Football.London

What are the latest injury updates?

Wilson doesn’t look good, we are still waiting for it to settle down and get all the information but he will definitely be out for the next period. Bissouma trained today so he should be available for tomorrow. Timo is okay. He recovered okay. Everyone else from the game who didn’t train last week is good.

What's the exact nature of Odobert's injury?

Hamstring.

Any update on Richarlison?

He is a fair way off, I think you should stop asking me about him until I give you a bit of an update. He has still not trained with the first team so he is still a bit off.

Does one win from four Premier League games increase the pressure?

It doesn’t change. It is the same whether you win the first four. I hate to think people go into this game thinking you could lose it. You try to win every game. We are at home. We have also played well in those first four games. That’s the first thing. We need to perform as we have been. As I said in the league, performances have been really consistent in terms of dominating games but we haven’t really got a reward for our dominance and that’s the area we are kind of still trying to focus on in that front third to make sure we get rewards for our good play.

With five games in two weeks, how important is this period?

I think that is going to be our period probably until the end of January so we kind of planned for that. This is probably the shortest in terms of turn around because it is a Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday. Most of the others are Sunday, Thursday, Sunday for the most part. Probably a day less in this little three game stretch. The good thing is we got some game time into some guys on Wednesday night who hadn't played for quite a while. They are ready and should be available if we require them. That’s going to be key for us, the ability to bring guys in who are fresh but also have played recently.

With the expanded European competitions there's talk of players striking, what do you make of it all?

I think I said last week it is something that needs to be looked at. Obviously it’s not just club football it is international football. It is as much about how much recovery players get even between seasons. I think that is where the biggest problem lies for me anyways. If you give players enough time to recover between seasons it gives them a better opportunity to play the games that are in the schedule now. But it seems like the windows of recovery for players are getting smaller and smaller and I definitely think that is an issue.

How important was Wednesday’s win?

It is important. It’s always important. You know in a cup competition if you don’t win you don’t progress so that’s the first thing. Progressing to the next round is great. The performance, as I said on the night, we had to work really hard and it was a different kind of performance. We just had to hang in there and we did and I think showed tremendous spirit at the end. Some good input from guys coming on to make sure we won and progressed to the next round.

Your substitutes scored and changed the game, does that show better squad depth?

It will be important for us. As I said, I think that’s why Wednesday night we got a lot of players who played 90 minutes or 70 minutes who hadn't played a lot recently. Archie, Lucas, Ben Davies, Radu got another 90 which is important. Even Destiny’s 45 and Dom’s sort of 60-70 are really important for us minutes wise. Like I said, it’s great having a squad but if you are throwing in guys who haven’t played for three/four weeks it is very hard for them to contribute. They are not as sharp as they should be match wise but also physically you are worried so just getting more guys game time, and we are going to have plenty of opportunity, is going to be incredibly important.

How big a challenge is Brentford and how good is Thomas Frank?

A great challenge. Thomas has turned them into a really difficult and challenging team for everyone in the league. I saw them last week against City, I thought they played really well, took the game to City. It’s always a challenge, but that’s the Premier League. I don’t think there’s any games you go into thinking they’re going to be any easier than any others. We’ll have to be ready for Brentford tomorrow, but we are at home and we’ve just got to make sure we continue with our strong performances in the league but turn those performances into results.

How important is it to get a result and regain the feel-good factor of last season?

I just think if you start thinking in those terms, you miss the priorities of what you need to do to stay competitive in this league. Every week is a challenge. If you had have got four wins so far — which we could have, with the performances — dropping a game tomorrow wouldn’t have made us feel any better. The challenge is always the same. That’s the beauty of the competition we’re in; every week you’ve got to be up for it, and we’ve got to make sure we do that tomorrow.

Why have you not hit the level of last season?

