We're only allowed 17 non home grown players. (note: Saliba and Martinelli count as U21 players this year and will count as home grown from next season) Also Torreira is not on the list below having just been sold

Homegrown players (10): Bellerin, Holding, Nketiah, Ramsdale, White, Maitland-Niles, Smith Rowe, Nelson, M. Smith, Olayinka

Non-Homegrown (17): Runarsson, Turner, Tierney, Gabriel, Cédric, Tomiyasu, Mari, Zinchenko, Partey, Ødegaard, Vieira, Lokonga, Elneny, Xhaka, Jesus, Pépé, Lewis

Under-21s: Saliba, Saka, Martinelli, Hein, Marquinhos, Sousa, Walters, and the rest of the academy

you can have 25 senior players for the prem league squad with no more than 17 non-home grown players, you can have as many U21's as you want.

So we need to lose 2 players from the top two lists. I'd say that's pretty easy considering Bellerin, M.Smith, Olayinka, Runarsson, Mari, Lewis are all on those lists

Runarsson is on £780k a year and his contract expires in 2024. Paying that off and giving him a free transfer would only cost around £1.5m. That’s little over a month of Özil’s salary at Arsenal. Why not do it unless we can send him on loan? Mari will surely be leaving soon, as you’ve said.

It all looks very manageable to me and I’m not sure it stands up as a reason for not signing Tielemans, or whoever else. Lewis? Surely he can be sent on loan or, if he’s not expected to reach the top, pay him off too?

There is strong talk that he’s off to Turkey on a permanent deal

How the mighty are fallen. Tony Adams, now 55, is to appear on Strictly Come Dancing.

I prefer to remember his goal against Everton when we cliched the title in 1998.

It’s a programme I’ve never watched. I presume I must have been in the room when it’s been on, but I doubt that counts as watching it.

New all or nothing out.

Wow there’s a lot there in these 3. It depicts the aubameyang saga warts and all. Richard garlick comes across very well as a mover and shaker guiding Edu. The club had no choice and were utterly screwed.

I thought Ben white came across well in his piece.

Just finished watching the fourth one (first of the latest three).

We really did get robbed in that New Years Day game didn’t we? Outrageous.

https://www.sportbible.com/football/antonio-conte-tottenham-spurs-transfers-latest-20220811

Arteta made Aubameyang train away from the main group due to multiple disciplinary breaches. Conte makes players train away from the main group if he wants to sell them.

I'm convinced Conte is on a win now strategy, and for me there are only two ways that goes.
1) they do win something, his star rises again and he moves on to a bigger club
2) they don't win something and Conte moves on because he doesn't want a proper rebuild

Clearly Conte has something about him and it is working at Spurs but I don't think there is a longer term plan for him or the club.
Don't forget Conte only signed an 18 month deal, who does that if you're truly committed, so he's in the last year of his deal now, and in the lowest moments of last year after particularly demoralising defeats Conte was very quick to talk about how he might move on if there was no improvement. Maybe he has changed his mind and will sign a new deal, i don't know. But I'm not yet convinced

One bit I liked in the documentary was when Arteta was away with covid he came back and told the squad he'd watched all 21 training sessions whilst he was away and on one of them if he was there 4 players would have been sent in after 15 minutes for not taking the session seriously enough.

I agree. But I am worried about the short run and Spurs actually winning something this season. As Keynes' said "In the long run we're all dead".

Hi Decaf. Interesting that you mention John Maynard Keynes’ comment. I’ve heard it described as a ‘grab the moment’ philosophy. I’m with you that Tottenham actually winning something under Conte this season concerns me. I think it’s entirely feasible.

Maybe not the Premiership though I do believe that rather than write it off as a fight for third behind City and Liverpool, England’s other biggest clubs (by which I mean currently Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and I hate to say it but most of all Manchester United) should not write City and Liverpool as non-catchable.

Football changes. I remember Leeds being brilliant. I remember Aston Villa winning the European Cup (the Champions League). I recall Everton being a huge club. Of course they are still big clubs. But they show the fragility of football status or club size.

I look on things a bit differently to Rich, whose opinions I may not always agree with but do respect (even when he goes nutty about referees). I try to see the worst case scenario in things because it hopefully won’t be as bad. I still blame Swindon for that. They were a third tier team and my dad told me we should win the 1969 League Cup final.

