Cartilage Free Captain

Tottenham Hotspur and new head coach Thomas Frank are in Seoul preparing to play Newcastle at the World Cup Stadium on Sunday, the final stop in Spurs’ preseason tour.

It may be the last time Tottenham fans see Son Heung-Min play in a Spurs shirt.

Spurs’ club captain and the man who lifted Tottenham’s first trophy in 17 years and won the first European title since 1984, announced that he has asked to leave the club this summer for a new challenge. According to the Athletic, Son made the decision earlier in the summer and communicated his decision to Frank. He publicly announced his decision to leave in front of the media in Seoul, where he became visibly emotional.

Son has been linked for weeks now with a move to LAFC in Major League Soccer, and that appears to be his most likely destination. Numerous reports have confirmed that LAFC and Spurs have been negotiating over Son’s transfer for a little while now, with talks continuing. He also has interest from Saudi Arabia, but Son is said to prefer a move to Los Angeles, where there is a sizable Korean and Korean-American population.

Son’s decision comes just months after he helped Spurs win the Europa League over Manchester United in Bilbao, the culmination of a decade of play at Tottenham. He is one of the club’s longest tenured players — only Ben Davies has been at the club longer — and he will leave Spurs as one of its most popular players in the modern era, and a genuine, bonifide club legend.

In comments to the media, Frank confirmed that Son will start the match against Newcastle in his home country.

Spurs return to London following the match, and it’s likely his future will be confirmed shortly afterwards. It’s sad for all of us, but it’s hard to think of anyone who deserves to determine his own future more than Sonny.

Son’s departure leaves a gaping hole in the side, but also presents an opportunity for Frank to retool the squad in his own image. There’s still plenty of young attacking talent on this Spurs squad including Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel, both of whom can and will play in Son’s position on the left side of the pitch. Meanwhile, Son will likely move to a smaller, slower league where his talents will undoubtedly pop. Signing for LA would also give Spurs fans in the United States an opportunity to watch him play in person when LAFC comes to a city nearby.

It’s a day fans have known would come for a long time, but no one wanted to contemplate. Son is hugely popular, not just with Korean fans but with all segments of the North London faithful. During his decade at Spurs he has gone from a promising young talent signed from Bayer Leverkusen into one of, if not the, best ever Korean player and the captain who finally delivered silverware to Tottenham.

He’s my all-time favorite Tottenham player, and it’s not an especially close thing. I will miss his infectious smile, his play, his delightful demeanor. And if anyone deserves to have a statue in front of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it’s Son Heung-Min.

Cast your mind back to the winter of 2024. Tottenham Hotspur were needing another offensive reinforcement in the January transfer window and were heavily linked with PSG wide forward Randal Kolo Muani. It was a whole thing — RKM looked like the priority option but he ultimately decided to sign on loan with Juventus instead of heading to North London. Spurs went on to sign a younger PSG wide forward with arguably a higher ceiling — Mathys Tel, whom they purchased outright this summer.

Now it’s eight months later and, as predictable as the tides, French journalists are again linking Kolo Muani with Tottenham Hotspur. Here’s Sebastien Vidal.

The difference this time is that it doesn’t appear Spurs are that interested. As stated, Juventus are interested in keeping RKM this summer and making the deal permanent, but they’re locked in negotiations over the transfer fee and Juventus are dragging their feet.

Kolo Muani and Tel basically play in the same position, and while Spurs are reportedly in for one more attacker this summer it doesn’t really make much sense to sign another left winger. My guess is that this rumor is Kolo Muani’s agent or PSG manufacturing a market for his client by linking him back to a club that had interest in the not so recent past. In other words, RKM wants to stay at Juventus and Juventus wants to keep RKM; this is just his agent trying to get Juventus to move their ass.

Buuuuuuuuuuut on the other hand, Spurs have made some moves that I 100% would not have made (o hai Palhinha) and I am not a member of Johan Lange’s staff, nor do I have a listening device surreptitiously placed inside their board room. So I can’t rule out the possibility that Spurs actually are interested in Randal Kolo Muani, or that he’s on a list somewhere.

Betting on Tottenham Hotspur not to be dumb in the transfer market at times feels like a sucker’s bet, but I still don’t think this is anything we should be paying close attention to. You probably shouldn’t either.

Tottenham Hotspur are in Asia, but a few squad members remained in England to try and secure loan opportunities for the upcoming season. One of these was Mikey Moore, whose representatives have moved quickly in securing him a loan to the Scottish Premiership:

This loan to Rangers was reported to be in the works just a few days ago, and in that piece I indicated this could be a good opportunity for Mikey. He’s getting to an age now that regular minutes, rather than necessarily the level of competition (provided it’s against adults), could be the best thing for his development - and this loan should provide that.

