Sport Witness

Dutch analyst René van der Gijp has delivered a sharp critique of modern goalkeeping after Tottenham Hotspur’s Antonín Kinsky endured a disastrous evening in the 5–2 defeat to Atlético Madrid.

The 19-year-old made two costly errors in the Champions League last 16 clash this week and was substituted after just sixteen minutes by manager Igor Tudor. That decision has triggered a wave of debate across Europe since.

Kinsky, handed his first Champions League appearance as a replacement for Guglielmo Vicario, struggled under Atlético’s high press. Tudor elected to remove him, later citing a need to stabilise the team.

‘Something Went Wrong in Modern Football’

The Croatian coach has been criticised for that choice. But Van der Gijp doesn’t agree, insisting that he fully understood Tudor’s decision.

“Of course you have to take him off,” Voetbal Primeur report him saying on Vandaag Inside.

“We were always told don’t pass to the keeper. Now they say you should pass to the keeper as much as possible.”

Van der Gijp cannot understand the modern obsession with playing out from the back. He feels that the choice is creating unnecessary risk.

“This will cost you elimination and a whole lot of money. It works with players like Piqué or Busquets, but not with everyone — and yet everyone tries it.”

Several former goalkeepers and pundits have criticised Tudor for substituting a young keeper so early, arguing that it can damage confidence long-term. Johan Derksen, though, believes the Tottenham manager was trapped either way.

“If you take the goalkeeper off, it’s considered pathetic,” Derksen said. “But if you don’t, you get criticised.”

A Symbol of a Bigger Tactical Divide

Kinsky’s nightmare evening certainly has ignited an interesting debate between old-school pragmatism and modern positional play. As Spurs regroup, the question is what they go for.

With relegation a significant possibility, it would not be surprising if they go for the former. Tudor’s attempts so far to change things certainly haven’t worked out.

Tottenham are currently on a six-game losing streak. He’s also the first manager in Spurs’ 143-year history to lose their first four matches in charge. That’s led to intense pressure already, the sort of situation that doesn’t usually encourage tactical boldness.

Tottenham Hotspur are enduring one of the most turbulent stretches of their season – and of their whole history, to be fair. A worrying domestic and continental situation are leaving the squad stretched thin.

In that context, the potential return of Rodrigo Bentancur has taken on even greater importance. The Uruguay international has been sidelined since January 8th, when he suffered a thigh injury that required surgery.

That means he still hasn’t made an appearance under Igor Tudor, who took charge a month ago. But he already worked with the Croatian at Juventus, in the 2020/21 season. Tudor was Andrea Pirlo’s assistant manager at the time.

Since then, Tottenham have had to navigate a difficult period without one of their most experienced midfielders. Now, however, there are encouraging signs regarding his recovery.

Bentancur ahead of schedule in recovery

Bentancur’s personal fitness coach, Daniel Fernández, has provided a detailed update on the midfielder’s situation.

According to Fernández, the recovery process has progressed faster than initially expected. He explained to Uruguayan radio 100% Deporte that the surgical wound healed well. Bentancur’s rehabilitation is currently around 15 days ahead of the original prognosis.

The Tottenham player has already returned to field-based work, an important step in the process. That stage allows the player to reintroduce football-specific movements. This comes after weeks focused mainly on rehabilitation and strength training.

Fernández also revealed that Bentancur is currently following an intense routine designed to accelerate his recovery while maintaining control over the workload.

The midfielder is completing three training sessions per day, focusing on muscular strengthening and progressive conditioning. The programme is being coordinated between Tottenham’s medical staff and the physiotherapist who has been involved since the surgery. In addition, external specialists are working on specific aspects of the recovery.

Even so, the coach stressed that gym work alone cannot replicate the demands of football.

Lifting weights or repeating physical exercises does not reproduce the intensity and unpredictability of match situations. For that reason, the gradual return to football activity is considered a key step in Bentancur’s rehabilitation.

Despite those limitations, the Tottenham midfielder has been able to tolerate higher physical loads than initially expected, which the team sees as a positive sign.

