Cartilage Free Captain

Last year (lol I’ve been waiting to use this) we heard rumors that Tottenham were considering recalling Yang Min-hyeok from his loan at Portsmouth to loan him back out somewhere else where he can get more minutes. The same is happening to Damola Ajayi at Doncaster; the Dons are terminating his loan and sending him back to Spurs this month. We’re still waiting on confirmation of Yang’s situation, but we do have another young on-loan player who is coming home early, at least for now. Spurs announced on social media and their website that Jamie Donley is being recalled from his season long loan at Stoke City.

Donley was one of two Tottenham players sent to the Potters on loan, along with central defender Ashley Philllips. But while Phillips has established himself as one of Stoke’s two main central defenders and has tallied 1400 minutes so far this season, Donley has barely sniffed the pitch. He picked up an assist in Stoke’s opening week win over Derby County, and started both of Stoke’s EFL Cup matches, but has only made a total of 4 Championship appearances for 81 minutes of match time. Not great! I’m sure anyone who regularly follows Stoke can probably tell me why he’s been stuck on the bench, but it’s an untenable situation for him right now.

This is kind of a critical moment for Donley. A lot of Spurs fans have high hopes for him especially after a successful loan stint at Leyton Orient in League One last season. He’s young, but at age 20 now old enough where he should be able to contribute at the Championship level. That’s kind of a key metric. I’d expect him to be loaned out again for the second half of the season, though there aren’t as of yet any indications on where that would be — either another Championship club or somewhere on the continent.

I don’t know if his failure to launch at Stoke is due to ability, effort, circumstance, or some combination of all of them, but failed loans suck. Hopefully Spurs can find him a place where he can get minutes and that isn’t, IDK, Westerlo.

Winning ugly is better than not winning at all, and apparently Tottenham Hotspur has found the right formula to squeak out three points. After the blip against Forest, Spurs got the needed result against Palace last weekend — away from home, of course — and can start off the new year right with a similar effort at Thomas Frank’s old stomping grounds. Despite plenty of struggles this fall, Tottenham entered this matchweek just four points off fifth.

One point above Frank’s new side is his previous squad. Since falling to Spurs in North London less than a month ago, Brentford has taken seven points in three matches and surged up the table. Some of this is due to quality of competition, but Tottenham is in no place to scoff at taking the “easy” points. This is going to be a true test on New Year’s but at least there is some reason to believe.

Match Details

Date: Thursday, January 1

Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK

Location: Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford

TV: NBCSN/Peacock (US), Sky Sports Premier League (UK)

Table: Brentford (t-9th, 26 pts), Spurs (t-13th, 25 pts)

Even with it happening at home, last month’s win over Brentford was Tottenham’s best league performance in a long time. The 2.2-0.2 xG line was certainly the most dominant this campaign, and those figures were completely justified given how the match played out. That win did make it four straight for Spurs in this fixture, regardless of which club Frank is leading.

Two Things to Watch

Potential Hierarchy Changes

No midweek matches the past two weeks gave Frank a chance to deploy all his resources, possibly revealing his preferred choices. Two players stand out as being on either side of the cusp right now. The first is Archie Gray, who has started seven of the last eight fixtures and nabbed his first career goal over the weekend.

Spurs could certainly use an upgrade in central midfield, but if the personnel remains the same, it sure looks like Gray has broken into the Rodrigo Bentancur-Joao Palhinha double pivot, and rightfully so. Gray played well against Brentford last time and would relish the chance to repeat that performance. Keith Andrews has dabbled with his formations since that meeting, but Gray is a strong choice against any midfield combination.

Up top, Richarlison has been the primary Tottenham striker all season, but more so out of necessity than performance. He does now lead the team in goals and could have had two more at Selhurst Park, but he has not exactly sealed up the job. Though a striker signing is unlikely in January, the impending return of Dominic Solanke could push him to the bench; the Brazilian’s chances to hang on to the starting spot are quickly dwindling.

Run It Back

That 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was just about everything Frank could have asked for against his former club. Spurs were surprisingly direct, aided by a start from Xavi Simons and a quality outing from Mohammed Kudus, with both working well in front of Gray and Bentancur. Brentford had nearly equal possession of the ball but generated just one shot on target, rarely threatening the Tottenham defense.

Brentford will obviously look to adjust from this loss — and has looked pretty good since then — while Spurs will try to anticipate some of these changes. Frank should have the advantage, knowing his previous outfit well, though execution plays just as large of a role as tactics. Tottenham’s win over Palace was no masterclass, but the ability to grind out wins on the road should not be overlooked.

