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Tottenham Hotspur have announced the departure of joint sporting director Fabio Paratici less than four months after his return to north London. The 53-year-old is joining Fiorentina in his home country, hoping to transform the fortunes of the Serie A strugglers. Paratici previously held the managing director's role at Spurs from June 2021 to April 2023 before resigning after a FIFA ban.

Joint sporting director Fabio Paratici will leave Tottenham Hotspur in February to join Serie A strugglers Fiorentina - less than four months after returning to the Premier League club.

The Italian returned to his role at Spurs in October, working alongside Johan Lange. Paratici had previously spent just under two years as the club’s managing director of football from June 2021 to April 2023 before stepping back after a 30-month FIFA ban for alleged financial malpractice during his time at Juventus.

Paratici will leave at the conclusion of the winter transfer window for Fiorentina, who are in the relegation zone in Serie A.

"I want to thank Vinai [Venkatesham] and the board of Tottenham Hotspur for accommodating my desire to return to Italy and join Fiorentina," said Paratici.

"I have loved my time at the club, however this opportunity, together with the need to be based in my homeland, has led me to this decision.

"Spurs is a club that is very close to my heart. It has great people working for it, who are as passionate about the project as I am and want to bring sustained success. I have no doubt that they will achieve that and I will be watching closely from Italy."

Tottenham made several significant signings under Paratici, including the £60 million acquisition of Richarlison, club captain Cristian Romero in a £42m deal, and England international Djed Spence for £12m.

Spurs made their first signing of the January transfer window on Wednesday, bringing Conor Gallagher to north London on a long-term contract. They are also reportedly close to signing Brazilian left-back Souza from Santos.

His departure comes during a difficult period of the season for Tottenham and head coach Thomas Frank, who has overseen just three wins out of their last 14 matches in all competitions.

The club's season deteriorated further last weekend with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup. Tottenham host West Ham on Saturday as they look to climb towards the top half of the Premier League table.

Venkatesham, Spurs' chief executive officer, said: "We have agreed that Fabio will return to Italy following the conclusion of the January transfer window, in line with his wish to move back home. We thank Fabio for his contribution to the club and wish him well for the future.

"Our management structure is designed to be resilient to personnel changes, and it will be business as usual moving forward."

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Paratici faces the challenge of improving the fortunes of troubled Fiorentina, who have managed just two league victories so far this season.

Stefano Pioli was dismissed in November following the club’s worst-ever start to a campaign, while his successor Paolo Vanoli also came under pressure before overseeing a recent upturn in results.

Few would have predicted Fiorentina to find themselves in such a precarious position at this stage of the season.

A sixth-place finish last term secured a return to the UEFA Conference League, but three defeats in six matches have left them facing a play-off to progress in a competition they lost in the final in both 2023 and 2024.

Paratici will reunite with Manor Solomon, who left Spurs earlier this month to join La Viola on loan.

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Tottenham Hotspur ready to let Mathys Tel and Radu Dragusin leave as they search for new striker - Paper Round

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Tottenham Hotspur are considering letting both Mathys Tel and Radu Dragusin leave but could first look for attacking reinforcements, particularly after Richarlison’s substitution against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. Elsewhere, Manchester United could send Toby Collyer out on loan to Hull City, while Arsenal are leading the way to sign Georgian Stanway when she leaves Bayern Munich.

Tel could leave on loan

Mathys Tel could leave Tottenham Hotspur on loan as he looks to get minutes on the pitch ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The 20-year-old has made little headway in north London this season, but an exit may depend on Spurs finding a replacement, particularly after Richarlison’s injury against Aston Villa on Saturday evening.

The Daily Mail explains: "Tottenham may allow forward Mathys Tel to go out on loan this month as he pushes to make France's World Cup squad.

"The 20-year-old made his loan move from Bayern Munich permanent in the summer for £30 million but has started just five matches under Thomas Frank, though has scored three goals.

"Tel was left out of Spurs' Champions League squad in September but brought back in following [an] injury to Dominic Solanke in December.

