Tottenham are looking to make some quick additions in the summer transfer market, as the squad rebuild gets underway in very swift fashion.
Spurs fans were left frustrated throughout the 2025/26 campaign, having been in real danger of being relegated from the Premier League in shocking circumstances.
The arrival of Roberto De Zerbi signalled some much-needed change, however, as the Lilywhites avoided the drop on the final day of the campaign, registering back-to-back 17th-placed finishes in the league.
While there may be some mitigating factors, there are no excuses to be had, as the new Tottenham head coach ushered in a new era by demanding that changes need to be made over the summer transfer window.
One area that needs clear reinforcement at Tottenham is the midfield, with a lack of on-the-ball quality hampering the side throughout the recent campaigns.
Several options have been linked with a move to North London as a result, but the latest is a player that De Zerbi is very familiar with from his time elsewhere.
That is Matt O’Riley, as Football Insider reports that Tottenham are lining up a move for the Danish international amid uncertainty over his future at Brighton.
The Seagulls paid £25 million to sign the 25-year-old from Celtic back in 2024, but injury issues ruined his first Premier League campaign with the club.
O’Riley has since found it tough to get back into the mix, which resulted in a loan move to Marseille for the first half of last season, where he played under De Zerbi 25 times, registering one goal and six assists.
His return to Brighton for the second half of the campaign only resulted in 25 minutes for the club in the Premier League, signalling his possible exit.
In O’Riley, there is a player there who can make an impact, having previously been praised as a “genius” during his time at Celtic.
Whether that translates to performances at Tottenham remains to be seen, but with the report claiming that De Zerbi is keen on a reunion, there is a player who clearly knows what it takes to play under the manager.
Tottenham’s Midfield Depth For Next Season
The Tottenham midfield is due a shake-up in the summer transfer window, given the difficulties that the team have faced with their quality in-possession.
Beyond them, there is a mix of physicality and promise available, and the job of the Tottenham recruitment team is to find the players who can glue it all together.
Tottenham Central Midfielders
Player
Age
Contract expiry
Rodrigo Bentancur
28
2029
Lucas Bergvall
20
2031
Archie Gray
20
2030
Pape Matar Sarr
23
2030
Conor Gallagher
26
2031
If the club are to bolster those ranks, then there may need to be a player who makes way to ensure that there isn’t a bottleneck of players fighting for limited minutes.
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Marcus Rashford is facing an uncertain future as there are doubts over whether the England international will make a permanent switch to Barcelona this summer.
The Manchester United forward joined the Blaugrana last summer on a season-long loan, impressing with 14 goals and 14 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions.
The 28-year-old helped Barcelona on the way to becoming La Liga title winners, filling in on either wing in the absence of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
While a permanent move for Rashford appeared possible, that has since become complicated with other transfer activity, which is now creating doubt over his future at the Nou Camp.
With that in mind, Barcelona have seemingly made their final decision on signing the forward permanently.
That doesn’t stop the possibility of negotiating better terms, or perhaps even another loan deal, but it appears as though that ship may well have sailed.
According to local outlet RAC 1, Rashford isn’t in Barcelona’s plans and any possibility of a return will only happen if the club fail to land other targets in the transfer market.
With the strength of Raphinha and Yamal also in the frontline, it means there may not be room for Rashford, who may have to go back to the drawing board.
It’s a blow for the England international, who seemed to enjoy his time in Spain, as well as a conundrum for Manchester United to consider in the market.
Where Could Marcus Rashford Go Next?
There’s a new challenge for Rashford to consider this summer when it comes to his options, following an impressive showing in La Liga over the past campaign.
The winger will have to think once again about his next steps, which could include a return to Manchester United to impress under new permanent boss Michael Carrick.
Having shown plenty of quality before, and playing under a manager who will know how to get the best out of him, it’s an option that could be attractive.
The difficulty comes in the size of his deal, and whether both parties would be willing to re-open a chapter that appeared to be closed 18 months ago.
Fabrizio Romano has shared a big update on the future of Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
In terms of other clubs, there will no doubt be some interest in the Premier League if he wishes to stay in England, with a return to Aston Villa potentially on the cards, while any of the big clubs will at least take a cursory glance at a move.
Elsewhere in Europe there may be challenges, especially when it comes to financial power, as sides in Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga could find it tough to put together a competitive package.
That said, the allure of a move to somewhere new could help reduce the figures involved, but it will all be determined by what Rashford wants to do next.
For the third year on the bounce, Luke Littler and Luke Humphries locked horns in the Premier League Darts final, but this time it was The Nuke who seized the title from his rival with a nailbiting 11-10 victory.
The 19-year-old has finished top of the league standings in every tournament he has been involved in, but this year was perhaps his most turbulent yet, as the world number one suffered a slow start to the season and got himself on the wrong side of the crowd following a heated match with Gian van Veen in Manchester.
Humphries, likewise, struggled to get going this season, but a surge of strong performances late on coupled with his first and only night win on night 15 in Birmingham propped him up behind his rival once again.
The top four for finals night was rounded off by the Welsh duo of Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price, and the event certainly lived up to the hype with all three matches being decided by one-leg margins.
