Football London

Tottenham make the short trip to face London rivals Chelsea in the Premier League on Thursday night, but they will once again do so without Dejan Kulusevski in the squad.

The Swede has been missing since picking up a foot injury in the game with Manchester City in February, and remains sidelined for the clash in west London.

Spurs supporters were hoping to see the influential forward back in action, having been on of the club's standout players in a disappointing season to date. But they will have to wait a bit longer.

Speaking ahead of his press conference for the match with the Blues, head coach Ange Postecoglou said: "Kevin [Danso] and Deki are working hard still, they’re probably a couple of weeks away, but both are progressing well."

A couple of weeks away would rule Kulusevski out of the weekend's game with Southampton and the first leg of Spurs' Europa League quarter-final clash with Eintracht Frankfurt next Thursday.

The April 13 Premier League clash with Wolves will also come too soon, but he could make his return in the second leg of the Europa League clash with Frankfurt on April 17.

There was, however, better news on Richarlison, although Chelsea may come too soon for the Brazilian frontman. Postecoglou added: "Richy’s training with the group, again, it's about when we reintroduce him to the matchday squad, but he's training with the main training group, which is positive."

Tottenham's accounts have again caused controversy. Daniel Levy's comments, more than ever, have rankled.

"I often read calls for us to spend more, given that we are ranked as the ninth richest club in the world," he said as part of a statement released on Monday. "However, a closer examination of today’s financial figures reveals that such spending must be sustainable in the long term and within our operating revenues."

Tottenham have, as Levy is very proud, been one of the most sustainable clubs in recent years. The lack of relative success with that has gone on too long for many.

The protests against his running of the club have gone up a notch from online anger and rumblings of discontent to fully blown organised marches and Levy is under more pressure than ever, especially as the prospect of finishing inside the bottom half becomes an increasing possibility this season. Another new manager coming in after this season is not out of the equation and even though there is a lot of young talent in the squad, investment is still needed.

It is under this background that the figures for 2023/24 were posted. A reminder, this is for the entirety of Ange Postecoglou's first season in charge and a bit before. The dates cover July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024.

They aren't massively pretty, although they could be significantly worse. Compared to some of the numbers posted by their rivals during the last month or so. This will not mean much for those who pay among the most in the league to watch Spurs on a regular basis.

It is also worth noting that in the total revenue figure of £528.2million - which is down by £21.4million from 2022/23 - is a sizeable chunk from none other than Harry Kane. Tottenham sold their club record goalscorer in August 2023 to Bayern Munich and therefore accounted for him in these books.

It is already more than 18 months since Kane left so it can be easily forgotten that the full effect of his £100million transfer is yet to really show. It has done here, though, and it is essentially a final parting gift.

His transfer fee has now been accounted for and has boosted a set of results which reflect the struggles of being out of European competition for even one season. Their revenue from UEFA was down by over £50million in prize money. Matchday receipts were also well down, by over £12million, due to having fewer home games.

The Champions League and Europa League now have eight group matches - four at home - which offers extra opportunity to generate cash. The reward money for qualifying, winning matches, and then progressing to the knockout stages is the biggest drawer of revenue, though.

So to this extent, Kane's transfer fills a hole left by Tottenham. Add-ons could also be triggered further down the line by his personal performance in Germany as well as team achievements. Those will be footnotes in the accounts for years to come if the stipulations are met.

What the sale has allowed Tottenham to do is try and replace him. As opposed to Liverpool, who face losing all of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah for free at the end of their contracts this summer, Levy did at least get a big return for Kane.

The price for someone of his age is only matched by Eden Hazard moving to Real Madrid from Chelsea and Cristiano Ronaldo going to Juventus. The other most expensive players of all time (Kane currently stands at 17th) have all been considerably younger.

To this end, selling Kane before he ran down his deal still looks a good decision for all parties, even if it hurt. How that money has been spent is less impressive.

