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Postecoglou wants more from Tottenham players before Christmas

Tottenham Hotspur have a decisive run of fixtures coming up over the next month or so, which could go on to determine the outcome of their campaign. The end of the year is always a busy period, this time combined with action in the UEFA Europa League, as well as the Carabao Cup – so December is really a make or break month for the Lilywhites.

Spurs’ recent ups and downs have meant that there is some work to do especially in terms of maintaining consistency if the team is to secure Champions League qualification for 2025/26. Ange Postecoglou acknowledged the challenge ahead of him and wants the players to give their fans a good account of themselves heading into Christmas. He said the following (via The Independent):

“Christmas is a joyous occasion, irrespective, and I think it should be celebrated. If we’re 10th then people won’t be happy, I won’t be happy, but we might not be 10th.”

While Postecoglou cited 10th place merely as an example, the results this season have been going in such a fashion that the entire top half is separated by a mere handful of points and even one match can influence a team’s rise or fall massively. This holds true for the European spots, in particular, as a number of sides have set the goal of qualifying for the continental cups.

Apart from the Premier League itself, Spurs have to ensure that their Europa League campaign is not shaken up by a recent defeat to Galatasaray by a 3-2 margin. They were second best for much of the outing in Istanbul before the international break and with fixtures upcoming against AS Roma and Rangers very shortly, more dropped points could jeopardise qualification into the next round.

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Last but not least, the Carabao Cup is a competition that the club has to take seriously to get its hands on a piece of silverware. Manchester United await Tottenham in the tournament’s next round after they saw off Manchester City in the previous one, and a win over Ruben Amorim’s rejuvenated side on December 17th could really make Spurs favourites to lift the cup.

Bournemouth star Ilya Zabarnyi has emerged as a defensive target for Tottenham

It has been far from an ideal start to the 2024/25 Premier League season for Tottenham Hotspur, who lie 10th in the table after 11 games.

A chronic lack of consistency have been one of the major factors to hamper the Lilywhites in Ange Postecoglou’s second season in North London. They have had their fair share of injury problems too, with first-choice centre-back pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven currently recovering from their issues.

Tottenham are not blessed with options as far as the centre-back unit is concerned. Beyond Romero and Van de Ven, they only have Radu Dragusin as the only senior centre-back option. As a result, the chiefs at the Hotspur Way are planning to bring in a new central defender in the upcoming winter transfer window.

Bournemouth’s highly-rated defender Ilya Zabarnyi has emerged as a target for Tottenham. The Ukraine international has been a revelation since joining Bournemouth in 2023, displaying aerial dominance, physicality, reading of the game and composure on the ball. He has made 11 Premier League appearances this season, playing a key role at the back in the Cherries’ strong start to the season.

Despite recently signing a new five-year contract at the Vitality Stadium until 2029 (Transfermarkt), interest in Ilya Zabarnyi continues to grow. Due to the length of his contract, Bournemouth are in a good position to demand a sizeable fee for their defensive star. Currently, they are willing to listen to offers in the region of £50m.

However, John Wenham—the owner of the Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose—believes Zabarnyi is not worth £50million. He feels the centre-back hasn’t done enough yet in the Premier League to warrant such a hefty fee.

Spurs are clearly lacking depth in the centre-back department and, with Van de Ven having twice been injured and Romero heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, it is imperative for Daniel Levy to sign a player in that position.

Zabarnyi is a player whose trajectory is clearly on the up, as evidenced by his development under Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth. He has remained on Tottenham’s radar since their earlier attempts to secure a deal with Dynamo Kyiv in 2022. It is obvious that the Ukrainian is admired by the chiefs at the Hotspur Way, although whether they’d be ready to splash £50million for his signature in January is difficult to answer at the moment.

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Tottenham target Angel Gomes to leave Lille next year

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to be busy in the transfer market next year having already been linked with a wholesale number of players. While there remains no great clarity over their budget at this point, Daniel Levy seems to have the ambition to compete and resultantly fork out a reasonable sum on bringing in fresher faces in 2025.

A number of defenders and forwards could arrive at Hotspur Way, though Spurs have even been linked with a very promising midfielder in recent days. The player in concern is Angel Gomes, who is also on Manchester United’s radar. Graeme Bailey (via TBR Football) has exclusively reported that the player has informed Lille of his desire to depart next summer.

His contract expires in June 2025 and consequent to that, Gomes will be allowed to discuss and sign a pre-contract with clubs outside of France from January itself. Lille do not expect Gomes to request for a departure in the winter and might not even be prepared to let him go midway through the season, though it is good news for Tottenham that he will leave the Ligue 1 side nevertheless.

