The Sun

TOTTENHAM skipper Cristian Romero has been booted out of the starting XI for today’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa with a suspected injury.

It was announced to the Spurs crowd FIFTEEN minutes before kick-off that the Argentine defender would no longer be involved.

Kevin Danso has taken his place in the side while Micky van de Ven will wear the club armband for today’s tie.

Due to the short notice of the news, Thomas Frank is unable to bring anyone else into the matchday squad to replace Danso.

Tottenham splashed out on a private charter flight to bring Romero from international duty with Argentina back to London.

The World Cup champions, who have qualified for the 2026 Finals, smashed Puerto Rico 6-0 in Fort Lauderdale in the United States last Tuesday.

Club officials organised the special transportation so he could be ready for the match with Unai Emery’s Villa but he will sit this one out instead.

It is a blow for Spurs as Romero had not missed a minute in their opening seven Prem games.

Last season the defender featured in Tottenham’s opening 11 league games before a toe and hamstring injuries kept him sidelined for three months.

Spurs won just five of their 20 Prem matches without Romero last term.

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They suffered a number of injuries with another first-choice centre-back, Van de Ven, missing a large chunk of the season.

Danso deputised for the Dutchman after arriving on loan in January – he made his stay permanent in the summer for £21million.

FABIO PARATICI thanked Tottenham fans for their support after returning to the club following his long football ban.

The Italian served as Spurs’ managing director of football between 2021 and 2023 but resigned after being suspended for 30 months due to accusations of financial malpractice at old club Juventus.

He had been working for Tottenham in recent months in a consultancy role.

But the 53-year-old is now back in an official capacity with the North Londoners, becoming a co-sporting director alongside Johan Lange, who has been promoted from technical director.

Paratici paid tribute to supporters “showing him love” throughout his two-and-a-half year ban, as well as Spurs owners, the Lewis family, and CEO Vinai Venkatesham.

He said: “It’s a great feeling. I would like to be thankful and grateful to the Lewis family, to Vinai, to Johan, to all the employees that supported me in this period and make me feel a part of this family even when I wasn’t full-time in the club.

“I want to thank even the fans because they make me feel really important for them, they supported me everywhere when I met them.

“They showed me their love and it means a lot to me. For this reason, this club is really special for me.”

Paratici was one of 11 former Juventus executives suspended by the Italian Football Federation following an investigation into historical transfer and accounting matters at the Old Lady.

The sanction related to inflation of transfer fees for accounting purposes and later extended by Fifa and recognised by Uefa.

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Paratici entered a plea deal, which involved no admission or finding of guilt nor any acceptance of liability.

SunSport revealed back in May that Paratici would be coming back in an official capacity and now the ban is over, that has been confirmed.

Spurs have decided to make him a co-sporting director alongside Lange because they feel the role has a wide enough brief that it is best served by having more than one person fill it.

Chief executive Venkatesham said: “For Fabio in particular it’s been a really challenging personal last two years or so for him.

“He’s just delighted to be back in football and back here at Spurs.”

Lange, who has been hailed as a data whizz, will be focused on scouting, performance, football insights, performance analysis and the academy.

The remit of Paratici, famed for his talent-spotting, is more on players and the transfer window, as well as the loans and pathways department.

The duo will work together on everything that falls under the sporting director brief, specifically collaborating on squad planning and player recommendations for Thomas Frank’s team.

‘COMPLETELY RELAXED’

Venkatesham added: “I’ve spoken to Thomas about this a lot and he’s completely relaxed about it and happy with where we’re going.

“He has explained to me that this structure of working into two people is something he’s very familiar with. He had a very similar structure at Brentford.

“He has very good relationships with Johan and Fabio. He’s really looking forward to get going.”

Cynics might say having two bosses sharing one role could lead to tension.

But Venkatesham welcomes healthy debate and feels the two skillsets of his sporting directors complement each other well.

The former Arsenal supremo added: “We are going to have lots of big, important decisions ahead to drive the football club forward and I’m a firm believer in having more voices and opinions to make the right decisions.

“I think having Johan and Fabio in roles will mean that we will make better decisions.

“With Johan and Fabio we are bringing together two individuals who are very talented but also have slightly different experience and expertise and I think they’ll form a very good team.”

