Tottenham Hotspur officially said goodbye to 12 players today. The club narrowly avoided relegation last season and has been preparing for the new season.
Robert de Zerbi, Spurs’ third manager of the season, has guided the Lilywhites to 17th place in the Premier League, two points ahead of 18th-placed West Ham. De Zerbi is already considering imposing himself on the team, allowing a number of players to leave in a major reshuffle, while still having a say in the transfer of new recruits. As June 30th was the last day of the 2025/26 season, 12 players will depart today. July 1st is the day when new players can be officially signed and is recognized as the official start date of the new football season. Players whose contracts expire on June 30 will become free agents on July 1, allowing them to seamlessly register with new clubs without legal duplication.
One of the players most likely to leave when his contract expires is Yves Bissouma, who was allowed to leave rather unceremoniously by the club last month and was not offered a new contract.
“We can confirm that Yves Bissouma will be leaving the club following the expiry of his contract,” X’s post read. “Mr. Bis, thank you for your efforts. We look forward to your continued support.”
This is despite the Mali international making 111 appearances during his time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Bissouma joined Spurs from Brighton in the summer of 2022 for a fee of £30 million. A combination of knee and ankle injuries kept Bissouma out for the Spurs for the entire first half of last season.
He had to wait until January 17th for his first appearance of the season, but lost 2-1 to West Ham. Bissouma made just 11 appearances for Tottenham over the remainder of the season, coming on as a substitute in the final three Premier League games.
Also, on June 26, Brazilian club Bahia announced that they had signed Alejo Veliz from Tottenham on a permanent contract, with the transfer officially taking effect on July 1. The Argentine completed a £7.7m move after spending a season on loan at Rosario Central.
A further ten players from Spurs’ academy have also left the club. Under-21 players Pere Arganese-McDermott, Tyrell Ashcroft, Leo Black, Dante Casanova, Matthew Craig and Callum Logan have all left north London as their contracts with the club near the end.
Four Under-18 players also left the club, including Elijah Upson, who rejected a contract offer from the club. Rounding out the long list of departures are Jamel Beggs, Samar Bangura and Leon Mirtaj.
However, Spurs also made use of free agency, signing Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth, Andrew Robertson from Liverpool and Martin Dubravka from Burnley. It was also announced last month that they had signed Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for £52 million.
