White Hot Lines - July 2000

31.7.2000

In the aftermath of the sale of David Ginola, Sir Alan Sugar has said that Tottenham are not a selling club. For reaction go to View from The Shelf.

George Graham has revealed that Boudewijn Zenden is his main target and it is thought that an £8 million bid will be made for Barcelona's Dutch international.

Allan Nielsen is believed to be going to Watford in a transfer worth more than £1.5 million. An undisclosed fee has been agreed for Espen Baardsen to move to the relegated club and join up with other former Spurs reserve keeper - Chris Day, but he is also expected to bring in more than £1.5 million for Spurs. The deals are expected to be tied up in the next couple of days.

The club's company have denied that Tottenham Hotspur have sold any shares to the Enic group. They claim that the group have been in contact with Amshold Limited (Sir Alan's company), but no deal has been made.

Yesterday's Sunday Mirror revealed that Sol Campbell looks set to leave the club at the end of this season. Apparently he told Tottenham of his intentions before he left to go to Euro 2000. It could prove Sugar's we are not a selling club statement, as Sol will leave, with Manchester United thought to be the most likely destination, for nothing.

A report on the MatchOn site says Steffen Iversen is considering quitting international football !! He feels that the demands of his country and club matches are too much for him in the coming four or five years and the only way out would be to stop playing for his national side. This year he has had only three weeks off and has been training and playing for the remaining 49 weeks.

Tottenham's Youth team made the final of the Plate in the Northern Ireland Milk Cup tournament. They lost 1-3 to Sunderland (goal from Dean Marney) after beating Which University JFC of South Africa in the semi-final 3-1 with goals from John Sutton and Marney.
In the group games Spurs beat Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Malmo (Sweden), but lost to County Antrim.
Chris Sutton's younger brother John scored five goals in the six games played, while Marney notched two and one each from James Lee and Lee Barnard.

30.7.2000

David Ginola signed for Aston Villa tonight in a £3 million deal for a two year contract. Only yesterday, GG claimed that he was giving David Ginola a rest for yesterday's friendly against Birmingham City. He said he thought Ginola's mind might be elsewhere (referring to his Aston Villa offer) and that he would still have a role to play at the club should he decide to stay. Obviously not then !! Ginola claimed that he wasn't sure whether it was GG or Sugar who was forcing him out, but said he had offers from France, America, Turkey and other English clubs but chose Villa because the manager appreciates flair players. Have you seen what has happened to Benito Carbone David ?? He also said that he wanted to leave on his terms, so he wasn't being greedy and that he felt sorry for the Spurs fans (with whom he had a great relationship) as he wanted to help the club win more trophies to add to the Worthington Cup two seasons ago. See his own website for full story by clicking here. The news comes after Villa were said to be making an £8 million bid for Boudewijn Zenden.

Alan Sugar has received an offer to buy 40% of his share-holding in Tottenham Hotspur plc from Barbados based millionaire Joe Lewis and his investment company ENIC. The group already have part ownership of Glasgow Rangers, Vicenza, Sparta Prague and FC Basle. The offer is for 80p per share amounting to £24 million, but Sugar told the Independent on Sunday that he was not in talks about the sale. If it did go through, Sir Alan would be left with only a 10% holding, which would make his tenure of the chairman's position very precarious.

Roberto Baggio is being linked with a move to Tottenham. The 33 year old Italian international is a free agent after being released by Inter Milan at the end of last season. Chelsea and Arsenal are said to be in the hunt for the "Divine Ponytail", but Spurs are quoted as favourites with his wages off £1.6 million over two years not thought to be a problem.

David Pleat has said on the official site that Charlton Athletic have enquired about a striker, but it is not Les Ferdinand. This was in response to a story in today's papers which said Charlton had told Spurs to name their price for the former Newcastle United forward. This seems unlikely as the South London club have reportedly signed Glasgow Rangers' Finnish finisher Jonatan Johansson. Fulham are also sniffing after Ferdinand.

Igors Stepanous, the 6'4" central defender from Latvia is said to be interesting GG, after Scotland manager Craig Brown recommended him, but as ever, DP denied Spurs were interested in this player. Arsenal are also tracking him.

29.7.2000

Spurs beat Birmingham City at St. Andrews today 1-0 with a 31st minute goal from Steffen Iversen. He was set up by Sergei Rebrov and David Ginola was left on the bench the whole game. For a match report click here.
Spurs team : Walker, Carr, Campbell, Freund (Young), Sherwood (Clemence), Perry, Anderton, Thatcher, Leonhardsen, Iverson (Ferdinand) and Rebrov.

Meanwhile a Spurs XI were beating Chesham United 3-1 away. The game was a benefit for former Spur and now Chesham captain, Brian Statham.

28.7.2000

David Ginola is believed to be ready to turn his back on Aston Villa after "mad" manager John Gregory gave him a "sign by Sunday or else" deadline. Nobody is quite sure what the "or else" bit was, but Ginola has decided that Birmingham is not for him or his family. Instead Villa have signed a Turkish defender for £5.6 million. Hmmmmmm.

Perhaps a couple of players who will be leaving the club are Espen Baardsen and Allan Nielsen. The Norwegian and Danish internationals are having talks with Watford and if personal terms are agreed, they will be allowed to leave. Tottenham have agreed fees for the players, but have not revealed them.

Oyvind Leonhardsen has urged Tottenham to spend more money, possibly even some of that undisclosed amount mentioned above which will be received for the sale of players. By shelling out on more players, the club will be able to challenge for trophies more adequately. Oyvind feels a bigger squad is needed and that the club are possibly going to be caught out by injuries and suspensions. On his heel injury, he said he has some discomfort, but hopes to be fully fit soon.

Strange tales of players joining mystery clubs continue, with Iranian Karim Bagheri claiming to be in London this weekend to join a club. He scored 19 goals in Iran's qualification for France 1998 and has apparently interested Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal. It remains to be seen which club he signs for and if he passes his medical ... so, it's unlikely to be Spurs then !!

Another man of mystery - Willem Korsten - is likely to spend some more time in the shadows after injuring his ankle on the Scandinavian pre-season tour. He will have an X-ray on it and he will miss the start of the season because of this ... although they didn't say which season.

The FA panel who will pass sentence on video evidence in the week after matches is set to include Gary Mabbutt. The Professional Footballer's Association has nominated the former Tottenham captain along with Brian McClair, Steve Ogrizovic, John Barnes and Brian Marwood. Garth Crooks, also formerly of Spurs, has been put forward, but his duties on Match of the Day may mean that there will be a conflict of interest. Former managers and referees have also been proposed to take part and the FA will decide the make-up of the panel soon.

