The Spurs News

Ian Wright and Dimitar Berbatov could not believe what they saw as Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes scored for the hosts as Tottenham lost 2-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Cristian Romero got sent off in the first half, which resulted in Spurs playing over an hour with 10 men.

Cristian Romero should be stripped of the Tottenham captaincy after this…

He has let his team down way too many times! 😠

Ian Wright and Dimitar Berbatov react to Cristian Romero’s red card

Romero had little to defend himself as his late challenge on Casemiro was enough for Michael Oliver to send him off.

The Argentine had eyes for the ball, but his challenge was high, and his studs were facing up, which is considered serious foul play.

Oliver might have shown some leniency if Romero had not made contact with Casemiro as badly as he did.

Sum up Tottenham’s loss to Man Utd in three words

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The United midfielder was clearly in pain as he lay down on the floor for a couple of minutes, but thankfully for him, he did not pick up an injury.

Looking at the incident at half-time, Wright and Berbatov both agreed that the red card was the right decision.

Wright branded it as a “horrible” decision, while Berbatov mentioned that with everything happening behind the scenes between Romero and the Spurs hierarchy, this incident would not have helped him.

The former Arsenal captain told Premier League Productions: “You’re seeing some of the challenges he’s going into. Why is he doing that?

“This is the sending off. It’s just a bad one. He’s out of control. He really does catch him there. It’s really horrible.”

Berbatov then added: “It’s not a good situation for him to be in right now. Especially with everything we discussed before the game.”

Does Thomas Frank survive the Tottenham sack after this result?

The pressure will most certainly be back on Thomas Frank, as this was not a performance that he would have been proud of.

This was the first time in nine games that Tottenham have lost to Manchester United, and the only saving grace for the Dane might be the fact that his team played most of the game with a man short.

Had he been sacked a few weeks ago, it may have been justified, but it would be harsh if he is shown the door on the back of this result.

That said, the pressure remains on him despite the fact that the hierarchy backed him with two new signings in the January transfer window.

He is expected to remain as the Tottenham manager for the Newcastle game on Tuesday night, but after that, it remains to be seen what the plan is.

Tottenham suffered yet another defeat in the Premier League, losing 2-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring for the visitors, courtesy of a well-worked corner involving Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo.

Bruno then got on the scoresheet himself, receiving Diogo Dalot’s cross well to put the result beyond all doubt.

Sum up Tottenham’s loss to Man Utd in three words

Guglielmo Vicario impresses at Old Trafford against Manchester United

If Thomas Frank is to take one positive from the 2-0 loss against Manchester United, it is the performance of Guglielmo Vicario in goal.

While he conceded two goals, there was little he could do from either to keep the ball out of the net.

According to Sofascore, he made seven saves in the game and helped Spurs prevent it from becoming an absolute drubbing.

Losing their best defender had already made things difficult for Vicario as he had a new back four ahead of him, with Radu Dragusin considerably lacking match sharpness.

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The Spurs keeper also made an important rush out to head the ball to his teammate, and failure to do so could have seen United add another goal.

The Italy international was also good with the ball at his feet, completing 94 per cent of the passes inside his own half.

Tottenham captain Cristian Romero cannot keep living on the edge

It has not been the best of weeks for Cristian Romero at Spurs.

Once the transfer deadline passed, he publicly called out the hierarchy for their squad planning, given the number of injuries.

Frank then covered up for him and showed support in the Argentine by starting him against Manchester United.

Cristian Romero should be stripped of the Tottenham captaincy after this…

He has let his team down way too many times! 😠

However, he only lasted for 29 minutes as he was sent off by Michael Oliver.

Oliver showed Romero a red card for his reckless challenge on Casemiro, and there was little the 27-year-old could do to justify his actions.

He also received another red card this season, in the 2-1 loss against Liverpool, and he let his team down against another Big Six side.

Tottenham player ratings vs Manchester United

Guglielmo Vicario – 7

Archie Gray – 4

Cristian Romero – 0

Micky van de Ven – 4

Destiny Udogie – 5

Conor Gallagher – 6

Joao Palhinha – 4

Pape Matar Sarr – 5

Wilson Odobert – 4

Dominic Solanke – 3

Xavi Simmons – 6

Subs

Radu Dragusin – 5

Souza – 5

Yves Bissouma – 4

Mathys Tel – 4

Mark Clattenburg has delivered an instant reaction as Cristian Romero got sent off as Manchester United beat Tottenham in the Premier League.