I guess it depends on what you mean by ‘level’. I certainly thought our first four games we were about as dominant as we were last year for any series of games. All four games, we’ve outpossessed the opposition, created double the chances of the opposition, played the game mostly in the opposition half. But because you win, people always look at the outcomes which is understandable. I think we need to maintain our focus on what is important to us and the principles of our play. If we just show a bit more conviction in that front third, I’m sure we’ll get the rewards for it soon.

On Solanke, what have you made of how he’s settled in?

He’s settled in really well. There’s plenty more to come from him… because he got injured! He’s only played two-and-a-bit games for us. He just needs to get some games under his belt. But what I’ve seen in the games he has played, he’s going to be a real asset for us. I’ve got no doubt he’ll be a great contributor.

There were boos from the stand in Coventry when you took off Lucas Bergvall, does negative fan sentiment seep into your environment?

It doesn’t seep into mine, but I’ve always said fans are more than free to feel what they feel. I’m not going to dictate the mood of what they do. It doesn’t impact me or what we’re going to achieve. We’ve just got to stay clear-eyed and focused on what we’re trying to achieve here and the kind of football team we want to be. If that’s swimming against the tide sometimes, that’s alright, nothing wrong with that — it makes you stronger.

You said you don't use social media but players do – do you have to talk to them about it?

Not specifically. I like to think players are well aware of the pitfalls of falling into that world. But everyone has got their own choices around that. If you start seeking validation from anonymous people then you are going down a rabbit hole that is probably going to end up in tears rather than anything else.

You're making big changes at the club – do you feel that’s part of the tension, people aren’t getting used to it and it isn’t all going to be good?

Yeah that’s a big part of it. Whenever there is change, significant change, it unsettles people. It is human nature, you kind of want comfort and security but again, I came in here to try and do something that hasn’t been done for quite a while. My view is – and I’ve done that wherever I’ve gone – you can’t just think me walking in is the answer. You’ve got to change things and when that happens, it is unsettling for people both internally and externally but I think it is a necessary part of trying to achieve what we need to.

Were the first 10 games of last season a false dawn?

No, I don’t think it was a false dawn. I think we deserved it. We played well in the first ten games. I guess I could sit down and go historically as to why after that ten games, when we lost three of our back four for two months after that. Madders for pretty much most of the year. But if people want to look at it in isolation of just results, yes, ten games we did well and then afterwards we didn’t do well but I think there were legitimate reasons for that.

Could Bissouma start tomorrow or will you need to be cautious?

He trained today. He trained fully. It is his first session so we’ll just have to see how he pulls up. But if he’s available, he’s available.

You're no doubt aware but you're the first manager to last a full season in the past half a decade at this club...

Yeah they had a cake for me the other day.

With that in mind, how difficult is it to put in real long-term change at a club that has had so many different directions and changes over those years?

It's not difficult for me because that's how I've always worked. I keep saying I know I'm not going to be here forever and but I work like I will be and I make changes that I think are going to set the club up for success for a sustainable period. Every decision I make is along that backdrop. Sometimes if you get caught up in this kind of timeline scenarios I just think you end up making results that potentially okay short-term might feel good, but long-term you're not going to get to where you want to. That's all I'm interested in. My brief and my focus and my ambition is to bring success. Every decision I make is made against the backdrop of that.

If you'll permit me one non-football question, you said when speaking about Brennan Johnson this week that when it comes to social media 'I can switch off and my one follower doesn't get upset by it'. Do you have a social media account in order to dip in from time to time?

(Laughs) No I don't. Look, there was years ago I used to be on...just generally because I liked the information that I was getting initially, especially on Twitter as it used to be called. I thought it was a great resource for information and some pretty smart young people on there, especially around the football analytics and stuff that I used to get excited about. But mate it went downhill pretty quickly and in the last two or three years I don't look at it any more. I don't think there's any use in it, for me anyway with my life. So my one follower is gutted about that.

How disruptive was Dominic Solanke's injury in terms of getting that front three play to come together?

