The Spurs Web

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes that a full sale of Tottenham Hotspur is unlikely in the near future and offers his opinion on whether Daniel Levy will relinquish power.

Talks being held over minority investment

It has been widely reported over the last few months that talks are taking place between Amanda Staveley, who is backed by a group of investors from the Middle East, and Levy regarding a minority takeover of Spurs.

It has been claimed that Staveley has raised £500m to buy a 25 per cent stake in the North London club (Football Insider).

Some Spurs fans will be hoping that such an investment is a precursor to a full sale of Tottenham, but Maguire is not so that will be the case.

Kieran Maguire explains Daniel Levy’s plans

Maguire believes that Levy will not give up his position as Spurs chairman anytime soon. The finance expert suggests that the 62-year-old will want to cement his legacy and predicts that he will not walk away from the club until they win a trophy or two.

Maguire told TBR Football: “Levy is in no hurry to move on. He is an immovable object and he is a Spurs fan. He wants validation for his project and that will only come when Spurs win a trophy or two.

“It could be a very long wait before he is ready to sell. That said, I think they have a fair chance of the Europa League this year.”

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Spurs in favour of proposed financial restrictions

Maguire also discussed Tottenham’s stance on the Premier League’s proposal of capping clubs’ expenditure wages, transfer and agent fees to 85 per cent of revenue next season.

Further, the body are also working on an ‘anchoring system’ that will tie their spending to a four or five times multiple of the bottom-placed club’s TV revenue.

That proposal has been challenged by the PFA as being a de-facto salary cap, but Maguire believes that Tottenham will lend their support to the Premier League’s proposals.

He remarked: “Spurs will be perfectly happy with the anchoring system. On a five-time multiple, Spurs could spend an extra £198m before they would be in breach.

“This is very much aimed at Man City because they derive almost 50 per cent of their income from commercial. This is a backdoor attempt to remove a significant financial advantage that Man City have over Spurs and their other rivals.

“Also, it is probably an attempt to put a spoke in Newcastle’s wheel too. Spurs have lots of headroom which gives them lots of flexibility. They can take advantage of opportunities when they arise.

“They wouldn’t be among the clubs in a fire sale situation as we saw in the summer of 2024. Spurs weren’t in that situation under the existing rules despite the fact that they have made losses in recent years.”

Jamie Donley is facing a rather unenviable situation at Leyton Orient, with the rules forcing the League One side to leave him out of the matchday squad.

Jamie Donley has not had the expected impact

Donley is thought of as one of the best young talents currently in the Tottenham academy, with the youngster being one of the standout players across Premier League 2 last season.

However, he has not managed to hit the ground running so far at Orient, having started less than half of their league games so far this season and still yet to produce a goal or assist for his new club (Transfermarkt).

The 19-year-old is now having to cope with another big challenge as he tries to force himself back into the plans of manager Richie Wellens.

EFL rules working against Donley

Donley has failed to even make the matchday squad for the O’s last two games against Wycombe and Rotherham.

Football.London have now explained why that is the case, revealing that the League One club are currently over the limit for the number of loan players allowed.

Orient currently have six players on loan while the EFL only allows five to be named in the matchday squad, and Donley has been the unlucky one to miss out as a result.

Tottenham will be reconsidering decision

Given Orient’s issues with loan players, Spurs will be seriously considering recalling Donley in January and loaning him to another EFL club for the second half of the season.

The Lilywhites have a good relationship with the O’s, and one would thus expect the two clubs to be in regular contact over the attacking midfielder’s situation.

Retirement has posed no obstacle to former Chelsea player, Didier Drogba, in maintaining a bitterness towards Tottenham Hotspur. Even when complimenting current Spurs captain Heung-min Son, Drogba cannot resist getting in a jibe.

Drogba was a thorn in Spurs’ side

Tottenham fans are unlikely to look back on Didier Drogba’s playing career too fondly. He was an ever-present feature within Chelsea FC’s most successful period as a club from 2004 to 2015, where Chelsea finished above Tottenham in 10 out of those 11 Premier League seasons.

During that decade, out of the 19 times Drogba faced Tottenham Hotspur, he was on the losing side on only four occasions. One of those was Tottenham’s memorable win in the final of the League Cup, but more often than not, Drogba was a thorn in Tottenham’s side.

It seems even since his retirement in 2018, Drogba is unable to let the rivalry go. When talking about Tottenham’s current players, he is unable to resist the urge to mock the club and remain neutral.