He’ll be playing in an attacking, creative side, and he will be forced to up his physical game to withstand the rigors of Scottish football. There’s also that very good chance of him playing in the Champions League!

There’s no sign of the new contract yet that has been floated - rumored to be around three years - but that’s because of limitations around the sorts of deals somebody Mikey’s age is allowed to sign. The thing is, he’s 17 until he’s 18, which is later this month - at which point we can hopefully expect the announcement of a new deal.

Good luck Mikey - all the best this season at Rangers!

Wow, August already?

You know what that means - Tottenham Hotspur football. But for real this time!

We’re only a few weeks out from Tottenham playing meaningful football, which begins against PSG in the UEFA Super Cup on 13 August. For those who need a reminder, Spurs earnt the right to play in the game because they won the Europa League!

We still have two friendlies to get through first though - Newcastle and Bayern. Maybe that’ll give us a better look of what Thomas Frank’s side will look like this season.

And then, after a luxurious three days off from PSG, Spurs will open their 2025-26 Premier League campaign against Scott Parker’s Burnely. It’s not an easy first match of the season, but hopefully the stadium is pretty loud.

And then two big tests: The first at Man City, and the second at Bournemouth.

Here’s a look at the August calendar:

Friendlies: Newcastle (3 August); Bayern Munich (7 August)

Super Cup: PSG (13 August)

Premier League: Burnley (16 August), at Manchester City (23 August), Bournemouth (30 August)

(I haven’t seen the WSL league schedule released yet, so unfortunately we cannot look ahead to the Tottenham Hotspur Women’s squad right now).

Fitzies’ track of the day: Ripple, by the Grateful Dead

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold: “Every word Thomas Frank said on the young Tottenham player who’s impressed him and Solanke injury”

Jay Harris ($$): “Tottenham 1-0 Arsenal: Sarr’s wondergoal, skills from Kudus and what it all means”

BBC: “What we learned as Spurs beat Arsenal in Hong Kong”

I know we’re all still flying after beating Arsenal in a preseason friendly North London Derby in Hong Kong and lifting another trophy (when will it get old hat? Not yet, clearly), so I’m sorry to barge in like the Kool-Aid Man with what might be considered bad news. But according to The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur are currently in negotiations with Bayern Munich over a season long loan for 30-year-old midfield ball-winner Palhinha.

I say “bad news” but this actually represents an improvement over past rumors connecting Spurs with Palhinha who joined Bayern last summer and was so impactful the club is already desperate to get rid of him. Real talk: a loan is better than a purchase. You can cock your head, squint, and make an argument that loaning in an experienced midfielder who is legitimately good at winning the ball playing at the base of midfield is a good thing, even if that ball-winning destroyer can’t pass, dribble, or score. It’s just not a very GOOD argument.

Notably, the Athletic doesn’t mention whether this would be considered a “dry” loan (i.e. no purchase option or obligation) or not. If there’s a purchase option, then whatever — options are, well, optional. An obligation would make me mad, as it would mean we’d be spending real money to bring in a 30+ guy who I frankly don’t think is very good, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

I’m still not thrilled with this rumor and I think it represents a lack of vision and recruitment in the midfield by Johan Lange and his team, especially when we STILL don’t have any good midfield passing in the team. But a one year Palhinha loan wouldn’t make me want to break things at least. That’s pretty thin gruel, but I guess I’ll take it?

Tottenham Hotspur continued a busy preseason in Hong Kong, taking on Arsenal for the first ever preseason North London derby. A fractious and intense match for a supposed friendly, a stout defense and stunning goal from Pape Matar Sarr saw Spurs through to a one goal victory.

Sarr’s goal was impressive; stepping up to pressure a pass out of the back from David Raya, he won possession around the halfway line before coolly slotting the ball over Raya from around 40 yards out. It was a lone moment of magic that made all the difference on the day.

Here’s my top ten talking points from Spurs’ first match on their Asia tour.

Though Frank has played some version of a 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 in each preseason fixture, he has tinkered with the shape and lineup each time; and this match was no different. It was a classic 4-2-3-1 this time, but with Lucas Bergvall at the #10, and with more of the Brentford V2 split center backs, Romero and Van de Ven coming wide to create more passing angles through the middle. Maybe Frank isn’t quite sure of the best setup with this squad yet; or maybe it’s just an opportunity to drill the squad in different build-up patterns.

Hong Kong seems to have a fair few Arsenal fans. There’s no accounting for taste, I guess. It created a hostile atmosphere for Spurs though, with the Kai Tak crowd gasping and cheering every time Arsenal neared the Spurs penalty area. This, combined with the oppressive heat and humidity created something of a cauldron that the Lilywhites stood up to well.

