Premier League

Aston Villa will take on Tottenham Hotspur in one of four all-Premier League ties in the FA Cup fourth round.

It is successive Premier League opposition for Villa, who beat West Ham United 2-1 in the third round, while Spurs will travel to Villa Park after seeing off non-league Tamworth 3-0.

Elsewhere, Manchester United will welcome back Ruud van Nistelrooy, whose Leicester City team travel to Old Trafford in a repeat of the Premier League match in November in which the Dutchman, as United's interim manager, oversaw a 3-0 win.

And Brighton & Hove Albion host Chelsea while Everton will face on AFC Bournemouth.

FA Cup fourth-round fixtures

Man Utd v Leicester City

Leeds v Millwall/Dagenham & Redbridge

Brighton v Chelsea

Preston/Charlton v Wycombe Wanderers

Exeter City v Nottingham Forest

Coventry City v Ipswich Town

Blackburn Rovers v Wolves

Mansfield/Wigan v Fulham

Birmingham City v Newcastle United

Plymouth Argyle v Liverpool

Everton v AFC Bournemouth

Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur

Southampton v Burnley

Leyton Orient/Derby v Man City

Doncaster Rovers v Crystal Palace

Stoke City v Cardiff City

The fourth-round matches will take place on the weekend of 8 February, after Matchweek 24 and before Matchweek 25 in the Premier League.

Football writer Tom Hancock analyses Wednesday night's EFL Cup semi-final first leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Liverpool

Spurs won for the first time since before Christmas to end Liverpool’s 24-match unbeaten run and take a narrow lead into the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final tie, thanks to Lucas Bergvall’s 86th-minute strike.

It was a night of vindication for Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou, who got a thoroughly accomplished performance out of his injury-stricken side against the Premier League leaders.

New Spurs recruit Antonin Kinsky, an arrival from Slavia Prague last weekend, shone on his debut, becoming the first goalkeeper to shut Liverpool out since Matz Sels for Nottingham Forest, who inflicted the Reds’ last defeat back in September.

It also means that the 21-year-old Czech has already kept as many clean sheets at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season as Guglielmo Vicario and Fraser Forster combined.

His debut ended with emotional scenes, as he climbed into the stands to embrace his sister.

“Yesterday, I found out there was a possibility of me being in goal today, so I call them immediately,” Kinsky said.

“My sister came, her boyfriend and my parents. I was so happy to have them here [on] such a special night.”

Clearly exceptionally comfortable in possession, completing 32 of 45 passes, Kinsky seems bound to make his Premier League debut in next Wednesday’s north London derby at Arsenal, which comes after an FA Cup third round trip to non-league Tamworth on Sunday.

Postecoglou will be delighted to have at his disposal a ‘keeper who slots seamlessly into his preferred system - which he made clear he would not deviate from despite Vicario’s spell on the sidelines.

And the Spurs head coach will be equally, if not even more, delighted with another of his young charges: goalscorer Bergvall.

The 18-year-old Swede, who could have an integral part to play in the coming weeks amid Spurs' injury crisis, produced perhaps his best performance since arriving from Swedish club Djurgardens IF last summer, excelling in the freedom of a more advanced midfield role.

Operating in this position allowed him to take up the ideal position to score the decisive goal, perfectly anticipating Dominic Solanke’s fantastic swivel and square ball before emphatically finishing past Alisson.

Bergvall's winner v Liverpool

Liverpool were aggrieved, however, as they felt he should not have been on the pitch, having escaped a second yellow card for a tackle just minutes beforehand that left Kostas Tsimikas off the pitch and receiving treatment while Bergvall scored.

Postecoglou, however, gave a passionate interview to Sky Sports post-match to explain why Bergvall was right to stay on the pitch.

Bentancur update

There was a horrible moment early in the first half when Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur went for a header from a corner and collapsed to the floor with no one around him, leading to a lengthy delay before the Uruguayan was carried off on a stretcher to applause from both sets of fans.

Spurs said Bentancur was conscious and was taken to hospital for medical checks, and later the player posted on Instagram to say he was OK.

Spurs have posted an update on their official website, too, with Postecoglou saying: "There's nothing too detailed [at this stage]. He was conscious when he came off the field and he’s been taken to hospital for some observations so we’re hoping he’ll be OK.