Well it has on the back of Richy not being available either. We working with the idea that we thought Richy would be available round one and he had the setback which has put him out. Yeah, that hasn't helped us because the whole plan was to have two really robust strikers who really give us a threat up front. With both of them out it's made it a bit difficult and we've had to juggle things a little bit. Played Sonny through there, Deki through there so it hasn't been smooth, but I'm hoping that's behind us now.

Solanke came in for big fee, club record £65million – is that an adjustment he will have to make and need to deal with?

I don't know because people are just so quick to judge, mate. It's a small sample. The guy has played less than two games for us. If he has gone 15 games without a goal then I can answer that question or 15 games where he hasn't contributed, but I just think take a breath. Do a bit of yoga. Think about the world for a second and make an assessment after that. We don't have to rush to make judgement all the time because the alternative is he may have got off to a great start, he is fit, scored in all four games, is flying and then he goes through a patch like all strikers where he doesn't score. I just don't look at those things. What I look at is he has come in, fitted really well and quite logically has picked up an injury that has disrupted the way he wanted to start his career, but he's still got plenty of time for that.

Take a breath, do a bit of yoga, is that the same for the whole team, have we seen an over reaction to the first four games?

No, I've said a few times that is just the way of the world today. People would rather be first to make a judgement even if they are wrong rather than wait for someone else. That is the way we live our lives these days. There is far more judgement than real reasoned, opinionated analysis, but that is the way of the world.

Did you look at Ivan Toney in the summer?

We did look at him but I have said Dom was the one I wanted and it took pretty much the whole summer to get him in because he was the one who fitted the profile of what we were looking for at the time.

Do you still sense Dom is calm despite being a few weeks without a goal or have you noticed him being anxious about getting his first goal?

Like I said, he has just played a couple of games. Not even four games. No, I haven't sensed that. I don't sense that (anxiety). In his mind, I think he just wants to be in a good physical condition so he can contribute. That is where he is at and the space we want him in. Hopefully he gets a bit of confidence out of the game time he got during the week and builds on that tomorrow. I am sure as the season goes on he will be a real strong contributor for us.

You made eight changes for Coventry and explained those eight players needed minutes. Now they have those minutes, are you less likely to make as many changes during the Europa League and Carabao Cup moving forward?

It just depends how we're going. It was a bit different this week because we have a day less. Europe is Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. This is Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday so with a day less than is quite significant because Wednesday to Saturday, there are guys who had to train today who played the other night the day before a game. We were always going to make as many changes as we could Wednesday night just to protect the lads but also to get some game time into the guys. It will be horses for courses. We'll see how we go.

I'm sure you saw overnight that Graham Arnold has left his role as Australia boss, what did you make of that decision?

I am not really close to it, but he has had a really great stint as national team boss. He took them to the World Cup, got the best ever result at a World Cup. For anyone when you manage your national team, it is a proud moment and I am sure he is proud of his achievements, but like all of us he passes on the baton now to hopefully somebody who can take the nation forward.

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 revealed that Tottenham did look at Ivan Toney this summer but Dominic Solanke was the striker he wanted to sign.

Having scored goals for fun at Brentford in both the Championship and Premier League, Toney was linked with a whole host of clubs and an exit from the Bees was always likely to come to fruition.

Linked with both Tottenham and Chelsea - as well as Arsenal previously - the frontman in the end headed for Saudi Arabia at the end of August after completing a big-money move to Al-Ahli. Very much a player who could have succeeded in Postecoglou's Spurs system with the team desperately lacking a proven goalscorer to play up front, the head coach and Spurs instead only had eyes for Solanke.

On the eve of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, Spurs struck a deal with Bournemouth to sign the player in a deal worth up to £65million. Missing out on the recent Everton and Newcastle United games after sustaining an injury on the opening weekend at Leicester City, Solanke is still waiting to get off the mark after his first three games for the club.

