White Hot Lines

31.5.2000

  England tonight beat Ukraine 2-0.  Sol Campbell had a solid game after an edgy start playing alongside Adams and Southgate as three centre-halves, but had a much better second half.  Sergei Rebrov rarely received the service he would have liked, but seemed intent on setting up Andrei Shevchenko rather than having a go himself.  He showed enough good control and awareness to indicate that he will be a good signing.

  Chelsea have signed Tottenham striker target Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink for £14 million.  They are also being linked with a move for another rumoured Tottenham target of the past, Real Betis' Nigerian international Finidi George for £3.5 million.
  It also looks like Spurs will not be signing David Johnson of Ipswich Town, as he now looks likely to see out at least one year of his remaining three at Portman Road in the Premiership.

  Sergei Rebrov has said that he intends to help Tottenham be Champions of the Premier league, even though they only finished tenth last season !!  He spoke of his love for amateur radio and also fishing (is he another Gazza ??).  He felt that England would be a better option for him on the field as it is less vicious and more dynamic than Italian calcio, but off the field, the slower pace of life appealed rather than the hustle and bustle of other nations.

  A successful Under-21 European championships is helping Ledley King back after missing most of the season just gone with injuries to his ankle and foot.  He hopes it will get him a regular chance of getting into the first team, having played the last two matches of the season for Spurs.  He revealed that his nickname is "Sol".

  Ian Walker has said that he is still the number 1 at Tottenham.  On his website, he has stated that he has that opinion until someone tells him otherwise.  The signing of Sullivan has made him look forward to next season all the more and he is looking forward to the challenge for the keeper's jersey too.  Having just returned from Marbella, he will be jetting off to Barbados soon.  During the summer, it is one of his ambitions to reduce his handicap ... at golf.

  It is expected that Sergei Rebrov and Neil Sullivan will be introduced as Spurs players at a press conference tomorrow at 11.30 a.m.

  The Alan Quinn (Sheffield Wednesday) rumour has started up again as Spurs are among a number of teams looking at the young Irish midfielder.  However, the Owls will want around £2 million for him, while Spurs are only offering £1 million.

  West Ham United are keen to take John Scales to Upton Park to replace the hole left by another ex-Spur, Neil Ruddock, who is expected to leave the club before the start of the season.
  A French forward with an English style, Pascal Nouma of Lens, has apparently been having talks with Tottenham about a £2 million move to England.  The player was at Paris St. Germain with David Ginola and at 28, represents a reasonably priced purchase, despite his bad boy reputation.  His club are coincidently looking at South African Shaun Bartlett as a replacement ... a player Tottenham were often linked with back in the early part of the year.
  Spurs will be sending a full first team side to play Peterborough United on August 8th and a Spurs XI will play at Dulwich Hamlet on August 5th.  An away pre-season friendly at Birmingham City is on the cards for Saturday July 29th.
  Gary Doherty has been added to the Republic of Ireland squad to travel to America for the US Cup tournament.
  David Pleat has denied that there is any truth in the rumour linking Tottenham with a move for Karanka of Real Madrid.

30.5.2000

  It is rumoured in the Mirror newspaper that Neil Sullivan has  a clause in his contract that says he can leave the club for just £1 million if he fails to establish himself as the first choice goalkeeper.  The story no doubt reflects the fact that he has not been guaranteed a first team spot by GG.  The story goes on to further link Ian Walker with a move to Southampton.

  Sol Campbell has said he wants to concentrate on England for the moment, but after the Euro 2000 championships, he will start again with the Spurs management although it is really up to the manager and chairman.  He is also keen to check out new signing Sergei Rebrov in the friendly against Ukraine tomorrow night.   He admitted that he does not know too much about the player, but described him as a bit "tricky".  His signing along with that of keeper Sullivan is viewed by Sol as a "start for us", but added that it was a long summer and he would see how things went.

  David Pleat confirmed that Sergei Rebrov will be a Spurs player and that he has now been granted a work permit, so will be introduced on Thursday after the England game at Wembley.  He has been allocated a squad number for next season - believed to be 11 after a picture of him holding that shirt appeared in the News of the World at the weekend.  The player collected his Ukraine FA Cup medal on Saturday in a 1-0 win, but will not take part in the remaining five League matches in his home country.  He has admitted two things for which he might receive criticism.  One that the money was a major factor in him coming to Tottenham and secondly, that his Mum used to make him do ballet lessons in tights, but this did improve his balance for which he is grateful now !!

  Rumours are rife that George Graham will intensify his efforts to bring Ben Thatcher to Tottenham from relegated Wimbledon.  The left-back is thought to be the main target for Spurs' third signing of the summer.

  Neil Sullivan played for Scotland against the Republic of Ireland tonight in Dublin.  The Scots won 2-1 at Lansdowne Road and Sullivan was beaten early on by a deflected free-kick, but made a last minute stop to deny the home side, who had Stephen Carr at right back.

29.5.2000

  Espen Baardsen is expected to miss out on being included in the Norway Euro 2000, Steffen Iversen should make the 22.

  Meanwhile, Iversen has revealed that he tried to get the club to rest him for a couple of games as he was suffering from 'flu and other injuries, but he had to carry on as there were few striking alternatives available for selection. 

  The Carling Opta Team Of The Season includes Sol Campbell and Stephen Carr.  The rating system which gives marks for almost every aspect of the game put these two top in their positions for the season just passed.
  Luke Young and Ledley King both played for England Under-21's tonight against Turkey in the European Championships.  The side recorded a 6-0 win and Ledley headed the fourth from a cross following a short corner.
  Steffen Iversen has revealed that he felt a pain in his groin after scoring in the friendly against Slovakia, but hoped that it would clear to allow him to train again on Wednesday.

28.5.2000

  Neil Sullivan has said he wants to be Tottenham's No.1 and although he was disappointed to leave Wimbledon he has come to a big club with ambition and potential.  In a News of the World interview he has been given no promises about who will be first choice, but re-iterated that he has not just signed to come and sit on the bench.

  Ugo Ehiogu has revealed in the News of the World that he cannot stay at Aston Villa any longer.  The manager will not speak to him and he feels that after 9 years at the club he has become a bit of a fixture, so wants to move on.  Leeds United, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham are believed to be watching the situation with great interest.  He is valued at around £6 million.

  There is great concern at Tottenham as to whether George Graham will be fit for the start of the season.  He has gone to Barbados for a holiday to recuperate from the illness he suffered at the end of the season, but there are worries that he may still be less than 100% when the new season comes around.

  The News of the World have cast doubt on whether the signing of Sergei Rebrov will now go through.  Tottenham are confident of completing the deal, with a work permit expected this week, but the report says that Dynamo Kiev are still trying to offload the striker to clubs around Europe if they can come up with  £15 million rather than the figure of £11 million that Spurs have offered.  The Ukrainian club feel that they are underselling the international striker for the price agreed with Spurs.  The good thing was that a picture of Rebrov wearing Spurs hat and shirt did appear.  The player himself said  that there may be some surprise that he has signed for Tottenham, but the ambition of the club and the prospect of playing on the big stage of the Premiership appealed to him.  David Pleat stated that the player still belongs to Kiev, but was hopeful the deal would go ahead with a 5% chance another club could come in and sign him.  That isn't really the sort of odds you want to hear, as it is 5% more than I would like.

  Reports today claim Montpellier's Cameroon 27 year old midfielder Marcel Mahouve will come to Tottenham on a week's trial with a view to a permanent move. He is expected to play a series of friendlies before the management make a decision on his future.  His side were relegated last season and he also picked up nine yellow cards in 15 games !!

  Unfortunately, Gary Doherty suffered a broken nose in yesterday's Republic of Ireland Under-21 international in the Toulouse tournament yesterday.  He may miss their last group game on Monday against Portugal.

