Spurs Web

Wales manager Craig Bellamy has admitted that his interest in one Tottenham defender was never intended to be public.

It emerged earlier this week that another Spurs youngster had been handed a potential chance to be at this summer’s tournament in North America after being contacted about changing his national allegiance

According to reports, Ashley Phillips had been approached about changing his allegiance from England to Wales by the Welsh head coach Criagh Bellamy.

Craig Bellamy makes admission about Tottenham’s Ashley Phillips

Ultimately, the Wales boss did not choose Phillips or the injured Ben Davies in his 26-man squad for the World Cup play-offs later this month.

The centre-back is instead set to be called up for England U21s, which means that any chance of him going to the World Cup with Wales is now over.

Bellamy has now confirmed that he did have conversations with the Tottenham defender about playing for the Dragons, but admitted that he was disappointed by the news being leaked.

MORE SPURS STORIES

When asked if the 20-year-old Spurs man had been contacted over playing for Wales, Bellamy said (via The Express): “We always look at dual nationalities; it’s been so good for us over a number of years. I’m so, so, so disappointed it’s got out again. It doesn’t help us. Trust me.

“I’m the one who has to ring the coaches up, I’m the one who has to ring Stoke up and apologise. It doesn’t do us any service at all – so please, if you do find a leak, speak to me first because you give us less chance of being able to get this type of player.

“It’s something for down the road, it’s not for now, but we’re always active on it. We have to be. There are players who have got quality and if they have a chance of playing for Wales, we have to be active.

“That’s for another time hopefully. I know what happened. It wasn’t malicious at all, it was done by accident. We all do want to do well. We all want the best Wales team we can.”

Phillips is making big strides at Stoke

The 20-year-old is in his second consecutive season on loan at the bet365 Stadium and has established himself as a vital part of the Championship club’s backline.

In fact, Phillips was given the captain’s armband at Stoke last week by manager Mark Robins, after an injury to his full-time captain, Ben Wilmot.

The fact that the youngster is being trusted to lead the Potters shows how highly he is thought of, and the former Blackburn man may believe that he can force himself into the senior England side in a few years if he keeps developing at the same pace.

Micky van de Ven has made an honest admission about his own form for Tottenham as the club fight to retain their Premier League status.

Given the predicament that Tottenham Hotspur currently find themselves in, they desperately need their leaders to step up and guide them to safety.

Yet, we have seen the two biggest names in the squad, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, the captain and the vice-captain, respectively, both get sent off recently.

There have been rumours suggesting that both Van de Ven and Romero could be on their way out of Spurs in the summer, and the Dutchman has now made an honest admission about his own struggles.

Micky van de Ven admits his recent performances for Tottenham have not been good enough

Neither of Tottenham’s two first-choice centre-backs has been at their best over recent months, and Van de Ven has now confessed that his own form is something that is affecting him mentally.

The 24-year-old insisted that he always wants to give his best whenever he puts on a Spurs shirt and revealed that he is determined to turn his form around.

When asked how he has been affected by the team’s struggles this season, Van de Ven told Tottenham’s official wesbite: “A lot, the situation we’re in right now is just difficult. Also, for me, playing-wise, you always want to play your best games. I know I haven’t been playing my best lately.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“Obviously, this is something I struggle with as well, because I always want to give my best to the fans and to the club and to the players. But as I said, the situation is just really tough, and it’s just something we want to change around.”

Van de Ven admits he apologised to Spurs teammates for his red card

Van de Ven has been accused of downing tools this season, and his red card against Crystal Palace raised further questions about his commitment to the cause.

However, the former Wolfsburg man explained that it was a split-second decision to bring down Ismaila Sarr, which he instantly regretted and apologised to his teammates for.

When asked if it hurt when he was given his marching orders against the Eagles, Van de Ven responded: “It does, especially after you come 1-0 up, and it’s just like a split-second moment, and it just happens. In this moment, you just pull him a little bit, and he just falls down straight away, and in your head, you know straight away what’s going to happen.

“At that moment, you just do what you think is best. It sounds maybe strange, but it’s just something that happens. It’s just a split-second, and when you see that red card, it feels like you let the team down. Straight away at half-time, I apologised to the guys as well, I just said, like, ‘yeah, sorry guys, this one is on me’.

