The Spurs Web

Tottenham Hotspur are preparing to bolster their injury-struck squad when the transfer window opens in January.

Injuries mean Spurs need reinforcements in key areas

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered among the most injuries of all Premier League clubs, and have also lost several players in really key areas.

For the second season in a row, Spurs lost Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero at the same time. Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin have put in some heroic performances in their absence, but it has left Tottenham’s depth at centre-back very thin.

Wilson Odobert and Richarlison are both set for long-term absences, exacerbated by Mikey Moore struggling to find fitness after catching a virus. This has left Tottenham with only four senior players to cover three of the attacking positions.

Tottenham are regularly scouting La Liga talent ahead of January

According to GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham have been scouting Real Valladolid winger, Raul Moro.

Moro is a 21-year-old both-sided winger, who is putting up successful take-on numbers comparable with leading La Liga players, despite Real Valladolid being bottom of the league.

Valladolid reportedly would want in the region of £9million, but Spurs will have to contend with Liverpool who are additionally monitoring the young winger.

Right-sided forward is essential and Spurs need someone who can contribute now

Raul Moro is an exciting talent who fits the profile of player Tottenham have started to target. However, he is another winger who tends to play more comfortably on the left.

Dejan Kulusevski has heaped praise on a Spurs player who has never started a competitive match for the club.

Brandon Austin’s uneventful time at Spurs

With Guglielmo Vicario picking up an ankle injury in Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Manchester City, Fraser Forster looks set to start in goal for Spurs for the next few months, until the 28-year-old recovers, as Ange Postecoglou is unlikely to sign a replacement in January.

But Spurs do have other options in the form of academy graduates, Alfie Whiteman and Brandon Austin, both of whom have never made a Premier League appearance for the club.

However, Austin has made 79 appearances for various Spurs youth teams and was named in the first-team squad 17 times last season, as well as being handed a contract keeping him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until 2029.

Dejan Kulusevski gives Austin his vote of confidence at Spurs

Dejan Kulusevski has become an important voice in the Tottenham dressing room, with the Swedish international recently calling on his teammates to be a champion every day and he has had his say on Tottenham’s goalkeeper situation.

While Kulusevski has given his backing to Forster, he has also named Austin as a player that Spurs can rely on.

Speaking in an interview after Tottenham’s draw with Roma, he said: “He’s really good and he made some big saves today [Thursday]. It’s great to have him and I think he’s ready to play,” Kulusevski said about Forster.

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“And I also feel confident that we have Brandon Austin, who’s a very good goalkeeper.

“We miss Vicario because he’s a fantastic guy, but now it is time for Fraser to step up and help the team.”

It would be good to see Austin given an opportunity

To be named a very good goalkeeper by Kulusevski is high praise indeed and should fill Austin with confidence, but the 25-year-old cannot show his quality if he is not on the pitch.

Representing the national sides of both the United States and England at youth level, Austin has shown promise from a young age and he looked competent when he featured for Spurs in pre-season. The fact that Kulusevski has mentioned him without being prompted shows that he could be a player who deserves his chance.

The draw for the third round of the FA Cup has just taken place and Tottenham Hotspur have learned who they will face in the competition.

The FA Cup third round saw the 44 clubs from the Premier League and Championship teams enter the competition, including Tottenham who were allocated ball number 40.

The draw which was held live on BBC 1 at Old Trafford, the home of the current holders was conducted by Mark Hughes and Dion Dublin.

Tottenham have won the FA Cup on eight occasions in the past, however, it has certainly been a long time since the club last got their hands on the trophy, with success coming back in 1991 following a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest at Wembley.

Who will Tottenham play in the FA Cup third round

The third round draw will see Spurs play Tamworth with the tie being held away from home.

When will FA Cup third-round ties be played?

The third round fixtures will be played over the weekend that includes Saturday, 11 January and a firm date will be confirmed once television broadcast selections have been made.

Will Tottenham win a trophy this season?

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou said back in September following a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal in an interview: “I’ll correct myself – I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year. Nothing’s changed.

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“I’ve said it now. I don’t say things unless I believe them.”

