White Hot Lines

• Newcastle United are ineterested in signing Luc Nilis from PSV Eindhoven.
• Middlesbrough are looking at Ruel Fox to strengthen their squad after promotion to the Premier League.
• Charlton are thinking about a move for Gary Mabbutt to bolster their squad following their exciting penalty shoot-out win against Sunderland in the Play-Off Final at Wembley.
• Scottish midfielder, John Collins, may be on his way out of Monaco for £3 million. Spurs, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Coventry are all watching devlopments carefully.

29.5.98

• Goalkeepers Frode Grodas and Espen Baardsen are both included in the Norway squad for the World Cup finals.
• A further pre-season friendly has been announced away to Birmingham City on 22 July.
• Luc Nilis may be available in the summer on a free transfer from PSV Eindhoven.
• Spurs are to travel to St. Moritz for one of their training camps in the preparations for the coming season. The location is 1700m up in the mountains and will test the fitness of the squad prior to the friendlies to be played in July and August.
• Sol Campbell becomes the second youngest captain (after Bobby Moore) of England, when he leads the team out against Belgium in the King Hassan II tournament in Morocco. He picks up a dead leg during the match and leaves the field, handing the armband to Les Ferdinand. The match finishes 0-0 and Ferdinand has the final penalty saved in the shoot-out to give Belgium the victory.

28.5.98

• Steve Carr has had an operation on his calf which had been troubling towards the end of the season, but hopes to be ready for pre-season training.
• It has been reported that Murat Yakin has agreed a £3 million move to Tottenham from Stuttgart. The 23 year old will link up again with Christian Gross after playing under him at Grasshoppers.
• Scottish defender, Colin Calderwood, wants talks with Gross about his position at the club after the World Cup finals. He wants to stay, but also needs first team football and is unhappy as his role seems to be to cover for Ramon Vega.

27.5.98

• Steve Staunton has turned down a 4 year contract at Aston Villa and may be on the move. Spurs, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers lead the chase for his services.
• The Ipswich chief scout for 25 years, Charlie Woods, has been persuaded to move to Tottenham in the same capacity.
• David Ginola may be required to travel from Chigwell to the BBC to continue his World Cup TV role after Spurs resume training on 29 June.
• Gary Mabbutt may be tempted by a move to Stevenage, but he still wants to play at as high a level as possible.

26.5.98

• Sol Campbell has been named as Green Flag England Player of the Year. The award comes after an international year that has seen Sol blossom, despite his struggle against relegation at club level.
• David Howells appears to be keen on a move to Southampton to keep his place in the Premier League.
• The Spurs bid of £5 million for Italian forward, Carmine Esposito may be doomed to failure as AC Milan and Bologna are both showing interest in the striker.
• Rui Costa may be part of a clear-out at Fiorentina and could be available for as little as £6 million.

25.5.98

• Iversen and Baardsen both starred for Norway's under-21 side in a 1-0 win over local rivals Sweden in the European Championships. Barrdsen kept the Swedes at bay, while Iversen scored the winner.
• In the record of how Premier League clubs crowds had changed, Spurs came out bottom with a loss of 6% on the previous season. This was largely due to the redevelopment of the ground meaning that for most of the season, only three stands were available. Many reports have misread the poor form as a reason for the drop.
• England faith healer, Eileen Drewery, has said that all the medical experts who had looked at Darren Anderton had misdiagnosed him and that it was not his back or groin, but his hamstrings all along.
• Christian Gross has set the squad a date of June 29 to return to training in preparation for the 1998-99 season. This is up to three weeks before some clubs and is bound to cause grumbles from some players, especially David Ginola, who has a contract with the BBC for the World Cup. The only players who will receive exemption are those involved in playing in the World Cup. A training camp has been organised in Holland before the friendlies begin.
• Two Turkish players have been mentioned as possible Spurs targets. These are Erzan Abdullah, a 26 year-old ,hard working midfielder with Trabonspor and Haka Unsal of Galatasaray, who is a full-back.
• The latest Italian transfer target for Tottenham appears to be Emanuele Pesaresi of Sampdoria, who also interests Leeds and would cost around £2 million.
• Rumours are starting to circulate that Chris Armstrong may be a target for Blackburn Rovers.

