Cartilage Free Captain

Is it too soon for transfer rumors? I say: no! So here’s a “fun” one — according to the Evening Standard, Guglielmo Vicario wants to return to Italy and could be sold this summer, and he’s apparently on Juventus’ summer transfer shortlist.

There’s been a ton of smoke, both from Italian soccer sources (lol) but also elsewhere, that both Tottenham Hotspur and Vicario have decided to part ways this summer, meaning Spurs will be looking for another No. 1 when the window opens up. This particular rumor says that Juventus’ top keeper target is persuading Liverpool to part ways with 33-year-old keeper Allisson on a cheap transfer deal, but if that doesn’t work they are keeping an eye on Vicario as a backup option. That’s not exactly EXCITING breaking news, but it’s something.

Vicario is, and has been, an excellent shot stopper for Spurs since arriving in 2023, but his distribution from the back and especially his long kicking leaves a lot to be desired. The Standard says Juventus think they could land Vicario on a summer transfer deal for around €25-30 million (£22-26m). That’d represent a profit any way you look at it, as he was signed for €19m and is on a contract that expires in 2028.

I suspect this isn’t the last time we’ll see links between Juventus and Vicario, or other Serie A teams in the coming months. The writing does seem to be somewhat on the wall, but it means Tottenham will have another major hole to fill when the transfer window opens in June. Well, there will be plenty of those.

There’s not a whole lot to be excited about if you’re a Tottenham Hotspur fan right now, but here’s a small bit of sunshine amidst all the storm clouds: Igor Tudor has two injured defensive players back in training. Tudor mentioned that he expected to have two injured Spurs players back this week after missing the North London Derby, and Football.London’s Alasdair Gold confirmed that both Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso were back in training today ahead of Spurs’ trip to Craven Cottage to play Fulham on Sunday.

That’s pretty huge, if both of them are available. Tudor was forced by circumstance and injury to play a back line that included Archie Gray at right back and Joao Palhinha in central defense, and it was summarily dismantled by the Gunners in Sunday’s 4-1 loss. It’s a small thing but having a back three that includes Danso, Micky van de Ven, and Radu Dragusin is superior to putting a defensive midfielder in the back line, just my opinion! (And before anyone makes jokes in the comments, yes, Radu Dragusin is a better central defender than Joao Palhinha, come on)

Look, we’re under no illusions here. Relegation is a tangible (if unlikely) threat this season and Spurs will need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to get enough points to ensure safety. But safety IS in their hands, and having players back from injury will only help. Having Porro and Danso back in training — especially Danso, whom initial reports on his toe injury suggested a much lengthier period on the sidelines — is huge.

Good morning everyone.

I nearly forgot to do the hoddle today, so you’re just getting a short one.

The good news is I remembered to do the hoddle. The bad news is I didn’t remember until after midnight.

So I’m just going to jot down a couple more words and throw a little track in the track of the day slot for you to enjoy. Hopefully you’ll engage with the hoddle in some capacity.

In the event you’re craving a hoddle topic and absolutely cannot function without one, then fine I’ll give you a topic: Pick your favourite colour.

I’ll start: My favourite colour is purple. What joy it is when Tottenham release those Spurple kits.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Wuthering Heights, by Kate Bush

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Igor Tudor lamented Tottenham’s ‘bad habits’ after Arsenal defeat — so what are they?”

BBC: “‘Historical moment’ as Bodo/Glimt succeed against all odds”

Sky Sports: “Eric Ramsay sacked: West Brom part company with boss after failing to win in eight league games”

FFS SPEND SOME MONEY LEVY has been the rallying cry of every angry Tottenham Hotspur fan for nearly two decades, from the ENIC OUTers to the people with purple/gold emoji in their social media profiles. According to the Guardian, months after former Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s departure, the club is preparing to do just that.

The report suggests that if Spurs are able to play their way to Premier League safety in what remains of this season, they will “rip up the wage structure” and heavily invest in players in what’s being called a “major overhaul of the squad.” This article appears to be corroboration of comments by Spurs Sporting Director Johan Lange that acknowledged that the wage structure needed to be updated.

