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Tottenham boss Thomas Frank tips player to have ‘fantastic’ career at Man Utd

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Thomas Frank has tipped one Manchester United star to enjoy ‘fantastic success’ at Old Trafford ahead of their match against his Tottenham side.

United travel to north London to take on Spurs on Saturday, with the two teams level on points in the Premier League.

Tottenham were woeful in the defeat to Chelsea last weekend but bounced back to thrash Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League in their last game.

Frank is yet to fully win over Spurs supporters but a statement win over the Red Devils, who are on a four-game unbeaten run, would go a long way to help his cause.

And the manager may well have an advantage for this clash, as he is well acquainted with the strengths and weaknesses of United’s man of the moment: Bryan Mbeumo.

Frank managed Mbeumo for six seasons at Brentford and attempted to sign him for Spurs last summer, but the forward had his heart set on a £71million move to Manchester.

His loss has been Ruben Amorim’s gain, with the Cameroon international recording five goals and an assist in his first 11 appearances for United and was recently named Premier League Player of the Month for October.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Frank said he was ‘not surprised’ by Mbeumo’s fast start: ‘When you work with a player for six years, you get a close relationship.

‘To see him develop from being a young man, 19-year-old when he moved to London and Brentford and left six years later, going into one of the biggest clubs in the world with all that focus and the way he stepped up.

‘For me, looking from the outside, maybe a little bit biased, I think he’s been their best offensive player. He can create, he can score, he works hard, he’s a team player.

‘He’s the perfect example, in my opinion, for a player what I call about attitude, confident but humble. He’s a top player.

‘I think he will have fantastic success there. I hope that for him, not tomorrow, but in general I hope and wish him all the best.’

As mentioned, United’s form has turned around recently, winning three matches of the bounce before last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest.

‘You can see it’s a United team that has got more confidence, definitely,’ Frank said of Saturday’s opposition.

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‘I think Ruben and his coaching staff have done a very good job. It’s clearly been a tough year for them and for him. I admire him a lot for that, to go through a very tricky spell with a lot of setbacks. To get through that with that focus is well done.

‘Right now they are in a moment where they have more or less every key player available and he’s found his team, played more or less the same team in the last four or five games.’

‘We know exactly what to expect from them. I think they have an incredibly dangerous front three. They’re starting to get more up to pace and we need to close them down. But on the flip side, make sure they run a little bit more backwards because we attack them.’

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Mohammed Kudus injury update ahead of Tottenham vs Man Utd

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Thomas Frank confirmed that Mohammed Kudus remains an injury doubt ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Manchester United.

Kudus has been a vital attacking figure for Tottenham so far this season, starting all ten league matches and providing five goal contributions.

However, an injury sustained in the defeat to Chelsea last weekend saw the Ghanaian miss the midweek victory against Copenhagen in the Champions League.

And Frank confirmed that Spurs will make a late call on the winger’s fitness ahead of he visit of United on Saturday.

‘Kudus is touch and go for tomorrow. Yeah, we’ll see,’ the Spurs boss confirmed in Friday’s pre-match press conference.

Elsewhere, though, there was positive news on defensive duo Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie, who both started in the midweek win after their respective spells out with injury.

And Frank confirmed that both had ‘responded well’ to the outing and woule be fit and available for selection at the weekend.

Up front, Dominic Solanke has been a missing figure for much of this season due to an ankle problem, which subsequently required surgery.

But the Englishman could make his long-awaited return after the international break, with Frank telling reporters: ‘The international break is the big decider there, two weeks to push him with the big steps.

‘He’s going forward. After the international break is what we’re aiming for. It’s important to get it right so he’s out there and can help the team. We need him back.’

The visit of United at the weekend gives Spurs the opportunity to put right the wrongs from last weekend’s dismal performance against London rivals Chelsea.

Frank’s side currently have the fourth-worst home record in the league, but the Dane is confident that his side have what it takes to get a positive result against an in-form United.

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‘I always believe when going into every game that we will put a good performance out there and do well,’ he added.

‘I think what gives me some confidence that we will put a good performance out there most of the performances we have put out there over the season, in general, have been good.

‘There has been some that have not been top. Two that run away from that were against Bournemouth and Chelsea at home, where the two teams did well and we, on the day, didn’t find the right solutions to match them.

