Football.London

Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison has not held back on his thoughts on his new FC 25 card, sending a clear X-rated message to the game’s manufacturers.

The new game is officially out on September 27. The ratings for each of the 17,737 players included in the Ultimate Team game mode were confirmed last week, with Richarlison actually getting an increase in last year’s rating.

His overall rating is at 81, one better than his 2024 rating. The striker has been given a 77 for pace, and 80 for shooting, 73 for passing, 80 for dribbling, 53 for defence, and a 78 for physicality, but that is not enough to appease the Brazilian.

Posting a video showing his gold card on his Instagram stories he is heard saying: "Hey FIFA, this is a f****** s*** card, f****** s***." A caption on the video translates to: "Fluent English still," along with the angry and laughing emojis.

Richarlison has made two appearances for Tottenham so far this season, but has missed the last four games in all competitions through injury. Speaking last week, Ange Postecoglou said that the forward was a ‘fair way off’ returning to action .

Last season saw Richarlison score 12 goals and provide four assists in 31 appearances in all competitions, including 11 goals in the Premier League. In the new FC 25 game he is the 10th highest ranked Spurs player.

Son Heung Min comes out as the highest with a rating of 87. The likes of James Maddison (85), Pedro Porro (83) and Dejan Kulusevski (83) are ahead of Richarlison in the rankings, according to the game.

Johan Lange has revealed that data is an element of Tottenham's transfer strategy but watching the player live multiple times and their personality is a major factor. As is the case for a number of football clubs now, data is key for Tottenham when it comes to trying to find the perfect signing who can be a huge hit in the first team as they build a side for the future.

However, what is extremely important when it comes to signing a deal off is how the prospective new addition comes across in either his conversations with Lange or Ange Postecoglou as Tottenham want to add the right type of characters to their group. Taking part in Tottenham's fan forum at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday evening, Lange was quizzed on Spurs' transfer policy and whether data or pure instinct is a deciding factor in their signings.

"It's definitely not all about data," replied Tottenham's technical director. "We use data as an element in the recruitment process but we have not signed any player without watching the player multiple times live in the stadium. And we have not signed a player and will not sign a player unless I have spoken to the player or Ange has spoken to the player as well because, as much as the style of play is important, the personality fit is so, so important as well.

"Ange and I have had multiple discussions about which type of characters we want in the group - younger players, older players, certain positions on the pitch that require a certain personality trait - that is something we are discussing on a day-to-day basis and we have in-depth conversations with not only the players we sign but managers they have played under, teammates, everyone around them and family members as well. It is very much about the personality as well and yes data is an element in the recruitment process but it is far more going into it."

Tottenham very much have one eye on the future when it comes to their transfer business. The Lilywhites have added talented teenagers Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert to their squad for this campaign, with Yang Min-hyeok set to join up with the squad in January.

Certainly a different approach to Tottenham's previous strategy, Lange was asked why has this come about and what message does it already send to the players currently in the club's academy.

"I think when you're building a squad for sustainable success over the years, I think to have a different age profile within each position is actually quite important," he said. "So if we take our midfield at the moment, we will have three or four players around the peak age of 25 to 27 and we will have three of four players who are younger who can push the players as they are here to compete and already now can play in the Premier League and all the cup competitions but they're not at the same stage in their career.

"To have a good balanced squad I think that is actually quite important and I think some of the younger players we have signed this summer are some of the brightest talents in European football as well. In terms of our academy, that is so important for us, it's the heart of every football club and certainly our football club both now and has been in the past as well.

"I think the alignment between the academy and first team now under Ange is incredible. There are players from the academy who train with the first team each week and under the leadership of Andy Scoulding we have uplifted our loans programme as well because in England the second team cannot play in the division.

"The loans programme is quite important and we are making new investments in the academy as well, so I would say the future of the academy looks very bright and it is something we are working ever so hard on on a day-to-day basis."

