Football London

Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison has been seen limping out of the stadium after Spurs' pre-season friendly against Newcastle United on Sunday.

The 28-year-old was stretchered off following a seemingly innocuous-looking challenge to win the ball. Maddison instantly realised something was wrong, hopping on one foot and clutching his head before collapsing to the ground and signalling for the physio.

There was palpable concern all around as the Spurs playmaker was visibly in pain, with his close friend Son Heung-min appearing particularly distressed from the dugout. The stretcher was summoned and Maddison was carefully loaded onto it, his hands still covering his face as he was carried off the pitch.

The England international has since been pictured on crutches as he limped through the mixed zone following the fixture against Eddie Howe's side. football.london's Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold wrote on X: "[Maddison] understandably looked devastated with his hood pulled down low. Thomas Frank said it was the same knee as before and thinks it's a bad one."

Maddison has only just returned from a knee injury that forced him to miss the remainder of last season. The midfielder suffered a season-ending problem, which has meant that his recovery has carried on into pre-season.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank has since confirmed that Maddison's latest injury looks to be the same knee.

"We're pretty sure it was the same knee he injured before," the Dane said post-match. "I think sometimes in life and football things can be both beautiful and brutal.

"That's what we got today. It looks like with Madders a bad injury and then on the other side unbelievable scenes for Son from his team-mates and the respect from the Newcastle players."

Maddison now looks set for another spell on the sidelines ahead of the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain on August 13 and Tottenham's Premier League opener against Burnley three days later.

Darwin Nunez has been tipped to hit a rich vein of form, with predictions suggesting he could net 20 to 30 goals if he makes a switch from Liverpool to Tottenham Hotspur in the upcoming transfer window.

The 26-year-old Uruguayan striker is rumoured to be on his way out of Anfield, with the transfer market abuzz about his potential moves to Serie A or the Saudi Pro League before the deadline on September 1.

Nunez, who joined Liverpool from Benfica in June 2022 for a fee that could rise to £85 million, has found it challenging to justify his tag as one of the most costly signings in the club's history.

Having spent much of last season on the sidelines and only starting one Premier League game in 2025, Nunez watched on from the sidelines as Liverpool clinched their second league title in five years.

With speculation mounting over his future, ex-England international Chris Waddle has suggested that Nunez could thrive at a club like Tottenham Hotspur.

In a conversation with Flashscore, Waddle said: "Darwin Nunez is a big guy, he's powerful, quite pacey. He's got all the attributes you need", reports the Liverpool Echo.

"The problem he's had in England is that he can't put the ball in the net and that's what he was bought for.

"So whoever takes him, there is a striker in there, don't worry, there is. He could go on to score loads and everyone will say we always thought this would happen eventually wherever he's going to go.

"Unfortunately, he hasn't done it in Liverpool this year. I think Andy Carroll many years ago went to Liverpool for a lot of money and didn't perform, but yet went on to West Ham and did well.

"For Nunez, if he wants to go to Tottenham or somewhere like that, he does need to get away from Liverpool, the problem you get is whoever signs him is that supporters are going to say, why have we signed, he never scores, he misses chances.

"But as I said, he's a Uruguayan international which isn't easy because they are very very good, a new challenge might be the making of him."

Waddle continued: "I think if he gets off to a good start at a new club, he could end up with 20 to 30 goals. He's got it in him.

"I think the fans at Liverpool want him to do well because they respect his work, his effort, his commitment. If he does leave, that might kickstart his career in the right direction.

"He just needs to start scoring goals and if he can do that, you've got a very talented centre forward."

Nunez recently bagged a hat-trick during a behind-closed-doors pre-season encounter with Championship side Stoke City.

Thomas Frank is speaking to the media following Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Newcastle in Seoul which appeared to be the final appearance for Son Heung-min in a Tottenham shirt.

The match is likely to be Son's final game for Spurs after it emerged that the Korean star would be exiting the north London club after telling new head coach Frank that he wished to go. The Spurs captain later confirmed the news at a press conference in Seoul with MLS side LAFC progressing in talks with Tottenham to sign Son.

Spurs opened the scoring just three minutes in when Frank's side pressed high up the pitch and won the ball back with Kevin Danso sliding in Brennan Johnson to hit a fine finish into the bottom left corner.

