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Rodrigo Bentancur has finally had his FA ban confirmed for racist remarks he said about Tottenham teammate Son Heung-min. The Uruguayan has been handed a seven-game ban as well as a £100,000 fine by an independent regulatory commission.

Bentancur was charged after a televised interview in South America in the summer. During the interview, the reporter asked: "Can you get me the shirt from the Korean?" to which Bentancur asked "Sonny?" and the journalist said "Or any other champion?". Bentancur replied: "Or any cousin of Sonny, they all look more or less the same!" to which the reporter replied "Yes, of course!!"

The FA delivered the news of the ban on Monday with a statement which read: "An independent regulatory commission has imposed a seven-match suspension and £100,000 fine on Rodrigo Bentancur for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview.

"It was alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute. It was further alleged that this constitutes an "aggravated breach", which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference – whether express or implied – to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.

"Rodrigo Bentancur denied this charge, but the independent regulatory commission found it to be proven and imposed his sanctions following a hearing."

Bentancur has been an integral part of Ange Postecoglou's midfield this season, missing just one Premier League match through concussion. But Postecoglou will now be without the Uruguayan until after Christmas, following the news of the seven-match suspension.

He will return for the Boxing Day clash with Nottingham Forest, but misses huge games against Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and the Carabao Cup quarter-final with Manchester United.

The games Bentancur will miss:

Saturday, November 23 - Man City (A)

Sunday, December 1 - Fulham (H)

Thursday, December 5 - Bournemouth (A)

Sunday, December 8 - Chelsea (H)

Sunday, December 15 - Southampton (A)

Thursday, December 19 - Manchester United (H) - Carabao Cup quarter-final

Sunday, December 22 - Liverpool (H)

Rodrigo Bentancur has been handed a seven-game ban and a £100,000 fine by an independent regulatory commission for his comments about Son Heung-min during pre-season.

Bentancur has been a key member of Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham team this season, only missing one Premier League match due to concussion earlier in the season.

But Postecoglou will have to do without the Uruguayan for an extended period of time now, with the FA handing down a seven-game suspension - for domestic matches - after charging the south American over racist comments he made in an interview about Spurs teammate Son Heung-min.

The FA statement on Monday said: "An independent regulatory commission has imposed a seven-match suspension and £100,000 fine on Rodrigo Bentancur for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview.

"It was alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute. It was further alleged that this constitutes an “aggravated breach”, which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference – whether express or implied – to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.

"Rodrigo Bentancur denied this charge, but the independent regulatory commission found it to be proven and imposed his sanctions following a hearing."

During a televised interview ahead of the Copa America, the Spurs midfielder was asked by a reporter for a shirt from one of his team-mates. The reporter asked: "Can you get me the shirt from the Korean?" to which Bentancur asked "Sonny?" and the journalist said "Or any other champion?". Bentancur replied: "Or any cousin of Sonny, they all look more or less the same!" to which the reporter replied "Yes, of course!!"

With the ban now confirmed, Bentancur will miss six Premier League games and the Carabao Cup quarter-final with Manchester United, before being able to return to action on Boxing Day. He will currently be able to play in Tottenham's Europa League matches.

Spurs now have a set amount of time to decide whether to appeal the decision or not.

Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard looks set to a return to football with the ex-midfielder reportedly in ‘advanced talks’ to take over at Championship side Coventry City.

The Sky Blues are on the lookout for a new manager since making the decision to part ways with Mark Robins earlier this month. The manager had been with the club since 2017, leading them to promotion from League Two to the Championship play-off final in 2023, which they lost on penalties.

After missing out on the play-offs last season, Coventry have found his harder going this campaign. The club currently sit in 17th place in the table, and the decision to sack Robins was taken following defeat to Derby County.

The club have since been searching for a replacement. Lampard has emerged as the bookmakers favourite, with Coventry owner Doug King confirming that he has applied for the role.

It had been reported that the former Chelsea man had made the shortlist of candidates , and it now seems that things are moving quickly. According to Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg , Lampard is in ‘advanced talks’ to become the new manager, although some details do still need to be clarified.

Lampard has been out of work since leaving the role as interim manager at Chelsea last summer. It was his second stint in charge at Stamford Bridge, having taken the reins on a permanent basis between July 2019 and January 2021.