The Argentina international started the game at Old Trafford, but was forced to take an early bath, with referee Michael Oliver handing him a straight red card.

The game ended 2-0 in favour of the hosts, and Tottenham remain in 14th place on the Premier League table.

Cristian Romero should be stripped of the Tottenham captaincy after this…

He has let his team down way too many times! 😠

Mark Clattenburg shares if Cristian Romero’s challenge on Casemiro was serious foul play

Romero had eyes only for the ball and recklessly threw himself into a challenge on Casemiro, who was in possession.

However, the 27-year-old missed the ball completely and made contact with the Brazilian’s foot.

This saw the soon-to-depart United midfielder instantly fall to the floor and the pain was evident on his face.

👀 Use ONE WORD to summarise your feelings on Tottenham captain Cristian Romero calling out The Lewis Family…

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The VAR agreed with Oliver’s decision to send off Romero and the Spurs defender was given his final marching orders.

Speaking exclusively to The Spurs News, former Premier League referee Clattenburg said: “Cristian Romero of Tottenham Hotspur overruns the ball and overstretches into a tackle with Casemiro of Manchester United.

“It is not a great tackle, and catches Casemiro on the ankle with his studs.

“To meet the criteria of a red card for serious foul play, there must be some force, force and malice and this tackle certainly meets this criteria and could easily have endangered the safety of his opponent.

“Once Michael Oliver shows the red card, VAR would not get involved to downgrade this, even if some people say he is unlucky, as he wants to play the ball.”

How did Romero react once the decision went against him?

There was little protest from the Argentine when Oliver took out the red card from his pocket.

Usually, players appear to be shocked or are actually bemused by the official’s decision to send them off.

However, he seemed to accept his fate almost instantaneously and went to check on Casemiro to see if he was able to continue.

Fortunately, the midfielder was able to continue and had a conversation with Michael Carrick about it as well.

Before Romero walked off the pitch, he had a discussion with his compatriot Lisandro Martinez and it did not seem to be a heated exchange.

Tottenham had the chance to sign a £71m-rated player on transfer deadline day, claims Fabrizio Romano.

While Spurs were not actively making moves on 2 February, they did have an agent offer his client to them on loan.

👀 Rate Tottenham Hotspur’s January transfer business OUT OF 10…

Thomas Frank wanted the Tottenham hierarchy to strengthen the side in the January transfer window, and they obliged by making two signings.

Conor Gallagher joined from Atletico Madrid, while they also signed 19-year-old left-back Souza from Atletico Madrid.

Jhon Duran has had an eventful career in recent years, and that appears to be the trajectory for him in the next few months as well.

He began his career at Envigado in Colombia before moving to MLS outfit Chicago Fire at the age of 18.

The Colombian then moved to Aston Villa for £14m and even scored the club’s goal of the season in his first campaign at Villa Park.

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Upgrade or downgrade? Randal Kolo Muani out, Jhon Duran in…

Would you be happy, Spurs fans?

In January 2025, Saudi Arabia came calling, and Al Nassr secured his services for a staggering £71m fee.

Six months later, he was loaned out to Fenerbahce and has even struggled to adapt there.

Romano claims that due to his struggles, he had been offered to Spurs on transfer deadline day, but the club opted against securing his services.

Due to this, he is expected to move to Zenit, who are currently second in the Russian Super League.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “And then offered to Tottenham. Jhon Duran had the possibility to go to Tottenham on deadline day. Offered to Tottenham on loan but Tottenham decided against this move.

“Tottenham decided not to go for Jhon Duran to stay with the current squad.”

Did Spurs make a mistake by not signing Duran?

Duran’s moves after his Villa exit have not panned out, but he cannot be entirely faulted for that.

At Al-Nassr, everything seems to happen based on what Cristiano Ronaldo wants, so there is no real cohesive plan for the longer term.

Jose Mourinho wanted him at Fenerbahce, but was sacked just a month after Duran made his debut, making it difficult for the Colombia international to adapt.

Spurs could have done with a player like the 22-year-old, at least until the end of the season.