The ex-Chelsea academy ace will be desperate to open his Tottenham account this weekend against Brentford as Spurs look to climb the Premier League table. Now that they are due to face Toney's former side, Postecoglou was quizzed about the England international in his pre-match press conference at Hotspur Way.

"We looked at him but the reality was that Dom is the one that I wanted," said the Australian. "It took the whole summer to get him in but he was the one that fitted the profile that we wanted."

Speaking about Solanke awaiting his first Tottenham goal, Postecoglou said: "I don't know because people are just so quick to judge, mate. It's a small sample. The guy has played less than two games for us.

"If he has gone 15 games without a goal then I can answer that question or 15 games where he hasn't contributed, but I just think take a breath. Do a bit of yoga. Think about the world for a second and make an assessment after that.

"We don't have to rush to make judgement all the time because the alternative is he may have got off to a great start, he is fit, scored in all four games, is flying and then he goes through a patch like all strikers where he doesn't score.

"I just don't look at those things. What I look at is he has come in, fitted really well and quite logically has picked up an injury that has disrupted the way he wanted to start his career, but he's still got plenty of time for that."

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 provided an injury update on Yves Bissouma, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner ahead of this weekend's game against Brentford. Tottenham have had to do without Bissouma for their last two matches after the midfielder was forced off in the second half of Mali's win over Eswatini during the international break.

Postecoglou was then to receive two further blows on the injury front in Wednesday evening's late 2-1 win over Coventry City in the Carabao Cup. Firstly seeing Wilson Odobert go off on 17 minutes after going to ground holding his hamstring, Timo Werner then left the field 15 minutes from time after sustaining an issue in the closing stages of the contest.

Revealing in his post-match press conference on Wednesday that Odobert's injury looked "fairly significant" after immediately making way, Postecoglou has provided a further update in regards to injuries heading into Saturday's home encounter against Brentford.

Speaking to the media at Hotspur Way, he said: "Wilson doesn’t look good, we are still waiting for it to settle down and get all the information but he will definitely be out for the next period.

"Bissouma trained today so he should be available for tomorrow. Timo is okay. He recovered okay. Everyone else from the game who didn’t train last week is good."

Postecoglou also provided an update on Richarlison with the Brazilian back in the treatment room

"He is a fair way off, I think you should stop asking me about him until I give you a bit of an update," outlined Postecoglou. "He has still not trained with the first team so he is still a bit off."

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

The wife of former BBC host and former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas, Ellie Penfold, has finally addressed the public after weeks of silence following her husband's dismissal from his role with the broadcaster.

Jenas, a well-known figure on the One Show and Match of the Day, saw his stint at the BBC cut short due to claims alleging he sent unsought inappropriate messages to a female colleague. The 41-year-old has since confessed to concealing these endeavours from his spouse.

The pair, who married in 2011 and have three children together, found themselves the centre of media attention amidst the unfolding drama. Defying expectations that she would speak on the recent controversy involving her husband, Penfold recently decided to highlight "something very special" she's dedicated herself to over the last few years.

While she has not directly commented on her husband's behaviour, her Instagram bio, which includes 'mother and a wife', hints that she may continue to support him. Ellie's latest venture is the launch of Preppy Skin, her own personal care brand catering to the younger demographic.

Taking to Instagram, she expressed: "As a mother of 4, I knew that there was a gap for something immersive, fun but also (and most importantly to my eldest) has to look amazing for her get ready with me routines!"

The collection kicks off with personal care items, and an exciting lineup of future products is in the works. Each product has undergone rigorous testing and approval, from packaging to scents, formulations, and the brand name PREPPY!

With great excitement building up, the brand's unveiling has been pencilled in for the following month. She has also been teasing the brand on Instagram, referring to it as "your new Bathroom Bestie".

The freshly inaugurated website invites visitors to submit their email addresses with a message that reads: "Get ready to meet your new bathroom bestie... A personal care brand inspired, and built by kids and teens. Add your email to be the first to know when we launch."

