Cartilage Free Captain

Who’s ready for kit leak season? I SAID, WHO’S READY FOR KIT LEA...

Fine, I’ll just give you the news. We’re not even four weeks into the 2024-25 Premier League season, barely two weeks since the green third kits were formally introduced, and we’re already getting leaks about Tottenham Hotspur’s kits for 2025-26.

Well, I say “leaks” but they’re barely that — just basically color swatches. That said, they’re interesting color swatches. According to football kit leak website Footy-Headlines, Tottenham are expected to have a BLACK AWAY KIT next season, and that’s pretty noteworthy!

Spurs haven’t had a black kit for a decade, but the history of black change kits are, uh, pretty sketch. The last time Spurs had a primary black kit was the infamous “skid-mark” away kits in 2014-15, and before that it was the weird black/gray halfsies kits from 2012-13 —- see header photo — which were pretty much universally derided (and which Spurs wore weirdly more than the blue aways that season).

And yeah, the details in the Footy-Headlines leak are important because it’s not JUST black, but also “Lt Iron Ore,” a gray color that might be used as an accent, or could be a co-primary color. Because this is Nike, I’m fully expecting them to roll out a template that’s like basically Barcelona’s training kit from this season or something. We’ll see.

Speaking of Iron Ore, that’s also one of two accent colors, along with “anchor blue” which is also in use on this year’s home kits, that will be used on next season’s home kits, which were also recently linked on the same website. Again, no design details, but it sounds like we’ll get a white shirt with some blue AND gray next season.

There you go. Let the kit design speculation begin! And remember, it’s probably not going to be as good as what you imagine!

Programming note: Some of the more eagle-eyed hoddlers may have noticed more classic rock tunes featured in the Track of the Day recently. That’s because I’m going to do a little something different for Friday’s Track of the Day. Which of these artists will be featured? Stay tuned

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There’s no doubt who the best hard-court players in the world are today: Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner. Both players bookended the majors this year with triumphs in the US Open (after winning the Australian Open back in January/February). Here’s how the matches unfolded:

Women’s final: Aryna Sabalenka (2) def Jessica Pegula (6) 7-5 7-5

It’s a rare occurrence when Sabalenka is out-served. I felt that was the case on Saturday. Pegula’s first serves felt more consistent, more dominant. But that first serve was all she had. Here’s a stat for you: 21% wins on second serves. You aren’t gonna win a match with that.

Because, when you play against Sabalenka, it’s really all about how she’s going to play. No one hits the ball harder than her. Few serve it harder. And no one plays the game with such intensity as her.

Such was the case on Saturday, when she won a less-than-straightforward two-set win against the American. Credit to Pegula for fighting back down in both sets, but to me that was more of a case of Sabalenka’s nerves.

The stats illustrate further how this was dictated by Sabalenka, who hit 40 winners to Pegula’s 17 (34 unforced errors to Pegula’s 22).

Sabalenka is a fitting champion, and I hope she can make a real push to regain the World No.1 rank next year.

Men’s final: Jannik Sinner (1) def Taylor Fritz (12) 6-3 6-4 7-5

A much more straightforward win here. Lots of unforced errors from Fritz on Sunday (34) but he had to go big against a player like Sinner, who is so solid and can punish you from anywhere.

There were few times in the match where I felt Sinner wasn’t in control. Maybe when he was down 4-5 in the third set, but I struggle to remember an unforced error he hit during the three-game swing to win the match.

As for Fritz, winning was going to be a tall task. I think to challenge players like Fritz in a best-of-five final is to work on his mobility a little bit more, take charge a little bit and clean up the errors. He did a remarkable job agains Alexander Zverev in the quarters, so he can beat the best.

Still, this year belongs to Sinner.

Fitzie’s track of the day: What Love?, by Charles Mingus

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold answers Q’s in his latest Q+A

BBC on what the future of the Women’s Championship could look like

London City Lionesses’ Kosovare Asllani wants to ‘rewrite the rules of women’s football’

Another signing for Spurs Women, and it’s a weird one! Yesterday, the club announced that it had signed American goalkeeper Katelin Talbert on an unusual half-season loan from West Ham United.