I shouldn’t have to tell you that “IF” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that last paragraph. Tottenham are currently in 16th, two points ahead of Nottingham Forest and four ahead of West Ham in the relegation zone. Spurs realistically need 12 points from their last 11 league matches to secure safety from relegation, but the new manager vibes brought by Igor Tudor are a little tarnished already after Sunday’s 4-1 home North London Derby loss to Arsenal. Still, there’s optimism within the Spurs camp that they’ll be able to get the job done and then fully focus on next season.

The Guardian notes that Tottenham have the lowest wage bill of any club in the so-called “big six” — Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs. That’s borne out from this chart, taken from the excellent Swiss Ramble from 2023-24, which showed Spurs with the second lowest squad cost ratio (which includes amortization of wages and fees) in the league. (It should be noted that Spurs spent heavily this past summer and have been offering increased wages to players like Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, and Conor Gallagher; Gallagher is now the club’s highest-earning player at £200k/wk after the departure of Son Heung-Min this summer and the ratio is probably not as low as depicted here).

But that doesn’t really change the core issue at play here, which is Spurs haven’t been offering wages competitive to the teams they want to compete with for a long time. If you want to believe this report, that’s going to change this summer, assuming Spurs are still in the top flight.

So what does that mean? Well, we don’t really know, but “major overhaul” suggests Spurs will be active in the transfer market this summer with players both out and in the door. We can also probably assume Spurs will be trying to offer current players they want to keep new deals on substantially higher wages to entice them to stick around, while being more competitive for incoming players. That could be a pretty enticing carrot, since no matter how bad a club is operating at the moment he one thing you can say about professional footballers is that they 100% like money. Throwing money at players is basically how Manchester United has been able to stay relevant over the past five seasons or so. If it works for them, why not us?

Now, of course that also means Spurs need to knock it out of the park this summer and there’s a significant percentage of the fan base that doesn’t trust Lange to do that based on his existing track record (myself included). But let’s sideline the cynicism for a hot minute here — there isn’t a lot to hope on this season, but this suggests ENIC and the club are, finally, ready to put its money where its mouth is.

Good morning everyone.

For those of you who haven’t checked the hoddle these last few weeks, then you might’ve missed that I’ve begun documenting my training for my next marathon, which is on 4 April. The goal is to smash by personal best and see just how close to a 3-hour marathon I can get (pretty close, I think).

The whole point of this is to almost document my anxiety from all this training. It’s a big commitment to run a marathon. It’s sure as heck very difficult during the cold and dark winter months, and aiming for a new personal best is no small matter either.

Still, I carry on - literally one foot after another. One day at a time. One week at a time. Let’s see where things are.

(Catch up on Weeks 9 and 10 here)

Week 11:

I’m getting into the final few weeks of my serious training. After my latest long run on Sunday (coming in a second), I have three Sunday runs left before the tapering process begins. Right now a lot of the focus is about preventing fatigue and not letting myself get off track.

The weather was better until Sunday came, then I got out in the cold and rain in what turned out to be uncomfortable positions. Now I await the next snowfall that’s supposed to hit DC Sunday night, and I’m not looking forward to seeing how that affects my running routes.

It’s been very difficult to run at pace this winter because of the weather or have the confidence that I can hit a certain pace target, so I might have to adjust on race day accordingly. I’ve still got a few weeks left to see just where I am.

I’m looking at my training calendar now seeing I began way back on 14 December - literally last year! But I am so close now.

Sunday: 20 miles (first 10 miles easy, second 10 at moderate pace)

This was my third 20-mile session of my training. Like the other two, the conditions were not ideal. I got out there in the cold rain and wind. A goof amount of water got in my left shoe and I could feel the blisters under my toes in the final two miles, where the freezing rain and wind picked up again.

I had set this out to be split in two: First 10 miles easy pace, second 10 miles at full pace. The rain kind of ruined that for me, but as hit Mile 10 I wanted to push myself a little bit. So I picked up the pace to run around 6:45-6:55. I also felt my watch was running a little too fast at one point so I added another 0.3 miles at the end to finish the 20 miles (or 20.3 miles) in 2:23.36 to average at 7:05 per mile.

I wish I had felt more comfortable on this one. My legs didn’t feel super great from the beginning and I’m glad they eventually sorted themselves out around Mile 7, but it wasn’t the confidence-building run I had hoped it would be.

