Sport Witness

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has insisted he doesn’t regret his goal for Tottenham Hotspur against Marseille back in 2022, even though his current club don’t appear to have forgotten it.

Foot Marseille cover comments from the former Tottenham man today. He’s insisted he has no regrets about his Tottenham goal costing Marseille a place in Europe at the time.

The incident he’s referring to was back in November 2022. Marseille faced Tottenham at the Vélodrome in the final game of the Champions League group stages. A victory would have secured their place in the last 16.

They appeared to be on track for that as a goal from Chancel Mbemba put them in front. Clément Lenglet equalized after the break and a draw seemed likely. While that wasn’t the target for the French team, it did mean a place in the Europa League instead.

Then came the deciding moment. Hojbjerg struck late on in stoppage time to secure all three points for Spurs. That pushed Marseille to bottom of the table and saw them eliminated from all European competition.

Three years late, he now finds himself playing for Marseille. And they’ve not forgotten it either. He was questioned about the goal by a young player at FC Nueve 09 but insisted that he has no regrets.

“It’s hard to regret my goal against OM because at the time that’s what we had to do with Tottenham. Maybe that’s what led me to come to OM,” he said.

On November 16th, Gazzetta dello Sport reported Aleksandar Stanković’s stellar displays for Club Brugge have attracted Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United interest.

Inter Milan, who sold him in July, retain a €23m buyback clause for next summer. The fee will rise by €2m in 2027.

Calciomrecato.it backs up Tottenham’s interest and provides the latest on their efforts to sign him.

Inter’s idea is to bring him back next summer by activating the €23m clause. The 20-year-old fits the requirements the club’s owners. Their strategy is to sign young players on low salary and make profit from their future sale.

Stanković’s decision to join Club Brugge has paid off as he has played over 2,000 minutes from 27 matches. His performances have caught the attention of Spurs and other clubs.

Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici seems to be leading his side’s pursuit and has already made a move. It’s claimed the Spurs official has made contact to ask about the midfielder.

Calciomercato.it reports unnamed clubs from Spain and Germany are also in the picture to sign him. They add the Premier League’s financial power gives Tottenham an edge over other clubs. The outlet says this could also make Inter ‘falter’.

This would only be possible if Inter decide to sell Stanković after exercising the buyback clause.

Paratici has made a move and whether Tottenham will make advances for January or next summer remains to be seen.

Tottenham are back in the Brazilian press after their players inspired a goal celebration in the Brazilian Cup, and the link arrived through Rayan… A forward who has been strongly associated with Spurs in recent months.

The story was outlined by Globo Esporte in Brazil. They compared the scenes at Maracanã to what Tottenham produced in the Champions League the previous night.

Rayan scored Vasco’s equaliser in a 2-1 win over Fluminense and immediately sat on a bench by the byline, posing for photographers while his teammates stood beside him.

The image caught attention in Brazil because it mirrored Tottenham’s celebration against Slavia Prague in London. Mohamed Kudus scored and sat for a photo with Richarlison and Spence on either side.

Kudus has used this pose as a trademark celebration since his West Ham days. Now the sequence in the Champions League went viral.

It’s fair to highlight the timing: Spurs had been heavily linked with Rayan recently. As a result, the similarity between both celebrations only reinforced the resonance of Tottenham’s name around the player.

There is no suggestion that the celebration carries any hidden message, but the coincidence kept the Premier League club in the spotlight in Brazil.

Whether this adds any new twist to Rayan’s future is unclear for now. Yet his name continues to surface whenever Tottenham make the news in Brazil.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Luka Vušković has been on loan at Hamburg SV since last summer.

In September 2023, Spurs agreed a deal with Hajduk Split for him to arrive at the north London club in July. Prior to his arrival at Tottenham, he had loan spells at Radomiak Radom and KVC Westerlo.

Hamburger Abendblatt, an outlet local to the Bundesliga side, have published an interview with the Tottenham owned player.

When asked who manages his career, the 18-year-old admits he’s been pleased with his choices and development so far.

“Of course, I have an agent,” he said.

“Tottenham also decide which club is best for my development. Every step so far has been perfect for me. At Radom, I was guaranteed playing time if I trained well. Poland is a physically strong league. In Belgium, the intensity and quality were even higher. So, I’m taking it one step at a time.”

Tottenham have inserted a clause to cut short his loan stay in January.

