Football London

Tottenham Hotspur have just five matches remaining in the Premier League and one of them could yet move at the last moment

Just five games lie ahead for Tottenham to save their Premier League status and one of them may yet be switched to a completely different week.

Roberto De Zerbi's side finally showed signs of improvement with their 2-2 draw with Brighton on Saturday, bolstered by Xavi Simons' starring role, even if they had to suffer the last-gasp heartbreak of conceding Georginio Rutter's 95th minute leveller. Now Spurs have just a quintet of fixtures remaining in which to remain in the top flight.

West Ham's draw at Crystal Palace on Monday night at least keeps the Hammers within two points of 18th-placed Tottenham, who visit bottom side Wolves on Saturday afternoon. Rob Edwards' side had their relegation fate confirmed with that point for West Ham so will take on Spurs without the pressure of trying to stay up in the Premier League.

Up next for De Zerbi and his men after that is another trip to the same part of the country and next Sunday's 7pm kick-off at Aston Villa, sandwiched in between Unai Emery's side's Europa League ties against Nottingham Forest.

The north London outfit are back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday, May 11 for the visit of Leeds United and a huge clash in N17.

Then comes the penultimate match of the campaign for Spurs and that's the one that could yet be moved. The Lilywhites travel the short journey across London to Chelsea on May 17, currently set with a standard 3pm kick-off. However, that could yet be moved if the Blues overcome Leeds in their FA Cup semi-final this coming Sunday. That is because the final at Wembley would be played on Saturday May 16.

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Rearranging the Chelsea match would place it in midweek, with the only potential weeks being the one starting on Monday May 4 or Monday May 18.

There are two ways of looking at this. One is that it's bunching up games for Spurs when they currently have good spacing between each one to allow for fit and fresh players. Bringing the Chelsea game forward between the Villa and Leeds encounters would at least leave them a bit more space if it was on the Thursday due to the latter match being on the Monday night.

However, that gives players like James Maddison less time to be fitter and sharper for the game as he looks to return to action from his ACL injury.

The problem with that first week is that Chelsea are playing Nottingham Forest on Monday May 4, so the Spurs game would have to be on that Thursday May 7 which then runs into problems with Liam Rosenior's side's lunchtime kick-off at Liverpool on May 9, unless that can be moved to the Sunday.

Moving the Chelsea game a couple of days after it was meant to be played makes more sense. It would hand the Blues three games in a week but Spurs 10 days or so before the fixture with only three or four days after until the final game of the season at home against Everton.

Tottenham will be hoping to have turned their Premier League season around before then but it could yet go down to the wire and every recovery day counts.

The young Tottenham Hotspur defender has picked up an unfortunately-timed injury during a big season to remember in the Bundesliga

Any fears over Tottenham defender Luka Vuskovic's knee injury have been played down and he is expected to return within weeks, according to reports from his native Croatia.

The 19-year-old, who is yet to play a competitive match for the north London side, has dazzled in the Bundesliga this season with his performances in the centre of Hamburg's defence. Vuskovic has played 27 matches for the German side, scoring five times and providing one assist while winning various awards along the way.

However, the Spurs teenager has missed the past two matches with a knock to his knee picked up in training on April 7 and HSV have gone from conceding 13 goals in 11 games with him in the backline to conceding seven across the two defeats at Stuttgart and Werder Bremen.

German media outlet Bild reported this week that the joint in his knee is "more severely damaged" than originally thought and the youngster has not been able to do any individual rehabilitation work on the grass with a comeback against Hoffenheim this Saturday night in Hamburg doubtful.

However, Croatian outlet Sportske Novosti has now played down any concerns about Vuskovic's knee and claimed he would likely have had a break around now after a long tough season anyway due to his age and the prospect of playing at the World Cup with Croatia to come.

A slight ligament strain was diagnosed in his knee after that training knock and with dialogue between Spurs and HSV, it was agreed to rest the centre-back for three or four matches before he returns for the final couple of games of the campaign.

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That would mean returning for the penultimate match of the season against Freiburg on May 10 although the Croatian outlet also noted that with just five points between Hamburg and the relegation play-off spot, he might have to come back a little sooner if things continue to take a turn for the worse with the results.

Local Hamburg media Hamburger Abendblatt claim that the final decision will rest with Tottenham who they say inserted a clause in his loan deal that gives them the final say over when he can return from any injury.

