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Tottenham Hotspur want to bring a former Premier League midfielder back to England, and a new report has shed light on the chances of that happening.

Yves Bissouma is expected to leave Tottenham in January, with the Mali international’s current deal running out next summer.

Spurs are seemingly on the lookout for a replacement, with several reports claiming that Conor Gallagher is on Spurs’ radar ahead of the January window.

The Lilywhites are also eyeing another midfielder with plenty of Premier League experience. It emerged last week that Tottenham are plotting to bring Ruben Neves back to England, a little over two years after he made a big-money move from Wolves to Al-Hilal.

Ruben Neves may be open to Tottenham move but there is one problem

TBR Football have confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing a move for Neves, and they have handed the Lilywhites’ chances of securing the 28-year-old a boost.

They say that the Portugal international is seeking to return to Europe as he believes that he is only just coming into his prime years as a player.

However, the report explains that a transfer next summer is more likely for Neves than a move mid-season.

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The outlet also asserts that Spurs could face competition from Newcastle and Man United, both of whom are also being kept informed of the midfielder’s situation.

Neves does not have his heart set on a Premier League return

TBR Football also spoke to transfer expert Graeme Bailey, who revealed that the former Wolves man does not want to swap Saudi Arabia for Europe, and would ideally prefer a return to England.

However, the journalist explained that the Al-Hilal man is also open to moving to Portugal, Spain or Italy, and is not restricting his options to the Premier League.

When asked about Neves’ future, Bailey told the publication: “I am told that Neves thinks there is ‘unfinished’ business in England – he had a wonderful time at Molineux and he is still highly respected.

“But it is not a given that he moves back to England. A return to Portugal would be considered whilst there is strong interest in Spain and Italy too – he is not going to be short of options.

“It is believed that Neves, given his substantial earnings during his stay in Saudi Arabia, won’t be looking for similar wages – he is in a good position that he will be able to choose the best club for him – this move will not be about the finances.”

Tottenham Hotspur are continuing to track a La Liga winger, and the North London club have now been told how much they would have to pay to secure his services in January.

According to reports, Tottenham have already started working on potential January additions, with the club wanting to add more depth and star power to their squad.

One of the players on the Lilywhites’ radar is thought to be an exciting Sevilla star. This is according to reports from Spain, which have said that Tottenham are plotting a move for Ruben Vargas in January.

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Spurs are eyeing Vargas as a cheaper alternative to Savinho, who they were unable to prise away from Man City in the summer.

How much do Sevilla want for Tottenham target Ruben Vargas?

A fresh report in Vamos Mi Sevilla FC has now also backed up Spurs’ interest in the Switzerland international.

The outlet claims that Tottenham Hotspur have sent scouts to Spain to watch Vargas recently as they eye a potential January move.

However, it is pointed out that the 27-year-old is contracted at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium until 2019 and Sevilla see him as their ‘best asset’.

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As a result, the La Liga side are expected to demand upwards of €25m (£17.4m) for the winger if Spurs come knocking on the door.

Do Tottenham need to sign a winger in January?

Tottenham were after a winger in the summer, but that was before they secured late deals for Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani.

Thomas Frank reportedly sees Kolo Muani as an option for the left-wing role, while he has also used Xavi in that position.

Luca Williams-Barnett etched his name into Tottenham history on Wednesday night, with the teenager making his senior debut in the Carabao Cup and immediately entering the club’s record books.

Tottenham Hotspur got their Carabao Cup campaign this season off to a winning start, after having beaten Doncaster Rovers 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Goals from Joao Palhinha, an own goal by McGrath and a dying-minute strike from Brennan Johnson were enough for the Lilywhites on the night.

It was a complete display from Thomas Frank’s side, who have now booked a spot in round four, with Newcastle United their next League Cup opponent.

Luca Williams-Barnett becomes seventh-youngest Spurs debutant

Wednesday night was not just about progressing to the next round, as there was a milestone moment for one Spurs youngster.

According to Transfermarkt, Williams-Barnett became the seventh youngest ever player to make his debut for Tottenham after coming on in the final four minutes of the tie against Doncaster Rovers.

The teenager, who has impressed at the youth level this season with ten goal contributions in six games, made his Tottenham debut at just 16 years, 11 months and 24 days.

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However, he is not the first of such bright talents to appear for Tottenham at such a young age, with several other prospects doing so before him.