Given Tottenham's previous transfer dealings and the small number of players coming through the academy to establish themselves in the first team, one issue Spurs have had over recent seasons is naming a 25-man squad for UEFA club competition. As the rules do differ slightly when it comes to the Premier League, young trio Gray, Bergvall and Odobert have had to be included on Spurs' main list, compared to the U21 list they are on in the Premier League, as they have not been at the club for the required three consecutive seasons.

This has caused some issues for Tottenham and it has led to them only naming a 23-man squad for this year's Europa League, with Djed Spence a notable absentee due to the regulations. Lange is well aware of the issue and he and the club are now doing "a lot of new initiatives" to ensure that the squad issue becomes a thing of the past and does not trouble Tottenham later down the line.

"It is something that cannot be fixed in a fast way because in order to be club trained you need to be at the football club for three consecutive seasons between [the age of] 15 and 21, so it's not a problem that you can buy yourself out of," outlined Spurs' technical director.

"We are doing a lot of new initiatives. We have invested more over the summer in our pre-academy to get all the local boys to join our pre-academy. We have also made a partnership with a local school so we'll have our most talented 14 year olds going into a full-time programme, this means we can now recruit players from all over England at the age of 14.

"We are doing some very strategic initiatives but again it is not a quick fix but it is something I am completely confident about that years from now we will be able to have a full squad list again with talented players coming through our academy."

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

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has reiterated that the club "are in the market" for a minority investor as they look to boost their spending power. Back in April, Levy admitted that the club are in talks with potential investors when speaking about the club's latest set of financial results that brought about a record revenue of £549.6million but also a loss of £86.8million.

Speaking at Tottenham's fan forum on Monday evening, the chairman was pressed for an investment update and he insisted that they remain in the market as they have "a lot of exciting projects on the horizon".

"We announced with our last results that we believe this club needs a bigger capital base because we've got a lot of exciting projects on the horizon and we want to make further investment in the teams," he said. "Some form of minority investment is what we're looking for. We've got nothing to announce at the moment but we are in the market."

Since the opening of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in 2019, Spurs' home has been used for a number of concerts and also the extremely popular NFL games, which in turn has helped boost the club's earnings in the process. At the fan forum it was put to Levy that Spurs were in danger of becoming more known as an entertainment brand rather than a football club, with the 62-year-old going on to outline why it is so important to host other events at the stadium in order to benefit Tottenham's teams.

"I think that's just a lot of misinformation," he replied. "We just had a get together with our staff and there were perhaps 500 or 600 staff here. If you were to ask those staff, they understand what this is about.

"We're about providing the resources for our teams to win. And we don't make any apologies that we're trying to increase our revenue base so we can invest more in our teams.

"If that means we have the opportunity because of this great stadium to have concerts, that's great because we're giving it all to the teams. I don't apologise at all. I think it's good."

On Tottenham's increase in revenue that went up by 24% to £549.6million from the previous year's £444million, he added: "Last year we broke the £500million mark which puts us in the league of the eighth largest club in the world by revenue. But we're still a long way away from some our biggest competitors and that's the gap we need to close in order to give more resources to our football teams. And that's what we're working on."

One thing that Levy and the club will be putting more resources into is the club's academy. Seeing players such as Harry Kane come through the system in the past to become such a pivotal figure in the first team, Spurs supporters want to see more follow in the striker's footsteps with some excellent players in the academy at present.

Tottenham are currently building a team for the future after signing talented teenagers such as Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Luka Vuskovic and Yang Min-hyeok recently. When speaking about Tottenham's young players, Levy made it clear that the club do not tell Ange Postecoglou to only sign young players.

"Our view is we want to play a certain way. I don't think we're dictating to Ange that he can only sign a young player. He will sign who he feels is best for his team," explained Levy.

"Obviously we feel that bringing young players through the academy is what Spurs fans want to see. That's why we're going to be putting more resources into the academy because we love seeing a player come all the way through and he's one of our own. As a result of that, we'll end up probably being younger than we otherwise would be."

