Sport Witness

Emerson Royal has been subject to criticism since before even arriving at AC Milan from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Serie A side chased the right-back for most of the last window before agreeing a deal with Tottenham in August. The Rossoneri paid €15m excluding bonuses to Spurs.

He’s made five appearances for the Italian club. MilanNews.it were critical of the 25-year-old’s performance in the 2-2 draw against Lazio. They said he was one of the worst players on the pitch.

Journalist Gianni Visnadi suggested Tottenham would have been thrilled to have collected €15m from the defender’s sale to Milan. MilanLive.it now claims some of the criticism wasn’t justified. The Brazil international has responded in the ‘best possible way’ by impressing in the derby win over Inter Milan.

He played the full 90 minutes as Milan sealed a 2-1 win over their local rivals. Emerson was doubted by some after the first half, but he did well after the break. The website says he created chances, yet his teammates on the receiving end weren’t able to convert.

Emerson won 100% of his aerial duels, blocked 100% of shots and three out of his four tackles were successful. In this way, the player has responded to ‘prejudices and unfair criticism’ in the best possible way after his arrival from Tottenham.

This fixture could be a turning point for Emerson’s career at the San Siro, provided he continues to shine in the upcoming matches.

Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur are in the picture to sign Galatasaray’s Barış Alper Yılmaz, according to Monday’s edition of Sabah.

The winger impressed for Galatasaray last season, managing seven goals and 12 assists. He has extended his form into this season, with four goals and an assist from nine games.

His performances for the Istanbul club have caught the attention of Brighton, Tottenham and other clubs.

Brighton & Hove Albion signed Ferdi Kadıoğlu from Fenerbahçe in the summer window. He wasn’t the only player from the Turkish league on the Seagulls’ agenda.

It’s claimed Fabian Hürzeler’s side offered €20m to Galatasaray for Barış Alper Yılmaz. There’s no explanation provided if Brighton’s bid was rejected by the 24-year-old, his club or both this summer.

Sabah say Brighton and Spurs are still interested in the Turkey international. The Seagulls are ready to increase offer to €25m, to try and beat Tottenham and others to the player’s signature.

The Turkish press like to create hype around the Süper Lig players but were proved right with the Kadıoğlu transfer. Brighton certainly have their eye on the market, with signings available more cheaply than they likely would be from elsewhere.

Toby Alderweireld spent six years at Tottenham Hotspur before leaving them for Al-Duhail in 2021. A year later, the popular centre-back returned to Europe when he joined Royal Antwerp.

The defender was a regular during his time at Tottenham, making 236 appearances for them. Alderweireld was also a fan favourite at Spurs, largely due to his approach to the game. Prior to joining Tottenham, he had spells at Southampton, Atlético Madrid and Ajax.

Royal Antwerp will host Beerschot in their derby on Sunday. The 35-year-old and his side will start preparation for this clash from today.

Monday’s edition of Gazet van Antwerpen points out the Belgian has so far enjoyed a lot of success in various derbies.

At Tottenham, he faced Arsenal in the north London derby 11 times. The newspaper says the centre-back won five of them and settled for a draw on four occasions. He played 10 times for Ajax against Feyenoord and was on the winning side seven times.

Beerschot have returned to the Jupiler Pro League, after winning the second division last season. This allows Royal Antwerp to face their rivals in the league. The former Tottenham star is eagerly waiting for the big clash on Sunday.

“I’m very happy that I can finally experience one. I’ve played enough big matches,” he told Gazet van Antwerpen.

“Think of Ajax-Feyenoord. Not a city derby, but a very charged match. Tottenham-Arsenal and Atlético Madrid-Real Madrid, those were real city derbies. But this means more to me. In terms of importance, the Antwerp city derby cannot be surpassed.”

Tanguy Ndombele ended his disappointing spell at Tottenham Hotspur after the parties mutually agreed to terminate his contract in the summer.

The midfielder was once Spurs’ club-record signing when he arrived from Lyon in 2019. He struggled at Tottenham, and they sent him out on loan to Lyon, Napoli and Galatasaray since the start of 2022.

Tottenham’s decision to release the 27-year-old allowed OGC Nice to sign him on a free transfer in July.