Tottenham youngsters who debuted younger than Williams-Barnett

Alfie Devine currently tops the chart for the youngest ever Tottenham debutant, having made his debut at 16 years, 5 months and 9 days.

In second, a striker once described as phenomenal by Jose Mourinho, Dane Scarlett, featured for Tottenham at 16 years, 8 months and 2 days.

In third and more recently comes Mikey Moore, who featured aged 16 years, 9 months and 3 days in a Premier League tie against Manchester City.

Rounding off the list are John Bostock, central midfield, at 16 years, 9 months and 22 days, Ally Dick, left winger, at 16 years, 9 months and 26 days, and Neil McNab, right midfield, at 16 years, 9 months and 30 days.

Club chiefs are quietly hoping that Tottenham make their move in the transfer market, with one player no longer seen as part of their long-term plans.

Tottenham Hotspur have every reason to be encouraged by their transfer dealings this summer, with several new arrivals already beginning to make their presence felt under Thomas Frank.

Mohammed Kudus has quickly established himself as one of Tottenham’s most creative forwards, registering four assists in the Premier League, which is already one more than he managed in the whole of last season.

Xavi Simons is also finding his rhythm in north London, and there are early signs that he could prove to be an inspired addition.

Meanwhile, Joao Palhinha may have only arrived on loan, yet the Portuguese midfielder already looks like a natural fit in this Tottenham side, as his role as the midfield anchor gives balance and stability to Frank’s team.

Bayern Munich open to Joao Palhinha joining Tottenham

Spurs have a £26 million option to turn Palhinha’s loan into a permanent deal, and reports suggest that the club are already weighing up that possibility. Fresh claims from Bild have now shed light on Bayern Munich’s stance regarding the midfielder’s future.

It is understood that Bayern Munich are hoping Tottenham will trigger the clause for a permanent transfer, as Palhinha is no longer viewed as part of their long-term vision.

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The 30-year-old found minutes hard to come by in Germany following his move from Fulham and has slipped down the pecking order, meaning Bayern would be content to see him depart permanently.

The sense from Munich is that Bayern would welcome Spurs exercising their clause, and even if that does not materialise, the Bundesliga giants would still look for a way to move the midfielder on.

Palhinha proving his worth for Spurs

The situation appears to suit all parties, and it is increasingly clear that the ball is now very much in Tottenham’s court regarding whether to keep Palhinha beyond this season.

The Portuguese international has settled back into the Premier League with ease, which comes as no surprise given his two years of experience with Fulham before his switch to Germany.

For Tottenham, his presence has been invaluable, not only offering steel and protection in midfield but also chipping in with goals when required.

This season, he has already scored twice, netting in Spurs’ victory over Manchester City in the Premier League and producing a spectacular bicycle kick against Doncaster in the League Cup.

Djed Spence and on-loan Spurs youngster Damola Ajayi had a funny interaction on social media after going head-to-head in Tottenham’s 3-0 win over Doncaster Rovers.

It is now widely acknowledged that Djed Spence is one of the best one-v-one defenders in the Premier League, with the Spurs full-back becoming nearly unpassable.

The Tottenham Hotspur man has marked some of the best wingers in the world out of the game over the last 12 months, and he came up against a familiar face on Wednesday evening.

Spurs academy starlet Damola Ajayi started for Doncaster on the right in their third-round Carabao Cup clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he found out first-hand just how difficult Spence is to play against.

Damola Ajayi responds to Djed Spence’s social media post

As has now become the ritual for Spence after every game, he welcomed another winger to his penitentiary following Tottenham’s 3-0 win over Doncaster.

After refusing to let Ajayi pass him through the game, the 25-year-old wrote on Instagram: “I’m sorry, Lil bro. Welcome to the penitentiary.”

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Ajayi responded hilariously with a well-known meme of Neil Warnock, whom Spence has had infamous run-ins with at Middlesbrough.

Tottenham teammates react to Spence’s post about Ajayi

Ajayi was not the only one to respond to the Tottenham full-back’s post, with the likes of Pedro Porro and Xavi Simons also reacting.

Porro simply responded with a series of applause emojis while new Spurs box Xavi Simons commented “1 v 1”. Rio Ferdinand also reacted to the Spurs full back’s post, writing: “Confidence on 100” along with an applause emoji.

It appears that Spence is now creating such an aura that opposition wingers may even think twice about taking him on one-v-one.