Club and country monitoring situation closely

According to Fernández, the Uruguayan national team also regularly receives medical reports, scans and updates to track Bentancur’s progress. He would be an important part of their World Cup squad.

At the same time, Tottenham are managing the process and remain in constant communication with the player and his recovery team. Spurs’ interest is obvious given the team’s current situation and the shortage of experienced first team options.

The expectation, based on the current timeline, is that Bentancur should be technically ready by the end of March.

However, returning to competitive matches is a different matter. Fernández believes the midfielder could realistically be available for first-team action towards the end of April. This is provided the recovery continues without setbacks.

Mental motivation also key

Fernández also highlighted the psychological aspect of the recovery process. He explained that earlier in his career, most training focused heavily on the body. However, modern preparation increasingly recognises the role of the mind.

According to him, the brain acts as the “conductor of the orchestra” in his performance. Having clear goals is therefore crucial during long rehabilitation periods.

For Bentancur, one of those goals is the possibility of playing in his third World Cup with Uruguay, an achievement only a limited number of players manage. Continuing to compete at the highest level in the Premier League is another strong source of motivation.

Because of that, while both Tottenham and the player naturally want a quick return, the priority remains avoiding any relapse.

The aim is to ensure Bentancur comes back fully fit and capable of helping Spurs during a decisive stretch of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Luka Vušković refuses to talk about his future beyond this season.

Last summer, the Croatia international arrived at the club, after Spurs agreed a £12m [€13.9m] deal with Hajduk Split in September 2023.

Prior to joining the Premier League side, he had loan spells at Radomiak Radom and KVC Westerlo. Towards the end of August, Tottenham let the defender join Hamburg SV on a season-long loan deal.

The temporary move to the Bundesliga has helped the centre-back continue his growth, and the statistics back it up.

Last season, he played 2,971 minutes from 36 matches for the Belgian club and scored seven goals. This came from an xG [expected goals] of 3.56. He has 1,980 minutes from 22 matches for Hamburg so far, scoring five goals from 3.96 xG.

The Tottenham man’s defensive performances have also improved when compared to last season. The below mentioned figures are per game and the first is for Hamburg and the second is his stats from Westerlo.

Interceptions: 1.1 – 0.8

Tackles: 0.7 – 0.8

Dribbled past: 0.2 – 0.4

Clearances: 8.7 – 5.6

The 19-year-old picked up six yellow cards and one red card with the Jupiler Pro League side and has only five yellow cards with Hamburg.

Vušković attracting interest

Hamburg have signed him on loan without any purchase clause. Therefore, he has to return to the north London club after this season, where he has a contract until 2030.

It’s no surprise the youngster’s rapid development is attracting interest from several top clubs, like Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Earlier this week, Vušković’s agent Pini Zahavi said a decision on his future will be made at the end of this season.

“I can provide updates in exactly two months,” he said.

Bild have now spoken to the Croatian about his future at Tottenham, who are struggling in the Premier League. Spurs are 16th in the table, a point ahead of 18th placed West Ham United.

When asked whether he would return if Tottenham are relegated to the Championship, he said: “I can’t and won’t say anything about that or about the future in general. I’m their player and have a contract until 2030.”

Vušković has already won five Man of the Match awards this season. His constant rise has seen him subject to media attention from England, Germany, Croatia and across Europe.

When asked how he manages to keep his feet on the ground, he talks about Tottenham’s support.

“I try not to think about it too much and don’t read much on social media. I also have a psychologist assigned to me by Tottenham. She helps me a lot. It used to be in person, of course, but now it’s by phone. She gives me good advice on how to deal with certain things. For example, how to react to unexpected events,” Vušković explained.

Why Tottenham should retain him

The club’s immediate focus is to make sure they continue in the Premier League. A decision on the Croatian’s short-term and medium-term future then needs to be clarified in the summer.

This will be done once he returns to London, after what seems to be a successful loan spell with the Bundesliga side.

Vušković’s contract expires in 2030 and Igor Tudor’s [contract until the end of this season] successor will have a say on his Tottenham future.

