Inside Futbol

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There has been ‘no sign’ of Pedro Porro at Tottenham Hotspur‘s open training session today, according to journalist Sam Tabuteau.

Tottenham slipped to 14th in the Premier League and now are only eight points off the relegation spots after the weekend fixtures, raising some concerns about a relegation battle.

The north London club have had more joy in the Champions League though, and sit fifth ahead of the final round of matches in the group stage.

A 2-0 win last week against Borussia Dortmund has left direct qualification for the knockout rounds in Tottenham’s own hands.

Spurs will travel to Germany to take on Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday evening.

Eintracht Frankfurt are already out of contention for the playoff spots, and a win will ensure a top eight finish for Spurs, meaning they can avoid having to play two more games in February.

Frank will want to ensure his side’s progression in the competition, while also managing fatigue and injury concerns.

Porro was taken off at half-time against Burnley on Saturday, as an injury for the right-back was feared initially.

Frank allayed any concerns post-match, stating that his game time was being managed, with Porro having started Spurs’ last 14 games.

It has now emerged that there was ‘no sign’ of Porro during Spurs’ open training ahead of their Champions League fixture.

Porro’s absence does not necessarily mean he will not travel to Frankfurt though, with prior instances proving otherwise.

Micky van de Ven, who played and scored against Burnley, was another notable absentee from training.

Porro had emerged as a ‘very expensive’ target for Italian giants Inter Milan, but the rumours have since died down.

Tottenham have been intent on bringing in Andrew Robertson, but Liverpool have been reluctant to sanction a move, being already light at the back.

Conor Gallagher and left-back Souza have been signed during the January window, as Frank seeks to avoid a fate in which his side is stuck in relegation mire.

Before turning his attention to domestic issues, Frank will want to ensure qualification for the round of 16 in the Champions League and tidy up Spurs’ business in the January window.

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Tottenham Hotspur will green light a move for Callum Olusesi to Serie A side Torino after their Champions League game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.

Thomas Frank’s Tottenham side are 14th in the Premier League table and following a weekend draw at strugglers Burnley, alarm bells are ringing.

Things could yet get worse for the Dane as Spurs play Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United and rivals Arsenal in consecutive games.

One former Premier League star believes that last season’s Europa League winners are in a relegation battle due to the difficult run of fixtures coming up.

Frank recently insisted the impact injuries have had on their season so far has been massive, but the Dane has not made much use of the Tottenham Hotspur youngsters during testing times.

A number of highly rated academy stars are either out on loan or have not been in involved in the first -team.

Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate Mikey Moore is on loan at Rangers and his positive performances at the Ibrox have earned him comparisons with treble winner Jack Grealish.

Competition Appearances U18 Premier League 35 Premier League 2 18 UEFA Youth League 7 FA Youth Cup 6 Callum Olusesi’s top appearances by competition

Spurs won the race for talented Luka Vuskovic and loaned him out to Bundesliga side Hamburg, where he has been termed ‘unbelievable’ by his team-mate.

Young stars are thriving away from Tottenham Hotspur and Olusesi, who is the captain of Spurs’ Under-21 side, could yet be another one to do so.

Now according to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Serie A club Torino have reached an agreement with Spurs for Olusesi.

Spurs will green light the move after the Champions League group stage game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.

Torino have agreed a loan deal with an option to buy with Tottenham and after the Champions League game, where he is expected to be in the squad, ‘he will be free to travel’ to Italy to undergo a medical.

Olusesi is a midfielder and made his Tottenham Hotspur senior debut in the Europa League fixture against Hoffenheim last season, coming on as a substitute in the second half.

The 18-year-old promised to work hard and take any opportunities that come his way but he is yet to be handed another appearance since his debut.

Olusesi is not the only Spurs player linked to a move to Italy, with defender Radu Dragusin attracting major interest from a host of Serie A teams.

