Tottenham hold cards in Conor Gallagher transfer and the truth about Eze and Fuhrich links

Ryangoles1: "Hi Alasdair, our interest in Conor Gallagher is widely reported but so is the fact we’re looking for a ‘6’. I know Ange claims not to see players as 6’s or 8’s but do you think he see’s Gallagher as a deeper player or will he push Bentancur back to be in competition with Bissouma?"

Alasdair says: "I think Gallagher fits exactly what you've just mentioned about Postecoglou believing there shouldn't be a distinction between those who play in the tradition six role or number eight one. Gallagher this season has been used as an attacking midfielder, a box-to-box one and in a defensive role in a few occasions. I think Bentancur, when fully fit and sharp, is a similar player in that respect. That's not to say that Spurs won't also look for another more traditional number six, but Gallagher certainly ticks a lot of boxes as a replacement for the likely outgoing Hojbjerg."

tedmundo: "Do you expect Spurs to recruit from within to replace Chris Davies?"

Alasdair says: "Postecoglou is going to evaluate candidates from both inside and outside the club. Within Spurs, Matt Wells and Ryan Mason are strong highly-rated candidates within the game to step up into an assistant head coach role, the former having done it twice already in his career with Scott Parker and the latter having two bouts of experience in the top role himself. Both have now spent a year within the Australian and are fully aware of what he wants.

"When it comes to external candidates, the choice is whether to continue Postecoglou's theme throughout his career of bringing in coaches he's never worked with before or breaking that habit to get a former staff member to link back up with him as they will hit the ground running quickly.

"Others have said that Postecoglou passes his philosophy and demands to new coaches within 48 hours because of his clarity so that might not be as necessary as thought. He might look for more experience to add to the team. There's a couple of weeks to make a decision as the coaches arrived last year at Hotspur Way around 4-5 days before the players did to start preparations."

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BobbeP: "Should Spurs bring in a seasoned experienced number two to Ange?"

Alasdair says: "I think Postecoglou should select his number two rather than the club. To have the decision taken out of his hands would be a disaster waiting to happen."

LouisMell: "How realistic is a signing like Eberechi Eze with that release clause, why don't we ever just pay it."

Alasdair says: "Spurs really like Eze. They have done for a few years. If there's a summer to try to bring him across London then this feels like the one. There's been plenty of talk about a reported release clause, with recent suggestions that it's £60m and another £8m in add-ons, although with others suggesting that it could be a little bit more of a complicated clause than that.

"The Palace man is represented by CAA Base, an agency with close ties to Spurs with the likes of Postecoglou, Son, Maddison, Porro, Sarr and many more on their books within the club, so the dialogue and clarity on any potential transfer will be there. Eze was reportedly at a Tottenham game with his family and friends in Base's box at the stadium this season. That doesn't mean too much, as many players have done that in recent years, but it does show the links between the agency and the club.

"Tottenham have not formally made their move yet at the time of writing this and with Palace not desperate to sell or needing to for FFP, it will be interesting to see whether Spurs do try to negotiate them down from any potential release clause figure as you would expect. Competition could play a part in whether there's any opening to do so.

"If it is a £68m release fee all in then that would break Tottenham's record, but Eze could be a gamechanger for Postecoglou, able to play through the middle or out wide. Let him flourish at the Euros as well and you run the risk of even more competition for his signature."

slidern17: "Is there any chance of Troy Parrott signing a new contract and staying/going out on loan again rather than being sold?"

Alasdair says: "I'd love for Troy to get a chance in pre-season to impress Postecoglou after such a big year in his development. My gut feeling at this point though is that Spurs will look to cash in on his impressive season and insert a sell-on clause or buy-back option in case he continues to shine.

"As a club-trained player he would be a great option to have around the squad and it's his dream to still make it at Spurs, but with Postecoglou looking to bring in another striker, having Richarlison and Son able to play there and liking Dane Scarlett, it's going to become a crowded area within the squad."

ARushy: "How many exits are we possibly looking at this summer? Also, what are your dream signings for this window?"

Alasdair says: "I think there will be a large number simply because Spurs have got to that awkward stage with so many players being in the final year of their contract and with Postecoglou looking to make plenty of changes it lends itself to a busy overhaul.

"With Sessegnon, Tanganga, Dier and Perisic now gone permanently, you can expect all of the older players out on loan last season to be available for transfer.