22.5.98

• Norway Under-21 goalkeeper, Espen Baardsen has refused to sign a two-year extension to his Spurs contract. He is unhappy at having to play second fiddle to Ian Walker.
• Norway goalkeeper, Frode Grodas, may be heading to Galatasaray, if Turkish newpaper reports are to be believed. He may go before the World Cup begins, if discussions can be held.
• Jamie Redknapp has declared himself unfit for the World Cup and this could open the door for Darren Anderton to stake a claim for a place in the squad.
• Warren Barton has stated that he wants to stay at St. James Park and does not want a move to Tottenham. Meanwhile, West Ham are set to battle with Spurs for the signature of Darren Peacock.
• Nicola Berti has put pen to paper on a new one year deal that will hearten all Spurs fans. The Italian midfielder has an option of another year and will be a useful member of the squad, as he proved in the run-in this year.

21.5.98

• Spurs season tickets have shot up in price for the coming season. Fans are said to be irate that the club have seen fit to hike up the prices following the last campaign that saw them escape relegation in only the last few weeks. The club blame the increasing costs of player's wages and the refurbishment of the ground.
• Jose Dominguez has said that he wants to stay at Tottenham for the remainder of his three year contract. Even though he has not been one of Gross' chosen regulars, Jose wants to stay and fight for a place in the side as he loves playing for the team and the fans.
• Tottenham may be making moves for "bargain" players in the Newcastle United clear-out. Warren Barton and Darren Peacock are said to be the ones who may tempt the Spurs coach.
• 27 year-old striker from Empoli, Carmine Esposito has been watched by Spurs as a replacement for Klinsmann. The young forward would cost around £3.5 million.
• Les Ferdinand has had another go at Christian Gross over the injury he aggravated back in the winter, when he was told to train regardless of the knock. Ferdinand says his World Cup place is in jeopardy as the setback has prolonged his recovery and pushed him down the list of strikers in Hoddle's consideration.
• Blackburn Rovers seem to be one step ahead of Tottenham by signing Gillingham wonderkid, Jim Corbett and may also get to Esposito first.

20.5.98

• Darren Anderton is set to face Saudi Arabia in an England shirt for his first full international in 2 years. He may have timed his recovery at just the right time (just like Euro '96) and Glenn Hoddle thinks very highly of him.
• Peterborough United are keen to take Dean Austin on a free-transfer, but fear that they may not be able to afford his wage demands. QPR are also interested.
• Wolves have joined the pack chasing Howells. QPR are also interested.
• Murat Yakin is reported to already had talks concerning a £4 million move to Spurs.
• Alan Thompson, the Bolton midfielder who wants to leave the newly relegated club, is interesting Spurs, Leeds and Aston Villa. He will cost any purchaser in the region of £4.5 million.
• Steve Staunton, who was expected to re-sign for Villa, is still considering his future. This could spark new interest from Spurs, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers.

19.5.98

• Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion are said to be leading the race to sign David Howells.
• Rumours have reached the newspapers that Jurgen Klinsmann could become coach at Sheffield Wednesday following the decision of the board not to renew Ron Atkinson's contract.
• Christian Gross has reportedly been given £20 million to spend to get Spurs back where they belong. On his shopping list could be Wayne Quinn(Sheffield United), Matt Jansen (Crystal Palace) and Roberto Baggio (Bologna)

17.5.98

• Spurs and Chelsea are set to bid for Attilio Lombardo of Crystal Palace. The club will let him leave for a figure around £2 million.
• Real Madrid have been looking at possible replacements for their ageing German goalkeeper, Bodo Illgner. One such target reported to have taken the Spanish giants eye is Ian Walker.
• A 34 year old centre-half may be joining the veteran Clive Wilson in the Spurs defence next season. Mats Gren, another player who has played under Christian Gross, is reported to be interesting the Spurs coach, but sources allege that it would only happen if Campbell or Vega leave White Hart Lane. Campbell has been the target of transfer speculation, but Tottenham have said that no money can buy him. That leaves Ramon Vega - already sold by Gross at Grasshoppers and if he should not fit into the Swiss coach's plans, could be on his way again.

15.5.98

• Charlton's Welsh left winger - John Robinson - has been linked with a move to Tottenham or Nottingham Forest. He can also play as a wing-back and would be available for approx. £2 million
• Steve Staunton, the Aston Villa Eire defender, is thought likely to stay at Villa Park, now that the club have secured a UEFA Cup place, thanks to Chelsea's Cup-Winners Cup victory. A target for Spurs and a few other clubs, the Irishman looks set to sign a new contract.
• 36 year old Clive Wilson is set to sign a one year contract with Spurs. The left back impressed Alan Sugar with his devotion to the cause, when he was laying in hospital after injury in the match against Everton and asked how the team got on.

