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    Antonio Conte is happy for Tottenham fans to get excited after fast start – but maintains title challenge is unrealistic

    ANTONIO CONTE is happy for Tottenham fans to get excited after their fast start – but maintains that a title challenge is unrealistic.Spurs have now taken 14 points from their first six games after Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg and Harry Kane helped them win 2-1 against Fulham, who struck through Aleksandar Mitrovic.
    Matchwinner Harry Kane now has five league goals already this seasonCredit: Getty
    It is the North Londoners’ best beginning to a campaign since the 2016-17 campaign, when they finished second to a Conte-bossed Chelsea.
    The Italian, who took over at Spurs last November, said: “It’s important to have great enthusiasm and be excited for the team but at the same time I have to be realistic.
    “I am the first to push my players and tell them to play with ambition to be competitive but we finished last season with 20 points less than Manchester City and Liverpool, and there was a lot of trouble last season for the club.
    “We are doing good things but it’s wrong to give an unrealistic judgement. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to be ambitious to fight.
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    “I have a bit of experience to tell you we need time and patience and not to make big mistakes in the transfer market.”
    It was Tottenham’s best performance of the season and a much improved display from Son Heung-min, even if his search for a first goal this term continued after hitting the crossbar.
    Conte added: “This is not only (going like this in games) for Sonny but also in training sessions.
    “Sometimes our goalkeeper made fantastic saves from him during the training session and he’s struggling to score.
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    “But I’m not worried when I see this type of performance from my players, Sonny included. I know they are going to score many goals, these strikers.”
    Fulham boss Marco Silva was disappointed with his side’s first-half display, which he felt fell short compared to what they have served up so far this season.
    The Portuguese commented: “It definitely wasn’t our best performance at all. We didn’t get most of the time to our standard. The first half was not good enough.”
    Yet one positive was another goal for Mitrovic, taking his tally to six in as many league games this campaign.
    When you add it to the 43 in the league he managed last term when obliterating the Championship record, he is now one shy of a half century in just over a season.
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    Silva added: “He’s in a very good moment. We must keep delivering for him because he has the ability to do it. 
    “It wasn’t our best performance as a team and even so he scored. If you create more and play at a different level, he would have more chances.” More

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    Tottenham 2 Fulham 1 – Kane and Hojbjerg strike to bag the points for Spurs despite lethal Mitrovic scoring yet again

    TOTTENHAM defeated Fulham 2-1 to climb up to second place in the Premier League table.Spurs extended their undefeated streak to six matches in the top flight following an impressive display against their London rivals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
    Tottenham defeated Fulham with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg opening the scoringCredit: Getty
    The North Londoners opened the scoring five minutes before half-time when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scored his first goal of the season.
    Richarlison slipped the ball to Hojbjerg on the edge of the six-yard box and the midfielder slid the ball past Bernd Leno and into the far corner of the net.
    Antonio Conte’s men sealed the win after 75 minutes when Ryan Sessegnon squared for Harry Kane to tap in at the back post.
    Fulham hit back with star man Aleksandar Mitrovic on 83 minutes but couldn’t complete a late comeback.
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    Tottenham REJECTED transfer approaches from Newcastle and Aston Villa for Moura but ace could leave for free next summer

    TOTTENHAM reportedly rejected multiple transfer approaches for Lucas Moura on deadline day.That is according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who claims Aston Villa and Newcastle both attempted to snatch him up with a late swoop.
    Tottenham refused to sell Moura on deadline dayCredit: Getty
    Villa boss Steven Gerrard had been seeking attacking reinforcements following the club’s disappointing start to the season.
    Meanwhile, Eddie Howe was scouting another forward to provide competition for Callum Wilson and record signing Alexander Isak.
    However, Tottenham refused to sell Moura despite the fact that he has less than 12 months remaining on his current contract.
    Spurs chiefs will now have to offer the Brazil international an extension if they don’t want to lose him for nothing next year.
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    Moura has fallen out-of-favour with Tottenham boss Antonio Conte this season.
    The Italian now favours Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison in attack, leaving little room for the former PSG star, who has played just 12 minutes of football this season after being ruled out of Tottenham’s last three fixtures with a calf injury.
    Conte has confirmed that he is suffering with a tendon issue which could keep him out of action for a number of weeks.
    Earlier this week, the Spurs boss said: “About Lucas, he has this inflammation in his tendon.
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    “I hope to recover him very soon, because for sure when I was a player, I had a lot of pain in my tendon.
    “You know very well tendon inflammation doesn’t finish in only one week, two weeks.” More