Fans of Spurs will be hoping that Postecoglou’s prediction comes true with the club struggling to show consistency with their results following Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Fulham, which halted the momentum of the win at Manchester City.

One Eredivisie starlet wanted by Tottenham Hotspur has a release clause in his contract which will become active at the end of this season.

Malik Tillman‘s performances at PSV Eindhoven this season have shot him to the limelight, with the attacking midfielder having scored eight goals and provided four assists so far.

It emerged a few days ago that both Tottenham and Aston Villa are eyeing a move for the 22-year-old in January.

It was explained that both Spurs and the Villans had been tracking the USA international’s development since his loan spell at Rangers back in 2022-23.

Malik Tillman has a release clause in his contract

Sky Germany reporter Kerry Hau has now also named Villa and Spurs as contenders for Tillman’s signature but he also states that Manchester United are keeping an eye on the youngster.

Hau reveals that Tillman’s goal is to move to the Premier League but a transfer in the January window is deemed ‘unlikely’.

Further, the journalist adds that the midfielder’s contract at Philips Stadion has a release clause of around €30m-€40m (£24.9m-£33.2m), but that will only become active next summer.

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Bayern have a buy-back clause for Tillman

Hau also reveals that Bayern Munich have a buy-back option on the American as well as the right to match any offer that PSV accept for the player.

However, it is explained that the Bundesliga giants do not intend to activate the option at the moment.

It will be interesting to see if they change their mind if Tillman continues shining in the Netherlands and his value keeps rising.

Tottenham Hotspur are in a particularly strong financial footing when compared to their rivals as the Premier League announced a big increase in broadcast revenue.

TV income set to soar for Premier League clubs

With the Premier League entering a new streaming era, the competition is set to make a big leap in its earnings from broadcast rights.

The Premier League revealed after its quarterly shareholder meeting last week that its TV rights will rise by 17 per cent to £12.25bn over the next cycle (The Guardian).

That means that all the clubs, including Spurs, are set to see their income from media rights go up substantially.

Tottenham are in a uniquely strong position

TBR Football point out that Tottenham are not as reliant on media income as many of their rivals, with only £208m of the club’s £550m revenue coming from media sources in the 2022-23 season.

That means that only 37.1 per cent of Spurs‘ revenue comes from media rights, with 21.5 per cent of their income coming from matchday earnings while the remaining 41.5 per cent of their income comes from commercial sources.

According to the outlet, Spurs are tied with Liverpool as the club who are the least reliant on media earnings as a proportion of their total revenue.

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Matchday income is the real game-changer for Spurs

The media income will be roughly the same for all sides, although there would be differences based on European qualification.

On the commercial side, there is room for Tottenham to improve but the Lilywhites are likely not in a position to compete with the likes of Man Utd and Liverpool, who have a bigger global appeal.

However, where Spurs stand above the rest is in terms of matchday income, with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium being a huge cash cow for the club given the income it generates.

With the venue holding an increasing number of non-football events each year, there is huge potential for growth in this category, which is why Tottenham will be extremely attractive to potential investors.

Alasdair Gold has a promising update on Micky van de Ven but the journalist pointed out that Tottenham are not rushing the centre-back’s rehabilitation.

Micky van de Ven has been sidelined for more than a month

Van de Ven has been out of action since picking up a hamstring injury in Tottenham‘s Carabao Cup win over Manchester City at the end of October.

He has been joined on the treatment table by his fellow centre-back, Cristian Romero, but Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies have given a decent account of themselves in the pair’s absence.

However, there is no doubt that Ange Postecoglou will be desperate to have the Dutchman back as soon as possible, with his pace allowing Tottenham to press the opposition higher up the pitch.

Alasdair Gold provides an update on Van de Ven

Following Tottenham‘s draw against Fulham on Sunday, Postecoglou provided some bad news on the former Wolfsburg man, stating that he is yet to join the team for training.

However, Gold now reveals that the centre-back has been doing some work outdoors and in the Hotspur Way gym over recent days as he steps up his recovery.

The journalist said on his YouTube channel: “Micky van de Ven is on the road back. He’s doing some work outdoors. I saw him in the gym when I was watching open training on Wednesday at Hotspur Way.