"Then you've got others within the squad who either don't fit the system perfectly or are reaching the latter stages of their contracts at the club. I wouldn't be surprised if overall we get near to or maybe even exceed double figures in terms of departures from the first team squad including those four already gone.

"As for dream signings, after writing a big piece yesterday on the 2019 summer transfer window that still haunts Spurs, I've been reminded that being excited about a transfer in the moment doesn't necessarily mean they work out. I'd rather just have the right signings for Postecoglou than my dream ones. Boring I know. Sorry."

MzansiSpur: "Hi Ally, hope we get Ederson, Eze, Toney, a back-up right back, give some of the U21's some game time. Were you in South Africa when the team last visited in 2011 if I'm not mistaken?"

Alasdair says: "I only started covering Tottenham in 2016 and started just after the summer tour to Melbourne that year, so my first trip away reporting on Spurs came in the Europa League at Gent in February the next year and then on the pre-season tour to the USA that summer in 2017."

rhysprice74: "We are being told that either the focus is on a winger or a striker which would make it seem as if we are only looking for one, does this mean whichever we sign Son fills the other position? When will the business begin instead of rumours?"

Alasdair says: "The idea is to get a winger and a striker but if the club can get someone who covers both effectively then that logically allows them to cover more ground this window in their transfers across the squad. As for when the business begins, the transfer window doesn't open until June 14th so I'd imagine things will start building up as that approaches.

"For now there's a lot of speculation being driven by agents and those within the game and in and around clubs. Even just this week, there were links to Stuttgart's Chris Fuhrich coming out of Germany and in no time those within Spurs very quickly distanced themselves from any links to the player. It's going to be that kind of window."

dazlingwiz: "When will the preseason begin? I know we have our first game on July 17 so a week before or something else?"

Alasdair says: "July 1 is when players will start filtering back from their time off over those first couple of days. I'd imagine there will be at least one behind closed doors training ground friendly match within the first couple of weekends."

Jiminylive: "I've been watching the "99" show on Amazon Prime about the Manchester United treble winning season and it reminded me just how good a strike partnership Cole and Yorke were back in the day. Do you think Kane and Sonny were better? And who do you think from the current squad / youth prospects have the potential to become our next Kane+Sonny double act?"

Alasdair says: "Great shout. As they've got the record for goal combinations I think you have to consider them the best striker partnership in the Premier League era. The numbers speak for themselves. I used to love Berbatov and Keane as a pairing and Sheringham and Klinsmann before them (Sheringham and Armstrong were also very good in their first year together) but Kane and Son have to take the prize.

"As for the youth prospects, the current version of them in the U21s is very much Will Lankshear and Jamie Donley. Those two have a wonderful understanding. There's a long way to go for both but it would be great to see them both linking up for the senior side one day."

johnher: "How much of a presence and influence did Chris Davies have? Do you think the team will be affected by him leaving?"

Alasdair says: "He is a very good coach, very organised with clear communication, well liked and was very big on the link with the academy. He's a loss certainly and it's down to Postecoglou and Spurs to fill the gap with the right man."

Adamsee20: "Can you see any first team regulars other than Højbjerg being sold in this transfer window?"

Alasdair says: "There's always one unexpected offer that comes in for someone but on the whole the main decisions will have to be made over players like Emerson Royal and perhaps Ben Davies, the latter reaching the final year of his contract. There could yet be a bid for Richarlison even if he's declared his intention to remain in north London. Other than that you're looking at the likes of Oliver Skipp, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil as other potential exits without including the returning loan players."

Gooochie: "Do you honestly see us signing another top centre-back? We did well to get Dragusin with Van de Ven and Cuti ahead. I can see a scenario where Davies and Phillips are kept as cover/rotation."

Alasdair says: "Postecoglou has said he wants another centre-back. I don't personally think that's an area that needs big money spent with the priorities elsewhere but they should still get a good option in through the door."

Jcdlane: "Last summer we had several signings early in the window. Can we expect the same this year? If not, what's changed?"

Alasdair says: "That's what Postecoglou expects. I asked him that question in Melbourne and he said that's the plan."

82821: "What do you think of Mikey Moore?"

Alasdair says: "He's a very talented young player. He's only 16 - he turns 17 this summer - so there needs to be patience and caution with him but Postecoglou and the coaching staff really like him, as well as the slightly older Tyrese Hall. It's a long path from wonderkid to first team regular and Mikey has only just started on the road but if he keeps working hard and steers clear of injuries then he's got all of the tools to become a terrific player."

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