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Transfer news LIVE! Arsenal confirm three signings; late Chelsea deal; Jacquet joins Liverpool; Man Utd latest

Deadline Day updates as clubs push for late signings

Transfer drama: Jean-Philippe Mateta, Sandro Tonali and James Wilson

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George Flood

Transfer news LIVE!

Deadline Day produced perhaps more drama than expected as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham were all active as the January window closed. The day started with the Gunners exploring a stunning move for Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, before Mikel Arteta set tongues wagging by confirming the club was “actively looking” for a new signing following Mikel Merino’s injury. In the end, two new faces did arrive at the academy, as Evan Mooney joined from St Mirren and Jaden Dixon arrived from Stoke. There was interest in Hearts striker James Wilson, but Spurs hijacked talks and lured the Scotland international to London.

Spurs fans would have wanted more than just an academy signing, but the day passed without the injury-ravaged squad being bolstered, and captain Cristian Romero posted on Instagram shortly after the deadline passed to vent his frustration at how the squad has been left. Across London, Chelsea recalled Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg, with both Aaron Anselmino and David Datro Fofana heading in the opposite direction, as Axel Disasi joined West Ham on loan and Tyrique George joined Everton on a loan-to-buy deal.

Manchester United were also focused mainly on loan outgoings, while Jorgen Strand Larsen’s switch from Wolves to Crystal Palace for a club-record £48million was the biggest deal of the day, but the Eagles ran out of time to complete the £20m signing of Dwight McNeil. Jean-Phillipe Mateta’s move to AC Milan collapsed after issues with his medical amid suggestions that he could miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Follow the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip live below!

Latest Deadline Day headlines

Fulham loan Steven Benda to Feyenoord

A late exit from Fulham has also been confirmed tonight.

Goalkeeper Steven Benda has joined Eredivisie giants Feyenoord on loan until the summer.

The German had been expected to stay at Craven Cottage after returning early from a loan spell at Millwall in the Championship.

However, he will now spend the rest of the season at De Kuip.

Youssef En-Nesyri completes Al-Ittihad move

The other part of the Fenerbahce/Al-Ittihad transfer saga has also now been resolved.

The Saudi outfit have announced the signing of Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri.

The deal was done after talks with FIFA, per Fabrizio Romano, with Fenerbahce set to receive around €14m.

Fenerbahce confirm N'Golo Kante deal

Fenerbahce have now confirmed the signing of N’Golo Kante.

The French midfielder has penned a two-and-a-half year deal in Istanbul after leaving Saudi club Al-Ittihad.

“Some stories take time, but they don’t stay unfinished,” Fenerbahce wrote on social media.

They have a two-legged Europa League knockout play-off tie against Nottingham Forest coming up.

N’Golo Kante set for Fenerbahce move

It looks like N’Golo Kante will be getting his move to Fenerbahce after all.

Fabrizio Romano is reporting tonight that his contract at Saudi club Al-Ittihad has been cancelled with immediate effect.

Fenerbahce are now working with FIFA to get the signing of the former Chelsea and Leicester star approved.

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Fulham to step up Wilson talks

Fulham will resume contract negotiations with Harry Wilson after knocking back January interest in the in-form midfielder.

Wilson is out of contract at the end of the season and has been attracting interest from serval Premier League clubs.

The Cottagers rejected an approach by Everton last week and were adamant he would not leave mid-season, with Marco Silva stating last week that there was “zero chance” of him being sold.

Fulham are desperate to keep Wilson, who has been in superb form for club and country this season, and contract negotiations have been underway for several months.

Read more here!

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'Many doubts' over Merino in Arsenal injury worry

Mikel Merino’s father has revealed that there is “uncertainty” of the length of time that the Arsenal midfielder could be out injured.

The Spaniard was reported to need surgery on a broken bone in his foot last week, with Mikel Arteta confirming before the January transfer window closed that the Gunners were scouting out potential opportunities on the market to replace Merino temporarily.

Merino, 29, missed Arsenal’s 4-0 win at Leeds over the weekend, with Arsenal revealing that he would be out for an “extended period”.

Read the full story here!

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Spurs save Akliouche for summer

Tottenham could not pursue a deal for Maghnes Akliouche in the January transfer window, but may move for him in the summer, according to Teamtalk.

