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Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has been told that he should drop Djed Spence and Micky van der Ven after the head coach was “disrespected” by the Spurs duo.

Frank’s side put in a disappointing display as they lost 1-0 to Chelsea in north London and the visitors could have won by a bigger margin if they had taken their chances.

After the match, Van der Ven and Spence were clearly upset at the result and appeared to refuse a handshake off Tottenham head coach Frank as they exited the pitch.

Frank gave them a long stare of disapproval as they walked off down the tunnel but the Tottenham boss played down the incident in his post-match press conference.

When asked about the incident in the post-match press conference, Frank said: “All the players are of course frustrated. They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform well, so I understand that.

“I think it is about which is difficult to be consistent in good times and in bad times. That is why I went around to the fans as I did. It is more fun when we win, I can tell you that.”

READ: Simons gets Sancho’d in ‘ultimate humiliation’ as Spurs cannot ‘let it all work out’ for Eze rival

Former Arsenal winger Perry Groves thinks Frank was disrespected by the Spurs duo, he said on talkSPORT: “I think that is a problem because if you’re Thomas Frank, the way that he looked round, it was a lack of respect. That’s what it was.

“It wasn’t just a little look. It was a men that stare at goats stare. He was looking at his two players and said, ‘I can’t believe you’ve done that to me.

“So Thomas Frank, and I think he’s a very good manager, but he’s found himself in positions that he’s never been in before.

“With the expectation of his 60,000 at home crowd, his team being booed off, which he would never have had at Brentford, and he would have been in complete control of the players at Brentford.

“So now he’s dealing with bigger egos and for him to get control, he’s got to bring in Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven individually.

“Not in front of the rest of the players, individually, and say to them, ‘if I ask you to do something, you don’t question me. You just do it. If you want to question me, you question me afterwards.’

“Because, Micky [Gray], you played obviously under Peter Reid at Sunderland, nobody questioned him. I know it’s a different era, but you could have a row with him and you do it within the confined dressing room, but no one would question him publicly.

“That was Van de Ven and Djed Spence just disrespecting Thomas Frank.”

MORE SPURS COVERAGE ON F365…

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Host Hugh Woozencroft added: “Honestly, for me, if I was the manager, they wouldn’t be starting, they wouldn’t be playing midweek or at the weekend against Manchester United.

“Spurs fans will say they need them. You say they need them and maybe they do, but for me, you’ve got to set the tone as a manager at a football club.

“Those two players showed a level of ego that doesn’t match their talent when they did that to Thomas Frank.”

Before former Sunderland left-back Michael Gray gave his thoughts: “If they’ve got something of a bee in their bonnet about the way that the crowd reacted in the game, then do something about it yourself.

“But I think even if it’s a token gesture, you shouldn’t have to see your manager pointing to the two players to say, ‘go and say thanks to the crowd’.

“Even if you don’t want to do it, you walk so far up towards the supporters, you don’t even have to get close to them.

“In the back of your mind, you’re going, ‘right, I don’t really want to do this, but I’m going to do it. I’ll just clap my hands and say thanks very much.’

“Then you come off the pitch and then you can have a little word about what you’ve just done when you get into the dressing room. They didn’t do that. They ignored the manager and I don’t think we’ve heard the last of it, I have to say.

“I mean, I think they will play because he does need those two players, but he needs to have a stern word with them.”

Spurs fans are not happy after that surrender against Chelsea at home, while Arsenal and Liverpool fans are buzzing.

We have all your views on another weekend of Premier League action but send more to theeditor@football365.com

Woe is Tottenham

A week or two back I scalded you for writing articles about Spurs losing their soul.

I’m sorry.

You were right. It’s been a while since going to see Spurs at home was fun – certainly all of this year, the opening day of the season aside. It’s kind of f**king sh*t, like watching 11 Stuart Littles go to war. I never thought the day would come but this might be my last as a season ticket holder. The Barclays is topsy turvy fun, you don’t need to go to feel the drama, especially when the drama comes in the shape of 0.01 xG.