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    Tottenham’s Bryan Gil posts cryptic pic about ‘being happy but not realising’ after Valencia transfer collapses

    TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR star Bryan Gil has hinted he is unhappy at the club.Gil was set to seal a loan move to Valencia on deadline day before the move collapsed with Spurs unable to find a replacement.
    Bryan Gil joined Spurs last summer before going on loan in JanuaryCredit: AFP
    Gil’s cryptic Instagram post after the collapse of his Valencia loanCredit: Instagram @bryan11gil
    And following the collapse of the move, Gil made a cryptic post on his Instagram page.
    He posted an image with the caption: “Sometimes an old photo makes us value the moments where we were happiest and we didn’t realise.”
    Gil has not played a single minute under Antonio Conte this season.
    It is clear to see he is far down the pecking order in terms of attackers at Tottenham, with the signing of Richarlison pushing him further down the order.
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    The 21-year-old played just 85 minutes of Premier League football under both Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte before the latter sanctioned a loan move to Valencia for the winger.
    Tottenham brought Gil for a fee of £22million plus Erik Lamela from Sevilla, with Gil at the time being one of La Liga’s rising stars.
    However, things have not worked out for him across the English channel and his move to England is threatening to turn sour.
    Tottenham had been in line to secure a loan deal for Dan James before he sealed a season long-loan with Fulham.
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    For Spurs any outgoing movement in the market would need to be facilitated by incoming players, with Conte refusing to weaken his squad ahead of a packed fixture schedule.
    Games will be coming thick and fast ahead of the World Cup, and Erik ten Hag referenced the need for quality in numbers for Manchester United’s £85.5m deadline day deal of Antony. More

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    Top 10 most expensive summer transfers with Man Utd leading the way and just two non-Premier League deals

    THE transfer window has closed once again and managers know exactly who they have at their disposal until it all starts over again in January. And it was a record-breaking summer with the Premier League splashing out a whopping £2BILLION on new signings.