27.7.2000

The Spurs players believe that Sergei Rebrov can shoot them to honours soon, with Europe the aim this season. Both Steffen Freund and Darren Anderton think he will bring back the good times to Tottenham and Les Ferdinand is hoping to impress both GG and the fans now that he is getting back to full fitness.

Gary Doherty has been selected to take part in a three day training session with the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad on August 13th.

Lanky, but promising Tottenham reserve striker Peter Crouch has moved to Queens Park Rangers for £60,000, signing a three year deal, when it was believed that he would move to Loftus Road on a year long loan spell.

Former Spurs defender Neil Ruddock has moved from West Ham United to Crystal Palace for an undisclosed amount.

Romanian defender Constantin Galca has signed a new contract to stay at Espanyol despite interest in bringing him to White Hart Lane.

Former Spurs striker Steve Archibald, who bought Airdrieonians last week has signed 10 Spanish players to boost their squad, which was decimated when the receivers sold most of the first team.

26.7.2000

Neil Sullivan cannot wait until the new season starts ... so that the pre-season training stops !! He owned up to not being the finished article and that he still had things to work on, but is looking forward to starting playing competitive games and winning things for Spurs

Tottenham were undefeated in the London Masters held at the London Arena tonight, but did not progress to the final. In their first group game, they drew 2-2 in a fiery game against Wimbledon (featuring Hans Segers in goal). Clive Allen and Glenn Hoddle scored for Spurs. In the second group game against a side not too far away in North London, Spurs were up against it when Stephen Lodge dismissed Paul Miller after a few minutes of the first half and Spurs were left with five men. They took the lead after Clive Allen converted a penalty after being brought down, but then Spurs went 1-2 down. Glenn Hoddle equalised with virtually the last kick and showed his delight in doing so. The Spurs squad was : Milija Aleksic, Gary Stevens, Graham Roberts, Paul Miller, Paul Price, Paul Allen, Micky Hazard, Garry Brooke, Clive Allen, Glenn Hoddle and Tony Galvin.

Anderlecht midfielder Bart Goor is going to stay with the Belgian champions after no firm bids for him were received following Euro 2000. Spurs were one of the clubs who were linked with a possible transfer to England.

A Spurs reserve XI drew 0-0 with Aylesbury United tonight.

It is believed that Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis has put a £8 million price tag on Ugo Ehiogu as they want to make £4 million profit on the deal, with the other £4 million going to West Bromwich Albion as a condition of Ehiogu's contract. This could scare off all interested parties including Spurs, when they could wait for a couple of seasons for his contract to expire.

24 year old Real Mallorca striker Diego Tristan has apparently been the target of an anonymous English club. The player was due to sign for Real Madrid, but that appears to have fallen through and his agent has mysteriously quoted that a great English club is after his client. Speculation as to who it could be is currently taking place, with Spurs regarded by Planet Football as having to sell Les Ferdinand to bring in another forward. My money is on Aston Villa as they are desperate for players full stop.

The Portman Group (representing large alcohol manufacturers) are pressing for more early morning kick-offs to allow fans to drink more after the game. New proposals in a White Paper to go for consultation before the Government consider changes to the Licensing laws, hints that Magistrate's could require pubs and other outlets selling alcohol in the area of grounds be closed before big matches. One way around this says the Portman Group is to have morning kick-offs on Saturday, then the fans can drink after the game without causing trouble at the match or disrupting the habits of non-football fans who want a drink.

As well as all the new interpretations of the laws of the game, the FA have introduced a list of offences and fines/punishments as follows
Manhandling a referee = at least a 12 match suspension
If repeated by the same player = One year ban
Any Premiership club involved in any on-pitch brawl = £250,000 fine

Six bookings or more for any side in a game = £25,000 fine

All offences unseen by the match officials can be punished by video evidence as judged by a new advisory panel
The fines are scaled down for the lower leagues.

25.7.2000

Spurs completed their Swedish tour with a 6-0 win over Swedish side BK Bodens this afternoon. The goals went like this ...
12 mins. - Ginola free-kick spilled by keeper, Rebrov taps in
33 mins. - Rebrov produces a square ball straight to Iversen who gets number two
37 mins. - Gardner sets up Iversen for the third with a long ball that the Norwegian lobs in from a tight angle
57 mins. - Clemence's corner leads to a scramble and Sherwood lashes the ball home off the underside of the bar
88 mins. - Sherwood cross is converted by a Chris Armstrong header
90 mins. - Armstrong finished the scoring by putting away a penalty after he had been fouled.
The Spurs team lined up like this : Sullivan (Walker 45), Carr (Young 61), Taricco (Thatcher 61),
Gardner (Vega 81), Campbell (Perry 81), Leonhardsen (Anderton 61), Freund
(Sherwood 45), Clemence, Ginola (Etherington 45), Rebrov (Ferdinand 73),
Iversen (Armstrong 73).

Thirteen of the fourteen goals scored came from the forwards and Spurs finished the tour with clean sheets in all their three games, but GG was happier with the way the layers have bonded while away.

John Gregory has given David Ginola four days to decide whether he wants to join Aston Villa. The boss of the club said he could not wait forever for the French winger to make up his mind. The big problem appears to be Ginola's wage demands and now Villa have flown out to Spain for their InterToto Cup match against Celta Vigo, it is unlikely that the two will meet up before the deadline. It appears that their chairman Doug Ellis is more keen to sign up cheaper alternatives in the shape of some of the players from their previous InterToto opponents, Marila Pribram.
It has been revealed on the FootballFC site, that these are some of Ginola's demands ...
- Wages of £52,000 a week to make him the joint highest-paid player in the Premiership with Manchester United's Roy Keane.
- A six-bedroom house situated in an up-market part of Birmingham.
- His and hers top-of-the-range Mercedes for 33-year-old Ginola and his wife.
Seeing as how they refused to pay Benito Carbone £30,000 a week to keep him at the club, I cannot foresee any conceding to Ginola's wishes. Apparently, the top earners at the club are Southgate and Dublin and they are on £28,000 a week.

A blocky video of Spurs victory over Skelleftea can be found at the Sky Sports website http://www.sky.com/sports/video/index.htm

Gary Doherty has resigned himself to a place on the bench this season behind the four main strikers at the club. He said that he realised that there would be competition for places and that he will try and impress in training as much as he can to try and catch the manager's eye.

24.7.2000

After Tottenham's goal spree in their first two friendlies, Soccernet sees the strike force like this. "Already Steffen Iversen and Chris Armstrong have continued the goalscoring form that brought them close to 20 goals each last season, and Les Ferdinand is back to full fitness. Add Rebrov, and manager George Graham suddenly finds himself with four players capable of scoring 25 goals each next season." !!

