Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United
The Women’s World Cup is days away from kicking off in Australia, and there’s a tasty pre-season encounter in Oz between two of the men’s top English teams to help fans get in the mood.
This Club Friendly between Spurs and the Hammers at the Optus Stadium in Perth will bring in a big crowd as Australia prepares for its international showcase, and this clash is a chance for new Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou to see his charges in action against top draw opposition.
There will be plenty of Premier League fans checking up on the Club Friendly 2023 updates as these are two teams with European aspirations.
Tottenham finished in a disappointing eighth place last season, while West Ham struggled to 14th.
But David Moyes led the Hammers to European glory, as they picked up their first piece of silverware in over 40 years, beating Fiorentina 2-1 to win the 2023 Europa Conference League, and now the West Ham fans have the taste for success.
But both teams look likely to be losing a big name over the next few weeks.
Talking Points
Kane travelling with Spurs
Much of our summer transfer news here at SBOTOP has followed the saga of Harry Kane’s future, which increasingly looks like it could be in the Bundesliga.
But after positive talks with Postecoglou, the star striker is travelling with his teammates to Australia. Whether the balance of probability has shifted towards him staying in London remains to be seen, but Spurs fans will still not be sleeping easily.
The club doesn’t want to sell Kane but FC Bayern have held talks in London, and the Bundesliga giants are determined to get their man.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will not make things easy for the Germans, but Kane is yet to sign a new deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and reports have suggested he is keen on a move to the Bundesliga and Champions League football.
One player who won’t be traveling is goalkeeper and club captain Hugo Lloris, who is staying in England to explore some potential transfer opportunities. The Frenchman looks to be on his way after the Spurs signing of Empoli stopper Giugliemo Vicario, and Lloris will have plenty of suitors.
And Spurs fans will have the first chance to see summer signing James Maddison and the England international moved from relegated Leicester City.
Rice deal is bubbling over
Over in East London, it appears like the proposed transfer to take Declan Rice to Spurs’ biggest rivals is about to be concluded. West Ham have been reported to have signed the paperwork to agree to sell their captain to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, and the Gunners are set to announce their record signing before their pre-season tour of the USA.
The deal could be worth £105 million in total and, while Moyes admits he can’t buy a like-for-like replacement for the England star, he will have money to spend.
The club is looking at Fulham’s all action midfielder Joao Palhinha and relegated Southampton’s excellent talisman James Ward-Prowse. The Hammers are also tracking Bristol City star Alex Scott and any one of these three would be a fine addition to the squad, though Ward-Prowse and Palhinha are ready to step straight into the starting XI.
Of the existing players, this could be another big season for attacking midfielder Jarrod Bowen and a chance to build on a first excellent season for Moroccan centre-back Nayef Aguerd.
History
In terms of head-to-head meetings, Tottenham have won 101 of the 221 meetings between these two London neighbours, including a 2-0 home league victory in February which followed a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium early in the 2022/23 campaign.
And the two managers have some history. When Moyes was manager of Manchester United, he met Postecoglou on a pre-season trip to Melbourne. And the wily Scot also came across the ambitious Aussie when West Ham played Celtic a couple of years ago.
But Moyes has warned the new Spurs boss that he is now among the sharks of the Premier League.
While the soap opera at Chelsea took some of the attention away from Spurs last season, the Whites really need to kick on this time around and make a serious attempt at a top-four place. Whether Spurs will start with or without Kane remains to be seen.
With some more fascinating Premier League friendlies to come, this one is well worth getting your teeth into and the Club Friendly 2023 betting odds are likely to favour the Whites.
It’s a friendly and the Hammers will be settling into life post Rice, while Spurs have a new man in the dugout.
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