Two months ago, SHZ stated Thomas Frank’s side can exercise it if they’re hit by injuries. The Croatia international now insists his focus is to stay at Hamburg SV until the end of this season.

“I haven’t discussed that [returning in January] with Tottenham. My focus is on HSV. I expect to be able to stay here until the end of the season. HSV is a great club. I’m very happy here,” Vušković explained.

The Tottenham man’s brother, Mario, is also at Hamburg SV. The latter is currently serving a long-term ban until the end of next year.

On October 23rd, the defender expressed his desire to extend his stay at Hamburg SV beyond this season to play alongside Mario. Fast forward to December and Luka has now reiterated his transfer wish.

“It’s my dream to play alongside my brother at HSV. I would give everything for that. Tottenham knows that too. But I’m their player and I’m under contract there. In football, you never know what will happen in the coming months. We’ll decide at the right time,” he added.

Yves Bissouma may have played his last game for Tottenham Hotspur, as he’s been included in Mali’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Africa Foot United report today that Mali coach Tom Saintfelt has released his list of selected players for the 2025 AFCON. The announcement is ‘marked’ by the return of Bissouma.

He’s been brought back into the national set up for the tournament. The Tottenham man’s return is one of the ‘major highlights’ of the announcement.

He’s missed the last few training camps but has now been included in what is a ‘revamped’ squad. Several key players are also returning alongside him. Eleven in the squad will be competing in their first Africa Cup of Nations.

Mali’s first game is against Zambia on Monday December 22nd. That means the Tottenham man is expected to link up with his nation in the coming days. That could mean he has now played his final game for Tottenham.

Bissouma hasn’t played for Tottenham this season. Reports throughout the summer have made it clear that Bissouma is not a part of their plans moving forwards.

A deal for an exit was not agreed at that point. Numerous reports have indicated clubs could come forward again in the January transfer window.

Now the midfielder is set to join up with Mali, which could mean his time at Spurs is officially at an end.

FC Metz’s Benjamin Stambouli says Paris Saint-Germain’s ambition convinced him to join them from Tottenham Hotspur in 2015.

The midfielder will come up against PSG when Metz host them in the league on Saturday. Ahead of this clash, Le Républicain Lorrain spoke to the 35-year-old.

Le10 Sport have relayed his comments on his decision to leave Tottenham for PSG.

The Frenchman came up through the ranks of Montpellier’s youth system and spent four years with their first team. He left them to join the north London club in 2014.

Mauricio Pochettino was then in charge at the Premier League side. Stambouli played less than 1,500 minutes from 25 matches for Spurs but still managed to attract PSG’s interest. in 2015.

In July 2015, the Ligue 1 winners reportedly paid around £6m to Tottenham to secure the midfielder’s services. Stambouli ha said he an opportunity to continue with the English club. However, he decided to turn his back on Tottenham and join PSG.

Le10 point out PSG had several big stars including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Marco Verratti, and Edinson Cavani at the time. This was one of the reasons he left Tottenham for PSG.

“At that point, I had the choice of staying at Tottenham and other options,” he said.

“But after thinking it over, I went for it. I went to England because I consider it to be the best league in the world. By signing with PSG, I had the opportunity to join a club with the ambition to become number one in the world.”

Stambouli spent one season in Paris before being sold to Schalke in 2016.

Julián Alvarez has expressed his disappointment over Atlético Madrid’s failure to sign Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero last summer.

Friday’s edition of Marca have published a detailed interview with the Argentine striker. The newspaper also asks him about the La Liga side’s interest in the Tottenham star.

In August, the centre-back extended his contract at Tottenham until 2029. Prior to that, there were repeated claims in Spain and Argentina about Atlético’s firm desire to secure his services.

Back in July, the Spanish press explained the Europa League winners rejected Atlético’s approach for the 27-year-old defender. Spurs were determined to retain him and were successful in their efforts.

Alvarez knows the Tottenham man very well as they play together for Argentina. The duo played a key role in their World Cup success in 2022.

Marca points out Atlético’s failure to sign Romero last summer. They then specifically ask the 25-year-old how he experienced this saga and whether he wanted the Spurs defender in Madrid.

“Yes, yes. Obviously, I would have liked to. Cuti is one of the best defenders in the world. I spend time with him for the national team, and I really think he’s a star, a competitive animal, very strong defensively,” he said.