Sergei Rebrov has (again) pleaded for the club to reconsider the sale of David Ginola. He said, as he had done before, that it would be bad to lose such an influential playmaker and also that Ginola and Freund had helped him settle into the club very well. He also stated that he was pleased to get off the mark in Saturday's friendly.

Sol Campbell is reported on Planet Football to have said he is not going anywhere. He has supposedly told a Swedish paper that the stories about him moving have come from those who would profit from such a situation. He says he has special feelings for the club and wants to stay; something he will sort out on his return from the pre-season tour, when he will most likely sign a new short term contract.

Jason Roberts, the Bristol Rovers striker at one time linked to Spurs, looks set to join West Bromwich Albion for £2 million.

Congratulations go out to the ISpurs (Internet Spurs) side who played in the Worldnet2k in Leeds this weekend. They topped their group unbeaten after overcoming Brentford 4-1, Derby County 4-0, Colchester United 5-0, West Bromwich Albion 2-0 and Huddersfield Town 5-1. Into the knock-out stages they beat Everton 1-0, before facing Celtic B and coming out on top 3-1. They met Middlesbrough at the semi-final stage and unfortunately lost 2-0, but they did the club proud !!

23.7.2000

George Graham was reasonably pleased with the win over Tervarit yesterday, but thought that the side should have finished more of the chances that they created. He is happy with the good spirit in the camp as the team comes near to completing the Swedish tour.

On the tour, GG has reportedly had talks with David Ginola, as he wants the player to stay. Whether or not the manager's plans coincide with the French wingers will remain to be seen. Some reports indicate that Ginola will meet with Villa for talks again this week, but his wage demands are the sticking point.

Fulham are said to be lining up a £1.5 million bid for Les Ferdinand. However, it is reported that GG wants Les to stay as he would give more options up front if he can stay fit.

22.7.2000

Spurs beat Tevarit of Ullesborg (Finland) this afternoon 4-0. The goals came from Ferdinand (19 mins), Armstrong (23 mins), Rebrov (68 mins) and Iversen (91 mins). The game was played in rain and the second half started with six Spurs substitutes taking the field, with two bookings shortly afterwards for Vega and Freund. Anderton and Sherwood were the only two players to play the full 90 minutes.

Team : Sullivan (Walker 65), Young (Carr 45), Perry (Gardner 65), Vega (Campbell 65), Thatcher (Taricco 45), Anderton (Leonhardsen 76), Sherwood, Clemence (Freund 45), Ginola (Etherington 45), Ferdinand (Iversen 76), Armstrong (Rebrov 45).

Spurs goalkeeping coach Hans Segers is looking forward to the battle between Neil Sullivan and Ian Walker as he reckons both keepers have similar strengths and it will be a tough decision for GG to decide who will be between the sticks. He also said he had studied videos of every Spurs game last season and that you could count the number of mistakes Ian Walker made on one hand !

Madman Aston Villa boss- John Gregory - has said that if he gets David Ginola in a room, he will sign for Villa in five minutes. He said he can go and have an easy life in France or choose to sign for him and achieve the challenges he will set. Gregory said he won't leave until he signs for the club. Seeing as how he had his players electronically tagged during the close season, I wouldn't be surprised if he has a rack and whips in that room he keeps talking about ! I think he would have to move Birmingham nearer London for Ginola to be convinced.

True story. West Ham United have signed a player called Danny Invincible on trial from Australia. Expect him to be wearing his pants OUTSIDE his shorts.

21.7.2000

Neil Sullivan is out to prove he is the best goalkeeper around and to start off he is dying to be Spurs' No.1. He said that GG was an ambitious manager and that he would like to prove himself on the bigger stage at Spurs.

David Pleat has said that Espen Baardsen's loan move to Gillingham could still be on as he thinks that the breakdown of talks was "utter nonsense". The player himself is eager to leave the club to further his career and has the backing of Steffen Iversen's agent Erik Soler. He says Espen is the best goalkeeping prospect in Norway and gets better by the day, so he cannot understand why he is on the bench at Tottenham (but he won't even be thee this season, unless one of the others is injured or rested). Baardsen feels that Spurs are asking too much for him and he is despondent at not playing first team football, but is trying to maintain his morale, but he is resigned to waiting to see what GG decides will happen.

He also denied that Portsmouth were about to sign Ruel Fox. He said no club had been given permission to talk to him.

Aston Villa manager John Gregory has said he wants to take David Ginola to Villa Park to help his side get into the Champions League. He obviously has another team lined up to play at the ground then.

Tottenham's friendly against Vitesse Arnhem in Holland on Saturday August 12th will be shown live on Channel Five.

Ben Thatcher has said that George Graham can teach how to improve his defending. He knows he must improve his discipline and hopes that GG an turn him into an England defender. What is he going to do, show him how to dive into reckless tackles in the box ??

Muzzy Izzet, Leicester City's Turkish midfielder, has opted to stay with the Midland club and signed a new four year contract.

Another player mentioned in relation to a move to Spurs, Ipswich Town's David Johnson has signed a four year extension with the new Premier League club.

And finally, Shaun Bartlett, the South Africa striker currently playing in Switzerland, who reportedly interested Spurs last season, is a £2 million target for Charlton Athletic.

20.7.2000

Ruel Fox has said that he is interested in a move to West Bromwich Albion, but is asking Spurs to pay a six figure sum to compensate the last year of his contract, because he will have to take a wage cut to move to the Hawthorns. The matter will not be resolved until David Pleat returns from holiday next week.

Meanwhile, GG has said that it is unlikely that he will be signing any more players before the start of the season as there is a lack of quality players around at this time of year... (News that Newcastle United may be signing Josep Guardiola of Barcelona - no quality available huh ??)

... but then went to say that Tottenham will not win the League as their squad is not as strong as the top four or five clubs. He again said that the target was European qualification.

Simon Davies may have to miss the pre-season friendly against his old team Peterborough United because he is not yet ready to get involved in the physical side of the game after breaking his and laying for Wales Under-21 at the end of last season. The Welsh midfielder had a bone shattered in his left hand which required nut and bolts to rectify the break. The metalwork has now been removed, but he will have to wait for another month on the advice of a specialist before playing again. Therefore, he has missed out on the Swedish tour, but will be doing fitness work back at Spurs Lodge aiming to get back in time for the game at London Road on August 8th.

David Lee, the Spurs reserve midfielder who was released at the end of last season, has signed a one year deal with Southend United.

Espen Baardsen may be able to get his wish for first team football with Watford. Manager Graham Taylor wants to try and complete a year long loan for the Norwegian if he can meet Baardsen's wage demands.

Ramon Vega has said he wants to make the last year of his contract (and maybe his Spurs career) one to remember and getting into the first team is the first step. He said his recovery from an ankle injury is progressing well and now he needs some games to get match fit again.