Aston Villa are also said to be keen on his transfer but the upper hand could belong to Tottenham over Manchester United as well as the Clarets. From an off-field point of view, Gomes was born in London and would have the chance to return to his home city. Spurs are also building a young team and have a promising sporting project, as opposed to United’s dicey one.

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With that said, Tottenham are going to continue using three midfielders for the foreseeable future and so, Gomes’ chances of featuring more regularly will be bolstered in comparison to United, who are expected to use a 3-4-3 with two wingbacks. The financial offer from both clubs will prove to be a decisive factor too and it remains to be seen if Spurs are prepared to outdo the Red Devils.

Tottenham Hotspur inflicted a third straight Premier League defeat to reigning champions Manchester City in what was a sensational performance by Ange Postecoglou’s men in his 50th league clash as Spurs boss.

Manchester City had opportunities to go ahead but it was Tottenham who struck first in the 13th minute thanks to James Maddison’s excellent finish. The English international, whose future at the club has been called into question, doubled the lead seven minutes later to give the visitors a healthy cushion.

A shell-shocked Manchester City were unable to come to terms with Tottenham’s energy and a former star of their drive home the result in the second half. Pedro Porro scored the visitors third in the 52nd minute to condemn the champions to yet another defeat.

The loss gives Tottenham a shot in the arm in their aim to finish in the top four while severely denting City’s chances of a fifth straight league crown. Substitute Brennan Johnson added further wounds to Guardiola’s side by scoring a fourth in injury time.

Here is how we think Tottenham Hotspur players fared in the game against Manchester City in the Premier League at home.

GK | Guglielmo Vicario: (8/10)

The Italian struggled with the national team in the international break but made an excellent stop to deny Erling Haaland in the first half when the game was yet scoreless. He also rose to the occasion in the second half, denying Ilkay Gundogan and Haaland to further frustrate the hosts. The performance should act as a much-needed confidence booster for the Spurs goalkeeper.

RB | Pedro Porro: (7/10)

The Spaniard’s stock has risen in recent times and he initially struggled to keep Savinho quiet. However, he readjusted his approach and improved as the game went on. A thunderous strike saw him score the visitors’ third of the night in what was yet another excellent outing for the full-back.

CB | Radu Dragusin: (7/10)

The Romanian has been subject to some criticism in recent months and his performance on the night will hardly be counted as a vintage one. However, he stood tall when needed and largely kept the Man City attackers at bay.

CB | Ben Davies: (7/10)

The senior-most figure in the Spurs backline, the Welshman made excellent use of his experience. Davies might not have been spectacular but help keep Phil Foden quiet and was at hand to deal with any trouble. His organisational skills also frustrated Man City on the night.

LB | Destiny Udogie: (6/10)

Not the Italian’s best night but he kept pushing and was not afraid to run up and down the flank when needed. Udogie made way for Djed Spence in the 90th minute.

CM | Pape Matar Sarr: (5/10)

He lost the ball a couple of times and also picked up a yellow card in the second half. However, Sarr’s physicality gave Tottenham a presence in the middle of the park and helped the visitors retain control in the middle of the park.

CDM | Yves Bissouma: (6.5/10)

An early yellow card put him on thin ice but Bissouma made his case in Rodrigo Bentancur’s absence. Bissouma put in a fighting performance and deserves credit for doing the dirty work in a key role.

CM | James Maddison: (8/10)

The birthday boy certainly upped the ante and showcased his best on a night when his team needed him. He times his run for the first goal while showcasing immaculate coolness to dispatch his side’s second of the night. Maddison petered off as the game went on as Spurs aimed to see out the result.

RW | Dejan Kulusevski: (6/10)

The Swede has been Tottenham’s best performer this season and once again found himself among the assist-makers on the night. He had Josko Gvardiol’s number and often led the Croatian in his wake. Speaking ahead of the game, Kulusevski was hopeful of making a difference and it is good to see him make good on that promise.

LW | Son Heung-min: (6/10)

A rather quiet night for the Spurs’ skipper, who is often Man City’s tormentor in chief. He singed Ederson’s gloves with a shot in the first half before earning himself an assist for Maddison’s second. He was taken off for Brennan Johnson in the second half.

ST | Dominic Solanke: (6.5/10)

The Englishman might not have gotten on the scoresheet but his ability to hold up the ball and bring his teammates into play remains a potent weapon. Solanke also secured himself an assist on the night.

Substitutes:

Brennan Johnson: (6/10)

The Welshman came on for Son in the second half and scored his side’s fourth in the final minute of stoppage time.

Djed Spence: (NA)

A late substitute for Destiny Udogie as Tottenham sought to see the game out.