Newcastle did manage to break and equalise themselves. Anthony Gordon found Harvey Barnes and he hit a rocket of a shot off the left-hand post with Antonin Kinsky beaten at his near post.

Both sides had half-chances in the second half but it was all about the final moments in a Spurs shirt of Son. Around the 66th minute, Frank made a separate substitution to bring the captain off. The game stopped and his team-mates all came over to embrace their tearful skipper before forming a guard of honour for him to come off the pitch. Then all the Spurs substitutes and staff hugged him on the touchline.

There was bad news though for Tottenham a little white later as James Maddison appeared to go down off the ball in the final minutes with a leg injury and needed to be stretchered off.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those asking the questions of the Spurs head coach. Scroll down for updates from the press conference.

Tottenham have suffered a huge injury blow with James Maddison having to be stretchered off against Newcastle United in their final pre-season tour fixture just minutes after coming on.

All eyes were on Son Heung-min in his last game for the club, and the South Korean was given a huge send-off when substituted just after the hour mark.

But after the emotions of that moment, there was another hugely emotional moment for Maddison as he had to be strechtered off after an innocuous-looking moment as he tried to win the ball.

Maddison immediately knew something was wrong, hopping on one foot and putting his hands on his head before dropping to the turf and calling for the physio.

There was concern all round with Maddison clearly in agony and there was also concern on the bench as good friend Son got up from his seat in the dugout and had his hand over his mouth, clearly unnerved by what he had seen.

The stretcher was called for and Maddison was loaded on to it, still with his hands over his face and the England man had to be strecherered off the field of play.

Maddison missed the end of the 2024/25 season with a knee injury and has had minimum time on the pitch in pre-season as he looks to recover from that setback.

This new setback will be a huge concern for new boss Thomas Frank, who was already on the lookout for a new No.10 with a move for Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White failing at the final hurdle.

Frank is sure to be asked about Maddison's situation in his press conference after the 1-1 with Newcastle in Seoul, although it remains to be seen how much he will know in the immediate aftermath of the injury.

Son Heung-min could not hold back the tears as he bade farewell to Tottenham during the club's final pre-season tour match against Newcastle United on Sunday.

The South Korean started the match in South Korea the day after announcing during a press conference that he would be leaving the club after ten years in north London.

He was given more than an hour on the pitch and his every touch and run brought huge roars from the crowd inside the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

With 67 minutes on the clock, new head coach Thomas Frank gave the Spurs skipper the send-off his time at the club deserved, making the subsitution allowing Son to get a huge ovation from the crowd and the players on the pitch and off it too.

Players from both sides formed a guard of honour, patting Son on the head as he walked through and there was a delay to the match restarting to give the South Korean the proper send-off his decade of service deserved.

After the guard of honour, Son proceeded to embrace every single Spurs teammate and even many of the Newcastle players too.

He initially had a smile on his face, but could not hold back the tears as he embraced teammates on the sidelines after going off, including good friend James Maddison and likely new captain Cristian Romero.

The camera continued to pan to Son as he sat on the bench after embracing the entire Tottenham coaching staff too, as he was clearly emotional.

Son will make the move to MLS to sign for Los Angeles FC in the coming days following the "most difficult decision I have made in my career". Speaking on Saturday he said: "I have been here for 10 years. It’s a beautiful club with beautiful fans. I have such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision. I just felt like I needed a new environment to push myself to get more out of me I think I needed a little bit of change. 10 years is a long time."

Tottenham are playing Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly in South Korea and here are our first half Tottenham player ratings from the encounter.

The match could be Son Heung-min's final game for Spurs after it emerged that the Korean star would be exiting the north London club after telling new head coach Frank that he wished to go. The Spurs captain later confirmed the news at a press conference in Seoul with MLS side LAFC progressing in talks with Tottenham to sign Son.

So this pre-season fixture against Newcastle may be the final time the former Golden Boot-winner plays for the north London club and he is doing so in front of 66,000 of his country's fans inside the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Spurs opened the scoring just three minutes in when Frank's side pressed high up the pitch and won the ball back with Kevin Danso sliding in Brennan Johnson to hit a fine finish into the bottom left corner.

Tottenham had a big chance to score a second when Mathys Tel ran through alone only to have his effort saved by Nick Pope.

Newcastle did managed to break and equalise themselves. Anthony Gordon found Harvey Barnes and he hit a rocket of a shot off the left-hand post with Antonin Kinsky beaten at his near post.