"It was pretty distressing at the time, seeing him go down like that, for the players. Dealing with adversity, these players just compose themselves and responded to it really well."

Liverpool two matches without a win

For Liverpool, even if a loss was hard to swallow, the visitors could hardly say they deserved to win this match.

Conor Bradley was a bright spark at right-back, in the wake of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s below-par performance during Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Manchester United. He might at least have given Arne Slot food for thought ahead of next Tuesday’s league trip to Nottingham Forest, but Liverpool were undeniably some way below their best here.

Should the Reds be panicking after going two matches without a win for the first time in the Slot era? Probably not, especially after making four changes from the Man Utd draw, but with three of their next four Premier League outings coming away from Anfield, it’s important that they react well at home to League Two Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

For the first time in nine appearances in all competitions, and the first time in 12 domestically, Mohamed Salah failed to either score or assist, Spurs becoming the first team to deny the Egyptian a goal involvement since Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League at the end of November.

There was a brilliant moment before the game featuring Spurs' mascots, one of whom told Virgil van Dijk to sign for Spurs because of their defensive injury crisis at the moment. So, it was apt that a defence without Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie went on to keep out Salah and high-flying Liverpool.

But with the insatiable hunger Salah shows to make his mark at the sharp end of the pitch, that might prove to be something of a blessing in disguise for Liverpool: ideally, he won’t let the "drought" last more than one game.

Facing fourth-tier opposition in the FA Cup this weekend ought to give Slot an opportunity to really ring the changes after an intense period of 10 fixtures since the beginning of December.

Keeping things fresh is of the essence: Liverpool can, for 24 hours at least, extend their Premier League over Arsenal to nine points by beating Forest.

EFL Cup semi-final results and fixtures

First leg

The January transfer window is open and we are revealing the prices in Fantasy Premier League for seven players who have signed so far.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky (£4.5m) is among the new players added to Fantasy, along with Ipswich Town loanee Ben Godfrey (£4.0m), who returns to the Premier League after previously playing for Norwich City and Everton.

Additions and prices in FPL

With Antonin Kinsky eligible to make his Tottenham Hotspur debut tonight in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool, Ali Tweedale of Opta Analyst takes a closer look at how the 21-year-old goalkeeper is positioned to help solve their goalkeeping issues.

Six months is a long time in football.

In the summer of 2024, Antonin Kinsky was set to leave Slavia Prague on loan to Slovan Liberec. It was going to be his fourth consecutive season out on loan.

The 21-year-old did not like the prospect of remaining at his parent club to play second fiddle to Czech Republic international Jindrich Stanek.

Having just had a successful season fighting relegation with Pardubice further down the Czech First League, he wanted more first-team football.

But then Stanek suffered a serious shoulder injury playing at UEFA Euro 2024, and Slavia Prague decided to keep Kinsky on. Half a year later, he is the great hope for Tottenham Hotspur fans looking for a solution to their goalkeeping crisis, having completed a move worth a reported £12.5 million this week and eligible to make his debut tonight in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg as Spurs host Liverpool.

But that might be jumping the gun a little. Kinsky only made his top-flight debut in July 2023and moves to Spurs with just 37 top-tier appearances to his name – all in the Czech First League.

He has made 10 appearances in Europe this season – four in Champions League qualifiers and six in the Europa League group stage – but the Premier League still represents a big step up for a player who would be playing for a mid-table Czech side were it not for that sliding doors moment at Euro 2024.

But he comes with bags of potential, and his half-season as Slavia Prague’s No 1 as well as the previous campaign at Pardubice have convinced Spurs to make their move.

Reports from his home country suggest Kinsky is so confident and ambitious that he will back himself to make an impact on the first team before long.

So, what will he bring to north London? And can he really solve Spurs' goalkeeper crisis?

First of all – and most crucially, obviously – Kinsky is an excellent shot-stopper. In 19 Czech league matches this season, he conceded only seven goals at a rate 0.37 per game, keeping 12 clean sheets and saving 83.3 per cent of the shots on target he faced.

He ranks first in all three metrics among every goalkeeper in Europe’s top 10 domestic leagues in 2024/25 (the Czech First League is Europe's ninth-best league according to UEFA’s coefficient system, sandwiched between the Belgian and Turkish top flights).

