Inside Futbol

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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.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Steven Caulker has admitted he does not want to see the club sack Thomas Frank as manager.

A section of Spurs fans chanted ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ to Frank as Tottenham were turned over at home 2-1 by London rivals West Ham United.

The Hammers went to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday under real pressure and sitting inside the Premier League relegation zone.

Goals in either half, from Crysencio Summerville and Callum Wilson, handed West Ham the three points and meant a sixth home loss in eleven home games in the league for Spurs this term.

There are now big questions over whether Frank can keep his job, despite his protestations at the start of this month that Tottenham remain a team in transition.

Former Spurs star Caulker though does not want to see the club axe Frank and feels the issues lie elsewhere, even if he is not saying the Dane is blameless.

He stressed Tottenham have tried with the likes of Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou – who was sacked despite delivering the Europa League – and thinks the players need to take some responsibility.

Job Denmark U16s Denmark U17s Denmark U19s Brondby Brentford Thomas Frank’s previous managerial jobs

Caulker said on talkSPORT (17th January, 17:15): “I don’t want to see Thomas Frank go.

“Is that the answer to Tottenham’s problems?

“Since [Mauricio] Pochettino we’ve seen Mourinho, we’ve seen Conte, we’ve seen Ange. Will the next manager do any different?

“I’m not saying Thomas Frank is not anywhere to be accountable, of course. He is the one who picks the team, he is the one who gives the motivational talk before and sends them out.

“However, as a player, a former player, I take responsibility. If I was on that pitch, at half time I would have gone in and spoke to the players, and myself by the way because I would have been one of them.

“But I would have spoke to the players. Sometimes it isn’t always the voice of the manager, it is the voice inside the dressing room.”

Frank will hope to shrug off the fan discontent and get Tottenham back on track in the Champions League on Tuesday night, when Borussia Dortmund are the visitors.

The Dane will have seen the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United sack their managers recently, though in response to Ruben Amorim being shown the door, he stressed he is ‘completely aligned’ with the Tottenham board.

With Tottenham 14th in the Premier League table and having lost nine games already, it remains to be seen for how much longer the board stay on the same page as the former Brentford manager.

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Tottenham Hotspur attacker Xavi Simons has been spotted ‘limping heavily’ after Spurs’ 2-1 loss at home to West Ham United.

Thomas Frank’s reign as boss took another big blow on Saturday when his side were turned over by a struggling West Ham outfit in the Premier League.

The former Brentford boss has overseen a mere two home wins in the league this season, despite being backed with a raft of signings in the summer.

Crysencio Summerville gave the visitors an early lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when he struck with 15 minutes on the clock and Spurs needed until the 64th minute to level matters, through Cristian Romero.

As the clock ticked down, Tottenham were pushing and looked the more likely to score the winner, but West Ham retained a threat on the counter attack.

Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo threw on Callum Wilson in stoppage time as he looked to run down the clock, however the veteran striker popped up to convert from close range after Guglielmo Vicario flapped at a ball into the box.

It finished 2-1 to West Ham and increased the pressure on Frank, who has lost a significant number of the Spurs fanbase.

Brought on Taken off Spence Davies Bissouma Gray Solanke Tel Bergvall Odobert Frank’s substitutes against West Ham

Now to make matters worse for Frank, Simons, who finished the game, has been spotted ‘limping heavily’ through the mixed zone.

Journalist Ryan Taylor wrote on X: “Xavi Simons limping heavily through the mixed zone.

“Took a big blow to ankle following strong challenge from Jarrod Bowen.”

There have been questions over Simons since Spurs signed him in the summer, with one former Premier League star insisting he is technically not good enough to succeed in the division.

Frank though backed Simons as recently as December, stressing that he does need time to adapt to the cut and thrust of the Premier League.

It now remains to be seen how serious Simons’ injury blow is and whether he will be ruled out of any of Spurs’ approaching games.

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Fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 15:00 UK time

Thomas Frank has picked his Tottenham Hotspur lineup vs West Ham as he looks for his Spurs team to record what would be only their third league home win of the campaign this afternoon.

Remarkably, into mid-January, Frank has served up the fourth worst home record in the Premier League this season to the Spurs fans.

Given that, it is little surprise that a number of Tottenham supporters now have grave doubts about whether the Dane is the right man in charge.

One former top flight star believes the former Brentford boss is struggling with the size of Tottenham as a club.

Frank though has stressed to unhappy fans that Tottenham remain in a transition period.

The club are showing no signs of not being sure about Frank as they are backing him heavily in the transfer market this month.

Conor Gallagher has arrived on a deal from Atletico Madrid to strengthen the engine room, while Brazilian full-back Souza is expected to also join Spurs.

