Inside Futbol

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Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur loanee Jamie Donley’s resilience is paying off and insisted the Spurs loanee looks like an exceptional player now.

The 19-year-old is considered a top prospect at the north London club and Spurs sent him out on his first ever loan spell in the summer.

Donley has been a fairly important player for Wellens as he has featured 24 times already for the Os in all competitions.

Wellens admitted that Donley’s father and his agent did not complain when he was not getting enough game time, but he insisted that they advised the Spurs loanee to work hard.

The Os boss feels Donley is an exceptional individual and he tipped him for ‘bigger and better’ things in future.

“I cannot be proud enough of Jamie”, Wellens told his club’s media about the Spurs loanee after he scored the winning goal against Shrewsbury Town over the weekend.

“The way he has come in, he is a talented boy, everyone can see that and we watch him in training and you think, what a player.

“He has got every opportunity to be wherever he wants to be but we did not do the basics right.

“You need to learn to come away from that Under-21s football, he got his head down, he was not happy with certain times, which I have to take on board.

“But, it is a part of his development, not only the ability to play but also the resilience and mentality side of it and I have to say, not only the last six-seven games, I think for 14-15 games we have been really really good and he has been a huge part of that.

“So, credit for him, credit to his family because his dad and his agent were not moaning, they told Jamie to get his head down and work.

“He is doing that now and he looks an exceptional player at this level who will go on to bigger and better things.”

Spurs will be keeping a very close eye on Donley’s performances and development at the Os for the rest of this season.

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has admitted that he has a decision to make regarding the starting goalkeeper against Liverpool this week.

Spurs have been consistently inconsistent this season so far and they have multiple injuries, especially in defence, which many feel have contributed.

Antonin Kinsky, 21, has just been signed in a €15m deal from Slavia Prague and Postecoglou now has decisions to make, with another goalkeeper in the building.

Postecoglou admitted that the young shot-stopper has had two training sessions and insisted that he is eligible to play as well.

The Spurs boss stressed that he has a decision to make on Wednesday night against the Reds in the EFL Cup, when it comes to picking who is between the sticks.

“He arrived on Sunday, he had a couple of days of training”, Postecoglou told a press conference when he was asked if the newly-bought Czech custodian would start against Liverpool.

“He is registered and eligible to play.

“I have got a decision to make.”

Third-choice Brandon Austin started at the weekend against Newcastle United and Kinsky could well make his debut against high-flying Arne Slot’s Liverpool

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Tottenham Hotspur have seen an official bid for Palmeiras’ 24-year-old midfielder Richard Rios being rejected by the Brazilian club.

Rios was a key member of the Palmeiras team which finished second in the Brazilian Serie A in the recently concluded season.

He ended the league campaign with seven-goal contributions in 24 appearances and caught the attention of Tottenham’s scouts.

The first moves have already been made by Spurs to secure him, according to Italian outlet AreaNapoli.

The north London club have tabled an official bid to sign the player but that offer has been rejected by Palmeiras.

It now remains to be seen whether the Premier League giants will table a new offer to convince the Brazilian side.

Tottenham are trying to make use of the January transfer window to add depth to their depleted squad.

They have already signed Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague for a fee in the region of £12.5m amid an injury to number 1 Guglielmo Vicario.

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La Liga outfit Girona are working to convince Tottenham Hotspur to lower their set price for on-loan winger Bryan Gil, who himself wants to stay put in Spain.

Gil is enjoying his spell at Girona for whom he has played 16 league and five Champions League matches, making five goal contributions.

He has a clause in his loan spell at the Spanish club which allows them to make his move permanent for a pre-agreed €15m fee.

Girona are willing to take up the option to make the player’s move permanent, but ‘for a value lower’ than the €15m sum.

According to Spanish journalist Ivan Quiros, Michel’s team want Tottenham to lower their price for the player and are using the Gil’s desire to get a deal over the line.

Negotiations are currently under way to find a solution to the issue though any possible deal would go through only in the summer and not now.

Gil has been deemed surplus to requirements at Tottenham and the club have been keen on getting him off their books.

The 23-year-old is currently in the middle of his third loan spell away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur star Jamie O’Hara has taken aim at Spurs supremo Daniel Levy, telling him to step up, while criticising the club’s recent signings, especially Timo Werner.

Tottenham suffered their tenth defeat of the Premier League season on Saturday when they were beaten 2-1 at home by an in-form Newcastle United side.

Ange Postecoglou’s men are 12 points off a top four spot and sit in the bottom half of the league standings, with an injury crisis also biting for the north London side.

O’Hara feels that supremo Levy has not provided Postecoglou with a squad that has enough strength in depth and called for him to step up in the ongoing transfer window.

The ex-Spurs man thinks the quality of signings the club have made of late has been poor and is especially displeased with Werner, who he is sure lacks the quality to play for the side.

“There is only one person now who needs to step up and make it happen and that’s Daniel Levy”, O’Hara said on talkSPORT’s GameDay Live after the final whistles.

“He cannot keep sticking around and looking at this team fall apart every season because he doesn’t back a manager and he doesn’t get players in.