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“Mikey Moore was in there and Van de Ven was in there doing some work as well. They’re going to be really cautious with both of them.”

Tottenham are right not to rush Van de Ven back

Given Van de Ven’s importance to the Spurs side and his history with hamstring problems, one can understand why the club want to take things slow with him and ensure he has all the time he needs to return to 100 per cent.

Tottenham were unable to hold on to their one-goal lead and ended with only a single point against Fulham.

Spurs didn’t have the energy or players to get the job done

There was hope that Tottenham Hotspur could carry on after their successful 4-0 win against Manchester City in the Premier League with a further three points when they hosted Fulham on Sunday.

These aspirations were dented before the match even kicked off after Dominic Solanke arrived at the stadium feeling unwell and was subsequently sent home.

It was a game where Spurs were unable to get going and as the match wore on, Tottenham didn’t have the depth on their bench to call upon so to swing the match in their favour, even after Fulham were reduced to 10 men.

Ange Postecoglou feels the team’s circumstance is not being fully appreciated

After the match, Ange Postecoglou was asked about the home fans jeering at the full-time whistle and whether it related to his previous comments about people not understanding what the team are dealing with.

Postecoglou told Football.London) “Oh I didn’t hear that. So if that’s the case, no, I’m not talking about the supporters. I’m just saying, you know, I’ve had already probably three questions on the Man City game and why can’t we repeat that?

“And like I said, I think if you can’t see that even in seven days, we’ve copped a couple of significant blows since then I think, you know, it’s too easy to say, well, let’s just play like we did against Man City every game. And it somehow again, seems with this club that whatever it is that we do well is then used as a millstone to bring us down at every other opportunity.

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“And I guess from my perspective, as I keep saying, it’s really important that we don’t react to any of that and just stay focused, because I just sometimes feel like, especially the players we’ve got at the moment, they’re just really working really hard for this football club to try and progress as to where we want to be.

“We’re in good shape, we’re still in good shape, we’re still in a decent position in the league. We’re still in the Carabao Cup, we’re in a decent position in Europe, so it’s about us maintaining our focus on continuing to develop.”

Fan anxiety is derived from team unpredictability

It is easy to sympathise with Postecoglou. The squad depth of his attack has been decimated, but Spurs are still in 7th in the Premier League table as well as 9th in the Europa League and the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

They are still in a strong position to improve on last season, but it feels as if fan sentimentality is tilting towards the negative due to Tottenham’s inconsistent performances. Postecoglou is sensible to take a broader outlook, but fans will always find it more difficult to appreciate the team’s development when results are not going in their favour.

Tottenham fans’ fears will be eased dramatically if the team can secure results against Chelsea, Rangers and Manchester United. However, with so many other games to play as well, getting consistency in results might be more of a long-term goal than just December.

Could Tottenham Hotspur have found their own version of Raheem Sterling? Glenn Hoddle certainly seems to think so, as the former Spurs man has drawn intriguing parallels between Brennan Johnson and the Arsenal winger.

Tottenham’s continued progress under Postecoglou

Under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham have showcased a style of football that combines tactical discipline with an emphasis on attacking flair.

While their recent draw against Roma in the Europa League may have been a setback in terms of their position in the league phase, it also highlighted several positives.

Chief among these was Brennan Johnson’s contribution, as the Welsh international netted a crucial goal, continuing his fine run of form. He then added another in the 1-1 draw against Fulham too.

His manager, though, has not shied away from showing tough love, as evidenced by a fiery exchange on the touchline when he demanded more from Johnson during the match.

However, for all the touchline theatrics, Johnson’s on-pitch performance captured the headlines, particularly after Glenn Hoddle’s recent comments comparing him to a player who once lit up Manchester City and now plies his trade at Arsenal.

Hoddle sees Sterling in Brennan Johnson’s play

It is not every day that a young forward earns comparisons to a seasoned international, but Glenn Hoddle, speaking on TNT Sports, believes Brennan Johnson’s recent performances for Spurs mirror Raheem Sterling’s prime years at Manchester City.

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He said: “I have got a player who started doing that at Man City and started scoring loads of goals from those type of positions. Sterling,” said Hoddle.

