Tottenham’s bold summer spending has cost one of last season’s most important players his place in the team. Spurs are among the biggest spenders in world football this summer, already committing more than £200million to new signings, and the spending will not end there.

Roberto De Zerbi was promised a big budget, and he is getting exactly that, with Spurs quickly signing Andy Robertson, Marcos Sensesi and Jan Paul van Hecke. They have now added to those signings with the deals to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85million and Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United for £92million.

It is a huge statement from Tottenham, who have rarely dug deep into their pocket, but back-to-back bottom-half finishes appear to have served as a real wake-up call. Fans will be delighted with the investment, but it is not good news for everyone.

Palhinha set to miss out on Tottenham move

via Reuters

Joao Palhinha was a crucial player for Tottenham last season, arriving on loan and proving to be one of the very few bright lights in an otherwise forgettable campaign. The Portugal international battled admirably even during the more difficult times, but Spurs decided not to take up the £26million option to buy they held in the loan deal, which was seen as a very affordable total due to Bayern Munich previously paying £47.4million to sign the midfielder from Fulham.

But according to Tom Barclay and Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham have now decided to move on from Palhinha, opting not to return to Bayern with a fresh approach following their two statement midfield signings.

Romano posted on X: “João Palhinha will not stay at Spurs this summer despite his desire to continue at the club. The decision has been made after Tonali and Mateus Fernandes signings, as @TomBarclay_reports.”

De Zerbi wanted to keep Palhinha

The strange thing about the Palhinha decision is that De Zerbi stated he wanted to sign the midfielder when speaking towards the end of last season. He said: “100%. We have to start from this type of person. We need reliable people as well as reliable players and Palhinha is one of the best. I want to see players with the same attitude, with the same passion, with the same spirit and personality. We are lucky to have Palhinha with us.”

Ultimately, though, the arrivals of Tonali and Fernandes likely push Palhinha out of the team, and Spurs also have Rodrigo Bentancur in the middle, along with Pape Matar Sarr and Conor Gallagher. Given a free choice, Palhinha might have been kept over one of those players, but given he was only on loan, it is a safer option to not sign the Portugal international and avoid being forced to try to sell one of the existing options.

Manchester United have a new goalkeeper target, and it is a familiar face. The Red Devils have a few key needs this summer as they look to build on the momentum built up with their third-place finish last season. Michael Carrick is being given money to spend, and he has made a start with the capture of Ederson, but the search for a Casemiro replacement is proving a frustrating one so far.

United came up short in the race to sign West Ham star Mateus Fernandes, who is to join Tottenham, and that particular search will now go on. But outside of that, Carrick is searching for a versatile attacker and a new back-up goalkeeper.

Onana to leave Man Utd this summer

United are set to offload Andre Onana on a loan deal, with BBC Sport reporting that the stopper is close to joining Turkish club Trabzonspor on a season-long loan deal. They claim the deal is 90% done at this stage, with the former Old Trafford number one going elsewhere for regular football. Onana was signed by United as a number one, costing £47.2million, but while he was capable of top-end saves, he made mistakes too often and showed struggles in reading the game.

Senne Lammens has won the number one spot having proven himself a safe pair of hands, but United will reshuffle the goalkeeping department with a new number two. According to TalkSport, United would prefer a homegrown option, given it satisfies matchday squad rules.

Man Utd work on Johnstone return

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With that in mind, TalkSport report that United are working on bringing Sam Johnstone back to the club after eight years. The 33-year-old came through at United before leaving in 2018 having never made a Premier League appearance, spending the best part of seven years out on loan.

The 6ft4″ keeper has since spent four years at West Brom’s number one, then making 29 league appearances over two years for Crystal Palace and most recently making 19 league appearances for Wolves since 2024.

The report claims Johnstone is keen to leave Wolves after their relegation from the Premier League, but he is under contract until 2028.

Ability-wise, Johnstone is realistically a bottom-half Premier League goalkeeper, but many clubs are now opting for a big drop-off between their number one and number two to have a clear number one and save money on their alternative. Arsenal, for instance, have carried Kepa as their number two, well aware that the drop from David Raya is a significant one.

Johnstone could go elsewhere and be a starter in all likelihood, especially in the Championship, but he may settle for a back-up spot on the Man Utd bench to return to his home club and enjoy a taste of top-end football. He may also want to give himself a chance of finally landing an Old Trafford Premier League start, which is not out of the question in a long season when injuries and suspensions inevitably happen, even for goalkeepers.

Harry Kane has fired a warning shot ahead of England’s last-16 date with Mexico, admitting there is nothing the Three Lions can do to counter one huge disadvantage awaiting them in Mexico City.

England’s captain was speaking after another dramatic night in the World Cup, rescuing Thomas Tuchel’s side from a shock defeat to DR Congo with a five-minute double that also saw him move above Pele on the all-time World Cup scoring charts.

England trailed DR Congo for over an hour, thanks to Brian Cipenga’s early strike, until Kane’s intervention turned the game on its head, but the celebrations were short-lived once talk turned to what comes next.

Mexico await in the last 16, and this one comes with a built-in obstacle no amount of quality can fix.

Kane Fears England Can’t Overcome Azteca Altitude

Pawel Andrachiewicz / PressFocus via Reuters Connect

That obstacle is the Estadio Azteca, sitting roughly 2,240 metres above sea level and previously the stage for the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals.

Mexico have lost just twice in 89 competitive matches there, and Kane fears his side simply won’t have time to adjust to conditions before kickoff. Kane said after his latest goalscoring heroics:

Sports scientists generally suggest a week or two of acclimatisation is needed for the body to adjust to an altitude of that magnitude, something England have no chance of replicating given they only have four days between fixtures.

Thomas Tuchel Accepts England Won’t Be Ready in Time

Kai Pfaffenbach via Reuters

Tuchel was just as candid, admitting there’s no getting around the physical reality his players face. Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “We will not be ready; we will arrive one day early, but we will not be ready because you cannot be ready in terms of adaptation. The body cannot adapt in three days’ time; it’s just impossible.

England, who are based in Kansas City, won’t touch down in Mexico until the weekend, while El Tri arrive unbeaten in 26 games at the Azteca after seeing off Ecuador.

Thunderstorms are forecast for kickoff, and Mexican supporters have already shown their willingness to disrupt opposition preparations, with fireworks set off outside Ecuador’s team hotel before their own visit to the stadium.

Tuchel, though, insists his players won’t use any of it as an excuse. “Bring it on,” he said. “It’s a very beautiful and exciting fixture. There will be lots of obstacles, but this team will be ready, whatever it takes.”