Luca Williams-Barnett came off the bench against Doncaster Rovers to make his first senior appearance for Tottenham Hotspur, but who is the rising star?

Luca Williams-Barnett has been mentioned a lot recently in Tottenham Hotspur circles due to his impressive performances for the under-21s team.

The 16-year-old was named in the Tottenham first-team squad for the first time last November, when Spurs suffered a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in the Europa League.

It has been a long wait since then for Williams-Barnett to finally leave the Tottenham bench, but he was handed his senior debut during a 3-0 victory over Doncaster in the Carabao Cup.

Who is Luca Williams-Barnett? Tottenham’s new wonderkid

Born on October 1, 2008, Luca Williams-Barnett is just days away from turning 17. He is a former pupil of Lealands High School and joined the Tottenham under-10s team from Luton Town.

Williams-Barnett was 15 when he made his debut for the U18 team, and he won the Under-18 Premier League Goal of the Season for a long-range effort against Leicester City. Scoring a hat-trick in the U17 Premier League Cup final against Charlton Athletic is another of the player’s greatest achievements to date.

The first-year academy scholar is now the 900th player recorded to represent Spurs after replacing Mathys Tel in the 87th minute against Doncaster.

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Williams-Barnett nationality

Williams-Barnett was born in Luton and has played for England’s under-15, U16, U17 and U18 teams.

The Tottenham talent only made his international U18s debut earlier in the month, and he scored in his first appearance, a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan.

Williams-Barnett height

Williams-Barnett stands at 1.75m (5ft 9in), which is the average height of a man in the United Kingdom.

Williams-Barnett position

Williams-Barnett is primarily an attacking midfielder, but he is able to play as a winger or forward too and can use both feet.

Williams-Barnett stats

Williams-Barnett has an eye for goal and is a good creator of chances as well. His goal contribution stats for Tottenham’s youth teams are most impressive.

Tottenham U18s

Tottenham U19s (UEFA Youth League)

Tottenham U21s

Williams-Barnet style of play

According to The Standard, Williams-Barnett is known for his skills, dribbling and spectacular finishing. He is a very good goalscorer and some of his best strikes have come from distance.

Williams-Barnett is good in one-on-one situations and likes to take on his man. He has good vision and shows excellent composure on the ball.

Williams-Barnett’s squad number at Tottenham

Williams-Barnett wore the number 68 shirt on his Spurs debut. He has previously been assigned the number 78 shirt when named in the Tottenham senior squad.

A Tottenham youngster, who has made a bright start to the season, has already reached a verbal agreement with the club regarding a new contract.

The Carabao Cup offered Thomas Frank a rare opportunity to rest many of his key players, with a much-changed Tottenham side being enough to brush aside Doncaster Rovers in the third round.

Antonin Kinsky made his first start of the season while the likes of Mathys Tel, Archie Gray, Kevin Danso, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson also featured in the eleven.

However, the player who will never forget the day is 16-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett, who made his senior Tottenham debut, replacing Mathys Tel on 87 minutes.

Luca Williams-Barnett has already agreed terms on a new Tottenham contract

The teenager has been a shining star in youth football over the last couple of years, and Frank has admitted that he has been very impressed with Williams-Barnett in training.

It has now been revealed by Football.London that Tottenham have already taken significant steps towards tying the attacking midfielder to a new contract.

In fact, the outlet says that Williams-Barnett has agreed terms on his first professional contract and will put pen to paper when he turns 17 next Wednesday.

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The young attacker’s numbers in youth football are not too dissimilar to what Mikey Moore was posting before breaking into the senior side last season.

In the 2024-25 campaign, Williams-Barnett scored 19 goals and registered nine assists in 20 appearances for the U18s.

Thomas Frank has made some interesting comments about Joao Palhinha and Archie Gray after Tottenham Hotspur brushed aside Doncaster Rovers in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

It was not a surprise when both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were given a rest against Doncaster, but when the team news came out, many Spurs fans would have assumed that Archie Gray would play at centre-back.

However, instead, it was the experienced Joao Palhinha who partnered Kevin Danso at centre-back, with Gray playing in the middle of the park alongside Rodrigo Bentancur.

The decision worked as Tottenham kept another clean sheet, and Frank has praised the teenager and the 31-year-old for the way they performed.

Thomas Frank praises Tottenham’s Archie Gray and Joao Palhinha

Frank admitted that Palhinha has been a huge asset to his squad from the day he walked through the door in the summer.

