Inside Futbol

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has revealed that summer signing Randal Kolo Muani is ‘in contention’ to face Aston Villa this weekend.

Spurs managed to pull off a transfer coup by landing the striker on loan from French giants Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window.

He has yet to play for Tottenham though, due to a dead leg, caused in training through a clash with Pape Matar Sarr.

The good news for Tottenham however is that Frank is now able to unleash him against Aston Villa this weekend – match preview here – because Kolo Muani is in contention to feature.

Fellow striker Dominic Solanke has progressed in his recovery, while Yves Bissouma is out for a few weeks.

Frank told a press conference: “Kolo Muani has trained for two weeks with the team – he looks better and better – and he’s in contention for the weekend.

“Dom’s progressed well post-surgery, he’s moving forwards.

Competition Goals Ligue 1 29 Bundesliga 16 Serie A 8 German Cup 7 Champions League 3 Randal Kolo Muani’s top competitions by goals

“Biss unfortunately had a situation with the national team and has a ligament issue in his ankle so he’ll be out for a few weeks.”

Kolo Muani will want to make sure he is playing on a regular basis, especially in a World Cup year, something which Frank understands.

The Tottenham boss stressed it is his job to make sure that the striker is doing as well as he can and then the rest will take care of itself in terms of his France hopes.

“The World Cup is far away in general. I understand the players are thinking about it. I haven’t spoken to him about it.

“What I am focussing on is making sure he is in the right place and performing as well as he can for us and the rest will take care of itself from there.”

All eyes will be on whether Kolo Muani gets the chance to be involved against Aston Villa on Sunday, but throwing him in from the start given a lack of game time may well be viewed as a risk.

The PSG star could well find joy against a tired Aston Villa defence if he comes on as a late substitute, which may well be a track Frank takes with him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 19th October, 14:00 UK time

Tottenham Hotspur will take on Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, with the Villans heading to the capital to face a Spurs side in good form and showing promise under Thomas Frank.

Spurs and Villa have been well matched in recent seasons, taking points off each other. Last season both sides picked up home wins, with Aston Villa prevailing in the FA Cup at Villa Park too. In the campaign prior to last, either side notched up a win on the road. In the 2021/22 season, Spurs did the double over Aston Villa, with the Villans returning the favour in the 2022/23 campaign.

Tottenham went into the international break with a win over Leeds United, and Spurs attacker Mathys Tel felt his goal in the game was more than justified.

Spurs’ form has been patchy, as they could only manage a draw against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, with Thomas Frank admitting he needed to revisit the match to look at whether they were bettered physically, and gave a struggling Wolves side their first point for the season after drawing against Brighton the previous weekend.

Tottenham will want to find their feet quickly after the international break and Frank will hope that Lucas Bergvall can shrug off the disappointment he had on Sweden duty.

Aston Villa have now embarked upon a four-game winning streak, picking up wins against Fulham and Burnley in the Premier League while prevailing over Bologna and Feyenoord in the Europa League.

Emery will know that with his own side’s form in the uptick, now is the ideal time, if any, to take on Tottenham.

However, he has warned that he expects tough times to return as Aston Villa’s journey is not smooth.

With games against Manchester City and Liverpool to immediately follow in the league, the Villans will be desperate to come away from London with something, despite expecting a tough game; Donyell Malen recently dubbed Tottenham ‘very good’.

Predicted Lineups

Tottenham Hotspur Aston Villa Vicario Martinez Porro Digne Romero Torres Van de Ven Konsa Spence Cash Bentancur Bogarde Palhinha Kamara Bergvall McGinn Kudus Rogers Odobert Malen Richarlison Watkins Predicted lineups

Recent Form (league)

Tottenham Hotspur: WDDWL

Aston Villa: WWDDL

Key Men

Tottenham Hotspur

Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert both scored for France Under-21s against both the Faroe Islands and Estonia, while also picking up an assist each against the Baltic side. They will want to make the most of their chances with Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani nearing a return from injury.

Mohammed Kudus has become a creative force in Thomas Frank’s side and has five assists in all competitions. In Dejan Kulusevski’s absence a lot of Tottenham’s good work goes through him and Kudus will have to be on his game for Spurs to be creative.