  Willem Korsten has said that he is looking forward to next season after an injury ridden first term at Tottenham.  
  Steffen Iversen strained a thigh muscle playing for Norway against Slovakia in yesterday's friendly match and this casts doubts over his inclusion in his country's Euro 2000 squad.  Both player and coach hope for a rapid recovery and the team doctor has boosted Stef by saying the manager should pick him for the tournament.
  Spurs are believed to be looking at bringing Mario Jardel from FC Porto to pair up with Sergei Rebrov upfront at Tottenham next season.  The player was quoted at £15 million last season, but appears to be available at just over half that amount now, although his personal terns could be extortionate.  As usual Leeds United are interested in anyone we are linked with (boring).
  Spurs are again being linked with a move for Liverpool's Jamie Redknapp, along with Chelsea.  The former Spurs youth player is rated at £7 million.

  Santiago Solari of Atletico Madrid is another player linked with Tottenham.  The Argentinian has a £2 million buy-out clause in his contract because of relegation and having been linked with the 23 year old midfielder before, now the side have completed their season (losing the Spanish Cup final yesterday), the speculation has resurfaced.
  While we are talking about Spain, Karanka - the Real Madrid defender - has been linked with a £7 million move to Spurs.  The 26 year old was part of the European Champions League winning team and it would be a big surprise if he did join Spurs.
  Kaiserslautern have denied that they are interested in buying Allan Nielsen from Tottenham.

  Graham Roberts was a guest on Sky TV's Soccer Extra this morning and revealed that as Director of Football at Hertford Town F.C., he upset his goalkeeper, who has walked out leaving Roberts to play in goal himself for the last six games !!  He joked that his legs won't stand up to playing on field anymore, but it was not that he disgraced himself in goal ... the side won four, drew one and lost one !!

  He went on to discuss England's game of yesterday saying that Sol did not have a great game and that he had not been playing well for the second half of the season.  He said that Spurs needed another centre half and a left back.  During his conversation he constantly referred to Tottenham as "we" and "us". 
  Ex-Spurs Peter Taylor and guy Butters were celebrating a play-off win that takes Gillingham up to the First Division for the first time ever this afternoon.  They overcame Wigan Athletic 3-2 after extra-time.
  Spurs may be stymied in their pursuit of Gillingham's Nayron Nosworthy following the Kent club's win in the play-offs today.  The club will be looking to be retain the talented youngster for their First Division programme.  

27.5.2000

  Tottenham have completed the signing of Neil Sullivan from Wimbledon on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling.  It is believed that he has signed a three-year deal and joins the club on July 1st, when his current contract expires.  The keeper had been interesting other clubs, but his signing will be another indication that Tottenham are serious about making a challenge for top honours.  It does throw the position of Ian Walker into doubt and also that of Espen Baardsen, who is widely rumoured to be moving in the opposite direction to replace Sullivan.

  Didier Deschamps has denied that he has been influencing the management of the French national team to exclude David Ginola.  He said that he did not have the power over managers to say who should be selected and said it probably had to do with matters on the pitch.
  Sol Campbell played the whole of England's Euro 2000 warm-up game against Brazil at Wembley today and took over as captain when Alan Shearer was substituted 10 minutes from time.  The match ended 1-1.
  Steffen Iversen scored for Norway in a 2-0 win over Slovakia as his nation warmed up for Euro 2000 in a friendly match in Oslo.  He volleyed home the second goal from 17 yards out with six minutes of the game remaining.

  Gary Doherty played a major part in the Republic of Ireland Under-21's 2-0 victory over Ghana in the Toulon tournament tonight.  He had a hand in both goals, scored by Reddy of Sunderland and Coventry City's Barry Quinn.

  Ledley King was on the losing side for England Under-21's in the European Championships in Bratislava tonight.  The team lost 0-2 to Italy in the first group match of the tournament.

26.5.2000

  Sol Campbell will be in the England side to face Brazil tomorrow at Wembley.

  More bad transfer conjecture.  Spurs in £2.5 million bid for Chelsea's Frank (Bully) Lebeouf.  Thankfully Chelsea rate the Frenchman at £4 million, so don't fret too much. Also he would prefer a move back to his native France if he was to leave Chelsea.

  Chris Perry has welcomed the move for his former goalkeeping team-mate, Neil Sullivan.  He believes that he was one of the top three keepers on the Premier League last season and it would show Tottenham's intent to challenge the best at the top of the League.

  Chris Armstrong has said that he regards last season as a successful one as he hit a rich goalscoring run on his return from injury.

  Les Ferdinand underwent another operation on his troublesome Achilles tendon today.  He hopes that he will be ready for the start of the season in August.

  Jurgen Klinsmann played in Lothar Mattheus' testimonial match tonight.  The appearance killed the rumoured feud that had existed between the players for many years.

  Ledley King has been talking about his surprise call-up to the England Under-21 squad for the European championships in Slovakia.  He said that he did not expect to play in the last two games of Tottenham's season and that he wants to be around for the next 2-3 years to stake his claim in the Spurs side.  He also said that both he and Luke Young had modelled their game on Sol Campbell, both hoping he will stay as the team needs great players.

  Former Spur Steve Slade has been given a free transfer by Queen's Park Rangers.

25.5.2000

  Talks with Neil Sullivan are reported to be ongoing, but Tottenham are anxious that he does not outstrip other players at the club in terms of wages.  A report from another source links the keeper with a move to Chelsea.

  More frightening is the story that GG is set to reopen talks with John  Hartson about coming to White Hart Lane. Be afraid, be very afraid.  Surely, for the money we are going to spend on him, we could get two young, decent not-overweight strikers ??

  Meanwhile, Owen Price, the 14 year old Spurs wonder kid, has netted a £15,000 deal with adidas. Now how many Pokemon cards can he buy with that much money ??

  Spurs raked in £2,173,809 for their 10th place finish in the Premier League.  Let's hope they don't waste any of it on Hartson.

  Having spoken about the dream turn his career has taken since his move to Tottenham, striker Gary Doherty appeared for the Republic of Ireland against Colombia in the Toulon Under-21 tournament tonight.  His side came away from the match with a 0-1 defeat.  He was quick to point out that he did not see dropping down to play for the Under-21's as a retrograde step and that the prestigious tournament meant a good work-out against the top teams of that age group.

  It is believed that Paul (Di Canio push) Alcock and Uriah (I'm the Star) Rennie will not be refereeing games in the Premier league next season.  The controversial duo have been demoted because of poor marks from assessors and managers, not for any specific incidents on the pitch (allegedly).

  A mad Dynamo Kiev fan has threatened to firebomb the club's facilities because of the sale of Sergei Rebrov to Tottenham.
  Steffen Iversen has said that it is more important to keep Sol Campbell than the signing of Sergei Rebrov.  He said that cover is needed in case of injuries and another central defender should be top of the list.
  Ex-Spur, Stephen Robinson of Bournemouth, has joined Preston North End for £375,000.

24.5.2000

  Rumoured to be a target for Tottenham, Coventry City midfielder Gary McAllister has agreed a one year deal with Liverpool.

  Allan Nielsen has headed off to Euro 2000 saying that his chances of staying at Tottenham were only 50-50.  He is hoping to show off his talents in Belgium and Holland this summer to attract firm bids from Europe for his services.  A bid of £2-3 million could be accepted and Kaiserslautern and Fiorentina are known to be admirers.

  Spurs have been linked with moves for Real Madrid's Christian Karembeu, who also interests Middlesbrough and Liverpool,  and for Sheffield United's Marcus Bent, rated at £2 million. 