So who is Talbert? She’s a 25-year old American-born keeper who played college ball at Humbolt State University, a Div. II school, graduating in 2020. She has openly admitted to struggling with mental health and weight loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was cut from OL Reign’s roster after being encouraged to try out that summer. Since then her rise in the game has been nothing short of meteoric for someone from such a small program — she’s had stops as a professional in Iceland and Portugal (where she started 23 matches and won the Campionato Nacional Feminino), was signed by West Ham last year, and spent the season on loan in Sweden with Djurgarden.

Which is part what makes this loan so weird! A half-season loan is pretty unusual, especially from one WSL club to another WSL club. To be fair, Spurs could probably use another keeper — after losing Barbora Votikova this summer, Tottenham’s options are Becky Spencer and Eleanor Heeps, so Talbert is likely coming in to push or even compete with Becky for the starting role.

Honestly, there’s a lot to like about her. Talbert s game has been described as “brave” and her Wikipedia page notes her ability to make athletic and aggressive saves, noting her nickname in Portugal was “the American Machine.” She’s comfortable with the ball at her feet and is apparently known as a supreme athlete. Sounds pretty good to me!

Talbert isn’t on the radar of the USA Women’s National Team (at least yet) but she seems like a super interesting under the radar player. I’m not thrilled with continuing to develop a West Ham player, but I can see the upside of bringing in a competent backup keeper, even if it’s only for a half-season. She sounds like a fascinating player, and I’m interested to see what Katelin can bring to a Spurs team that needs an injection of excitement this summer. Welcome, Katelin Talbert!

I hate international football.

Especially when it’s three matches into the season. Just... come on guys. As per usual, though, Tottenham Hotspur have representatives involved, so we can all cross our fingers and pray to whatever football gods may be out there that they all return unscathed. Plus, it’s still football, right?

Destiny Udogie had the misfortune to miss Italy’s Euros campaign as he recovered from the quadricep injury suffered late last season, but he was recalled this break and seized his chance almost immediately, subbing on at the left wing position and assisting Italy’s third goal in a stunning win over France. It was somewhat of an auspicious match for Spurs fans, with Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori starting the fixture for the Azzurri but coming off with a calf injury ahead of the North London Derby following the break. Guglielmo Vicario was also called up for Italy, but as usual, only saw time on the pine with Luciano Spalletti preferring Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal.

Another pair of Spurs teammates were called up for Sweden, with Dejan Kulusevski starting and captaining the Swedes as they took on Azerbaijan. The Blågult (that’s the Swedish side in case it wasn’t immediately obvious - which it’s not) won convincingly 3-1, and it was a significant moment for Lucas Bergvall, making his international debut. He subbed on in the 72nd minute, in what would have been a special juncture for the young midfielder.

Meanwhile, Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson both started for Wales, with Davies playing in the center back position. He was successful in keeping a clean sheet, but Johnson and his fellow Welsh attackers were unable to secure three points against a ten-man Turkish side. Also keeping a clean sheet was Spurs vice-captain Cristian Romero, with the Copa America (and World Cup) winner playing the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 win over Chile in their World Cup qualification campaign. It was the same result as well for Cuti’s fellow Spurs center back, with Radu Dragusin marshalling the defense for Romania against Kosovo.

AFCON qualifiers were also in full flight, and Yves Bissouma, who has had a fraught relationship with his national team of late, was somewhat surprisingly called up. He made the most of it as well, scoring the Eagles’ (no, not the band) solitary goal in a draw against Mozambique. It was the same scoreline for Pape Matar Sarr, starting for Senegal and playing out 68 minutes of a 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso.

Lastly, Tottenham and South Korea national team captain Son Heung-min did what he usually did and played 90 minutes in a friendly, where they would have been perhaps disappointed to only draw the match against Palestine.

It’s a clean bill of health so far - I am touching whatever pieces of timber are in reach as I write this - but we’re only halfway through the international break, before we take on aforementioned rivals Arsenal next weekend. What fun!

I hate international football.

Spurs International Appearances:

good morning!

For the first time in competitive history, San Marino have won a competitive football match!

I know I’m not the only one here who’s been measuring their lifespan by this metric, so let’s all take a moment to rejoice in this momentous accomplishment.

Stuck in the bottom of the Nations League, San Marino pulled off a 1-0 win against Liechtenstein on Thursday.