‘But I’m very confident because I think I see the right layers, the right attitude in the players, the ability to want to improve. So it’s another big game coming up that we are ready for and looking forward. Get the fans behind us and we are ready to do everything we can to win the game.’

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Teddy Sheringham claims two Arsenal players are not better than Tottenham duo

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Teddy Sheringham says Arsenal’s William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are not better than Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

Saliba and Gabriel have established themselves as one of the most impressive centre-back partnerships on the planet in recent seasons.

Arsenal have conceded just three goals in 10 games this season but Sheringham has argued that Spurs’ central defenders are just as good.

Sheringham feels Van de Ven and Romero are in the ‘same bracket’ as Saliba and Gabriel – and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

‘Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are in the same category as Gabriel and William Saliba,’ the former Spurs forward told Oddspedia.

‘Everyone talks about the best Premier League centre-back pairing being Gabriel and Saliba.

‘You can also make a case for Liverpool’s defensive partnership: Virgil van Dijk is still a fantastic player, although there are still question marks around Ibrahima Konate.

‘But I would place Van de Ven and Romero in the same bracket as those two pairings.

‘They both complement each other very well; if one gets beaten, his partner is there to cover for him.

‘It’s unusual for a centre-back pairing at Spurs to be likened to the Premier League’s elite defenders, but they’re the bedrock of a stable team.

‘We saw last year how Spurs struggled without that pairing and it ultimately contributed to Ange Postecoglou’s downfall.

‘If you took both Van de Ven and Romero out of the team, it becomes very stressful for Spurs, so Thomas Frank will be glad they’re back in the team and showing their class.’

Van de Ven scored a stunning solo goal for Spurs on Tuesday night as the north London side beat FC Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League.

Picking up the ball on the edge of his own box, he charged through half ofthe Copenhagen team before bending a finish past the goalkeeper.

‘It seems like we had Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven!’ Spurs head coach Thomas Frank said after the match.

Football pundit and ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara told Sky Sports: ‘I think Van de Ven has more about him than Gabriel. I think Romero is on par Saliba.

‘There is not a centre half in the world that can do what Van de Ven did last night.

‘Gabriel cannot score that goal.’

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Tottenham star revealed as player who was ‘threatened with a gun’ by agent

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Tottenham left-back Destiny Udogie has been revealed as the Premier League player who was threatened at gunpoint by a football agent in London.

The 22-year-old, who played in Spurs’ 4-0 win against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday night, is said to have been targeted while walking with a friend along Cockfosters Parade, Barnet, in September.

The agent, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and is also under investigation over allegations of blackmail and making threats towards Udogie’s friend.

He has not been charged with an offence and was granted bail on September 9.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed they had been called to a street in north London at 11.14pm on September 6 after reports a man in his 20s had been threatened with a firearm.

‘Officers spoke to the victim and during the course of their investigation it was also reported another man in his 20s had also allegedly been blackmailed and threatened by the same individual. No injuries were reported in either incident,’ police said.

‘A 31-year-old man was arrested on Monday 8 September on suspicion of possession of firearms with intent, blackmail and driving without a license. He has been bailed while enquiries continue.’

A Tottenham spokesperson said: ‘We have been providing support for Destiny and his family since the incident and will continue to do so. Given this is a legal matter, we cannot comment any further.’

Udogie, who also plays for Italy’s national side, joined Spurs for an initial £15 million fee from Udinese in 2022.

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Man Utd legend Gary Neville makes Chelsea prediction after Tottenham win

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Gary Neville predicted where Chelsea will finish in the Premier League after they beat London rivals Tottenham.

Joao Pedro’s first-half goal was enough to earn Chelsea a narrow but deserved win over Spurs in north London on Saturday.

While only one goal separated the sides, Chelsea were by far the more superior team and had a number of chances to put the game to bed.

Tottenham, meanwhile, created very little as they slipped to a 12th defeat from their past 19 home games in the Premier League.

Despite a dismal performance – which was greeted by boos at the full-time whistle – Tottenham are still above Chelsea in the Premier League table.

But Neville fully expects Chelsea to finish above Spurs and says Enzo Maresca is blessed with a ‘better squad’ and ‘better players’ than Thomas Frank.

Asked if he believes Chelsea are on track for a top-four finish, Neville told NBC Sports: ‘The problem is the Premier League is so inconsistent this year.

‘When you look at the league table, every team is so inconsistent except for Arsenal. The fact of the matter is Spurs are still in front of Chelsea.