"Much will depend if Spurs can find a new forward this month having already sold Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace.

"Spurs are finalising terms with Santos for left wing-back Souza."

Dragusin faces Spurs exit

Radu Dragusin has been struggling to get back into the Tottenham side after injury and he could leave this January.

Serie A outfit AS Roma are said to have made an offer of an initial loan which could become permanent.

The Sun reports: "The Serie A side Roma are eyeing up a move for Spurs centre-back Dragusin, with Italian reports even suggesting a loan-to-buy offer has been made.

"Spurs beat Bayern Munich to the signing of Dragusin in January 2024.

"SunSport understands Dragusin could also be moved on if the north Londoners receive an acceptable bid."

Collyer poised for Hull loan

Manchester United midfielder Toby Collyer could go back out on loan for the second half of the season.

He started the campaign with West Bromwich Albion but failed to properly kick on after a series of injuries, but the Mirror believes he will spend the rest of the season with Hull City.

The paper writes: "Manchester United star Toby Collyer is set to complete a loan move to Hull City despite being recalled earlier this month. The young midfielder spent the first half of the season with second-tier side West Bromwich Albion.

"But his spell at the Hawthorns was hampered by injuries, with the 22-year-old making just 12 appearances, only three of which were starts. The Red Devils announced earlier this month that Collyer was returning to Old Trafford.

"The Tigers sit seventh in the standings after an impressive start to the campaign. Hull take on Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers on Sunday in the FA Cup third round on Sunday - a game that is likely set to come too soon for Collyer."

Arsenal lead race for Stanway

Georgia Stanway confirmed that she would leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, and she is set to return to England.

The Athletic reports that Arsenal are heading the chase to sign the England international midfielder and can now sign a pre-contract agreement.

The website states: "Arsenal are expected to be the leading candidate to sign midfielder Georgia Stanway in the summer after the England international confirmed that she will leave Bayern Munich when her contract expires at the end of the season.

"As Stanway, 27, is entering the final six months of her current deal with Bayern, from January 1 she can sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign teams. The north London side have shown significant interest and are in a strong position to fend off other suitors although nothing has been signed yet.

"Having taken the leap to leave Manchester City and play abroad in 2022, Stanway has made Munich home for the last four seasons. In her 94 appearances for Bayern, she has won three Bundesliga titles. This campaign Bayern are six points clear and unbeaten at the top of the table after 14 games."

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‘Frank will get a lot of flak for this’ - Tottenham Hotspur brawl with Aston Villa as ‘pain deepens’ after FA Cup defeat

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Tottenham Hotspur were defeated 2-1 at home by Aston Villa on Saturday evening in the Emirates FA Cup third round, and while that loss put more pressure on boss Thomas Frank, there were hints of deeper problems when supporters booed the performance following the final whistle, which coincided with a brawl between Villa and Tottenham players near the home side's goal.

Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Aston Villa compounded a difficult time for the club, while a brawl broke out after the final whistle.

The pressure piled onto manager Thomas Frank with another home defeat, meaning they had just three wins out of their last 14 matches in all competitions, and left them with just the UEFA Champions League as the only tournament remaining where they have a faintly credible chance of success.

Captain Cristian Romero hit out at the club’s hierarchy in a now-deleted social media post, and Frank confirmed that the player would remain as the team’s skipper, though he was not in the squad for the cup tie in north London on Saturday.

Tottenham’s fans booed the players at the end of the defeat, which meant that the club were no longer in either domestic cup competition, and with Frank under pressure from the supporters, the loss only made the situation worse for the Dane.

An injury in the first half to striker Richarlison will not have helped matters, either, after the club sold forward Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace earlier in the transfer window.

There were further signs of serious disquiet when Tottenham's fans appeared to walk out in the first half, following Morgan Rogers' goal, which put Unai Emery's side 2-0 up.

Emi Buendia had scored the first goal of the game, with Wilson Odobert pulling one back in the second half for Tottenham, though they could not find a way through for an equaliser.

The atmosphere then boiled over after the game had ended, when players from both sides confronted each other close to the home side’s goalmouth.