Let’s talk about Tommy Frank. Seems like a smart, pragmatic, loyal motivator. But that team set up was awful, and lacked in any creativity. It was more defensive than the away set up. I generally sigh when I see Tel and Odobert on the team sheet but Saturday was the day for one of them. Where’s Johnson? What’s he done wrong? He also has to break up the Bentancur/Paulhina axis. It’s stodgy. Start Sarr. All the time.

I do hope we haven’t got another 50m+ dud on our hands in Simons to follow in the footsteps of Lo Celso and Ndombele. We really do excel at ballsing up when we spend big. But right now, the poor lad looks shell-shocked.

At the time of writing we’re somehow 4th (You’re fifth now – Ed). We’re above Utd, Chelsea, Villa and Newcastle. Things could be a lot worse but this feeling of Frank not having a clue how to play at home is worrying. Two years ago, against Chelsea, the confused ‘It’s just who we are mate” nonsense that came to define Ange’s time at Spurs began. Please don’t let this be the start of what would be a very different type of nonsense.

Andrew, Woodford Green

…I am a long-suffering Spurs supporter who spent many happy times in my pre-marital days travelling from my, then, Oxon home to the old White Hart Lane (and including away matches). We were never champions but won both domestic and two UEFA cups.

Moreover, when any team came to the Lane, they knew they were in for a hard match.

I witnessed the great (if slightly underachieving) Don Revie-led Leeds team beaten twice in two visits, Man Utd (two in two), Arsenal (two in two), Liverpool (once) and would you believe – Chelsea (two in two). The 1972 match was in the Peter Osgood, Charlie Cooke days when Spurs were 3-0 up in the first 21 minutes.

So, after Sunderland won at Stamford Bridge last week, I expected Spurs – at least to lay a glove on Chelsea – or are the Mackems that good? I thought Postecoglou had gone!

Answers on a postcard please!

Jim Sokol

Arsenal have so many heroes

Declan Rice was considered man of the match v Burnley and quite rightly so. However, so many other individuals are extremely disciplined and effective too.

As per usual the defence was solid, again conceding no shots on target but that is also down to the midfielders and the forwards too. Gabriel was as normal outstanding along with Timber. Califiori and Saliba again were solid with Califiori as normal, like Timber, playing positive wing back football.

Now, Gyõkeres was excellent before he had to come off and probably played his best overall game so far for Arsenal. As normal, his off the ball running created numerous openings for teammates but in this game his link up play was very good also producing chances for them. His pass across field to Trossard was very well weighted and subsequently produced the second goal thanks to an excellent cross and an equally impressive header by Rice.

Once Gyõkeres came off Arsenal were less dangerous. That could be down to Arsenal purposely slowing down or having no striker to open up Burney’s disciplined defence. Anyway, there was still no threat on Arsenal’s goal until the last kick of the game that hit the post to which Raya cheered as much as he did when Arsenal scored. A number of Arsenal fans wanted Trossard sold but it was sensible to keep him as he’s on top form.

A long way to go but things are looking good. One last thing….good heavens, two set piece goals allegedly ruining football. One from a corner and another from, ahem….. an opponents long throw! Disgraceful!

Chris, Croydon

READ: The Erling Haaland Team go second to confirm status as only feasible challenger to Arsenal

Villa made it easy for Liverpool

As commented on MOTD, it was kind of Villa to play in pre-approved tactics. My question for the mailbox is this: why is doing someone in the throat not a foul? He got booked for it, which also does not seem enough, but a foul wasn’t given.

It seems to me that if you are getting booked for hurting a player, then that is a foul and a free kick should be given.

Alex, South London

First thought on your team winning a game…

So, Liverpool won, and looked good while doing it.

My deepest condolences to Will Ford.

John, LFC, Washington DC

Sack them all at West Ham

I have no love for Newcastle United but I was really hoping they would equalise late in the game.

I am also hoping that the West Ham owners sack their entire coaching staff as they are probably responsible for their current predicament.

