Sport Witness

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.”

According to a claim in the Turkish media, Fenerbahçe have again distanced themselves from signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma.

The 28-year-old has been linked with a move to the Istanbul giants throughout the summer as they look to bring in a defensive midfielder.

Takvim today report on Fenerbahçe’s interest in the Tottenham player, and state the Mali international is unlikely to be brought in before the Super Lig deadline. Turkish sides have until September 12th to sign players, but the Yellow Canaries have concerns about Bissouma’s fitness.

Fenerbahçe have reportedly received the Tottenham midfielder’s medical records and subsequently they’ve cooled their interest.

Also, with Jose Mourinho departing last week the management could now be looking at other midfield options. The Portuguese coach had reportedly held talks with Bissouma earlier in the summer.

Bissouma made 44 appearances last season, but has yet to feature for Spurs in this campaign. The Malian has also been left out of Thomas Franks Champions League squad, which was announced this week.

He’s contracted to the London side until June 2026.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank didn’t include Luka Vušković in his core plans this season and the defender joined Hamburg SV on loan in the summer window.

Earlier this week, we covered claims from Germany that the 18-year-old forced his move to Hamburg. It was also reported they worked on this operation for four months.

The Tottenham man has already expressed his happinessd after completing a loan move to Hamburg towards the end of the window.

Bild have a report on the German club’s business, where they discuss the centre-back’s signing.

The report explains ‘his loan will cost under €1m’ for the Bundesliga newcomers. It isn’t made clear whether the figure mentioned is just a loan fee or both fee and salary. Either way, it looks like they have signed Vušković on favourable terms.

The youngster is yet to make his debut for his new club but has ‘already shown his great potential’ in his first training.

Bild report there’s ‘high expectation’ of the Tottenham owned player as Hamburg expect him to organise their defence and improve their build-up from the back. In short, they expect Vušković to be a ‘new defensive leader’.

The Europa League winners will also hope he does well during his loan spell at Hamburg.

Pedro Porro has no doubts that Tottenham Hotspur deserve to play in the Champions League this season.

The right-back has been speaking to Spanish newspaper ABC, who asked him about the manner in which Spurs qualified for the Europe’s elite club competition. There’s been a lot of chatter over whether they truly deserve to be there.

Tottenham won only 11 of their 38 Premier League games last season and finished 17th in the table, ahead of Leicester City, who were relegated.

Despite this, Spurs qualified for the Champions League by beating Manchester United, who finished 15th last season, in the Europa League final.

ABC asked the Spain international to comments on the north London club being in the Champions League group stages despite finishing 17th.

The 25-year-old acknowledged it was tough for Tottenham last season, explaining he saw different versions of his own club in two competitions.

“We had a very difficult year in the league due to many factors. Things weren’t going our way, we weren’t competing as we should have, because I saw two different teams, one in the Premier League and one in the Europa League,” he said.

“In the Europa League, we knew how to compete well, and that paid off. But when you don’t compete in a competition like the Premier League, where you have to be at 200% every game, it’s difficult.”

“At the end of the season, we won the Europa League and we’re going to play in the Champions League this year. We deserve it.”

Tottenham also ended their 17-year-old trophy drought with their success in May, but that didn’t stop chairman Daniel Levy from sacking Ange Postecoglou.

Levy appointed Thomas Frank as his successor, and the north London club have six points from three games. Spurs face Villarreal later this month in their first Champions League group stage fixture of the season.