  Coventry City are the latest side who might deprive Tottenham fans of seeing Chris Sutton lining up alongside Sergei Rebrov.  A £4million swoop is rumoured.

  Atletico Madrid's Radek Bebjl looks to disappoint Spurs, who were rumoured to be interested in the big Czech midfielder, by choosing to play in the Budesliga, after several inquiries from German teams.

23.5.2000

  Former Spur and now Southampton assistant manager John Gorman has denied the Saints are to take John Scales and Ian Walker away from Tottenham.  The Premier side are happy with the keepers they have at the club.

  Wimbledon striker Carl Cort is believed to start his escape from Stalag Selhurst this week.  The young England Under-21 international would fetch around £7 million in the current marketplace and would bring interest from Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United.

  TeamTalk have revealed Tottenham's pre-season plans for the build-up to the season proper.  They include : -
SK Elleftra AIK  (Swedish Second Division)        July 19 
Uleaborg  (Finland)                                                 July 22
Boden (Sweden)                                                     July 25
QPR (Danny Maddix testimonial)  Away              August 5

  It appears that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has stipulated that his chosen destination would be Chelsea, but they are unable to meet the £16.5 million asking price.  Talks are continuing to try and bring it down to a more affordable £14.5 million for the King's Road outfit.

  Owen Price's goal in the ESFA Cup Final straight from the kick-off could be the fastest goal ever scored in this country.  His strike could be clocked at 4.07 seconds, beating the previous best of 6 secs when the Guinness Book of Records watch the recording of the game.  He will not beat the World Record though which stands at 2.8 seconds by  Ricardo Olivera (Uruguay) in December 1998 in a professional game.  It didn't help his Ernest Bevin College school side who lost 1-3 to Barking Abbey School.  To see for yourself it will be screened on Channel 4 on June 3 at 11 a.m.

  Former Spurs player Joe Kinnear looks likely to beat former Spurs player Peter Taylor and former Spurs manager Peter Shreeves to be named as manager of Sheffield Wednesday.

  Previously Spurs were linked with Manchester United youngster Jonathan Greening, but now it appears that Bradford City have made a £2 million approach for the midfielder.

22.5.2000

  Tottenham have warned Wimbledon and Scotland goalkeeper Neil Sullivan that they will not wait for too long for his decision on a move to the club.  Spurs feel that the player's agent might be trying to extract the maximum in terms of money from them and have told Sullivan that it could ruin the deal.  Sullivan in America on holiday said that he had been impressed by all Spurs had told him so far and there was no need to worry.  He went on to add that the transfer was not all about money, but had to be right for him in terms of ambition as it would be his last big move.

  Anthony Gardner will be travelling to Slovakia with the England Under-21 squad after Gareth Barry was called up to the full squad for the friendlies against Brazil and Ukraine coming up in the next couple of weeks.

  Norwich have dismissed rumours of Ian Walker signing for them as pure speculation.  They have just offered Andy Marshall, their current keeper a new deal with a year still left to run on his current contract.  One club who could afford about £2 million to take the former England keeper from White Hart Lane would be Southampton and should Walks move on, he would want to stay in the Premiership.

  Steve McManaman will be joined by another Englishman in the Primera Liga in Spain next season, as Las Palmas won promotion, with Vinny Samways in midfield !!  The ex-Tottenham man will be playing in the top flight with a reputation as a hard man after many sending offs and bookings since he moved to Spain from Everton.

  Spurs could be back in for Chris Sutton, who has failed to make an impact at Chelsea this season.  The striker was not involved in their FA Cup parade and with an asking price around £6 million Tottenham could be interested as could Leicester City, who have £11 million burning a hole in their pocket from the sale of Emile Heskey.  Some reports indicate that he may be allowed to leave for as little as £4 million.

  Steffen Iversen is expected to overcome a toe injury to take part in Euro 2000 for Norway.  The coach, Nils Johan Semb, has said it was of concern that he would miss some of the build-up as "there's always something wrong with him" !!  Another great motivator !!  The team doctor thinks Iversen will be fit for the weekend's game against Slovakia though.

21.5.2000

  Reports in the News of the World newspaper say that Stephen Carr is looking to have the terms of his contract improved to put him in line with the other high earners at the club.  While he still has three years to run on his present deal, he wants parity with other big names at White Hart Lane.   The piece also goes on to say that, apparently, Alex Ferguson sees Carr as an ideal replacement for Denis Irwin at Manchester United.

  Leicester might beat Spurs to the signing of Chris Sutton with the latest transfer rumour linking them with a £7 million deal for the Chelsea flop.

  Leeds United are rumoured to be ready to bid £8 million for West Ham United's Frank Lampard.  GG is a long time admirer of the midfielder and could enter into a battle for his services with his old No. 2 - David O'Leary.

  TeamTalk have a story that says Spurs are in for Temuri Ketsbaia of Newcastle United.  The Georgian who has not been a regular at St. James' Park is set to move on and  West Ham United are the other club interested.

  While the Baardsen/Sullivan move is repeated in many of the papers today, a new goalkeeping story breaks with Ian Walker moving to Norwich City allegedly !!  Obviously someone has had a good Saturday night in the pub !!  The Sunday Mirror say that Sullivan has decided to join Spurs preferring their package over that offered by Arsenal.  We will see what unfolds when he returns from holiday.

  Manchester United and Liverpool are now sniffing around River Plate's Andres D'Allesandro - the 18 year old Argentinian wonder kid.  Spurs had been linked with the player a couple of months ago and £4 million would secure his signing.

  Former Spurs stars Dean Austin and Chris Day are being looked at by Premier League clubs.  Austin is out of contract at Crystal Palace and is interesting Derby County, while Day is in the same situation at Watford and is being watched by Coventry City.

  SPURS and Scotland legend Dave Mackay, 65, has a testimonial dinner at
London's Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square on Thursday June 1 (7pm). For
tickets ring Les Gold on 0208-888-5287.

20.5.2000

  The cost per game of Tottenham buying John Scales has been calculated by The Sun newspaper at £79,000.  Allowed to leave on a free transfer, Southampton, Fulham and Manchester City are both said to be interested in taking him on.

  An interesting article appeared in the London Evening Standard on the negotiation process to bring Sergei Rebrov to Tottenham.  Click here for a report.

  Tottenham are believed to be among a number of teams willing to offer Coventry City's midfielder, Gary McAllister a two year contract when his current deal expires next month.  However, it seems as though he might choose to go to Liverpool, despite their offer of a one year contract with a bonus year addition conditional on getting into the Champion's League.

  Former Spurs player, Joe Kinnear and former Spurs boss, Peter Shreeves are the two front runners for the manager's job at Sheffield Wednesday.

19.5.2000

  Leeds United are believed to have made a £13 million bid for Sol Campbell. Having been knocked back by West Ham United in their efforts to take Rio Ferdinand to Elland Road, Peter Ridsdale, the inanely grinning Leeds Chairman, has targeted Sol and is apparently willing to pay anything it takes to get him to join the Yorkshire side.  As part of this supposed deal, Darren Huckerby, Danny Mills and Michael Duberry have all been mentioned as possible make-weights.  HA !  All of them would not make half the man Sol is.
  Spurs will have to try and battle with Arsenal for the signature of Neil Sullivan the Wimbledon keeper available on a Bosman.  The losing UEFA Cup finalists have started talks, but Tottenham had talks with Sullivan earlier in the season.  He is currently on holiday and then will be involved in Scotland's game against the Republic of Ireland on May 31, so no decision is expected soon.

  Tottenham have denied signing Clarence Acuna from Chilean club Universidad de Chile.  Could this have something to do with his world ban from FIFA because of a positive drugs test maybe ??

