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Tottenham transfer news: Teenage striker James Wilson signs from Hearts

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Tottenham transfer news: Wilson set to sign from hearts - BBC
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Tottenham have signed teenage striker James Wilson on loan from Hearts in a deal that includes an option to buy at the end of the season.

Arsenal were in talks with the Scottish Premiership leaders over a move for the 18-year-old - in a deal that was effectively a six-month trial.

Wilson, who became the youngest man to represent Scotland when he came on in their Nations League play-off tie against Greece in March, has joined Spurs' Under-21s side.

The Gunners later confirmed they had signed Scottish forward Evan Mooney, 18, from St Mirren for their academy.

Wilson has scored eight goals in 45 appearances for the Edinburgh club and has earned a spot in Scotland's senior side.

Earlier this week, Hearts manager Derek McInnes admitted the Premier League clubs' interest in Wilson had taken him by surprise.

"He's been restricted with minutes this season. It's tough to get into the first team at this age," McInnes told Sky Sports Scotland.

"Would we see the benefit of a loan? Yes, to get some minutes. But this one was a wee bit left-field."

Mooney has made 23 appearances in all competitions for Scottish Premiership St Mirren since making his senior debut in October 2024.

He came on in the Scottish League Cup final as St Mirren beat Celtic 3-1in December 2025.

He can play as am attacking midfield or as a centre-forward and is capped at Under-19 level for Scotland.

Wilson has been around Hearts for a number of years and there was considerable interest from Leeds United, before he signed his first professional contract just after his 16th birthday.

Although he played a number of matches for Hearts 'B', he has been training with the first team for the vast majority of his professional career.

Wilson scored six goals in 33 appearances last season, but has struggled to force his way into the line-up in this campaign thanks to the excellent form of Hearts' strikers.

He already has one Scotland cap to his name having been introduced to the squad by Steve Clarke last year.

James has twin brothers, Alfie and Stanley, who are also youth players at Tynecastle.

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Salford City: Loan agreed for Tottenham Hotspur defender Alfie Dorrington

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Salford City: Loan agreed for Tottenham Hotspur defender Alfie Dorrington - BBC
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Salford City have loaned centre-back Alfie Dorrington from Tottenham Hotspur for the rest of the season.

The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season and the first half of this season at Aberdeen, playing 16 games and scoring a goal for the Scottish Premiership side, as well as helping them to the Scottish Cup triumph over Celtic.

A former under-21 captain at Spurs, Dorrington made his senior debut for them last season as a substitute in a Premier League match at Southampton, and has six first-team games under his belt for the North London club.

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Tottenham transfer deadline day: Signings, exits and loan deals

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Tottenham transfer deadline day: Signings, exits and loan deals - BBC
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Scotland forward James Wilson, 18, has joined Tottenham from Hearts on loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy for an undisclosed fee.

Midfielder George Abbott, who has one senior appearance for Spurs, has completed a loan move to League One club Mansfield Town for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.

Centre-back Alfie Dorrington makes the move to Salford City on loan. The 20-year-old has been on loan at Aberdeen for the first half of the season.

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Mansfield Town sign Tyler Roberts and get Tottenham's George Abbott on loan

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Mansfield Town sign Tyler Roberts and get Tottenham's George Abbott on loan - BBC
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Mansfield Town have signed Tyler Roberts on a contract until the end of the season and signed Tottenham midfielder George Abbott on loan.

Roberts, 27, was originally signed on a season-long loan from Birmingham City during the summer and has now left the Championship club.

Wales international forward Roberts has scored three goals in nine appearances during what has been an injury-disrupted spell at the One Call Stadium so far.

He has not featured since November because of a calf problem.

Roberts joined Birmingham in the summer of 2023 from Leeds United and featured 21 times for Blues.

Former England Under-18 international Abbott has been with Spurs since the age of seven and has joined the Stags on loan until the end of the season.

