Football365

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has hit out at a Tottenham Hotspur star as he has insisted that the “standard of behaviour is always important”.

Spence has been in great form for Spurs over the past 18 months as he has saved his Tottenham career and broken into the England squad.

The versatile full-back impressed for England during the October international break as he cemented himself as one of the frontrunners to start at next summer’s World Cup.

However, Spence was an unused substitute as England beat Serbia 2-0 on Thursday night and Tuchel has since revealed that he “didn’t like it” when the defender blanked Spurs head coach Thomas Frank following the 1-0 loss to Chelsea.

“Yeah, I didn’t like it,” Tuchel said about Spence’s conduct.

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“Because the players know they are not only national players when they are the 10 days in camp, they are always national players and the standard of behaviour is always important.”

Spence could return to the England starting XI on Sunday afternoon as Tuchel’s side face Albania in their final World Cup qualifier.

Tuchel has also admitted that he will talk to his players about not following in Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps against Albania on Sunday to do something silly to get sent off.

“It is important, I’m aware of it and we will talk about it. No red cards please,” Tuchel said.

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“If we have a doubt then, because we are through and we are in a position with last man then the player holds the shirt he gets the red card. If there’s a doubt then it would be smarter not to do it.

“If he goes in the last man example and if we can avoid it no red card of course but I don’t want to make it too big a subject because then you have a cloud above you. But if you have the choice: don’t do it.”

Tuchel will have to make at least one change from his last England XI for Sunday’s match against Albania as he has confirmed that he will not “risk” Aston VIlla star Ezri Konsa.

“Ezri is not with us, he has a tight calf and got assessed in the afternoon and didn’t take the risk so we didn’t take him,” Tuchel added.

“Everyone else is ready to go. He has had a lot of matches for Aston Villa so was a candidate to have a rest.”

As Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad takes shape, there are seven current England players most likely to be snubbed for next summer’s tournament…

Jarrod Bowen

The 28-year-old comfortably remains the very best component of a very poor West Ham United side as he’s led a key metric in the Premier League this season.

Bowen has also been a dependable deputy to Arsenal star Bukayo Saka on the right flank for England, though there is a quality disparity between these two players, as the goalscorer against Serbia is simply a level above his teammate.

Against Serbia, Saka further established himself as one of the few guaranteed starters for England. So barring injury, the most Bowen can hope for is to be his back-up and he’ll likely be out of the squad completely once Cole Palmer returns to form and fitness for Chelsea.

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Dan Burn

The England centre-back picture is also pretty clear. John Stones and Ezri Konsa did very little wrong in the rare moments that they were tested against Serbia, with this duo and Marc Guehi miles ahead as Tuchel‘s main three options in the middle of defence.

This leaves several well-matched contenders vying for the fourth and final centre-back spot in the squad, with Dan Burn currently being given the nod by Tuchel.

Like Jordan Henderson, Burn’s experience and leadership is in his favour, though he could easily end up being usurped by Harry Maguire or a younger and more technically sound alternative if he’s outperformed during the run-in.

Trevoh Chalobah

Chalobah was among the England stars to have a shocker in the alarming loss to Senegal, while he’s been labelled “awful” for his Chelsea displays this season.

We’re not going that strong on Chalobah, but there is a notable distance between him and England’s best centre-backs, so he will have the fourth-choice role if he is in the squad at all.

Chelsea’s glaring weakness at centre-back means Chalobah should at least get more than enough minutes before the World Cup, but you have to feel that Tuchel is more likely to go for a Burn or Maguire-esque character for this limited playing role in next summer’s squad.

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Jarell Quansah

Quansah will likely be glad that he’s swerved the Liverpool crisis for life in the Bundesliga, but he has had to deal with Erik ten Hag having one of the worst managerial reigns in Bundesliga history.

Ten Hag’s sacking after a measly three games certainly wasn’t Quansah’s fault, though. He has rediscovered his confidence and been one of Leverkusen’s strongest performers this season.

Quansah is certainly in line to be a regular starter for England in the future, but he’s currently in a near-exact position on the periphery ahead of the World Cup as Chalobah and Burn. At the moment, a toss of a coin could be used to decide who gets the nod.

