Cartilage Free Captain

Tottenham Hotspur’s Asia tour kicked off with a banger of a match against defending J1 League champions Vissel Kobe. Both sides played with purpose and intensity, as attacking football was the focus of the day.

A late winner from Mikey Moore secured victory for Spurs as the youngster tapped home a Jamie Donley square ball. Earlier, Vissel Kobe struck first, as James Maddison gave the ball away in buildup. From there, an out of position Pape Matar Sarr inadvertently squared to Yuya Osako who smashed the ball past Guglielmo Vicario.

Spurs at times played gorgeous football, and their first goal was an example. Started by Archie Gray, Dejan Kulusevski was heavily involved before Pedro Porro showed great feet to create space for a clinical finish. Spurs then claimed the lead soon after half-time by turning out one of their greatest hits: a ball from Porro down the right to an onrushing Brennan Johnson, who squared for Son to hit home.

A midfield giveaway by Gray was then compounded by poor defensive play by Oliver Skipp, allowing Vissel Kobe back in the game before Spurs claimed victory through Moore and took home the J League World Challenge trophy.

J League World Challenge champions, you’ll never sing that!

Here are my top 10 talking points from the match.

As predicted, Ange Postecoglou used this fixture in large part to start to increase his senior players’ match fitness. With that in mind, he named possibly the strongest starting XI he could with the squad available to him, and gave most extended minutes, making the brunt of his substitutions after the sixty-minute mark (save three half-time changes).

Fitness was definitely put to the test as well, with the temperatures at Japan National Stadium sweltering. Vissel Kobe, however, were halfway through their season and as such were match fit and prepared for the conditions. This allowed them to really pressure Spurs, with a high press and aggressive playstyle that at times caused Tottenham problems.

It’s that aforementioned pressure with Spurs struggled to adapt to initially. With Kobe coming out firing, and some players in unfamiliar roles at the back, the Lilywhites struggled early on to move the ball up the pitch with several dangerous giveaways. Pape Matar Sarr and Emerson Royal especially struggled, with Royal’s lack of passing range heaping pressure on his less-experienced defensive partner Archie Gray to take on the responsibility. James Maddison at times looked out of sync with his teammates as well, with one giveaway leading to the opening goal.

New faces in defense can often cause problems with communication, and Archie Gray and Emerson Royal had yet to play alongside one another in preseason. It was also Vicario’s first match of preseason, and it was perhaps this lack of familiarity that resulted in the comedy of errors that created Vissel Kobe’s goal. Pape Matar Sarr tracked an overhit cross when he really didn’t need to, but it appeared nobody called to let the ball run so the Senegalese midfielder instead stretched to clear and played the ball into the path of Kobe’s striker. Not much changed in the second half, with Spurs’ defense still uncomfortable, perhaps personified by some comical defending by Oliver Skipp as Kobe scored their second.

One of the brightest players for Spurs in preseason has been Archie Gray, and he didn’t disappoint. Starting in an unfamiliar left center back role, he took time to warm into the match before turning in an impressive display, pulling the strings at the back. He was at the core of everything positive Spurs did in the first half, and his passing game was especially impressive: particularly the line-splitting pass to Kulusevski that started the move for Tottenham’s first goal. Unfortunately, he ended up with one black mark on his performance, with a giveaway after he’d shifted to midfield second half leading to Vissel Kobe’s second goal.

Dejan Kulusevski made a couple of cameos at center forward late in the 23/24 season, and for the first time this preseason he resumed that role. It suited him well, with his sharp feet, clever touches, and ability to bring those around him into the play helping Spurs’ attack look dangerous. Honestly, I like him more there than in midfield.

This was a friendly, and often the expectation would be a low-tempo, low quality match. Not the case. Both teams went at each other, and it was an exciting watch. The referee was always going to take a more casual approach, though, and it almost cost Tottenham. Kulusevski was scythed down on a breakaway which could have conceivably been a red card for denial of goal-scoring opportunity, while Spurs could have two penalties in the second half: a blocked Mikey Moore shot really looked like it was handled and Will Lankshear appeared to be pulled back as he stretched to get onto the end of a gorgeous piece of play by Spurs.

Seriously, are Spurs training this? Little layoffs and flicks were seen through the match as Tottenham turned on the style, and it wasn’t just for show: a Kulusevski backheel found Pedro Porro in the box for Spurs’ first goal, before Manor Solomon did similar to find an onrushing Jamie Donley in the build-up to Spurs’ second.

