Inside Futbol

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Fixture: West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 17:30 UK time

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has picked his starting lineup and substitutes to face West Ham United at the London Stadium in the Premier League this evening, with new boy Xavi Simons given a debut.

Spurs went into the international break on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home at the hands of Bournemouth, which halted their momentum.

Frank will want his side to show that was just a blip and to resume their progress this evening against a West Ham team whose campaign has gone the opposite way.

The Hammers had a disastrous start to the campaign, but then ended before the break on a bright note as they thrashed Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the City Ground.

Tottenham will have to flip recent history on its head to claim the win here though as they have not won at the London Stadium in their last five visits, with two of those ending in defeat for Spurs.

Spurs did manage to add striker Radal Kolo Muani before the transfer window closed in an eye-catching move, which does boost the feel-good factor for the visitors.

In goal for Tottenham this evening is Guglielmo Vicario, while at the back Frank picks Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence.

The engine room sees Spurs go with Pape Matar Sarr and Joao Palhinha, while Lucas Bergvall also plays. Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons support Mathys Tel in attack.

If Frank needs to make changes to try to influence the game then he has options on the bench available to him and they include Kolo Muani and Richarlison.

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup vs West Ham United

Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence, Palhinha, Sarr, Bergvall, Simons, Kudus, Tel

Substitutes: Kinsky, Danso, Richarlison, Udogie, Johnson, Odobert, Bentancur, Davies, Kolo Munai

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RB Leipzig star Christoph Baumgartner has admitted that Xavi Simons’ departure to Tottenham Hotspur gave him a good feeling as he knew he would be required to step up.

Following a relatively slow start to the transfer window, the north Londoners accelerated their way towards signing creative attacking players.

Eberchi Eze was their first choice, but their bitter rivals Arsenal hijacked a proposed swoop and Spurs turned to Simons, pushing through a deal with Leipzig for his services.

The Netherlands international was signed from Die Roten Bullen for €60m fee, with the Bundesliga side having been ready to cash in on him.

Austrian international Baumgartner was also linked with a move away in the summer, with Crystal Palace keen on him.

He stayed put though and admits that seeing Simons go did give him a good feeling as he now needs to step up.

Baumgartner also insisted that he enjoyed playing alongside Simons, wishing him luck for his journey ahead in England.

“When a player [like Simons] who was a fixture leaves and then his place becomes vacant, you suddenly realise that the team needs you, and that gives you a good feeling”, the RB Leipzig star was quoted as saying by German outlet RB Live.

Competition Details Bundesliga 31 apps, 2 goals, 1 assist Champions League 8 apps, 2 goals German Cup 4 apps, 1 goal, 1 assist Chistoph Baumgartner last season

“I realised that pretty quickly.

“I wish Xavi all the best; I enjoyed playing with him, too.

“But of course, it’s always the case when a position becomes vacant, someone has to step into that role.

“I’ll try to implement that as best I can.”

The Austria international started in RB Leipzig’s first league game last weekend against Heidenheim and he also scored a goal in their 2-0 win.

Baumgartner will look to quickly cement his spot in the side and show Leipzig are missing nothing by having sold Simons to Tottenham.

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Portuguese giants FC Porto are keen on Tottenham Hotspur winger Manor Solomon, who Crystal Palace tried to sign, with Villarreal now also in talks with Spurs for him.

The north Londoners have secured a transfer fee for the departure of club legend Heung-min Son, and Bryan Gil’s departure to Spanish outfit Girona will also bring in cash.

The transfer window in England is now slammed shut until January now, but English clubs can sell players to the leagues where they are still open for business.

Solomon is a player Tottenham have been keen on listening to offers for, but so far, he has not found a club to go to yet.

Fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace explored a deal for the Israeli winger, but a deal did not materialise.

Now, according to Italian journalist Luca Bendoni, Portuguese side Porto are considering a deal for the 26-year-old.

