Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham's defeat to Newcastle United epitomised the "story of our season so far", as his side failed to turn their superiorty into three points.

Spurs went down 2-1 at St James' Park, despite enjoying 66% of the possession and registering 20 shots to their opponents' nine.

Dan Burn's own goal cancelled out Harvey Barnes' first-half effort, but the visitors were made to pay for their profligacy when Alexander Isak struck the winner 12 minutes from time.

Postecoglou was left frustrated by the nature of the defeat - Tottenham's fourth in six Premier League away games - but he is confident their fortunes will turn around with similarly dominant performances.

"Story of our season so far really," he told BBC Match of the Day. "We played well and controlled the game for the most part. They were a threat in transition, but we still had enough chances to win the game comfortably.

"I thought we were handling the transitions. The goal we conceded in the second half was sloppy and we lost focus. The game should have been put to bed a lot longer before that.

"What I know is if we continue to play like that, we will get our rewards. It's not an easy place to come. The way we controlled the game was really pleasing. It's three good performances, but not the results that reflect that."

"Really disappointed," Johnson added on Sky Sports. "I think in the first half, we were decent and created a few chances. Our general play wasn't too bad.

"In the second half we came out well and pushed them back. It's about doing what we can with the chances we created. We have to be more clinical.

"I definitely think it's just responsibility on us guys. We are getting into good areas. It's probably our final ball. It's about creating the right chance.

"There were a few opportunities today where we could have shot and not passed, then others when we could have passed and not shot."

Eddie Howe insists Newcastle United’s dream of regular success may take a little longer than anticipated after a disappointing transfer window.

After the Magpies’ Saudi-backed takeover in 2021, Amanda Staveley claimed they could win a first Premier League title within 10 years of that.

But Newcastle’s failed pursuit of Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi has shown where they are in the market, welcoming just five new faces at St James’ Park and keeping much of the squad that missed out on European football last year.

And ahead of this weekend’s meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, Howe urged supporters to trust the process and back the team when they take to the pitch on Sunday.

"I don't think the dream dies, necessarily, but I think it takes a lot longer,” Howe said.

"We've got to build our revenue streams, that is the biggest thing. We've got to bring more money into the football club, however we do that - through player sales, through sponsorship, through loads of various things.

"That's the big thing that we need to focus on now for the next, probably, 10 years.

"Whether I'm lucky enough to see any of that, who knows? But the dream is not over, it's just going to take a lot, lot longer."

Tottenham, meanwhile, will be looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the season after cruising to a 4-0 win over Everton in their first home game of the campaign.

Ange Postecoglou is aiming to improve on Spurs’ fifth-placed finish last term that secured them Europa League football.

Spurs discovered their opponents in the new format of the competition on Friday, with a reunion with Jose Mourinho on the cards, while Postecoglou returns north of the border to face old foes Rangers.

And the Spurs boss believes the new format will allow his players to build a rhythm throughout the Premier League campaign due to the competitive nature of the tournament this year.

"It allows us to get into a rhythm of having two games a week until January pretty much. I much prefer having a programme now as opposed to last year.

“The new format is interesting, there will be less 'dead rubbers' in European football which can't be a bad thing.

"It's a tough game, they have got some outstanding players who are well coached. It's going to be a great challenge for us."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Newcastle – Alexander Isak

Alexander Isak has enjoyed Spurs’ visits to St James’ Park recently, scoring twice in both of his two Premier League home games against Tottenham.

Only two players have scored two or more goals in three consecutive home appearances against a club in the competition – Alan Shearer vs Everton (1992 to 1994) and Chris Sutton vs Liverpool (1994 to 1996).

Tottenham – James Maddison

James Maddison has provided an assist in four of his last five Premier League games, including both matches so far this season for Postecoglou’s side.

No Spurs player has ever assisted a goal in each of their first three games in a single campaign before.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Despite Opta’s data-led simulations predicting a close encounter in the North East, it has been Newcastle who have had the better of the results in recent years.

The Magpies have won three of their last four Premier League meetings with Spurs (L1), as many as in their previous 13 (D2 L8). Three of their last five league victories against Spurs have been by at least a four-goal margin.