The Monaco man was seen as a transfer target for Spurs last year, before Xavi Simons arrived in north London.

The 23-year-old remains on the club’s radar, however, and a move could materialise at the end of the season.

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Sterling offered to Bundesliga club

Raheem Sterling was offered to Union Berlin, according to Sky Germany.

The former Chelsea forward had his contract at Stamford Bridge mutually terminated last month, and the England international is assessing his options as a free agent.

One of them could have been in Germany, although Union decided against offering him a deal, with Horst Heldt, a Union director, saing that the offer “didn’t seem serious”.

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Malacia fury as Man Utd force defender to stay

Out-of-favour defender Tyrell Malacia is furious at being told he must stay at Manchester United, the Daily Mirror claim.

The Dutchman was frozenn out by Ruben Amorim at the start of the campaign, but injuries meant that he was reintegrated into the squad earlier this season.

He has played just two minutes all season - coming on as late substitute in the 1-0 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day.

Jason Wilcox, United’s sporting director, told the left-back he would not be able to leave - amid interest from Turkey - due to Patrick Dorgu’s injury, leaving Malacia and Luke Shaw as United’s only recognised left-backs.

Inquam Photos via REUTERS

Alonso on three-man shortlist as City draw up Guardiola replacements

Manchester City are bracing themselves for a potential departure of manager Pep Guardiola at the end of the season.

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is on a three-strong shortlist of contenders to take over from the Spaniard at the Etihad Stadium.

But who are the other two names?

Find out here!

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Latest updatesOlder updates

Tottenham have appointed Liam Horgan as the club’s first-team rehabilitation physiotherapist as the club tackles a crippling injury crisis.

Horgan worked with Thomas Frank and Spurs’ head of medical, Nick Stubbings, during five years as Brentford’s first team physio between 2019 and 2024.

He becomes the ninth member of Frank’s backroom staff at Spurs to have previously worked at Brentford.

Following Frank’s arrival in June 2025, the likes of assistant coach Justin Cochrane, set-piece coach Andreas Georgson, head of performance Chris Haslam, and Stubbings have joined the club.

Spurs’ head of football methodology, Zaheer Shah, has also previously worked at Brentford, but joined before Frank arrived in north London last summer.

Horgan, who was Brentford’s B team physio between 2016 and 2019, arrives at Spurs following a year-and-a-half spell as first-team physio at Crystal Palace.

Spurs have split their physios into rehab and performance, with Horgan’s role focusing on injured players and helping them towards full fitness.

Horgan’s appointment comes at a time when Spurs are juggling yet another injury crisis, with as many as 11 senior players missing last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City.

Rehab physios are typically tasked with guiding players through the recovery process after injury, returning them to peak performance, while minimising the risk of their injury recurring.

Horgan’s expertise will be particularly important for players such as Spurs striker Dominic Solanke, who has suffered all season from a recurring ankle injury.

Frank has admitted that Solanke, who scored twice against City, has been pushed to the limit since returning from injury at the start of January, and his minutes are being carefully managed.

It was a surprisingly quiet Deadline Day for Tottenham, despite Thomas Frank saying they would be active on the final day of the window.

But Spurs did swoop to beat north London rivals Arsenal to the signing of young Scottish talent James Wilson.

The 18-year-old striker joined Spurs Under-21s on loan from Hearts with the option to make the move permanent in the summer.

It had looked for most of the day as if Arsenal were front-runners for Wilson’s signature, but Spurs struck late, submitting a deal sheet to bring the youngster to Hotspur Way last night.

Hearts manager Derek McInnes confirmed earlier on Monday that Arsenal had been in talks over a deal.

But the Gunners were only prepared to effectively offer a six-month trial before making a decision on Wilson and Spurs sensed an opportunity.

They, too, will assess Wilson’s character and ability during his time on loan, but with firmer guarantees over his potential future at the club and agreeing a formal option to buy the player.

Wilson is a signing for Spurs U21s but with injuries continuing to mount there could potentially be first-team opportunities, should he impress.

Dane Scarlett has just joined Hibs on loan and Spurs are not blessed with a wealth of attacking options, with Richarlison injury and Randal Kolo Muani out of form.

