Brazil and Athletico Paranaense defender Arthur Dias, 19, is being tracked by Barcelona having previously attracted an £18m bid from Tottenham. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are keen on Tottenham youngster Luca Williams-Barnett, who made his Spurs debut at the age of 16. (Sun), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesChris Cowlin from Spurs Chat Podcast says Tottenham cannot afford to go through another managerial change and must give Roberto de Zerbi the "time and patience that he needs" despite their poor start to the season.
De Zerbi is the eighth permanent manager or head coach to take charge of the club since their move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019, while Ryan Mason and Cristian Stellini have also overseen interim spells.
"We didn't think after five games heading into this long international break that we'd be sat bottom of the Premier League table with only two points," Cowlin told BBC Radio London.
"Things can only get better. We have lacked goals, lacked cutting edge in front of goal. The final ball just hasn't been good enough and we haven't been clinical enough.
"Mentality has been such a big issue at this football club for many years and multiple different managers. De Zerbi is going through a tough period right now but back in 2019 Mauricio Pochettino said we need to go through a rebuild and it will be a painful rebuild.
"I think it is quite painful at the moment, especially the last couple of years. De Zerbi came in, rescued us, had a good transfer window, but then it it hasn't been good enough. The players have to take responsibility. I don't think we can go through another managerial change.
"If you are going to change the mentality at the football club you need to stick to something and give De Zerbi the time and patience that he needs.
"But, we do need to pick up points very quickly."
Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds
Tottenham will prioritise signing a striker in the January transfer window but are unlikely to spend big money. (Football Insider), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesA number of Premier League clubs want Manchester City to be hit with both "retrospective punishments" and sanctions for the future for their mass financial rule-breaking, sources have told BBC Sport.
An independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
City have appealed against the verdict, while the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is poised to look at the findings to see if there may be any suggestions of potential misconduct.
However, there is said to be a consensus among a group of top-flight club executives that if City's appeal is unsuccessful, the sanctions should make reparations for the period when they broke the rules, while also limiting their powers in future.
There is also a feeling from at least four Premier League boardrooms that a "one-hit" points deduction resulting in relegation to the Championship would be an insufficient punishment given the severity of City's wrongdoing.
Image source, Getty ImagesTottenham youngster Oliver Irow believes his academy team-mate Mikey Moore has the quality to be a success at Spurs and hopes he can continue to make an impression for the first team in the future.
The two attackers came through the ranks together and achieved great success, winning the Premier League Cup at both under-17 and under-18 level. Now, both find themselves out on loan, with Irow netting four goals in eight appearances so far for League One side Plymouth Argyle.
Moore featured in Tottenham's first two Premier League games of the season and scored in a Carabao Cup victory over Charlton Athletic, but he then joined Bundesliga side Cologne on loan before the end of the summer transfer window to continue his development.
"It's hard because there's a lot of players and all of us are trying to do the same thing," Irow said.
"Mikey's obviously done well to be able to break through. I've gone out to try to showcase what I can do and I feel like that was the best thing for me and for other players as well.
"Of course, I'm not going to speak on their behalf, but they've done the same thing - gone out to try to prove themselves. Everyone's pathway is completely different and that's fine.
"He's got the quality. There's a lot of players in that group that definitely could and definitely still can [play for Spurs].
"Mikey's a great player. Hopefully he can push on and hopefully we can all push on and do the same thing."
Tottenham's interest in Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez is unlikely to come to anything with the 26-year-old Argentine still having his heart set on a move to Barcelona. (Football Insider), external
Real Madrid are set to stand firm on their desire not to sell 20-year-old Brazil forward Endrick despite interest from Tottenham and Arsenal. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Tottenham captain Ledley King believes Micky van de Ven must build on his new role as Spurs skipper and "make the players around him better".
The Dutch defender took the armband following Cristian Romero's departure to Atletico Madrid in the summer and finds himself in a tricky position with the north London side failing to pick up a win from their first five Premier League games.
Despite this, King - who was Spurs captain for seven years - believes Van de Ven is the correct choice to lead the team and now needs to get the best out of the group.
"I think he's a fantastic player," King said. "His new role now is to make the players around him better.