‘The Chelsea fans were celebrating in that far corner with the Chelsea players and the Tottenham players had left the pitch devastated after being booed off but it’s them who’s in front in the table.

‘It’s been a bit of a mad start to the league this year. I think Chelsea will have enough to get into that top-four because I think it’s going to be a bit crazy all season.’

Neville rates Chelsea above Tottenham and believes the Blues have a ‘far better squad’ than their London rivals.

‘I do, yeah,’ Neville added. ‘Chelsea have a better squad and better players.

‘Look at Tottenham’s players… Randal Kolo Muani, Xavi Simons and a few others haven’t settled in yet and don’t look like they’re at the level the Chelsea players are.

‘Chelsea have a far better squad than Tottenham and they should have because they’ve spent far more money.’

Stamford Bridge manager Maresca was pleased with his team’s performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

‘It was a good performance for sure,’ he said. ‘Against this team, in this stadium, at this moment when they look very good, we needed a performance like this.

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‘I think you have to be brave on and off the ball. Off the ball we were very good but then we created chances with the ball too.

‘In England, a 1-0 is not finished and anything can happen. Today we can score one or two more goals, then it would’ve been much more relaxed, but we are very happy with the 1-0 and a clean sheet.

‘We are very happy for ourselves and for the fans because it is a big derby.’

Chelsea return to Premier League action against managerless Wolves next weekend, while Tottenham will look to improve their home record against Manchester United.

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Chelsea and Spurs learn asking price for Porto striker Samu Aghehowa

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Chelsea and Tottenham share an interestin Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, with his club open to selling him in 2026.

The 21-year-old moved to the Portuguese club from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2024 and has been in rampant form ever since.

He scored 27 goals in all competitions in his first season with Porto and has continued to impress in this campaign, scored nine times already.

The three-cap Spain international came close to joining Chelsea last year, with financial terms agreed, but an ankle issue saw him fail a medical.

Instead he moved to Porto but there remains interest in him from Stamford Bridge and from north London.

Portuguese publication Correio de Manha report that both Chelsea and Tottenham are considering a move for Aghehowa next year and Porto are not ruling out a sale.

The striker has a release clause in his contract worth €100million (£88m), but the report states that Porto would be willing to accept an offer of €80m (£70m).

Due to their financial situation, Porto would even be willing to sanction a sale in January, cashing in on their star forward in the middle of the season.

However, whether Chelsea or Spurs would be willing to spend so big in the winter transfer window is yet to be seen.

The Blues brought in forwards Joao Pedro and Liam Delap over the summer, while also signing the likes of Estevao, Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens in attacking roles.

Tottenham also brought in new forwards, with the likes of Mathys Tel, Randal Kolo Muani and Mohammed Kudus joining the club.

However, Thomas Frank’s team is struggling to fire in front of goal and could be back in the market for a striker at the earliest opportunity.

Chelsea got the better of Spurs on Saturday with a 1-0 win in north London as the home side turned in a turgid display which led to loud boos from their own fans.

Tottenham managed just three shots and their xG for the game was 0.05, their lowest ever recorded in a Premier League game.

Frank said of the blunt display: ‘I would say that, of course, hurt massively. ‘I’ve never been in charge of a team that created that little in one game, never.

‘So that, of course, I will look into what we can do to make it better. But I think that’s one thing. I think everything is a little bit linked. And today we didn’t hit the level.’

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Frank Leboeuf suggests Chelsea dodged a bullet by not signing £52m Tottenham star

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Frank Leboeuf has criticised Tottenham’s decision to sign a £52million star following his woeful performance in the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Though they remain fourth in the Premier League table, Spurs were booed off the pitch on Saturday as they lost to their fierce London rivals, with Joao Pedro scoring the winner.

Manager Thomas Frank spent over £185m in his first summer in charge, but several signings are struggling to adapt to life in north London, especially headline arrival Xavi Simons.

Tottenham were desperate to sign a new No.10 but Simons was not their first choice, only turning to the RB Leipzig star after they failed to buy Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze.

Still, it was regarded as somewhat of a coup to get the highly-rated Dutchman who had been pursued all summer by Chelsea, but after 12 games he has no goals and just one assist to his name.

Dropped to the bench for the Blues clash, Simons came on after just seven minutes due to an injury to Lucas Bergvall, but it was his risky and sloppy pass back to Micky van de Ven that was intercepted by Moises Caicedo, who in turn teed up Pedro to score the decisive goal.