Why? A goalkeeper with cramp!

Howard (maybe he just doesn’t train) Jones

READ: Nuno buys time and shows West Ham roadmap to survival as Newcastle fade away

Five in a row for Man Utd would be ludicrous

Naturally I am disappointed that we didn’t beat Forest, although was expecting it to be a trickier game than the league table suggests. Not least with the new manager bounce, and Dyche’s ability to set up a team to make them hard to beat. But it’s a point more than last season and we move on.

Having said that, I am more disappointed for the Utd supporter who isn’t going to cut his hair until we win 5 in a row. But he has really given himself a mountain to climb, especially without European football. None of Liverpool, City or Arsenal won 5 league games in a row last season for instance – and we’re not at that level yet.

So Frank, if you’re reading this, change the challenge to 5 games without losing and we can all get on with our lives. Think of the children.

Garey Vance, MUFC

Who had Earps in d***head bingo?

Didn’t have Mary Earps turning out to be a massive tw*t on my Lionesses bingo card. When I saw her coming out in the press a couple of days ago I didn’t think any more of it. Silly me.

Everyone was going to find out she prefers women once the book hit the shelves in any event, but it’s not exactly hold the front page stuff anyway. So it leaves an uncomfortable conclusion she wanted eyes on her just before she took a steaming turd all over a team mate, as well as a manager with an unprecedented record.

One Tottenham Hotspur summer signing has been likened to Manchester United flop Antony as a former player is already “sick to death” of him.

Spurs were active in this summer’s transfer window as they prepared for a season in the Champions League after last season’s Europa League triumph.

Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha and Randal Kolo Muani were among their notable additions and there has been a mixed hit rate.

Kudus and Palhinha have made a positive impact in the opening few months of this campaign, though Simons and Kolo Muani have flattered to deceive.

On Saturday, Simons dropped to the bench only to be subbed on for Lucas Bergvall in the opening ten minutes against Chelsea as Spurs deservedly lost 1-0.

Speaking post-match, Frank explained why he did not start Simons against Chelsea.

“There’s a reason why we didn’t start him, of course,” Frank said.

READ: Simons gets Sancho’d in ‘ultimate humiliation’ as Spurs cannot ‘let it all work out’ for Eze rival

“I think he’s played two starts, short turnaround. Also, that energy and freshness I talked about, played 90 minutes Wednesday night. So that’s why we decided that, and then he played 70 minutes here.

“So I think that was nothing. It’s just because it looks different when you come on after three minutes and get subbed off.”

Former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara has since hit out at Simons, with it claimed that Tottenham have “signed an Antony”>

“It feels like we signed an Antony,” O’Hara told talkSPORT.

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“Xavi Simons, I’m sick to death of him. He gives the ball away, soft, short, and Caicedo nicks it off him.

“Honestly, he’s come on for Bergvall after five minutes, and it’s like we’re playing with ten men. I’m sick of it, £52million we spent and he’s bang average, he gives the ball away for fun.”

Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf, meanwhile, intimated that his former club dodged a bullet by not signing Simons, who has only had “one good year of football”.

“Xavi Simons played one good year for Leipzig – that wasn’t the case for Paris Saint-Germain before – and an average season last season and was sold for £52million to Tottenham Hotspur,” Leboeuf told ESPN.

“And you expect what? What do you expect from those players who have one good year of football? To be to be a game changer?

“People are dreaming, dreamers. I don’t get that.”

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur’s players are already ‘bored’ with head coach Thomas Frank, while club chiefs have been sent a transfer demand.

Former Brentford boss Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou at Spurs ahead of this season and he’s had a mixed start at the Premier League club.

Frank has made Spurs far more solid and their results in the Premier League have drastically improved, but they have had a really poor couple of days.

In midweek, Spurs crashed out of the Carabao Cup by losing 2-0 to Newcastle United, while they suffered a 1-0 loss against London rivals Chelsea on Saturday evening.