He is Premier League proven, versatile and capable of scoring important goals when his team needs him to deliver.

Duran has 12 goals and an assist to his name in the English top flight in 55 games, with a lot of those appearances coming off the bench.

On loan, he would have been a low-risk, high-reward signing for Tottenham, and they may regret not signing him on transfer deadline day.

Mauricio Pochettino continues to be linked with the Tottenham job even though he is currently in charge of the United States national team.

However, the Argentine’s deal there runs out after the FIFA World Cup, and he is not expected to stay on beyond the competition.

With Thomas Frank’s Tottenham future in jeopardy, there is clamour among the fanbase to bring Pochettino back to N17.

True or false: Tottenham re-appointing Mauricio Pochettino would be a bad idea…

Mauricio Pochettino continues to shower love for Tottenham

Pochettino met former Spurs player and manager Ossie Ardiles on Thursday and took to Instagram to share an image with him.

The duo not only share the Tottenham connection, but are also former Argentina players who met up in the United Kingdom at Parrilla Gaucha.

Pochettino captioned it with “COYS”, something that Spurs fans would undoubtedly have loved.

The Argentine, whenever asked about his former side, has nothing but complimentary things to say about them.

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Thus far, Pochettino has managed three clubs in the Premier League, with Southampton and Chelsea being the other two clubs.

He also has a house in London and is constantly in the United Kingdom, as can be seen in the aforementioned image.

However, due to his work commitments, he does have to travel to the United States to take a look at some of his players in the MLS.

If you were in the Spurs board, how would you convince Pochettino to return? 👀

He will be available this summer…

The fact that he is in London so frequently suggests that he loves the city, and given his links to Tottenham, a reunion cannot be ruled out ahead of next season.

In an interview in December with the BBC, the Argentine revealed that he still watches the Premier League regularly and would love to take over the reins at a top-flight club again.

Apart from Spurs, he continues to be linked with the Manchester United job, and was even in the conversation for taking over at Aston Villa before Unai Emery agreed to take over.

Poch said: “Yeah, I watch a lot. The Premier League is the best in the world. Of course, I miss it. I am so happy in the USA, but I am always thinking about returning one day. It is the most competitive league, and of course, I would love to come back again.”

As things stand, the Argentine is preparing for a World Cup campaign while Frank continues to have the support of the board.

Eden Hazard has been waxing lyrical over a former Tottenham defender, given his years of experience with Chelsea.

The Belgian attacker terrorised defences in the Premier League for years before he secured a big-money move to Real Madrid.

While his transfer to Spain did not quite pan out, he is still regarded as one of the best wingers in the last decade in the English top flight.

Eden Hazard waxes lyrical over former Tottenham star Kyle Walker

Hazard was asked to build the ideal full-back and was asked to pick different players based on varied attributes.

These included tackle, pace, strength, dribbling, intelligence, mentality and aura.

When the strength question came, the former Chelsea attacker stated: “Kyle Walker, maybe.”

He did show favouritism to his former club’s players, picking Blues legend Ashley Cole for tackling.

Former Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta was chosen for his intelligence and mentality.

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For pace and aura, Hazard picked Roberto Carlos, a legend for the Brazil national team, while he picked another Brazilian, Marcelo, for dribbling.

How did Kyle Walker fare at Tottenham?

Walker came up the ranks at the Sheffield United academy before leaving the Blades for Tottenham in 2009.

At the time, he was a relative unknown, and little did the fans know the kind of impact he would have for years to come.

He joined Spurs with his teammate Kyle Naughton for a £9million fee, but was loaned back to them for the 2009/10 campaign.

The Englishman also had loan spells at QPR and Aston Villa, before he became a first-team regular in North London.

Harry Redknapp, then Spurs boss, did not allow Walker to leave despite his lack of regular first-team opportunities, and it is a decision that reaped major dividends.

He played a key role under Mauricio Pochettino as well, making the side that reached the Carabao Cup final.

Walker was also twice named in the PFA Team of the Year and has been one of the best right-backs in the Premier League since his debut.

The England international was then sold to Manchester City in 2017 for an initial £45million fee that rose to £50million with add-ons.

Tottenham have had their fair share of promising signings in the past that have failed to live up to their billing in the Premier League.