Newcastle have also scored at least once in each of their last 20 Premier League home games, scoring with their only attempt on target in their last such match against Southampton. Only once have they had a longer scoring streak at St James’ Park in the competition, going 24 games between January 1995 and February 1996.

Tottenham have lost their last two Premier League away games against Newcastle by an aggregate score of 10-1. They’d only lost two of their previous 11 such visits to St James’ Park (W6 D3).

But having won four of their first six Premier League away games last season (D2), Spurs have now won just three of their last 14 on the road (D5 L6).

But expect goals on Sunday. Newcastle v Tottenham is the most played fixture in Premier League history to never finish 0-0 (58 games). Only Liverpool v Tottenham (191) and Arsenal v Liverpool (190) have seen more goals than this in the competition (186), while there have been 34 goals in the last seven meetings alone (4.9 per game).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Newcastle – 38.7%

Draw – 23.6%

Tottenham – 37.7%

Ange Postecoglou has told Yves Bissouma he has "still got work to do" to win back his full trust after marking his Tottenham return with a goal.

Bissouma was suspended by Spurs after filming himself inhaling nitrous oxide and missed Monday's 1-1 draw with Leicester City as a result.

However, he was recalled to the starting line-up for Saturday's visit of Everton and opened the scoring in a 4-1 win with a superb 20-yard strike.

Bissouma celebrated the goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by apologising to supporters and running over to embrace his manager in the dugout.

Asked about Bissouma after Saturday's match, Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "It's a good start. He's still got work to do. 

"I'm not doubting his footballing quality. We want to make him the best version of himself. That starts off the field as much as on it."

Bissouma fired a first-time shot past Jordan Pickford off the underside of the crossbar after being teed up by Dejan Kulusevski.

That was his first Spurs goal, two years after joining from Brighton, making him the 172nd different player to score in the Premier League for them.

Bissouma dictated play from midfield, with his 26 passes into the final third matched only by James Maddison among both sets of players.

And Maddison, who claimed an assist for Cristian Romero to put Spurs three goals up, hailed his team-mate after the comprehensive victory.

"We all know Yves' ability. He is a ridiculous player at times," Maddison told Sky Sports. "He has got a skill not many have. 

"The gaffer is a great man with good morals. [Bissouma] has to keep working hard. It's important we put into practice what the manager wants."

Maddison has now provided an assist in each of his last four Premier League games against Everton.

Son Heung-min was also on the scoresheet twice, meaning he has scored multiple goals in 20 different Premier League games for Tottenham.

Only Harry Kane has done so more often (47) for Spurs, with Son's double helping his side make it four points from their first two matches.

After beating Everton by four-or-more goals for the fourth time in the Premier League, Postecoglou insisted there is still more to come.

"The performance was good. It's really encouraging for us," he said. "There is more [to come]. We want to keep performing."

Asked if he will add to his squad before Friday's transfer deadline, Postecoglou added: "I think we have spent wisely. 

"The players we have brought in are going to be fantastic for this club. We will see [about more deals]. 

"There are still a couple of players we will look to move on. We'll stay alert."

Ange Postecoglou confirmed that Tottenham's £65million signing Dominic Solanke will miss this weekend's Premier League encounter against Everton. 

Solanke, who made his debut for the club in their 1-1 draw with Leicester City in their opening game of the new season, picked up an ankle injury in the East Midlands.

The 26-year-old made a promising start to his Spurs career at the King Power Stadium, recording the most shots (three) and shots on target (three), with his eight touches in the opposition box only bettered by Son Heung-min (10). 

It serves as a huge blow for Postecoglou as he aims to improve on their fifth place finish in the division last season, with Solanke's arrival thought to be the missing piece to his front line. 

His 22 goal involvements (19 goals and three assists) for the Cherries was the joint-ninth highest in the division, but Spurs will now have to turn to their other striking options for the visit of Sean Dyche's side. 

"Dom picked up a knock in the last game," Postecoglou said. "He got through the game, but it flared up the day after, and he'll miss the game tomorrow.