Such clauses are commonplace in loan agreements, and the medical staff of both clubs are said to be in constant communication and evaluating the latest MRI scans before Spurs give him the green light to return.

The Croatian and German reports differ over whether Vuskovic is still feeling pain in his knee with those from his country suggesting he isn't, while the German ones say he is. Ultimately it will be Tottenham who make the final call on a player who looks set to become a star if he continues his current path of development.

The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has found out the bad news and will be hoping to be back in time to get back on track next season

Frustration continues to plague Tottenham midfielder George Abbott this season after scans revealed he has a serious quad injury that will keep him out for months.

The talented 20-year-old had been tipped by many within Spurs' academy in recent years to be one who went under the radar to become a first team player in the years to come. He made his Premier League debut at 17 off the bench for the north London club away at Leeds in the final game of the 2022/23 season.

Abbott went on to captain the U21s before an eye-catching loan last season at Notts County in League Two, which provided some spectacular goals including one in the FA Cup from distance. The then teenager netted six times and registered seven assists across 44 appearances as a key part of the County team that reached the play-offs.

Unfortunately this season has been fragmented by injury for the youngster. He stepped up to League One in the summer and instantly took it in his stride as he impressed at Wycombe Wanderers only for a quadriceps injury suffered in October to keep him out for a couple of months. He made a brief return at the end of last year but then suffered a troublesome calf problem straight after.

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His loan was cut short and he came back to Tottenham to get treatment before a new loan was arranged to another League One outfit in Mansfield Town alongside fellow academy product Oliver Irow.

Describing himself on arrival to the Mansfield Chad newspaper, he said: "I am a defensive midfielder or a box to box midfielder. So I can play more as a number eight as well as I am a willing runner. I will get forward and back and make the box quite a lot.

"I am quite good defensively, getting stuck in, going into tackles, winning the ball back and interceptions. And I like to get on the ball, dictate play and make things happen, playing through the lines."

Abbott started to get a run of games under his belt, becoming a regular starter in the midfield, with one goal and one assist, only to suffer another quad injury in the same muscle. Scans confirmed it was a serious one and it is expected to keep him out until pre-season when he will try to get back on track and look to impress Roberto De Zerbi this summer.

Abbott managed to make 26 appearances across this campaign but it will still be one he wants to move past and continue to push on next season.

Spurs are two points adrift of safety after their 2-2 draw with Roberto De Zerbi's former club Brighton, and one Tottenham player caught the eye of Jamie Carragher for what he did on Saturday

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has singled out Djed Spence's role in Brighton's equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. Roberto De Zerbi's side were 2-1 up heading into injury time in what appeared to be a huge three points in the fight against relegation.

However, Georginio Rutter scored in the 95th minute to break Tottenham hearts, leaving them in the relegation zone with six games to play. Pedro Porro and Xavi Simons had put Spurs in a great position to pick up their first win since the 28th of December.

Despite an improved performance, Spurs missed out on a golden opportunity to move out of the bottom three ahead of West Ham United's clash with Crystal Palace on Monday night.

When analysing the performance from Saturday, Carragher said: "We're talking about time, we're talking about the 94th minute. Djed Spence who has come on in the 76th minute, now, he's done well he's closed down [his man].

"He can't pull out [of the press] he's got to keep going and he's unlucky. But Djed Spence, I don't like this. You've got to sprint back.

"He's walking. He was a sub. He's only been on 15 minutes. Then you've got you two young midfield players, we highlighted them in the Sunderland game, they didn't start this game.

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"But they understand football, they're clever those two young lads [Bergvall and Gray]. They know somebody has got to fill in at left-back.

"The left-back is now here [Spence is up the pitch]. They look to fill in. Now, the situation here, Porro leaves his man, but Paulinha now ends up at right-back.

"We're going to keep an eye on Djed Spence here, it comes into Danso and everyone is talking about his mistake, but he [Spence] starts walking, then walks again because he thinks Danso has got the ball.

"Your two midfield players are filling in for him at left-back, leaving their slot in midfield and that's where Rutter scores the goal. Brilliant finish on that left foot, but it's an absolute body blow for them.

"You can see the reaction from them, but listen there was a lot of positives to take from it for Tottenham in terms of how they went about it and how they played. [De Zerbi] won't feel that right now."

