Hotspur HQ

Tottenham secured a much-needed 2-0 victory over Brentford at the weekend, but the match was not without its talking points.

One particular moment involving Pedro Porro left Brentford fans questioning whether Spurs had been fortunate to avoid conceding a penalty.

The Spanish defender played a key role in his team’s defensive efforts, but his challenge on an opposition forward inside the penalty area sparked debate.

The referee waved play on, and even a VAR review did not overturn the decision, leaving many wondering if the officials got it right.

With Tottenham now gaining some breathing space from the bottom half of the table, the focus has shifted to whether they were lucky to come away with all three points.

Pedro Porro avoids controversial penalty decision

During Tottenham’s 2-0 win at the G-Tech Community Stadium, Pedro Porro was seen pulling Brentford’s Yoane Wissa inside the box.

Referee Jarred Gillett decided against awarding a penalty, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at Stockley Park, after a brief review, chose not to intervene.

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher weighed in on the incident, stating on Sky Sports' Ref Watch: "It's unwise. It's a massive risk, you are posing the referee a question."

Meanwhile, Stephen Warnock was more critical, arguing: "Why put yourself in that position? Especially when you know VAR is in play.

"This is the issue now, we've got that bar of clear of obvious, if Porro is preventing Wissa from getting to the ball and it's been missed VAR needs to step in and help the referee."

Brentford manager Thomas Frank expressed his frustration after the game, not just about the penalty call but also about his team’s inability to convert chances.

"We did a lot of things right. We created a lot of good situations with 30-something crosses and a lot of shots, but there were not enough big chances."

A risky challenge that went unpunished

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou praised his side’s defensive display, acknowledging that Brentford posed a tough challenge.

"Yeah, difficult place to come, difficult place to win at, but also a difficult place to keep them out because the way they play and the way they set up," he credited his players for handling Brentford’s aerial threats.

Postecoglou added: "You have to defend your box it doesn't matter how you play. They're getting throw-ins into the box, set pieces, crosses, you're just going to have to do that irrespective of how you want to tactically approach it."

For now, Tottenham sit 14th in the Premier League, while Brentford hold 11th place. All eyes will be on Spurs as they face Manchester United on Sunday, the 16th.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have long voiced their frustrations with chairman Daniel Levy, and recent events have only added fuel to the fire.

Despite boasting a world-class stadium and strong financial standing, Spurs find themselves at a crossroads.

With inconsistent performances on the pitch and a transfer strategy that often leaves fans disappointed, speculation over a potential takeover is once again making headlines.

Reports of investment interest have surfaced in the past, but could now be the moment Daniel Levy finally considers letting go?

Tottenham’s ambitions have seemingly stagnated, their biggest rivals continue to grow.

The gap between Spurs and the Premier League’s elite has widened, leaving supporters questioning whether their club’s priorities truly align with on-field success.

Tottenham face ownership dilemma

According to Football London, talk of ENIC and  being open to offers has circulated for years, but so far, no major deals have materialised.

A reported £3.1 billion bid from MSP Sports Capital led nowhere, while interest from Middle Eastern investors has also failed to progress beyond speculation.

Daniel Levy has repeatedly insisted that the club is not for sale, reaffirming this stance as recently as 2023.

However, with Tottenham struggling to secure Champions League football and facing mounting criticism, there is growing belief that this position may be softening.

The tipping point appears to be the club’s transfer activity—or lack thereof. Despite glaring squad weaknesses, Spurs made no major signings in the January window, relying instead on loan deals and minor additions.

Even a last-minute £70 million bid for Marc Guehi seemed more like a smokescreen than a genuine attempt to strengthen the team.

With rival clubs investing heavily and reaping the rewards, Spurs risk falling further behind.

Arsenal, for example, took financial risks that have paid off, securing Champions League football and significantly increasing their revenue streams. Tottenham, meanwhile, remain in limbo.

A financially stable but unambitious model

Tottenham are in a strong position, their wages-to-revenue ratio of 42% is the lowest in the Premier League, and their £529 million revenue for 2023/24 keeps them competitive off the pitch.

However, this cautious approach has left many fans feeling that Spurs are now 'a stadium with a football club attached.'

