FlashScore UK

Luka Vuskovic has enjoyed a spectacular breakout season, establishing himself as one of football's most exciting young defenders while on loan at Hamburger SV from Tottenham Hotspur.

He quickly established himself as a defensive anchor for Hamburg this season and posted the highest challenge success rate in the league (69.1%) while also developing into a dominant force and reliable capacity in the air.

Vuskovic, who earned a spot in the Bundesliga Team of the Season, was the most prolific centre-back in the Bundesliga, netting an impressive six league goals, while his remarkable backheel goal against rivals Werder Bremen was voted the German Goal of the Year.

Tottenham agreed to a £12 million deal to purchase the highly-rated Croatian centre-back from Hajduk Split in 2023. Because of FIFA transfer regulations regarding minors, the move could not officially go through until the summer of 2025, after he turned 18.

In August 2025, Hamburger SV secured him on a season-long loan, and it was expected that he would return to London after the World Cup.

However, on the back of his impressive Bundesliga campaign, he has allegedly been monitored by European powerhouses, and Flashcore sources now reveal that Luka Vuskovic does not want to join Tottenham but instead is looking to seal a transfer with either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

After the end of the Bundesliga season, Vuskovic commented on his situation in an interview with German media Sport Bild: “I'm torn. In football, you can’t have everything you want. The future will show what happens.

"It's, of course, nice that my name is being linked with such big clubs. I also don’t know whether everything that is written about other clubs and me is true. I'm a Tottenham player. We will see what happens in the summer.”

'Rocket' Ronny Rosenthal may not have played in the Premier League for 29 years, but he is still remembered fondly by supporters of both clubs.

Flashscore's Stanimir Todorov and Jason Pettigrove tapped into Rosenthal's knowledge of the North London outfit and got his thoughts on what they need to do in order to improve upon their 2025/26 showing.

Read part one of our interview with Rosenthal here.

Tottenham's issues started before Son left

Ange Postecoglou recently admitted on a podcast that the ‘Spursy’ tag around the club is justified and that so many people there don’t have the big club mentality. That’s clearly a massive problem, but how do you overcome that as players and staff?

"First of all, I don't think that I agree with that assessment from him, not totally, because I watch them regularly. To start with, Tottenham don't have enough speed in the side. Under Postecoglou, they played fantastic, amazing football with good combinations, but don't forget, Son was there, and he's not there anymore. So you have something a little bit similar to the upcoming Salah situation at Liverpool.

"Tottenham's biggest problem started when Son was still there, because they were leading games one-nil, two-nil, but couldn't kill the opposition off. They would still be pressing the opposition in their half, which, for me, there is no need to do.

"They should've been forming a defensive block, but they didn't. They're not Real Madrid or Barcelona, and if you can't kill the game, you at least have to maintain your lead. Nothing else matters. Defensively, they weren't good enough, and things got even worse when selling, for example, Brennan Johnson, because you don't sell a striker and bring in a midfield player to replace him.

"Injuries to key players haven't helped either, and one of Spurs' most important players, and the only player for me at Tottenham who can make a real impact, Mo Kudus, has been injured for so long.

"Tottenham don't have wingers or players with electrifying pace, and that's precisely what they do need. Even Manor Solomon would be better than what they have now. Xavi Simons is doing some amazing things, and yes, he scored a crazy goal two weeks ago, but look at his numbers. He can't do it throughout the whole season.

"They're the reasons why Tottenham are struggling. In the Premier League, you have the biggest combination of explosive players. When I retired from football, I already understood that speed would be the name of the game.

"It's why I discovered players like Samuel Eto'o, Cristiano Ronaldo, Vincent Kompany, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and many more, because I was looking for the top sprinters in football. I saw Cristiano in his second or third game for Sporting's first team, and I immediately alerted Tottenham, but they didn't follow it up."

Villa game turning point in Spurs' season

As of today, how do you assess the chances of Tottenham surviving in the Premier League? It's between them and West Ham right now, so how much of a disaster would it be for them to get relegated?

"Of course, it's a crazy situation for Tottenham, but after the last win against Villa, I think they have maybe a 40% chance of going down, and 60% to stay up. They obviously have to beat Leeds to stand a chance, and hope that West Ham don't win. There's still a chance for them to forget this horrible season."

So, the Villa game was a possible turning point?