Spurs are back in action this weekend when they take on Wolves, whose relegation has now been confirmed. It's a huge game for De Zerbi's side, with their opponents having very little to play for beyond pride.

However, Carragher was still not overly confident. He said: "We’re talking the last time they won? What month was it? December?

"They haven’t won a Premier League game since December. It’s unbelievable. So, to think you will go to an away game and just win… I can’t see them losing the (Wolves) game and they could nick it, of course they could, but I’ve seen other teams go there and find it difficult at Wolves with the way they set up."

Brighton grabbed a last-gasp goal to deflate Tottenham just as the north London side looked set to win their first Premier League game of 2026

Brighton defender Mats Wieffer explained that the south coast team exploited Tottenham's lack of confidence as they pushed in the final moments to score that crushing late leveller at the weekend.

Spurs twice went into the lead during Saturday's Premier League match first through Pedro Porro's header and then after Kaoru Mitoma smashed home a volley, Xavi Simons curled what looked to be the perfect matchwinner for 18th-placed Tottenham. However, in the 95th minute Georginio Rutter powered home a strike to break the home side's hearts.

Seagulls right-back Wieffer believed that the equaliser was always on the cards on the day against Roberto De Zerbi's men because of Spurs' mental fragility.

"I think the 2-1 came out of nowhere but we still had the feeling that we could score because they are not in a really good position at the moment, as everybody knows. In the last ten minutes you saw already the 2-2 was a little bit coming. We scored it and, in the end, we had also chances with the corner to get the 3-2," the Dutchman is quoted as saying in The Argus. "“In the end, if it is deserved, I don’t know, but we wanted more."

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He added: "You see they are going to drop. They try to be in the 16 (penalty area) so we can pay around. Maybe a lack of confidence, a little bit. We keep pressure, pressure, pressure and one ball can fall well and it happened for us to make it 2-2.

"Of course, disappointed [in the dressing room]. We had a couple of good moments, good actions in the first half. Second half as well. But, overall, it was not exactly as we wanted to play, I think."

Tottenham remain in the Premier League relegation zone after they were stunned by a stoppage-time leveller from Brighton's Georginio Rutter

Xavi Simons has vowed to not stop fighting as his Tottenham Hotspur side battle to avoid relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

Spurs’ survival hopes suffered a fresh blow on Saturday evening when Georginio Rutter scored in stoppage time to rescue Brighton & Hove Albion a point. Simons had put his side on course for a much-needed three points when he scored a superb solo goal 13 minutes from time to put Spurs 2-1 up.

But Rutter levelled for the visitors in the fifth minute of stoppage time to leave Roberto De Zerbi’s side in the bottom three. However, taking to social media, Simons vowed: “We will NOT stop fighting Crowd was amazing today.”

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Speaking after the game, the Netherlands international admitted: “The goal in the last minute hurts. I think the fans were fantastic and we have to keep working through this.

“You could see the atmosphere that was in the stadium from the first minute and we as players feel that as well. What I can say is we are really working hard to go through this situation.

“The new manager is coming in, so we have to adapt on things, but we are going in the right direction and we are going to work hard for the last five games.”

Before he added: “I have been through a difficult journey I would say this season, but it is life and I am still young and I have to learn things.

“I am really happy the coach is here and for me especially. I want to play football, I want to score and assist and I want to help the team to go through this situation together.

“These are the kind of games I want to be on the pitch and show everyone I can help the team.

“I am just putting the work in morning, afternoon and night. I want to really help the team and that is the most important thing.”

While De Zerbi already believes he already has a 'special connection' with Simons, saying: "He’s lucky to work with me – not because I’m good, because I was number 10.

“What he thinks now, I thought 20 years ago. So, we have a special connection. I have a special connection with all number 10s I work with. I love a number 10.

“A number 10 has to understand that he has to score and he has to make assists, not just play to be nice to the people – goals and assists."

Before he added: "He played very well, a great game. I think he can play better and better, because a player like this, he needs to feel confidence from the manager and I stay here to transfer all the confidence he needs."

It's time to check in on Tottenham Hotspur's big group of loan players as they reach the business end of their seasons across the world

Promotion, relegation and pride are all on the line for Tottenham's loan players as their time at clubs across the globe starts to wind towards its end.