Former Tottenham star Jamie O’Hara was scathing of Simons on talkSPORT, saying: ‘It feels like we signed an Antony,’ referring to the £82m Manchester United flop.

‘Xavi Simons, I’m sick to death of him. He gives the ball away, soft, short, and Caicedo nicks it off him.

‘Honestly, he’s come on for Bergvall after five minutes, and it’s like we’re playing with ten men. I’m sick of it, £52million we spent and he’s bang average, he gives the ball away for fun.’

It got worse for the 22-year-old however, suffering the indignity of being subbed on and off in the same match, with Frank hauling him off with 17 minutes to go.

Based on his start at Spurs, Chelsea will be thankful their transfer for the attacking midfielder fell through, while Leboeuf says the Lilywhites greatly overestimated the player they were signing.

‘Xavi Simons played one good year for Leipzig – that wasn’t the case for Paris Saint-Germain before – and an average season last season and was sold for £52million to Tottenham Hotspur,’ the former Chelsea defender told ESPN.

‘And you expect what? What do you expect from those players who have one good year of football? To be to be a game changer?

‘People are dreaming, dreamers. I don’t get that.’

Leboeuf’s assessment of Simons as a one-season wonder does seem harsh given that he did record 19 goal contributions in 33 games last season, compared to 25 in 43 in his first Leipzig campaign.

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Frank defended Simons post-match, explaining that he was dropped and then subbed off due to fitness reasons: ‘There’s a reason why we didn’t start him, of course.

‘I think he’s played two starts, short turnaround. Also, that energy and freshness I talked about, played 90 minutes Wednesday night. So that’s why we decided that, and then he played 70 minutes here.

‘So I think that was nothing. It’s just because it looks different when you come on after three minutes and get subbed off.’

Simons should get a shot at redemption when Tottenham host Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday.

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Chelsea star filmed wildly taunting Tottenham fans during derby win

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Chelsea secured a much-needed win over fierce rivals Tottenham on Saturday and one player has gone viral after wildly taunting the opposition fans.

Calamitous defending from Spurs allowed Joao Pedro to score in the first-half of the London derby and while unable to extend their advantage, the Blues secured a well-deserved three points.

Pedro Neto was involved in the build-up to the goal but had an otherwise quiet afternoon before being subbed off for Estevao in the 85th minute.

But Chelsea supporters have praised the winger’s impact on the bench as Neto was filmed winding up Tottenham fans in bizarre and hilarious fashion during injury time.

In footage that has gone viral on social media, the Portugal international and teammate Wesley Fofana, who had also just been subbed off, were seen standing in the dugout, seemingly complaining about a refereeing decision.

Tottenham supporters behind them furiously shouted for the players to sit down, prompting Neto to turn around and seemingly shout back: ‘F*** you,’ twice.

He then laughed and wildly stuck his tongue out before taking his seat again, much to the ire of the Spurs faithful who continued to heckle the players.

A key player under Enzo Maresca, Neto has recorded 22 goal contributions in 65 appearances since moving to Stamford Bridge from Wolves last year in a transfer worth around £52million.

And fans were delighted with the 25-year-old antics during the derby, with one Chelsea supporter posting on Twitter: ‘This is the funniest video on the internet.’

‘My new favourite player,’ another added, while on Reddit several fans just said: ‘Proper Chels.’

‘The full video is killing me, Netos rage bait, [Malo] Gusto holding his laugh and Josh [Acheampong] seemingly catching a stray at the end,’ another posted.

Tottenham fans were also furious at their own team following another woeful home performance, frustration Thomas Frank says he ‘100 per cent’ understands.

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‘We all sense the frustration and the emotions. That is part of football,’ the manager said in his post-match press conference.

‘It is extremely painful and of course that is part of the job to face you guys now and answer the very good questions when you just are burning inside.

‘And you like to find solutions, watch the game back and see what went wrong, but I think it’s about trying to stay calm. In general, I think Chelsea were good and we were definitely second best.’

The result moves Chelsea up to fifth in the Premier League table, level on points with Spurs. Next up for Maresca’s side is a trip to Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday.

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Chelsea star aims brutal dig at Tottenham after convincing win

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Chelsea full-back Malo Gusto aimed a parting dig at rivals Tottenham after their convincing 1-0 away win in north London.