Wilson was always unlikely to get such opportunities at Premier League leaders Arsenal, who have been hailed for their squad depth this season and have given limited minutes to established academy graduates Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri.

Wilson enjoyed a breakthrough season last year at Hearts, scoring six goals in 33 appearances, but has struggled for minutes this term with Hearts leading the Scottish Premiership.

He has made just one start in the SPFL this season so should not be expected to be ready to make an immediate impact.

Wilson, who has one senior cap for Scotland, has attracted interest from English clubs since he was 16 and continues a growing post-Brexit trend of young Scottish players moving south of the border to enhance their career prospects.

Spurs could be without 13 first-team stars against Manchester United

Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke, Cristian Romero

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Tottenham enjoyed a rare positive week on the field, but their injury woes are reaching unprecedented levels.

A 2-0 win over Eintract Frankfurt, to sail into the Champions League knockout stage, was backed up with a spirited 2-2 draw against Manchester City in the Premier League.

Spurs now have five days’ rest before taking on a rejuvenated Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, but could be without 13 first-team stars.

Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence and Dominic Solanke will all be assessed this week, while Kevin Danso looks likely to join the longer-term absentees on the sidelines.

Here is the latest Tottenham injury news and return dates…

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Dominic Solanke

Two-goal hero Dominic Solanke was withdrawn to a standing ovation on Sunday evening, along with fears over a possible injury.

The striker’s double salvo secured a point for Spurs, and took his tally to four goals in four games since his long-awaited, and long overdue return from injury.

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So the sight of Solanke being substituted before full-time with a slight limped would have worried manager Thomas Frank and Spurs fans alike.

However, Solanke after the game insisted that “I’ll be fine” after “just rolling my ankle”.

Frank elaborated to reporters: “Clearly he was struggling to run. We knew before the game again it would be a big push to play 90 [minutes].

“He's not there fitness-wise where he should be, because he's been out for so long. And we've been, in a way, a little bit forced to play him.”

Potential return date: February 7 vs Man Utd (H)

Micky van de Ven

Spurs’ biggest miss against City was Micky van de Ven, who sat out the game with a “minor” injury having also missed the win over Eintract Frankfurt four days earlier.

He his absence, Radu Dragusin started a game for the first time in a year, and struggled against Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki.

Frank is confident Van de Ven will be back to face Manchester United this weekend, with Spurs having a rare midweek off following the conclusion of the Champions League league phase.

“Micky is a minor [injury], I fully expect him to be back to face Manchester United [next weekend],” Frank told SPURSPLAY.

“He just couldn’t make it for this one [against Man City]”

Potential return date: February 7 vs Man Utd (A)

Captain Cristian Romero

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Cristian Romero

Spurs hope to have both of their first-choice centre-backs fit for the trip to Old Trafford after Cristian Romero allayed fears of an injury of his own.

Captain Romero was withdrawn at half-time of Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Man City, prompting fears of another damaging fitness blow.

But, speaking to reporters after the game, Romero confirmed that he was “okay”. Thomas Frank then confirmed that the player has been complaining of an illness.

"He struggled through the Frankfurt game as well,” the Spurs manager told reporters.

“[He] pushed through that with a fantastic captain's performance, and struggled a little bit, but we hope it's nothing. We are assessing him. Hopefully he's fine."

Potential return date: February 7 vs Man Utd (A)

Djed Spence

Djed Spence was another absentee against Pep Guardiola’s side after picking up a calf injury.

The full-back has established himself as a regular under Thomas Frank thanks to his versatility on both flanks, and was due an extended spell at right-back following an injury to Pedro Porro.

So, it was Archie Gray who deputised at right-back - and did well - on Sunday, but Spurs hope Spence will be fit to face United on Saturday lunchtime.

Frank told reporters: “Djed [has] a minor calf injury that will keep him out for this game.”

Potential return date: February 7 vs Man Utd (A)

Djed Spence

Action Images via Reuters

Kevin Danso

There are significant fears over Kevin Danso, who suffered a toe injury against Eintracht Frankfurt.

The defender, impressing so well in the absence of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero in recent weeks, has suffered a ligament injury,

Frank explained on Sunday:“Kevin Danso is another quite unlucky one.

“He hyperextended his big toe when landing on the foot of an opponent against Frankfurt, and that means a ligament snapped in the big toe.