Spurs often struggled to break into the penalty area through the match, lacking a creative presence around the box; however, they made up for that with some dangerous set pieces to create chances. Spurs hit the post more than once and came near to scoring on a small handful of occasions, and set piece routines were to thank, with the Lilywhites always looking a threat from dead ball situations. One chance in particular looked destined to be a goal, with Richarlison unluck to not quite reach the ball before it hit the post and ricocheted back off the Brazilian... but not into the goal.

Pape Matar Sarr struggled at times under Ange Postecoglou, but things are looking like they could be different under Frank. The Senegalese midfielder is more at home in Frank’s midfield structure, which has maximized his ground coverage and smart defensive interventions; plus there’s the fact that Sarr has now scored three of Spurs’ five goals so far this preseason. All of the above were on full display in his wondergoal in the first half, never mind the fact that there may have been a sneaky trip from Richarlison in there.

Early on in the match I was a little concerned that the referee may not be aware of the bad blood between the two clubs. Challenges were flying in right, left, and center, and the referee in general let a lot go that on any other day could have received more than just a whistle. The pace and quality of play, while not quite at the level you would see midway through a season, carried at the very least a modicum of excitement and focus about it that elevated the occasion.

Exploding into form midway through last season, Djed found his success largely playing on the left; however, when he switched back to his more “natural” right side, he seemed to struggle somewhat. This theme has continued in preseason, with Djed looking often unsettled in the matches thus far - but Destiny Udogie’s knee injury gave Spence a chance on the left once more. He was impressive, covering Bukayo Saka well in the first half and also getting forward to support the attack. Maybe he’s just more comfortable on that side?

One tactic we’ve seen more often under Frank than Postecoglou is the switch of play; even by players from whom you wouldn’t expect. Kudus, Sarr, and Odobert were among those outside of Spurs’ more natural passers of the ball who spotted an opportunity and quickly rocketed possession across the pitch - with surprising accuracy.

Mikel Arteta has been in trouble before for coming outside his technical area and encroaching on the pitch. You’d think he’d be more relaxed for a friendly, but no. Pedro Porro was having none of it. With Spurs having a throw in right on top of the Arsenal technical area, Spurs’ right back had no qualms about shoving the Arsenal manager back into his rightful position.

Brennan Johnson has both his supporters and detractors. It’s hard to deny his ability to get into goalscoring positions; but if Spurs aren’t in free flight, he can struggle to impact the match. This was no clearer than in this match, where he barely touched the ball. Frank was reportedly in for Johnson while the Welshman was still at Forest; maybe he can work some magic and help the winger round out his game a bit.

Thomas Frank seemed to take this match very seriously - both a good sign for Spurs’ preparation, and for his understanding of the club. While he could have used this match as an opportunity to blood further young players, he instead started a strong lineup that he pushed to spend as long on the pitch as possible, only making substitutes when players clearly tired or it made tactical sense. Not only did it push his players’ fitness, it also ensured Spurs got one over on Arsenal - a great morale boost heading into the season.

Screw it, we’re gonna win the league.

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Tottenham Hotspur Match Threads

Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur: game time, open thread, and how to watch friendly online

A preseason North London Derby? In THIS economy?

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Tottenham Hotspur are in Hong Kong for the next match of their preseason campaign: a (frankly quite odd) “friendly” against rivals Arsenal.

Here’s your open thread to jump in and chat.

COYS!

Lineups

How to Watch

Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur (friendly)

Kai Tak Sports Park, Kowloon City, Hong Kong

Thursday, July 31, 2025

Time: 7:30 a.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. UK:

Not televised in USA or UK. Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: SPURSPLAY, Amazon Prime US, CBS Sports Golazo, Paramount+

Match thread rules

The match thread rules are the same as always. To any visitors coming here for the first time, welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Wipe your feet, mind the gap, and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site. While you’re here, though, we have a few rules and regulations:

Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They’re bad and they get us in trouble. Violators will be warned or banned.

We have rules against “relentless negativity.” Nobody likes a Negative Nancy. Don’t knee-jerk and post outlandish or hurtful things just because you’re frustrated.

Along those lines, outright abuse of players or match officials is also not allowed. It’s fine to say “wow, that was a really bad call,” but it’s NOT okay to direct copious amounts of abuse in the direction of said official over a call you did not like.

Treat other people in the match thread the way you would want someone else to treat your grandmother. Be nice. This is a community of fans, not an un-moderated message board.

NO SPIDERS!

Finally, while we don’t have a rule against profanity, please try and keep the naughty words in check. Also, language that is sexist, racist, transphobic, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you will be immediately banned. This is an open, supportive community.

Have fun, and COYS!

Can you believe it? The EFL Championship kicks off in just over a week. And we at hoddle headquarters are seriously excited this year because Tottenham Hotspur Boy Ryan Mason will be on the touchline for West Brom.

The notable news on the managerial front from this month, though, was Marti Cifuentes making the switch from QPR to Leicester City. It’s certainly a loss for the London club, but I think they should still be right about midtable.

