Sport Witness

Earlier this month, Sport Witness covered claims about Guglielmo Vicario’s decision to leave Tottenham.

Gazzetta dello Sport seemed sure that the goalkeeper will ask for a transfer and this will reduce the London club’s asking price.

Along with Inter Milan, Juventus’ interest was also rising and the newspaper expected the pair to battle it out for the 29-year-old.

The Nerazzurri saw the Tottenham player as a replacement for Yann Sommer, whose contract runs out in the summer. As for Juve, they have seen Michele Di Gregorio struggle in recent weeks. This is making them consider signing Vicario as an upgrade.

Now, it seems like Inter are leading the race for the player.

Inter in contact for Tottenham player

Today’s Corriere dello Sport place emphasis on Cristian Chivu’s side’s search for a new goalkeeper.

They’re certain that Vicario is the leading candidate and Inter are fully focused on the Italy international.

The Tottenham player has, in recent weeks, increased his desire to depart Spurs and return to Italy. This has alerted Inter and they are already in contact over a summer deal.

The newspaper think an agreement will take time but Inter have laid down a solid foundation to beat Juve.

Tottenham’s price tag of ‘around €25-30m’ is the only problem in a possible deal. That is largely because Chivu’s side don’t want to guarantee a high sum upfront and would prefer a loan with a conditional obligation or an option to buy.

Vicario previously close to Inter

Corriere dello Sport add more detail, making it clear that Vicario was close to joining Inter from Empoli in 2023. That is when the San Siro club sold Andre Onana to Manchester United and were seeking to replace him.

At that point, Tottenham were quicker to the deal, even if Inter were in constant contact.

Now, they don’t want to miss out on their second chance. The Azzurri player has grown in stature since his tenure at Empoli, improving on and off the ball.

He has struggled this season but so have Tottenham. It is increasingly clear that the problems and instability at the club have affected him and a new club can help him improve.

John Heitinga is facing criticism for his decision to leave Tottenham Hotspur, a move that could affect how his career is viewed going forward.

Sport Nieuws cover the Dutchman today and question why he decided not to stick around at Tottenham.

Heitinga departed his role as Tottenham assistant manager on February 16th, just 33 days after joining the club. Tottenham brought him in to support Thomas Frank as pressure grew on the Dane.

He was unable to help Spurs turn thing around, though. And his departure came quickly after Frank departed last week.

Tottenham exit questioned

Various reports from the Netherlands have covered his departure since. Sport Witness have covered the story, with one report describing the exit as painful.

Comments from journalist Valentijn Driessen then followed yesterday. He explained that Heitinga felt disappointed by his exit from Tottenham, having reportedly expected to take charge on an interim basis.

Instead, Spurs appointed Igor Tudor until the end of the season. Sport Nieuws question why he made the move at all. They state that the 42-year-old ‘jeopardizes hero status’ with his ‘unusual choice’.

As far as they’re concerned, Heitinga has shown that he ‘hadn’t thought the situation through properly’ in the first place. They even feel that is was ‘wishful thinking’ for him to want the Tottenham job given his time at Ajax.

Tottenham a ‘strange move’

He struggled immensely at the Dutch giants and his ‘talent clearly didn’t lie in turning around a difficult period’ there. Why would Tottenham have thought differently?

In fact, the move to Tottenham was a ‘strange move’ for him. The outlet believes the move was doomed from the start and has only damaged Heitinga’s résumé.

His reputation has shifted from praise at West Ham and Liverpool to disappointment at Ajax and Tottenham. The latter have ‘clearly left their mark’.

Now, he needs to pick a club with a much calmer atmosphere. The problem is that top clubs won’t want to touch him. They’ll ‘think twice’ before signing Heitinga. As far as Sport Nieuws are concerned, he needs to prove himself again.

Tottenham Hotspur could ask for around €65m for Lucas Bergvall, with Liverpool and Chelsea linked to moves.

That’s according to Fotboll Direkt. The Swedish newspaper cover the Tottenham midfielder today. They also have comments from director of sports at Djurgårdens IF, Bosse Andersson on the midfielder.

Bergvall has been impressing since leaving the Swedish side for Tottenham in a €20m deal in July 2024. Spurs beat the likes of Barcelona to his signature at the time.

The deal for the 18-year-old was a record breaking one for Djurgården and the most expensive in Allsvenskan history as well.

Tottenham’s rising star

Many observers consider the 20-year-old one of Europe’s rising stars, and he has already proven worthy of that status at Tottenham. Indeed, his performances for them, despite their struggles, have led to interest in him.

