Football.London

There has been another development in the Premier League's 115 charges against Manchester City, with Arsenal and Tottenham in particular, watching developments closely.

City were charged with the Premier League with an alleged 115 breaches of financial rules back in February 2023. It is alleged that the breaches took place between 2009 and 2018. Some of the charges included allegedly failing to provide accurate financial information and breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability rules (PSRs).

Should they be found guilty of the charges, then City could face a serious punishment. What that could be is currently unknown, but could range from a big points deduction to expulsion from the league.

The situation has City’s Premier League rivals, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, watching on with interest. With that in mind, here is the latest from the ongoing case.

Legal challenge launched

According to the Times , Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham have all lodged legal notices, signalling their intention to seek compensation from Man City if they are found guilty. If the charges are upheld, then clubs could claim for loss of income due to missing out on league titles, qualification for the Champions League or other European competitions.

There is a six-year stature of limitations period for compensation claims, starting from when the documents were first published on November 5, 2018. The situation of the case means that the six-year period begins when the alleged breaches were made public.

Hearing latest

City’s hearing into the 115 charges started back in September, and was expected to last around 10 weeks, meaning it is expected to come to an end later this month. The hearing is being held at the International Dispute Revolution Centre in London.

When verdict is expected

Following the conclusion of the hearing, an immediate judgement will not be made. There is not an exact date of when we could discover the verdict, but it is reported that it could be early next year.

However, following the verdict, there is the chance that either side could appeal. That would see a new independent panel arranged, and a further delay to any conclusion, the case however, can’t go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In the summer transfer window, Victor Osimhen became one of the most sought-after strikers in world football as clubs looked to add a talisman to their team.

Osimhen found himself firmly in the shop window with Napoli having already gone on record to suggest that his time at the club would end in the summer. The Italian giants, however, were unwilling to budge on their valuation and while Al Ahli were happy to pay for the striker, the Nigerian was not keen to move to the Saudi Pro League at this stage of his career.

Chelsea also tried to push through a deal but ultimately fell short leaving Osimhen in no-man's land. Galatasaray proved to be the ultimate beneficiary as their transfer window closed after the major leagues in Europe.

They managed to secure the striker to a season-long loan deal to save him from wallowing outside the Napoli first-team squad. But before he left, it was well-documented the Naples club had reduced his release clause to approximately £63m and a rare break clause had been created.

This break clause is thought to have ten clubs on the list and insists that if one of these teams comes in during the January transfer window for him and matches the release clause, then his loan at Galatasaray will be cut short. Considering the 25-year-old has eight goals in nine appearances so far this season including a brace against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, there will likely be no shortage of interest.

But which ten teams will be able to benefit from the break clause this winter? Football.london has had a go at working it out.

Premier League contenders

From the Premier League, it is likely Arsenal and Chelsea will have been included considering their positions in the top flight and the Blues' previous interest. Liverpool still seem unconvinced with their striker options so they seem guaranteed too.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are maybes along with Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side already have Erling Haaland and Osimhen would likely only want to join a club where he would be the main man.

As for United and Spurs, both would benefit from Osimhen but is either club a step up from Napoli? At this moment in time, potentially not.

European contenders

La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are almost certainly on the list considering they are often players' top destinations. PSG could also be there considering the wages they could offer now Kylian Mbappe has left the club.

Bayern Munich are a prime destination in Germany still, albeit they suffer from the Madrid and City shortfall of having options who would expect to play ahead of him. On the outskirts of the list of probable clubs are; Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen but it would be a surprise if he signed for any of this trio.

Verdict

Taking into account the information to hand, here is who we think are on Osimhen's ten-club break list - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG.

Ange Postecoglou could turn a worrying Tottenham outcome into a positive that will certainly please supporters. Anger and frustration will be the main emotions being felt by all Spurs supporters over the November international break following a shock Premier League defeat to Ipswich Town.

As a result of missing out on three points that would have taken them up to third, questions from Spurs fans on Postecoglou have increased significantly with the same issues continuing to occur. In four of their last seven games, Spurs have conceded a goal at the back post having either failed to defend a cross or react to a loose ball.

With similar problems going unresolved, that is largely where the frustration comes from as it could be so easily fixed. Stopping it at source may improve matters, but a key component in doing so could be absent from domestic action until Boxing Day.