I would expect the Bees to really go for this one. With six goals scored and just one conceded the past two weeks, confidence is high in Brentford. Spurs will need to absorb some pressure while also making the most of their chances (especially the aforementioned Richarlison). This does not feel like another 1-0 contest, so maybe Tottenham can take advantage of the home side’s surge in form and ambition, carrying forward last month’s success.

Good morning everyone, and happy 2026! A special happy January 2 to MattyFlatt and all those who rung in the new year well ahead of the rest of the world.

The hoddle’s going to take a little bit of a break today. Will you miss the hoddle today, really? We have Tottenham who are going to:

Start the year off with a big win

Start the year off with a devastating loss

Start the year off with a boring draw

That (and the college American football games today) are sure to drive most of the attention.

I hope the first day of the year brings a win for Spurs, but you never know do you? But the hoddle is here for your chatting needs, especially if you’d rather post comments rather than make small-talk with extended family.

Wishing you all a wonderful start to the year. Come on you Spurs!

Fitzie’s track of the day: Rockaria!, by Electric Light Orchestra

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “Has Tottenham’s year of change really set them up for ‘more wins, more often’?”

BBC: “Not just results - why Maresca is under pressure”

Raise your hand if you completely forgot that Manor Solomon was a Tottenham Hotspur player. Oh come on, I KNOW you did because I also had forgotten entirely. Solomon, signed for free under somewhat shady circumstances from Shakhtar Donetsk due to the ongoing war in Ukraine the summer Ange Postecoglou also joined the club, was deemed not good enough by two consecutive Spurs managers and was summarily shipped off to Villarreal on loan this summer.

Well, according to Fabrizio Romano, Manor’s great Spanish adventure is being cut short, because he’s reached an agreement to be sold to Fiorentina. His loan will be terminated.

Now look, I’m not saying that sending Manor Solomon off to La Viola has anything to do with Fabio Paratici reportedly leaving Spurs to become Fiorentina’s new Director of Football. But I’m also not NOT saying that. Was it a package deal? Did we tell Fabio that he can leave, but he has to take Manor with him? Probably not. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut…

(Apropos of nothing, can I again state how much I hate that Fab’s moved on from bad Photoshops to even worse AI-generated imagery? Garbage. Get in the bin.)

There’s no word on the transfer fee for Manor Solomon, but I have to think it’s not much. Maybe a bag of balls and a nice lunch in Florence? A promise of right of first refusal for whatever the Fiorentina equivalent of Dejan Kulusevski is? Whatever it is, it’s probably good for both Spurs to get Solomon off the books and for Manor to actually have a settled place in which to play football. Sounds like a win-win scenario to me.

UPDATE: Fabrizio clarified in a subsequent post — it’s another loan for Manor with a purchase option. That’s… significantly less awesome than the CURRENT loan with option he’s on a Villarreal, but it’s not nothing, I guess?

Tottenham Hotspur Women are continuing their raid of BK Häcken with the signing of winger Matilda Nildén to a long term deal. Yes, you read that right – we’re signing Amanda Nildén’s younger sister.

Matilda is coming off a promising season with Häcken, where she registered one goal and five assists in about 1200 minutes – that’s eleven starts and fourteen substitute appearances, according to fbref. She’s just 21 years old, so there’s not too much more info out there about exactly how Matilda Nildén might contribute to Spurs. But Martin Ho seems pretty excited about her potential.

“Matilda is an exciting attacking player with the ability to operate as a winger on both sides,” Martin said. “She plays with pace, bravery and intent, and has the qualities to consistently impact games in the final third. She is comfortable receiving in wide areas, attacking 1v1 situations and making decisive movements in behind.”

The younger Nildén will need to develop and adapt to the WSL, and she’s likely one for the future. But depending on who Spurs bring in, move on and loan out during the rest, she may see opportunities right out of the gate. It’s no secret that Spurs badly need attacking depth, especially on the wing where Matilda plays. Spurs limped into the new year with just one true winger available in Matilda Vinberg (I’m counting Lenna Gunning-Williams and Martha Thomas as more all-purpose forwards since both play in various positions across the front line). We sorely missed attacking depth and variety in the closing stages of both games against Manchester United.

I love how quickly the club is moving to address these obvious squad issues. The transfer window isn’t technically even open yet, and we’ve already announced three deals. It’s awesome, and a huge change from previous years. That said, sometimes I want to remind the club that there are people playing really good football outside Scandinavia. I’d love to see us recruit players from all over the world – the NWSL exists, as does Liga MX and Japan’s WE League, and I could go on! But it’s not even January yet (at least not for a few more hours), so I’ll hold off on passing any serious judgment for now.