The 20-year-old made his senior Tottenham debut in the Premier League against Leeds in 2023, and spent the first half of this season on loan at League One side Wycombe following a season-long loan at Notts County.

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Match of the Day analysis: Spurs' superb second half against Man City

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Match of the Day analysis: Spurs' superb second half against Man City - BBC
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Danny Murphy column: 'Complacent and lost control' - Man City's second-half problem

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'Complacent and lost control' - Man City's second-half problem - BBC
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Manchester City's second-half performances are becoming a concern for them, and might just end up costing them in the Premier League title race.

After Sunday's collapse from 2-0 up to draw 2-2 against Tottenham, City have now failed to see out three of the past four league games where they have been ahead at half-time.

The other times they have been pegged back for draws since the turn of the year, at home to Chelsea and Brighton, did not see the same dramatic drop-off in performance as in the second half against Spurs.

However, in all three matches they will look back and think they had chances to make the points safe.

The turnaround at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was down to what both teams were like after the break - a re-energised and fired-up Spurs, with some new personnel and a different system, against what I think was a complacent City side.

Tactics do matter here, of course, and Tottenham stopped City playing through them the way they had in the first half - but what made more of a difference for Spurs in their fightback was the way their attitude and desire was much greater than City's.

In any game, I always believe that if the team with the better players matches the energy, desire and running power of the team with less quality, and wins the important duels, then they will win the game or maintain their lead.

I do not think City lost their way because Spurs suddenly had more quality than them - it was more that Tottenham just wanted it more in the second half.

That is a concern for Pep Guardiola, especially because his team are trying to put pressure on leaders Arsenal.

There are two reasons why a team's levels can drop in the second half of matches the way City's did against Spurs - mental or physical.

While City played a lot of matches in January, they have got a big squad and Guardiola rotates the team, so I do not see that being the issue - I think the problem was more to do with their mindset.

What happened to them against Spurs happened to me as a player, where a game is so easy and feels so comfortable in the first half, you do not expect what is coming.

Yes, you know the opposition will have a little go at fighting back, especially if you are away somewhere, but you just think you are going to have the same dominance and as many chances.

The irony is that, if the game is a bit more even before the break, you are more fired up for the second half, knowing you have got to kick on.

But because City were 2-0 up and probably should have been three or four goals ahead, they were so dominant they probably switched off a bit.

They should not have done, because they have got enough experience throughout their team to know better - but what was most worrying is this is not the first time it has happened recently.

In the first half, City were dominant, dangerous and looked totally composed - exactly the type of performance I was expecting from them.

It was interesting that Guardiola played Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland together as a split front two, and the midfield four was quite fluid.

At times when they were building up, Bernardo Silva would drop next to Rodri and Nico O'Reilly and Rayan Cherki would come inside, a bit like Aston Villa do. It caused Spurs all sorts of problems.

Another little tweak Guardiola made which I thought was quite clever was how they pressed Tottenham when the home side had the ball.

Silva was the player who left his position, and the other three midfielders behind him, to join the front two to create the press. It actually led to City's first goal.

Because Spurs were down to the bare bones in terms of their personnel, they had some players out of position and in a system they have tried recently but certainly do not use all the time.

They were at sixes and sevens with who they were picking up, and as the first half progressed I thought it was just a case of how many goals City would get. I just did not see a way Tottenham would get back into the game - but I was wrong.

Cristian Romero had to come off at half-time through illness, which forced Thomas Frank to switch to four at the back, and he changed to a more orthodox 4-4-1-1 shape, with Randal Kolo Muani joining Dominic Solanke up front.

Straight away, the four in midfield narrowed up to reduce the space City had. They could not get through as easily and, as Spurs saw more of the ball, the hosts grew in confidence bit by bit and built their way back into the game.

The duels I spoke about earlier were a big part of that - suddenly the Spurs players were anticipating second balls and winning knockdowns, and winning possession high up the pitch. It was City who were now under pressure and looking nervous.

