Inside Futbol

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has joked he can blame Pape Matar Sarr for Randal Kolo Muani’s injury, after the French forward suffered a dead leg in training.

The France striker joined the north Londoners on transfer deadline day, on a loan deal from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain; he was on loan at Juventus for the second half of last term.

Kolo Muani made his Spurs debut last week in the Champions League against Villarreal, coming off the bench for the final 13 minutes of the game.

The Frenchman, though, will need to continue to wait for his Premier League debut, as he suffered an injury in training following a collision with team-mate Sarr.

Frank joked he can blame Sarr for Kolo Muani being out, before admitting it is just an unfortunate training ground injury that is dragging on.

“[It happened] in training. I think it was Pape who ran into him, so I need to blame Pape”, the Spurs boss joked at a press conference.

“It’s very unfortunate, just a contact injury. It is one of those where they can take a week and then other times it is taking a couple of weeks because it started bleeding again unfortunately.”

Game Result Napoli (A) 2-1 Empoli (H) – two 4-1 Como (A) – two 1-2 Monza (H) 2-0 Lazio (A) 1-1 Venezia (A) 2-3 Serie A games Randal Kolo Muani scored in last season

Frank also lauded Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall, stressing that he will do everything to help the Swede reach his high ceiling.

The Tottenham boss believes the onus is on himself and the coaching staff to make sure that Bergvall develops well.

“Hopefully as high as possible”, Frank said when asked what Bergvall’s ceiling is.

“My finest job, together with the coaches, is to maximise potential in every player, maximise potential in the team – that’s my most important task.

“Lucas is a fantastic, prime example of that, how can we maximise his potential?”

The Tottenham manager recently hailed Bergvall for his tireless stamina, stating that he sometimes need to instruct him to stop running.

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Tottenham Hotspur out-on-loan star Damola Ajayi has struggled to find words to describe his emotions regarding playing against Spurs for Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup.

The 19-year-old winger is a product of Spurs’ academy system and joined League One outfit Doncaster Rovers on loan this summer.

Doncaster boss Grant McCann previously admitted that Ajayi has started to get the grasp of the requirements of playing at senior level.

On Wednesday, the League One outfit came face to face with Ajayi’s parent club Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where he featured for 61 minutes but failed to help his team avoid a 3-0 defeat.

Ajayi revealed that he is at a loss for words to explain the feeling he went through returning to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and admitted that he pondered before the game, thinking about how his homecoming would go.

The Spurs loanee also pointed out that during the game he received support from the Tottenham and Doncaster fans as both sets of supporters wanted him to do well.

When asked about his feelings regarding his return to London to face his parent club, Ajayi told Doncaster Rovers’ in-house media (1:40): “I just did not know what to expect tonight [Wednesday].

“Obviously, yes, there were a lot of familiar faces I have not seen [in a while] and at that moment you cannot explain it.

“I was thinking about cool, how is this going to go? How is this going to play out? But when I actually got in the moment, it was good to see that obviously I had the backing of both fans, like both want to see you do well.

“So it is like they both want to see you play; it was good and I enjoyed it.”

Ajayi has so far made eleven appearances for the Yorkshire outfit and scored a goal against Championship outfit Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup.

The 19-year-old, although he started all three games for Doncaster in the EFL Cup, has yet to start in the league for them.

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Doncaster Rovers boss Grant McCann is pleased to see Tottenham Hotspur loan star Damola Ajayi growing regularly with men’s football, following his loan switch to Donny.

The London-born wide-attacker came through Bromley’s youth set-up, and three years ago, Spurs picked him up when he was 16.

He has featured heavily for Spurs’ youth sides, and last season, he even made a senior appearance for the club in the Europa League.

In a Europa League league phase game against Elfsborg last year, Ajayi came on and scored for Tottenham in a 3-0 victory for the north Londoners.

Spurs loaned him out to League One side Doncaster Rovers in the summer window and so far, he has made eleven appearances for Donny, including in Wednesday night’s 3-0 EFL Cup defeat against Tottenham.

Ajayi clocked just over an hour at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before he was replaced.

McCann stressed that Under-21s football is good until a certain level and he is seeing the 19-year-old starting to see and develop according to the difference between youth football and men’s football.

Scorer Goal time Palhinha 14th minute McGrath (own goal) 17th minute Johnson 94th minute Tottenham Hotspur’s goalscorers against Doncaster Rovers

“I am pleased for Damola”, the Donny boss told Doncaster’s media (6:17) when he was asked about the Spurs talent.