For years, the focus has been on signing players that are not necessarily coveted by top European clubs, but ones with high potential who could join on the cheap.

There have undoubtedly been exceptions where Spurs have had to pay a premium to sign players that have been linked with title-chasing sides in Europe’s top five leagues.

👀 Rate Tottenham Hotspur’s January transfer business OUT OF 10…

Carlos Vinicius thriving after flopping at Tottenham

Carlos Vinicius moved to Tottenham in October 2020 from Benfica on a season-long loan.

After a relatively impressive stint in Portugal, the expectation was that he would kick on and become a decent player for Spurs.

Had he done that, the Lilywhites would probably have looked to sign him permanently at the end of the season.

Carlos Vinicius is thriving in Brazil….

Where did it go wrong for him at Tottenham?

However, that did not happen and his entire time at the club could be deemed as a flop.

Now, the 30-year-old is plying his trade at Brazilian club Gremio and seems to be having the season of his life.

The Brazilian centre forward has bagged eight goals in his last eight games in all competitions and has also provided an assist.

In total, Vinicius has played 22 games for the club and has scored 20 goals and provided two assists, averaging a goal or an assist in every match.

How was Vinicius’ Spurs career?

The Brazilian moved to Spurs for a loan fee around £2.6million and was expected to be a backup striker who could influence games in the second half.

Things did get off to a good start for him as he provided two assists on his debut, in a 3-0 win over LASK in the Europa League.

He scored his first two goals for Tottenham in Europe as well, in a 4-0 win against Ludogorets Razgrad.

The striker also scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup against eight-tier side Marine, but had to wait until March for his first Premier League goal.

His career at the Lilywhites ended with him finding the back of the net 10 times in 22 games.

Tottenham didn’t do a great deal of business in the January transfer window but then it’s always a testing time.

Only the clubs towards the bottom of the Premier League really added to their ranks, whilst Manchester City added Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi.

Tottenham signed Conor Gallagher and Brazilian left-back Souza to the ranks, with Spurs beating Arsenal to young striker James Wilson on Transfer Deadline Day.

👀 Rate Tottenham Hotspur’s January transfer business OUT OF 10…

Johan Lange has been quizzed on transfers and it would appear as though plans are already going to be firmly in place for the summer transfer window.

It might prove frustrating for Tottenham fans with the team currently languishing in 14th place but it feels as though Spurs will be going all guns blazing during the summer window.

Tottenham could now make Joao Palhinha U-turn

It had been claimed that Tottenham would almost certainly make a move for Palhinha permanent during the summer transfer window once his loan deal expired.

Now, transfer guru Ben Jacobs believes that it might not be so set in stone and that Thomas Frank could perform a U-turn and choose to look elsewhere.

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In the Give Me Sport newsletter, he claimed: “I expect Spurs to have a big summer now and planning for that will be the main focus.

“A centre-back and striker are both positional targets, and Tottenham could also look at the goalkeeper situation. And it will be interesting to see whether Spurs buy João Palhinha.

“There was an initial commitment in the early part of the season but now it’s less clear whether the option will be taken. Conor Gallagher is an excellent arrival, but don’t be surprised if Spurs look at more of a number six profile.”

What Harry Kane said about Joao Palhinha

In fairness, Palhinha probably could be doing more in order to really make waves at Tottenham.

He’s yet to show the form that earned him the move to Bayern Munich from Fulham and ultimately, Spurs will feel as though he’s a worthless permanent signing.

🔠How would you rank Joao Palhinha’s time at Tottenham so far. Let us know in the comments below…👇

However, Kane is a huge fan of the Portuguese performer.

Speaking about him in August, the Tottenham legend said: “He’s tough, he tackles hard, he’s good on the ball, he knows the Premier League from his time with Fulham and he’s a guy that will give you everything.”

Now, Palhinha will hope to show that side of himself a little bit more to the fan base before the end of the season.

Paul Merson isn’t normally overly apologetic when it comes to despising Tottenham Hotspur.

The Sky Sports pundit spent 12 years of his career playing for Arsenal, and as a fan of the club, he’s often poking little digs at Spurs whilst using his platform in the media.

Will we continue our SUPERB run against Manchester United this weekend?

Let us know your score predictions in the comments below…👇.