The transfer window in Portugal stays open for longer today, which gives Porto the chance to do a deal, albeit they need to be quick if they want him.

Club Years Maccabi Petah Tikva 2016-2019 Shakhtar Donetsk 2019-2023 Fulham (loan) 2022-2023 Tottenham Hotspur 2023- Leeds United (loan) 2024-2025 Manor Solomon’s career history

It has also been suggested that Solomon staying at the north London club has not been ruled out, but Villarreal are in discussions with Spurs to sign the 26-year-old, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Spanish transfer window remains open for one more hour, but if he stays could look to fight for his place in Thomas Frank’s side.

Last season, Solomon was on loan at Leeds United, and he impressed with 22 goal contributions for the Elland Road outfit.

His agent suggested earlier this summer that staying in the Premier League was the winger’s preference.

All eyes will be on Porto and the Yellow Submarine to see if either side will be able to land Solomon in time.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur and Everton star Dele Alli has terminated his contract with Serie A club Como.

The Italian club picked him up in the January window on an 18-month deal after he left Toffees.

However, the former England international could not turn his fortunes around under Cesc Fabregas, as he suffered from injuries and clocked a total of nine minutes of football.

Danish side FC Midtjylland looked to explore a move for the 29-year-old attacking midfielder, but it was suggested that a move was not on the cards.

Fabregas’ side spent heavily in the summer window and Alli’s chances of getting game time looked grim.

And now, according to Italian broadcaster Sky Italia, the ex-Tottenham star has terminated his contract with the Serie A club.

Alli’s contract would have run until next summer, but ending it now before the English window ends means he can return to the country as a free agent.

Club Years MK Dons 2012-2015 Tottenham Hotspur 2015-2022 Everton 2022-2024 Besiktas (loan) 2022-2023 Como 2025 Dele Alli’s career history

When Alli joined Spurs ten years ago from MK Dons, he looked like one of the best talents in the country, and delivered for a while as well.

Alli scored 67 times and made 59 assists in 269 games for the north Londoners before Everton gave him a chance.

His time at Everton was also very forgettable, and he left them after making 13 appearances for them without making a mark.

Now it remains to be seen if Alli will find a new club after his contract termination at Como and he can take his time picking his next destination.

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Randal Kolo Muani is set to undergo a medical with Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon, with ‘no agreement with Aston Villa‘ having been put in place.

The striker spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus from Paris Saint-Germain and made a big impact in Serie A.

Juventus wanted him back and Muani was ready to make the move once again, but no agreement could be found between the two clubs.

Aston Villa were mooted as a late option, with Unai Emery desperately looking for extra firepower.

However, Muani is heading to Tottenham on a loan deal, according to French journalist Fabrice Hawkins.

Tottenham are also paying a €5m loan fee.

He is set to undergo a medical with Tottenham this afternoon ahead of joining the club from PSG on a loan deal.

Tottenham will have an option to buy included in the agreement, it is claimed, despite suggestions elsewhere they will not, but what level it is set at is unclear.

There was ‘no agreement with Aston Villa’ for Muani, with it appearing the Villa Park side were substantially behind the curve in the race.

At Tottenham, Muani will have the chance to play in the Champions League and shine brightly, in a World Cup year.

He will give Thomas Frank another source of goals in attack, as Spurs bid to challenge for the Champions League spots in the Premier League this season.

The development leaves Aston Villa exploring other avenues as they try to boost their attacking options.

Villa have been walking a financial tightrope this summer which has hamstrung what they can do and they are battling on several fronts to try to make signings.

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Former Fenerbahce attacker Ridvan Dilmen has revealed that he has heard that Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma, who is on Everton‘s radar, will join Fenerbahce.

Spurs have made a solid start to their new season under new boss Thomas Frank, as they have won two of their opening games, including a 2-0 victory against Manchester City.

They have just landed Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig to hand them another boost and there is expected to be more activity in north London before the window closes.

Tottenham supremo Daniel Levy will be keen on offloading fringe players before Monday and Mali midfielder Bissouma is one of the names on that list.