Former Leeds United head of Youth development has opted to join Leicester City ahead of Spurs, who tried to tempt him as Head of the Youth Academy. It is reported that he did not want to move to London, because people are far too sensible in Leicester. Obviously.

David Ginola's 45 minute appearance in yesterday's friendly win was an indication that he might be staying at the club, with GG confirming that he has had no firm bids for the Frenchman. It also is reported that Marseille, who expressed an interest in the Spurs winger, are set to sign Brazilian striker Lucas. In the London Evening Standard, GG is reporting that he is happy to play Ginola.

Former Spurs transfer target, Atletico Madrid's Czech midfielder Radek Bejbl, has joined French side Lens for £3.9 million.

19.7.2000

Spurs beat Skelleftea in their first pre-season friendly 4-0 tonight. Rebrov, Sullivan and Thatcher all made their debuts, while Vega, Ferdinand and Leonhardsen all returned after injury. Spurs goals came from
38 mins - Armstrong, heading in an Anderton cross after Rebrov put him wide.
73 mins - Iversen heads home Thatcher cross.
77 mins - Iversen taps home after Etherington's shot comes back off the post.
89 mins - Ferdinand heads home a free-kick.
The goals can be viewed by going to http://www.skeaik.com/ and click on matchbilder, then find Spurs mentioned on the right. Click and you will find the videos at bottom of the page, but you will need Real Player to view them.
The only two players who completed the whole 90 minutes for Spurs were Ben Thatcher and Steffen Freund.
Team : Team; Walker (Sullivan 60), Young (Carr 80), Perry (Campbell 80), Vega
(Gardner 68), Thatcher, Anderton (Leonhardsen 68), Freund, Sherwood
(Clemence 45) Ginola (Etherington 45) Armstrong (Ferdinand 45), Rebrov
(Iversen 68).

It looks as though Glasgow Rangers' bid to buy FC Schalke 04 striker Emile Mpenza has failed as the German club say they do not want to sell. The stumbling point may be the fee which was adjudged to be around £6.5 million by Rangers and £8.5 million by Schalke. Spurs had been linked to the Belgian forward ...

... as they had to the Belgian midfielder, Marc Wilmots, who has left FC Schalke 04 for Bordeaux of France.

Meanwhile another linked player - Aston Villa's Ugo Ehiogu - is at the centre of a record bid by Manchester City believed to be £6 million.

Spurs start their pre-season tour tonight with a game against Swedish side Skelleftea. The players have all returned to training now and all the new signings will hope to get a game under their belts. Ian Walker has said that pre-season training has been hard, but enjoyable, while Steffen Freund is looking forward to getting back into action after a summer spent commentating on Euro 2000.

GG has outlined a typical day on the club's pre-season tour, which goes a bit like this ..."We train in the morning then we'll have lunch and a break and then start training about three o'clock again and finish about half-five. We'll have dinner about seven-thirty. So you'll find the boys won't have much energy left to do anything else."

Ian Walker has been saying how he enjoys pre-season training, but he said on some days he has not been getting home until 5.30 p.m. !! Still not quite the real world like most of us have to suffer is it ??

Lanky Spurs reserve striker Peter Crouch scored in Queens Park Rangers' 5-0 pre-season friendly win over Tiverton Town. The player is on trial at the West London club for another two games, but there is rumour that he might be about to have a one year loan under former Spurs boss Gerry Francis. It is not likely that Spurs would sell him as he is highly rated at the club and has represented the England Under-20's already.

Former Spurs striker, Steve Archibald is believed to have paid about £2 million to take over Scottish club Airdrieonians. The club who looked like they would be going out of business had been the target for Archibald for some time, but on a number of occasions talks had broken down with the receivers before they came to an agreement. He does have a problem as he only has the manager and three players with the season only three weeks away.

All Spurs fans can breathe easily and sleep safely at night. Dean Austin will not be returning to Tottenham, as he said he will sign a new two year contract with the South London side.

18.7.2000

Ledley King could miss the first two months of the new season according to OneFootball.com. Suffering a broken foot in the last minute of England's final match in the European Under 21's championship has set him back, so he will not be ready for the start of the season.

The French press are reporting that David Ginola is the subject of a bid from Marseille, but it is not sure if the club from the South of France could afford his wages. The offer is likely to be a figure of around £2.5 million and they hope to pair him up with a rumoured Spurs transfer target, Anderlecht's Jan Koller, who has been priced out of a move to Premier League new boys Manchester City.

Spurs third choice goalkeeper - Espen Baardsen - appears to be staying at Tottenham for the time being. He is at the centre of a proposed loan deal to Gillingham, but the Kent club are unlikely to be able to afford his wages. Spurs are thought to be looking to loan out the Norwegian keeper, but he is keen for first team football and that could mean a permanent move if the offer received is acceptable.

Another Scandinavian Spur - Allan Nielsen - has said that he wants to play more in the first team or move on. He would be happy to stay if he can force his way into GG's side.

Strangely enough West Bromwich Albion's manager, Gary Megson, has commented about Ruel Fox, "I don't know what is going through Ruel's mind, but I just believe we need to be going for that calibre of player. We've got to bring the best players in we possibly can within a financial framework the club can manage."

New Spurs signing Sergei Rebrov says he is settling down nicely with Tottenham and has begged David Ginola to stay at the club, saying it would be a great loss.

Former Spurs striker Phil Gray has moved from Luton Town to Burnley on a Bosman transfer.

17.7.2000

A report in the Birmingham press states that Ugo Ehiogu is desperate to leave Aston Villa and has said that he would be happy to join Spurs. One club has made a bid for him, but John Gregory, the Villa manager, did not inform the player, who is furious because of the lack of communication. He hopes that the situation will be sorted out in the next ten days. Apparently, according to Planet Football, Sunderland are the slight favourites to sign the big central defender.

Glasgow Rangers have made a £6.5 million bid for FC Schalke 04 and Belgian international forward Emile Mpenza. His club are holding out for £8 million, but Rangers say this is too high. Mpenza was one of many forwards linked with Spurs this summer.

David Pleat has confirmed that West Bromwich Albion are one of several clubs interested in buying Ruel Fox from Tottenham, but he clarified the fact that the transfer fee would be nearer £250,000 - £500,000 than the £1 million quoted in reports yesterday.

Neale Fenn is hoping to relaunch his career at Roosendaal in the Dutch first division. The newly promoted side will give him the opportunity to play first team football, which was denied him at Tottenham. Onefootball.com report that he could go for less than £100,000.

Darren Anderton has said that he feels that good things are around the corner for Spurs and the aim for this season must be qualification for Europe.

As one ex-Spur leaves Goodison Park another enters. Nick Barmby's replacement in midfield at Everton is the free signing Paul Gascoigne from Middlesbrough.