Spurs could regret letting him leave, especially permanently, in the summer. Considering the development he’s had so far and the potential he has, Tottenham should do everything to retain him.

That may come via another loan to Hamburg, at least until the winter window. The defender has repeatedly said he wants to play with his brother, who is also at HSV. Mario is serving a doping ban until later this year, and another short loan would facilitate the family’s desire.

Tottenham Hotspur endured another difficult night on Tuesday, falling to a crushing 5-2 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid.

While there were glimmers of hope as Spurs created chances and didn’t entirely give up, Igor Tudor’s decision to start Antonin Kinsky killed the game before it really started.

The goalkeeper made major errors in the first 15 minutes of the tie, having been picked to start ahead of Guglielmo Vicario. He was taken off within the first 20 minutes, leaving several teammates to console him when he walked down the tunnel.

Tudor is no stranger to making brave decisions – as evident from his time in Italy. However, the move to start Kinsky over Vicario in a big Champions League tie is one of his most controversial, given how things then played out.

The Croatian is now attracting criticism for his decision from all the way in Italy. He has a reputation in the country, and it’s not all positive.

Di Canio fuming at Tottenham manager

Paolo Di Canio was in Sky Italia studios for the Champions League ties on Tuesday. He was asked about Tudor’s big decision to bench Vicario and he ripped into the manager.

He said – relayed by Corriere dello Sport: “I feel sorry for him, perhaps he’s letting it all slide and doesn’t realise what the tabloids will write tomorrow. They’re mean, they’ll destroy him because when decisions like that are made, they’re incomprehensible.”

The Italian also expressed question marks over why his compatriot was dropped by Tudor in the first place. He pointed out at possible dressing room trouble.

“I don’t know if there was any problem with Vicario, and there were probably some clashes in the dressing room, but certainly not because the recent defeats are Vicario’s fault. He made some mistakes, but with a ragtag army up front that’s leaking from all sides.”

Di Canio described Tudor as someone who has destroyed Kinsky’s career at a young age.

“If you put a guy who’s made 17 appearances for Slavia Prague into such a delicate match and say he’s a good player with only six appearances, you asked for it and you destroyed him, even though it’s true that he could have done worse afterwards.”

The former West Ham player insists Tottenham will hire an English manager soon, with Tudor unlikely to last too long.

“I often understand that Tudor is very tough, and I don’t know if he’ll pay for it in his career at the highest level. I really don’t think he’ll stay at Tottenham; they’ll go and get an English manager.”

Our take on Tudor’s situation at Tottenham

Igor Tudor is struggling to put out the fire at the London giants. If anything, he’s thrown fuel on it.

He isn’t a manager who can put an arm around the struggling Tottenham players when they need that. Many players in the squad have never been in this situation before and it shows on the pitch. They clearly need someone who can lift their spirits.

Tudor’s risky man-marking approach hasn’t worked either. Despite that, he stuck to that against Atleti.

Tottenham need a manager who can help struggling players believe in themselves again. Tudor has proven to be the opposite.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking at Paris Saint-Germain’s Lucas Chevalier for next season.

Media Foot in France report on a surprise plan from Spurs to bring the goalkeeper to London.

Chevalier joined PSG from Lille in August 2025 and made his debut in their UEFA Super Cup win over Tottenham.

He’s kept 10 clean sheets and conceded 28 goals from 26 matches for the Ligue 1 winners. The goalkeeper has made five appearances this season and the last one was against Auxerre on January 23rd.

PSG manager Luis Enrique then dropped the 24-year-old to the bench in favour of Matvey Safonov.

Tottenham can take advantage

Media Foot now state his future at the Paris club remains uncertain and has caught the attention of several clubs.

Tottenham are the only club name, with Spurs looking to capitalise on the situation and bring him to the Premier League.

Spurs have made an approach to ask about signing the Frenchman. The English club in particular appreciates his profile and qualities, which would have convinced them to make contact.

Spurs could make advances

The north London club could make advances if the goalkeeper’s situation at PSG doesn’t improve. Should Enrique continue to start Safonov, Chevalier would consider changing clubs after this season.