The Tottenham head coach praised the Portugal international for slotting seamlessly into the heart of the defence against Doncaster.

When asked what he thought of Palhinha’s performance against the League One outfit, Frank said (via Football.London): “Very happy. He has been very good for us since he joined us. Again, just stepping into that centre-back role and played very well and scored a very good goal. So yeah, pleased.”

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Frank makes a confession about Archie Gray’s best position

Last season, Ange Postecoglou primarily used Gray at centre-back, which was at times forced due to Tottenham’s injuries.

However, Frank has opted to use him exclusively in the middle of the park, where he made his name at Leeds, and the Tottenham boss believes that the 19-year-old is at his best in midfield.

When asked about his decision to play Gray in midfield and Palhinha in the backline, the 51-year-old responded: “I think Archie can play centre-back and right-back, but I see him more as a midfielder and I’d liked to see him today in that position. I was confident and I was happy that I was backed in that feeling about Joao as a centre-back.”

Thomas Frank has admitted that Pape Sarr missed Tottenham’s clash against Doncaster Rovers due to a fitness problem and has revealed whether the midfielder is expected to be fit for the clash against Wolves.

As expected, Frank named a much-changed side for the Carabao Cup third round clash, with Antonin Kinsky coming for his first start of the season, and the likes of Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert also being named in the eleven.

Tottenham got the job done comfortably despite resting key players, emerging 3-0 winners to seal progression into the next round.

The likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero and Pape Sarr were not even named in the matchday squad, and Frank admitted that the latter’s absence was due to an injury.

Thomas Frank sheds light on Pape Sarr’s injury at Tottenham

The Tottenham head coach admitted that the Senegal international was only left out of the squad as a ‘precaution’, explaining that it was a minor thigh injury.

Frank revealed that the 22-year-old has a very good chance of being fit for the Premier League clash against Wolves on Saturday.

When asked why Sarr was left out against Doncaster, the Spurs boss said (via Football.London): “Pape Matar Sarr just a minor precaution. A minor, how can you say, a little stretch to the thigh, so we didn’t want to take any risks today. There is a good chance that he could be ready for Saturday.”

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Other injured Spurs players could also be back against Wolves

According to reports, Randal Kolo Muani, Ben Davies and Dominic Solanke also have a chance of being fit to play Wolves.

Tottenham’s long-term absentees, Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, are still a while away from returning.

Thomas Frank has reacted to giving Luca Williams-Barnett his senior debut for Tottenham Hotspur in their 3-0 win over Doncaster Rovers.

The 16-year-old attacking midfielder had been impressing for the U21s at the start of the season, continuing from where he left off for the U18s last term.

Williams-Barnett netted a 39-minute hat-trick against Leicester’s U21s on Friday, and there was a major hint ahead of the clash against Doncaster that the teenager would be involved in the matchday squad.

Williams-Barnett was left out of the U21s clash at Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday, which many saw as confirmation that the youngster was in line to be involved in the Carabao Cup third-round clash.

Thomas Frank is delighted to give Luca Williams-Barnett his senior debut

The attacker did make his senior bow for the Lilywhites against Doncaster, replacing Mathys Tel in the 87th minute.

While the teenager may have only got a few minutes under his belt, there is no doubt that he would have been over the moon, and Frank admitted that he was delighted to be the manager to give the Spurs academy starlet his first minutes.

When asked about Williams-Barnett’s debut, the Tottenham boss said (via Football.London): “Yeah, very happy with that. I think it’s always a pleasure to be part of a young player’s debut. So, yeah, happy with that.”

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When asked about the trend across football of seeing players break into the side at a younger age, the Tottenham boss responded: “Yeah, I think that definitely over the last many years the focus on the talent development and academies across the world is so big. So the talent pool is bigger. There are these talents coming through that are younger and younger.

“But one thing is the debut when you’re 16. The next step, and much more important, is how Luca or other players take those steps forward. It’s very tough to keep going and then get into the first team as a really regular player. But the first step is very important.”

Why the Carabao Cup is crucial for squad morale this season

Last season, Ange Postecoglou could afford to give minutes to youngsters and squad players at Spurs in the league phase of the Europa League.

However, there is less room to rotate in the Champions League, which is why the cup competitions have become crucial for Thomas Frank this season.

The club’s young players and even the likes of Mathys Tel and Antonin Kinsky need minutes, and the Carabao Cup affords Frank an opportunity to play them and keep them happy.