Cartilage Free Captain

Tottenham Hotspur might have a relatively quiet transfer deadline day, but there’s still time and room for a few outgoing moves and maybe a couple of surprises. But in the meantime, there are some youngsters heading out for youth experience, and goalkeeper Josh Keeley is one of them. According to Alasdair Gold, the 21-year-old Irish keeper is heading to Leyton Orient on loan, and has also signed a new contract.

I’m sure we’ll get a confirmation from the club shortly about this, but in the meantime this is a good loan for Josh. He spent the back half of last year at Barnet last season which as I understand it was a good learning experience for him, and he was a regular starter. He’s now set to join fellow U21 player Jamie Donley just down the road at Leyton Orient.

I have no takes on goalkeeper youth development (e.g. Brandon Austin/Alfie Whiteman) but this feels like a good situation for Josh, with Luca Gunter likely to slot into the U21 side as the starting keeper option.

We’ll post the confirmation when it comes.

The Europa League draw is currently taking place this morning, and Tottenham Hotspur know their opponents in the League Stage of the competition.

Here are Spurs’ opponents, with fixture dates yet to be determined.

AS Roma (H)

Rangers (A)

AZ Alkmaar (H)

Ferencváros (A)

Qarabag (H)

Galatasaray (A)

Elfsborg (H)

Hoffenheim (A)

So there are some tasty matchups in there, and it’s certainly not the easiest of draws for Spurs. A home match against Roma is going to be fun as hell, and quite possibly Spurs’ toughest match in this league draw. An away trip to Ibrox to face Rangers may not be especially tricky, but the atmosphere will be AMAZING. Spurs will face off against their youth academy graduate Troy Parrott as they host AZ, but face tricky away ties in Hungary (Ferencváros) and Turkey (Galatasaray), plus a trip to Germany to face Hoffenheim.

But there more #narrative opponents that Spurs avoided — particularly a match against Jose Mourinho and Fenerbahce, or against Tanguy Ndombele’s new club Lyon.

But it’s hard to say that this is an easy draw. In fact, it’s a pretty tricky one. By coefficient, Spurs drew the top team from Pot 1, the second best from Pot 2, and the top two from Pot 3. In the old group stage terms, you might consider this a “Group of Death.”

Wow. Put your thoughts on Spurs’ draw in the comments.

While it probably should have yielded six points, Tottenham Hotspur has enjoyed a respectable start to the new season after another dominant outing. Spurs were the better team against both Leicester and Everton, and though neither is exactly top-of-the-league quality, it is positive to see good performances out the gate. The ramp-up period is over, however, with a trip to Newcastle United followed by a North London Derby after the international break.

Newcastle could only muster a draw at Bournemouth this weekend after a narrow 10-man victory over Southampton. The hope was for a bounce back after last year’s Champions League-burdened season, but so far the new campaign is not tracking to be any better than another seventh-place finish. It is still very early though, and one match could flip the sentiment at both clubs right now.

Newcastle United (t-5th, 4pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (t-5th, 4pts)

Date: Sunday, September 1

Time: 8:30 am ET, 1:30 pm UK

Location: St James’ Park, Newcastle

TV: USA Network (USA), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)

Eddie Howe did not get the expected reinforcements this summer, with most arrivals serving more as depth than pushing the starting XI despite a theoretical massive budget. There is enough talent to push for the European places, but the first couple showings have not convinced supporters that running it back with last season’s core was the best decision.

Still, that might be enough to beat Spurs at St James’ Park. The last two visits have led to 6-1 and 4-0 defeats for Tottenham, so there are some bad associations with this fixture. There was a convincing 4-1 win in North London last December, but most supporters are likely entering this weekend with plenty of hesitation given some of the recent trauma as visitors.

Unapologetically Ange

Even if Newcastle is not exactly an offensive juggernaut right now, this is not the type of outing that should see Spurs eat up 70 percent of the possession like the first two matches of the year. That being said, Ange Postecoglou is not one to react too strongly to an opponent, and that means that the lineup could again feature Dejan Kulusevski in midfield, especially since Wilson Odobert had a solid debut on the wing.

The key to this one will be how Kulusevski (or whoever replaces him), James Maddison, and Yves Bissouma fare against the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, and Sandro Tonali, who returned Wednesday in the League Cup against Forest. This potential Spurs trio should have the upper hand compared to Joelinton, who went from scoring against Southampton to nearly getting sent off against Bournemouth, and Tonali, who has been suspended since last October. A win in midfield would set the visitors up well to go for all three points.