    Chelsea were the biggest spenders this summer with new owner Todd Boehly writing cheques totalling £260m to give Thomas Tuchel nine new players.
    But who were the biggest signings of the summer 2022 transfer window?
    1. ANTONY – Ajax to Man Utd – £85.5m
    The transfer saga that rumbled on and on and had more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie classic, Antony finally signed for United on deadline day for a staggering £85.5m.
    Erik ten Hag was desperate to add the Brazilian winger to his attack and paid more than double what United had initially hoped to land him in the biggest transfer ever on deadline day, surpassing Gareth Bale’s record.
    Antony arrived at Old Trafford for £85.5m on deadline dayCredit: Getty
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    2. WESLEY FOFANA – Leicester to Chelsea – £70m
    Another deal that seemed to take an age to get over the line was Wesley Fofana’s switch to Chelsea.
    The Leicester defender went on strike, refused to train and then took a cheeky swipe at Brendan Rodgers after completing his “dream” move to Stamford Bridge.
    The £70m is the initial fee – as with the rest in this list – making him the third most-expensive defender ever after Harry Maguire and Virgil van Dijk but it could rise to £75m in achievable add-ons.
    Wesley Fofana hailed his £70m transfer to Chelsea as a “dream”Credit: Getty
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    3. AURELIEN TCHOUAMENI – Monaco to Real Madrid – £68m
    Aurelien Tchouameni’s move from Monaco to Real Madrid seems like it was done a lifetime ago, such was the frantic nature of the closing stages of the window.
    The European champions identified their target and got the France international in early to integrate him in the squad, where he is hitting the ground running alongside compatriot Eduardo Camavinga.
    Aurelien Tchouameni has already settled into life in the Real Madrid midfieldCredit: Getty
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    4. DARWIN NUNEZ – Benfica to Liverpool – £64m 
    Liverpool were one of several clubs to splash the cash on a new No9 this summer and landed Darwin Nunez from Benfica despite interest from Manchester United.
    He made an immediate impact with goals in the Community Shield and then at Fulham on the opening day before shockingly headbutting Joachim Andersen to earn a three-match suspension.
    Jurgen Klopp will be desperate that is a one-off incident and the Uruguayan converts his hot head into a hot streak.
    Darwin Nunez is hoping for more goals than red cards this season at LiverpoolCredit: Getty
    5. CASEMIRO – Real Madrid to Man Utd – £60m 
    With a deal for Frenkie de Jong failing, Ten Hag knew he needed to bring in another midfielder and made a sudden swoop for the experienced Brazilian midfielder Casemiro.
    The five-time Champions League winner could cost up to £70m and is being paid a staggering £350,000 per week for an initial four years – a huge investment for a 30-year-old who has never played in England.
    Tchouameni’s arrival meant Casemiro was not even a guaranteed starter under Carlo Ancelotti anyway – and the fee essentially covered the cost of the new signing.
    Casemiro adds plenty of trophy-winning experience at UnitedCredit: Getty
    6. ALEXANDER ISAK – Real Sociedad to Newcastle – £60m
    Eddie Howe was determined to add a striker to his Toon squad – and he certainly did that by landing Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad.
    The Sweden international smashed the club record with his £60m move and wasted no time getting to grips with the Premier League by blasting in 38 minutes into his debut at Liverpool.
    Alexander Isak hit the ground running immediately with NewcastleCredit: Getty
    7. MATTHIJS DE LIGT – Juventus to Bayern Munich – £57m
    Matthijs de Ligt was dubbed one of the next generation of elite centre-backs but it did not quite work out for him at Juventus as hoped.
    Bayern Munich were not put off, though, and splashed out big money on the Dutch defender who will likely form a solid partnership with Dayot Upamecano for many years.
    Matthijs de Ligt completed his transfer from Juventus to BayernCredit: EPA
    8. MARC CUCURELLA – Brighton to Chelsea – £55m
    Despite having £50m Ben Chilwell who plays in the same position, Chelsea decided to spend an initial £55m on Marc Cucurella from Brighton.
    The Spanish left wing-back, who can also play in a back three, was also a target for Manchester City but they refused to pay what the Seagulls demanded.
    Among the other new arrivals at Stamford Bridge this summer were Raheem Sterling (£47.5m), Kalidou Koulibaly (£35m) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£12m) on deadline day.
    Eyebrows were raised by the amount Chelsea spent on Marc CucurellaCredit: Getty
    9. ERLING HAALAND – Borussia Dortmund to Man City – £51m
    He may have cost £51m but Erling Haaland is already looking like an absolute bargain with nine goals – including two hat-tricks – in his first five Premier League games.
    City, who Haaland’s dad also played for, won the race for the Norwegian’s signature ahead of some of Europe’s biggest teams after triggering his low release clause at Dortmund.
    Erling Haaland wasted no time in continuing to fire in goal after goal at his new clubCredit: AFP
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    10. RICHARLISON – Everton to Tottenham – £50m 
    Completing the top ten – eight of which are Premier League signings – is the £50m move Richarlison made from Goodison Park to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
    The deal could rise by a further £10m for the Brazil star who has more keepy-uppies than goals and assists combined so far under Antonio Conte after riling Nottingham Forest players and supporters with his cheeky showboating.
    Richarlison swapped Everton for Tottenham for an initial £50mCredit: Getty More

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    Tottenham star Sergio Reguilon’s stunning Wag Marta Diaz dazzles at unveiling ceremony following Atletico Madrid loan

    SERGIO REGUILON’S stunning Wag stole the show as he was unveiled at Atletico Madrid. The Tottenham left-back, 25, sealed a season-long loan at the Wanda Metropolitano after failing to shine in North London.
    Sergio Reguilon’s Wag Marta Diaz stunned at his Atletico Madrid unveilingCredit: Getty
    The Spurs left-back signed a season-long loan with AtletiCredit: Getty
    The YouTuber opted for a tight brown dressCredit: Rex
    Tottenham fans were sad to see her leave North LondonCredit: Rex
    He made 67 appearances across his two seasons with Spurs including 22 Premier League starts last term before the arrival of Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon’s rise.
    But as former Real man Reguilon posed with his new No3 shirt and spoke to the press, it was his gorgeous partner who grabbed the limelight.
    Marta Diaz looked glamorous as she opted for a tight-fitting dark brown dress with yellow heels.
    And Tottenham fans were furious to see her head back to Spain after just two years in North London.
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    One joked: “I hope we never sell Reguilon.”
    Another said: “We’d get a bigger transfer fee for Marta than we would for Reguilon.”
    A third added: “Big loss for us. Gonna miss Reguilon too.”
    And a final user quipped on a photo of the happy couple: “Congratulations @sergio_regui. Also well done on your move to Atletico.”
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    Spanish beauty Diaz has her own YouTube channel with more than 2million subscribers plus a whopping 3.2m Instagram followers.
    Her fans tune-in to her videos that feature her brother and include pranks, lifestyle tips and social media advice.
    The pair started dating in 2019 and went public online then were spotted together at the wedding of Sergio Ramos and Pilar Rubio.
    Reguilon and Diaz attended the wedding of Sergio Ramos and Pilar Rubio togetherCredit: Getty
    Reguilon began dating Diaz in 2019Credit: Instagram
    Astonishingly, Diaz has 2m subscribers on YouTube and more than 3m Instagram followersCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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    Tottenham line up transfer for Monaco star Gelson Martins as Leeds’ Dan James closes in on shock Fulham switch