Ange Postecoglou is speaking to reporters on Friday afternoon ahead of Tottenham's home game against Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.

Spurs scraped through to the Carabao Cup fourth round thanks to late goals from Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson after a poor team display at Championship side Coventry with Postecoglou having made eight changes to his team for the match. However, the north London side did manage to progress and will now have a mostly fresh team of players to take Thomas Frank's Brentford side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Tottenham need to get back on track in the Premier League after back-to-back defeats to Newcastle and Arsenal in recent weeks during a period now in which the games arrive every three to four days with Europa League football on the horizon.

At his press conference, Postecoglou will provide injury updates on Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and young striker Will Lankshear, who is understood to have returned to training. Odobert and Werner's potential absences could open the door for talented 17-year-old Mikey Moore to get game time in the coming fixtures.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

Ex-Tottenham star Giovani Lo Celso had the last laugh on Ange Postecoglou by scoring two goals on his full debut for his new club.

Lo Celso was signed by his former side Real Betis for around £4million at the eleventh hour of transfer deadline day last month. The 28-year-old Argentine signed a three-year contract with the option of an additional year.

He made a masterful impact in his first start for Betis in over five years, scoring both second-half goals in their 2-0 La Liga win over Getafe on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Spurs were still reeling from their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby.

Expressing his joy, Lo Celso said in his post-match interview: “I’m happy with the win, it was important to get three points against a tough opponent. It was a very big relief, we ended up suffering a little more than necessary, but we added three points that put us up there. This is the way to go.”

The playmaker had left Betis for Spurs in 2018, initially on a loan deal before the signing was made permanent for a fee of £27m. He arrived in high regard and, according to Spanish outlet AS, was later recommended by Lionel Messi to Barcelona as the legend’s own replacement when he was shockingly released in 2021.

Messi, who like Lo Celso hails from Rosario, described the at-the-time Spurs man as Argentina’s best midfielder. But Lo Celso was not to be a part of Postecoglou’s plans after the Australian took over as manager at the start of the 2023/24 season.

Lo Celso played minimal minutes in the first months of last season due to both injury and form. He played a bigger role in late autumn and expressed his joy at playing under Postecoglou.

He said: "I was really grateful for his belief in me, so I worked hard and showed every day that I wanted to be here and play. I've felt really comfortable in training and in the way he coaches. I love his idea of football which gave me the belief that I could find a place in his team. The coaching staff have helped as well as my team-mates.

"It's a personal challenge for my career, but the coach's plan and philosophy is helping me improve my game because he asks me and wants me to do specific things in my role. Things have been going great. He's made me feel very confident and comfortable since he joined."

But he ended the season with just 24 appearances, many of those being under five minutes long. That, and a lack of assurances about his future in the team, likely led to his departure in the summer.

Prior to his Betis homecoming, Lo Celso had returned to La Liga on two separate loan spells with Villarreal, initially for the second half of the 2021/22 season and then the entirety of the 2022/23 season.

Despite his inconsistency with Spurs, Lo Celso has remained a key member of the Argentina national team over the past seven years. He has earned 59 caps while playing a pivotal role in their consecutive Copa America triumphs in 2021 and 2024.

It may be Tottenham's fifth Premier League game of the season but Saturday's showdown against Brentford is already looking like a big one in their season. On the losing side last weekend in the North London Derby, Ange Postecoglou's side currently find themselves in 13th position in the table after only winning one of their first four fixtures.

Spurs were victorious on Wednesday evening in the third round of the Carabao Cup at Coventry City but the win very much papered over the cracks of what was an extremely poor performance. That is why Saturday's game against Brentford is a big one as Tottenham need to deliver three points and also an impressive display to give everyone a much-needed boost.

So who will be in the Tottenham XI to take on Brentford? Our Spurs writers have had their say below.

