Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou wants to sign a central midfielder this summer.
Spurs have already signed Archie Gray from Leeds United in the transfer window but they are determined to add more players to the squad, particularly a midfielder.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has left the club to join Marseille and Spurs feel midfield is a position they need to address this summer.
According to a new report, Tottenham have joined Fulham in the race to sign Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay.
Sunday Times journalist Duncan Castles has reported that Spurs are interested in a deal to sign the Man United midfielder, who scored seven Premier League goals for the Red Devils last season.
McTominay spent most of last season on the bench and even when Erik ten Hag used him, the Scotland international came on from the bench instead of getting starts.
With the Red Devils looking to sign a new central midfielder this summer, game time will be hard for the 27-year-old boyhood Man United fan next season.
The Premier League giants have transfer listed McTominay and Fulham have shown the most interest in signing the player this summer.
They have already had a bid rejected for the midfielder but they plan to make an offer Man United cannot refuse.
Man United are reportedly asking for £40m to let the midfielder leave the club this summer.
It remains to be seen if Tottenham will be able to offer that price but a move to the Tottenham Stadium would be better for the midfielder’s career than a move to Fulham.
Scott McTominay should prefer Tottenham over Fulham
Under Ange Postecoglou, McTominay can develop into an even better player if he is given the right amount of chances.
Spurs will challenge for a place in the Champions League by fighting for the top four next season and the Man United player is going to have the luxury to play with better players as compared to Fulham.
McTominay’s contract at Old Trafford expires next summer and the club feel it is the right time to cash in on the player to avoid the risk of losing him for free.
Former Man United boss Jose Mourinho is a fan of the midfielder and described the Scotland international as “my boy” while talking to Rio Ferdinand on YouTube channel Five, as reported
Every word Ange Postecoglou said about Yang Min-hyeok, Mikey Moore, Richarlison and Udogie
Here’s every word the Tottenham Hotspur boss said on Tuesday ahead of the match against Team K League in Seoul, South Korea
You’ve signed Yang Min-hyeok, could you tell us a little bit about the new signing?
We’re delighted to have him as part of the club, somebody who was identified by our scouting department. A young talented player and we’re looking always to not just for the present but for the future. He’s shown great promise and we’re looking forward to having him as part of the club. Once he’s finished his commitments with his club. now.
What can you say to the Korean fans and Sonny is also very popular here, what you think of his popularity here?
We had a fantastic welcome. We know how admired Sonny is in his own country and it’s a privilege to share that with him. We can see the love that the people have for him. I think it goes beyond what a player he is, it’s the kind of person he is and as I said we’re privileged to share that with him and it’s a special occasion for everyone, the players, the staff and we’re looking forward to training today in front of a big crowd and the game tomorrow. We owe it to that support to make sure we put on a good performance, because the love and admiration they show to Sonny flows through to the football club and we feel privileged in that.
You experienced a lot of Korean football, especially when you were in charge of Australian football, and you’ve just signed Yang, what are your thoughts on Korean football?
Obviously from when we first arrived I’ve stayed close to Sonny because I wasn’t sure what reception I would get after beating him in the Asian Cup final. I’ve always had a positive outlook on Asian football. Obviously I had the experience in Japan, not just with the national team, playing in the Asian Champions League against Korean sides and I’ve always thought there was a lot of talent here. I think the league is strong and from my perspective, when I eventually got to Europe and managed there I always thought there was great possibilities of talented players from this side of the world, and Korea in particular, of making it here in Europe. That’s already happened. You’ve already seen some fantastic Korean players making really significant impacts in European football, obviously led by Sonny, and I think there’s more to come.
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When I was at Celtic we ended up signing Hyeon-gyu Oh and there were other players we were looking at, so I’ve always had a really positive impression of Korean football and it was always a challenge, whether it was the national team or Champions League, I knew that when we played against a Korean side that it was a strong challenge and sometimes I didn’t win, but I did win the big one and I was happy with that.
How can you compare the talents you coached in Japan with the ones in Korea, like working now with Sonny?
I don’t look at it that way. To me they’re all players. Where they come from is not as important to me. Always working with players, to me it’s what kind of people they are, what sort of mindset they have. What I do know is that when you leave your home country and in particular you’re going from Asia to Europe there’s a big challenge there from a cultural perspective and a lifestyle perspective. It really needs a strong mentality. It doesn’t matter where they come from, whether it’s Japan or Korea or Australia where I’m from, you need to have a really strong mentality to go to Europe, especially in the top leagues, because sometimes it’s not as welcoming as you think.
You’re competing for spots and people are competitive of that. I think I’ve found, particularly over the past 10 or 15 years, that players over this side of the world, doesn’t matter what country they’re from, they prepare themselves for that. They learn the language, they understand it’s going to be different culture and they’re prepared to accept that. But once they get to me I just see footballers, not where they come from. I’ve been blessed to work in different countries and all around the world and it helps me develop as a person by meeting people from different countries and cultures and learning from them as much as they learn from me. That’s the most important thing.
What’s the latest team news and when will you get Richarlison and Destiny Udogie back?