Having said that, I’ve still done three 20-milers during this training bloc, in addition to the three 16-milers and two 18-milers I’ve done, so I’ve definitely go the distance down. And I felt comfortable until around Mile 18 when that wind and rain picked back up, and I really felt the blisters. I can’t dictate what the conditions will be like on race day, but I can at least feel good knowing I’ve put myself through some difficult weather conditions.

Monday: Rest day

And a well-earned one. I was thrilled to sleep in until 9am because of the US federal holiday last week. Not so for this one, where I’ll have to be on the metro by probably 7am or so.

Tuesday: 6-8 mile recovery run

It’s pretty rare that any run for me is shorter than an hour these days. That’ll likely be the case again Tuesday, where I’ll probably opt for the 8 miles over the 6.

Wednesday: Treadmill interviews TBD

This one all depends when I get home. And you know what? I ran pretty dang hard on Sunday, so I’m willing to be flexible today and do a short run if I feel like my legs cannot manage intervals. Maybe I’ll even take a bonus day off (would rather not, though).

Thursday: 10-12 miles easy

I’ll be bumping up my Thursday mileage again these last few weeks. The question is do I do 10 miles three Thursdays in a row, or do I begin moving to 12-mile runs. If the former, then I’ll have three 12-mile runs in the next three weeks. If it’s the latter, it’ll be four weeks of 12-mile Thursday runs.

This is my least favourite run of the week because it takes up so much time, and I’m usually not aware enough to realise until after I’m home (or close to it) that I still have to cook dinner. The days are getting longer again, but I’ll still be finishing in the darkness.

Friday: Gym

Considering I’m taking this coming Sunday’s run a bit lighter (at 14 miles), I’ll probably do a slightly harder workout that’ll focus a few more leg exercises than this past week. Still, I’ve got no intention of lifting too heavy.

Saturday: 9 miles easy

Just like I’m boosting my Thursday mileage, I’m also boosting my Saturday mileage. I accidentally ran 9 miles this past Saturday because of a counting error. This time it’ll be on purpose.

Expected total weekly miles: 50-55

Fitzie’s track of the day: All That You Dream, by Linda Ronstadt

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold: “Luka Vuskovic summer statement, rare Mikey Moore moment and Jamie Donley returns”

Jay Harris ($$): “Tudor’s nightmare first game paints an even clearer picture: Spurs are in serious trouble”

BBC: “Benfica’s Prestianni gets provisional one-match ban”

ESPN: “Why Man United fan’s viral haircut challenge might not end anytime soon”

“Both things. [There’s a] big gap in this specific moment between the two teams. It was too much Arsenal for us in this moment with the problems we have. Also it’s nice to understand where we are because you prepare in the best possible way then there is the game to show you reality. So it’s nice from one point of view so each of us understand and come, as I said the players, stay quiet they come on Tuesday and restart after these three or four training sessions to start to work harder than we did until now. To change our habits, to change the state of mind which is now as a team. It is the only way to work.”

“[There were too many] problems in this moment to let this level of team not punish you. Because you wanted to go to press high but to press high from back you need to jump so if you are late and don’t take the ball around there, also with the ball. So we prepare to press high but we didn’t take the ball. So we need more time to be in a physical moment and physical situation that we can go strong and take the ball. Now we are not in that moment.

“Even with the ball, a lack of confidence is very evident in the team. So we wanted and prepared to do the things but there is an opponent, there is a reality today. So I’m very sad and very angry and everything but in one way it is also good to understand where is our goal. What is the goal of this club? What is the goal of this team? What is this goal of this coach, these players, this staff? To become serious. Serious, not just a group of 20 players. The medicine is you look in the mirror. Each of us look in the mirror and really try, really start to change the habits. Working hard is the only way.”

“I saw the passion. I saw the will. So I was not angry because they wanted to do but then they were not able to do in this moment the things. They wanted to do all what we prepared so I said ‘that is good’ but we need to understand which moment we are now because we are not able to do. Why we are not able to do is the question we resolve and I speak from day one at the club I come here to resolve the problems. You believe that in three/four trainings you will do your best but when the game starts you don’t know what will happen because it is like this.

“But as I said before, Tuesday I [came] in [and] everyone [was] there. Stay humble — that is the key. Stay humble that is the key of each of us and trying to become, what I said before, a team. A Squad. A hard-working team. That is the only goal we have now in this moment.”

