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Mikey Moore: Wales target Spurs winger for switch from England

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Mikey Moore: Wales target Spurs winger for switch from England - BBC
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Wales have held talks with highly-rated teenage Tottenham Hotspur winger Mikey Moore about switching international allegiance from England.

The 18-year-old Londoner, who is on loan at Scottish Premiership side Rangers, has represented England Under-19s but qualifies for Wales through a grandparent.

Sources have told BBC Sport Wales that the Football Association of Wales has contacted Moore, with men's head coach Craig Bellamy among those to have spoken to him.

Moore is the youngest player to have played for Spurs in the Premier League, having made his debut at the age of 16 years and 277 days in May 2024.

He also broke Spurs great Jimmy Greaves' record of becoming the youngest English scorer in a major European competition during the club's Europa League-winning campaign last season.

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Tottenham news: Opinion - fan writer on Richarlison

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Tottenham news: Opinion - fan writer on Richarlison - BBC
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It might seem odd to say that our top scorer this season is also our weakest link, but such is the confidence at Spurs right now that even our worst performer is still delivering - sort of.

Richarlison stumbled through our Champions League game against Villarreal last week and, apart from his equaliser against Brighton on Saturday, our number nine was largely ineffective for most of that match as well.

Despite the occasional spectacular overhead finish, Richarlison has been a thorn in the side of my Spurs fandom for quite some time now. A useful player when he is injury-free and full of confidence, yet all too often the Brazil international fails to truly impress on a consistent basis.

In previous seasons, this would have a been a significant concern. However, with Dominic Solanke hopefully returning from injury soon and Randal Kolo Muani only left out at the weekend due to a dead leg, there are much better options on the horizon for Thomas Frank.

While the fan in me wishes we had sold Richarlison a long time ago, the coach in me has to concede that it makes sense to deploy him as an understudy to avoid burnout for our main stars.

Refreshingly for Spurs, centre-forward is not the only position where we have strength in depth this season.

While Djed Spence has carried out a first England cap-worthy stint at left-back, it was great to see Destiny Udogie looking almost back to his best on Saturday.

I wouldn't say we have an embarrassment of riches in midfield just yet, but we certainly have an abundance of options for Frank to experiment with.

Our manager needs to get the balance right between consistency and rotation - if he can, he might just get the best out of everyone this season.

What do you reckon? Is Richarlison under-appreciated or is he only a squad player at best?

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Tottenham transfer rumours: Savinho, Brais Mendez

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Tottenham transfer rumours: Savinho, Brais Mendez - BBC
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Premier League tickets: Touted resales exposed by BBC highlighted in Brighton vs Spurs match

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'I flew 5,500 miles and paid £900 for a Premier League ticket but was turned away' - BBC
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For some football fans, attending Premier League matches is a weekly habit. They purchase their season tickets for home matches and travel the country following their team away, too.

For others, going to a game in England's top tier is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which they save up and take extended time away from their regular lives for.

Last weekend James from South Korea travelled 5,500 miles to Brighton watch his beloved Tottenham play for the first time, paying £900 for a ticket from an unauthorised resale website. When he tried to enter the stadium, he was turned away.

After the BBC exposed the industrial-scale black market in Premier League tickets last week, Brighton invited us along to demonstrate how widespread the problem is, and how they are trying to combat it.

The ticket James purchased had already been deactivated when he tried to scan it to enter the Amex stadium. He was advised to go to the ticket office, where Brighton staff then informed him that his ticket had been purchased illegitimately.

"I'm disappointed, I didn't understand this rule," he said outside the stadium, visibly upset.

"I have been told I should try and get a refund for the ticket."

More than a hundred more like James also had their tickets for the match cancelled in the same way.

Reselling is against UK law but many websites continue to operate by being based outside the country.

The BBC's investigation found that resellers often use bot software and fake identities to hoover up hundreds of tickets to be sold on for higher prices, and can leave fans paying extortionate prices or completely out of pocket after buying tickets that don't work.

"Long-term supporters are finding it impossible to get tickets because of the way they are made available through secondary agencies," says Tom Greatrex, chair of the Football Supporters' Association.

"This is becoming endemic across the game."

Brighton say they are using new technologies to try and crack down on the reselling of tickets for vastly inflated prices by unauthorised websites.

To try and get a grip of the problem, this season they hired Joseph Sells into a new staff position as tickets investigation officer, and he was on duty for the Tottenham fixture.

"We've found hundreds [of unauthorised resale tickets] today, and going at the black market rate, we've prevented around £100,000 of transactions that would have been going to touts," Sells said.

"We're investing heavily in stopping the problem at the core, using the latest tech we can, and we're on top of it.

"A family came with six tickets to watch the Manchester City match a fortnight ago, which they had paid a total of £6,000 for.

"That's very upsetting of course. It's a sad story, but that's why we're reiterating - if you want to come and see a game, buy directly from the club."

Brighton later told the BBC that 285 touted tickets were blocked at the match, and that 12 individual season ticket holders were also identified as touts and have had their tickets for future matches cancelled.

One of the tout accounts used the name Tony Montana - the lead character in '80s gangster film Scarface - to try and bulk purchase tickets.

The Premier League is already introducing new rules for digital ticketing which include the introduction of encrypted barcodes, which they say will make touting more difficult.

Sells explains that, while he shares resources with other clubs, the software is bespoke to Brighton and searches for suspicious transactions and scours resale sites for any tickets listed with seat numbers.

"We're essentially training a model to spot tout behaviour before it can come into the club," he says. "It applies a risk score to each transaction.

"Let's say someone in Estonia is shopping with a prepaid card issued in the United Arab Emirates - that is going to flag the system.

"The model learns every day how to spot more anomalies."