The Coventry talks come after Lampard was linked with the vacant Roma job last week. A move to the Italian club would have seen him come up against Chelsea's rivals Tottenham in the Europa League

The 46-year-old started his managerial career with Derby County, leading them to the play-offs in his one season in charge of the club before leaving for his first stint in charge of Chelsea. He has also managed Everton, but left the role after just under a year in charge, in January 2023.

Jose Fonte believes Jadon Sancho could be given a "fresh start" at Manchester United next summer with a new era at Old Trafford about to begin with Ruben Amorim in charge.

Erik ten Hag was sacked as United boss last month after a poor start to the 2024/25 season. Amorim will officially kick off life as Ten Hag's successor after the ongoing international break with United taking on Ipswich Town in seven days' time.

Sancho moved to Chelsea in the summer on an initial loan deal from Man United. The agreement struck between the two clubs was an obligation for the Blues to purchase the 24-year-old next summer once his loan deal expires.

The conditions are if Chelsea finish within the first 14 places in the Premier League table, then Sancho will permanently become a Blues player next summer. Chelsea will pay United around £20million, football.london understands, with the fee potentially rising to £25million in add-ons based on performances at Stamford Bridge.

Former Southampton and West Ham United defender Fonte, though, believes if those conditions are not met then Sancho will have the opportunity to prove himself in Manchester once more. "Jadon Sancho will get a chance to impress Ruben Amorim in the summer because it's a fresh start and a new opportunity for everyone," Fonte said in an interview with JeffBet.

"Something might click between him and Amorim because he knows exactly what he wants from his players in every area of the pitch. He also likes to give the No.10s freedom to be creative and that's exactly what Sancho needs. It could be a great opportunity for him."

Sancho started his loan spell at Chelsea in excellent fashion. Coming on as a half-time substitute away at Bournemouth in September, the Camberwell-born winger produced the assist for Christopher Nkunku late on in what turned out to be the decisive goal of a tight game on the south coast.

Back-to-back appearances against West Ham and Brighton were to follow for Sancho and he recorded an assist in both of those matches as well. Less impactful cameos against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool followed before illness and a minor injury has kept him sidelined in the last few weeks.

Either way, Enzo Maresca's style of play really seems to suit Sancho, who endured a torrid time at Man United before making the move to west London. "I think it's the manager who really drew me to the project," Sancho said on Maresca after signing for the club late in the summer transfer window.

"I knew him from his time with Pep Guardiola in Manchester City. He spoke to me about this project and what he was building here, and for a young player like myself it's exciting and I can't wait to get started."

Sancho continued: "They're signing me for a reason and to contribute to the team, and I'm ready to do that. I enjoy his style of play.

"The wingers when they get on the ball, he loves them to go one versus one and be direct. We play a lot of one-twos with the No.10s and the striker combination plays. It is very attractive and it is a style that I play."

Despite reported competition from Ruud van Nistelrooy, former Chelsea manager and midfielder Frank Lampard is set to begin talks with Coventry City over their vacant position.

The Blues hero was instantly installed as a strong favourite when the Championship side parted ways with manager of seven-and-a-half years, Mark Robins, last week.

Last in charge of Chelsea on an interim basis between Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino's spells at Stamford Bridge, Lampard is actively seeking a return to coaching having submitted a job application.

This was confirmed by Coventry owner Doug King, who said: "We've received a huge amount of CVs from high quality people, of which Frank is one. We've done nothing on that process. Clearly we're in the international break. We'll be assessing everything. We'll work out who's going to make the shortlist and we'll go from there."

Now it appears the Sky Blues hierarchy are ready to take the next step, with the back pages of The Daily Mail today claiming it is good news to start with for Lampard.

It is reported that the 46-year-old has made the Coventry shortlist cut down from 70 applicants, thus is set to begin talks to take over in the dugout. He is not home and dry just yet, though, as there are a 'handful of contenders' that King and his advisers must now interview and pick from.

It is unknown whether Van Nistelrooy, who was also recently linked with the job having left Manchester United following an interim period in charge, has also made the cut.

Crucially for Lampard, he must recognise that he will be in talks for the position of head coach rather than manager. It is claimed King is wanting to make this change now as he restructures the club's leadership to also include a sporting director, for whom they are also seeking currently.

For this he can call upon his experiences when permanently in the Chelsea dugout as at that time he was officially named head coach. With both Derby County and Everton he acted as manager.

Throughout his one-year tenure at Stamford Bridge, Mauricio Pochettino consistently called for patience from supporters as he looked to build a connection with the fan base.