Tottenham were fortunate to only lose 1-0 against Chelsea, who were far the better side and could have easily scored a few more goals.

READ: Simons gets Sancho’d in ‘ultimate humiliation’ as Spurs cannot ‘let it all work out’ for Eze rival

After the match, there was an awkward exchange between Frank and two of his players, with it seeming that the pressure is building on the head coach.

Spurs are currently fourth in the Premier League table, but Frank may be fighting a losing battle at the north London outfit as he reportedly does not have the backing of his players.

A report from a respected account on X with a ‘team of five elite reporters’ claims the squad is ‘bored’ with Frank, while they are ‘desperate’ for January signings.

They tweeted: Exclusive: According to close source to Spurs players: ‘𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲’.

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Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven were the p;ayers who appeared to snub Frank and Alan Shearer has since commented on this exchange, with Spurs an “embarrassment” against Chelsea.

“They [Tottenham] were an embarrassment. They have been booed off the pitch,” Shearer said on BBC’s Match of the Day.

“I get they want to go out, they want to get off the pitch and they want to get in the dressing room and then say their sorries [apologies] later on.

“I get it and understand it. As much as Thomas Frank likes to go around and thank fans and clap them, I get the players’ point-of-view that they’ve been absolutely awful and they want to get off the pitch as quick as possible.”

Former Premier League centre-back Ashley Williams added: “I don’t think it’s… [a big issue]. Just play better, that’s the main thing.

“You’ve played badly in a derby. You want to get back in the dressing room. They’re frustrated. That’s nothing to do or anything personal against the manager, or the fans. They just want to get inside.”

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank was visibly angry at two of his players after he was blanked on the pitch after their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.

The visitors scored the only goal of the game on 34 minutes when Moises Caicedo robbed Micky van der Ven of the ball in the final third and squared it to Joao Pedro to finish into the net.

That result has dropped Tottenham down to fourth in the Premier League table with Spurs unable to build on their 3-0 away win against Everton last time out.

Instead that is now just one win in their last five matches in all competitions for Tottenham and some players were unhappy at the final whistle.

In the aftermath of defeat to Chelsea, Van der Ven and Tottenham team-mate Djed Spence were seen snubbing Frank as he looked to speak to them.

Frank gave them a death stare as the duo walked past him and down the tunnel with the Tottenham boss visibly angry.

READ: One per club: Big Eight stars most likely to leave in January, including Kovacic, Jesus and Richarlison

When asked about the incident in the post-match press conference, Frank said: “All the players are of course frustrated. They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform well, so I understand that.

“I think it is about which is difficult to be consistent in good times and in bad times. That is why I went around to the fans as I did. It is more fun when we win, I can tell you that.”

Put to him whether their attitude was acceptable, Frank added: “I understand why you ask the question, but I think that is one of the small issues. We have Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence who are doing everything they can.

“They perform very well so far this season and everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, so I don’t think it is a big problem.”

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After their xG was just 0.05 against Chelsea, Frank said: “I would say that, of course, hurts massively. I’ve never been in charge of a team that created that little in one game, never.

“So that, of course, I will look into what we can do to make it better. But I think that’s one thing. I think everything is a little bit linked. And today, yeah, we didn’t hit the level.”

On how Tottenham can give fans confidence they can be more creative going forward, Frank continued: “A couple of things. Today of course everyone will be frustrated. I’d say we have 24 hours and then we need to look forward again. Today was one snapshot that didn’t look good.

“I think there have definitely been other spells that have been better. There’s no doubt, and I keep saying it, that we have a front four that is new that we need to build together with short turn arounds in games. We’ll do that. I’m not in doubt that will happen. I think every team I’ve coached has scored a lot of goals. It will happen again in the future here.”

Every ‘Big Eight’ team has players who could leave in January, but we have picked out one star at each club who is the most likely to get a move…

Arsenal: Gabriel Jesus

Plenty has changed at Arsenal while Jesus has been unavailable, with the soon-to-be fit-again striker to join a much stronger squad than the one he was part of in January.