Rumoured Spurs targets of the summer could be heading off to new clubs, but not to White Hart Lane. Ade Akinbiyi looks set to join former Spur, Peter Taylor at Leicester City, while Manchester City are bidding £4.5 million for Anderlecht's Czech beanpole striker, Jan Koller.

Following Tottenham's deal with Marks & Spencer's, Spurs replica kits and other sports wear can be bought at these branches : -
Bluewater
Brent Cross
Camberley
Cambridge
Cardiff
Cheshunt (Brookfield Farm)
Enfield Town
Harrow
Ilford
Lisburn (N.Ireland)
Marble Arch
Romford
Stevenage
Watford
Wood Green

16.7.2000

It is reported that GG was planning a £8 million deal to bring Portugal's Nuno Gomes to the club from Benfica. However, it appears that he has signed for Fiorentina of Italy for more than that figure - £12 million !! It is rumoured that both Les Ferdinand and Chris Armstrong would be allowed to leave if bids came in for them.

Eurosport is claiming that Juventus are trying to tempt Sol Campbell with an offer of £87,500 a week to join them when his contract expires next summer.

It is believed that GG has had a £4 million bid for Ugo Ehiogu turned down by Aston Villa and does not share the Midland club's valuation of the player. He may turn his attention to Valencia's Swedish international Joachim Bjorklund, who also is being tracked by Bayern Munich, Aston Villa and Manchester United. Again a figure of £4 million is quoted.

West Bromwich Albion are expected to have talks with outcast Spurs winger Ruel Fox about a £1 million deal which will increase by £250,000 when he has completed 15 appearances.

Ian Walker is still hoping that there is a way back into the England set-up for him. He said that the word was that he could have got into the Euro 2000 squad at the end of the season, but if he keeps doing well for Spurs, then he could put himself into Kevin Keegan's mind for selection.

Liverpool would sell Jamie Redknapp should they receive a £6 million offer. The Liverpool midfielder may miss a large chunk of the coming season with a recurrence of his knee injury and any transfer could be a big gamble. Spurs and Chelsea are watching the situation develop.

Tottenham's Marcel McKie played left-back for England Under-16's today at the Stadium of light in their 1-2 defeat by Brazil. His free-kick lead to a scramble from which the equaliser came.

Tottenham come up tenth in the list of European top spenders so far this summer, just behind Arsenal in ninth.

Reports indicate that Leicester City will have broken Wolverhampton Wanderers resolve over selling Ade Akinbiyi with a bid of £5 million. Spurs were linked with the forward earlier in the week.

Young Celtic striker, Mark Burchill who was linked with a possible move away from his club to Tottenham only yesterday, could end up at Aston Villa. It has been surmised today that Martin O'Neill will bid for Gareth Southgate and Burchill could be part of a package going the other way.

Everton full-back Michael Ball, who has been linked with Spurs, is the subject of a £5 million bid from Manchester United.

Charlton Athletic look like they could go after Wimbledon's £3 million rated Jason Euell, who for a long time had been the focus of interest from Tottenham.

Yet another player linked to Spurs during the season just gone, Martin Laursen of Verona, has turned down a £6.5 million move to Chelsea as they could not match his wages and he prefers to stay in Italy.

If Spurs are looking for a creative midfielder, then Everton are reportedly looking at Newcastle United's Norbeto Solano for £5 million. He has impressed on occasion when I have seen him and he has a knowledge of English football after playing here for 16 months.

In the Sunday Mirror today, there is a headline to an article about Gabriel Batistuta's views on Manchester United's transfer policy on big name players, which reads "United Have No Balls". I wonder what they do in training then ??

The squad numbers for Spurs for season 2000-2001 have been announced and they are as follows : -

1	Ian WALKER
2	Stephen CARR
3	Mauricio TARRICO
4	Steffen FREUND
5	Sol CAMPBELL
6	Chris PERRY
7	Darren ANDERTON
8	Tim SHERWOOD
9	Les FERDINAND
10	Steffen IVERSEN
11	Sergei REBROV
12	Gary DOHERTY
13	Neil SULLIVAN
14	David GINOLA
15	Willem KORSTEN
16	Chris ARMSTRONG
17	Oyvind LEONHARDSEN
18	Ben THATCHER
21	Luke YOUNG
22	Allan NIELSEN
24	Espen BAARDSEN
25	Stephen CLEMENCE
26	Ledley KING
27	Dave McEWEN
28	Matthew ETHERINGTON
29	Simon DAVIES
30	Anthony GARDNER
31	Ruel FOX
32	Jose DOMINGUEZ
33	Mark GOWER
34	Ramon VEGA
35	Neale FENN

In view of the lack of allocation to numbers 19, 20 and 23, it appears that they have been left available for incoming signings, while those who rate over 30 must be considered as on their way out !!
George Graham lies in the middle of the pack in the betting for which manager will get the sack next season. He is on 5-2 with George Burley, Alan Curbishley and Walter Smith. Favourite is Bradford City's new man in charge, Chris Hutchings.

Former Spurs transfer target, Celtic's Mark Burchill, has hinted he may have to leave the Scottish club if he cannot play regularly in the first team. He said he will be 20 soon and has to consider what would be best for him should he not be able to break into Martin O'Neill's side.

Ex-Spur Nick Barmby looks certain to move to Liverpool from Everton for a fee which could rise to £6 million.

Former Spurs youth team player, Narada Bernard, was taken to hospital today when he had a collision at full speed with an advertising board in Bournemouth's friendly.

14.7.2000

TeamTalk have claimed that the transfer of David Ginola to Aston Villa will not take place. After extensive talks they consider that Villa chairman, Doug Ellis, is now against spending the transfer fee plus £30,000 a week on the Spurs winger. However, this might not be the end of the saga as Fulham, Paris St. Germain and Chelsea are all rumoured to be interested.

Spurs have been linked with Wolverhampton Wanderers forward, Ade Akinbiyi. The player who has previously played for Norwich City, Gillingham and Bristol City is also courted by Leicester City and Birmingham City, who apparently have had £4 million bids rejected.

Another strapping centre-forward linked with Spurs today handed in a transfer request. Jason Roberts of Bristol Rovers told his club that he wants to leave to move to a bigger club. The former non-league striker has been watched by Spurs before and has been the subject of an unsuccessful £2 million bid from Birmingham City recently. Other clubs who have trailed the striker are Everton, Bradford City, Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest.

Ian Walker has said that he welcomes the challenge of Neil Sullivan, but as far as he is concerned, it is down to the former Wimbledon keeper to kick him out of the side. Despite the battle for the gloves ahead, Walks said that he would still have a good relationship with the Scottish goalie.