RYAN MASON'S Tottenham journey includes spells as an academy wonderkid, first team regular, youth coach, assistant boss and caretaker manager.

The 34-year-old played in, managed and coached in three separate finals with Spurs.

After the Lilywhites' triumph in Bilbao, Mason's first taste of silverware at the third time of asking, the local lad decided to leave his comfort zone in a bid to be a manager.

He told The Guardian during the summer: "To close that chapter with what we achieved was great; it felt good to end the season that way. I knew after that that my time had come to an end."

Having worked under the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou, Mason departed White Hart Lane for a crack at senior management with West Brom, following two previous caretaker stints with Spurs.

Could he one day return to his boyhood club as boss? One brilliant omen suggests it might just be a good idea.

To begin to figure out why, we must cast our minds all the way back to 1906, when Arthur Rowe was born in Tottenham.

A defender by trade, local lad Rowe made 201 appearances for Spurs between 1929 and 1939.

During this time he earned a solitary England cap in 1933.

Having learned from the pioneering Hungarians just prior to the Second World War, Rowe began to attract attention as Chelmsford boss in the late 1940s.

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Rowe returned to Tottenham as manager in 1949, and went on to have incredible success.

Using his revolutionary "push and run" style of play, Rowe masterminded Spurs' run to the Second Division title in 1950.

Remarkably, Tottenham then went on to make it back-to-back successes by winning the First Division title the following year.

Rowe's incredible success had a huge effect on English football.

Not only did he coach future World Cup-winning England boss Alf Ramsey at Spurs, but also Bill Nicholson.

A straight-talking Yorkshireman, Nicholson, like Rowe, also earned one England cap during his playing career - amazingly scoring just 19 seconds into his debut.

But with Wolves legend Billy Wright preferred, and Nicholson choosing to focus on Tottenham, the wing-half did not play for his country again.

But following a distinguished playing career with Spurs, Nicholson took charge as boss in 1958 after assisting England manager Walter Winterbottom at the 1958 World Cup - three years after Rowe's White Hart Lane departure due to health issues.

Continuing Spurs' tradition of swashbuckling football, Sir Bill masterminded the club's incredible league and FA Cup double in 1961 - the first time that such a feat had been achieved in the 20th century.

Nicholson's amazing success didn't end there, as he also lifted a further two FA Cups, two League Cups, a Uefa Cup and a European Cup Winners' Cup during his sensational tenure.

So how does any of this relate to Mason?

Well, like the West Brom boss, Rowe and Nicholson both came through Tottenham's academy.

And like Mason, both of them earned a solitary England cap during their playing careers.

The former midfielder came on in a Three Lions friendly against Italy in 2015, assisting club team-mate Andros Townsend's equaliser in the 1-1 draw, in a match notably also featuring then-Spurs stars Harry Kane and Kyle Walker.

As a boyhood Spurs fan, Mason will have been schooled in the wisdom of Rowe and Nicholson, to date the only two men to ever win top flight titles with the North Londoners.

And while his focus will now fully be on West Brom, who sit seventh in the Championship following a promising start, perhaps Mason harbours ambitions to one day return to White Hart Lane in a bid to match Rowe and Nicholson's incredible feats.

Throughout history, Spurs have long had success when the year ends in one; winning silverware in 1901, 1921, 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1991.

And while Mason's infamous Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, having replaced sacked Mourinho just days earlier, came in 2021, maybe 2031 could be the year that Spurs get back on top, to the perch only Rowe and Nicholson have ever sat upon.

WALES' World Cup qualifier defeat to Belgium was halted by a rat!

Craig Bellamy's Dragons hosted the Group J favourites at the Cardiff City Stadium on Monday night but lost 4-2 after taking an early lead through Joe Rodon.

However, there was a pause in the 66th minute when a rat was spotted on the pitch.

Germany referee Daniel Siebert halted play until the vermin left the playing surface.

Wales and Tottenham forward Brennan Johnson was closest to the rat and looked bemused by what he was seeing before chasing it off the field.

Fans reacted to the bizarre scenes on social media, with one saying: "Rodent's goal!"

Another declared: "He's man of the match."

One added: "Sneaking on another player."

