TEAMtalk

Life has moved fast for Johnny Cardoso ever since the United States international midfielder moved to Europe last January.

The 22-year-old joined Real Betis from Brazilian side Internacional during the January transfer window and has so impressed in little over half a season in La Liga that Tottenham Hotspur have already moved to secure a first option on him at a pre-agreed price of €30 million.

It was a savvy move from Spurs who, as part of the negotiations to sell Argentinian playmaker Gio Lo Celso back to the Andalusian club they signed from in 2019, extracted additional value from the deal by obtaining the rights to jump the queue for one of the most interesting and high-potential young players in the Spanish top flight.

Cardoso was born on New Jersey and has represented the USA at under-23 and senior level, but to all intents and purposes he is a Brazilian footballer.

Born to Brazilian parents, the Cardosos moved back to their South American homeland when baby Joao Lucas – nicknamed “Johnny” – was just a few months old.

Cardoso came through the youth academy at Internacional to make his senior debut for the club a few days before his 18th birthday.

He soon became a regular starter at the Beira-Rio, racking up 144 appearances and scoring seven goals for the side from Porto Alegre.

That was enough to attract Betis’ attention, and the club from Seville splashed €6 million to take him to the Estadio Benito Villamarin midway through last season.

Cardoso hit the ground running in La Liga. After making his debut in a 4-2 loss to Barcelona on January 21, he played a full 90 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Mallorca a week later. Over what remained of the campaign, the 22-year-old started 15 of Betis’ 17 fixtures, coming off the bench in the other two.

Despite his impressive displays after his cross-continental switch, anyone expecting Cardoso to showcase the kind of flair, trickery and creativity associated with players who learned their trade in Brazil would have been disappointed.

Instead, he is a player in the mould of the classic Brazilian defensive midfielders – more Dunga than Romario, more Casemiro than Neymar. Strong and athletic at 6ft tall, Cardoso is a fierce competitor who doesn’t swerve a physical challenge in his duties protecting the backline. On the ball, he keeps things relatively simple, with a conservative approach to passing.

Measured against fellow La Liga midfielders last season, Cardoso ranked in the 99th percentile for interceptions per 90 (2.17), the 94th percentile for tackles (3.25), the 93rd percentile for dribblers tackled (1.49).

The ballast the young midfielder adds to the middle of the park will no doubt be the key feature of his game that has attracted Tottenham’s interest. Ange Postecoglou’s side shipped 61 league goals last season. Only Chelsea (63) and Newcastle (62) finished inside the top 11 places with a worse defensive record, while rivals Arsenal (29) conceded fewer than half as many goals as their north-London rivals.

Cardoso’s robustness extends to aerial duels, too. He ranked in the 93rd percentile among La Liga midfielders last season for aerials won per 90 (2.58) and was in the 88th percentile for success rate in aerial duels (60.3 per cent).

The 14-cap rising USMNT star also proved a creative tackler, if such a thing is possible, ranking in the 96th percentile among midfielders in Spain’s top flight last term for defensive actions per 90 that led to a shot (0.20).

“Johnny is a player that interests not only Tottenham, but many other teams, he has a great projection,” Betis president Angelo Haro told Mundo Deportivo.

“In this case, within the Gio operation, they asked us for an option to buy for a value that for us was important and interesting and we gave them that option.”

The Spanish side’s sporting director, Manu Fajardo, sung the young midfielder’s praises, too.

“Johnny’s performance is extraordinary,” he said. “He’s going to bring a lot of joy to Beticismo. Tottenham has a purchase option in amounts that will satisfy Betis if they occur.”

No timescale has been reported regarding when – or, indeed, if – Spurs will trigger their option to sign Cardoso from Betis. And the Premier League club might have indirectly aided his development by selling a creative player of Lo Celso’s calibre to Los Verdiblancos to play alongside the American.

But if Cardoso’s progress continues at its current rate, Tottenham have locked down player who could anchor their midfield for a generation.

Tottenham legend Teddy Sheringham has detailed how he expects “better performances” from Brennan Johnson in his second season at the club, with the forward compared to Marcus Rashford.

Johnson’s first season at Spurs saw him acquit himself well. In 32 Premier League games, the forward scored five goals and provided 10 assists.

Those returns followed eight league goals and three assists in his final league campaign with Nottingham Forest.

If he continues in that consistent manner, Tottenham should be in good touch.

But more contributions will be expected for him to become a genuine star, and given Spurs finished fifth last season, him adding more could elevate them up the table.

