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Despite it being reported last week that he had turned down a move to North London, Bayern Munich starlet Mathys Tel looks set to join Tottenham Hotspur this deadline day.

Spurs set to sign Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munich

According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, Tel is expected to join Spurs on a simple dry loan, with no option or obligation to buy. It has been mooted that the player would prefer a loan move, as he still wants to make it at Bayern at some point, so this would marry up with that.

According to Le Parisien via iMiaSanMia, Ange Postecoglu had a long conversation with Tel to present his ideas, and how he is going to use him. After the conversation, the player changed his mind, and decided to join Spurs.

Wow, out of nowhere, it looks like Spurs are going to get a forward signing after all. Whilst not the perfect transfer window, things do look a lot better now. At the end of December, hearing that the club would sign a goalkeeper, central defender, and a forward would have sounded encouraging. A midfielder would have topped things off, but they have somewhat managed to salvage the window.

With a loan, it is risk free. In a way, it is a shame not to have an option to buy, where if he had proved to be really good, Spurs would already have a fee agreed, without lots of hassling. Now, if he proves to be really good, you would find it hard to see Bayern letting him go, at least for a non extortionate fee. Â

Nevertheless, if things don’t work out, they won’t be stuck with the player. Spurs need bodies, and they have got another one here. They have a player who has played, and scored, whilst playing on the left hand side, right hand side, and up front during his career. Â

Let’s hope that Harry Kane and Eric Dier have given him plenty of tips and pointers about settling in at Spurs and in North London. No doubt they will be looking at how he does with a very keen interest. Â

Despite still being a teenager, Tel played against Spurs back in September 2021 for Rennes in the UEFA Conference League, which shows just how young he was when he first started playing first team football. A very talented footballer, this feels quite exciting. Â

From February 2017 until February 2022, former professional footballer, Steve Hitchen, was the chief scout at Tottenham Hotspur, replacing Paul Mitchell, whom had fallen out with Daniel Levy.

During his time at Spurs, Hitchen came under plenty of criticism from the fans - particularly after the release of the "All or Nothing" Amazon documentary, where he confessed to hating the January transfer window - with plenty of people mentioning that it was his job.

Steve Hitchen explains that Spurs were close to two signings

In a recent interview, the 48-year old has said that the club were close to signing Frenkie de Jong and Jack Grealish during his time in North London: "We [Tottenham] were very close to getting Jack Grealish, which probably would have been of the best [signings you could make]. Jack Grealish was a Tottenham [type of] player. He would have set the place alight. He had the skills, he would have got fans off their seats. He would have been a [the] difference in that time.

We had Dele Alli at that time, and I think them two would have pushed each other as well. To miss out on that player was massive in that period."

And then we were really close to getting Frenkie de Jong - and I think, Frenkie de Jong, again, is a Tottenham player. I think he would have made a big difference for us. We had to replace the irreplaceable in [Mousa] Dembele. Probably Frenkie could have gone into that position and really succeeded at Spurs."

Most people are well aware of the fact that Spurs wanted to sign Grealish during his time at Aston Villa, but Levy lowballing (to make a change), with paltry offers such as £3 million and Josh Onomah meant it never happened. As for de Jong, however, this feels like quite fresh news that a lot of people will not have been aware of.

Out of all the players from that Ajax side that made the Champions League semi final in 2019, de Jong has probably been the best player since, albeit not as good as people were expecting him to be. He would have been a great signing for Spurs, though likely with seriously high wages. As in, not just high wages for someone stingy like Levy, but just in general pretty astronomical.

How many "nearly" signings have Spurs had in the past? It happens to every club, but it does feel like it happens here more than what you would usually expect.

According to a report from German journalist Florian Plettenberg, whom many fans will remember from the Harry Kane saga in the summer of 2023 - Spurs are in "concrete talks and negotiations" for Stefanos Tzimas of Greek side PAOK - and currently on loan at 2. Bundesliga side Nurnberg - though Brighton have the upper hand.