Despite their struggles in the Premier League, Spurs have faired well in their European fixtures and look set to finish in the top-eight of the Champions League.

Tottenham Hotspur are sure to be busy during the last days of the transfer window, but it remains to be seen if Frank is able to turn around their poor form.

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Randal Kolo Muani, currently on loan at Tottenham Hotspur from Paris Saint-Germain, has been offered to Fenerbahce by agents.

The Yellow Canaries are on the hunt for a striker to bolster their ambitions this season, sitting second in the Turkish Super Lig, just three points behind leaders Galatasaray after 19 matches.

Youssef En-Nesyri has been expected to leave, though an agreement with Juventus has not gone smoothly as the striker does not like the move formula.

Last summer, Kolo Muani joined Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan, but a campaign disrupted by injuries has limited his opportunities under Thomas Frank.

Kolo Muani has managed just 23 appearances across all competitions for the Londoners, netting twice and providing three assists.

According to Turkish daily Takvim, the striker has been offered to Fenerbahce by agents as he looks to secure regular playing time.

Kolo Muani has been on Fenerbahce’s radar before and now the Turkish side must decide what to do.

The 27-year-old French forward has been cautious about a move to Turkey, but he carries a wealth of experience from the top leagues of France, Italy, and England, having featured for major clubs such as Juventus, along with PSG and Tottenham Hotspur, and could provide a significant boost to Fenerbahce’s squad.

Club Points 1. Galatasaray 46 2. Fenerbahce 43 3. Trabzonspor 41 Turkish Super Lig top three

With the World Cup approaching, his main focus is securing regular playing time to cement a spot in Didier Deschamps’ fiercely contested France squad, meaning any move to Istanbul would likely depend on assurances of consistent minutes on the pitch.

The 27-year-old boasts 31 caps for France and made three appearances at the last World Cup, scoring in the semi-final and providing an assist in the final against Argentina.

This season, Tottenham have struggled in the Premier League, currently sitting 14th in the table, with Frank admitting the team have been hampered by an injury crisis and the absence of key players.

Now, with warnings of Tottenham being in a relegation battle, Frank is unlikely to want to see Kolo Muani go without a replacement coming in through the door.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur star Jamie O’Hara has compared Manchester United‘s Patrick Dorgu to a young Gareth Bale.

Dorgu started on the left hand side for Manchester United in their visit to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

He popped up with a superb strike in the 50th minute mark to fire Manchester United into a 2-1 lead at the title favourites.

O’Hara was impressed with what he saw from Dorgu and issued high praise to the Red Devils star.

He believes that the 21-year-old has shades of a young Bale, from his time at Tottenham, about him.

O’Hara wrote on X: “Dorgu is top draw whenever I’ve watched him play, reminds me a bit of Bale at the start at Spurs.”

Ironically, Tottenham did try to sign Dorgu before Manchester United snapped him up, but were hit by a no sale stance from Italian side Lecce.

Club Years Southampton 2006-2007 Tottenham Hotspur 2007-2013 Real Madrid 2013-2022 Tottenham Hotspur (loan) 2020-2021 LAFC 2022-2023 Gareth Bale’s career history

Manchester United were keen on signing Bale throughout his time at Real Madrid and were suggested at one point to have put aside €150m to get the deal done.

Tottenham pocketed a huge fee when the sold Bale to Real Madrid, but in the view of one former Spurs manager, squandered it.

It remains to be seen how much Dorgu can live up to the Bale comparison, with the Welshman considered one of Britain’s greatest ever players.

Dorgu, 21, made 12 appearances in the Premier League for Manchester United last term, under now former boss Ruben Amorim.

He was given 81 minutes in the 3-2 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, before being replaced by Benjamin Sesko.

With the scores level at 2-2, Matheus Cunha popped up to win the game for Manchester United three minutes from time.

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Hamburg officials do not believe that keeping hold of Tottenham Hotspur talent Luka Vuskovic beyond the end of his loan is out of the question.