"It's an ankle injury. He copped it really early on, someone went across his ankle."

After full-time on Saturday, Solanke will have missed more league minutes for Spurs than he did in the entirety of 2023-24 (88).

The striker had 100% availability for Bournemouth last season, missing only five league games across three seasons for the Cherries.

Postecoglou also confirmed that midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur would be unavailable for the fixture following a serious head collision against the Foxes. 

The Uruguayan was stretchered off in the 78th minute after an incident inside the area, but there was more positive news on defender Pedro Porro, who was seen struggling during the contest. 

"Irrespective of concussion protocols, any head injury we’ve always got to be more conservative from my perspective," Postecoglou said.

"He’s bounced back really well, he’s done all the tests and feels good but we’ll take our time with Rodrigo to make sure he’s absolutely 100 per cent before we put him out there again. It’s unfortunate for Rodrigo as he had a good game on Monday night.

"Pedro [Porro] is fine, he trained this week and we have no other concerns."

There will be a return for Yves Bissouma to Spurs' ranks, however, after he was suspended for the trip to Leicester following a video surfacing on social media of the Mali international inhaling nitrous oxide. 

"Biss is available but we've got some options there. The whole idea of trying to bulk up the squad is for these situations.

"He's available for selection. The bridge building continues," Postecoglou said.

Ange Postecoglou is aiming to improve Tottenham's clinical edge as they chase their first win of the Premier League season against Everton on Saturday.

Spurs dominated the first half against Leicester City in their opener on Monday, but only left the King Power Stadium with a point after Jamie Vardy's equaliser in the 1-1 draw.

Postecoglou's side had 15 shots in that game, with seven of those on target, but only created 1.18 expected goals.

With Spurs aiming to challenge for a Champions League place this season, the Australian is keen to finetune their play in the final third sooner rather than later.

"Just really disappointed we lacked a little cutting edge in the front third, made some poor decisions, lacked some composure and didn't get the reward our football deserved," Postecoglou said.

"Everyone performed well, but ultimately that defeats the purpose of what we're trying to achieve and that's winning games of football and bridging the gap to the top teams.

"And the performance of the players in general was very, very good, but we need to turn those good performances into outcomes."

Meanwhile, Everton prop up the early standings in the league after a heavy 3-0 defeat to Brighton last weekend.

Ashley Young's red card compounded their misery as they struggled to test the Seagulls in the final third, but James Tarkowski is confident they can stamp out the mistakes to kick-start their season this weekend.

"It's not a reality check. We know the level of this league and how difficult it is," Tarkowski said. "You'll get punished if you make mistakes.

"The foundation which we build on – and we will continue to do – a lot of it was on show. Minor details will cost you in this league and we’ll see that."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tottenham – James Maddison

Against no side does James Maddison have more Premier League assists than he does against Everton (four), with each of his four against the Toffees coming in his last three appearances.

He is also off the mark for the season, having assisted Pedro Porro's opener in their 1-1 draw with Leicester last time out.

Everton – Jack Harrison

Despite Everton suffering a heavy defeat to Brighton in their Premier League opener, Jack Harrison was a bright spark for the Toffees.

He had the most shots (three), the most touches in the box (six) and completed the most successful dribbles (three) of anyone in the Everton side.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

Tottenham have won their first Premier League home match in five of the last six seasons, with the only exception being a 1-0 defeat to Everton in 2020-21.

However, Spurs have scored more Premier League goals against Everton both overall (102) and at home (63) than they have versus any other opponent.

After drawing their Premier League opener with Leicester, Spurs are looking to avoid not winning either of their first two games in a single campaign since 2015-16 (drew one, lost one).

Meanwhile, Everton have not won a Premier League game in the month of August in any of the last three seasons (drawn three, lost six), losing each of their last four such games without scoring. Their last such victory was in 2021 at Brighton (2-0).

Sean Dyche's side do not have the best record against teams from the capital, winning just three of their last 20 such top-flight matches (drawn six, lost 11), though those three wins all came consecutively between September and November last season.

