At the time, discussions were largely focused on the future of Ange Postecoglou. But with their trophy drought over, the chairman had decided he would try to keep pushing the squad forwards.
Six weeks later, Spurs captured the signing of Mohammed Kudus.
With new boss Thomas Frank now in charge, Spurs want to show a ruthless and ambitious nature. Those two aspects helped lure Kudus across London from arch-rivals West Ham, as the details behind one of the most significant deals of summer 2025 begin to emerge.
The player became fascinated by the project in the past two weeks and the Hammers had to accept his perspective as talks accelerated.
Significant moment
In a Flashscore insider article on June 25, we revealed how Kudus and West Ham had different objectives when it came to resolving his future.
The Ghanaian star was targeting a move to a club competing in the Champions League, while West Ham just wanted to prioritise any deal that would bring in significant funds to help ease financial pressure.
The day after that article was published, it is understood Tottenham made their move - as the club attempted to make up for letting potential deals for Antoine Semenyo, Bryan Mbeumo and Eberechi Eze pass them by.
The fanbase had been fearing the worst. There was a perception that Spurs were not showing enough drive for signings.
Christian Norgaard, Rooney Bardghji, Rayan Cherki, Angel Gomes and Johnny Cardoso had all opted for other moves, despite being on Tottenham’s radar.
The signing of Kudus is a significant moment that is intended to show intent and give supporters a new sense of optimism.
Central figure
Kudus had an £85million release clause in his contract but Spurs will pay £55million for his services.
Chelsea will be disappointed to miss out on Kudus, after making an early offer for him at the end of the season that involved swapping three of their own players. They had been considering a new approach for next week.
Kudus was won over by Tottenham’s vision, ambition and the opportunity to be a central figure. And there had always been quiet personal concerns that Chelsea could not offer the same guarantee of minutes, role and spotlight.
Suddenly, Spurs have real ability to attract talent, and they have managed to convince him they can make a genuine attempt at winning more silverware - including the Premier League and Champions League.
Kudus had already turned down the prospect of a big payday in Saudi Arabia. Potential moves to Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Newcastle did not take off, despite contact being made.
Kudus made a personal pledge to be playing at the highest possible level by the new season. Following a year of frustrations at West Ham, Tottenham quickly convinced him of their pathway.
The Hammers were not always convinced of Tottenham’s approach to the deal but Levy knew Kudus wanted to leave and suspected the club were in need of closing out a deal quickly to allow them to start planning for next season under Graham Potter.
Spurs believe they can rise to become a powerhouse in the English game with Kudus on board, and other signings to follow.
Kudus wants to become their talisman - and his first chance to impress in a competitive game should be the European Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain.