‘Son’s only problem…’

In a recent interview for EA FC, Didier Drogba was sat alongside other retired footballing legends Alessandro Del Piero and Kaká. There was a discussion around the Spurs captain, where Kaká praised the Tottenham winger for his ability and noticeably lauded Heung-min Son for staying “at a big club like Tottenham”.

This line prompted a visceral facial reaction from Drogba, who, when given the opportunity to comment said: “I think the only problem with him [Heung-min Son] is he’s playing for Tottenham”.

He continued: “But apart from that, he’s a great player, he’s become a great leader for the national team and Tottenham.

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“It’s good to see him play the way he does because he’s so genuine, like the way he carries himself on the pitch – I like it.”

This statement garnered laughter from Del Piero and Kaká, who had just complimented the club. The reaction is indicative that this kind of jibe is fundamentally light-hearted and a regular occurrence amongst fans of rival teams.

Why would Drogba think any differently?

Didier Drogba is of course likely to hold the opinion that Tottenham are incomparable to his former side. He arrived in the Premier League at the start of the Abramovich era when the former Chelsea owner began to use his controversial personal wealth to dominate English football.

The former striker is likely very proud of his on-field accomplishments. Playing a part in taking Chelsea a long way down the road from winning a total of 13 trophies in the first 100 years of their existence (before Abramovich), through to today where they have increased that total to 34.

The history of English clubs is unlikely to hold much relevance when discussing the stature of clubs, as they can only be judged in the here and now. Chelsea are currently sitting comfortably above Tottenham in the Premier League table and are flowing under Enzo Maresca.

The necessity to look backwards may only come when the Premier League concludes their investigation into how exactly Abramovich funded their success over the last two decades, and judge whether they adhered to the rules of Financial Fair Play.

Son is a generational talent who could have played for any club in Europe over the last few years. If Chelsea had perhaps chosen to swoop in while he was at Bayer Leverkusen and offer wages few other clubs could even consider matching, in a similar manner to their approach with Eden Hazard and Willian, then maybe Son could have shared in some of Chelsea’s well-earned club success instead.

Alan Smith points out one potential reason why the Micky van de Ven injury might not be as serious as some people fear.

Spurs fans’ heart sank when Micky van de Ven came off

Van de Ven came off clutching his hamstring in the first half of Tottenham’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win on Wednesday. The centre-back only lasted 14 minutes on the pitch.

Everyone associated with Spurs would have feared the worst when they saw the Dutchman walk off the pitch holding his hamstring, with the player seemingly distraught.

Given the history that the 23-year-old has had with hamstring injuries, there is always a risk that he could be sidelined for a lengthy period.

Alan Smith suggests one reason for optimism

However, Smith believes that the injury might not be as serious as the player or the Tottenham medical staff might have initially feared.

The former Arsenal man pointed out that Van de Ven came back out to sit on the bench in the second half, suggesting that he might have not done so if it had been a major injury.

While commentating on the game, Smith said on Sky Sports main event (30/10/24 at 20:56) about the centre-back: “He’s come back out on a chilly night… must be a good sign.”

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Typically, the medial team would want to work on any serious injury, and would at least want to keep the muscles warm. The fact that Van de Ven came back out to sit on the bench could be seen as a positive sign that it isn’t a muscle tear or serious issue.

Ange Postecoglou faces a nervous wait

Ange Postecoglou and everyone associated with Tottenham will be extremely nervous as they wait for the results of Van de Ven’s scan.

With the former Wolfsburg man’s recovery pace being a crucial component of the high line that Spurs play, it would be a substantial blow for the Lilywhites if the defender is ruled out for a couple of months.

Guglielmo Vicario has confessed that Tottenham Hotspur have to improve one part of their game significantly if they are to become more consistent.

Deflating loss against Crystal Palace

The 1-0 defeat to Palace has been particularly deflating for everyone associated with Spurs, due to the nature of the loss.

Prior to Sunday, Tottenham have had spells of complete dominance in almost all of the games that they have lost this season, but that was not the case at Selhurst Park, with the away side struggling to impose themselves on the game and fashion opportunities.

The fact that they struggled against a side that was winless leading up to the game would be particularly concerning for Ange Postecoglou.

Guglielmo Vicario identifies problem

Vicario put the defeat squarely down to Tottenham’s inability to match their opponents in terms of attitude and fight.

The Spurs number one insisted that unless the North London side improve that aspect of their game, it will be hard for them to be consistent in the Premier League.

When asked about the fact that Palace managed to make the game into a scrap, the Italian said (via the club’s official website): “Yes, of course, they really wanted it, but we have to know that when we come to play away from home in the Premier League, every team has a little more to show in front of their fans in terms of attitude, in terms of power, in terms of taking care of things, and today they showed that, and we showed less than them.

