Cartilage Free Captain

With the caveat that Johan Lange moves in darkness and nobody really knows anything, there are a couple of new reports in the French media that suggests Tottenham Hotspur might have a real chance of landing PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani this month on loan.

L’Equipe has two stories out in the past two days that make it sound like Spurs are really making a push for Kolo Muani. The first, out today, says that Spurs have made an offer to take him on loan, with a purchase option at the end of the season. Juventus, the other club seriously interested in RKM, have also made informal inquiries; L’Equipe says that PSG is in no hurry to make a decision and are potentially waiting to see if any more clubs come in, with Dortmund and Manchester United also tracking him.

There have been plenty of reports lately in the Italian media sphere that suggest Juventus were in the lead and were actually close to landing Kolo Muani, but yesterday L’Equipe thew some cold water on those reports, suggesting that Juventus don’t have the funds to actually meet PSG’s demands, particularly Kolo Muani’s wages, which are around £150k/wk. That shouldn’t be an issue for Spurs, who are well within their wage budget and have no PSR concerns to speak of, though I have no doubt if they’re really interested they’ll also try and knock a few quid off his wages for the duration of the loan.

I think Kolo Muani would be a plus-add for Spurs in the spring, particularly with Timo Werner struggling and Wilson Odobert out for a few more months. RKM’s underperformance on xG is noted, but having another dynamic wing option with Spurs still in four competitions would be extremely useful. And if the loan is an option instead of an obligation, it’s the best of all worlds for Spurs. Assuming PSG agree.

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Tottenham Hotspur Daily Links: The Hoddle Of Coffee

The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Tuesday, January 14

Aussie Open 2025, BABY!

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good morning

And welcome to a very brief overview of the 2025 Australian Open (which is well underway by this time). I should’ve done this on Friday but I couldn’t be arsed. So here it is today. I hope some of these predictions hold up until at least today.

There are lots of fun storylines to look out for. The one I’m most interested is Kei Nishikori, the former World No. 4 whose career has been ravaged by injuries. His latest return began a couple months ago. He won his first-round match over the weekend (hooray!).

Men’s tournament:

Fitzie’s favourites — Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic: No surprises here with the top four seeds. Sinner’s the defending champ and coming off one of the best seasons in recent memory, so he’s clearly the favourite. But how will Djokovic do? He’s the best to ever compete at the Aussie Open, but last year showed many signs age was wearing on him.

Fitzie’s next-ups — Alex De Minaur, Taylor Fritz: Seeded eighth and fourth, respectively. Fritz is the better of the two and coming off his breakout season, so I hope he continues that. De Minaur had some injury problems last season. Hope he gets back from it.

Fitzie’s dark horses — Frances Tiafoe, Arthur Fils, Tommy Paul, Tomas Mahac, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard: Mostly gone for the big hitters here, but Fils and Perricard are two very exciting younger players from France. Mahac has a decent draw, if you consider an ageing Djokovic a decent opponent. Tiafoe had his breakout tournament here. Tommy Paul’s also got a nice draw.

Women’s draw:

Fitzie’s favourites — Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff: How can you bet against the two-time reigning champion? She easily dispatched Sloane Stephens in the first round. Her toughest opponent would fall on the other side of the draw, if Swiatek or Gauff make it to the final.

Fitzie’s next-ups: Qinwen Zheng, Jessica Pegula: If anyone else from Sabalenka’s half could make it to the final, it’s last year’s finalist Zheng. Only thing is, she’s got a horrific record against the Belarusian. Pegula took a big step last year by reaching the finals of the US Open. Can she carry that into this tournament?

Fitzie’s dark horses — The Field: Probably unfair to lump the rest of the draw here, but that’s how I see it. I’m not even high on the fourth seed, Jasmine Paolini. Too much inconsistency to be sold on anyone.

If you insist on me naming some: I think Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva poses a real challenge to Sabalenka in the fourth round and wouldn’t be surprised by an upset. Her compatriot Diana Schneider is another big hitter. I’ll lump the craft Karolina Muchova and Dona Vekic here too, if you insist.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Mr Big Stuff, by Jean Knight

And now for your links:

Jay Harris ($$): “The worst nearly happened for Tottenham and Postecoglou… but it didn’t”

Guardian: “FA report into Maddy Cusack’s death to be shared with coroner this week”

The arguments for and against FA Cup replays

Two of the three Tottenham Hotspur Alfies are now out on loan! As expected, Spurs announced today on their socials and website that 19-year-old central defender Alfie Dorrington has finalized a loan move to Aberdeen in the Scottish Premier League until the end of the season, and after signing a new contract that will keep him a Spurs player until 2029.

I said this in the last article, but this really does look like a great loan opportunity for Alfie. He’s heading to a team that needs him in a league that will allow him to get some good experience with a high variance of quality (and lesser quality) teams. If he hits the ground running, there’s every chance he could be a regular starter for Aberdeen for the rest of the season.