Reports in England last week suggested that Liverpool and Chelsea both made enquiries for him, but Tottenham rebuffed them. Sport Witness then covered a report insisting that Tottenham have no intention of selling the youngster.

It seems there is a price on him, though. According to Fotboll Direkt, Bergvall has been valued at ‘well over 700 million kronor’. That’s the equivalent of €65.59m at the current exchange rate.

Of course, such a figure would be no issue for either Chelsea or Liverpool. The Blues have paid €65m for a player nine times, which the Reds have done it seven times to date. Indeed, three arrivals at Anfield last summer cost more than that.

For Tottenham, it would be a third highest sale after the deals selling Gareth Bale to Real Madrid and Harry Kane to Bayern Munich. They are likely to demand more if Bergvall keeps developing as he has too.

Lucrative Tottenham clauses

That’s all good news for Djurgårdens, who included various clauses in their deal with Spurs to push it as high as possible.

They’ve already earned around €15.94m of the €20m they initially agreed. And Andersson is not surprised by the even bigger sums now being thrown around.

“That’s not surprising,” he said.

“It is clear that he is a topic of conversation for coaches in big clubs. It is incredible to see what is happening to him and what a journey he is on that started in Djurgården.

“To go from the Allsvenskan to the Premier League as he has done and in the way he has done it – that is great. It is also noticeable that he is enjoying himself and having fun.”

Earlier this week, Sport Witness covered Juventus’ interest in Tottenham defender Destiny Udogie.

Calciomercato IT were sure that the left-back was being seen as a replacement for Andrea Cambiaso, who has struggled this season.

The Juve player was believed to have suitors lurking around. His exit would make room for the Tottenham player, who has grown since his arrival from Udinese in 2022.

There was uncertainty about Spurs’ stance and Juve’s ability to match the asking price. Now more details are emerging.

Juventus can spend big on the Tottenham player

TuttoJuve now report on the Italy international, who is currently injured but has played 13 times in the Premier League this season.

The outlet state the Tottenham player is being considered as a target in Turin, with information coming from club sources. Udogie could become a key option for the Bianconeri in the summer.

A deal is likely to be complex due to the player’s contract at the London club. His deal runs out in 2030 and despite that, Juve are preparing a significant financial investment to bring Udogie back to Italy. They are not fearful fabout Tottenham’s price tag, with Cambiaso’s exit likely to fund the transfer.

There is belief that the 23-year-old’s name will ‘remain hot’ in Turin for the next few weeks. He is seen as the ideal solution to problems on the left.

Injuries derailing Tottenham progress

Due to muscle and knee injuries, Udogie has seen his game time fall away this season. Even last season under Ange Postecoglou, he had a hamstring injury which had kept him out for a couple of months.

While he has improved as a player, it remains to be seen if he can take the next step at Tottenham. The London club’s instability isn’t helping, as they have their third manager in 12 months in Igor Tudor now.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall has been out of action since suffering an ankle injury in January.

The Sweden international underwent surgery last month and there’s been concern over his involvement for the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine in March.

Last week, Sweden manager Graham Potter said the midfielder and Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski are doubtful for next month’s matches.

Three days ago, Sport Witness covered claims from Sweden that Bergvall could return sooner than expected. However, there are doubts over his involvement with the national team for the key clash next month.

Tottenham player attracting interest

Fotboll Direkt now takes a look at Spurs’ stance amid growing interest in the 20-year-old.

Recent claims from the British press have mentioned Chelsea, Aston Villa and Liverpool as his suitors for the summer. The Anfield club would have made an approach to find out the possibility of acquring his signature.

Unai Emery’s side had reportedly looked at the Tottenham man in the winter market.

This has now reached the Swedish press, and Fotboll Direkt, after relaying it, claim his injury situation hasn’t stopped him from attracting interest.

However, it won’t be easy for any team to take him away from the north London club after this season.

Spurs take firm stance on Bergvall

The outlet claim a SEK 700m [€65.6m] was quoted last summer and his interested parties are now willing to offer a fee around that region to sign him. As it stands, none of them have submitted bids to Igor Tudor’s side.

Tottenham have an opportunity to earn big by selling the young midfielder. However, the report states the Europa League winners have been ‘clear to everyone’ that the player is ‘not for sale’.

In February 2024, Tottenham agreed a deal with Djurgårdens IF for the young midfielder to arrive at the club later that year.

