Sport Witness

Portuguese journalist Pedro Casteleiro has published a strong column praising João Palhinha’s impact at Tottenham, arguing that the midfielder has found the perfect stage to showcase his qualities once again.

The article, featured on A Bola, focuses on how the Tottenham loanee is thriving in his return to the Premier League, a league that seems tailor-made for his physical, combative style.

“Nobody tackles like him,” wrote Casteleiro. “João Palhinha was made for the Premier League.”

A full reset

The piece also underlines how Palhinha’s skill set suits Tottenham and the Premier League perfectly, but perhaps not so much the Bundesliga. The story reminds readers he struggled to adapt both on and off the pitch in Germany. Those difficulties, combined with personal issues he later acknowledged, explain why his Bayern spell never took off.

According to the journalist, “after a forgettable spell in Munich, the former Sporting player is once again performing at the highest level in this return to the Premier League.”

Palhinha has already scored three goals and registered one assist in 15 appearances, including a stunning bicycle kick earlier in the season. But his influence goes far beyond numbers.

“The trait that best defines him is his ability to tackle: to stop counterattacks, to clear danger and to cover the pitch,” Casteleiro noted, reminding readers that the midfielder leads the Premier League in tackles with 39.

Back to his best

“The truth is that João Palhinha is in excellent form again,” concluded Casteleiro. “Thomas Frank trusts him, and he has also returned to the plans of Roberto Martínez for Portugal. He played in three of the last four matches, and all of this comes in a World Cup year.”

Once again, Palhinha seems to have found the ideal environment to show what he does best. Breaking plays, leading transitions, and embodying the physical heart of English football.

Tottenham’s option to make his move permanent looks increasingly like more than just a possibility.

Boca Juniors have Tottenham Hotspur’s Rodrigo Bentancur in their target list.

That’s at least what El Intransigente are reporting, and they name the Tottenham player as an option for the Argentine club.

The football season in Argentina ends in December and Boca Juniors have already started planning to reshape their squad for next season.

Bentancur graduated from their academy and spent two years with their first team before moving to Juventus in 2017. He then joined the north London club in January 2022 and has been a regular since.

Boca Juniors have the 28-year-old, Al-Qadsiah’s Nahitan Nández and Galatasaray’s Lucas Torreira as their midfield targets. Nández was at the South American club between 2017 and 2019.

Their president, Juan Román Riquelme, would be leading the pursuit of the Spurs man as the report states his ‘big dream’ is to sign Bentancur.

Juan Román Riquelme sees Bentancur as an ‘ideal partner’ for Leandro Paredes in midfield. He’s also aware it’s ‘practically impossible’ to take him away from Tottenham but maintains the dream of signing him.

This would be because Bentancur signed an extension at Thomas Frank’s side earlier this month. Tottenham hadn’t specified the duration but said it was a ‘long-term contract’, so any negotiations would be complex.

The Uruguay international has played 13 matches for Tottenham this season.

Tottenham striker Richarlison has reportedly given Flamengo the green light for a possible return to Brazil, according to journalist Fabrício Lopes from a club insider channel.

The journalist says that the 28-year-old forward is open to joining them if he decides to leave Europe.

“The one Flamengo really want is Richarlison, the former Fluminense man,” Fabrício Lopes said. “The values are still being discussed and are much higher than what Brazilian clubs usually pay. But Richarlison has already given the ‘ok’ to negotiate with Flamengo if he returns to South America.”

Richarlison remains under contract with Tottenham until the end of 2027 and, according to Transfermarkt, is valued at €25m (£21m). That amount, around R$156m, would place him among the most expensive transfers in Brazilian football history. But there’s hope he could go for less than that.

The player’s openness changes the tone of this story. Until now, the talk was about Flamengo’s ambition and Spurs’ demands. This is the first time someone close to the situation has suggested that Richarlison himself would be willing to make the move.

Richarlison has played 14 matches this season for Tottenham, scoring three goals and providing two assists. Still a regular under Thomas Frank, his willingness to consider a return home gives fresh strength to one of Flamengo’s boldest transfer pursuits in recent years.

Tottenham signed Randal Kolo Muani on deadline day of the summer transfer window.

The move came about as a result of Juventus’ failure to land the striker. The Old Lady tried to keep the Frenchman beyond the Club World Cup but couldn’t reach an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain.

Juve’s plan had been to drag things out in the confidence that PSG would cave at the end, but they didn’t account for Spurs ruining everything.