“He was extremely unlucky. We don’t know the extent of it, we have an appointment next week to clarify that.”

Potential return date: Unknown

Richarlison

Brazilian Richarlison is out for seven weeks with a hamstring injury.

The former Everton striker suffered the problem in the FA Cup loss to Aston Villa.

He is unlikely to feature again until March at the earliest.

"Richy unfortunately got a hamstring injury that will keep him out for up to seven weeks,” Frank confirmed.

Potential return date: February 22 vs Arsenal (H)

Richarlison

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Pedro Porro

Porro was the first concern for Frank in Lancashire, with the Spaniard taken off at half time.

He was replaced by Destiny Udogie, who had to settle for a place on the bench with Djed Spence selected ahead of him.

However, Frank again allayed Spurs fans’ fears, insisting that he was managing the Spain international’s load.

“Pedro was physical, [having] played a lot of minutes,” Frank said afterwards.

“We had more running power with Djed [Spence] to the right and then Destiny in [at left-back].”

Porro had started all of the last 14 games in all competitions, and Spurs have a three huge games coming up, against Frankfurt, Manchester City and Manchester United in the coming weeks.

Potential return date: February 22 vs Arsenal (H)

Lucas Bergvall

The Swede was confirmed to be sidelined for months after he suffered an ankle sprain in Spurs’ Champions League victory.

Bergvall had tried to continue playing after he had picked up the injury, but he was forced off in the second half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Frank said post-match that the 19-year-old had suffered a “contact injury”, with the timeline on his recovery set to be two or three months.

That will see him miss 14 games for his club, and a potential Champions League quarter-final should Spurs get there.

Potential return date: April 2026

Sidelined: Rodrigo Bentancur

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Rodrigo Bentancur

Midfielder Bentancur underwent surgery on his hamstring injury, which will see him out for three months.

The former Juventus man sustained the problem in the defeat by Bournemouth earlier in January.

The surgery he had was successful, Spurs confirmed, but his absence is a huge blow for Frank, who played the Uruguay international in all but one of Tottenham’s Premier League games.

Potential return date: April 2026

Mohammed Kudus

Summer signing Mohammed Kudus is another sore loss for Frank.

The Ghanaian suffered a thigh injury during the draw with Sunderland at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this month.

The winger is likely to be out until April, with Frank confirming the case in a previous press conference.

“Mohammed, unfortunately, is a bigger one to the tendon in the quad,” Frank said. “That is one where we expect him back after the March international break.”

It means that Frank is without a natural right winger, having sold Brennan Johnson in January to Crystal Palace.

Potential return date: April 2026

Long spell out: Mohammed Kudus

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Ben Davies

Left-back Davies will be out for a long spell after he broke his ankle in the defeat by West Ham two weeks ago.

The Welshman was starting just his second game in the Premier League, and was given oxygen and stretchered off the pitch inside 20 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

The club confirmed that he had had surgery on the problem, but there is still no indication when he might return.

Potential return date: Unknown

Dejan Kulusevski

The winger is out with a patella problem which he has struggled with since April 2025.

When asked about the former Juventus forward, Frank insisted that he would not be rushed back.

“We know it is a complicated injury,” the Dane said.

“If there is one person who can accelerate that [recovery], it is Dejan. The most important thing is to remove the pain in the knee. He had an injection to help that ten days ago.

“We will know in 3-4 weeks if that has settled. And when it has settled, hopefully, he will be on the grass and from there, we will see what is happening.”

Potential return date: Unknown

James Maddison

Attacking midfielder Maddison is likely to miss the rest of the campaign with an ACL injury that he suffered in pre-season.

The England international went down with the problem in a friendly against Newcastle. He has not played since.

Potential return date: Summer 2026

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Cristian Romero has taken to social media to vent his frustrations with Tottenham’s recent injury crisis, calling it “disgraceful” in the wake of Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Manchester City.

Spurs stole a point from 2-0 down after Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo had put Pep Guardiola’s side in cruise control, but a brace from Dominic Solanke - including a sensational scorpion kick - was enough to earn a draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Romero, Spurs’ club captain, was withdrawn at half time in the match, with Frank confirming afterwards that the Argentine was ill.

