Football London

Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was left far from pleased by an Everton foul with his reaction prompting Seamus Coleman to come over and continue arguing

Guglielmo Vicario was involved in a touchline bust-up with fellow substitute Seamus Coleman during Tottenham's crucial Premier League clash against Everton.

The argument arrived after a foul by Jake O'Brien on Mathys Tel, which resulted in the Everton player picking up a yellow card. On the altercation, Gary Neville said on Sky Sports: "Seamus Coleman and Vicario are having a right pop at each other down on the touchline."

Following some words between Roberto De Zerbi and David Moyes, the Spurs goalkeeper was captured gesticulating furiously in the direction of the Everton bench, with Coleman eventually coming over in an attempt to confront him.

Vicario had earlier pointed towards the tunnel as if to suggest he would meet an Everton player, which later appeared as Coleman, in there to continue the disagreement.

The former was ultimately guided away from the fracas by the officials.

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Given what is on the line, it was perhaps no surprise that tensions boiled over with Spurs needing to avoid defeat in order to stay in the Premier League.

West Ham failing to beat Leeds United would also result in the Lilywhites avoiding a drop down to the Championship.

Spurs had some early chances through Conor Gallagher, Kevin Danso and Joao Palhinha, but all of their close-range efforts flew off target.

There was a big talking point midway through the half with Micky van de Ven left in pain after being caught by the studs of Merlin Rohl.

The Spurs centre-back was actually penalised for a foul on Rohl, but replays later showed the Toffees winger caught Van de Ven high up on the shin. However, the VAR confirmed that no further action was required.

With his reaction, Neville hinted that he could have faced further consequences, as De Zerbi was also left particularly irate.

Cristian Romero has returned to north London ahead of Tottenham's final Premier League game of the season against Everton, as Spurs look to avoid relegation

Tottenham's owners and Cristian Romero have risked backlash from fans after there was no column from chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and the Spurs captain ahead of this afternoon's Premier League relegation decider against Everton.

Roberto De Zerbi's side go into the clash against the Toffees at 4pm knowing a point will be all-but good enough to retain their Premier League status. But, if Tottenham lose, they will require Leeds United to do them a favour at West Ham to seal survival.

Spurs sit 17th, two points above 18th-place West Ham heading into the final day, but, due to their superior goal difference, a draw should see them stay in the top flight.

If Tottenham end up getting relegated, however, there is expected to be fury and anger from the supporters. And, ahead of the game against Everton, the club's board and captain Romero have risked wrath of annoyed fans after there was no column from the Argentine or CEO Venkatesham in the matchday programme.

There was no message from anyone in the Tottenham hierarchy in the programme, with former chairman Daniel Levy said to issue an update to supporters at the final home game of the season.

De Zerbi, however, did send a message to supporters, saying: "I can see the desire and passion that exists in this group of players and for that reason, I am confident we will get the job done - especially with you behind us."

Romero wasn't due to return to London for the game against Everton, after the injured Spurs captain was pictured in Argentina earlier this week. Reports suggested that Romero had headed back to his home country to see his boyhood club Belgrano face River Plate in the Primera Division final on Sunday.

Such a decision seemingly being made caused significant anger among Spurs supporters with Romero therefore set to be absent from their do-or-die match at home to Everton where the club could be relegated to the Championship if they lose and West Ham beat Leeds.

However, it is understood he actually returned to Argentina to undergo some further rehabilitation on his knee injury that was agreed upon weeks ago. But Romero has performed a U-turn on that plan and caught a flight back to London and is likely to be at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon having watched every home match since suffering an injury back in mid-April during De Zerbi's first game in charge.

Rumours he was in the South American country to watch Belgrano were also quickly dismissed by his agent Ciro Palermo when speaking to football.london.

He said: "Any suggestion that the trip was made for the purpose of attending football matches is entirely inaccurate. More than that, it is a completely fabricated narrative being circulated by people who are unaware of the facts and have no knowledge of the rehabilitation plan that has been in place for weeks.

"Cristian's focus is, and has always been, on recovering as strongly as possible, preparing for the World Cup, and supporting Tottenham Hotspur in every way he can.

"His commitment to the club, his team-mates and the supporters has been evident throughout his time at Tottenham and remains unchanged."

Here's the Tottenham team that Roberto De Zerbi has selected to face Everton in their crunch final Premier League match of the season

Roberto De Zerbi has named the Tottenham starting XI that he hopes will keep the club in the Premier League as they face Everton on Sunday afternoon in their final match of the season.