I’ll leave you with this. Now you’re all aware that Amanda Nildén has a younger sister named Matilda. According to her Instagram, it seems like our winger Matilda Vinberg has a sister named Amanda. I do not believe she’s playing football, so we probably won’t be signing her. But that’s definitely not going to be confusing at all for anyone involved, right??

If you were hoping against hope that Tottenham Hotspur might be keeping a hold on Brennan Johnson for the rest of the season, you might want to revise your expectations. According to the Telegraph, Crystal Palace is increasingly confident that Johnson will be a Palace player in time for the club to play Newcastle this weekend. Sam Wallace and John Percy write that Johnson is set to have a medical at Selhurst Park in the next 24 hours, with a transfer fee of just under £35m to be confirmed shortly afterwards. The window officially opens on January 1, 2026.

I think I’ve said all I want to say about Brennan Johnson and his fit at Tottenham Hotspur the last time I wrote about this transfer and I won’t bother repeating myself. I will, however, express some hope that Spurs selling their top scorer from last year is a statement of intent that they will bring in attacking reinforcements next month, and that making this move now, at the very start of the window, implies that they have some moves that they want to make from the jump. I know, I know — naïve of me, this is Tottenham, but choosing hope is always more fun than resigned indifference or negativity. I’ll be that Pollyanna so you don’t have to.

There are plenty of reasons why this is the case, but it’s clear that Johnson is not going to repeat his 18 goal contributions this season, and there are a lot of good reasons to move him on to a place where he can hopefully be successful. Palace certainly seems like a better fit than Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur at the moment. And after that? Trust the process, I guess. What else can we do?

It’s the last day of 2025! Boy, what a year. Not one I’d especially like to redo on a personal level, even though there have been some incredible highs — it’s been a challenging one for me personally and overall I’m pretty happy to see 2025 in the rear view mirror. Here’s hoping for a better 2026, for me, for you, and for Tottenham Hotspur.

I can’t believe I’ve never done this theme in 12 years, but apparently I haven’t. Lots of people make New Year’s resolutions. Very few people actually stick to them. But maybe you’re resolved to give it your best shot again? Here are some suggestions on some resolutions. None of them are BAD, per se, but the biggest mistake people make is making them too ambitious. Resolutions are about forming habits, choosing achievable goals, and celebrating your progress along the way.

So as Tottenham Hotspur closes out 2025 with a rare Premier League win, this time over Crystal Palace, let’s rank the players to the theme of New Year’s resolutions. Put your favorite (or least favorite) ones in the comments and maybe some tips on how best to achieve them.

Want a NYE resolution you might actually stick to? Keep it simple and contained. Dry January has been a thing for a while now, and is a nice counter after a holiday season likely full of excess and over-indulgence. As someone newly sober (for medical reasons mostly but also by choice) I think it’s a good idea to do a little alcohol-free detox once in a while, even if you plan to go back to the booze later on. It’s not that difficult to do with a little forethought and it’s a resolution that you’ll feel good about completing because you know it’s only a month.

No Tottenham players in this category

Go back in time a decade and I don’t think you’d see this as a major New Year’s resolution, but a lot more people are prioritizing mental health now and that’s a good thing. There are a lot of ways to do this, but it starts by simply making it a priority. Maybe that’s therapy, perhaps meditation, or something as simple as taking a little extra time to do things that make you feel good. But it’s a good thing, easy, and achievable. You can do it, and you’ll feel better just by trying.

Kevin Danso (Community — 3.5): Solid match. Very commanding and assured performance at the back in Romero’s absence. Rarely put a foot wrong despite an early (and very suspect) yellow.

Micky van de Ven (Community — 4.0): Another very good performance at the back. Dealt with pretty much everything Palace could throw at him, including Mateta, who can be a load to handle.

Archie Gray (Community — 4.0): So pleased to see him rewarded with his first senior goal. Thought he looked a little rough in the first half but upped his game, especially late. Rewarding to see him continue his improvement at CM this season, one of the few bright spots.

Richarlison (Community — 4.0): Scored twice, except he didn’t because of stupid VAR and the stupid offside rule. That said, this was a really nice match from him — he looked dynamic, was very involved in the offense, and flicked a header on for Archie Gray to poke home on a corner. Well done, Pombo. More of that, please, preferably while onside.