He was replaced by Pape Matar Sarr at the interval as Frank moved back to a defensive quartet, which included natural midfielder Joao Palhinha in central defence alongside Radu Dragusin.

Romero took to Instagram on Monday night, the day after the game, to congratulate his colleagues, but his message took a strange turn.

“They were incredible. I wanted to be available to help them even though I wasn’t feeling well, especially since we only had 11 players available - unbelievable but true and disgraceful,” he continued, accompanying the paragraph with a facepalm emoji.

“We’ll keep showing up and taking responsibility to turn this around, working hard and staying together. All that’s left is to thank all of you for being there and for always supporting us, the fans.”

Romero’s usual partner at the heart of defence, Micky van de Ven, missed the game with a knock, while Kevin Danso suffered a toe injury in the Champions League win in Frankfurt.

It left Dragusin as the only other central defender available to the under-pressure Spurs boss, who was also without his two natural right-backs Pedro Porro and Djed Spence, through hamstring and calf injuries respectively.

It meant that Archie Gray started at right wing-back, while Randal Kolo Muani started as one of two No10s behind Solanke in the attacking trident.

Romero has a history of Instagram outbursts, with another seemingly taking aim at the club after the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth.

The centre-back lambasted the Tottenham hierarchy, writing: "at times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don't… they only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies."

Asked why his side could not start games with more urgency, Frank said mistakes cost Spurs in the first half, but that he had still been encouraged by elements of the team's peformance.

He continued: "I wish I could (clicks fingers) do it like that. Then it would be easy. It’s not. I need to look at the game back. I think we did still some okay things in the first half and just made two mistakes," Frank continued.

"They punished the first one so hard after 12 minutes which makes things more difficult to come into a football game, but what I liked of the second half is we were even more aggressive in the high pressure, and finally the 50-50s landed a little bit more for us. It felt like everything landed for them in the first half.

"Mid pressure was good so not too much through us and then we played more behind them and hurt them more in that way. How united the fans and the players were second half. That’s what we need to build. The fans helped us massively and pushed us towards a big point and they were fantastic against Dortmund so can we do that more and more consistently together we can create some magic."

City looked on course to keep pace with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League after cruising into a 2-0 half-time lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. But a spirited second-half fightback from Spurs saw them drop yet more points in the title race on Sunday afternoon.

City have now won just one of their last six league games, but Guardiola has not lost hope of catching Arsenal in the season run-in. Speaking after his side’s 2-2 draw with Spurs, Guardiola said that with 14 games to go, there remains every chance of City keeping pace in the title race.

"It's a setback, but we are still there,” he told BBC Sport. “There are still 14 games to go, and those points available."

"I know that these types of games always in the past you had to capitalise and win but yeah, the difficulties for many things, but players are coming back and I saw incredibly good spirit and many things.

“The momentum in the Premier League, when you concede a goal it happens and especially when you cannot control it. That will be the lesson and that will make us stronger and better players in the future."

Asked about the decision, Guardiola said if the roles had been reversed and it had been a defender catching a striker's trailing leg, the referee would have awarded a foul.

Guardiola said: "If a central defender does it to a striker it's a penalty. After that in the second half for 10-15 minutes they had the control but the moment they started to put one more player there and win one or two second balls and after that they created the momentum and then after the goal they had 10 or 15 minutes, but we kept going."

Half-time change of shape transformed the midfield vs Man City

Workhorse: Conor Gallagher

Action Images via Reuters

Sam Tabuteau

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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Tottenham fought back from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City and ease the pressure on manager Thomas Frank.

City took the lead inside 11 minutes as Rayan Cherki arrowed a low shot past Guglielmo Vicario after Yves Bissouma was dispossessed, before Antoine Semenyo doubled the visitors’ advantage on the stroke of half-time.

Spurs fought back after the break and levelled the score throgh a Dominic Solanke double - the second being a stunning acrobatic finish after a stampeding run from Conor Gallagher.

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Supporter protests are not going away

Spurs’ issues right now are not limited to on the pitch, and supporters are growing increasingly agitated with the direction of the club.

Supporters’ group Change for Tottenham staged a protest before Spurs’ 2-1 defeat to West Ham, and while turnout was minimal, they have not been discouraged.

Back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since that game, a number of supporters walked out in the 75th minute in protest against the club’s board.