Bergvall has already played 71 matches for the Premier League side, managing two goals and eight assists. In April 2025. The north London club rewarded him with a new contract until 2031. This allows them to maintain a firm stance that he isn’t for sale.

AZ Alkmaar’s Troy Parrott says he turned down Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Celtic for Tottenham Hotspur.

Voetbal International have published a detailed interview with the striker, who talks about Everton, Wolves and Celtic’s past interest.

The Republic of Ireland international joined Tottenham’s academy from Belvedere in 2017. He spent seven years at the north London club and left them for the Eredivisie side in July 2024. Later that year, Parrott admitted he isn’t disappointed over Spurs exit.

Everton, Wolves and Celtic were keen

Prior to his move to Spurs, the Toffees, Wolves and the Celtic Park side all wanted to sign him.

VI points out the 24-year-old started boxing at the age of seven while he played Gaelic football at a young age.

The Dutch magazine were curious as to when the former Tottenham man decided to pick football.

Responding to that, he said: “It was pretty quick. My very first season, I played in central midfield at Stella Maris, a local club. Soon after, I moved to a slightly bigger club, Belvedere FC, and I became a striker there. Less running, more scoring: I loved it straight away.”

His development at the Irish club caught the attention of Tottenham, Everton, Wolves and Celtic. In addition to these clubs, the frontman also had trials at Manchester City and Aston Villa, and these two clubs may have turned him down.

Why Tottenham over Everton, Wolves and Celtic

The current AZ Alkmaar star had to pick between the north London, Everton, Wolves and Celtic. He explains what convinced him to pick Spurs over the other three clubs.

“And I turned out to be good at it. From a young age, I was asked by foreign clubs to do internships. I played for Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Celtic,” Parrott explained.

“Some clubs turned me down, but in the end, I had to choose between Spurs, Everton, Wolves, and Celtic. Tottenham gave me the best feeling. I felt incredibly welcome there, which is especially important at a young age.”

Parrott played only four matches for Spurs, who sent him on loan to a few clubs before selling him to AZ Alkmaar. He has starred for the Eredivisie side, scoring 43 goals and contributing 11 assists from 73 matches so far.

John Heitinga was expecting to get the Tottenham Hotspur job on an interim basis after Thomas Frank’s sacking.

That’s according to journalist Valentijn Driessen, via Soccer News. He reports that the appointment of Igor Tudor left him surprised.

Heitinga departed his role as Tottenham assistant manger on February 16th, just 33 days after joining the club. Tottenham brought him in to support Thomas Frank as pressure grew on him.

He had previously served as an assistant manager at West Ham and Liverpool, the latter last season as they won the title.

Short Tottenham spell

The hope was that he could help turn things around at Tottenham with the expertise he offers. Instead, Spurs went without a win in five Premier League games during his time on the touchline.

Despite that, according to Driessen, he hoped to take the job on an interim basis when Frank was eventually sacked. Instead, they turned to Tudor and the Dutchman departed.

“If you read the statement: he could have stayed, and of course he was still there,” he said.

“That manager had been fired last week, and John could have stayed, but he had hoped to become interim manager for the rest of the season. Then he heard that Igor Tudor was coming.

“Then they sat down together, and he thought: ‘I don’t see any future here, because next season there will be a whole new staff and a new manager. He’ll bring his own people with him.’

“And he probably didn’t want to work under that Tudor, after which he said: ‘I’m closing the door behind me.'”

What follows Tottenham?

The question now is what comes next for Heitinga. A return to Liverpool might have made sense, but they’ve now got Giovanni van Bronckhorst alongside Arne Slot as his replacement.

There is always David Moyes on the other side of Merseyside. He originally brought him to West Ham as his assistant and worked with him as a player as well. His team at the Hill Dickinson seems set, though.

Or perhaps there’s a big job somewhere to allow the 42-year-old to finally establish himself.

The ‘plague’ of injuries that’s hit Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur this season is a sign of something being wrong in the game.

That’s according to ‘athletic trainer’ Eugenio Albarella. He’s been discussing Napoli’s injury issues on Radio Marte, relayed by Area Napoli.

The Italian champions are currently suffering from something of an injury crisis, with several stars out. Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne are currently chief among them, both suffering muscle injuries.

They’re one of several out, with David Neres, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Frank Anguissa and Amir Rrahmani also on the absentee list.

Premier League injuries

It’s a growing problem in the game, with an increased workload and schedule asking more and more from players across the game. That’s also been seen in the Premier League.

Last season alone, there 593 injuries across the league, with 2597 games missed and 21,451 days lost in total. Tottenham were among the most affected.

