Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

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Graham: Phil, given that Daniel Levy stated Tottenham are out to win the league or Champions League (neither realistic in my mind) does that mean Thomas Frank will be sacked come the end of the season when it’s not achieved?

Surely not – although after sacking all the managers who did not win anything, Levy then sacked the manager who did, Ange Postecoglou. So who knows?

I do not see Spurs winning the Premier League or Champions League, but I can certainly see them finishing a lot higher up than last season under Thomas Frank, who I really rate.

Obviously, any lower than last season and they’re off to the Championship.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

John: Hi Phil. Do you think the likes of Brighton, Brentford, Bournemouth and Wolves, among others, will be able to replace the talent they’ve lost this season to the top teams in England and across Europe? Is the Premier League going to suffer as a result and was last year just an exception to the rule that the top four win most trophies?

Hello, John. A really good point. There is no doubt life will be harder for those clubs seeing top talent taken away but – certainly in the case of Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth – they have shown a really sure touch in planning for these eventualities in the past, so we should not doubt them or question what they might have planned.

I also thought Wolves were, as a club and team, rejuvenated under Vitor Pereira last season but the departure of Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri leaves a very big gap.

Wolves, same as the other clubs, will have anticipated this and I’m sure they will strengthen before the start of the season.

On the general point, I would certainly agree the activity we have seen so far from the so-called big clubs will make it far more difficult to disrupt the established order.

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport Journalist

As Tottenham continue their pursuit of West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, fans are already wondering how the Ghanaian star would slot into the north London club's attack.

Kudus has impressed most for West Ham coming in off the right wing, when he loves to cut inside onto his stronger left foot.

He’s known for his quick feet, dribbling and eye for goal.

Kudus often drifts centrally, making him a versatile attacking threat capable of linking play and creating chances in tight spaces.

Should he join Spurs, Kudus would offer serious competition to Brennan Johnson on the right. While Johnson brings output, Kudus provides raw pace, greater creativity and ball control.

Importantly, Kudus has also played significant minutes in a central attacking role, either as a number 10 or false nine - meaning he could also push James Maddison for the creative midfield berth.

His versatility would give Thomas Frank options to rotate, switch systems or find solutions against stubborn defences.

Image source, Getty Images

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Ian, Nottingham: Question for Phil McNulty: I remember in the past that clubs were accused of "tapping players up" if they approached them before agreeing a fee with their club. I am pretty sure this led to action against clubs at some point. These days it seems that it does not matter and players agree terms well before the fees are agreed. In the case of Madueke, it looks like he has agreed terms with Arsenal in case they make a bid. Have the rules changed? Were there rules in the first place?

Afternoon, Ian. It’s a fairly new one on me. Things appear to have changed but you cannot talk to another club’s player – or certainly should not talk to another club’s player – without some sort of tacit agreement between the two clubs, and of course a lot of this would be done via agents. I would imagine the selling club would be making a lot of noise if this was not the case.

It may be the buying club wanting to ensure the player is willing to join them so everything can be agreed before trying to negotiate a price.

This was done on many occasions in the past, albeit through the back door, but seems to be an accepted practice now, assuming it is with the agreement of both clubs.

Sami Mokbel
BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

Tottenham are set to appoint former Liverpool goalkeeper coach Fabian Otte onto Thomas Frank’s backroom team.

Otte left the Anfield club last week but has immediately been snapped up by Spurs ahead of the new season.

New head coach Frank, who has replaced Ange Postecoglou, is piecing together his new staff following his arrival from Brentford.

Justin Cochrane, Chris Haslam and Joe Newton have all joined from Brentford while Andreas Georgson has arrived from Manchester United.

Otte will now become the latest addition to Frank’s team. The German coach, 34, has also worked for the USA national team, Borussia Monchengladbach and Burnley.

Frank’s new players have started arriving at the club’s Enfield HQ for pre-season ahead of their tour of Korea later this month.

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Back to Tottenham again and they've had a change in the coaching department.

Seems like the relationship between Arsenal and Chelsea with regards to transfers is absolutely fine.

I'd put an eyes emoji if I had it!

While Tottenham have not acquired any players from those three clubs over the past decade, it's a different story for Chelsea and Arsenal.

Arsenal have regularly dipped into Chelsea's squad over the past decade - seven players made the move up to north London in that period and Noni Madueke could make it eight this summer.

Let's take a look at the business the two clubs have done between each other in the last 10 years.

• Petr Cech - goalkeeper transferred in 2015

• David Luiz - a year later, the defender moved across London
• Willian - the Brazilian moved in 2020 after winning two titles with Chelsea
• Jorginho and Kai Havertz - Arsenal made a double swoop in 2023
• Raheem Sterling - Arsenal signed Sterling on loan in 2024
• Kepa Arrizabalaga - the goalkeeper completed the move in this summer's transfer window

Tottenham have not done direct transfer business with their London rivals - Arsenal, Chelsea, and West Ham - at a senior level over the past decade.

West Ham → Tottenham

• No transfers in the past decade and nothing since Scott Parker moved to Spurs in 2011

Chelsea → Tottenham

• No transfers over the past decade and nothing since Carlo Cudicini moved to Spurs in 2009

Arsenal → Tottenham

• No transfers over the past decade and nothing since William Gallas moved to Spurs in 2010

Just five goals and three assists last season for Mohammed Kudus but he has shown plenty of promise during his time at West Ham.

