Sport Witness

Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall suffered an ankle injury in April, forcing him to miss the end of last season, including their Europa League final win over Manchester United in May.

The Sweden international already regained full fitness in June and has been training under Thomas Frank’s orders since the pre-season.

The Tottenham player was part of the national team squad for this international break but didn’t feature for Sweden in the World Cup qualifiers win over Slovenia and 2-0 defeat to Kosovo on Monday.

Prior to Sweden’s clash against Kosovo, Fotbollskanalen had a chat with the 19-year-old to discuss his spell under Thomas Frank, who replaced Ange Postecoglou in the summer.

Bergvall played 2,334 minutes from 45 games last season and four games this season for the north London club. The midfielder now provides a positive update on his fitness and his desire to regain his best form at Tottenham.

“Thomas is a good coach. It’s just a matter of continuing on the path from last spring. Then I got an ankle injury. Now it’s good and I want to get back to that level and just continue,” he said.

When asked whether the former Brentford manager believes in him, Bergvall explained: “Yes, absolutely. I’ve had to play almost every match. It’s just a matter of continuing like I did in the spring season.”

The youngster graduated from IF Brommapojkarna’s youth system and played over a year for their senior team before joining Djurgården in February 2023. The latter sold him to the Premier League club.

He hasn’t played in the Champions League yet, but that can soon change when Spurs face Villarreal next week and Bergvall is excited of featuring in the Europe’s elite competition with the English club.

“It will be incredibly fun to play in the Champions League. Incredibly fun. I’m incredibly grateful and it’s fun that I got to do it after the first season,” he added.

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Luka Vuskovic ‘could become the next superstar’ and follow in the path of Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol.

That’s according to former Croatian star Mladen Petric, who has heaped praise on the Tottenham youngster to BILD.

The Tottenham youngster is spending the season on loan at HSV Hamburg in Germany after securing a loan move at the end of the transfer window.

He had initially spent pre-season as a part of Thomas Frank’s squad after they wanted a look at him following a highly successful loan spell in Belgium last year.

They then elected to send him out on loan to aid his development this season, choosing Hamburg, where his brother currently plays, as the destination. The German side had pushed to get him for much of the summer and convinced Vuskovic that they were an ideal destination.

They are very excited to have secured him for the season, with his debut already planned for this Sunday when they take on Bayern Munich. Both they and Croatia are confident he’ll be a hit and Petric is delighted for his former club as well.

“Luka is a pretty hot prospect, one of the top talents in Croatia,” he said.

“He reminds me of the young Josko Gvardiol, who now plays for Manchester City. Vuskovic could become the next superstar in our country.

“I’m curious to see how quickly Luka settles into his role as defensive leader at HSV, leading the team from the back. That could take a while. He’s definitely an asset to my former team. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for him and the team.”

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has selected Richarlison, Dominic Solanke and deadline day signing Randal Kolo Muani as the three strikers for this season’s Champions League group stage fixtures.

Frank hasn’t included Mathys Tel, who has expressed his disappointment at being left out of the list.

The 20-year-old said he was hoping to represent Tottenham in Europe’s elite club competition this season and it “definitely hurts” to miss out.

Tel, who is part of the France U21 squad for this international break, has been speaking to the French media, and Le Télégramme have relayed his comments.

At the start of this year, the striker moved to the north London club on loan from Bayern Munich and Spurs made his stay permanent in the summer. He has signed a contract until 2031.

That hasn’t stopped Tel from being asked whether he’s ‘seeking revenge’ or if he has a desire to move elsewhere, likely in January, after Frank didn’t include him in the squad for the Champions League.

When responding to that, the France U21 international has refused to close the door on a potential exit.

“It doesn’t matter, even if I were on the list, I would have had this desire, to seek revenge, to be effective this season, to be able to kick-start my season in the Premier League. Because this is the beginning of a long first season, since last year was on a six-month loan,” he said.

“A desire to go elsewhere? I’m under contract with Tottenham, so I’m a Tottenham player, and I’m going to do my best to simply play.”

Tottenham Hotspur’s Mathys Tel has publicly expressed his disappointment at Thomas Frank leaving him out of Spurs’ Champions League squad this season.

The striker initially joined Tottenham on loan from Bayern Munich in the winter market and his stay was made permanent in the summer.