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“So, for us as a team, we have to improve this aspect, because to win a game of football is not just about playing good football, it’s also about this kind of stuff, and we have to change this… how can I say? This mountain… of results, up and down, up and down. We have to be more stable in our results because we have the quality, but the quality sometimes is not enough.”

Tottenham’s issues away from home

It certainly did not look like Tottenham have solved their issues away from home, which was the main reason why the club missed out on Champions League qualification last season.

One of the greatest players to ever play the game, Kaka, admits that he is part of the Heung-min Son fan club. He even paid a nice compliment to Tottenham too!

Heung-min Son is universally adored

Son is one of the very few footballers who is liked by everyone in and around the game and even by many opposition fans, which is rare in the modern-day game, given the extremely tribal nature of online fandom.

That is not just a testament to how good the South Korean is, but also his personality, with the 32-year-old always tending to play with a smile on his face.

Kaka expresses admiration for Heung-min Son

That is exactly the reason Kaka has given for his love for the Tottenham man, admitting that the forward looks like he loves playing the game.

The AC Milan legend pointed out that it is never easy for a player to play for a top club like Spurs for such a lengthy period.

Kaka told EA Sports FC Korea about Son: “I love him, because of his technique. I’ve never met him but it seems like he is a nice guy, he seems happy, he’s enjoying being on the pitch and has a great relationship with the supporters.”

“When you have the opportunity to be at a big club like Tottenham for many years, that is something really special. It’s not easy to be on the same team for a long period and keep doing good. So I love him.”

Tottenham have missed Heung-min Son

Spurs have been without Sonny for the last few matches and it has shown on that left-hand side. Whether it has been Timo Werner, Wilson Odobert, or Mikey Moore filling in for the Spurs captain, Ange Postecoglou has missed the leadership and consistency of his captain.

Dejan Kulusevski was once again the best player on the pitch for Tottenham, and the statistics behind his man-of-the-match display against Manchester City prove just how good he was on the night.

Kulusevski runs the show against City

The Swedish star continued his impressive run of form with another standout performance for Spurs in the 2-1 win over City in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Kulusevski showed clever movement, electric pace, and incredible vision to assist Timo Werner and get the game started early on.

He then laid the ball off perfectly for Pape Matar Sarr to rifle home Tottenham’s second goal against City.

Despite City’s best efforts to get back on level terms, Ange Postecoglou‘s men held firm and sealed the win, and Kulusevski has come out of the game smelling of roses once more after a high-energy, all-action display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Statistics behind Kulusevski’s performance

As per data from FotMob, Kulusevski was the best player on the pitch, picking up an overall rating of 8.5 out of 10 to make him the man of the match.

The 24-year-old was successful with 84% of his passes on the night, completing 16 of 19 attempts. He created four chances overall, and massively outperformed his combined xG and xA of 0.32.

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Kulusevski got one shot on target, but did also miss one big chance, too, albeit down to a great save from City keeper Stefan Ortega. He had 30 touches of the ball throughout the 90 minutes, four of which were in the City box.

The winger completed six passes into the final third, and reached his target with his one cross in the game. He was unsuccessful with his one long-range pass, though.

Kulusevski is thriving

Clearly, Kulusevski is a confidence player, and you can tell the momentum he has got right now is absolutely feeding his performances on the pitch. He’s really taken his game to the next level this season, and long may it continue.

He may have seen his team bring Manchester City’s unbeaten run to an end with a win in the Carabao Cup fourth round, but Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou suggests his side still have a long way to go in terms of their growth and the project he is building.

City win doesn’t change anything

We are now 16 months into Ange Postecoglou‘s tenure as Tottenham boss, and though some results have been disappointing from time to time, it has to be said the team has made significant progress in the right direction overall.

Discussing that evolution and the progress his team has made (via Football.London), Postecoglou suggested the win against City is important, but does not change his approach to man management.

He said: “I continue to see growth in this group of players and this team. I want them to have these moments because I know how important it is to accelerate the growth of what we’re doing.

“But for me, personally, nothing really changes. It’s about trying to continually push this group to become the team we want to be.”

Postecoglou predicts more setbacks

Tottenham have struggled for consistency this season and last, but Ange Postecoglou admits this is part and parcel of the process the club is in right now, and that we should expect more negative moments to go with the good, too.

“I’m not going to go for big steps forward or big steps back. We’re the same team we were three days ago. We’re a side that’s growing, we’re developing,” he added. “I’ve seen progress, I’ll continue to see progress, but we’re going to have stumbles along the way. In the same way, we don’t lose our nerve after having a poor one on the weekend. Tonight doesn’t mean that we need to change our approach.”

