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%

Manchester United will travel to Turkey to face former manager Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce following the Europa League's revamped draw on Friday.

The new league phase format sees each of the 36 teams play eight games, four at home and four away.

During his two-and-a-half-year spell at United, Mourinho led them to Europa League glory in 2017, beating Ajax 2-0 in the final.

The Red Devils' remaining seven games include an all-British home clash against Rangers, welcoming them to Old Trafford for the first time in 14 years, and a trip to another of Mourinho's old clubs, Porto.

Rangers, who have failed to win any of their last 13 games in major European competition against English opposition, will also face Tottenham and Conference League winners Olympiakos.

Spurs, winners of the inaugural tournament in 1972, will also meet Roma and Galatasaray in their other seven fixtures.

Meanwhile, in the Conference League, Chelsea's draw includes League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers at home and a trip to Panathinaikos.

The Blues, who narrowly qualified for the competition on Thursday, have never faced any of their six opponents in any competition before. 

Manor Solomon has joined Leeds United on a season-long loan from Tottenham.

The 25-year-old joined Spurs last year following his departure from Shakhtar Donetsk but only played six times before suffering a season-ending knee injury in October.

He featured in pre-season for Ange Postecoglou's side but was not included in either of his matchday squads in the Premier League this season.

Solomon signed for Spurs after a successful loan spell with Fulham in 2022-23 in which he scored in four successive top-flight matches.

His other goal for the Cottagers came in the FA Cup, as he netted in a 2-0 win over Leeds in the fifth round.

This is the third piece of business between Tottenham and Leeds in this transfer window, with Archie Gray joining the north London side and Joe Rodon going the other way. 

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."

Yves Bissouma scored on his return to the side and Son Heung-min netted twice as Tottenham trashed Everton 4-0 on Saturday for their first win of the 2024-25 Premier League season. 

Spurs were held 1-1 by Leicester City in their opening match but showed no such signs of profligacy against Everton, with Bissouma setting the tone inside 14 minutes with a 20-yard rocket – his first goal for the club. 

Jordan Pickford's howler 11 minutes later after dallying too long on the ball gifted Son a simple finish at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Everton, beaten 3-0 by Brighton in their opening match last week, caved under the pressure. 

Everton offered a little more attacking impetus in the second period with the arrival of recent signings Dame Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom, the latter forcing Guglielmo Vicario into a rare save.

However, Cristian Romero's towering header on his 100th Tottenham appearance put the hosts out of reach on 71 minutes, followed soon after by Son's second after a brilliant run from Micky van de Ven. 

Everton remain planted to the bottom of the early standings as one of four sides with zero points after two matches, while Tottenham have four points from their two games. 

Data Debrief: Everton remain pointless

Everton have now lost their opening two games by an aggregate 7-0 scoreline, with this marking the first occasion they have lost their first two games in a top-flight season by three-plus goals in their history.

It is a familiar losing feeling for the Toffees, as they become just the second side to taste defeat in their opening two Premier League games in three successive campaigns after Bournemouth between 2015-16 and 2017-18.

Son played a massive part in Tottenham's victory, with his double meaning he has scored multiple goals in 20 different Premier League games for Tottenham - only Harry Kane (47) has done so more times for the club.

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.

Son Heung-min believes he must win a trophy at Tottenham to assume legendary status at the club.

The South Korean has been an inspirational figure at Spurs since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015, scoring 162 goals in 409 games.

However, a trophy has proved elusive for both him and the club, with runners-up finishes in the 2018-19 Champions League and 2020-21 EFL Cup, but Son still hopes he can lift silverware before his time at Spurs is over to leave a lasting impression.

He told BBC Sport: “I don’t think I’m a legend of this club. As I’ve said, I want to win something with Spurs, then I will be happy to be called [a] legend.

“This is one thing I want to do. I joined Spurs to win a trophy so I hope we can make it special for this season.”

The South Korean predominantly led the line for his side in Ange Postecoglou’s first season but is happy to return to a wide left role in 2024-25, in order to accommodate new striker Dominic Solanke.

He said: “It’s the gaffer’s choice. I will do anything for him. I think I already said if you put me as the keeper, I would be a keeper.

“You’re facing different teams in the Premier League; some are sitting back, and it can be really tough for me to even get a shot off.

“I like to prepare on the left side to create something and in one-on-one situations, something which I think I’m really strong at, but in an open game I don’t mind staying in the middle.”

Son has now been captain at the club for over a year since Hugo Lloris’ departure and has relished the added responsibility throughout that time.

“It’s been good," he said. "We were learning a lot of things last year.

"Being a captain of a Premier League team takes a lot of responsibility, it’s hard dealing with young players, it’s like school! But it’s a joy and I’m still learning – it’s not easy but it’s a good thing to do.”

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."

Jamie Vardy says a little half-time chat inspired Leicester City to earn a draw against Tottenham after he felt they showed the visitors too much respect in the first half.

The veteran striker, 37, netted a second-half equaliser as Premier League new boys Leicester earned a 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium on Monday.

Leicester were completely outclassed in a first half in which Spurs were unlucky to only have Pedro Porro's header to show for their efforts.

But Vardy's goal changed the momentum and earned last season's Championship victors a point in Steve Cooper's first game in charge.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Vardy said: "We just had a little chat between ourselves at half-time. 