  Tim Sherwood is the latest Spurs player to claim Tottenham could get a top six finish and might even obtain a Champions League place next season.  With a stronger squad and less injuries, he believes Spurs should be back up there.

  Luke Young will join up with the England  Under-21 squad hoping he will overcome the rib injury he picked up at the end of last season to allow him to feature in the European Under-21 championships.

  Andrei Shevchenko has been talking about his international striking partner Sergei Rebrov and he reckons he will be a big hit in England. He said that not only is he fast and powerful, but has a razor sharp mind, making him a football genius.  Shevchenko said the little Ukrainian will score 30 goals this season and could win the Championship for Spurs, being the best money Spurs ever spent.  he also revealed that since Rebrov was a boy, he had dreamed of playing in England.

18.5.2000

  The Universidad de Chile President has claimed that he has sold Chilean international midfielder, Clarence Acuna to Tottenham in the last few days.  The 25 year old has been watched since World Cup 1998 and has signed for a fee believed to be in the region of £650,000.  He has been known as a holding midfielder with a powerful shot and is expected in England early next month to complete the paperwork and to have a medical.  The result of a positive drug test after an international against Peru is still awaited, although the player has said he was only taking a medicine for bronchitis.

  Jamie Redknapp has been linked with a move to Tottenham too.  The Express newspaper has put 2 (him not being at the photo-call for the new Liverpool kit launch) and 2 (an imagined row with Gerard Houllier) and have come up with 543 (Spurs will head the queue should he leave Anfield).  Mental maths was never the journalists strong point !!

  14 year old wonderkid, Owen Price, has scored a goal in 2 seconds !!  He hit the ball from the halfway line to score in the Coca-Cola Challenge Cup Final.

  Spurs' new centre-half signing, Anthony Gardner, has been called up by Howard Wilkinson for the England Under-21's.  Although he is unlikely to travel to Slovakia with the squad, unless there are a number of injuries in the lead up to the tournament, he is being given a taste of the atmosphere in the squad and it is a recognition of his potential for the future.

  Allan Nielsen could use the Euro 2000 Championships to tempt clubs to take him away from his White Hart Lane nightmare.  The player has fallen out of favour with manager George Graham and is desperate to get away from Spurs.  He hopes that if he has a good tournament for Denmark, he will attract interest from clubs on the continent.  Nielsen was on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but they are unlikely to be able to afford the transfer fee of around £2 million plus his wages.

17.5.2000

  Neil Sullivan, the Wimbledon keeper available on a Bosman, has said that he has not decided which club he will be joining yet.  He is going on holiday to consider his next move and talk about coming to Tottenham is premature.  Other clubs who have expressed an interest in him are Arsenal, Celtic and Liverpool.  Allied to this is a new rumour linking former Spur, Glenn Hoddle with a move for Ian Walker to take him to the Dell.  Taken with Espen going to Wimbledon, where does that leave the second goalkeeping spot ??  Step forward Gavin Kelly, who nearly left on deadline day to go to Barnet ??

  Meanwhile, David Pleat has said that Spurs fans should expect more new faces to appear at the club during the summer.  The Director of Football intimated that two or three more could be coming and that he did not have a crystal ball to predict the future for Chris Armstrong and Les Ferdinand.  Les said he was looking forward to playing alongside Rebrov and that the competition for places is how it should be at Spurs.  He hoped to have a good summer getting fit to be ready for the new season.

  Sergei Rebrov has said that he hopes to maintain his tradition of playing in the Champion's League and he wants to do it with Tottenham, but they must keep Sol Campbell to do so.  Meanwhile DP has revealed that one of the reasons Rebrov has come to Tottenham is that he watched Premier League football a lot and preferred it's style to that of Italy.  DP also said there was interest from Italian clubs, but Sergei was persuaded that he should come to White Hart Lane as it would be better for him at this stage of his career.  Also he would not constantly be compared to Andrei Shevchenko at AC Milan.  Pleat added the two days of sunshine and lots of Spurs fans happy after Sunday's win probably helped as well.  Quick here comes Rivaldo ...cue extras in Spurs scarves ... Smile now !!  Turn on that UV sun bed and leave the top open ... 

  Top rumour from TeamTalk that Spurs are planning to go for transfer listed ... Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink !! Not content with signing Rebrov, GG might pair the two of them up front to show how ambitious he is !! Porcine Airforce coming in to land !!  Other reports hint that Valencia are favourites to get the former Leeds United forward, making a concrete offer in the next few days.  If Spurs had known it would only take a few sacks of cement they would have been in like a shot !!

  David Ginola topped the Carling Opta statistics for player making the most runs and dribbles, while Tottenham came out on top as the team who made the most tackles.  Bet they didn't win the title of team who won the most tackles though !!

  In response to the mad rumours about Harry Redknapp going for David Ginola, the Gallic genius has said that it is unlikely as he will see out his career at Spurs.  He said it was not just because he has two years left on his contract, but he might play on beyond that.  Yay !!

  Tim Cahill, the Aussie Millwall midfielder, has denied Tottenham's interest in buying him.  He said they had not been in touch and he was concentrating on getting his side to the play-off final at Wembley.

  Solari, the Argentinian midfielder with Atletico Madrid, is apparently still  a target for Spurs, even though he has said he does not want to come to England.  If we want you, you'll come boy !!
  Celtic keeper Jonathan Gould has been talking about Wim Jansen being allowed to leave the club after winning the championship in his first season. He said "When you achieve what he did in his first season he should have been given crate blanche." !!

16.5.2000

  Tottenham have completed the signing of Dynamo Kiev striker Sergei Rebrov for a club record £11 million.  It has nearly doubled the previous record of £6 million for Les Ferdinand in 1997.  He has successfully passed a medical, despite his suspect knee being given a close inspection and will return to Ukraine to await a work permit, which will hopefully arrive by the end of the month, as he meets all the credentials for the paperwork to be completed to the satisfaction of the Home Office.  He has signed a five year deal.

  Oyvind Leonhardsen is out of the European championships after suffering a recurrence of his heel injury.  

  West Ham United are thought to be ready to come in for David Ginola should his relationship with George Graham reach breaking point.  However, the East London club have financial restrictions with £35 million to be found for ground redevelopment and also having to sell players to bring others in.  As one of the top earners at White Hart Lane, it is unlikely that the Irons would be able to afford him. 

  David Pleat revealed today that Spurs are keen to sign Neil Sullivan on a Bosman from Wimbledon.  Some reports indicate that the Scottish keeper may have agreed a £20,000/week deal already.  Some reports say that Espen Baardsen may be going in the opposite direction as the signing of Sullivan would only push him further down the pecking order.

  Rumours in Australia hint that Tottenham could be favourites to buy Tim Cahill from Millwall, once they have resolved their Second Division play-off involvement.  Aston Villa are also believed to be vying for the midfielder.

  Scurrilous reports are linking Spurs with the Fulham striker Geoff Horsfield who ahs been put on the transfer list.  The thought of him and Rebrov up front for Tottenham is just too laughable to consider.

  Sheffield Wednesday's midfielder, Alan Quinn, is still the subject of speculation over a move away from the Hillsborough club.  Peter Shreeves is keen to keep him there, but the thought of Premiership football may appeal more strongly to the young Irishman.
  David Ginola is setting his heart on a top five finish for Spurs next season.  He said that the players are as disappointed as the fans and they will do all they can next term to attain that finishing position.
  Tottenham's Welsh midfielder, Simon Davies, has said he has been living in a dream since signing for Spurs in January.  He said that he and Matthew Etherington could not believe that they were on the pitch with some of their idols at Old Trafford, but they have decided that they will enjoy the experience.

  Stephen Carr will travel with the Republic of Ireland to their tour of America next month.