Like sands through the hourglass

The vibes are not great on Tyneside after a very uninspired start to the season. 2021’s Saudi investment led to a fourth-place finish in 2022/23, but aside from that one win over PSG it has not been great. The Public Investment Fund was supposed to push this club into the big six, but instead Newcastle looks like a squad with deadweight and a capped ceiling.

It feels like time is ticking to show this project is actually moving in the right direction. Perhaps Howe and company will take advantage of no European matches — which clearly was a struggle last season — and get back into the top-four hunt. Guimaraes, Alexander Isak, and Anthony Gordon should not be overlooked, but Tottenham has every ability to win this weekend and needs to take advantage of the home side’s form.

good morning everyone, and welcome to Europa League Draw Day. Your hoddler-in-chief will be delaying his monthly EFL Championship monthly roundup til Tuesday.

—

There’s been something bothering me about the Tottenham Hotspur away kits. Not that I dislike them (I actually really do like them). It’s just that it looked so familiar and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Pajamas? Nah, not really.

An Argentina kit? Kinda, but still no. Too blue.

It was only until a photo memory came up on my phone this evening that I finally made the connection.

“By God!,” I said, “This looks almost exactly like my rug!”

Okay, yes, the shade is a little bit lighter on the kit but they’re so similar.

For those asking “Which rug, fitzie”, well let me tell you. It’s the Nourison Whimsicle Eclectic Modern Blue Multicolor rug from Walmart.

Open that in a tab. Have it next to the Spurs away kit side-by-side. Real quick.

See it? See it?

Yes, yes. I said earlier the rug is a little bit darker. But the themes are still there. Now I can finally sleep at night, knowing the Spurs away kit resembles this whimsicle eclectic modern blue multicolour rug.

Maybe I’ll just have to buy the away kit to match with it.

Fitzie’s track of the day: I Love To Boogie, by T. Rex

And now for your links

Alasdair Gold: Tottenham continue major overhaul after academy success

The New York Times on the 100-year anniversary of Selhurst Park

Sampdoria sack Andrea Pirlo

I was starting to think there might not be any Tottenham Hotspur news to write about today, which considering it’s one day before the close of the transfer window is a WILD thing to actually put on the internet. But good news — we have some news!

Tottenham Hotspur has announced that academy grad and midfielder George Abbott has joined League 2 side Notts County on loan for the duration of the season. Woooooooo!

Abbott got some minutes this summer on tour and made his club debut last May as a late game sub against Leeds United, and has also made a few benches in the past year. He primarily plays as a defensive midfielder but has slotted in pretty much wherever required — I think he got some time at right back in preseason, but my memory isn’t what is was lately and I’m too lazy to go check.

He’s a player that is well regarded, but I don’t think most expect him to eventually crack Tottenham’s first team, so a loan here to League 2 for experience makes a lot of sense, and is probably a prequel to him being sold somewhere in the Championship/League One next summer. Maybe I’m wrong about that, but I suspect that’s accurate, unless he completely goes nova in the next year or so. Could happen... but I suspect not. As far as I’m aware, this is his first loan.

Good luck, George!

good morning!

I wasn’t expecting to see Jack White live on Wednesday night, but there I was, standing on the balcony inside The Atlantis.

It was the third show in Washington in as many nights for White - first at the Black Cat, then at the 930 Club. And at 11am Wednesday, he announced a third show to be played that very night.

For an artist who has sold out huge venues, this tour feels like a tonic and the ideal way for White to reinvent himself. This time as “Johnny Guitar”.

It’s fitting for his new album No Name, which feels so much more like Jack White than the last few records he’s put out. It’s a true blusey, garage-rock record.

And playing at a club that can fit in only 400 or so people seemed an ideal space for White to explore this new record. A true return-to-roots sort of deal.

And he was electric.

For 90 minutes he ripped through song after song, bouncing around the stage. Particular highlights from the new album included That’s How I’m Feeling, It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking), Archbishop Harold Holmes and Where’s the Rumpus? All of them felt like they could fit in much earlier in White’s discogrpahy.

Then jamming out of Broken Boy Soldier into Seven Nation Army? Wow. I didn’t think I’d be less than 50 feet away from the man who created that song.

We got even luckier with a six-song encore, before he finished with Ball and Biscuit.