“It even hurts me more that we come 1-0 up, and after this moment, the whole game changes, and you see the guys as well, it’s devastating. Even in the second half with 10 men, they did really well, and they kept pushing, they kept fighting. It’s just a really difficult moment. It hurts at that moment as well, because you have to feel that you’ve let the team down.”

Les Ferdinand revealed the one aspect of Tottenham’s performance against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday that he was very encouraged by.

Until a few days ago, it appeared as if Spurs were sleepwalking towards relegation, and it was difficult to see where the club’s next win was going to come from.

However, belief has returned to Tottenham after the team produced a batting display at Anfield to emerge with a draw and followed that up with an entertaining win over Atletico Madrid, where they had no issues creating chances.

Although Spurs ultimately lost the tie 7-5, beating Atletico in front of their own fans has given the team a massive boost, and one former club legend believes things are looking a lot rosier at N17.

Les Ferdinand backs Tottenham to survive if they can perform as they did against Atletico

Ferdinand insisted that the most important thing for Igor Tudor’s men was to get a result against the La Liga side in the second leg, with the tie always likely to prove beyond them.

He was very impressed to see his former side play on the front foot right from kick-off, and he believes they do not have to worry about losing their Premier League status if they can maintain the same level of performance over the coming weeks.

Speaking after Tottenham’s 3-2 win over Atletico, Ferdinand told TNT Sports 3: “We knew it was going to be a tall order. The one thing we said before was that they should try and win the game tonight. And I thought Tottenham, from start to finish, they went out on the front foot.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“They were never going to be able to keep that pace up for 90 minutes, they dropped off a little bit. But they can feel proud. I think the fans will go home realising: ‘Ok, we’ve got a relegation battle to deal with now.’ But if they can perform like they did tonight, then they’ll have no trouble getting out of the position they’re in at the moment.”

Spurs’ injury situation is improving

Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie, and Conor Gallagher returned to action against Atletico, with all three players coming on as substitutes.

Additionally, Tudor has said he expects Dominic Solanke to be fit for the Nottingham Forest game after the striker missed Wednesday’s clash due to a minor hip injury.

Micky van de Ven has hit back at reports linking Tottenham players with exits, but his response has now sparked a fierce reaction from Simon Jordan.

There might have been an upturn in results for Tottenham Hotspur in the last two games, but the reality remains that Spurs are in a relegation battle.

Tottenham currently find themselves in 16th place on 30 points this season, a single point above 17th-placed Nottingham Forest and 18th-placed West Ham United.

Spurs take on Forest on Sunday after their 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid and should come into that match-up in better spirits.

But before taking to the pitch against Atleti, Micky van de Ven was quick to call out recent reports linking several Spurs players with moves away from north London due to the club’s predicament.

A frustrated van de Ven made it clear it was a situation he is not happy about, as he believes it affects the relationship between players and fans.

He said the reports were fabricated and explained his frustration at how they are perceived, telling reporters, “The other day, when we read that one guy told the rest of the team that he does not care because he is leaving anyway. It is like, how does this come out? It is just made up. And the fans will believe it. It is just frustrating for us guys.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

Speaking on TalkSport, Simon Jordan strongly criticised Micky van de Ven’s response, questioning the sincerity of players’ commitment in difficult moments.

Jordan dismissed the defender’s stance as self-serving and argued that true care is reflected through actions rather than words.

He said: “That utter, utter self-serving nonsense. Yes, I am sure they do care in the moment because of the consequences for them. You will see who cares and who does not by who stays and who leaves, because actions will determine that better than words.

“Yes, of course they care to a point. They care in so far as it will affect the outcomes that impact them – i.e. if the team gets relegated, there will be consequences for them to some extent. Now, to suggest they do not care at all, that they are completely devoid of any care, is not right. It is qualified care.

“If they cared enough, then the team would not be in this position, because the team is here through the choices the players are making. Put aside the manager, put aside the board and all that background noise, and look at the team.

“As I keep saying, if you judge Tottenham by this squad as a top-six squad, then you are deluded. If you think they should be a bottom-five side, you are deluded as well. They are a mid-table side.

“So why are they not a mid-table side? Because of people like him – they are not doing their jobs.”

Danny Murphy defends Van de Ven as Simon Jordan doubles down

Danny Murphy, however, offered a contrasting view and defended Tottenham’s van de Ven by drawing on his own experiences in relegation battles during his playing days.

Murphy explained that players can still be fully committed on the pitch while considering their own futures, telling TalkSport: “You can have it – I have done it myself when I was playing and we nearly got relegated.