Ndombele has clocked in 431 minutes from five matches, managing a goal and an assist in the process. He scored in the Ligue 1 side’s 8-0 win over Saint-Étienne on Friday.

Saturday’s edition of Le Figaro stated the Frenchman played his best game for Nice since arriving at the club.

The former Tottenham man’s recent performances are enough for the newspaper to insists he ‘confirms his return to form’. They state the good environment at Nice ‘suits him’ and this has been key for him to impress at Nice.

The Turkish press were critical of his fitness and weight whilst he was on loan at Galatasaray last season. There seems no concerns now about these factors at the French club.

Wilson Odobert has made three Premier League appearances for Tottenham Hotspur since joining them from Burnley on August 16th.

Earlier this week, the winger suffered an injury in Spurs’ EFL Cup win over Coventry City. He was replaced by Brennan Johnson in the 18th minute.

In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Ange Postecoglou said the Tottenham man’s hamstring injury “doesn’t look good”.

L’Equipe pick up on that and then give their own information on the Frenchman’s setback.

They state it was a ‘almost a dream’ start to his Tottenham career, and that has been ‘thwarted’ by the injury. The 19-year-old underwent initial tests on Thursday and the report adds he’ll carry out more tests, once the swelling subsides.

It’s claimed the north London club’s medical staff have ‘estimated’ Odobert will be out ‘for a month’. He’s expected to return to action in mid-October. There should be more clarity after he undergoes more tests.

Odobert represented France U21s in the European qualifiers against Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina earlier this month. The attacker’s latest blow means Les Bleuets manager Gérald Baticle can’t rely upon him for October’s international break.

Espanyol sporting director Fran Garagarza has told AS that Tottenham Hotspur’s Alejo Véliz rejected Champions League clubs to join them.

The striker arrived at the La Liga side from Tottenham on a loan deal in the summer window.

Espanyol signed eight new players in the summer and seven of them are loan signings. Álvaro Tejero joined them on a free transfer.

Garagarza has explained the club’s financial situation and La Liga’s salary limit meant they had to sign players on temporary deals.

The director has revealed he’s been following the Argentina U20 international after his fine displays at the U20 World Cup in 2023, where he scored three goals from four matches.

Véliz struggled for a prominent role under Ange Postecoglou in the first half of last season. The Premier League side let him join Sevilla in January. His game time was restricted to 31 minutes from six games at the Andalusian club.

If he had impressed at Sevilla, Espanyol wouldn’t have been able to sign him. That’s at least what the Espanyol sporting director now claims.

When AS pointed out that the Tottenham owned player comes from a difficult spell at Sevilla, he said: “We understood that we had to go for that type of player who was more out than in at his clubs.

“In the case of Véliz, for example, he came from a somewhat complicated loan at Sevilla. He didn’t play much. It’s true that if he had played his level there, we wouldn’t have had any chance of having him with us.

“He had several Italian teams and Champions League clubs after him, but Tottenham helped us. They understood that with us the player’s value would increase because we made them see that he was going to be important. Having a young boy of that profile, even with money, is difficult.”

Véliz has a goal from five matches for Espanyol this season.

On deadline day, Real Betis agreed a deal with Tottenham Hotspur to sign Giovani Lo Celso on a permanent transfer.

The midfielder didn’t have a key role at Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou last season. The Spurs manager had left him out of his plans for this season, forcing the 28-year-old to find a new club.

Lo Celso returned to Real Betis, where he spent one season, before joining Tottenham in 2019. He had his best season of his career at the La Liga side, managing 16 goals and six assist during the 2018/19 season.

On Wednesday, the former Spurs man scored a brace in Real Betis’ 2-1 win over Getafe. Mundo Deportivo claim ‘Lo Celso reigns again at the Benito Villamarín’, a place where he impressed during his first spell.

The newspaper has rated him 4/5 and he’s the only player to receive this rating. Lo Celso has had a good start since leaving the north London club and expressed his delight about returning to Real Betis.

“The day I returned to Seville it seemed as if time had not passed. I’m very happy to be here, from the first day I arrived they gave me that feeling. I’m very grateful to the people for the affection and love from the day I left until the day I returned,” he told Movistar, relayed by Mundo Deportivo.