James Trafford

Was Trafford joining Manchester City the worst transfer decision in the summer? Probably, yes…

There is already speculation over Trafford leaving Man City as early as January, with the 23-year-old stuck on the bench following a couple of nervy performances and, more importantly, the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

This means Trafford needs to hope for an injury to Donnarumma or an escape in January to have any hope of making the England squad next summer. He is only in this squad because in-form Nick Pope is injured and the Newcastle United star will replace his fellow Burnley alumnus if there’s no drastic change in the coming months.

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Alex Scott

Tuchel has done his own thing as England boss and has made plenty of bold selection decisions, with one of his most satisfying being to reward Scott with his first senior call-up for this month’s international break.

The talented central midfielder must be doing well as he’s joined a seemingly endless list of in-form talents being linked with Manchester United ahead of January. Still, he likely has too much to do ahead of next month’s World Cup.

Scott is clearly ahead of Curtis Jones and Kobbie Mainoo in Tuchel’s thinking at the moment, but was not included in England’s 23-man matchday squad to face Serbia with Guehi, who has withdrawn due to injury. The Bournemouth man is on the fringes, but he will probably end up narrowly missing out.

Djed Spence

The October international break was great for Spence as he started and impressed in the wins against Wales and Latvia, showcasing his versatility as he played at left-back and right-back in these matches.

This placed him as a frontrunner for the England left-back berth, which is one of the few positions still up for grabs, but Nico O’Reilly’s measured first start against Serbia, plus his stellar form for Man City, have harmed the Tottenham star.

With Myles Lewis-Skelly not playing enough for Arsenal, Spence and O’Reilly are currently England’s main two options at left-back. However, Newcastle’s Lewis Hall will complicate the close-fought battle between these players once he returns, having previously shone for his country.

At the moment, it could be any of those three to be snubbed by Tuchel, and the Spurs man needs a performance if he starts against Albania on Sunday.

Tottenham are reportedly ‘looking at’ Juventus strikers Dusan Vlahovic and Jonathan David, and for a pure goalscorer there is only one correct choice.

Spurs have found the net more often in the Premier League this season than almost every side. Only the top three have scored more than their tally of 19.

But nobody has massively stood out, with Richarlison the top goalscorer on four goals, and centre-back Micky van de Ven next on three.

Were Tottenham to have an elite goalscorer in their ranks, they could be higher up than fifth place. They felt they might have signed that in Randal Kolo Muani, but the loanee has now fractured his jaw not long after returning from the sidelines.

As a result, Football Insider reports Spurs ‘are looking’ at Juventus striker pair Vlahovic and David as potential replacements.

Vlahovic, while out of contract in the summer, is an interesting case, with Juve still said to be demanding around £20million for his services in January.

That’s as even when his contract is due to expire, he could remain with the Serie A side, as CEO Damian Comolli has said:

“We have reached an agreement with Dusan Vlahović to let this season pass and talk about it at the end of the season. There is a tight agreement from last summer.”

Taking the type of deal and price out of the occasion, Spurs need a pure goalscorer to decrease the margins between themselves and elite sides, and there is a clear choice between the pair.

Both are 25 years old and both have north of 100 goals to their names in club football but not as many as 150. Across their careers, their stats are similar, but this term there is a definitive better choice.

In all, Vlahovic has six goals in 15 games compared to David’s one in 14. Comparing them via FBRef shows how the Serbia international has outperformed his team-mate, too.

In Serie A, Vlahovic’s xG is far higher – 3.5 to David’s 1.3, he takes significantly more shots – 25 to 11 – and has put nine shots on target to David’s four.

Vlahovic has actually completed fewer passes – 76 compared to 93 – and at a worse completion percentage of 68.5 compared to 78.2.

But he gets more touches of the ball and has more in the opposition penalty area – five compared to David’s zero.

Vlahovic also has one more shot-creating action to his name and touches the ball more often than his team-mate.

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Tottenham have a number of creative sparks in their side, with Mohammed Kudus the main man in that, and the likes of Xavi Simons and Lucas Bergvall also in the mix – James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are great creators when fit, too.

As such, Tottenham know it’s a goalscorer they need above all, and while Vlahovic might not be the most well-rounded attacker, he finds himself in good areas, shoots often and knows how to put the ball in the net.

