SPORTbible

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting on social media after watching Joao Palhinha make his debut against Bayern Munich.

On Thursday, Spurs took on German Bundesliga champions Bayern at the Allianz Arena as the pair ramped up their pre-season campaign.

New boss Thomas Frank gave a Spurs debut to Palhinha, who recently joined the North London club on loan from Bayern.

In the first half, former Spurs talisman Harry Kane netted with 12 minutes on the clock before missing a penalty as the Bavarians went into the interval with a 1-0 lead.

At the start of the second half, new signing Palhinha was replaced by Lucas Bergvall.

Taking to social media, Spurs fans have been reacting to Palhinha's 45-minute cameo.

One fan said: "There's a high chance now after watching Palhinha that Bissouma remains our best number 6."

Another tweeted: "Can we leave Palhinha in Germany?"

A third fan added: "We needed a playmaker, not Palhinha. And we need a 10."

Someone else wrote: "Palhinha either isn’t ready yet, don’t know why he wouldn’t be… or there is a reason why Bayern let him go."

A fifth commented: "Palhinha hooked at half time and rightfully so, guys been awful."

Another fan said: "Palhinha btw … lemme not say too much yet lol."

With 61 minutes on the clock, French winger Kingsley Coman scored to make it 2-0 to Bayern.

In the end, Vincent Kompany's men came away 4-0 winners with Lennart Karl and Jonah Kusi-Asare also getting on the scoresheet.

Aside from Palhinha, Spurs have also brought in Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso, Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai this summer.

However, they are set to be without talisman James Maddison for the majority of the 25/26 campaign.

The Englishman suffered a serious injury against Newcastle United last week and was stretchered off.

On Thursday, it was confirmed that Maddison had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will require surgery.

A statement from Spurs read: "We can confirm that James Maddison will undergo surgery for a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee. The 28-year-old midfielder suffered the injury during our pre-season friendly against Newcastle United on Sunday in Seoul.

"His surgery will take place in the coming days and, following that, James will then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team.

"Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur wishes James a full and speedy recovery. We will be supporting him every step of the way."

Spurs midfielder James Maddison is expected to miss the majority of the 2025/26 season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in pre-season.

The 28-year-old, who endured an injury-hit campaign last season, was stretchered off in the closing stages of Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle following an innocuous challenge.

Maddison had only just been introduced to the game, but he was soon replaced by South Korean youngster Yang Min-hyeok as the incident overshadowed Son Heung-min's final appearance for Spurs.

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After the full-time whistle, Frank gave a worrying insight into the knee injury. "I think it was brutal what happened to Madders," he said in his post-match interview. "It looks like a bad injury. Of course, we don't know exactly the status of it. It didn't look good."

A few days later and BBC Sport have reported that Maddison is set to have surgery on the ACL injury and will miss the majority of the 2025/26 campaign.

He is set to be out for the next six to seven months, as per Fabrizio Romano, who added: "Tottenham looking at the market again soon."

Spurs release statement on James Maddison injury

After reports emerged regarding Maddison's injury, Spurs confirmed that the player ruptured the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee against Newcastle.

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A statement read: "We can confirm that James Maddison will undergo surgery for a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee. The 28-year-old midfielder suffered the injury during our pre-season friendly against Newcastle United on Sunday in Seoul.

"His surgery will take place in the coming days and, following that, James will then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team."

The club added: "Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur wishes James a full and speedy recovery. We will be supporting him every step of the way."

Spurs looking at potential replacement for James Maddison but decide against signing Harvey Elliott

Maddison's long-term absence will likely force Spurs to move in the summer, with Leicester City's attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss being linked with a switch to the North London club in recent days.

Speaking on YouTube channel Last Word On Spurs, journalist Ben Jacobs gave an insight into Spurs' interest in El Khannouss.

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“Leeds United are the only club in the Premier League that have made a formal inquiry, but West Ham and Tottenham have considered doing so," he said.