Former Spurs man Sheringham feels there are indeed bigger things coming from the forward.

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Sheringham expecting improvements from Johnson

“I’m expecting better performances from Brennan Johnson this season, more consistent performances,” Sheringham told football.london.

“That’s what you expect from your players in their second season at the club.”

Indeed, having clearly settled well in his first season, Johnson will hope to build upon those performances.

Sheringham also feels it’s unclear what the Welshman’s best position is, and that he’s similar to Manchester United forward Rashford in that respect, given his abilities when he plays out wide.

Johnson compared to Rashford

“I’m still not sure what his best position is. Is he a right winger? Is he a centre-forward? I’m not really sure,” Sheringham added.

“He’s a little bit like Marcus Rashford, in that he’s a player that plays wide, but you wouldn’t call him a winger because he doesn’t really get that many crosses into the box.”

Last season, Johnson played on both the left and right wings, as well as in the No.10 role, and up front.

The majority of his attacking returns came from the flanks.

In his first Premier League season with Forest, he also played on the wings at times, but he was used up top more often.

With Dominic Solanke coming through the door in north London, the potential of a spot up top seems slim, and with Johnson having largely played as a right-winger this term, the likelihood is that will be one of his main stations.

Tottenham have announced a midfielder who holds two club records has been loaned to Belgian side Westerlo, while two first-team defenders have been omitted from Spurs’ Europa League squad.

The English transfer window slammed shut last Friday, though plenty of windows around the world have remained open.

Friday September 6 is deadline day in Belgium and top flight side Westerlo have completed the signing of Tottenham midfielder Alfie Devine with plenty of time to spare.

Devine, 20, holds two records at Tottenham which were both set on the same day.

The attacking midfielder became Tottenham’s youngest ever player in senior football when debuting in an FA Cup clash with Marine back in January of 2021.

Devine was aged just 16 years and 163 days at the time and wasted no time smashing a second record minutes after his introduction from the bench.

Indeed, when scoring the fifth of Tottenham’s five goals on the day, Devine also became the club’s youngest ever goalscorer at senior level.

Fast forward to the present day and the now 20-year-old remains highly regarded in north London even though his career hasn’t progressed as many might have hoped.

Devine was loaned to League One side Port Vale last term before being handed a tougher challenge when loaned to Championship outfit Plymouth Argyle for the second half of the season.

Alfie Devine completed Westerlo loan after Spurs U-turn

Tottenham initially intended to integrate Devine into their first-team plans ahead of the 2024/25 season and the rising star appeared in five of six pre-season friendlies.

However, when the late decision was made to reverse course and loan Devine out, many of the Championship sides that were previously chasing his signature had already signed alternative targets.

As such, Devine’s options narrowed and a move to Belgium by way of Westerlo has now crossed the line.

The deal – a season-long loan with no option/obligation to buy – was confirmed by both Tottenham and Westerlo on Thursday afternoon.

Devine will now line up in the same eleven as centre-back Luka Vuskovic who is heading to Spurs in 2025.

Tottenham announced way back in September of 2023 they’d agreed a deal to sign highly-rated Croatian defender from Hajduk Split.

The deal was reported to be worth approximately £12m – a significant fee for a 16-year-old. Vuskovic will arrive in north London in the summer of 2025 and has already been capped at Under-19 level for Croatia.

He spent the second half of the 2023/24 season loaned from Hajduk Split to Polish side Radomiak Radom. Vuskovic was then loaned to Westerlo for the full 2024/25 season on July 9.

Tottenham axe two familiar faces from Europa squad

Elsewhere, Spurs have announced their Europa League squad for the upcoming expanded group phase.

Clubs are allowed to name 25 players, with four spots filled by club-trained stars.

However, following the exits of homegrown stars such as Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp, Tottenham only have two players eligible for the club-trained spots (goalkeeping duo Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman).

As such, Tottenham have been forced to name a reduced squad of just 23 and the end result is full-backs Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon have missed out.

With Emerson Royal sold to AC Milan and Spence not named, new signing Archie Gray may be in line to feature at right-back if and when Pedro Porro is rested and rotated.

Gray is a central midfielder by trade, though often spent time deputising at right-back with former club Leeds United.

TEST YOURSELF: The ultimate summer 2024 transfer window quiz: Can you get 25/25?