“We can see it every single day now that Damola is starting to understand the level.

“Under-21s football is good, but it is only good to a certain point, and when you go above that, you need men’s football.

“Damola has started developing all the time; it is really nice to see him developing and improving.”

Ajayi is not yet a starter at Doncaster, as he has come off the bench in seven League One games, but McCann started him in three cup competitions.

The teenager will look to establish himself as a starter for Doncaster before returning to his parent club next summer.

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Fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs Doncaster Rovers

Competition: EFL Cup

Kick-off: 19:45 UK time

Thomas Frank has picked his Tottenham Hotspur team to face Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup third round tonight.

Frank will be keen to see Spurs make progress in the competition as it represents a realistic route to silverware in his first season in charge.

The Danish boss will also not want to see an embarrassing exit at the hands of League One outfit Doncaster.

Doncaster, who are relishing the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, have little to lose in north London and all to gain.

The two clubs last came face to face in an EFL Cup tie in 2009, that time with Spurs the away side, and the north London club claimed a comfortable 5-1 win.

Tottenham come into this evening’s clash on the back of a 2-2 draw away at Brighton in the Premier League.

Between the sticks for Spurs tonight is Antonin Kinsky, while ahead of him are Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Archie Gray and Djed Spence.

In the centre of the park, Frank goes with Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha, while Xavi Simons, Brennan Johnson, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert carry the attacking threat.

Frank has a number of options off the bench if he needs to try to influence the game through his changes and they include Lucas Bergvall and Richarlison.

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup vs Doncaster Rovers

Kinsky, Porro, Danso, Gray, Spence, Bentancur, Palhinha, Simons, Johnson, Tel, Odobert

Substitutes: Austin, Richarlison, Udogie, Bergvall, Van de Ven, Scarlett, T Thompson, Byfield, Williams-Barnett

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Doncaster Rovers captain Owen Bailey has admitted that he is excited to play at Tottenham Hotspur’s home ground tonight, dubbing Spurs’ home as one of, if not the best, stadiums in England.

The north London club start their EFL Cup journey from today, as they are set to take on League One side Doncaster Rovers.

A Grant McCann-managed Donny won automatic promotion to League One on the back of an impressive League Two campaign.

Doncaster skipper Bailey has not hidden his excitement about playing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the biggest club side ground in London.

The historic White Hart Lane was demolished a few years back to unveil the 62,850-seater Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the new home of Spurs.

Bailey revealed that he has spoken to his friends, who have been at Spurs’ home ground, and everyone gave him an overwhelmingly positive outlook about the stadium.

He believes that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is one of the best grounds in the country, saying it is going to be a ‘great experience’ for him and his team-mates.

Club Capacity Tottenham Hotspur 62,850 West Ham United 62,500 Arsenal 60,704 Chelsea 40,044 Fulham 27,782 Crystal Palace 25,194 Brentford 17,250 Premier League London sides capacities

“It has got a special sound to it, hasn’t it?”, Bailey told Doncaster’s media (4:19) when he was asked about the Spurs game.

“It is obviously a massive game, a great game for everyone to look forward to.

“Amazing stadium; spoke with a few friends and whatnot, who have played there, being there, and they all said the same thing.

“Obviously, it is one of the best grounds in the country, if not the best ground, obviously, away from Wembley.

“So, it will be a great experience.”

Despite Bailey’s words, one former Leeds United star said after visiting the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that the atmosphere could not touch that at Elland Road.

Ex-Spurs boss Jose Mourinho though said the stadium is the best in the world.

The north Londoners have shown a sense of stability under their new boss, Thomas Frank, who will look to have a comfortable win at their home ground.

Doncaster, though, will look to cause an upset at Spurs’ home to snatch a surprise victory tonight.

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Nottingham Forest talent Donnell McNeily, on loan at Wycombe Wanderers, has namechecked Tottenham Hotspur loan star George Abbott for his quality and stressed that he wants to face Manchester City or Liverpool in the next round of the EFL Cup.

Wycombe beat Wigan Athletic 2-0 on Tuesday night in the EFL Cup, where Nottingham Forest loan star McNeily got his first goal of his senior career.

In the summer window, he joined Forest’s academy from Chelsea and was loaned out to League One side Wycombe to further his development.

The 19-year-old forward scored against Wigan, which was assisted by Spurs loan star Abbott and McNeilly stressed that he knew that Abbott was going to find him with his pass.

The 20-year-old Tottenham talent scored at the weekend for Wycombe in a League One match, and the Forest loan star hailed him, saying Abbott has a lot of quality.