Spurs have some highly rated youngsters at the club, as the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Yang Min-hyeok, Kota Takai and Vuskovic are on the books.

Sending them out on loan has been key to Spurs’ development plan and Takai followed Vuskovic to Germany earlier this month, signing for Borussia Monchengladbach on loan.

The arrival of Takai delighted Gladbach’s sporting director, but Vuskovic has already been making waves in the Bundesliga.

In the summer of 2023, Spurs paid a hefty £12m for the teenager from Hajduk Split, when he was only 16 years old.

Vuskovic spent time on loan in Poland and in Belgium, and impressed with his performances for Radomiak Radom and Westerlo.

He arrived in England last summer and immediately attracted the attention of a number of sides, but he was most keen on a move to Hamburg, where his brother Mario Vuskovic plays.

The 18-year-old is a regular starter in Merlin Pozlin’s side and he has started 15 out of Hamburg’s 17 Bundesliga games so far, completing 90 minutes in every game.

Player Luka Vuskovic Kota Takai Manor Solomon Alejo Veliz Tottenham players on loan at non-UK clubs

Vuskovic is a player Hamburg do not want to send back after the end of the loan, but they were unable to agree an option to buy with Tottenham.

Nevertheless, they want a fresh loan and, according to German outlet Fussball Transfers, officials at Hamburg believe that keeping Vuskovic for longer ‘is not out of the question’.

The Spurs talent is determined to play with his elder brother Mario, who is currently serving a ban, and his ban will not be lifted until November of this year.

The Bundesliga side ‘are hoping’ that they can keep Vuskovic for longer.

There seems no chance of anything but another loan as Tottenham are firmly opposed to a sale.

Vuskovic has scored three league goals and one of his team-mates at Die Rothosen hailed him for his audacious backheel goal against Werder Bremen last month.

It is unclear if Spurs do plan to include Vuskovic in their first team squad next term.

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Former Premier League goalkeeper Matt Murray believes that Tottenham Hotspur are now in a relegation battle, not least due to the games they have on the agenda in February.

Spurs, with boss Thomas Frank already under massive pressure, headed to take on Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday looking for a vital win.

Frank played three at the back and went with a team that had a defensive look to it, despite Burnley being second bottom in the Premier League table.

Spurs needed to come from behind and score through a late Cristian Romero goal to get out of Turf Moor with a 2-2 draw.

With West Ham having now got back to back wins in the Premier League, Spurs are now just eight points above the bottom three and in poor form.

They are also shaping up for a tough looking February, which contains meetings with Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Arsenal.

For former goalkeeper Murray, Tottenham are now most certainly fighting for their lives in the Premier League.

Game Competition Eintracht Frankfurt (A) Champions League Manchester City (H) Premier League Manchester United (A) Premier League Tottenham’s next three games

Murray believes Tottenham badly need to get players like Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus back fit as they are clearly lacking creativity in games.

Frank insisted recently, in his defence, that he is missing key players through injury.

Asked on talkSPORT (24th January, 17:12) if Tottenham are in a relegation battle, Murray replied: “Yes, they are.

“You name the games they’ve got coming up, Frankfurt, at least in the Champions League they are looking good so maybe they will rest a few.

“City at home. Well, playing at home is going to be very difficult for this Tottenham team because, credit all these Tottenham fans that travel away, they did stick with their team, but at the end they let their manager know what they thought of them.

“Then United, if they play like they did against Man City, can’t see them getting points there.

“Newcastle, Arsenal, wow. These are tough, tough games, so the way they played [at Burnley], they need players back.

“Obviously [James] Maddison is still nowhere near it, but Richarlison, Kudus, players like that, they need more creativity.”

And Murray noted how West Ham have improved, which also points towards Spurs getting sucked into it.

He added: “I think at the moment, with the way West Ham played today and the results are, they are getting sucked into one.”