Brennan Johnson was the sole arrival in 2023 after Kane left. He cost £50million and is yet to truly spark into life despite a respectable goals return.

Tottenham then opted to replace Kane properly in the market after relying on Richarlison in Postecoglou's first season. They were and still are comfortably clear of the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) threshold of £105million in allowed-losses over a rolling three-year period.

That left them in a position to spend big on Dominic Solanke over the summer. He has shown signs of being a good fit for the No.9 spot but has struggled for consistency due to injury.

Archie Gray and Wison Odobert were the other standout signings, whilst Lucas Bergvall arrived having agreed to join earlier in the year. Tottenham have a set of youngsters in Yang Min-hyeok and Luka Vuskovic ready to be assessed during pre-season.

So far this is how the Kane money 'has been spent' so to speak. It is a far cry from the almost completely wasteful use of Gareth Bale's fee in 2013. Many will still argue that it could and should have been used to improve the squad in the short-term more regardless.

Tottenham will not have the benefit of the Kane fund when the 2024/25 accounts come out, and they may well not be particularly positive either. A Europa League run will certainly help but it is nothing compared to the Champions League. Meanwhile the summer spending was significant with much smaller outgoings.

Premier League prize money will be way down. Maybe a Kane add-on will help but for now, Tottenham are on their own.

Spurs' selection choices vs Chelsea, key player fitness & the loan latest - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Tottenham have announced that young midfielder Callum Olusesi has put pen to paper on a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2029.

Olusesi has risen through the ranks at Tottenham and made his senior debut in the Europa League in the 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in January. Given the injuries head coach Ange Postecoglou has suffered this season, he has been named in the senior squad on 21 occasions during the 20204/25 campaign.

The midfielder has scored four goals in nine Premier League 2 appearances so far this season,

Enzo Maresca has revealed that Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia could miss yet more football as the midfielder has suffered an injury setback.

Lavia made his return to action in the defeat at Arsenal last time out, with the Belgian midfielder getting himself a brief cameo appearance at the Emirates Stadium. Over the last two seasons, the Belgium international has made just 14 appearances for the Blues in all competitions - registering less than 650 minutes in total.

And Maresca has stated that the 21-year-old could be out of action for the clash against Spurs. Maresca told reporters: "He was doing better in terms of progress but unfortunately one or two days ago he had a small problem, so we will see in the next hours."

Lavia's setback will come as a blow to the midfielder himself, but the news elsewhere for the Blues ahead of the London derby against Tottenham was more positive.

Maresca also revealed that Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson are ready to return for the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

"Cole is back, he's okay," Maresca added. "He's better. Noni is better. Nico is better. They are all good.

"Very good [to have them back]. We've said many times, it is a game for players and when they are not there, you struggle. This has happened with us this season. Now it is good to finish with all of them."

Injury latest

Right, for a quick reminder of where we stand before Maresca talks to us in around 15 minutes:

Jackson is back in full training after being out since February 3.

Madueke is also in training but had a few extra days out, he hasn't played since February 14.

Palmer was on the grass on Friday but didn't train over the international break. He missed the Arsenal match before the break.

These are the main trio. Guiu has not been seen in training pictures yet.

Premier League news

Two big updates to bring you from the league yesterday.

First, it was confirmed that the fixtures for next season (2025/26) will be released on June 18.

The dates for the new season have also been confirmed as being from August 16, 2025, until May 24, 2026.

The second statement was that semi-automated offside technology will be used with VAR in the final rounds of matches.

From gameweek 32, the quicker method of making offside decisions - as seen in UEFA competitions already - will be on show.

What to expect from Maresca

It's been nearly three weeks since we last heard from the Chelsea head coach and there is plenty to mull over.

The fitness of players is a key point. Will Jackson, Madueke, and Palmer all be able to feature? If so, can they start?

Then there is the state of Lavia, Fofana, and James. All three were available before the break but have been unreliable with their fitness for a while.

All the updates on this to come.

Welcome, Blues!