Despite the backing, Frank will be aware that he is on thin ice and losing against West Ham, a game he insists he knows all about the rivalry of, would be a huge blow.

In goal in Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur lineup vs West Ham today is Guglielmo Vicario, while lining up in front of the Italian are Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies.

Getting control of the engine room could well be key and Frank goes with Conor Gallagher and Archie Gray, while Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel support Randal Kolo Muani.

Frank may want to change his Tottenham Hotspur lineup vs West Ham at some point during the 90 minutes and his options off the bench to do so include Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence.

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup vs West Ham United

Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Davies, Gallagher, Gray, Simons, Odobert, Tel, Kolo Muani

Substitutes: Kinsky, Dragusin, Danso, Bissouma, Udogie, Bergvall, Solanke, Spence, Scarlett

Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 15:00 UK time

Nuno Espirito Santo has picked his West Ham lineup vs Tottenham Hotspur for what is a key match for the Hammers in north London.

West Ham continue to struggle badly in the Premier League and many fans feel they are sleepwalking towards relegation.

Their troubles have been warmly welcomed by relegation rivals, with one former Leeds United boss explaining he hopes the ‘turmoil’ at West Ham continues.

West Ham were beaten 2-1 at home by Nottingham Forest in their last Premier League encounter and it had been thought that could spell the end of Nuno’s time as boss.

Having delivered two strikers to the Portuguese in the shape of Taty Castellanos and Pablo though, the Hammers are sticking by him.

Talisman Jarrod Bowen insists that the pair have settled in since their arrival at the club, but West Ham badly need them to make a real impact on the pitch in the Premier League.

Nuno continues to be without El Hadji Malick Diouf, who remains on international duty with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.

There continues to be the issue of Lucas Paqueta hanging over West Ham as he is keen to leave and is wanted by Flamengo.

Alphonse Areola is in goal in the West Ham lineup vs Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon, while to keep things tight at the back, Nuno goes with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jean-Clair Todibo, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Ollie Scarles.

Midfield sees West Ham deploy Mateus Fernandes and Tomas Soucek, while Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen will support Pablo and Taty Castellanos.

Nuno may well need to try to influence the game with his changes and he has substitutes to switch up his West Ham lineup vs Tottenham Hotspur today that include Max Kilman and Igor.

West Ham United Lineup vs Tottenham Hotspur

Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Mavropanos, Scarles, Fernandes, Soucek, Summerville, Bowen, Pablo, Castellanos

Substitutes: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Igor, Wilson, Rodriguez, Potts, Kante, Mayers

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Brazilian club Bahia have ‘an agreement in principle’ with Tottenham Hotspur to sign Alejo Veliz, with Spurs ‘expected to try to terminate’ his ongoing loan at Rosario Central.

The Santa Fe-born attacker started his senior career with Argentine outfit Rosario Central, where he impressed with his performances and goal output.

In the summer of 2023, the north Londoners paid £13m to Los Canalls, tying him on a massive six-year deal in a sign of how highly they rated him.

Ex-Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was impressed with Veliz early doors and he stressed that he was ‘really encouraged’ by him.

However, the former Argentina youth international’s time, though, has not gone according to plan as he has featured in only eight games for the Premier League side.

He was sent on loan to Spain to play for Sevilla and Espanyol, but both spells were forgettable, and Veliz left the club on another loan last summer.

He is back at Rosario Central, where he has started 15 league games, scoring five times and assisting once, for a year, with six months left on the agreement.

Club Country Rosario Central Argentina Tottenham Hotspur England Sevilla Spain Espanyol Spain Clubs Alejo Veliz has played for

The Argentine league season ended last year, but Veliz is still scheduled to stay at Rosario Central on loan until the summer.

Now, according to Brazilian outlet UOL, Brazilian Serie A outfit Bahia have made a bid to sign Veliz from Spurs on a permanent deal.

The clubs are now in advanced negotiations for the Argentine striker, with an agreement in principle already reached between Spurs and Bahia.

Tottenham though will need to end Veliz’s loan at Rosario Central and that is what they will try to do.

It is unclear whether the Argentine side are in a position to resist the early end of the loan.

It is not clear how much money Bahia have put on the table for the Spurs striker, but the offer is said to be ‘high’.

One of Veliz’s former coaches hailed Veliz as the best aerial threat in the Premier League, but he is leaving the English top flight after playing only eight games.

Spurs are set to bring in two new players in the shape of Souza and Conor Gallagher this week, and could look to bolster their frontline amid multiple injury issues.

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Conor Gallagher ‘has passed his medical’ ahead of a move from Atletico Madrid to Tottenham Hotspur, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

Tottenham have secured the signing of Gallagher from Atletico Madrid for around €40m, with the midfielder poised to ink a five and a half-year deal at N17.