"I think Micky takes care of himself. His ability to recover and put fires out is something we've seen over the last few years. That's an important element for the team.
"So, I think the next role is to manage the group and get the best out of the group as a team.
"He's grown into the role. Having seen Micky on the pitch, he leads by example, for sure and I think he was the right choice to be captain."
Real Betis will reject any interest in striker Troy Parrott, who has an £85m release clause in his contract, amid talk of a return to Tottenham for the 24-year-old Republic of Ireland international. (Estadio Deportivo - in Spanish), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Sport contributor and Tottenham fan Kish Patel says the international break has "come at a good time" for Spurs.
He said: "Spurs have struggled massively with injuries and I think the recent form is because of injuries.
"This international break is absolutely huge for Spurs.
"We have had a massive issue with the number nine. I think Dominic Solanke profiles well in a Roberto de Zerbi team, but he doesn't look fit. Give him three weeks and hopefully he can condition himself to be back for Spurs.
"Mohammed Kudus is coming off the back off a big injury. He almost looks a bit tentative. Those three weeks could be massive for him.
"I think you're looking at slightly better versions of them after the break."
Listen to more from Patel below or on BBC Sounds here
Image source, Getty ImagesTottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has given his backing to head coach Roberto de Zerbi after his side's poor start to the season.
Spurs are bottom of the Premier League after collecting just two points from their opening five games and they are also out of the Carabao Cup, despite a huge summer transfer spend.
However, Venkatesham said he is "encouraged by aspects of the underlying performances since the opening day defeat [at Brentford]", with Tottenham creating plenty of good chances without scoring in draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton, and defeat by Newcastle.
Speaking at the first Fan Advisory Board meeting of the season, Venkatesham "acknowledged the disappointment at the current points total even at this early point in the season and recognised the frustration this caused supporters following the previous campaign".
He added that he believed in De Zerbi and the revamped squad, to which 10 new signings were added and that lost several experienced players, like Guglielmo Vicario, Djed Spence, Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso and Joao Palhinha, as well as highly rated defender Luka Vuskovic.
"The club had made significant changes over the summer, both on and off the pitch, and recognised that these might take time to take full effect," Venkatesham said.
Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Premier League has opened a Pandora's box of problems which cannot be closed. However well-intentioned, however morally upright they mean to be, the way the product is perceived around the planet by fans will be negatively affected.
This looks like a gigantic mess, but could also become a bit of a joke, especially if they attempt to rewrite history, and change the winners' names on the Premier League and cup trophies over these past 15 years. I wouldn't want the engraver's job.
I believe financial rules brought in to prioritise financial sustainability were also aimed at limiting the money being spent by the clubs, especially the staggering, ever-inflating sums spent on sometimes fairly average players. It could lead to a de facto salary cap, which many fans would approve of.
The long-term problem for the league is easy to see here: if the top players are then offered significantly more money to play elsewhere, they will be off before you can say 'man on'.
I always thought the Premier League had taken a huge risk going down this regulatory road. As with Manchester City's future, nobody knows what the real long-term ramifications will be.
I have a suspicion it could end up being the greatest own goal in the sport's entire history.
The big take: If City are cast out of England's top leagues, what might the owners do – hang around the lower reaches, or find something else? Wasn't there the idea of a Super League? Keep that thought in the back of your mind.
Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.
Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty ImagesMost of the time it is not that big a deal if you go into the international break having just lost a club game if I am honest, as teams lose games frequently.
That is just the life of a professional footballer. You have to be able to cope with disappointment as an individual and as a team.
Admittedly, players will sometimes say that they want another domestic game quickly, but it is almost always specifically after a 'bad' defeat as opposed to just a run-of-the-mill loss.
However, if the team has genuinely played terribly, or lost a game they were expected to win comfortably, you will commonly hear the phrase "we want to have a chance to get back out there and put it right quickly".
Players who have had a stinker, even if their team won, might also want to get out again as soon as possible to put it right in front of their fans, or 'reset'. The 'reset' argument is just current football jargon to say, "we will try to get it right next time, and we blew it this week, sorry".
The international break can also have the beneficial effect of taking your mind away from a bad defeat. This is not to say that you don't care, it is just that you must compartmentalise your thoughts and feelings. Footballers are among the best at this.
