Four senior players may be moved at the end of the current season before their contracts expire in 2026, but Tottenham is anticipated to be a significant player in the summer transfer market after their youthful squad was overworked this season.
In recent windows, the north London team has shifted its attention to acquiring the best young players, occasionally adding an experienced player to round out their roster.
In order to prevent this balance from becoming unbalanced and leaving the team terribly lacking in experience, as has happened this season, it is crucial that they maintain acquiring guys like Dominic Solanke and Kevin Danso for every Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray.
But in the summer of 2026, the contracts of three of Tottenham’s biggest players will expire, allowing the team to decide whether to stick with them or change course. This is particularly true if they keep Ange Postecoglou on board and prioritize developing their young players.
In light of this, TEAMtalk examines the four people in north London who have the option to leave for nothing in 2026 and what their future may bring.
Son Heung-min
At the beginning of the January transfer window, the Tottenham captain extended his contract by an additional year, but it is undeniable that the South Korean is no longer the formidable player he once was.
Although the 32-year-old’s blistering pace and clinical finishing are gone, there is still some benefit to having him around.
Realistically, Tottenham won’t make much money if they decide to sell this summer, especially since Son will turn 33 in July and his play is generally declining.
He is still very well-liked in the locker room and, if Ange Postecoglou is still in charge, he may still be a valuable rotational player in the Spurs attack.
However, given their propensity to disintegrate in games if things don’t go as planned, Son would have to give up the captaincy because Tottenham needs greater on-field leadership moving forward.
In order for the former Bayer Leverkusen player to earn a sizable signing-on fee at his next club, the club should permit him to go as a free agent in the summer of 2026. He certainly deserves it after 172 goals and 94 assists in 444 Tottenham games—and there are still more to come.
Verdict: KEEP (for now)
Yves Bissouma
When considering what could have been for Bissouma in north London, this is an obvious decision for a Tottenham supporter, but it is also quite frustrating.
Given what he had accomplished on the south coast, there was a lot of talk about Spurs getting the Mali star for a steal when he signed a deal worth £25 million from Brighton in the summer of 2022.
Without sugarcoating it, Bissouma was one of the Premier League‘s top defensive midfielders when he played for the Seagulls, but that performance hasn’t carried over to the capital.
Under Antonio Conte, who should have been an ideal fit for him given the Italian’s more practical style, he primarily struggled to establish himself.
Postecoglou’s arrival provided a boost, as Bissouma and Pape Sarr led Tottenham to a 10-game winning streak at the beginning of the 2023–24 season before things took a sharp turn for the worst.
Due in part to injuries and conditioning concerns, the 28-year-old has never been able to regain that form and has been out of the Spurs squad ever since.
With an upgrade unquestionably required in that No. 6 position, Tottenham must cash in on the player this summer while they can still recover a respectable cost.
Many Spurs supporters, though, will likely be closely observing to see if Bissouma irritates everyone by reaching those Brighton heights once more somewhere.
Verdict: SELL
Rodrigo Bentancur
This was looking like a “cash in while you can” situation until a few weeks ago, but the Uruguayan has demonstrated in recent games that he is beginning to rediscover his best form.
Before sustaining a terrible ACL injury at Leicester in February 2023, which kept him out of action until November of the same year, Bentancur was perhaps at the top of his game.
He was dominating during his first start back until a horrific Matty Cash challenge against Aston Villa caused him to sustain ankle ligament damage, which kept him out for an additional three months. Since then, he has had a very difficult time getting back to his best form.
The 27-year-old is among the best box-to-box midfielders in English football when he is playing at his best. In fact, it could even be preferable if Postecoglou paired him with a player who can better defend a backline that is frequently exposed because of the Tottenham manager’s careless style of play.
Bentancur once again led the Spurs midfield in the most recent games against Ipswich and Manchester City, and his diligence and tenacity are well worth a prolonged stay in north London.
Since Postecoglou is a big admirer of the former Juventus player’s skills, it has been claimed that negotiations are already in progress to extend Bentancur’s contract.
Verdict: KEEP
Bryan Gil
The gifted Spanish winger has been sent on loan by several managers, which perhaps says everything you need to know about Gil’s long-term prospects in north London.
In the summer of 2021, Gil joined Tottenham from Sevilla in a part-exchange deal for Erik Lamela. Since then, he has only made 43 appearances for Tottenham, with just two assists and no goals.
The 24-year-old, who is presently at Girona, has scored four goals and provided three assists in 30 games across all competitions during his three loan stints, all of which have returned back to La Liga. He has started all six of those appearances in the Champions League.
Tottenham has either misjudged Gil’s skills entirely or he is simply not a good fit for the English football style, given what he has accomplished back in Spain.
Despite obviously having a lot of skill and quality on the ball, Gil, who is 5′ 9″ and has a tiny build, was frequently pushed around in his infrequent Tottenham appearances, indicating that the latter point above is correct.
Spurs reportedly included a €15 million (£12 million) buyout option in the loan agreement with Girona, and at that price, a permanent transfer is quite likely to occur.
Verdict: SELL
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