Arsenal’s hit rate with their £250m summer signings looks to be far greater than Liverpool has managed with their £400m+ investment, with the Gunners building a near-perfect squad with obscene levels of quality in each position.

Their lack of depth in the striking department has hindered Arsenal in recent seasons, though the returning Jesus will arguably be Mikel Arteta’s third-choice forward when he’s fully fit. Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz will certainly be favoured over the Brazil international, who may also be behind stand-in Mikel Merino in the pecking order.

Naturally, this places the 28-year-old in an incredibly difficult position as Arsenal can certainly afford to get rid of him in January to raise funds. He has said that he intends to stay at the Emirates, but Arteta and co. could easily say differently.

READ: Set-piece goals just the latest overblown moral panic for the Premier League content machine

Aston Villa: Ross Barkley

Did anyone else assume that Barkley left Aston Villa in the summer?

The former England international was a pretty sensible addition for Aston Villa as they bulked their squad ahead of their Champions League return in 2024/25, but it was hardly a surprise that the centre-midfielder was only a bit-part player under Unai Emery after enjoying a resurgence at Luton Town.

It has been a similar story for the 31-year-old this season as he’s only made three substitute appearances for the Villans in the Premier League.

Barkley is certainly a handy asset to have around as Aston Villa juggle several competitions, but he stands out as the most dispensable player in their squad. Therefore, it’s not out of the question that he leaves several months before his contract expires next summer if the right opportunity arises.

Chelsea: Axel Disasi

This was a flip of a coin between Disasi and Raheem Sterling…

The two members of Chelsea’s bomb squad remain cast aside after missing out on an exit in the summer, with their disappointing loan spells at Aston Villa and Arsenal, respectively, limiting their options.

I’ve gone for Disasi as it felt as if Sterling was particularly picky in the summer, as he turned his nose up at the Saudi Pro League and Turkish Super Lig, while his immense wages are another prohibitive factor.

Disasi, meanwhile, also has no future at Chelsea as he’s not even been recalled as head coach Enzo Maresca contended with an injury crisis at centre-back. He could end up in Turkey in the winter, as his lower wages and age make him a more tempting option than Sterling.

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Liverpool: Federico Chiesa

Should Liverpool be looking to offload Chiesa in January? No, he actually deserves a lot more game time as one of their few shining lights during their ongoing crisis.

But it is clear for all to see that the Italy international, who has overcome his injury woes, is not admired by head coach Arne Slot, who seemingly prefers Liverpool’s other attackers.

Chiesa deserves credit for knuckling down and silencing his doubters after looking set to be a pointless signing last season as he took a while to get going, especially considering he had the easy-out of a return transfer to Serie A in the summer.

Still, Chiesa is fighting a losing battle at Anfield and could easily join any of the top teams in Italy from January onwards to show what he’s capable of. Joe Gomez could also head to Serie A in January, but it would be a mindboggling decision from Liverpool, given their defensive woes, to let him leave mid-season if they do not land Marc Guehi in the same month.

Manchester United: Joshua Zirkzee

Right now, it looks like it’ll be Zirkzee, Kobbie Mainoo or both who will be the ones to leave Man Utd in January, provided there are any exits at all.

Zirkzee and Mainoo are in a similar boat in that they need to play more regularly from January onwards if they are to have any hope of playing at the World Cup, while opportunities continue to be difficult to come by at Man Utd under head coach Ruben Amorim.

At the moment, Amorim’s favourites are impressing as the once-sinking Old Trafford ship has been steadied with a three-game winning run, so it is currently hard to see a road to the starting XI for Zirkzee and Mainoo before the end of January.

Unfortunately for Mainoo, Man Utd’s options in attack are far greater than in centre-midfield, so an exit for Zirkzee certainly looks to be more feasible at the moment, and he could follow Chiesa in joining a Serie A giant.