It was revealed today on the Spurs official website that Danny Maddix's testimonial on August 5 against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road will be preceded by a 20 mins each way game between the 1982 FA Cup final teams !!

Everton have agreed to sell former Spur Nick Barmby to Liverpool for £6 million.

It appears that even Wimbledon do not rate Andreas Lund, who was previously on trial with Tottenham last season. Having scored two goals in fifteen games for them, he looks likely to join FC Porto of Portugal.

13.7.2000

David Pleat was in denial today. He said that Chelsea had not approached Spurs for David Ginola and that Spurs in turn had not made a bid for Aston Villa's Ugo Ehiogu.

David Ginola's agent has insisted that the player wants to stay at Tottenham, despite Aston Villa's bid to take him to Birmingham. He wants to hear from Sir Alan Sugar that he has no future at Tottenham, but was at the club's golf day earlier this week, proving a point by winning the solo and team competition !!

George Graham told the Guardian today that he shares the fans "buoyancy" and that if a couple more players can be added tot he squad he hopes that expectation will grow even further. DP took a more guarded view in saying results on the field had to improve before Tottenham could be regarded as a big club again, but that with the strength in younger players, the club believe that things are turning in the right direction.

Gary Megson will wait until Spurs return from their close season our before making a move for out of favour Ruel Fox.

Spurs targets Marc Wilmots and Jan Koller could end up elsewhere. Wilmots is the subject of interest from Bordeaux, while Czech Koller is being considered for a transfer to Parma in Italy.

Darren Anderton has explained that he pulled out of Euro 2000 as a precaution and is not willing to take any chances when injured again in the future. He said that last season's injury was a torn Achilles tendon due to wear and tear, but his surgeon said that after playing a few games at the end of last season, he should rest during the summer. He could have done that in Belgium as most of the England side managed to take it easy !!

12.7.2000

Spurs have reportedly launched a bid for Aston Villa's Ugo Ehiogu. The player has been linked with a move away from Villa Park since the end of last season and a return to London, where he was born, has widely been tipped. It is believed that Tottenham's attempt to buy the central defender was met with a request for £10 million, a high price as a result of a condition in his transfer that 50% of any money raised must go to his former club, West Bromwich Albion.

The Ehiogu rumour has sparked concern that Sol Campbell may not commit his future to Spurs beyond next summer. The England centre-half will enter into talks with the club later this week and rumours linking Serie A clubs, Manchester United and Chelsea have surfaced.

Tottenham's appeal against the fine for their involvement in the brawl at Leeds United earlier this year has been dismissed. Tottenham have urged the FA to consider fining or punishing players and not the clubs for such incidents. After all, what can a club, let alone a manager, do after they have crossed that thin white line ?? ("It's a thin (white) line between love and hate")

Chelsea are also interested in hijacking the transfer of David Ginola to Aston Villa. They feel that staying in London and a guarantee of European football could swing a £3 million move their way. However, as Vialli is the master of the rotation system and Ginola desperate to lay and not sit on the bench at Tottenham, would a move to Stamford Bridge be any improvement on his number of appearances if that is the true reason he is willing to leave ??

Steffen Iversen could sign his contract extension before Spurs jet out to Sweden for the pre-season tour. Both parties appear keen to do so, which will be a boost to the club.

Les Ferdinand is said to have targeted the tour game against Byske next Wednesday for his comeback. The Spurs forward said he hoped to get into the side for the first pre-season game and had suffered no reaction from the surgery, unlike last time, when he experienced some aches and pains.

Tim Sherwood is ready to catch up on the time he lost last season because of a groin injury. He had an operation to rectify the double hernia, abductor replacement and groin repair only returning for the last game of the season. A goal in that game has kept him going over the summer, but the pre-season training will show exactly how he responds to the exertion. The England midfielder believes that there is more strength in the squad now and that he is solely interested in doing well for Spurs, with any international recognition after that being a bonus.

Ben Thatcher has said that he has learned from his mistake of elbowing Nicky Summerbee in the head. The former Wimbledon and Millwall defender went on to say that he realises that he must cut out the rough stuff and the trivial bookings to impress both his club and hopefully, international managers.

Apparently, Neil Sullivan has had to settle for the number 13 shirt in training, while Ian Walker retains the Spurs number one shirt. While it still remains to be seen who GG chooses to play in goal, it looks as though Walker may be in poll position as the incumbent, with the onus on Sullivan to knock him from his pedestal.

Zlatko Zahovic of Slovenia and Panathaniaokos has joined Valencia of Spain for £6 million. The player who enjoyed a successful Euro 2000 had been linked with Spurs.

Former head of the Spurs Academy, Colin Murphy, has joined Leicester City as chief scout.

11.7.2000

Sol Campbell returns from holiday later this week, with Tottenham hoping that they have convinced him of the ambition at the club ahead of his contract talks.

Sergei Rebrov thinks that the flat back four sometimes creates problems for the team using it, but did say that at Tottenham they have one of the best defenders in Europe in Sol Campbell. He also said that when he goes on the pitch it is to ensure his team wins - not to make sure he is the one who scores all the goals, something he feels that is too strongly focused on in the West.

David Pleat is convinced that new signing Ben Thatcher will show a mature attitude and better discipline at White Hart Lane. He said that the player knows he will be more under the spotlight at Tottenham and that the club will not tolerate over aggressiveness. Meanwhile, Thatcher has been impressed by Tottenham's training facilities - you don't have to clear up the dog's mess before training unlike at Wimbledon !! Former and now current team-mate Chris Perry rates him as the best left-back in the country and says he will also bring some life into the Spurs dressing room as he is a character and likes a joke.

More good news for Spurs is that John Hartson has decided to stay at Selhurst Park with relegated Wimbledon.~

Also staying put is Belgian striker Emile Mpenza, who has said he wants to stay at Schalke 04.

John Gregory is confident about taking David Ginola to Villa Park. The Aston Villa manager said that the fact that Tottenham do not want Ginola has affected the player more than anything. Pleat said that the player was present at Tottenham's first day back in training and that there is no news on his transfer.

Formerly linked with a transfer to Tottenham, Pedro Munitis of Racing Santander has joined Real Madrid in a £6.69 million deal.

Talks will take place later this week between Tottenham and Luton Town to decide the amount of compensation owed to Spurs after Ricky Hill left to take up the Second Division club's managers post. Spurs claim that they did not give permission for Luton to approach him.

PAOK of Thessaloniki are in talks with Jose Dominguez about a transfer to Greece, with an announcement due later this week.

Neale Fenn has joined RBC Roosendaal of Holland on trial with a view to a permanent transfer.