Tottenham in concrete talks for Greek U21 international

On his Twitter account, Plettenberg said: "Stefanos is currently leaning towards a move to Brighton in the summer, after very good talks with Fabian Hürzeler.

However, Tottenham and Aston Villa are also in the race for Tzimas and are engaged in concrete talks and negotiations, but Brighton currently in pole position.

So, although he currently belongs to PAOK, the German side are going to sign him permanently this summer, before selling him for a profit, in one of the lesser spotted situations when it comes to transfers.

As for the player himself, he only turned 19 earlier this year, so is still extremely young. He has scored 10 goals in just 1202 minutes in the German second tier this season, despite Nurnberg being a mid table side, sitting in 10th place with just 28 points from their 20 games so far.

Some fans may be underwhelmed by this link, and that's understandable. One thing to consider is that if Brighton are interested in an obscure talent, it is almost certainly a green flag. The amount of unearthed gems they have signed in recent years is pretty insane. Even from Germany itself - Pascal Gross gave them seven superb years before signing for Borussia Dortmund in the summer of last year.

Plus, being linked to Khivcha Kvartashkelia when he was playing in Georgia and Russia would have seemed underwhelming too. Being linked to a 25-year old Kim-Min Jae playing in China before moving to Fenerbahce definitely seemed underwhelming. These are the moves that the smart clubs tend to make.

The teenagers signed recently, such as Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, have proven to be pretty fruitful signings so far, and have years and years ahead of them too. The upside of these signings are truly pretty incredible.

Let's wait and see how this one develops on deadline day. That said, if it is a signing for the summer, it is the sort of move that could still be worked on, and subsequently announced in the coming weeks and months.

On Sunday morning, before Spurs won 2-0 away to Brentford in the Premier League, the club confirmed the signing of RC Lens and Austria defender Kevin Danso - initially on loan for the rest of the season, before an obligation to buy the player in the summer transfer window. The player will wear the number four shirt.

So, what can we expect from Danso, and what qualities can he bring to help improve Ange Postecoglu's side?

What to expect from new central defender Kevin Danso

In terms of play style, Danso is a very quick and aggressive defender, very capable, and in fact suited, to playing in a high line. He is a proactice defender, whom likes to engage in duels and help to win the ball back. He has been an important part of Austria's red bull style of football under manager Ralf Rangnick.

Having this type of player on the pitch will help Spurs sustain attacks by having a more secure "rest defence". Having that recovery pace when they lose the ball will be crucial. Take someone like Radu Dragusin. He was good for Genoa, he is good for the Romania national team. However, his lack of mobility makes him a bad fit for the current Spurs team. A player like Danso is much more suited to the style of play.

There are things to caveat, such as the league, styles of play, etc - but comparing Danso's stats to Dragusin's this season makes for interesting. So far, he has made 1.7 interceptions a game to Dragusin's 0.9, 1.6 tackles to 0.6, makes five clearances to 2.9, and wins 3.4 aerials duels per game to 2.1 - with a higher sample size to.

This is not to attack the Romanian defender, nothing personal - just showing how much more suited to an Ange team Danso is. In a team that camps in their own box, defends crosses all game, and has to manage their penalty area better, maybe Dragusin is better at that sort of nuts and bolts defending. In a side like Spurs, there is no doubt that Danso is a much better fit.

If Cristian Romero is not back for the game against Liverpool on Thursday night, it would be great to see everything cleared in time for Danso to play, and partner Micky van de Ven. That sort of recovery pace will be huge to the chances of winning the game.

Today marks the 19th birthday for Tottenham Hotspur's Lucas Bergvall, whom got the perfect birthday present with a 2-0 win away to Brentford on match day twenty four of the Premier League season.

To mark the occasion, let's look back on his time at the club so far, as well as a look ahead as to what is to come in the future years.

Looking at Lucas Bergvall's Spurs career on his birthday

It was actually on the player's 18th birthday, a year ago today - where he decided to join the club from Djurgardens IF ahead of the summer, turning down a move to Spanish giants Barcelona to give Spurs his signature. With it, there was plenty of excitement.