Lucas Bergvall’s good domestic form saw him championed for the national team by a former legend. Bergvall finally got his chance, but missed gilt-edged opportunities against Switzerland, while also starting in the defeat against Kosovo. Jon Dahl Tomasson has been subsequently sacked.

Aston Villa

Morgan Rogers became the third Aston Villa player after Gareth Barry and Gareth Southgate to feature in ten or more consecutive games for England over the break. Rogers scored his first England goal against Wales and will want to showcase what he is all about against Spurs, as Villa are rumoured to be preparing a new contract for their star player. Rogers is quickly becoming talismanic for the Villans, with Villa’s fortunes going as Rogers goes.

Ollie Watkins scored his first goal for the season against Fulham and has one in seven now, after scoring 16 goals in the Premier League last season. Watkins will want to quickly return to scoring form and build on his goal against Wales, injury permitting, as a spot in the England team is at stake.

Donyell Malen was on the double against Burnley, highlighting how much more effective he is in central areas rather than out wide. Malen will know that the best way to convince his boss to continue playing him in central areas is to keep producing.

Result Competition Aston Villa 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur Premier League Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Aston Villa Premier League Last three meetings

Match Prediction

The two sides are seemingly trending in the opposite direction in terms of form, with Aston Villa on the ascendancy while Spurs are regressing.

To complicate predictions, Spurs have only gained 1.33 points per game at home, while the Villans have been even worse away at 0.67 ppg.

Aston Villa have a slightly worse xG of 6.13 from their seven league games so far compared to Spurs’ 7.53 despite having more shots on target from both inside and outside the box, a likely remnant of the desperation from their early season struggles; Villa currently have six goals from their league games, while Tottenham have 13.

With the two sides evenly matched in recent seasons and form offering no gleanings, this is a game that could go either way or as a stalemate.

Emery will want something to show for recent form and a positive away result to Spurs will be something to pride themselves on.

Spurs’ form and injury issues make it an opportune window to play them and whether Villa will have the courage to do that on the day remains to be seen.

Inside Futbol Score Prediction

Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Aston Villa

Where To Watch?

Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa in the Premier League will be live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League for a 14:00 kick-off in the UK.

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Bryan Gil has suggested Tottenham Hotspur did not give him enough chances when he was on the books at the club.

Gil moved to London from Sevilla as a highly rated youngster in 2021, with Argentine Erik Lamela moving the other way, and big things were expected from him at Tottenham.

Spurs expressed their delight when Gil joined, dubbing him ‘perfect’.

The Spaniard though, struggled to establish himself at Spurs and managed only four starts in the Premier League, on top of a few more in cup competitions, during his time in England.

Gil had a host of loan spells away from north London, playing for Valencia, Sevilla and then Girona; Sevilla wanted him back in the summer, but it was not a deal that was financially viable for the club.

He joined Girona permanently this summer and explained that his time in England was not helped by a lack of opportunities in the Tottenham team.

The winger is happy that he has finally found a permanent home in Girona and stressed the club have put real belief in him.

Gil told Spanish radio network Cadena SER: “I didn’t get enough opportunities in England. I was there for four years and only started in six or seven games.

“After so many loan spells, it was important to be at a club like Girona that believes in me and offers me this stability.

“I’m in top form and slowly getting into the rhythm of the game.”

Gil also stressed that Michel’s playing philosophy was a major factor in his decision to join Girona.

“In Girona, there is a team that wants to grow, is very young and very hard-working, and Michel’s playing style convinced me to come here.”

Gil made 25 appearances in La Liga, notching up three goals and three assists, while also turning out in the Champions League six times for Girona last season.

He has managed five appearances this term, with only one of them being a start, as Girona have struggled in the league and find themselves amongst the relegation spots.

Girona will face Barcelona after the international break with Gil failing to earn a call-up for the Spanish squad.

Spurs will wish Gil well and after banking €10m from his sale to Girona, recognise that the transfer was the ideal outcome for both parties.

Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Former Championship goal-getter Sam Parkin feels that Tottenham Hotspur talent Yang Min-hyeok could be the creative spark at Portsmouth during Josh Murphy’s injury absence.

Portsmouth have had a mixed start to their Championship season as they have won, lost and drawn three games each after nine matches.

They currently sit 14th in the league table, but have some crucial players out due to injury, as Conor Shaughnessy, Nicolas Schmid, Murphy and Callum Lang are unavailable for John Mousinho to select.

Murphy has not played since mid-September and John has trusted Spurs prospect Yang with minutes.

The South Korean winger has scored two goals in his last two games and Mousinho stressed that with his performances, he should feel on top of the world.

Parkin stressed that the absences of Murphy and Lang are big ones, and he pointed out that Yang has scored two goals in his last three league games.

The former Championship star is of the view that Yang has the tools to be the creative spark during Murphy’s absence to provide Colby Bishop with chances.

Game Competition Leicester City (A) Championship Coventry City (H) Championship Stoke City (H) Championship Portsmouth’s next three games

“You have got Lang out; he has been out long term”, Parkin said on What The EFL (32:23) while discussing Portsmouth’s win against Middlesbrough.

“You have got Shaughnessy now, the goalkeeper Schmidt, who got injured in the derby against Southampton.

“And more important than any of the aforementioned players, you have got Murphy out at the moment.

“So, a bit of a lack of pace and athleticism without him and Lang; they are the two runners who you can get up the pitch and place a brilliant delivery that Murphy possesses.

“Now they are having to play slightly differently with Chaplin off one of the sides, the other day.

“Yang, who has come from Spurs, has got a little bit [of pace] in 1-v-1 situations.

“So, he will probably be the one who is got to break beyond Colby Bishop.

“He has got two [goals] in his last three [league] starts.”

Mousinho lauded Yang when he came in during the summer window for being direct and exciting during attacking transitions.

Portsmouth face Leicester City this weekend at the King Power Stadium and it remains to be seen if Yang will be able to prove his steel against the Foxes, who are one of the promotion favourites.

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Wycombe Wanderers boss Michael Duff is not happy with his side’s scruffy win against Wigan Athletic at the weekend, but insists that such wins set the future platform for youngsters like Tottenham Hotspur loan star George Abbott.

The 20-year-old Islington-born talent has worked his way through Tottenham’s youth set-up and is now looking to cut his teeth in senior football.

Back in 2023, he made his Spurs debut in the Premier League against Leeds United and so far, that has been his only senior appearance for the north Londoners.

Last season, he was on loan at League Two side Notts County, where he impressed with six goals and seven assists in 44 games, and one former EFL attacker suggested keeping an eye on him as a result.

In the summer window, League One side Wycombe Wanderers loaned Abbott in, and he has been a regular at the Chairboys, playing as a central midfielder.

At the weekend, Wycombe defeated Wigan Athletic 1-0, but the manner of the win did not please boss Duff one bit.

The 47-year-old, though, suggested that it is not easy to play pretty football in every game, but such uncomfortable wins make a young player’s career, going forward.

Game Competition Blackpool (A) League One Huddersfield Town (H) League One Fulham (H) EFL Cup Wycombe Wanderers’ next three games

“We’ve got young players in there”, Duff told Wanderers TV (1:27) when discussing his side’s win at the Latics.

“So, George Abbott, that is a completely different game for him.

“His career will be built on that; they are the foundations that give you the platform to win games from.

“You cannot always be brilliant.

“I have had this conversation before, and we definitely weren’t brilliant today; I am not trying to kid anyone.”

Abbott, though, has been impressing at Adams Park, as Nottingham Forest loanee Donnell McNeily hailed him for his assist against Wigan last month.

Manager-less Blackpool host Wycombe at Bloomfield Road on Saturday and the Spurs loanee will look to keep impressing under Duff.

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Former striker Ross McCormack has namechecked Tottenham Hotspur‘s Micky Moore while insisting that Rangers‘ recruitment in the summer transfer window was ‘shocking’.

Russell Martin’s stint as the manager of the Glasgow club became the shortest in the club’s history, as he left after just 123 days with a win percentage of just 29 per cent.

