Cartilage Free Captain

So far this window we’ve seen several of Tottenham Hotspur’s young players head out on loan this fall — Alejo Veliz, Dane Scarlett, Ashley Phillips, and Alfie Devine have left for valuable first team minutes, with Jamie Donley set for a loan to Leyton Orient shortly.

That same opportunity may not be presented to Will Lankshear this fall. According to George Sessions, writing for the Irish Times, BIG WILLY LANKS is set to stay with Tottenham’s first team setup this fall and NOT head out on loan like his contemporaries.

Interesting! Lankshear was one of the standout youngsters from Tottenham’s preseason matches, along with Mikey Moore who was arguably better and also just turned 17. You’d argue that Lankshear would be the MOST obvious one to send out for first team experience, and that he’d likely get the highest and best loan available, probably to the Championship or to the continent somewhere with a real team. Instead he’s apparently going to stick around, train with Spurs, and remain on the fringes of the first team, picking up odd substitute minutes and maybe the occasional U23 PL2 match.

So it does beg the question — is this good or not? On the one hand I think there’s every expectation that Young Mssr. Lankshear could get about 400 minutes or so in a reserve role between the league and the early round cup and Europa matches, depending on the opponent, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But Lankshear could easily get at least 1500-2000 minutes on loan in a slightly lower division, starting and playing regularly at 19 against grown-ass men.

I am not a professional football coach so I’m really not sure which one I prefer. However, I suspect that this decision says more about Tottenham’s existing team than it does about Big Willy Lanks. My best guess is that this decision is a hedge against one (or both?) of Dominic Solanke or Richarlison picking up an extended injury this season. If Richy were to go down injured again, Ange Postecoglou could opt to move Son Heung-Min back into a striker position — something he seems reluctant to do, play Dejan Kulusevski as a false 9, or move a player like Brennan Johnson central if required.

Or, and this is wild, he could enhance the role of a very promising 19-year-old natural striker who looks like he has the potential to become international level, and giving him an opportunity to forge himself in the crucible of Premier League-level football (or at least Europa League-level).

I can see the logic of keeping Lankshear around as a break-glass-in-case-Richy-is-broken option. And if things work out great and Richarlison turns out not to be perma-crocked, well, he still gets 400 or so minutes of first team action with Spurs, and has the option of then heading out on loan in January.

You can argue what you think is better. It’s a bold strategy, Cotton — let’s see how it plays out for them.

Remember Ivan Perisic? Signed as the ideal fullback for Antonio Conte, he had a bright start for Ange as a left winger before a serious and long-term injury derailed his season last year and caused him to virtually the whole season. Spurs allowed him to leave to return to his first club Hajduk Split in Croatia last January and he actually recovered enough to play for them a few times, which was cool.

Now, according to Croatian outlet Dalmatinski, he’s looking for another club after a falling out with... get this... new Split manager Gennaro Gattuso.

In comments to the press, Perisic confirms he’s a free agent and talks about how good he had it at Tottenham and how he returned to his hometown club because he wanted to win a title for Split and its fans.

“I came to Hajduk in the hope that together we will realise our dream and take the title. I had a good contract at Tottenham, and even when I was injured, I had an excellent offer from a big foreign club, where I would have fantastic conditions for rehabilitation and at least the same chance to play, as I had here.

“Instead, at the invitation of the club management and the fans, I chose a life without a family living abroad in the hope that I can help fight for the title and place in the group stage of the Champions League.

“Whatever condition I was in, at any moment, and even when I entered the game in the Cup match against Dinamo, beyond the recommendations of all doctors, risking an injury that would end my career, I did my best to achieve a common goal. From the first day until today, I have adhered to agreements, contracts, set rules, but also spoken words, and twice after the Euros I rejected offers from serious clubs to help [Split] this summer.

“Well, I guess it’s clear to everyone that I didn’t choose Hajduk and Split because of money or healthcare. In my desire to help, I put my health and my family on the back burner many times and I don’t regret it because I don’t know any other way, but on Sunday evening someone else stepped forward and decided that he no longer needed my help.

“As for last season, unfortunately, we failed. As hard as failure feels to me as it does to all the guys and all the fans who have been waiting for the title for almost 20 years, failure is the same part of football. Since I’m comfortable in my skin, I have been looking at Hajduk as something big and I will behave [professionally] in a moment that is extremely difficult for me and my family. I wish the club all the luck, victory on Thursday, placement in Europe and winning the title, regardless of whoever is at the club.”