Spurs qualified for the Europe’s elite club competition after winning the Europa League final in May. They appointed Frank as Ange Postecoglou’s successor in the summer, and he didn’t include the 20-year-old in the list for Champions League group stage.

Tel has been with France U21s for the ongoing international break. He’s spoken to the media, who asked his views on Frank omitting him from Spurs’ Champions League list. Le Télégramme have relayed his comments.

Frank has deadline day signing Randal Kolo Muani, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke as his three strikers for the Champions League. The former Bayern Munich man insists he wanted to represent the north London club in the European competition this season.

“It’s clear that when you’re not on a squad, it definitely hurts, but I’m someone who stays pretty positive, no matter the situation, because I think I’ve worked a lot on my mental side, so today it’s definitely a disappointment; I would have liked to be there,” he said.

“But the coach’s choice is the coach’s choice; we can only respect it, and we’ll work to come back in the best possible way.”

The France U21 international was asked how the former Brentford manager explained his choice to him.

“Quite simply, with respect. He called me, he told me his choice, and afterwards you saw the list appear on social media,” Tel explained.

Tel made three substitute appearances for the Premier League club this season.

Fenerbahçe pulled out of a potential deal for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma this summer after being given a “whole sheet of paper” about the player’s personal issues.

That’s according to journalist Sercan Hamzaoğlu, via FutbolArena, who says there was a list of issues that saw Fenerbahçe withdraw from signing the midfielder.

Bissouma was linked with a move away from Tottenham this summer after seemingly being pushed out of favour by the arrival of Thomas Frank a manager. The fact he is in the final year of his deal also makes a departure a sensible one.

Several reports have linked him with a move to Turkey, although no deal was done before the end of the transfer window.

It was claimed that this was because Bissouma wanted to remain in England for another year, when he will be eligible for a British passport.

Fenerbahçe were one of the sides consistently credited with an interest, particularly when Jose Mourinho remained in charge, and that has remained the case as the Turkish transfer window doesn’t close until next week.

Hamzaoğlu, though, insists that the deal won’t be happening thanks to a list of issues the Turkish club identified with the Tottenham man.

“Fenerbahçe was going to sign Bissouma,” he said.

“But he has an injury problem. He has a trial. He has a nightlife. He a very good player, but you have to take a lot of risks to transfer him. They put a whole sheet of paper in front of Ali Koç about the player’s problems.”

Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero has admitted he has his eye on a return to Argentine side Belgrano in future.

El Grafico cover comments from the Tottenham defender today after he was asked where he would go if he were to return to Argentina in future.

He came through the youth ranks at Belgrano and played in their first team but only made 19 appearances before heading to Genoa in a €4.25m deal in 2018.

He’s since moved to Juventus and Atalanta before joining Tottenham, first on loan in 2021 before the deal was made permanent for €52m in 2022.

He’s made 128 appearances since and is set to add to that tally in future, having signed a new deal with the club this summer until 2029. He had been heavily linked with a move away throughout the summer transfer window, with Atletico Madrid particularly keen and Diego Simeone pulling out all the stops to get him.

That never happened and the focus is on the future with Tottenham but, if he returns to Argentina to end his career, something a lot of South American players do in their careers, he only wants Belgrano.

“If I were to return tomorrow, it will be to play for Belgrano. There is no other club, I have a lot of respect for them,” he said.

“It’s the club that saw me grow up. Beyond everything that has happened, it’s something personal for me to play in the club’s shirt.

Richarlison has opened up about his ambitions with Brazil after featuring briefly in the national team’s latest World Cup qualifier.

As local outlet Itatiaia Esporte reported, the Tottenham forward made clear he wants to fight for a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s starting line-up as the competition for the number nine role intensifies.

The striker came off the bench in the victory over Chile and is currently behind Chelsea’s João Pedro in the pecking order. Still, he believes his form in England shows he is ready to compete.

“I had a good pre-season, worked hard and the new Tottenham coach [Thomas Frank] made a plan for me. I managed to follow that plan closely and everything went well. So I started this season well and I hope to keep it that way to earn my spot,” he explained.

At 28-years-old, Richarlison has been at Spurs since 2022 and is now pushing to return to the level that once made him Brazil’s first-choice striker. He admitted the challenge is greater than ever, given the options Ancelotti has been calling up.

“I think the pressure is bigger, but what matters is that I keep working hard. I want to win that confidence back. I had injuries and personal problems before, but that is resolved now,” he added.