Wilson Odobert (Community — 4.0): Really impressed by Wilson’s brief cameo. Smacked the post and looked super dangerous in attack late. The joke in the Carty Free writer’s room was that before coming on Frank gave Wilson the speech from “Swingers” for motivation. “You’re money and you don’t even know it.”

I feel like this is a resolution that is so attractive because of guilt, especially after two months of holidays where we are primed to eat to excess with family and friends. A worthwhile goal to be sure and I’ve fallen into that trap, but “lose 30 pounds” takes a crapload of time and work, and it’s no wonder people bail so quickly. Start smaller and incremental. “Make sure half my meal is vegetables for the next two weeks” is a good first step, or something like “stop eating chips after 9 pm”, and go from there. This also works well with Dry January (see above).

Djed Spence (Community — 3.5): Looked bright going forward, but was a little loose with the ball at times. Played well in the second half.

Rodrigo Bentancur (Community — 3.0): Looked characteristically lost in the first half, but stepped it up in the second. One of his better matches this season.

Joao Palhinha (Community — 3.5): Came in as a defensive substitute in the second half and put in some exquisite and well-timed sliding tackles. Pretty much exactly what the team needed when he came on.

This is just all about financial discipline, which is a learned skill that I’ve found isn’t taught much anymore. Wanna save a little more for a special occasion, a future purchase, or just an emergency fund? Set up a direct deposit that funnels a small amount out of your paycheck to a bank account (no amount too small) and then DON’T TOUCH IT. It’s better if you forget that you’ve done it along the way. But do it automatically. If you’re like me, transferring money manually every however often will not work and will not stick. Let the machine do it.

Guglielmo Vicario (Community — 3.5): Vic didn’t have a ton to do despite Palace having a number of decent half chances. Made a couple of decent stops, didn’t barf on his shoes playing out from the back. Not bad.

Pedro Porro (Community — 3.0): A couple of decent crosses including an “assist” to Richy that was waved off by VAR but struggled defensively especially in the first half.

Mohammed Kudus (Community — 3.5): Had a virtual assist for Richarlison negated by VAR. Characteristically frustrating with the ball, but didn’t notice him killing attacks in this one (probably because Spurs didn’t have that many to begin with).

Lucas Bergvall (Community — 3.5): Stupidly caught offside in the buildup to Richy’s first disallowed goal. Worked hard but not a ton to show for it despite a lot of running. Withdrawn for a knock, hopefully he’s okay.

Thomas Frank (Community — 3.0): As I said in the post-match, I don’t think this win moves the needle on Frank one way or another, nor do I think we learned much from a gritty win off a set piece when so little xG was generated in the first half. Team looked good late, though.

Unless you live in the southern hemisphere or a warm climate, January is the worst time to start an exercise regime because who wants to go out and exercise when it’s cold? Working out in winter involves a gym membership or home equipment, the weather sucks, and motivation to continue fails when there’s so much already working against you. Not to say you shouldn’t exercise more, you should! But there’s a reason why so many people fail at this resolution in particular. By all means, go get healthier, but set yourself a more achievable goal, at least initially. Try Yoga with Adrienne for a couple of weeks, or park two blocks away from the office and walk to work. You can always give Planet Fitness your money later on when you’ve established a routine that works.

Randal Kolo Muani (Community — 3.0): Not one of his better games. Never seemed quite in control of himself and struggled (along with everyone else not named Richarlison) to get on the end of the ball. Hooked late.

Look. I get it. Your life might suck right now. Maybe you’re lonely, or your job sucks, or you want (and don’t have or lost) a partner, or your favorite football club is a hot mess. Maybe it’s all of the above. It’s hard, I know. But resolving to just “be happy” never works, because it fails to address the underlying issues at the root of your unhappiness. You can’t bootstrap your way to being happy, because the causes are likely numerous, interconnected, and compounded. So start with something small. Find something you like doing, or that gives you a little peace, and lean into it. Maybe that’s read more books, or making time to really listen to music, or getting out into nature a few times a week. Start there, and build on it. Add something else. Join a social club. Learn a new skill, even if it’s not a relevant one. Dedicate one day a week away from social media. Start cooking more. Invite a friend over for coffee. This may not fully cure your unhappiness, but it might at least give you a little bit of respite. Whatever it is, keep it small, and celebrate your accomplishments. Change what you can, endure what you can’t. You can do it.

No Tottenham Hotspur players were as bad as trying to bootstrap your way to happiness.

Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating

We’ve barely had a chance to celebrate Radu Dragusin’s triumphant return to football after a serious knee injury last spring, and he’s already being linked with a move away from Tottenham Hotspur. Fabrizio Romano is now tweeting that Radu has interest from (so far unnamed) clubs in Italy as he wants additional match time, minutes he’s unlikely to get as Tottenham’s de facto fourth CB.

I have seen other sources mention Juventus as one of the Italian clubs interested in taking Dragusin and I’m sure we can put our heads together and fantasize about some of the other teams. My personal fanfic has eventual new Fiorentina Director of Football Fabio Paratici bringing Radu to La Viola, initially on loan but with a purchase obligation with the hopes that the team can somehow magic their way out of the relegation zone. This is not an actual rumor, but can’t you see it happening?

Dragusin had his difficulties in Ange Postecoglou’s high line, high possession system over the past two years, but I still think, wholly without evidence, Radu could be a more effective defender under Thomas Frank than Big Ange. That said, I don’t see a situation where he’s anything other than a rotation or injury replacement and he appears to be well behind Cuti Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Kevin Danso. Combine that with an agent who, uh, loves to talk and you end up here with a lot of smoke in the air about wanting to leave the club for better opportunities elsewhere. You can’t blame him, and this is something I think we could see happen. It would leave Spurs a little short handed so long as they’re still in multiple competitions, but maybe Kota Takai is ready to actually play football this season? Guess we’ll see.

Good morning everyone and welcome to the final Track of the Day for 2025 !!! I originally had another hoddle planned for today, but a TOTD felt a more appropriate way to end the year.

And if you haven’t downloaded the TOTD playlist yet, then what the heck are you doing? Here it is - take it !

When I was deciding how to close out the year, my thoughts first took me to Todd Rundgren, but I realised I had recently featured Just One Victory as a TOTD.

And that’s all good, because it allows me to select a far more personal way to close out the year.

There was a time when I worked the night shift where none of my coworkers wanted to go out and celebrate New Year’s, so I wondered what to do. I thought for a little bit and decided to spin Abbey Road on my turntable and to time it so that it matched with 00:00 on the clock (I think this was in 2019).

There was a part of me that found it very funny to potentially end the year on Octopus’s Garden or Mean Mr Mustard. Instead the vinyl spun past those two and I closed out (and began the following year) with Golden Slumbers, which is about two-thirds into the medley on Side 2.

That became a bit of a tradition for me on New Year’s. For me, there was something so cleansing about listening to the Abbey Road medley to close out the old year and begin the new.

And maybe it was the following year - where the Covid-fuelled 2020 gave way to 2021 - that really sealed this album for me as a way to wash over the old year.

So, for today’s TOTD, I want to bring to you the medley that has meant so much to me over the last five years.

I wish you all a safe and celebratory New Year’s Eve, and a joyous 2026. And, don’t you worry, the hoddle will be here when the calendar flicks over to the next page.

- fitzie

Fitzie’s track of the day: You Never Give Me Your Money / Sun King / Mean Mr Mustard / Polythene Pam / She Came In Through the Bathroom Window / Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End, by The Beatles

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Tottenham’s 2025: A trophy, turmoil and a horrible home record”

The transfer window isn’t open yet, but the rumors sure are acting like it is. Today we have a report from L’Equipe that suggests Tottenham Hotspur reserve defender Ben Davies could be an option for Ligue 1 club OGC Nice when the transfer window opens in a few days. Spurs exercised an option to extend Davies’ contract for an extra season this past summer, which means he’s out of contract in June. This might represent the last opportunity for Spurs to get a little cash for their longest-tenured player.

It’s not the most solid of rumors. The report states that Nice have had an interest in Davies, Wales’ captain and an experienced international and Premier League defender. He’s not a spring chicken but is a steady hand in the back line, and Nice are currently having a bit of a defensive injury crisis, with Dante, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Mohamed Abdelmonem, and Moïse Bombito all out of action. Davies would likely be signed as defensive cover.

And that’s why L’Equipe suggests that a deal to bring Davies to France might be “far from straightforward.” For starters, it’s suggested that Davies might want a long-term deal somewhere if and when he does leave Tottenham, and second he’s likely on wages that are going to be problematic for Nice to match.

We all like Big Ben, but it’s pretty clear his days at Spurs are numbered. He’s had some injuries this fall that have kept him out of the rotation, but he still only has 55 minutes of game time in the first half of the season. I’m not sure how confident I feel about this particular rumor being true, but it does suggest that Ben Davies might have a market.