The article goes on to say that Perisic had a conversation with Ange Postecoglou about his injury, role in the team and his wishes going forward before leaving the club, but Gattuso apparently didn’t even bother to speak with him before cutting him loose. It also reveals that he turned down a move to Sevilla this summer in order to stay at Split and help them try and win the title.

Perisic’s comments are, to be fair, pretty measured and the article states that they tried really hard to get the juicy stuff from Ivan, and he refused to go low. But reading between the lines his comments are still almost dripping with disdain, and while I feel bad for Ivan, I gotta say it’s sort of grimly ironic (and not at all surprising) that this is happening because of an interpersonal conflict with Gennaro Gattuso. The guy has a long history of pissing people off and burning bridges (as well as blatant misogyny and homophobia) and it continually pisses me off to this day how close Spurs actually came to appointing that guy as our manager after sacking Jose Mourinho. Managers get to make whatever decisions they think is in the best interest of the team, but it sure sounds like Gattuso made his decisions in the most assholeish way possible.

What a dick. I hope Perisic signs somewhere cool, and Genarro Gattuso steps on a LEGO.

Tottenham Hotspur open their 2024-25 Premier League season this Monday against newly-promoted Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. Ange Postecoglou gave his pre-match press conference and had plenty to say about his team and the preparations for the start of the new season.

But one player will not be involved on Monday, and it’s not because of injury. Postecoglou said that midfielder Yves Bissouma has been suspended by the club for Monday’s match after the player posted a video of himself inhaling nitrous oxide at a club on his social media feed. Bissouma has already apologized to the club calling it a “severe lack of judgment,” but Postecoglou’s and the club’s actions here are a direct message to the player (as well as likely trying to potentially stay ahead of any future FA fines or suspensions).

Ange was asked about Bissouma in the presser, and he announced the suspension here in pretty strong terms.

“[I’ve] been in the game for a long time, when a situation like this arises, I’ve tried to look at them in a couple of ways. First there’s a person and it’s Biss and he’s made a poor decision. There are still sanctions involved, and some of those are educational. He is a footballer with responsibilities.

“He won’t be available on Monday. We’ve suspended him from Monday’s game. He needs to build that trust back with both me and the group. The door is open for him and we can help him realize the decisions he makes impact the group.”

And how does Bissouma earn back the trust he’s broken with Ange and the club?

“Behaviour mate. It’s that simple. It’s about making better decisions. He was very apologetic to me, the club and everyone involved but that’s just part of it.”

I’ve said on here previously that the nitrous oxide use doesn’t bother me, and I hold to that opinion — private recreational drug use (including abuse of alcohol) is I’m certain very, very common among professional athletes and footballers. That said, what Bissouma did was in fact illegal according to UK law and it was incredibly stupid for him to post that publicly, which is the real issue here. I’m fine with him being suspended for one match for being a big ol’ dummy, and it sounds like he’s in Big Ange’s doghouse for the time being. Fair enough.

Elsewhere, Postecoglou gave a strong hint as to who will be starting up top for Spurs on Monday afternoon. When asked about new record signing Dominic Solanke and Richarlison, Tottenham’s two striker options, Ange confirmed that both players are available, but that Richy will take some additional time to get up to fitness.

“Thankfully, it’s what we expected. [Dominic] is a top pro and he’s settled into the dressing room really well. Football-wise, you can see how he’s going to fit in. So far he’s fitted in really well with the group in training.

“[Richy] needs game minutes, but has trained well and doesn’t feel any effects of the injury which is great.”

Based on that answer I think we can assume that Solanke will start up top for Spurs on Monday, with Richarlison likely coming in as a late match substitute depending on game state. It could be the best thing for both players, with Solanke getting a chance to bed in with the team and Richy getting minutes in his legs for the first time in a long time.

Tottenham kick off against Leicester at the King Power this Monday at 8 pm BST, 3 pm ET. The match will be televised on Sky Sports in the UK and USA Network in the United States.

Welcome back to our mini-series looking back at Tottenham Hotspur’s exciting preseason campaign. I kicked things off yesterday with a look at a few of the players who thrived and seized opportunities with both hands (or feet, as the case may be). Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at some of the unanswered questions from Spurs’ preparation for the 24/25 Premier League.

Today, though, we get to dwell in misery on the lowlights and negatives: the players who struggled in preseason and who have failed to improve their chances of being a key cog in Ange Postecoglou’s plans this season.

Strap in for a rocky ride.