Lucas Bergvall: (6/10)

A late substitute for Pape Matar Sarr as Tottenham sought to see the game out. He also frustrated Manuel Akanji enough to secure the latter a yellow card.

Timo Werner: (NA)

A late substitute for Maddison, Werner provided the assist for Brennan Johnson’s coup de grace.

Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski is fit to face Manchester City on Saturday

Tottenham Hotspur star Dejan Kulusevski took centre stage for Sweden in their 6-0 mauling of Azerbaijan in a UEFA Nations League fixture during the recently concluded international break.

The 24-year-old has been in fantastic form for both club and country this season and did his reputation no harm with an impressive display against Azerbaijan. He ran the show from an advanced midfield role, scoring a brace and recording an assist.

The performance of Dejan Kulusevski over the international break had provided plenty of encouragement ahead of Saturday’s trip to Manchester City in the Premier League but also one little worry. There was a scare for Ange Postecoglou late on in Sweden’s big win over Azerbaijan though as the attacker was left in pain after going down holding his left shoulder.

The Stockholm-born talent has had a few shoulder knocks in games for Tottenham in recent weeks but has always soldiered on and that was the same case again earlier this week. Calming down the fears within the Spurs fanbase, Postecoglou dropped a positive injury update on Kulusevski ahead of the game against Man City.

Big Ange’s side have been extremely inconsistent this season, mixing some wonderful displays with flat and underwhelming results. However, some of their players have been performing very well, and one of those is undoubtedly Kulusevski.

In fact, Kulusevski has been Tottenham’s best player by a country mile this term thus far. Indeed, Swede has moved into a central midfield position from the wing recently, and that role has suited him like a glove. The ex-Juventus man has been more effective centrally than he is out wide for Big Ange’s forces, producing several eye-catching performances.

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Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou delivers fresh injury update on Cristian Romero

Tottenham Hotspur will be keen to get back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday when they travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.

With the final international break of 2024 done and dusted, Ange Postecoglou and Co. can fully focus on getting their campaign back on track. They have been extremely consistent thus far; the Lilywhites have shown they can beat anyone their day but have also been vulnerable to some shock defeats.

And one of those shocks came before the international break when Spurs lost 2-1 to newly promoted Ipswich Town at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Things don’t get easier for Tottenham as they face Manchester City on the road.

Speaking on Tottenham’s YouTube channel ahead of the big game, Ange Postecoglou has given the latest injury update on Cristian Romero, who was forced off while on international duty with Argentina last week before missing their win over Peru on Wednesday.

Romero appears to be struggling with the injury he suffered in the 4-1 home win over Aston Villa before the international break. The South American hasn’t been close to his best this season, making silly errors on and off the ball that have affected Tottenham’s defence majorly. With his regular partner Micky van de Ven also struggling with injury problems, the 26-year-old’s form has tumbled.

Regardless of Romero’s susceptibility to the odd error, one cannot deny his importance to the North Londoners and it’s evident that the team looks more fragile without the Argentinean. While he is extremely important to Big Ange, it is equally imperative that the club do not rush him back to action.

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If the players aren’t fully fit and running and asked to deliver intense 90 minutes, it can lead to dire long-term consequences. If Romero is ruled out, it would leave Big Ange with Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies as his only available senior centre-backs.

Tottenham Hotspur could have a number of players leaving next year. Whilst some of those will not be a part of Ange Postecoglou’s plans, the others could pursue a new challenge. One such name that comes to mind is Pedro Porro, who has gone strength to strength in his short span in north London over the last year and a half.

Real Madrid have already lodged interest in the Spanish international following Dani Carvajal’s injury although it is understood that he remains the second name on their list behind Liverpool fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold. Apart from the Whites, Manchester United are the latest to show keenness on his capture after Ruben Amorim’s arrival, Spanish source Diario AS claims.

The Red Devils’ new boss is seeking a reunion with one of the Premier League’s best right backs having already worked with him at Sporting Lisbon. The manager has a positive opinion about the former Girona star and wants to make him one of his first signings at Old Trafford, though that will be a proposition that is far from easy.

Firstly, Tottenham would make lofty demands for the sale of a player that they consider vital, especially if it were to a direct rival in the Premier League and secondly, Manchester United might not give the green light to Amorim’s request for a right back given that they signed Noussair Mazraoui earlier in the summer to compete with Diogo Dalot.

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As a result, Tottenham Hotspur can breath a bit more easily as far as Porro’s situation is concerned. His departure seems like a situation that is easier said than done in the media and both of his suitors so far have options that supersede the Spaniard.