A move to the Premier League would likely appeal the French stopper, especially if Spurs were to assure him of regular minutes.

The stopper has a decision to make in the summer on whether to fight for a place at PSG next season or look for a new club.

PL side taking action

Guglielmo Vicario has been the Premier League side’s No.1 since joining them in 2023.

Over the past few months, Sport Witness covered Italian claims of Serie A interest. Inter Milan and Juventus have been keen on bringing the former Empoli man back to Italy.

Antonín Kinský is Vicario’s backup and made a rare start in Spurs’ 5-2 Champions League defeat to Atlético Madrid on Tuesday. Igor Tudor replaced him after 17 minutes and that would have crushed his confidence.

With Vicario’s future uncertain and Kinský’s confidence taking a hit, Chevalier looks a solution be Tottenham’s new No.1.

On Tuesday, Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 5-2 defeat against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League at the Metropolitano Stadium.

Cristian Romero returned to Spurs starting lineup, after serving a domestic suspension for his red card against Manchester United.

The Argentine international played alongside Micky van de Ven in the heart of Tottenham’s defence. However, the duo and their teammates couldn’t stop Atlético from scoring four goals in the first 22 minutes.

Igor Tudor made a surprising decision by starting Antonín Kinský ahead of Guglielmo Vicario in goal. That went down well with many Spurs fans, who felt the Italian deserved to be dropped.

AS slam Tottenham manager

Wednesday’s edition of AS is critical of the Croatian’s decision to start Kinský. Prior to yesterday’s clash, the goalkeeper had only played two EFL Cup matches for the north London club this season.

Tudor then made another surprising move by replacing Kinský with the Italy international, who has been Spurs. No.1 this season, in the 17th minute. This happened two minutes after Atlético scored their third goal.

Pedro Porro scored Tottenham’s first goal in the 26th minute before Julián Alvarez regained Los Rijiblacnos’ four-goal lead in the 55th minute. Dominic Solanke reduced the deficit by scoring Spurs’ second goal in the final quarter.

AS say beyond Diego Simeone’s tactics, the ‘most influential factor’ was Tudor’s decision to start Kinský.

Spanish newspapers give Spurs player ratings

AS work their ratings by spades, on a 0-3 spades basis. T

hey gave a blank rating to Tottenham’s Kinský, Romero, Van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Randal Kolo Muani, Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray and Mathys Tel.

Richarlison and Djed Spence both got a single spade while Porro got two, which is the highest for a Spurs player.

Another Spanish newspaper, Marca, work on a star basis of 0-4.

Marca gave a blank rating to Kinský, Van de Ven, Danso, Kolo Muani, Sarr and Tel.

Porro is the only Tottenham player to get two stars while the remaining quarter got a single star.

The return leg will take place in the English capital on March 18th, and there’s an uphill task for whoever is in charge at Spurs at that time.

Our take: Atlético defeat can impact Tottenham group

Tudor’s decision to start Kinský against Atlético may not go down well with Vicario. He is ikely to be disappointed and it could make his conviction to leave the club stronger.

Sport Witness recently covered claims from Italy of Inter Milan, Juventus and AS Roma’s interest in Vicario for the summer.

The manager’s decision to replace Kinský after 17 minutes would have shattered his confidence. He may seek for a move away from the north London club in the summer.

Meanwhile, Tudor’s immediate future at the Premier League side would also be in danger. He is yet to win a match since replacing Thomas Frank and the latest defeat could push Spurs to take immediate action.

Transfer values may also be impacted. That’s a growing concern with Micky van de Ven, who was fortunate not to see a red card and is increasingly making rash decisions.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro has been asked whether he’s chatted with Cristian Romero over the Atlético Madrid links.

The Spain international has been speaking to Radio Marca ahead of Spurs’ Champions League clash against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.

During the discussion, Radio Marca specifically asked the right-back about reports of Atlético’s interest in Romero.

Diego Simeone had publicly talked about his desire to sign the 27-year-old Argentina international for the La Liga side. In July 2025, Sport Witness relayed news from Spain of Tottenham rejecting Atlético’s initial approach for the centre-back.