On the club's current position and progress, he added: "Firstly I'm incredibly proud of both our teams and our managers. I believe we're on the right track. We're going to have some ups and downs but I think we're in a really good place."

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

The person left most upset - in one aspect - after James Maddison's man of the match display for Tottenham against Brentford was his own mother.

The 27-year-old was in top form on Saturday with a dominant performance which not only brought the final goal of the 3-1 victory but also a strong involvement in both of Spurs' first two goals and everything good the team did. However, in celebrating his late goal in the game he also managed to upset his mother ever so slightly when he whipped his top off and threw it in the air, earning a yellow card from the referee in the aftermath.

"I don't know why I took my top off," admitted Maddison in his club interview after his first goal of the new season. "My mum just texted me and said, 'Keep your top on next time because I’ve got you in my fantasy team and I got minus one for the yellow card' - so sorry, mum."

Maddison was in fine form throughout the game which also brought goals for Dominic Solanke, his first for the club, and Brennan Johnson - his second in four days.

In the latest episode of their podcast Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham, our Tottenham correspondents Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest discussed all of the above and everything to do with the match on Saturday as well as looking ahead to Thursday night's Europa League match against Qarabag.

You can listen to the show in podcast format by heading right here or watch it on YouTube by going right here.

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

Djed Spence will unfortunately have a watching brief on Thursday evening when Tottenham get their 2024/25 Europa League campaign underway. The early favourites to win the competition in Bilbao next May, Ange Postecoglou's side start their league phase fixtures with a home clash against Qarabag.

For Spence, he will play no part in any of Tottenham's eight European games after missing out on the 25-man squad for the first stage of the Europa League. The Lilywhites were always going to be in a position where a couple of players missed the cut due to the difference between UEFA and Premier League regulations when it comes to squad registration, with Spence and Sergio Reguilon the unlucky two to be omitted.

Whereas it was no surprise at all to see the latter miss out with a transfer away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium always looking likely this summer, the call to leave out Spence did not sit well with plenty of fans. After all, he had forced his way back into Postecoglou's thinking during pre-season and offered Spurs the chance to give first-choice right-back Pedro Porro a much-needed breather.

Archie Gray does give Spurs cover in that position but the Europa League appeared to be the ideal competition to get Spence's Tottenham career finally up and running with very little Premier League minutes coming his way. The 24-year-old demonstrated to everyone last Wednesday evening that he can play a big role for Tottenham in the months ahead after his vital cameo in the Carabao Cup at Coventry City.

Not selected from the off with the plan to give both Spence and Destiny Udogie 45 minutes of football each, the ex-Nottingham Forest loanee was introduced at the beginning of the second half and really made his mark on the game.

Contributing defensively and also offering Spurs a big threat in those attacking areas with his runs forward, the versatile player helped spare Tottenham's blushes in the 88th minute with an equaliser following a strong run into the box to finish off Dejan Kulusevski's pass. If it wasn't for Spence's timely intervention, Postecoglou would have seen his Spurs team crash out of the Carabao Cup at the first time of asking for the second year on the trot.

There were to be no minutes for Spence in Saturday's 3-1 win over Brentford and the same will go for this week's Europa League tie at home to Qarabag. Due to only getting minutes here and there for Tottenham every so often, we have still to see the Spence and Brennan Johnson partnership that worked so well during their time together at Nottingham Forest in the 2021/22 season.

Both players had pivotal roles to play in Forest's promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, with Steve Cooper's men having a formidable right flank as Spence and Johnson ran riot. Johnson did play in a number of attacking roles for Cooper over the course of the season but his bond and partnership with the right-back was clear to see when they did line up together down the right.

Speaking to the Garibaldi Red podcast in February 2022, David Johnson, Brennan's father, discussed the duo's link-up play and revealed the secret to their success was just by keeping it simple.

"Djed plays to his strengths and Brennan plays around Djed," said the former Ipswich and Nottingham Forest striker. "Djed will take on the full back within 30 seconds and run from one end to the other. He's always on the front foot.