Roberto De Zerbi is now at the helm of Tottenham and the new Italian head coach will be wanting to look at various players inside the club this summer, potentially even more if the worst happens and the north London outfit contrive to get themselves relegated next month.

Spurs have 18 players out on loan and developing across different levels of the Football League as well as playing in Scotland, Germany, Italy and South America. Some of them earned promotion at the weekend to go on their CVs while others are battling away at the bottom of their divisions.

Here's how every single one of Tottenham's massive loan army got on across the the various continents in the past seven days.

Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg)

Luka Vuskovic's knee joint is believed to be "more severely damaged" than first thought according to reports in Germany. The Spurs teenager has missed the past two matches with a knee injury picked up in training on April 7 and HSV have gone from conceding 13 goals in 11 games with Vuskovic in the backline to conceding seven across two defeats at Stuttgart and Werder Bremen.

German media outlet Bild are now reporting that the joint in his knee is "more severely damaged" than originally thought and the youngster has not even been able to do any individual rehabilitation work on the grass. A comeback against Hoffenheim this Saturday night in Hamburg is currently looking doubtful with no timeline of return given by the outlet.

One criticism of Vuskovic has been his lack of pace and acceleration and the teenager admitted that he trying to work on that aspect of his game.

"I know my weaknesses. I've been training with a private coach for a while now to work on my speed," he said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine. "As a footballer, you don't have to be a 100m sprinter, but a good start definitely helps. I'm constantly trying to improve my timing in certain situations. I often act on instinct, but some things just take practice.

"There used to be situations I wanted to anticipate, but sometimes I started too early, and sometimes too late. It's slowly getting better. That's especially key against fast and skilful strikers. If I know I can't catch my opponent, it can sometimes help if I take a step forward so he's offside."

The Croatian has made 27 appearances and played 2,460 minutes for the Bundesliga outfit and has attracted interest from big clubs aplenty.

Kota Takai (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Kota Takai finally returned to action at the weekend, stepping off the bench with three minutes of normal time remaining of Borussia Monchengladbach's 1-1 draw at home with Mainz on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Japan international had returned to the bench last weekend following a muscle strain but these were his first minutes on the pitch in two months.

Takai has made just seven appearances on this loan spell in the Bundesliga and has endured an injury-hit time since arriving in Europe last summer.

Mikey Moore (Rangers)

Mikey Moore had a weekend to recover from his hip issue as Rangers had no fixture. The 18-year-old has been playing through some hip pain in recent weeks and he was taken off at half-time in the win at Falkirk last weekend and later said on social media: "Time to get myself 100% to be able to give everything in these last five games."

Moore has played 42 games in a big loan season at Rangers, getting 2,398 minutes of football, with eight goal involvements in 28 Scottish Premiership appearances.

He will be looking to be fresh to face Motherwell at Ibrox on Sunday ahead of the huge top of the table clash with Hearts.

Manor Solomon (Fiorentina)

Manor Solomon will be hoping to feature in Fiorentina's Serie A game at Lecce on Monday night after returning last weekend from the bench following six weeks out with a grade 1-2 hip flexor strain in his right thigh.

The 26-year-old winger had become a regular starter with two goals in his previous 11 matches for the Italian side as a fixture on either wing.

Alejo Veliz (Rosario Central)

Alejo Veliz was also due to play for Rosario on Monday night as they host Sarmiento Junin in the league.

Veliz has scored four goals in 14 appearances so far this campaign and is expected to head to Bahia at the end of the season after Tottenham agreed a deal with the Brazilian side to sell Veliz once his current loan at Rosario ends. A £7.8m (9m euros) deal was agreed with £871k in add-ons (1m euros) plus a 20% sell-on clause.

Dane Scarlett (Hibernian)

Like Moore, Dane Scarlett and Hibernian also had a weekend off in the Scottish Premiership.

The 21-year-old striker will be looking to feature next weekend as Hibs welcome top side Hearts on Sunday. Scarlett has made 10 appearances north of the border with one assist and 463 minutes to his name. He has just a year left on his contract at Tottenham and a decision will likely be made this summer about what comes next for him after 27 senior appearances for the north London club.

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Will Lankshear & Jamie Donley (Oxford United)

Will Lankshear played 90 minutes and Jamie Donley 62 as Oxford United fell to a 1-0 defeat at Derby in the Championship on Saturday.