The lone goal came in the 53rd minute from forward Nicko Sensoli. And it was from a pair of blunders from the Liechtenstein defense. First, the defender couldn’t control the ball. Then, the goalie came out when he shouldn’t have. All of it leading to a rather straightforward goal for Sensoli.

It was their first competitive win in 160ish attemps. That is insane.

So I think we can all head into the weekend celebrating the greatest accomplishment in sport this week.

Fitzie’s track of the day: You Wreck Me, by Tom Petty

And now for your links:

The Guardian interviews Emma Hayes

Tottenham Hotspur has released its official squad list for the opening league stage of the 2024-25 Europa League, and the biggest news is the omission of Djed Spence from the team.

First, here’s the full squad list, taken from the Europa League’s website.

Goalkeepers

Guglielmo Vicario

Fraser Forster

Brandon Austin

Alfie Whiteman

Defenders

Radu Dragusin

Destiny Udogie

Cristian Romero

Pedro Porro

Ben Davies

Micky van de Ven

Midfielders

Son Heung-Min

Yves Bissouma

James Maddison

Archie Gray

Lucas Bergvall

Dejan Kulusevski

Brennan Johnson

Wilson Odobert

Pape Sarr

Rodrigo Bentancur

Forwards

Richarlison

Timo Werner

Dominic Solanke

So that’s 23 squad players out of a possible 25 that Tottenham could’ve included. I’ve been banging on that Spurs were free to just name a smaller Europa squad and it’d be fine, it’s not a big deal, and I do hold to that opinion. Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman are the only two eligible club-trained players, so that does reduce Spurs’ squad size down to 23. Note that this squad list does NOT include any of the List B players, such as Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear, Tyrese Hall, or any of the other U21 squad members, which Spurs will presumably use to flesh out the team as needed.

But the biggest thing that leaps out at me is the omission of Djed Spence and the inclusion of a fourth goalkeeper, especially Fraser Forster who somehow still has a place in this squad. I don’t get it, honestly. Maybe I’m missing something — UEFA’s squad rules are deliberately Byzantine and difficult to understand, and yes I’ve read Matty’s squad construction article numerous times and tried my best to internalize it.

Tottenham needed to name at least three keepers in their Europa squad, but they listed four, and instead sacrificed fullback depth in Spence for... reasons? I suppose that means that we’ll see a lot more of Ben Davies and Archie Gray at right back if and when Ange Postecoglou decides to rotate or due to injuries, but what was the point of bringing Djed back into the fold if he’s not going to get a chance in the early stages of the Europa League? It’s baffling.

I get it’s a tough decision. Both Gray and Lucas Bergvall haven’t been at the club for two years so they can’t be included in List B, meaning they have to be registered as List A squad players. That forces Spurs’ hand somewhat, but it feels baffling to sacrifice fullback depth for a fourth keeper who almost certainly won’t play and who takes the place of a homegrown and association-trained fullback who would likely get plenty of action. It also essentially means Archie Gray will be the backup at both RB and the 6 position until Spurs get a chance to revise their squad should they qualify out of the League Stage and into the knockouts.

Many of these issues will be resolved in a year or so as the younger players brought in by Johan Lange age into the full squad and qualify for both club- and association-trained status, but that won’t help this year’s squad. Still it behooves Spurs to put together the most balanced squad they can, and I can’t imagine that it didn’t include Djed Spence. It basically means that Ange Postecoglou thinks that having Forster as a fourth keeper provides more value to the team than a backup fullback. Just a strange decision, but I don’t make the decisions.

August hasn’t been especially kind to Tottenham Hotspur as the new Premier League season gets underway, but there have been some bright moments. Yves Bissouma provided one of the brightest, firing in a long-range shot off the crossbar during Spurs’ 4-0 comprehensive home win over Everton a couple of weeks ago.

And now that goal has been recognized by the Premier League. Bissouma’s banger has been nominated for August’s Goal of the Month.

Bissouma’s goal isn’t a shoo-in, there are some lovely strikes including Chelsea’s Cole Palmer chipping Jose Sá in transition, Wolves’ Jean-Ricner Bellegard vs. Forest, and Southampton’s Yukinari Saginawa one-touch volley against Brentford. There are also the usual couple of filler goals where the goal is secondary to the pass that led to it, like Luis Diaz vs. Brentford, or Jarrod Bowen’s transition strike, but whatever. Goal videos are fun to watch.