READ: Big Weekend: Tottenham v Chelsea, Arne Slot, West Ham, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane

Manchester City: Mateo Kovacic

Chelsea’s decision to cash in on Kovacic for around £30m in 2023 has not aged well, with the Croatian international going on to shine for Man City in their 2023/24 Premier League triumph.

While he’s been out, Kovacic has been heavily linked with a potential move to Aston Villa and others, with the summer arrival of Tijjani Reijnders likely to limit his opportunities.

Kalvin Phillips is another candidate, though it appears that no one wants him…

Newcastle United: William Osula

The 22-year-old has had quite the ride over the past 18 months, with his story including the near-miss on a surprise summer move to Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt.

This failed deal raised eyebrows as Frankfurt were willing to pay £30m for Osula, who looked far below the required level when deputising for Alexander Isak last season.

However, that once-baffling price tag has become more sensible in recent months as Osula has rapidly developed to the point where Newcastle would be within their rights to push for retaining him.

Still, Osula has been massively outshone by summer signing Nick Woltemade, who has been a revelation since joining Newcastle, and his opportunities will be further limited once Yoane Wissa is finally fit.

Tottenham Hotspur: Richarlison

Richarlison starting this season in Tottenham’s first XI was one of the more surprising aspects of the opening to the 2024/25 campaign, but the Brazil international has already contributed to five goal involvements in nine Premier League matches.

With head coach Thomas Frank ‘not fancying’ another Spurs striker, Richarlison has had more opportunities than expected after being heavily linked with a move to the Middle East in the summer.

Despite this, reports of a January exit are gathering steam ahead of the winter window, with a ‘sensational’ return to Everton seemingly on the table if he does not fancy the Saudi Pro League or MLS.

You imagine that the north London side will want another striker through the door before sanctioning Richarlison’s exit, though his recent form should boost their negotiating power in a couple of months.

Jamie Carragher labelled Tottenham “absolutely awful” in their loss to Chelsea as he felt they were “rightly” booed in a “bad” moment during the game.

Spurs came into the weekend with a three-point lead in the Premier League over London rivals Chelsea. They had won five of their nine games, placing them third in the league on 17 points.

But the Blues are now breathing down Tottenham‘s neck, having beaten them to join them on 17 points, and Enzo Maresca’s side are now fourth, only having a slightly worse goal difference.

Chelsea had 15 shots and nine on target, compared to three and one for Spurs, and throughout the game the commentary team remarked how the Blues could have scored more, with it felt goalscorer Joao Pedro could easily have had a hat-trick in the first half.

Liverpool legend Carragher hit out at Spurs during the closing stages of the match on commentary, when they had a free kick in their own half, and with all but two outfielders in the Chelsea half, Guglielmo Vicario played the ball to one of them – Djed Spence – who had to play it back, and nothing was made of the chance to hit the ball up field.

Carragher said: “You have been absolutely awful today, Tottenham. Listen to the boos in the stadium and rightly so, how bad is that?

“Tottenham couldn’t complain, this game should be 4-0.”

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After the match, former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp shared similar sentiments on the poor performance from the side.

He said: “Easy as it gets. If that was a boxing match they’d have stopped it. That was one of the worst performances I’ve seen of Tottenham.

“They never laid a glove on this Chelsea side. They had no idea how to play out. They made it so easy.”

Indeed, the stats do not make for good reading from a Spurs point of view. The only major statistic that they beat Chelsea on was the amount of corners they won – six compared to the Blues’ five.

The opposition had more shots, shots on target, possession, passes, better pass accuracy and were shown fewer yellow cards.

The home form of Tottenham will be a worry, given they’ve won just four times at home in the last year in the Premier League.

Ex-Manchester United winger Nani has explained why he thinks his former club needs to sign “complete” Tottenham Hotspur star Joao Palhinha.

The centre-midfielder joined Spurs in the summer after previously shining in the Premier League with Fulham, though he struggled to break into Bayern Munich’s starting XI.

Palhinha has impressed for Tottenham at the start of this campaign and has already proven to be one of the signings of the season in the Premier League.

