Cartilage Free Captain

I hate international football.

Seriously, this is the SECOND break so far this season. And it’s only October! Thankfully, we have multiple more plus AFCON to look forward to this season. Hurray!

What is nice though is when members of the Tottenham Hotspur squad get called up to represent their country and step onto the pitch in national colors for the first time. In that respect, the break began successfully for a couple of Spurs’ international players: Djed Spence and Lucas Bergvall made their first starts for England and Sweden, respectively. There was on field success for Djed as well, keeping a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over club teammates Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson’s Wales. Djed Spence, as is his wont, took to social media to gloat in a post that is… well, you should just see it for yourself (scroll to the last pic) if you haven’t already.

Unfortunately, that success was not replicated for Lucas Bergvall, as he missed an open goal in a two-goal defeat to Switzerland. That was, however, the sole loss amongst Spurs’ international cadre. Kevin Danso starred in an especially one-sided affair, collecting an assist in a 10-0 win over San Marino, while Pedro Porro also kept a clean sheet in a strong performance for Spain as they took down Georgia 2-0. Continuing the theme of minnows vs. giants, Netherlands breezed past Malta 4-0, with Micky van de Ven playing the majority and Xavi Simons making a late appearance off the bench.

In fact, it was the bench to which several of Spurs’ representatives were kept, with Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, and Joao Palhinha not playing a minute, an outcome that was likely pleasing to Thomas Frank. Richarlison was also a substitute for Brazil in their five-goal demolition of ex-Spurs captain Son Heung-min’s South Korea, with Richy only seeing the pitch in the dying minutes with the match already won.

The remaining representatives though saw big minutes for their nations. Cristian Romero played 90 minutes and kept an important clean sheet as Argentina defeated Venezuela by a solitary goal, while Pape Matar Sarr and Mohammed Kudus both found themselves on the winning side via the same impressive margin: 5-0. Kudus collected an assist in an 82-minute performance against Central African Republic, while Pape Matar Sarr went the distance as Senegal dispatched South Sudan.

All in all, a pretty successful break thus far for Spurs (as I touch a wooden surface, cross myself, and throw salt over my shoulder) - and that’s without even talking about the age-grade reps (which I don’t usually include, as ain’t nobody got time for that), where Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert both scored for France U21’s, a moment for Tel which I’m sure we all hope will be a confidence booster as he looks to build on his appearance against Leeds before the break.

I still hate international football.

Spurs International Appearances:

Djed Spence (90 mins, yellow card): England 3-0 Wales - Friendly

Ben Davies (64 mins) & Brennan Johnson (76 mins): England 3-0 Wales - Friendly

Lucas Bergvall (85 mins): Sweden 0-2 Switzerland - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Kevin Danso (90 mins, assist, clean sheet): Austria 10-0 San Marino - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Pedro Porro (75 mins, clean sheet, yellow card): Spain 2-0 Georgia - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Micky van de Ven (84 mins, clean sheet) & Xavi Simons (6 mins, sub): Malta 0-4 Netherlands - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Guglielmo Vicario (unused sub) & Destiny Udogie (unused sub): Estonia 1-3 Italy - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Joao Palhinha (unused sub): Portugal 1-0 Ireland - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Richarlison (11 mins, sub): South Korea 0-5 Brazil - Friendly

Cristian Romero (90 mins, clean sheet): Argentina 1-0 Venezuela - Friendly

Pape Matar Sarr (90 mins): South Sudan 0-5 Senegal - CAF World Cup Qualification

Mohammed Kudus (82 mins, assist): Central African Republic 0-5 Ghana - CAF World Cup Qualification

Tottenham Hotspur Women are flourishing under new manager Martin Ho. Spurs are up to third in the table with their only blemish thus far a heavy loss to league title contenders Manchester City. Today’s challenge will be just as robust — a trip to Kingsmeadow to face six time defending champions Chelsea. Yes, you read that right — the Blues have won the WSL each of the last six seasons, and nine times in the last 11 years.

Don’t think this will be easy.

But stranger things have happened, and Spurs are flying thanks to two new signings — striker Cathinka Tandberg and defender Toko Koga. Under Ho Spurs are pressing high, getting the ball into dangerous areas, defending well, and SCORING. Will wonders never cease! It might not be enough to take down heavy favorites Chelsea, but then again… maybe it will? It’s nice to think about good things happening.

Watch the match with us and have a chat about it here! Abbie will be along in due course with the match report.

Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur Women

Kingsmeadow, London, United Kingdom

TV: not televised (USA), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)

Stream: ESPN Select (USA)

We’ve seen a little bit here and there from James Maddison since he tore his ACL in August. Emotional doesn’t begin to describe it. Madders’ injury took place in Spurs’ preseason match against Newcastle in Seoul in what ended up being Son Heung-Min’s last appearance at the club before his departure for LAFC, and the Tottenham Hotspur vice captain is set to miss the majority of the 2025-26 season after having surgery.

At the time, Madders called the injury “bad” and “a brutal moment.” He’s 28 years old, in his footballing prime, and an injury like this not only removes one of the teams’ best players from the squad but also could have long tail effects in what is left of Maddison’s career.

This evening, Maddison posted a new video on his personal YouTube channel, an hour long look at his recovery, starting three days after his injury and proceeding through surgery and his rehabilitation to his three week checkup with his orthopedic surgeon in early September. While there are some looks at his incisions it’s not at all graphic [stares intently at Dejan Kulusevski] but is honest and unflinching in detailing what it’s like to recover from an injury like what he sustained. And it’s a fascinating watch.

I didn’t think I was going to watch the entire video in one sitting, but if I’m honest, it was an incredibly compelling video. Here are some of my takeaways from viewing.

It’s clear WHY Maddison is doing this video and he says as much a few minutes in — he’s filming his recovery to help inform people who have had or who are going through a similar injury recovery, as well as for any Spurs fans who are interested in what it’s like to rehab from a major knee injury.

James is very comfortable in front of the camera. He’s clear, direct, and honest in his delivery. Honestly, watching this video makes me think he could be an EXCELLENT pundit when he finally hangs up his boots.

Madders wears his heart on his sleeve and you can see the emotion pouring off of him in the initial meeting with the orthopedic surgeon. He states the longest period he’s been out in his career up to that point was three months; this is obviously a much longer recovery at at points he looks like he’s going to break down.

The surgeon gave a timeline of recovery of eight months, but with a minimum recovery time of six months. That means with an average recovery we’re looking at Madders returning by April, in time for Spurs’ run-in. If he’s a quick healer, it could be as soon as February. (And this is the part where I remind people that “return” doesn’t mean “back to 100%”, and that it’s probably pretty likely that we won’t see the best of Madders until next season.)

James thanked Rodrigo Bentancur and Cuti Romero who sat with him at the stadium in Korea after the injury in what must have been a hugely emotional time for him. I always love to see those kind of human behind the scenes moments, and it makes it clear how close this particular group of players is. Lolo also said that Maddison’s recovery should be shorter than his, since Maddison didn’t tear his meniscus, only the ligaments. Best part of that scene: Cuti clearly wasn’t wearing pants.

Brennan Johnson is a goofball. If this video is anything to go by, he and Archie Gray are good buds and are also the court jesters of the squad.

James’ family is simply adorable, and his wife is clearly a saint. As someone who has gone through three surgeries in 18 months, I can’t express how incredible a gift it is to have a supportive partner when you’re recovering from surgery.

We got a good, close up look at Radu Dragusin’s surgical scars, and they’re gnarly (but in a good way?).

On balance, Madders’ recovery looks to be well on track. There didn’t seem to be any concerns about a longer recovery, and in fact everything on the video looked very, very good. I won’t extrapolate anything — these things don’t always take a straight line — but it was a really fascinating look into James’ physical and emotional well being. Honestly, I don’t know why the club itself doesn’t do stuff like this more often.

Seriously, can we get a Brennan - Archie buddy comedy?

Hey did you know that Tottenham Hotspur played a behind-closed-doors friendly against Watford today? Me either! Rude of Tottenham not to let us know about this friendly that was clearly about fitness and that they did not want any fans or press at.

But anyway, there’s good news out of that revelation — according to the club on social media, Randal Kolo Muani played half of that match, ostensibly his first non-training minutes since recovering from a severe dead leg earlier in the season.

That is, as the kids say nowadays, bussin’. Kolo Muani has played exactly 14 minutes since joining the club on loan from PSG at the end of the window, and those minutes came at the end of the Champions League match vs. Villarreal almost a month ago. The dead leg apparently took place in training and involved Pape Matar Sarr (who was jokingly sold out in a press conference by Thomas Frank), and while we don’t have any details about what actually happened, the injury was apparently severe with a lot of internal bleeding.

I’m not a doctor, but… ow.