"Relatively easy deal to get done. You’ll see some reports out there saying that Leicester want a fee in excess of £25 million. That’s not true to my understanding. Bilal El Khannouss has a relegation release clause which can be triggered for just €26 million.

"So that’s a deal at around £22 million. The player wants a move. He wants to stay in the Premier League."

Tottenham have a decision to make in the final weeks of the summer transfer window after James Maddison was stretchered off during Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle.

The meeting with the Magpies was Son Heung-Min’s final match in a Spurs shirt, but Maddison’s suspected ACL injury in the second half marred the South Korean’s Seoul send off. On the injury, Spurs boss Thomas Frank said: “James Maddison’s injury looks bad. It was a brutal moment. We're pretty sure it was the same knee he injured before.”

The pre-season stalemate marked Maddison’s first appearance since being forced off against Bodoe/Glimt in the Europa League in May with a knee problem.

It comes as Spurs chairman Daniel Levy issued an ultimatum to the newly appointed head coach with the north London side’s season kicking off next week when they face PSG in the Super Cup.

“Whenever you appoint a coach, you always believe it's right. You need a lot of ingredients for it to be right,” Levy told Gary Neville on the Overlap.

“Thomas is a highly intelligent individual, a fantastic way about him in terms of communication. I think he will be great at both developing young players and older players and making them better. He gets the style of football we want to play.

“He understands Rome wasn't built in a day. We haven't said to him that we want to win the Premier League this year.”

When asked when Frank is expected to win the league, Levy replied: “As soon as possible, but no pressure. We just want to compete at the highest level.”

Frank’s quest for domestic and continental silverware becomes that much harder without Maddison, who scored nine times and provided seven assists in the Premier League last season.

The former Leicester man was key in Spurs’ Europa League triumph, netting in the 3-1 home leg win over Bodoe/Glimt in May, but sat out the 1-0 final victory over Manchester United in Bilbao.

Attention now turns to how Spurs replace Maddison, with Dejan Kulusevski also some way off full fitness having required surgery on his patella back in May.

Spurs fans outline who they want to sign

While fans would hope the club can hijack moves for Eberechi Eze or Xavi Simons, the pair on the cusp of respective moves to Arsenal and Chelsea, one X, formerly Twitter, user believes the north London side should raid Manchester City as Spurs look to bring in a new number 10.

“After the James Maddison injury news, this has a move for Jack Grealish on loan written all over it.” Spurs Post posted on X.

“I for one would absolutely take this all day long. #COYS #Grealish”

Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison has spoken out for the first time since suffering a brutal injury setback that led to him being stretchered off the pitch.

On Sunday afternoon, Spurs faced fellow Premier League side Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in South Korea.

Going into the match, much of the focus was on captain Heung-Min Son after the 33-year-old confirmed that it would likely be his last match for the London club ahead of a summer move.

However, what was initially a fairytale ending for Son quickly turned into a nightmare for Spurs as star player Maddison suffered a brutal injury just minutes after coming onto the pitch.

After the match Maddison was seen leaving the stadium in crutches, and now he has finally spoken out for the first time since the injury.

In his post-match press conference, new Spurs manager Thomas Frank called the injury 'a brutal moment' and confirmed that the injury appeared to be on the same knee that ruled Maddison out of the latter part of last season.

And while he is yet to address his injury directly, Maddison has now taken to social media to release a touching tribute to Son in what could be his final Spurs match,

Posting on Instagram, the England international shared a series of videos of him and Son, writing: "10 years ago you arrived here as a kid. Now you leave a legend & one of my best friends.

"You are Tottenham Sonny. Love you always brother."

Despite the fact that Maddison chose not to mention the injury in the post, fans took to the comments to wish him well as he continues his journey back to the pitch.

What could Maddison's injury mean for Tottenham in the transfer window?