We can get a better idea of his shot-stopping ability by taking into account the quality of the shots on target he has faced using our Expected Goals on Target (xGOT) metric, which tells us how likely a shot is to end in a goal based on the Expected Goals (xG) of the chance and the end location in the net.

Shots headed for the corners of the goal (which are harder to save) are therefore given a higher score.

The total xGOT that a goalkeeper faces can tell us the number of goals the average goalkeeper would concede from those shots on target.

Compare that to the number of goals a goalkeeper actually concedes (excluding own goals) and we can calculate how many goals they have prevented with their saves.

In the Czech First League this season, Kinsky ranks second for goals prevented, with 4.9, suggesting that without his shot-stopping ability, Slavia Prague would have conceded around five more goals than they did.

However, playing for a team as dominant as Slavia Prague – they are seven points clear at the top of the league, averaging more possession (61.4 per cent) than every other team and having faced at least 79 fewer shots (136) than any every team – naturally means he is tested less. What’s more, the average quality of the chances Slavia Prague concede is lower than every other team, at 0.06 xG per shot.

He certainly won’t have that luxury playing for Ange Postecoglou’s defensively leaky Spurs.

Only four teams have allowed their opponents shots worth more xG in the Premier League this season than Spurs' 34.3, with each shot they have faced worth, on average, 0.14 xG. In other words, each chance Spurs concede is more than twice as good in quality as those conceded by Slavia Prague.

But Kinsky also has experience playing for a less dominant side.

At Pardubice in 2023/24, he ranked fourth in the Czech top flight for goals prevented (2.2) and second for save percentage (78.9 per cent) playing for a team that ended up narrowly avoiding relegation. Each shot they conceded that season was worth 0.11 xG, and Kinsky still maintained one of the best save success rates in the league.

At that level, he has excelled when it comes to keeping the ball out of his net, so it will be interesting to see how he fares when up against better-quality finishers in the Premier League.

There’s much more to his game that Spurs will have looked at, though, and it’s no surprise given how Postecoglou wants his team to play that he has chosen a goalkeeper who is exceptional with the ball at his feet.

The inadequacies of their current back-up goalkeeper, Fraser Forster, with his feet have been exposed since Guglielmo Vicario broke his ankle, while third-choice keeper Brandon Austin simply chose to go long rather than play out from the back on his Spurs debut against Newcastle United at the weekend.

Kinksy, though, is very comfortable on the ball. Only six goalkeepers have made more passes than his 645 in the Czech league this season, but his 81.1 per cent passing accuracy is higher than any of those players. In Europa League matches, meanwhile, his passing accuracy of 83.9 per cent is the highest of any goalkeeper to make five or more appearances.

He is happy to take his goal-kicks short – something Postecoglou insists upon – with only one other Czech First League goalkeeper having taken more goal-kicks which end inside their own penalty area this season than Kinsky (35).

His confidence and competence on the ball means he is happy to leave his penalty area – something that will be particularly important playing behind Postecoglou’s high line.

Among goalkeepers, Kinsky has had the highest proportion of his touches outside his own box in both the Europa League (37.9 per cent) and the Czech First League (32.6 per cent) this season.

One area of concern for Spurs fans, however, may be corner kicks – where Vicario has struggled more or less ever since coming to England.

In general, Kinsky is happy to come for crosses and is often successful when he does so. He has made the most catches of any goalkeeper in the Czech top flight this season, with 48.

But the season before, while at Pardubice, Kinsky conceded a disproportionately high number of goals from corners, glued to his line all too often as the ball came into the box.

Despite playing just 18 of a possible 30 matches in the regular Czech league season, only three goalkeepers conceded more goals from corners than his six. That made up 32 per cent of all the 19 goals he conceded that season – the highest proportion of every goalkeeper in the division.

Defending corners is obviously a team effort, and those goals won’t all be entirely his fault. He may even argue that none of them were, particularly given he only let in one goal from a corner with Slavia Prague this season before his move to Spurs.

But given Spurs' problems from corners and the fact some opponents crowd their six-yard box to make life as difficult as possible for Vicario, that might be an area that Kinsky needs to work on.