He is out of favour under Frank and is being monitored by Everton as a possible option, with David Moyes looking for another midfielder.

The 28-year-old has had interest from Turkish Super Lig sides, where Galatasaray have been working on a swoop, but have been unsure about Bissouma’s physical shape.

Now, former attacker Dilmen has revealed that he has heard Bissouma is Fenerbahce bound.

Club Years Sumerspor 1977-1979 Mugalaspor 1979-1980 Boluspor 1980-1983 Sariyer 1983-1987 Fenerbahce 1987-1994 Ridvan Dilmen’s playing career

Fenerbahce have just sacked Jose Mourinho, but that is not scuppering their attempts to add to the squad.

“I heard that Fenerbahce were about to sign Yves Bissouma”, the 63-year-old told Turkish daily Haberturk (via Ajansspor).

“Fenerbahce needed a transfer in that area.

“This is an important transfer for Fenerbahce.”

Everton recently saw West Ham knock back a proposal for Tomas Soucek and the Toffees could consider turning to Bissouma.

It had been suggested that Bissouma wanted to stay in the UK as he is on course to obtaining British citizenship.

Heading to Fenerbahce would fly in the face of that, but the Turkish giants do have Europa League football to offer.

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Chelsea have ‘no intention’ of trying to hijack Tottenham Hotspur‘s swoop for Xavi Simons, as Spurs close in on the RB Leipzig man.

It had seemed that the attacker would be joining Chelsea if he left Leipzig and he was, as recently as earlier this week, giving the Blues priority.

Tottenham however have not been put off and have been working hard to try to get an agreement with Simons and Leipzig.

There is an agreement between Spurs and Leipzig on the basis of a fee worth €60m and the Dutchman is now set for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham have already seen one big deal hijacked this summer when Arsenal stepped in to take Eberechi Eze away from them.

They do not have to worry about the same happening with Simons though as, according to journalist Matt Law, Chelsea have ‘no intention’ of trying to hijack the move.

While Chelsea have been keen on the attacking midfielder, they have not made any formal bid for him and have other targets in mind.

Scored against Augsburg (H) Mainz (A) Werder Bremen (H) – two St Pauli (H) Mainz (H) Borussia Dortmund (H) Wolfsburg (A) – two Stuttgart (H) Xavi Simons’ goals in the Bundesliga last season

Spurs and Chelsea have also improved the relationship between themselves in recent years and the Blues are not looking to damage that now.

Simons scored ten goals for Leipzig in the Bundesliga last term, as the German side played him both as a winger and an attacking midfielder in games.

That means Simons can slot into the role that Spurs had in mind for Eze.

The Dutchman did miss a chunk of last season due to injury and Spurs will be hoping he can stay fit throughout the campaign.

Simons spent time in the youth systems of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, but rose to prominence when playing week in, week out, at Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.

He will be looking to hit the ground running at Tottenham and cement a spot in Thomas Frank’s side, especially with the World Cup looming.

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West Ham United and Everton could see their hope boosted as Galatasaray are concerned about Yves Bissouma’s potential physical issues, which might see a deal for the Tottenham Hotspur star collapsing.

Spurs signed the Mali international from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2022 and he has featured in 100 games for them so far in his career.

Bissouma has fallen out of favour under new Tottenham boss Thomas Frank and they are looking to offload him in the ongoing transfer window.

It has been suggested that Bissouma wanted to stay in England to acquire British citizenship, with both Everton and West Ham, who are in the market for midfielders, monitoring his situation.

However, Tottenham struck a loan deal with Galatasaray for Bissouma and the Turkish club were quick to agree personal terms with the midfielder.

The move is yet to be completed, as Galatasaray have reservations regarding Bissouma’s ‘potential physical issues’, according to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

Galatasaray want a midfielder who will be available immediately and a deal might collapse between Spurs and the Turkish giants.