The severity of Maddison's fresh injury is yet to be confirmed, but it now appears unlikely that he will available for Spurs 2025/26 Premier League season opener against the newly-promoted Burnley on August 16.

Although Spurs have other options in midfield, including new signing Joao Palhinha who joined on a loan deal from Bayern Munich, it is possible that they may look to the transfer market to replace Maddison, should be out long-term.

Earlier in the window it looked almost certain that Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White would join the Lilywhites, but the Englishman instead decided to pen a new deal with the Midlands club.

Instead, Spurs will have to look elsewhere for a new player to fill the no.10 role, with some fans suggesting that Liverpool's Harvey Elliott could be the perfect fit, amid rumours that his future at Anfield is uncertain.

James Maddison was stretchered off during Spurs' 1-1 draw against Newcastle in pre-season and Thomas Frank has issued an update.

Spurs took the lead in South Korea through Brennan Johnson but the Magpies equalised before half-time with Harvey Barnes getting on the scoresheet.

The fixture was significant as it could be the final appearance for Son Heung-min who announced he would be leaving the club this summer amid interest from Major League Soccer.

In the second-half, Maddison hobbled off the pitch before collapsing in a heap as medics rushed to his aid. He was stretchered off the field as his teammates looked on in horror.

Speaking after the game, Frank claimed the injury was 'bad' and suspects it was on the same knee that kept Maddison out of action at the end of last season.

"We're pretty sure it was the same knee he injured before," Frank said.

"I think sometimes in life and football things can be both beautiful and brutal. That's what we got today. It looks like with Madders a bad injury and then on the other side unbelievable scenes for Son from his team-mates and the respect from the Newcastle players.

"First we had the walkaround and then the team-mates gathered around and he was emotional. In the changing room it was more of the same.

"I just said a few things but not much because it's about Sonny and then he said a few things. It was beautiful."

Maddison was ruled out of the remainder of the Premier League season during Spurs' Europa League first leg win over Bodo/Glimt at the start of May with a knee problem.

Spurs kick off the new season in just ten days in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain and Frank is now left with the prospect of being without a natural no.10 with Dejan Kulusevski also sidelined.

Son is also likely to have left the club before that fixture after announcing his departure on Saturday.

He said: "Before we start the press conference, I wanted to say I have decided to leave the Club this summer. Respectfully the club is helping me with this decision.

"It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. Such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision.

"I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change - 10 years is a long time. I came to north London as a kid, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as a grown man, a very proud man.

"I want to say thank you to all the Spurs fans for giving me so much love. I hope the goodbye is also good timing and this is the right time to make that decision. I hope everyone can accept that and respect that."

Tottenham Hotspur players and fans were left in shock as James Maddison suffered a freak injury that forced him to leave the pitch on a stretcher.

In less than two weeks, Tottenham Hotspur get their 2025/26 Premier League season underway as they welcome the newly-promoted Burnley to London on August 16.

Ahead of that, the Lilywhites have been competing in several club friendlies with fellow English sides including a North London derby against Arsenal.

In their penultimate friendly match before their Super Cup final against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, Spurs drew 1-1 with Newcastle United in the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

However, the match ended in disaster as star player Maddison suffered a freak injury that could mark the end of his season before it even started.

As he returns form a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Maddison has had reduced minutes in Spurs' pre-season to ensure he is fully fit ahead of the new season,

With that in mind, the Englishman was named on the bench for the friendly against Newcastle, but everything went wrong as he suffered what appeared to be an innocuous-looking injury just minuted after coming on.

In the 75th minute, Maddison came on to the pitch to replace teammate Archie Gray and only minutes later, he was forced to stop as he suffered an injury after trying to win the ball.

The 28-year-old appeared to immediately know something was wrong, as he started to hop on one foot before falling to the ground with his hands hands on his head while he called for the team physio.