After spending the next few months at Djurgardens, Bergvall joined Spurs ahead of the 24/25 season. The youngster looked bright in pre-season, registering assists in friendlies against Hearts and Bayern Munich.

On opening weekend of the Premier League season, he came on as a sub away to Leicester City, being berated by Guglielmo Vicario for a mistake - but also creating a big chance for Richarlison in stoppage time, which he unfortunately could not take.

Nevertheless, he had impressed enough to get a call up to the Sweden national team in September. He then made his first start of the season away to Coventry City in the Carabao Cup. His next start came at home to Qarabag in the Europa League, but was withdrawn early on due to a Radu Dragusin red card.

After coming on away to Manchester United at Old Trafford on the 29th September, his corner was flicked on by Pape Sarr, and bundled home by Dominic Solanke, to make it 3-0. His first competitive assist for the club came in a 2-1 win in the Europa League away to Ferencvaros, four days later, where he teed up Sarr in the first half.

His most impressive performance up until then came in a 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League. The Sweden international impressed both on and off the ball, and won the penalty for the decisive goal.

After that, Bergvall had to be a bit more patient, often coming off the bench, before playing 90 minutes away to Southampton in mid December for his first league start of the campaign. However, in 2025, he has found himself a regular in the side, with the win at Brentford today the first time he has not started in the league this year.

His best moment, however, was undoubtedly in the Carabao Cup semi final first leg. After a superb run in behind and hold up play from Solanke, he flicked the ball into Bergvall's path, who calmly slotted a side footed finish into Alisson's near post. He had played superbly all night too, and would have had an assist if not for better finishing from Pedro Porro.

It is clear to see that Ange really likes the player, and we can be sure he will get plenty of game time from here. We saw him (and Archie Gray, another player 18 on the night) collapse to the floor after the win at Hoffenheim. It shows how many minutes he is going to play that he did not start the game against Brentford, with Ange likely having an eye on the Carabao Cup semi final second leg on Thursday.

On Sunday afternoon, Tottenham Hotspur travelled to fellow London side Brentford, for match day twenty four of the 24/25 Premier League season.

For the task at hand, Ange opted for a line up of; Kinsky; Porro, Gray, Davies, Spence; Kulusevski, Bissouma, Bentancur; Moore, Richarlison, Son.

How it all happened in West London on Sunday afternoon

Just over ten minutes into the game, after a lowkey start, Kinsky gave the ball away playing out from the back. From there, Brentford built up an attack, ending in Yoane Wissa heading a right footed Bryan Mbeumo cross over the bar.

After twenty minutes, Spurs had their best opportunity. From the left hand side, Spence cut the ball back for Richarlison, but he scuffed his effort and it fell to Moore — whom laid the ball off for Kulusevski, where his effort was well blocked.

After 28 minutes, Spurs took the lead. An inswinging corner from Son was not claimed by the goalkeeper, going into the back of the net off of Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janelt for an own goal.

At half time, Ange introduced Bergvall in place of Moore.

Eight minutes into the second half, an inswinging cross from Mikkel Damsgaard was met by Wissa at the far post, but his flicked effort somehow went over the bar. Certainly a big let off for Spurs.

Two minutes later, Spurs pounced on a loose Brentford pass, leading to Kulusevski going through on goal from a tough angle. On his weaker right foot, the 24-year old tried a near post effort, going into the side netting. Definitely could have tried to go across goal there.

Midway through the second half, Sarr replaced Bissouma. With twelve minutes of normal time remaining, Scarlett replaced Richarlison for his first Premier League appearance of the season.

There were just over four minutes left when Brentford thought they had equalised, but Spence came up big to make a clearance on the line.

That clearance would prove to be key. Within two minutes, Spurs had made it 2-0. A wonderfully weighted through ball from Son found Sarr through on goal. The ball was hit with enough power to get it away from any defender, knowing that Sarr had the speed, particularly when fresh, to get there before the goalkeeper. That he did, poking a finish into the back of the net to double the lead.