Oxford have just three games remaining to survive the drop. They currently sit in the final relegation spot, fifth points behind 21st-placed Blackburn Rovers but with a game in hand.

That game in hand comes on Tuesday night at home against play-off chasing Wrexham before another match at the Kassam Stadium against relegated bottom side Sheffield Wednesday. On the final day of the season they travel to promotion hopefuls Millwall.

Alfie Devine (Preston North End)

Lankshear and Donley's hopes were not helped by Alfie Devine and Preston falling to a disappointing defeat at home against strugglers West Brom at the weekend.

The 21-year-old midfielder started once again and played the full match to make it 42 Championship appearances, with eight goals and four assists from midfield with another two appearances in the Carabao Cup, plus an assist, and a substitute appearance in the FA Cup to make it 2,865 minutes in total so far in a great season for him.

Preston have an option to buy Devine this summer, thought to be around £4.5million, which is believed to be steep for the Championship side. He told Devine told BBC Lancashire last weekend that he would decide his next steps and take time to think about it.

Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips missed out on Stoke's 2-0 defeat Wrexham on Saturday through suspension after picking up a second yellow card and a red card late in the 1-1 draw at home with Blackburn Rovers last weekend in the Championship.

The 20-year-old centre-back, who is on the shortlist for the EFL Championship's Young Player of the Season award, will be looking to return to the starting line-up for Tuesday night's home match against Millwall.

Phillips has played 41 games for Stoke this season, recording one assist and earning plenty of plaudits.

Yang Min-hyeok (Coventry)

Yang Min-hyeok can now include a promotion to the Premier League on his CV but was not involved as Coventry sealed it with their draw at Blackburn in the Championship.

Yang turned 20 in the week but was not able to celebrate his birthday with an appearance in a matchday squad, having been left out of the past 12 games by Frank Lampard.

In the first half of the season, the winger made 16 appearances for Portsmouth, scoring three goals with one assist, before switching to Lampard's table-toppers. However, it's been a horrendous loan move for the South Korean with just 29 minutes of football in the Championship for them across three matches. He at least can say he played for a team that won promotion to the Champions League.

Oliver Irow & George Abbott (Mansfield Town)

Oliver Irow got 11 minutes from the bench at the end of Mansfield's 2-2 draw at home against Luton in League One on Saturday night. The 19-year-old had been an unused substitute in midweek against Leyton Orient.

George Abbott however missed both matches as football.london understands the unfortunate 20-year-old midfielder has suffered a serious quad injury which will keep him out until pre-season, bringing a premature end to his campaign.

Yusuf Akhamrich (Bristol Rovers)

Yusuf Akhamrich's sensational first loan spell continues to get better as he came off the bench with 12 minutes and scored the winner for Bristol Rovers at Tranmere.

In keeping with his run of spectacular goals this season, this was another terrific solo effort from the 20-year-old winger. He drove at the home defence down the right before cutting inside past two players and curling a left-footed effort into the bottom left corner of goal, just inside the post in the 84th minute.

That brought a chorus of "Yusuf, Yusuf, Yusuf" from the jubilant travelling fans and made it seven league wins in a row for Rovers. Akhamrich now has six goals and two assists in 16 matches during his first loan move.

The Bristol Post's Will Murray handed Akhamrich a 7.5 in his player ratings with the write-up: "Another week, another game where Akhamrich comes off the bench and scores a decisive goal. You just knew that when he received the ball from Forde, he would deliver. The 20-year-old has so much talent and looks destined to play the game at a higher level."

Damola Ajayi (Bromley)

Damola Ajayi also gets to add a promotion to his CV like Yang but he at least came off the bench for the final moments as Bromley drew 0-0 with Cambridge United on Saturday afternoon and earned their rise to League One.

The 20-year-old winger has registered 30 appearances across his spells at Bromley and Doncaster Rovers in a big season of development across League One and Two.

Tyrese Hall (Notts County)

Tyrese Hall came off the bench for Notts County for the final 15 minutes of Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to Barnet in League Two. The midfielder will be hoping to ensure stuttering County remain in the play-offs and join Ajayi's Bromley in League One next season.

The 20-year-old Jamaica international has scored eight goals and provided two assists across 1,818 minutes in 38 appearances since heading out of Tottenham on his first loan.