It was one of the loudest shows I’ve been too - again, packed into a small venue of 400. But you can’t have regrets about that. My ears will still be ringing Thursday morning and it’ll be totally worth it.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Ball and Biscuit, by Jack White

And now for your links:

Lee Carsley to speak to press for first time since becoming England head coach

AFC Wimbledon stun Ipswich Town in Carabao Cup

The third round of the 2024-25 Carabao (League) Cup took place this evening after the conclusion of the 2nd round fixtures, and Tottenham Hotspur now knows its opponent. Spurs were drawn away at Championship side Coventry City in a match that will take place the week of September 16.

So because Spurs are playing in European competition, the new tweaked Carabao Cup rules were such that Spurs actually had a 66% chance of being drawn at home today. Welp! Coventry City away isn’t the worst draw in the world, but there were tons of easier opponents Spurs could’ve drawn than a mid-table Championship side at their home ground. Coventry finished 9th in the table last season.

A couple of cool factoids: Coventry has a Spurs academy grad starting in their back line in Luis Binks, and USMNT fans will recognize Haji Wright, who also plays for the Sky Blues. They got to this point by defeating Oxford United (Dane Scarlett’s loan club!) 3-2 yesterday in Round 2.

This is a guaranteed win and is no way a banana peel match for Tottenham, nor do they have any past history with Coventry City that might make Spurs fans nervous about the upcoming match. [Stares in 1987 FA Cup Final]

The best tie of this draw is probably Liverpool vs. West Ham, though Brighton vs. Wolves is also an unfortunate early round tie for Premier League clubs. The full Carabao Cup draw is below.

There are only a couple of days left in the summer transfer window, and Tottenham Hotspur still have a bit of work to do. One of their agenda items is to figure out what the heck to do about Giovani Lo Celso, who is not in Ange Postecoglou’s plans and who has reportedly turned down several moves this summer.

Well, according to Matteo Moretto, one option could be a return to Real Betis. Moretto tweeted today that Lo Celso is the “chosen target” for the La Liga club, where Lo Celso spent a happy season on loan and actually signed for briefly before heading to Tottenham on a loan-to-buy deal in 2019.

So is this a permanent deal? A loan with an option? What’s going on? Well, we don’t know. Of course we don’t know! This is one short tweet with no real context, and since Johan Lange moves in and through near total darkness like a reclusive transfer vampire, we might not know whether this is even a real rumor or not until it actually happens.

But I’d like it to happen, and so would Spurs because Gio’s contract runs through next summer and getting something, anything at all really, for him would be better than letting him walk on a free. And it’s not like he’s going to play for Spurs this season. In fact, although he still technically has a squad number, he absolutely wouldn’t get registered for the Europa League, and would be paid to train.

So at this point I’m just hoping he heads somewhere, because anywhere is better than here, apparently. And then we can finally turn the page — and close the book — on the summer transfer window of 2019 which started out so full of promise and ended up an abject disaster. Don’t we all want that, really? Let’s collectively manifest it.

Must be something about Tottenham Hotspur and young international players. A few days after Spurs’ (future) signing Yang Min-Hyeok earned his first call-up for South Korea in the upcoming international break, now we get the same thing for Lucas Bergvall, who earned his first senior call for Sweden. In addition, Dejan Kulusevski also got the nod, and will serve as Sweden captain for the upcoming Nations League matches against Azerbaijan and Estonia.

Again, I’m not wild about international football. I’m CERTAINLY not wild about the Nations League, which is just a wild manufactured fake tournament that only exists because UEFA wants to make more money at the expense of the health and safety of European footballers’ schedule, fitness, and sanity. But Bergvall potentially getting his first senior Sweden cap at age 18 is admittedly pretty cool.

So whatever? Hopefully both Deki and Lucas can get through these matches safely and without injury, and we all live for the day when the Nations League dies a slow, painless death and we never have to think or worry about it ever again.

good morning!

Do we have the goal of the season already?

This is just one question you’ll ask in today’s hoddle (The other is: Are we going to have to EFL Championship posts this week? The answer to that is YES).

Today’s comes from Mark Harris of Oxford United, who scored a potential goal-of-the-season contender already against Blackburn Rovers. Let’s take a look:

There’s a lot to like about this goal:

The hockey assist from the goalkeeper. Who doesn’t love to chuck it long?

The control from the Oxford United striker (?), who deftly controlled the ball with his chest.

And most importantly, that incredible volley from Harris.

And good on him too for seeing that the Blackburn keeper was well off his line. Even if he were, I am not sure he would have gotten it. What a sensational strike.

Oxford United would prefer you remember that goal instead of them losing that game 1-2.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Floating Parade, by Michael Kiwanuka

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold on Tottenham’s ‘transfer day dilemma’