"Defensively he's up there with the best in the division. That's how he can get away with it. He's got so much potential. He plays to his strengths, which helps the team and Brennan.

"They don't link up massively. I think they've had one assist to each other, but I wouldn't want to be a left-sided player in the Championship playing against those two.

"Djed is very, very quiet. Brennan is similar. They're not loud or lairy. The manager says they sit there and don't talk to each other, but they are close."

Spence's time away on loan last season has played a part in Tottenham fans not seeing Postecoglou fully unleashing this partnership, with Porro's fine form at right-back also a major reason for the two former Forest players not getting a run together down the right. It's hard to see where those opportunities are going to come from in the months ahead, especially due to Spence's Europa League absence and his tendency to play from the left in his game time, and there may unfortunately be very few chances to rekindle that partnership.

Looking to be on the way out of Tottenham but managing to play his way back into Postecoglou's thinking, plenty of Spurs fans would love to see more of Spence in action after his excellent display at Coventry last Wednesday. Such a key player in his time at Nottingham Forest along with Tottenham teammate Johnson, the right-back will be hoping he can do likewise now that he is finally making progress in north London.

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

There have been plenty of big experiences for Tottenham's large group of loan players in a busy week of football.

Spurs have 11 players out on loan currently across the Football League, Spain and Belgium after that major summer revamp of Ange Postecoglou's squad. Many are gaining important developmental experience while others are looking to earn themselves moves elsewhere.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is on loan at Marseille but with an obligation to move to the Ligue 1 club so we're going to only mention him in passing occasionally as he is not part of Tottenham's future going forward although he did come up against former team-mate Tanguy Ndombele and Nice this week.

football.london has taken a deep dive into how the rest of the group of Spurs loan players got on over the past week.

Alfie Devine (Westerlo)

Alfie Devine had an ultimately unhappy reunion with former Tottenham team-mate Toby Alderweireld when making his first start for Westerlo on Saturday.

The 20-year-old midfielder was named in the starting line-up with Luka Vuskovic against Royal Antwerp, who featured 35-year-old Alderweireld and also former Spurs striker Vincent Janssen, now 30. Alderweireld was in the Tottenham team on the day that Devine became the club's youngest ever goalscorer in the FA Cup tie at Marine as a 16-year-old, although the defender had left the pitch at half-time.

Four years on and Alderweireld was the one who was lethal in front of goal, scoring both of Antwerp's goals with powerful headers, the second a looping last-gasp 94th minute winner.

Devine, who has been handed the number 10 shirt by Westerlo, played the full 90 minutes in an attacking midfield role, getting 36 touches of the ball, making one key pass, going on one dribble and sending five shots off target, including being denied by the goalkeeper on the run, while also making one tackle and one interception.

Alejo Veliz (Espanyol)

It was a tough day at the office for Alejo Veliz in Espanyol's 4-1 defeat at Real Madrid in La Liga on Saturday. The 20-year striker's run of five consecutive starts came to an end but he was introduced at half-time with the score at 0-0.

An own goal from Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois gave the visitors a shock lead at the Santiago Bernabeu but goals from Daniel Carvajal, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe turned the game into a rout for the hosts.

Veliz touched the ball just 14 times during his second half display but did make one key pass and won two aerial duels during what will have been another big experience for him. The young Argentine will be looking to get back in the starting line-up on Thursday evening when Espanyol host Villarreal before a reunion with his old team-mate and compatriot Giovani Lo Celso at Real Betis on Sunday.

Bryan Gil (Girona)

Bryan Gil and Girona are on a tough run of results at the moment. They have lost against Barcelona, PSG and Valencia in the space of a week.

Having played 66 minutes of the 1-0 Champions League defeat in Paris in midweek, the 23-year-old Spaniard was only used for the final 11 minutes of the 2-0 loss at Valencia on Saturday.