If the choice is between him and David, Vlahovic is the man Spurs need.

Tottenham could see an expected deal fall through as Ivan Toney is “not 100 per cent convinced” about a return to England, even though he could reunite with former boss Thomas Frank.

Toney has been playing in Saudi Arabia since 2024. In his first season in the Middle East, Toney scored 30 goals and he’s currently on 11 for this season.

The 29-year-old has been the subject of reports in regards to a return to England of late. Tottenham are one of the most interested clubs, owing to the fact Toney’s former Brentford boss is at the helm.

Toney has scored more goals (72) than any other player Frank has managed in his career while featuring under him, and it’s felt he’d be a great addition to the side.

Everton have also been linked with Toney of late, but according to Graeme Bailey, speaking to Everton News, a return to England looks unlikely.

He said: “He’s had talks with Everton. They were general enquiry type talks, they’re not locked down, it’s not advancing very far at this point.

“There’s Tottenham, West Ham and a lot of other clubs involved. The question is whether Toney really wants to come back to the Premier League. That is one thing I’m told he’s not 100 per cent convinced about.

“There is the tax issue which he would be liable to. There is a way around that in terms of you could loan him. But, from what I’m being told, the clubs are not entirely convinced that Ivan Toney wants to move and will move.

“I’m told, from people close to the deal, it’s unlikely at this point that he’ll move back to England.”

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That could represent a shock for Tottenham, as former Spurs man David Bentley seemed adamant Toney would be in talks for a return to England and felt the north London club was his best option.

He said: “He’ll want to go in at Tottenham. For him, to go [and] play at the stadium with Thomas Frank, that’s the perfect destination for him. If he wants to get into the England team, it’s not about money, it’s about playing to get into that World Cup squad.

“The perfect environment is Tottenham. Tottenham could do with him and England as well – if anything happens with [Harry] Kane, we’re struggling a little bit for centre forwards.

Bentley felt sure that Spurs would be talking to Toney, but even if that is the case, the transfer looks far from certain.

There’s no such thing as a stupid person, either in football or in life. All that exists are people who do stupid things. It just so happens a lot of those people play football. And usually, for one particular team. Oh, look, there’s Richarlison of Tottenham Hotspur.

On Saturday afternoon, after Mathys Tel had just stolen Ruben Amorim’s jacket, Richarlison decided he wanted to nick his shoes too, and promptly joined his young French teammate on the scoresheet to put Spurs 2-1 up in second-half stoppage time.

It was a ridiculous game Tottenham had no business winning, and one they had been deservedly losing after 84 minutes, but the Brazilian striker’s deft flick ever so slightly changed the trajectory of Wilson Odobert’s shot and sent the ball past Senne Lammens to propel White Hart Lane into a state of euphoria. Then Richarlison tore off his jersey. And Spurs’ hearts sank.

The act of taking off an item of clothing to celebrate something isn’t novel but it is stupid. It doesn’t happen when someone gets an A in an exam, passes their driving test, gets engaged, or finds money in the pocket of a pair of old jeans.

Reacting to a joyful moment by spontaneously getting slightly more naked doesn’t even apply to any other sport. No golfer sinks a putt on the 18th and responds with a knee-slide while tearing off their sweater vest. It doesn’t happen in tennis either. Or snooker. Rugby? Nope. Darts? No. Swimming? Probably would have heard about that. Probably would watch more swimming.

But in football, it was such a pandemic that the higher-ups changed the actual rules to state that a player would receive a yellow card if they performed this moronic act. Did that put a stop to it?

Did it balls. It continued to happen, probably even more often than before, with Hugo Ekitike really nailing it in September. Ekitike was already on a yellow card when he exposed his chest in the Carabao Cup third round. Not in the last minute of the final, though that is still no excuse. And not even in the fifth round, which will be Ekitike-less as well as Liverpool-less. Totally worth it then.

Eikitike will likely learn his lesson but Richarlison? He’s quite possibly cursed. Or just a sh*thouse who ends up frequently covered in his own faeces.

The sometimes-smiling-yet-frequently-scowling Brazilian joined Tottenham in the summer of 2022. But due to a combination of getting injured, Harry Kane’s presence, and the weight of expectation from a £60million price tag, Richi was still on zero Premier League goals on the last day of April 2023, though there were occasional seconds when he thought he had broken his duck.