After winning four consecutive Premier League away games between October and December last season, Everton are now winless in their last 11 on the road (drawn four, lost seven). Nine of those have come in 2024, leaving the Toffees as the only ever-present side over the two campaigns without an away win this calendar year.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Tottenham – 55.3%

Draw – 23%

Everton – 21.6%

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was left frustrated by his side's lack of ruthless edge as they were denied in a 1-1 draw against Leicester City on Monday.

Spurs dominated for large periods in their Premier League opener at the King Power Stadium but had only Pedro Porro's first-half opener to show for their efforts.

Jamie Vardy's second-half equaliser punished wasteful Spurs as debutant Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and Richarlison all missed great chances for the visitors.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, a disgruntled Postecoglou said: "It was a disappointing outcome for us. 

"I thought we were excellent first half and controlled the game. Really dominant with our football but just wasteful in front of goal and the same in the second half and when that happens you keep the opposition in the game.

"We created chances and weren't ruthless enough at other times lacking composure. It's stuff we need to fix. 

"When you are so dominant you need to make sure it is reflected by the scoreline."

Steve Cooper earned a point in his first game as Leicester boss since replacing now Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca in pre-season.

It was 37-year-old and Foxes stalwart Vardy who did the damage, even though he missed a big chunk of pre-season due to injury.

Cooper said it was not a difficult decision to start Leicester's long-term talisman after a conversation a few days ago.

"It was a straightforward decision," he told Sky Sports.

"Three days ago we were without an experienced striker. He just showed so much desire to play. 

"Had it been on Saturday he probably wouldn't have played but luckily it wasn't. He did what he does."

Ange Postecoglou has declared his desire to “win things” during his second season as Tottenham manager.

The 58-year-old joined Spurs last summer after two seasons as Celtic boss, during which time he lifted five trophies, including the Scottish Premiership twice.

During his first season in North London, Postecoglou guided Spurs to a fifth-place finish, just two points away from Champions League qualification but 25 points adrift of champions Manchester City.

While the attention on the Australian might have lessened since his headline-grabbing start to last season, his hopes have certainly not diminished.

 "I guess I'm not the shiny new thing anymore, so there's other new managers. People can go off and discover them and their childhood and not have to speak about mine anymore,” he told Sky Sports.

"Usually in my second season I win things. That's the whole idea. First year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully the second year is going on to win things.

“That's always the way I've looked at it, is that the second year you should be in a position where you can push on, depending on how the first year has gone.”

Postecoglou is realistic about the challenges of achieving his goals, however. After a blistering start to last season saw Spurs top the table in late October, injuries saw them struggle.

As momentum dropped, they suffered heavy defeats to Newcastle United and Fulham later in the season.

Should Postecoglou want a chance of silverware this season, they will need to sustain their early-season form far longer.

“Of course, it's easier said than done, particularly in the Premier League and the competition we're in,” he added.

"Last year we had some really good moments, obviously we had some tough moments.

“We learnt as much from the tough moments as we did from the good stuff and hopefully that means we're in a good place. We're definitely a better-prepared team than we were last year."

Tottenham face newly-promoted Leicester City in their Premier League opener on Monday.

Dominic Solanke is a “top pro” who is exactly what Tottenham expected when they paid big money to sign him from Bournemouth, so says Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs splurged a club-record fee – reportedly up to £65million – on Solanke, who scored 19 Premier League goals for the Cherries last season.

Solanke could be in line to make his Tottenham debut on Monday, when Spurs open their Premier League campaign away at newly promoted Leicester City.

And Postecoglou spoke highly of his new addition.

"Thankfully, it's what we expected,” said the Australian.

“He's a top pro and a good guy – he's settled into the dressing room really well.

“Football-wise you can see he has all the attributes we need. We've still got a couple of training sessions to go but he's doing well.”

While Postecoglou confirmed Spurs will have a full squad to choose from, bar the suspended Yves Bissouma, at the King Power Stadium, hosts Leicester are not as fortunate.

Steve Cooper, who is preparing for his first league match in charge of the Foxes, confirmed Patson Daka was set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering an injury against Lens in pre-season, with the striker set for a long spell out.