Aston Villa had initially been in pole position to sign the midfielder, but Spurs made a late swoop on Monday to hijack the deal.

Gallagher was open to either destination but ultimately chose Tottenham, confident he will see more starts in north London, with Rodrigo Bentancur’s hamstring injury leaving a midfield spot vacant and further boosting his prospects of regular game time.

In a rapid development, now Gallagher has passed his medical at the London club, clearing the final hurdle before officially joining Tottenham.

He said goodbye to his Atletico Madrid team-mates on Tuesday and now matters are moving towards a conclusion.

The 25-year-old, a product of Chelsea’s academy, spent much of his early career gaining experience on loan, with Spurs keeping tabs on the midfielder even before his Stamford Bridge exit.

At the time, he was hesitant to move to Spain, preferring to remain in London, but Chelsea made it clear he was not in their first-team plans.

Game Competition West Ham (H) Premier League Borussia Dortmund (H) Champions League Burnley (A) Premier League Tottenham’s next three games

Now, the switch to Spurs provides an ideal fit for both player and club.

With Spurs languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, Thomas Frank is under mounting pressure as his side continue to underperform and struggle for results.

This weekend, the Lilywhites have a prime opportunity to turn things around when they host a faltering West Ham United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a league clash.

Gallagher, lauded by a former coach for his relentless work rate, will be keen to force his way into the Danish tactician’s starting lineup and could make his debut on Saturday.

He will then be keen to hit the ground running and push his England ambitions on Thomas Tuchel, in what is the build up to the World Cup in the summer.

For Frank, the signing would appear to suggest he still has the backing of the Tottenham hierarchy, despite a number of fans now being convinced he is not the right manager for the club.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur could ‘top any offer’ made for RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande from Liverpool, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

Spurs are looking to back manager Thomas Frank in the January window, as the club seek to set themselves up for a strong second half to the campaign.

Conor Gallagher is close to signing for Spurs, after Tottenham hijacked Aston Villa’s move by promising more starts to the Atletico Madrid midfielder.

The north London side are also said to be closing in on Brazilian prospect Souza from Santos, who will shore up Frank’s options for the left-back position.

Sani Suleiman, who leads the charts for teenagers outside Europe’s big five leagues for progressive ball carries per 90 minutes, was also wanted by Tottenham, but it is RB Leipzig who have landed the prospect.

Mathys Tel meanwhile, is unhappy with his situation with Spurs and is seeking a transfer as he wants more game time ahead of the World Cup, though Tottenham are not eager to grant that request.

Brennan Johnson has already departed to Crystal Palace and Spurs will be wanting to reinvest the proceeds to freshen up a labouring frontline.

Liverpool have made a feeble defence to their Premier Leaguetitle and have struggled with both performances and results.

Despite record spending last summer, the Reds look stretched across multiple positions on the pitch.

An injury to Alexander Isak, Mohamed Salah being away with Egypt, and a failure to replace Luis Diaz in the summer has meant that Liverpool have looked blunt in attack, as they fielded Cody Gakpo as a starting striker of late.

The Reds have demonstrated in the recent past that they do not react to injuries or form by splashing out large sums of money on short-term fixes, Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies being brought in for paltry sums during the January window of the 2020/21 season, during which time they lost all three of their senior centre-backs to injury, a case in point of their thinking.

Liverpool though, have also shown that they are willing to bring forward their plans when they risk losing one of their long-term targets to a rival club, as they did with Diaz and Gakpo, to name but a few examples.

Yan Diomande has seen his stock rise rapidly since joining RB Leipzig in the summer from Leganes after the German club paid his release clause.

His meteoric rise is further evident with Diomande’s national team call-up and debut, with the winger starting in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final in Ivory Coast’s loss to Salah’s Egypt.

Diomande has emerged as a long-term target for Liverpool and they might be pressed to act if Tottenham put in a bid, with Spurs’ interest in the player becoming known in the recent weeks.

Tottenham though, it is said, could ‘top any offer’ made by Liverpool, as they seek to outbid the Reds to get their man.

Further, it is suggested that Tottenham view Diomande as somebody who would ‘work for them’ in the present and also as an ‘investment’ for the future, while any deal would require over £40m to prise him away from RB Leipzig.

Both clubs have a history of doing business with the Bundesliga club, as Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate and Dominik Szoboszlai all took the familiar path when they were recruited by Liverpool, while Fabio Carvalho headed the other way, on loan in 2023.

Tottenham signed Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig in the summer, but the Dutchman has struggled to settle in the Premier League, with one former Premier League star stating his belief that Simons lacks the physicality required to be a success in England.

The previous deals will certainly smoothen negotiations between the clubs, but it remains to be seen how far each club are willing to take the deal in January, with no concrete steps taken yet.