Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester City winger Savinho remains top of Tottenham's wanted list, with boss Thomas Frank keen to sign the 21-year-old Brazil international after missing out on Eberechi Eze. (Independent), external

Spurs have indicated they are willing to pay £60.7m for Savinho, who is keen to make the move to north London. (Talksport), external

Tottenham have also made an improved £43m (50m euros) offer for Como and Argentina midfielder Nico Paz, but the Italian club are holding out for a deal closer to £60m for the 20-year-old. (Sky Sports Italia - in Italian), external

West Ham and Brazil attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta, 27, is of interest to Spurs and Aston Villa. (Mail), external

Monaco will accept a bid of about £47.5m for 23-year-old French attacking midfielder and Tottenham target Maghnes Akliouche. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

After a successful two years with Fulham, Palhinha joined Bayern Munich for around £44m in 2024.

But within 12 months the 30-year-old found himself back in England after failing to win over manager Vincent Kompany at the Allianz Arena.

While there's no doubting his off-the-ball work, Palhinha's struggles at Bayern raised questions over his suitability to playing possession football

But the midfielder has impressed at Spurs and was named player of the match at Manchester City after winning more duels (eight) and making more tackles (four) than any other player on the pitch.

"The coach (Frank) pushed me to come here and showed me the project," Palhinha told TNT Sports.

"It is such a great club, and I am really glad to be in the Premier League again.

"I am so happy, me and my family. Now I want to enjoy this top club and top atmosphere again."

One of the main criticisms of Ange Postecoglou was his refusal to adapt to the opposition.

When Spurs were winning games, the Aussie's approach of "it's just who we are, mate" went down well with supporters.

It wore thin when the likes of Ipswich and Leicester were leaving north London with three points.

But Postecoglou's biggest weakness is arguably Frank's biggest strength.

In the Super Cup defeat by Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, Spurs came within 60 seconds of beating Luis Enrique's side.

Frank opted for a 3-5-2 formation, utilising Richarlison and Kudus in attack with an extra centre-back to nullify the threat of false nine Ousmane Dembele and suffocating the space for wingers Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

In Spurs' Premier League opener against Burnley - when they were favourites to win and would be expected to have the majority of possession - Frank switched to a 4-3-3 formation and selected a midfield of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Pape Matar Sarr.

Frank stuck with the same formation against Manchester City on Saturday but brought Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur - two defensively-minded midfielders - back into his starting line-up.

"The way the head coach has been able to adapt so early in his tenure – sometimes using a back four and sometimes a five - even bringing in in Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur, that was a masterstroke," said Match of the Day pundit Micah Richards.

"Thomas Frank's brought a knowhow of how to see games out."

Pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Sautrday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brentford 1-0 Aston Villa

• Burnley 2-0 Sunderland

• Arsenal 5-0 Leeds

Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham had experienced a bruising week because of a failed pursuit of winger Eberechi Eze, with the Crystal Palace player agreeing terms with Spurs' bitter rivals Arsenal instead.

The travelling supporters made their feelings known towards chairman Daniel Levy from the first whistle with loud chants of "we want Levy out" echoing around the stadium, though they were replaced by "we love you Tottenham" by full-time.

The players who do wear the Spurs shirt responded with another tremendous showing at Manchester City's ground, collecting their third victory in their last five visits.

Thomas Frank's side beat Burnley convincingly in their opening game and rode their luck as Manchester City missed opportunities, but they took full advantage when chances fell their way at the other end.

City were holding a high line and were made to pay as John Stones narrowly kept Richarlison onside, allowing the Brazilian to roll the ball across from the right, and Brennan Johnson made no mistake with his finish.

Spurs were pressing with precision and forced James Trafford into an error, with the Englishman's risky ball eventually dropping into the path of Joao Palhinha to net his first goal since joining on loan from Bayern Munich.

They could have made it a more handsome scoreline in the second half but Dominic Solanke saw his low drive pushed out by Trafford late on and Wilson Odobert was also denied from the rebound.

Thomas Frank spoke to BBC Sport after Tottenham's victory against Manchester City: "Very pleasing result and overall performance.

"The first 35 minutes City were slightly on top. That goal helped. A big thing in these games against City, who are a top team, is stay in the game and keep doing what you're doing.

