Published Jun 1, 2026, 7:10 AM GMT+1

Matt is the senior editor of Football FanCast.

Having graduated from the University of Huddersfield in 2018 following a course in Sports Journalism, he began at Snack eight months later as part of the writing team. Although a huge Arsenal fan, Matt has covered a wealth of clubs from Leeds United to Celtic, Rangers and various teams within the EFL. His footballing knowledge covers vast reaches. After a spell as assistant editor on Football FanCast, Matt became chief editor of the site in late 2021.

Matt's experience also counts work at GIVEMESPORT and the Press Association, where he was featured on Sky Sports & The Daily Mail. He is also the former Arsenal and Premier League editor at VAVEL. Matt has added experience in club media, having worked with Chesterfield FC during the 2017/18 season.

He has also interviewed some iconic figures from the world of football including the great Arsene Wenger, Ray Parlour, Alan Smith, Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton.

Matt further boasts a love for broadcast media, his voice has been heard across Love Sport Radio, Arsenal Fan TV and various football podcasts.

Fortunately, they do have an elite manager in the making at the helm and he would appear to have the right mentality to drive the club forward.

Within hours of confirming survival, Roberto De Zerbi reassured supporters. He also made it clear that there was no time for vacations. Spurs need to a change and they need a swift one too.

They've now got the right head coach but the playing staff needs a refresh. Tottenham's bid for change must start in the transfer window.

Spurs close in on three new signings

This is set to be a frantic summer for the Lilywhites but not as frantic as it could have been. The fact they are staying in the Premier League has made sure of that.

It's safe to say that their result eight days ago will have a huge bearing on what they can and cannot do over the summer, with two new signings set to join imminently.

The first of which is Liverpool legend Andy Robertson. The Scot won the full gamut of silverware at Anfield but with his contract expiring in Merseyside, he has his pick of clubs and is set to move to Spurs on a free transfer.

He will be joined by another free transfer in the shape of Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi. Like Robertson, his deal expires in a matter of weeks and will not cost Tottenham a penny in transfer fees.

While that may not look too ambitious on paper, they represent two incredibly shrewd deals by the club. They won't stop there, either, with Joao Palhinha set to be the third arrival of a busy summer.

Speaking on the final day of the season, the midfielder told the media: "Who doesn’t want to play for Tottenham and stay here? I have everything here."

That certainly sounded like a come and get me plea and with that in mind, it's perhaps no surprise that the Londoners are moving swiftly to conclude a deal before anyone else can get there.

The latest came towards the end last week when TEAMtalk revealed that Spurs are 'confident' of securing Palhinha's signature on a permanent basis.

Remember, he was only on loan for the 2025/26 season from Bayern Munich, but in a £26m move, they can snap him up on a permanent basis.

Why Palhinha would be such a good signing for Spurs

By scoring the goal that kept Spurs in the Premier League, Palhinha has forver cemented himself as something of an icon in north London.

Signed on loan from Bayern a year ago, little did the Portuguese think he'd find himself in a relegation battle. Little did he think he'd experience three different managers either.

Alas, out of all of the negativity to come from an arduous campaign, the former Sporting midfielder was a rare shining light. Truth be told, he deserves to be considered as one of the club's players of the season.

Under De Zerbi, he could get even better too. This is a player who once had the great Moises Caicedo in his ranks at Brighton and there is every reason to believe that Palhinha could play a similar role for this Spurs team.

Aged 30, he is never going to be the £100m plus player that Caicedo is, but he has all of the potential to become a hugely influential and important part of the De Zerbi era.

Why? Well, he is defensively dogged and a true warrior. Last term, no player made more tackles (4.51) per 90 than Palhinha in the entire Spurs squad. Furthermore, he won 6.43 ground duels per 90, again the most of any player in the side. It's hardly a surprise to see labelled as a "defensive monster" by recruitment analyst Marcus Bring.

It's for that reason that he could become De Zerbi's new Caicedo. If there's one metric where the Ecuador midfield reigns supreme, it's in the tackling department. No midfielder at Chelsea made more than his 2.79 tackles per 90 in 2025/26 while he also won 5.04 ground duels per 90, the most in the Blues squad.

At Brighton, the Italian manager helped Caicedo become one of the most promising midfielders in the whole world. Palhinha has already reached his peak but there's no reason he cannot become one of the best in the Premier League under De Zerbi's guidance.

Get Palhinha in and surround him more technical and progressive players and the Lilywhites will surely be onto a winner.