For how much longer Frank can keep hold of his job is increasingly open to question, with the Dane having lost a large section of the Tottenham fanbase.

As he applauded the fans at the end of the game at Turf Moor, he was hit with ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ by the Spurs faithful.

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Fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs Borussia Dortmund

Competition: Champions League

Kick-off: 20:00 UK time

Thomas Frank has picked his Tottenham Hotspur lineup vs Borussia Dortmund as he battles to keep his job as Spurs boss.

The former Brentford manager is under big pressure after serving up poor performances and results to the Tottenham faithful, who called for his sacking after the weekend loss to West Ham United.

Frank has stressed that he is dealing with injuries to important players, while also stressing of late that the team remain in a transition period.

He badly needs not just a result against Dortmund tonight, but also a good performance, to help to steady the ship.

The Spurs boss has seen his options reduced for tonight’s clash and indicated in the build up to the match that he could have just eleven senior outfield players to select.

Frank has taken the call to pull Mathys Tel out of the Champions League squad and bring in Dominic Solanke.

The move has disappointed the already unhappy Frenchman, amid transfer interest from Ligue 1 club Paris FC.

Given Tel is out of the squad, he is ineligible for the game, as are Yves Bissouma, Radu Dragusin and new signing Conor Gallagher.

Guglielmo Vicario is in goal in Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur vs Borussia Dortmund lineup tonight, while in defence Spurs go with Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso and Destiny Udogie.

Tottenham will want to make sure they are in control in the middle of the park and Frank selects Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, while Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons and Djed Spence support Dominic Solanke.

If Frank needs to shake up his Tottenham Hotspur lineup vs Borussia Dortmund tonight then he will look to his bench, where his options include Dane Scarlett and Randal Kolo Muani.

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup vs Borussia Dortmund

Vicario, Porro, Romero, Danso, Udogie, Gray, Bergvall, Simons, Spence, Odobert, Solanke

Substitutes: Kinsky, Austin, Kolo Muani, Scarlett, Olusesi, Thompson, Hardy, Byfield, Williams-Barnett, Akhamrich, Rowswell

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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Radu Dragusin ‘would gladly’ return to Italy’s Serie A in this month’s transfer window amid interest from Roma, but a deal ‘remains complex’.

The north London outfit paid £21.5m in the winter of 2024 to sign the Romanian defender from Genoa, but his move has not gone according to plan, with injury keeping him out for a lengthy period.

Even before the injury though there were concerns about a lack of game time for Dragusin at Tottenham.

His agent soon after the transfer warned Spurs that the centre-back will not stay with Premier League giants if he is not getting regular game time.

Now, in the winter transfer window, Dragusin has been looked at by several Serie A sides, including heavyweights Roma.

Napoli submitted an enquiry regarding the availability of the player as Antonio Conte looks to strengthen his backline with the Tottenham star’s presence.

Roma sporting director Frederic Massara though is pushing to sign Dragusin, who is said to be ‘leaving Tottenham’ this winter.

Level Romania U15s Romania U16s Romania U17s Romania U18s Romania U19s Romania U21s Romania International levels Dragusin has played for Romania at

The Giallorossi could soon up their efforts as Dragusin is ‘at the top of the wish list’ of defensive reinforcements, according to Italian daily Corriere dello Sport (via Tutto Mercato Web).

It is suggested that Dragusin ‘would gladly’ head back to Serie A, where his stock remains high, but the deal ‘remains complex’.

Roma would prefer to sign the Romanian on loan with an option to then sign him permanently, but Tottenham would rather sell on a permanent basis.

Dragusin has suitors in Germany as well in the form of RB Leipzig, who are willing to sign him on a permanent deal and could take advantage of the situation and strike an agreement with Tottenham.

Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini is an admirer of Dragusin’s talents and it remains to be seen whether Massara can find a way to convince Tottenham of a move in the coming days.

It can also not be excluded that the managerial situation at Tottenham will have an impact as Thomas Frank is fighting to keep his job.