A move never materialised and the Premier League side ended up renewing Romero’s contract in August.

Porro responds to Romero’s Atlético links

Radio Marca asked Porro about the Romero links to Los Rojiblancos.

When responding to that, the 26-year-old former Sporting man talked about Romero’s importance for the north London club.

“He’s a leader in our dressing room, he’s our captain, I think he’s going to help us a lot and having his leadership in these kinds of games is essential. He helps us a lot and is a problem for our opponents,” he said.

When pressed whether there were any talks of Romero leaving inside the dressing room last summer, Porro explained: “No, well… it’s true I saw a couple of things, but we didn’t actually discuss it with him. If we talked about everything that’s out there, we’d never finish (laughs).”

Interest growing in Tottenham star

Should Atlético be still keen, it won’t be easy to sign Romero because of Real Madrid and Barcelona interest.

Last month, Sport Witness covered claims from Argentina that the World Cup winner has a verbal agreement with Los Blancos. He has made his decision to leave Igor Tudor’s side after this season.

The Camp Nou side are trying to find a way to beat Real Madrid for his signature, but it won’t be easy.

On February 26th, we relayed news that Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni would favour the Tottenham centre-back joining Real Madrid.

Romero’s contract and value

Transfermarkt currently value the South American, who has a contract until 2029, at €60m.

A fee higher than that may be needed for any of Romero’s interested parties to take him away from Spurs.

The Argentine would also need to push from his side, if he wishes to leave the English club in the next window.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro says it’s difficult with just ’13-14 players to train and play with’ at the Premier League side.

Igor Tudor’s side travel to Spain to face Atlético Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday. The return leg will be in north London next week.

Ahead of tomorrow’s clash, the right-back gave an interview to Radio Marca‘s La Tribu to assess Tottenham’s situation and their poor run in the Premier League.

Spurs enjoyed a good run in the Champions League group stage, winning five and losing one of their eight matches. This saw them finish fourth in the table, behind Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

However, the north London club have failed to replicate their European form in the Premier League. Spurs have seven wins from 29 league matches and are now 16th, one point above the relegation zone.

Tottenham’s major concerns

Radio Marca asked Porro why the English club have done well in Europe and so poorly in the Premier League.

When responding to that, the 26-year-old pointed out injuries to several players as the main reason.

“It’s difficult, because when you’re competing in four competitions under these circumstances… we already had that bad experience last year in the Premier League with so many injured players, and you just can’t compete,” he said.

“We have young players coming on strong, and looking at this season, it’s basically the same. You’re going to play against Arsenal, City, Liverpool, or Chelsea, and you just can’t.”

The Spain international even said the current injured players may be stronger than the fit players.

“We could field a starting eleven of injured players that might even be stronger than the eleven that’s currently playing. And it’s not out of disrespect to anyone, but that’s basically the reality,” Porro explained.

“We have to think and maintain a positive mindset. I’ve told my teammates, it’s difficult to compete like this, but we always have to give 100%, even though things aren’t going well in the Premier League, just like last year. We’re going to approach the tie with the same ambition we’ve shown so far in the Champions League.”

Analysis: Porro has a point

Dejan Kulusevski hasn’t featured for Spurs this season as he has been on the sidelines since May 2025.

Tottenham’s injury list includes the Swede, James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall, Radu Drăgușin, Wilson Odobert, Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence.

Sweden manager Graham Potter said it’s going to be difficult for Kulusevski and Bergvall to make it for March’s international break.

Meanwhile, Micky van de Ven will be suspended for the next league clash after his sending off against Crystal Palace last Thursday.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Souza has barely started life in the Premier League, yet Brazilian media already speculate about his future if the club suffer relegation.

The 19-year-old left-back joined Spurs from Santos in January. However, reports in Brazil claim he could quickly become a saleable asset if the London club drop into the Championship.

That scenario was raised by Bolavip, who link the player’s situation directly to Tottenham’s current struggles near the bottom of the table.