Richarlison

Through no fault of his own, Richy didn’t play a minute of preseason. It’s pretty concerning though that the reason for that absence was an injury that was initially expected to keep the Brazilian out for only a month at the tail end of 23/24, a season where he missed 10 matches due to various knocks.

Though he was arguably very good when he did play, it’s starting to feel less and less like he can be relied upon, and the move for Dominic Solanke feels like some pretty damning evidence to support that assertion. Respect to him, though; he’s said he wants to stay and fight, and I can’t help but love the man. I hope he can stay fit - but my prediction is his starting opportunities could be limited going forward.

Manor Solomon

It’s often argued that Solomon is possibly the best fit for the winger position in Ange Postecoglou’s system, with some stating that he was part of Postecoglou’s preferred XI before his injury that ruled him out of most of the 23/24 season. This assertion is incorrect, with Solomon only starting 2 out of 7 matches against relegation-bound sides - plus a start in Spurs’ early exit from the League Cup - but this preseason was a chance to prove the doubters wrong.

Unfortunately, he completely failed to do so, struggling to impress against Hearts, QPR, and Vissel Kobe, before failing to even see the pitch in the remaining fixtures, as Postecoglou preferred to give youth players minutes over the Israeli winger. It seems pretty clear he’s not in the manager’s plans, and he’s now linked with a loan move away.

Ashley Phillips

With Spurs arguably lacking in depth in defense, and Phillips possibly the most talented center back coming through the youth system, he had a huge opportunity to prove himself after a successful loan last season to Plymouth Argyle. Unfortunately, an injury while on Spurs’ preseason tour ruled him out of the majority of preseason when the fourth center back spot was potentially up for grabs.

It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Phillips, but I believe he’ll still get a chance - just probably not this season, with him likely to head out on loan instead. Here’s hoping he can regain his fitness, and continue to develop with a view to potentially integrating into the senior team next season.

Pape Matar Sarr

Possibly the most controversial inclusion on this list, as I wrestled between including Sarr and another player who will be in the next piece instead. The reality is that Sarr is potentially the most “expendable” player in Spurs’ midfield three, with Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Oliver Skipp, and now Lucas Bergvall all options at his position.

good morning!

We’re one day closer to the Premier League and we’ve all enjoyed looking at some home kits yesterday. Today, let’s up the ante. That’s right, I’m talking away kits!

Rules are like yesterday. Hoddle Headquarters takes a look at the best away kits - and the worst!

Best: Chelsea

Yep, fair play. I can’t find a single fault with this kit (except, well, Chelsea).

Love the cream. The royal blue trimming looks great, especially offset with the red piping. Collar is lovely. As is the stamped-on crest.

Worst: Arsenal

Ahh, now we’re back on track. I really don’t like anything about it. And you shouldn’t eiter.

Best: Tottenham

Woohoo now we’re getting somewhere. I love the away kit this year. I know some people say it looks like pajamas, but pajamas are cool. Imagine how well the boys will play feeling so comfy.

My favourite part has to be the cockerel dotting the “I” in AIA.

Worst: Brighton

Let’s travel out of London and look at Brighton’s kits. These are pinstripes gone wrong. Mostly, it’s the colour. The yellow is really unpleasent when you contrast it with the club crest.

Best: Everton

I like this one a lot. Love the black accented with the yellow, and the little pattern. Kind of a bold choice to turn the Everton crest into something a bit more minimalist, but I’ll give them points for trying something new.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Little Numbers, by BOY

And now for your links:

Jay Harris ($$) previews Tottenham’s season

Matt Law: Ange Postecoglou’s project kicks into new gear

The players with the most to prove from Premier League’s London clubs

Tottenham Hotspur are not done in the transfer window, and especially with their outgoings, according to a new article in the Evening Standard by Dan Kilpatrick. According to the report, Spurs still plan on loaning out a trio of young players on the fringes of the first team squad — utility player Jamie Donley, attacking midfielder Alfie Devine, and central defender Ashley Phillips are all set to depart the club on loan for the season.

All of this makes sense. Phillips and Devine are both coming off of excellent loans last season at Plymouth Argyle (with Phillips named Plymouth’s Young Player of the Season) and are set for a step up in competition. Jamie Donley has yet to have his first loan, and while he’s been a forward at the youth level he filled in capably as a left back for Ange Postecoglou during preseason and is ready to get substantial first team minutes elsewhere. All three are considered important players for the future at Tottenham, but are not quite ready to crack the first team yet.