“Sterling started to do that and everyone thought he’s a goalscorer now, and it wasn’t outside the box, it was all in between that six-yard box and the penalty spot and that is what Johnson is doing for Tottenham.”

These comments came after the Welsh man’s goal against Roma, which was yet another demonstration of his ability to capitalise on opportunities in the final third.

Can Johnson become Tottenham’s main man?

The 23-year-old did not feature in the starting lineup against Manchester City over the weekend but made his mark as a substitute.

When given the nod on Thursday, Johnson proved his worth by scoring in the first half, showcasing a sharpness in front of goal that has drawn such high praise.

While Sterling’s best days may now be behind him, the Arsenal man’s record during his time at City set a high benchmark for any aspiring attacker.

With Hoddle’s endorsement and Postecoglou’s tactical nous, Johnson has all the tools at his disposal. Whether he can fully live up to the comparisons with Sterling remains to be seen, but the signs are promising, and Spurs fans will hope he can be the attacking talisman they have been craving.

A full-back’s father has now directly addressed the speculation linking his son with a move to Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window.

Is 21-year-old left-back in Tottenham’s sights?

Tottenham may enter the market for a left-back to compete with Destiny Udogie in January, with Djed Spence and Archie Gray currently being used as the Italian’s backup.

One man who might be of interest to the Lilywhites is Mario Mitaj, who joined Al-Ittihad on loan with an option to buy from Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow over the summer.

The 21-year-old, who can also play as a midfielder, has been impressive since his move to Saudi Arabia, which has led to rumours of a swift return to Europe.

Mario Mitaj’s father addresses speculation

However, the left-back’s father has now brushed away the suggestions that his son might be headed to Tottenham or Newcastle United in January.

He insisted that the defender is focused on doing well for the Saudi Pro League side at the moment.

The Albanian international’s father has said (via Sport24): “It’s too early to talk about my son leaving. There’s nothing official from these clubs [Newcastle and Tottenham].

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“The good thing is that the team Mario is currently playing for [Al-Ittihad] shows that they trust him and give him matches. That’s why we don’t think about anything else, since we have nothing official.”

Mario Mitaj would be a good fit for Spurs

One can understand why Mitaj would be in Tottenham’s sights as a left-back who can play in midfield and would be perfect for the inverted full-back role.

Further, at 21 years old, he is at the perfect age for Spurs‘ project, with Postecoglou potentially having the chance to mould him into the finished product.

Tottenham Hotspur once again followed up an incredible performance against Manchester City with dropped points in the Premier League this weekend, playing out a 1-1 draw at home to Fulham.

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned:

Disjointed and flat from Tottenham

Let’s start by saying that Tottenham were without Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, Mikey Moore, and Wilson Odobert in the starting XI today. The team looked flat, disjointed and fatigued – but at least there is an obvious reason for that. There was so little running off the ball and creating options for one another today. Hopefully, this was because of a lack of options, both in the XI and off the bench. But things won’t get any easier over the next two weeks.

Dominic Solanke was a big miss today

The centre-forward role is so important in this Ange Postecoglou system – even more so for the build-up play than the actual goals. Solanke does so much for Spurs in the press and the build-up, which Son really struggled with today. Every ball into his feet bounced away and the two chances he did get from turnovers, he failed to convert. The simple fact is that Sonny is not the big and strong number 9 Spurs need to thrive in this system, plus we also miss him out wide when he starts down the middle.

Dejan Kulusevski benched?

I have been thinking for a while that both Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro need more of a rest with occasional rotation. However, today was not the day. With Spurs missing so many players, Deki really should have been rested in mid-week instead. And when Solanke was sent home ill at the stadium today, it seems strange that Kulusevski was not the man chosen to take his place in the XI. Rotation is needed but benching your best player was a brave and strange call from Ange.

Fraser Forster, hold your head up high

People have been banging on about how much Spurs will struggle with Forster. Well, he’a played two games this week and been one of Tottenham’s best players in both. In fact, a couple of the stops he made today were so good that there’s no guarantee that even Guglielmo Vicario would have made them. Forster is a master at making himself big and closing down the space.

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