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Kirsty Gallacher says judge has 'no empathy' after being banned from driving for speeding

Kirsty Gallacher says judge has 'no empathy' after driving ban

Lewis family ‘extremely grateful’ for intervention of US president but there will be no change at Spurs

Joe Lewis last year pleaded guilty to insider trading in America

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Matt Verri

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri

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Joe Lewis will not make a return to Tottenham after he receives a pardon from US President Donald Trump.

The 88-year-old was fined £4million last year but avoided prison after pleading guilty to insider trading.

Trump has made regular use of presidential pardons since returning to office in January and Lewis will be among the latest to benefit.

But there will be no change as a result at Spurs.

Lewis' children Vivienne (pictured) Charles are the key figures at Spurs along with Nick Beucher, Vivienne's son-in-law

AFP via Getty Images

Lewis passed ownership of the club to the Lewis Family Trust in 2022 and has not been involved since then.

A source close to the Lewis family said: “Joe and the Lewis family are extremely grateful for this pardon and would like to thank President Trump for taking this action.

"Over his long business career, Joe has been a visionary, creating businesses across the world which multiple generations of his family are now taking forward. There is so much more to the Joe Lewis story than this one event.”

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However, it is understood that this will not spark any change in how Spurs are run, with Lewis intending to remain retired even after his pardon.

The next generation of his family are now the controlling force at Spurs after taking an increasingly active role earlier this year.

Lewis' children Vivienne and Charles have been in attendance at matches this season and along with Nick Beucher, Vivienne's son-in-law, are the key figures at the helm.

The younger members of the family drove the decision to remove Daniel Levy in September and have overseen the implementation of a new boardroom structure at the club, led by chief executive Vinai Venkatesham.

Peter Charrington and Eric Hinson have been brought in as non-executive chairman and a non-executive director respectively.

There has been an emphasis on trying to deliver more regular success to Spurs and the club's majority owners injected £100m of new capital last month.

A source close to the family told Standard Sport at the time that this was "initial additional funding" and more money would be made available "as the club's management decides what's needed to deliver success".

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Kirsty Gallacher says judge has 'no empathy' after being banned from driving for speeding

Kirsty Gallacher says judge has 'no empathy' after driving ban

The former Spurs captain, who last season guided the club to their first major trophy in 17 years, joined Major League Soccer side LAFC over the summer.

Son has hit the ground running in Los Angeles, scoring 10 goals and adding three assists in 12 games to date.

The league season concludes in December with the MLS Cup, which Son's LAFC remain in contention to win, before the 2026 campaign begins in February.

That break would allow Son to return to Spurs on loan in January to maintain his fitness, which the likes of Thierry Henry and David Beckham did during their spells in north America.

But Son is not interested in a loan move away from LA, not in January "or ever", and does not wish to disrespect his current club with transfer talk.

He told TV Chosun: "I've never spoken to any club about a winter move. Such talk is simply untrue. For me, showing respect to my club and giving everything where I play — that's what matters most. That won't change.

"I won't leave LAFC this winter, or ever, while I'm here. I respect this club deeply. As long as I'm wearing this badge, there will be no such thing as a loan or a move. Never.

"I know fans get confused when rumours fly, but those stories aren't true. And honestly, it might be disrespectful to my team to even talk that way. I love this club, and I have huge respect for everyone here."

Young defender has already revealed where he hopes to play next season

On the rise: Luka Vuskovic

AFP via Getty Images

Matt Verri

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri

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Luka Vuskovic revealed Tottenham have been keeping close tabs on him during his loan spell at Hamburg, though he admitted he is unsure when he will return to the club.

The 18-year-old has shone in his first few months in Germany, winning back-to-back Bundesliga rookie of the month awards.

Vuskovic has quickly become a fan favourite at Hamburg and has suggested he would be open to spending another season at the club, so he could play with his brother, Mario, who is currently serving a doping ban until November 2026.

He told Croatian outlet MAXSport last month: “I would like to play with him one day, I hope that works out. I would like to stay at HSV for another season and play with my brother.”

Luka Vuskovic playing for Hamburg

REUTERS

The centre-back is set to make his first start for Croatia against the Faroe Islands on Friday night, and ahead of the career landmark, he provided an update on his future.

“I’m happy with everything at HSV," Vuskovic said.

"My grades are good, even above expectations. My team-mates are great, everyone supports me and I have no bad words or criticism. I just need to keep going.

“I hear from [Tottenham], they follow me. They are a good club when it comes to developing young players. I don’t know when I will be back.”

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Spurs have at times been short at centre-back this season, with Cristian Romero recently having a spell on the sidelines and Radu Dragusin, Kota Takai and Ben Davies all yet to play a minute under manager Thomas Frank.

