The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur News and Links for Friday, July 16

Hello, all!

At the top today is forward Rachel Williams.

Ramble of the Day

I could not possibly take credit for discovering this (the credit goes here), but I now know the greatest song used as background in a footballer’s highlight reel. It’s an original rap from agency Sportback that’s also an advertisement for the group’s services.

It’s just incredible, and maybe one of the greatest things I’ve heard. The lyrics the rap’s main draw, the result of someone who clearly put in the work. The main line of the chorus, “come connect up with that Sportback,” is the beautiful kind of imperfect, as is the rest of the song. Some of my favorites:

• “For the love of football / where it’s all about teamwork / and networking”
• “So whether you’re a coach or you’re a young talent / an agent or a parent / and even family member / we’ll meet your expectations and support your interests”
• “International network / always putting you first / ‘cause it’s all about teamwork / ‘cause teamwork make the dream work”
• “And if you’re a coach, well, I can guarantee / they will help you if you want to train a national team”

The rap is also pretty catchy — I didn’t bother resisting the urge to bop my head along while listening. It is silly in theory, but I find it a little charming. I think it has to be down to execution because this could have been so much worse. This is probably the best a football agency could do if it wanted to sell itself in the form of a rap.

I don’t know if the rap has helped Sportback’s business in any way, and I cannot gauge if it even has the potential to. What I can say, though, is that I have no problem with this unique work expense and wish Sportback all the best.

tl;dr: There’s a football agency that has an original rap promoting its services. It uses the rap as background music for its clients’ highlight reels.

Stay informed, read this: England’s Bukayo Saka calls on social media to combat racism on its platforms in a letter on Twitter

Links of the Day

Netherlands international Arjen Robben retired after a 21 year career.

British police arrested four people for racially abusing England’s Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho on social media.

Laura Harvey is the new OL Reign manager.

Transfers: Leicester signed Ryan Bertrand on a free; Wolves signed José Sá from Olympiacos; Brighton signed Danielle Carter from Reading; Marseille signed William Saliba on loan from Arsenal

A longer read: Will Unwin interviews Gaël Clichy on his career post-England, a future in coaching, and racism for the Guardian