Tottenham are set for fresh interest in one of their World Cup stars this summer, and Chelsea may have had a hand in it. Spurs have had a memorable summer transfer window so far, splashing out more than £235million to strengthen their squad and welcoming Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali as well as others.

Roberto De Zerbi is expected to turn Spurs into a side ready to qualify for Europe, and he is being given money to spend to transform a squad that has finished in the bottom half in back-to-back seasons. But while the spending has taken up all of Tottenham’s window so far, there will be exits.

Spurs will have to balance the spending, at least somewhat, and there are players who are going to want to leave the club this summer, while others may get their head turned by other teams.

Inter Milan join race for Tottenham’s Djed Spence

England World Cup star Djed Spence is attracting attention this summer, with Everton and Liverpool having already been linked, while there is now said to be fresh competition. According to reports in Italy, as detailed by Football Italia, Inter Milan are now considering a deal for Spence as they look to solve their right-back need this summer. Inter are said to have been on track to sign Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra only for Chelsea to hijack the deal, and that has led them back into the market.

Nahuel Molina and Brooke Norton-Cuffy are also said to be under consideration, but as is Spence, who has a reported asking price of £40million this summer. Spurs will want to keep the versatile full-back, who is enjoying a solid World Cup for England, largely playing off the bench.

Spence is becoming a reliable player

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Brett Davis

Spence’s development at Tottenham has not been linear, and it once looked as though his Spurs career was over before it had really begun. But the full-back has slowly become more dependable, and he was one of the more reliable players last season. A BBC Sport report of Spence’s performances back in February read: “He has even been playing out of position – fielded at left-back to fill in for Destiny Udogie when he is more naturally a right-back. Admittedly, there have been plenty of defeats on his watch, but Spence has held his own and the stats bear witness to his impact.

“Among defenders, only the combative Cristian Romero has a better duel success percentage this season in the Premier League for Tottenham – from exactly the same number of duels (the joint-third most for the team). Even more striking is the number of times he has been dribbled past – or not.

“His record of being beaten only three times is the best of any Tottenham defender. Compare that with his full-back rivals Udogie and Pedro Porro (even though they have played more minutes than Spence), and his ability in one-on-one situations is emphasised.”

After Spence’s impressive cameo for England against Norway, Rio Ferdinand posted on X: “DJED SPENCE – respect. People need to put some respect on his name!”

After Spain’s 2-0 win over France in Tuesday night’s World Cup semi-final, fans are waxing lyrical about one player in particular who ‘deserves a Ballon d’Or‘ for his ‘masterclass’ performance in Dallas, Texas.

The European champions are through to a second major international tournament final in a row after their pass-to-death philosophy under Luis De La Fuente suffocated the clear favourites for glory on Sunday. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring with a penalty in the 22nd minute, and their relentless possession forced a second goal through Pedro Porro on the hour-mark.

It was also a fixture that finally saw Lamine Yamal return to form, as he proved a constant nightmare for the French defenders. But it’s another player who has everyone talking about him in the fallout, despite him not currently being considered for the mantle of the best player of the past 12 months.

World Cup Fans Claim Spain Player Deserves Ballon d’Or – Not Lamine Yamal

Hannah McKay via Reuters

There’s no better way to describe the Euro 2024 winners’ playing style than ‘death by a thousand cuts’, and while that can often be a laborious watch for some as they aim to slowly put their opponents to sleep, enthusiasts couldn’t help but lay special praise on Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who looked like he was back to his very best again this week, despite still recovering from an ACL injury.

One X user called him a “monster” while another claimed Rodri had “swallowed the French players.” Meanwhile, a third remarked: “Spain proving the midfield is the most important part of the pitch. What Rodri is doing to them should not be televised, as a fourth added:

In his dominant 90-minute performance at the base of a midfield that once again had no Pedri in it after his boss decided to keep him on the bench, Rodri completed 87 per cent of his passes, won four tackles, all four of his aerial duels, made 15 progressive carries, and made two clearances.

There’s no wonder some users also called him a “special, special midfielder”, as another X user concluded: “Rodri is back to his very best, there’s no DM/CM at his level, none of them can sit on the same table as him. He is in a world of his own. All your Rice, Pedri and Vitinha are no match for Rodri. Beast If Spain wins the World Cup, he should just be given the Ballon d’Or.”

Spain Through to Second Major International Final in a Row

La Roja have exploded into life at the perfect time this summer, with everything clicking into place on Tuesday night to prove they could be building a dynasty following their European Championship success just two years ago.

En-route to the final, which will see them face either Argentina or England at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday night, Spain have only conceded once all tournament. Should they keep a clean sheet at the weekend, they will set a new record for fewest goals conceded at a World Cup previously held by themselves in the 2010 edition (2), as well as Italy in 2006 and France in 1998.

For their opponents, they will face an unenviable task of not only trying to get the ball past Unai Simon and his near-faultless defence, but merely getting the ball off Spain in the first place will take some doing.

Didier Deschamps’ reign as France boss ended in defeat to Spain and he has been left seething with Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton.

A 2-0 loss at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday meant there was to be no fairytale ending at the World Cup for Deschamps. His Les Bleus were deservedly beaten by La Roja thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal (22′ P) and Pedro Porro (58′).

Deschamps leaves his role as manager in bittersweet fashion ahead of Zinedine Zidane’s arrival as the country’s new coach. The 57-year-old has slammed Barton and questioned his appointment as referee for such a high-profile game.

‘Good Enough?’ – Deschamps Takes Swipe at Referee

Marco Betto via Action Images via IMAGN/Reuters

Deschamps has been in charge of France since the summer of 2012 and oversaw his nation’s World Cup win in 2018. He was looking to end his tenure as a world champion but will have to settle for a potential third-place finish.

The Frenchman took issue with several calls made during the semi-final when speaking after the game. He said (via L’Equipe): “Then I ask a question, and I’m not going to answer it: ‘Is the referee good enough to officiate a World Cup semi-final?’ And I’m not saying this because we lost today but there were certain situations… Often unfavorable to us as well.”

Deschamps did acknowledge that his side were “a bit below par and less dangerous offensively.” They were favourites heading into the game, but Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise were noticeably not at their best.

The departing France boss said although it “hurts”, he and his team “have to accept it.” He’s looking ahead to the third-place match, which will come up against Argentina or England, who collide in the other semi-final tomorrow night.

Although Deschamps didn’t specify which decisions he felt went against the French, there were some big calls. Spain were awarded a penalty after Lucas Digne unintentionally kicked Lamine Yamal.

Barton Unworthy of World Cup Semi-Final?

Jerome Miron via Action Images via IMAGN/Reuters

Barton had taken charge of three games at the World Cup before officiating tonight’s semi-final between France and Spain. His most recent outing saw him referee Switzerland’s Round fo 16 penalty shootout win over Colombia.

The 35-year-old became the first referee to send a player off for covering their mouth while talking to an opponent. He sent Miguel Almiron off during Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Turkiye in the group stages.

The line he gave when dishing out the red card after VAR intervened and he reviewed the incident has gone viral. He said, “After review, number 10, Paraguay, cover his mouth, decision is red card.”

There was no sending off in France’s defeat to Spain despite Barton’s track record of strict discipline. This is his second appearance at a World Cup, having officiated at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.