"In the second half we were exceptional in many ways. We constantly went for the 3-0 goal which unfortunately we didn't get.

"It was the second clean sheet in a row. Last year we got six. That's been a big thing for me.

"I loved Brentford and I am falling in love with this club here.

"Last season was a tough season ending on high. I came into the club and saw a strong mentality and togetherness with the players.

"It's probably one of the better ones [wins], coming here to Etihad and Pep's City is a tough task. It's one game at a time and put as many top performances and magical moments in and see where we are."

Brennan Johnson spoke to TNT Sports on the big changes between Ange Postecoglou and Frank: "Nothing massively. Two different coaches. Really enjoying it and a lot of detail goes into the set-pieces, but at the same time he gives us a lot of attacking freedom.

"The first few games we have kept two clean sheets and against Man City it is not easy. I have played here a lot of times and conceded a lot of goals."

Did you know?

With six points and a goal difference of +5, this is Tottenham's best start in their opening two games of a league season when taking both into account since 2014-15 (also 6 points and +5 GD).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Man City's performance

What did you make of Tottenham's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Manchester City make two changes to the side that beat Wolves in the opening game.

After scoring off the bench at Molineux, is a first Premier League start for summer signing Rayan Cherki, while Omar Marmoush also comes in.

Jeremy Doku and Bernardo Silva are the players to drop to the bench, where Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson also returns after missing the trip to the Midlands through illness. It means James Trafford starts in goal again.

Man City XI: Trafford, Lewis, Stones, Dias, Ait-Nouri, Gonzalez, Reijnders, Cherki, Bobb, Marmoush, Haaland.

Tottenham also make two changes following their victory over newly promoted Burnley last Saturday.

Boss Thomas Frank has bolstered the middle of the park with Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur coming in, with Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall making way.

Tottenham XI: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence, Sarr, Bentancur, Palhinha, Kudus, Johnson, Richarlison.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Manchester City v Tottenham (12:30)

• Bournemouth v Wolves

• Brentford v Aston Villa - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Burnley v Sunderland - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Arsenal v Leeds (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City have made their best start to a Premier League campaign for six years and now face a Tottenham side that also took maximum points on the opening weekend.

City have picked up just one win from their past four home matches against Spurs but Pep Guardiola's table-toppers were impressive in their 4-0 win at Wolves last weekend.

Tijjani Reijnders stole the show at Molineux with a midfielder masterclass and became only the second player to score and assist on Premier League debut for City after Sergio Aguero.

City's defensive high line also caught the eye and they limited the home side to three shots on target and an expected goals total of 0.56. Guardiola's men have kept seven clean sheets since April – the most of any side – and have faced the fewest shots per game of any top-flight side in that time.

Erling Haaland pitched in with two goals and he's now scored on the Premier League's opening weekend in all four of his seasons at City. He has amassed 48 goals in 48 home league appearances for the club but only one of those has come against Spurs at the Etihad.

Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank has made an encouraging start to life in north London with a 3-0 home win over promoted Burnley in his first Premier League game in charge.

Frank has switched to a more direct style of play, with 57% more crosses into the box and 36% more successful long passes compared to last season's Premier League average under Ange Postecoglou. Going longer at times on Saturday might prove fruitful, particularly if City persist with their extremely high backline.

The Dane led his former side Brentford to a 2-1 victory at the Etihad in November 2022 and could become just the third manager to defeat Pep Guardiola in an away league match with two different clubs. Jose Mourinho was the first with Real Madrid in 2012 and Manchester United six years later, and he was followed by Antonio Conte at Chelsea in 2016 and Spurs in 2022.

It is no secret that Tottenham are in the market for another attacking midfielder to replace the injured James Maddison, with failed bids for Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze widely publicised.

However, £55m new boy Mohammed Kudus offered plenty of creative spark with five chances and two assists – no other Premier League player provided more last weekend.

Goals should at least be a guarantee on Saturday. The past four top-flight meetings between these sides at the Etihad have produced 21, with City scoring nine and Spurs 12.

Manchester City really impressed me last week and everyone is rightly talking about Tijjani Reijnders. Statman Dave told me to get him into my fantasy team, I didn't take that advice and I should've done. He was brilliant against Wolves.