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Tottenham Hotspur attacker Mathys Tel remains Paris FC’s ‘absolute dream transfer target’ until the end of the winter window, while the Frenchman is prepared to leave Spurs.

Spurs are on a bad run of form, which got even worse following their 2-1 defeat against relegation-battlers West Ham United at the weekend.

The north London club’s boss, Thomas Frank, has come under severe pressure, with fans chanting for his head after the loss to the Hammers, but one ex-Spurs star said that he does not want to see the Dane getting sacked.

Spurs have already sold their Welsh forward Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace and now Tel has been left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad to make room for Dominic Solanke.

Being pulled out of the Champions League squad by Frank has not gone down well with Tel, who is unhappy.

Frank has spoken positively of Tel at points this season, but the Frenchman looks to be down the pecking order for the Dane when other options are available.

The 20-year-old versatile attacker has been seeking an exit from Tottenham this month as he feels he needs to be playing on a regular basis to push forward with his World Cup dream; being left out of the Champions League squad is not likely to change his mind.

Result Competition Nantes 1-2 Paris FC Ligue 1 PSG 0-1 Paris FC French Cup PSG 2-1 Paris FC Ligue 1 Paris FC’s last three results

Tel has suitors for his signature, and according to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, the Spurs forward is a dream target for Ligue 1 club Paris FC.

It has been suggested that he will remain the ‘absolute dream transfer target’ for Les Parisiens until winter window transfer deadline day, as Tel looks for an escape route.

Back in 2022, Bayern Munich paid big money to sign the France Under-21 international, as he was seen as a huge talent by the German giants.

The 20-year-old contributed to 23 goals in 83 games for the Bavarians, who sold him to Spurs on a permanent deal worth £30m, following an initial loan spell.

And Tel did accept that the Premier League’s physicality stunned him, admitting that he ended up on the ground.

Whether more clubs will join the mix to sign the Spurs forward this month remains to be seen, following his exclusion from the Champions League squad.

Paris FC are a mid-table Ligue 1 side, and it remains to be seen if their interest will be intriguing for the Frenchman.

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Roma sporting director Frederic Massara is ‘pushing for’ Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Dragusin, as the Romanian centre-back ‘is leaving Tottenham’.

Serie A club Genoa sold Dragusin to Spurs in the winter window of 2024, even though they were advised to keep hold of the centre-back.

The Premier League club paid a hefty £21.5m to the Italian side and Dragusin signed a deal until the summer of 2030 in north London.

However, he has had injury issues, which have seen him unable to cement a regular first-team spot, and his agent also commented on his lack of game time soon after his arrival.

The Romanian returned from his injury only last month and has played only five minutes of Premier League football, which came against Crystal Palace in December.

Dragusin is a wanted man in this month’s transfer window, with clubs in Europe showing interest in taking him away from Spurs.

Last week, Serie A giants Napoli showed interest in the 23-year-old defender, as they hit the north Londoners with an enquiry for him.

Centre-back option Radu Dragusin Kevin Danso Archie Gray Cristian Romero Ben Davies Micky van de Ven Tottenham’s centre-back options

Roma are also keen on Dragusin, on loan with an option to buy, while RB Leipzig want to strike a permanent deal to take him off Tottenham’s hands.

According to Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport, Roma’s sporting director is now ‘pushing for’ Dragusin, who it is stressed ‘is leaving Tottenham’ this month.

RB Leipzig are still trying to complete a deal for the Romania international and will hope he can be tempted to Germany.

The Bundesliga side may have an advantage given their desire for a permanent deal, as the loan plus option to buy formula is not favoured by Tottenham.

Roma sporting director Massara will hope he can find common ground with Spurs on Dragusin.

It has been suggested that the club’s owners, the Friedkin Group, are ready to invest in the winter window, and it remains to be seen if Roma are willing to offer a permanent deal for the Romanian.