A huge London derby dubbed ‘El Sackio’
Tottenham vs West Ham LIVE
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Tottenham vs West Ham LIVE
It’s another huge home game for Spurs this afternoon, and few are bigger in this half of north London than the visit of the Hammers in the Premier League. Two teams in dire straits and desperate for points, this is a London derby which could have a significant impact on the futures of manager Thomas Frank and Nuno Espirito Santo.
Frank has enjoyed a big week behind the scenes at Spurs, with the signing of Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth £35million, and then the appointment of John Heitinga to his backroom staff, two new arrivals which suggest he is backing backed by the club hierarchy. But Spurs head into the game with just two wins from 12 games - and anything less than victory today could prove costly.
The writing appears to be on the wall for Nuno in east London, though. Cut seven points adrift from safety and without a win in 10, relegation appears almost certain, but a win today will give the fans a rare treat in an otherwise miserable season. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Sam Tabuteau at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham vs West Ham latest news
We are expecting a full debut for Conor Gallagher today.
There have been some suggestions ahead of the game that Palhinha may miss out through injury.
Nothing confirmed yet. Teams to be announced in just over 15 minutes.
Fan view
Can Vinai fix toxic Tottenham?
The big read in this week’s paper focused on the situation at Tottenham.
When all around you appears to be crumbling and signs of improvement are in short supply, what do you cling to? Vinai Venkatesham, if you are Thomas Frank.
The Tottenham boss is putting his faith in the chief executive’s experiences at Arsenal in the early days of Mikel Arteta’s reign.
“He knows how unfortunately it can take time to get up to where good should look like,” Frank said. “That’s definitely beneficial because also he understands the journey we’re on.”
However, Arteta won the FA Cup in his first season and Arsenal at their very lowest ebb finished eighth.
The club captain was not taking potshots at the hierarchy on Instagram, nor were the players clashing with — or in Micky van de Ven’s case seemingly offering out — the fans so publicly.
Nor, from memory, did Venkatesham, below, have to ponder why exactly Arteta strolled onto the pitch before a match drinking an espresso from a cup emblazoned with Tottenham branding.
Barely six months on from the euphoria of the Europa League success, Tottenham have descended into toxic turmoil. Supporters will protest against the board on Saturday, the first such action taken since Daniel Levy’s exit.
Frank’s position has naturally been questioned but Venkatesham is faced with problems that a managerial change alone will not solve.
Venkatesham’s boardroom role in helping transform the culture at Arsenal on and off the pitch was incredibly impressive. Doing something similar on the other side of north London would undoubtedly be his greatest achievement yet.
Read our Big Read here!
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Change for Tottenham protest ahead of kick-off
Tottenham fans are planning another protest ahead of today’s game, starting at 2pm.
Supporters’ group Change For Tottenham are taking action amid frustrations over the way the club is being run, including transfer strategy, injury problems, recent results and high ticket prices.
Spurs are 14th in the Premier League, were knocked out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa last week despite the Lewis family launching a new era seeking “more wins, more often”.
The protest comes after the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) released a statement to hit out at the direction of the club and a “dramatic fall in ambition”.
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Score prediction
These being two teams with just a win apiece from their last five outings in all competitions indicates how much could rest on the result here for both Frank and Nuno.
Spurs at least won in the Premier League just shortly after Christmas, whereas West Ham are winless in 10 league games. The Hammers have also won just one of their last eight league meetings against Spurs (D3 L4), a 2-1 victory on enemy soil in December 2023, and have been defeated in all six of their Premier League London derbies this season.
Despite winning only four of their most recent 24 Premier League home games (D6 L14), Spurs should have enough quality in their squad - particularly with the arrival of Gallagher helping boost Frank’s injury-hit midfield, and the return of skipper Romero to the backline - to ensure a third home victory of the campaign happens here.
It may not be by quite the same margin as September’s 3-0 rout at the London Stadium, though, given their opponents’ recent attacking reinforcements and the fact that West Ham played most of the second half of that game with 10 men.
Tottenham to win, 2-1.
Early West Ham team news
As for West Ham, there is an expectation that midfielder Mateus Fernandes should recover in time to feature against Spurs after missing the FA Cup victory over Queens Park Rangers at the weekend. If he does so, he could partner Tomas Soucek and/or Soungoutou Magassa in the middle of the park.
Argentine striker Taty Castellanos, a new £26million signing from Lazio, netted the extra-time winner in that game, during which Crysencio Summerville scored and was a bright spark, suggesting the Dutch winger should start once more as he hunts for a first league goal of the campaign.
Castellanos will expect to retain his spot too, having led the line in successive matches since his arrival, though Pablo Felipe - recently brought in from Gil Vicente - is another option.
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Early Tottenham team news
Conor Gallagher could make a quick Tottenham debut against West Ham today, though Spurs have been hit by another key injury blow.
Richarlison has been sidelined for the next seven weeks due to a hamstring injury, and joins Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison on the sidelines.
Gallagher could come straight in for Bentancur at the heart of midfield, and Frank has also been boosted by the returns of Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie.
Solanke, who has been out since August with a recurring ankle injury, came off the bench as Spurs crashed out of the FA Cup.
Udogie was also named on the bench for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury at the start of December. Cristian Romero returns from suspension.
Yves Bissouma has returned to the club and is available for selection after Mali’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations.
The 29-year-old has, however, yet to play a competitive game under Frank, owing to injury and disciplinary issues. Pape Matar Sarr is still at AFCON with Senegal.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham chief makes transfer promise in open letter to fans
Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has penned an open letter to supporters ahead of Saturday’s Premier League derby against West Ham.
Fans’ frustrations have reached boiling point, with a protest against the club’s board set to take place before kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Conscious of rising discontent among supporters, Venkatesham has written a lengthy and detailed response to their concerns in the club’s matchday programme, in which he addressed, among other things, the relationship between the club and the fans, wage structure and transfers.
“Dear supporters, as we reach the halfway point of our season, I wanted to share an update on our plans for the future,” the letter read.
Read the letter in full here!
Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
Tottenham vs West Ham LIVE
Hello and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Premier League clash between Tottenham and West Ham.
It’s a London derby which has been dubbed ‘El Sackio’, though there is little suggestion that Thomas Frank will be given his marching order after another home defeat. The same cannot be said for Nuno Espirito Santo.
What is for sure is that these two teams desperately need a win, and anything but will cause yet more anger in the fanbase. Protests from Spurs supporters are planned ahead of kick-off.
We have Sam Tabuteau there for us. Kick-off is at 3pm.