Tottenham took the chance to sign the Frenchman, leaving Igor Tudor disappointed.

The Croatian, who made clear his frustration over the failed move, has now been sacked by Juventus. Sportmediaset look at how the failure to sign Kolo Muani proved to be a reason for things falling apart.

The outlet explain the manager had asked for the 26-year-old to be signed. The France international impressed in the second-half of last season on loan ay Juve, scoring eight Serie A goals.

Juventus’ management missed out on the forward, leaving Tudor frustrated. This is now seen as a major ‘missed opportunity’ by the outlet. It has now snowballed into Tudor’s departure.

So far, Jonathan David and Lois Openda have failed to impress in Turin. The Canadian has one goal but that came in the first game of the season. The Belgian hasn’t even established himself as a regular.

There’s been suggestions that Tudor had a frosty relationship with Juve general manager Damien Comolli.

Dutch analyst Johan Derksen has set his sights on Tottenham Hotspur’s Xavi Simons this week. And he’s not being very nice about him either.

Mee Met Oranje cover the latest comments from him today, in which he insists Thomas Frank is unhappy with his summer signing.

Derksen was full of criticism for the Tottenham man yesterday, insisting that it’s clear he can’t keep up with the pace in the Premier League. He compared him to Manchester City’s Tijani Reijnders, who has impressed since joining the summer.

While he appears to have integrated into the Premier League comfortably, Simons has struggled at Tottenham. He’s managed one assists in 10 games for Spurs this season. That came back in September in the 3-0 win over West Ham.

Questions are being asked about the 22-year-old, particularly given he cost €65m to sign from RB Leipzig. Tottenham’s struggles up front have also put an emphasis on the Dutchman. He was signed to bring creativity and cover the loss of James Maddison.

Derksen believes he is failing on all fronts and thinks that will be annoying Thomas Frank. And now he has back up from fellow analyst René van der Gijp.

“Simons is failing at Tottenham,” Derksen said Monday evening on Vandaag Inside.

“The manager is unhappy with him. He’s a nice indoor player, but you need speed and strength. He lacks that.”

“He lacks strength,” added Van der Gijp.

“And then his footballing qualities aren’t sufficient. Someone like Gianfranco Zola didn’t have that strength either, but he could play so well. With this guy, it’s just a bit too little.”

Lucas Bergvall arrived at Tottenham Hotspur in July 2024, after they agreed a deal with Djurgården in February.

Tottenham reportedly paid 160m krone [€15m] to the Swedish club and the fee can rise to 220m krone [€20m] including bonuses.

Back in May, Djurgården sporting director Bosse Andersson confirmed all bonuses related to Bergvall’s sale to Tottenham have been triggered. His move to Tottenham is currently set to be the Allsvenskan’s [Swedish league] record sale.

Aftonbladet refer to the fee invested by Spurs to sign the midfielder when covering August Priske. The striker has impressed for Djurgården this year, scoring 17 goals and contributing two assists from 25 league matches.

The newspaper report the 21-year-old’s fine displays have caught the attention of clubs from top European leagues. They also interviewed the sporting director, who confirmed great interest in Priske, without revealing their details.

Andersson was asked whether Priske’s potential sale in the winter market can break the Tottenham player’s record.

Responding to that, he said: “Yes, I’m completely convinced of that. Yes, he will beat Lucas Bergvall anyway. Otherwise, he will play in Djurgården in 2026. I think August Priske will go to a really big club.”

Jonathan David has struggled to make a mark at Juventus. Tottenham are now considering the opportunity to sign him.

So far this season, the Canada international has played ten times in all competitions.

He has one goal, but hasn’t found the back of the net since the opening day win over Parma. Uncertainty has risen about whether he can actually be their first-choice striker.

Today’s Gazzetta dello Sport report that ‘Tottenham and Bayern Munich are serious’ about signing the striker, with January the chosen window.

Juve haven’t yet been convinced by the 25-year-old. There is growing belief that he can’t carry the Bianconeri attack. David now needs a dramatic change in form to become an important player.

He arrived at Juve on a free transfer after his contract at Lille ran out. The Old Lady had to pay a massive commission and significant wage to land him. When paying that, part of the plan will have been a big profit from a future transfer.

Tottenham’s strikers have struggled to score goals this season, with Dominic Solanke out injured. Richarlison’s future is uncertain, so a January move for David may make sense.

Xavi Simons spent two years at RB Leipzig before joining Tottenham Hotspur for €65m last summer.