"To work and improve mistakes, but always together. See you on Wednesday at Montilivi," he posted on Instagram after the match with Girona welcoming Rayo Vallecano in midweek in La Liga before a trip to Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Manor Solomon (Leeds United)

Manor Solomon will have had more than enough of injuries in the past year, having missed 10 months or so with his knee problems at Spurs.

After a bright start to life at Leeds United with two bright performances and one assist, the 25-year-old missed their match at Cardiff City at the weekend with a back problem. The Israel international will be hoping to be back in contention for as many games as possible next week as Leeds host Coventry and then travel to Norwich and Sunderland, all in the space of six days in the Championship.

Dane Scarlett (Oxford United)

Dane Scarlett got some much-needed minutes to end a run of three Championship matches spent watching on from the bench for Oxford United.

On Saturday, the 20-year-old striker got 22 minutes in the second half as the promoted side continued their run of away defeats in a 2-1 loss at Bristol City.

The Oxford Mail gave him a six in their player ratings with the review: "Didn’t manage to impact the game from the bench."

Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips was unable to play a part in new Stoke manager Narcis Pelach's first game in charge at home to Hull City due to the concussion protocol. He took a shot full in the face in the Carabao Cup tie against Fleetwood Town in the week and had to come off, so was unable to take part in the 3-1 defeat to Hull, with Stoke conceding three times in quick succession in the second half.

The 19-year-old has so far played 191 minutes across three games for Stoke and will be looking to increase that game time when he returns to action.

Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley (Leyton Orient)

Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley both enjoyed good displays against Brentford in the Carabao Cup in a 3-1 defeat for 10 man Orient in midweek.

Donley was a busy presence, took a few shots and was dangerous with set pieces. He made plenty of quick clever progressive passes against the Premier League team and embarked on one eye-catching dribble early in the second half, as well as picking up a yellow card for an overenthusiastic late challenge against Thomas Frank's side.

Keeley made his debut for Orient and his Carabao Cup debut and got plenty of praise for his efforts. The young goalkeeper also enjoyed a nice moment with his father after the final whistle in the stands.

Both players were reduced to supporting roles though in League One at the weekend with Orient making it back-to-back wins in that competition. Donley came on for the final minute of normal time in the 4-1 win at Stockport while there was no room on the bench for Keeley.

Matthew Craig (Barnsley)

Matthew Craig played the second half of Barnsley's 7-0 defeat at Manchester United on Tuesday at Old Trafford. While it was a heavy defeat, he used that experience to play the full 90 minutes in Saturday's 2-1 win at Burton Albion, with Stephen Humphrys heading in a last-minute winner.

The 21-year-old touched the ball 35 times and made two tackles and two interceptions in a mobile performance in the centre of the pitch at the weekend.

George Abbott (Notts County)

George Abbott finally tasted defeat in a Notts County shirt as they lost 1-0 at home to Gillingham on Saturday, with the 19-year-old having won all three of his previous appearances for his new loan side.

The versatile Spurs U21s skipper picked up a third-minute yellow card but did not let it affect his performance as he played the full 90 minutes, touching the ball 46 times, playing one key pass, taking one shot and making one clearance.

Carey Bloedorn (Aveley)

Nineteen-year-old Spurs goalkeeper Carey Bloedorn continues to get lots of game time on loan at National League South side Aveley but the teenager could not prevent Aveley from going down 2-1 at home against Truro City at the weekend.

Bloedorn has played eight times now for Aveley since making his first loan move out of Spurs.

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

Ange Postecoglou has 12 spots to fill on his Tottenham Hotspur bench on Thursday night in the Europa League match against Qarabag and that means some young players could get chances.

The first group stage encounter of the club's European campaign will require the Spurs boss to name a matchday squad of 23 players. Postecoglou has both Wilson Odobert and Richarlison out injured for the immediate future and Djed Spence unavailable for the Europa League group stages as there was no room for him in the squad unless the Australian had left out another player, with goalkeeper Fraser Forster one mooted possibility at the time.