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham Hotspur correspondent

Those Spurs players Ange Postecoglou left out of his starting line-up on Wednesday night, or gave fewer minutes, pretty much tells you who will start against Brentford this weekend.

The only curveball might be if someone like Lucas Bergvall had pushed their claims for a potential start, though the impact Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison had when they came on at Coventry might counterbalance that.

Spurs are likely to be without Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner after their injuries in midweek and we'll find out on Friday whether Yves Bissouma is back in contention.

Rodrigo Bentancur is likely to start again regardless as Postecoglou makes use of him before his potential upcoming ban. Young Mikey Moore should get a spot on the bench as the path opens up for him as one of Tottenham's few fit wingers right now.

Gold's team: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Kulusevski, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son.

Rob Guest - Football writer

Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham team pretty much picks itself for the Brentford encounter despite their struggles at Coventry City in midweek. Very few of those on the periphery of the first XI who were given a chance at the CBS Arena took their opportunity with both hands to give the boss something to really think about going into this weekend's game.

Djed Spence caught the eye but it's hard to see him coming in for one of Pedro Porro or Destiny Udogie, with Lucas Bergvall perhaps in a similar boat with substitutes Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison leading the way to start in midfield. Guglielmo Vicario will come back into the side after Fraser Forster's shaky display and Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will do likewise after missing out on the squad altogether in the West Midlands.

Yves Bissouma may possibly start if he's fit to do so but it will be Rodrigo Bentancur who will get the nod if the Mali international misses out for a third game on the trot. Postecoglou looks set to have limited attacking options available to him due to Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner's injuries, meaning Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min play either side of Dominic Solanke.

Guest's team: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Kulusevski, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son.

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

Tottenham Hotspur have been included in the newly-formed National League Cup against a host of Premier League 2 and National League clubs. The tournament, it has been said, is designed to provide youngsters at top-flight and English Football League clubs to test themselves against senior opponents - to aid their development.

Spurs, who will field their under-21s in the competition, are among eight Premier League clubs who will be fielding their youngsters against clubs vying for promotion into the Football League pyramid. Championship and League One clubs will also face non-league clubs as part of the inaugural competition.

The 32-team competition will consist of four groups of eight in a group stage layout with the two best-placed clubs in the group progressing to the knockout stages. Beginning in October, the tournament is said to be a component of the 'Elite Player Performance Plan' which has seen over £2billion investment into Premier League and EFL academies in the last 10 years.

There will be four Group Stage matches, with the first matches to be played on October 1 and October 2, before the conclusion of the first phase at the end of January. Quarter-finals and semi-finals will be held in February and March, respectively, before the final at the beginning of April.

Spurs have been drawn in Group D alongside Nottingham Forest, Braintee Town, Dagenham & Redbridge, West Brom, Ebbsfleet United, West Ham United and Sutton United.

"We’re excited to launch this new competition in partnership with the National League," Premier League Chief Football Officer, Tony Scholes, said: "The competition will provide additional opportunities for young players in the under 17-21 age groups to gain valuable experience of playing against First Team opposition, something many of our current Premier League stars have experienced in their development."

National League General Manager, Mark Ives, believes it is an exciting chapter in the relationship between the top tier of English football and the highest league in the non-league system. He said: "This new competition presents another exciting chapter in our partnership with the Premier League.

"Our sides will have a great opportunity to compete against some of the best academy players in the country. We’re excited to be working closer with the Premier League on the operational side of the new competition and look forward to continuing our valued partnership further."

Competition round dates:

Group stage match round 1: 1 – 2 October 2024

Group stage match round 2: 5 - 6 November 2024

Group stage match round 3: 3 – 4 December 2024

Group stage match round 4: 21 – 22 January 2025

Quarter-finals: 5 – 6 February 2025

Semi-finals: 11 – 12 March 2025

Final: 1 – 2 April 2025

Full list of clubs:

Cristian Romero is 'desperate' to play at the highest level possible and has opened up a potential exit route from Tottenham. The 26-year-old, who has endured a difficult start to the season, has three years left on his contract but Spurs want to tie him down to a longer deal.