Chelsea were keen but didn’t make advances to close the signing. This gave Tottenham an opportunity to swoop in towards the end of August.

The attacking midfielder scored 11 goals and contributed eight assists for Leipzig last season. He hasn’t replicated his Bundesliga form for Tottenham so far, with one assist from 10 matches.

Dutch journalist Johan Derksen has analysed why the Netherlands international is struggling at Tottenham on Groeten uit Grolloo podcast. Voetbal Zone have relayed his comments.

Prior to arriving at Spurs, the 22-year-old had spells at Leipzig, PSV Eindhoven and Paris Saint-Germain. Derksen is of the belief Simons lacks the physical strength required to cope with the needs of the Premier League.

“He’s a great player who often used his tricks in the Netherlands. He also performed well in Germany, but in England, they are much stronger physically. If you look at the English league and switch to a different league, it’s completely different,” he said.

“You can see that he can’t keep up with the speed of action and is physically weaker. While Tijjani Reijnders doesn’t have that problem; he’s already one of the leading players at Manchester City.”

The analyst believes the Dutchman’s talent alone won’t be enough for him to shine for Thomas Frank’s side. He suggested what Simons need to do to improve his form.

“In the past, a lightweight with good technique could easily hold his own. Technique is no longer the only thing you need to contribute; you also need physical strength at the top level,” Derksen explained.

Earlier this month, Voetbal International journalist Süleyman Öztürk defended the Tottenham summer signing. He also insisted Simons needs time to adapt and adjust to his new surroundings.

Dutch pundits are notoriously harsh, especially with their compatriots.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Luka Vušković has indicated he’s wanted to play for Real Madrid from a young age.

The Croatia international mentioned Real Madrid during a lengthy interview with Sport Klub.

The centre-back arrived at Tottenham in July, after Spurs agreed a deal with Hajduk Split in September 2023.

Vušković had to fight with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven for a place at Tottenham this season. He was well aware it difficult and therefore, ended up joining Hamburg SV on loan last summer.

The 18-year-old played six matches for the Bundesliga club and that was enough for him to showcase his qualities. The fine displays have helped the Tottenham man return to the national team squad in October.

His goals are to continue impressing for Hamburg this season in order to make it to the 2026 World Cup with Croatia. The Spurs owned player mentioned this when asked about his plans for the near and the distant future.

“One goal is to help HSV as much as possible and qualify for the World Cup with Croatia and be at the World Cup. Those are my main goals for now. What will happen after that, I don’t know. I hope everything will be great like it has been so far and that’s it,” he said.

The young defender was then asked if there’s a club, apart from Hajduk Split, he wanted to play for since he was a kid. This is when he talked about his Real Madrid wish.

“Well… Real Madrid is Real Madrid, but every club you play for is an honour and a privilege. I don’t have a particular club other than Hajduk,” Vušković explained.

,Luka Vušković says Tottenham Hotspur’s project convinced him to snub Manchester City.

Sport Klub have published a detailed interview with the 18-year-old, in which they discuss his move to Tottenham.

Prior to agreeing a deal with Spurs, Manchester City had interest in the centre-back.

The youngster graduated from Hajduk Split’s academy and was promoted to their senior team at 16 years of age. His potential and profile caught the attention of a few clubs.

In September 2023, the Europa League winners agreed a deal with Hajduk Split for him to arrive at Tottenham in 2025. The defender wasn’t part of Thomas Frank’s core plans this season, and Spurs sent him on loan to Hamburg SV last summer.

On agreeing to join Tottenham at 16, he said: “The feeling was really great, I was overjoyed.”

“My father called me, said that they were just waiting for my signature, that they really wanted me. They showed me the project. And I really liked it. I didn’t think much about it.”

Chose Tottenham over Manchester City

The Croatia international was directly asked about rejecting Manchester City. He would have met his compatriot, Joško Gvardiol, at the Etihad. When responding to that, he said Tottenham’s project was the deciding factor.

“I think Tottenham was a perfect fit because they presented a great project. Manchester City has many, many, many young players. I didn’t want to be just a number,” Vušković explained.

“At Tottenham, they presented me as one of the top projects. And that really meant a lot to me at that moment. That was the deciding factor, let’s say.”

Sport Klub immediately asked what if Manchester City return for him in the future.

“I honestly have no idea. I’m taking it one step at a time, feeling great right now, making good progress. And I hope it continues that way,” he added.

The defender’s contract at Tottenham is until 2030.