From there, Spurs saw the game out comfortably. It was not the most entertaining game, but that is what they needed. They've been the entertainers for the wrong reasons too many times. No doubt people found the defeat to Liverpool at home entertaining, but it wasn't nice for Spurs. This was nice.

Just a really solid and professional performance against a side who are very good at home. Brentford did have some half chances, but there weren't many, if any, real clear cut chances where you thought "they had to score that". A very impressive and much needed win. Superb effort from everyone.

This afternoon, on the second of February 2025, Spurs will take on Brentford at the GTech community stadium, for match day 24 of the current Premier League season - live on Sky Sports at 14:00 GMT for those of you in the UK.

Ange's side come into this game in dreadful league form, though having secured two important Europa League wins to seal their spot in the last 16 of the competition, avoiding an extra two games in a play-off tie.

How the teams are shaping up ahead of today's showdown

From the win over Elfsborg on Thursday night, Ange Postecoglu has made four changes to the starting XI, selecting the following; Kinsky; Porro, Gray, Davies; Spence; Kulusevski, Bissouma, Bentancur; Moore, Richarlison, Son. So - Kinsky, Spence, Kulusevki and Bissouma replace Austin, van de Ven, Sarr, and Bergvall.

On the bench are; Austin, Reguilon, Hardy, Cassanova, Olusesi, Sarr, Bergvall, Sarr, Scarlett. No van de Ven in the squad is a concern, let's hope Ange is keeping him in cotton wool ahead of the big Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday evening. Otherwise we could well be back to square one. Not ideal, at all.

It would appear that the injury Radu Dragusin suffered on Thursday evening is quite a serious one, particularly with the confirmed arrival of Kevin Danso from Ligue 1 side RC Lens.

Meanwhile, the visitors line up as follows;Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson; Kristoffer Ayer, Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg, Keane Lewis-Potter; Christian Norgaard, Vitaly Janelt; Bryan Mbeumo, Mikkel Damsgaard, Yoane Wissa, Kevin Schade.

On the bench for the visitors; Julian Eyestone, Ethan Pinnock, Ben Mee, Michael Kayode, Fabio Carvalho, Edmond-Paris Maghoma, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Yunus Konak, Mathias Jensen. Meanwhile, Igor Thiago, Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, and Gustvao Nunes all miss the game with injury, meaning it is not just Spurs that have their squad fairly depleted coming into this game.

Safe to say we can expect a pretty tough game here in any case. Despite one point from their last four home games, Brentford are still fourth in the Premier League home table, and have only failed to beat one side not currently in the league's top four. In general, a point here would not be a terrible result - but Spurs need wins, not draws - even if beggars can not be choosers. Ah well, let's wait and see.

Many of you will be aware of the progression Spurs youngsters Josh Keeley and Jamie Donley have made during their loan spells at League One side Leyton Orient this season. For the last three months or so, manager Richie Wellens has been starting them every game, which has seen success in both the league and in the FA Cup - where they will be playing Manchester City in the fourth round.

People are aware that Spurs and Leyton Orient have had a good relationship for a long time. It is where Harry Kane went for his first ever loan back in 2011. In recent years, the England captain has sponsored Leyton Orient's shirt.

The (successful) loans of Keeley and Donley had seemed to strengthen this, however, Wellens has potentially damaged the relationship between the two clubs, at least whilst Ange Postecoglu is at the club.

Richie Wellens takes a strange dig at Ange Postecoglu

In his post match interview after the O's defeat at home to Stockport County, the 44-year old was asked: "How much of that [the defeat and performance] was because of Sean Clare and Omar Beckles, who has been a leader, being absent today?" To which, he then responded: "I'm not Ange Postecoglu who will keep using that as an excuse.

Most managers will tell you that you will often not get their true, objective thoughts after a microphone is stuck under their nose within an hour of a defeat, but this is still extremely weird, and unneccesary. Although, again, things can be said in the heat of the moment - it almost looked like he had planned to say it from the beginning.