Postecoglou could only name a squad of 23 senior players for the Europa League as the club had to leave open two spots, due to having only two senior club-trained players to register.

There is another issue on Thursday night that Cristian Romero is suspended due to the red card he picked up two seasons ago in the Champions League against AC Milan, Tottenham's last European game.

So that means without the injured Richarlison and Odobert and the unavailable Spence and Romero, Spurs only have 19 of their registered senior players to choose from. It's also unlikely - although not entirely out of the question - that Postecoglou could put all four of his goalkeepers into his matchday squad with three taking up bench spots. That seems like overkill though.

That means, barring any further injuries from the weekend, there's potentially four or five places up for grabs on the bench for Tottenham's academy players, who are all registered on a separate UEFA B list. Here are five potential candidates although we'll know more about who stands a chance during the brief bit of opening training the media get to see on Wednesday morning.

Mikey Moore

Now a part of the first team squad, there's a chance that 17-year-old Mikey Moore could even start this game. He made his third Premier League appearance from the bench on Saturday in the victory against Brentford and with Postecoglou potentially thinking about keeping Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson fresh to face Manchester United three days later, he might hand the winger spots to Timo Werner and the teenage Moore.

It would be a first start for the talented youngster but with there being little risk in this first match against the Azerbaijani side because it's a long eight-game group stage, this could be the perfect time to give him a start.

Will Lankshear

Nineteen-year-old striker Will Lankshear has also become part of the first team set-up after both he and Moore impressed Postecoglou during pre-season.

The striker was named Premier League 2 Player of the Season last time out and plundered 32 goals for the U21s and then proceeded to score a couple of goals for the first team over the summer, earning plenty of praise from the Tottenham boss.

Lankshear returned to training last week following a hamstring injury. He played only 45 minutes of Friday night's U21s defeat to Fulham, but he is more than likely to be included in the squad for the Qarabag game barring any issues and could get some minutes as it goes on.

Depending on his fitness, there might even be a temptation to start him if Dominic Solanke is given a rest ahead of the United game. Postecoglou could equally use the chance to hand his £65million striker an hour or a half to continue to top up his fitness after his own injury absence.

Alfie Dorrington

Academy centre-back Alfie Dorrington has had plenty of experience on Spurs' first team bench in recent seasons without making the step on to the pitch.

The 19-year-old centre-back was back in action for the U21s against Valencia in the Premier League International Cup on Tuesday night following his long hamstring injury lay-off.

While the 19-year-old played just an hour on his return and then wasn't thrown straight back into the Premier League 2 defeat Fulham three days later, Postecoglou might consider him for a place especially with Romero's absence.

Tyrese Hall

Postecoglou could also look to use an academy midfielder on the bench for Thursday's game. Tyrese Hall could have the edge after being involved during pre-season with the Australian and his coaches but 17-year-old Callum Olusesi could also be pushing him for a spot after starting the season well for the U21s and captaining them against Valencia in the Premier League International Cup on Tuesday evening.

Rio Kyerematen also travelled with Tottenham and got a couple of minutes at the end of their post-season friendly in Melbourne against Newcastle.

With Spurs' large number of midfielders in the first team it could just be a watching role but for any young player it will be a great experience, with Hall having already been on the bench in the Premier League once last season.

Max Robson

With Spence unavailable, Postecoglou will need full-back cover and that could come in the shape of either 21-year-old Max Robson, who did get one chance in pre-season at left-back and played for the U21s against Valencia on Tuesday night, or 20-year-old Dante Cassanova, who can play at both right-back and in the centre of defence. Leo Black was also included in the Melbourne trip in May with the first team squad and came on in the final minutes.

For any of those players it could be a great chance to finally get their first taste of senior competitive football in a Tottenham shirt.

Others with a chance

We've already mentioned Olusesi, Cassanova, Black and Kyerematen, and others who have played plenty of U21s minutes so far this season who might potentially come into contention include full-backs Maxwell McKnight and Maeson King and tricky wingers Damola Ajayi, Yusuf Akramrich and Oliver Irow.