The pressure had been mounting on Martin with the fans having expressed their anger from the stands on multiple occasions.

He was heavily backed in the summer transfer window as sporting director Kevin Thelwell set up a number of deals to follow his drive to bring in Martin, something some feel he should be held accountable for.

Rangers spent a significant amount of money on signing Youssef Chermiti, when a loan deal to land the striker from Everton was possible.

Thelo Aasgaard was signed from freshly relegated Luton Town, while Thelwell convinced Tottenham to send attacker Moore to Ibrox on loan.

Moore has not convinced and one former Scotland star dubbed the recruitment ‘awful’.

Player On loan from Jayden Meghoma Brentford Max Aarons Bournemouth Derek Cornelius Marseille Nasser Djiga Wolves Mikey Moore Tottenham Hotspur Players on loan at Rangers

McCormack also feels that the signings over the course of the summer represented shocking business for Rangers and namechecked Moore in the process.

“The recruitment for me, has been so, so poor”, McCormack said on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (1:29:10).

“If you look at [Thelo] Aasgaard, for starters, who is meant to be world-class, he only scored two goals in the Luton Town team.

“[Jayden] Meghoma, left-back – had made 13 career appearances at Preston.

“Mikey Moore, an 18-year-old kid, who only had a handful of games for Tottenham, coming up and being tasked with reinventing the Rangers forward line.

“Simply, the recruitment has been shocking.”

Steven Gerrard is the red hot favourite to become the new Rangers manager and he would have to work with the existing squad for at least two months, ahead of potentially making additions or offloading players in the January transfer window.

How Gerrard feels about working under Thelwell given the summer recruitment remains to be seen.

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Tottenham Hotspur loan star Alfie Devine has been hailed by Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom for his composure and ability to create from midfield for his team-mates.

The midfield talent began his youth career with Liverpool and then spent five years with Wigan Athletic before being picked up by Spurs, who paid the Latics an up front fee of £300,000, in 2020.

Upon his arrival at Tottenham, Devine was hailed as a player who was hungry to develop and progress.

He has two senior Tottenham appearances to his name and he has been building his experience playing men’s football away from Spurs in recent years.

This summer, Devine was sent on his fourth loan spell, as Championship side Preston North End got their hands on him, and he has been in sublime form for them.

The former England Under-20 international has scored twice and provided two assists in ten all-competition games for the Lilywhites.

Last weekend, he assisted Daniel Jebbison against Charlton Athletic after he came on as a substitute, with Preston beating the Addicks 2-0 comfortably, and Heckingbottom was pleased with his contribution.

The Preston boss admitted that he brought on Devine to affect the game from the middle of the pitch, as he is well aware of how effective the 21-year-old can be from the attacking midfield position.

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

Heckingbottom lauded Devine for his composure and creativity, as the Lilywhites currently sit fourth in the league table.

“We had to make that sub and bring Alfie on, and he was going to come in a slightly different position, because I felt we were on top and were dominant”, the Preston boss told his club’s media (2:17) about the Charlton game.

“I love Alfie’s qualities and I thought we could get him in positions to maybe create.

“But then we scored that goal, and the timing was great, so it meant that we could wait for the next sub.

“And to be fair, we got that right with Alfie playing in that 10 role, because we know he can provide that quality.

“And his pass to Jebbah was excellent.

“He’s got that calmness and composure, which made that last part of the game more comfortable for us.”

Heckingbottom has shown already that he is a big fan of Devine’s qualities, as he praised him for his flexibility.

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Experienced manager Sam Allardyce has revealed that the way Thomas Frank has adjusted his style depending on the players at Tottenham Hotspur has impressed him.

After seven years as the manager of Brentford, Frank left his role at the helm there to take up the job at Tottenham.

He has overseen a promising start at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and after seven games, Frank’s team find themselves in third spot, two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Spurs are unbeaten in the Champions League as well and have drawn the attention of veteran boss Allardyce.

The 70-year-old has been left impressed with the way Frank has adjusted his style at Tottenham, using the players at his disposal to the best of their abilities.