"I think so, yes. It seems to me that tactically, the new manager understands the defensive side of the game because he knows he doesn't have a top team, and he cannot kill off games."

Van de Ven is the best in the world

Regarding the De Zerbi appointment... only one loss and back-to-back wins in the last two games. Assuming Spurs do stay up, how does he get the best of the squad in the next 12 to 18 months? What did he manage to change in your opinion, and shouldn't they have made the managerial change sooner?

"It's still early days. I want to see what he does during the games. Two of the previous managers (Postecoglou, Thomas Frank) played good football, but that's not the way, in the end, to win games. There's a lot of expectation that Tottenham need to always be in the top six, so he (De Zerbi) will need to bring in four new players, but really top, top stars.

"He has the main players there already; Van de Ven... Spence is important, Maddison is important, and Kudus, but there are too many mediocre players. I don't know the club's financial situation, so you hope that the big names in the squad can make an impact on the rest of the players.

"As for Igor Tudor, there was one game in which I didn't quite understand what he was doing when he took off Van de Ven. I said to myself that maybe he was injured, but after the game, I understood that Tudor just wanted to replace him with another player for no reason.

"For me, this is the best defender in the world. He's the quickest central defender in the world, and at the end of the season I'm sure that whether Tottenham stay up or go down, the two or three biggest clubs will be looking to try and sign him."

Tottenham just need to add quality

Richarlison has done well for Tottenham this season and has continued to score goals. How can he get even better, and do you think he'll be in the Brazil squad for the World Cup?

"He will play for Brazil, yes, and he's certainly got quality, but I wouldn't say he's a player with top quality. If you're a club that wants to be in the top six, then he needs to do more. Tottenham don't have too many strikers though, so he's an important player for them, it's obvious."

Aside from the Europa League, Spurs haven't won a major trophy in almost 20 years. So what specifically needs to change at the club, aside from bringing in top players, in order for their aspirations to become a reality?

"It's just about adding quality, as simple and obvious as that. It's going to be very difficult, and it's very expensive, and they also need the manager to have an understanding of how to hold onto a lead. That's what Tottenham have lacked in the last three years."

Arsenal did their job by applying the pressure in a 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday.

At the other end of the table there was also cause for celebration in north London this weekend as Tottenham climbed out of the relegation zone.

AFP Sports looks at three talking points from the Bank Holiday weekend's action:

Advantage Arsenal

City ultimately did well to salvage a point from the Hill Dickinson Stadium after battling back from 3-1 down with seven minutes remaining.

But the manner of their defensive collapse in the second half does not inspire confidence they can even win their remaining four games to force Arsenal to take another nine points.

Everton had barely mounted an attack in the first half, but were suddenly gifted chances galore by glaring City errors.

The return of Bukayo Saka to the starting line-up for the first time in six weeks saw Mikel Arteta's men score three goals for the first time in 16 games.

Arsenal now just need to beat West Ham, already-relegated Burnley and Crystal Palace to end a 22-year wait to be crowned champions.

Tottenham turn it round

Spurs waited 118 days for a Premier League win in 2026 prior to last weekend's scrappy 1-0 victory at Wolves.

Roberto De Zerbi insisted all his side needed was to break that duck for confidence to flow back and they looked a completely different team in an impressive 2-1 win at Aston Villa.

"In football it is very easy to change. If you lose, you are stupid. If you win, you are a champion. You have to find a balance," said De Zerbi.

"We have to remember in ourselves what we have done in the past."

Unai Emery's team selection helped as Villa made seven changes with one eye on Thursday's Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

But Tottenham took full advantage of that stroke of luck to edge one point ahead of West Ham and out of the relegation zone with three games to spare.

The Hammers played their part as they crumbled to a 3-0 defeat at Brentford.

Has Carrick earned Man Utd job?

Michael Carrick has achieved the goal he was set when placed in charge at Old Trafford in January by returning the Red Devils to the Champions League.

United cruised to a top-five finish with three games to spare after edging Liverpool 3-2 in a chaotic clash that exposed the weaknesses in both sides.

On paper Carrick's results are mightily impressive. A return of 10 wins from 14 games also includes statement wins over Arsenal, City and Chelsea.

But the performances have often been less convincing, while United have had the massive advantage in the Premier League of having no European football to contend with.