The key question is: what comes next? If Daniel Levy and ENIC invest heavily in the summer, it would signal a renewed commitment to success.

But if the club continues with small, calculated moves, it could be a clear sign that Tottenham are being prepped for a sale.

Late on last night, the 3rd of February, Tottenham Hotspur officially announced the signing of Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel, on a six month loan deal, with an option to make the deal permanent in the summer, should the club and player both wish to do so.

Let's take a look at how Tel could fit into this current Spurs side

The Frenchman is a versatile player, whom can play on either wing or up front. In truth, it is still unbeknownst to most where his best position is - but at such a young age, that is not necessarily a glaring issue.

Last season, Tel scored seven goals and provided five assists in just 1040 Bundesliga minutes - which equates to around 11.5 full games. In the 22/23 Bundesliga season, he scored five goals in 408 minutes, which is under five full games worth of minutes. Good numbers, though they should be caveated by the small sample size.

During the 23/24 campaign, the teenager scored three league goals playing off the right hand side, two as a split striker, and one as a lone striker. His two Champions League goals came off the bench from the left hand side. So, he is capable of scoring goals regardless of the forward position he plays in.

So, in short, he definitely has the capabilities of playing anywhere across the forward line for Spurs. However, when we look at fit in terms of style of play under Ange Postecoglou, there are interesting parralells with Vincent Kompany.

Realistically, Tel was never going to play up front over Harry Kane. That isn't a crime. The issue was, although he can play out wide - he is not a winger. If he is playing off the left or right, he is what you would call an 'inside forward'. The problem for him was Kompany likes to use touchline wingers, with his full-backs inverting.

Which sounds exactly like Ange. You don't, ideally, want Tel on the touchline. You want him coming in off the wings, getting close to goal, and linking up with the centre-forward. In very brief spells, we saw moments of that with Kane at Bayern last season. It is something that could happen with Solanke when he is back fit, but will Ange want that?

We have seen Ange use full-backs in more of a "traditional" sense recently, so perhaps there is scope for Tel playing more inside off the wing, but we will see. For now, you can see Ange using him as a striker, at least until Solanke is back. Richarlison has done a serviceable job, but looked pretty spent against Brentford, having started three games in a row for the first time in a long, long while.

Unfortunately, you never know how close he will be to an injury either, so it is important to manage him. Aside from up front, there does also feel like there is a fair possibility we will see Tel play off the right hand side in the front three.

With the 19-year old being right footed, at least off the right he would be able to hold width on his stronger side. This would allow Dejan Kulusevski to move back into midfield, where we could see the Swede play those through balls to Tel to set him away down the right. From those sorts of angles, he will be able to get shots off across goal.

Ange is not going to drop Son from the left wing. He could rest him, but when he is picking his best team, he is going to play. That coupled with Tel being right footed, means it feels like in this system, the left side is the least likely for him to play games, at least not when Spurs are playing their best XI.

When Solanke is back fit, it feels very possible that we see a front three of (R/L) Tel, Solanke, Son. That feels like a very balanced attack. You have the speed, directness, and energy of Tel on the right, the focal point, link up man, and aerial threat of Solanke up front, as well as the goal threat and creativity of Son on the left.

You can never, ever, count on players being available when it comes to Spurs, but goodness. If Brennan Johnson and Solanke come back with no fresh injuries to anyone in that time. The attacking depth will look scary. Mikey Moore, Son, Richarlison, Solanke, Scarlett, Tel, and Johnson all for three positions.

It has been quite the debut season in English football for Lucas Bergvall at Tottenham Hotspur so far. From the low of being subbed 10 minutes into the game against Qarabag, to the high of scoring the winner against Liverpool in the first round of the Carabao Cup semi final first leg. There has also been plenty in between.

The always excellent dataMB have crunched the teenager's numbers, showing just how much promise he has shown in his first season in North London. Let's take a look at the numbers and see if they marry up to what we have seen with our eyes.

The data that shows just how promising Lucas Bergvall is

Compared to U19 midielders in the top seven leagues, per 90, Bergvall ranks first for accurate long pass %, accurate passes to the final third, crosses into the box, tackles, and blocked shots. First in all five categories.

