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Already doubts to face AS Monaco, Thomas Frank confirmed that neither Cristian Romero nor Destiny Udogie would play any part for Tottenham Hotspur at the Stade Louis II tonight.

Romero was initially in the starting line-up to face Aston Villa over the weekend, but he pulled out after sustaining an injury in the warm-up. It was hoped that he would be fit to return for Tottenham Hotspur against Monaco in tonight’s UEFA Champions League tie, but he has not travelled. Udogie also didn’t travel due to a knee irritation.

It means that former RC Lens defender Kevin Danso will once again deputise in defence. Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Dominic Solanke also miss out with injury, whilst Mathys Tel is ineligible to feature.

Tottenham Hotspur likely line-up v Monaco

Vicario; Djed Spence, Micky Van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Pedro Porro; Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha; Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Mohammed Kudus; Richarlison. (L’Éq)

AS Monaco have not suffered any fresh injury blows this week, however, they remain without several key players as they prepare to host Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League.

Eric Dier, who suffered a muscular injury last week, is the latest to have succumbed to an injury. The Englishman missed the weekend draw to SCO Angers and despite doing an individual training session on Tuesday, he won’t play against his former club either.

In midfield, Monaco remain without Denis Zakaria and Lamine Camara, whilst Paul Pogba is also not yet fit. Jordan Teze will deputise again, whilst Mamadou Coulibaly is also likely to start, although Aladji Bamba is also in contention. Up front, Folarin Balogun may get the nod ahead of Mika Biereth.

Monaco likely line-up v Tottenham Hotspur

Philipp Kohn; Caio Henrique, Mohammed Salisu, Thilo Kehrer; Kassoum Ouattara, Mamadou Coulibaly, Jordan Teze, Krépin Diatta; Maghnes Akliouche; Ansu Fati, Folarin Balogun.

Eric Dier (31) has suffered an injury in training, according to a report from L’Équipe, and is set to miss several weeks of competition.

Dier has quickly settled since making the move to Monaco this summer. The England international has made eight appearances for the Principality club, scoring twice, whilst he has also worn the captain’s armband, having been included in the ‘leaders group’ at the club. However, just days before a reunion against former club Tottenham Hotspur, the Monaco defender has sustained an injury.

As per L’Équipe, the Englishman has suffered a muscular injury, which will rule him out for between two to four weeks. It means that he misses the game against SCO Angers on Saturday, as well as next week’s UEFA Champions League tie against Tottenham Hotspur. It is yet another blow for Monaco, who are contending with an injury crisis that has depleted their midfield options in particular.

Xavi Simons’ (22) agent, Ali Barat, has told French media RMC Sport why his client’s prospective move to Chelsea fell through this summer.

Former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Simons was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea throughout the summer. The Dutchman was keen to leave RB Leipzig, having significantly enhanced his reputation since leaving PSG to move to Germany.

A move to England, and more specifically to London, looked on the cards, as Chelsea looked to further bolster their attacking options. Fabrizio Romano understood that Simons had prioritised a move to Stamford Bridge, however, Barat has now revealed how certain “constraints” held back the move.

“Tottenham and Chelsea are both fantastic clubs with solid projects, and there was real interest from both sides,” Barat told RMC Sport in an exclusive interview.

Barat added, “Chelsea were always clear with us. They had certain constraints that made it difficult to move forward with discussions.”

‘No regrets’ about Simons’ failure to establish himself at PSG

As a result, Tottenham Hotspur, returning to the UEFA Champions League this season, following last season’s triumph in the UEFA Europa League, swooped in, signing the playmaker in a €65m deal. He has made two appearances for Spurs so far.

“When talks with Tottenham started, it became clear that this would be a project that would be a perfect fit for Xavi,” added Barat, who went on to insist that he had “no regrets” about Simons’ failure to establish himself at PSG.

“PSG weren’t in their current phase of developing young players, even if he did play a few matches. In football, there is no place for regrets. You always have to look ahead of you,” said his agent.