Souza has only just begun his Spurs career. His first start came recently, although the match lasted less than 40 minutes. Micky van de Ven’s early red card forced manager Igor Tudor to change the system, which limited the Brazilian’s involvement.

Even so, the report argues the defender could still be affected by Tottenham’s wider financial situation.

Transfer scenario linked to Tottenham’s league position

Bolavip explain that Tottenham currently sit dangerously close to the relegation zone, with 29 points from 29 matches. The gap to the drop zone is just one point. But this is not news for anyone at this point.

It’s a known fact that relegation would force Spurs to rethink their squad structure. The financial hit of leaving the Premier League would likely trigger player sales.

In that context, Souza is mentioned by the Brazilian press as one possible departure. The logic is simple. He is young, recently signed and still carries strong market value.

The Brazilian outlet states Tottenham could need to sell players quickly in such a scenario. Therefore, newer assets like Souza may become part of that strategy.

Background of the Tottenham signing

Souza arrived in north London from Santos for around £15m (€17m), as we covered at the time.

The deal represented a major sale for the Brazilian club. Santos kept roughly 87.5% of the transfer fee, which amounted to about £13m (€15m).

At just 19 years old, Souza had long been considered one of Santos’ most promising prospects. That reputation helped convince Tottenham to move for him earlier this year.

Also, the money from his sale just helped Santos’ uplift a transfer ban. Spurs have delayed the payment a bit, but the situation ended up positively for the Brazilian side.

Our take: patience may make more sense

Souza is indeed a valuable asset for Tottenham. However, he has not yet had enough minutes to justify the fee paid to Santos.

There are clear signs of talent, intensity and personality. Still, his time on the pitch has been too limited to properly show what he can offer.

Because of that, selling him for a fee equal to or higher than the initial £15m (€17m) would likely be difficult right now.

There is also the financial context to consider. Souza is not among the highest earners in Tottenham’s squad.

For that reason, keeping him during a potential Championship campaign may actually make more sense. Regular minutes and a larger role could allow him to develop properly – and potentially increase his value in the process.

Brentford star Kevin Schade could continue in the Premier League by joining Tottenham Hotspur or Chelsea in the summer.

That’s according to Bild, who mention both Tottenham and Chelsea in a report focusing on Bayern Munich.

Sky Deutschland recently reported Bayern Munich’s interest in the Brentford player. Bild relay it and then provide their own take on the winger’s chances of joining the Bundesliga winners after this season.

According to the report, Vincent Kompany’s side are indeed monitoring the 24-year-old, who has starred for the Bees this season.

Ali Barat manages Schade, and also represents Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, now on loan at Bayern Munich. The agent is aware the Bavarian club have the Germany international in their target list.

Tottenham and Chelsea offered Kevin Schade

Transfermarkt now values the Brentford star at €35m, but Bild claim Keith Andrews’ side will need €70m to sanction his sale. This is ‘too much’ for Bayern Munich, who see him as Luis Díaz’s backup.

The player, for his part, would be pleased to join the German champions. However, Bayern Munich are unlikely to sign him for €70m.

The report state Spurs and Liam Rosenior’s side could be alternatives to Bayern Munich for Schade.

Two months ago, Sport Witness covered claims from Germany of Spurs’ interest in the attacker. Thomas Frank knew him well from his time at Brentford, but the Dane has left the north London club.

Tottenham could still have a chance to secure his services as Bild claim Schade’s agent has offered him to Spurs. The same source adds the representative is also in talks with the Blues.

In short, the agent is offering Schade to Tottenham and Chelsea. However, it’s not clear whether either of them is willing to spend €70m.

Our take: Should Schade join Tottenham or Cheslea?

Tottenham have Wilson Odobert as the left winger in the squad while both Mathys Tel and Richarlison can operate in the same position.

The Brazilian reportedly wants to leave after this season. Odobert has struggled with injuries while Tel is yet to impress regularly.

At Chelsea, Rosenior has last summer signings Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens on the left wing. The duo are yet to consistently impress at Stamford Bridge.

Therefore, the Brentford man could be a good option for both Tottenham and Chelsea.