15.5.2000

  The deal to bring Sergei Rebrov is said to be close.  Although GG is not involved in the talks, he hopes to have news soon that Rebrov will be a Spurs player by the end of this week.  The only thing to be sorted out is the price for the player, with Kiev still wanting £12 million, while Tottenham will only offer £10 million. The player's agent could try and strike a mutually convenient deal at £11 million.  The player is reportedly arriving for his medical this week.  With an England friendly against Ukraine coming up on May 31, will Rebrov be a Spurs player by then ??

  Oyvind Leonhardsen has suffered a recurrence of his calf injury that has kept him out of the Tottenham side for a couple of months.  He will now most likely miss the Euro 2000 championships for Norway.  He is t fly to his home country to try and get treatment in a last-ditch attempt to be fit, but he could miss out with the Norwegian coach ready to name his 22 man squad in the next two weeks.  Spurs must hope that Leo has the summer to overcome this injury and that he wil be ready for pre-season training.

  Sol Campbell is the only Spurs player in the 28 man squad Kevin Keegan has named for the friendlies leading up to Euro 2000.

  Jorg Albertz has disappointed many clubs keen to sign him, by signing a new deal with Glasgow Rangers.  He has been linked with a move to Tottenham in the past.

  Neil Sullivan, goalkeeper of relegated Wimbledon, has again been mooted to be moving to Tottenham.  Remaining quiet about his intentions, the 30 year old Scotland keeper is rumoured to be having talks with Spurs about a Bosman move, but where that leaves Ian Walker is anybody's guess.
  Talking of goalkeepers, Patrick Jennings has been released by Cardiff City.  This one is the son of Pat, who joined the Welsh side after leaving Wimbledon.

  An EU move could rob clubs of huge amounts of money they make in transfer dealings.  It is thought that the bigwigs in Brussels intend to make footballers like any other employees and the transfer fees of the future could be equal to the remaining worth of the player's contract.

14.5.2000

  Spurs beat Sunderland at White Hart Lane today by 3 goals to 1.  Darren Anderton converted a penalty before the visitors equalised and then in the second half, Tim Sherwood and Stephen Carr, with a fine individual goal, wrapped up the points for Tottenham, who finish the season in tenth position. For a match report click here.  For reaction click here.
  David Ginola has said that some people at Tottenham do not show him enough respect.  He has said he does not understand why David Pleat and George Graham have said the things about him that they have and that he was misquoted when he said that he was better than the clubs he has played for in this country.  He hinted that as he has done more than was expected from him in his three years at Tottenham, if he was not playing regularly he would find somewhere else to play.

  Kaiserslautern and Schalke 04 of Germany have both expressed an interest in Allan Nielsen.  The Spurs midfielder was on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers until the end of their season and seems to have no future at Tottenham now he has returned.

  Wimbledon will be playing their football in Division One next season after failing to beat the battle against relegation.  Bradford City's 1-0 win coupled with the Dons defeat at Southampton means the Bantams regain their Premier League status.

  Spurs have been linked again with Malaga central defender, Fernando Sanz.

  Ossie Ardiles' Yokohama F Marinos are top of the J League after 11 games and Steve Perryman's Shimizu S-Pulse are third - 2 points behind.
  Birmingham are keen to sign Ruel Fox on a permanent deal, but Norwich City and Bolton Wanderers are monitoring the situation.
  Jose Dominguez could move back to Portugal according to a report in the News of the World newspaper today.

13.5.2000

  Alan Sugar has hit out in the Sun saying he has spent £72 million on players at Tottenham, while receiving £28 million for player sales.  Added to that there has been £33 million spent on the ground and training facilities.  Describing himself as the "custodian of Spurs" in the Sun newspaper, he hit out at those who thought he hoarded the club's money and also explained that he only claims a management fee for his services, not a large salary. Sugar said his aim is to win the championship and will strive to do this as it would give him great personal satisfaction to do so, being "the greatest achievement of his life" if it came off.  He also added that he would pay whatever wages it would take to keep Sol Campbell at the club. Sol is thinking over their discussions for a week before deciding what to do, but the Rebrov deal was still going forward, although the Spurs chairman admitted that he had embarrassed himself over the money offered to some players who would have been among those the fans wanted to come to White Hart Lane.  Sir Alan went on to say that you can't hold a gun to player's heads and if they don't want to come to Tottenham, then you have to wonder if they would be the right players to sign anyway.  His one failure so far, he said, is not getting his O Level in Charisma  (Boom Boom) !! For full details see Soccer FC - click here for link.

  The new away shirt - as shown on this site - click here for link - was launched yesterday and shown on TV today.  The navy blue shirt will cost £40.00 and will be available from August 7th.  Why the club can't get them out before everyone goes on their summer holidays I will never know.  Just think how many more they would sell !!

  Tottenham target, Ben Thatcher of Wimbledon, has said that he wants to stay at the South London club, whether they survive the drop or not.  This is a change of tack from the ex-Millwall defender and will disappoint GG who had his eye on him for some time.  However, I would have hoped for the money that was being quoted for him ,that a better alternative could have been found.

  Tim Sherwood appearing on Sky TV's Soccer AM revealed that he was a Spurs supporter as a kid.

  Ex Spur David Leworthy came off the bench to win his second consecutive FA Trophy winners medal today as his Kingstonian side beat Kettering 3-2 at Wembley.

  David Ginola's role in tomorrow's game against Sunderland was dependent on his showing in training today, like all the other players.  With GG back to take charge on the day, Ginola could face the Black Cats, but might be subject to substitution like normal.

  Stewart Houston dismissed rumours that Sergei Rebrov had been at Tottenham this week for his medical.
  Going into the last game of the season, Carling Opta have recorded Spurs as the Premier League side who have been offside the least !! Just 126 times !!

12.5.2000

  Sol Campbell has set down his demands for staying at Tottenham.  He wants them to start spending money to build a squad capable of being in contention for top trophies.  In return he will stay for another year, but, of course, at the end of that time he will be able to leave on a Bosman.  Alan Sugar was said to have left the meeting with Sol and his agent shocked that he did not ask for more money for himself, but laid a challenge at the Tottenham chairman's feet.

  GG has said that David Ginola has to expect to start next season as part of the rotation system he hopes to introduce should the new signings arrive at Tottenham in the summer.  With some players on the way out - John Scales interesting Charlton Athletic and Southampton, while Chris Armstrong linked with a £3 million move to Leicester City - the squad strengthening is necessary.  Despite rumours that he might be on his way, no club appears to have a made a bid, despite enquiries for the Frenchman from Fulham, Monaco, Sampdoria and Nantes.  The manager does think that Ginola is a "charmer" and an entertainer and he does not want him to leave the club, also saying that David had not mentioned anything to him about being unsettled, as the Press would have it. However, Graham added that no-one will have a guarantee of starting every match.

  Luke Young and Ledley King have been chosen in the England Under-21 squad to play in the European Under-21 championships in Slovakia later this  month.

  GG is to defy doctor's orders and be at the Sunderland game on Sunday to get Spurs into phase Two of his plan to revive the club.  He wants to be in place to get the team to have a positive end to the season and needs to assess who comes and who goes at White Hart Lane.  His condition got so bad that he was unable to walk when he went into hospital, because his ankle joints were so bad and it hurt his wrists to turn on a tap.  But now he is back, he is looking for four quality additions to the squad and hopes that a couple of the youngsters signed this season will come good.

  According to the Mirror and Daily Express newspapers, Chris Armstrong will sign for Leicester City for £3 million a few days after the season has ended.  The Spurs striker who has notched regularly in the latter half of the season will move to the Midlands to make way for Sergei Rebrov and move into Filbert Street to replace Emile Heskey. Media Monitor said that this is untrue and there has been no contact from Leicester City for any player.