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A Change for Tottenham spokesperson told Standard Sport this week that they felt the club was in a “dangerous position” and questioned their ambition in the transfer market.

"This window has been a complete failure. The club is in a dangerous position and the leadership haven't done anything to stem the tide. Instead of being bold and ambitious in the market, we have seen more of the same failings. Fans have power and we can show that on Sunday."

Frank was asked about supporters’ frustrations with the club’s activity in the January transfer market, and reiterated that the Lewis family are committed to funding a wholesale rebuild. He did, however, say that the club would not be forced into making snap decisions before Deadline Day, despite Spurs’ mounting injury list.

That could change, with Spurs missing 11 senior players against City, following injuries to Djed Spence and Kevin Danso, and there are concerns over Cristian Romero.

For supporters, though, it all feels a little too late with tomorrow’s 7pm deadline fast approaching.

Cristian Romero was forced off at half-time

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Injury ‘curse’ continues to hamper Spurs

Thomas Frank may well have been right when he said Spurs are cursed.

Frank, half-joking, made that admission after Lucas Bergvall was ruled out for around three months with an ankle injury sustained after an innocuous challenge during Spurs’ 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.

Things have not got much better since, and with Micky van de Ven, Spence and Danso not involved against City, while Cristian Romero was withdrawn at half-time, Spurs are down to the bare bones - the north London club are a goalkeeper away from being able to name a full starting eleven of injured players.

Frank said Danso’s toe injury was “extremely unlucky”, but after three years of fitness issues, serious questions need to be asked about the way in which the club approaches injuries.

Spurs’ state-of-the-art training ground and stadium are the envy of the Premier League, but their fitness facilities and practices are still some way behind where they would want them to be.

Frank has admitted that the club are looking to improve the return to play time for injured players and added that he felt the club’s medical department would be happy with the progress they have made this season.

To the outside world, though, it appears that Spurs’ injury issues are only getting worse.

Dominic Solanke scored twice

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A tale of two halves for Spurs’ midfield

A heavily depleted Spurs side, adapting to a new system, were always going to find it hard against City’s experience.

Guardiola’s side were, though, a cut above in the first half, and that was no more apparent than in midfield, where Rodri and Bernardo Silva dominated every inch of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

First, Bernardo pounced to dispossess Bissouma for City’s opening goal before Rodri intercepted a stray pass from Radu Dragusin to allow Semenyo to double City’s lead.

It was all too easy for City to cut through Spurs in the opening 45 as they worked the ball from back to front.

The mark of a good manager is identifying and adapting to situations, and Frank showcased his adaptability by remodelling Spurs’ midfield after the break to take charge of a game they had, to that point, had no say in.

Pape Matar Sarr came on for Romero, and Spurs went to a 4-2-3-1 in a bid to get a foothold in the game.

Much has been made of Spurs’ powers of recovery, and powered on by the intensity of Gallagher, the home side battled back to draw level.

Gallagher’s second-half performance embodied everything Spurs had hoped for when they brought him in from Atletico Madrid, and it was his driving run and cross that allowed Solanke to acrobatically restore parity.

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Spurs fans were left fearing the worst when Romero was replaced by Pape Matar Sarr ahead of the second half on Sunday, with the team trailing 2-0 after a disaster first-half display.

Fellow defenders Djed Spence and Kevin Danso were ruled out ahead of the game, while Micky van de Ven sat out his second game with a niggle.

But Romero told reporters after the game that he was “okay”, with manager Thomas Frank confirming the player has been complaining of an illness.

“[He] pushed through that with a fantastic captain's performance, and struggled a little bit, but we hope it's nothing. We are assessing him. Hopefully he's fine."

The striker was withdrawn late on in the game to spark fresh injury fears, but he confirmed to Sky Sports afterwards that he is “fine”, adding: “I just rolled my ankle, I’ll be fine.”

Frank added soon after: “Clearly also struggled to run. We knew before the game again it would be a big push to play 90 [minutes]. He's not there fitness-wise where he should be, because he's been out for so long. And we've been, in a way, a little bit forced to play him.

“It's pretty evident that he's relatively important for us. Four goals in four games, with him being on his 70-80 per cent of fitness and top sharpness. But imagine City playing without [Erling] Haaland for six months. We've been quite hard-hit with injuries.”