Carrick has immense experience of life at United as a player, coach and now manager.

The former midfielder said he feels like a "natural" in the demanding role.

But his only other managerial experience came with second tier Middlesbrough, where he was sacked in 2025.

Key stats

- Aston Villa have now failed to win any of their last eight matches when conceding first in the Premier League, since a victory over Chelsea on 27th December 2025.

- Conor Gallagher has scored his first goal in the Premier League this season, netting for the first time since 5th May 2024 against West Ham.

- Tottenham Hotspur are undefeated in their last three games in the Premier League, the first time achieving that streak since a period between 28th December 2025 and 4th January 2026.

Highlights

Match report

A Villa side showing seven changes from their UEFA Europa League semi-final defeat to Nottingham Forest on Thursday made a dreadful start to proceedings here, with Spurs’ greater desire both in and out of possession immediately evident.

The visitors still lacked a cutting edge in the final third, but found a rare moment of high quality to break the deadlock.

Kevin Danso’s long throw was only cleared as far as Conor Gallagher, who took the ball down and lashed home along the ground from 25 yards for his first goal in Tottenham colours.

João Palhinha struck the post from similar range just three minutes later before Randal Kolo Muani worked Emiliano Martínez at the back post, but the visitors weren’t waiting long for a second strike.

Destiny Udogie’s cross from the right was brilliantly headed home by Richarlison, whose first-ever H2H goal sparked jubilation in the away end.

The home fans had nothing to shout about, seeing their side take 34 minutes to even touch the ball in the opposition box, while a failure to register a single shot before HT sparked jeers from the home support.

It’s the first time Tottenham have led a PL game at HT since early January, making Unai Emery’s decision not to make any substitutions ahead of the restart a puzzling one.

He eventually turned to Ollie Watkins just before the hour mark with the pattern of play unchanged, by which time they’d managed just one touch in Spurs’ box – the lowest by any side in a PL game all season.

The visitors contented themselves with protecting their lead, celebrating successes in duels as if they were goals.

Villa fans exited in their droves with 10 minutes still to play, with those who left missing Emiliano Buendía’s glancing header, which served as little more than a consolation in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Villa’s margin inside the top five remains at six points despite that, while this could be a pivotal evening for Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs side, who leapfrog rivals West Ham United and have now registered seven of their last eight PL wins away from home.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Conor Gallagher (Tottenham Hotspur)

Post-match comments

Tottenham goalscorer Conor Gallagher described his side's victory as a "perfect night".

"It was a fantastic performance - exactly what we needed," he told TNT Sports.

"Everything we did in the week leading up to the game, we showed tonight and we're really happy with the performance and the three points.

"It's been a perfect night, but hopefully it's only the start. We want to carry it on for the last few games of the season.

"It's massive for us and hopefully our confidence can start growing and we can keep playing games like that."

Gallagher was full of praise for the impact of Roberto De Zerbi: "I can't speak highly enough of him. He's been so good.

"Every player in the squad has taken to him, everyone trusts him, he makes you feel good, confident, he's bringing the best out of players and it's only the start.

"Hopefully we can keep learning from him and build a great team."

Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi was happy with his side's performance but warned against complacency in their final three games.

"The season is not finished yet. We have to play another three games starting on Monday night with Leeds, they are playing very well," he told TNT Sports.

"We can't forget what the situation was before Wolves. It was a very sad situation and these memories have to stay in our heads.

"I'm pleased with this performance from my players. I know how much they have suffered this season.

"The high pressure is mentality and then in possession. We played very well when we had to attack the space or to shoot. I love playing football. My job is to help them and show what they are capable of."

The feeling is also apparently mutual when it comes to Gallagher.

"Gallagher, when he plays well, we play with 12 players," De Zerbi said. "He is an amazing player. Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel played an amazing game. The two centre-backs with and without the ball, I am really pleased."

Key stats

- Igor Thiago has scored 22 goals in the Premier League this season (1 in this game), more than any other Brentford player

- Brentford have scored 18 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half; only Liverpool (19) have scored more in the Premier League this season

- Valentín Castellanos attempted 5 shots in this game, the joint-highest total for a West Ham United player in the Premier League this season

Highlights

To follow...

Match report

It was almost a nightmare start for the Hammers, with Dango Ouattara flashing an effort just wide of the post inside the opening minute.