Earlier in the season, he had scored against Fulham, ripped his jersey off, tossed it high, and the referee booked him before VAR intervened. He also scored against Brentford, but it was disallowed for a foul before he could grab hold of his shirt. It meant that when Richarlison took to the pitch to face Liverpool on April 30, he had more yellow cards for celebrating goals than he had scored actual goals. He is so, so Spurs.

He finally scored his first league goal of the season at Anfield, removed some clothes to ensure he angered the home fans further, and was still so full of piss-taking energy at the home of his former team’s rivals that he followed his striptease with a bird impression more convincing than anything Dee Reynolds can imagine. His header late in stoppage time made it 3-3; Spurs had been 3-0 down after 15 minutes, so surely the curse of stupid was broken. No. It just shifted.

Richarlison scoring and removing his shirt was no longer a sign of a guaranteed VAR intervention – although it would be again in the future – but was now a trigger for the opposition to somehow find a way back when it looked as if there was no hope. It was 3-3, but there were 60 seconds of added time to go. Liverpool kicked off, Tottenham defended like a future Ange team, and Diogo Jota made it 4-3.

So on Saturday, when Richi flicked home in added time to put Spurs in dreamland, most fans’ joy turned to instant horror at the sight of their bald Brazilian again racing to the corner dressed only in shorts, socks and boots. A yellow card waited patiently for him to get dressed again. The initial feeling was that surely he was offside, but no, replays showed Manuel Ugarte waving Tottenham traffic onwards. That meant only one thing: Manchester United were going to score an equaliser.

He had already had one Richarlison moment even before the yellow card. Early in the first half, Brennan Johnson curled a peach of a cross towards his bonce, and if Richi had simply stood still, the ball would have hit him on the head. Instead, he went to power a header at goal and missed the ball entirely.

This is the same guy who scored an incredible scissor-kick on the opening day of this season. He also scored just six goals across two Premier League seasons for Spurs and Watford, but he has 20 goals for Brazil in 52 internationals, one of which was a bicycle-kick against Serbia, named the goal of the tournament at the 2022 World Cup.

Spurs aren’t stupid; they are just a club filled with people who like doing stupid things. Richarlison is a Spurs player, and he loves doing stupid things, sometimes after doing something wonderful, but almost always involving him standing around topless.

A forgotten Tottenham man has reportedly asked for his current deal to be ‘terminated’ and West Ham have enquired about landing him in January.

Spurs’ attacking options are such that they were able to ship out a few players in the summer. Their attackers include Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, Mathys Tel, Randal Kolo Muani, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons and Dejan Kulusevski.

Tottenham saw Son Heung-min leave in the summer, alongside Bryan Gil, while Mikey Moore and Manor Solomon were loaned out.

Solomon’s loan with Villarreal is not going quite as well as his previous loan, to Leeds United. He averages 23 minutes of league football this season, and touches the ball just 17 times per game, according to SofaScore stats.

Last season with Leeds, where he scored 10 goals and assisted 12 in the Championship alone, Solomon was touching the ball 40 times per game, making 1.7 key passes and having 1.5 shots per game as the attack largely filtered through him.

Things are very different at Villarreal, where he makes 0.5 key passes per game and has 0.5 shots, given his lack of the ball.

His situation is very different to what he’s become used to, and according to reports in Israel, Solomon is disappointed and struggling to adapt to life in Spain.

Amid his unhappiness, it’s been reported he has asked Tottenham to terminate his loan in the winter.

That could play into his hands, with another club on hand to take him on board. Indeed, it’s reported West Ham have enquired about signing the winger in January.

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Only five sides in the Premier League have scored less goals than the Hammers this season, and they are labouring down in 18th.

Their attack has less of an edge to it without Mohammed Kudus, who last season scored five goals and assisted three in the league, but is now playing for Spurs, where he has one goal and five assists to his name.

With Solomon surplus to requirements at Tottenham, and West Ham in need of an attacking spark, it could be the perfect transfer, and one that, should the current loan deal be terminated, Spurs would surely have no problems with.

Whether that is the case remains to be seen, but given the attacking troubles the Hammers are facing this season, Solomon could be a massive help in trying to push away from the relegation zone.