Tottenham Hotspur need to bring in a number or two new defenders in 2025 given that they are incredibly short on numbers at the back. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were recently injured and exposed the lack of squad depth at the club, while the ageing Ben Davies and Real Madrid-linked Pedro Porro might also have to be replaced.

With that in mind in addition to already requiring more players, Tottenham are showing an interest in signing Ajax Amsterdam youngster Devyne Rensch, as per Caught Offside. The 21-year-old is also on Liverpool’s radar and unsurprisingly so, given that Arne Slot has a great understanding of the Eredivisie given that it’s his home league and he spent time there not very long ago.

Rensch, seen as one of the most promising names in the Ajax Amsterdam side, is a versatile defender who is capable of playing in the middle as well as at right back. In spite of interest from the Lilywhites and the Reds, he remains open to the possibility of prolonging his association with Ajax by penning a new deal and thus, it remains to be seen what comes of Spurs’ interest in him.

Tottenham require a player that can be a genuinely important squad player given that they will be playing in four competitions more often than not, and that the European competitions have more fixtures now than before. Therefore, it is debatable whether or not investing in Rensch is the right step as at the moment, he only remains a prospect without much experience under his belt.

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It is still unknown whether or not Tottenham have a longer shortlist of players they will speak to in 2025 although it can be safely assumed that Porro’s sale or potentially that of Romero also would come at a significant amount and will exponentially increase the team’s spending power if at all they depart sooner or later.

Cristian Romero could quit Tottenham next summer amid links with Real Madrid

There has been a lot of chatter surrounding the future of Cristian Romero at Tottenham Hotspur amid links to Real Madrid.

Regarded as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, the Argentinean international has barely lived up to his high reputation in the 2024/25 season, which has seen him receive criticism from pundits and supporters alike.

Being the defensive lynchpin, the 26-year-old’s underwhelming displays have directly impacted Spurs’ form this term. Yet, Cristian Romero has emerged as a target for Real Madrid, who are planning to bolster their defensive options following long-term injuries to David Alaba and Eder Militao.

Tottenham are in no real hurry to sell Romero as his current deal expires in the summer of 2027 (Transfermarkt). In fact, Daniel Levy could be pushing to extend the defender’s stay by handing him fresh terms. However, Levy and Co. would be powerless to stop the 2022 World Cup winner from departing N17 should Real Madrid intensify their efforts to sign him next year, given the fact that Los Blancos are the royalty of world football.

John Wenham—the owner of the reputable Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose—feels that tensions could be created behind the scenes if Romero refuses to commit his future at White Hart Lane. He speculates Tottenham could find themselves in a difficult situation, perhaps forcing them to sell their star defender next summer.

Spurs would loathe to lose Romero due to his all-round defensive abilities and leadership skills. But, nothing is guaranteed in football and historically we have witnessed players not turning down moves to Madrid. If the South American doesn’t commit his future beyond 2027, the chiefs at the Hotspur Way will have a decision to make next year.

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Timo Werner has royally struggled at Tottenham following his return on loan from RB Leipzig

Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to compound on the newly adopted strategy of signing young talents with high potential and nurturing them within the corridors at the Hotspur Way.

The Lilywhites ensured to enhance their pool of talented youngsters during the summer transfer window by signing Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall. The club also agreed a six-year deal with Gangwon FC for South Korean prodigy Yang Min-hyeok, who is poised to officially arrive at N17 in January. In addition, they also re-signed Timo Werner on a season-long loan from RB Leipzig.

Timo Werner has struggled at Spurs; there has been a similar line of connections to his time at Chelsea where he missed a glut of chances in front of goal. The problem could be attributed to his lack of confidence and poor composure inside the box. The latter has been a problem for the majority of the German’s career.

The 28-year-old has made 13 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring and assisting a goal apiece. He has clocked 266 minutes across eight Premier League appearances, starting only two games thus far.

ESPN FC pundit Don Hutchinson has labelled Werner as one of the worst signings made by a Premier League during the past summer transfer window. He has branded Tottenham’s decision to sign the Germany international on loan ‘weird’ after the forward’s tough start to the 2024/25 season.

Tottenham have the option to make Werner’s loan move permanent for just £8.5m, but it is increasingly likely that he does not have a long-term future in his current surroundings. It is understood that the Lilywhites have set their sights on a new attacker, who is capable of being deployed on the left and right flank, leading to the 28-year-old being on track to walk away at the end of the season.

If the current irregularities continue in his performances, the North Londoners may ponder even cutting short Werner’s loan spell in January itself. However, that would only be possible if an interested party emerges during the winter transfer window and tables a proposal which suits all parties.

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Arguably the hottest prospect to emerge from the academy, Mikey Moore truly deserves to get opportunities ahead of Werner in the coming weeks and months.