In recent weeks, Rodrigo Bentancur has been slowly getting back into form having displaced Yves Bissouma as the defensive midfielder in the starting XI. But, football.understands he now looks set to be sidelined for seven matches for his comments about Spurs teammate Son Heung-min in pre-season.

With the punishment to be dished out by the FA, Bentancur can still play in Europe but he will seemingly miss key league games against Manchester City and Liverpool along with the Carabao Cup quarter-final at home to Manchester United.

As such, a replacement will be required and as Bissouma has struggled to make a case for that, Archie Gray could finally be utilised in his natural position. The summer signing from Leeds has played in every position across the back four with Postecoglou a huge fan of his versatility.

“I thought Archie was brilliant today," he told football.london after the 2-1 win against Ferencvaros where the teenager started the game at centre-back before being moved out to left-back. "We asked him to play in two different positions and it's incredible how he just adjusts and he's able to bring his game to wherever we put him.

“I just wanted to use Archie’s energy, as much as anything. He did a good job for us first half but I just felt in the second half we could put them under more pressure if we had somebody on the left-hand side in the same way as the right-hand side who could get forward and get back.

"I thought he did that really well. In his first run he ran the whole pitch. It helped us balance our attacks on both sides." He also featured at right-back in the cup win over Man City but a start in midfield could now be on the horizon.

Bissouma may still be the favoured No.6 initially, but given the upcoming fixtures and lack of depth given Bentancur's impending ban, Gray finally looks set to for a more prominent role in his favoured position, something that supporters have been demanding for some time.

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

Tottenham star Rodrigo Bentancur looks set to be sidelined for seven matches for his comments about Spurs teammate Son Heung-min in pre-season, football.london understands.

The midfielder was sanctioned by the Football Association in early September and looks set to receive his punishment from the FA ahead of the return of the Premier League after the third international break of the season. And that punishment is set to be a seven-game ban.

During a televised interview ahead of the Copa America, the Spurs midfielder attempted to make a joke when a reporter asked 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!!"

Bentancur was charged by the FA with a breach of Rule E3 and it was deemed an "aggravated breach". In a statement, the FA said: " Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged with an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 for misconduct in relation to a media interview.

"It’s alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has 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’s 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."

The punishment for such an offence is anywhere between six games and 12 games from the FA, with the Spurs star likely to receive a ban on the more lenient side of thing. But that will not make things any easier for Ange Postecoglou.

Bentancur has been a key member of the Spurs squad this season, missing just one Premier League match through concussion. Now he will be missing for seven matches, with another match hanging over his head for five yellow cards too, with the Uruguayan on four already this season.

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)

Tottenham have 14 senior stars out on international duty but that leaves a number of players back at Hotspur Way during this fortnight.

Son Heung-min, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Brennan Johnson, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, Radu Dragusin, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Pedro Porro, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall and Dominic Solanke have all headed off to represent their respective countries, while Archie Gray is in the England U21 squad and Will Lankshear in the England elite squad.

Then there are the injured Spurs players who will be working at the club's Enfield-based training complex on getting back to full fitness, with Ange Postecoglou having previously explained that some are allowed to travel home to clear their heads away from the grind of the treatment room.

The injured players at Tottenham include Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert, while teenager Mikey Moore has been suffering with a virus in the past week and will be continuing to recuperate from that during this international break.

So who does that leave to work with Postecoglou and his coaches? The answer is very few players.

James Maddison, Timo Werner, Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are the only fit senior outfield players still at Hotspur Way as well as goalkeepers Fraser Forster, Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman. Werner had been carrying a groin injury before the defeat against Ipswich and potentially could be given more time to get over the problem.

With such a small number of fit first team players, they will likely mix with the club's U21s players for training sessions and often during these international period the players are given a handful days off around the weekend in the middle of the break.

There won't be much tactical work going on or hands-on fixing of the problems seen against Ipswich but Postecoglou will be plotting a way back to winning ways as his squad returns one-by-one in the second week of the break ahead of the trip to Manchester City.

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

Real Madrid are reportedly keeping a close eye on Spanish international and Tottenham star, Pedro Porro, during the international break with potential plans to make a bid.

The 25-year-old has been a standout player for Spurs in a challenging season, earning him a call-up for Spain's fixtures against Denmark and Switzerland.