“Just stay ready because you never know when the ball is going to come in”, McNeilly told Wanderers TV (0:27) when he was asked about his goal.

“That’s the point of being a striker; you need to be adaptable, like knowing when to make your run.

Player On loan from Sam Bell Bristol City Cauley Woodrow Luton Town Niall Huggins Sunderland Donnell McNeilly Nottingham Forest George Abbott Tottenham Hotspur Wycombe Wanderers’ loan stars

“I was just staying patient, making double movements, and then eventually I knew that George was going to pick me out, he has got a lot of quality.”

The Chairboys have now made it through to the next round of the EFL Cup and the Nottingham Forest teenager is raring to face a big team.

He insisted that he loves the hardest games and dreams of facing Manchester City or Liverpool in the next round of the competition.

“I would take anyone, anyone.

“To be fair, I like the hardest games, so it would be a dream to draw the likes of Man City or Liverpool, or someone like that”, he added.

Whether McNeilly will get his wish to face Premier League big boys in the next round of the EFL Cup remains to be seen.

He will though hope to eventually play in the top flight for Nottingham Forest, where he could potentially come up against Abbott, if he can climb the ladder at Tottenham.

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Tottenham Hotspur out-on-loan talent Alfie Devine has claimed that he was fully aware of the challenges he would face with Preston North End before signing for the club and thinks that everything is working for him at the moment.

The 21-year-old Tottenham attacking midfielder spent last season on loan with Belgian outfit Westerlo, where he made regular appearances and turned some heads with his performances.

Devine, who came through Spurs’ academy system, joined Preston in the summer to ply his trade under new boss Paul Heckingbottom, who is an admirer of his talents.

His career at Deepdale has taken a flying start as he has registered two goals in his first five games and on Saturday it was the Spurs loanee’s goal that sealed a 1-0 victory for Preston against Derby County.

Devine claimed that he perfectly knew what he was getting into when he decided to join Preston and stressed that so far the move is working well for him.

The Spurs talent stated that every game in the Championship brings different challenges and thinks that the most important thing for him now is to clock as much game time as possible for Preston.

When asked about whether everything he was told before the move by Deepdale is coming to fruition, Devine told Preston’s in-house media (1:30): “I think so.

Game Competition Bristol City (H) Championship Hull City (A) Championship Charlton Athletic (H) Championship Preston’s next three games

“Obviously in Championship football each game they come fast and every game is different, but I think, for myself personally, it is just about now, just getting the games in and stuff like that.

“Like I said before, in the first half [against Derby] we showed what we were about, limiting them to pretty much nothing and then we showed what we can do on and off the ball.

“I thought the defenders were superb.

“For the first half they didn’t have a sniff and even when you were under pressure like that in the end, it was resilience and as a group to do it [defending], so yes, I knew what I was coming into and so far it is working.”

It is not the first time Devine is playing in the Championship, as during the 2023/24 season he joined Plymouth Argyle on loan in the second part of the campaign and played a crucial role in fighting off the relegation threat for the Pilgrims.

Devine is highly rated at Spurs and he will be keen on having an impressive season with Heckingbottom’s side to get into Tottenham’s first-team plans.

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Tottenham Hotspur star Alfie Devine thinks that Aston Villa loanee Lewis Dobbin and Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong, who are on loan with him at Preston North End, were brilliant against Derby County at the weekend.

Dobbin is a product of the Everton academy system and joined Aston Villa in the summer of 2024; last season he featured on loan for West Brom and Norwich City.

Villa sanctioned a loan deal in the summer for the winger to join Preston on loan to aid his development and Paul Heckingbottom was impressed with Dobbin and revealed after he joined that the 22-year-old was excited.

Preston managed to also secure loan deals for Premier League talents in the form of Armstrong and Devine and the young loanees have formed a friendship.

Devine is of the view that because players in the Preston squad are so close to each other that new players feel instantly welcomed, which is very good for young loanees and thinks that Harrison and Dobbin share the same feeling.

Dobbin, Devine and Harrison all took part in Preston’s 1-0 win over Derby at the weekend and the Spurs youngster thinks that the Aston Villa loanee was superb in the first half of the game.

Harrison came off the bench in the second half to help the team defend the 1-0 lead established by Devine and also pointed out that Everton’s young defensive midfielder performed brilliantly.