A largely underwhelming season overall led to the Argentine coach being sacked in May despite the Blues finishing sixth after a sublime end to the campaign. After his previous ties with Tottenham Hotspur, it never felt as if Pochettino was ever taken to by Chelsea supporters, who had their doubts from the very first day of his stint.

Pochettino himself never warmed to the fans either. Throughout his time in west London, Pochettino spoke about his aim to build a "genuine connection" with the club's fan base. "I arrived to Chelsea in a different project than in the previous 10 years," the former head coach said in April.

"I played with my reputation to come here, in a project to build a team with young players, talented players. We knew it was a massive challenge to build a team, win games and to be competitive, to take the risk with the fans.

"I said from the beginning: I want to build a genuine relationship. Not kissing the badge or doing stupid things on the touchline to win the [favour] of the fans. I want to prove the team the tools to win games, to make them believe in ourselves and to build a relationship.

"I'm not here to be a populist and a hypocrite and say 'I love the fans', because I know it's about time to build this relationship."

Those comments came just over one month before the club announced Pochettino had left his role as head coach. It is safe to say his plan to win over the fans, while not forcing a connection, never worked at Stamford Bridge.

Pochettino's successor Enzo Maresca, who took over the reins from the Argentine in the summer, has approached the situation a bit differently. Maresca wants his players, first and foremost, to build a connection with the supporters and this is evident post-match every week where, if needed, the Italian will encourage his squad to go over to the fans and thank them for their support.

"We need our fans. We need them," Maresca explained in September. "We need this kind of relationship with the players.

"I really like the moment at the end of the game when we win a game and we can share that moment with the fans. It is a nice moment for the players, it is a nice moment for the fans and even for us.

"Unfortunately, we cannot go there as a staff and enjoy that moment [but] we work every day to share that moment at the end with the fans so hopefully we can have that very soon at home and share with all of our fans. We need them away but even more for me at home because we need for them to be patient in some moments."

At Stamford Bridge, the atmosphere has generally improved this season - and that is down to what is happening on the pitch. The fans have undoubtedly got themselves on board with an attractive brand of football; one that is obvious and clear to anyone that watches a game.

The way Maresca has handled himself is working as well. The 44-year-old has been clear and transparent in every interview or press conference he has conducted thus far - something supporters really appreciate.

While Maresca has admitted there has been progress and development with his young group of players, he is not stupid and acknowledges this long-term project is nowhere near its completion just yet. Although, getting the fans on board is always integral to any project in football and the start Maresca has made on that front has been excellent.

Ange Postecoglou could be without four players when Tottenham Hotspur meet Manchester City. The Lilywhites will lock horns with Pep Guardiola's side at the Etihad Stadium next week as the Premier League title race builds a head of steam.

Shortly before the international break, Spurs missed the chance to climb into the top-four after losing 2-1 to Ipswich Town on home turf. As for the reigning champions, they were defeated 2-1 by Brighton, at the Amex Stadium, gifting Liverpool a five-point lead at the top of the table.

While Guardiola made wholesale changes, Tottenham stormed past City in their Carabao Cup match last month. Postecoglou will be hoping to reign victorious once again in the English top-flight, but he could be without some big names for that impending showdown.

The first of which is Wilson Odobert, who's recently undergone surgery on a hamstring problem. The 19-year-old winger, who Spurs signed from Burnley for £30m in the summer, first suffered the muscle injury during a Carabao Cup tie against Coventry City back in September.

Odobert returned to action in October, only to aggravate that issue. When quizzed on the setback, Postecoglou said: "The only one missing out, which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson.

"He's had a setback during the week and it seems like it's a serious one, so we're waiting for more information. It's not exactly the same [injury] but same area."

Then, on Saturday, Odobert provided an update on his injury on social media. The teenager posted a photo from a bed at The Princess Grace Hospital in Marylebone, London, along with the caption: "Thanks God."

Odobert then quoted a passage from the Bible - Deutéronome 31:8 by Louis Segond (LSG). That reads: "The LORD himself will go before you, he will be with you, he will not leave you, he will not forsake you; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed."

Micky van de Ven could also miss the City game with a hamstring injury. Addressing that problem, Postecoglou said: "Yeah, it will be after the international break. Exactly when will be dictated by his progress during that time. We will have to see."