Tottenham Europa League squad in full

Goalkeepers: Guglielmo Vicario, Fraser Forster, Brandon Austin, Alfie Whiteman

Defenders: Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Radu Dragușin, Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies

Midfielders: Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr, Archie Gray, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison

Forwards: Son Heung-min, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner, Dominic Solanke, Richarlison

Clubs can alter their Europa League squad ahead of the knockout stages after the January window closes.

Fabrizio Romano has explained Eberechi Eze’s failure to move on from Crystal Palace over the summer after it’s been revealed that his release clause will be reactivated in 2025.

The England international had a buy-out clause made up of an initial £60million plus a further £8m in add-ons included in the three-and-a-half-year contract he signed with the Selhurst Park club last November.

But following a summer of uncertainty surrounding his future amid initial interest from England’s top clubs, most notably Tottenham, Manchester City and Newcastle, the clause elapsed ahead of the Premier League campaign as the attacker remained at Selhurst Park.

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The fact no clubs came forward to pay for the talented playmaker certainly left Eagles chairman Steve Parish stunned as he told Sky Sports: “I was really worried from a club point of view of losing Michael [Olise] and Ebbs [Eze] in the same window and we didn’t have in Ebbs the interest that I thought we would have.

“I was astounded. Genuinely astounded. I mean, the guy’s just an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person.”

Romano has now had his say on what went down over the summer with Eze, telling CaughtOffside for his exclusive Daily Briefing: “I want to clear up any confusion regarding Eberechi Eze, guys, as the England international didn’t leave Crystal Palace this summer.

“There was a release clause in his contract with the Eagles, so the situation this summer was never about whether the club would have accepted or declined offers for Eze or not.

“If any club had come in and paid the release clause, there was nothing Palace could’ve done about it and the decision to move would’ve rested with Eze himself.

“No club did trigger the release clause and there were no concrete contacts so in the end, that was the reason he remained at Selhurst Park.

“Man City for sure had him on their list in 2023, and it’s true that Tottenham appreciate him, but there was never any formal bid presented from either club or any other this summer.

“As Steve Parish said, everything was quiet.”

Eze exit clause back in play in 2025

Things might not be quite as quiet come next summer after a report from the Daily Mail revealed that Eze’s release clause is due to reopen at the end of the season, which will spark further speculation over his future at Palace. It is understood the price of the clause will remain the same.

However, Palace could be open to negotiating the terms of a deal for their attacking midfielder in 2025 despite the fixed price in his current deal.

Eze scored 11 goals and provided six assists across 31 games in all competitions last season despite a bit of a stop-start campaign due to injury.

However, he’s picked up his strong form again to start the new term with two goals in Palace’s opening four league and cup outings.

Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are among the clubs who have been given the chance to sign Yusuf Yazici in a bargain deal, according to a report.

The summer transfer window has now shut in Europe’s big five leagues, which means Premier League clubs must largely settle for the squads they have assembled. Although, some players could still leave for Turkey, as their window remains open until September 13.

Galatasaray are keen on signing Man Utd midfielder Casemiro, who looks set to be replaced by Manuel Ugarte, though TEAMtalk transfer insider Rudy Galetti has shut down talk of Antony heading to Fenerbahce.

While Prem clubs cannot sign players from other sides until January, they can still scour the free agent market in a last-ditch attempt to bolster their squads.

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This is where Yazici comes in. Football Insider claim that the forward – who mainly plays as an attacking midfielder but can also operate as a right winger or striker – has been ‘offered’ to Man Utd, Tottenham and Newcastle.

Aston Villa are also in the mix for the 27-year-old, who left Lille when his contract expired at the end of last season.

Yazici’s agent is working hard to get his client the best offer and there is thought to be ‘plenty of interest’ in his signature, with a switch to England a possibility.

Galatasaray are currently leading the race for Yazici, though one of Man Utd, Tottenham, Newcastle or Villa could disrupt that move.

Man Utd latest: Potential Tottenham battle for signing

Yazici could be a risk-free signing given the fact he is available for no transfer fee. The attacker has good experience at a high level, having won 45 caps for Turkey and also played for clubs such as Lille, Trabzonspor and CSKA Moscow.

Yazici is effective in the final third, too, having notched 64 goals and 39 assists in 267 games throughout his career so far.

The Trabzonspor academy graduate would not be an immediate starter for Man Utd, were he to move to Old Trafford in the coming weeks.

However, Yazici could operate as a backup for Man Utd’s first-choice No 10, Bruno Fernandes, should Mason Mount’s injury problems persist.