“Of course, there is enough time. As I said, this was not a perfect team to play the first game after three or four sessions, but in one way we need to see something good. If I can tell this, you know. Something good to see where we need to be. You know, where is the goal? What is the level? What is, you know. So today, totally different worlds. I need to be honest. Two totally different worlds. Psychological and physical worlds, levels.”

There were so many comments in the hoddle that I don’t feel it’s worth adding my quiet voice to such a booming chorus.

We shouldn’t let that drown out the reception Dele got during halftime, though.

I’m not sure if any of us watching the game were able to watch his halftime address or presentation (they certainly didn’t show it on Telemundo), so we have to rely on social media and some Tottenham journos to do the check for us. Here’s Alasdair Gold:

“I hope you’ve missed me as much as I’ve missed you.”

I have, Dele, I have.

And here’s Matt Law, who believes that Dele’s speech showed he hasn’t quite given up yet on his professional football career:

Dele is 29 years old now? Can you believe that.

It’s been a long time Dele’s made a professional appearance. Como gave him a chance early last year on an 18-month contract, where he made just one appearance before he was released in September. There are no indications he’s anywhere near joining another club, but I hope he finds a new home soon where he can jump-start his career.

His appearance on Sunday makes two recent iconic players making half-time appearances at Tottenham Hotspur home matches lately, with the other being Jan Vertonghen. It’s a shame they had to be such ugly affairs.

And the the timing couldn’t be any worse. While I love these players so much, it makes it hurt even more knowing that era is gone while Spurs remain dangerously close to relegation.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Peggy’s Blue Skylight, by Charles Mingus

And now for your links:

BBC: “‘They were attacking from every angle in the end’ - why Spurs couldn’t keep Arsenal out”

The Independent: “Arsenal’s derby dominance jolts their title bid to life – and makes Tottenham’s relegation danger feel very real”

The Athletic ($$): “Tottenham 1 Arsenal 4 – Gyokeres and Eze spare Rice’s blushes to get title charge back on track”

Alasdair Gold: “Every word Igor Tudor said on what he told Tottenham stars after Arsenal defeat with two set to return”

Matt Law: “Tottenham’s plight is the result of years of transfer mismanagement”

It’s gonna hurt, but someone’s got to do it so it might as well be you. Tottenham Hotspur fell, again, to Arsenal in the North London Derby in Igor Tudor’s first match in charge as interim head coach. It was always going to be tough, but this one hurts as the four goals came from Eberechi Eze and Victor Gyokeres, two Arsenal players who have struggled against most other teams not named “Tottenham Hotspur” this season. Spurs showed some extra intent, but it’s hard to overcome the best team in the Premier League with a team that’s basically down to 13 players and that has been hamstrung by poor squad construction.

Rate the players from 1⁄2 to 5 stars. If the player doesn’t deserve a rating due to minutes played, DO NOT RANK. I will round the stars up/down to the nearest half-star for the player ratings later this week.

If you’re on mobile or found this via AMP and the survey isn’t appearing below, here’s a direct link.

There was, for a brief glorious moment, hope ahead of today’s home North London Derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. In what was Igor Tudor’s debut match in charge as interim head coach, and with Dele Alli as a special halftime guest, there was just the slightest glimmer of optimism that maybe, just maybe, Spurs could save their season and ruin Arsenal’s at the same time.

Alas, it was not to be. Arsenal ended up winners thanks to braces from two of Arsenal’s most maligned players this season, Eberechi Eze, a player who spurned major Tottenham interest in order to sign for their arch rivals and misfiring Swedish striker Victor Gyokeres. Randal Kolo Muani leveled the score in the first half two minutes after Eze’s opener and had another equalizing goal controversially waved off by the match official after a slight push (and obvious subsequent dive) by Gabriel Magalhaes. Second half substitute Richarlison nearly cut the lead to one goal with a flicked effort that was somehow prevented from crossing the line by Arsenal keeper David Raya, but Gyokeres fired in a late goal past Vicario in extra time and the visitors took all three points by a final score of 4-1.

In truth Arsenal dominated the ball and the stats and were clearly the better side on the day, but it’s still a difficult pill to swallow for Spurs supporters who are mired in a true relegation fight and will need every point they can from now until the end of the season. It always hurts to lose to your rivals, and this one hurt a little more than most.