    TOTTENHAM are reportedly lining up a deadline day swoop for Monaco star Gelson Martins after missing out on Dan James.Antonio Conte has already added a number of new additions to his squad over the summer window.
    Tottenham are allegedly plotting a late swoop for Monaco star Gelson MartinsCredit: Rex
    Now he wants to bring in more attacking reinforcements before tonight’s transfer deadline.
    They were linked with a move for Leeds United’s Welsh winger James.
    However, the former Manchester United ace, 24, is now closing in on a move to Fulham.
    The Cottagers have swooped after Justin Kluivert’s transfer from Roma collapsed over a work permit.
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    Now Sky Sports are claiming that Tottenham’s managing director and Conte “met to consider their other options in the market” earlier today.
    Portugal international Martins, 27, “fits the profile” of the type of player they want.
    And the report also adds that the former Sporting Lisbon and Atletico Madrid attacker is “keen” to come to the Premier League.
    The ace, who was linked with Arsenal several years ago, is comfortable lining up on either the left or right wing.
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    Meanwhile, there has been plenty of late interest from clubs looking to take Lucas Moura off Spurs’ books.
    But they have no desire to let him leave on loan and are only interested in a permanent sale.
    Bryan Gil is also still anxiously waiting for Spurs to bring in a replacement.
    That would then allow him to join Valencia on loan. More

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    Tottenham snap up ex-Arsenal youngster Will Lankshear in transfer from Sheff Utd as Conte builds for future

    TOTTENHAM are continuing to strengthen their academy as well as their first team squad after announcing the signing of forward Will Lankshear from Sheffield United.The 17-year-old was previously on the books at Spurs’ rivals Arsenal prior to his release last year.
    Teenage forward Will Lankshear has swapped Sheffield United for TottenhamCredit: Instagram
    Lankshear joined the Yorkshire outfit in January 2021 after being released by ArsenalCredit: Alamy
    He was subsequently snapped up by the Blades in January 2021, where he caught the eye of Tottenham following his standout displays for United’s Under-18 and U23 sides.
    From his 35 starts and 15 substitute appearances, Lankshear scored a whopping 40 goals, including five hat-tricks and seven braces.
    Such was his lethal prowess in front of goal, Spurs have decided to bring the teenager back to North London on a five-year deal until 2025.
    A club statement read: “We are delighted to announce the signing of Will Lankshear from Sheffield United.
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    “The 17-year-old forward has agreed a deal that will run until 2025 and will join up with the Club’s Academy.”
    According to the Metro, Spurs have forked out £2million on Lankshear.
    After his departure from Bramall Lane was announced, Lankshear tweeted: “Thank you to @sufcdevelopment for [the] past 19 months.
    “I enjoyed every bit and what a fantastic academy they are!
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    “On the other hand, delighted and blessed to announce I have signed my first professional contract.
    “@SpursOfficial time to work hard and kick on.”
    Tottenham have now brought in 11 players this window including transfers made for their academy.
    Antonio Conte has signed Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Djed Spence, Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster while also turning Cristian Romero’s temporary stay into a permanent switch.
    Meanwhile left-back Destiny Udogie was snapped up before returning to Udinese on a season-long loan deal.
    And centre-back Clement Lenglet has arrived from Barcelona on loan.
    Along with Lankshear, goalkeeper Josh Keeley and right-back Tyrell Ashcroft have been signed for Spurs’ academy. More