Before the rat’s cameo, it was Kevin De Bruyne who took centre stage for Belgium.

The Manchester City legend was back in the UK and reminded everyone of his quality by slotting home a couple of penalties to take Belgium within touching distance of the World Cup finals.

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His second spot-kick came just minutes after the cheeky rodent had to be chased off.

And this defeat means it will be squeaky bum time for Craig Bellamy and his Dragons – who will need to go via the play-offs in March again if they are to reach the USA.

A win here would have put them top of the group – but Wales always knew it would be a tall order as Belgium have lost only one qualifier in the last 14 years.

Yet if the Dragons needed something to cling onto – that defeat was here 10 years ago when Gareth Bale got the winner.

And for a while they looked capable of repeating the trick as they went at the visitors from the off.

Their bright start was rewarded in the eighth minute as Sorba Thomas swung over a corner from the left and Rodon peeled off Amadou Onana to nod past Thibaut Courtois.

The Leeds defender scored his first Prem goal recently – and for a few brief minutes this looked like it could be an even bigger one for him.

Yet his joy was short-lived as his club mate Ethan Ampadu raised a hand as he got in the way of a cross-shot from Charles De Ketelaere.

The appeals were waved away initially by the German ref but the VAR told him to have another look and he pointed to the spot.

It was harsh but Kevin De Bruyne didn’t care – as he sent Karl Darlow the wrong way from the spot.

Dragons boss Craig Bellamy was furious – picking up a yellow card that means he will have to watch the next game in Liechtenstein as he was also booked in Belgium back in June.

The equaliser quietened the home crowd and completely changed the game – so it came as no surprise when the visitors were ahead six minutes later.

Jeremy Doku has been in electric form for Manchester City yet he was given the freedom of South Wales on his wing.

He drifted in and laid it back for Thomas Meunier to thump a shot past Darlow at his near post.

The Lille defender was famously left flummoxed by Hal Robson Kanu’s ‘Cruyff turn’ during the Euro 2016 quarter final so that a bit of revenge nine years on.

Doku was causing havoc and teed up chances for both De Bruyne and Leandro Trossard which could have almost sealed the victory for the visitors.

However it was all over when Jordan James needlessly handled a chip forward by Trossard – and KDB scored his second pen of the night with the minimum of fuss.

This was a happier return to these shores for the Napoli man – who was subbed off after just 20 minutes when he was back at the Etihad with his new club last month.

Sub Nathan Broadhead lashed home a consolation after good work by fellow sub Kieffer Moore to give Wales some home of salvaging a draw.

But that was quickly snuffed out as Timothy Castagne’s cross found its way to Trossard at the back post – and the Arsenal man made no mistake.

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DANE SCARLETT trained with the England first team on Monday to fill in for the injured Ollie Watkins.

The Three Lions had a session at Tottenham's training ground before flying out to Latvia for Tuesday's World Cup Qualifier.

And boss Thomas Tuchel was left a man light up top after Watkins returned to Aston Villa with the knock he picked up in Thursday's win over Wales.

Scarlett was one of only a few English Spurs stars stationed at Hotspur Way during the international break.

The 21-year-old boasts caps at Under-21 level but he wasn't called up to the latest squad.

And he is spending at least the first half of the season in north London after Tottenham bosses opted against sending him on another loan spell.

Scarlett was therefore in the right place at the right time when Tuchel sought out a centre-forward for Monday's session.

The youngster was snapped doing drills with Spurs legend Harry Kane and posted to England's social media channels.

But he won't play any part in the Latvia clash which could rubber-stamp England's spot at next year's World Cup.

A victory would be enough for the Three Lions with two qualifying matches still to play.

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The nation's record goal-scorer, Kane, will be back in contention to start up front after sitting out the Wales clash.

Jarrod Bowen, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon can also fill in centrally if required.

Big things were expected of Scarlett when he made his Tottenham debut at the age of 16 years and 247 days.

That made him their youngest-ever first-team player until Alfie Devine toppled him in 2021.

Scarlett has gained senior experience on loan at Portsmouth, Ipswich and Oxford United, but he is yet to hit the heights many expected.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank hasn't given the forward any first-team minutes this campaign.

GUS POYET has been around the block as a player and a manager - and his latest jaunt has taken him to South Korea.