“The squad is not big enough, it’s not big enough at all and the players who have come in haven’t been good.

“Timo Werner, fair play to him, he’s a nice fella, but he isn’t good enough to play for Tottenham.

“He was a terrible signing and re-signing.”

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Richard Keys has blasted Tottenham Hotspur for conceding straight after they scored against Newcastle United.

Ange Postecoglou continues to wrestle with injury issues in north London, but despite doing so has continued to stick to his approach and set-up, regardless of the criticism aimed his way.

Spurs took the lead at home against Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon when Dominic Solanke struck in just the fourth minute.

Fans barely had time to celebrate the goal though before Newcastle levelled through Anthony Gordon, cancelling out Solanke’s strike.

Keys wasted no time in blasting Spurs for not being able to avoid conceding almost immediately, dubbing them ‘beyond naïve’.

“46 seconds of playing time between those 2 goals”, Keys wrote on X.

“That’s beyond naïve – that’s plain daft.

“Just get the ball up the pitch.”

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Tottenham Hotspur are finalising a deal to land Slavia Prague goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky and the amount Spurs will be paying has emerged.

With Guglielmo Vicario out of action injured and Fraser Forster currently filling in between the sticks, Spurs have been on the hunt for a new shot-stopper.

The club did look at a move for Sam Johnstone, who has fallen out of favour at Wolves, but have ultimately decided to do their shopping elsewhere.

The Premier League side are moving for Slavia Prague custodian Kinsky and the deal ‘is being finalised’, according to Italian journalist Luca Bendoni.

Spurs are in the process of putting the finishing touches to a swoop for the 21-year-old goalkeeper.

Slavia Prague will be banking a deal worth €15m plus add-ons, while there will also be a sell-on clause included in the agreement to take the player to north London.

Kinsky is a highly rated shot-stopper and has been capped by the Czech Republic up to Under-21 level.

It is unclear if Ange Postecoglou sees him as someone who can come straight into the team or whether he will stick with Forster for now.

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has admitted that he has no time frame in his mind for when Yang Min-hyeok will be ready to play and added that Heung-Min Son will be big help in the Korean settling.

In the summer, Tottenham Hotspur agreed to a deal with Gangwon FC for Yang and decided that the winger has officially joined this month.

The 18-year-old talented winger is highly rated at Tottenham and yet to make his debut for the club.

Postecoglou pointed out that Yang needs time to settle in with the level of Premier League football coming from a different country and stated that he has no clear time frame in his mind for when the player will be ready to play.

The Tottenham boss also added that having Son in the squad is a big help for Yang to settle into his new environment.

When asked about a timeframe for Yang’s availability, Postecoglou said at a press conference: “No real plan or timeline.

“Let him settle.

“He’s still very young and he’s coming from the other side of the world where the level is nowhere near what he’ll face here.

“He’s got Sonny here which is a big help for him.”

The 18-year-old scored 12 goals while registering six assists in 38 appearances for Gangwon FC and he will be hoping to have the same impact in the Premier League for Spurs.

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has admitted that he has no time frame in his mind for when Yang Min-hyeok will be ready to play and added that Heung-Min Son will be big help in the Korean settling.

In the summer, Tottenham Hotspur agreed to a deal with Gangwon FC for Yang and decided that the winger has officially joined this month.

The 18-year-old talented winger is highly rated at Tottenham and yet to make his debut for the club.

Postecoglou pointed out that Yang needs time to settle in with the level of Premier League football coming from a different country and stated that he has no clear time frame in his mind for when the player will be ready to play.

The Tottenham boss also added that having Son in the squad is a big help for Yang to settle into his new environment.

When asked about a timeframe for Yang’s availability, Postecoglou said at a press conference: “No real plan or timeline.

“Let him settle.

“He’s still very young and he’s coming from the other side of the world where the level is nowhere near what he’ll face here.

“He’s got Sonny here which is a big help for him.”

The 18-year-old scored 12 goals while registering six assists in 38 appearances for Gangwon FC and he will be hoping to have the same impact in the Premier League for Spurs.

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A huge Eight clubs are battling it out for Ipswich Town and Tottenham Hotspur target Ben Godfrey, according to The Sun.

Everton sold Godfrey to Atalanta in the summer transfer window, but the player has only featured once for the Italian outfit in the league.

The 26-year-old defender has admirers in English football, as Tottenham and Ipswich are keen to secure his signature, amid Atalanta being willing to let him go.

Ipswich are determined to keep themselves up in the Premier League and they are seeking to seal a deal for Godfrey, who has experience of playing in the top flight.

It has been suggested that the Tractor Boys are leading the race to sign Tottenham target Godfrey from Atalanta.

And it has emerged that no fewer than eight clubs are showing interest in signing Godfrey in the January window.

Tottenham, who are facing an injury crisis in their defensive department, will have to beat stiff competition to land the ex-Everton defender.

The Italian outfit Atalanta are in favour of a deal and they want to seal Godfrey’s transfer early in the window.

It is unclear just who the other clubs of the eight chasing Godfrey are.