Everyone stay calm

When we win and when we lose, I think it’s really important for the fanbase to just remain calm and composed and take each game as it comes. A win like the one against City is definitely worth celebrating, and it’s a really good signal of progress, but at the same time, we can’t then turn on the team when they slip up now and again.

We are not even two years into a substantial rebuild here, and we all need to remain patient. But, the whole process has been more positive than negative overall, for sure.

Tottenham Hotspur are through to the EFL Cup quarter-finals after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Let’s take a look at our match report from that Tottenham Carabao Cup win.

Spurs raced to an early lead through Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr, before City managed to pull one back via Nunes just before halftime. Despite City’s dominant possession and attempts, Ange Postecoglou’s side held on to secure a memorable victory.

Carabao Cup Match Report: Tottenham 2-1 Man City

Tottenham started with intensity, establishing a two-goal advantage within the opening 30 minutes. Timo Werner opened his account for the season just five minutes into the match, seizing on a well-placed cross from Dejan Kulusevski to beat City keeper Ortega. This marked Werner’s first goal in all competitions since May 2024, showcasing a revived touch in front of goal that aided to his much-needed confidence.

Spurs doubled their lead in the 25th minute with a spectacular long-range effort from Pape Matar Sarr. Kulusevski, once again involved, played a short corner with Werner before setting up Sarr, who struck precisely from 30 yards to beat Ortega at the near post. By the half-hour mark, Kulusevski had already recorded two assists and four chances created, showing his influence on the game.

Despite City’s efforts, they only managed one shot on target out of seven attempts in the first half, entering the break 2-1 down.

Holding Firm in the Second Half

The second half saw Manchester City continue to press, but Tottenham’s defensive organisation and discipline kept them at bay. Kulusevski was a standout performer, creating opportunities for his teammates and contributing defensively. City enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, controlling over two-thirds of the ball, but their finishing let them down as they failed to convert chances.

Werner came close to extending Tottenham’s lead after a swift break, only to see his shot graze the woodwork.

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Bissouma played a crucial role late in the game, clearing a dangerous chance off the line to deny City’s O’Reilly. Despite City’s 1.42 xG compared to Spurs’ 0.88, it was the home side who managed to hold on for the win.

Quarter-Final Spot Secured

Ange Postecoglou’s side showed resilience and determination, keeping their quest for EFL Cup success alive and sealing City’s first loss since the FA Cup final against Manchester United in all competitions. Kulusevski’s creative play was crucial to the victory, silencing critics after a challenging game against Crystal Palace.

Tottenham now prepare to face Manchester United in the next round—a team that marked their last EFL Cup victory in 2008. More details on this exciting tie will follow.

Tottenham Hotspur made it through to the next round of the Carabao Cup with a win over Manchester City tonight, but at what cost? Ange Postecoglou has spoken after the game about injury concerns as Micky Van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Timo Werner came off early.

Spurs scrape through against City

If the tie between Spurs and Man City was tough to call before the game, it was even more difficult to predict which way it would go as the game went on.

Tottenham took a surprise lead through a long-awaited Timo Werner goal, and then doubled their lead thanks to a wonder goal from Pape Matar Sarr after a well-worked corner.

Despite their first-half dominance, Spurs were pegged back by a Matheus Nunes goal just before the break. However, neither side could find another goal, and Tottenham progress to the next round.

The only problem is, throughout the game, we saw Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Timo Werner all leave the field with suspected injuries.

Postecoglou offers injury update on Micky Van de Ven

Speaking to the press after the game (via Football.London) Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was asked about any potential injury to his Tottenham players – Micky Van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Timo Werner.

He said: “Micky felt something in his hamstring. I haven’t got the full update on him but he definitely felt something and we’ll see how he is.

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“Cuti was a bit tired. I contemplated changing him at half-time but after losing Micky as well I didn’t want to lose another centre-half. He said he felt ok but my gut was telling me there’s no point taking a risk as we had Ben Davies who could come on.

“Timo hasn’t played a lot so I felt it was more fatigue hopefully than anything else.”

Romero and Micky Van de Ven are so important to Tottenham

We have everything crossed that Micky van de Ven is not seriously injured, as he is absolutely crucial to our style of play. Romero didn’t particularly seem to be injured, but it was an odd time to replace him if not. Hopefully, none of these issues are lasting, and we can maintain a fairly small injury list moving into the weekend. Micky Van de Ven and Romero being unavailable would be a disaster for Tottenham, injury or no injury.