10.7.2000

Ben Thatcher has completed his move to Tottenham from Wimbledon for a fee of £5 million. He is hoping the move will reinforce his claims for the left back berth in the England side, after, he says, he has established himself in the Spurs side. He went straight from White Hart Lane where the signing was done to Spurs Lodge to join the rest of the squad in training. An interview with Thatcher can be read at the Sky Sports site.

Meanwhile David Pleat has said that he hopes that the incoming players will persuade Sol Campbell to consider staying at White Hart Lane. He said that they will enter into talks when he returns after the summer break and is positive that Sol may stay.

George Graham has said that he is fit and looking forward to the new season to test his strengthened squad in the Premier League. He said that with three players already signed that more transfers should not be ruled out.

One player who looks like he might be staying is Steffen Iversen, who's agent said he is likely to sign an improved four year extension to his contract. Although the Norwegian striker is away on holiday in Florida at the moment, he is in touch with his agent and will sit down with the club on his return.

David Ginola's agents have apparently been back to Aston Villa to arrange a transfer from Tottenham. He seems willing to accept a reduction in the wage demands he has made and the £3 million transfer could now be back on.

Having missed out on Carl Cort at the high price Newcastle United ended up paying, Spurs might be tempted to add further to their collection of Wimbledon players now that Jason Euell has been told he will be allowed to leave if the right bid is received. Spurs have long been linked with the rangy midfielder/striker and although it is claimed there has been little interest in the player from the Wimbledon end, Leeds United were linked yesterday and Spurs might move quickly to prevent a bidding war starting again.

Luton Town officially named Ricky Hill as their new manager. The former England midfielder had been coaching Tottenham's Academy side, but was chosen to take over at Kenilworth Road after Lennie Lawrence was sacked by the new owners.

West Bromwich Albion have confirmed that they are interested in Ruel Fox, but he is only one of a number of players that manager Gary Megson has in mind and it remains to be seen if the interest is pursued.

Taking nothing for granted new Spurs keeper Neil Sullivan is ready to fight for his place in the side. He said at this stage of his career he was just grateful to be at such a big club.

The Spurs squad reported back for pre-season training ahead of their tour of Sweden next week and started with some running in Epping Forest.

Two players linked with Spurs look like moving to other clubs. Don Hutchinson of Everton is the subject of a £2.5 million bid from Charlton Athletic, while Fulham's Geoff Horsfield has joined Birmingham City for a record amount of £2.25 million.

9.7.2000

Allegedly, Real Madrid have made a £12 million bid for Sol Campbell. The Spurs captain has committed himself to Spurs for next season, but should he not be in a team challenging for honours by the spring, the time may come to sell him, before he leaves for free next summer.

Steffen Iversen is said to be close to signing an extension to his contract after Tottenham are reported to have raised his wages to £23,500 a week. David Pleat confirmed that Iversen had been considering a contract for two months. Allegedly, his stalling had alerted Leeds United, Monaco and Borussia Dortmund about possibly snatching him from Tottenham.

Rumours on TeamTalk are linking David Ginola with a move to Chelsea very soon. A £3 million fee would be the price for the French winger, but it is said that he might require £40,0000 a week wages, but apparently this would not be a problem to the West London side. However, the length of the contract on offer could be the stumbling block.

David Pleat has said that Espen Baardsen can leave if the right offer is received. The young Norwegian keeper is the subject of interest from other clubs and Tottenham are awaiting firm bids before deciding his destination. Wimbledon and Rosenborg are known to be admirers of the American born goalie.

Lazio are trying to buy Boudewijn Zenden from Barcelona for around £5 million. Spurs have been linked with the Dutch winger since his impressive Euro 2000 performances. Chelsea are also supposed to be watching developments with a view to bidding for the flying Dutchman.

Spurs are linked to Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Ade Akinbiyi in the Sunday People, but David Pleat denies that Tottenham are interested in any of the players named in association with the club in the Sunday papers.

With five months of his contract still left, Jose Dominguez has hit out at the chairman who will not let him leave for a fee. A smaller European club have enquired about the Portuguese winger, but there has been no encouragement from Tottenham for him to be sold on. The player is frustrated and cannot understand why Spurs do not cash in on him before he can leave on a Bosman. David Pleat cleared things up by saying there was still a full season left on Jose's contract and that he should not expect that that the club would give him away for next to nothing. He went on to add that the player could be leaving soon as he has no part to play in GG's plans.

Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has reportedly joined Celtic for £6 million. The striker who went through a barren time at Stamford Bridge was strongly linked with a move to Tottenham, but the Scottish side have saved the club a fair bit of money. All they have to do is find a decent forward to spend it on !!

Spurs announced that Ricky Hill is due to leave the post as Tottenham's Under-17's manager to take over as Luton Town manager and that his replacement at the Academy will be former Spurs winger Jimmy Neighbour. The former player who went on to Norwich City and West Ham United, will join Micky Hazard and David Kerslake in training the youngsters in the evening at the Academy.
Michael Stone has also joined as a junior coach at the club's Academy, while Rory Brown has been brought in to replace Tim Williamson as physiotherapist.
The following fourteen players have joined the Academy as first year Trainees : - Ludwig Norbert, John Sutton (brother of Celtic's Chris), Ben Bowditch, Stephen Kelly, Ronnie Henry (grandson of former Double-winning Spur Ron Henry), Lee Barnard, Robert Burch, David Galbraith, Dean Marney, Walter Thomas, Mark Hughes, Lee Gardner, Christopher Herron and James Lee (brother of Spurs reserve David).

Spurs have been linked with Leicester City's Northern Ireland international midfielder, Neil Lennon. The player has a condition in his contract saying he can leave if bids for him reach £5 million, but this only comes into effect next summer. Everton are believed to try and make the first move by offering £4 million plus Don Hutchinson.

8.7.2000

The completion of the transfer of Ben Thatcher from Wimbledon to Tottenham has not gone through yet, because although he passed the medicals tests, he is still not happy with the personal terms on offer. DP was hopeful that the deal was still on course to be finalised on Monday for a fee of around £5 million.

Tottenham are reported to be vying with Southampton for the Polish international Marek Citko. The Widzew Lodz striker would cost around £4 million and it is believed that Spurs have made an acceptable offer according to sources in Poland. The 26 year old is also interesting VFL Wolfsburg.

Arsenal youngster, Jay Bothroyd, who was linked with a move to Spurs, is now interesting Coventry City.

Following yesterday's rumour that Ruel Fox could be going to West Bromwich Albion, Bolton Wanderers have also entered the hunt for Fox.

The FA Cup final for the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 will be played at Cardiff's Millennium stadium.

7.7.2000

Ben Thatcher of Wimbledon is the "orthodox (?)" left back that Spurs are looking for according to David Pleat and he hoped that the deal would be completed on Monday, whereupon the player immediately becomes a potential England full back in the Director of Football's opinion. Surely he would need to sort out his disciplinary misdemeanours before that happened ?? (Or maybe not in view of some of the miscreants who appear with three lions on their shirts).