Player On loan from Harrison Armstrong Everton Daniel Jebbison Bournemouth Lewis Dobbin Aston Villa Alfie Devine Tottenham Hotspur Preston North End’s loan stars

When asked about whether friendship off the pitch with fellow loan players helps, Devine told Preston’s in-house media (2:40): “The group is so close and with new players coming in, you feel so welcomed within a matter of days.

“So it is like for a loan boy coming in and I am sure Harrison and Dobs would say the same thing, when you come in, that is what you want.

“Because when you feel comfortable on the pitch, you can go and show that and be comfortable.

“I think Dobs was superb in the first half today and I thought when Harrison came up he was brilliant as well, so it shows.”

Armstrong is on his second loan spell of his career and last season he was a standout performer for John Eustace’s Derby.

Dobbin and Devine, however, are on their fourth loan outings and they will be hoping to make the most of it before the season ends.

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Former Championship attacker Sam Parkin has hailed Tottenham Hotspur loan star Will Lankshear for his incredible maturity as a striker, despite him being only 20.

The Welwyn Garden City-born striker came through Arsenal’s academy and spent a year in Sheffield United’s youth system.

Spurs snapped him up back in 2022, and last season, he played six senior games for Tottenham’s first team.

The England Under-21 had a forgettable loan spell at West Brom in the second half of the previous campaign, where he played eleven times, without scoring once.

This summer, though, Oxford United loaned him in and the 20-year-old forward has started life at the Kassam Stadium well, living up to being backed to make an immediate impact.

Lankshear has scored three goals in six league starts and ex-Championship hitman Parkin is impressed with how the Spurs loanee has done so far.

The 44-year-old stressed that Lankshear has looked brilliant playing striker for Gary Rowett’s side and he lauded the young Englishman for his maturity at 20.

Game Competition Sheffield United (H) Championship QPR (A) Championship Watford (A) Championship Oxford United’s next three games

“Will Lankshear, different class, up front – he looks very mature for such a young lad, playing that role”, Parkin said on the Championship Check-in show (25:28) about the Tottenham loanee.

“And, it is not something that happens overnight, even for the big old-fashioned looking centre-forward.

“You learn that position over time, you learn the importance of keeping the ball in the final third, of winning throws, of winning free-kicks, of keeping hold of the ball for your side.

“He looks incredibly mature for someone so young.

“[He] could have had another goal himself.”

Several EFL sides were keen on Lankshear, but the U’s saw off competition to land the 20-year-old on loan.

Now, Lankshear will look to continue his electric start, cementing himself as a key part of Rowett’s plans for the rest of the campaign.

Oxford United’s first win of the Championship season came on Sunday, as they went to Bristol City and won 3-1.

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Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom has warned Everton‘s Harrison Armstrong and Tottenham Hotspur‘s Alfie Devine that they have perform like they did against Derby County to stay in the team.

The Deepdale outfit were keen in the transfer market to bring in players who would be able to improve the overall quality of the team and strengthen certain areas.

Early in August, Preston managed to secure the signature of Spurs loanee Devine and on deadline day the finalised Armstrong’s loan deal with Everton beating several Championship sides, including West Brom.

Armstrong made his second appearance for Preston on Saturday against Derby County where Spurs starlet Devine scored the one and only goal of the game to help Heckingbottom’s side snatch three points.

The Preston boss admitted that they were in conversations with the Devine and Armstrong’s camp for a long time and sealed the deal when they felt the time was right.

Heckingbottom was pleased with Armstrong and Devine’s willingness to track back Derby’s players while working hard for the clean sheet, but warned that if they are not willing to constantly do what they did on Saturday they will not get into the team.

The Preston boss admitted that players like Armstrong and Devine are fantastic footballers when they work well with the team and get going.

Player On loan from Harrison Armstrong Everton Daniel Jebbison Bournemouth Lewis Dobbin Aston Villa Alfie Devine Tottenham Hotspur Preston North End’s loan stars

While talking about the players they added in the summer to add more individual quality, Heckingbottom told Preston North End’s official media: “Then with the late Premier League boys if you like, Lewis, Alfie and Harrison [Armstrong], we had been in conversations with them for a long, long time but the timing has always got to be right.

“We think that they bring something a little bit different to what we had in the squad but if they’re not willing to work hard, if they’re not willing to do what they did today to keep clean sheets, track runners and make it difficult for the opposition as well then they won’t play because you can’t carry anyone.

“But when you do get them working and they know their role in the team and they’ve got those moments in them, then it’s fantastic.”

Heckingbottom was keen to talk up Devine’s useful versatility when he completed a move to Preston.