Romero joined Tottenham from Atalanta on loan with an option to buy in August 2021. He impressed during his first season before the club ended up making the move permanent the following summer. Earlier this month, Romero made his 100th appearance for Spurs and he is one of their most important players.

But, according to Football Insider, Romero has hinted at a possible departure as he wants to play regularly at the highest level and compete for trophies - but Spurs will only play Europa League football this season. It's added that Real Madrid are watching developments as they target a blockbuster new signing.

His willingness to sign a new Tottenham contract will hinge on their ambition, opening the door to a swoop from Los Blancos. It's understood that he is not ruling out a move to Real, who are the most decorated club in world football. Carlo Ancelotti's side won the La Liga and Champions League double last season.

Tottenham are said to want to sit down with Romero next summer in a bid to fend off interest from European clubs. The Argentine could follow the likes of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric in heading to the Santiago Bernabau from Spurs, with the defender reported to be valued at around £150million.

Despite this, Romero has had a difficult start to the season. On the opening weekend of the campaign, Romero was highlighted for his role in Jamie Vardy's equaliser against Leicester. The Argentine left Vardy in acres of space at the back post to nod home Abdul Fatawu's cross.

Romero, who impressed and scored in the 4-0 win against Everton in their second game, could have done better for Newcastle's second goal in the 2-1 defeat at St James' Park before the international break. Romero was seen pushing up and leaving Jacob Murphy to run in behind before playing across for Alexander Isak to tap home.

And in the 1-0 defeat against Arsenal on Sunday, Romero and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario were both at fault as Gabriel headed home Bukayo Saka's inswinging cross for the match-winner.

First, Romero was marking Gabriel in a man-to-man defensive system from the corner, but somehow the Arsenal defender managed to drift by his marker before powering home a free header. Then as Gabriel didn't meet the ball until less than six yards out, Vicario could have come and collected, albeit he did appear to have a number of bodies blocking him from coming out to claim or punch away from danger.

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

Arsenal transfer target Viktor Gyokeres continues to attract interest with Tottenham reportedly among the three clubs tipped to secure his signature.

While the summer transfer window closed at the start of September, clubs will have the opportunity to attack the market once it reopens in the new year. Sporting Clube de Portugal were fortunate to keep hold of the Swede goalscoring machine, but his €100million (£84m) price tag might have put a lot of clubs off completing a deal.

Caught Offside reports Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are the 'main names' to watch for the moment. It's said that Spurs have shown the 'strongest interest' in Gyokeres, while Chelsea are keeping that option open.

PSG, meanwhile, remain admirers of the striker, but a move is only seen as possible if the French giants decide not to stick with one or both Goncalo Ramos and Kolo Muani after this season. Arsenal, meanwhile, were long linked with the Swede during the summer transfer window.

The club were once again reminded of what could have been if they had triggered his release clause. Gyokeres made his debut on the Champions League stage and netted one of Sporting's goals in their 2-0 win over Lille on Wednesday night.

"It's fantastic. It was a dream of mine to play here and I finally made that dream come true, it couldn't have been better," he said.

Arsenal, who were being linked with big-names strikers, including the likes of Newcastle's Alexander Isak, Al-Ahli's new forward Ivan Toney and the goal-hungry Gyokeres, Mikel Arteta chose not to invest in a proven striker.

Tottenham, meanwhile, bought £65m signing Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth as the marquee signing to strengthen their attacking options.

Gyokeres has had a remarkable spell at Sporting since completing the £17m (€20m) move to Lisbon from Coventry City last year.

In 57 games for the Portuguese giants, Gyokeres has scored 52 goals and assisted 18 times. So far this season, he has already scored eight goals in five league games.