Tottenham cult hero Steffen Freund believes that Erling Haaland would be the dream signing for Roberto De Zerbi this summer, stating that what Spurs already have in attack is “not good enough”.

Spurs escaped a shock relegation to the Championship by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the Premier League season by beating Everton 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and condemning rivals West Ham to the second tier instead.

De Zerbi has already made hs first move in the summer transfer window – signing a player Spurs almost brought in in January, by agreeing a deal for Andy Robertson to join on a free transfer from Liverpool.

Man City threatened Real Madrid with legal action over Haaland

Having been brought in to rescue the club at the end of March, De Zerbi has been working with a squad that was not his own and he will now want to use the summer transfer window to make his own changes and improvements.

Haaland is never going to make the move from Manchester City to Spurs, with the Citizens threatening Real Madrid with legal action this week after it emerged that presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme said he would sign the Norwegian if he arrived at the club.

But Freund knows that is where Spurs need to strengthen and he even named three players who should probably move on this summer too.

In a blog for Betway, he said: “I would take Erling Haaland, the best striker in the Premier League. Don’t forget, they lost Harry Kane and Heung-min Son. Those two players did a huge job and that’s why Spurs were always in Europe or in the Champions League, even the Champions League final. They came close to silverware, but they were always top six and maybe top four.

Spurs stars are not good enough for De Zerbi

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

“But I think a top striker is so helpful. Ask Vincent Kompany at Bayern [Munich] about Harry Kane. That’s why I would take Haaland, because he’s young, physically strong, and he will score goals.

“You can see it with Richarlison, [Randal] Kolo Muani, [Dominic] Solanke, are they good enough to bring Spurs back to the top six? At the moment, I would say no.

“They were too inconsistent with all of those players, so it is up to De Zerbi to get them back to the top level. Did they play all the games successfully? No. So that is why I would take Haaland.”

Manchester United’s summer rebuild could continue with the acquisition of a new left-back. Newcastle’s Lewis Hall remains high on the wishlist, but Michael Carrick’s side have supposedly identified three potential targets for the position.

All the Manchester United transfer talk thus far has surrounded the midfield, but it seems that the recruitment team have also identified a gap at the left-back position. The experienced Luke Shaw will be the only recognised left-back option once the injury-plagued Tyrell Malacia departs the club upon the expiry of his contract this summer. And with Champions League football beckoning, the Red Devils will need to add depth to support Shaw, who himself is no stranger to injury layoffs.

United do have a versatile left-sided option in Patrick Dorgu, but the 21-year-old is seemingly being developed as a left-winger as opposed to a defensive option. It has been reported by Teamtalk that Hall has emerged as a serious contender for the left-back vacancy at Old Trafford, but it will be difficult to pry the England international away from Newcastle.

Lewis Hall top of the list, but Man Utd eye two further left-back options

The 21-year-old, described as “outstanding” by manager Eddie Howe on a number of occasions, will still be reflecting on his omission from Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, but Hall will be proud of his efforts thus far at Newcastle, having built a quietly impressive reputation since making his initial loan move from Chelsea permanent in 2024. Having featured frequently over the last three seasons, Newcastle have reportedly placed a £60million price tag on the left-back.

However, Hall is not the only left-sided defender on Carrick’s watchlist this summer. Two more young European stars have been linked with United: Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown and Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde.

Brown and Balde, like Hall, both present promising long-term options. Balde has already racked up over a century of appearances for Barcelona, whilst Brown has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Frankfurt. His double-figure goal contributions saw him voted the club’s Player of the Year for 2025/26, establishing himself as Germany’s first choice left-back in the process.

Bayern Munich to battle Man Utd for Brown?

Unsurprisingly, Bayern Munich are providing stiff competition for Brown in his native Germany. Reportedly valued at £55million, Premier League clubs’ willingness to spend more could price Vincent Kompany’s side out of a deal. Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea also remain interested in Brown.

Barcelona started their summer window spending with the arrival of Anthony Gordon, and it’s reported that further high-profile signings are being targeted. And in order to balance the books, Alejandro Balde could find himself leaving the Catalan giants.

Lewis Hall remains United’s top left-back target, but for now, Carrick’s side are keeping their options open. With their first Champions League campaign in three years on the horizon, the summer’s recruitment will prove crucial to United’s longevity on all fronts.

In the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, it feels as if more attacking signings at Manchester United have failed as opposed to succeeding. Names like Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Angel Di Mari, and Rasmus Hojlund all spring to mind as big-money flops at Old Trafford.

The weight of expectation often appears too big a burden for many. For Cristiano Ronaldo, that never seemed to be an issue. After all, he shone for the club under Ferguson between 2003 and 2009 and then returned in 2021, and had no issues finding the back of the net.

Indeed, in the final Premier League season of his first spell, he netted 18 league goals, and then when he turned to England 12 years later, in his first campaign back in the competition, he netted the exact same number of goals.

Ronaldo’s elite mentality is part of what made him so good; it’s also what helped him hold his teammates to the highest standards. With that in mind, one current Man Utd star has now revealed how the Portuguese forward was less than impressed with a former striker.

Ronaldo Knew Man Utd Striker Was ‘Not Gonna Make it’

In a new article written for Players’ Tribune, Diogo Dalot explained how Ronaldo could be a harsh but accurate judge of his teammates if he didn’t feel as though they were doing enough work behind the scenes. The 27-year-old recalled:

It remains unclear who exactly Ronaldo was talking about, as Dalot didn’t want to directly name the player in question. However, the strikers on the club’s books during the 2021/22 season were Mason Greenwood, Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, which suggests the Portuguese star could have been referring to one of the four.

Ronaldo Helped Convince Dalot to Stay at Man Utd After AC Milan Loan

Dalot is obviously a big fan of former club and current international teammate Ronaldo, and explained how the iconic forward helped convince him to return to Old Trafford after spending the 2020/21 season at on loan at AC Milan. The pair had already struck up a friendship while playing for Portugal, and this helped convince the right-back about where his club future would be best served. He recalled:

“Thank God, my idol turned out to be one of the best people I’ve ever met. We would talk for hours in the hotel, in the gym, at the dinner table. At that time, I liked Milan so much that I thought maybe we could make something work. They really wanted me, and I also had meetings with other clubs.

“One day I got a text from Cristiano. ‘Kid, stay. I’m coming back to Manchester.’ He was saying that United is the best club in the world, that we would get back to the top if only we changed a few things. He was going to help me and we’d play a lot of games together.

“I talked to my agent. I talked to [my wife] Claudia. [Jose] Mourinho wanted me there for 10 years. How could we leave after two?”

Dalot has now played 246 games for Man Utd and has a contract which runs until 2028.