King was not only flawless defensively but he was very much ahead of his time as a centre-back, being two-footed and having the ability to play out from the back.

The Spurs legend started out as a midfielder in the academy before dropping to become a centre-back and earning 322 appearances as a one-club man (TransferMarkt).

Peter Crouch even revealed in a recent episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast that King used to dribble past forwards regularly and pick out fantastic passes when the duo were coming through the ranks at Tottenham.

So, it comes as no surprise that the 43-year-old is quite envious of the freedom that the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have been given, stating that all players want to play forward rather than taking the safety-first approach.

(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Ledley King would love to play for Ange Postecoglou

When asked if he would like to play for Postecoglou, King told TNT Sports: “I would love to. I would love to play in this team. Whether you’re a defender or an attacker, you want to play going forward. And you want players to express themselves.

“We have so many talented players in this football club. And when they play with great expression, that’s when they play at their best.”

Spurs Web Opinion

One of King’s biggest assets as a player was his calmness and composure, both while defending and in possession. He was also an exceptional one-vs-one defender at his peak, which is why he would have been a natural fit for Postecoglou’s system.

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The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is rightly regarded as one of the very best sporting venues in the world right now. Since opening its doors in 2019, the stadium has not only been the home to Tottenham’s football team, but has also hosted NFL and boxing matches, and even music events.

With a capacity of 62,850 and its state of the arts facilities, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was always likely to be included in the UK and Ireland’s bid to host Euro 2028. Along with Wembley Stadium, the Spurs ground is one of two London venues included in the proposal.

There was a concern, at one point, that Spurs may have to pull out of the bid, however. UEFA restrictions prohibit any stadium with a branded name from being involved in major international tournaments (The Times).

Tottenham have been looking for a sponsor for their stadium for some time now, but Daniel Levy did admit recently that this is no longer as much of a priority (Bloomberg).

(Photo by SpursWeb)

Levy is proud to be hosting Euro 2028

With news that the UK and Ireland’s bid to host Euro 2028 has been given the green light, Levy has been speaking to the club’s social media about the success.

He said: “When we designed this stadium, we had the idea that this would be a multi-use stadium. We’re very proud that UEFA has decided this stadium is fit to host Euro 2028… It’s international recognition for the stadium.”

Spurs legend, Ledley King, added: “The European Championships are a big deal… Being the host nation in 1996 had a big impact on me as a kid, and the rest of the country. The Euros will always play a huge part.”

“It’s international recognition for the stadium to be hosting the Euros – we’re very proud.”

Hear from Daniel Levy, Sadiq Khan, Ledley King and community leaders on the impact of #Euro2028 coming to Tottenham

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 10, 2023

Peray Ahmet, the leader of Haringey Council, reckons this will “put Tottenham on the map” and is excited for “the whole world” to be watching.

And, Tottenham defender, Micky van de Ven has spoken on the decision, too, adding: “When the Euros are in your country, you feel it a bit more. For the kids, it will be a huge thing… it feels like home.”

Spurs Web Opinion

This is a huge success for Tottenham and it will be a fantastic occasion when the tournament rolls around. It is an interesting one, too, in terms of the naming rights for the stadium, which you would assume is an issue that will be put on hold until after the Euros now.

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From the outside, it is quite evident that Postecoglou is the polar opposite of some of his predecessors, both in terms of his style of football and in the manner in which he addresses the media.

Two weeks ago, The Athletic detailed the various changes that the 58-year-old has made internally at the club, explaining that it had transformed the mood at Hotspur Way.

The report revealed that among other things, Postecoglou lets the staff know their schedule well in advance instead of making last-minute changes like Conte did.

It was asserted that the new Spurs head coach’s training sessions are quite innovative and involve ball work while his team meetings do not go on as long as the ones under Italian.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Ledley King is a big fan of Ange Postecoglou

King has now said on That Peter Crouch Podcast about Postecoglou’s impact: “He’s great. He’s just straightforward, he’s a proper footballing man. I got to meet him first time in pre-season with the team, lovely guy. But what I was impressed with was how quickly the players adapted to the system.

“The first game in pre-season we actually lost to West Ham but in terms of the possession and the chances we created, it was such a difference just in the first game.

“So, that was impressive to see and then, of course, you have to wonder how he’s going to translate that into the Premier League and so far it’s been great.

“I know the players love training, they’re enjoying it. I know Ange has said he wants training to feel like when you were kids. How refreshing is that?”

Spurs Web Opinion

The big test of Ange and his methods will come when we have a bad run of form as that is when the players might start having doubts about his methods. 

