Sport Witness

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Luka Vuskovic continues to make a big impression in the Bundesliga. In fact, his transfer to HSV Hamburg has been labelled a 10/10.

Transfermarkt have comments today from the Done Deal podcast. They’ve been rating the Bundesliga transfers this season.

Vuskovic made the move int eh summer, joining HSV on loan from Tottenham for the season. He had initially spent pre-season in Thomas Frank’s squad before being send out on loan for the campaign.

He’s made an instant impact at the German club and established himself as a key player in their defence despite being just 18 years old. He’s already been named Rookie of the Month twice as well.

Rave reviews have already been plentiful, with may expecting the Croatian to go onto big things with Tottenham in future. For now, the focus is on his performances with HSV. He is likely to be a key player throughout the season.

His development while playing for them has already been impressive. The Done Deal team are certainly impressed by what they’ve seen.

“What could an 18-year-old center-back, making his debut in a top five league with a newly promoted team, have done better?” asked podcast host Fabian Knottnerus.

“Anyone who, at just 18 years old, stabilizes HSV’s leaky defense – which it truly was at the start of the season – carries the team on his shoulders, and is now named ‘Rookie of the Month’ for the second time in a row, absolutely deserves a 10/10 rating from me.”

“It’s truly incredible how this young man is playing,” added co-host Lennart Gens.

Khalid Boulahrouz is confident that Tottenham Hotspur’s Micky van de Ven is the right candidate to replace Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool.

Boulahrouz represented Chelsea, VfB Stuttgart, Sporting and others during his playing career. He has also played for Netherlands between 2004 and 2012.

ESPN NL spoke to the former defender to discuss Van de Ven’s rise at Tottenham and the Liverpool star.

The 24-year-old mainly operates in the heart of defence for the north London club. He and Cristian Romero are the first-choice centre-backs for Spurs. Boulahrouz is pleased with the Netherlands international’s performances for Tottenham and his country.

“He really stands out. He’s physically strong and incredibly fast. Opponents know that, so they don’t even try to get past him anymore. He could be better on the ball sometimes; he makes the occasional mistake. But overall, I think he’s fantastic,” he said,

For the Netherlands, Ronald Koeman has mainly used Van de Ven as a left-back. Arsenal’s Jurriën Timber has partnered the Liverpool captain in the middle of Ornaje’s defence in recent months.

Tottenham player is “ideal successor”

Van Dijk, 34, has a contract at Liverpool until 2027.

According to Boulahrouz, Van de Ven is the ideal target to take his compatriot’s place at Liverpool and with the Netherlands. He’s encouraged Arne Slot’s side to spend money to take the defender away from Tottenham.

“I think he’s the ideal successor to Virgil van Dijk, both for the Dutch national team and Liverpool,” Boulahrouz explained.

“The question is, of course, what Virgil will do after the World Cup. When you’ve been playing in the Premier League for years, your body has taken a beating. You might start longing to take it a bit easier.

“And Liverpool is not crazy: if you’re looking for a world-class left defender and you have enough money, you’ll quickly end up with Van de Ven.

“The same goes for the Dutch national team. I think Koeman has long since realised that Van Dijk’s successor is already there.”

Van de Ven’s contract expires in 2029 and recent claims from the UK have reported that Tottenham want to offer him an extension.

Sweden national team official Stefan Pettersson has said Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall had to be withdrawn after a ‘setback during training’.

That’s according to Sportbladet, who relay comments made by the national team official on the 19-year-old’s situation.

On November 1st, the midfielder was forced off the pitch during Tottenham’s league defeat to Chelsea due to concussion. He missed the north London club’s next two matches.

That didn’t stop new Sweden manager Graham Potter from including Bergvall in his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Slovenia.

Earlier this week, the former West Ham United manager was optimistic of the midfielder returning to full training on Thursday. He was waiting for clearance from the medical staff.

That didn’t happen and instead Sweden confirmed that the Tottenham player has left the national team camp on Thursday. They called up Newcastle United’s Emil Krafth as his replacement.

On Thursday, claims from the Swedish press reported Bergvall left because of the same concussion issue. Pettersson confirmed the problem recurred during a training session with the national team.

“Lucas was of course very disappointed,” he said.

“We had agreed with Tottenham’s doctor to do some tests during the week and then drive at full speed so that Lucas would feel it properly. When there was a reaction, there was no hesitation. We don’t want to take any risks.”

The Sweden international’s situation will be concerning for Thomas Frank’s side.

Newcastle United defender Emil Krafth is set to join up with Sweden on Friday in a late call up to replace Tottenham Hotspur youngster Lucas Bergvall.