However, there are no plans for Vuskovic to be recalled from his loan with Spurs unsurprisingly keen for the teenager to keep developing at Hamburg with regular football.

Luka Vuskovic playing for Hamburg

AFP via Getty Images

The Bundesliga club's sporting director, Claus Costa, has no concerns over the possibility of Vuskovic's loan spell ending prematurely.

"We had very constructive discussions with Tottenham," Costa said.

"They’re a top-professional club, judging by the communication with loan manager Andy Scoulding. They’re closely monitoring the player, which shows how they assess Luka. Tottenham isn’t interested in weakening us or ruining the loan.

"It’s understandable that they’re trying to protect themselves against possible worst-case scenarios. Otherwise, I don’t want to comment further.

"I believe Tottenham also knows how good the situation here is for Luka. That’s why I hope we never get into a situation where we have to think about anything else."

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The England striker is currently playing in Saudi Arabia at Al-Ahli, and has made a strong start to the 2025-26 campaign, netting 11 goals in 15 games across all competitions.

Now, former Spurs midfielder Bentley thinks that the forward would be interested in a reunion with his old boss Thomas Frank in north London.

The north Londoners are struggling with injuries in forward areas, with Dominic Solanke’s ankle problem persisting, and Randal Kolo Muani having an injury-ridden start to life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“For him, to go [and] play at the stadium with Thomas Frank, that’s the perfect destination for him. If he wants to get into the England team, it’s not about money, it’s about playing to get into that World Cup squad.

“The perfect environment is Tottenham. Tottenham could do with him and England as well - if anything happens with [Harry] Kane, we’re struggling a little bit for centre forwards.”

Toney, 29, had been heavily linked with a move to another Premier League club last year before he made the switch to the Saudi Pro League.

“Scoring goals in the Premier League is not easy and the way he plays the game, scores goals... he’s got to go to Tottenham, hasn’t he? Under Thomas Frank, he had a great time with him at Brentford and I’m sure they’re talking.

“I’m sure that’ll be the No1 destination for him to go in at. Tottenham are struggling with centre forwards at the minute, Solanke is out injured and Richarlison is not at the level he needs to be. He could be Tottenham’s new signing on loan in January.”

Centre-forward has been missing for months

Sidelined: Dominic Solanke

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Matt Verri

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri

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It is almost four months since Dominic Solanke led the line for Tottenham in their first pre-season match of the summer.

That game against Reading was the first opportunity Thomas Frank got to name a Spurs lineup and one of the very few chances he has had to include Solanke.

The 28-year-old has not started a single competitive match under Frank. His three appearances this season have all come off the bench and he featured for a grand total of 31 minutes in the Premier League.

The most recent of those appearances came in August against Manchester City and the wait for Solanke's first-team return goes on.

What do we know?

Solanke picked up an ankle issue in the summer that meant he missed the majority of pre-season and it is one he never really fully recovered from. He has hardly trained with the first team since July.

He was ruled out of facing his former club Bournemouth in August, but it was hoped that resting over the international break that followed would help resolve the injury.

Frank continued to insist it was "nothing big" in the weeks that followed, though Solanke missed another five matches.

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It was then announced ahead of the clash with Bodo/Glimt at the end of September that the forward would have "minor surgery" on his ankle.

Solanke has been recovering from that in the six weeks since.

Last appearance: Dominic Solanke

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What has Thomas Frank said?

Confirming that Solanke would undergo surgery, Frank said at the time: "I don't expect it to be long."

Updates in the subsequent weeks have followed a similar pattern of Solanke being on track but not yet being close to returning.

The first update after the surgery was that it had gone well, and that Solanke was “progressing and going forward”.

On October 24, Frank said Solanke was "taking steps in the right direction every day, was on the grass again today on his own".

Three days later, the Spurs boss said the striker had made "steps forward" again.

He said: "We're very aware of when we get Dom back, we hope - touch wood - we have him back and no setbacks, so we are very aware of doing it the right way."

Always the optimist: Thomas Frank

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Frank added: "Most likely when he’s back, he will come off the bench and then we will take it from there."

Solanke will be one of the first-team players at Hotspur Way over the international break and Spurs hope the fortnight will prove significant in his progress.

"I think the international break will be the big deciding factor because we have two weeks there to push in the next steps," Frank said on Friday last week.

"As I say, it's going forward."

When will Dominic Solanke be back?

That much remains very much up in the air.

Spurs are planning on playing a behind-closed-doors friendly during the international break, with Radu Dragusin in line to feature for his first minutes since suffering an ACL injury in January.

However, Solanke is not expected to be ready to take part in that match.

The striker is not yet back in team training and so a return against Arsenal straight after the international break on November 23 looks unlikely.