Hello Chelsea supporters and welcome back to football.london for live coverage of Enzo Maresca's pre-match press conference this morning.

The Blues head coach is due to face the press from 10am (GMT) to preview tomorrow night's seismic encounter with Tottenham at Stamford Bridge as the west Londoners look to take another huge step towards next season's Champions League.

You can follow along with every word Maresca has to say right here, with our Chelsea correspondent Bobby Vincent at the club's training base in Cobham as we speak.

Chelsea will be looking for a second successive Premier League double over fierce rivals Tottenham on Thursday evening as football returns in the English top-flight.

In what feels like an eternity, and in modern day football it actually is an eternity, the Premier League has finally returned after being deprived of the luxury for two-and-a-half weeks. The Blues welcome Spurs to Stamford Bridge in a crucial encounter for the hosts as they look to take another step towards Champions League football for the 2025/26 campaign.

Chelsea defeated Tottenham in a seven-goal thriller towards the start of December - in what was, incidentally, the Blues' last away victory in the league. Spurs rushed to an early two-goal lead on their home patch after some shoddy defending from the visitors allowed Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski to score for the hosts, but Chelsea found a route back into the game on 17 minutes via a long distance strike from Jadon Sancho.

Cole Palmer then equalised from the spot on the hour-mark before Enzo Fernandez put Chelsea ahead for the first time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Palmer scored from the spot yet again around 10 minutes later with a cheeky 'Panenka', before Son Heung-min grabbed a consolation goal deep into stoppage time in north London.

At half-time, Enzo Maresca made a change, with Romeo Lavia being taken off in place of Malo Gusto. Lavia hurt his hamstring, which later saw him ruled out for a month, so Maresca chose to tweak things from a tactical perspective. While Chelsea were pushing for an equaliser in the first-half, the Blues looked a lot more threatening in the second-half and made the pressure count with a ruthless display in front of goal to ensure a memorable victory over their city rivals.

"There was no problem first-half," Maresca said after the game. "The plan was working well, we were attacking and controlling the game after conceding two goals. I was very happy.

"The only thing was watching the way they were pressing. First-half, we had Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez on the other [side]. Second-half, we had Palmer on one side, and [Marc] Cucurella on the other, and we changed something in behind. It was for this season, it worked quite well and we won the game."

Palmer was instrumental on the day. While both his goals were penalties, he was still ice-cold in the pressured moments in such an important game. As well as this, he was the man for Chelsea; the man everyone went through to make things happen in the attacking third.

Maresca will be hoping for a similar performance from the 22-year-old on Thursday night. Palmer returned to training towards the end of last week after missing Chelsea's defeat to Arsenal (and England's wins against Albania and Latvia) with a slight muscular injury. However, he is now in contention to face Spurs this week and continue his fine record for Chelsea against the north Londoners - with three goals against Thursday's opponents in as many games.

Dejan Kulusevski has sent a subtle injury return hint with Ange Postecoglou hoping to have him back available from for Tottenham's Premier League clash against Chelsea on Thursday.

The Swede has missed the last five games due to a foot issue and Spurs have certainly been impacted by his absence.

Even though he was unavailable for both legs against AZ Alkmaar, Tottenham were able to advance into the Europa League quarter-finals.

James Maddison has been required to play more minutes in his absence but the quick turnaround for games has taken its toll.

Thankfully, based on Postecoglou's update back in March, Kulusevski can return to the fold at Stamford Bridge later this week. "He's got a knock on the foot, [and] it's got a bit sore in the last couple of weeks, he said.

"He's been able to train and play, but it wasn’t getting better. He's unlikely to be back before the international break."

Given the club's priority is bound to be focused on Europe, Kulusevski may not be risked in what is likely to be a feisty London derby.

With Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just a few days later and the first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt following that, Postecoglou has some big decisions to make.

Two of Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence will start while it remains to be seen if both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven start at centre-back again.

Further forward, Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel are two attackers who have put in strong showings recently and are thus pushing for starts.