“And yes, I had a few conversations with him, and it didn’t happen for various reasons, but hopefully one day we’ll be able to play together.”

Romero signing an extension at Spurs makes it more complicated for Atlético to sign him in the near future.

Dejan Kulusevski last played a match for Tottenham Hotspur on May 11th. The 25-year-old injured his right patella and there’s been uncertainty about his return date since day one.

After what has obviously been a serious injury, the midfielder and those around him don’t want to rush things. At the beginning of September, Kulusevski spoke to the Swedish media about his recovery process.

The Tottenham gave a rough timeline: “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.

“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.”

That timeframe, from September 6th, would take the Spurs man to early November or December. That’s been and gone and unfortunately an imminent return isn’t on the cards for Kulusevski.

Sweden face Ukraine in a World Cup qualifier on March 26th. Should they be victorious then it’ll be a straight battle against the winners of Poland versus Albania for a place at the tournament.

Graham Potter, who took over the national team in October, has appeared on a Fotbollskanalen podcast. Naturally he asked about Kulusevski and his availability for those matches.

Tottenham player desperate to help

The manager explained how difficult the injury has been: “I met Dejan last week, as I’m aware he’s fighting back from his injury. I had a good conversation with him.

“He really has had a complicated injury. That’s the truth. He’s on his way back and he’s in a good place, but when you’re close you can have setbacks and you can have frustrating days when things don’t go the way you want because it’s a long process. He’s in good spirits and in a good place, and desperate to come back and help.”

Asked straight out if the Tottenham player will be ready for March, Potter replied: “He is desperate to be included.

I’m convinced of that (that Kulusevski will be in March). That’s my feeling based on having spoken to him and understanding where he is. I think that’s the last part of the rehabilitation that he needs to go through.

“My experience when someone has been out for a long time is that it can be a bit up and down and frustrating, but he’s in a good place. I think the problem with football – and looking ahead to March – is that nobody knows for sure where he’s going to be. If you can predict that, you’re a genius. It’s about being patient with him and supporting him. I’m confident he’ll be there.”

Such is Dejan Kulusevski’s importance for Sweden, both on the pitch and as a leader off it, he’ll likely join the play-off group whether fit or not. On multiple occasions since his injury, the Tottenham player has popped up during international breaks to show support.

Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 loss to Fulham at the end of November saw annoyance grow among the club’s fanbase. They’d made their feelings clear at several points during the match, and there’s a gap appearing between some of the squad and some of the fans.

Immediately following the loss to Fulham, 19-year-old Lucas Bergvall turned to applaud supporters. This didn’t please Pedro Porro, with the 26-year-old clearly seen to be shouting towards his younger colleague.

Porro was angry with how some Tottenham supporters had behaved during the match, and clearly didn’t feel the crowd were deserving of Bergvall’s applause.

Of course, his actions didn’t receive a positive reaction and Porro’s later non-apology didn’t do much to calm tensions.

Spurs beat Thomas Frank’s former side Brentford 2-0 on Saturday, and therefore the atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was rather better.

Porro started and finished the match and afterwards spoke to Spanish press agency EFE. His comments were much more positive towards fans of the Premier League club.

InfoBae report him as saying: “They’ve been exceptional from the start of the match, celebrating every attack and every chance. That’s what we need because when the team is struggling, we need that support.

“I understand that emotions in football, as I’ve already mentioned, often lead to the best possible reactions. They know I have unconditional love for them, and that’s the most important thing.”

This week, Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Inter Milan’s interest in Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario.

There is belief that the goalkeeper is interested in leaving the London side. He is also said to have informed his entourage about his wishes, with initial talks already held.

InterLive now have their own take on the 29-year-old’s future at Tottenham and potential Inter move.

They report Inter could be willing to offer a swap deal to Spurs, in an attempt to land the goalkeeper.

Tottenham could be offered Davide Frattesi, with the midfielder described as a ‘highly regarded’ asset by the outlet. He’s barely been used in Serie A by Cristian Chivu, making him a sellable entity in January.

If Inter’s Oaktree management approves, he could be offered to Tottenham in a swap for Vicario. The report claims Fabio Paratici has been an admirer of the Italy international, who has wider interest in the Premier League.

A deal like this would only be offered in the summer. So the report claims that it is built on the basis of Frattesi staying at Inter beyond January.

The report claims Tottenham could value Vicario at over €30m. That is why the Nerazzurri want to insert a player in the deal.