But as interesting as those tipped for loans are, just as interesting are those NOT on the list. Kilpatrick notes that 17-year-old Mikey Moore, the ink on his professional contract barely dry, is set to be a full time member of Spurs’ first team this season, which reflects both his ability and the fact that Spurs are generally reluctant to send players younger than 18 out on loan. Will Lankshear is also noted — Kilpatrick suggests the club thinks he’s ready for a loan, but are perhaps hesitant to send him out immediately as he would provide cover and rotation for Richarlison and Dominic Solanke up top. I would interpret this to mean that Lankshear might be kept around for a half season until Spurs get through the early rounds of the Europa League and domestic cups — just in case one or both get injured at some point, but Big Willy Lanks might leave in January for a loan stint somewhere.

Kilpatrick notes that Manor Solomon is also likely headed out on loan somewhere this season, while Gio Lo Celso and Sergio Reguilon continue to be linked with permanent transfers out of the club.

It’s been a fun preseason! The 24/25 Premier League season is now only days away, so let’s look back at all the good, the bad, and the ugly as we wait for Tottenham Hotspur to get their season underway.

There’s been some encouraging signs, some worries, and some questions raised throughout the six fixtures Spurs have played to prepare themselves for the coming battles. We’ve got to see previously unseen youth take the pitch, senior players play in new and unfamiliar positions, and a few fringe players either cement themselves in Ange’s plans or write themselves out of them.

In this series of three, I’m going to break down who I think has impressed, who has struggled, and the big question marks around Spurs’ squad as we head into the season, starting today with the winners. Here’s the Tottenham footballers who I think really took their chances through preseason.

Lucas Bergvall

Could it be anyone else? A breath of fresh air every time he stepped onto the pitch, Lucas Bergvall looks like he’ll be at home in the senior team. He has a calmness that belies his age, and his skill, vision, and unbelievable movement off the ball will be a huge asset in the Premier League. He’ll be pushing for a starting spot this weekend, and I think he’ll potentially become almost a lock in the XI as the season wears on.

Am I hyping up a young player too much too early? Probably, but he’s so damn cool to watch.

Will Lankshear

Often strikers struggle to step up from the age grade levels, as defenses are much more aware of space, physical, and quicker. Lankshear, however, looked like he belonged, immediately looking like a senior striker from the moment he took the field. His movement was excellent, and his goal against Hearts was a very tidy finish.

He quickly took the lion’s share of the backup striker minutes from Alejo Veliz and Dane Scarlett, and continued to impress through Spurs’ preseason campaign. With the signing of Dominic Solanke (and retention of Richarlison), I’d say he’ll go on loan this season; but his opportunity in the senior team is possibly closer than we think.

Brandon Austin

Backup goalkeeper has long been a funny position for Spurs, with the club never really having prioritized a strong #2 in recent years, while also not really providing opportunities to youth talent coming through the ranks. Brandon Austin, though, finally managed to get his opportunity with the senior team last season following an injury to Fraser Forster, before putting some excellent shot-stopping skills on display through preseason.

He’s still a little shaky with the ball at his feet, but I’d say he’s done enough to cement himself a place backing up Guglielmo Vicario.

Mikey Moore

It’s really the youngsters who were the kings of preseason, wasn’t it? Getting called up to the first team during the run-in last season, Moore really took his opportunity with both hands during preseason, reportedly training brilliantly and signing his first professional contract with the club.

good morning!

We are but days away until the Premier League kicks off once again. More that later.

But for now it’s everyone’s favourite hoddle - home kits! The best, and the worst.

It’s that time-honoured tradition where Hoddle Headquarters looks at every single home kit in the Premier League and decides which are the best, and which are the worst.

Let’s not waste further time and get right to it!

Best: Ipswich Town

Look at those pinstrips. So crisp. It’s the first time in nearly 10 years the Town’s home kit featured these bad boys. And it creates a nice little shield around the club crest.

As for kit sponsors, it’s hard to top Ed Sheeren. So they get bonus points for the cool factor.

I also love the navy trim, particularly on the collar.

Worst: Bournemouth

Gosh, it looks so heavy to wear. The stripes are way too thick and there’s way too much black.

I understand that gold is supposed to add a classy edge to this, but it just makes the kit look even heavier. Gold, red and black. Three very strong colours with little to balance it.

Best: Wolves

A solid gold/yellow kit that looks plain at first. Then you look closer and notice the subtle pentagons that adorn it, adding to a really nice finish.