  The Mirror has obviously had it's glass to the Tottenham wall as it goes on to add the old rumour that Wimbledon's Neil Sullivan and Ben Thatcher are wanted by Spurs.

  Both Tim Sherwood and Oyvind Leonhardsen are in the squad for Sunday's match against Sunderland.

11.5.2000

  After coming through 70 minutes of Justin Edinburgh's testimonial, Tim Sherwood could start Sunday's match against Sunderland.  He hopes that his return to action will be well timed to impress Kevin Keegan, who is getting ready to name his England squad for Euro 2000.
  And Oyvind Leonhardsen has had no reaction from his injured heel, so also hopes to be involved on Sunday.

   There is a packed field in the race to sign Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink from relegated Atletico Madrid.  Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea are three of the four English clubs who have apparently made offers for the player.  One Turkish club,  Valencia and Real Madrid are three more and there are three other offers on the table.  The player has been transfer listed by his club after he informed them that he did not wish to play football in the Spanish Second Division.  It is believed that a price of £17 million has been set for his purchase. 

  Following yesterday's story about  Universidad de Chile defender Clarence Acuna Donoso comes a tale from Planet Football's site that the player has tested positive for a banned substance.  His urine test had been analysed, but Acuna says he took a medicine for bronchitis and that his own specimen was clear three days later.  If found guilty, he will receive a ban and that would put the deal, which is currently hot news on the South American continent, back somewhat.  His agent has played down talk about Tottenham, but has hinted that other Premier League teams are in for the international midfielder.

  The same site also links Spurs with a move for highly rated Millwall midfielder, Tim Cahill.  A fee of £3 million was quoted and Aston Villa are also believed to have watched the Lions star.

  Southampton are believed to be interested in John Scales, who will be leaving Tottenham in the summer.  Has Glenn lost his marbles ??

  Sergei Rebrov flew in to London yesterday to have his medical with the club.  He has agreed terms, but should the checks go well, the two clubs have still to agree a fee, with Spurs offering £10 million and Kiev demanding £12 million.

10.5.2000

  David Pleat appeared on Radio Five Live today and said the stories about a move for the Calais striker Mikael Gerard was absolute rubbish.  He also denied that the Rebrov deal was not timed to sell season tickets and that if completed, he knew the time of the plane the Ukrainian would arrive on.  Reports indicate that Rebrov will fly into London in the next few days for a medical ... so that could be the end of that then !!

  Rebrov himself was taking Dynamo Kiev to the final of the Ukrainian Cup and a chance of the double.  The report on Daily Soccer said that the player expects to sign for Tottenham next week, with his team progressing 6-1 to the final on May 27. 
  Pleat also went on to say that Tottenham have no intention of selling David Ginola.  He did say that when he has the ball he is breathtaking, but was a problem to any manager as he does not get back into defensive positions.

  The Norway coach is delaying naming his squad for Euro 2000 as he waits on news of the progress of some of his injured stars including Oyvind Leonhardsen.

  Peter Shreeves, ex-Spurs boss and caretaker manager of relegated Sheffield Wednesday, has said he wants the job permanently.

  John Scales has finally accepted that his time at Tottenham has come to an end.  Wimbledon, Charlton Athletic and Fulham are interested in the 33 year old centre-half who has been notified that he will not be offered a new contract after his current deal runs out this summer.

  The Deloitte and Touche report on football finances has been published and whereas Manchester United are at the bottom of the football wages league (by dint of them paying a smaller percentage of their income on wages), Tottenham have the best financial performance, but spend 51 per cent of their earnings on players wages.  Tottenham find themselves 20,000 behind on average
attendances and £15 million behind in profits, but are in the group of clubs chasing Manchester United's exalted position at the top of the income league. 
  Allan Nielsen returns to Tottenham after a loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers and is seeking talks with George Graham about his future.  He will want to know if he is part of GG's plans and may be asked to explain some of the comments he made about the club while at Molineux.  The same sort of talks were held this time last year too, after the two fell out over an injury.  TeamTalk report that a bid of around £2 million could see him on his way, with some Scandinavian clubs showing keen interest, but last season he was being linked with a move to Italy and the fee quoted then was nearer £5 million.  We will see how much he fetches sooner rather than later I think.
  Champions League finalists Valencia and Real Madrid are favourites to sign Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink from relegated Atletico Madrid.  Spurs and Middlesbrough are hoping to bring him back to England, but it now looks doubtful.
  Where do they get them from ?? SoccerUpdate has Spurs linked with  Universidad de Chile defender Clarence Acuna Donoso !!  Answers as to who he is on a  postcard please !!

9.5.2000

  Paul Gascoigne has had to pull out of Justin Edinburgh's testimonial because of family illness, but David Ginola - the subject of much speculation about his future at Tottenham - will play just days after being dropped for the match at Old Trafford.  However, a strong squad is travelling to the South Coast including Tim Sherwood and Oyvind Leonhardsen.  The match ended 4-2 to Portsmouth, with Edinburgh scoring a goal in each half !! Featuring for Spurs were David Ginola (who played 89 minutes!), Tim Sherwood and Oyvind Leonhardsen.  Spurs took the lead with a Steffen Iversen goal, but slipped behind 3-1, before Tim Sherwood hit a post and Darren Anderton pulled one back. Justin went on to complete the scoring in the second half.

  George Graham hopes to be back in charge of the Tottenham side to play Sunderland this Sunday at White Hart Lane.  GG is due to see a specialist later this week and hopes for the OK to be in the dug-out on Sunday.  I hope its not all too exciting for him !!

  Manchester United appear to have lost interest in Sol Campbell after yesterday's announcement that he intends to see his contract out at Tottenham.  They are now chasing Parma's Lilian Thuram at £11 million, who Spurs are also looking at for that price (believe what you read ??).  However, with Sol being available on a free at the end of his contract next summer, it could cost Spurs a lot of money if he leaves without a fee, should a new deal not be struck.  Talks on a new contract are ongoing.

  David Ginola is reported to have an autobiography out at the start of next season and it is said to include criticism of GG's management.  The book looks set to go into the bestsellers chart on release and could spark a further confrontation between himself and the disciplinarian manager. 

  Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Alan Quinn is rumoured to be ready to sign a new contract at Hillsborough during the summer and help the club in their fight to be promoted back to the Premiership, thus killing speculation over a move to Tottenham.

  Aston Villa have joined the chase for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink of relegated Atletico Madrid, joining Tottenham and Middlesbrough.
  Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted that he intends to be playing for Manchester United until he is 33 and then he will return to his local side in Norway - Kristiansund to finish his career.  Perhaps to warm their bench too ??  A career move if ever I heard of one.
  Spurs are said on PlanetFootball's website to be interested in Calais' striker Mickael Gerard.  The forward who has been instrumental in the French Cup run to the final (where they were beaten by a dubious Nantes penalty two minutes from time) for the Fourth Division part-timers.  Things appear to be getting desperate ... perhaps they got the wrong Gerard and meant the Liverpool or Everton one's ??

8.5.2000

  David Ginola has been told he does have a future at White Hart Lane, but manager George Graham could not guarantee him a starting place in the team on a regular basis, as he hopes to assemble a squad strong enough to employ a rotation system.  Coming shortly after the Frenchman stated that he thought his talents deserved a bigger stage, this might be the final straw that sees him move on from Tottenham.

  Sol Campbell is staying at Tottenham.  That is the news coming out of White Hart Lane today as David Pleat has explained that the Spurs skipper will definitely be playing for Tottenham next season.  The Director of Football said that the club were having contract talks with the layer literally as they spoke and that they were hopeful that something could be sorted out.  If not, then Sol would be available to leave on a Bosman at the end of next summer, so Spurs were hoping to tie him down and give a boost to their attempts to lure top players to the club.