Svensk Fotboll update on the situation today. They explain that Tottenham’s Bergvall has withdrawn from the squad due to ongoing concussion impacts. He left the group on Thursday.

He has been made unavailable due to the concussion he suffered in Tottenham’s loss to Chelsea on November 1st. He’ll now leaving the Sweden set up in Marbella and returning to Tottenham for continued rehabilitation.

Newcastle United defender Emil Krafth is the man chosen to replace him. He will link up with the squad in Geneva on Friday after being called up by manager Graham Potter. He was not initially part of the plans for this international break.

Whether his inclusion means a change in plans in terms of system for Potter remains to be seen. Either way, Bergvall is out and Newcastle’s Krafth is now in and will link with the squad tomorrow.

Sweden meet Switzerland on Saturday in the penultimate match of their World Cup qualifying campaign. They need two wins and for other results to go their way in order to make the play-offs.

Thomas Frank, like other managers up and down the Premier League, will have his fingers crossed over injuries this international break.

At what is a crucial time of the season, picking up further issues due to national team matches would not be ideal. That’s even truer at a time when many Premier League managers already have injuries to deal with.

One player Thomas Frank will have been most concerned about is Lucas Bergvall.

The 19-year-old has missed Tottenham’s last two matches following a head injury protocol process.

Earlier this week, Sweden manager Graham Potter explained the 19-year-old wasn’t able to take part in full training. Potter hoped that Bergvall would be given the clearance by Thursday, and sounded confident about that.

Instead, the Tottenham player has withdrawn from the squad entirely.

Tottenham player returning to club

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet report he’s been forced to leave the national squad.

According to their information it’s due to the same concussion issue, although no further information is added.

Of course, if there’s any doubt whatsoever around the Tottenham youngster then the withdrawal is the correct decision. Thomas Frank and his medical team can take over from here.

Tottenham Hotspur co-sporting director Fabio Paratici has insisted he is doing everything to plan for manager Thomas Frank.

Gianluca di Marzio cover comments from the Tottenham chief today. He appeared on Italy’s Sky Sports Insider show to discuss all things Spurs and his career.

Paratici officially returned to Tottenham last month as the club’s new co-sporting director. He had initially resigned in 2023 after receiving a 30-month worldwide ban from football stemming from financial regularities during his time at Juventus.

That didn’t end his association with Tottenham, though. While serving his ban, he worked in an unofficial consultancy capacity with his former club.

That means he was a part of the process that saw Thomas Frank hired this summer as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement. Although, how much of an influence he had on bringing him in from Brentford isn’t clear.

Either way, the focus is now on providing him with the best squad to get Tottenham back on track after finishing 17th last season. And Paratici is willing to admit as much, insisting his style of football is now Frank’s.

“I believe blindly in the director-coach relationship: as a director, you almost have to renounce your footballing ideas to embrace those of the coach you have,” he said about the Tottenham boss.

“My football today is that of Thomas Frank. I’ve always discussed football a lot with my coaches, and I’ve learned a lot from them: they’re extremely knowledgeable. When you go into a discussion with them, you have to be an expert, or they’ll destroy you.

“Managers must support them and tolerate them in what they think is the right thing for them. We’re there to help them, not to question them.

“The role of manager is fundamental, because they have to ensure that everything works well. They have to put everyone in the best possible condition to perform at a high level.”

Tottenham Hotspur forward Wilson Odobert has insisted he isn’t concerned with his playing time, but he will be asking for more in future.

RMC Sport have an interview with the Tottenham forward today. He’s linked up with the France U21 squad for the international break.

He heads into this break after a positive start to the season with Tottenham in which he’s been a regular under Thomas Frank. He’s made 14 appearances in all competitions, totalling 680 minutes.

He’s only started six of those games, though. Three of those have come in the Premier League and three in the Champions League. He’s more than happy with those numbers but will ask for more in future.

“I don’t see why I wouldn’t have more opportunities later on. And I’m going to work hard to do more too,” he said.

“Frankly, we’re not setting any limits because, well, we want to go as far as possible in every way. Personally, I’m not worried at all about playing time, because I know that if I work hard, if I do things right, I don’t see why I wouldn’t get more. So, there you have it.

“I’m simply telling myself this in my thesis; it’s just stressing out for nothing. So, I just think, if I’m given something, I eat my plate, and when I’ve finished eating, I’ll ask for more. I think that’s what I need to do.”