Early on in particular, he’ll need to show as much confidence as possible underneath crosses in order to persuade teams this isn't a weakness to his game that they should go after.

He is clearly a hugely talented player, as well as a great prospect for Spurs to have on their books. It’s certainly reasonable to expect that he can at some stage challenge for Vicario’s No 1 jersey.

But Spurs are in dire need right now. They were forced to field Austin last weekend with Vicario injured and Forster ill. And, if we’re honest, even if he had been available, Forster hasn’t been entirely convincing of late.

Austin acquitted himself well enough in tough circumstances, making a couple of decent saves and pleasing the home crowd by cleanly claiming a couple of crosses when under pressure, but his lack of ability with the ball at his feet is a massive problem for Postecoglou’s football.

They can’t play out from the back with him in goal, and give up possession time and again by going long. If Kinsky is deemed ready, he will give Spurs a huge boost on that front.

Putting him straight into the first team would be an enormous risk for Postecoglou. It's hard to think of any big Premier League club signing an unproven goalkeeper and throwing them straight into action, partly because it's such a pressured position that doing so requires a very strong mindset as well as ability.

But Spurs could really do with him now, so could playing him be a risk worth taking? We may well soon find out.

Tottenham Hotspur have announced Son Heung-min's current contract has been extended until the summer of 2026.

The club have exercised the option for an additional season, which will take the South Korea international into an 11th year in north London.

Son was signed from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015 and has since made 431 appearances, scoring 169 goals. He is ranked 11th on the club's all-time appearances list and fourth on the top scorers' chart.

The forward was named club captain in August 2023, following the departure of his long-term team-mate and attacking partner, Harry Kane.

More to follow...

Does Postecoglou need to change? | Pundits on Spurs

Ian Wright and Jermain Defoe discuss whether Spurs head coach needs to compromise on his playing style in the short term

Tottenham Hotspur have signed Czech Republic goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague, subject to international clearance and work permit.

The 21-year-old joins from the Czech league leaders on a permanent deal until 2031 and is Spurs’ first signing of the January 2025 transfer window. He will wear the No 31 shirt.

Kinsky joins a Spurs team currently without first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who has an ankle injury and is not expected to be available until next month.

Vicario’s deputy Fraser Forster missed Saturday’s Premier League match at home to Newcastle United because of illness, forcing head coach Ange Postecoglou to hand a league debut to third-choice ’keeper Brandon Austin.

Postecoglou had previously talked about the club’s plans in the window to strengthen a squad ravaged by injuries.

“The club is working as hard as it possibly can, trust me,” Postecoglou said. “They are not having New Year parties, they are out there working trying to improve our situation and they’ll continue to do so.”

Who is Antonin Kinsky?

The 21-year-old, born in Prague on 13 March 2003, Kinsky began his footballing journey locally with FC Tempo Prague, Bohemians Prague 1905 and FK Dukla Prague, making his senior debut with the latter in July 2020.

He signed for Slavia Prague in July 2021, and gained useful experience during loan spells at MFK Vyskov (twice) and FK Pardubice before returning to his parent club for the 2024/25 season and establishing himself as No 1 'keeper.

Kinsky has made 29 appearances this season across across all competitions, including the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League qualifiers, keeping 14 clean sheets.

He has played for the Czech Republic at youth level and was called up to the senior squad for the first time last year.

When could he make his Spurs debut?

Spurs are next in action in the FA Cup third round when they travel to non-league Tamworth on Sunday 12 January. Their next Premier League match is the north London derby at Arsenal three days later.

Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak scored as Newcastle United came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 and claim a fifth straight Premier League win.

Isak continued his rich form when he nudged home to put Newcastle ahead in the 38th minute of Saturday’s contest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs, ravaged by injury and illness, had named their youngest Premier League starting XI (23y, 336d) since March 2015 (23y, 290d).

But it was Eddie Howe’s team that had to complete a turnaround after falling behind to Dominic Solanke’s excellent fourth-minute header.

Though Spurs’ defensive issues came back to bite when Gordon swiftly restored parity, just 140 seconds later.

Isak pounced on Radu Dragusin’s error to score for a seventh consecutive league game and ensure a winning start to 2025.