And the timing is pretty perfect — Tottenham are expected to get Ben Davies, Cuti Romero, and Micky van de Ven back from injury sometime this month, meaning the prospects of match time at Spurs are going to be pretty few for Dorrington. An injury kept him out of the U21s for much of the fall, so getting minutes in his legs will be extra important.

Dorrington will likely be competing next year with the likes of Ash Phillips and Luka Vuskovic for Spurs’ fourth CB position, and that’s a lot of competition. Hopefully this will kick start his progress. Good luck, Alfie!

Manchster United’s Marcus Rashford is almost certainly moving SOMEWHERE this spring, but it remains to be seen where. According to Miguel Delaney, Tottenham Hotspur are one of two Premier League clubs that have sounded out a possible loan deal for the want-away forward until the end of the season, but there’s significant interest for him abroad as well.

Delaney says Spurs have looked into the possibility and that there was also past interest from West Ham, but notes that both AC Milan and Juventus have also shown interest in taking Rashford on loan. Of the continental clubs, however, Dortmund is the one that has shown the most interest.

Rashford is on £300k/wk in wages which pretty much blows away any Tottenham player currently at the club. Spurs are in a healthy financial position and certainly could afford to pay that much to get Rashford in, but it’s unlikely they would do so and would ask United to assume a significant chunk of his wages.

Spurs are also reportedly interested in PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani, though Juventus is also making a strong push for the player. Rashford could be seen as a back-up option, or it could be a Johan Lange smokescreen. It’s actually pretty rare that we get rumors about specific players emerging from Tottenham’s locked-down recruitment team ahead of time, so I’d say at this point a Rashford loan would seem fairly unlikely. But what do I know? Lange moves in darkness, like a ninja.

Sunday’s game against Tamworth either was or wasn’t fun, except for those who didn’t watch it and whose opinions don’t matter. I fall into that category (partially).

Listen, I want to show you all lots of fun pics from the match vs Tamworth. There aren’t many.

But please enjoy this video.

Good on Lucas Bergvall for enjoying some of those chants there (especially about him potentially being sent off vs Liverpool).

We’re into the next round of the FA Cup against Villa, which is great. For those asking, I watched the first half of the match before departing for my run. A lovely ground, it is.

There are still some interesting games to be played that I don’t think we should sleep on. Least of all Millwall - Dag & Red. It’s tough, Dag & Red have been in the fifth tier for a decade now.

Let’s hope for an upset. Plus, who doesn’t love a London derby?

Fitzie’s track of the day: Track A - Solo Dancer, by Charles Mingus

And now for your links:

BBC with a recap of Spurs-Tamworth

A lot of Tottenham Hotspur fans were, to put it mildly, puzzled that Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate and central defender Alfie Dorrington didn’t start in Spurs’ 3-0 ET win over Tamworth in the FA Cup. After all, this was a Premier League team playing away against a club in the fifth tier, surely Ange Postecoglou would give some kids a chance to impress.

Dorrington didn’t make it off the bench at the Lamb Ground, but he might be getting an even bigger chance shortly. According to Twitter account @Lilywhite_Rose, which is very clued in to the comings and goings of Spurs’ youth academy and frequently has news and info before it becomes public, Dorrington is set to head on loan to Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen until the end of the season.

Aberdeen started off hot in the SPL, going undefeated in their first 10 matches, winning nine of them. But then the wheels fell off. Since, Aberdeen has just one win in their last 13 games, putting them in a distant fourth place in the table. Along with that, their best defender Gavin Malloy underwent shoulder surgery recently and is out until May, and Malloy’s backup is... not especially favored, according to fans.

So if Dorrington’s loan to Aberdeen is confirmed, that gives him a real shot to get some serious minutes in Scottish first division football if he can get up to speed quickly and plays well. It’s a super opportunity for a player who is unlikely to get many minutes at Spurs no matter what, and especially when Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven return to the lineup at the end of January.

So this could be a very, very good move both for Aberdeen and for Dorrington, if he can work his way into the squad. Go much below Celtic and Rangers and the quality drops off significantly in the SPL, but that might not be a terrible thing — plenty of bad Scottish teams for Dorrington to play against, and the occasional big-time match against Celtic and Rangers.

We’ll wait for the official confirmation, but this looks like a pretty solid loan.

Tottenham Hotspur eked past non-league Tamworth in extra time today at the Lamb Ground, ultimately winning 3-0 in extra time after going scoreless through 90 minutes. There’s a lot we can say about that game, but this is an article about Tottenham’s NEXT FA Cup game.

The draw for the Fourth Round just completed, and Spurs were drawn away to Aston Villa. The match will take place the week of February 8, 2025.

You never want to draw a Premier League team this early in the FA Cup competition, and this is a particularly annoying draw. Villa are a solid side, and even though Spurs thumped them 4-1 at home in the Premier League earlier this season, this will be a tough out.

Hopefully Spurs will have a few of its first choice players like Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven back by the time they have to travel to Villa Park, so that might help. But make no mistake, it’s a tough draw.