Man Utd have had plenty of issues in midfield in recent seasons and they could continue, with Scott McTominay having left and both Casemiro and Christian Eriksen entering the final few years of their careers.

Yazici would not be a blockbuster signing for the Red Devils, but he would give Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag an extra option to use without costing too much.

Tottenham have agreed to send their youngest ever scorer in senior football on loan to Belgian side Westerlo where he’ll play alongside a future Spurs superstar.

Midfielder Alfie Devine, now 20, became Spurs’ youngest ever goalscorer in senior competitive football back on January 10, 2021.

Tottenham thumped non-league side Marine 5-0 in an FA Cup clash. Loanee Carlos Vinicius bagged a first-half hattrick and Lucas Moura netted too, but it was Devine who stole the headlines.

The Warrington-born starlet made history when at just 16 years and 163 days, he became not only Tottenham’s youngest ever player, but also their youngest ever goalscorer in the tie.

Big things were expected to follow for Devine, though his Spurs career has not progressed as many would have hoped.

Devine has struggled to break into the first-team plans of varying Spurs managers since his record-setting feat.

He spent the first half of the 2023/24 season loaned to League One side Port Vale before being recalled by Tottenham in January.

On the back of his impressive displays for Port Vale, Spurs elected to give Devine a greater challenge and the youngster spent the second half of the campaign loaned to Championship club Plymouth Argyle.

However, with the likes of Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison now joined by new recruits Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall in midfield, Devine is no closer to breaking into the first-team on a regular basis.

As such, and to ensure his development isn’t stunted, Tottenham have agreed to loan Devine to Belgian top flight side Westerlo.

Alfie Devine season-long loan agreed

That is according to both Football London’s Alasdair Gold and Belgian outlet Gazet van Antwerpen.

GVA stated Spurs and Westerlo – who currently sit fourth in the Belgian Pro League – have ‘reached an agreement for a one-season loan.’

Journalist Alasdair Gold echoed that claim, adding Devine is expected to travel to Belgium today (Wednesday) to finalise the move.

The Belgian transfer window is among those that remain open and is due to close on Friday, September 6.

Why now for Tottenham exit?

Gold also provided insight as to why a loan exit is only now being ramped up.

The reporter claimed several Championship sides had registered their interest in the Spurs midfielder earlier in the summer.

However, Tottenham initially made it clear Devine was not available for transfer, thus indicating they planned to give the player opportunities to shine in the first-team.

But when the club ultimately decided to explore the loan market later on in the window, many of the Championship sides that showed interest had already signed alternative targets.

As such, the route to Belgium with Westerlo has opened up and once the move is completed, Devine will line up alongside a future Spurs superstar.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: The ultimate summer 2024 transfer window quiz: Can you get 25/25?

Future Tottenham ace already shining at Westerlo

Tottenham announced way back in September of 2023 they’d agreed a deal to sign highly-rated Croatian centre-back, Luka Vuskovic, from Hajduk Split.

The deal was reported to be worth approximately £12m – a significant fee for a 16-year-old. Vuskovic will arrive in north London in the summer of 2025 and has already been capped at Under-19 level for Croatia.

He spent the second half of the 2023/24 season loaned from Hajduk Split to Polish side Radomiak Radom. Vuskovic was then loaned to Westerlo for the full 2024/25 season on July 9.

Vuskovic has started six out of six matches for Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League this season and even scored in the 4-2 victory over Mechelen on August 3.

Barring any late hiccups, Vuskovic will now be joined by future Tottenham teammate Devine for the remainder of the season.

Ange Postecoglou will reportedly only sign a centre-back on loan in the January transfer window as he plans to use two highly-rated Tottenham defenders in 2025.

There was plenty of talk of Spurs moving for another central defender during the summer window to complete a quarter of quality performers in that position, with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin already on board.

Centre-back ended up being a problem position for Postecoglou in the first half of last season after Van de Ven missed a significant amount of time with a hamstring injury and Romero had his suspension issues.

Dragusin was brought in as cover in January after both Ben Davies and Emerson Royal were used centrally at times, but Postecoglou focused on strengthening other areas of his team over the last couple of months.

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The Tottenham midfield and forward line have seen the most change and that has led to talk of the defence potentially being addressed in the new year.

However, GIVEMESPORT reports that Postecoglou is ready to throw Ashley Phillps and Luka Vuskovic into the mix next year to compete for a place on the bench.

The report states that the Australian does not want block their path into the first-team by spending big on another central defender when the winter window opens.