Richarlison is also nursing a hamstring injury. When quizzed on the striker's return, Postecoglou couldn't put an accurate time frame on his absence. The Spurs boss said: "Richy, with his hamstring, he'll be out for a little while. We're still getting the final information, but he'll be out for a little while."

Fortunately, Tottenham haven't got anymore serious problems. Promising youngster Mikey Moore was omitted from their matchday squad that faced Ipswich Town before the international break, but he's expected to be back in contention vs City.

Tottenham have confirmed that Wilson Odobert has undergone surgery on the hamstring injury that has hindered his start to life in north London.

The 19-year-old joined Spurs from Burnley for £30milion in the summer but his minutes have been restricted. He has played just 162 minutes in the Premier League for Ange Postecoglou's men.

Odobert returned to action in the final couple of minutes of the Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar in October to only suffer another setback. Postecoglou confirmed last month that the winger had suffered a serious setback in his attempts to return to full fitness.

"The only one missing out, which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson," Postecoglou has said. "He's had a set-back during the week and it seems like it's a serious one, so we're waiting for more information. It's not exactly the same [injury] but same area."

After providing his own update of his injury with a photo from a bed at The Princess Grace Hospital in Marylebone, London, on Saturday, Spurs have today (Sunday) confirmed that the summer signing has undergone surgery.

A club statement, release on social media platform X (was Twitter) read: "We can confirm that Wilson Odobert underwent surgery to his right hamstring yesterday (Saturday, November 16). The 19-year-old will continue to be closely monitored by our medical team to determine when he can return to training."

Tottenham have not been hit quite as hard as their rivals when it comes to injuries this season. However, they do have one or two concerns to deal with over November's international break.

Netherlands defender Micky van de Ven remains on the treatment table with a hamstring injury, while Richarlison also has a similar problem. Mikey Moore was omitted from the matchday squad that faced Ipswich Town last time out, but he's expected to be back in contention vs Manchester City when domestic action returns.

Tottenham have had far from the perfect start to the season heading into the November international break, so Ange Postecoglou may look to reinforce his squad in the upcoming transfer window.

After 11 Premier League games, Spurs currently sit 10th in the league table, winning five, losing five, and drawing one. The Lilywhites have won just once away from home so far in the league with Postecoglou's side, like last season, struggling for consistency as they look to earn a spot in the Champions League for next season.

With Spurs off the pace and having suffered a few injury problems already, they may be tempted to delve into the transfer market in January, with the Lilywhites having been linked with a host of players ahead of the first transfer window of 2025. So, if Postecoglou was to get some backing to sign who he wants in the January transfer window, who could arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium? We simulated the 2025 January transfer window to find out...

Spurs' 2025 January transfer window simulated

To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2024 editor to give Postecoglou full control in the 2025 January transfer window, seeing who the Aussie would want to add to his squad. This is what happened.

Incomings (£77million including add-ons)

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (Borussia Dortmund) - £41million (rising to £54million with add-ons)

Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad) - £23million

From the start of the transfer window, Postecoglou made his priority signing clear, with Spurs making four attempts to bring Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz to the club. Unfortunately, all four attempts failed, with their largest offer of £47million being rejected by Los Blancos.

Instead, Spurs turned their attentions to Germany, with the Lilywhites successfully making a move for Borussia Dortmund attacker Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. The 20-year-old Englishman has impressed for Dortmund so far this season, with Spurs splashing £41million on him, with the fee potentially rising to £54million with add-ons.

With three days of the transfer window remaining, Postecoglou made his second and final signing of the window – Real Sociedad midfielder Luka Susic. The 22-year-old Croatian has been a standout star in La Liga this season, with Spurs forking out £23million for his signature.

Outgoings (£16million including add-ons )

Djed Spence (Crystal Palace) - £8million (rising to £13m in add-ons)

Will Lankshear (Millwall) - Six-month loan (£1.6million loan fee)

Sergio Reguilon (Girona) - Six-month loan (£1.4million loan fee)

Brandon Austin (Oxford United) - Six-month loan

Damola Ajayi (MK Dons) - Six-month loan

Archie Baptiste (Cheltenham Town) - Six-month loan

Tyrese Hall (Walsall) - Six-month loan

Only one player departed Spurs on a permanent deal in the January transfer window, with Djed Spence joining Crystal Palace in a £8million move, potentially rising to £13million with add-ons. Highly-rated striker Will Lankshear was sent on loan to the Championship as he joined Millwall on a six-month deal, while Sergio Reguilon also left the club in search of game time, joining Girona on a short-term loan.