"Tottenham are a really good team but we have them too much respect and we started getting after them and it changed the momentum.

"We said when it got to 40 minutes make sure you go in not conceding any more. We'll take the point and move on now."

Vardy missed a lot of pre-season through injury but put in a good shift for his side and missed a great one-on-one chance to win it before being withdrawn after 79 minutes.

"I was as fit as a fiddle until I got to about 65 minutes, if I'm honest," Vardy added.

"I wouldn't say I am doing anything differently playing-wise. Probably adapted a bit by dropping in but I think the main thing is I am looking after myself recovery-wise to the maximum."

Jamie Vardy made Tottenham pay for missing a host of chances as Premier League new boys Leicester City started the Steve Cooper era by battling to a 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium.

Ex-Foxes midfielder James Maddison set up Pedro Porro to head home the opener in Monday's match, which Ange Postecoglou's visitors dominated for large periods.

But veteran Vardy, who Cooper had ruled out only a few days ago, scored a ninth career Premier League goal against Spurs to bring the home fans to their feet.

Tottenham, who lost Rodrigo Bentancur to a head injury that caused a lengthy stoppage in the second half, were left to rue a series of missed opportunities with debutant Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and Richarlison all culpable.

Maddison clipped in a brilliant cross for Porro to flick home after 29 minutes, with Brennan Johnson volleying wide and Solanke – signed for £65million from Bournemouth this month – heading straight at Mads Hermansen.

Vardy made Spurs when nodding in Abdul Fatawu's dinked cross from the right of the area and was denied one-on-one by Guglielmo Vicario shortly after as the momentum changed.

Bentancur's lengthy stoppage after a clash of heads with Fatawu meant there were nine minutes of added time, and Richarlison wastefully headed wide after a fabulous free-kick from fellow substitute and teenage debutant Lucas Bergvall in the last of those.

Data Debrief: Vardy now only behind Salah

Vardy has now scored eight goals in nine matchday one appearances in the Premier League, level with Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney. Only Mohamed Salah with nine has more.

Of players with at least 40 assists in the Premier League, only Andrew Cole (62 per cent - 45/73) has a higher proportion coming in away games than Spurs ace Maddison (60 per cent - 25/42).

Tottenham have drawn their opening game of the Premier League season in successive campaigns for the first time since 2001-02 and 2002-03 under Glenn Hoddle, while it also ends a run of six successive wins against newly promoted sides in the competition.

Leicester City have announced the signing of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp ahead of the sides' Premier League encounter on Monday. 

Skipp, who made 106 appearances across five seasons with Spurs, has put pen to paper on a five-year contract for a reported £20m fee at the King Power Stadium. 

The 23-year-old featured in 21 league games under Ange Postecoglou last year, five of which were starts, totalling to 694 minutes of action. 

He enjoyed his best campaign during the 2022-23 season, making 31 appearances in all competitions and scoring his only goal for the club in a 2-0 win over Chelsea. 

During that season, Skipp completed 659 passes, bettering the likes of Son Heung-min (644), Harry Kane (613) and Dejan Kulusevski (558). 

Skipp reunites with new Foxes boss Steve Cooper, having previously worked together during the Welshman's time in the England youth set-up. 

The midfielder was also part of the Three Lions side that won the European Under-21 Championship last year, playing 17 minutes in their 1-0 win over Spain in the final. 

“I’m really excited to sign. I’ve got the feeling that it’s a good group of people and a good group of players," Skipp told Leicester's official website.

"I’m sure that we’ve got a squad capable of challenging in every game. You look around the squad and there’s lots of exciting players who have played in the Premier League and I’m really excited to see what this group can achieve.

“I had conversations with the people here and they gave me a feeling of warmth and that they were excited to have me on board.

"As a player, when you feel that excitement, that’s something you can use to develop your game.

"The staff here know me as well - Steve [Cooper], I have worked with at England, so there’s definitely a good relationship there and I’m keen to push on and show what I can do.”

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%

Tottenham have completed the signing of winger Wilson Odobert from Burnley for an undisclosed fee, reportedly in the region of €31.5million.

Odobert joined Burnley from Troyes upon their promotion to the Premier League last year and was a bright spark in a disappointing campaign for the Clarets, who were relegated back to the Championship.

The France Under-21 international scored three goals in 29 Premier League appearances for Burnley, also contributing two assists.

Only Johann Gudmundsson (35) and Josh Brownhill (34) bettered his 31 chances created for Burnley in 2023-24, while he attempted (110) and completed (53) more dribbles than any of his team-mates.

Odobert also led all of his team-mates for shot-ending carries (20) and ranked joint-first for chances created following a carry, alongside Sander Berge (11).

Tottenham had been linked with several wingers ahead of the new season, including Pedro Neto, who left Wolves for Chelsea in a €60m (£51.4m) deal last week.

On Friday, Spurs announced Odobert as their fifth new signing ahead of Ange Postecoglou's second season at the helm, after Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Min-hyeok Yang.

The club confirmed Odobert has penned a five-year contract and will wear the number 28 shirt, with his debut potentially coming in their Premier League opener at Leicester City on Monday.

Odobert started Burnley's opening Championship fixture against Luton Town on Monday, scoring their second goal in a 4-1 victory.