Tottenham Hotspur

We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

Here are some of your comments:

Leicester fans

Liam: I really thought we were going to be beaten and it was going to end maybe 4-0 or 5-0, but the spirit and passion that Steve Cooper sent the boys out with was inspiring. If we carry on with that belief, passion and never say die attitude, we will be in for one hell of a ride this season. Up the Citeh!

Andrew: If you had given me a draw before the match, I would have taken it. Leicester were lucky to come in at half-time just one goal down, but the change at the break was huge. We can't rely on Vardy forever, but there is nothing wrong with enjoying it while we can!

Andrew: The first half was what many of us dreaded - Leicester were dominated by Spurs but somehow went in at half-time only one goal down. Whatever Steve Cooper and his coaches said during the break did the trick and we came out invigorated and believing that we could respond. The final 30 minutes (and Vardy) were magnificent. My ears are still ringing!

Mike: I think under Steve Cooper it is going to be a rollercoaster season. This game encapsulated his approach - hang on and hope for chances. Vardy is perfect for this type of football. We might not have much possession but if we can defend resolutely and grab a goal, we should do alright this season.

Tottenham fans

Robert: If anyone wants to understand the term "Spursy" then they only need to watch a replay of this match. We were totally dominant for 60 minutes but we only scored one goal. Then, inexplicably, Romero leaves Vardy unmarked to nod in Leicester's first attempt on target. Players and coaches come and go, but that weak mentality remains. It is both frustrating and baffling.

Tom: Ange said that our finishing was poor - that included Solanke. Johnson and Son were both poor. Son, at 32, no longer has the pace to go past defenders, so instead he plays sideways and backwards. Udogie was given a hard time and he didn't look match fit. Vicario's shouting and screaming at Bergvall was disgraceful - he is an 18-year-old in his first Premier League game! Awful from Vicario.

Karl: Wasteful, like the boss said! It happens too many times throughout seasons, year after year. We definitely should be picking up three points playing teams like Leicester, with no disrespect to them because they dug in and found belief.

Larry: Very disappointing and limp. Spurs have no desire to win trophies and it shows in their body language. Every players needs seconds on the ball and there is no urgency. Spurs are happy to take the lead in matches and shut up shop - Ange seems happy to let them do that as well. We could struggle to finish in the top 10 this season.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Ange Postecoglou was left talking about the importance of "outcomes" after a disappointing opening game of the season for Tottenham at Leicester.

Spurs have had a successful summer in the transfer market in offloading unwanted players and bringing in quality to shape a squad more suited to the manager's brand of entertaining "Angeball" football.

And for more than 45 minutes, particularly in the first half, it showed as Pedro Porro headed in the opener in the 29th minute. However, Jamie Vardy's equaliser swung the game back in Leicester's favour in the 57th minute.

All that was good about Spurs was lost after the goal in a dominant spell from Steve Cooper's side. By contrast, the Foxes have struggled in the transfer window because of potential points deductions and ongoing concerns about Premier League profit and sustainability regulations.

That only adds to the disappointment that, despite an improved last 10 minutes from Spurs, they faded so badly in the second half and only got a point at King Power Stadium against one of the relegation favourites.

Postecoglou had his head in his hands after a last-minute miss from substitute Richarlison and hit home the importance of "outcomes" rather than playing nice football in his post-match comments.

Tottenham midfielder Giovani Lo Celso has attracted interest from Aston Villa, Real Betis and Roma. (Express), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham boss Ange Postecglou after Monday's draw with Leicester City: "It is a disappointing outcome. We were very dominant first half but really wasteful in front of goal. We started the second half similar.

"But you know at 1-0 there is always an opportunity for the opposition to come back into the game. That's what happened and we lost our way for 15 or 20 minutes. We lost our composure and the crowd got behind them, but again we finished strong.

"I am just really disappointed as we lacked a little cutting edge in the front third and made some poor decisions. We lacked some composure and didn't get the reward our football deserved."

On Bentancur, who was taken off on a stretcher with a head injury: "I don't have a lot of information but I know he is up and he's communicating, so he's fine from that point of view. But obviously it is a head injury and I'll leave it in the hands of the medical team. The key thing is that he's definitely conscious and communicating."

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Rodrigo Bentancur was conscious after his head injury at Leicester City, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.

The midfielder clashed heads with Abdul Fatawu and then landed heavily after a Spurs corner. He needed over five minutes of treatment before being carried off with 12 minutes left.

"He is up and communicating," said Postecoglou. "It is a head injury and we will leave it in the hands of the medical team, but he is conscious and communicating. Nowadays we are always cautious in the moment.

"I don't know the actual circumstances [of what happened]."

It was yet more injury woe for the Uruguay international at King Power Stadium, after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during a 4-1 win in February 2023. He also scored in that match but the knee injury sidelined him for eight months.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham showed off their big summer signing Dominic Solanke in this game, with the ex-Bournemouth forward brought in to provide the cutting edge that was missing at times last season.