In Solomon’s only proper season of Premier League football, after joining from Shakhtar Donetsk, he played just 19 games and scored four goals, so he shouldn’t have too many problems adjusting.

Certain pundits have got slightly carried away with the narrative of Arsenal buckling under the pressure of leading the Premier League, especially after Manchester City “sent a message” with their dominant 3-0 win against Liverpool on Sunday.

Arsenal will supposedly be feeling “nervous” after Man City punished their rivals for claiming a respectable 2-2 draw at high-flying Sunderland, hammering Liverpool to close to within four points of the table-toppers after 11 matches.

These two teams have been in this position before, but are currently at very different points with their progression: Arsenal have arguably reached their final form with a near-complete squad, while this imperfect Man City side is far from unbeatable as they have become Erling Haaland FC.

Arsenal have also demonstrated on multiple occasions this season that they can remain strong in moments of adversity and seal important points. They are a level above the rest in the Premier League and will likely extend their unbeaten run after the international break en route to finally winning the title.

But there’s no fun in that. So, assuming that there is a cock-up in one or more of Arsenal’s six Premier League games before Christmas as Man City pile on the pressure, who are they most likely to slip up against? Well, here’s the answer to that question…

The worst team in the Premier League at home? This should be easy pickings for Arsenal…

It is worth noting that the Gunners have won their last eight matches against Wolves, who have also only scored two goals against the north London side during this stretch.

There are small factors against Arsenal, including the possibility of a new manager bounce for Wolves with Rob Edwards and this game coming at the end of a busy three-game week, but they should have far too much for the bottom-placed side in the division.

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Now things start to get somewhat interesting…

Last season this game ended 1-1, though their meeting in April came at a time when Arsenal had all but conceded the Premier League title to Liverpool.

Still, Brentford do represent a stern test for Arsenal, even away from home. The Bees really deserve immense credit for their lack of decline, despite the exits of Thomas Frank, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. New head coach Keith Andrews has rightly prioritised his team’s strengths, thus ensuring they will be completely fine for another season.

Brentford certainly have the ability in their squad to cause Arsenal problems and score a goal, but the Gunners are better equipped than most to deal with their opponents’ physicality and should escape from this one unscathed.

The talk is that the Gunners could suffer an international break-enforced hangover from the draw against Sunderland, with Arteta’s side not being allowed to immediately bounce back.

But those naysayers must be forgetting that their first task after the international break is a meeting with Dr Tottenham, so they should be just fine…

Seriously though, Spurs are at least far stronger away than at home; they have the same number of points on the road as Arsenal and are also unbeaten. They have not had an easy ride, either, as they have already travelled to Man City and Brighton, with their other matches being against Everton, West Ham and Leeds.

Spurs are also far more defensively solid under Frank than during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure, but they are weaker in attack and could struggle to find a way through their opponents’ resolute backline. This stinks of a 1-0 to the Arsenal via a set-piece goal.

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Arsenal are not exactly poor away from home, but you feel that they are more likely to drop points on the road than at the Emirates after doing so against Sunderland and Liverpool in their opening 11 games.

First, we have Everton, who delayed the David Moyes sack conversation by earning a much-needed win against Fulham at the weekend. This was their third home victory of the season in the league at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

It has been impressive how the Toffees have quickly transferred their home from their beloved former stadium to their new ground, with this game certainly a banana skin after Arsenal failed to beat David Moyes’ side in their two meetings last season.

The latest London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea is at the end of a really difficult week for the Gunners, who also face Spurs and Bayern Munich in a matter of days after the international break.

Arsenal have dominated this fixture in recent years, having not lost to Chelsea in their previous eight meetings, but the Blues are creeping up as the third most likely winner of the Premier League this season following recent wins over Liverpool and Spurs.

It’s been difficult to go all in on Chelsea due to their game-to-game inconsistency, but they are certainly capable of matching Arsenal in a single match if they perform to their maximum. Will they be here? Probably not…

READ: Would Arsenal be the ‘biggest bottlers’ in PL history if they fail to win the title from here?

Arsenal supporters are likely already dreading next month’s matches against Aston Villa, with the away game at the start of the month coming before the reverse fixture at the Emirates on December 30.