Anyway, having Randal back would be neat. Not only is he a good player that we really haven’t seen yet, but his inclusion in the squad opens up a few intriguing tactical tweaks that were heretofore unavailable to Frank in his lineups. RKM can play up top as a No. 9 which could mean putting Richarlison as a left sided wide support winger, or the other way around with RKM playing wide and hopefully actually giving Richy some service. Regardless, Kolo Muani is a talented attacker, and we could use one or two additional heathy examples of them right now.

It’s also fantastic that he got 45 good match minutes in so early in the international break, because he can then focus on getting his fitness back up before Spurs’ next match against Aston Villa on October 19. Or maybe we’ll see him in the Champions League at Monaco the following Wednesday. Either way, I hope we see him, and soon.

We’ve finally made it to the end of the week, which normally means Tottenham football is right around the corner. ‘Cept this is the international break, and we have to settle for a weekend without Spurs. What’ll we do?

The great news is this is the time of year when we have so many different sporting options to choose from, unless you watch the rugby.

But if you follow some other sports - those coming from the US - there’s plenty to follow.

MLB

We’re in the most exciting time of the season - the playoffs. The LA Angels (America’s sweethearts) might be out of it, and probably were as back as May, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be watching. Who doesn’t want to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s Toronto Blue Jays romp to the American League Championship Series?

Of course, on the other side of the bracket we have the Los Angeles Dodgers, the other team from Southern California but north of San Diego. No, I don’t want to talk about Shohei Ohtani.

NHL

The season’s finally begun! And this is a new year full of hope. Will the San Jose Sharks eclipse the bottom-of-the-table mediocrity they suffered last year? Probably not. But, as of this writing, they’re tied 1-1 versus the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Meanwhile, Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers could be the team to beat this year, while the Florida Panthers are chasing the three-peat.

NBA

Still two weeks away - but we’re excited. Not really, if you’re a Suns fan.

NFL

That Vikings-Browns game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sure was fun (and it gave us a COYS reference in today’s hoddle). Spurs host another NFL game this weekend when the Denver Broncos take on the New York Jets.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Oxford Comma, by Vampire Weekend

And now for your links:

BBC: “How Frank is tweaking Tottenham”

Jack P-B ($$): “Tottenham owners pledge ‘more money to deliver success’ after £100m injection”

Sky Sports: “Thomas Tuchel calls England fans ‘silent’ in Wales win and wants ‘energy’ from Three Lions support”

The Mercury News: “Kurtenbach: Three things I’m watching for at the start of this crucial Sharks season”

But when Tottenham Hotspur take the opportunity afforded by the international break to announce a financial windfall for the club, I hate it significantly less:

In an official press release, the club confirmed that ENIC, the majority owner, has invested £100 million of additional capital into the club. It’s something unheard of in recent times, with ENIC typically unwilling to invest their own funds to support club operations; a stance that is not necessarily a negative, albeit a frustrating one at times. There was a £150 million investment back in 2022, but it does seem like the structure of that investment was more of a gradual, drawdown arrangement, though don’t take my word for that: I am not a Finance Bro™.

What’s a bit depressing though is in today’s market, £100 million barely gets you an Adam Wharton, and it sure doesn’t get you an Alexander Isak; so the “windfall” comment earlier in the piece is written with tongue very much firmly in cheek. It also doesn’t magically mean Spurs will get any better at targeting or signing players, and it’s possible the money isn’t even earmarked for the purpose of transfers. Chairman Peter Charrington (boy, does it feel weird not to write Daniel Levy there) is reasonably evasive in his comments on the injection of cash:

…our focus is on stability and empowering the management team to deliver on the Club’s ambitions. I know the Lewis family are also ambitious for the future. Today’s capital commitment reflects that ambition and I would like to thank them for their ongoing support. We will continue to do all we can to ensure that Vinai and his team are supported in the best way possible to take this Club forward.

So… is it for staffing? A new medical team (again)? Some new hamstrings for Micky van de Ven? It’s hard to say, but even with my cynicism, this is undoubtedly a good thing. The ownership want the club to succeed, and this is a small but significant step towards that end.

Listen, I never thought I’d be sitting here writing a hoddle about Dancing With The Stars (the US version of Strictly Come Dancing). But here we are. It’s international break, and I’m writing about it.

The only reason - and I mean ONLY - that I have any sort of interest in this reality television show is because of Andy Richter the Swedish German, famously the sidekick to late-night television icon Conan O’Brien.