Other than that, attention turns towards the transfers. Birmingham made a few big signings with Demarai Gray (Al-Ettifaq), Kyogo Furuhashi (Rennes) and Kanya Fujimoto (Gil Vicente) as the Blues return to the second tier. From what I’m seeing out there, a fair amount of people are backing them to finish right around the playoffs or, at the worst, top 12.

WBA brought in some reinforcements for Mason including forward Aune Heggebo (Brann) for a 4.75m fee, Nat Phillips from Liverpool and centreback George Campbell from Montreal.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday’and Hull City’s futures are both in peril and both facing transfer embargoes.

One big loss for Wednesday was forward Josh Windass, who left the club for Wrexham on a free transfer. And manager Dani Rohl has also left the club by mutual consent.

Hoddle Headquarters are still going to be monitoring the transfer wires in the EFL Championship before releasing our predictions this year, so stay tuned.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Magic of Meghan, by Dry Cleaning

And nwo for your links:

Welcome to another edition of Fitzie’s Fitzie’s Film and TV reviews, where your hoddler-in-chief reviews some of the things he’s seen on the television and in the cinema lately.

I wish I could say I’ve watched films in the cinema, but unfortunately the Landmark E Street Cinema has been closed for months now. This means that my favourite way of escaping the heat - by escaping into the downtown DC cinema - is no longer an option this summer. Brutal.

I only have a few films to review week, and it’s mostly golf related. I didn’t plan for it to be this way, it just happened. But you can thank The Phoenician Scheme for breaking up some of the sportiness.

Stick: In a previous edition of this series, I slated Stick as an obvious attempt by Apple to recreate the highs of Ted Lasso. But instead of Jason Sudeikis it’s Owen Wilson, and instead of football it’s golf.

The first six or seven episodes were pretty rough, I’m not going to lie. And I don’t know what I felt compelled to sit through them all. Everything about it was insufferable.

It slightly made up for it with a genuinely captivating final three episodes in which teen golf sensation Santiago Wheelers tees it up (lol) with the pros. I guess Apple liked it enough to renew it for a second season, but does that mean I have to watch it again?

Happy Gilmore 2: The highly anticipated follow-up to Adam Sandler’s 1996 film. I can’t say too much of the setup as that is spoils galore, but what I can say is that it is a pretty solid film.

There were a few challenges creating a sequel set so far after the original, one of which is to bring up newer audiences back up to speed. I think the film did that with just enough callbacks and flashbacks without it seeming forced.

It also features tonnes of golf cameos but the ones that stole it for me were Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka. No one took themselves seriously, which definitely made up for their lack of acting chops.

However, I found the second half of the film to be less compelling than the first. I wasn’t so interested in this good guy/bad guy dynamic as I was in the first film. It was almost 1996 meets 2096, and for that the pacing felt a little off.

The Phoenician Scheme: I so wanted to enjoy this one more. There are some beautifully shot scenes, including Benicio del Toro in the bathtub during the opening credits. Michael Cera is also splendid in his role.

I think this film would’ve worked a lot more if it focused on del Toro and Mia Threapleton’s characters, as it is rewarding to see how they evolve throughout the movie. But there’s so much gunk around it - that’s totally on all the A-listers associated with this.

Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Benedict Cumberbatch and Willem Dafoe all make appearances in this film and they don’t even comprise the entire ensemble. It’s just too many big names and not enough substance.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Silver Lining, by Rilo Kiley

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold: “New Tottenham injury scares in training and who was missing from session ahead of Arsenal game”

The Telegraph: “Bryan Mbeumo: Manchester United project convinced me to reject Newcastle and Spurs”

We’ve written two articles about Real Madrid attacker Rodrygo Goes and the numerous links in the Spanish media to Tottenham Hotspur. The first one was a Bat Country takedown from Sean, the second was more of a Kombucha Girl follow-up from me.

Well, as expected we can put this one to bed. A series of tweets from various outlets came out yesterday evening to rubbish any connection between Rodrygo and Spurs, and The Athletic is also confirming it — not only is Rodrygo not into Tottenham, Spurs aren’t even really looking to reinforce at that position.

Then there is the left side of defence, which has needed reinforcements for some time. Kyle Walker-Peters has signed for West Ham United. There have been reports in Spain linking Spurs with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, but that is not a position that Tottenham are focusing on.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic

I mean, of course they aren’t. I wish I didn’t have to spill so much digital ink over this particular rumor, especially since it seemed so ridiculous from the get-go. But Tottenham did sign Rafael van der Vaart that one time and ever since there’s that little part in the back of your brain that goes “ok, but WHAT IF?”

But yeah. Not happening. Time to put it to bed. This was almost certainly Rodrygo’s agent yapping to whoever would listen to create a market for his client. And as we’ve seen, no other English club is as big a transfer stalking horse as Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.