As Maddison lay on the pitch writhing in pain, the cameras cut to Spurs captain Son, who confirmed pre-match that he would leave the club this summer, who sat on the bench with his hands over his mouth, devastated by the events on pitch.

Eventually, a stretcher was called for Maddison, who was loaded onto it before leaving the pitch still with his hands over his face.

Speaking post-match, new Spurs boss Thomas Frank confirmed that Maddison's injury was to the same knee that kept him out of the latter part of last season.

Italian media have given their verdict on Dele Alli as rumours suggest the former England international is considering retirement from professional football.

Dele burst onto the scene when he joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 for £5m from MK Dons.

The attacking midfielder starred for his first couple of seasons at the North London club, forcing his way into the England set-up and becoming an important player under Gareth Southgate.

However, his influence at Spurs began to wane following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino and he became increasingly a peripheral figure at the club under both Jose Mourinho and subsequently Antonio Conte.

Dele departed Spurs for Everton in January 2022 and he spent a campaign on loan at Turkish side Besiktas, before his contract at Goodison Park expired in the summer of 2024, though he would continue to train with the Toffees to continue his rehabilitation work.

Dele signed for Cesc Fabregas's side Como in January on an 18-month contract with an option for a further year.

The former England international - who has 37 caps for the Three Lions and three goals - has been open about problems he has experienced away from the pitch.

He revealed in 2023 he had been sexually abused as a child and began dealing drugs in his youth, as well as spending time in rehab after his time at Besiktas ended for mental health issues and a sleeping pill addiction.

Dele has only one appearance under his belt for Como which came in mid-March in Serie A against AC Milan, but one which saw him sent off after only nine minutes on the pitch after coming off the bench.

He was dismissed following a challenge on Ruben Loftus-Cheek and VAR opted to upgrade his initial yellow card to a red.

He made the Como matchday squad often during the second half of last season, but until now he has only played for the Italian club once.

It has been widely reported that Dele is considering retirement and La Gazzetta dello Sport has reported that the former Spurs man is part of a group of players training away from the main Como first-team squad.

The piece in the Italian publication reads: "What happened to Dele Alli? Left out of the Como squad, he's considering leaving."

The headline also makes reference to the sending off Dele experienced against AC Milan and outlines Fabregas being critical of him after that, plus the options the Como boss has available to him in that area of the pitch including Martin Baturina, Nico Paz and Lucas Da Cunha.

The report continues: "Dele now trains with a large contingent of Como players who aren't currently on the roster. And he ponders whether the time has truly come to say enough."

Spurs forward Richarlison caught the brunt of a brutal dig from an Arsenal player following Tottenham’s 1-0 win over the Gunners in Hong Kong on Thursday.

Thomas Frank’s side ran out 1-0 winners thanks to Pape Matar Sarr’s first-half wonder strike, which left Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya red-faced.

For Arsenal fans, despite losing to their north London rivals, the result meant very little, and instead, focus was on the new man, Viktor Gyokeres, who joined from Sporting CP for a fee which could reach £73m.

But it was Spurs forward Richarlison who was awarded Man of the Match for his efforts in the Far East.

Shortly after the game, the Brazilian posted a photograph to his Instagram holding his Man of the Match award and to the surprise of many, he tagged Arsenal defender and Brazilian counterpart Gabriel Maghalhaes.

But the Gunners defender had the last laugh and posted a story of three Man of the Match awards from various Premier League fixtures against Tottenham. And of course, he tagged Richarlison.

Gabriel was unavailable to play against Spurs due to a knock, despite playing his part in previous friendlies.

Meanwhile, fellow defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are also nursing injuries.

Arteta issued an update on the defensive trio when asked if they could miss the Gunners’ Premier League opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford on August 17.

"I don't think so. If they evolve like they've been involved in the last few days, so Gabriel Magalhaes, Calafiori and Timber, the three of them will be available," Arteta said.

Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard came off against Spurs.

“He felt a little tweak,” Arteta said on the Belgian’s condition.