Anyone who knows anything about Arsenal’s history will know what happened. I still dislike Swindon Town to this day. Without following their fortunes if I hear on talkSPORT that they’ve been relegated, I’m delighted.

Tottenham winning something this season, Conte staying and building on to further success? I’d like to think it may be unlikely but it most certainly isn’t impossible.

Tottenham winning something this season, Conte staying and building on to further success? I’d like to think it may be unlikely but it most certainly isn’t impossible.

How the mighty are fallen. Tony Adams, now 55, is to appear on Strictly Come Dancing.

I prefer to remember his goal against Everton when we cliched the title in 1998.

A post by a jealous envious crusty old clag who doesn't know the difference between a waltz , foxtrot and the limbo .

Hi Decaf. Interesting that you mention John Maynard Keynes’ comment. I’ve heard it described as a ‘grab the moment’ philosophy. I’m with you that Tottenham actually winning something under Conte this season concerns me. I think it’s entirely feasible.

Maybe not the Premiership though I do believe that rather than write it off as a fight for third behind City and Liverpool, England’s other biggest clubs (by which I mean currently Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and I hate to say it but most of all Manchester United) should not write City and Liverpool as non-catchable.

Football changes. I remember Leeds being brilliant. I remember Aston Villa winning the European Cup (the Champions League). I recall Everton being a huge club. Of course they are still big clubs. But they show the fragility of football status or club size.

I look on things a bit differently to Rich, whose opinions I may not always agree with but do respect (even when he goes nutty about referees). I try to see the worst case scenario in things because it hopefully won’t be as bad. I still blame Swindon for that. They were a third tier team and my dad told me we should win the 1969 League Cup final.

Anyone who knows anything about Arsenal’s history will know what happened. I still dislike Swindon Town to this day. Without following their fortunes if I hear on talkSPORT that they’ve been relegated, I’m delighted.

Tottenham winning something this season, Conte staying and building on to further success? I’d like to think it may be unlikely but it most certainly isn’t impossible.

Seen a rumour out of the blue about Man City trying to sign Tierney. Seems very odd.

There is no way we should sell him to them unless, a) they offer silly money (like £70-80m) and b) we have a replacement lined up

The incomparable Brian Moore saying “ and that is that “ as Don Rogers slots in Swindon’s third goal and dagger in our heart unfortunately stays with me over 50 years later. F the ‘Horse of the Year Show”. Gooners of my generation will get it!!

After the disaster of losing to shitbag Leeds the year before, when Madeley and Charlton flattened Furnell so Cooper could score into an empty net, Swindon looked to be a breeze. Made the loss to them all the more painful.

Not sure we ever expected to beat Leeds but we - I - was utterly convinced we'd stuff Swindon. Easy. That was a hard lesson to learn, but it certainly prepared me for a lifetime supporting the Arse.

As it happens I really don’t, apart from the limbo I suppose.

The Leeds one in 1968 was my first cup final. Disappointing to lose but like you I never expected us to win it.

I've watched a few things on Arsenal's tactics and there have been gradual shifts in Arteta's time. Right now when we have the ball he is developing a 2-3-5 formation, where the CB are always the back 2 and the 2 full backs tuck inside to support Partey to make a midfield 3 block. Then you have the 2 No.8's joint he front 3 spread across the pitch making it as wide as possible. It is very, very attacking but allows for overloads against defences, or overloads on one side of the pitch before a quick switch to the winger on the opposite side (who stays wide) and has a 1 v 1. The 3 in midfield become important if we lose the ball as you aren't exposed right through the centre of the pitch, your opponents have to filter it wide wish is far less dangerous on the counter. All very interesting (to me at least)

I actually attended dancing classes . The Bosa Nova was the latest rave .

Decades later my mother pestered me to have a dance with her at some function ; three minutes in she delivered the verdict ... ""You cant dance ""

to which I replied ....... "Well you asked me ....... I was quite happy drinking beer talking sh***ght with my mates "

I’m rather like you in that respect then. I did go to dancing classes at Uni but with the sole intention of getting to know one of the girls on my maths course rather better.

As it turned out I got to know her rather more than I did anything about dancing.

Spurs are potentially a really big club, with an attractive brand, just enough history, London home, etc. There is a very real danger that short term success might stick.

I think Keynes was saying something similar.

Very interesting.