Is he the man to take Tottenham forward?

With Mohammed Kudus subject to interest from Tottenham, let's have a look at his stats for West Ham during the 2024-25 Premier League season.

• Goals - 5
• Shots on target - 22
• Conversion Rate - 10.87%
• Assists - 3
• Chances created - 29
• Dribbles completed - 92
• Possessions lost - 413

Note - Stats derived from Squawka

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport

Several of England's Champions League clubs are reportedly keen on Mohammed Kudus, whose sale could raise £60m-plus for West Ham's much-needed squad rebuild.

Kudus, 24, remains sought after despite being as underwhelming last season as he was electrifying in 2023-24 following a £38m move from Ajax.

He only scored five goals in the most recent campaign, down from 14 across all competitions in his debut season for the Hammers, and was often ineffective in the system preferred by head coach Graham Potter, who took charge in January and favours wing-backs over wingers.

Kudus was often utilised up front by Potter and seldom featured wide on the right, arguably his best position but one in which West Ham already have captain Jarrod Bowen.

For the second season running, Kudus attempted the most dribbles in the Premier League but his success rate dropped by 10% in 2024-25.

The Ghanaian's ability is not in question though and suitors will point to his 2023-24 numbers and a brilliant run and finish against Freiburg that season either side of spectacular acrobatic goals against Brentford and Manchester City.

Sami Mokbel
BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

As we reported earlier, West Ham have rejected a £50m offer from Tottenham for Mohammed Kudus.

The Ghana international is open to a move away from London Stadium and is prioritising a switch to a Champions League side.

Spurs fit that bill after qualifying for the competition by winning the Europa League.

Talks are ongoing, with West Ham open to letting the 24-year-old attacking player leave.

Kudus, who joined West Ham in a £38m deal from Ajax in 2023, has an £85m release clause but Tottenham are looking to sign him for less than that.

At least six top clubs have enquired about Kudus in recent weeks.

Chelsea did hold talks regarding a move for him, but it is understood a move to Stamford Bridge is unlikely.

Well-placed sources have told BBC Sport that Kudus is prioritising a move to Spurs this summer.

Let's take a look at another potential transfer between two Premier League clubs...

Image source, Getty Images

The summer break is drawing to a close for some clubs, as the first groups of players return to pre-season training.

Here starts around a month of preparation and hard work with hopes of success that, for some, may never fully materialise.

The new season is approaching - and for some teams, it starts today.

Manchester United and Nottingham Forest are among those back on Monday, marking the quiet, relentless restart of the football calendar.

Some clubs return today, some later in the week and it's expected that players who were on international duty last month will return a little later, too.

Alex Howell
BBC football news reporter

Arsenal have started their preparations for the new season with some players taking part in an optional training camp in Marbella.

Mikel Arteta spoke towards the end of last season about how the players 'demanded' the training camp and that it is "impossible" for a squad to deal with the physical demands of a long season straight from their holidays.

The Gunners have made the trip to Spain before and players did similar last summer.

The rest of the Arsenal squad are due to meet at the London Colney training ground this week for the official start of pre-season training.

Arsenal have already completed the singings of Martin Zubimendi and Kepa Arrizabalaga and are expected to complete the signing of Christian Norgaard from Brentford next.

Arsenal have also been searching for a striker and are in talks to sign Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres.

The club are going on a pre-season tour to Asia this summer and have their first pre-season friendly against AC Milan in Singapore on July 23.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Nolberto, London: With all the noise around Arsenal finally getting a striker, does it mean the buck now stops with Arteta, and will a new manager be the next 'missing piece' in the jigsaw if they go backwards this season?

Hi, Nolberto. I think the buck always stops with the manager and it now looks like Arteta will be getting the striker he should have signed 12 months ago in Viktor Gyokores.

I’ve said it before, Arteta simply has to win a trophy this season because the clock is ticking on “process” and “progress”. It is time for actual success.

Craig Nelson
BBC Sport reporter

We will bring you some more on Callum Wilson and his departure from Newcastle shortly, but let's return to your questions for BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty...

Callum Wilson's most productive season at Newcastle came in the 2022-23 campaign, when he scored 18 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions.

In that same season, Alexander Isak was signed by Newcastle, initially forming a lethal partnership with Wilson, with the Sweden striker adding 10 goals in 27 appearances for the Magpies that campaign.

But with Wilson continuing to miss matches through injury, Isak would go on to become Newcastle's first-choice forward.

Wilson's scoring record at Newcastle:

• 24-25 - 1 goal in 22 appearances
• 23-24 - 10 goals in 26 appearances
• 22-23 - 18 goals in 36 appearances
• 21-22 - 8 goals in 18 appearances
• 20-21 - 12 goals in 28 appearances

Image source, Getty Images

Callum Wilson endured a frustrating end to his five-year stay at Newcastle because of a succession of injuries.

His only goal for Newcastle last season was the second in a 3-2 win at Birmingham City in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

But the England striker did earn a first winner's medal with the club in the final of another competition - the EFL Cup - at Wembley in March.

Wilson came on as an 81st-minute substitute as the Magpies ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy with a memorable 2-1 win over Liverpool.

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