Alfie Dorrington (Salford City)

To complete the hat-trick of promotion chasers, Alfie Dorrington got 18 minutes in the second half for Salford as they won 2-1 at Oldham Athletic on Saturday in League Two.

The 20-year-old centre-back ended his bench role in the past five matches with those vital minutes from the bench and now has 10 appearances so far for City since switching from Aberdeen during the winter window.

Aaron Maguire (Hampton & Richmond Borough)

Aaron Maguire played every minute of his first three matches for National League South side Hampton & Richmond Borough but the 21-year-old goalkeeper has not been in their matchday squads since February.

The midfielder is yet to make a competitive appearance this season but was back on the bench at the weekend.

James Maddison has thanked Tottenham fans for their support and promised that the team will ‘keep fighting’ following his return to the matchday squad. The midfielder was an unused substitute for Saturday’s draw vs Brighton.

He is yet to make an appearance this season after suffering a serious knee injury during pre-season. The 29-year-old has stepped up his recovery in recent weeks by returning to training with his teammates.

In a boost to Spurs, Maddison was named among the substitutes for Saturday’s match.

Tottenham did look as though they were going to take a big three points from the game, but Georginio Rutter’s 95th-minute strike means that they had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

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On Sunday, Maddison took to Instagram to give his reaction. Writing on his story, he said: “Honestly, your support yesterday in the stadium for the team was absolutely mental.

“Although we are still well and truly in this tough moment, the boys will keep fighting. We appreciate our fan base immensely.”

Maddison will be hoping to get his first minutes of the season when Spurs travel to take on Wolves at Molineux next Saturday (3pm kick-off).

Reacting to the player’s return to the matchday squad, Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi said: "James is one of the leaders, one of the most important players in the squad.

"I think he can give us energy, quality, because when he will be available to play, his quality is amazing.

"In this moment, we need everyone, all players focused on Tottenham, and especially an important player like James."

The draw left Tottenham in the bottom three, one point behind West Ham in the table. The Hammers are in action tonight (Monday) when they travel to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park with kick-off at 8pm.

Should the Hammers avoid defeat, it would confirm relegation for Wolves, who sit at the bottom of the table, ahead of their meeting with Spurs.

The young Irish striker is reaching new heights since leaving Tottenham Hotspur and that culminated in silverware on Sunday

A long list of players have left Tottenham and won silverware but Troy Parrott's KNVB Cup triumph with AZ Alkmaar will have felt all the sweeter during a remarkable season as he continues to prove himself.

Parrott, who turned 24 a couple of months ago, left Spurs in the summer of 2024 to join AZ in a £6.7million deal with the north London club inserting a 20 per cent sell-on clause into the transfer. The young Irishman never really got much of a chance at Tottenham, playing just four competitive first team games and shipped out on loan to MK Dons, Preston, Ipswich and Millwall before a spell at Dutch side Excelsior Rotterdam opened the door to what came next for him.

Although the club eventually succumbed to relegation, Parrott gave them every chance of staying up with 17 goals and five assists for the strugglers.

With big Dutch sides and other European clubs sniffing around the Republic of Ireland international, Spurs decided to cash in rather than bring Parrott back into the fold. football.london had long reported that Parrott's hope had always been to break through at Spurs but it was not to be.

That Tottenham decision ended up being AZ's gain. His first season brought 20 goals and five assists in 47 games, including setting up a goal against Tottenham in the Europa League as the Dutch side reached the last 16 before finally succumbing to the north London outfit despite a first leg home win.

Parrott's first season at Alkmaar was just the appetiser though. Parrott's icing-on-the-cake goal in added time on Sunday not only meant a 5-1 scoreline against NEC in the cup final but it was his 30th goal of the season, along with 11 assists. One of those came in the final for Peer Koopmeiners' strike to make it 3-0 to AZ with 15 minutes to go.

Parrott's last-gasp goal was all about composure as he took down a looping deflected shot on his chest, cut inside and hit a powerful effort that pinballed between a couple of defenders and past the goalkeeper. The goal sparked wild scenes, Parrott ripping his shirt off and leaping into the section in front of the AZ fans before simply standing in front of them, his arms held aloft.