“Patson [Daka] obviously is not great news,” Cooper said. “He suffered quite a serious ankle injury last week in the game in Lens and he is going to be out for a good few months.

“He’s having an operation. That’s really unfortunate for him because he was looking good in pre-season.”

Jamie Vardy is also absent.

Cooper, whose last Premier League game was a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham in December last year with Nottingham Forest, added: “Vards, similarly, he’s been injured since the second week of pre-season now, when we were on one of our pre-season camps.

"He’s closer to returning but it will be a little while, although he’s itching to get back. But it’s not great at that end of the pitch.

“He’s right at the latter stages of rehab now and just making sure he can fight past those final stages before he returns. With experience and age a little bit, he really understands his body and he knows what it takes.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Leicester City – Stephy Mavididi

Mavididi scored 12 league goals for Leicester in their push for promotion last term, a tally bettered only by Vardy (18). The winger created 72 chances, providing six assists. Only Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has since joined Chelsea, crafted more goalscoring opportunities (109) for the Foxes.

Tottenham – Son Heung-min

Son has been involved in 13 goals in 14 Premier League appearances against Leicester (nine goals, four assists), only having a hand in more against Southampton (15). Indeed, the South Korean has scored five and assisted once in his last three against the Foxes.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

Leicester have lost half of their Premier League games played on Mondays (21/42) – only in Friday games do the Foxes have a higher loss rate in the competition (61.5% – 8/13).

Tottenham’s last four Premier League wins of 2023-24 came against each of the sides to finish in the bottom four (Forest, Luton Town, Burnley, Sheffield United). They won all six of their league games against promoted sides last term, accounting for 30% of their overall victories (6/20).

This is the seventh time Tottenham are starting their Premier League campaign against a promoted side; they have won five of the previous six, losing the other 1-0 against Sunderland in 2007-08.

However, Leicester are unbeaten on the last nine occasions they have begun their league campaign with a home game (W6 D3).

Expect goals in this one. Of all Premier League fixtures to have been played at least 30 times, Leicester against Tottenham has the highest goals-per-game average (3.8 – 128 goals in 34 games). There have been 28 goals scored in the last five meetings between the sides alone (5.6 per game).

Spurs have only failed to score in one of their 17 Premier League away games against Leicester, a 3-0 loss at Filbert Street in September 1997.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Leicester City – 26.5%

Tottenham – 49.9%

Draw – 23.6%

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed Yves Bissouma has been suspended for Tottenham's opening game of the Premier League campaign against Leicester. 

Bissouma, who made 28 appearances last season, posted a video of himself inhaling nitrous oxide on social media last weekend. 

The incident occurred hours after Spurs' final pre-season clash, where they lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich in the Visit Malta Cup.

The 27-year-old later issued an apology, saying: "I want to apologise for these videos. This was a severe lack of judgement.

"I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously.”

However, Spurs have since taken the decision to exclude the midfielder from the squad for their trip to the King Power Stadium on Monday. 

"I've been in the game for a long time. When a situation like this arises, I've tried to look at them in a couple of ways," Postecoglou said in his pre-match press conference. 

"First, there's a person. That's Biss and he's made a poor decision.

"There are still sanctions involved, and some of those are educational. The second part of that is he's a footballer, with responsibilities.

"He won't be available on Monday. We've suspended him for Monday's game. He needs to build that trust back with both me and the group.

"The door is open for him and hopefully we can help him realise the decisions he makes impact the group.

"[It's down to] behaviour, it's that simple. It's about making better decisions. He was very apologetic to me, the club and everyone involved, but that's just part of it."

Richarlison has revealed he rejected a move to the Saudi Pro League and wishes to stay at Tottenham for the coming season.

The Brazil international joined Spurs from Everton in a deal worth a club-record £60million in 2022, only to struggle throughout his debut season in North London.

He scored just once in 27 Premier League games in 2022-23 but enjoyed a resurgent 2023-24 under Ange Postecoglou, netting 11 times in 28 matches, only 18 of which were starts.

However, with Tottenham reportedly interested in a move for Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke, who has a £65m release clause in his contract, Richarlison's future has been called into question.