However, the players are much more likely to want to run through a brick wall for a manager who trusts them and gives them the freedom to express themselves rather than one who focuses primarily on stopping the opposition.

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King was part of Jose Mourinho’s backroom staff at Tottenham and speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast on YouTube, he revealed that Tanaganga was someone who caught his eye at the time.

“There was a lot of good players at the club. Japhet Tanganga during that period of time started to come through. We started to do quite a bit of work with him, extra work.

“I was showing Jose some of his clips from the under-21s, under-23s. And I felt that he had some good habits as a defender we could work on. And he got his break during that period of time.”

Eventually, it seems like Mourinho was convinced of Tanganga’s talent, with the Portuguese manager handing the 24-year-old his Premier League debut in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in January 2020.

While Mourinho did not remain at the helm for long in N17, Tanganga managed to make a place for himself in the team with the arrival of subsequent managers like Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.

(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Is Japhet Tanganga’s Tottenham career over?

The England U21 international’s versatility saw him being deployed as a right-back and centre-back on a number of occasions; unfortunately, constant injuries hampered Tanganga’s development and game time.

Tanganga showcased immense potential, but for whatever reason, he has been unable to fulfil that promise in North London. The defender sealed a much-needed loan move to Augsburg in the summer transfer window.

The Bundesliga is known to bring the best out of young players, and hopefully, Tanganga will be able to get back on track during his time in Germany.

For now, Spurs can rely on Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in their backline, with the Premier League and FA Cup the only competitions Tottenham have to focus on.

Spurs Web Opinion

It is no mean feat to impress someone like King, and all is not lost for Tanganga at Tottenham, despite Augsburg’s conditional obligation to buy the defender next summer, as per the Daily Mail.

If Tanganga can revive his career in the Bundesliga and find consistency, a return to the Lilywhites could seemingly be on the cards for the centre-back in the future.

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King had a long and illustrious career at Tottenham, playing a total of 268 games for the club from the time he made his senior debut in 1996 until the time he hung up his boots in 2021.

The centre-back would have undoubtedly played a lot more games for not just Tottenham but also for England if not for his injuries.

The 42-year-old played with many world-class players in N17 over the course of his career, which is why it was not easy for him to pick one as the outright best.

(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Ledley King is a huge fan of Ginola, Modric and Bale

Curiously, David Ginola was the first name that the Spurs legend gave, admitting that he was mesmerised by the Frenchman when he was coming through the ranks of the club’s academy.

King then named Luka Modric as another contender before finally stating that he has never seen any player do what Gareth Bale did during his final season at Tottenham.

Watch King’s response below:

Spurs Web Opinion

While Modric is the best player that Tottenham have had in the Premier League era in terms of talent, I feel that Berbatov is another player that belongs very much if the conversation is about who had the highest peak.

The Bulgarian only stayed at White Hart Lane for two years but he was absolutely unplayable during that time and rang rings around defences without even trying.

Watching him play was pure poetry in motion and I feel that the level that he showed from 2006 to 2008 has not been matched by any Spurs play, including Bale and Kane.

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King joined Mourinho’s staff after the Special One took over from Mauricio Pochettino in 2019, and the Tottenham legend returned to being a club ambassador following the manager’s exit.

The 42-year-old admitted that he could not afford to turn down the opportunity to try his hand at coaching when the job was offered to him.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

King told FourFourTwo: “Jose came in and said that he’d like me to be part of his staff. I wasn’t even coaching – I’ve never been a coach.

“It’s one of those things that you simply can’t turn down: this is Jose Mourinho. It was an unbelievable experience. I enjoyed it.”

Tottenham looked on course for a title challenge during the initial part of Mourinho’s first full campaign in charge but the team eventually crumbled in the second half of the campaign, leading to the 60-year-old’s sacking in April of 2021.

Ledley King was hoping for a Premier League win

Speaking about the 2020-21 campaign, the former Spurs centre-back said: “In the first part of the season, everything was going well. We were top of the league in December and I thought we were going to win it!

“But sadly we fell off in the second half. We got to a cup final, beat Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford, and beat Arsenal and Manchester City at home.”

King also revealed that, unlike the intense individual that fans get to see on matchdays, Mourinho was quite a relaxed character in his daily life, usually cracking plenty of jokes.

He added: “The one thing about Jose is that, away from the cameras and the training ground, he’s a lot of fun to be around. He genuinely is.