Those supporters know it is going to be difficult to keep their goalscoring talisman this summer despite his affection for them and the club. His six goals in three games for Ireland during their World Cup qualifiers, including two against Portugal, means 47 goal involvements already this season for club and country and there is every chance he will break 50 for the campaign. That's all the more remarkable when you consider he missed a month at the start of the season with a knee injury.

Parrott has scored the fifth most goals of any player across Europe's top 15 leagues, including league, cup and international goals.

Big clubs across Europe are duly circling. football.london understands Italian sides including Napoli have interest, as do Real Betis in Spain, Bayern Leverkusen in Germany and Ajax in the Eredivisie.

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Parrott has proved his worth after being jettisoned by Spurs and the north London club could do a lot worse than looking at bringing him back home, especially with that 20 per cent discount and his value estimated to be around 25m euros (£21.7million) this summer.

The Irishman does fit Roberto De Zerbi's brand of football. The prolific goalscorer is an energetic presser and counter-presser, with strong ball-winning stats and he has grown strong in possession as he has developed over recent seasons. The stats show that his goal threat and the quality of his shots are better than more than 80% of Europe's strikers.

After joining Spurs' academy at 16, he was considered one of the best finishers at the club, even during Harry Kane's time. The goals now show that with Sunday's strike his 50th for AZ in 92 matches, along with 16 assists. Parrott studied Kane at close range in training sessions and his ability to both score and create show that he has learned plenty.

Tottenham could go down this season. football.london understands Parrott would be keen on a return to a club he loved, regardless of their top flight status, if he was to get the chance to show what he can do in their shirt. The young striker was always desperate to be a success for Spurs and distance has not changed that.

Other Premier League clubs have also shown interest in him but firing the Lilywhites back to life would mean more. He is also a rarity in that he remains a club-trained player for the north London side.

Tottenham's recent recruitment has been all over the place and for a club that rarely goes back to those they cast aside, Troy Parrott could be the one who should never have got away but was brought home.

Roberto De Zerbi's Spurs remain a point from safety after the draw with Brighton and have a real battle on their hands to avoid relegation from the Premier League

Spurs have been told they should have been awarded a 'definite penalty' in their 2-2 draw with Brighton at the weekend. Former Premier League striker Jay Bothroyd felt Roberto De Zerbi's men should have been awarded a spot kick when Destiny Udogie was bundled to the floor just ten minutes into the game.

It could be a decisive moment in the relegation battle after the Spurs defender went down in the box under the challenge of Yankuba Minteh, but no penalty was given.

Instead, referee Stuart Attwell waved away the protests and Jarred Gillet on VAR sided with the official's on-field decision, with the score level at 0-0.

Speaking to Sky Sports Ref Watch, Bothroyd said: "That is a definite penalty, if that happens in the middle of the pitch, it is a definite foul.

"It is a definite penalty, he has come across him, he has done what he is meant to do, he has got his body across and there is contact. And from when there is contact, any contact, and he goes down, it is a penalty. I do not understand why this is not given."

However, former top-flight official Dermot Gallagher explained the decision and said: "The only certainty is the VAR [Jarred Gillet] is not getting involved because whatever the referee [Stuart Attwell] gives, he will stick with.

"It was just a tangle, they felt he was going down early. If the referee gives a penalty, the VAR will still uphold it, but it is on-field call."

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Xavi Simons enjoyed one of his best displays in a Tottenham shirt, providing the opener for Pedro Porro, before a wonder-strike in the second half, which looked as though it was going to be the winner, before Georginio Rutter's late equaliser.

The penalty decision wasn't the only contentious incident in the game, with some Brighton fans questioning why Simons wasn't shown a yellow card for jumping into the crowd to celebrate with the home supporters, while also taking his top off in the celebrations.

"He's committed two offences, but they're both the same," Gallagher said. "Over-celebration of a goal. The directive to referees is try not to penalise for one offence.

"I think the referee has been very sensible. Can you imagine of he had given him a second yellow card? There would be more kick back this morning than there is now.

"In isolation, they are both yellow cards. Because it's all interlinked, there would be so much more [controversy]. I get what people are saying about the emotion. Luckily, he wasn't already on a yellow card."

Bothroyd made his feelings clear and said: "If you send him off for that, it would be ridiculous. It's a rule that should be changed.

"You're jubilant, they are where they are in the league. How can you penalise that?"

West Ham United are in action tonight against Crystal Palace in their game in hand and they could move four points clear of Spurs with a win.