"He turned, and he was pushed, and he felt something muscular.”

New signing Kepa Arrizabalaga also missed out.

On the Spanish 'keeper, Arteta added: "Yeah, he felt something as well in the game against Newcastle. I think it's a matter of days probably. If that was the Premier League he could have played but we decided not to take a risk."

Next up, the Gunners will face La Liga outfit Villarreal at the Emirates on August 6 before they take on Athletic Club on August 9.

Spurs went 1-0 up in the North London derby through an incredible halfway line goal from midfielder Pape Matar Sarr.

The two sides met at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong as part of their pre-season tour and it was Spurs who broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time.

David Raya took a high starting position and played the ball into Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was dispossessed in midfield as the ball was picked up by Sarr.

Noticing Raya extremely far out of his goal, the Senegal international proceeded to lob the ball over the Spaniard - demonstrating outrageous technique to open the scoring.

Sarr wheeled away in celebration but there were mild complaints from Arsenal, with Declan Rice appearing to call for a foul in the build-up but seeing his appeals dismissed.

Arsenal players fume at referee after Sarr stunner

According to Jordan Davies of The Sun, Arsenal players remained furious with the decision - with both Lewis-Skelly and captain Martin Odegaard remonstrating with the fourth official as they left the pitch at half-time.

They felt as though Richarlison tripped Lewis-Skelly prior to Sarr's piece of brilliance.

The clash between the North London rivals is the first to take place outside of the United Kingdom and Sarr marked the historic fixture in stunning fashion with a sensational long-range effort.

Arsenal's meeting with Spurs was their third game in Asia after clashes with AC Milan and Newcastle in Singapore, while it was the first match for Thomas Frank's side in the Far East after local friendlesi with Reading, Wycombe and Luton Town.

Spurs, who wore a special kit with bespoke shirt numbers designed by local artists, also have a game with Newcastle in Seoul, South Korea before taking on Bayern Munich in the Audi Cup at the Allianz Arena ahead of the UEFA Super Cup showdown with Paris Saint-Germain on 13 August.

The game represents an opportunity to win another trophy after ending the drought for silverware by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Meanwhile, Arsenal take on La Liga sides Villarreal and Athletic Club at the Emirates before travelling to Old Trafford for their Premier League season opener against United.

Fans can't quite believe what Nottingham Forest posted after Morgan Gibbs-White signed a new contract.

Earlier in the month, Forest star Gibbs-White was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

At the time, it was reported that Spurs had triggered a release clause in the Forest player's contract.

However, it was then claimed that Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was left unimpressed with Spurs' pursuit of his star man.

It was understood that Forest insist they did not given their rivals permission to speak to Gibbs-White and were willing to go to whatever lengths required to stop the transfer from happening.

Clubs are not allowed to talk to players under contract with another team unless they have permission, with a previous ruling setting a precedent.

On Saturday, Forest announced that Gibbs-White had signed a new three-year deal with the club.

Speaking afterwards, Gibbs-White thanked Marinakis and said he is the 'base' of what Forest are trying to achieve.

After a video of the interview was posted on social media, one fan said: "Why he looks like he was forced?"

Another tweeted: "This isnt a great look i’ll be honest, why’s he watching over him as he speaks."

A third fan added: "Surely forest fans can see how odd this whole thing is."

Someone else wrote: "What a truly bizarre situation."

A fifth commented: "Poor guy literally he is standing right next to him. Can’t even look at the camera when he says he is delighted to sign."

What did Evangelos Marinakis say about Morgan Gibbs-White?

Marinakis said: "Morgan is a special player – not just in terms of talent, but character and mentality. He represents everything we want this football club to be: he is a winner, talented, ambitious, fearless, and proud.

“There was significant interest from various clubs, but we were determined to build our future with Morgan at the heart of it. I promised our fans we would not only compete, but grow stronger and stronger every season. Today is another big step in that journey."