Here are our first half Spurs player ratings:

Antonin Kinsky

Made a good punch in a crowded box just after the half hour mark. Was beaten at his near post by Barnes though for Newcastle's equaliser. 5

Pedro Porro

Beaten to a header in his box by Joelinton that flashed just wide before having a curling free-kick saved by Pope at the other end. Hit a beautiful crossfield pass to Son that led to a blocked shot from the captain. Couldn't stop Barnes' goal but did manage to block his next effort. 6

Kevin Danso

Played a good pass into the path of Johnson for an early assist. Fluffed an early block and let Gordon get in for what could have been a goal. 7

Cristian Romero

Dealt well with Gordon on a couple of occasions and got involved in a clash in the box late in the half. 7

Ben Davies

Plenty of energy but struggled at times to stop Newcastle getting down his flank. 6

Rodrigo Bentancur

Started the game like a well-oiled machine and never looked rushed or hassled on the ball. 8

Archie Gray

Really promising first half from the midfielder despite a clash of heads, with some good runs, passes and dribbling. 7

Pape Matar Sarr

Playing as the number 10, the Senegal international had an early shot saved by Pope. He left space in behind him at times though by pushing too far up. 6

Brennan Johnson

Opened the scoring with a terrific low finish inside the left-hand post and was a threat down the right with his movement. 7

Mathys Tel

Should have scored Spurs' second after running clear through but after a couple of stepovers, the Frenchman's shot was saved by Pope. Plenty of work but should have done so much better with that chance. 5

Son Heung-min

Brennan Johnson paid homage to Son Heung-min in what could be the South Korean's final game for Tottenham.

Son announced his intention to leave Spurs after ten years at the club during a press conference on Saturday, with the Tottenham captain expected to make the move to MLS to join Los Angeles FC in the coming days.

There were bigger offers from Saudi Arabia, but given his status at Spurs and what he has done for the club in a decade, the north Londoners have allowed him to make his own decision on what happens next.

Son will receive the best of goodbyes with his final game likely to be the pre-season tour clash against Newcastle United, taking place in Son's native South Korea on Sunday.

Tottenham do return to Europe following the game against Newcastle, with a friendly against Bayern Munich - as part of the deal that took Harry Kane to Germany in a £100million move - and the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain before the new Premier League season starts.

But Son could be on the move before either of those games as he gets the perfect send-off from a ten-year spell at the club with that UEFA Europa League triumph in Bilbao in May.

Son was all smiles in the build-up to the clash in Seoul and had an even bigger smile on his face just four minutes into the contest against the Magpies.

After Kevin Danso won the ball high up the pitch against Newcastle, Johnson took possession and, advancing forward, he let fly from just outside the box, firing past Nick Pope for the opening goal.

And Johnson paid homage to his departing captain by pulling out the Son Heung-min picture frame celebration with both thumbs and forefingers in a rectangle looking through it.

The cameras were soon on Son who beamed at his teammate's celebration.

In case you're wondering about those special Spurs shirts

Spurs are taking on Newcastle United today wearing shirts with bespoke numbers designed by a local artist.

Following the success of the same initiative for the match against Arsenal in Hong Kong, the players lined up at the Seoul World Cup Stadium with shirt numbers designed by local art director Jaehoon Choi. Jaehoon’s design is inspired by the ‘Taegeuk’ Yin-Yang motif which sits prominently on the national flag of Korea and is one of the country's most iconic symbols.

'Taegeuk' elements feature inside the numerals on the typeface in a way that complements their individual shapes and structures, with each digit featuring a unique pattern to appear visually bold and weighty. Spurs fans can buy the special edition shirts on the club website.

Newcastle level

Newcastle break and equalise. Gordon finds Barnes and he hits a rocket of a shot off the left-hand post. Kinsky won't like being beaten at his near post though.

Painful

Some lovely work on the ball from Archie Gray in midfield who was hurt after a clash of heads not long ago. He's still struggling every so often, leaning over and holding the back of his head.

Should have been 2-0

Couple of chances for Gordon to get in behind before Tel breaks through at the other end all on his own. He has too much time to think about it though and after a couple of stepovers, his shot is saved.

Danso wobble

The centre-back misses a block and it allows Gordon to get the ball across but no Newcastle player can get it towards the line. Moments later Gordon has a shot deflected just wide of goal.