Joao Pedro’s first-half strike was the difference between the two sides as the Blues bounced back from last weekend’s defeat to Sunderland to move into the top four.

In truth, it was an encounter that Enzo Maresca’s side dominated from start to finish, with Spurs only managing to muster two efforts on goal throughout the entire 90 minutes.

And Chelsea would almost certainly have made the scoreline look far worse for Saturday’s hosts had it not been for some wasteful finishing from the Blues’ forward line and the impressive shot-stopping of Guglielmo Vicario in the Tottenham net.

Regardless, it was an impressive display from Chelsea, who have now won five straight games against their London rivals, as well as only tasting defeat once in their last 14 meeting with Spurs.

And Blues full-back Gusto was keen to remind the north London club of that fact in a post on social media shortly after the game.

‘Same story again!!!’ Gusto captained a post on Instagram, with the Frenchman cheekily setting the location as ‘Home Sweet Home’.

Speaking after his side’s victory, a pleased Maresca said: ‘I’m happy with the 1-0 and with the three points, especially because we kept the clean sheet, that I think is something that we need for the future.

‘We know that we are a team that at the end we are going to score goals, but we need to do better defensively.

‘I think the performance was very good on the ball and off the ball. For sure the way we tried to press was very important, but I also think that our game against Liverpool off the ball was top game, was very good, and you need that.

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‘You need that if you want to be close to the top, you need to be defensively solid. As I said, we know that almost always score goals, but we need also to try to concede less goals.’

Frank, meanwhile was left floored by his side’s lack of creativty, which saw them generate a measly 0.05 xG (expected goals).

‘I would say that, of course, hurt massively,’ the Dane said. ‘I’ve never been in charge of a team that created that little in one game, never.

‘So that, of course, I will look into what we can do to make it better. But I think that’s one thing. I think everything is a little bit linked. And today, yeah, we didn’t hit the level.’

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Enzo Maresca names only player 'in the world' on par with Moises Caicedo

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Enzo Maresca claimed there is only one defensive midfielder ‘in the world’ who can be considered as good as Moises Caicedo after his latest display in a Chelsea shirt.

Joao Pedro’s first-half goal was enough to separate the sides in north London as Chelsea moved back into the top four of the Premier League with their fifth-straight win over Tottenham.

The Blues produced a dominant display against their local rivals, and, in truth, should have run away with the game had it not been for a number of smart saves and squanderd chances.

Once again, though, it was the performance of Caicedo that typified a superb derby display from Maresca’s side, with the midfielder showing great tenacity to win the ball back twice before setting up Pedro for the game’s winning goal.

And the Ecuadorian international continued in that vein throughout the game, delivering an all-action display with and without the ball to dirve his side on to a deserved victory.

After a slow start to his life at Stamford Bridge, Caicedo is now more than justifying the £115million fee that Chelsea forked out to sign him from Brighton in August 2023.

And speaking after his latest man-of-the-match display, Maresca belives that only Manchester City’s Rodri can hold a candle to Caicedo when it comes to his current levels of performance.

‘He is top. In this moment, I think him with Rodri, they are the two best defensive midfielders probably in the world,’ Maresca told Sky Sports when asked about Caicedo at full-time.

Speaking in his post-match press conference later, the Chelsea boss added: ‘Moi is showing how good he is. He’s top.

‘I said many times, the best thing for him, for sure we judge him on the pitch, but he’s so humble, such a good guy and is always there to help everyone.

‘Him and Rodri, in this moment they are the best defensive midfielders in the world.’

Former Tottenham and Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp was equally effusive with his praise for the Chelsea star, telling Sky Sports: ‘I’d go as far to say that right now that he is the best of his type in world football.

‘Just absolutely phenomenal the way that he covers ground, his desire, his quality on the ball, putting out fires for his team and chasing lost causes, strength on the ball, always making the right pass.

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‘I just thought he was magnificent today and he’s a dream. When you are playing as a defender and you have someone like that just hoovering up in front of you and then having quality like that [in the final third], it’s just a dream.

‘He took a little while to settle but now I’m thinking he’s one of the best. They’ve had Kante, Makelele, some of the best defensive midfielders at that club over the years.

‘At 23, he’s absolutely magnificent and if you’re going to go anywhere, if you are going to win competitions, you need these types of players.’

Chelsea return to action in midweek as they travel to face Qarabag in the Champions League.

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