Sport Witness

Bryan Gil left Tottenham Hotspur to join Girona on a permanent transfer on deadline day of the summer window.

The Spain international struggled since joining Tottenham from Sevilla in 2021, with them sending him out on loan on three occasions. Last season, he was on loan at Girona, but his stay with them was cut short in March due to yet another injury.

Gil wasn’t part of Thomas Frank’s plans at Tottenham, and they sold him to the La Liga club for a reported €6m plus €4m in potential bonus payments.

The 24-year-old has given an interview to Girona’s official channels and Thursday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo relays his comments.

Due to an injury setback, Gil wasn’t able to properly say goodbye to the Catalan club last season. He’s pleased to have received a second chance and is eager to regain his form in order to capitalise on this new opportunity.

“It’s been a tough five months. I’ve worked hard to get back as soon as possible and I’m fine. I’ll gradually get back into match rhythm, but my knee is perfect, and that’s the most important thing,” he said.

“Last season, I was left with the disappointment of not being able to say goodbye properly because of the injury, but football always gives second chances.”

The former Sevilla man had less than a year left on his Tottenham contract when they sold him to Girona.

Prior to completing a permanent move, claims from Spain reported he only wanted to join the Catalan club, which has now been confirmed by the man himself.

“Girona mean a lot to me, which is why I waited until the end of the transfer window to come here. The transfer window has been difficult and hectic, but the important thing is that I’m where I wanted to be,” Gil explained.

On his goals and ambition, he added: “We want to have a good season and stay in La Liga. We have the squad to achieve that, and the results will come. Personally, I’d like to improve my goal and assist records and be part of the squad to play in the World Cup.”

Strained relations between Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus saw Randal Kolo Muani end up on loan at Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day.

That’s according to Tuttosport, who provide the latest Italian take on the matter as the various parties give their opinions on why Muani didn’t end up at Juventus as expected.

They say that Kolo himself will have been left wondering how the deal with Juventus wasn’t worked out after he spent the summer training alone and turning down teams while he waited for Juventus’ management. They even told him that they’d sign him on the last day of the window.

Instead, they signed Louis Openda from RB Leipzig, leaving Muani holding the bag. Fortunately, Tottenham stepped in. Some would argue he landed on his feet there, but the reality is that he wanted Juventus.

The problem was that PSG had refused to do the business Juventus wanted. The Italians wanted another loan deal without an obligation after Muani’s similar deal with them last season, but PSG refused. They insisted that Juventus had already had a trial period, and it was time to pay.

Juve were convinced that they would give in, but they didn’t and eventually loaned Muani to Tottenham on deadline day instead.

Their relationship with Tottenham was much less strained than the one with Juventus, facilitating the loan agreement and getting it sorted quickly.

Whether the deal works out for everyone remains to be seen, but it was strained relations that led to it, at least as far as they’re concerned in Italy.

Here at Sport Witness we’ve seen plenty of hatchet jobs, character assassinations and everything else down the years. Today it’s the turn of Sport BILD for Tottenham signing Xavi Simons.

While Tottenham might be excited about their big summer signing, it seems they want to send out a very big warning to Spurs fans about the Dutchman.

Because they have a dossier of past events, indiscretions and outrageous behaviour that they think Tottenham need to be aware of.

They label them as ‘curious anecdotes’ about the player, but we’ll leave you to decide if that’s applicable.

First off there’s an incident with Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen, who was supposed to meet with Simons before a race in Las Vegas but was given the cold shoulder by the Tottenham midfielder. He simply didn’t turn up to the planned event, insisting that the crowds at event were too large for him.

Then there was an incident with the player’s dog, who was left abandoned on the roof terrace of Xavi’s apartment in Leipzig while he was international duty with the Netherlands in March.

A friend was scheduled to look after him but seemingly didn’t, leading to dog being left alone and barking incessantly. Neighbours threatened to call animal protection, but Leipzig then intervened instead. He was forced to take the animal abroad and is said to have cried during the trip.

That roof terrace has been the source of much anger. Until spring it had been adorned by a large white tent, housing strength and athletic equipment. Except this tent was blown away in a storm after being poorly secured, taking off and striking the roofs of other residential buildings in the process.

Then there as an incident with the firm alarm at Leipzig’s training centre. 300 employees were force to leave the facility and the fire department arrived in large numbers at the scene. Why? Because Xavi had invited a hairdresser to the centre. She allegedly sprayed so much hairspray in his room it set off the alarms.

The biggest red flag of the lot happened earlier this year while Leipzig were on a PR tour in Brazil. A party was planned for the group, with two locations suggested. Instead, Xavi wanted to take the team to a poor neighbourhood, a favela, where a party is scheduled for that evening.

When the bus arrives, security deem it as highly dangerous and only the security guards dare to leave the bus. The operation is quickly broken up and his teammates later took him to task. The reason for his choice? He had been to the favela the day before with his private bodyguard and brother Faustino and met “new friends”. He wanted to introduce the rest of the Leipzig squad to them.