Frank’s adaptability is the result of the experience he has gathered while managing in the Premier League, Allardyce believes.

“I like the fact that he has slightly adjusted his style at Tottenham already. Based on the players he feels are capable of what they are doing”, Allardyce said on No Tippy Tappy Football (44.40).

Player Goals Richarlison 3 Joao Palhinha 2 Brennan Johnson 2 Mohammed Kudus 1 Tottenham’s top league goalscorers this season

“That is the beauty of his experience over the last, I don’t know how many years now is it in the Premier League? Ten? It must be ten I think.

“He has got the opportunity to manage Tottenham and I think will try like many other managers have tried, to bring success to the team.”

Frank will have a better chance of getting his desired players in the upcoming transfer windows as the owners have now injected a fresh £100m into the club and have promised to make more money available to drive their success.

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Former Scotland striker Andy Walker admits he sees no logic in Rangers playing Tottenham Hotspur‘s Mikey Moore ahead of Findlay Curtis and believes Moore was ‘awful’ at Falkirk.

In Rangers’ weekend away fixture against Falkirk, which was Russell Martin’s last in charge as he was sacked, Moore was named in the starting lineup.

He failed to impress, but was not brought off until the hour mark, when Oliver Antman replaced him.

Former Scotland star Walker thinks that Moore was ‘awful’ in the first half at Falkirk and was shocked he came out for the second half.

He thinks that Curtis should be playing ahead of Moore.

Referring to Curtis’ record of having scored three goals in nine appearances for the Gers, Walker insisted that the 19-year-old has an eye for goal, which has already been seen.

“I don’t see why you play Mikey Moore when you have got someone like Findlay Curtis”, Walker said on Go Radio (33.28).

“He is a young lad who had an eye for goal in the early part of the season.

Level played at England Under-15s England Under-16s England Under-17s England Under-19s Mikey Moore at international level

“Mikey Moore is one of Tottenham’s reserves.

“He has maybe got a big reputation, but I couldn’t believe that he came out in the second half.

“I think his first half was awful. Every time the ball came to him, he lost it or he gave it away.”

It was suggested recently that Rangers may well need to pay more of Moore’s wages if they do not play him on a regular basis.

Moore has so far clocked ten appearances for Rangers, including five in the Scottish Premiership, but he has yet to find the back of the net.

Now, with Martin out of the door, there will inevitably be question marks over what the new Rangers manager will think of Moore.

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Tottenham Hotspur are snapping up Charlton Athletic academy manager Tom Pell, who is set to leave the Addicks in December.

Charlton announced recently that Pell was ending his time at the Valley and was set to continue his career at a Premier League side, though they did not indicate which one.

The Addicks said: “Academy Manager Tom Pell will leave Charlton Athletic in December after more than three years with the club to take up a role with a Premier League side.”

Now it has emerged that the Premier League club that Pell is heading to is north London giants Tottenham.

Journalist Richard Cawley wrote on X that “academy manager Tom Pell is joining Tottenham Hotspur’s academy. “

Spurs have focused on bringing through players from the academy into the first team and Pell will have a key role in making sure that pipeline continues.

Pell joined Charlton in 2022 and his positive work with the Addicks put him firmly on Tottenham’s radar.

Losing Pell is a blow for Charlton, but they have already started the process of identifying a new academy manager.

Player Loan at Yang Min-hyeok Portsmouth Ashley Phillips Stoke City Alfie Devine Preston North End Will Lankshear Oxford United Jamie Donley Stoke City Tottenham players on loan at Championship clubs

Tottenham currently have a number of players who have progressed through the academy system out on loan spells in the Championship.

Alfie Devine is currently enjoying a loan spell at Preston North End, while Will Lankshear is plying his trade at Oxford United.

Jamie Donley, who joined Tottenham over ten years ago, in 2013, is cutting his teeth at Stoke City following a successful loan stint with Leyton Orient last term.

In the Premier League 2, Tottenham’s Under-21s are third in the table, following a promising start to the campaign which has seen five wins from their six league outings.

Pell will therefore be going into a good environment and will be expected to keep it ticking.