Spurs go into their final fixture with a two-point gap between them and West Ham in the final relegation spot which means that a win or a draw, with their better goal difference, would be enough to keep them in the top flight. Nuno Espirito Santo's side must also beat Leeds at the London Stadium at the same time in order to keep themselves in with a chance of avoiding the drop.

De Zerbi has decided to make one change after naming the same starting line-up for the previous three games in a row after the defeat at Chelsea finally ended his team's four-game unbeaten streak.

In goal, Guglielmo Vicario has another week of training under his belt but is kept out by Antonin Kinsky between the sticks for the final game.

The midfield remains the same but De Zerbi has made a big change on the right after Randal Kolo Muani struggled at Stamford Bridge and Djed Spence, fresh from his England World Cup call-up, has taken his place.

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Then there is the attack with Dominic Solanke available again and on the bench alongside James Maddison, who got another 28 minutes under his belt at Chelsea.

Here's the Tottenham team De Zerbi has selected to face the Toffees:

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has performed a U-turn on a major decision that angered fans before the massive Premier League clash at home to Everton

Cristian Romero has returned to London ahead of Tottenham's huge Premier League clash against Everton, football.london understands.

The Spurs captain was pictured in Argentina earlier this week with reports suggesting he had headed back to his home country to see his boyhood club Belgrano face River Plate in the Primera Division final on Sunday.

Such a decision seemingly being made caused significant anger among Spurs supporters with Romero therefore set to be absent from their do-or-die match at home to Everton where the club could be relegated to the Championship if they lose and West Ham United beat Leeds.

However, it is understood he actually returned to Argentina to undergo some further rehabilitation on his knee injury that was agreed upon weeks ago.

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However, he has performed a U-turn on that plan and caught a flight back to London and is likely to be at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon having watched every home match since suffering an injury back in mid-April during Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge

Claims he was in the South American country to watch Belgrano were also quickly dismissed by his agent Ciro Palermo when speaking to football.london.

He said: "Any suggestion that the trip was made for the purpose of attending football matches is entirely inaccurate. More than that, it is a completely fabricated narrative being circulated by people who are unaware of the facts and have no knowledge of the rehabilitation plan that has been in place for weeks.

"Cristian's focus is, and has always been, on recovering as strongly as possible, preparing for the World Cup, and supporting Tottenham Hotspur in every way he can.

"His commitment to the club, his team-mates and the supporters has been evident throughout his time at Tottenham and remains unchanged."

Roberto De Zerbi was also asked about the 28-year-old's decision and seemingly confirmed that the plan was for him to continue his recovery.

At his pre-match press conference, the Spurs boss said: "He spoke with the medical staff, together they decided to go to Argentina to complete the rehab with the Argentinian medical staff. We spoke last week. With me, he showed always that he wanted to stay with us, the injury is already an injury and we have to accept it.

"I am not stupid. I want to be clear. I am not stupid. If I understand there is any player, or some player, who thinks for himself before the club, I can't be the same Roberto. But with Cuti Romero, I can't say nothing, because with me, in my time, he has been correct in the beginning, until now."

Here's the Tottenham team that we reckon Roberto De Zerbi will select to face Everton in the final Premier League game of the club's season

Roberto De Zerbi knows he must get his team selection right as Tottenham host Everton in their final Premier League game on Sunday with their top flight status on the line.

Just two points separate 17th-placed Spurs from West Ham down in the final relegation spot and De Zerbi knows that if his team can win or even draw, due to their superior goal difference, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium it will keep them up. Otherwise they will have to hope Leeds do them a big favour and stop the Hammers winning their final game of the campaign.

De Zerbi must decide whether to stick with the same starting line-up for the fourth game in a row after the defeat at Chelsea finally ended his team's four-game unbeaten streak.

In goal, Guglielmo Vicario has another week of training under his belt and when football.london asked the Tottenham boss if his compatriot could oust Antonin Kinsky from between the sticks for the final game he would only say with a smile: "You want to know too much."

There could be a decision to make in midfield with Spurs struggling to create chances at Chelsea and they need to progress the ball quicker up the pitch. That could see De Zerbi recall Yves Bissouma into the midfield for the more defensive Joao Palhinha. Bissouma started brightly against Brighton in De Zerbi's first home game before Palhinha performed better in the subsequent away games.

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There are also younger midfielders Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and the Spurs supporters' player of the year Archie Gray looking for a start.

