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A Tottenham star who was snubbed by previous Tottenham bosses Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho has been tipped to thrive under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Ryan Sessegnon has been told that he ‘has to grab’ his chance under the new man in charge in north London after ‘dropping the ball’ following his switch to Spurs back in 2019. That is according to former Leeds and Middlesbrough forward Noel Whelan.

Football.London reports that Sessegnon will be staying at Tottenham this season after spending last term on loan at Hoffenheim.

After being signed from Fulham in August 2019, when Pochettino was still in charge, the left-sided player struggled for game time.

That did not improve under Mourinho, with the wide man sent out to the Bundesliga for regular football.

And the 21-year-old impressed as he made 29 appearances for Hoffenheim in all competitions, scoring twice.

When asked by Football Insider what the future holds for the talented winger, Whelan said: “Sessegnon has got a fresh start under Nuno. He was thrilled when Jose Mourinho got sacked, he must have been.

“He was out of favour under the previous two managers but now he has an opportunity to show his worth.

“Big things were expected of him when he arrived at Tottenham. I expected everyone to be shouting about his name in the Premier League by now but for whatever reason it has not happened. He must’ve dropped the ball when he signed for Spurs.

“Sessegnon has a big opportunity now to turn Nuno’s head and stake a claim ahead of next season.

“He could play in a wing-back role next year if Nuno chooses to play a five and I think that would suit him.

“I’m sure he will be given a chance under Nuno, because everyone will be given a clean slate. He has to grab it though.”

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Tottenham told fee for Japan star

Meanwhile, Tottenham have reportedly been told only an offer of €25m will be enough to land Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Spurs have already made contact with the Serie A side for the versatile star.

The Sun reported last month that Spurs were confident of sealing a £15m deal for the 22-year-old.

A number of reports in Italy have declared the interest of Spurs and now that Nuno Espirito Santo is in place the deal could well be speeded up.

Spurs have already made their “first offer” of €18m for the Bologna man. Tuttosport via Sport Witness reported on Monday the north London club could raise their proposal to €20m.

West Ham and Arsenal are also interested in the 23-cap international, according to Il Resto del Carlino. With the source suggesting Bologna have “refused” an offer worth €18m (€15m + €3m bonuses) from Atalanta and another bid of €20m from Spurs.

The goal posts seem to have moved on the valuation of the player, with the Bologna paper now claiming chairman Joey Saputo wants €25m for Tomiyasu.

Saputo playing hard ball

The Canadian businessman is also unwilling to sell the player for any less. And a sale will only be done on his “own terms”.

So much so that Saputo, who is also the president of CF Montreal, has not held talks with interested suitors. Instead he has warned them only to “return to the office only with the requested sum” of €25m.

According to Calciomercato, the player “already has an agreement’ with Tottenham”. The problem is that Spurs have not matched the club’s valuation.

“They’re close but it’s not done yet,” said Fabrizio Romano on the Here We Go Podcast.

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