Some can see this as a cherry picked stat, and perhaps not the best competition in that threshold, but these numbers have him well ahead of the likes of Warren Zaire-Emery of Paris Saint Germain, and Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United.

Furthermore, Bergvall ranks in the 80th percentile for defensive actions, and 74th percentile for progressive carries. That first stat is particularly interesting. We know the Sweden international is a very talented and technical player, but he has shown a serious tenacity to his game this season, and that feels like something you do notice when watching games.

Particularly with Spurs not having an out and out defensive midfielder, it reiterates the importance for their midfielders to be good off the ball, particularly with the style of play under manager Ange Postecoglou.

Overall, you would say that these numbers do check out with what we have watched this season. They show us that Bergvall is a seriously energetic midfielder, whom is very good on the ball, but also has a tenacious and tactical side to his game, particularly for someone still so young. From the eye test, that sounds about right to what we have seen this season.

After many twists and turns, both with the deal happening at all, and then the structure of the deal - Tottenham Hotspur have now officially confirmed the signing of Bayern Munich teenage forward Mathys Tel.

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the signing of Mathys Tel

The official statement from the club says: "We are delighted to announce the signing of Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munich, subject to international clearance and work permit.

The France Under-21 international will join the Club on loan until the end of the 2024/25 season with an option to make the move permanent in the summer. He will wear the number 11 shirt.

Born in Sarcelles, France, Mathys spent his early years with JS Villiers-le-Bel, Paris FC, AS Jeunesse Aubervilliers and Montrouge FC 92 before joining Stade Rennais’ youth team in July, 2020.

In August, 2021, the forward earned his first team debut for Rennes at just 16-years-old, becoming the youngest-ever player to feature for the club. He made 10 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side and featured for Rennes against us in a UEFA Europa League Conference League fixture in September, 2021.

A versatile attacker, Mathys joined FC Bayern Munich in July, 2022, and, on his full debut the following month, he netted his first goal for the German side, becoming the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer.

The 19-year-old became the youngest-ever player to start a league game for Bayern in September, 2022, and, after marking the occasion with a goal, became the youngest-ever player to score a Bundesliga goal for the club.

In his debut season with Bayern, Mathys helped his team claim the Bundesliga title and has made a total of 83 appearances in all competitions for the Bavarians, scoring 16 goals.

On the international stage, he has featured for France from Under-17 to Under-21 level and captained his country to the 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship title."

So, here we are. Spurs have signed Tel after all. With the option to make the deal permanent in the summer should they wish to.

Per Florian Plettenberg, the option to buy is for 55 million Euros, with 5m in add ons - with a six year contract. That works out at around £45 million pounds, and £4.1 million pounds in add ons. Although he is still raw, considering some of the fees you see thrown around in the modern game, that feels very reasonable for a player with as much potential as Tel.

What a day it has been. Really in need of a lie down - but Spurs have got Tel official and all over the line. The feel good factor is for sure the best it has been since the win over Manchester City towards the end of November.

Enjoy your night, Spurs fans.

Over the last couple of days, there has been a full slate of action in La Liga, including games for a couple of Tottenham Hotspur loanees. Let’s take a look at how things went for them individually and collectively. Â

How things went in La Liga over the last couple of days

To begin, Alejo Veliz and RCD Espanyol had the mammoth task of facing Real Madrid at home on Saturday night. For the game, the Spurs loanee was named amongst the substitutes bench. Â

With Espanyol hanging in there at 0-0, Veliz was introduced to the action after around 73 minutes. With five minutes of the game remaining, his side managed to get a goal and take a shock lead against the defending champions and current league leaders. Â

Despite six minutes of stoppage time remaining, Real Madrid were unable to get an equaliser, even with the likes of Vinicius, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Federico Valverde all being on the pitch. Â

An absolutely huge, and seriously impressive win for Espanyol. Ironically, they were actually doing rivals Barcelona a favour with this win, but no doubt that was the last thing on their minds as the full time whistle went. Â

These absolutely massive three points leave Espanyol in 17th place in La Liga, finally back above the three relegation places, with 23 points from their 22 games so far. Â

Meanwhile, amidst all of the deadline day chaos, Bryan Gil was in action for Girona, as they welcomed Las Palmas over from the Canary Islands for their game on Monday night. The on loan Spurs man started on the left hand side of a 4231 set up by manager Michel. Â