Phillips, Vuskovic to feature in 2025/26

Both Phillips and Vuskovic are currently out on loan for the current campaign, with the former in the Championship with Stoke City and the latter at Jupiler Pro League side Westerlo.

That appears to mean that Postecoglou will integrate them into the next pre-season ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, and will mean Tottenham only signing a centre-back on a temporary basis in January – if needed.

Davies remains at the club as cover centrally and in his preferred left-back role, while summer signing Archie Gray showed his versatility before the new season began when he lined up in his favoured central midfield position as well as at right-back and, impressively, in central defence.

Indeed, the combination of Davies and Gray might just negate the need to add to the centre-back room, dependent on what happens with Romero, Van de Ven and Dragusin over the next few months.

There has been a worrying sign in that regard already though, with Dutchman Van de Ven missing Sunday’s defeat at Newcastle are jarring his knee against Everton. The Netherlands international is, however, expected to return after the international break for the north London derby against Arsenal on September 15.

Real Betis president Angel Haro has announced that Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement to sign Johnny Cardoso in the future, with the 22-year-old also hailed for his ‘extraordinary’ displays.

Tottenham and Betis were involved in two deals during the recently completed summer transfer window. Giovani Lo Celso left Tottenham on a permanent basis to re-join Betis, for whom he previously registered 16 goals and six assists in 45 outings.

Tottenham originally paid £27.2million to sign the attacking midfielder from Betis, but they had to take a financial hit when letting him go.

Late on transfer deadline day, Spurs confirmed that Lo Celso had headed back to the Spanish club, with the move understood to be worth £10m.

QUIZ: Can you name every signing by the Premier League’s ‘big six’ this summer?

Spurs and Betis have a good relationship and this allowed Ange Postecoglou’s side to get first refusal on a rising La Liga star.

Spurs have the priority to sign 22-year-old Betis midfielder Cardoso. The USA international only joined Betis in January but has already established himself as an important player in their side.

On Sunday, it emerged that Spurs can sign Cardoso for €25-30m (£21-25m / US$27-33m).

Betis chief Haro has now spoken about both the Lo Celso and Cardoso transfers in an interview with Mundo Deportivo. He said: “Johnny is a player that interests not only Tottenham, but many other teams, he has a great projection.

Tottenham latest: Betis confirm Johnny Cardoso clause

“In this case, within the Gio operation, they asked us for an option to buy for a value that for us was important and interesting and we gave them that option.”

Betis sporting director Manu Fajardo added: “Johnny’s performance is extraordinary. He’s going to bring a lot of joy to Beticismo. Tottenham has a purchase option in amounts that will satisfy Betis if they occur.”

European football expert Andy Brassell also gave his verdict on Cardoso over the weekend.

“The interesting thing is this [Lo Celso’s move] might help Tottenham negotiate an option, it seems, for Johnny Cardoso,” he said.

“Quite an interesting backstory, so he was born in the US to Brazilian parents but he moved back to Brazil when he was three or four months old. To all intents and purposes, he is a Brazilian player, he’s come through the system there before going over to Betis.

“Very popular, very energetic, you can imagine Cardoso working really well in the Premier League because he loves a tackle, he loves to get stuck in, so you can imagine him protecting that Tottenham defence going forward.”

Should Spurs activate their option to buy Cardoso, then the ex-Internacional star will compete with the likes of Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr, Archie Gray and Rodrigo Bentancur for a starting spot in midfield.

The full details have emerged on Tottenham’s potential future capture of Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso following his involvement in Giovani Lo Celso’s return to the LaLiga club on deadline day.

Lo Celso signed a three-year deal to return to Betis on Friday for a bargain fee of €5million after the Argentine failed to convince Ange Postecoglou is he was worthy regular spot on the bench at the very best.

However, part of that deal saw Tottenham also have a special clause inserted to sign USA international Johnny Cardoso, who is regarded as one of Los Verdiblancos’ highest-value players.

Cardoso joined Betis from Internacional in January in a deal worth £5m (€6m, $6.6m) and, during his time in LaLiga, the defensive midfield pivot has shown himself to be a strong addition to the side.

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And now the details have been revealed over the future clause Tottenham have in place for the talented 22-year-old.

Reports from Spain claim that the clause is worth in the region of £21-25m (€25-30m, $27-33m), so Betis would have to accept this amount if Tottenham opt to take up their option. Furthermore, the clause is activated next summer but cannot go beyond September 2025, by which time it becomes redundant.