If Postecoglou is after another striker then Jaden Williams has been getting his chances in Lankshear's absence. Summer arrival 16-year-old George Feeney has settled in well with the U18s since his move from Glentoran but would not be available for the B list as he has not played for the club for two years yet.

Highly-rated 16-year-old centre-back Jun'ai Byfield was used during a behind-closed-doors friendly against Cambridge United back in July so might be in the coaching staff's thinking after getting plenty of game time for the U18s this season.

There are plenty pushing for a spot on Postecoglou's bench and first team training this week could help to cement any of their chances.

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

It won't be too long until Ange Postecoglou has another attacking option to choose from when it comes to his Tottenham XI. Already having plenty of choice in the final third as things stand, Spurs will welcome Yang Min-hyeok to north London in January.

One of the club's summer additions after making quite a name for himself in his homeland of South Korea with Gangwon FC, Tottenham fans have already managed to get a glimpse of the 18-year-old following his appearance against them for Team K League during the club's pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea. The Gwangju-born star did catch the eye in his 45 minutes of playing time with a lively performance in Spurs' 4-3 victory.

Starting on the left flank and causing Emerson Royal a number of issues with his direct running and trickery, Yang went close to scoring against his future teammates with an effort that went narrowly over Guglielmo Vicario's crossbar. Certainly making an impression on all connected with Spurs during his playing time, Postecoglou was asked about his new signing in his post-match press conference but admitted he was more focused on his own team rather than Yang.

"Yeah, look, you know, there's a game of football tonight. I was focused on our players, so I wasn't really following the opposition players. When he comes in, in January, we'll have plenty of time to look at him," said the Australian.

"I think what's important now is that we've made the announcement and he concentrates on his club football here in Korea, finishes his season strong. He's had an outstanding season so far and then when he gets to us, he'll have plenty of time and plenty of opportunity to show us what he can do and we'll help him with that process."

Since taking his chance against Tottenham at the end of July, Yang has continued to shine for Gangwon in K League. His incredible form for his current club can be seen by the fact that he claimed four successive K League Young Player of the Month awards between April and July, with the starlet even making it a double in July as he got his hands on the K League Player of the Month award for the very first time.

Continuing to operate from the right flank since changing from the left wing in the middle of May, Yang even played as a centre forward on Sunday as his team lost 2-1 away at Pohang Steelers. The attacker did get his name on the scoresheet with a neat finish at the back post following some good movement to level the scores in the 94th minute, only for Jorge Teixeira to score the winner two minutes later.

Now with nine goals and five assists from 31 appearances in K League this season, Yang is only five goals away from the league's top goalscorer Stefan Mugosa, who has 14 so far. Gangwon currently sit third in the standings and will compete with the rest of the top six for the league title and the AFC Champions League places when the league splits into two following the conclusion of the final two fixtures of the regular season.

Yang's performances for Gangwon saw him earn his first senior call-up to the South Korea squad for September's 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Manager Hong Myung-bo admitted it was an easy decision to reward the youngster with a spot in the senior team.

"I think he has done enough this season to deserve a spot on the national team," said Hong, as reported by The AFC. "I think this was the right time to give him this opportunity.

"A lot of people have high expectations of him, and I hope he can do some good things for us here. And he will have to keep working hard to earn opportunities beyond this upcoming camp."

Yang was an unused substitute for their 3-1 win away at Oman, a game in which Tottenham captain Son Heung-min scored his country's second on the night; but it won't be too long until the teenage sensation steps onto the pitch for the Taeguk Warriors for the very time. Next month's qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq are very much another opportunity on the horizon

The year of 2024 has been a huge one in Yang's young career but it is just the start of things to come. Postecoglou and Spurs will be hoping that is very much is the case as Yang prepares to pull on the white of Tottenham in 2025.