Last month, Porro expressed his excitement over Real's rumoured interest, telling Relevo: "It fills you with excitement, doesn't it? You have to focus on your work, but the fact that Real Madrid is interested in you is because you are doing things well."

Spanish media now report that the La Liga titans will be closely watching Porro's performances for his country. Despite their 4-0 victory over Osasuna on Saturday, Carlo Ancelotti's squad is facing an injury crisis.

Centre-back Eder Militao was one of three players forced off the pitch, and he is now expected to be out for nine months after being diagnosed with a torn ACL. Right-back Lucas Vazquez and forward Rodrygo were also injured.

David Alaba, another defender, is already out with a torn ACL and isn't expected to return until 2025. Veteran Dani Carvajal is also far from making a comeback after suffering a serious knee injury against Villarreal in October, reports the Express.

Ancelotti finds himself in a bit of a pickle with a lack of defensive cover, something Real Madrid are likely to rectify come January. While Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold has been linked, it seems Porro is now the main man on their radar.

However, they're bracing themselves for some tough talks if they decide to make a move. Porro is tied down at Tottenham until 2028, and Chairman Daniel Levy is notorious for making transfers a tricky business.

The Bernabeu bosses know this all too well after their drawn-out chase for Gareth Bale back in September 2013. Levy finally got his wish for a record-breaking fee, with Bale moving for £85.3million.

Despite Spurs' recent losses, Pedro managed assists in the matches against Galatasaray and Ipswich last week. He's no stranger to La Liga either, having played for Girona for two years before joining Manchester City in 2019.

After failing to make an appearance for City, he moved to Sporting CP before heading to Spurs on loan in 2022. He made the move permanent the following year, and has since clocked up 65 appearances for the north London side.

Mikey Moore has made it clear that his first Tottenham Hotspur goal is coming so he's not going to be too desperate for it.

The 17-year-old attacker broke into Ange Postecoglou's plans towards the end of last season at just 16 but has really forced his way into the Australian's thoughts this campaign. He has made eight appearances so far, including his first Premier League start against Crystal Palace last month.

Moore has caught the eye in the Europa League in particular and with one performance against AZ Alkmaar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his vice-captain James Maddison joked that he thought Neymar was playing on the left wing for a spell during the second half.

Moore, who has missed the past two matches with a virus that laid him low, was featured in a matchday programme for Spurs' Premier League home against Ipswich in an interview and within it he spoke about his belief that his first senior goal for the north London club is on the way.

"I know I have a lot more to show. Some of my performances have been okay but I still have a lot more to give to help the team. I have that belief in myself to be able to help in any game," he said.

"The big thing for me is scoring my first goal but I think that’ll come – I don’t need to get too desperate for it – so that makes me really excited for the rest of the season. I’m still nowhere near where I want to get to, so I need to carry on with what I’m doing but I always want to stay true to myself as a person."

He added: "No matter what I do in football, I want to stay humble, keep working hard and that’s the main thing for me as a player and person. When you play football, people don’t really get to see the human side of you but you always want to be a nice person and stay grounded."

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

For Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy, a major part of the plan to compete in the future has been tied to the ability to make the club robust from a financial perspective.

It is five years since Spurs made the move to their 62,850 state-of-the-art home after deciding to leave White Hart Lane some years previous. It has been a decision that has already started to pay financial dividends.

The motivation behind the move was to maximise revenue potential and commercial benefits of both a matchday and also additional non-football events, such as the NFL series that is held at the stadium.

The move has seen revenues climb considerably at Spurs, and they have positioned themselves as one of the most financially robust clubs in Europe, with matchday revenue growth having risen 118% between 2014 and 2023, from £42m to £118m.

That increase is by far and away the highest increase across the Premier League’s biggest clubs, expected given that Spurs moved to a completely new bespoke stadium where they were able to tailor it to their needs.

The decision has laid the foundation for future success, even if competitive success has remained largely elusive. Spurs undertook a major project at some £1.2bn in cost at a time when interest rates and the cost of capital were far lower. For clubs like Manchester United, who face the need to move away from Old Trafford to a bespoke stadium of their own at some stage in the not-too-distant future, that will likely be far more expensive.