“We stayed up on the last day. Some senior players in the squad. You can care and give your all and still be about you and then leave. Does not mean you did not care because you leave and does not mean you care because you stay. You can care. You can look like you care because you have stayed if they go down because you have got no better option.”

When pressed further on whether players had exit plans during that time, Murphy admitted he was among those considering options, adding: “Well, no. I would be one of them. I did not have anything lined up, but I did not want to play in the Championship.

“You were one of them. I would have chats with some of my mates and say, tell you what, if we do go down, I am going to have to see what is out there. So, there is your answer.

“But no, let me finish that. I will tell you something – you could not criticise one minute of my performances in the last couple of months of the season, giving my all to try and keep them up.”

Jordan remained unconvinced and continued to question the level of commitment, arguing that players ultimately prioritise themselves while stressing that performances should be the true measure of care, stating on TalkSport: “Players get the reputation that they deserve. Unfortunately, they do. Was he not linked with leaving this football club? Did he not say something?

“He knows he can apply himself and, to some extent, they will apply themselves. They will not care the way the fans care because they are not Tottenham supporters.

“They are Tottenham players. They have been signed to do a job. Does somebody that works for Lloyd’s Bank care if Lloyd’s Bank collapses as long as they can go to Barclays? Unless, of course, they have got some money in Lloyd’s Bank on deposit.

“You want to qualify that? But the fact is there is an element of professional regard that you have to have, and that is where the loyalty part steps into the equation.

“What loyalty do you expect from players as long as their contract is? And if we can honestly look at these Tottenham players and say they have given their best, that is the care factor we have to debate, not whether they care about relegation, because we all know everyone looks after themselves.

“So my argument would be they have not cared enough to avoid being in this bloody ludicrous position for a team of Tottenham Hotspur stature and a squad of this calibre that should not be anywhere near the relegation zone.”

Igor Tudor has been reprimanded by the Football Association for what he said following Tottenham’s defeat away to Fulham.

Tudor’s days at Tottenham looked numbered a week ago, but the Croat is now in a much stronger position after coaching a draw against Liverpool and a win over Atletico Madrid following four straight losses.

The interim Spurs head boss insists their hard work in the training ground is now finally paying off, admitting that he has seen plenty of positive signs in the last two performances.

However, he has now been handed a blow ahead of what is undoubtedly the biggest game of his short stint at the club so far.

The Spurs boss has now been reprimanded by English football’s governing body for comments he made following his side’s 2-1 loss to Fulham at the start of the month.

Tudor was extremely critical of the referee’s decision to allow Fulham’s first goal to stand, accusing Raul Jimenez of ‘cheating’ by fouling Rad Dragusin in the build-up, while branding Thomas Bramall as a “home team referee”, as per ESPN.

The Tottenham boss also questioned the double standards after Randal Kolo Muani’s goal was ruled out for a push on Gabriel Magalhaes in his side’s North London derby loss.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The FA have now charged Tudor with misconduct for his comments following the clash at Craven Cottage.

Their statement reads: “Tottenham Hotspur’s Igor Tudor has been charged with misconduct following comments that he made after their game against Fulham on Sunday 1 March in the Premier League.

“The manager allegedly acted in an improper manner during a post-match interview by making comments that imply bias and/or question integrity and/or are personally offensive in relation to a match official.”

Tudor will be focused on the big game on Sunday

With a response expected from Tottenham by Friday, one would expect Tudor to be asked about the FA’s charge in his press conference tomorrow.

However, the interim Spurs boss is a no-nonsense character and one doubts whether he will give too much attention to the charge.

The Croat will be fully focused on the game on Sunday, which could dictate whether Tottenham stay up or go down and could have a huge impact on the 47-year-old’s CV.

Xavi Simons has taken to social media to react to Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

While Tottenham always had a huge mountain to climb after losing 5-2 in the first leg, they gave Atletico a few scares on Wednesday and threatened to get themselves back in the tie.

While they may not have produced the miraculous comeback they wanted to, there were several encouraging signs in their performance as the Lilywhites picked up their first win under Igor Tudor.

The man who was pulling the strings for Spurs in the number ten role has now reacted to the 3-2 win.

Xavi Simons says win over Atletico Madrid is a ‘building block’ for Tottenham

Xavi has been a peripheral figure since Tudor replaced Thomas Frank at the helm, but the Dutchman got an opportunity to showcase his quality in his favourite number ten role yesterday.