But after a climactic finale, who took home the most in earnings across the season? Below is a full breakdown of what each participant earned. Alongside the standard prize money available, any player who won a league phase night also collected an additional £10,000 bonus.
8 Josh Rock
£80,000
Selected as a wildcard for his maiden Premier League season, the Northern Irishman impressed in 2025, winning the World Cup of Darts alongside compatriot Daryl Gurney and reaching a semi-final in the World Matchplay.
His Premier League season has unfortunately been one to forget, though, as he finished bottom of the standings on eight points and no nightly wins. The 25-year-old seemed low on confidence early in the season and did not make it past the quarter-final stage until night 8 in Berlin following a 6-3 victory over Jonny Clayton.
Rock did produce one of the most memorable moments of the whole season, however, when he hit a nine-darter at his home event in Belfast and backed it up with rapturous celebrations.
7 Gian van Veen
£85,000
Coming off the back of his impressive runner-up finish at the World Championship, there were high hopes for Van Veen heading into his maiden Premier League season. However, he rounded off a poor season for the newcomers as he finished second to last in the standings, five points ahead of Rock.
Despite some strong performances, he could not get over the line to win a night, losing in Newcastle, Glasgow, Belfast, and Manchester at the final hurdle. The young Dutchman was by no means out of his depth, and pushed the top players on multiple occasions, with his most notable victory coming in Manchester, where he beat Littler in a last-leg decider.
6 Michael van Gerwen
£100,000
Van Gerwen has taken a tumble from the exemplary standards fans have held him to for so many years. The Dutchman started the season hot, winning on night one in Newcastle and reaching the final of night two in Antwerp.
The night one win would be his only one as his form then severely dropped off, with points in the next five nights only coming via a bye after Van Veen withdrew from Dublin with kidney stones.
Despite an upturn in form once more, it wasn’t enough for the seven-time Premier League champion, who finished fifth and failed to qualify for finals night for the second year in a row.
5 Stephen Bunting
£115,000
Fan-favourite Bunting was one of the more controversial wildcard picks for the Premier League, after the Englishman finished dead last in the 2025 standings and fell in a shocking third-round defeat to James Hurrell at the World Championship.
The 41-year-old struggled early on, before an impressive victory on night four in Belfast, which included a 6-0 semi-final against Jonny Clayton, who led the standings at the time.
His second win came on the final night in Sheffield, with the bonuses from his two nightly wins enough to pip Van Gerwen in the earnings charts despite finishing below the Dutchman in the league standings.
4 Gerwyn Price
£130,000
Price was having a solid 2025 season until a shocking World Championship campaign saw him fall in the second round at the hands of Wesley Plaisier.
After falling in the PDC Order of Merit, Price was one of four wildcard picks, and did that pick justice with a second Premier League finals appearance in a row.
Midway through his match with Luke Littler, Gerwyn Price was spoken to by the match referee.
The Iceman beat Van Gerwen on night two in Antwerp and Van Veen on night nine in Manchester on his way to finishing fourth, and despite a spirited comeback, he eventually lost 10-9 to Littler in the Premier League finals.
The 2021 world champion has enjoyed an illustrious career, but is still yet to add a Premier League title to his resume.
3 Jonny Clayton
£150,000
Clayton has been knocking on the door of the Premier League for a few years and was a standout performer on his first return since 2023.
The Welshman was a surprising pace setter, winning on night three in Glasgow and coupling it with multiple semi-final appearances. In fact, the 51-year-old only faced defeat six times in the quarter-final stage in a consistent campaign, with second and third nightly wins coming back-to-back in Brighton and Rotterdam.
The 2021 champion finished the season third, but was defeated in his finals semi-final in nail-biting fashion, with Humphries edging it 10-9.
2 Luke Humphries
£180,000
Reigning champion Humphries looked down and out halfway through the season and was at one point second from bottom in the standings.
Cool Hand rallied at the latter end, though, reaching the final in each of the final four nights, finishing runner-up in Aberdeen, Leeds, and Sheffield, and grabbing his sole win in Birmingham, where he defeated Gerwyn Price 6-4.
Humphries reached the final on finals night following a 10-9 victory over Clayton with the hope of becoming a Premier League champion for the second time. Instead, it was his rival and 2024 champion Littler who completed that feat with an 11-10 victory in a usually tense affair.
1 Luke Littler
£410,000
The teenage sensation has added yet another title to an illustrious resume reflecting a man with at least 30 years in the sport, not three.
Every season he has been involved in the Premier League he has finished top of the standings, including a record 45-point haul last season which ultimately ended in defeat to Humphries.
Littler met Humphries in the final for the third year in a row, but this time came out on top to regain the Premier League title, but he did not have it all his own way this season.
The conclusion of the Premier League was all too much for Luke Littler, who broke down during his post-match interview.
The 19-year-old started slowly by his standards and did not pick up his first win until night five in Cardiff. He then went on a tear until the end of the season, winning in Dublin, Berlin, Aberdeen, and Leeds, with his most notable victory coming in Liverpool, where he silenced a hostile crowd and dispatched Clayton 6-1 in the final.
A modern trailblazer in the sport, The Nuke continues to rewrite the history books and tops this year’s earnings table for another title seized from Humphries!