Merson had some good performances against Tottenham as a player and despite his jovial tone towards the white half of North London, he clearly likes to remain professional.

That has been highlighted with some comments that he’s made during a recent interview involving something he said towards a Tottenham star after last year’s North London-derby.

In last season’s derby-day clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gabriel scored the only goal of the game, and afterwards, Merson rang one player up to apologise to him for some comments he made.

Why Paul Merson apologised to James Maddison

Maddison has been sorely missed by Tottenham this year and after injuring his ACL in pre-season, it’s not clear when he will return to the pitch.

The attacking midfielder was in action under Ange Postecoglou when Tottenham lost 1-0 to Arsenal in September 2024, and Merson has shared how he felt that he unceremoniously dug him out.

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Speaking on his decision to pick up the phone and apologise after that game, Merson told the Stick to Football podcast: “I did Arsenal vs Tottenham at the new stadium, and I picked out Maddison.

“I thought, why am I picking out Maddison and not everyone else?

“I just said he wasn’t good enough. He played in my position, and in the 10, you need to affect the football match, and he wasn’t doing it.

“But you have to get the ball off the midfield. I rang him up, and he hadn’t even seen it.”

Tottenham have work to do before next North London derby

Before attention can turn towards the next North London clash, Tottenham have to go to Manchester United and face Newcastle on home soil.

Given that Spurs didn’t win a Premier League match in January, it’s vital that Thomas Frank puts that right in the next two games to face the Gunners with some confidence.

👀 Use ONE WORD to summarise your feelings on Tottenham captain Cristian Romero calling out The Lewis Family…

Much like Ange Postecoglou before him, Frank is in a bit of a perilous situation in the Premier League and he will know that his form in that competition will seal his fate.

Having Maddison back would be a huge help, but that does feel unlikely in the short term.

The next derby-day game is coming into view, and now the focus has to be on working hard to get that victory before the Gunners come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It’s been quite the turnaround at Rangers for Mikey Moore, as supporters now want the Tottenham youngster signed for at least another season.

Moore had a slow start to life in Glasgow; however, under Danny Rohl, the England youth international has taken his game to the next level.

🤔 Next summer, should Tottenham Hotspur KEEP or LOAN Mikey Moore?

The 18-year-old is now starting to show why he is one of the top-rated youngsters to emerge from Hotspur Way with another top performance.

On Wednesday evening, the youngster scored and assisted in a 5-1 win over Kilmarnock, putting Rangers within touching distance of Scottish Premiership leaders, Hearts.

Tottenham’s Mikey Moore is now flying at Rangers

Rangers fans are calling for the club to sign Tottenham Hotspur loanee Mikey Moore on loan again following his display against Kilmarnock.

The winger was outstanding at Ibrox on Wednesday, managing a goal, an assist, five key passes and four successful dribbles.

Moore, who has big ambitions at Rangers, started at left wing and was eventually moved into the number ten role, where he scored in the 91st minute.

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Suddenly, Moore could potentially become a key option for Spurs next season, and a big decision on the youngster needs to be made next summer.

He is just hitting his stride at Rangers right now, and his development is on an upward trajectory, so the Lilywhites could also benefit from loaning him out again.

But following his latest display, Rangers fans have expressed their admiration for the youngster on social media.

One fan said: “I will be gutted to see Mikey Moore go back to Spurs at the end of the season.”

“That’s one of the greatest Rangers performances I’ve ever seen from Mikey Moore. Just an astonishing 90 from him,” claimed another.

Finish the sentence: Tottenham’s most promising youngster is _____________

A third fan said: “Don’t fall in love with a loan player. What a display again from Mikey Moore.”

Another fan stated: “Mikey Moore is gonna break my heart end of the season.”

There was yet more praise for the teenager: “It’s going to be a heartbreaker in the summer when Mikey Moore goes back to Spurs.”

Finally, another added: “Signing him has to be the top priority in the summer.”

Dane Scarlett’s first assist for Hibernian

One deal in January which went slightly under the radar was Dane Scarlett’s loan move to Hibernian.

The young striker grabbed his first assist for the club in a dramatic 3-2 win over Dundee United on Wednesday.

Tottenham will hope the young striker can get some good minutes in Scotland, having not played much football over the past 12 months.