Frank was asked last week whether fans could expect to see Solanke back on the pitch before the end of 2025 and the response was not entirely convincing.

“I do hope so," he said. "I would say let’s see what happens after the international break.

“We are still [making] steps forward. It’s on track so far.”

The ankle issue is evidently one that Solanke is still managing and the minor surgery has not proved to be a quick fix.

When he does return, Spurs want it to be for good. How far away that comeback is remains unclear.

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Graham Potter has revealed that Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall is not yet able to head a ball following a concussion, but will take part in Sweden training this week.

Bergvall has been sidelined since going off with a head injury during the opening minutes of Spurs’ Premier League defeat by Chelsea 10 days ago.

The teenager pleaded with Tottenham’s medical staff to let him back on the pitch but head coach Thomas Frank made the final decision for him to be replaced. Protocols then ruled Bergvall out of matches against FC Copenhagen and Manchester United.

Potter opted to call Bergvall up to his first Sweden squad and has now provided an update on the midfielder’s recovery.

"He will train with the team [on Tuesday], but there will be no heading for him,” Potter said.

“He is not here yet and I will talk to him and the doctors, but as I understand it he will be able to be there.”

Sweden sit bottom of their qualifying group but will have a final chance to reach the World Cup through the play-offs as they won their Nations League group.

Bergvall will hope to impress the new Sweden boss in these final two qualifiers, with the Spurs star expected to be back in full training ahead of Saturday’s match against Switzerland. Sweden also host Slovenia on Tuesday.

Asked when Bergvall would be ready to train without any restrictions, Potter said: “Around Thursday, I would think.

“But like I said, I'll probably get in trouble if I don't double-check with the doctors first. The most important thing for Lucas is that they give the go-ahead.

“But as I understand it, it will be at the end of the week.”

Should Bergvall come through the two Sweden matches without any further issues, he will be available for selection for Spurs in their north London derby clash against Arsenal on November 23.

On-loan striker has made an impact in recent weeks and his injury leaves Thomas Frank with a problem ahead of a key run of games

Randal Kolo Muani suffered a jaw injury against Manchester United

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Matt Verri

COMMENTS

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Thomas Frank had been fairly coy when speaking about Randal Kolo Muani after Tottenham's draw with Manchester United.

The striker started in the 2-2 draw but was replaced at half-time. Early in the first half, Kolo Muani had collided awkwardly with Harry Maguire and went down holding his face, though he was able to continue.

"He actually struggled a little bit, but nothing big," Frank offered as an explanation after the match.

However, Kolo Muani has since pulled out of the France squad with a jaw problem. The fact that he will not require surgery on his fractured jaw is positive news, but his injury is yet another injury blow for Spurs.

The 26-year-old has only made four starts for Spurs but there has already been enough evidence to believe that any sort of lengthy absence would be a significant blow.

Kolo Muani could be out for a couple of months

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After a frustratingly persistent dead leg kept him on the sidelines for more than a month, Kolo Muani has made an impact in recent weeks.

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He is a more physical athletic presence up front than Richarlison, holding the ball up well and also offering a threat in behind.

Kolo Muani produced a sublime touch to bring the ball out of the air against Copenhagen and provide the assist for Wilson Odobert.

The striker should have scored twice in the first half, wasting both opportunities in front of goal, but it was promising that he was getting in those positions.

Both those chances were set up by Xavi Simons and the pair were forming a better relationship, one which must now be parked.

With Dominic Solanke still out after ankle surgery and a return seemingly not imminent, Frank's forward options are limited.

Richarlison is set to lead the line while Kolo Muani is out

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Richarlison started the season impressively but has tailed off badly and it is tough to argue he deserves a run leading the line. The Brazilian's goal against Saturday helped put some gloss on what had otherwise been a really poor performance.

Mathys Tel has been more lively and produced a sharp finish off the bench against United. He could yet be called up into the Champions League squad if Kolo Muani is ruled out for 60 days.

Against Leeds before the last international break, Tel started with Simons, Odobert and Mohammed Kudus behind him and it was a fluid attack that worked nicely with plenty of rotation.

The problem is more physicality up front is going to be needed up front when Spurs face Arsenal and then Paris Saint-Germain in their next two matches.

Those are games where Frank would desperately hope to have the likes of Kolo Muani and Solanke available but he must do without.

The Spurs boss might have to get creative. He used a back three against PSG in August and it was effective.

Kudus could shift centrally as one of the two strikers, with the winger probably now Spurs' best option for holding the ball up and bringing others into play.

Frank has struggled all season to find consistency in attack and settle on combinations that work.

Kolo Muani leading the line appeared to have helped solve at least one dilemma, but Frank is now back searching for answers again.

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