“He loves to have a laugh and tell stories – he’s got so many great stories. At dinner time, he makes everyone laugh, but then when it comes to the football side it’s very serious.

“There were two sides to Mourinho that not everyone gets to see, and I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to see them.”

Spurs Web Opinion

While Mourinho evidently was not a good fit for Spurs, he was certainly extremely entertaining.

There was never a dull moment in his press conferences, although his inclination to protect himself and his image eventually led to him losing the dressing room, which was the same thing that happened at Man Utd, Real Madrid and his second spell at Chelsea.

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After an impressive first season following his switch from Atalanta back in 2021, Romero struggled to hit the same heights during his second year in North London.

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The centre-back’s form nosedived after he returned from Argentina’s victorious World Cup campaign, and he was certainly not helped by the fact that he was part of a dysfunctional defensive unit which shipped a lot of goals.

Speaking to The Athletic two weeks ago, Romero insisted that nothing changed when he returned after the World Cup but he accepted responsibility for his sub-par performances.

The 25-year-old also remarked that he has put last season behind him and that he is looking forward to returning to his best under Ange Postescoglou, adding that the Australian is exactly the kind of coach he and his teammates needed.

Ledley King is impressed by his fellow centre-back

King has no doubt that Romero will shine during the upcoming season if he is paired with another top-class central defender, which Spurs will be hoping may be Micky Van de Ven. 

The former Tottenham captain said on Twitter Spaces: “I think Romero is top class and at the moment I think were probably searching for another top centre-back to pair with him.”

Spurs Web Opinion

King certainly knows better than most the kind of qualities that one needs to become a top-class centre-back. The fact that the 42-year-old is convinced of Romero’s ability is further evidence that the Argentine has an extremely high ceiling and can shine in the right environment.

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With Son Heung-min being unavailable for the clash, having just had a couple of training sessions with the squad, Solomon got the nod to start on the left alongside Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski.

The Israeli international showed plenty of aggression and energy both on and off the ball, which Ange Postecoglou would have been delighted to see.

(Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)

Although not everything came off for the 23-year-old, he continued to be direct and gave the Hammers backline plenty of work to do.

His most impressive moment came in the middle of the first half when he cut inside past a couple of West Ham defenders and unleashed a curled effort, which required a sharp save from Lucas Fabianski.

Ledley King liked what he saw from Manor Solomon

Solomon came off at half-time as Tottenham fielded a completely different eleven for the second period, and King had some words of praise for the debutant at half-time.

When asked what he thought of the winger’s display, the 42-year-old told Spurs Play: “He has looked bright and lively. Coming in off that left, he looks to cut in. I like his movement, he’s very sharp.”

Spurs Web Opinion

The most impressive part of Solomon’s game was his tireless and incessant pressing off the ball.

The 23-year-old evidently has a fantastic engine and will be a useful weapon for Postecoglou, who clearly demands that the team counter-press effectively as soon as they lose the ball.

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Kulusevski became Tottenham’s first signing of the summer transfer window, with the club activating the option to sign him permanently for £25.6m at the end of his 18-month loan spell at the club.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

On Sunday, Alasdair Gold stated via Football.London that Postecoglou had given the Spurs hierarchy the green light to sign the winger and revealed that the Australian views the 23-year-old as not only an option for the wide areas but also as someone who can play in the central attacking role.

Although Kulusevski did not set the world alight for much of the 2022-23 season, the former Juventus man has shown glimpses of his world-class quality in a Tottenham shirt, and King is hopeful that Postecolgou could be the man to get the best out of the winger.

Ledley King full of praise for Dejan Kulusevski

The 42-year-old was asked by his former Spurs teammate Paul Robinson on BBC’s Football Daily Podcast: “Ledley, you’re around the club a lot more than a lot of people and you know him and you get to know him on a daily basis.

“Kulusevski’s quite quiet in the media, we don’t see much of him, what’s he like as a person in the dressing room and around the training ground?”

King responded: “From what I see, obviously I don’t know him too well, he seems like a very serious, focused kind of guy.

“He takes his football seriously, you can see that. He’s angry when things are not working for him or it’s not quite coming off.

“He’s got a little bit of an edge about him which you need to be a top player and yeah at 23 years old, he’s only going to get better.

“Next season’s going to be really interesting to see how he fits into the new manager’s plans.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I expect Kulusevski to thrive under Postecoglou as the Swede is not only aggressive and likes stretching play but he is also a relentless presser out of possession.

I fully believe that the 23-year-old will finish the 2023-24 campaign with over 20 goal contributions across all competitions.