The former RB Leipzig man grabbed his chance with both hands, netting his first brace for Spurs.

Xavi has now taken to social media to admit that while he and his teammates are disappointed to exit the Champions League, the result can be a ‘building block’ for the team.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The Dutchman wrote on X: “Obvious disappointment, but a building block. We build from here now. No excuses.”

Tudor delighted to see Spurs’ attack click into gear

Speaking after the game, Tudor praised Xavi for the way he linked up with Randal Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel in attack.

Tudor also suggested that the hard work in the training ground is coming to fruition, admitting that he has seen some positive signs in the team’s last two performances.

With his side now having built momentum, they will be extremely keen to pick up their first league win of the calendar year against Nottingham Forest and give them some breathing space in the relegation battle.

Archie Gray’s standout showing against Atletico Madrid has caught the eye of Tottenham fans, with the underlying numbers now painting a clearer picture of his influence on the night.

There have been a few silver linings for Tottenham Hotspur this season as they have struggled for most of the campaign.

Spurs’ domestic form has been woeful, with the club embroiled in a relegation scrap as they sit 16th in the Premier League table.

In Europe, though, Tottenham did look like one of the better sides in the league phase but have now been eliminated from the competition following their 7-5 aggregate loss to Atletico Madrid in the last 16.

But in the second leg against Diego Simeone’s side, Archie Gray’s performance stood out, serving as one of the few silver linings for Spurs this season.

Tottenham numbers highlight Archie Gray display against Atletico Madrid

The teenager, who has only just turned 20, has been impressive for Tottenham this campaign, filling in across a variety of positions.

On Wednesday night, he was deployed in his preferred midfield role, and he bossed the game, showing great technical awareness, composure and maturity beyond his age.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Spurs fans were quick to praise Gray for his display against Atleti, leading to comparisons with Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson.

The underlying numbers from FotMob highlight just how strong his performance was against the Spanish outfit. The website gave him a 7.8/10, but even that feels a little low for the Tottenham youngster.

Gray who looked like a product of La Masia, created two chances, completed 2/3 dribbles, played five passes into the final third and managed nine recoveries.

Spurs face battle to keep Gray amid transfer interest

Of course, the former Leeds United man is still young, and there is plenty he must improve on if he is to become one of the leading midfielders for Tottenham. But it remains to be seen whether Spurs can keep him in N17.

Thus far, reports have linked Archie Gray with a move away from Tottenham, with European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Real Madrid said to be interested in the 20-year-old.

Igor Tudor has provided his assessment of when we can expect Tottenham Hotspur to return to European competitions.

Spurs signed off from the Champions League with an impressive 3-2 win at home against Atletico Madrid, with the La Liga side running out 7-5 winners in the tie overall.

Tottenham’s jaw-dropping European home record continued, with the Lilywhites now unbeaten at their stadium in their last 26 European fixtures, having won 22 of them.

That stands in sharp contrast to Spurs’ shocking recent home record in the Premier League since the start of last year.

Spurs entered the Champions League through the back door by winning the Europa League last season, but there will be no European games at the club’s billion-dollar stadium next year.

However, Tudor believes that there is no reason the club cannot be back competing with the continent’s elite in the 2027-28 season.

When asked if he is confident that it will be long before Tottenham are back in Europe, he told Football.London: “No, why should it be? Next year, no. The year after that, you can go again. Why not? Winning this trophy last season gave confidence to the players, for sure. Because, as you know, it’s totally different if you have this experience in European competition, with a lot of players who win that.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“This gives you more confidence when you play European competition games. So we saw this even today. When you are the [Europa League] winner and you come to play today, you feel strong. So they show this in the pitch from the first moment.”

However, the Croatian boss is unlikely to still be in North London by that point. Reports say that Tottenham have already told Tudor they want to hire someone else permanently in the summer.

Tudor admits regret about Spurs’ first leg capitulation

The Lilywhites put Atletico under real pressure yesterday, even though the La Liga side came into the fixture with one leg already in the quarterfinal.

It may have been a different game if Tottenham had lost the first leg by one goal less last week, and Tudor admits he does have regrets over his side’s mistakes in Madrid.

Speaking after his first win as Spurs boss, the Croat said: “After seeing today, there is even more questions about the first game. If it didn’t happen, what happened, I believe we have a good chance to pass against Atletico Madrid.