Brandon Austin was sent on loan to Oxford United with Alife Whiteman chosen as the third-choice 'keeper, while youngsters Damola Ajayi, Archie Baptiste, and Tyrese Hall all were given six-month loans across League One and League Two respectively.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou will want further additions for his Tottenham side in the January transfer window but it's worth looking at what must happen to his squad to fit them in.

Spurs have long had issues with keeping within their homegrown and foreign player requirements when it comes to their Premier League and European squads, with the latter often causing the most problems. This season, Postecoglou has had to leave Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon out of his Europa League squad for that exact reason.

Here's what Tottenham's Premier League and Europa League squads look like right now in terms of keeping within the guidelines and what it means for the January window. For the purposes of this exercise we're not using players who are out on loan elsewhere as they are a problem to be dealt with next summer in these lists.

Premier League

Spurs haven't got any problems with their Premier League squad, because the rules in this competition are pretty straight forward.

You cannot register more than 17 non-homegrown (foreign) players and the remainder of the squad, up to that total of 25, must be homegrown. However, there is also the bonus in the Premier League that clubs can name any players aged 21 and under within a separate Under-21 list, which frees up space in the main 25-man squad.

For the 2024/25 campaign, Under-21 players have to be born on or after January 1, 2003 to make the list so that means Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall did not need to be registered on the main list and the same will go for Yang Min-hyeok in January and all will remain on there

When it comes to homegrown players, the Premier League describes one as "a player who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)".

Spurs only have 14 non-homegrown players and the required eight homegrown ones, so can add three more players in the January window with Sergio Reguilon also likely to leave if he can find an exit route this time, which would make it four open spots for players aged over 21.

Premier League non-homegrown players (14 currently, 17 maximum allowed): Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Sergio Reguilon, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son Heung-min, Timo Werner, Pape Matar Sarr.

Premier League homegrown players (8 currently and eight minimum required): Dominic Solanke, Fraser Forster, Brandon Austin, Alfie Whiteman, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence.

Notable Under-21s players: Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Will Lankshear, Mikey Moore, Alfie Dorrington.

Europa League

The Europa League squad is where things get messy because of their overly complicated requirements.

UEFA's rules state that no club can have more than 25 players on their A List during the season, of whom at least two must be goalkeepers.

A big difference from the Premier League rules is that the under-21s list is called the B list and in UEFA's eyes it only applies to players who have spent two years at the club, so that means Odobert, Gray and Bergvall do not apply and neither will Yang when he arrives next month.

The other major difference for the A list comes in the classification of homegrown players, which in European competition falls into two different categories.

The rules say that "as a minimum, eight of those 25 places are reserved exclusively for 'locally trained players' and no club may have more than four 'association-trained players' listed among those eight places. If a club has fewer than eight locally trained players in their squad, then the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly".

So conversely, if you have more than four association-trained players to register, the surplus must be placed in the main A list.

So what is a locally-trained player? There are two types. One is 'club-trained players' who were on the club's books for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21. The other is 'association-trained players' who were on another club's books in the same association for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21.

When it comes to the B list, a player may be registered on it if he is born on, or after, 1 January 2003 and has been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years since his 15th birthday by the time he is registered with UEFA – or for a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year. Players aged 16 may be submitted if they have been registered with the club for the previous two years without interruption.

It's also worth noting that a UEFA rule change a couple of years ago meant that Welsh players who came through at clubs within the English FA can now be counted as homegrown, which means Ben Davies is considered homegrown, albeit 'association-trained'.

So with that all in mind, the below numbers show that Spurs have 17 non-locally trained players, seven associated-trained players and just two club-trained players. The latter means that the club have to leave two spaces in their squad as they are meant to have four so can have an overall squad of just 23 players.

With Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon currently out of the Europa League squad, there is also no room currently for Yang Min-hyeok or any other potential January signings if Spurs were to make the knockout stages. Postecoglou will have to remove players first if anyone new is to get a chance to play in Europe.

European non-locally trained players (17 currently, 17 maximum): Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Sergio Reguilon, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son Heung-min, Timo Werner, Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, Yang Min-Hyeok.

Association trained players (7 currently, four can be used in exclusive slots): Dominic Solanke, Fraser Forster, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence, Archie Gray.