There were some strong performances today for Spurs, but also some square pegs in round holes. I’ll get yelled at for Masthead Groupthink for some of these, but Manor Solomon really struggled. His involvement in the late goal aside, he consistently made the wrong decision and often dribbled into traffic or just passed backwards. The left-side attack second half was consequently mostly a big old nothingburger. Oliver Skipp also seemed to struggle with the tempo of the match at times, turning the ball over on multiple occasions; but it was Sarr who perhaps had the strangest performance of all, looking extremely out-of-sorts and frenetic in his play. Dane Scarlett and Tyrese Hall will have been disappointed not to have seen the pitch as well.

Ange Postecoglou though will have been encouraged by some of the young talent he saw on display today. Jamie Donley was especially impressive, grabbing himself an assist and having a stinging volley tipped over the bar after he hit the post early in the second stanza. Alfie Devine had another quietly influential display in midfield; but the plaudits go to Mikey Moore, who at times made the defense look silly and who made an excellent run to score the winning goal.

Screw it, we’re gonna win the league.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Asia tour kicked off with a banger of a match against defending J1 League champions Vissel Kobe. Both sides played with purpose and intensity, as attacking football was the focus of the day.

A late winner from Mikey Moore secured victory for Spurs as the youngster tapped home a Jamie Donley square ball. Earlier, Vissel Kobe struck first, as James Maddison gave the ball away in buildup. From there, an out of position Pape Matar Sarr inadvertently squared to Yuya Osako who smashed the ball past Guglielmo Vicario.

Spurs at times played gorgeous football, and their first goal was an example. Started by Archie Gray, Dejan Kulusevski was heavily involved before Pedro Porro showed great feet to create space for a clinical finish. Spurs then claimed the lead soon after half-time by turning out one of their greatest hits: a ball from Porro down the right to an onrushing Brennan Johnson, who squared for Son to hit home.

A midfield giveaway by Gray was then compounded by poor defensive play by Oliver Skipp, allowing Vissel Kobe back in the game before Spurs claimed victory through Moore and took home the J League World Challenge trophy.

J League World Challenge champions, you’ll never sing that!

Here are my top 10 talking points from the match.

As predicted, Ange Postecoglou used this fixture in large part to start to increase his senior players’ match fitness. With that in mind, he named possibly the strongest starting XI he could with the squad available to him, and gave most extended minutes, making the brunt of his substitutions after the sixty-minute mark (save three half-time changes).

Fitness was definitely put to the test as well, with the temperatures at Japan National Stadium sweltering. Vissel Kobe, however, were halfway through their season and as such were match fit and prepared for the conditions. This allowed them to really pressure Spurs, with a high press and aggressive playstyle that at times caused Tottenham problems.

It’s that aforementioned pressure with Spurs struggled to adapt to initially. With Kobe coming out firing, and some players in unfamiliar roles at the back, the Lilywhites struggled early on to move the ball up the pitch with several dangerous giveaways. Pape Matar Sarr and Emerson Royal especially struggled, with Royal’s lack of passing range heaping pressure on his less-experienced defensive partner Archie Gray to take on the responsibility. James Maddison at times looked out of sync with his teammates as well, with one giveaway leading to the opening goal.

New faces in defense can often cause problems with communication, and Archie Gray and Emerson Royal had yet to play alongside one another in preseason. It was also Vicario’s first match of preseason, and it was perhaps this lack of familiarity that resulted in the comedy of errors that created Vissel Kobe’s goal. Pape Matar Sarr tracked an overhit cross when he really didn’t need to, but it appeared nobody called to let the ball run so the Senegalese midfielder instead stretched to clear and played the ball into the path of Kobe’s striker. Not much changed in the second half, with Spurs’ defense still uncomfortable, perhaps personified by some comical defending by Oliver Skipp as Kobe scored their second.

One of the brightest players for Spurs in preseason has been Archie Gray, and he didn’t disappoint. Starting in an unfamiliar left center back role, he took time to warm into the match before turning in an impressive display, pulling the strings at the back. He was at the core of everything positive Spurs did in the first half, and his passing game was especially impressive: particularly the line-splitting pass to Kulusevski that started the move for Tottenham’s first goal. Unfortunately, he ended up with one black mark on his performance, with a giveaway after he’d shifted to midfield second half leading to Vissel Kobe’s second goal.