Then there is the attack with Dominic Solanke available again but it could be a big ask for him to start and the same goes for James Maddison, who got another 28 minutes under his belt at Chelsea.

Randal Kolo Muani struggled at Stamford Bridge and there is the option for De Zerbi to play either Djed Spence, fresh from his England World Cup call-up, or Pedro Porro in front of the other on the right wing. However, that then takes away the opportunity to bring on fresh legs in the full-back positions as the game wears on.

Here's the Tottenham team that we reckon De Zerbi could select:

Roberto De Zerbi has been handed some injury boosts before Tottenham's crucial final Premier League clash against Everton, as Spurs bid to avoid relegation

Tottenham have been handed three injury boosts ahead of their Premier League clash against Everton.

A defeat, while West Ham beat Leeds United, is the only scenario that would see Spurs relegated to the Championship, but Roberto De Zerbi will be able to call on some important players to hopefully stop that from happening.

Dominic Solanke has missed their last three games but is set to return to the squad, with James Maddison also in line to feature as his minutes are managed on the way back from a serious knee injury.

Speaking on the duo, De Zerbi said : "Solanke is available. We have to decide if he starts in the first 11, or not, and Maddison is available. It is always tough to decide before the game how many minutes he can play.

"Of course, he is a different player, a top player for us. But we have to analyse the physical condition, the Italian weather and a lot of things. But both are available."

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Djed Spence is also expected to be available despite suffering a broken jaw in the defeat to Chelsea earlier this week.

Tottenham do still have several key players unavailable for their crunch relegation clash, with captain Cristian Romero , who will be in Argentina while the game takes place, injured in De Zerbi's first game.

Ben Davies is also expected to be unavailable but he will be with the team throughout their preparations for the game, as confirmed by De Zerbi.

Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons are all long-term absentees with the latter rupturing his ACL in the win over Wolves earlier this month.

Though some key personnel remain out, De Zerbi faces some tough decisions over the minutes he gives to Solanke and Maddison on the way back from their respective injuries.

As for Everton, David Moyes will be without at least two big players in Jack Grealish and Jarrad Branthwaite while Idrissa Gueye could return.

On Friday, when speaking about Gueye, the Toffees head coach said: "[He] has been back on the grass. I'd say there's probably a 50-50 chance he could be involved.

"We'll know a bit more once we've trained and seen him over the next couple of days. He's not trained with the team, at the moment, so that's where we're at."

Having missed the last few weeks, it seems more likely that the Senegal international will remain unavailable having also only just potentially returned to team training.

The Tottenham Hotspur boss has been speaking about his and the club's future as they approach their huge defining final game of the season on Sunday

Roberto De Zerbi has reiterated that he will remain as Tottenham head coach whether they stay in the Premier League or not.

The north London club face a huge match on Sunday afternoon as they welcome Everton to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the final day of the Premier League season with just two points separating them from West Ham in the final relegation spot. That means Spurs must win or draw, due to their superior goal difference, to keep themselves up or hope that Leeds do them a favour and prevent the Hammers from winning their final game of the campaign.

Some Tottenham supporters are worried that if the worst were to happen and their club fell into the Championship on the final day then De Zerbi would head out of the door at N17 despite signing a five-year contract when he joined last month.

When asked if he would stay at the north London outfit regardless of Sunday's outcome, the 46-year-old said: "Yes, I confirm everything. For me, it’s still an honour to be a coach for Tottenham, even if on Sunday we play for the relegation fight, it’s not a problem. I consider football something more than the table, than the level of the game."

Some have accused the Spurs players of not caring enough about what happens to the club but De Zerbi believes it's more that the team has been shell-shocked by this season's events.

"No, absolutely false. No, no, no, it’s not true," he said. "Maybe [it's] totally different, maybe they suffered too much. Their reaction has been not right, but not for that reason because they are sensitive guys and they suffered that situation.

"Maybe they didn’t know how they can go out of this situation, but there is just one solution to go out: to be strong, stronger than the atmosphere of the situation, or the injuries, or the negative things they suffer.

"Every one of us, we are playing for the future of Tottenham."

De Zerbi's only previous experience of relegation came in 2018 with then Serie A newcomers Benevento after he joined mid-season. While he believes you cannot compare the two experiences, he did learn plenty from a period in which he earned plenty of credit from his peers in Italy despite the team facing the drop.