14.5.98

• A 1-0 win over Arsenal Youth at Highbury was not enough to deny the home side the FA Premier Youth Championship. A goal from Peter Crouch was all Spurs had to show despite creating the majority of the chances during the match.
• The 18 year old Gillingham midfielder - Jim Corbett - has been gathering newspaper interest and is subject to rumours of a £1 million move to Nottingham Forest, Blackburn Rovers or Spurs. Tottenham's interest may have some grounds as Danny Hill, another of the SPurs squad being released this summer, has been on The Gills list of players they would like to sign aand he may be part of any deal that takes place. It is believed that Spurs would want to sign Corbett on a conditional basis with more money being paid depending on his success.
• Stephen Clemence has had to fly home from the Toulon Under-21's Festival with an ankle injury, which did not respond to treatment.
• Jurgen Klinsmann has denied reports of his moving to Sheffield Wednesday and has said that he has heard nothing of them.
• It looks as though rumoured Spurs target, PSV's Luc Nilis is set to join Paris Saint German. This is also likely to kill the speculation about Iversen going to PSV.
• Christian Gross may be tailing one of his old Grasshopper players, Murat Yakin, who is currently playing for VfB Stuttgart. The battling midfielder, who appeared for the German side in the Cup-Winners Cup final against Chelsea at sweeper (because of suspension), would cost around £2 million, but is also attracting interest from Lazio and Kaiserslauten. He is 23, is of Turkish descent, but has played for the Swiss national side.

13.5.98

• Spurs over-ran Southampton Reserves 5-0 in an Avon Insurance Combination League match at Spurs Lodge.
• England coach, Glenn Hoddle, has revealed that he wanted to give Darren Anderton time to prove his fitness in his bid for a place in the England World Cup squad. He claimed that Anderton has impressed in the last few games of the season after regaining his fitness and that he would give England more options in midfield and upfront.
• Reports coming out of Turkey are linking Norway keeper, Frode Grodas, with a move to Galatasaray.

12.5.98

• Gary Mabbutt has been targeted by his former team-mate, Ossie Ardiles, to join him at Shizumo S-Pulse in Japan. Another old colleague, Terry Venables has his eyes on Mabbutt to go to Crystal Palace.
• David Howells has been linked with moves to Leicester City, WBA, QPR and Watford as he considers his move away from Tottenham.
• Italian Nicola Berti is reported to have stated that he and the club are not too far away from agreeing terms on a new contract.
• Christian Gross intends to step up his moves for new players to join Spurs by watching more games on the continent and hopes to make some signings before the World Cup starts. He wants to strengthen the squad to allow the club to challenge for a European place next season.
• Four Tottenham Hotspur players - Les Ferdinand, Darren Anderton, Ian Walker and Sol Campbell - have been included in a 28-man England squad for the warm-up games before the World Cup finals.

11.5.98

• Spurs have lost the first leg of the FA Premier Youth Championship final, losing 0-2 at home to Arsenal.
• Christian Gross has been praising Gary Mabbutt and has said that "We won't see his like again" as players are rarely as loyal to one club as they used to be. Mabbutt is currently considering his future as he has had offers from home and abroad. The Spurs coach also wished David Howells well to after great service to the club.
• Nicola Berti has said that he is confident that he will be signing a contract with Tottenham Hotspur after personal terms are agreed.
• On BBC TV's "OnSide" programme, guest Jurgen Klinsmann revealed that after the Bolton home match, Christian Gross more or less told him to "shut up" after giving his views on the teams performance. He thought that when he signed, he would be able to give advice and comments, but after that particular game, he decided to concentrate on his playing. The German captain was today named in his country's squad for the World Cup finals.

10.5.98

• Dean Austin, the out of favour Spurs right back, has become the focus of attention ofr a number of clubs interested in securing his services. Wimbledon, Crystal Palace and West Ham are all said to be looking at him now Spurs are willing to let him leave.
• Gary Mabbutt and David Howells are both being linked with a move to Selhurst Park, should Terry Venables take charge of the Crystal Palace team next season.
• A story in the papers has linked Sheffield Wednesday with an audacious move for Jurgen Klinsmann, who has said his career at White Hart Lane is over.

9.5.98

• Jose Dominguez, Frode Grodas and Justin Edinburgh will be allowed to leave the club if the price is right, it has been reported. All three players have failed to hold down a regular place in the side and may not figure in Gross' plans for the coming season.
• Christian Gross has dismissed the transfer talk concerning Luc Nilis as a rumour.
• The Spurs coach has, however, backed the inclusion of Les Ferdinand and Darren Anderton in the England World Cup squad.