Girona would take the lead after eight minutes, but missed a penalty on the stroke of half time to double their lead. Later on, with 11 minutes of normal time remaining, they would eventually score to go 2-0 up. However, just a few minutes later – Las Palmas got a goal back to make it a nervous finish. Â

Nevertheless, they were able to see the game out, securing their first win since the 11th of January. As for Gil, he played 88 minutes of the game. This win leaves Girona sitting 7th in the La Liga table, with 31 points from their 22 games. Â

Next up for Espanyol is an away game in the Basque country against Real Sociedad on Sunday evening, for a 17:30 GMT kick off. Meanwhile for Girona, they are also off to the Basque country, where they will face Athletic Club on Saturday, for a 13:15 GMT kick off. Â

Earlier on today, it was reported by multiple high level sources that Bayern Munich and France U21 forward Mathys Tel was set to sign for Tottenham Hotspur on loan for the rest of the season, despite the player initially turning down a move to North London.

When the news broke earlier, it was under the impression that it was on a straight, dry loan. No option to buy, but also no obligation to buy. However, there was also talk that the details of the deal were still being ironed out - with fans assuming that meant discussing any option/obligation.

That has proved to be the case, because it now being heavily reported that Spurs will have an OPTION to sign Tel on a permant deal. Not an OBLIGATION, but an OPTION. Which feels absolutely huge, and the club deserve huge credit for making that possible.

Spurs have an option to buy in the loan deal for Mathys Tel

Spurs now not only have the 19-year old as an option to help their depth and numbers for the rest of the season, but they also get to decide whether he stays beyond the summer. If things work out in the next six months, they can sign him on a permanent deal, and if things don't work out - he will not be their issue beyond the 24/25 season.

This was already quite exciting, but now fans have good reason to be seriously buzzing. This is an absolutely huge development. Having the choice on the player's future is huge. Before this, whilst he would have been a useful option to have, there was the element of developing another team's player for them. Where if he consistently produced, Bayern had an improved player on their hands, and if he didn't, well, Spurs would have suffered as a result of another underperforming forward.

The deadline is at 23:00 GMT, though Spurs can announce it after then should things not be all sorted by then. It's going to be an extremely exciting few hours for the whole fanbase. It has certainly been and fun exciting to report on this whole saga.

Plenty of people feared for Radu Dragusin when he immediately hit the deck after trying to run off an injury during the win over Elfsborg in the Europa League last Thursday evening.Â

The worst case scenario has proven to be the case, with Tottenham Hotspur correspondent for the Athletic, Jay Harris, confirming that the Romanian centre half has suffered an ACL injury, and will subsequently be out for the rest of the season — as you would expect for such a brutal injury.Â

Radu Dragusin to miss the rest of the season with an ACL

One of the reasons for this could be the spike in minutes. After joining Spurs in the January transfer window of last year, Dragusin often found himself on the bench behind starting duo Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. That was even the case for a lot of this season, with the 22-year old being sent off after 7 minutes against Qarabag — in one of his few opportunities to start.Â

Needless to say, with the injuries to van de Ven, Romero, and even Ben Davies — he has had to play a lot more minutes than he would have expected, going from playing here and there in cup competitions to playing close enough to every minute of every game.Â

One game he didn’t play every minute in was Newcastle United, with Ange preferring to go with Djed Spence at centre half for the second half instead, which was quite a damning statement. He did bounce back with a crucial goal line clearance at 0-0 against Liverpool in the next game, with Spurs going on to win the game. Similar to Spence late on against Brentford.Â

Regardless of your thoughts on Dragusin as a player, it is a real shame for him, and it is also still another body gone. Fortunately, with Kevin Danso through the door, as well as van de Ven and Davies back fit, Spurs are a lot better equipped than they would have been, had this happened a few weeks ago.Â

Given how tough ACL injuries can be, not only will this end the defender’s season, but it could end his year as well. At the very, very least, they will rule you out for six months, with a lot of cases often taking between nine months and a year — sometimes even more. That too and he will not have had any pre season to help prepare for the season. Have to feel for him. Speedy recovery.

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.