There - at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors - he is joined by his ex-pro footballer son Diego, who has packed on so much muscle he is virtually unrecognisable from his playing days.

And the dad-and-lad duo are making an effective team.

Jeonbuk are on the cusp of their first K League title in four years - sitting 13 points clear with only six games to play.

Poyet took over on Christmas Eve last year and he has made a big impact in the 10 months since.

The Uruguayan became a Premier League legend during a seven-year spell in London with Chelsea and Tottenham.

And the first nine years of his managerial career were also spent in England.

After cutting his teeth on the backroom teams at Swindon, Leeds and Spurs, Poyet earned the top job at Brighton and took them from League One to the Championship play-offs.

A stint at Sunderland followed before the 57-year-old tried his luck in Greece, Spain, China, France and Chile.

Poyet says he's thankful that son Diego is with him in South Korea to tell it like it is.

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Diego - now 30 - played professionally with Charlton, West Ham and others before retiring in 2018 when his career stalled.

The young coach has built a bodybuilder-esque physique since hanging up his boots.

And while he no longer has a footballer body, he has retained his footballer IQ.

Poyet Sr. told the Daily Star: "He's still thinking as a player, and he will analyse the game like he was playing, and what he was doing.

"So he’s still young, but if I’m honest, he knows what I want, so it's straightforward. He will never say ‘I don't know.'

"He will tell me something, even if it's the opposite of what I think, and that's good for my way and for my staff. I want that kind of staff with me, people who tell me the truth."

TOTTENHAM fans have claimed Russell Martin failed to get the best out of Mikey Moore at Rangers after the youngster netted a hat-trick for England's Under-19s against Belgium.

The 18-year-old is a highly-regarded talent in the Spurs academy and there are big hopes for him after he was loaned to Ibrox.

But Rangers fans are yet to see Moore hitting top form yet after he failed to register a goal or assist so far.

It has led to criticism from Rangers fans, with some suggesting the player should be sent back to Tottenham.

Moore has played a total of ten games for the Gers, including three starts in the Scottish Premiership.

He has struggled to get going amid Rangers' turbulent recent form that cost Martin his job this week.

But now Moore has shown his old boss what he is capable of after firing in a treble for the England youth side.

Moore was the star of the show in England's 4-1 friendly win over Belgium this weekend.

He grabbed his first strike on the stroke of half time before scoring another in the 58th minute and finally his third of the day in the 65th minute.

Moore was substituted with 23 minutes still on the clock and will be delighted with his clinical display.

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He previously scored another hat-trick for England's Under-17s in November 2023 and is continuing to make waves.

Tottenham fans celebrated his achievement on social media and claimed it showed Martin was at fault for Moore's difficult start.

One supporter wrote: "Mikey Moore. Russell Martin didn't have a f***ing clue."

Another said: "Mikey Moore hat-trick yet you have Rangers fans calling him names I've never even heard of before. Mikey's not the problem, Rangers is."

A third added: "But Rangers fans told me he’s the worst player to play for them in the history of the club?"

And one wrote: "Russell Martin really ruined Mikey Moore’s rep. As soon as he plays for a proper coach he scores a hat trick."

Moore joined Tottenham as a nine-year-old has played a total of 21 senior games for the club.

He was called upon by manager Ange Postecoglou last season after the team suffered a major injury crisis.

TOTTENHAM fans are furious with the club's new and expensive clothing line.

Spurs unveiled their new designer clothes range, which includes some expensive prices in their official shop zone.

The North Londoners teamed up with John Smedley and had former stars Ledley King as well as Michael Dawson modelling.

However, fans are fuming with the prices, which include a scarf worth £140 and a £275 jacket.

Angry Tottenham supporters didn't hold back as they stormed social media.

One fan tweeted: "This is a bit of a kick in the teeth.”

Another commented: "It seems to be a bit of an own goal."

A third wrote: "Talk about a p*** take.”

This fan raged: "“For f***’s sake.”

And that one posted: "Oh come on..."

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Tottenham are currently third in the Premier League table after a positive start to the season under manager Thomas Frank.

Spurs have won four out of their first seven league matches, of which they only lost one.