But the familiar issues in front of goal were here once again, with Solanke as guilty as any of his new team-mates of missing decent opportunities.

He twice failed to make the most of chances to mark his debut with a goal by directing tame headers at the goalkeeper, but it is early days and plenty of time for both himself and Tottenham to work on their sharpness in front of goal.

In the first half Tottenham looked every bit a side capable of fighting for a top-four finish, but a lacklustre second half shows there's lots of room for improvement.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Leicester fans - how do you think you played?, external

What did you make of the display, Tottenham supporters?, external

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

Follow reaction and read the match report

A new season, and a new challenge for BBC Sport's prediction expert Chris Sutton.

Sutton faced off against a guest for each of the 38 game weeks in 2023-24 and triumphed 21-10 (with seven draws) to secure his second predictions title in a row.

In the first week of the new season, his opponent is The Courteeners frontman Liam Fray.

The pair have both given their prediction for Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.

Sutton's prediction: 1-3

I'm hearing a lot of nonsense about Tottenham and how their manager Ange Postecoglou "needs a good start" to the new campaign. I don't understand why he is under pressure at the start of his second season.

The Spurs fans were bored and fed up every weekend under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, but they were entertained last season and almost made the top four too - all without Harry Kane.

Nobody can argue that Ange didn't make progress, so why is he being questioned? It feels like people are waiting for him to fail and I think that's deeply unfair.

I don't think it will bother Postecoglou, though. He will just plough through it. He has managed for a long time and has had huge success.

I'm expecting Spurs to have another good season under him, especially now they have signed Dominic Solanke, which looks like an astute bit of business.

Leicester will be well-organised under Steve Cooper, and they probably stand the best chance of staying up out of the three promoted clubs, but I think Spurs will be too strong for them.

Liam's prediction: 0-2

I like Ange a lot and I love watching James Maddison too. Maybe Solanke could bring the best out of Son Heung-min again. I see Spurs being a big threat to Manchester United for getting that fourth spot.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou says James Maddison has come back from his England heartbreak determined to “have a big season”.

The 27-year-old described how he was “devastated” in June after being one of the last players cut from Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad that travelled to Germany, reaching a final, which they lost 2-1 to Spain.

Now, ahead of an opening day fixture away at his former club Leicester City, Postecoglou admits Maddison is motivated by the snub: “I’ve sensed in Madders that he’s come back.

“He’s really determined to have a big season and hopefully that gets him back in the England frame, but more importantly for us hopefully gets him back to the form we know he can have.”

He further explained why a downturn in form happened for Maddison towards the end of last season, which saw him go from a regular starter with England, to needing to make way for others.

“With Madders, a lot of it last year was the physical element,” Postecoglou added. “When he wasn’t 100 percent fit, then he couldn’t really perform at the levels he wanted to and even when he came back from injury, I never felt like he reached those physical levels he did earlier in the year.

“So, that’s a real key for him, if he’s training really well and in a good physical condition then I think his game flows from that.

“That’s what we’re trying to do with him, we’ve tried to give him a really strong pre-season to try and push him in a physical way where I think when he feels good about that, the rest of it goes from there rather than him lacking any confidence or self-belief.”

We asked for your views on Wilson Odobert, who completed a move to Tottenham from Burnley on Friday.

Here are some of your comments:

Gary: Wilson Odobert could be the signing of the summe. He has pace and skill, and is very direct. Defenders will not want to face him this is something we have not had. This young man will light up the Premier League.

Joshua: This is quite an unnecessary signing from Ange. While he is young and it will provide more squad depth, we already have three or four players who will do a better job in that position. I think another centre-back is an important signing as we struggled last season when Van de Ven got injured.

Callumn: This is a great signing. Value for money is good and our attack now has so many options. Postecoglou clearly is looking to challenge for the title. However, I think to be serious title contenders we need to bring in a midfielder and a left-back to cover Udogie.

Jules: Low profile/budget signings (Solanke excluded, because he was overpriced, in my opinion). Yet another underwhelming buying spree...

John: He is a great addition to the squad. However, I don't know how much game time he will get behind all Spurs’ attacking options. I would have preferred for them to increase the depth in the centre-back position with Ben Davies leaving after the season.

Caleb: Very good bit of business. Young, French and talented. One-v-one specialist, dynamic and bags of potential; such a top signing. People are not happy with the Odobert signing but I am very excited!

On the eve of the 2024-25 Premier League season, we asked 30 BBC TV and radio pundits to pick their top four, with explanations for their selections.

Manchester City and Arsenal were the only sides to be selected as our pundits' title winners, but seven other clubs were considered as potential top-four candidates.

Ex-England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley believes Liverpool and Manchester United will finish third and fourth respectively.

She said: "Liverpool will need to tighten up defensively and be more clinical in front of goal. Moreover, we all know that changes can take time to embed and with Jurgen Klopp gone, Arne Slot's stylistic changes toward a more controlled approach could mean a lag in performance.