While Newcastle consolidated their place in fifth, Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham remain 11th as they suffered their 10th defeat in the league this season.

How the match unfolded

Under the watchful eye of new England boss Thomas Tuchel, two Three Lions hopefuls got the match off to a thrilling start. Solanke got the better of Sven Botman to head in from Pedro Porro’s excellent cross.

But Spurs’ lead lasted just 140 seconds, as Gordon slotted in coolly from a tight angle, with the goal confirmed after the VAR checked for handball by Joelinton in the build-up.

Gordon went close from a similar position in the 21st minute, but Brandon Austin made a sharp stop at his near post, before Isak prodded wide from Jacob Murphy’s centre.

Isak did not miss later, though, when another teasing Murphy cross was bundled into his path by Dragusin, with the Swede helping it into a gaping net.

Brennan Johnson hit the woodwork as Spurs searched for a response after the restart, though Gordon squandered a gilt-edged chance at the other end when he blazed over.

Substitute James Maddison curled just wide to spark a frantic conclusion in which Johnson and Sergio Reguilon flashed across the face of goal as an equaliser evaded Spurs.

An (Un)happy New Year

Tottenham conceded the first goal in 15 Premier League home games in 2024 and, even though they hit the front this time out, their makeshift defence could not cope with Newcastle’s quality in the final third.

They were unhappy with the decision to award Newcastle’s opener, with Lucas Bergvall’s pass having struck Joelinton’s arm before Bruno Guimaraes fed Gordon, but it was deemed that the Brazilian’s arm was in a natural position and the contact was accidental.

But Postecoglou must look at the scenario from which Newcastle’s equaliser came about. Only two minutes after taking the lead, Spurs took an unnecessary risk when playing out from the back, and were made to pay.

They also had a couple of warning signs prior to Isak putting Newcastle ahead. Gordon tested debutant goalkeeper Brandon Austin – standing in for the ill Fraser Forster – and Murphy found space down the right on multiple occasions before he eventually put in the cross that Dragusin bundled into Isak’s stride.

Dragusin was forced off at half-time as Spurs woes continued to mount, with Djed Spence having to partner Archie Gray in defence. To their credit, Tottenham held their own at the back from then on, but they could not find an equaliser at the other end – Johnson and Maddison going close before multiple cross-shots somehow avoided a glut of players in the box and Solanke headed just over.

Postecoglou needs his key players back, though, if Spurs – who face rivals Arsenal in their next league outing – are to get a season that is threatening to slip away completely, back on course.

Isak powering Newcastle’s Champions League charge

Howe was able to welcome back defender Botman from injury for his first start of the season, though the Dutchman – who went off with what looked like cramp late on – was caught out when Solanke stole in to open the scoring.

But given that there has never been a goalless Premier League draw between these teams, it was no surprise that the scoring started early. Howe will have been delighted with how his team responded to going behind, especially when considering that was the first top-flight goal Newcastle had conceded since their 4-2 loss at Brentford on 7 December.

Gordon got things going for the visitors, as he sent a message to the onlooking Tuchel with a superb finish low into the far corner from the left-hand side of the box.

Isak, though, is Newcastle’s man of the moment. He showed rare profligacy when he diverted wide in the 32nd minute, but he swiftly atoned with what was his sixth league goal against Spurs.

Gordon should probably have supplied a pass for another potential tap-in for Isak in the second half, but lashed over instead. Though Newcastle were not made to pay for that miss as they held on, including through 10 minutes of stoppage time, to apply further pressure to the top four.

Club reports

Tottenham Hotspur | Newcastle

What the managers said

Ange Postecoglou: "On the balance of play, any balance you want with all things being equal, we would have won today. Outstanding. I couldn't be prouder of the players. I couldn't ask any more. It's a game we would have won if all things were equal. If all things were equal and balanced we would have won today. Things weren't equal and balanced."

Eddie Howe: "We had to dig deep today. It was a tough win but a massive one. There's no denying the ball hit Joe's hand or arm but I'm not sure of the rules. Confidence has definitely shifted, it naturally does when you win games. It was something we were building to. Performances were good. We're a very good team with good players. I'd like to think we can keep it going."