You simply cannot go to play for your national team and spend the time brooding about what happened against Brentford last week. That way lies madness and another poor performance, only this time in front of the entire nation.
Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.
Tottenham Hotspur have expressed an interest in South Korean defender Kim Min-jae, 29, from Bayern Munich. (Sport - in Spanish, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Tottenham and Arsenal are monitoring Bayer Leverkusen's Algeria midfielder Ibrahim Maza, 20. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked you to rate Tottenham's start to the season and tell us what Roberto de Zerbi should be focusing on during this extended international break.
Here are some of your comments:
Mick: While I knew we would be rebuilding and learning, I didn't think we would be doing so in the manner we are. Taking five games to score a goal is just not good enough. Selling Vuskovic and bringing in Van Hecke made no sense to me. Not panicking yet, but its going to be a nervy couple of weeks after the break.
Leroy: He gets 10 games, for me. He has five to go. With a good striker we'd be ok. We're playing better and creating chances. Solanke is miles off it though.
Rick: Rather than revert to the long-term attitude of despair, this time I will give the squad and manager the benefit of the doubt. We are seeing flashes of what looks like a good future. We aren't that far off, despite no wins as yet.
Tom: I don't really understand what our transfer policy was attempting to achieve. Two or three good and necessary signings in defence and midfield, but last season we were screaming out for goals. Why on earth we didn't prioritise a 20-goal-a-season player in the summer window I can't comprehend. Letting Djed Spence leave after the best form of his career at the end of last season and at the World Cup, without a ready replacement, also now looks like insanity.
Aidy: It is unrealistic to expect simply throwing money at the team will fix it. It will take time to form. Give De Zerbi until Christmas to see if the team is starting to click. The biggest problem is the lack of support shown by Spurs fans at home.
Image source, Getty ImagesBig spending always means big ambitions, but shelling out so much money on so many players the way Tottenham did this summer produces problems for any manager - and there is no quick fix.
If I was given a bundle of cash and I spent every penny of it on pink shoes, brown trousers, a yellow shirt and an orange tie for a wedding, then I'm sure you would say it just doesn't work.
That's similar to what has happened at Spurs, where the board has backed Roberto de Zerbi to the hilt with an outlay of about £400m on new players.
It was an almost unprecedented occurrence from a club that has always been renowned for being careful with investment in their team, and it sent the expectations of many Spurs supporters through the roof.
However, finding a way for your team to win takes a manager in lots of different directions and they all involve time. Not only has De Zerbi not been given that early time, the majority of his players have now been taken away from him for another three weeks on international duty.
His biggest challenge right now will be integrating those players who have just arrived with the players already at the club, so the money spent is justified. All of this will take time, patience and little details that supporters never see.
In my day, we were given time to create a team and a family. For today's managers, time seems more limited than ever.
We are only five games into the season and there are already some Spurs fans who think he is the worst manager in the world, even though he has proven elsewhere how good he is. Let's give him a proper chance.
Each player needs a different amount of time to settle in a new environment and adjust to the demands of a very single-minded and demanding coach like De Zerbi.
Coaching a team to be a team takes time, patience and a sound idea of the strengths of all your players. Even when you've got that, trying to knit every player together takes time - and that is still De Zerbi's issue.
He was always playing catch-up because his players weren't all in place when the season began. He missed the opportunity to assess his squad and impose his own principles.
He is a coach at heart and he will want to be out on the training pitch putting together a system that he believes will bring success to the club. Unfortunately, this international break means he cannot do that with all of his players.
Atalanta and Italy defender Giorgio Scalvini, 22, is the subject of interest from Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea. (Caught Offside), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
As we enter the season's first international break, we want to hear your thoughts on the opening five games in the Premier League.
It has not been a good start for Roberto de Zerbi's side as they sit bottom of the table with just two draws and no wins at the beginning of his full first campaign in charge.
The Italian will hope that scoring their first goals of the league season in Saturday's 3-2 home defeat by Aston Villa shows some green shoots for a new-look Tottenham squad that was rebuilt by extensive summer spending.
How do you rate Spurs' start to the season and why? And what should De Zerbi be focusing on during the extended break?