At Brighton, fans presenting an unauthorised ticket to staff are given a letter which explains what has happened and concludes with the sentence: "To obtain a refund you should contract your card issuers who will assist you as a victim of fraud in reclaiming monies you have paid to the seller."

The club also offers any remaining seats in the stadium - either from season ticket holders unable to attend or in hospitality sections - for sale to fans whose tickets are blocked on entry.

For some of those like James who believe that resale websites are helping them fulfil their dream of attending a game, matchday can turn into a nightmare.

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Brighton 2-2 Tottenham: Fan views

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Brighton 2-2 Tottenham: Fan views - BBC
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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brighton and Tottenham.

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Jon: Spurs were by far the better team. Against the run of play, we found ourselves two goals up, but seemed clueless as to how to maintain it. The second-half substitutions were baffling - bringing on defenders rather than trying to win the game. Lewis Dunk and Danny Welbeck's legs have gone. If we persevere with them rather than the new signings and youngsters, we will be hovering above the drop zone all season. Feels like it is going to be a long, hard season while Fabian Hurzeler continues to learn.

Joe: Hurzeler is tactically out of his depth. Surrendering a 2-0 lead with poor second-half substitutions - not for the first time. That completely changed the dynamic of the match.

Tim: An excellent first half and very good performances from Yasin Ayari, Ferdi Kadioglu and Yankuba Minteh. But trying to simply defend a one-goal lead for the entire second half was a doomed approach with the inevitable outcome. Hurzeler's substitutions made no sense and were a negative approach that nullified us as an attacking force.

Chris: Now Hurzeler is setting up to defend and counter-attack, allowing the opposition to gain a good foothold in the game before we do. Fortuitous goals but poor game management in the latter half and second best again overall. I'm losing interest in this season after five games. Hurzeler isn't cutting it, tactically or with setting up his team with any intensity or momentum.

Tottenham fans

Ian: For the first 30 minutes, it felt like Ange Postecoglou's team from last year. In the end, it felt like Thomas Frank's, with more guts and cohesion. Xavi Simons needs to play a number 10 role and Richarlison needs to stop rolling on the floor all the time. He is not a natural centre-forward and we need one to get fit for all those crosses from our excellent wing play.

Kevin: We need to cut out the sloppy passes (Cristian Romero a big culprit more recently) and be more decisive in the final third. Brighton were sharp and moved the ball quickly, which we struggled to deal with at times. Need to up the energy levels to match such opposition, and to do so I am not sure playing Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur together works. Showed good spirit to battle back from 2-0.

Terry: Frank can say whatever he wants, but it was still a pretty poor performance by Spurs. Why leave Djed Spence on the bench? And there were other poor selections as well. One point is better than none, but it was still a very bad result against a team like Brighton, if you want to finish in the four or five in the Premier League. Get a grip or the season could go like the last one.

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Brighton 2-2 Spurs analysis: 'Both teams will probably see this as two points dropped'

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'Both teams will probably see the result as two points dropped' - BBC
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Brighton have now not lost at home in 11 Premier League matches.

Having beaten Manchester City at the Amex last month, they held Tottenham to a creditable draw on Saturday, despite Spurs putting in their "best performance of the season", according to Thomas Frank.

And yet, I imagine the conversation among many Brighton fans after the match was whether the side was too passive after half-time.

Conceding a goal to Richarlison just before the break was undoubtedly a blow to Fabian Hurzeler and his team, but as the second half unfolded it was clear Tottenham had taken complete control.

The equaliser came in unfortunate circumstances from the home team's perspective, deflected in off Jan Paul van Hecke's thigh, but there is no doubt Spurs deserved at least a share of the spoils.

Could Brighton have done more on the front foot at 2-1 up to repel Tottenham?

Did they sit deep by design or were they forced into that rearguard action by the threat of Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison, plus subs Xavi Simons and Brennan Johnson?

Whatever the reasons, both teams will probably see the result as two points dropped.

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Tottenham transfer rumours: Ruben Vargas, Joao Palhinha

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Tottenham transfer rumours: Ruben Vargas, Joao Palhinha - BBC
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Sevilla's Ruben Vargas remains on Tottenham's radar should they decide to pursue a winger in January. Boss Thomas Frank may focus on a central midfielder, but the 27-year-old Switzerland international remains an option further up the pitch. (Football Insider), external

Meanwhile, Spurs are keen to make midfielder Joao Palhinha's loan deal from Bayern Munich permanent in January. (TBR Football), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Premier League: Brighton and Hove Albion 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur highlights

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Premier League: Brighton and Hove Albion 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur highlights - BBC
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Thomas Frank praises Tottenham mentality after Brighton fightback

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'Best performance of season' - Spurs showing fighting mentality - BBC
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For a while at Brighton on Saturday, Tottenham fans must have been fearing that a term used to describe their inconsistency was making its first appearance of the season.

After an impressive start to the campaign and then dominating against the Seagulls, finding themselves 2-0 down after 30 minutes did have the feeling of being very 'Spursy' - after all, it was at the same ground just under a year ago that they went from 2-0 up to lose 3-2.

But - thankfully as far the Tottenham supporters were concerned - it was a feeling that did not last too long.

Thomas Frank's side fought back thanks to goals from Richarlison and a Jan Paul van Hecke own goal to earn a point. They had enough chances to take much more than that as well.

Incredibly, this marked the first time in three years that Tottenham have managed to avoid defeat in an away league game when trailing by two or more goals - a run of 15 losses in such matches - suggesting a possible change in their mentality under Frank.

"I think this is our best performance of the season," the Spurs boss told BBC Match of the Day.

"I actually think that overall, if there should have been a winner, it should have been us.

"So many crosses into the box, near chances, missed opportunities. We were physically strong and mentally strong, and that is so important if you want to achieve something."

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