Half-time change of shape transformed the midfield vs Man City

Workhorse: Conor Gallagher

Action Images via Reuters

Sam Tabuteau

COMMENTS

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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

Tottenham fought back from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City and ease the pressure on manager Thomas Frank.

City took the lead inside 11 minutes as Rayan Cherki arrowed a low shot past Guglielmo Vicario after Yves Bissouma was dispossessed, before Antoine Semenyo doubled the visitors’ advantage on the stroke of half-time.

Spurs fought back after the break and levelled the score throgh a Dominic Solanke double - the second being a stunning acrobatic finish after a stampeding run from Conor Gallagher.

AFP via Getty Images

Supporter protests are not going away

Spurs’ issues right now are not limited to on the pitch, and supporters are growing increasingly agitated with the direction of the club.

Supporters’ group Change for Tottenham staged a protest before Spurs’ 2-1 defeat to West Ham, and while turnout was minimal, they have not been discouraged.

Back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since that game, a number of supporters walked out in the 75th minute in protest against the club’s board.

Read More

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A Change for Tottenham spokesperson told Standard Sport this week that they felt the club was in a “dangerous position” and questioned their ambition in the transfer market.

"This window has been a complete failure. The club is in a dangerous position and the leadership haven't done anything to stem the tide. Instead of being bold and ambitious in the market, we have seen more of the same failings. Fans have power and we can show that on Sunday."

Frank was asked about supporters’ frustrations with the club’s activity in the January transfer market, and reiterated that the Lewis family are committed to funding a wholesale rebuild. He did, however, say that the club would not be forced into making snap decisions before Deadline Day, despite Spurs’ mounting injury list.

That could change, with Spurs missing 11 senior players against City, following injuries to Djed Spence and Kevin Danso, and there are concerns over Cristian Romero.

For supporters, though, it all feels a little too late with tomorrow’s 7pm deadline fast approaching.

Cristian Romero was forced off at half-time

REUTERS

Injury ‘curse’ continues to hamper Spurs

Thomas Frank may well have been right when he said Spurs are cursed.

Frank, half-joking, made that admission after Lucas Bergvall was ruled out for around three months with an ankle injury sustained after an innocuous challenge during Spurs’ 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.

Things have not got much better since, and with Micky van de Ven, Spence and Danso not involved against City, while Cristian Romero was withdrawn at half-time, Spurs are down to the bare bones - the north London club are a goalkeeper away from being able to name a full starting eleven of injured players.

Frank said Danso’s toe injury was “extremely unlucky”, but after three years of fitness issues, serious questions need to be asked about the way in which the club approaches injuries.

Spurs’ state-of-the-art training ground and stadium are the envy of the Premier League, but their fitness facilities and practices are still some way behind where they would want them to be.

Frank has admitted that the club are looking to improve the return to play time for injured players and added that he felt the club’s medical department would be happy with the progress they have made this season.

To the outside world, though, it appears that Spurs’ injury issues are only getting worse.

Dominic Solanke scored twice

Action Images via Reuters

A tale of two halves for Spurs’ midfield

A heavily depleted Spurs side, adapting to a new system, were always going to find it hard against City’s experience.

Guardiola’s side were, though, a cut above in the first half, and that was no more apparent than in midfield, where Rodri and Bernardo Silva dominated every inch of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

First, Bernardo pounced to dispossess Bissouma for City’s opening goal before Rodri intercepted a stray pass from Radu Dragusin to allow Semenyo to double City’s lead.

It was all too easy for City to cut through Spurs in the opening 45 as they worked the ball from back to front.

The mark of a good manager is identifying and adapting to situations, and Frank showcased his adaptability by remodelling Spurs’ midfield after the break to take charge of a game they had, to that point, had no say in.

Pape Matar Sarr came on for Romero, and Spurs went to a 4-2-3-1 in a bid to get a foothold in the game.

Much has been made of Spurs’ powers of recovery, and powered on by the intensity of Gallagher, the home side battled back to draw level.

Gallagher’s second-half performance embodied everything Spurs had hoped for when they brought him in from Atletico Madrid, and it was his driving run and cross that allowed Solanke to acrobatically restore parity.

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