City lost all momentum and control and, if not for a couple of brilliant saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma, they probably would have been beaten.

Normally if you have controlled the first half and the other team comes at you more after the break, you might face more pressure and concede more chances but you will also have more space for breakaways.

That did not happen for City against Spurs, even though Frank had left Joao Palhinha and Radu Dragusin two v two against Semenyo and Haaland as he chased the game. Firstly because Spurs were much more switched on, but also because City's front two were poor.

They did not hold enough balls up, or give enough options in behind. I would expect far more from them in that scenario.

Overall, though, I would not say what happened was down to City being all bad or Spurs becoming brilliant - it was a combination of both.

Spurs did much better but City fell down a few levels. That contrast in performances from them, between the first and second half, was as extreme as I have seen from Guardiola's side in a long time.

City have now only won one of their past six league games, and I think everyone is surprised by their results because they have got so much quality and experience.

The reality about their performances is they are not at the level they should be, with the players they have got.

The reason I can say that is not because of their past title triumphs, it is because in the first half I saw City play like a team trying to catch Arsenal - a team on a mission saying "we're coming after you".

Part of the fall off from them in the second half was self-inflicted - giving the ball away, not winning challenges or second balls. It was very unlike them, because we are used to seeing them manage games so well.

They are not out of the title race yet, because the gap is only six points and Arsenal still have to go to Etihad Stadium.

City are still capable of going on the kind of long winning run that has got them over the line before. But at the moment it looks like there is a mindset issue with some of their players.

Some of them - not all of them - seem to think that, when they go up in games, they are done. That is not how you win the title, and that is not the City we know.

Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.

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Premier League Review: Arsenal move six clear as City slip to Spurs

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Premier League Review: Arsenal move six clear as City slip to Spurs - BBC
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Have Arsenal put worries over their mentality to bed? Have Manchester City lost their ruthless edge? Their 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur means Arsenal end the weekend with a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Rick Edwards is joined by Nigel Reo-Coker and Luke Edwards to discuss that and the rest of the weekend’s big talking points.

Manchester United made it 3 wins in a row with a 3-2 win against Fulham, is that the real marker of their progress under Michael Carrick?

And what does Chelsea’s half-time turnaround against West Ham tell us about Liam Rosenior’s managerial pedigree?

TIMECODES:

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Tottenham can create magic together - Thomas Frank after Man City draw

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Tottenham can create magic together - Thomas Frank after Man City draw - BBC
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Dissent was in the air with Manchester City in total control at half-time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The hosts were two goals down and the deficit could and perhaps should have been more.

Yet on a day when campaign group Change for Tottenham called for an open revolt in the stands over the club's perceived lack of ambition in the transfer market and high ticket prices, Thomas Frank's side staged a superb fightback to draw 2-2.

Instead of concluding to half-empty stands, "Oh when the Spurs go marching in" reverberated around the ground at full-time in complete contrast to the chorus of boos only 60 minutes earlier.

"We can create something magic together - the players and the fans - when we are united like we were, especially second half but also the Dortmund game," Frank told BBC Sport.

"That atmosphere, intensity - that's what pushed the players and they really needed it.

"What I like and what I think is truly important is when your back is against the wall as a team and a group you need to fight. You can never give up.

"I love that never-say-die attitude from the players and the fans were massive for us. The mentality is building stronger and stronger."

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Who is in the Premier League relegation fight - and what is needed for survival?

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Who is in the Premier League relegation fight - and what is needed for survival? - BBC
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The Premier League's relegation battle was in danger of looking like a foregone conclusion only a couple of weeks ago.

Earlier this season, West Ham, Wolves and Burnley looked destined to be heading to the Championship.

But only a couple of weeks after all hope looked seemingly lost for the Premier League's worst-performing clubs, the battle for survival has taken several unexpected turns in the early weeks of 2026.