Cardoso tipped to be big hit at Tottenham

If Cardoso does indeed complete a switch to north London, European football expert Andy Brassell is convinced that Spurs will have done an excellent piece of business.

Speaking about Lo Celso’s return to Betis, Brassell described Cardoso as a player perfect for English football who could take his place in Tottenham’s midfield for years to come.

He said: “The interesting thing is this [Lo Celso’s move] might help Tottenham negotiate an option, it seems, for Johnny Cardoso.

“Quite an interesting backstory, so he was born in the US to Brazilian parents but he moved back to Brazil when he was three or four months old. To all intents and purposes, he is a Brazilian player, he’s come through the system there before going over to Betis.

“Very popular, very energetic, you can imagine Cardoso working really well in the Premier League because he loves a tackle, he loves to get stuck in, so you can imagine him protecting that Tottenham defence going forward.”

Adding Cardoso to the mix next summer would certainly give Ange Postecoglou another young option to call on his engine room, after the club brought in Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall over the summer.

Both Gray and Bergvall are yet to make their first starts in the Premier League for Spurs, but it’s a matter of when and not if that happens after the duo made such an impression during pre-season.

Tottenham are back in action on September 15 after the international break when they have the small matter of the first north London derby of the season at home to Arsenal.

Two Tottenham stars were accused of not doing their jobs properly after being at fault for Newcastle’s winner as Ange Postecoglou’s men suffered another defeat on Tyneside on Sunday.

St James’ Park has been an unhappy hunting ground for Spurs during the Premier League era, and so it proved again despite a largely dominant display against the hosts.

However, Tottenham failed to make the most of their chances again, as they had at Leicester in their away opener, and were made to pay when Alexander Isak netted the winner for Eddie Howe’s men.

Playing a high defensive line again, Sky Sports co-commentator Andy Hinchcliffe was particularly critical of Cristian Romero for ball-watching and Destiny Udogie for allowing Jacob Murphy to easily get in behind the defence.

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The pundit stressed the importance of Tottenham’s defenders maintaining awareness of their surroundings and positioning themselves better to counter potential threats.

Hinchcliffe said: “Defensively from Tottenham, this is just truly dreadful.

“Don’t ball-watch, you have to drop off. Romero just seems to be watching the ball, no idea where [Jacob] Murphy is, [Destiny] Udogie hasn’t tracked him in.

“It’s too easy for Murphy to get in behind that Tottenham back line.”

Tottenham trio in race to face Arsenal

The defensive issues that often plagued Tottenham again were once again in evidence at St James’ Park, although they were compounded by the loss of Micky van de Ven prior to the game.

Van de Ven jarred his knee against Everton but was then pictured in training before the trip to Newcastle. However, the centre-back sat out the game at Newcastle as Postecoglou was unwilling to risk the player given Romani international Radu Dragusin was ready to deputise.

Postecoglou said: “Micky was close in training this week but with the international break he’s not quite 100 per cent. Part of me was keen to give Radu a run, especially at this venue, so yeah we’re going with Radu today.”

Asked if it was disappointing, the manager replied: “No, not really. It’s nothing serious. We’ve got a heaped programme straight after the international break so we’re going to need all our back four. So getting Radu a game today I think is a positive thing for us.”

Van de Ven has now withdrawn from the Netherlands squad for the upcoming international break to focus on his recovery and there is every expectation he will be ready to face north London Arsenal in two weeks’ time.

Record signing Dominic Solanke was also missed on Tyneside after picking up an ankle injury against Leicester that has ruled him out for two games so far.

Speaking before the Newcastle trip, Postecoglou said: “Dom is close but we’re going to be a bit cautious with him, we’ve got a big programme post the international break, so he’ll miss out.”

Richarlison could face longer absence

Solanke is, however, expected to be fit to face Arsenal on September 15, which is great news for Postecoglou given that Richarlison could still be missing for the north London derby.

The Brazilian will have hoped to take advantage of Solanke’s absence but picked up an injury in training ahead of the Newcastle outing.

Postecoglou gave no exact timeline for Richarlison but, having not been called up by Brazil for the upcoming international break, he will remain at Hotspur Way to continue his rehabilitation.

The Australian told reporters on Friday: “The only other one we got midweek is Richarlison, who unfortunately picked up an injury in training, so he’ll probably miss the next few weeks.”

Tottenham did at least have key midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur available again over the weekend after he passed the concussion protocol, although he was only used from the bench against Newcastle.