The dreaded goal came midway through the first half, with Kayode on the scene to help smuggle the ball over the line after it had rebounded off the woodwork.

On review, Konstantinos Mavropanos was given the unwanted credit, having been adjudged to have got the decisive touch.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side produced a strong response, and only the post denied Taty Castellanos an instant equaliser from his clever curling effort.

The visitors then appeared to have got the leveller, with Mavropanos finding the net at the right end this time, but VAR identified a marginal offside to cut short the celebrations.

The Bees should have compounded the Hammers’ misery when Mads Hermansen was left in no man’s land after dashing out rashly, but Mikkel Damsgaard could not find the unguarded net from outside the box.

The woodwork was struck yet again before the break, with Castellanos thwarted for a second time, while Hermansen had to be at his best at the other end to deny Keane Lewis-Potter from close range.

West Ham got off to the worst possible start in the second half, with a rash challenge from El Hadji Malick Diouf gifting Igor Thiago the chance to double the lead from the penalty spot.

The league’s second-highest scorer duly converted, leaving the Irons with a mountain to climb and seemingly draining all the fight out of them, while Brentford settled into a pattern of comfortable control.

A moment of magic from Crysencio Summerville threatened to make things interesting, but the away fans watched in disbelief as his effort found the crossbar once again after a weaving run.

Into the final 10 minutes, Damsgaard settled the issue once and for all, turning sharply in the box before steering the ball into the bottom corner.

The win was just Brentford’s third in their last 16 London derbies, with all of those triumphs coming against today’s opponents.

Victory moves them up to sixth in the table, following Brighton’s loss at Newcastle.

West Ham’s first defeat in four games keeps them firmly mired in the scrap for survival, and Tottenham Hotspur will get the chance to send them into the bottom three with a win over Aston Villa on Sunday.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Michael Kayode (Brentford)

Current first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is progressing towards a move to Inter Milan in the summer window, leaving Spurs with a decision to make over how they replace him.

It is possible that they stick with Antonin Kinsky if they lose their relegation battle and drop into the Championship.

But if they manage to retain their Premier League status, then a move for Trafford will be explored.

At this moment, Manchester City sources believe a permanent deal could be complicated. While Gianluigi Donnarumma is established as the first-choice stopper at Etihad Stadium, Trafford remains very highly regarded.

It is considered unlikely that City are going to be welcoming of bids for the player, who joined for £27 million last summer from Burnley.

There is a belief among some at City that the 23-year-old keeper could still become their long-term No.1.

However, Trafford has obvious frustrations about a lack of playing time this season and could push for a move elsewhere.

It has been suggested by Flashscore sources that a loan move next season might become an option.

That would be one way to solve the player’s irritation at a lack of regular minutes, while also allowing City to have him as an option to succeed Donnarumma.

Tottenham have been checking out the market over the past six months in terms of searching for new goalkeeping options, but have to put the search on hold for now because of their fight to decide which league they will be playing in next season.

Key stats

- Tottenham Hotspur have failed to win in their last 14 games in the Premier League, their longest winless streak in the competition.

- Sunderland have beaten Tottenham Hotspur for the first time in the Premier League since April 2010, a run of 15 games without a win.

- Tottenham Hotspur have a record of W0, D6, L13 when conceding the opening goal in the Premier League this season.

Highlights

Analysis

Tottenham will be disappointed to offer little response after going behind against eventual winners Sunderland.

Match report

Spurs’ first genuine chance of the De Zerbi era took just five minutes to manifest, but it bore the same frustrations associated with his tormented predecessor, as Randal Kolo Muani’s layoff to Richarlison inside the box saw the Brazilian all too tamely try a first-time effort into the far corner.

After a less-than-encouraging start, Sunderland grew into the match from there, with former Arsenal man Granit Xhaka driving the Black Cats’ best chances, including an attempted Olimpico goal from the Swiss midfielder himself, which Antonín Kinský sharply tipped over the bar.

Overall, the Czech stopper looked like an entirely different person to the one that crumbled so horrifically against Atlético Madrid just a month ago.

Most notably, he made two crucial saves to thwart Brian Brobbey at close range, despite Spurs’ defenders failing to pick him up at the end of a Xhaka free kick on both occasions.