Villa vs. Spurs is one of a couple of all-PL matchups, including Brighton vs. Chelsea, Everton vs. Bournemouth, and Manchester United vs. Leicester. And also interestingly, a lot of the other big clubs were drawn away in this round, which could make things interesting. Spurs may have gotten a tough draw, but they at least are still in the competition, which is something you cannot say about Arsenal.

Here’s the full draw.

FA Cup Fourth Round Draw

Tottenham Hotspur survived an embarrassing result at the hands of National League side Tamworth with a 3-0 victory in extra time in the third round of the FA Cup Sunday morning.

Knowing the lore of Tottenham Hotspur jokes and what many felt could happen — beating the most in-form team in Liverpool and possibly losing to Tamworth — the Premier League side looked clueless throughout the first half of the FA Cup draw.

Fielding a strong enough team to put the game to bed early and let the kids play, Spurs never truly got into the game as Timo Werner — who played striker — looked lost as he played terrible balls, had poor touches, and failed to make an impact in the first 45 minutes, That was the norm for the majority of the side as James Maddison and Yves Bissouma looked to be the two who were pushing to get chances for the side.

Dealing with a 0-0 first half, the first 15 minutes of the second half saw Mikey Moore come alive after he returned from a two-month illness. Showcasing his skills on the ball that many love and getting in and around the defense, the lone thing that was not coming was a final result.

Breaking down Tamworth slowly but surely, as a Premier League side should do with its depth, Spurs almost lost the game in the end as Tamworth had a chance for the FA Cup magic that comes every year.

Having a moment in the final seconds, Tamworth took a shot to the near post with players scattered, but Bissouma blocked the shot to force a corner. The ensuing corner saw Bissouma stand his ground again as he blocked the initial shot before the follow-up shot ended up in the hands of keeper Antonín Kinský.

Going to extra time and needing a winner to not leave it up to the crapshoot that is penalties — on the road to a National League side with 4,000 supporters out to watch — Ange Postecoglou brought out the big subs to put an end to the nonsense with Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski coming into attack. Djed Spence filled in for Radu Dragusin who left on a yellow card.

It took 10 minutes into extra time, but the contest’s first goal came in favor of Spurs..even if Tamworth nicked it in at the end.

Pedro Porro stood over the free kick design and, going for a low-driven ball to Brennan Johnson, the right winger squared his ball through a deflection to pop up in front of the goal with Dominic Solanke ready to tap it in. But Tamworth’s Nathan Muya Tshikuna was credited with the own goal as the ball bounced over the keeper and into the net.

Getting the first goal and needing to hold on for another 15 minutes of extra time, Spurs put the game to bed as Kulusevski and Johnson added goals to wrap up a 3-0 victory over Tamworth and secure a fourth-round date in the FA Cup.

Fair play to Tamworth for making this a game, and with the faces of disappointment on the likes of Spurs players — as it took 120 minutes to win this game — hopefully, they wake up for a North London derby against Arsenal on Wednesday.

After one moment of cup magic in which Tottenham Hotspur took down Liverpool in the EFL Cup, we get another: the customary visit of a Premier League titan to a football minnow, as Spurs visit Tamworth as the Lilywhites look to open their account in the FA Cup.

The fifth division side present a great opportunity for Spurs to progress, as well as rest some of their overworked senior players (those who are left, anyway); but there’s always a risk of Spurs not taking a fixture like this seriously enough.

Surely Spurs will cruise. Surely.

COYS!

Lineups

Live Blog

How to Watch

Tamworth vs. Tottenham Hotspur

The Lamb Ground, Tamworth, UK

Sunday, January 12, 2025

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

TV: Not televised in USA, ITV1 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: ESPN+

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!

Some news you may have missed, especially for those of you who follow our Tottenham Hotspur loanees: midfielder Matthew Craig has been recalled from his loan at Barnsley, and has headed out on loan again to Mansfield Town as per the Tottenham Hotspur website.

Craig, for those who remember (and for those who would rather forget) made history as he and his brother Michael became the first identical twins to appear in a Tottenham Hotspur matchday squad... as Spurs lost a Europa Conference League qualification playoff match to Pacos de Ferreira during the heady days of Nuno Espirito Santo’s reign. Proud.

With twin Michael having been released by the club nearly three years ago, Matthew has continued to attempt to carve out a career in football at the top level, with loans down the English pyramid both last season and this. At Barnsley, he had a solid start, gaining regular starting spots in midfield across the first quarter of the season; unfortunately, he then began to see minutes dwindle, being relegated first to a bench role and then being left out of the squad entirely in Barnsley’s last four matches.

That clearly hasn’t sat well with Spurs, who have promptly organized him another loan to League One, with destination Mansfield Town just a few spots behind Barnsley in the table. Spurs will be hoping to see Craig continue the start he made at Barnsley, where he received rave reviews early on from some of The Tykes faithful.

I’m not going to lie to you, though. Craig is 21, and it’s hard to see him progressing much higher in the pyramid at this stage of his development. For the club (and player), it’s more likely now about maximizing value for a transfer so that Craig can continue to build a career in the football league - and there’s no shame in that!

Good luck to Matthew at Mansfield Town!