This does at least mean that the Gunners will get these two difficult games out of the way quickly. But Aston Villa have hit form at the wrong time from Arsenal’s perspective, with Unai Emery’s side shooting up the table by earning statement wins over Bournemouth, Man City and Tottenham.

This has re-established the Villans as a serious contender for Champions League qualification after they looked toothless in attack and generally leggy in the first few weeks of this season. Now, Arsenal would surely accept a draw from their first clash with Villa in December if it were offered to them now…

Tottenham are preparing a big offer to sign Everton attacker Iliman Ndiaye in the January transfer market, according to reports.

Spurs find themselves fifth in the Premier League under new head coach Thomas Frank with Tottenham winning five, drawing three and losing three of their first 11 matches this term.

Tottenham spent over £180m on new signings in the summer transfer window with attacking players like Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons signing for big money.

Spurs have scored a respectable 19 goals in 11 Premier League matches so far this season but Frank is keen to bring in more attacking reinforcements in January.

And now reports in Spain on website Fichajes, who aren’t always known for their reliable updates, insists Tottenham ‘have launched a significant offensive’ for Everton magician Ndiaye.

The Senegal international has emerged as a ‘priority target’ for the January transfer window and Tottenham are ‘considering a substantial offer for the Everton player and have already made initial contact’.

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Ndiaye is seen as a ‘strong alternative’ to Aston Villa and England star Morgan Rogers and ‘some estimates place the required fee at around £60-70 million for the transfer to be viable’.

Spurs still have to convince Ndiaye but the report adds: ‘The club believes that signing Ndiaye would not only fill the immediate vacancy but also allow them to build a stronger attacking force for the future. Iliman Ndiaye is young, has a long-term contract with Everton, and his availability on the market makes him a viable option for Tottenham.’

One player already having more of an impact than he had last season is Richarlison but Lineker criticised him for being a “bit daft” when taking his shirt off to celebrate Spurs’ second goal in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United over the weekend.

Lineker said on The Rest is Football: “Richarlison thought he’d won the game for Tottenham, didn’t he?

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“Ripping off his shirt and then obviously they get extra time for that and then they [United] score in that extra time. I think it’s a stupid law to get a yellow card and obviously if it happens in injury time you get extended injury time.

“But also, even though it’s a silly law, you know what it is, and I just don’t understand why [he did it]. I know you can get over excited, but you can get over excited by doing something else other than rip your bloody shirt off!

“It’s a bit daft but I get it. It’s a big goal for him and he thought at the time he’d won the game. But honestly… footballers, glad I wasn’t one!”

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur have lodged a ‘surprise offer’ as they look to beat Chelsea in the race to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid.

Unsurprisingly, Spurs were very active in this summer’s transfer market as they strengthened their squad ahead of their Champions League return.

Xavi Simons, Randal Kolo Muani, Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha were among their most notable additions as they have built a far stronger squad than the one they had last season.

This business has helped Thomas Frank‘s side make a strong start to the 2025/26 campaign as they are among the clubs in contention to qualify for Europe ahead of next season.

Still, Tottenham are weak in some positions and they certainly need to strengthen in attacking areas in the coming months.

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Spurs are already being linked with several potential targets ahead of the winter transfer window, with Real Madrid star Rodrygo among their options.

It looks increasingly likely that Rodrygo will leave Real Madrid next year as he has fallen in the pecking order following Kylian Mbappe’s arrival and could move to the Premier League.

It has been reported that Chelsea are in ‘direct contact’ over signing Rodrygo, but a report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claims Real Madrid have ‘received a surprise £70m offer’ from Spurs for the Brazil international.

The report adds:

‘Those close to Real Madrid are closely watching how the 24-year-old has played just 25% of the minutes this season and has only started 18% of the matches. This situation has raised concerns: a player with his talent and track record cannot be left out indefinitely.

‘Tottenham, for their part, have expressed clear interest in Rodrygo and would be willing to pay the €80 million fee to make him a key figure in their attacking system. The London club want the Brazilian to form a partnership with James Maddison and Xavi Simons.’

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👉 Tottenham told ‘horrific’ player is their ‘weakness’ after Spurs are held by Manchester United

Rodrygo could potentially fill the void left by Richarlison, who is being heavily linked with an exit ahead of January.