Dejan Kulusevski made a couple of cameos at center forward late in the 23/24 season, and for the first time this preseason he resumed that role. It suited him well, with his sharp feet, clever touches, and ability to bring those around him into the play helping Spurs’ attack look dangerous. Honestly, I like him more there than in midfield.

This was a friendly, and often the expectation would be a low-tempo, low quality match. Not the case. Both teams went at each other, and it was an exciting watch. The referee was always going to take a more casual approach, though, and it almost cost Tottenham. Kulusevski was scythed down on a breakaway which could have conceivably been a red card for denial of goal-scoring opportunity, while Spurs could have two penalties in the second half: a blocked Mikey Moore shot really looked like it was handled and Will Lankshear appeared to be pulled back as he stretched to get onto the end of a gorgeous piece of play by Spurs.

Seriously, are Spurs training this? Little layoffs and flicks were seen through the match as Tottenham turned on the style, and it wasn’t just for show: a Kulusevski backheel found Pedro Porro in the box for Spurs’ first goal, before Manor Solomon did similar to find an onrushing Jamie Donley in the build-up to Spurs’ second.

There were some strong performances today for Spurs, but also some square pegs in round holes. I’ll get yelled at for Masthead Groupthink for some of these, but Manor Solomon really struggled. His involvement in the late goal aside, he consistently made the wrong decision and often dribbled into traffic or just passed backwards. The left-side attack second half was consequently mostly a big old nothingburger. Oliver Skipp also seemed to struggle with the tempo of the match at times, turning the ball over on multiple occasions; but it was Sarr who perhaps had the strangest performance of all, looking extremely out-of-sorts and frenetic in his play. Dane Scarlett and Tyrese Hall will have been disappointed not to have seen the pitch as well.

Ange Postecoglou though will have been encouraged by some of the young talent he saw on display today. Jamie Donley was especially impressive, grabbing himself an assist and having a stinging volley tipped over the bar after he hit the post early in the second stanza. Alfie Devine had another quietly influential display in midfield; but the plaudits go to Mikey Moore, who at times made the defense look silly and who made an excellent run to score the winning goal.

Screw it, we’re gonna win the league.

Tottenham Hotspur kick off their Asia Preseason Tour with a match against 2023 J1 League champions Vissel Kobe in Tokyo.

The first of three matches across South Korea and Japan, Spurs' goal will be to start increasing the minutes of their key players to build fitness ahead of the 24/25 Premier League Season, with reports suggesting Ange Postecoglou could name quite a strong side for this fixture.

That doesn’t mean we won’t see the kids, though! It’s a young squad that traveled, with a number of senior players still missing due to injury and international duty (and consequent late holidays). Keep an eye out for some intriguing cameos and some exciting football!

COYS!

Lineups

And because I can’t find a nice, tidy Twitter post...

Vissel Kobe

Starting XI: Maekawa, Kuwasaki, Kikuchi, Thuler, Hatsuse (c), Ohgihara, Iino, Ideguchi, Yamauchi, Muto, Osako.

Substitutes: Arai, Takayama, Obi, Yamakawa, Honda, Homma, Terasaka, Yamada, Iwanami, Sasaki, Hidaka, Hamasaki, Patric, Tominaga.

How to Watch

Vissel Kobe vs. Tottenham Hotspur (friendly)

Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan

Saturday, July 27, 2024

Time: 6:00 a.m. ET, 11:00 a.m. UK

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

Streaming: SPURSPLAY, CBS Sports Golazo Network, J1 League YouTube Channel

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:

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Have fun, and COYS!

It’s been a painful game of chicken, but it appears things are on the threshold of coming together in the Emerson Royal to AC Milan transfer saga™. A number of reports coming from Italy, including from relatively trustworthy sources Gianluca DiMarzio and Fabrizio Romano:

We’re a little late to the party on this one, but this process has been exhausting, and it’s always a fine balance between keeping the commentariat up to date with unread articles and overwhelming you with nothing pieces. In short, things are looking more and more like they are coming towards a positive resolution, with the Brazilian right back headed towards Serie A.

I mentioned a painful game of chicken; well, not for Tottenham Hotspur.

The club have played their cards admirably, making some small initial concessions before holding firm on a number they felt was reasonable and affordable for a guy who is still in the prime of his career and a damn solid fullback. AC Milan tried to totally lowball Spurs initially, before things went quiet; and it was the Italian club who broke, inching up towards Spurs’ €20 million asking price.