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King was a one-club-man throughout his career, committing the entirety of his playing days to Tottenham.

He racked up 322 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 13 goals and contributing eight assists from the heart of defence (Transfermarkt).

(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

The commanding centre-half was a natural leader on the pitch and captained Spurs through some of their more successful times.

Indeed, King was actually the last Tottenham skipper to lift a trophy for the club, winning the League Cup in 2008.

King played alongside some incredible players during his time in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt, including the likes of Luka Modric, Dimitar Berbatov, and Jermain Defoe.

Those kinds of big names are highly-rated, and rightly so, but what about the players who went under the radar?

Ledley King rates Zokora and Tainio from Spurs days

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Ledley King has revealed the two players he feels were most underrated during his time at Tottenham, with Didier Zokora and Teemu Tainio receiving praise.

He said: “I always liked Didier Zokora in the midfield. I thought he was a little bit underrated. Another one was Teemu Tainio, another midfield player.

“They were very important players in the team, but they didn’t always get the plaudits they deserved. As a defender, they were my favourite guys because they did the dirty work in front of me and made my job easier.

“Both of them were underrated and better than people probably thought they were.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I remember Didier Zokora and Teemu Tainio fondly from the old days.

Zokora was a tireless battler in the midfield who was a great conduit between defence and attack.

Tainio was a nifty little player, too, and had bundles of energy.

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While Postecoglou has enjoyed success everywhere he has been, this challenge is by far the biggest he has faced in his career.

(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Not only is he coming into the most competitive league in the world, where he will be pitting his wits against the best manager in the game, but he is also taking over a Spurs side that has finished outside the European places for the first time since 2009.

King is personally pleased with the appointment and praised the club for acting quickly for the Australian following Celtic’s Scottish Cup final last Saturday.

Ledley King urges fans to give Postecoglou time

When asked about Postecoglou’s arrival, The Tottenham legend told Football.London: “I think it’s a good appointment.

“Looking at his style of football it looks right up our street in terms of what we like to do, front-foot football, developing young players and scoring plenty of goals. I’m sure the players are really looking forward to getting a chance to work with him.

“It’s also good that we were able to do our business so quickly after the season finished.

“Props to the chairman for actually getting that done and over the line so quickly after Saturday’s [Scottish Cup] final and now we know what direction we’re moving in and really looking forward to pre-season and starting to build.”

King pointed to the fact that the club have offered Postecoglou a four-year deal as evidence that they view this as a long-term project but he admitted that it will be difficult for the 57-year-old to succeed unless the fans are willing to be patient.

The Spurs ambassador continued: “He’s signed a big, long contract.

“We know that his style of football is different to what we’ve been playing so we need to give him time to get his thoughts and messages across to the players.

“I’ve got no doubt that we will give him time because his methods and his style is something that suits us and suits the type of players we have.

“There’s not too much patience in football. It seems nowadays that after two or three bad results any manager is under pressure but we’ve brought him in for the long-term. He’s got a long-term contract.

“I urge the fans to give him a bit of time. He’s new to the Premier League as well and it’ll take a little bit of time to get his thoughts across. I’m just glad that he’s got pre-season from the first day and that will hopefully make a difference.”

King also insisted that even though the current make-up of the squad is geared to play in Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 system, Spurs have the players to thrive in a front-foot, possession-based approach.

The 42-year-old added: “I believe that the style of football [Postecoglou] plays, he wants his team to be on the front foot and attacking and there’s no reason why wing-backs can’t do that when playing in a back four, especially if you have more of the ball and you’re going forward the majority of the time.

“I don’t see a problem with that. They’re all professional players and for me, any wing-back should be able to defend as well.

“We do have a number of players to come back into the squad [from loan] which will be interesting for the manager to look at.

“I’m sure each one will be excited at the prospect of showing the manager what they are capable of.

“There’s no doubt about it, there’s still a lot of talent within that group and it’s up to the manager now to decide who he wants to move forward with.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Looking at Postecoglou’s career, it is almost a guarantee that results will not be encouraging at the start, which is something that has happened in almost every one of his jobs. That is understandable because it takes time for the players to learn his ideas about football.

That would be especially true at Tottenham, given that the players are used to a counter-attacking approach.

So, there will be some bad defeats early in the season and it is important that Spurs fans do not create a toxic atmosphere by questioning the Australian and booing the team before the 57-year-old’s methods start clicking.

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There was plenty of optimism at Spurs last summer ahead of Conte’s first full season in charge. 