In an interview with ESPN Brazil, the 27-year-old revealed he received a substantial offer from an unnamed club in Saudi Arabia, but he wishes to remain in England to bolster his international aspirations.

"The money was high, but my dream is bigger," the forward said of the Saudi offer.

"There has been an offer but my dream of playing for the Brazilian Selecao and in the Premier League speaks louder."

Richarlison's 11 league goals last term came from a total of 62 shots worth 9.59 expected goals (xG), while he hit the target with 53.2% of his efforts and netted with 17.7%.

Nine of his strikes, however, came within an eight-match span between mid-December and early February. 

He only scored once in 12 league outings before that run began on December 10, and once in eight appearances after it ended on February 3, with a calf injury curtailing his season and preventing him from representing Brazil at the Copa America.

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Tottenham are targeting a striker in the transfer window, as long as they fit his style of play.

Harry Kane left Spurs last August, and the club have failed to sign a senior striker to replace him since his departure.

Their main attacking options in his absence were Richarlison and Son Heung-min, who finished the campaign as their highest scorer with 17 goals.

Overall, Spurs managed 74 goals in the Premier League last season, with Richarlison the only other player to reach double figures after netting 11 times.

In the January transfer window, Spurs signed Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig, though he only found the back of the net twice, playing the majority of his minutes on the left wing.

With those struggles in mind, Postecoglou says he is hopeful they can bring in someone to give him a different option up front.

"Last year, we had to be a bit creative, it's fair to say. If Harry would have stayed, I definitely would have used him!

"I think for us what's more important is the type of striker we get. You know we play a certain way. We demand certain things from a physical perspective, from the technical aspects of it that it's going be a striker that fits that mould.

"It's still the area of the park we're really probably the thinnest when I talk about squad-wise at the moment, so obviously, that's a focus for us."

Spurs have already made two signings so far, bringing in 18-year-old midfielders Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall from Leeds United and Djurgarden respectively, while Werner's loan deal has also been extended for the coming season.

They have also agreed a deal to sign South Korean winger Yan Min-Hyuk, who will join the squad in January.

"It's a difficult time," Postecoglou said on the transfer window. "This is the part of the season where I've probably got the least control over decisions, and I've learned to stay disciplined and make sure that we do what we set out to do.

"We've added the two young guys [Gray and Bergvall], but I also think there's been growth from other guys from last year, which naturally makes us stronger this year.

"We obviously still have a hand in this window, but I think we'll go beyond this one. This wasn't just tinkering around the edges when I took over, it needed a big shift from where it was.

"We've already done a hell of a lot, and we don't need to do as much, but I still think it's not just about having success one year. What you're trying to build is another, hopefully, another cycle of success, and I think that'll take a bit longer."

Son Heung-Min scored a first-half brace as Tottenham continued their perfect run in pre-season with a 4-3 victory over Team K League in South Korea on Wednesday.

On home soil, the forward scored twice in 10 minutes, with Dejan Kulusevski and Will Lankshear also hitting the target for Ange Postecoglou's side.

Oberdan set the game up for a nervy finish after Stanislav Iljutcenko's double, but they could not find a winner at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Kulusevski got the ball rolling, latching onto Son's saved effort before picking out the bottom corner to edge Spurs in front before the South Korean delighted the crowd with two clinical finishes.

Second-half substitute Iljutcenko scored two goals in as many minutes shortly after his introduction, though Lankshear stuck out a leg to give Spurs a two-goal cushion with 23 minutes to go.

Oberdan's strike was the pick of the bunch, with a wonderful looping volley from outside the box after Spurs failed to clear a corner, and Brandon Austin had no chance of stopping it from hitting the back of the net. 

Data Debrief: Perfect homecoming for Son

Son certainly made his mark in his 63 minutes on the pitch in Seoul, having the joint-most shots (four), with all of them on target, and his expected goals of 0.56 was only bettered by Lankshear (0.74).

Postecoglou could not have asked for a better pre-season, with Spurs winning all five of their pre-season friendlies so far. With a double-header against Bayern Munich to come before their Premier League opener away at Leicester City, the North London side look to be in good nick.