As for Kulusevski, a place on the bench if he is deemed fit enough to return is the most likely scenario with the 24-year-old hinting he will be back very soon.

On Instagram, alongside a picture of him celebrating his goal at Ipswich, Kulusevski wrote: "Coming to a show near u Dk tha truth2.0."

Elsewhere, it is unclear whether Kevin Danso will be able to return against Chelsea after suffering a hamstring injury in March with Richarlison and Radu Dragusin expected to remain out, though the former is expected back very soon.

Lucas Bergvall missed out on playing for Sweden during the March international break due to illness but he is expected to be available this week.

Tottenham return to Premier League action after the international break having won just one of their last five games in all competitions.

Their only win in those five matches was undoubtedly the most crucial. Their 3-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, recovering a 1-0 deficit following the first-leg in the Netherlands, has pushed them into the Europa League quarter-finals.

Ange Postecolgou's Premier League form has been questionable this season. His side currently sits 14th with 34 points, 15 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. Although it is a significant gap to a Champions League spot, there's much more to uncover this season.

The first key point is the fact that the Premier League is on track to be awarded a fifth Champions League spot due to England leading the coefficient rankings. Although this only reduces the points gap to a Champions League spot to 14 points, this Premier League campaign is one of the tightest in many years, meaning a club like Spurs could slip into that key 'top-five' fight.

Tottenham arguably have one of the toughest final nine Premier League fixtures. They still have to go away to Anfield and Villa Park alongside home games against Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. In fact, six out of their final nine opponents are in the European fight meaning Spurs have a fantastic opportunity to catch their rivals.

Postecoglou's team will be hoping to kick start a positive return to football on Thursday when they travel to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night. The Blues had started the season title contenders, but after a poor run of form in the new year, they have fallen from the top and joined the scrap for the Champions League. A win over Enzo Maresca's side would be a crucial boost to kick-start Spurs' run-in.

After their short trip to Chelsea, Spurs will take on Southampton (H), Wolves (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Liverpool (A), West Ham (A), Crystal Palace (H), Aston Villa (A) and Brighton (H) in that order.

Another big club who has had a disappointing season and will be hoping their run to summer can allow them to reach a European spot is Manchester United. They sit one position above Spurs with a three point gap between both sides.

The north London side boast a superior goal difference of +13 to Man United's -3. The two sides have already played each other twice in the Premier League with Tottenham winning both fixtures. Both teams will surely not want to finish as the 'last big-six' side, so for egos' sake, they'll both be pushing for a strong finish.

Man United's final games see them face Nottingham Forest (A), Manchester City (H), Newcastle (A), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A), Brentford (A), West Ham (H), Chelsea (A) and Aston Villa (H).

With the title race and relegation battle still unfolding, predicting the final Premier League standings remains a near-impossible task. There are still plenty of twists and turns round the corner as Postecoglou pushes for glory.

Terry Venables, the former Tottenham Hotspur and England manager, has left behind a £3.3million fortune to his wife following his passing at the age of 80 in 2023 after a long illness.

The ex-Three Lions boss, who also managed Barcelona as well as Spurs and a hosts of other English clubs, is fondly remembered for leading England to the semi-finals of Euro 96, where they were heartbreakingly defeated by Germany on penalties.

Venables, affectionately known as 'El Tel', had an illustrious career both as a player and manager. He played professionally for Chelsea, Spurs, and QPR before going on to win a La Liga title with Barca and an FA Cup with Spurs.

Probate details released on Tuesday revealed that Venables' estate was worth £4,765,370 before debts and bills, leaving a net value of £3,289,952. His wife, Yvette, is the sole beneficiary of his will, which was penned six years prior to his death.

Gary Lineker, who played under Venables at Barcelona in 1986 and later at Tottenham, expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of his former manager. Lineker, who scored 66 goals in 143 appearances for Venables and was part of the 1991 FA Cup-winning Spurs team, paid a heartfelt tribute: "Devastated to hear that Terry Venables has died," he said.