Not only had the Lilywhites gone on an excellent run towards the end of last season to clinch the final Champions League qualification spot but the squad had also been reinforced with a number of new faces.

(Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

However, Tottenham struggled to deliver competent 90-minute displays right from the start of the season and the results eventually caught up to them, falling off a cliff when the campaign restarted following the break for the World Cup.

Antonio Conte produced a fiery rant before eventually being sacked by the club in March, accusing all the players of being selfish and pointing out that Spurs have been used to failure for the last two decades (Sky Sports).

When it was put to Ledley King that the Italian was pointing the finger at the Tottenham hierarchy, the Spurs legend said on Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast: “He did. And I think it’s difficult.

“I don’t know what his remit was at the beginning of the season. I’m guessing it wouldn’t have been to win the league. We know how tough that is.

“But, to be fair to the manager, he had a tough year…lost a couple of close friends. He had his own health issues. So, I just think he’d had a very, very tough year. A lot of frustrations with the inconsistency of the team.

“But, the team was where they probably deserved to be at that point, which was still in and around the top four.

“But, I’m guessing it would have been to keep building, to build on last season, which would have been frustrating because if you look at the performances last season and this season, you wouldn’t say that we’ve built on that.

“And maybe that’s what frustrated him, that we haven’t kind of closed the gap even more, and I’m sure that would have been the aim, to stay within the top four, close the gap and then, what it would be for next season, bringing in a few new faces and kind of reassess again.

“It was difficult. I think, you know, at that point, there was a lot of…you could see he was frustrated, a lot of emotion. And as I say, I think the course of the season had taken its toll on him and that’s why we’ve got the outburst.

“The club acted on it and Ryan’s [Mason] in at the moment. He’s a good young coach. I actually worked with Ryan when I was coaching with Jose [Mourinho] and Jose left the club. I stayed on and finished the season off with Ryan.

“He’s a talented young coach. I know the players were impressed with him in his first stint and I’m sure they are now. So, it’s just really about finishing the season off as well as we can.

“You know, we’re not the only ones who’ve had a tough year. Liverpool have found it tough. Chelsea have obviously found it tough.

“And you really only have to look at our north London neighbours to see how, from one season to the next, it can change and that gives us hope, I suppose.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Conte certainly had a difficult year in his personal life but he has to take responsibility for his failings at Spurs.

The Italian was certainly backed in the transfer market and he made the team look toothless in attack despite having some world-class attackers at his disposal.

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Spurs look set to miss out on any European football for the first time in well over a decade this season and many have pointed the finger at the club’s hierarchy for the mess that the team finds itself in.

Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Chants of ‘Daniel Levy, get out of our club’ have been heard increasingly frequently in recent matches (Daily Star) and the club even had to resort to blasting out loud music during the players’ lap of honour on Saturday in what was seemingly an attempt to drown out those chants.

The main criticism often aimed at Levy is the fact that the club have not got their hands on silverware since 2008 but Ledley King believes that the lack of trophies cannot be laid solely at the chairman’s feet.

The former Tottenham captain pointed out that the current Spurs side is a lot more competitive than it was when the 61-year-old arrived at the club.

When asked about the criticism aimed at Levy, King told Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast (as relayed by Football.London): “It’s important for me to say that I think he gets a bit of tough criticism at times.

“When I first joined the club, we were a mid-table team. You know, over the years we’ve kind of bridged that gap.

“We’ve kind of tried to be a team that’s trying to compete and win things. We’ve come close, you know, we haven’t been able to do it, but that’s not the chairman’s fault that we’ve lost the finals or why we haven’t won a trophy.

“I think if you look at the spending, we are probably up there in the top four or five. So, probably the recruitment has maybe been a bit of an issue in terms of the players that we’ve brought in over the last few years not…probably not hitting the ground.”

When asked if Levy is not responsible for the deals that the club get over the line and ultimately don’t work out, the Tottenham legend responded: “Yeah, people have a job I suppose to bring in certain players and I don’t think it’s a talent issue with the players.

“But, if it doesn’t work and they don’t perform then that’s tough.

“And, you know, you’re again then searching to kind of bridge that gap again where you’re trying to be a team that’s from the top four or five to a team that’s competing.

“And until we kind of get that right in terms of bringing in the next phase of players to help us to do that, then it’s going to be tough. So that’s where we are at the moment.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Cynics will say that King has no choice but to praise his current employers, given that he is serving as a club ambassador but I think the 42-year-old’s defence of the Spurs chairman is a fair one.