Spurs currently have 12 players out, the most in the Premier League by a distance. They suffered 41 injuries in total last season, the third most.

Manchester United, meanwhile have three out at present. They had 33 injuries in total last season, costing 1295 days and 156 games in total.

Tottenham and Manchester United ‘plague’

There’s a clear trend across the game and Albarella thinks the plague is spreading. He referenced Tottenham and Manchester United while discussing the issues in Naples.

“Today there isn’t enough leeway to adapt to the performance times that modern football requires,” he said

“Above all, the intensity has increased. If there’s no opportunity to prepare adequately, the injury rate inevitably increases. Napoli is among the top teams that play every three days.

“Tottenham and Manchester United have faced matches with 15-18 players unavailable: it’s a plague that doesn’t just affect Napoli, because it’s a plague that I define as systemic.”

German side Borussia Mönchengladbach have an option to buy Kota Takai from Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the season.

That’s according to Rheinische Post, relayed by Fussball Transfers. The newspaper reports that Borussia are looking at a long-term stay for the current loanee.

Sport Witness covered a report yesterday that stated the German side were looking at creative solutions to keep Takai beyond the end of the season.

Tottenham loan again

The 21-year-old joined from Tottenham at the end of the January transfer window and has been a regular in the Bundesliga since. He hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but they are keen to keep him longer.

According to RP’s information, Gladbach also secure a purchase option in the loan deal. That is ‘in the high single-digit millions’ range. However, this sum is not feasible for the Bundesliga club. That is why they will pursue another loan deal.

Key to their hopes of keeping him is the fact that Takai ‘feels comfortable’ in the Lower Rhine region. The hope is that him expressing a desire to stay would ‘undoubtedly increase’ the chances of reaching an agreement with Tottenham.

Concrete summer move

They’re certainly thinking about another loan deal anyway. According to the newspaper, they have already discussed it and may make a concrete move this summer. They could even include a purchase option for 2027 as part of their offer.

First, though, the German side need to avoid relegation. They current sit 13th in the table on 22 points, five clear of St. Pauli in 17th. That’s not enough of a buffer for them to be comfortable yet.

The club also find themselves in a ‘financially tense situation’ in which every penny spent has to be considered carefully. That includes loan deals as well. It’s something head of sports Rouven Schröder made clear after the January transfer window.

Thus, there is work to be done. But the Tottenham youngster has impressed enough for them to consider making an effort.

Luka Vušković has starred for Hamburg SV since joining them on loan from Tottenham Hotspur last summer.

The Bundesliga side haven’t secured a purchase option or obligation with Spurs, meaning he has to return to north London after this season.

Last month, Sport Witness relayed German reports dismissing claims of Tottenham agreeing to extend Vušković’s loan for another season.

Merlin Polzin wants Vušković stay

The German club face 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the league on Friday and their manager, Merlin Polzin, spoke at a press conference on Wednesday.

He talked about the Tottenham owned player and Bild have relayed his comments. The outlet claim Hamburg’s ‘big dream’ is to hold on to the Croatia international beyond this season.

The coach has now gone public over his desire to extend the centre-back’s loan stay for another season.

“I’m a man of conviction. Of course, I also believe in things that seem impossible, even if they’re just a bit romantic about football. Nevertheless, there’s a clear contractual agreement between the clubs,” he said.

“We’re very grateful that we found a solution last summer. It was very clear from the start with Luka’s camp that he only wanted to join HSV. The communication with Tottenham is extremely professional, both last summer and now. We’d be very interested in him continuing to wear the HSV jersey.”

Tottenham man attracting interest

Sport Witness recently covered claims from Germany of Bayern Munich as an option for the 18-year-old. Two days ago, the Bavarian club director, Max Eberl, was quizzed about signing him in the summer.

Meanwhile, Vušković has expressed his wish to extend his stay at Hamburg on numerous occasions, mainly to play with his brother, Mario.

Mario is serving a doping ban until November and the pair dream of playing together at Hamburg next season. Bild claim the Hamburg boss was cryptic when responding to this possibility.

Polzin explained: “Considering what we might expect in about 270 days regarding Mario Vuskovic…”

The manager sees a bright future ahead for the defender, who has a contract with Spurs until 2030.

“For me, the goal is always not just to inspire the lads with our current approach. I want them to get the most out of their careers. If we see a player performing like this at 18, then he can achieve a great deal,” he added.

“We in the coaching team still see many things we don’t like about him. We’re working hard on those, because he’s very self-critical himself.”