8.5.98

• Spice Girl Mel C has made claims that Sol Campbell has been pestering her with phone calls and flowers. These have been denied.
• Spurs Reserves have drawn 1-1 with Millwall Reserves in the Avon Insurance Combination League.
• It has been said in the newspapers that Nicola Berti has been told that he will have to take a pay-cut to stay at Tottenham. Contract talks are set to go ahead, but his wage demands are the clubs main worry.
• Midfielder David Howells has been attracting the attention of Leeds United and Aston Villa as he will be a free agent now Spurs have let him go. Gary Mabbutt and Dean Austin are also set to leave White Hart Lane.
• Liverpool are alleged to have made a £10 million offer for Sol Campbell. Spurs have turned this down and have declared that they are a buying club, not a selling one.
• Another bid that has been knocked back is one of £4.5 million by PSV Eindhoven for Steffan Iversen. PSV's incoming coach, Bobby Robson, has said that he would like the youngster to lead the Dutch club's attack next season.

7.5.98

• Darren Peacock, the Newcastle United centre-half is out of contract this summer and a host of clubs will be keen to sign the ex-QPR man. Derby and Spurs are among the teams chasing him.
  Should this move come about, it may mean that Colin Calderwood is on his way out of White Hart Lane. Nottingham Forest are interested in signing the Scottish centre-half should he become available.
• More reports concerning the Iversen-Nilis swap have been made with figures being quoted of Nilis plus £3 million for Iversen.

6.5.98

• Jurgen Klinsmann has reportedly received a £200,000 cash bonus for helping to keep Spurs in the Premier League. It is reported that the German forward wanted £40,000 per week when he joined, but Alan Sugar was reluctant to pay that much, so a deal was struck where he would receive a lump sum when Tottenham were safe from relegation.
• Gross has targeted Murat Yakin, a Swiss midfielder currently with Stuggart. Knowing him from his time in the Swiss game, the Tottenham coach would be willing to pay £3 million for the player.
• It has been reported that Christian Gross' future at Tottenham will be resolved in the next few weeks. Rumours of unrest behind the scenes at the club and moves to oust the Swiss man from his position have been widespread. Spurs meanwhile have rejected Arrigo Saachi as their new boss and he has now taken control at Athletico Madrid, replacing Raddy Antic.

5.5.98

• David Ginola has been excluded from the 28 man French squad, which will be whittled down to 22 for the World Cup finals this summer.
• Rory Allen has returned from his loan at Luton Town. Hatters manager, Lennie Lawrence, has mooted a permanent transfer, but although there is not much first team future for the young striker, it is unclear whether Luton could meet the asking price.
• Raddy Antic, the manager of Athletico Madrid who was recently sacked, has said that he has no plans for the future at the moment, but may like to try management in England one day. Spurs have been linked with the ex-Luton Town player for quite a while.
• News comes from Holland that there may be a striker swap between Tottenham Hotspur and PSV Eindhoven. Nilis is unhappy that players such as Jaap Stam (Man. Utd.) and Artur Numan (Glasgow Rangers) have been allowed to leave the club. With coach Dick Advocaat also departing for Glasgow, the Belgian international may want away from the Dutch club. PSV have shown interest in Spurs' young Norweigan Steffan Iversen, who has been hit by injury since his move from Rosenborg.
• Spurs reserves notched a 3-0 win over Avon Insurabce Combination League leaders, Charlton Athletic. The goals came from Steffan Iversen (2) and Stephen Clemence.

4.5.98

• Nicola Berti, who has been a regular in Spurs' run-in to the end of the season, has expressed a desire to stay at Tottenham. The Italian has been awaiting transfer talks, but while the battle against relegation was on, the club would not enter into discussion. However, Nicola hopes to make his loan spell permanent with a two-year deal.

3.5.98

• David Pleat is running the rule over Finnish striker Jari Litmannen of Ajax. Spurs have been rumoured to be interested in a £4 million move for the forward, amidst stories linking Les Ferdinand with a move to Turkish club Besiktas.
• Christian Gross has flown to Europe today to seek recruits for next season's Premier League campaign.
• David Howells has slammed Christian Gross for not playing him. He has said that he is fit, but the Swiss coach has ignored his availability. Howells was so disgusted that he did not even bother to watch the Tottenham game at Wimbledon, preferring to go for a day at the races.

2.5.98

• Scottish centre-half, Colin Calderwood, is keen to have talks to determine his future at the club. He is believed to be upset that Ramon Vega is recalled after injury or suspension, when Calderwood has been asked to play in a number of roles, some quite alien to him.

1.5.98

• Long-term injury victim John Scales has had a go at Christian Gross. He has blasted the lacck of leadership at the club, both on and off the field.