Tottenham are back in action next Sunday in the Prem when they host Aston Villa.

SPEND five minutes in Seoul with Son Heung-min and you quickly realise he is the David Beckham of South Korea.

‘Sonny mania’ is quite something to witness in his home country, with frenzied fans mobbing him everywhere he goes, just like Goldenballs in, well, pretty much anywhere.

Now he is retracing Becks’ steps by moving to Los Angeles to light up the MLS.

And next summer, the winger is set to be the World Cup poster boy when football fever hits America in the way Beckham envisaged when he first went to LA Galaxy 18 years ago.

Many supporters Stateside are only just becoming acquainted with Son’s brilliance thanks to his electric form since joining LAFC from Tottenham in August.

The affable forward, whose K-Pop star good looks belie his 33 years of age, has already banged in eight goals in his first nine MLS appearances.

It has quickly endeared him to one of the most raucous fanbases in American football - soccer, that is, not gridiron - given how barmy the LAFC army can be.

One excited section of that fanbase would have known exactly what to expect.

The Tigers supporters group is majority Korean and a big part of the club's culture.

LA itself has the largest Korean community in the US, making this the perfect place for Son to settle away from the Premier League.

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Over in England, and specifically in North London, Son’s status as one of the elite wingers in Prem history has long been established.

Joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 for a bargain £22million, Son went on to score a blistering 173 goals in 454 appearances.

He is without doubt the greatest Asian player to grace the English top flight.

And given the eye-watering commercial revenues he delivered Spurs, plus the fact the club basically got their money back a decade after buying him, he is arguably the most value-for-money signing in Prem history.

Ironically, Son toiled in his first season and had to be convinced by then-boss Mauricio Pochettino not to leave the club at the end of it.

After that, though, he flew.

The smiley forward formed a devastating partnership with England captain Harry Kane, where their combined Prem goals tally of 47 was a whopping 11 more than next best Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard at Chelsea.

Every Spurs home game would see an army of South Korean fans descend on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, often having made the pilgrimage from the far side of the world, to see a glimpse of their hero.

Spurs said in 2022 that shirt sales with ‘Son 7’ on the back would reach up to 700 on a home matchday.

It's getting better and better every year. After the World Cup, it’s going to blow up again.

Nashville and ex-England U21 star Sam Surridge on MLS

While they also claimed back then that 12million of Korea’s 51m population were Spurs fans, underlining the power of their beloved No7.

Son insisted he could not be called a Spurs legend until he had won a trophy - even if his adoring supporters felt otherwise.

He became one in everyone’s eyes - even, he eventually admitted, his own - when he lifted the Europa League in May, ending Spurs’ 17-year silverware curse.

That allowed him to bow out on a high after ten memorable years of Spurs’ service - and now he has already put in some unforgettable displays in the city of Angels.

The move has proved to be an inspired one that is perfect for Son at this stage of his career.

Keeping pace with the hurly-burly of the Premier League was becoming increasingly harder for him last season and it is understood that around Christmas time he first started thinking of calling time in England.

The MLS may be a lesser level but with the great Lionel Messi playing over in Miami, it is growing all the time.

As former England Under-21 Sam Surridge, in the mix with Messi for the golden boot after blasting 23 goals for Nashville, told SunSport: “Since I’ve been here the standard has been getting better and better every year.

“After the World Cup, it’s going to blow up again.”

Son could well play a huge role in making that happen if he can lead Korea far in the tournament.

The smart money is on South Korea playing most of their games on the West coast - though the draw is not done until December to confirm this - given how much nearer that will be to the timezone their supporters will be in when watching from home.

You would expect plenty to make the trip over to North America for the tournament itself too, displaying the kind of banners and support for Son that they have been showing at LAFC and previously Spurs.

The interest in him in America has bordered Messi territory, with LAFC reporting about 34billion views across all social media channels when Son joined, an increase of 594 per cent.

His shirt has been selling like hot cakes - and his performances on the pitch have been living up to the iconic name on the back of those jerseys too.

Son looks revitalised by his move to the Golden State, playing virtually every minute for his new team, in stark contrast to his injury-interrupted final campaign at Tottenham.

Now his ardent supporters will hope he can deliver a golden summer for his nation on football’s biggest stage.