After rolling into the New Year with one win in 10 games, West Ham are a club buoyed since a morale-boosting win against Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup third round on 11 January.

Since then, back-to-back wins for the Hammers against Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland have bridged the gap between themselves and 17th-place Nottingham Forest to only six points - despite a late loss at Chelsea last time out.

Nineteenth-place Burnley added to their tally with respectable draws against Liverpool and Tottenham, but a 3-0 defeat by Sunderland on Monday left them 11 points from safety.

While Wolves still look nailed-on for a season in the Championship next term, Rob Edwards' side have at least stopped the rot in recent weeks and are no longer on course to record the lowest points total in Premier League history.

It goes without saying that despite an upturn in form for the Premier League's bottom three sides, it would take a mammoth effort for any of them to beat the drop this season.

In the 33 completed seasons since the Premier League's inception in 1992, only nine teams have overturned a six-point deficit after 23 games or more to survive.

Aston Villa (2019-20), Leicester City (2014-15) and Sunderland (2013-14) - all facing a seven-point deficit - are the most recent sides to have done so.

It means if any of the three clubs were to climb out of the relegation zone and preserve their top-flight status, they would etch their names into the record books.

After this weekend's fixtures, Opta calculated the current chances of Wolves (0.02%) and Burnley (2.02%) achieving survival.

In West Ham's case, despite a gut-wrenching 3-2 defeat by Chelsea on Saturday night, the numbers make for slightly better reading, with the Hammers' chance of safety rated at 17.06%.

With a game against strugglers Burnley to come next week, West Ham - who looked dead and buried a month ago - are now starting to play with the freedom of a side with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Realistically, there are seven Premier League clubs involved in this season's relegation battle.

In addition to the current bottom three, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Tottenham are likely to be sweating over their Premier League status between now and the end of the season.

Tottenham are the highest positioned of the seven clubs - currently sitting 14th on 29 points after fighting back to earn a point against Manchester City on Sunday.

The point moves Thomas Frank's side nine points ahead of West Ham with 14 games remaining.

But after collecting only three points from a possible 15 ahead of Sunday's game against Pep Guardiola's side - three less than the Hammers (six) - Spurs will know survival is not guaranteed yet.

The good news for West Ham, though, is that if Spurs are able to build on Sunday's spirited draw and fire themselves up the table, there are still several other teams within catching distance.

Perhaps, no more so than Crystal Palace.

The Eagles - who sold captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City last month and will lose manager Oliver Glasner at the end of the season - are winless in their past 12 matches across all competitions.

Meanwhile, it is Nuno Espirito Santo's former side, Nottingham Forest, who sit closest to the drop zone - six points clear of the Hammers and level on points with Leeds United in 16th.

In the Premier League, teams finishing on 36 points or more in each of the past nine seasons have avoided relegation.

In the 20-team era, starting from the 1995-96 season, the average number of points needed for survival, or the number of points the 18th-placed team finished plus one, is 35.53 - rounded up to 36 points.

In the 30 Premier League seasons that have had 38 games a season for each club, 36 points would have ensured survival 60% of the time.

The rate of survival increases to 80% for 38 points, 90% for 40 points and 100% for 43 or more points.

But West Ham have the ignominy of holding the record for the team relegated with the most points in the 20-team era. In the 2002-03 season, the Hammers picked up 42 points but were still relegated.

Sunderland with 40 points in 1996-97 and Bolton with 40 points the following year are the only other sides to have dropped down after touching the 40-point mark.

Tottenham finished 17th last term with 38 points but, because of the weaknesses of the promoted trio, they would still have beaten the drop with just 26.

The season before, 17th-placed Nottingham Forest managed 32 points - a tally which included a four points deduction - but actually only needed 27 to stay up.

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Premier League Highlights: Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Manchester City

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Premier League Highlights: Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Manchester City - BBC
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