Tottenham have signed Martin Dubravka on a free transfer, and the move tells you everything about how much faith De Zerbi's staff have placed in Antonin Kinsky. You don't bring in a 37-year-old backup unless you're already certain about who your number one is.
Dubravka, who spent the 2022-23 season as a squad keeper at Manchester United after years as Newcastle's first choice, arrives as Guglielmo Vicario is widely expected to leave. That makes Kinsky the undisputed starter — a significant call given he had a genuinely awful night against Atletico Madrid in March. He recovered well enough during Spurs' relegation battle to earn that trust back, but the margin for error next season is now non-existent. Kinsky will face scrutiny every time he's beaten, and Dubravka will be right there in the background.
Good with the ball at his feet, the Slovakia international is a sensible fit for De Zerbi's possession-based system. He becomes the fourth signing of a summer that has already brought in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Jan Paul van Hecke. The Spurs rebuild has a clear identity. Whether it has the squad depth to compete for anything meaningful is a different question — and one that Kinsky's performances will go a long way toward answering. Expect Dubravka to feature in the League Cup and FA Cup, so keeping him sharp won't be a problem.
Bellamy closing in on Burnley return
Craig Bellamy is heading to Burnley. The Welsh FA can dress it up however they like, but their manager is in contract talks with the Championship club, and that's not a conversation you enter unless you're serious about leaving.
Bellamy is only halfway through a four-year deal with Wales and had publicly suggested he would stay committed to their Euro 2028 campaign. Burnley — where he previously worked as a coach — have pressed hard since Scott Parker's exit following relegation, and that pursuit has clearly landed. FAW chief executive Noel Mooney offered a diplomatic send-off: "Craig will go on to be a world-class coach." That's not a line you use about someone who's staying.
For Burnley, landing Bellamy would be a statement appointment for a club that needs to rebuild quickly. For Wales, it's a reset they weren't planning for — and finding someone who can maintain their recent momentum won't be straightforward.
Monga, Scott, and Bowen: the deals to watch
- Jeremy Monga: Arsenal have opened club-to-club talks with Leicester over the 16-year-old winger, though no agreement has been reached yet. One for the long term, but the Gunners are clearly tracking him seriously.
- Alex Scott: Both Arsenal and Manchester United are monitoring the Bournemouth midfielder, who made 37 Premier League appearances last season at just 22. The reported asking price is around £60m — a number that reflects how highly Bournemouth rate him, not a figure either club will pay without a fight.
- Jarrod Bowen: Everton have approached West Ham about their captain, who drops into the Championship following the Hammers' relegation. No formal bid yet, but the interest is real. Bowen at Premier League level is a different proposition to Bowen in the second tier — and Everton know it.