From the other night, everyone is ok. Timo is available. Ben Davies got through the game ok so he’s fine. Ash Phillips has pulled up a bit sore yesterday so I’m not sure on him tomorrow. Radu has joined us for this Korean leg and he’s trained the past couple of days. Destiny will train today, he obviously won’t play tomorrow but he’s back in training, which is good. Richy is still a few days away. Really from the other night, really a similar sort of squad to select from.
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You’ve coached a lot of young players and you’ve got Mikey Moore who’s coming up, what kind of message do you give these young players to reach their high level?
In coaching terms and working with young players, the most important thing is the environment you set up for them and what they came into. That means the moment they come into the dressing room, the kind of dressing room you have with the senior players and the way we train and the way we talk. We try to teach them as much about life as we do about football because obviously for a lot of them and you mention Mikey Moore, he’s only 16. He’s got so much growth as a footballer but also as a person. We try to provide the environment which allows him to be the best that he can be and then it’s up to the player. Once you provide that environment it’s up to the player to keep driving on and not be satisfied.
You’ve just heard Sonny at 32-years-old and he’s done just about everything in the game but they still think they can improve. You have to have that mindset, whether you’re 16 or 32, or god forbid you’re 58 like me, you can always improve. If you have that mindset, particularly in football, but in elite sport, it doesn’t always guarantee you’ll be successful but it guarantees you’ll get the maximum out of your career.
The beauty for me is we have a lot of young players, but alongside Sonny, players like Ben Davies and other experienced players who set the right example every day. That’s important.
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You experienced a lot of Korean football, especially when you were in charge of Australian football, and you’ve just signed Yang, what are your thoughts on Korean football?
Obviously from when we first arrived I’ve stayed close to Sonny because I wasn’t sure what reception I would get after beating him in the Asian Cup final. I’ve always had a positive outlook on Asian football. Obviously I had the experience in Japan, not just with the national team, playing in the Asian Champions League against Korean sides and I’ve always thought there was a lot of talent here. I think the league is strong and from my perspective, when I eventually got to Europe and managed there I always thought there was great possibilities of talented players from this side of the world, and Korea in particular, of making it here in Europe. That’s already happened. You’ve already seen some fantastic Korean players making really significant impacts in European football, obviously led by Sonny, and I think there’s more to come.
When I was at Celtic we ended up signing Hyeon-gyu Oh and there were other players we were looking at, so I’ve always had a really positive impression of Korean football and it was always a challenge, whether it was the national team or Champions League, I knew that when we played against a Korean side that it was a strong challenge and sometimes I didn’t win, but I did win the big one and I was happy with that.
How can you compare the talents you coached in Japan with the ones in Korea, like working now with Sonny?
I don’t look at it that way. To me they’re all players. Where they come from is not as important to me. Always working with players, to me it’s what kind of people they are, what sort of mindset they have. What I do know is that when you leave your home country and in particular you’re going from Asia to Europe there’s a big challenge there from a cultural perspective and a lifestyle perspective. It really needs a strong mentality. It doesn’t matter where they come from, whether it’s Japan or Korea or Australia where I’m from, you need to have a really strong mentality to go to Europe, especially in the top leagues, because sometimes it’s not as welcoming as you think.
You’re competing for spots and people are competitive of that. I think I’ve found, particularly over the past 10 or 15 years, that players over this side of the world, doesn’t matter what country they’re from, they prepare themselves for that. They learn the language, they understand it’s going to be different culture and they’re prepared to accept that. But once they get to me I just see footballers, not where they come from. I’ve been blessed to work in different countries and all around the world and it helps me develop as a person by meeting people from different countries and cultures and learning from them as much as they learn from me. That’s the most important thing.
What’s the latest team news and when will you get Richarlison and Destiny Udogie back?
From the other night, everyone is ok. Timo is available. Ben Davies got through the game ok so he’s fine. Ash Phillips has pulled up a bit sore yesterday so I’m not sure on him tomorrow. Radu has joined us for this Korean leg and he’s trained the past couple of days. Destiny will train today, he obviously won’t play tomorrow but he’s back in training, which is good. Richy is still a few days away. Really from the other night, really a similar sort of squad to select from.
You’ve coached a lot of young players and you’ve got Mikey Moore who’s coming up, what kind of message do you give these young players to reach their high level?
In coaching terms and working with young players, the most important thing is the environment you set up for them and what they came into. That means the moment they come into the dressing room, the kind of dressing room you have with the senior players and the way we train and the way we talk. We try to teach them as much about life as we do about football because obviously for a lot of them and you mention Mikey Moore, he’s only 16. He’s got so much growth as a footballer but also as a person. We try to provide the environment which allows him to be the best that he can be and then it’s up to the player. Once you provide that environment it’s up to the player to keep driving on and not be satisfied.
You’ve just heard Sonny at 32-years-old and he’s done just about everything in the game but they still think they can improve. You have to have that mindset, whether you’re 16 or 32, or god forbid you’re 58 like me, you can always improve. If you have that mindset, particularly in football, but in elite sport, it doesn’t always guarantee you’ll be successful but it guarantees you’ll get the maximum out of your career.
The beauty for me is we have a lot of young players, but alongside Sonny, players like Ben Davies and other experienced players who set the right example every day. That’s important