"You can’t compare these two situations because Benevento before my time was not like Tottenham. It was totally different. The level of the players, the level of the club," he explained. "But it was a very important experience for me because if you play to compete to win, you have enthusiasm, you have a good feeling in the week, in the meeting.

"When you are fighting against relegation and you are this side and have all the players in front of you, the eyes of the players are not like the players when you are winning a league, or you are competing like Brighton to achieve European qualification.

"It’s totally different. You have be any way positive, you have to take the players with you and convince them, you have to find the balance to push and be strong with them but to give hugs, transfer confidence. It’s the sensitivity of the coach, you have to understand it’s two different situations."

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De Zerbi said he wants his players to put their "heads on ice" and focus purely on Sunday's game, which comes a year and three days on from their Europa League triumph in Bilbao.

"The situation is like this, we have to accept it. We are playing well. We deserve to stay up but we have another step, and a very tough step but it’s possible for us. Nothing is impossible. We have the quality to win. Before Villa Park I said it’s not impossible to win the game because I felt this," he said.

"I want to put the heads on ice. The focus is just on the game and not after the game or celebration. I want to think about the game. After the game we will see what happens."

He added: "It’s easier to play the final of Europa League than to play Tottenham vs Everton, 100 per cent. As a pressure it’s totally different, but if we win this game there is another pride, another emotion, another feeling."

De Zerbi has decided that the team will stay together at the Spurs' Hotspur Way hotel, The Lodge, on Saturday night and he is keen for them to be given a big reception from the fans as they arrive in their coach at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

"It was my decision because I thought to stay together the day before, to prepare the meeting the day before, the morning of the game and to create the right atmosphere," he explained. "If the fans show their love to the players, it is not pressure, it is an honour, it is a great thing for the players. It is a good thing, it is a positive thing for us.

"We have to be good, to start the game with energy, with spirit and after 10, 15 minutes, if we are playing well, the fans come inside of the pitch. We have to be good to deserve their support, like we did against Brighton or part of the game against Leeds at home."

So would De Zerbi have accepted this situation on the final day when he arrived at the club last month?

"Yes. I didn't come here in midtable. The situation was this, more games but not too different a situation. If I came it was because I thought there are the right conditions, the right qualities and players to achieve the target and then the situation changed because we lost Romero, Xavi, Solanke but I think in my time we made eight points and maybe deserved more. We are still fighting to achieve the target and we have to be ready and be strong," he said.

"The secret I think is to manage the pressure. Just that. To manage the pressure you have to be clear and honest with yourself. The level of difficulty of the game is high, OK. We are fighting for something very important for everyone. But it is football. But we have enough quality. But we play in our stadium.

"If for us it will be a tough game, it will be a tough game for West Ham too. West Ham play Leeds and I'm sure Leeds will play like they did in the Tottenham stadium. To attack the pressure you have to find the valour inside of yourself, to understand the situation and to force yourself to give your best, because the pressure is nice if you know how to manage it."

But are his players tough enough to do that?

"I think so," concluded the Italian. "But Sunday we can see if I'm right or not."

Tottenham take on Everton on Sunday with a late decision set to be made on a change that will impact the huge Premier League clash

Tottenham could see their huge relegation showdown with Everton halted in each half for water breaks if before kick-off, the temperature looks set to exceed 30 degrees celsius. Extremely hot temperatures are expected in the capital on Sunday which means West Ham's match against Leeds United could also be impacted.

A win or draw for Spurs will see them avoid Premier League relegation but defeat and a victory for West Ham will see them drop down to the Championship for the 2026/27 campaign.

While the inclusion of water breaks would be to protect player welfare, it could also be an opportunity for Roberto De Zerbi and Nuno Espirito Santo to deliver tactical instructions.

As revealed by Sky Sports, the Premier League Matchday Operations manual states that "the breaks must be agreed by the referee and communicated to both clubs at the match officials briefing in the lead up to the game". It has also been claimed the potential breaks will last two minutes and be added as stoppage time.

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De Zerbi has confirmed that all of Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Djed Spence are available. That is despite the latter suffering a broken jaw against Chelsea, in the same week he was confirmed as being part of Thomas Tuchel's 26-man England squad for the World Cup.

Speaking on the attacking duo, the Spurs boss said: "Solanke is available. We have to decide if he starts in the first 11 or not, and Maddison is available. It is always tough to decide before the game how many minutes he can play.

"Of course, he is a different player, a top player for us. But we have to analyse the physical condition, the weather and a lot of things. But both are available.