“Even I need to repeat that today we have again 11 players and on the bench just one player. One player is Danso. All three players – Bergvall, Udogie and Conor – doctors say they can play at least maximum 20 minutes, 25 minutes. So you have only Danso as a substitute. You play with 11 plus Danso in this kind of a game, and I don’t count these two young players.

“So imagine the situation, imagine the value of this victory here. You need to make a proclamation of substitutes, what happens if someone is out, how we can deal with Bergvall and Conor. So it’s a really particular moment, but you know how it is here in Tottenham, better than me with this kind of injuries. The value of this performance is even bigger because of these things.”

Igor Tudor has revealed the encouraging signs he has seen in Tottenham’s last two performances against Liverpool and Atletico Madrid.

A week ago, it appeared as if Tudor was on borrowed time, as speculation ran rife about the Croat’s future after Tottenham’s 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid.

However, a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Liverpool and an impressive 3-2 win in the second leg against Atletico (albeit in a losing cause in the tie) have instilled some belief back into the Tottenham camp.

It has also bought Tudor some time and backing from the fans, and the former Juventus boss has now reacted after picking up his first win in charge of the Lilywhites.

Igor Tudor insists Tottenham are clearly improving

The 47-year-old remarked that all the hard work put in on the training ground has been coming to fruition in the last couple of matches.

He was delighted to see things click into gear on the pitch and admitted that it was key for the players’ confidence to back up the draw against Liverpool with another impressive performance.

When asked what clicked in attack for Tottenham Hotspur against Atletico, Tudor told Football.London: “You’ve got to work, you work, you work, you work, and then there is a game that shows what you work for. The players, what was the key, they believed that we can get through, so they really believed that was the key, after 1-0 more.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“Unfortunately, what happened in the [first Atletico] goal, OK, as I said before, the performance in this moment where we are, it’s very important that it happens, this kind of performance, three days after Liverpool.”

When asked if Tottenham are starting to see the fruits of the labour that he and his coaching staff have put in, the 47-year-old responded: “Of course, the last two games we improved. But as I said, the two games before, it’s impossible to judge these two games, because what happened in the first 20 minutes against [Atletico] Madrid, there is nothing about the coach, team, tactics, training. There is nothing about it.

“I believe Crystal Palace, the game before, we had 1-0 and total control of the game. Red card so as well, nothing about it. But in football you need confirmation every day, every day, every day, every Sunday.”

Tudor insists Spurs’ fate will not be defined by Nottingham Forest clash

Sunday’s clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is being billed as a relegation six-pointer. If there is a winner, that side would undoubtedly be in a much safer position in their quest for survival.

However, Tudor insists that the result of Sunday’s game will not decide who stays up and goes down this season.

The Tottenham interim boss added: “There is on Sunday an important game as we know, but it will not decide nothing yet. As I said before, everything will be decided in the last two or three games, I believe.”

Igor Tudor has revealed why Dominic Solanke missed the game against Atletico Madrid and whether the Tottenham striker is expected to be fit for the relegation six-pointer against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Tottenham were boosted by the return of Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall and Conor Gallagher, who all came on as substitutes against Atletico Madrid.

However, Spurs were without the suspended Richarlison for the clash against Atletico, while Dominic Solanke was also absent from the matchday squad.

The England international’s absence raised some concerns, given that he has only recently returned from a long-term lay-off, but the Tottenham boss has now provided some good news.

Igor Tudor expects Dominic Solanke to be fit for Tottenham’s clash against Nottingham Forest

While Solanke has looked a little rusty at times since his return from injury, his importance to Spurs is underlined by the fact that he has already scored six goals for the Lilywhites, including three in the Champions League.

Tudor has now confirmed that the former Bournemouth man only has a minor problem and that he expects him to take to the field on Sunday.

When asked about Solanke, the Croat said ahead of kick-off yesterday to TNT Sports: “Unfortunately, he has a problem with his hip. It is no big deal. He didn’t make it for today, but I think he will be good for Sunday.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

Spurs attack is finally starting to click into gear

Tudor used Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani in the attack on Wednesday, and the pair combined for Tottenham’s opener.

Xavi Simons, who was given the freedom to operate in his favourite number 10 role, also showcased quality, scoring a brace as Spurs were eliminated despite winning 3-2 on the night.

There are signs that the Tottenham attack is starting to click under Igor Tudor, and adding Solanke, Richarlison, and Bergvall to the mix suddenly gives the Croat some good options.