Tudor, in his first match in charge, set Spurs up in his preferred back three formation, but with Joao Palhinha and Radu Dragusin alongside Micky van de Ven, with Cristian Romero suspended and Kevin Danso injured. In truth, Spurs didn’t play much different football than they have for much of this season under Thomas Frank, but they did come out with a little extra spring in their step and and an intent that has been decidedly missing from the squad over the past couple of months.

A hard match to watch. Here are my takeaways.

Match reactions

It’s not exactly surprising to see Tudor set Spurs up in a back three — it’s his preferred formation. I was a little surprised, however, to see him actually do it considering the players we have available. Palhinha-Dragusin-Van de Ven, with Gray and Spence wide is certainly a choice, but one that represents the reality of this island of misfit COYS.

Interesting to see Spurs commit to the high press early on. That’s another Tudor tendency, but it didn’t last long. Spurs seemed to back off on the high press after the lengthy technical delay.

I know it’s not Spurs’ primary (or even secondary) defense back there but it was notable how easily they allowed players like Timber to make runs to the back post in the early goings, despite defending in a 5-3-2 without the ball.

You can’t say that Arsenal didn’t deserve the win, but it’s very hard to take that two of the goals came from Eze, who has been dogshit for Arsenal except when he plays against us.

But that’s okay because RANDY KILO MIAMI WITH THE EQUALIZER WOOOOOOOOOOOO

Spurs spent much of the first half playing like a bad team with a new head coach who has only had five days to train, but it was notable that they were, at minimum, playing like a bad team with INTENT. Seems pretty clear to me that these guys had completely given up on Frank by the end.

Xavi Simons had a rough match. A few dumb giveaways in possession, a few busted presses, and a few dumb fouls. Not his best performance, despite a good whack of a shot early in the 2nd half.

After that Gyokeres blast, it’s helpful to remind ourselves just how screwed we are by injuries. Palhinha should’ve done better there to close him down, but, like, he’s not a central defender. And of course, Romero is suspended, he probably doesn’t let that shot happen.

Disallowing that second RKM goal was an absolute horseshit call. Just garbage by the official, it was a clear dive by Gabriel in Arsenal’s own box, I’m so mad by that decision.

God, I wanted that goal for Richarlison and Raya somehow managing to keep that from crossing the line was super annoying. Honestly it feels like Spurs opting to sign Vicario over Raya a few years ago is a real sliding doors moment.

Look, at the end of the day the story of this match is that Arsenal are a very good (if extremely annoying) team, and Tottenham are a not very good team that is appallingly constructed and also down to the dregs of the squad due to injury. Yes, complain about match official Peter Bankes (who was very bad). Yes, complain about how Arsenal time-waste and dive and cheat. But we need to confront that reality. This was always going to be a tough match under the circumstances, and there’s no magic manager who will rescue Tottenham. It’s going to have to come from the players. Survival is still the goal and this loss doesn’t change the task ahead.

Ultimately, though, what I’m saying is that this loss is Johan Lange’s fault and I’ll die on that hill. Sack him tomorrow.

I’m still mad, though.

It’s been nice having a break from watching Tottenham Hotspur over the last (almost) two weeks; but I am ready to get hurt again.

That’s in part because we will (hopefully) get a new look Spurs today, as Igor Tudor starts his reign as Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach. From a certain point of view, there couldn’t be a better match to get things started, either. With Arsenal as the opponent in a North London Derby, he can go full throttle without any concerns: if he wins, he writes his name in Spurs folklore; if he loses, well, it’s a freebie in a match he wasn’t expected to win.

It’s both a terrible and fantastic time for this fixture. Unfortunately, the injury situation hasn’t improved much at Spurs, and captain Cristian Romero is still suspended, giving Tudor a limited squad from which to choose. The counter to that, though, is that the Lilywhites do come up against Arsenal at potentially the best possible time, as the pressure is heaped upon the league leaders after winning only two of their last six league fixtures as Manchester City closes the gap at the top (mind that, by the way).

Can Spurs take the advantage against a shaky Arsenal team in a fixture that has huge ramifications for both sides’ season?

COYS!

Lineups

Lineups will be posted closer to kick-off.

Live Blog

How to Watch

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Sunday, February 22, 2026

Time: 11:30 a.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. UK

TV: USA Network, Sky Sports Premier League (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Unavailable

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!