"Inconsistent last season and already plagued by injuries, United are rebuilding. They have made some quality signings over the summer so expect to see some improvements, particularly the additions of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to solidify their defence, but they will still drop points where they shouldn't."

Former England defender Anita Asante is backing Newcastle to finish in the top four, as they did in 2022-23.

"Eddie Howe's side showed lots of promise last season but the injury crisis they had throughout the campaign didn't help their European qualification ambitions," she said.

"They are sure to have a big rebound this season with Alexander Isak leading the front line. With a healthy squad and only the Premier League as a primary focus, they are definitely strong contenders to finish in the top four."

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman agreed, adding: "Isak is key but they've got no European football and cannot possibly have the bad luck on the injury front they did last season."

And former England international Sue Smith is predicting that Tottenham will finish in the top four: "Ange Postecoglou did brilliantly last year when everything looked like it was going to be difficult after they lost their best player and goalscorer, Harry Kane. But Ange came in and was a breath of fresh air, playing football that was great to watch.

"The injuries massively hindered them but you feel with another year under Ange they'll kick on. Dominic Solanke is a great signing that adds goals to the team. He had a brilliant season last year with 19 goals for Bournemouth and is a player high in confidence."

Who did our pundits pick as their Premier League top four? Read more here

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The addition of Wilson Odobert from Burnley adds to the signing of Dominic Solanke to deliver the firepower that Ange Postecoglou needs at Spurs.

Postecoglou's big complaint about last season was how he ran out of options in attack when injuries took hold after a sensational start, in which the club went top of the league after going unbeaten in their first 10 games.

Harry Kane was sold to Bayern Munich without a direct replacement being signed and Richarlison suffered a series of injury issues.

But the signing of Odobert, 19, adds an extra two to the attack at Spurs with star under-21 forward Will Lankshear and exciting 17-year-old Mikey Moore to have fringe roles in and around the first team.

Solanke aside, the new signings are all teenagers but Spurs have gone from talented but lightweight in attack to full of options that suit the "Angeball" style of play that fans love.

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham have reached an agreement for Burnley winger Wilson Odobert.

The 19-year-old made 34 appearances in all competitions for the Clarets, scoring five goals.

Odobert, a current France Under-21 international, will remain under contract at Spurs until 2029.

Are you happy with your new signing, Spurs fans? And are there any other positions you would like to see Ange Postecoglou strengthen before the window closes?, external

Nizaar Kinsella, who will be covering Tottenham for BBC Sport this season, asked if Tottenham have a chance to win silverware this season.

Here are some of your answers:

Phil: Trophies tend to be won with solid defences and from what I've seen in pre-season (especially v Bayern Munich) we're conceding soft goals from set-pieces and the high line is still allowing opposing attackers space and time. Get these sorted out and we have a chance.

Jake: Postecoglou ideally wants to be pushing Spurs for top honours this season. While it's a great statement to make which will create a belief within the fanbase, the club's activity in the current transfer window seems to be more interested in building a side for the future rather than for the now.

Richard: Tottenham have the fourth-best squad in the league. I still think they need some more depth in some positions to compete for a trophy, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they reach a cup final.

Benny: Ange can build on what he did last season. We can go on a run in the Europa League, maybe even win a domestic cup and finish in the Champions League places. That would be the best scenario.

Monish: They have quality depth, especially in the attack. The academy has churned out a lot of exciting talents. If they manage to sign a good left-footed defender and a decent, physical number six, they have a great chance of winning silverware, especially the Europa League (given its new format).

Richard: One trophy is irrelevant! We need to show progress in the development of a team that can become a serial winner of trophies. We need a top-four Premier League finish and at least the semi-finals of the Europa League. I would take that any day over winning the FA cup and finishing sixth or seventh in the Premier League.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Football clubs often fail to dish out real punishments to their players over poor behaviour, but Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham have got tough with Yves Bissouma.

The midfielder has been given an internal one-match suspension for filming himself on social media taking laughing gas, which is illegal in the United Kingdom.

Bissouma is still training with the squad but has been told in no uncertain terms that he fell short of the club’s professional standards and will be unavailable for the upcoming game away at Leicester on Monday night.

Interestingly, this is the fourth suspension Bissouma has received under Postecoglou after two red cards and a ban for accumulating five yellow cards last season.

In his press conference, Postecoglou said: "That's the club's sanction, irrespective of that sanction it's still allowing Biss to understand the poor decision he made and the ramifications of that. I will deal with that as we move along. In terms of the club sanction it is one game suspended.”

These comments also set a wider tone at the beginning of the season that standards, both on and off the pitch, must be met.

Postecoglou said there is now pressure on Bissouma to behave perfectly and “regain trust” from now on. He also has a big fight for his place after splitting minutes with Pape Sarr, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall in midfield during pre-season, with Rodrigo Bentancur having not been available until the last match after Copa America.

This is a crossroads in Bissouma’s career and it will be on him to respond positively or he risks fading away.