Tottenham Hotspur look to have won the Deadline Day race to sign France international striker Randal Kolo Muani (26) on loan from PSG, according to reports from RMC Sport and L’Equipe. The Thomas Frank-led Premier League side has struck a €5m loan fee agreement with the Champions League winners to bring the former Eintracht Frankfurt on loan to North London. Kolo Muani’s loan move includes an option to make his move permanent.

Kolo Muani is expected in London in the afternoon to undergo a medical with the Spurs. The North London club are one of many clubs hoping to secure the services of the France international forward before the window closes. Fabrizio Romano reported earlier today that Kolo Muani and Tottenham Hotspur were close to reaching an agreement on personal terms.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

AS Monaco will host two Premier League sides for the league phase of the Champions League: Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens will look to take their revenge against Les Monégasques. Monaco, then led by a fearless teenager called Kylian Mbappé, famously eliminated City from the Champions League in the last-16 stage in 2017.

The France captain will also cross paths again with his formative club as Monaco have been drawn to face Real Madrid at the Santiago-Bernabeu Stadium. All in all, Adi Hütter’s side has been dealt a pretty difficult draw, given they’ll also play Serie A giants Juventus. Nevertheless, outings against Pafos, Bodo/Glimt, Galatasaray and Club Brugge offer Monaco a greater chance to finish in the first 24 places of the Champions League.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

According to an exclusive report from French journalist Fabrice Hakwins, Yves Bissouma (28) is set to join Galatasaray from Tottenham Hotspur, with negotiations in an advanced stage. Personal terms between Bissouma and the Turkish club have reportedly already been agreed.

Bissouma has yet to start for Tottenham under new head coach Thomas Frank, having picked up an injury during preseason training. It wasn’t known when he would return from injury, with the former Brentford manager keeping details vague. However, it appears as if he will play no further part in Tottenham’s plans.

Bissouma has made 100 appearances for Tottenham and even scored twice since joining the club from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022. The midfielder had spent four years at Brighton, making 124 appearances and scoring six times. Bissouma made his arrival in the Premier League by way of Ligue 1 side Lille OSC, who had spotted his potential when playing for Mali side AS Real Bamako.

Tottenham Hotspur are considering AS Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche (23) as an alternative to Manchester City forward Savinho (21), according to a report from The Independent.

Akliouche has been linked with a move away from Monaco all summer, however, that expected departure has yet to materialise. There are plenty of suitors for the France youth international, including Bayer Leverkusen, however, Monaco’s €70m asking price has thus far deterred those suitors.

There is now a new suitor in the form of Tottenham Hotspur. Savinho remains the priority target for Thomas Frank’s side, however, Manchester City’s demands are proving difficult to meet. The Cityzens want £60m for the Brazilian. Spurs have already seen two bids rejected.

Akliouche is a viable alternative. Whilst Monaco still state that €70m is the asking price for the forward, The Independent believe that a deal could be done for a lower figure of €55m. Asked about his future following ASM’s win over Le Havre AC over the weekend, Akliouche was non-committal. Asked if he wanted to stay at Monaco, he responded, “I’m here. I’m here at Monaco.”

UEFA Super Cup final, 13/08/2025

After a week’s holiday following a long season that only finished on the 25th of July, UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain were back in action as they travelled to the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine to take on UEFA Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup.

The Match

Despite an early high press from Tottenham, there were no surprises as to who controlled the lion’s share of possession as the game settled into its rhythm. Paris Saint-Germain moved up the field and pushed Tottenham back into a shape that looked to camp deep within their half and hit on the break.

It was a different approach to the one Chelsea FC had deployed to great impact in the FIFA Club World Cup final, but it seemed promising nonetheless. PSG struggled to find a way through the white shirts, while Spurs threatened on the break (albeit only ever forcing Lucas Chevalier into one save) during the opening exchanges.

Tottenham would turn their promise into results in the 39th minute when PSG struggled to deal with a free kick towards Cristian Romero. The captain headed the ball into the mixer. João Palhinha was able to release a scrappy shot that Chevalier pushed onto the crossbar, but Micky van de Ven was the first to react as he scrambled into action, heading the ball over the line.

