Tottenham Hotspur’s next three transfer targets have been named by Football London correspondent Alasdair Gold, after the club completed their fourth summer signing with the addition of Martin Dubravka.

Tottenham chiefs are on it, and they need to be after narrowly avoiding a disastrous relegation to the Championship on the final day of last season.

Spurs brought in Roberto De Zerbi on a long-term contract, and they know they need to seriously back him in the transfer market to improve an underperforming squad, if he is to lead them back up the Premier League standings.

Dubravka was the third player to move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a free transfer this summer after Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi, and with Jan Paul van Hecke also joining and Pedro Porro signing a new long-term deal, the north London outfit’s defence is shaping up nicely ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

De Zerbi wants more ambitious additions further forward to make a serious push next term, with at least two central midfielders and potentially up to three attackers wanted after the business they’ve already completed.

Midfield in particular appears to be the main priority in recent days, as Tottenham look to send out a statement to their top flight rivals.

Gold Names Next Three Tottenham Targets

The next part of Tottenham’s squad overhaul will be in midfield, with Gold confirming that talks are ongoing over a deal for Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali.

The Football London journalist claims that any move for the Italian will set Spurs back around £100m, but the 26-year-old has emerged as the manager’s key target for the position.

Tottenham are also keen on a move to sign Mateus Fernandes from London neighbours West Ham United, although they face stiff competition from Manchester United in the race for the wantaway Portugal international.

Finally, the north Londoners are still interested in bringing Savinho to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having failed in their attempt to sign the Brazilian from Manchester City last summer.

via Reuters

Tottenham have made surprise contact with Chelsea over a deal to sign striker Liam Delap, as De Zerbi looks to add a new centre-forward to his squad ahead of next season.

It is said that a Stamford Bridge exit for the 23-year-old is now a possibility following a difficult debut season with the Blues following his move from Ipswich Town.

Delap only found the net twice across the 2025-26 campaign, although that hasn’t stopped Spurs making an enquiry over his availability.

Chelsea are said to be looking for £40m to sell the player they signed for £30m 12 months ago, but the fee is putting off potential suitors.

Tottenham currently have Dominic Solanke and Richarlison as their main centre-forward options heading into next season, although the latter has long been linked with a move away from Spurs and could finally leave this summer.

Spurs must also decide what they do with the highly-rated Will Lankshear, who impressed on loan at Oxford United last term.

The 2026 World Cup could have yet more travel complications beyond the group stages as Ghana’s Thomas Partey faces being blocked from featuring in his country’s first knockout match, according to The Sun.

The Black Stars are almost guaranteed a place in the Round of 32 after picking up four points from their first two fixtures. A narrow victory against Panama and a goalless draw with England mean Ghana could finish either first, second or third in Group L.

Partey started in the England game, but he may not be allowed to feature for his team in the next round, depending on their final position. The 33-year-old is awaiting trial in the UK on rape and sexual assault charges. He has denied all allegations.

Thomas Partey’s World Cup Future in Doubt

Should Ghana beat Croatia in their final group game and overcome England’s goal difference in the process, the Africans would top Group L. That’d set up a Round of 32 tie with one of the best third-placed teams from Groups E, H, I, J or K.

Partey would be able to play in that game as it’d take place in the United States, just like the England draw. It would be played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

However, there will be complications if they finish as runners-up in the group. The midfielder had to sit out of his nation’s first match against Panama after being denied a visa to enter Canada due to his ongoing case.

A second-placed finish would see Ghana play against either Portugal or Colombia at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario. It’s likely the ex-Arsenal man would again be blocked from entering the country.

Kansas City would be the venue hosting Ghana in the first knockout round if they end up finishing third. That would see Partey available to Carlos Queiroz for selection.

Partey Handshake Snubbed By England’s Djed Spence

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Ahead of his first appearance at this year’s World Cup, all attention was on whether every England player would shake Partey’s hand. Tottenham’s Djed Spence appeared to be the only Three Lions member to avoid the pre-match routine.

The English Football Association originally took time to consider whether they’d make the players’ decision for them before the match. But in the end, they left it up to each individual on whether they wanted to acknowledge their opponent or not.

Partey was asked about the incident in the mixed zone following the draw, but did not provide an answer.

Lionel Messi’s World Cup triumph with Argentina in 2022 and his multiple Copa America titles stand as some of the proudest achievements of his career, yet they might never have happened had he not made a crucial decision back in 2016.

After another agonising final defeat that summer, a devastated Messi told the world his time with the national team was over, convinced he had given everything he had to give without reward.

Had he stuck to that call, the Argentina career now remembered as one of the greatest in football history would simply not exist.

Lionel Messi’s 2016 Argentina Retirement Explained

Messi’s announcement came moments after Argentina’s penalty shootout defeat to Chile in the 2016 Copa America Centenario final, an off-schedule tournament arranged to mark 100 years of the tournament.

It was a result that condemned the then-29-year-old to a fourth major final loss with his country and third in a row, following the 2007 Copa America final, then the 2014 World Cup final defeat to Germany, before another Copa America defeat in 2015. In the immediate aftermath, a visibly devastated Messi told reporters:

He was adamant in the moment that there was no going back on the decision, framing it as final rather than a knee-jerk reaction to defeat.

Messi’s frustration ran deeper than the final losses. He had become increasingly unhappy with the running of Argentine football behind the scenes, having taken aim at the Argentine Football Association publicly after the squad endured a lengthy delay travelling to the final, where he labelled them a “disaster.”

Back home, the reaction to his announcement was one of shock, with fans taking to the streets with signs urging him to reconsider. Goalkeeper Sergio Romero was among those to speak out, suggesting Messi’s comments had come from raw emotion in the heat of the moment and admitting he could not picture the national side without him.

Even long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo urged him to reconsider:

Fans and pundits across the football world shared that hope, with much of the coverage treating the retirement as a passionate outburst rather than a permanent goodbye. Nobody was ready to see him go so soon, and they got their wish.

What Happened Since Messi Changed his Mind

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Messi’s international exile lasted barely two months. Ahead of a pair of World Cup qualifiers later that summer, he issued a statement reversing his decision, citing his love for the country and the shirt as too strong to walk away from.

He explained that his intention had never been to cause harm to Argentine football, and that he preferred to help fix its problems rather than criticise from the outside, while thanking supporters who had urged him to stay.

The U-turn changed the course of his career entirely. Five years later, Messi led Argentina to Copa America glory in 2021, before lifting the World Cup itself in 2022, in what was one of the best matches ever played at a World Cup. He added a further Copa America title in 2024 and, individually, has now scored over 120 goals in more than 200 appearances for his country.

An international career that briefly looked finished at 29, instead turned into the most decorated spell of Messi’s international career, and all but sealed the argument for Messi being the best footballer of all-time to many, all built on a decision he reversed within weeks of making it.