Micky van de Ven, Joao Palhnha, Kevin Danso and Archie Gray of Tottenham, and Aston Villa’s Lamare Bogarde, Rogers and Ollie Watkins appeared to engage in a heated argument, accompanied by some jostling with one another.

Wrapping up the result on commentary for TNT Sports, Sam Matterface reflected on the tension at the club.

"Tottenham's pain deepens," he announced. "Out of both domestic cup competitions before the end of January. Home wins as scarce as unity between the club and supporters."

The commentator then noticed the argument that was spilling over into physical confrontation, with a majority of players joining the ruckus, along with stewards and members of club staff.

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He continued: "There's a brawl breaking out in the far corner. More indiscipline involving Tottenham Hotspur players, right at the end of this game. Thomas Frank will get a lot of flak for this.

"Tottenham will get a lot of flak for this too, but the problems might just run a little deeper than just the man in the dugout."

Tottenham are next in action against West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday, January 17.

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Tottenham Hotspur started their FA Cup third round tie in north London against Aston Villa wearing a newly designed home kit. The club announced that the change was in order to commemorate their 1901 FA Cup win, almost 125 years ago. The change did not alter the club's fortunes for the better, as Emi Buendia and then Morgan Rogers put the visitors 2-0 up in the first half.

Tottenham Hotspur have revealed the reason why they are wearing a new home kit for their Emirates FA Cup tie against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Thomas Frank’s men were drawn against Villa in the third round, with the tie being held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London.

The shirt is in a lilywhite shade of white, with a retro club crest adorning its front, without any player names above the number on the back.

The shorts and socks are a navy blue colour.

The club released a statement explaining the change on their official website, stating that the decision was to commemorate their FA Cup triumph in 1901. Their win in April of that year, roughly 125 years ago, marked the only time that a club had won the FA Cup as a non-league side.

The club would go on to win the tournament another seven times, making it eight in total. Their most recent was in 1991.

Their latest trophy came when they won the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the final under former manager Ange Postecoglou. That ended a drought for a major title since their League Cup win in 2007/8.

They wrote in their statement: "Back in April, 1901, 125 years ago, we became the first and only ever non-league club to win the FA Cup.

"To commemorate the historic achievement, our men’s first team will wear a special edition 1901 kit during tomorrow’s FA Cup third-round tie against Aston Villa, unveiled in collaboration with Nike.

"The special edition shirt features a heritage crest which, along with our sponsor logos, will appear in lilywhite, and no player surnames feature on the back, with only the shirt number visible. The shirts will be auctioned via MatchWornShirt, with part of the proceeds donated to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to continue its work in local schools and transforming lives across the community.

"The shirt is launched with an accompanying campaign film Carved From Our History, centring on a marble relief sculpture of the 1901 shirt, capturing every detail and texture of the shirt through exceptional craftsmanship, designed by artist Alasdair Thomson."

Tottenham’s kit did little to help the side in their quest to improve their recent form under current boss Frank.

They suffered the loss of Brazilian striker Richarlison to injury in the first half as they ended the period 2-0 down after two strikes, first from Villa playmaker Emi Buendia, and then his team-mate Morgan Rogers.

However, Wilson Odobert pulled a goal back after the break to give the north Londoners some hope.

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Richarlison appeared to suffer a hamstring injury, which may exacerbate a shortage of forward players after Brennan Johnson was sold to Crystal Palace earlier in the January transfer window, for a fee believed to be around £35 million.

The club are expected to sign Brazilian 19-year-old left-back Souza from Santos.

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Watch as Morgan Rogers scores a second goal for Aston Villa in their FA Cup at Tottenham Hotspur. You can watch the third round of the 2025/26 men's Emirates FA Cup live across the weekend on TNT Sports and discovery+.

The Emirates FA Cup

Micky de Ven 'desperate' to leave Spurs amid Barcelona interest, Manchester United keen on Serie A defender Tarik Muharemovic - Euro Transfer News

In today's edition of Euro Transfer News, Barcelona have identified Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven as an option in their search for a new centre-back, while Spurs are looking at another Premier League star. Meanwhile, Manchester United are keeping tabs on Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemovic but they will likely have to battle with Internazionale for the 22-year-old's signature.