Yet, it would still be Spurs with the greater sense of resentment at HT, having also seen a penalty rescinded by VAR after a combination of Omar Alderete and Luke O'Nien apparently brought down Muani inside the box.

While Spurs had shown greater chemistry on the attack, there was still a sense that set pieces could be their undoing as the second half began.

But in a similar way to the first half, Spurs emerged the stronger, and O’Nien had to intervene at the last second to prevent Richarlison from finishing at the near post on a breakaway.

The Brazilian also missed a decent chance at the hour mark, when again underhitting towards the far corner from a narrow angle.

In typical Spurs style, that was met with the ultimate punishment almost instantly, with Nordi Mukiele firing Sunderland ahead.

He was a rampant figure on the right flank, and went for glory after drifting into the centre, with the ball deflecting wickedly off Micky van de Ven – a freak goal that only the doomed tend to concede.

That might have sparked some kind of response, but having begun the weekend as one of just three teams yet to lose a PL game in which they’d scored first this season, Sunderland were in no mood to miss out on their first home points in four attempts, and Destiny Udogie twice had to be sharp to prevent a second Black Cats goal, firstly throwing Brobbey off balance as he looked to receive a cross, before a goalline clearance on 88’.

Despite being granted 11 minutes of injury time to snatch a point or more, Spurs were unable to find a way through – though Pedro Porro saw a promising shot only just tipped over in the seventh minute of added time – and the final whistle brought that all-familiar sinking feeling to the Lilywhites once again.

Overall, there was a different feel to Spurs before HT, but the overriding sentiment is that there is insufficient time for them to make the necessary improvements to avoid a first relegation in 49 years.

Next weekend’s clash with Brighton now looks far bigger than either of their European finals played over the past seven years, while Sunderland’s hopes of a European finish have received a significant boost.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)

Kudus is facing a race against time to be fit for the 2026 World Cup after suffering a fresh injury setback that has plunged his tournament participation into serious doubt.

Sources indicate to Flashscore that scans were conducted on Tuesday after the Tottenham Hotspur winger felt something during an individual training session on Monday.

The 24-year-old is now expected to undergo surgery to resolve the hamstring problem, with Spurs bracing for an absence of approximately three months.

That timeline would almost certainly rule him out for the remainder of the Premier League season and put his place in Ghana's World Cup squad in serious jeopardy.

A nightmare that began in December

This is not the first time Kudus has been stopped in his tracks by his hamstring this season.

The original injury was sustained back in December, and in the weeks that followed, Tottenham and the player took a careful and considered approach to his recovery.

Rather than rushing into standard treatment, Kudus travelled to Amsterdam to consult with a specialist connected to his former club Ajax, where the decision was made to pursue a more conservative, non-surgical path in the hope of avoiding a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The approach was deliberate. Both Spurs and Kudus were acutely aware of the World Cup calendar, and every decision made during the rehabilitation process was shaped by the desire to have him fit, sharp and available for Ghana's summer campaign in North America.

For close to 100 days, Kudus worked his way back through a painstaking rehabilitation programme. The plan had been for him to return to action after the March international break, a timeline that would have given him sufficient weeks to recapture his sharpness and build his fitness ahead of the tournament.

Monday's training, Tuesday's scans

The sequence of events that brought the situation to a head was desperately cruel. After training individually on Monday, Kudus felt something in his hamstring and immediate concern was raised.

Scans were conducted on Tuesday, and the results confirmed what those around the player had feared. The hamstring issue has resurfaced, and this time, surgery is the likely course of action.

The World Cup, which kicks off in June, sits right at the outer edge of that recovery window, and even if the timeline holds perfectly, questions will remain over whether a player returning from his second significant hamstring issue of the season would be in any condition to perform at the level Ghana need from him on the world stage.

A massive blow for Ghana

The timing could not be worse for Otto Addo's replacement, whoever that turns out to be. Ghana parted ways with Addo just last week following back-to-back defeats to Austria and Germany in the March international window, and the new coach will now inherit a squad potentially without one of its most dynamic and decisive attacking weapons.

Kudus is not simply a key player for Ghana; he is their most dangerous individual threat in the final third. The Ghanaian was one of the standout performers at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, scoring two goals to finish as the Black Stars' top scorer in a tournament where they exited at the group stage.

His ability to create moments of magic from nothing, his directness, his goals from midfield - all of that makes him close to irreplaceable in this squad.