PSG had laboured throughout the first half, which was hardly surprising considering the club had only a week’s holiday before being flung back into action tonight. They would need big changes in the remaining 45 minutes. However, it was Tottenham who came out with far more vigour, a side energised and with the bit between their teeth.

Romero would make it two in the 48th minute. Another free kick towards Romero saw the captain head the ball towards Chevalier. It was a low effort that looked comfortable to save, but the ball bounced off the debutant’s glove and found its way into the back of the net to double the lead.

Luis Enrique made a host of changes across the second half. Which late in the game wrestled control back to PSG. It would take substitutes Lee Kang-in and Gonçalo Ramos to level the scores near the death. Lee struck from distance in the 85th minute, and Ramos in the 3rd minute of injury time to send the game to penalties.

PSG would complete the comeback in the penalty shootout. Vitinha missed the first chance, but Tottenham would stumble with Chevalier saving Van de Ven’s effort. Momentum would swing in PSG’s favour with Mathys Tel missing. PSG would hit their next four with Nuno Mendes scoring the winning goal. It was finished, PSG would be the crowned Super Cup winners.

Paris Saint-Germain Player Ratings

Lucas Chevalier – 7

The new signing is filling big boots in Gianluigi Donnarumma, and he looked extremely nervous tonight. He made a key mistake in the second goal, but overall had a promising performance, making some key saves which kept the scoreline narrow. In the shootout, he shifted momentum in PSG’s favour, making a big save against Micky van de Ven to help PSG complete a remarkable comeback.

Nuno Mendes – 6

Willian Pacho – 4

Marquinhos – 4

Achraf Hakimi – 5

Désiré Doué – 3

Replaced by Gonçalo Ramos in the 77th minute.

Vitinha – 6

Warren Zaïre-Emery – 5

In for the suspended João Neves. In brief moments, he looked at times like the best out of the midfield three. He had some drive and could have secured an assist if Kvaratskhelia was able to sort out his feet. Replaced by Lee Kang-in in the 67th minute.

Kvhicha Kvaratskhelia – 2

A very quiet evening for the January signing, who was unable to demonstrate his quick feet and eye for goal with any consistency. Kvaratskhelia struggled to make an impact during the match and was hooked midway through the second half. Replaced by Fabián Ruiz in the 60th minute.

Ousmane Dembélé – 6

Bradley Barcola – 5

Replaced by Ibrahim Mbaye in the 67th minute.

Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings

Guglielmo Vicario – 4

Djed Spence – 6

Micky van de Ven – 7

The centre-back looked as if he would once again be Tottenham’s hero when he opened the score for the Premier League side, and put on a dominant performance for most of the game. However, his penalty miss in the shootout would prove to be the first in a slide that saw the cup slip out of Tottenham’s hands.

Kevin Danso – 7

Cristian Romero – 8

Pedro Porro – 7

Rodrigo Bentancur – 7

Pape Matar Sarr – 7

João Palhinha – 7

Richarlison – 5

Mohammed Kudus – 7

Two players are expected to make their competitive debuts for Tottenham Hotspur when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup in Udine on Wednesday night.

Spurs, who will be led by Thomas Frank for the first time in a competitive fixture, have injury absences to contend with. James Maddison will miss this game, as well as much of the upcoming season having suffered an ACL injury during the club’s pre-season preparations.

Destiny Udogie, Radu Dragusin, and Dejan Kulusevski will also miss out for Tottenham on Wednesday night. However, there will be competitive debuts for Palhinha, who joined Bayern Munich in the summer, as well as Mohammed Kudus, who joined from West Ham United. Dominik Solanke and Mathys Tel are expected to start from the bench.

Tottenham Hotspur likely line-up v PSG

Guglielmo Vicario; Djed Spence, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro; Palhinha, Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur; Wilson Odobert, Mohammed Kudus; Richarlison. (L’Éq)