Tottenham Not Pursuing Mason Greenwood Despite Transfer Links

Tottenham’s new era under Roberto De Zerbi is gathering pace in the transfer market – but one name will not be part of it.

Despite fresh links from France and England, Tottenham Hotspur are not interested in signing Mason Greenwood from Olympique de Marseille, football.london understands. The club have no intention of moving for the 24-year-old forward this summer.

That stance is significant. Greenwood has rebuilt his career in Ligue 1, his contract at the Orange Velodrome running until June 2029. He played 45 times in all competitions last season, 32 of those under De Zerbi before the Italian left Marseille. In that spell, Greenwood delivered the kind of numbers that usually turn heads in the Premier League: 22 goals and eight assists.

Even after De Zerbi’s departure, Greenwood kept scoring. Across the remaining 13 games of the campaign, the former Manchester United academy prospect added four more goals and three assists, underlining his value in Marseille’s attack.

So when Tottenham appointed De Zerbi as permanent successor to Igor Tudor, just two months after he had left the French club, the dots were always going to be joined. A prolific forward who thrived under the new head coach. A Premier League side with money to spend. The rumours wrote themselves.

Inside Tottenham, the picture is very different. The club’s position is clear: they are not pursuing Greenwood.

The context around that decision is impossible to separate from the controversy that followed De Zerbi to north London. Greenwood had charges against him – including attempted rape and assault – dropped in February 2023. During his time at Marseille, De Zerbi publicly described the player as a “good guy” who had paid a “heavy price” and spoke of the support the club had given him.

Those remarks landed heavily when his move to Spurs gathered pace. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust issued a strongly worded statement at the time of his appointment, warning that De Zerbi’s arrival “raises serious and far-reaching concerns” and underlining the strength of feeling among fans on issues of violence against women.

The club pressed ahead regardless, handing the 47-year-old a five-year contract and making him the face of a new project. De Zerbi, aware of the reaction, moved quickly to address his previous comments in his first interview with club media.

“I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly,” he said. He stressed that throughout his life he had “always stood up for who are more vulnerable, more fragile” and “consistently fought and taken a stand” for those most at risk.

He did not duck the criticism. “I apologise to those who I offended with this subject matter,” he added, pointing to his own family. “I have a daughter, and I'm very sensitive to these things and always have been. I hope that over time, people will get to know me better and will understand that in that moment, I didn't mean to take a stance.”

The subject resurfaced as he faced the wider media before his first game in charge of Tottenham. De Zerbi described himself as “a bit sad and sorry it happened” and repeated that he was “sorry if somebody took offence.”

Again, he circled back to the same core message. “This topic is very close to me. I'm very sensitive about this topic because of the person I am and because I have a daughter,” he said. “I have always been against – always – any type of violence, especially against women. But not only violence, even just sexist jokes or other sexist behaviours.”

He insisted he knew exactly who he was and what he stood for, saying he was not annoyed by the questions, only “sad about them.”

Against that backdrop, the idea of Spurs stepping into the market for Greenwood was always going to be politically charged, far beyond the usual debate over goals, assists and transfer fees. Tottenham’s firm position that they are not interested in signing him removes that flashpoint from De Zerbi’s first summer in charge.

The Italian can now build his squad without the shadow of a move that would have ignited an already sensitive issue among supporters. The football decisions at Spurs this summer will be scrutinised closely. But not for Mason Greenwood.