Next PL fixtures

Key facts

Newcastle United have now won five consecutive Premier League games for the first time since April 2023, while Tottenham Hotspur have gone six league games without a home win (D2 L4) for the first time since October 2008 (D3 L5).

Aleksander Isak has now scored in seven consecutive Premier League matches for Newcastle United, becoming the third player to do so for the Magpies after Alan Shearer (September-November 1996) and Joe Willock (April-May 2021).

There have been 192 goals scored in the 60 Premier League matches between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, an average of 3.2 per game, making it the highest scoring fixture on average in the competition’s history (minimum of 50 meetings).

Tottenham Hotspur have now played 101 Premier League games without recording a 0-0 draw, only Manchester United (114 between May 1999 and May 2002) have had a longer run without a goalless draw in the competition’s history.

Joining Tottenham Hotspur on 1 January 2025 from Korean side Gangwon FC, Asian football expert John Duerden looks at the rise of Spurs' new teenage winger Yang Min-hyeok.

Yang Min-hyeok started 2024 as a 17-year-old high school student, juggling morning classes, afternoon training sessions and weekend appearances in the K-League for Gangwon FC.

It has been a remarkable rise for the winger - but then it was a remarkable debut season.

A breakout year

Yang scored 12 goals (just three behind the league’s top scorer) and managed six assists to help Gangwon FC, who had never previously finished higher than sixth, end the season as K-League runners-up.

Being named Rookie of the Year with a record number of votes was expected. Less so was July’s announcement that Yang had signed a five-and-a-half year deal with Spurs and would join the Premier League club in January 2025.

All this happened just four months after Yang made his professional debut to become the K-League’s youngest ever player.

“When I go to school, my friends always cheer me on, saying, ‘I saw you score a goal,’ and there are even friends who ask for my autograph,” Yang said, reflecting on his surreal year.

Style of play

Yang's role model is Phil Foden - for Gangwon he sported the same number 47 as the Manchester City star - and he loves to run at defenders and is happy to press high up the pitch.

"My strength is dribbling, using speed, and I think my finishing ability has improved recently," Yang said. "I might be a bit behind in terms of physicality… so I’m trying to improve that."

That mentality impressed his head coach at Gangwon, Yoon Jung-Hwan.

"Especially for a young player, Yang is very smart," Yoon said. "That is what makes him different. He understands his opponents and has a very bright future if he keeps working hard."

Another milestone was a call-up to the senior national squad in August, even though the star of the 2023 Under-17 Asian Cup did not come off the bench. When it next happens, he will be able to report for international duty with his Spurs team-mate, Son Heung-min.

Son never played in the K-League - the Spurs captain joined Hamburg as a 16-year-old - but playing-style comparisons between the two Korean attackers are inevitable.

"[Yang] is a very two-footed winger, in terms of physical build, he’s a bit smaller than 'Sonny’," said Korean football journalist Jason Lee.

"He doesn’t necessarily have [Son’s blistering pace] but he is a better 1-v-1 dribbler. If he continues to improve, Yang is a really exciting player."

Able to play on either side of attack, shoot from anywhere, and work extremely hard without the ball, it is clear why Yang might catch the attention of Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou.

A bright future

Millions of fans in Korea hope that Yang can impress Postecoglou, but there is also an understanding that he needs time to settle, mixed with a little excitement that Spurs asked the 18-year-old to fly to London a month earlier than originally planned.

Whatever happens in England, Yang's progress will be closely watched back home, if the number of reporters and cameras capturing his departure from Incheon International Airport on 16 December is any guide.

Yang's transfer is an unusual one for such a young player. Most of the South Korean stars who have made an impact in the Premier League such as Son, Park Ji-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Seol Ki-hyeon, and Ki Sung-yeung all arrived in England after impressing elsewhere in Europe.

Yang is the youngest player to go directly from the K-League to the Premier League. "I'd like to get into a match before the season ends, and hopefully score a goal or get an assist. Personally, I feel that I am ready," Yang said, just minutes before he boarded the plane for London.

More Korean stars to keep an eye on

If it works out for Yang in England, other young talents in the K-League - Asia’s oldest professional league - could follow him. Here are a few names to look out for:

Hwang Jae-won (Daegu FC)

Age: 22

Position: Right-back

Has already played for the national team and able to play on the right side of defence and midfield.