That was one incident which didn’t go down well and clearly his relationship with the squad was not a great one. In fact, it’s claimed Xavi had earned himself the nickname ‘princess’ in the dressing room over the course of last season.

Whether this kind of behaviour repeats itself remains to be seen, but Tottenham beware, BILD clearly think you’ve got a problem on your hands.

Tottenham Hotspur star Dejan Kulusevski has been praised for turning up to the Swedish national camp this week, despite not being fit to play.

Fotboll Skanalen cover comments from various members of the Sweden squad today praising the Tottenham man for the leadership he’s showing.

Kulusevski is the current Swedish captain under John Dahl Tomasson, with Viktor Lindelof also absent as he took too long finding a new club following his departure from Manchester United in the summer.

The problem is that the Tottenham midfielder is not currently eligible to play as he’s out injured with a long-term injury picked up towards the end of last season.

That’s seen him miss the start of the season with Spurs but also means he’s not fit for Sweden’s clashes with Slovenia and Kosovo in World Cup qualifying.

Ordinarily that would mean he wouldn’t be a part of the group, but Fotboll Skanalen say he has ignored convention and insisted upon being a part of the group, even if just from the sidelines.

That’s gone down very well with pretty much everyone in the Sweden camp, who have been left impressed by the leadership he’s showing.

“This shows that he is an incredible leader,” said Ken Sema.

“It means a lot. He comes in with energy, is very playful and gives us a lot of positive things. Then he is a close friend of mine. So, it means a lot to us.

“He shows that he is a leader who wants to be here and help the team, and we all see how much he is passionate about this national team. We need as much help as we can get. It is only positive.”

“It’s big, actually. That says a lot about his character. He is here as a leader but of course as one of the players,” added centre-back Hjalmar Ekdal.

“It means a lot. It means he has a lot of commitment and that he is passionate about this. A good captain’s job.”

Xavi Simons arrived at Tottenham Hotspur from RB Leipzig towards the end of August and then joined the Netherlands squad for the ongoing international break.

The 22-year-old has spoken to NOS, discussing a few topics, including his move to Tottenham.

NOS report the player had told the Bundesliga club of his desire to leave at the end of last season.

Chelsea were repeatedly linked and claims from Germany even reported them agreeing personal terms with the Dutchman. However, he ended up joining their London rivals.

Simons believes he behaved professionally at the German club, after informing them of his desire to leave. He finally got the move he wanted at the end of the window.

On Tuesday, the attacking midfielder explained Thomas Frank’s role in his move to Spurs. He’s provided more insight into his decision to join Tottenham despite Chelsea interest.

“At PSV, for example, after a conversation with manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, I knew: this is where I need to be. I also had that feeling at Leipzig and also at Spurs, where I also met Micky [van de Ven]. I knew: I want to be there too. That’s where the best players are. I want to be the best too. I know what I want to achieve and I’m going to do it,” he said.

The former PSV Eindhoven man reveals his family were impressed with Spurs’ facilities.

“Before I signed, my family went to the stadium. My eleven-year-old sister’s reaction was amazing,” Simons explained.

The new Tottenham signing spent nine years at Barcelona’s academy before joining Paris Saint-Germain’s youth system in 2019. The Ligue 1 winners sold him to PSV in 2022 and resigned him a year later.

Simons didn’t spend much time playing in the Netherlands. The player is well aware of the criticism he’s been subjected to from his country and has now sent a message to his critics.

“I’ve experienced a lot here so far. I do have a strong opinion about how players are treated here,” he added.

“I grew up in another country [Spain] and know how things work elsewhere. This is just the way it is here in the Netherlands. And that’s okay. I don’t like negative things. I try to avoid them. Playing football is the only thing I want to do.

“I played in the youth teams at Barcelona and PSG and then went to PSV’s first team with a goal in mind. I sat down with my family and so far, everything has worked out.”

Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani completed a loan move to Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day.

The striker spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus, after losing his place at PSG under Luis Enrique. He was keen on returning to the Serie A side, who tried to sign until the end of the summer window.

Juve weren’t able to find an agreement with PSG, allowing Tottenham to quickly swoop in and secure his services.

Thomas Frank’s side signed the 26-year-old on a dry loan deal. On Tuesday, Gazzetta dello Sport reported the Ligue 1 winners had offered Juventus an opportunity to sign him, on the same terms that Spurs had proposed.

Tutto Juve journalist Mirko Di Natale was a guest on Calciomercato.it‘s YouTube channel to discuss a few topics, including Juve’s failure to sign Kolo Muani.

He played down Gazzetta’s claim and reports that PSG called off the negotiations due to constant changes made by Juventus. The France international wanted to join the Turin club, before securing a late move to Tottenham.