I do think Tottenham will be a level above under Thomas Frank. It will be interesting to see how they set up after playing a back three in the Super Cup final against Paris St-Germain.

Cristian Romero has signed a new contract for Tottenham - that's a big deal - but how did they not get Eberechi Eze over the line? It had been going on for weeks and now Arsenal have come in and embarrassed them!

Tottenham are still a few players short from properly challenging the really big teams and, in this game, I think City at home will be too strong for them.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium (kick-off 12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Destiny Udogie "is better and trained with the team twice" but it is "just too soon" for the left-back to be involved on Saturday. Midfielder Yves Bissouma will not be available, while winger Dejan Kulusevski is a longer-term absentee, though Frank does not want to "put a timeline on it".

• Asked about reports that Eberiche Eze is set to join Arsenal after being targeted by Tottenham, Frank said he does not "speak about specific players unless they are at our fantastic club". He added: "There will be a lot of links [to players]. To be very, very clear, I don't want any players that don't want to come to the club. If they don't want to come here, to wear this fantastic badge, then we don't want them here."

• Frank's message to fans who have hopes of new players coming in: "There is a couple of things. The club is working very hard to see if we can strengthen the squad. We only want to do that with players we think are good enough to help the squad. That is what they are doing from the beginning and will keep doing."

• Despite question marks over Richarlison's future, Frank said that "right now, he is my starting nine", and added: "He scored two fantastic goals. He had two top games. He's Brazilian number nine. He's a very good player, I'm very happy with him. Richy wants to stay, I want to keep him - there have been no talks about anything else."

• On if they are actively looking to bring creative players in: "We just played the first game and scored three goals. That's pretty promising. It's a long season and we need players with different abilities."

• He continued: "[Mohammed] Kudus has the spark and creativity, Wilson [Odobert] does that well, Mathys [Tel] can play different positions. We have two good strikers in Dom [Solanke] and Richy. Brennan [Johnson] is the deep runner. We have variation up the pitch, but again we'll look out there for someone who can strengthen - but that's in all areas."

• On his expectations in the final days of the transfer window: "We are in the market and we will look to strengthen the team. We have a good squad and good players. I see 23 players working hard on a gameplan for Manchester City tomorrow. We need to do everything we can to be as competitive as possible. I am confident we will sign a player before the end of the window. Two players in, two players out - so probably a bit similar. It's the same level but that's good."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Tottenham are interested in signing Monaco's 23-year-old attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche and Como's 20-year-old Argentina international Nico Paz. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Tottenham are also exploring the possibility of signing 27-year-old Chelsea and France forward Christopher Nkunku. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Former Tottenham defender Stephen Kelly speaking about Eberechi Eze on a special episode of the World Football Podcast: "I'm absolutely gutted by the fact that they didn't get it done. I feel like it just seems almost negligent. If Arsenal were in any way in the hunt, you needed to get in and get that deal done quickly. I don't think it was something you could drag your feet on.

"It's bad enough if it's someone else, but when it's the Gooners, it always cuts a little deeper. It really does."

Listen to the show in full

Kelly added: "It seems it's going to be very regretful for Spurs because after the opening game of the season, anyone watching (would have been) thinking, 'you know what, this looks like a good team'.

"It has the making of a good team. It feels like Tottenham dropped the ball. It's a tough one to take to be honest it really is. From a fan's point of view and also from someone that's actually watching the game, it just feels like it was a slip up from Tottenham's behalf not to get that done."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on the news Arsenal look set to snatch the signing of Eberechi Eze from under the nose of rivals Tottenham.

Here are some of your more frustrated comments:

Ian: Spurs' mentality is like being a multi-millionaire and driving 25 minutes out of town because the petrol is 5p cheaper. By the time you get home you haven't saved anything, wasted a bunch of time, and everyone else is confused by what you're doing and laughing at you.

Christopher: Can't help but feel that Ange would've sounded Eze out and identified if his heart was in joining THFC or if he was stringing them along. If anything, it would have prevented this song and dance from playing out at Levy's Tottenham.

Anthony: Completely get it from Eze's perspective, it's his boyhood club. For me, it's another case of Levy and co. taking far too long to wrap something up. Realistically this only reportedly happened because of Havertz's injury, but in football you should never take anything for granted, and it feels like we were far too comfortable in biding our time because we didn't think there would be a threat. Silly stuff once again, and embarrassing following the Gibbs-White saga. Not sure where to go now, put the extra funds towards Savinho and find another 10 quick.