The decision is already making financial sense for Spurs and Levy, with data presented by CBS Sports showing the North London side to be the third most profitable sports team in the world, behind only the NFL powerhouses of the New England Patriots in second, and Dallas Cowboys in first.

The data works on the basis of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA), assessing the most recent three-year period of operating income.

It places Spurs third at $414m (£324.3m using today’s exchange rate), ahead of the New York Knick NBA team in fourth ($404m), and Manchester United in fifth ($403m). The only other Premier League team, and indeed football team globally, to appear on the list was Manchester City in 10th spot ($329m).

The other teams to appear in the list were all from North American major league sports; Houston Texans, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Giants.

Ange Postecoglou needs to address a defensive issue if he wants to have a chance of Champions League football.

Tottenham's home record this season has been okay with four wins and two losses. They could be doing a lot better if they tackled their issue of conceding first. In 13 out of 15 home games in 2024, Spurs have conceded first. In their last three games at Spurs Stadium in the Premier League, they have conceded first in all of them. This includes two 4-1 victories over Aston Villa and West Ham, and one shocking 2-1 loss to Ipswich.

The lack of clean sheets has become a concern. The last time they didn't concede at home was against Everton - Spurs' second game of the season. Nine games later and nothing has been fixed. Although Postecoglou has proven that his team can overcome an initial setback, it's not the way you want to approach a football game: on the back foot.

On the COYS Reddit thread, fans have been making their opinions clear. "[Cristian] Romero clearly isn't interested in being here any longer," one fan said. "And [Radu] Dragusin's way too bad with the ball at his feet to play in any possession-based system." Another commented that he feels "Romero is checked out and it's clear he doesn't care."

Postecoglou is known for not making many changes to how his team plays during a match. You only have to look back to the iconic game against Chelsea last year.

Spurs had two defenders sent off, leaving only eight outfield players. In the midst of all this, Postecoglou continued to play a high line, resulting in Chelsea scoring three times to win 4-1.

Tottenham Hotspur have had their own run-in with suspended Premier League referee David Coote in the past.

The experienced official made headlines this week after a video appearing to show Coote making derogatory comments about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp surfaced on social media and quickly spread across the internet. The 42-year-old had been the referee for Liverpool's victory against Aston Villa on Saturday and was soon suspended by PGMOL pending a full investigation into the video.

A PGMOL statement read: "David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete."

Coote, who is registered as a Notts County fan with the PGMOL, has been refereeing in the Premier League since April 2018 and took charge of the Carabao Cup final between Manchester Untied and Newcastle last year.

He has taken charge of 15 Tottenham games, the first coming in 2016 in the Carabao Cup with their 5-0 win over Gillingham and the most recent being the 3-2 Premier League defeat at Brighton last month. Coote has also been involved many more times as one of the other officials or in working with the VAR at Stockley Park.

The Premier League data indicates that Coote was in charge of VAR on April 30, 2023 when Spurs made the trip to Anfield to face Liverpool, with Ryan Mason in charge following Antonio Conte's departure from the club and then Cristian Stellini's.

That game did have a controversial moment late on when Diogo Jota went into a high boot challenge on Oliver Skipp, catching the Tottenham academy product on his temple with his studs. It left the midfielder with a cut above his eye but Jota received only a yellow card for the action.

Then after Spurs battled their way back from 3-0 down to 3-3 in added time at the end of the game, it was Jota who popped up with a last-gasp winner for the hosts.

Mason felt that whoever was in the VAR room should have helped the referee Paul Tierney make his decision on the day.

"I would like an explanation and a reason why it wasn’t [a red card]," the caretaker Spurs boss said after the game. "I can understand referees and officials on the pitch missing it even though my feeling was an instant red card because when your foot is studs showing and you’re five-and-a-half feet off the ground and make contact with a player’s head and draw blood, and there is a gash, I think it ticks all the boxes.

"Probably more so an experienced referee in the VAR room, you want him to help the official on the pitch in that moment. Listen, it’s decided the game because that player on the pitch shouldn’t have been on there at the end decided the game. I’m pretty sure most football people’s opinions will probably feel the same."

Jota apologised to Skipp in the tunnel after the game and admitted to the BBC: "It's not a great tackle. I also touched the ball. I also think he gets his head down. It's just brave of him. Unfortunately, it's a foot in the face. I saw the ref could see I didn't mean it and it's just football."

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