Hong Yun-sang (Pohang Steelers)

Age: 22

Position: Winger

Three years on loan in Germany seems to have helped as Hong has moved up a level since returning to Korea.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou is dealing with an injury crisis, with a number of central defenders set to miss their next match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

First-choice pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are long-term absentees, both were injured in their first match back from injury earlier this month against Chelsea and have missed Spurs' last four matches in all competitions.

Ben Davies has suffered a setback and is out for another couple of weeks, while Radu Dragusin was forced off in the loss at Nottingham Forest.

"It's a bit early to tell, he tweaked his ankle and felt like he couldn't continue, so we'll have to wait and see. We'll wait until he gets in (for training) today," Postecoglou said when asked about Dragusin in his pre-match press conference.

"[We've] not [got] many. We are in a tough spot. We have been for a while," Postecoglou added on his defensive options.

"We have been kind of getting through it for quite a while now and keeping our fingers crossed we don't get any more issues.

"It is the nature of football and the fixture scheduling we have had, which means we have always been on a fine line of trying to get through. It is another test for us, but it is what it is. Whatever we need to deal with, we will deal with and be ready for Sunday."

See: Latest Premier League injuries

Who will Spurs play at centre-back?

Spurs' 18-year-old versatile midfielder Archie Gray has been filling in at centre-back, starting the past five matches across all competitions there.

Dragusin has been partnering him but if he is out, then 19-year-old Alfie Dorrington may make a full Premier League debut. He has made one appearance in the competitions but was part of Spurs' Premier League 2 (PL2) winning team of 2023/24.

Midfielder Yves Bissouma ended the match against Forest at centre-back and could be a candidate to start there, as Postecoglou was asked whether it will be happen.

"I don’t know. I mean Yves has never played there so I am not sure why I would put him there," Postecoglou said.

"I had to put him there last night because I had no one else, but we’ll see. We’ll see what happens."

Spurs' other absentees

Spurs will also be without full-back Djed Spence v Wolves. He is suspended for one match after receiving two yellow cards against Forest.

First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is expected to be out until February while Wilson Odobert, Richarlison and Mikey Moore are also out.

How much is Spurs' injury crisis affecting them?

Spurs' lack of central defenders have been telling. Since losing Romero and Van de Ven against Chelsea, Postecoglou's side have conceded in all but one match that they've been unavailable in since.

And when Romero was taken off in the 15th minute against Chelsea, Spurs were leading 2-1 but proceeded to concede three more times and eventually lost 4-3.

Spurs' results since Romero and Van de Ven's injuries

Date Match Competition 08/12/2024 Spurs 3-4 Chelsea Premier League 12/12/2024 Rangers 1-1 Spurs Europa League 15/12/2024 Southampton 0-5 Spurs Premier League 19/12/2024 Spurs 4-3 Man Utd EFL Cup 22/12/2024 Spurs 3-6 Liverpool Premier League 26/12/2024 Forest 1-0 Spurs Premier League

Spurs' current points tally of 23 from their first 18 games is their worst in 16 seasons.

And even if they win their next match against Wolves, this will be their lowest points tally at the midway point of a Premier League season (19 games) since 2008/09 when they had won 20 points.

Will Spurs sign January reinforcements?

Postecoglou previously said that the club will strengthen their squad in the January transfer window, a comment he reiterated in his press conference on Friday.

"I still think you can be disciplined. It will depend where we’re at when the window opens and we're getting close to that now, so we've got a clearer picture of where we're at," Postecoglou added.

"It's not just about just bringing anybody in. There's certainly a need to reinforce if we can.

"Everyone knows January's not an easy time to do that. But the club's working hard behind the scenes to see what we can do to help players we've got at the moment who are giving everything in every game and dipping into every bit of energy they have to try to get us through.

"Not in years but I think in the context of where we're at at the moment I think it is an important one. I think if we add what we need to add and it fits the bill in what we're trying to do… Our league position is not great but it’s super tight and we’re not that far off. Like I say, we're in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and still in great position in Europe and there's the FA Cup.

"There's still everything to play for for us this year to make it a season where we can have success. But we need some help, the players need some help more importantly, and the club is working really hard to try make that happen."

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