Well this is an unexpected development. According to the BBC’s Sami Mokbel, Tottenham have rejected a loan offer from Sunderland for Austrian defender Kevin Danso. There are also suggestions, courtesy of Fabrizio Romano’s (sigh) YouTube channel, that Danso would be open to leaving Spurs this summer.
Exc: Sunderland make loan enquiry for Tottenham Hotspur defender Kevin Danso. Approach for Austria international rejected by Spurs. Danso first-team chances set to be restricted under Roberto De Zerbi this season. https://t.co/iHvcHXSF1R
— Sami Mokbel (@SamiMokbel_BBC) August 28, 2026I didn’t see this coming, but maybe I should have? Danso appears to have slipped to at least fourth choice central defender, behind Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven, Marcos Senesi, and maaaaaaaaybe Ben Davies. That’s compared to last season when he was the primary backup to Cuti Romero, and he put in some excellent defensive performances down the stretch as Spurs secured survival on the last day of the season.
I’m not sure what’s changed here but I’m a little leery about the idea of letting Big Kev go. He’s probably the best defender we have in the air, and that has a lot of value in certain situations. He’s also just a perfectly cromulent defender who can pair with a number of other defenders already.
A rejected loan offer from Sunderland doesn’t necessarily mean Danso is leaving, but it’s a surprising development, especially if Danso truly is willing to go. It also doesn’t mean that Spurs would even let him go. That said, his departure might open up a roster spot for someone like Jun’ai Byfield or Malachi Hardy; Byfield is injured but highly rated, while Hardy impressed in preseason.
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