The forward insists his focus is on maintaining rhythm in North London and proving to Ancelotti he can once again lead the line for Brazil. With the World Cup on the horizon, his performances for Tottenham could be decisive in determining whether he reclaims a starting role.

Tottenham Hotspur star Dejan Kulusevski says he’s well on track to return to the pitch in two to three months.

The Sweden international has been speaking to Viaplay regarding his injury situation and recovery process and Fotbollskanalen have relayed his comments.

Towards the end of last season, Tottenham confirmed the 25-year-old “suffered an injury to his right patella” and underwent surgery, and this had forced him to miss Spurs’ Europa League final win over Manchester United in May.

Recent claims from the UK have reported Kulusevski could be out of action for rest of the calendar year, and the attacking midfielder now provides an update on his recovery and when he’s expected to return to the pitch.

“The status is good. The rehab is going well. Every day I wake up with the same hunger and even more hunger with each passing day. The status is very good, and I will be on a football pitch in the very, very near future,” he said.

“If everything goes as it should, as it has so far, I am very confident that I will be on the pitch in two to three months.”

Although the player insists, he’s ready to return to the pitch in the near future, there is a good chance that Thomas Frank won’t be able to rely upon him at the north London club until the end of this year.

Kulusevski has missed the ongoing international and his latest comments suggest he won’t be available for Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson for the next one.

Ange Postecoglou has told Fenerbahçe that he is awaiting offers from Europe’s top five leagues as he seeks his next job following his departure from Tottenham Hotspur.

That’s according to journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, who reports that the former Tottenham boss has brushed Fenerbahçe off for the time being.

The Turkish side are on the hunt for a replacement for Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese coach was sacked a week ago following their failure to make it to the Champions League proper.

He was a big-name appointment last summer and guided Fenerbahçe to second in the Turkish Super Lig last season but the failure to provide Champions League football, with them eliminated by Benfica in the play-offs this season, bringing his time at the club to an end.

Postecoglou is one of several high-profile names that the Turkish club have looked at, with him still available following his departure from Tottenham at the end of last season.

It appears that Fenerbahçe have spoken to the former Tottenham boss, alongside Luciano Spalletti, but Sabuncuoğlu says they’ve been turned down for the time being.

“Ange Postecoglou informed Fenerbahçe that he was awaiting offers from several clubs in the top five leagues,” he said.

“Luciano Spalletti, meanwhile, indicated that he was not considering coaching a team at this time. Consequently, negotiations did not progress, and no formal offers were made to either individual.”

Xavi Simons has revealed Timo Werner played a part in convincing him to pick Tottenham Hotspur in the summer window.

The Netherlands international has been speaking to LVZ about his spell at the Bundesliga club and his decision to join Tottenham.

Simons spent two years at Leipzig between 2023 and 2025 and during his initial months, he played alongside Werner, before the 29-year-old German was sent out on loan to the north London club in January 2024.

Last summer, the Europa League winners extended his loan stay for another season and secured a purchase option. Spurs decided against exercising it after Werner managed a goal and three assists from 27 games and failed to score in the Premier League.

The German has returned to Leipzig this summer and despite his struggles at Tottenham, he had only positive things to say about the club to the 22-year-old attacking midfielder.

When LVZ asked Simons whether he held talks with Werner before joining the English club, he said: “Yes, he told me a lot about the size of the club and the fantastic fans. And he said he believed it was the right place for me to learn and improve.”

The Dutchman was repeatedly linked to Chelsea before their London rival swooped in, and the player now insists, he took the right step by joining Thomas Frank’s side.

“Yes, I’m happy to be a Tottenham player. It’s been my dream to play in the Premier League since I was a child. The club’s vision, the magnificent stadium, the fans, the quality of the team, the manager, it’s a fantastic environment. I want to settle into my new home quickly and show why Tottenham signed me,” Simons explained.

The newspaper were curious to known whether Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl had also shown interest in him.

“There are always talks in football, but I don’t want to name names. Max was one of the people who brought me to RB, and I will always be grateful to him for that,” he added.

“The most important thing was to find a place where I could continue to develop and express my playing style. That’s the case with Spurs. My first impressions of the club are great; I felt the energy and ambition when I was introduced to the fans. Expectations are high, both for the team and for me. I’m looking forward to competing against the best players in the world.”