Andy Richter and his dancing partner Emma survived the latest round in the dance contest - supposedly Disney night. There are 14 celebrity contestants this year - crazy! After Hilaria Baldwin’s exit this week (uh oh, spoiler alert), Andy Richter is in the top 10.

Andy, it should be noted, is probably the oldest contestant in the series at age 69. He and his partner have had the lowest scores in three of the first five dances (and the second-lowest in two).

Want more of Andy? Well here is his most recent dance routine, set to the theme of Ratatouille:

But Andy Richter says he’s having a lot of fun on this show, which has been a very new experience for someone who’s biggest on-stage persona has been defined by sitting on a couch (hey, somebody’s got to make those great one-liners, am I right?).

Who knows how long this underdog run can continue for. I certainly hope that he goes the whole way and completely destroys this programme, which is amazingly in its 34th series (that means there are more than 340 celebrities out there - insane - and how?).

If anyone has more insight on Andy Richter’s performances on the show, please share.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Night Lights, by the Gerry Mulligan Sextet

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “How Thomas Frank’s Tottenham can improve in attack after strong start to season”

BBC: [Josh Cavallo]: “‘Being gay in men’s football is a very toxic place’”

The Guardian: “Ratcliffe says Ruben Amorim has three years to prove himself at Manchester United”

It’s the international break, which means there’s no club football, which means that everything quiets down and attention shifts to other areas. That includes rumination over potential summer 2026 transfer moves, and when THAT happens, it almost always seem to involve Tottenham Hotspur somehow.

Okay, that’s true for every club, but this is a Tottenham blog and so we pay close attention to the things we pay close attention to. So this made my ears prick up: According to (deep sigh) Fabrizio Romano’s podcast, Orlando City has had contact with Richarlison’s entourage about a possible move to MLS this coming summer.

Richarlison is under contract at Tottenham Hotspur until summer of 2027, but in truth we’ve been talking about the possibility of moving him on for a couple of years now. It’s not that he’s a bad player — he isn’t. When he’s on his game he’s can be a deadly finisher and he’s very good at holding the ball up and getting on the ends of crosses for headers and one-time finishes. There’s also no chance that he’d leave the club in January, since with Dom Solanke’s injury he’s Spurs’ de facto first choice striker.

But he’s 28, has struggled with injury since moving to the club from Everton, and Spurs will need to think about upgrading him in the medium term whether or not he regains enough form to make Brazil’s World Cup squad.

MLS has been weirdly flush with cash lately, and we don’t have to look very far to see an example of it — LAFC’s record £20m signing of Son Heung-Min has been good for everyone involved, and MLS is starting to be seen as a viable destination for a certain type of aging footballer who might want to squeeze a couple more years out of his career before either returning to Brazil or hanging up his boots.

In the interest of clarity it should be pointed out that there’s not a lot of meat on this particular bone. Nothing is imminent, just international break quiet time news that Orlando’s people have talked with Richy’s people. So let’s not put the cart in front of the horse just yet. That said, is this PLAUSIBLE? Well, sure! Why not! MLS seems like the kind of league that would suit a 29-year-old Richarlison quite well. He’d definitely take one of Orlando’s Designated Player slots, one of which is held by 34-year-old forward Colombian forward Luis Muriel. And if Orlando City is interested, my guess is that there’s probably other teams, both in MLS and elsewhere, sniffing around.

Like it or not we’re going to have to start thinking about life after Richarlison. This is the first semi-real link I’ve seen that potentially points to that future.

The last time we heard from Sergio Reguilon he had just left Tottenham Hotspur at the conclusion of his contract and was without a club. It looks like he might be trading unemployment with an opportunity to play football with Lionel Messi.

According to The Athletic, Sergio is in negotiations with Inter Miami to sign with the MLS side on a free transfer with the deal expected to be completed soon.

Reguilon would initially start as a rotation option and backup to to his countryman, 36-year-old former Barcelona star Jordi Alba. However, Alba just announced that he’s retiring at the end of the current MLS season, so this provides and excellent opportunity for Reguilon to replace him next season. Alba joins Sergio Busquets, who also announced his retirement from football last month, opening up two designated player spots for Miami next season.

Should the move go through, Reguilon is joining after the MLS roster after the September 12 roster freeze. Inter Miami can petition the league for an exception, but if that is rejected Sergio would not be able to play for Inter Miami until the 2026 season. Regardless, even if the exemption is not granted it appears all Sergio would need to do is keep his head down and train, knowing that Alba would hand him the keys to the kingdom next season. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me!

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