Barca add Van de Ven to shortlist

Barcelona are interested in signing a centre-back and Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven is on their radar.

Spanish outlet Sport has reported that, despite being under contract until 2029, the Dutchman is "desperately" keen to leave north London in the summer.

The report reads: "It's no secret that Barca is closely monitoring the market for centre-backs to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season. The Catalan club is clear that now is the time to bring in a first-choice defender, preferably left-footed.

"The sporting director has made contact with several names, including Nico Schlotterbeck [Borussia Dortmund], Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), and Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace – who is right-footed), but there's a dark horse on the list.

"It's Dutch international Micky Van de Ven, a player who desperately wants to leave Tottenham this summer and would welcome a move to Barca.

"The sporting management views the signing of the centre-back as a strategic operation and is confident that resources will be available to handle a high-level transfer.

"The main obstacle is the fierce competition, with left-footed players highly sought after in the market, but there is optimism because some footballers would prioritise a move to Barca if they decide to leave their current clubs."

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Another centre-back who is in high demand is Sassuolo's Tarik Muharemovic, with Manchester United among the parties interested in the former Juventus player.

Sport Witness, via Gazzetta dello Sport, has reported that both the Premier League giants and Internazionale are keen on landing the 22-year-old's signature.

Aston Villa and Bournemouth are also reportedly interested in "one of the best centre-backs in Serie A this season".

The report adds: "Aston Villa, Manchester United and Bournemouth are following the defender. Inter Milan are also interested and view him as a replacement for Stefan De Vrij. Bologna have also enquired about his situation and this has been confirmed by Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali.

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"Aston Villa, Manchester United and Bournemouth have been issued a warning about Juventus, though. This is because the Bianconeri have a sell-on clause of 50% in Muharemovic’s current contract. This can hand them an advantage, especially if they make a serious approach.

"The 22-year-old is currently valued at €30 million with Sassuolo not interested in a January sale. Their objective is to make sure that Muharemovic’s value increases further by the summer. This will help them earn an even bigger capital gain, having signed him from Juve for €3m."

Tottenham want Schade

Kevin Schade has been in excellent form for Brentford this season, scoring six times in the Premier League, including a recent hat-trick against Bournemouth.

His impressive numbers have alerted potential suitors, with Spurs, led by his former coach Thomas Frank, at the top of the list and closely monitoring his situation across London.

Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg has reported: "Kevin Schade is one to watch for the summer, as a move after the World Cup currently appears likely.

"However, Brentford still want him to stay and are keen on extending his contract beyond 2028. Many clubs are interested. Tottenham are among the teams closely monitoring him, as revealed. Price valuation: €50–60m."

Madrid 'frontrunners' for Schlotterbeck

Real Madrid are leading the race for Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck, according to Bild, although Bayern Munich are also keen on the Bundesliga star, who will be a free agent in 2027, which is when the German giants may strike a deal.

However, Dortmund will reportedly slap a €50m price tag on the 26-year-old for any clubs interested in a move for him this summer.

That has not put Madrid off making a move, though, as Los Blancos may lose both Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba at the end of the current campaign.

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Mohammed Kudus is set to be out until April with a quad injury, Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank said on Thursday. Following the sale of Brennan Johnson - Kudus' natural deputy - to Crystal Palace, Frank finds himself scrambling for options to combat the absence of the Ghana international. Might the north London club dip into the January transfer market, or find in-house solutions?

If Wednesday's last-gasp 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth was not bleak enough for Tottenham Hotspur supporters, Thomas Frank's injury updates in Thursday's press conference did not make matters any easier.

In a huge blow to Spurs' hopes of salvaging their season, came the news that summer signing Mohammed Kudus is not expected to be back in action until April, after he sustained a quad injury in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland on January 4.