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James Maddison was back at his very best in Tottenham's 3-1 victory over Brentford in Premier League action on Saturday. The England international had made an electric start to life in north London after his £40million move from Leicester City in the summer of 2023.

An ankle injury hugely derailed his debut campaign at Spurs with the attacking midfielder struggling to get back to the levels he showed in his first few months at the club. Glimpses of his quality have been on show in the opening weeks but, until Saturday's win, he had failed to stamp his mark on a game.

It was his relentless pressing that helped Spurs equalise after Bryan Mbeumo's early opener. After winning possession back, his shot was palmed into the path of Dominic Solanke who opened his Tottenham account following a £65million move from Bournemouth in the most recent trading period.

For Brennan Johnson's goal that put Ange Postecoglou's side in front, Maddison intercepted a pass in Brentford's defensive half before finding Son Heung-min in acres of space. The South Korea international then forwarded the ball onto Johnson who proceeded to fire past Mark Flekken for his second goal in four days.

Having done all the dirty work, Maddison got his just reward by scoring his first goal of the season after finishing a fast break in the final stages to put the game beyond Brentford. In his post-match press conference, Postecoglou was asked about Maddison's performance with his response telling of how he epitomised the game plan.

"Yeah, I thought he was good," the Lilywhites boss said. "I thought the whole team was good. Everyone was really focused on making sure we dominated the game in the areas we want to dominate. We kind of knew that they'd try and play out a bit.

"That's great for us because it gives us an opportunity to press real hard and I thought all the midfielders really supported the front three well there. They were going to press us when we had the ball and I thought Vic and the back four managed it really well and the midfielders played a key role with that. So I think everyone really contributed to a strong performance."

Understandably so, Maddison was rather pleased with his display at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and his message on Instagram showed exactly how happy he is to be at the club. Alongside a picture of his celebration, Maddison simply wrote: "My club @SpursOfficial."

Alongside Maddison, Solanke also bagged his first of the season with the former clearly of the belief that Tottenham's new striker will score plenty of goals. In reply to his Instagram Post, Maddison said: "First of a hellllluvaaa lot of goals for you this season my boy [white heart and hands together emoji.]"

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Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has seemingly reacted to a very particular moment during Arsenal's clash against Manchester City. The Gunners beat Spurs in the North London Derby last weekend with Gabriel Magalhaes scoring the winner and he was on target again at Etihad Stadium.

Prior to that, Erling Haaland opened the scoring with Riccardo Calafiori levelling midway through the first half. Just as the opening 45 minutes was coming to a close, Gabriel found the back of the net in back-to-back away games as he nodded home Bukayo Saka's corner.

Just minutes earlier, City were sent a clear warning of what their visitors could do from set-pieces with Gabriel wriggling free only to head over the bar. The threat Mikel Arteta's side posed from corners was already clear with the Brazil international netting the winner at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend.

Spurs' difficulty in defending corners was already well known with Vicario often criticised for not commanding his box. Similar criticism came his way last Sunday with many believing he should have been stronger and come off his line to clear Saka's in-swinging corner.

For Gabriel's latest goal, Ederson was prevented from getting to the delivery by Gabriel Martinelli though Michael Oliver and VAR did not believe he had committed a foul. Having likely seen how the Man City goalkeeper was kept on his line, Vicario seemingly made his feelings clear on Instagram.

The exact meaning behind his Instagram story is of course not completely clear, though it is likely in reference to Gabriel's goal and the infringement on goalkeepers from corners that is rarely punished. Though he was not phased by Brentford's set pieces in Tottenham's 3-1 over the weekend, Vicario still endured some nervy moments.

After being given the ball near his goal line, Vicario took far too much time and was very nearly punished with Fabio Carvalho winning possession back, however the Spurs goalkeeper recovered to save Bryan Mbuemo's close-range shot.

In the second half, he also showed why he is so beloved by Tottenham fans with a stunning save to deny Kevin Schade when the game was at 2-1.

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