Not a huge fan of the sports betting site here, but it does complement the colour scheme quite well. And as far as centrally placed club logos go, this kit pulls it off.

I think this is the first home kit ever manufactured by Sudu.

Worst: Nottingham Forest

They get a huge penalty in my opinion for their sponsor. It’s kind of annoying to look at as it is, but for the company’s website to listed right below the company name (with a GIANT K) is crossing the line.

Best: Crystal Palace

It’s a mess and I love it. We know a Palace home kit. It’s got the red and blue vertical stripes, but they always find a way to make it look better.

This year’s no different with eagles emblazoned up and down. I also love the piping on the collar.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Tin Can People, by Gloria Jones

And now for your links:

Dynamo Kyiv knock Rangers out of Champions League

Speaking of Champions League, Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce were also eliminated

Djed Spence will stay put with Tottenham Hotspur through the transfer window as football.londons Alasdair Gold reported on Ange Postecoglou wanting to keep Spence and have him be part of his plans for the incoming season.

Spence has had a rocky Spurs career thus far as he was first reported to be a “club signing” for Antonio Conte, and from the get-go, he didn’t seem to be in Conte’s plans.

Being sent out on loan to a few clubs across Europe — Rennes, Leeds United, and Genoa — it felt as if Spence’s Spurs career would be truly brief after three loan spells.

Having a decent transfer spell with Genoa (appearing in 16 games as a January loanee), the club seemed interested in wanting to bring the English right-back back permanently but for a cheaper valuation than what Spurs had in mind.

Genoa submitted a formal bid for Spence but to Spurs, the number wasn’t what they were willing to accept to let Spence leave.

As his name was kept in the air as a possible outgoing, Spence returned to Hotspur Way for preseason activities and seemed to impress Postecoglou.

Rumored to have an attitude — a reason Leeds let him leave — Spence seems to have changed some old habits as he’s starred in several social media pictures and traveled with the club to Japan and Korea.

Playing roughly 250 minutes of preseason football — as he played both fullback roles — Spence has seemed to earn him a spot with the club for the 2024/25 season.

A major reason could be the departure of Emerson Royal — goodbye to the comp King — to AC Milan.

The second redjedemption arc is for Spence to make his own and hopefully contribute for the club in cup ties, Premier League fixtures, and possible Europa League matches.

We all know Giovani Lo Celso hasn’t had the happiest time at Tottenham Hotspur, but even so, it was somewhat of a surprise that he wasn’t included in the squad for Spurs’ last preseason friendly against Bayern Munich after returning from his offseason break. No one leaks Argentina football news like Gaston, and so it’s noted Argentine football correspondent Gaston Edul who has the latest on Lo Celso’s situation:

Elaborating further in a piece for TyC Sports, Edul clarifies that there are two clubs that are frontrunners for the Copa America winner’s signature: Aston Villa, and his old club, Real Betis. Spurs won’t be happy with a loan, either, with the Lilywhites wanting a permanent sale. This makes total sense with the Argentine only having a year remaining on his contract; that 2019 summer transfer window sure worked out well for the club, huh?

We wrote on both sets of interest here and here, though things have gone a bit quiet in the last month, and the Betis link especially has dried up since. That’s not due to lack of interest though, with Gaston strongly implying Manuel Pellegrini is keen on bringing the midfielder back to Seville to line up in green and white once more. Spurs had also discussed a swap deal involving midfielder Jacob Ramsey with Villa, but the London club were seemingly unwilling to part with the young Englishman and as a result a deal has not progressed.

Perhaps the more interesting part of the report is the claim that Ange Postecoglou has effectively frozen Lo Celso out of his squad. Spurs do have a large squad, and we’ve already talked about the difficulties the club has in registering players (especially in Europe), and so from that point of view it would be hard to find space for Gio as is. That’s without even taking into account Ange’s rumored concerns as to the lack of physicality in Lo Celso’s game.

To put it simply: there’s not a space for Lo Celso at Spurs any longer, and the club are trying to get him to accept a move elsewhere. Of course, he is well within his rights to refuse any transfer and only accept a deal that works with him - but the consequence to that would appear to be a lack of any senior football until the expiry of his contract.

It’s a shame it’s come to this; even as recently as last season I had hopes he could integrate well into Ange Postecoglou’s setup, and at times we did see glimpses of that. Again, though - injuries proved to be Lo Celso’s nemesis, and he just hasn’t been able to put together any consistent time on the pitch. Hopefully he’ll have better luck at his next destination; wherever that may be.