Johnson scores!

Brennan Johnson scores! After Sarr's shot is saved after a corner and Bentancur's follow-up goes wide, Spurs quickly press and win the ball back from the goal kick. Johnson is played in and finishes inside the left-hand post from the edge of the box.

What a noise

Huge roar as Son's name is read out among the Spurs team from the sell-out 66,000 crowd here at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Romero probably got the second loudest cheer.

Here's what happened in the final training session

There was plenty that happened in Tottenham's training session last night and you can find out all the details, including a hilarious Son moment, by going right here.

Here's the inside story of Son's final weeks at Spurs

There's more than meets the eye to Son's final weeks at Spurs and you can find out what happened by heading right here.

Emotional

It's going to be an emotional occasion at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Son Heung-min will call time on his ten-year associaition with Tottenham at the end of the match.

Read every word from the Spurs skipper from his press conference with Thomas Frank yesterday when he announced his intention to leave.

Welcome

Good morning (or evening if you're in South Korea) and welcome to live coverage of Tottenham's last pre-season tour match against Newcastle United.

Not much to talk about for today's game is there...

Thomas Frank has decided on the Tottenham starting XI against Newcastle in South Korea on Sunday in what could be the final game Son Heung-min plays for the club.

On Saturday football.londonbroke the news that the Korean star would be departing the north London club after informing new head coach Frank of his wish to go. The Spurs captain them confirmed that at a press conference in Seoul. MLS side LAFC are progressing in talks with Tottenham to sign the 33-year-old with Son keen to head to the USA.

That means this pre-season fixture against Newcastle could be the final time the former Golden Boot-winner plays for the north London club and he will get a huge send off in front of 66,000 of his country's fans inside the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Spurs beat Arsenal 1-0 in their first game on tour in Hong Kong just three days ago so Frank has had to bring in some fresh legs.

Frank had already stated that Son would start and captain the side and that is the case. Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur are the only players to keep their places from the win against Arsenal. It is one of the teams Frank had used in a mini-match in open training on Saturday.

Here's the team that Frank has selected to take on Eddie Howe's side.

Tottenham Hotspur continue their pre-season preparations with another test against Premier League opposition, this time against Newcastle United.

Last time out, Thomas Frank's men defeated archrivals Arsenal in Hong Kong thanks to a lone Pape Matar Sarr strike. This ensured a four-game unbeaten run in pre-season and marked the first-ever North London Derby outside of the United Kingdom with a victory.

Now Spurs have made the short flight to Seoul, South Korea, where they face a Newcastle side struggling before the new campaign begins.

But for the London team the big story around the game is going to be Son Heung-min. The club's captain is set to take to the field of play in front of 66,000 supporters from his homeland and poignantly it may be his last in white.

This is because the 33-year-old has asked to leave the club on a high note after May's success in winning the Europa League. Transfer talks are underway with Los Angeles FC.

For anyone looking to follow this occasion with that hint of emotion added to it, football.london has all the details on hand.

What time does Tottenham vs Newcastle kick off?

The match between Spurs and Newcastle will take place at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday, August 3. Kick-off is scheduled for 12:00pm BST in the UK, which is 8:00pm locally.

Is Tottenham vs Newcastle on TV?

No, unfortunately Spurs vs Newcastle will not be available for live broadcast on UK television channels this Sunday lunchtime.

But fear not as dedicated football.london reporters will be on hand to provide live updates from South Korea, from pre-match build-up and live game updates, right through to post-match analysis of Spurs.

In the United States, the match will be available to watch live on Paramount+ to paid subscribers. This begins from $7.99 per month for the basic package or $12.99 without ads.

How to live stream Tottenham vs Newcastle United

Tottenham vs Newcastle United might not be broadcast on live television in the UK but it is available to live stream instead.

Spurs' in-house streaming service, SPURSPLAY, will be showing the friendly with coverage beginning from 11:30am BST. The service is available in selected regions.

An annual subscription costs £45 and includes access to watch every 2025/26 pre-season friendly, full match replays and extended highlights, exclusive footage and interviews, access to hours of SPURSPLAY originals and documentaries, and the ability to stream selected women's and academy matches.

Alternatively, Newcastle's in-house streaming platform offers a one-off match pass subscription priced at £4.99.