There is no doubt that Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy deserve criticism for some of the decisions that they have got wrong since 2019 but it is clear that they made those decisions because they wanted to win trophies.

There is no reason for Levy to bring Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte in if he did not care about winning silverware and was merely satisfied with finishing in the top four.

Fans also have to stop pretending that the club have sunk to a new low under ENIC and Levy. In fact, despite the issues we have had over the last 4 years, we are far better equipped (both on and off the pitch) to succeed than we were under Alan Sugar.

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The speculation over Harry Kane‘s future shows no signs of slowing down as we head closer to the summer transfer window, with the striker now having just a year left on his contract at Tottenham.

(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Reports indicate that he is Manchester United‘s top priority this summer, with Erik Ten Hag’s men said to believe that the 29-year-old could catapult them into a title challenge next season (Football Insider).

Some pundits such as Craig Burley have even suggested recently that the England captain is showing a lack of ambition by staying at Spurs as the Lilywhites are a long way away from challenging for major honours (ESPN FC).

However, King, who was a one-club man himself, has insisted that Kane will have had a successful career irrespective of how many medals he has when he hangs up his boots.

When asked if the England star has to leave Tottenham this summer to win trophies for the sake of his legacy, the former Spurs captain said on Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast (as relayed by Football.London): “No, I’ve never been one who’s kind of really believed in that, because there’s always a lot of pressure from the outside, telling you what you have to do.

“Harry is scoring goals. He’s probably going to break the Premier League record at the club. He’s already one of the best strikers in the world.

“For me, I always said it felt more to win one or two at my club than to go elsewhere and win three or four. Obviously, everyone is different. 

“I understand there’s going to be more pressure on Harry. That’s a different expectation, different pressure to leave. But, I don’t buy the kind of feeling that you have to leave.

“I think that everyone’s career is their career. And, however they feel about it, there’s no doubt that Harry has got the maximum out of his career as an individual.

“And I always think when you start the game as a young kid, your aim is to get the maximum out of your career and Harry’s done that.

“So, regardless of whatever happens, he can always look in the mirror when his career is done. No one can say that you didn’t win anything. It’s not an individual game. Has he maximized his career? Has he been the best in his position? He’s done that.”

When asked if it is important for the Lilywhites to hang on to their talisman, King responded: “Of course, it’s always important to hang on to your best players and…Harry’s been an integral part of the team, the football club for years. But, we know the game. You know, it’s very difficult.

“He’s got one year left. Of course, we want to hang on to him. I believe that he’ll still be there next season. And can we bring in the right people around him to make him think that he still is in the right place for him and his career to still get the best out of himself.”

Spurs Web Opinion

If Kane had the chance to move to a club like Manchester City, there is no doubt that he would be tempted to do that as not only would he score over 40 goals a season at the Etihad but he would also win multiple league titles.

However, a move to Man Utd certainly does not offer the same sort of guarantee to the striker. 

It is quite conceivable that the Red Devils could find themselves out of the top four again next season and they themselves are in need of a major rebuild, given the number of players they have who are over 30.

So, the England captain might perhaps be tempted to stick around at Tottenham if the North London club’s hierarchy can convince him of their ambition.

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Spurs found out on Monday that they will have to face off against Milan for a place in the final eight of the Champions League.

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Antonio Conte’s men could have certainly got an easier draw, with the Rossoneri having started the season impressively and currently sitting in second place in the Serie A table.

King was still a player the last time the Lilywhites faced off against Milan back in 2011.  The North Londoners won the first leg at the San Siro 1-0, thanks to a late goal by Peter Crouch, who was set up by Aaron Lennon after a brilliant run.

Tottenham managed to hold out for a 0-0 draw in the second leg at White Hart Lane despite being put under immense pressure by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and co.

King is hopeful that history could repeat itself more than a decade later when the two sides come up against each other in February.

The Spurs legend told BT Sport about the draw: “Excited, definitely. Milan are a big team with history. A team that my team played in the Champions League. Hopefully, 2011 will be a good omen. No team was going to be easy. A good draw, playing at home in the second leg will be vital.”

Spurs Web Opinion

The roles have been reversed a bit since we faced Milan 12 years ago as they are not the force they used to be and Spurs have developed a much better European pedigree over the last decade. So, although there is a long way to go until February, I believe we will go into the game as favourites, which was certainly not the case back in 2011.

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Kane is now just 12 goals away from overtaking the legendry Jimmy Greaves’ tally of 266 goals and becoming Tottenham’s highest-ever goalscorer.