  Mauricio Taricco needs an operation on his injured stomach, so will miss the last game of the season against Sunderland at White Hart Lane.

  Steffen Iversen has admitted that he is shattered after playing the majority of this season for Tottenham.  He said he is looking forward to a rest to recharge his batteries and that he has felt so tired in the last two Spurs games he could not finish the 90 minutes.

  Paul Gascoigne looks set to play in Justin Edinburgh's testimonial at Portsmouth tomorrow, but not for Spurs !!  He will be joining the former Spurs left-back in the blue shirt of Pompey and Edinburgh even hoped to get Darren Anderton to swap sides for 45 minutes.

  Tottenham have announced that Graham Carr, former manager of Northampton Town and Blackpool, will join the club's scouting team.  He has spent the last three years doing the same job at Coventry City and it is a bit late as he would have been able to persuade the club that Robbie Keane would have been worth buying !!

  Tottenham are again being linked with Belgian club Anderlecht.  21 year old midfielder Walter Bassegio is supposedly a target for Tottenham and Manchester United, while  Czech striker, Jan Kollar, who has taken Spurs' eye previously, is also being watched by United.

  Some players get sent for an early bath, but the players in the European Under-16 Championship quarter final between Portugal and Germany all had an early shower, when the pitch sprinklers soaked them by going off with ten minutes of the match remaining !! The match ended in a 1-1 draw, but Arsenal's young German, Volz, missed the decisive penalty in the sudden death shoot-out.

7.5.2000

  Speculation surrounds David Ginola's future at Tottenham after yesterday's decision to drop him for the match at Old Trafford.  He couldn't understand the management's reasons for dropping him and has said that he was bitterly disappointed as he wanted to play against one of the best teams around.  Sky's website revealed that at a function last week (possibly Frank McLintock's testimonial dinner) that he intended to keep as many big names at the club as he could and that Ginola fell into that category.

  Spurs will be playing Manchester City next season in the Premier League.  The Citizens took the second automatic promotion place on the last day of the season to join Charlton Athletic to go straight up to the Premier League.

  Spurs are thought to have made an enquiry about Alan Quinn of Sheffield Wednesday who has impressed the club's representative's when watching him this season.

  Newspapers are reporting that Spurs are said to be watching the situation concerning Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at relegated Atletico Madrid, in case the deal for Sergei Rebrov falls through.  There's confidence !!  Middlesbrough, who have cash coming out of their ears at the moment are also interested and would be willing to go to £14 million for the Dutchman.

  The SoccerUpdate website has linked Spurs and Arsenal with a move for central defender Darren Powell of Brentford.

6.5.2000

  Spurs lost 1-3 at Old Trafford this morning to Manchester United, who were presented with the Premiership trophy after the game.  For match report click here.  For reaction click here.  The crowd of 61,629 for the match was a Premiership record.

  David Ginola was omitted from the  team and the substitute's bench today and according to Sky TV who covered the match, was not too happy about it.  This comes hot on the heels of his angry reaction to be substituted last week against Derby County.  Many feel that this is an indication that Ginola will not be part of Graham's future plans and could be sold on during the summer, while the club could still cash in on the French winger.

  Stewart Houston has said that he did not know Darren Anderton was going to rule himself out of the running for Euro 2000.  In fact, he was willing to recommend him as being relatively fresh as he has not played much this season, but respects his decision to rest and do his best for Spurs.

  Reports indicating that Spurs made an £11 million bid for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer prior to going for Sergei Rebrov have been dismissed.  The two clubs have not discussed the player according to Soccernet.

  David Pleat has said that he is confident that the Rebrov deal will go through once his club, Dynamo Kiev, are out of the Ukraine Cup.  they have reached the semi-finals and there are eight league games to play, but it is hoped that the deal will be completed soon.
  Colin Calderwood appeared on Sky TV's Soccer AM programme this morning and referred to Tottenham as "we" when asked about his time there and how they were doing now.  When asked which team he would never play for, he unerringly said "Arsenal" !!

5.5.2000

  Sergei Rebrov has been advised not to join Tottenham by Oleg Luzhny, the Arsenal defender.  Luzhny played in the same Dynamo Kiev side as Rebrov and thinks he should play for a bigger and better club, like Arsenal.  Yeah like you Oleg ... you should play for Arsenal too !!  Rebrov has told a fan's forum in Kiev that he would love to play alongside Andrey Shevchenko for AC Milan, but there has been no concrete bid (this smacks of the Russian Mafia) from the Italian club, so he is intent on coming to Tottenham.  He was disappointed that his home fans saw Spurs as an average side and he said that if there were no benefits from the move he would not go through with it.  Rebrov said that he needed to test himself with one of the top teams in the Premier League first.  He likened GG to Valery Lobanovsky (his old Kiev manager) in his team's style and that is what is attracting him.
  Meanwhile GG has admitted that there may be a place in the side for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as he is one of the players that Spurs have had a look at.
  And Stewart Houston said that Sergei Rebrov would only be the first of several big name players Spurs will be chasing in the summer as Tottenham are doing a lot of work behind the scenes to bring quality personnel to the club.

  David Ginola has been voted by readers of She magazine as the "Best Footballer To Go To The Hairdressers with" !!

  Mark Viduka of Celtic is reported to have started talks with Chelsea about a move to Stamford Bridge.

  Darren Anderton has been advised to rest his ankle after an Achilles tendon problem was diagnosed and he may have to miss out on a trip to Euro 2000 as a result.  Having just signed a one-year extension, he said it was disappointing having to ask not to be selected, but that he wanted to avoid playing on the harder pitches of summer and be ready for Tottenham in August.  He added that it was a blow, but his club come first and he hopes to be able to play in Tottenham's last two matches.  A nice commitment from Dazza there.  One report stated "The injury-prone midfielder has been told to take a complete break in a bid to recover from an Achilles tendon injury in time for next season."  I think a "complete break" would be the last thing Darren wanted.

  Luke Young might miss the European Under-21 finals after cracking a rib - reportedly in the game against Derby County, but it was previously said he collected the injury at Filbert Street.  In another report he says he tried to come back to soon after the injury and played against Derby County as Spurs were short of a left back.  He said by missing the last two games of the season he could be fit for the Under-21's.  Please select your preferred version of this story.

  Although no date has been set for Tottenham's appeal against the £150,000 fine for failure to control their players at Leeds United on February 13 this year, it is thought that Spurs' defence to the charge is that no club can "control their players" once they are on the pitch.  While they can do their best in the preparation for the game, the FA's own rules say that if the players misbehave because of circumstances beyond the control of the officials of the club, they cannot be held responsible.  Therefore, Tottenham will rest their case.

  Apparently, Gary Doherty has been given special clearance by the FA to allow him to make his Spurs debut.  The young Irishman can play at Old Trfford tomorrow because he will be playing in a game that has no importance to the final finishing positions of either team.  Manchester United will be crowned as Premier League Champions, while Spurs cannot obtain a European place through finishing high enough up the table.  This is not the case against Sunderland, who could get into Europe, so Doherty will return to the stands for that match.
  Also in the squad for the match are Ledley King and John Scales who have both returned from injury and Steffen Freund who is back after suspension.
  Two Spurs youngsters played in the Republic of Ireland's 2-1 win over England in the Under-16 European Championships in Israel today.  Ben Bowditch was a 14th minute substitute for England while the Republic featured George Snee in attack.