"Kudus is unfortunately a bigger one to the tendon in the quad," Frank said ahead of Saturday's FA Cup third-round match against Aston Villa - live on TNT Sports and discovery+. "So that's one where we expect him back after the March international break."

Spurs' 17th-placed Premier League finish under Ange Postecoglou last season could, in part, be attributed to their relentless injury woes. And judging by the 2025/26 season so far, Frank's fortunes are much the same - as he also offered updates on the fitness of Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur.

He continued: "And then the latest on Dejan Kulusevski is that we know it's a complicated injury, if there's one person that can accelerate that, it is Dejan, he's a top pro and got a top mentality.

"The most important thing is to remove the pain in the knee. Got an injection to help that 10 days ago, we know in three to four weeks if it's settled, and when it's settled hopefully he'll be on the grass and from there we'll see what's happening."

"Yeah, Lucas is being assessed today, we know more later today with him. Same with Rodri.

"Rodri's hamstring injury looks like a bigger one, unfortunately. We don't know the timeframe of that, we also will know later."

Long-term injuries to Dominic Solanke and James Maddison have also hampered Spurs' season, while Frank has been without Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr in recent weeks due to their Africa Cup of Nations participation.

Kudus had featured in all but one Premier League match prior to him being absent at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday, so who might step up in the next three months?

Randal Kolo Muani

Particularly in the opening weeks of the Premier League season, Kudus was the main creative drive for Frank's side.

While he had not managed to chalk up a goal contribution since December 9 - the Ghana international holding width and willingly running in behind for Spurs down the right gave him a unique attribute among Spurs' forward options, and one they will struggle to replicate in his absence.

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Randal Kolo Muani replaced Kudus on the right when coming on in his place against Sunderland. With previous experience playing across the front line, he represents an option for Frank, albeit his failure to impact the 1-1 draw may cast some doubts.

Brennan Johnson would originally have been the natural replacement for Kudus when he hobbled off after 19 minutes. Alas, just two days earlier, Crystal Palace had completed a club-record deal to sign the Wales international.

Xavi Simons

Mathys Tel, who has largely been reduced to substitute appearances since signing from Bayern Munich last season, provided a timely reminder of his promise with an excellent opener against Bournemouth - cutting in from the left to fire a low effort past Djordje Petrovic.

And it raises a strong case for the France Under-21 international to get a regular run of games in that position - potentially freeing up Xavi Simons to figure on the right.

Simons returned from a three-match suspension in the Bournemouth defeat, and provided a lovely assist for Tel's opener with a back-heel flick.

He has figured across Spurs' attack this season - mostly from the left or behind the striker - but showed great proficiency from the right during his prior spells with PSV and RB Leipzig.

The Netherlands international has shown flashes of great quality during his time in north London, but struggled to consistently sustain those performances. Might this new role offer a chance to really kickstart his Spurs career?

Wilson Odobert

Wilson Odobert is another who is clearly most comfortable on the left, but certainly has the capabilities to fill the void left by Kudus.

Odobert's injury-ravaged 2024/25 campaign featured one clear highlight - his brace in the 3-1 victory against AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa League round-of-16.

The 21-year-old played off the right during that match, perhaps as a more traditional winger than Kudus, but his ability on that side was there for all to see.

Odobert playing on the right was also fruitful when he netted in the 1-1 draw with West Ham United in May, and despite most regularly featuring on the left under Frank, his experience cannot be ignored as the Dane must creatively search for an able Kudus deputy.

New signing?

Some reports, including by the Daily Mail, have suggested Spurs have accelerated their pursuit of an attacking January addition after learning the severity of Kudus' injury.

Due to not having an obvious like-for-like replacement for Kudus - who is expected to return shortly before the end of the season - might Spurs bring plans forward to acquire one of their targets this month?

Monaco's right-winger Maghnes Akliouche has been mentioned among Spurs' reported targets, and would provide immediate relief to their current conundrum, having impressed this season with three goals and five assists in 23 appearances.

Juventus youngster Kenan Yildiz is also said to be admired by Spurs, but the north London club would have to fight off several other suitors in order to secure the Turkey international's signature from Juventus.

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