Tottenham player aims to “work even harder”

On the face of it, though, this season is shaping up to be a better one for Odobert than last year. With 14 appearances already, he’s well on his way to bettering the 21 he had last season.

His 680 minutes already are also close to the 1,007 he managed in total last season as well. He’s also only one start away from matching the seven he had last year.

He has clearly made an impression on Thomas Frank, and the same is true in reverse, but doesn’t intend to rest on his laurels despite that.

“I’ll do even more, I’ll work even harder,” he added.

“I believe I have even more confidence in myself than that. I need to take on even more responsibility, I think, and that’s what it will all come down to.

“So, I’m not really setting myself a goal target. Any assist is fine. I’m going to do things right and win matches, that’s what motivates me.”

Tottenham Hotspur forward Wilson Odobert has offered his public backing to manager Thomas Frank. He believes that things will click under him completely before too long.

RMC Sport have an interview with the Tottenham man today. They were speaking to him ahead of the international break, where he’ll be with the France U21 side.

He’s been a regular for Tottenham this season, with 14 games played and 680 minutes in total. That means he’s been a regular in a solid, if somewhat unremarkable start to life under Thomas Frank.

The manager replaced Ange Postecoglou in the summer and was tasked with getting Tottenham back to the right end of the Premier League table after a 17th placed finish last season.

That’s on course for now, with Tottenham in 5th place after five wins, three draws and three losses in 11 games to date. There have been some rumblings of discontent despite that, but Odobert wants to play those down.

“Going very well” under Frank at Tottenham

“It’s going very well. Honestly, he has a good work ethic,” he said.

“I think everyone is happy with him. He has some good game plans. So, it’s top-notch. We have a style of play. A little different, but I think it’s still a good style of play. So, there you have it. After that, we always have to try to find depth to add variety.”

The difference between home result and away results has certainly been stark. Tottenham are unbeaten on the road this season, winning four and drawing once. At home, they’ve won one, lost three and drawn two of their six games.

That’s a situation which has to change. Odobert accepts as much but thinks it will come together eventually.

“I think it will all come together little by little,” he added.

“If you look closely at our matches, we’re not playing badly. And when we lose, it’s really close. A bit of a mixed bag because if you look at away games, I think we’re the best away team. So, there you have it, we just need to confirm that at home.

“And with our fans, I think that will come together little by little. So, we’re feeling confident, we have a good feeling about us, and I think the chances we create will come with time. We shouldn’t force things; we just need to let time take its course, and everyone should work hard.”

Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario has played only four games for Italy in his career so far.

While the goalkeeper has been key for Spurs since arriving in 2023, Gianluigi Donnarumma has been the Azzurri’s first-choice.

This has stopped Vicario from getting a single Italy minute so far in 2025. His last appearance for Italy came in November 2024 against France.

One year on, the 29-year-old is set to make his fifth appearance for Italy. Azzurri manager Rino Gattuso confirmed on Wednesday that the Tottenham player will start against Moldova.

Corriere dello Sport have now hyped up the ex-Empoli goalkeeper.

They say ‘the moment has arrived’ for Vicario to prove himself for Italy.

They place particular emphasis on his performance against AS Monaco for Tottenham. That convinced Gattusso about giving Vicario against a chance during the ongoing international break.

The newspaper report the Spurs star has a good relationship with Donnarumma. Despite the competition between the two, there is quite a bit of warmth there.

Despite firmly being the national team’s second-choice, the Tottenham player is increasingly becoming a leader in the squad. Going forward, this will help his club and country.

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Luka Vuskovic is set to play for two national teams during the international break.

That’s according to BILD, who report the Tottenham youngster is set to appear for Croatia’s youth side and senior side.

He’s been impressing with HSV Hamburg this season after joining on loan from Tottenham in the summer transfer window. In fact, he’s the ‘most combative player’ in the Bundesliga. No other player has won more duels than the 18-year-old.

He’s already made his debut for Croatia’s senior side. And the plan is for him to make his second against the Faroe Islands on Friday.

After that, he is then going to travel with the U21 team to Hungary for the European Championship qualifier. Vuskovic is the captain of that team and crucial to their plans.

Technically, their games are more important. Croatia have already secured first place in Group L of qualifying and their last two games are simply about the final standings. The U21s have six games left in their campaign.

A deal needs to be worked out between the two set ups for the Tottenham youngster. He’s progressing quickly, though, and there’s even a feeling he could be going to the World Cup next summer anyway. If he does, he’s unlikely to be a part of the European Championship squad heading to Serbia and Albania a year later if they qualify.

For now, he’s set to play for both in this international break as his reputation continues to rise.