Since then, Wellens has apologised for the comments, saying: "At Leyton Orient, we have a strong relationship with Tottenham Hotspur and it was never my intention to say anything that would jeopardise that. Their manager, Ange Postecoglou, is a world-class coach and I want to apologise for my comments."

Many fans have called for the players to be recalled and sent on loan as a result of these comments. Ultimately, the deadline to recall players has since passed. Even if they could, it still does feel best for the players development to stay at Orient. Unprofessional comments, no question, but the players have certainly done well under his management so far. Sending him players from next season onwards is a different story.

In League Two, Spurs loanee George Abbott and his Notts County side were in action away to Gillingham, live on Sky Sports red button for those in the UK. As always, Abbott was named in the starting XI by manager Stuart Maynard.Â

How things went for George Abbott down in the fourth tier

Although Notts had chances to further extend their lead, they would go into the half time interval with a 2-0 lead, and Abbott once again impressing with his all round display in the middle of the park. Â

With ten minutes of the game remaining, the hosts got one back, making for a nervy finish to proceedings. It had been a pretty passive second half performance from Notts to tell the truth. Â

Luckily, Maynard’s side were able to hold on and secure a huge three points down in Kent. That is four wins from their last five league two games, and six wins from their last nine. Â

As touched on above, Notts had to dig in during the second half, and Abbott certainly played his part in that, with a very impressive, tenacious performance. During the 90 minutes, he recorded; 65 touches, eight ground duels won, 2/2 aerial duels won, one foul drawn, one clearance, one blocked shot, two interceptions, 0 times dribbled past, and an absolutely superb seven tackles. He was booked for a foul in stoppage time. Â

Safe to say, things are going really well, both individually and collectively. It is great to see that he will be continuing with Notts for the rest of the season. Sure, he could play at a higher level, but it would feel risky to take him out of a club he is doing so well at. We could even see him playing for Maynard’s side in League One next season – albeit you can see Championship sides being interested in him. At still just 19 years of age, there is no rush at all. Â

This win leaves Notts in the League Two table, with 50 points from their 28 games to date. Next up for the Magpies is a home game against bottom of the table Morecambe next Saturday, in the traditional 15:00 GMT slot. Â

On Saturday, there was action for Tottenham Hotspur loanees in all three EFL divisions - but also in the National League and up in the Scottish Premiership. Let's take a look at how things went for Luca Gunter at Wealdstone, and Alfie Dorrington at Aberdeen.

How things went for the rest of the Spurs loanees in the UK

To begin, Gunter was named in the Wealdstone starting XI, as they hosted Solihull Moors - who just poached their manager, Matthew Taylor - whom you may remember for scoring a lot of volleys during the Premier League Barclays era.

It would be the dream start for the Stones, whom took the lead after just four minutes of the game. It looked like it was going to be the only goal of the first half, but Solihull equalised just before the break, to send the sides into the interval at 1-1.

Not only did that equaliser end up as the final goal of the first half, it ended up as the final goal of the game, and Wealdstone would have to make do with a point - albeit against a fairly good team. This point was enough to take them out of the bottom four, as they sit in 20th, with 26 points from their 27 games so far.

Meanwhile, North of the border, Dorrington made his first start for Aberdeen, as they travelled to the capital to face Hibernian. Unfortunately, the young Spurs defender could not help arrest the slide, as they fell to a 2-0 defeat, as the wait for a win in the league closes in on a whole three months and counting.

Nevertheless, it was encouraging to see Dorrington start the game. During the game, he made seven clearances, and had over 80 touches of the ball. He had a chance late on, but his header from a corner seven minutes from time was off target in the end.

This defeat leaves Aberdeen fourth in the Scottish Premiership, with 35 points from their 25 games so far, as their horrific form continues.

Next up for Wealdstone is a National League home game against Tamworth this coming Tuesday, the fourth of February, at 19:45 GMT. As for Aberdeen, they will host Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup round of 16 on Sunday, for a 12:30 GMT kick off. The win in the last 32 was their only win in all competitions since the 9th of November.