“If you talk to people close to PSG, they’ll tell you that Juventus changed their formula 100,000 times, so Paris Saint-Germain wanted to break off negotiations,” he said.

“If you talk to people close to Juve, they’ll tell you that PSG never really opened up, even to the latest proposals. I feel very sorry for the boy because I read that he was very attached to the environment and hoped to return.

“However, a player like Openda is coming to Juventus, who I think can do very well.”

Tottenham Hotspur sealed a shock move for Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo-Muani on deadline day.

Juventus had been trying to re-sign him throughout the summer transfer window and their failure to seal a move gave a chance to Spurs, who have landed the Frenchman on a dry loan deal.

Juve had failed to meet PSG’s demands in their move. They did land RB Leipzig’s Lois Openda late on Sunday but they did miss out on their key target and attempts are ongoing in Turin to save face.

Today’s Gazzetta dello Sport reports that before Tottenham signed the 26-year-old, Juve were offered the chance to sign Kolo-Muani at 3am on Monday, on the same terms as what Spurs landed the player for.

The newspaper claim that by then, Igor Tudor’s side had made a decision not to sign the France international and had signed Openda already.

It is claimed that Juve simply changed targets and this allowed Tottenham to sign Kolo-Muani for a loan worth €5m.

Last week, Tottenham Hotspur completed the signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig for a reported fee of £51m.

The attacking midfielder was determined to leave the German club in the summer window and was keen on joining Chelsea.

Several claims from Germany insisted he had agreed personal terms with the Blues, who never made an offer to Leipzig. This allowed Tottenham to swoop in towards the end of the window and were able to quickly wrap up his signing

The Netherlands international has signed a contract until 2030, with an option for another two years. He’s currently with the national team, preparing for September’s two World Cup qualifiers against Poland and Lithuania.

Algemeen Dagblad have relayed comments made by the national team manager, Ronald Koeman, on Simons’ move to the north London club.

The former Everton boss has revealed the 22-year-old had kept him in loop about his future plans in the summer and is thrilled that he picked the Europa League winners.

“I’m very pleased with how this squad is developing, both as a team and individually,” he said.

“In June, he already outlined his options and wishes to me. Last week, he told me it had become Tottenham Hotspur. A fantastic club for him, in my opinion. You always have to wait and see, of course, but this seems like a wonderful step for him.”

Simons will be in contention to make his Spurs debut when they face West Ham United on September 13th.

Towards the end of last season, Dejan Kulusevski picked up an injury that forced him to miss Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League final win over Manchester United.

On May 14th, the north London club confirmed that the Sweden international successfully underwent surgery after he “suffered an injury to his right patella”.

The attacking midfielder hasn’t featured for Tottenham this season and may not return to the pitch anytime soon.

Last month, Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson expressed his disappointment with the 25-year-old missing their World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Kosovo in September.

On Monday, the former Blackburn Rovers manager spoke to Swedish media, where he has confirmed the Tottenham player has joined the national team camp and Fotbollskanalen have relayed his comments.

The Dane has hailed the former Juventus man for being part of the group, while insisted that he can’t count on him on the pitch.

“Dejan Kulusevski will be part of the group. He will not be able to play but he will be there anyway,” he said.

“That says something about his character. He will do everything to make sure we get to the World Cup. He wants to help the team. He will be with the team throughout the training camp.”

The national team manager was immediately asked whether Kulusevski will be there for the matches against Slovenia and Kosovo.

Responding to that, Jon Dahl Tomasson explained: “Yes, he will come along.”

The Spurs attacker can make the best use of his leadership qualities to help Sweden for their upcoming two fixtures.

When asked whether it was Kulusevski’s initiative to join the group, he added: “We have talked many times, and he asked me if he could be there.”

“I replied: ‘Of course you can!’. Everyone in the team thought: ‘Wow, he has the right character’ when they heard about it. This says something about his personality.”

Juventus’ failure to re-sign Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo-Muani has provided an opportunity to Tottenham Hotspur, but this can also lead to an exit from Thomas Frank’s side.

Orazio Accomando reports that Spurs’ move for the Frenchman could pave the way for Mathys Tel’s exit, which may be something of a stretch.

The journalist notes that there is the possibility of Galatasaray coming forward for the ex-Bayern Munich talent, who joined Tottenham permanently earlier this summer after an initial loan stint in the second half of last season.

Fabrice Hawkins reports that a move for Kolo-Muani is now done, with the PSG striker joining Spurs on a loan deal, with the player having rejected a switch to Aston Villa.

Tottenham don’t have an option or obligation to buy the France international permanently and this can play a part in the situation of Tel.

Both players operate in the same positions and it will be interesting to see how Frank uses them together, with Kolo-Muani having shown an ability to play in the wide areas as well.

Since Tel joined Tottenham permanently only two months ago, it would be a huge surprise for him to depart the club so quickly. In addition, Galatasaray have strongly invested in their attack.