The 29-year-old is also on course to break Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League record and it is only a matter of time before he overtakes Wayne Rooney as England’s highest goalscorer.

The only slight blight on Kane’s excellent CV is the fact that he is yet to lift silverware with Tottenham but the striker will be hoping he can now put that right, with the North London club moving in the right direction under Antonio Conte.

King believes that Kane is already one of Spurs’ greatest-ever players and suggested that the striker could move clear of everybody else over the coming years.

The Spurs legend told 90 min about the striker: “He just has to continue what he’s doing.

“In terms of where he stands, I think after his career is done at Tottenham, then you can sit back and place him. His body of work isn’t done. But there’s no doubt that he’s right there amongst the best ever.

“He’s been unbelievable for the club in terms of, not just his goalscoring but his all-round game, it’s second to none. He’s a complete footballer.

“Of course, longevity is an important part. He’s been at the club for a number of years now and hopefully, he’s got many more years left at the club. But there’ll be no doubt I’m sure that when it’s all said and done, he’s right there at the top.

“I played with a lot of great strikers – Teddy Sheringham, Les Ferdinand, [Jermain] Defoe, [Robbie] Keane, [Dimitar] Berbatov, [Emmanuel] Adebayor – but Harry has a bit of everyone or everyone’s strengths that they had.

“It shows that I’ve played with great strikers and how dominant Harry has been to have scored the amount of goals that he’s scored at the football club.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I see Harry Kane continuing to play at the top level until his mid or late thirties as the striker takes care of his body really well and is not reliant on his athleticism. So, by the time he hangs up his boots, he could go down as one of the greatest players in Premier League history.

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Romero’s rise over the last two years has been quite dramatic, with the centre-back being voted the Serie A defender of the year in 2020-21 before quickly establishing himself as a mainstay in the Tottenham defence after arriving at the North London club last summer.

Jamie Carragher even named the 24-year-old as his signing of the season on the back of his first season in the Premier League (Sky Sports MNF).

It did not come as a surprise when Tottenham activated the £46.5m option to buy the Argentine permanently last month, and Spurs fans will be hoping that the best is yet to come from the centre-back.

The 24-year-old is also a mainstay in La Albiceleste’s backline and is seen by many as being key to their chances at the World Cup.

King has explained how Romero’s tenaciousness of the ball and his calmness on it, separates him from the other centre-backs.

The legendary Spurs defender told 90 min about Romero: “He’s a rare one for me.

“He’s very calm with the ball, almost kind of stops with the ball and everything slows down, and without the ball, he’s so tenacious. 

“He wants to get in there and win everything. For me, he’s got a perfect balance for being a top centre-half.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Fabio Paratici deserves a lot of credit for bringing Romero to Spurs. The Argentine is a modern-day defender with respect to his ability on the ball and aggression but at the same time, there is also an old-school element about him, given how much he seems to enjoy defending.

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Freidel spent four years at Spurs after signing for the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2011.

The former USA international was the North London club’s number one during his first season at the club before being displaced by Hugo Lloris less than halfway into his second season.

However, Friedel continued to serve as a backup goalkeeper until 2014 and on leaving, even became a club ambassador and worked on his coaching badges at Hotspur Way.

The 51-year-old, who has since gone on to manager MLS side New England Revolution, was asked to pick the best eleven from the teammates he had over his Premier League career.

Five Spurs players made into Friedel’s eleven, with the former goalkeeper naming Vertonghen at left-back.

He told FourFourTwo about the Belgian: “Jan hated playing left-back with a passion, but he was just too good to be left out!

“Excellent as a centre-back, his true position, and was a very good passer. He was just one of those players who could slide into any top club and not be out of place.”

Freidel also waxed lyrical about King, stating that the former Tottenham captain was the best player he played behind.

He said about King: “He hardly ever trained because of his knee – I never knew how a player could do that and just fit in seamlessly.

“I’ve never known a captain as quiet, but Ledley commanded everyone’s respect. Positionally, he was the best I played behind. Very rarely did I scan the field and tell him where anyone was.”

Finally, the former Blackburn and Aston Villa star named Mauricio Pochettino as the manager of his side, and said about the Argentine: “His attention to detail was second to none.

“He’s a compassionate man, but passionate about the game, too. Poch was very, very smart and he ran the club like no other I’ve been around.”