Man Utd have previously been linked with Palhinha and they are going to be in the market for a No.6 next year after failing to land Carlos Baleba in the summer.

Nani thinks Palhinha has two qualities that would ensure that he “fits into Man United’s DNA”.

“Joao Palhinha is a great player. I played with him at Sporting, where he was growing and learning a lot. After a few years, he became one of the best players in his position,” Nani said in an interview with Covers.com.

READ: Was October 2025 the greatest Man Utd month since Sir Alex Ferguson retired?

“He’s very strong and talented at winning and recovering the ball, and tackling. He’s also improved his forward play, scoring goals, connecting with the team, and moving forward with the ball. He’s become a complete player in his position.

“I think he’s a great player and can do really well for Tottenham. He had an opportunity with Bayern and we’re not sure what will happen next season, but he’s a player who can play for any team in the world.

“He just needs to be consistent and fit, as injuries sometimes cause problems. I trust he will have a fantastic career.”

Nani added: “He is a player with energy, with power to recover balls and to fight, that is something that fits into Man United’s DNA.”

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Nani has also boldly argued that the Red Devils could win the Premier League this season.

“Why not?’” Nani said when asked whether Man Utd can win the Premier League this season.

“They are building a strong team and are trying to get back into real competition with the teams that are always at the top of the table: Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Man City. So, they are there now. They have the possibility.

“If they win the next few games, everything can change. So, we never know. Let’s keep on winning games and then we’ll see.”

Tottenham are a little hard to fathom under new boss Thomas Frank so far.

Clearly there is plenty of good after they ended last weekend third in the table following a 3-0 win at Everton.

But season-ticket holders at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium haven’t had much to celebrate on the Tube home as Spurs’ last three home Premier League games have resulted in a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth, a 1-1 draw with rock-bottom Wolves and a 2-1 reverse against Aston Villa.

Tottenham have the best away record in the top flight but Leeds and Burnley have managed more home wins than Frank’s side so far and even Wolves have scored more goals in front of their home fans.

But if Frank’s side are slightly unpredictable, how about the enigma that is Chelsea?

Inconsistency in the Premier League has left them in mid-table while their last two results perhaps sum it all up: a gut-punch 2-1 home loss to Sunderland followed by a 4-3 Carabao Cup win at Wolves after they’d led 3-0 at the break.

The one constant is that they have a brilliant record in this fixture, especially at Spurs where Chelsea have won five of the last six.

How to watch Spurs v Chelsea

Spurs vs Chelsea kicks off at 17:30 GMT on Saturday, November 1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage starting from 4pm.

BBC Radio 5 will provide full match commentary.

Spurs team news

Tottenham still have several definite absentees, with Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusaevski missing, the latter two long-term.

But Wilson Odobert, Christian Romero, Archie Gray and Destiny Udogie are closer to returning and may play a part.

Frank wants more goals at home so will hope Randal Kolo Muani can find his scoring boots after failing to deliver so far.

Spurs expected line-up

(4-2-3-1) Vicario; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Xavi, Bergvall; Kolo Muani.

Chelsea team news

Cole Palmer’s continued absence deprives Chelsea of attacking spark and with Joao Pedro firing blanks and Liam Delap suspended after his red card against Wolves, the calls for Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian to be given more game time are growing.

Andrey Santos is also pushing for a start after netting against Wolves and setting up two others while Jamie Gittens is also a contender.

At the back, Reece James still needs his minutes managed but is likely to be given the nod here rather than play next week’s Champions League fixture away to Qarabag.

Chelsea expected line-up

(4-2-3-1) Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Santos, Estevao, Pedro.

Spurs vs Chelsea stats

– Spurs have won just one of their last 13 Premier League games against Chelsea (D2 L10), losing the last four in a row since a 2-0 home win in February 2023.

– Chelsea have won five of their six Premier League games against Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (L1), earning more victories at the ground than any other visiting side.