It is possible external factors forced Milan’s hand, with reports out of Brazil indicating interest in Royal out of Turkey, with Galatasaray apparently willing to meet Spurs’ price. There could have been truth to those rumors, or they could also have been largely fiction, generated by either Spurs or Royal’s agent to try push things along; either way, it’s brought Milan back to the negotiating table, with reports claiming a €15 million plus escalators offer was tabled.

That’s a far cry from €10 million a couple of weeks back. I’d say we’re edging closer to the endgame now.

Tottenham Hotspur play their first preseason match of their Asian tour on Saturday morning against Vissel Kobe. Ahead of that match, today Spurs participated in an open training session at the National Stadium of Japan in front of a crowd of local fans. And afterwards, head coach Ange Postecoglou gave a press conference where he discussed Spurs’ preparations for this friendly, the ongoing transfer window, and his hopes for Spurs in this upcoming Premier League season.

Postecoglou first gave an update on who might feature against Vissel Kobe tomorrow, saying the only players who will definitely not feature are Destiny Udogie and Richarlison, whom both traveled with the team but are still recovering from injury. But Ben Davies is back, and will likely see at least a little bit of action on Saturday.

“Yeah the guys who kind of participated in the games so far [are available], plus Ben Davies has trained this week. So out of the travelling party I think it’s just Richy and Destiny who aren’t quite ready to play but everyone else is fit.”

Alasdair Gold, who is in Japan covering the tour for Football.London, expanded on Ange’s comments a bit through observations of the open training sessions, and noted that in addition to Udogie and Richarlison, Timo Werner and Alfie Whiteman also did not participate. Whiteman was a notable absence in Spurs’ previous friendly against QPR, with U23 keeper Luca Gunter getting an extended spell of play in the second half of that match.

Talk then pivoted to the transfer window. Yesterday, the news was about Tottenham’s imminent confirmation of 18-year-old Korean winger Yang Min-Hyuk. Postecoglou was asked about Yang’s addition, and while he didn’t give much away he did emphasize that Spurs are not limiting themselves to the European market as they continue to search for new players to improve the squad.

“Yeah, again I’m well aware of the quality of the K League. When I was at Celtic we were looking to bring over at least a couple of Korean players at the time and I think they’ve brought a couple over. Again they‘ve made a fantastic impact in Europe, a lot of Korean players, none bigger and none better than our own [Son Heung-Min]. He’s just an outstanding player and an outstanding person. He’s the captain of our club and he’s just an outstanding individual, we’re super happy to have him at our football club. So yes, we’ll be looking far and wide for players and as you rightly said, it is difficult for me to discuss.”

Postecoglou has a history with Japanese football, having managed Yokohama F. Marinos from 2018-2021, and bringing in a number of Japanese footballers into his Celtic teams before assuming the Spurs job. So does this mean Spurs are looking to raid the J-League for talent as well?

“Good try! We’re constantly looking. Everyone knows me. I spent close to four years here in Japan. I loved my time here and I really think the J League is a competition that ranks with, apart from maybe the big five or six leagues in Europe, I believe it ranks equal in quality with other leagues.

“I really believe that Japan is producing some world class players, who are already making their mark on the Premier League. We seen Mitoma go to Brighton and the Premier League and do fantastically well. I took three or four, maybe more, players to Celtic and they’re all making an impact. We’re constantly looking everywhere. I guess my experience here showed me that you can find quality footballers and footballers who will fit into the style we want to play from anywhere and we’re constantly looking. So yes my answer is not yes and not no.”

One of the through-lines this summer has been the lack of concrete information about Tottenham’s transfer moves. It was noted that some fans are getting edgy about incoming (and outgoing) players with the start of the new season looming. But Ange said that the club has had a plan for transfers from the beginning, and while situations change the overall plan does, and has, not.

“As you say, at this time of year it’s pretty hard for supporters because they don’t have all the information and it’s fair to say there’s plenty of misinformation out there. We’re working hard to bring players in and it’s a process that you sometimes have to be patient with. But in terms of what we set out to do, that’s still the plan and you have to stay disciplined with that.

“Sometimes the timings don’t work out and it doesn’t happen as quickly as you want and you don’t get them (players) in at the right time but I think it’s really important you stay disciplined and not run off and chase other things. So, what we started with at the start of summer are still there, and I wouldn’t want to put timelines on it. A lot of that is out of our control and we just need to be patient. From where I sit at the moment we’re still in that phase where what we identified is still what we’re after.”

Kia ora.

Last Hoddle for the week - and for me for a while, with Fitzie back next week.

Honestly, I don’t know how he does it - racking my brain for a different topic each day, trying to keep the masses entertained (insert Gladiator gif here). I think of it as the writing equivalent of MC’ing an event; it’s a very specific skillset, pulling a thought out of mid-air, and having the ability to utilize that to grab peoples’ attention.

In terms of that, it’s always good to have some sort of connection to the cultural zeitgest, which... I’m more man who yells at cloud than man of the people. I’d never make it as a politician; I’m not sure I even qualify as a writer!

So this is kind of a stream-of-consciousness Hoddle, getting meta, so to speak - because I’ve run out of things to talk about! You probably know far more about me now than you ever wanted to, so sorry about that - but isn’t that kind of the cool thing about Cartilage Free Captain? A community of people, connecting over a particular passion? Even one that absolutely destroys you as much as Spurs?

I guess that’s been my goal this week, and maybe the goal of the Hoddle in general: we all have a single point of connection - so let’s find some more!

All this to say: it’s been a pleasure chatting with you all this week. It took me back to the days when I was but one of the commentariat, dropping #takes into the comments (seriously, are you still even reading this?) on whether a hot dog is a sandwich, knife vs bat, and who’s the next THE. But it’ll be great to have Fitzie back - his chats are fantastic, and even if he has poor taste in football players (#sorrynotsorry) he does have great taste in music. We’re lucky to have him.

Mā te wā.

Matty’s track of the day: End of the Affair (Live), by Ben Howard

And now for your links:

A look at the remaining work needed for Spurs in the transfer window, from Football London

Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall visit the Diary Room: check it out on the club site. There’s even some singing!

Kia ora.

Last Hoddle for the week - and for me for a while, with Fitzie back next week.

Honestly, I don’t know how he does it - racking my brain for a different topic each day, trying to keep the masses entertained (insert Gladiator gif here). I think of it as the writing equivalent of MC’ing an event; it’s a very specific skillset, pulling a thought out of mid-air, and having the ability to utilize that to grab peoples’ attention.

In terms of that, it’s always good to have some sort of connection to the cultural zeitgest, which... I’m more man who yells at cloud than man of the people. I’d never make it as a politician; I’m not sure I even qualify as a writer!

So this is kind of a stream-of-consciousness Hoddle, getting meta, so to speak - because I’ve run out of things to talk about! You probably know far more about me now than you ever wanted to, so sorry about that - but isn’t that kind of the cool thing about Cartilage Free Captain? A community of people, connecting over a particular passion? Even one that absolutely destroys you as much as Spurs?

I guess that’s been my goal this week, and maybe the goal of the Hoddle in general: we all have a single point of connection - so let’s find some more!

All this to say: it’s been a pleasure chatting with you all this week. It took me back to the days when I was but one of the commentariat, dropping #takes into the comments (seriously, are you still even reading this?) on whether a hot dog is a sandwich, knife vs bat, and who’s the next THE. But it’ll be great to have Fitzie back - his chats are fantastic, and even if he has poor taste in football players (#sorrynotsorry) he does have great taste in music. We’re lucky to have him.

Mā te wā.

Matty’s track of the day: End of the Affair (Live), by Ben Howard

And now for your links:

A look at the remaining work needed for Spurs in the transfer window, from Football London

Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall visit the Diary Room: check it out on the club site. There’s even some singing!

It’s a done deal, almost! According to both Fabrizio Romano and Alasdair Gold, Tottenham Hotspur was indeed the club working to bring in 18-year old South Korean winger Yang Min-Hyuk from Gangwon FC. The deal is now agreed apart from part of the medical, and he’ll join Spurs at the end of the K-League season in January 2025.

So this was originally couched as a “loan back” to Gangwon, but I’m not actually sure that’s the case. Instead I think it’s more like the Lucas Bergvall deal in that Yang will just stay on at his current club until the end of the K-League season in November, then join up with Spurs in January, 2025. No loan needed, which means Spurs don’t use up one of their decreasing, and valuable, loan spots for this window.

Writing in Football.London, Gold spoke to South Korean journalist Sungmo Lee about Yang and what he might bring to Tottenham.

“Yang Min-hyuk is the best young player in the K League right now, and most significantly, he’s still a high school student. His talent was so exceptional so his club Gangwon proposed the professional contract to a high school student which was the first ever case in K League’s history.

“He showed great performances in K League this season, winning the ‘young player of the month’ award three times in a row from April to June. He is a great dribbler but also possesses great finishing skills which makes Korean fans hope that he can become the next Son Heung-min, especially if he joins the same club with Son in Tottenham.”

—Sungmo Lee, via Football.London

Sounds pretty good to me! But I wouldn’t expect that Yang will make an instant impact at Spurs when he joins in January. He’s still just 18, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him slot into the U23s to get adapted to life and football in England. I’d guess he’s at least a year or so away from showing up in a first team match or anything. But hey, I’ve been wrong before, so let’s hope I am and he starts kicking butt right away.

Yang will also have the advantage of having a fantastic mentor in Son Heung-Min when he arrives. Sonny’s spoken in the past about how difficult it is to adapt to a new culture when you first leave Korea, especially when you’re young. If there’s one thing we know about Son is that he’s an incredible teammate and friend, and I have no doubt he’ll bend over backwards to help Yang adapt.

There are reports that the transfer fee for Yang is just €4m, which depending on who you ask is either stupid low for a potentially generational Korean talent, or a rather high swing for a foreign player lottery ticket. I lean towards the former, but I’m also an optimist.

It’s a done deal, almost! According to both Fabrizio Romano and Alasdair Gold, Tottenham Hotspur was indeed the club working to bring in 18-year old South Korean winger Yang Min-Hyuk from Gangwon FC. The deal is now agreed apart from part of the medical, and he’ll join Spurs at the end of the K-League season in January 2025.

So this was originally couched as a “loan back” to Gangwon, but I’m not actually sure that’s the case. Instead I think it’s more like the Lucas Bergvall deal in that Yang will just stay on at his current club until the end of the K-League season in November, then join up with Spurs in January, 2025. No loan needed, which means Spurs don’t use up one of their decreasing, and valuable, loan spots for this window.

Writing in Football.London, Gold spoke to South Korean journalist Sungmo Lee about Yang and what he might bring to Tottenham.

“Yang Min-hyuk is the best young player in the K League right now, and most significantly, he’s still a high school student. His talent was so exceptional so his club Gangwon proposed the professional contract to a high school student which was the first ever case in K League’s history.

“He showed great performances in K League this season, winning the ‘young player of the month’ award three times in a row from April to June. He is a great dribbler but also possesses great finishing skills which makes Korean fans hope that he can become the next Son Heung-min, especially if he joins the same club with Son in Tottenham.”

—Sungmo Lee, via Football.London

Sounds pretty good to me! But I wouldn’t expect that Yang will make an instant impact at Spurs when he joins in January. He’s still just 18, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him slot into the U23s to get adapted to life and football in England. I’d guess he’s at least a year or so away from showing up in a first team match or anything. But hey, I’ve been wrong before, so let’s hope I am and he starts kicking butt right away.

Yang will also have the advantage of having a fantastic mentor in Son Heung-Min when he arrives. Sonny’s spoken in the past about how difficult it is to adapt to a new culture when you first leave Korea, especially when you’re young. If there’s one thing we know about Son is that he’s an incredible teammate and friend, and I have no doubt he’ll bend over backwards to help Yang adapt.

There are reports that the transfer fee for Yang is just €4m, which depending on who you ask is either stupid low for a potentially generational Korean talent, or a rather high swing for a foreign player lottery ticket. I lean towards the former, but I’m also an optimist.

Earlier this summer, Tottenham Hotspur and left back Ryan Sessegnon amicably parted ways. It wasn’t exactly a surprise; Sessegnon’s career had been almost completely derailed by persistent injuries over the past two seasons to the point where he had barely played football for more than a year.

It was decided that he needed a fresh start somewhere new where he could hopefully get back to fitness and playing condition. To that end Spurs and Sess mutually terminated his contract and Ryan been training for the past few weeks at Crystal Palace.

But it doesn’t look like he’ll be playing for Palace after all. According to Fabrizio Romano, Sessegnon will re-sign with his former club Fulham, where he and his twin brother Steven came up as youth players.

There’s something romantic about going home, and that feels exactly like what Ryan’s doing here. Fulham is clearly a club where he feels comfortable, as he spent 11 years there as a schoolboy and professional there before moving to Spurs in 2019. He gets to stay in London as well, which along with Palace I’m sure was a big part of his decision-making process.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here — I’m sad that things just didn’t work out for Sessegnon at Tottenham, because I like him a lot. But things just don’t work out sometimes, and Fulham feels like a place where he’ll, ironically, put his past behind him while heading back to the club of his youth. I wish him well.