomitable. Colwill, sadly, is a massive loss to Chelsea and England. However, they have six thousand other defenders. Estevao might be one of the most exciting players we see this season.
5. Aston Villa – Morgan Rogers is an absolutely glorious player. Villa are a very organised club with a cunning manager and the retention of key players here is vital. Evann Guessand is one of those players that I am looking forward to watching because I know absolutely nothing about him. It is literally anyone’s guess and mine is as good as anybody’s. The best Onana in the league will have a good season, as will Kamara.
6. Man Utd – get Baleba and Donnarumma and fifth or even fourth could be attainable. That front line suddenly looks potent. They have less games to circumvent and Amorim has now had time to work with his squad, so I think we may see a surprising improvement. Yoro could have a big season. They certainly won’t ever lose any cup tie on penalties. Fernandes might be less whingey.
7. Newcastle – Isak will go, but I think in this instance he is expendable if three good players can be acquired in his place. Keeping the midfield trio is essential and Gordon and Elanga can feed whoever replaces the Swede. Jonathan Burkardt was one option I identified, but Frankfurt have signed him. So, Emanuel Emergha. Or Arnaud Kalimuendo-Muinga. If not Wissa, of course.
8. Nottingham Forest – another promising season, but a slight regression. Igor Jesus should take some of the load away from Chris Wood. Anderson and Gibbs-White and the central defenders will give a platform for Forest to continue their top half invasion. Ndoye from Bologna is exciting purchasing with the natural Serie A question mark.
9. Crystal Palace – keep Wharton, Mateta and Eze at all costs. Wharton should be playing for England before long and probably will be playing for Liverpool soon after or soon before. Hopefully the former. He should’ve played in the Euros but he was at the wrong club. Romain Esse is the next interesting player to appear from the Championship. Munoz is one of the best wing backs in the league. Sell Guehi. I’m of the opinion that he is error prone and somewhat overrated. Rewatch England’s Euros goals against with focus on Big Marc. Five own goals in two seasons.
10. Tottenham – I’m hesitant to go anywhere near saying that Kudus is going to be a good signing. I can’t see it. He seems like the type of player that goes to Spurs and rots. And sulks. Especially if he has the reported bad attitude. Palhinha has proved to be more Fulham than Bayern and nothing about Spurs excites me this season. To be Frank. It never does.
11. Everton – Moyes has made the improvements that you would expect of Moyes. Grealish, Barry and Dewsbury-Hall add firepower and I do hope we get the Aston Villa Jack back. Swagger!! Everton’s defence last season was quietly excellent and is a strong foundation to build upon. Who is in centre mid though? Gueye? Who else?
12. Brighton – if Baleba goes, then there will be some problems. Problems that will no doubt be resolved by a Malian wonderkid who dominates the midfield, having spent last season at Strum Graz. Matthew O’Riley could have a good season and the defence looks reinforced. Some interesting striker swapping has resulted in them having some fourteen year old Greek guy up front. And Danny.
13. Fulham – Fulham will quietly do Fulham things. Berge and Lukic are solid enough. I hope they sign someone exciting as they are the type of club where magic can and should be made. Smith-Rowe needs to step it up. Arokodare or Romolu could be options from Belgium and Turkey. Robinson is a great left back. Is Raheem Sterling here yet?
14. Bournemouth – they’ve lost some key players and it’s hard to replace an entire defence. However, I’m sure signings will fill the gaps sufficiently. Left back has already been resolved with Truffert and other targets will surely soon be added. If not, it could get messy. The forwards have enough guile to avoid deep trouble. Please sign some defenders to justify this positioning!
15. West Ham – Bowen keeps them safe, with support from a rejuvenated Paqueta, free from betting controversy. Fullkrug might get a few goals this season if he links up well with Bowen. A midfield signing would be helpful and will surely happen. Hackney? Progressive passing is his strength, getting bypassed is his weakness. Very Ham. The defence looks stronger on paper.
16. Wolves – Cunha is a big loss. Agbadou is a solid defender, upon whom a lot depends. I can’t see Arias being any good. They will probably Gomes their way out of trouble, with the help of an Andre or two. It is so hard keeping track of Wolves players. Strand Larsen will be that 12 goal striker. Munetsi I think is a good midfielder. David Moller Wolfe sounds very 90s, very Baywatch.
17. Sunderland – I’m finding myself wanting them to stay up. Despite them being Boro’s main rival these days, I am impressed with how Regis Le Brie has gone about his business. I’m for some reason imagining having him over for dinner. Interesting looking chap. Habib Diarra might be immense. We know Enzo Le Fee is a tidy player. Xhaka is a tremendous statement signing. It is the defence that is the problem, but fix that and it might making things interesting. Omar Alderete might be the fix.
18. Brentford – Wissa leaving might spell bigger trouble than the already big trouble that is already lingering. Mbeumo was talismanic and Norgaard was quietly crucial. Kayode is 21, Valdimarsson is 23, Henderson was too slow three years ago and Thiago is an unknown quantity after injury. Without serious and immediate investment, the moneyball run could be over. They might be the third least fashionable team to sign for. After…
19. Leeds – I look at their signings and fear for Leeds. The team versus AC Milan looked awful and Lukas Nmecha was awful at Middlesbrough. Indeed, he was far from fantastic at Wolfsburg. Struijk screams relegation, James will be out of his depth and Gudmundsson is the next not good enough Kristensen. Jaka Bijol needs to be magnificently good.
20. Burnley – Trent Alexander-Arnold finding himself at Real Madrid and Kyle Walker arriving at Burnley makes a mockery of last summer’s England selection. This Walker finale is going to be fun to watch at least. Positionally, disastrous. Burnley have lost their goalie and centre half and is going to be horrendous, again. 20 goals for. 80 goals against. Not much fun.
AC in Milan
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