Club Country Everton England Galatasaray Turkey West Ham England Linked with Yves Bissouma

Bissouma’s current situation might boost hopes for West Ham and Everton to land him and both of them have been monitoring him since early this month.

West Ham are desperate to bring in reinforcements after a horrible start to the campaign and a defensive midfielder is high on their list.

They have seen Edson Alvarez depart for Turkey and Guido Rodriguez is being chased by La Liga outfits Real Betis and Espanyol.

West Ham are closing on Soungoutou Magassa, but Eintracht Frankfurt have been trying to hijack it.

Everton, on the other hand have seen their bid for Thomas Soucek, who David Moyes has worked with during his time with the Hammers, being rejected by West Ham.

Now if a deal collapses between Galatasaray and Spurs, West Ham and Everton could see it as an opportunity to pounce to agree a deal for Bissouma, who has featured in 191 Premier League games so far in his career.

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Luka Vuskovic is now in the process of undergoing a medical ahead of a loan move to German side Hamburg.

Vuskovic was signed as a 16 year-old in 2023 for £12m from Hajduk Split, to join Tottenham this summer, after becoming the youngest player to feature in the Croatian top flight.

The highly rated centre-back spent last season on loan with Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League and even managed to win the goal of the season award for his goal against Club Brugge despite being a defender.

Tottenham feel that Vuskovic would not get the game time he needs for his development in north London this season and have agreed to loan him.

Newly promoted to the Bundesliga, Hamburg threw their hat into the ring after tracking him for the past couple of years.

Hamburg and Vuskovic had been waiting on Spurs’ approval after the defender had given his nod to the German side.

The German side were forced to consider alternatives to Vuskovic, before Spurs finally green lit their proposal.

Vuskovic is now having a medical in Hamburg as the deal nears completion, according to German journalist Florian Plettenberg.

Further, the clubs are ironing out minor details, with Vuskovic moving on a loan where Hamburg do not reserve an option to buy.

Vuskovic comes from a footballing family and will have the opportunity to partner his brother, Mario Vuskovic, in defence for Hamburg.

Thomas Frank has made Kevin Danso’s loan move permanent this summer and added Japanese youngster Kota Takai, leaving Spurs well stocked at the back and ready to loan Vuskovic out for the campaign.

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Tottenham Hotspur are ‘now preparing to hijack’ Chelsea‘s swoop for Dutch attacker Xavi Simons, who has been excused from team duties by RB Leipzig.

Spurs have been looking at a host of attacking players after losing out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal.

Manchester City winger Savinho is someone they have chased and made offers for, but now the call has been taken at the club to call off that pursuit unless the Cityzens change their stance.

Potential creativity in the shape of Marseille’s Adrien Rabiot has been considered, with Tottenham, along with Aston Villa, having held talks with his entourage.

Rabiot is for sale for €15m following a bust-up with Jonathan Rowe.

Leipzig star Simons is someone Tottenham do want and they are moving for him despite Chelsea having an agreement with the player and being his priority.

Now, according to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, Tottenham ‘are now preparing to hijack’ Chelsea’s swoop for Simons.

Simons has been excused by Leipzig from team duties and is not in the German city, as he tries to sort out his future.

Scored against Augsburg (H) Mainz (A) Werder Bremen (H) – two St Pauli (H) Mainz (H) Borussia Dortmund (H) Wolfsburg (A) – two Stuttgart (H) Xavi Simons’ goals in the Bundesliga last season

Tottenham are likely trying to turn Simons’ head towards north London and then approach Leipzig, who are still awaiting official offers for him.

Simons managed to score ten times in the Bundesliga last season for Leipzig, operating from an attacking midfield positions and on occasion as a winger.

That came despite him missing a chunk of the campaign through an ankle injury.

Leipzig have been open to cashing in on the Netherlands international this summer if the price on the table is the right one.

He came up against Premier League opposition for Leipzig in the Champions League, featuring against Liverpool, in a 1-0 loss for the Germans.