Brian: Totally embarrassing. Over a week to get Eze signed and still couldn't manage it and Arsenal do it in hours. A kick in the teeth to Spurs fans. We spend so much wasted time on negotiating deals, it's pure frustration!

Don: I can accept that we won't always get our man. What I can't accept is how we faff around in public for weeks only for our arch rivals to step in and win the day whenever they feel so inclined. Surely Levy must realise he is very poor in this area. Even his skin can't be that thick! I can't see anyone coming in will be as popular as Eze would have been.

David: How am I feeling? Angry. Let down. Embarrassed. Frustrated to (once again) have Arsenal fans in my inbox, gloating. I feel sorry for Frank and Kudus, who are probably only now truly realising what they've got themselves into. How do Spurs manage to mess it up, every time?

Bardi
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It's not so much the player, it's what the failed transfer of Eberechi Eze means long-term for a club that at some point has to negotiate with other Premier League teams.

Daniel Levy's reign has seen an upturn in fortune and fortunes at Spurs, but they still seem unable to compete and complete transfers.

With Morgan Gibbs-White's move to Spurs in pieces, Eze seemed the next logical step, especially with top-four rivals out of the equation, but somehow Levy and Spurs failed to get it over the line.

Who moved the line depends on where you stand in the great Levy debate, but what's clear is that he seems unable to work with other Premier League clubs.

Levy's self-promotion over the years as an "always-on" figure, someone involved with every aspect of the club, has made him a trophy. Over his 24 years at the wheel, he's broken relationships across the league and Europe. Just compare how easy it is for Arsenal to pry players from Chelsea and now Palace.

Premier League chairmen know what to expect from him. They expect to be "drawn over the coals" and they've had enough. People want to move quickly and get on with the business of selling and buying players. Levy, once so adept at negotiating, is now a VHS in a streaming world—everyone has moved on.

Eze was probably not the player we needed. He's not a high-volume creative passer or a dribbling sensation, but he represented far more than that. He's a player at the peak of his powers, and his signature would be a statement of intent. It would also ultimately deny Arsenal a player they coveted.

Spurs now enter the final few weeks of the window reeking of desperation. Selling clubs know what we're holding and how to squeeze us. We have no other option but to pay what they want.

Denying Daniel Levy has become a trophy that football clubs proudly hang in their boardroom. We're no longer Tottenham at the negotiating table—we're Levy, and this is not how business should be done. He needs to remove himself from the equation so we can get back to the business of being a football club.

Find more from Bardi at The Extra Inch, external

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on the news Arsenal look set to snatch the signing of Eberechi Eze from under the nose of rivals Tottenham.

Here are some of your comments that are less frustrated at the news than some others:

Bob: Can't say I'm that bothered. He is 27-years-old and his career so far has been QPR and Palace. He's not been wanted by anyone like Barca or Real - move on.

Andre: Eze is a fantastic player and would strengthen any team he plays for. But, we can't look back. He isn't a Spurs player so let's not cry about him. Onwards and upwards!

Colin: I'm not bothered to be honest. There are better players than Eze out there. The one problem I have is why the negotiations are not kept confidential. Surely it would make sense not to show your hand to other clubs during negotiations. Also the deal was agreed with Spurs initially so how can they change that - clearly dirty business.

Bob: If he's a Gooner we don't want him. Simple.

Michael: If his heart wasn't at Spurs then we are better off without him. We still have an abundance of talented players to see us through what should be a successful season. A good few players in the squad are coming good and realising their potential. Thomas Frank looks to have a good grip on things and is not tolerating complacency and immaturity as demonstrated with his handling of Bissouma.

KentJolly: No problem. He was signed to their academy, he wants to go there - if he's a Gooner at heart we'd rather not have him.

Brian: If Eze wants to join Arsenal, then so be it. Probably wants to find out what finishing runner up feels like now he's won a trophy.

Mark: For once I don't think we can blame Levy for dragging his heels on this outcome. I don't think Eze ever wanted to sign for us, all we did was set it up for Arsenal to step in. Fair play to their buying team and no doubt our smug North London neighbours will be letting us know how good they feel.