Ange Postecoglou saluted "fantastic" Mikey Moore, after the teenager struck a late winner in Tottenham's J-League World Challenge clash with Vissel Kobe.

The 16-year-old was the hero with his 88th-minute strike sealing a 3-2 victory at the Japan National Stadium in what was Spurs' first match in their preseason tour of the Far East.

Academy graduate Moore became Tottenham's youngest Premier League player when, aged 16 years and 277 days, he made his senior debut against Manchester City in the penultimate game of last season.

And Postecoglou insists the England youth international, who has scored 10 goals in 12 appearances at under-17 level, is deserving of his first-team opportunities.

"Mikey has been fantastic since we brought him in," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "He's earned his spot on the roster at the moment; he did at the end of last year.

"He got a run with the first team because we could see in training that he was handling himself really well, and that's followed through into pre-season training.

"He's been good in all the games; he probably should have had three tonight, but he did take his goal well by being in the right areas.

"All we can do is keep allowing him to develop. We have to remember that, last year, he had some injuries, and he is only 16.

"I think the future with a lot of our young guys looks pretty promising, but it's our responsibility to make sure they realise their potential and continue to work hard at their game."

Spurs made it three wins from three during preseason, following their 5-1 and 2-0 victories over Hearts and Queens Park Rangers respectively.

"I thought it was a good game," Postecoglou added. "The conditions did make it difficult for both teams, and we've had a hard week of training.

"Credit to the boys. I thought we played some decent football, and they put in as much effort as they humanly could out there.

"You want to provide some sort of entertainment for the supporters who made a great turnout tonight, not just Spurs supporters, but football supporters in general. It's always nice to give back in that way and, overall, I was pleased."

Ange Postecoglou has urged Tottenham fans to have patience when it comes to bringing new players in during the transfer window.

Spurs have signed just two new faces so far, with Archie Gray joining from Leeds United in a deal reportedly worth up to £40million, and Lucas Bergvall signing from Djurgardens.

Alongside the two 18-year-olds, Timo Werner has also been resigned on loan for the upcoming season. He enjoyed an impressive start after initially joining in January, as he contributed two goals and three assists, but his season was ended prematurely by injury. 

While the Spurs faithful are keen for their club to bring more reinforcements, Postecoglou asked for their trust as the club works towards adding to the squad.

"At this time of year, it's pretty hard for supporters because they don't have all the information, and it's fair to say there's plenty of misinformation out there," he said in a press conference.

"We're working hard to bring players in, and it's a process that you sometimes have to be patient with. But in terms of what we set out to do, that's still the plan, and you have to stay disciplined with that.

"Sometimes the timings don’t work out, and it doesn’t happen as quickly as you want, and you don't get them [players] in at the right time, but I think it's really important you stay disciplined and not run off and chase other things.

"So, what we started with at the start of summer is still there, and I wouldn't want to put timelines on it. A lot of that is out of our control, and we just need to be patient.

"From where I sit, at the moment, we're still in that phase where what we identified is still what we're after."

Spurs will face Japanese side Vissel Kobe in their next pre-season match on Saturday.

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has completed a move to Marseille. 

Hojbjerg, who made 184 appearances for Spurs, will join the Ligue 1 side initially on loan with the agreement including an obligation to buy for £17million.

The Denmark international made 39 appearances in all competitions during Ange Postecoglou's first season in charge, but only 10 were from the start. 

Hojbjerg had entered the final year of his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and is Roberto De Zerbi's fifth signing of the transfer window. 

The 28-year-old scored 10 times during his four years with Spurs, one of which came against his new employers in the Champions League to secure top spot in Group D back in 2022. 

Hojbjerg becomes the seventh player to leave the club, following the departures of Joe Rodon, Eric Dier, Tanguy Ndombele, Ivan Perisic, Japhet Tanganga and Ryan Sessegnon. 

Postecoglou continues his rebuild ahead of the 2024-25 Premier League season and have registered their interest in Chelsea's Conor Gallagher and Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey.