Cartilage Free Captain

Yeah yeah, this is late, I know. I had something of a DAY yesterday so you get your free bloggings later than usual. Anyway, Tottenham Hotspur made another move in the transfer window yesterday, but it’s not an incoming — it’s an outgoing, announcing that young striker Dane Scarlett is heading to Scotland on a loan to Hibernian FC until the end of the season.

Dane’s a bit of a puzzle. He’s probably the best striker to come out of Tottenham’s academy since Harry Kane, but he hasn’t really been able to force his way into the first team yet. Over the past three years he’s gone out on loan to Portsmouth, Ipswich, Oxford, and now Hibs as he continues to develop his game.

I don’t have much of an opinion on this loan, but heading out to the team currently fifth in Scotland doesn’t seem too shabby. Some people are going to side-eye this loan considering Spurs are down to Dom Solanke, Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani as natural strikers in the squad, and Dane has had a couple of recent cameos as a late game sub. But Dane’s now 21 and at this point he needs regular minutes if he’s going to establish himself as a regular first team player, even if that’s not at Spurs, so I’m okay with it. It’s not like we were going to get a ton of use out of him this spring anyway, might as well send him somewhere where he’ll actually play.

I know technically this weakens the squad, but I don’t like the idea of keeping a young player around just because he might be needed in an emergency. If we’re at the point where we need Dane Scarlett to save our season, we’re in a lot bigger trouble than we are right now.

Midweek glory, weekend struggles; rinse and repeat. After Wednesday’s convincing win abroad, Tottenham Hotspur gets a long break before Champions League play resumes, so unless the performances improve back home, the vibes might get even darker. With the next four matches all coming against the country’s best, that feels like a very real possibility.

That being said, there is reason to believe Sunday will go just fine. In comes lowly Manchester City, a team that finished four whole places below Spurs in the League Phase and that loses more than it wins at this stadium. The complexity is with how Tottenham supporters should feel about this one, with plenty of conflicting variables making this a very messy watch.

Match Details

Date: Sunday, February 1

Time: 11:30 am ET, 4:30 pm UK

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

TV: NBCSN/Peacock (US), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)

Table: Spurs (t-14th, 28 pts), City (t-2nd, 46 pts)

After four straight Premier League wins in North London, City has taken the last two matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, including a 1-0 victory last February. However, Spurs’ logic-defying hold over England’s top side has not ceased, with the last nine fixtures going 5-1-3 in their favor. That trend was continued in August’s 2-0 upset at the Etihad, with Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha helping to secure all three points.

Two Things to Watch

The case for…losing

There is no right or wrong way to support a team, though ideally the number of times one is actively is rooting against one’s favorite side is very limited. Strangely, this weekend is yet another occurrence of this conundrum that only City seems to bring out. While supporter sentiment is unlikely to have any tangible impact on the actual pitch, everyone reading this is a supporter, so it is worth the conversation.

Two different arguments could be made for wanting Tottenham to lose this one. The first is the title race, a la May 2024 when Heung-Min Son’s miss was etched into lore. It is fair to be skeptical of City’s ability to actually win enough to jump into first given their lackluster showings for much of this season, but it would not be the first time Pep Guardiola’s group took it to another level to close out the year.

The other view is from those who are out on Thomas Frank. Should Spurs go through the next four matches with essentially no improvement, it might force the hand of the Tottenham leadership to finally make the change. There is enough time before March’s Round of 16 to get a stabilizer in place, but time is of the essence; a beatdown on Sunday makes that more likely to happen soon.

The case for trying!

Heading into the weekend, Spurs are just eight points above relegation with arguably the worst form of the league. It would still take something historic to actually finish in the bottom three, but the upcoming fixture list is likely to bump up that percentage. None of these matches will come easily, so given the recent history against City, this might actually be the best chance at three points.

At the same time, Tottenham is only six points behind seventh place. While a finish in the European places is also unlikely, this gap is far from insurmountable. A couple good results over the next month — with much less fixture congestion — could put Spurs right in the thick of the hunt down the stretch. Add in some players getting back healthy and this could be the start of quite the climb.

Above all else: To Dare Is To Do. Maybe losing helps City win the title, but with 15 matches still remaining, the direct benefits will feel much smaller than they did two seasons ago. And while a loss (or lack of win) probably makes Frank’s exit speed up, it is not going to be the final straw after two strong performances in Europe over the past 10 days. Instead, maybe it is time to rally together and dream about what the next four months could bring.

We are nearing the end of January and the transfer window is about to shutter.

And you know what that means: A look at the month ahead!

Let’s take a look at what February has in store for Spurs:

Tottenham Hotspur men’s squad:

It’s a rare month with only one competition. Spurs are out of the FA and EFL Cup, and, after somehow finishing fourth in the league phase of the Champions League, don’t have to worry about another continental match until March.

Mark your calendars nonetheless: The draw date for the round of 16 is on the 27th of February.

This means all eyes are on the Premier League, where Spurs are (or are not) on the cusp of a relegation battle. This month features a gauntlet of opponents with Man City, Man United, Newcastle and Arsenal. Does it get anymore difficult than that?

As of this writing, Thomas Frank remains in charge. But the pressure will grow and grow with each week that comes along in the league.

February schedule: Man City (1 Feb), at Man United (7 Feb), Newcastle (10 Feb), Arsenal (22 Feb)

Tottenham Hotspur women’s squad:

We need to talk more about this Tottenham women’s team, which are in an incredible fifth place in the league. They’ve got a couple tough matches this month: first against Chelsea in the league, and then against the London City Lionesses in the FA Women’s Cup.

February schedule: at West Ham (1 Feb), Chelsea (8 Feb), at Aston Villa (15 Feb), at London City (23 Feb, FA Women’s Cup)

Fitzie’s track of the day (per request): Johnny Appleseed, by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “A tale of two Tottenhams: European nights once again giving Spurs respite from domestic woe”

Gotta say, this whole Tottenham Hotspur transfer window is starting to stink of desperation and Danish oil, but at least we’re getting SOME rumors out of it here in waning days of the window. The latest is this from Miguel Delaney in the Independent: Tottenham are considering making a move for former Aston Villa right wing Moussa Diaby, currently at Saudi Premier League club Al-Ittihad.

This is where I really miss the advanced statistics that FBRef used to offer all of us plebians for free, since I no longer am able to rely on my knowledge of Green Bars to see what Diaby could offer Spurs. RIP. Alas, we soldier on — Diaby had a breakout season with Villa a couple of years ago and the Villains promptly cashed in when Saudi Arabia came calling, selling him for £50m 18 months ago. Diaby is apparently ready to leave the Kingdom, and while Inter Milan is seen as being the closest to striking a deal, Delaney says there’s an opening for Spurs to hijack if they decide this is their guy to reinforce the squad.

I’m not going to pretend that I’ve watched Diaby at all at Al-Ittihad, but I do remember him from his Villa days, and he’s a fun player. He’s a speedster, a left-footed right winger primarily known for his ability to run in behind the line from the wing, something that’s a pretty useful skill to have. If you read that and think We literally just sold Brennan Johnson who did that well you’re not wrong, but that was Brennan’s only valuable skill, whereas Diaby can do other stuff too — he can actually dribble a guy for one thing and has a pretty good finish on him, and he knows how to find his teammates. Last season he had 5 goals and 14 assists for Al-Ittihad and in his one season with Villa he ended up with 6G+8A. Not too shabby. If Spurs are looking for a real option to play in place of Mohammed Kudus and maybe even play ahead of him, Diaby’s a decent option, especially in January.

The thought is that although Inter seem to be ahead of this transfer, Diaby might prefer a return to England, and especially to a Premier League team still in the Champions League (even if it’s unlikely Spurs will be playing there next season). Delaney doesn’t say how much it would cost to pry him out of Saudi Arabia, but I’d feel pretty confident they could offer more than whatever it is Inter is offering. Diaby also wants to try and make France’s World Cup squad and he’ll have a bigger platform at Spurs than he would staying with Al-Ittihad.

I don’t hate this. While this doesn’t scream “this is a plan,” at this point I think Spurs just need good options that aren’t injured and that might improve the team in the short term. Diaby’s 26 so he’s probably at or near his peak, but he could offer something that’s not very apparent in the team right now. I’d take him. Let’s see if Spurs, and Diaby, agree.

This may or may not be good news depending on your current mental state, how you are feeling or want to feel about Tottenham Hotspur’s current squad, and the time left in the transfer window. But this is interesting, so I’m writing it up. There have been reports in the media, most notably from Alfredo Pedulla, that Tottenham were interested in and actually negotiating for 28-year-old Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. According to Sky’s Michael Bridge, those rumors were wide of the mark.

Look, I’m not a psychologist so I guess you’re free to either be relieved or upset depending on how you’ve interpreted the Rorschach Test that is Tottenham Hotspur transfer rumors. Mateta is 28 and has been actually pretty good for Palace this season (and past seasons) after a slow start. Tottenham also could use a new attacker, especially in the face of constant rumors linking both Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani away from the club this month.

I was open to the idea, but Pedulla in particular is one of those online sources where you read his reporting and think “Hmm I think I’ll wait for David Ornstein.” So that’s why I haven’t written on this yet — it’s just not a reliable source. Now, Sky isn’t exactly Tier 1 for transfer news but Michael Bridge is a real reporter with actual sources close to clubs in England, so I’m inclined to believe this. It also suggests that the Pedulla rumors were likely coming from Mateta’s agent trying to create a false bidding war for him to move to another club this month; Mateta was also linked with a move to Nottingham Forest this month.

So here’s where your interpretation will come into play and will impact how you feel about this. My guess most of you will fall into one of a few camps: those who were okay with this happening and are upset that it now probably won’t, those who were not okay with this happening and are now relieved that it probably won’t, and those who were prepared to be mad at Tottenham no matter what but especially now since it means they’re not signing another player, even one that might not be a good fit.

So pick your champion and have it out in the comments. Meanwhile, the window closes on February 2 and the credible reports of incoming players have mostly dried up. That doesn’t mean Johan Lange and the departing Fabio Paratici don’t have a couple of rabbits they can pull out of their hat that’s currently ensconced in an air-gapped black box below the Tottenham training ground, but it’s all we have to go on for now.

Also, please continue to be skeptical of transfer rumors, especially ones that come from Italian sources that feel weird.

Your hoddler-in-chief doesn’t like that he missed his workout tonight. A combination of getting home late and trudging through the ice-covered sidewalks, frankly, took it out on him. I’ll have to make a decision soon on how I make it up: standard medium-distance run, a tempo workout, or a combination of the two somehow. Either way, it’s a treadmill kind of week.

But that’s not the point of this hoddle. It snowed in DC this week. And while commuters like me are having a bad time, the pandas at the DC Zoo seem to be having the time of their life.

Look how fun Bao Li and Qing Bao are having!

Is that not cute enough for you? Well how about this red panda?

These are the kinds of snow days that I can support. I mean, just look at that freaking red panda. I might’ve spent a little too much time watching the video of the pandas playing in the snow today, but that’s only if you believe there is such a thing as watching too much panda snow playtime.

Fitzie’s track of the day: In the Country, by Chicago

And now for your links:

Football London: “Every word Thomas Frank said on the funny thing he told Kolo Muani and his two Solanke decisions”

The Standard: “Three things we learned from Tottenham win as next step beckons for star man Xavi Simons”

The Athletic ($$): “Frankfurt 0 Tottenham 2 – Hats off to Thomas Frank and Kolo Muani loves a revenge game”

BBC: “Why have English teams dominated as Real & PSG face play-offs?”

The Guardian: “Champions League: Benfica keeper’s last-gasp header sends side into playoffs”

Tottenham don’t know exactly which team they’ll play next in the Champions League, but they know it’ll be one of four potential options. Spurs punched their ticket to the Round of 16 with a bye after defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 tonight in Germany, finishing fourth in the overall table and ensuring that they skip a two-legged playoff round. The draw for the playoffs will take place on Friday, January 30, but Spurs know that their opponent will come from one of four teams — Club Brugge, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, or Galatasaray.

The draw for the playoff rounds will determine who in that pod will play each other, and will set the brackets for the Round of 16. Spurs will play the winner of one matchup, while Liverpool will play the winner of the other one. Juventus and Atletico are both seeded teams in the playoffs so they can’t play each other, but they can draw either Galatasaray or Brugge. We’ll find out on Friday.

It’s actually a pretty decent draw, all things considered. Spurs would be considered slight favorites against either Brugge or Galatasaray, and probably slight underdogs against Atletico Madrid or Juventus. Spurs managed to avoid some of the big fish that landed in the playoff round, including PSG, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan; I’m not a betting man but no matter how the playoffs turn out I’d say if Tottenham play well they’ve got a fighting chance to advance to the quarterfinals. It’s about as good as you can ask for.

The playoff rounds will take place Feb. 17/18 and Feb. 24/25, 2026, and the Round of 16 will take place on March 10/11 and 17/18, 2026.

Tottenham Hotspur went into their final round of Champions League Group Stage matches with clarity: a win would guarantee them automatic qualification to the Round of 16, a loss would all but lock in a two-legged playoff, and a draw would take circumstances out of their… feet. The obstacle? An Eintracht Frankfurt side that had conceded more goals in the Bundesliga and the Champions League than any other team.

Spurs had further obstacles to overcome in the shape of player availability, however, with defenders Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven the latest to be added to the ever-growing casualty list. That meant a very limited squad from which Thomas Frank could pick his XI, resulting in five changes from the weekend match against Burnley, four of which were enforced. With Porro and van de Ven both missing with the aforementioned injuries, Yves Bissouma and Conor Gallagher were also unable to be selected as unregistered players, and Frank also opted to rotate Dominic Solanke after two starts in a row following his return from injury. Destiny Udogie, Joao Palhinha, Archie Gray, Pape Matar Sarr, and Randal Kolo Muani were the replacements.

They lined up against Frankfurt’s back three in a structure that seemed like a 4-2-3-1 on paper, but played out more like the 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation, with Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert operating in pseudo-free #10 roles, and Sarr, Palhinha, and Gray operating as a three, with Palhinha often dropping in line with the center backs and Sarr given freedom to get forward. The structure seemingly suited Spurs early as they started rapidly, appearing to open the scoring via Xavi Simons following a brilliant run and deflected cutback from much-maligned Kolo Muani. Celebrations were cut short, however, as a combination of VAR and the on-field referee conspired to overturn the goal. Destiny Udogie appeared to foul a Frankfurt defender in buildup from an offside position, and though it was a soft call, it was probably the technically correct one.

Frankfurt looked to sit deep and counter, ceding possession to Spurs and occasionally interrupting the pattern of play to stretch Spurs in transition, but struggled to find a final ball. Spurs also struggled to finish chances, but in different circumstances as they generated a number of opportunities upon which they could not capitalize. Udogie fluffed a chance from a cross when open in front of goal; Odobert struck the post following a lovely one-two with Simons; and Simons was unable to finish when Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos gave the ball away under pressure. Frankfurt almost made Spurs pay for their profligacy as well, as Hugo Larsson clipped the crossbar following a counter, and Spurs were in the end thankful the half finished 0-0.

Spurs soon opened the scoring following the break. As per usual, it was a set piece routine that provided the breakthrough, as Spurs went short from a deep free kick down the left, creating an angle for Xavi Simons to curl a cross into the box. Cristian Romero was hunting at the back post, and he leapt high to head the ball back across the six-yard box, where Kolo Muani was on hand to flick the ball goalwards with a tidy finish.

Following the goal, Spurs dropped off in their attacking impetus, a shift not unusual in their performances this season, and Frankfurt nearly capitalized. A curling cross into Spurs’ area found wingback Aurelio Buta completely unmarked on the penalty spot, but he seemed to get caught between controlling the ball and immediately flicking the ball at goal, instead miscontrolling his touch straight into the grateful gloves of Guglielmo Vicario.

Thankfully, Spurs’ downturn did not last for long, with Frankfurt unable to maintain their pressure and Spurs raising their intensity. Kolo Muani had a header fizz past the top corner, while another Sarr effort from range was tipped around the post by Kaua. It felt a matter of time until Spurs added another, and that soon came to pass as a poor headed backpass from Mahmoud Dahoud fell neatly into the path of substitute striker Dominic Solanke. He blazed in behind the Frankfurt defense before slotting a neat finish past Kaua, enough for Spurs to finish 0-2 winners and qualify directly for the Champions League Round of 16.

Reactions

Another week, another European win! And a hugely valuable one at that; with all the injuries, Spurs need as few fixtures as they can get.

It’s hard to separate that performance from the quality of the opponent. Frankfurt were really poor, but you can only play who’s in front of you, right?

That said, I’m starting a petition for Spurs to move to Germany. I think this team could win the Bundesliga. Can we play Bundesliga teams every week?

Xavi Simons seems to like playing German opponents as well, turning up the style for the second time in two weeks. He was all over the pitch and routinely cut the Frankfurt defense to shreds with smart passing and movement. While he’s not the fastest, I love his little burst of acceleration he has to break the lines with a carry.

Wilson Odobert is another who has got better as the season has gone on. He was very good tonight.

I had to scratch my head a little at the midfield setup. It felt (for want of a better word) redundant, albeit somewhat necessary due to the players Spurs had available. Sarr and Palhinha were almost invisible in possession, but the more defensive structure didn’t really seem to reduce space in transition for Frankfurt.

That was in part due to the formation relying heavily on the fullbacks to provide width high up the pitch, with Spurs struggling to stretch the defense otherwise; this meant the CMs were often caught covering wide, leaving acres of space in the middle of the pitch. I hope Frank doesn’t take the wrong lesson from this match as he seems to do and try to apply this in the Premier League; Spurs will get cut to shreds.

How nice is it to have a player like Kevin Danso in the squad? He’s such a solid, reliable player. The fact he stepped in following Micky’s injury and didn’t miss a beat is a credit to him, and I think he was an underrated signing.

It looks like Spurs will be playing one of Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, or Club Brugge in the Round of 16. I know which of those options I’d rather take on.

Next up: Manchester City on Sunday. COYS!

As Tottenham Hotspur limp along, the last thing they need is more matches; which is why it’s vitally important they win this Champions League Group Stage match against Eintracht Frankfurt.

If Spurs win, they are guaranteed to finish in the top 8 of the group stage, and progress straight to the Round of 16 without having to contest another play-off round consisting of a home and away leg. Two extra matches for a Spurs squad that has been further decimated by injury sounds like a terrible idea, so let’s maybe avoid it happening!

That’s going to be tough, however, as Thomas Frank will be forced to put out an XI that is down to bare bones, with Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven the latest absentees. Frankfurt have been poor in this European campaign though, so despite the lack of depth, Spurs should be strong enough to come out the victors. Should.

I’m not taking anything for granted.

COYS!

Lineups

Lineups will be posted closer to kick-off.

Live Blog

How to Watch

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Time: 3:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. UK

TV: Not televised in USA, TNT Sports 5 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Paramount+

Match thread rules

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Have fun, and COYS!

Don’t you love the transfer window? Don’t answer that. While Spurs anxiously wait for something — anything — that resembles an incoming transfer window, instead we’re stuck with increasingly hallucinogenic reports of continuing exits. There’s the whole Antonin Kinsky thing, which we thoroughly dissected yesterday, but there’s an even stupider rumor floating around the Italian transfer media that suggests Juventus want to bring in Randal Kolo Muani this month on loan.

Reports from Gianluca DiMarzio (via Sky Sports Italy) say Juventus are pushing PSG and/or Spurs to recall Kolo Muani from his season-long loan at Tottenham so they can instead bring him back to Juventus, where he spent last season on loan. It’s not especially clear what Spurs would get out of this deal, minus the services of one of their few remaining attackers, and indeed according to Fabrizio Romano not even PSG are especially keen on the idea, considering Juventus unsuccessfully failed to bring in RKM permanently last summer which led to him ending up at Tottenham.

And even in the Italian media, I’m not seeing anything concrete that say PSG or Tottenham are interested in making this happen. Point of fact, the only thing I’m really seeing are reports from Italy that say “the biggest obstacle to RKM joining Juventus is Tottenham.” Which, yeah, duh.

Now look, it’s not like Kolo Muani has been especially effective while in North London. He had 10 goals and 2 assists for Juventus last season, but only has two goals in all competitions thus far for Spurs and has looked almost disinterested at times this season, certainly not the experienced attacker that we thought we were loaning. That said, with Richarlison out for a couple of months and Dominic Solanke only freshly back from a long term injury of his own, letting RKM go would mean Spurs have Big Dom, Mathys Tel, and Dane Scarlett, with only Solanke and Scarlett currently eligible to play in the Champions League. Doesn’t seem like a particularly great idea to me, unless Spurs decide to bring in another attacker. That’s something Johan Lange and Thomas Frank have said they’re interested in doing, but we’ve seen no evidence they’re actually working towards a specific target and there are only three days left in the window. It might work out that a replacement player would do better in the role than Kolo Muani — Lord knows I’m willing to entertain that notion — but until then, I’ll settle for the warm body.

So until I see evidence to the contrary, I’m just going to assume that this is Juventus and the Italian sports media infrastructure trying to make “fetch” happen, GRETCHEN, and I’m not going to worry about it.