Tottenham have issued a statement saying that they did not lose out to Newcastle United in the signing of Carl Cort, but chose not to pursue it after making their best offer for the England Under-21 striker. His agent allegedly phoned Spurs at 11.30 p.m. to say that they could still get the player if they increased their bid, but the club decided not to do so. George Graham told Sir Alan Sugar that he was not interested in the player at that price.

Ruel Fox could be a target for West Bromwich Albion. The Midlands club are believed to have made a bid for the winger and Spurs would be happy to let him go for the right price.

Sergei Rebrov is due to arrive in London this weekend for his move to the capital and he has had a family holiday in Crete to relax him before he reports for pre-season training. He said he will play the same way he did at Dynamo Kiev and will have pleased GG when he said he will run back when the other team have the ball.

Goalkeeper Gavin Kelly and defender Ian Hillier have signed new one year contracts with the club. Both featured strongly in the reserve side last season, while Kelly enjoyed a successful loan spell with Chelmsford City.

Marcus Bent of Sheffield United is again being linked with Spurs after Carl Cort snubbed the club and moved to Newcastle United. There appears little substance to this TeamTalk story, but a figure of £3 million was quoted. DP has said there is nothing in this story.

Meanwhile, Emile Mpenza has changed his tune and says he loves English football and would like to play for Tottenham who he rates as a good team.

Salva Ballestra of Racing Santander, once linked with Spurs, has joined Spanish second division side Atletico Madrid.

6.7.2000

Sergei Rebrov is bowing to become the "new Jurgen Klinsmann" for Spurs. He said that after establishing a place in the Spurs line-up, he intends to prove that everything he had done in the past can be reproduced in the Premiership. He said that he likes the honesty of the Premier League play (obviously he hasn't seen much of Chelsea or Leeds United !!). The Ukrainian striker vowed to work hard in training to ensure that he earns his starting place in the team and that in his spare time his love of amateur radio will take second place if he gets challenged to a game of golf - something he will also work at to make sure he wins !!

Tottenham are said to be keeping tabs on Roma's Italian forward Marco Delvecchio, who appears to be considering his future with his club after they signed Gabriel Batistuta from Fiorentina.

It is believed that Constantin Galca of Espnayol was a target for Spurs, but appears ready to stay in Spain with Real Betis.

Tottenham have also lost out on Arsenal supporting, Wimbledon forward Carl Cort who has opted to join Newcastle United in a £7 million deal.

Spurs Under-17 coach Ricky Hill is being linked with a move to take over the vacant manager's position at his former club Luton Town, recently vacated by Lennie Lawrence, who was sacked.

5.7.2000

Emile Mpenza has revealed that he would rather play football in France than in England. Spurs are believed to have topped Newcastle United's £8 million bid, but the player has said that he is interested in moving from Schalke 04 to a French side as he feels the French way of life would suit him better, although he would not be opposed to playing in London.

John Scales has completed his move to Ipswich Town on a Bosman transfer, after Tottenham failed to renew his contract.

Neale Fenn is attracting interest from one of the promoted sides in Holland - either Groningen, RBC Roosendaal or NAC Breda. His move to Brentford rumoured earlier has still not been finalised as yet.

Ruel Fox is interesting his former club Norwich City. Terms seem to have been agreed between clubs, but the Spurs winger wants more time to think about the move (again).

Former Spurs striker Gordon Durie is off to Australia to play for Northern Spirit, the club bought by Glasgow Rangers chairman, David Murray. He will play the first few games of the season down under and hopes to attract attention from clubs back in the UK as he was allowed to leave Rangers on a free transfer when his contract expired in June.

Young Tranmere Rovers midfielder Alan Mahon, who was rumoured to be a transfer target for Tottenham, has signed for Portugal's Sporting Lisbon.

4.7.2000

Spurs are believed to have put in a £6 million bid for Wimbledon's Carl Cort. The striker is set for talks with Leeds United, but Spurs seem to have got in first. This is in addition to the talks with the South London club concerning the transfer of Ben Thatcher to Tottenham.
Newcastle United appear to have beaten Tottenham to the signing of Norwich City's Craig Bellamy. The Welsh midfielder had long been linked with Spurs, but it looks as though he will go to St. James' Park for £6 million.
Marc Wilmots of Belgium and Schalke 04 fame has said that he will be leaving the club and intends to join Tottenham. He claims that Spurs have offered £8 million for him and that the deal could be concluded in a few days. He also had a lot to say about club team-mate Emile Mpenza, who has told him that he didn't feel comfortable in Germany and is about to sign a contract with Tottenham in the next few days too !! Spurs apparently offered about £8.4 million for the Belgian striker.
Wilmots' international team-mate, Bart Goor, is also a target for Spurs apparently. Now that Sunderland have dropped out of the race for the Anderlecht winger, Spurs (if they are interested in him) would appear favourites to sign him.
A decision was due today from Romanian defender Constantin Galca as to where his future lies. He has to choose between Napoli, Celta Vigo and Spurs as to where he wants to move after being available on a free Bosman transfer.
Charlton Athletic have been invited to make a bid for Tottenham's out of favour Danish midfielder Allan Nielsen.
David Ginola's proposed move to Aston Villa looks doomed to fail after his wage demands of £60,000 a week (reportedly three times higher than the top wage earner at the club) have proved indigestible by the Villa management.
David Pleat has said that two clubs are interested in Ruel Fox and he can leave if the price is right.
Norwegian striker Rune Lange, who had been previously linked with a move to Tottenham, has joined Turkish outfit, Trabzonspor.
3.7.2000: Oyvind Leonhardsen has said that he is training cautiously after recovering from his heel injury and that it is sad that David Ginola is leaving, but that a change in midfield could be a good thing. He did acknowledge that Ginola was a good player and that the fans will miss him.

2.7.2000

Spurs have allegedly made a £6 million bid to bring Romanian defender Constantin Galca to White Hart Lane. The 28 year old currently plying his trade at Espanyol is also a target for Napoli and Paris St. Germain, but would be available on a free transfer.

The Sunday People also link Spurs today with a £10 million swoop for Boudewijn Zenden of Holland and Barcelona.

1.7.2000

Steffen Iversen has told Spurs that they must double his wages or he could leave the club. He has said that the talks with the chairman are getting closer and he would like to stay with Tottenham.

Meanwhile, Allan Nielsen, who has been told he can leave Tottenham, is considering a move to Charlton Athletic. His services are also being courted by Napoli and Bari, so it will be his decision if they can all come up with the money considered to be a reasonable fee for the Danish international. It is said that he would favour Italy as a destination, because his wife is a fashion consultant.