– Tottenham have won five of their nine Premier League matches this season (D2 L2), as many as they won in their last 26 games under Ange Postecoglou last season (D4 L17).

– Chelsea have lost three of their last five Premier League matches (W2), more than they’d lost in their previous 16 combined (W10 D4 L2).

– Only Arsenal (7) and Chelsea (6) have scored more Premier League goals from corners this season than Tottenham (5), while in the last two seasons only the Gunners (21) have netted more than Spurs (15).

– Chelsea have won four of their last seven away Premier League matches (D1 L2), having gone eight winless on the road beforehand.

– Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has lost just two of his eight Premier League games against Chelsea (W3 D3). However, all three of those victories have come at Stamford Bridge.

– Five of Tottenham’s 17 Premier League goals this season have come via headers (29.4%).

Spurs vs Chelsea predictions

Both these sides have looked better and played more freely on the road so there’s certainly a temptation to go with Chelsea, the marginal 6/4 favourites ahead of 13/8 Spurs.

But the safer bet here is probably goals.

Chelsea have scored 15 times in their latest five matches, including seven in their last two away games, while Tottenham head into this weekend as the Premier League’s joint-highest scorers with Manchester City on 17.

So this could be an evening to have some goalscorer bets.

Tottenham’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League this season is Micky Van de Ven – a surprise but one that has logic given the focus Frank puts on set pieces.

The big defender is worth a punt at 7/1 to score anytime.

For Chelsea, who have scored eight goals in their last two away games at Spurs (4-3 and 4-1 wins), Estevao takes the eye.

Spurs star Richarlison has reportedly ‘said yes’ to a ‘sensational return’ to Premier League rivals Everton, though this deal hinges on two ‘key’ factors.

Injuries and poor form have marred Richarlison during his time at Spurs and he was heavily linked with a potential exit in the summer.

A potential move to the Saudi Pro League has been consistently mooted in recent months, though he has been offered a lifeline by new Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank.

Richarlison started this season as Tottenham’s first-choice striker and he impressed for the north London outfit, grabbing three goals and two assists in his nine Premier League appearances.

Despite this, Richarlison remains linked with an exit and a report earlier this week claimed that Spurs plan to ‘accept an offer’ for the forward in January.

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A possible move to the MLS has also been floated, while it has been suggested that he could return to Everton.

The Toffees are on the rise under David Moyes, though they are lacking in the striking department and will likely look to sign a new No.9 in January.

And according to our pals at TEAMtalk claims Richarlison has ‘said yes’ to Everton ahead of this winter transfer window, though this deal hinges on two ‘key’ conditions before a full ‘green light’ can be given.

Firstly, it depends on ‘what kind of deal Spurs would be willing to entertain’, with it also noted that ‘Tottenham will almost certainly only entertain letting Richarlison go if they sign a new striker of their own in January’.

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Football Insider are also reporting that he has ‘opened the door to a sensational return to Everton’.

Former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown, who remains ‘very well connected within the game’, claims Richarlison is “still very highly thought of at Everton”.

“I’m told Richarlison is still very highly thought of at Everton,” Brown told Football Insider.

“Personally, he never seems to command a place in the starting XI with any sort of certainty, he’s not consistent enough to be a regular number nine. But that’s a decision for the powers that be to decide, and if they look at him and think he would be an improvement on what they’ve got at the moment, they could make a move.

“Not being quite good enough to start every week for Tottenham doesn’t necessarily come into it, it’s about whether he’s an improvement for Everton.

“They want to sign a new striker, because the current two have not been good enough. Richarlison isn’t the only one they’re looking at, they will have a few options on their radar.

“In terms of his future at Tottenham, if he’s going to be in and out of the side and not getting consistent starts, he might have a few questions about his place in the team.

“Interest from teams like Everton, who could offer him more regular starts, could tempt him to make a move.

“If that is the case, he’ll speak to Frank and Tottenham about what his role is in their plans, and if he’s not going to be a regular starter, maybe he could move on. Then, it will just be about the price tag and whether Spurs will let him go.”