Real Betis decided to bet on Lo Celso, after selling Nabil Fekir to Al-Jazira Club late in the window. Manuel Pellegrini has insisted it was vital for his side to replace the Frenchman with the South American.

Good news for Tottenham, Aston Villa and Brentford as some of your youngsters are the best born in 2005.

That’s at least according to scout Marco Palma, who has compiled his favourite youngsters into an 11 for TMW Radio today and named three from Tottenham, Aston Villa and Brentford among them.

Aston Villa’s Kosta Nedeljkovic is the first off the blocks, having made a positive impression early on this season and seemingly fallen onto Palma’s radar too.

He’s described as ‘really strong’ with good running and ‘attention in the defensive phase’ with an ability to provide assists at the other end too.

He already cost €8m and remains valued at that price but there’s a feeling that won’t remain the case for too long.

Tottenham’s Jamie Donley is the next to earn praise, slotting into the right-wing spot, where he is currently playing on loan at Leyton Orient.

He is described as a player who likes to cut inside as much as possible and ‘can make many assists’ as a result. He’s also labelled as ‘cold in front of the goal’, which feels slightly like a nod to Cole Palmer.

Las but not least is Brentford’s Gustavo Nunes, who arrived at the club in the summer from Gremio for €13m and is very much one for the future.

He is described as having ‘great technique and dribbling’ and may be one to keep a very close eye on in the coming weeks with Yoan Wissa set for a spell on the sidelines.

Palma certainly thinks so, backing him for an exciting future alongside the Tottenham and Aston Villa men.

The other eight named are Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes, Borussia Dortmund defender Filippo Mane, Valencia defender Yarek Gąsiorowski, Lanus left-back Julio Soler (who the scout said should be bought right now), PSV playmaker Enzo Geerts, Benfica midfielder Rafael Luis, Feyenoord midfielder Antoni Milambo, and Mainz striker Nelson Weiper.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario could return to Italy, according to MilanLive.it.

The 27-year-old left Empoli to join Spurs in June 2023 and has been the first-choice stopper for Ange Postecoglou since then. He’s since kept nine clean sheets and conceded 66 goals from 44 games.

Vicario’s displays for Tottenham have convinced top Serie A sides to consider him for next season.

It’s claimed the 27-year-old is ‘ready for a big return’ to Italy next summer. His suitors include Inter Milan. The report adds the Nerazzurri ‘have no doubts in making an offer’ to snatch him away from the north London club.

Yann Sommer is currently the No.1 goalkeeper at the San Siro. The 36-year-old’s deal lasts until 2026. Due to his age, his side could look to bring in a new stopper next year.

Inter have already asked Tottenham for information about the Italy international. The Premier League side ‘firmly believe’ in the player, indicating they have no plans to let him go.

Simone Inzaghi’s side, on the other hand, would like to offer €30m. The report warns they will have to offer much more than that if Spurs are to sell Vicario.

And that could be where this idea dies.

Last week, we covered claims from Argentina that Tottenham Hotspur are keeping tabs on Boca Juniors’ Kevin Zenón. It was also stated he has a $15m [£11.4m] release clause in his contract.

Tottenham’s interest in the midfielder is backed up by Pasión Fútbol, who then provide the latest on this case.

His preferred position is midfield but he can operate across several other positions. The 23-year-old arrived at the Argentine club from Unión de Santa Fe in January. Zenon has made 34 appearances for Boca Juniors, managing four goals and seven assists in the process. His performances have caught the attention of the European clubs and Spurs are one of them.

It’s claimed Tottenham have ‘decided to join the fight’ for the Argentina U23 international.

His contract lasts until December 2028. Despite this, the report states Boca Juniors president Juan Román Riquelme is aware the player ‘can leave for the Premier League’.

The official knows that he ‘can lose’ Zenón, who is closely followed by Tottenham. Pasión Fútbol add Ange Postecoglou’s side aren’t the only club that want him. Newcastle United are also in the picture to sign the player.

Zenón’s $15m release clause would be affordable for both Tottenham and Newcastle.