With a very specific scenario facing Tottenham, the Italian was also asked during his pre-match press conference if his side will play for the win or try to protect a draw.

He said: "We can't change our style, our mentality, we have to play with order, with the right behaviour with the ball and without the ball, but we can't change ourselves.

"If we change ourselves or what we have done in my time, because I can't speak before I came here, normally we have to be focused on the counter attack because we are very good in this part of football.

"We have to be focused on their qualities because they have very good players, especially wingers and strikers, but I think also we have the qualities and the players good enough to play a good game and to stay up."

Tottenham supporters have organised a coach meet to welcome the players on their arrival at the stadium. The game is set to get underway at 4pm with it also ensured the second half will start at exactly the same time as West Ham's game against Leeds.

The Premier League has now decided exactly when the summer and winter transfer windows will open and close next season

The Premier League has confirmed the exact dates and times of the two transfer windows in the 2026/27 season.

This campaign is about to come to its conclusion this Sunday afternoon as all 20 teams play their final matches, with various permutations yet to be decided. Six teams are still vying for the remaining European spots on the final day of the season, with Liverpool in fifth through to Sunderland in 10th all still mathematically in contention to move within the top eight.

Further down the table, it must also be decided whether West Ham or Tottenham Hotspur will join Wolves and Burnley in the Championship next season.

Plenty will likely happen across the pitches on Sunday as it has been a season of late drama, with 113 goals scored in the 90th minute or later - 11.1% of all goals scored - and that is more than ever before in a Premier League season.

Saturday's play-off final at Wembley will also decide whether Hull or Middlesbrough join Coventry and Ipswich in making the step up to the top flight for the next campaign.

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If Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham or West Ham remain in the Premier League with them then they now know when they and their fellow London sides - title winners Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Brentford and Crystal Palace - can start trading in the coming transfer windows along with the other 14 clubs that will make up the competition.

That's because the Premier League confirmed this week that the summer window will open on Monday June 15, 2026 and it will then close at 11pm BST on Tuesday September 1, 2026.

The winter window has also been set in stone and that will open on Friday January 1, 2027 and will come to its conclusion at 11pm BST on Monday February 1, 2027.

A Tottenham fan favourite admitted Arsenal weren't the club's biggest rivals, instead naming another Premier League side

Chelsea inflicted a crushing setback to Tottenham's relegation battle this week, more than a decade after their iconic 'Battle of the Bridge' encounter.

The Blues secured a 2-1 victory on Wednesday, meaning the north London club will be scrapping to preserve their Premier League status on the final day of the campaign. The two clubs have been involved in numerous gripping contests over the years, with their tempestuous 2016 meeting at Stamford Bridge standing out above the rest.

It was an era when Spurs were unquestionably superior to Arsenal, which prompted Tottenham legend Toby Alderweireld to declare it was Chelsea who represented their primary rivals rather than the Gunners.

Spurs were attempting to maintain their title challenge when they made the trip to west London, and what unfolded was amongst the most ill-tempered matches in Premier League history.

A total of 12 yellow cards were issued, with nine of them displayed to Spurs' outfield players in the 2-2 stalemate that confirmed Leicester City as champions. The retired Belgian defender featured in 236 matches across six years for the club and reflected on that fateful evening at the Bridge.

Speaking to The Times, he said: "The pressure had been building for a couple of weeks and all the attention meant everyone was so fired up. At that time we were always above Arsenal so for me that was not really the rivalry, it was much more Chelsea.

"With VAR you wouldn't get a game like that now. Maybe I'm a nostalgic guy, but that was the beauty of no VAR." The 37-year-old described it as the "craziest" match of football he's ever participated in.

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He added: "I was the only one who didn't get a yellow! I think it was the craziest game I ever played. Foul, foul, the game always standing still and the yellow cards. You could feel the game from the first duel, the first foul, it's like 'Oh that was a nasty one'. Straight away."

More than a decade on from that encounter, the balance of power has shifted dramatically in north London. Arsenal were officially crowned Premier League champions following Manchester City's draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday night.

The Gunners' final match of the season against Crystal Palace promises a celebratory atmosphere, while Spurs must secure at least a point against Everton to guarantee survival and condemn West Ham to relegation.

Fortunes amongst London's top-flight clubs have diverged sharply, with Arsenal positioned to pursue additional silverware in their Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Triumph at the Puskas Arena in Budapest would deliver Arsenal's maiden Champions League crown and establish them as the seventh English side to claim the competition.