The hits keep coming for Tottenham Hotspur Women this offseason. First, Spurs were unable to secure a deal to bring in Grace Clinton from Manchester United after a season where she excelled in midfield, then the news this week that Spurs had sold Celin Bizet to United for £60k.

Today there’s more bad news — the club announced that attacking midfielder and club stalwart Kit Graham suffered an ACL injury in training and will miss a substantial amount of time. She is set to undergo surgery, and the club did not release a timetable as to when we might expect her back.

This sucks. Y’all might remember that Kit went down with another knee injury in the opening stages of the 2021-22 season and missed the remainder of that season and most of the next. She came back in the closing weeks of 2022-23 and played all of last season, mostly as a reserve midfielder. But this is still the second major knee injury in just over two years for Kit and it sucks.

It also leaves central midfield even thinner than it was before Clinton left. I don’t know if this will finally light a fire under Spurs Women’s asses to get some additional bodies into the club, but it’s pretty clear they need at least one more central midfielder to stay competitive. There’s still time left in the window, but not much. Time to get moving.

good morning good morning -

You want an Oasis hoddle? Here’s your Oasis hoddle.

I don’t care for Oasis. Like I said, I’m more of a Blur and Suede fan. When are Suede going to tour again in the US anyways?

Anyways, none of us expected Oasis to get together again, right? And I get why it’s a huge deal. I really do.

So let’s take a really brief trip down memory lane to recall some other music reunions (and I know I won’t get to them all):

Spice Girls - This was a pretty big deal at the time too. But is it really a reunion if Posh Spice didn’t show up? I’m not so sure.

Motley Crue - I was really excited about this one. Coming fresh off The Dirt, people were talking about Motley Crue again. Vince Neil was horribly out of shape and then Covid hit, meaning your hoddler-in-chief had to relinquish his tickets.

Jonas Brothers - More heavy metal than Motley Crue? No. But they are blood related.

Fleetwood Mac - Now this is was a reunion. Lindsey Buckingham convinced Christine McVie to rejoin the group (and overcome a fear of flying) to start a very successful tour. Buckingham eventually left the group again, and was replaced by Neil Finn and Mike Campbell. Unfortunately, with McVie’s death in 2022, it looks like this group won’t be getting together again.

ABBA - One of my least favourite groups, but a lot of people like them. Enough to even make a Dejan Kulusevski song out of it. In 2021 they released the album Voyage to critical acclaim, accompanied with a very successful tour.

And of course we have Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and others.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Break Her Heart, by ZZ Ward

And now for your links:

Dan KP: Lukas Bergvall says he and Guglielmo Vicario have cleared the air

Alasdair Gold on the transfer options still open to Sergio Reguilon

There’s more transfer news emerging for Tottenham Hotspur Women, but it’s not the news you were probably hoping to read. According to the club socials, Tottenham have agreed to sell Norwegian international winger Celin Bizet Ildesøy to Manchester United.

Ugh.

So, Bizet had one year left on her initial deal at Tottenham, which she signed in 2022. United have agreed a £60k fee for Bizet, which feels like a pittance but keep in mind the WSL transfer record is the £250k Spurs spent for Beth England a couple seasons ago, so £60k feels like a bang average fee for a talented young player.

It still sucks. With one year left on her deal, Bizet I guess wanted to upgrade clubs. United manager Marc Skinner apparently called her a “young and hungry player” which considering the controversy that has surrounded Skinner in the past feels like kind of a weird and creepy thing to say.

But whatever. According to fellow Carty Free writer Abbie Rose, considering Spurs signed Hayley Raso from Real Madrid a few days ago on a free transfer, so you can squint and suggest that turning Celin Bizet into Raso + £60k is a win, so long as Spurs actually reinvest that cash into a quality new signing before the window closes.

I’m still bummed. Not only because I no longer get to make “Carmen You Spurs” opera jokes anymore, but also Bizet was a player who was just starting to round into form under Robert Vilahamn last season, and I think she could’ve been a plus asset. I also am not certain how Celin fits into that United side next season, but I guess that’s a problem for Skinner and not for Spurs anymore, huh?

Tottenham have let a lot of players go this offseason and haven’t really fully addressed the incomings. Let’s cross all our fingers and hope that there’s some quality talent walking through the door in short order or I’m going to start getting irritated.