The full XI was as follows: 

David James;

Kyle Walker, Ledley King, Eddie Pope, Jan Vertonghen;

Paul Ince, Tugay;

Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Gheorghe Hagi;

Harry Kane

Bench: Uli Van Gobbel, Mousa Dembele, Michael Owen

Manager: Mauricio Pochettino

Spurs Web Opinion

I find it interesting that Freidel has left out Scott Parker, who was extremely solid in the two years he had at Spurs. Mousa Dembele is another curious omission (who only made the bench), particularly considering the 51-year-old has named his former Blackburn teammate Tugay Kerimoglu in midfield.

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Defoe enjoyed two spells at the North London club in his career. Having joined from West Ham in 2004, the England striker then moved to Portsmouth in January of 2008, before returning to Spurs the following January (Transfermarkt).

With 143 goals for Spurs, Defoe is currently sixth on the list of Tottenham’s all-time top scorers (MyFootballFacts) and is regarded by many as a club legend. Now retired, Defoe is set to become an academy coach at Spurs (Evening Standard).

Having played for seven different clubs throughout his career, and earning 57 England caps along the way, it’s safe to say Defoe has rubbed shoulders with some of the greatest players in the game.

When it comes to picking the best of the best though, Defoe had some interesting choices for his all-time XI. Speaking on the Premier League show 1 to 11, Defoe listed plenty of Spurs teammates among the best players he shared a pitch with.

Defoe named current Spurs captain Hugo Lloris as the best goalkeeper he ever played with, picking the Frenchman ahead of the likes of David James, Brad Friedel, and Paul Robinson. He was full of praise for Lloris, too.

He said: “Hugo was a special goalkeeper. What impresses me the most is how quick he was around the goal, how quick he is off the line. Brilliant goalkeeper. Very vocal, leader, a natural leader. So good with his feet, one of the best at head tennis.”

The rest of the XI includes former Spurs stars Kyle Walker, Ledley King, Gareth Bale, Michael Carrick, Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon, and Dimitar Berbatov. Sol Campbell, who Defoe played with at Portsmouth, also made the line-up. West Ham teammates Paolo Di Canio and Joe Cole complete the XI.

Spurs Web Opinion

To be fair, there are very few surprises in Defoe’s selections here. The likes of Hugo Lloris, Kyle Walker, Gareth Bale, and Luka Modric are all still world-class players at the top of their game and fully deserving of a place in any all-time XI.

Paolo Di Canio and Dimitar Berbatov were effortlessly brilliant players in their day too, and Joe Cole possessed such raw, explosive talent too, but was often underrated. We can’t say we appreciate the Sol Campbell mention, but with Ledley King alongside him, we’ll allow it.

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Tottenham have been extremely busy in terms of incomings in the summer transfer window so far, and none of the six players that have come through the door are lacking in height or physical strength.

Antonio Conte has stressed the importance of signing players who can cope with the physical demands of the Premier League (Sky Sports), and King believes that playing against the current Spurs team could be quite intimidating for the opposition.

The former Tottenham captain told The Athletic: “When I look at the squad, one of the first things that strikes me is the size of them.

“It’s a very physical squad, and that excites me. Being a somewhat physical defender back in my day, to see a team full of big, strong athletes is great.

“It definitely makes a difference when you’re stood in the tunnel before a game and you look across and you see a team of strong athletes who can run all day. We seem to be building towards that at the moment.”

Tottenham are a much better outfit now compared to the one King played in for the majority of his career but the centre-back added that even the sides he played in believed they could do something special heading into every new season.

He said: “The most important thing is getting off to a good start. Believe it or not, there wasn’t a time I went into a season not believing we could win the league if we started the season right.

“We always had good enough players. Obviously, that didn’t happen. But I’m sure this group’s mentality will be the same. Let’s start the season well and see where we are.

“Every season is different, with different obstacles regarding injuries, but the main focus is to start the season as well as possible.”

King also remarked that the six new faces who arrived at the club this summer should not have any trouble settling in quickly.

When asked if having proven Premier League players is important, he added: “It makes a difference but Kulusevski and Bentancur took to the PL straight away, they were excellent and played a big part in the team finishing the season in the top four.

“But there’s no doubt players like Richarlison and Bissouma know the league well. Perisic is experienced and played at the highest level. You’d think you wouldn’t have to worry about these players settling in. They know the levels expected and they should be fine.”

Spurs Web Opinion

The physicality and the intensity of the side we had between 2015-2017 under Pochettino was one of their greatest strengths.

We often saw teams struggling to cope with the power and strength of our two full-backs (Rose and Walker) and the likes of Dembele and Wanyama in midfield.

There is certainly a similar video to the current Spurs squad and they are arguably just as fit as that Pochettino side if not even fitter.

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