Richarlison took his shirt off to wildly celebrate scoring Tottenham’s second goal at the weekend, though he was made to look stupid by Matthijs de Ligt’s last-gasp equaliser.

Gary Lineker has hit out at the “daft” Spurs forward.

“Richarlison thought he’d won the game for Tottenham, didn’t he?” Lineker on The Rest is Football.

“Ripping off his shirt and then obviously they get extra time for that and then they [United] score in that extra time. I think it’s a stupid law to get a yellow card and obviously if it happens in injury time you get extended injury time.

“But also, even though it’s a silly law, you know what it is, and I just don’t understand why [he did it]. I know you can get over excited, but you can get over excited by doing something else other than rip your bloody shirt off!

“It’s a bit daft but I get it. It’s a big goal for him and he thought at the time he’d won the game. But honestly… footballers, glad I wasn’t one!”

Ally McCoist and former Man Utd goalkeeper Ben Foster have picked out lots of positives after the Red Devils held Tottenham to a 2-2 draw on Saturday.

Spurs thought they had won the game when Richarlison put Thomas Frank’s side ahead in second half injury time after Bryan Mbeumo and Mathys Tel had scored earlier in the match.

But Matthijs de Ligt popped up in the sixth minute of injury time to salvage a point from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and keep Man Utd on a run of five Premier League matches unbeaten.

Many onlookers were underwhelmed by the performance of both teams but McCoist and Foster can see the positives in recent weeks.

McCoist thinks Man Utd are now “harder to play against”, “better in forward areas” and more resilient, while he picked out Amad Diallo and Patrick Dorgu for their good displays against Tottenham.

Speaking to host Jeff Stelling on talkSPORT, McCoist said: “I also think Jeff, in times gone by they wouldn’t have got the point. I think there’s more about them, it’s evident. There’s far more about them. Miles away from the finished article it has to be said. But they look slightly harder to play against, and they certainly look, I think, better in forward areas.

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“Some good performances. I thought Dorgu played well. I thought Amad played really, really well. We’ve mentioned Cunha and Mbeumo before. Those two in particular, at this early stage, I think two terrific new signings can handle it, not even handle it, look as though they’re thriving in that kind of situation.

“So I think at this early stage, there’s must be heaps of positives from Manchester United, but still a lot of work to do. But I take your point. They’re disappointed at getting the point, but I think maybe, you know, certainly last season, I don’t think they’re getting the point.”

When asked if he sensed a changing attitude at Man Utd, former goalkeeper Ben Foster added: “Yeah, I think Ally’s probably just said everything that needed to be said right there. I only watched the game on the TV, but they look okay.

“They look like they’re playing with a lot more confidence and have done for most of this season. But I just think when you sort of contrast it to the quality of Man City, for example, last night, I think it’s very evident there’s still quite a way to go.”

McCoist added: “I think that’s in a nutshell, mate, I really do. I think there’s definitely been improvements. I think the positivity around Manchester United is understandable. And so there should be the small steps, but in terms of the large steps needed to get to the likes of the level of Manchester City, which we saw yesterday, they are still a good bit away.

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“But I still think Amorim speaks really well better, don’t you think? And I think I actually think it was a good piece of ownership coming out and effectively backing him for a couple of years so that everybody knows [he’s going to be there a while]. And just as importantly, never mind the fans knowing, I think the players knowing that he’s going to be there for a while is something as well.”

Foster continued: “I think people just tend to forget that the Premier League is actually really hard. To be honest, the general quality of the Premier League is really, really hard and to put a string of games together [is difficult].

“We’re saying it all over the Premier League, but a string of games together where you’re winning consistently is really, really hard to do. So sometimes you just have to make sure you don’t lose. And I think for Manchester United, they would have lost that game earlier in the season, they would have lost that game.

“They wouldn’t have had it about them to go and really search for that equaliser. I think it’s the mentality shift, the mentality change in the players. They’re all starting to buy into it now, from what the manager is saying. He’s been saying it for the best part of the year, in fairness to him – but I think it’s finally seeping into the players, and you can see when players play with that belief, and that positivity and the confidence, that you get better results for it as well.”