4.5.2000

  Sergei Rebrov has revealed that he had to have surgery on a knee injury and several months of rehabilitation in Germany some years back.  The injury was not football related, but involved the cartilage being trapped between the bones in the knee causing excruciating pain.  He said that since the operation, he has not been affected by it, but prays that it will not recur.  Glasgow Rangers were close to sealing a deal for the player before pulling out at the last moment.  They said that something had come to their attention at a late stage and they decided, for their own reasons, to withdraw the offer. 

  George Graham is back at work, but cannot get involved in the training of the side, so he is confined to his office at Spurs Lodge, where he is catching up on the paperwork and consulting with Stewart Houston about team affairs.

  Espen Baardsen, who has recently given up his American passport (he was a dual national), has said that he does not know yet if he will be at Tottenham next season.  His priority is to play in a first team and he admits he does not know if that will be with Spurs or elsewhere, as some clubs have shown interest in him.  Nothing is likely to be decided until the end of the season, he added.

  TeamTalk report that Tottenham have made a bid of £2.5 million for Hibernian's Scottish Under-21 striker Kenny Miller.  The player (who scored a goal curling the ball with the outside of his left foot into the bottom right hand corner of the goal against Rangers last night) has been linked with Tottenham for a while and also a number of other Premiership teams.  It is believed that Spurs might have beaten the pack to the player by making an early bid for the 19 year old.  David Pleat denied this bid on Media Monitor adding that the club have not made a bid for any player in Scotland.  Suppose that rules out Jorg Albertz of Rangers and Mark Viduka of Celtic too then.

  Simon Davies, a self-confessed life-long Manchester United fan (but then he is from Wales), hopes to get a chance to make his first start at Old Trafford on Saturday.  He may be denied the opportunity by Steffen Freund, who returns from suspension.

  David Trezeguet, who wants to leave Monaco, has been linked with a move to Tottenham in the past, but now appears to be heading to Craven Cottage.  French newspapers report that the 22 year old striker will join up with Jean Tigana, who he respects greatly and who helped him start his career.  If true, it looks like Geoff Horsfield will be leaving Fulham !!  Noooooooooooooooo !!
  Queens Park Rangers defender Jermaine Darlington, who was recently connected with Spurs interest, could be a £1.5 million target for West Ham United.  Hopefully, they will complete the deal and spare Spurs from taking on the player they are calling "the new Andy Impey".

  Steffen Iversen's agent has hinted that his client will be looking for a salary on a par with incoming striker, Sergei Rebrov.  The Ukranian will be earning about £25,000 a week allegedly and the former Rosenborg striker believes he should be equally recompensed, making him the highest earning Norwegian player ever.  The agent hinted that a lot of clubs in Europe (most probably PSV Eindhoven, Bayern Munich and others) were watching the situation with a view to coming in for Iversen should he fail to agree an extension to his contract.

  The official Spurs site says that Gary Doherty has been given the squad number 12 (recently vacated by Justin Edinburgh) and stated that he could make his debut before the end of the season.  Having been signed after transfer deadline day, I would have thought that this is not allowed ??
  Tottenham have been linked with a move for Atletico Madrid's Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.  The club have dismissed it as old news though.

3.5.2000

  Sergei Rebrov said today that he hopes his move to Tottenham will be completed within the next two weeks.  Personal terms have been agreed (thought to be £25,000 a week) and all that is left is a price to be sorted out between the two clubs.  Rebrov said that he is happy to come to Tottenham as they play the way he likes, asking the striker to run and get the ball, which is how he has always played.  He also said that Spurs were talking a common language with him and he enjoyed English football better than Italian, although he couldn't explain why.  Something we have a problem with sometimes Sergei !!  

  Mark Viduka, the Celtic striker and Scottish PFA player of the Year, has been linked with an £8.5 million move to Tottenham.  His agent has denied the move saying that he has a contract at Celtic and the Australian forward intended to see it out.  There are unconfirmed stories indicating that he can move on if a bid of £8 million is received because of a clause in his contract however.  We await to see if he will come to White Hart Lane to link up with Rebrov should he arrive. Media Monitor have denied that Spurs have approached the club for Viduka.  It is all the work of agents according to David Pleat.

  Spurs will play Peterborough United on Tuesday 8th August at London Road as part of their pre-season build-up. 

  Oyvind Leonhardsen has expressed his desire to play in Euro 2000 for Norway and stated that his Achilles injury has been improving enough for him to train at 100% for two days.

  Pleat also denied a move for Jordi Cruyff of Manchester United.  He said that Tottenham had never, ever, no way, totally not, not even when drunk made an enquiry about this player.

  Figures comparing points totals achieved with half-time scores and those with full-times scores show Tottenham top of the league had the results stayed the same at the final whistle as they were after 45 minutes.  The second half performance drags Spurs down to 9th with ten points lost, mainly from drawn games being turned into defeats.
  In the European Under-16 championships in Israel, England, including Ben Bowditch, were knocked out after losing 1-2 to Portugal and the Republic of Ireland also made their exit losing 0-3 to Russia, despite Tottenham's George Snee coming on as a substitute for the last 20 minutes. 

2.5.2000

  Tottenham representatives are in Kiev negotiating a deal to bring Sergei Rebrov to White Hart Lane.  Not much was given away at this time, but it was said that talks were being held with the Russian club officials and the player's agent.  A fee of £10 million was quoted.  The "Football FC" site say that the player has agreed to come and they actually blow this fee out of the water, but indicate that Spurs are willing to go way overboard to make this signing a record fee.  To quote "Dynamo are holding out for £12, though Tottenham are confident of wrapping up the deal for £10m within the next few days."  !!  Spurs have allegedly beaten Parma, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United to the signing of the 26 year old striker.
  It is understood that Spurs moved quickly for the Ukrainian international after being knocked back in a £10 million plus £30,000 a week bid for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester United.

  Rumours of a sale of Sol Campbell to Manchester United have been fuelled by the news that Spurs might splash out on Rebrov.  It is said that Tottenham might cash in on Campbell to the tune of £17 million from the Premier League Champions.

  David Ginola has said that he did not say that he was wasting his time in the English Premier League, but that the Spurs fans appreciated his style of play and he loved his time at Newcastle United and now at Tottenham.  However, another report on Football 365 states that he might like to make the move to the US and play in the MLS, saying that the level of play in that league is very high.  Or was he just talking about the players ??  Also rumoured to be sniffing around Ginola should he decide to leave are West Ham United and Fulham.  Not quite the kind of clubs he said in the interview that should be displaying his skills !!

  Mauricio Taricco is to see a specialist in the next few days to determine if he will require surgery on his stomach muscle injury that has kept him out of the side.  The injury is similar to that suffered by Tim Sherwood, but although the Argentinian may miss the rest of the season, he hopes to avoid going under the knife. 

  Darren Anderton hopes that his long run in the Tottenham first team may have done enough to put him in Kevin Keegan's mind for the England squad for Euro 2000.  He did add that if he didn't make it to Holland/Belgium, it wouldn't be the worse thing in the world.

  Former Spurs defender Clive Wilson has announced his retirement from the game.

1.5.2000

  Ben Bowditch of the Tottenham Under-17 squad scored for England in their first game of the European Under-16 tournament in Israel.  England lost the game 2-3 to Russia.

Allan Nielsen will return to Tottenham after the end of his loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers.  Manager Colin Lee said that the club could take him if he was available on a Bosman, but the transfer fee and his wages would not be affordable for the Midland club.

  No Spurs players featured in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year this season, but former Tottenham players did get into their divisional sides.  Darren Caskey (Reading) was in the 2nd Division representative team and ian Hendon made the Div.3 Side. 
  One Spurs player who did feature was our very own Gary Mabbutt, who received a Merit award from Bill Nicholson.  Tributes on film were shown and Sir Alan Sugar even made an offer to Mabbs of a job at the Academy anytime he wanted it as he could not think of a better person to guide them through it.