"The best, most innovative coach that I had the privilege and pleasure of playing for. He was much more, though, than just a great manager, he was vibrant, he was charming, he was witty, he was a friend.", reports the Mirror.

Gareth Southgate, former England manager, also remembered Venables fondly, having played under him during his England days.

"Any player will have great affinity with the manager that gave them their opportunity, but it was quickly evident playing for Terry Venables that he was an outstanding coach and manager," said Southgate.

Southgate further praised Venables by saying, "He was open minded, forward thinking, enjoyed life to the full and created a brilliant environment with England that allowed his players to flourish and have one of the most memorable tournaments in England history.

"A brilliant man, who made people feel special, I'm very sad to hear of his passing and my thoughts are with Yvette and all of his family."

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has offered a pointed defence of the club's spending in response to fan criticism of his time at the helm, as Spurs' latest accounts are published - but some fans in the football.london comments section aren't buying it, saying that the figures he's showing off aren't everything.

In reporting their financial results for the year 2023/24, Spurs announced a drop in revenue to £528.2 million - down £21.4 million on the year before. But the club only made a £26.2million loss for the year, compared to the £86.8 million loss in 2023.

Fewer home games and less prize money from European competition account for some of the dip in revenue, while the sale of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich was a major boost to the figures. You can read a more detailed breakdown of what went up and down during the course of last season here.

Fans have regularly protested against what they say is Levy's tightening of the purse strings, and they have only grown louder as Spurs find themselves in a rough spot this season. In a specific response to those fans, Levy said: "I often read calls for us to spend more, given that we are ranked as the ninth richest club in the world. However, a closer examination of today’s financial figures reveals that such spending must be sustainable in the long term and within our operating revenues.

In an earlier part of the statement, he said: "Since opening our new stadium in April 2019, we have invested over £700million net in player acquisitions. Recruitment remains a key focus, and we must ensure that we make smart purchases within our financial means."

Some fans aren't buying Levy's defence. Reader b08mla says: "Levy is a tight wad. He barely spends enough to field one team. Injuries show we have no depth. Top teams are there as they have backup players who are just as good. They can cover if injuries occur, or just to rest and rotate players. I would like to see the team sold to owners who would properly support it. Not just scrape by. Or are we waiting for relegation?"

ABorg writes: "When you look at all those signings, how many of those signings would Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea or Arsenal sign? Not very many I would say. The wage structure at Spurs is a major problem. Where Levy hates paying players big money and especially big money to sit on the bench, we'll never have a squad good enough to win anything.

"The wage structure has to change and be competitive with the top six sides. We'll never sign the right quality of player otherwise. And that goes for players sitting on the bench too."

Steve2970 says: "Levy may well have spent £700m but most of the players brought in have been very disappointing. Given that he has to approve all transfers, the responsibility rest on him." Ar18 agrees: "Apparently we must sustain mediocrity too."

Others agree with the chairman's reasoning that Spurs should be sustainable, and think that others must also shoulder the blame for poor performances over the years. Mingusman says: "There is a ring of truth in what you write but there is also a serious question regarding the tenure of managers. It takes time to build a squad. Poch has been the only manager to have begun to be given the time but we were at Wembley while the new ground was built. He regularly got us into the Champions League including a final and had two seasons either side of a World Cup where we had nine players in the semi finals.

"Without more money going into players we ended up with a tired and un-updated squad, all of which makes Pochettino’s sacking seem rather precipitous. Further, somebody please explain to me why Mourinho, not my preferred playing style, was sacked just before a Carabao Cup final that he had got us to."

Madcaplaughsagain writes: "I think Levy gets too much abuse. I have supported this club for 60 years and am a season ticket holder. I travel from Plymouth to watch the home games. So my opinion is as important as anyone else's. Levy has transformed this club by putting us on a secure financial footing and building a magnificent stadium. I believe success on the field will come very soon."