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Dele Alli could be offered a fairytale return to the club where his football career first took off.

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The 29-year-old midfielder released by Serie A side Como last September after making just one appearance. Interest in Alli is still strong in Europe, with four La Liga clubs believed to be considering moves.

Elche are currently seen as the favourites but Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen were also briefly linked, while Championship club Wrexham were reported to have explored a move last year.

But Alli is reportedly being lined up for a homecoming at MK Dons, according to SportsBoom. The League Two side, owned by a Kuwaiti consortium, are pushing for promotion and sit just one point outside the automatic places.

Alli was a key part of the club’s promotion to the Championship in 2015, and was in the starting XI that famously beat Manchester United 4-0 in the League Cup under Karl Robinson.

That same season, he was sold to Tottenham for £5m, but loaned straight back to MK Dons before completing his move to north London once promotion was secured.

During seven seasons at Spurs, Alli made 269 appearances and scored 67 goals. He became an England regular and was part of the squad that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018.

Since leaving Tottenham, his career has stalled, with disappointing spells at Everton, Besiktas and most recently Como.

As a free agent, Alli is able to sign for a new club despite the transfer window now being closed.

Last week, Tottenham Hotspur made a fascinating appointment - that could have sealed their manager’s fate.

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On Thursday, January 15, Spurs appointed John Heitinga as assistant first-team coach, joining Thomas Frank’s coaching line-up.

The Dutchman has spent the past decade coaching after his playing career took him to clubs like Everton, Atletico Madrid and Ajax, spending his managerial days at the Eredivisie side since 2023.

More recently, he has worked at both West Ham United and Liverpool, helping the latter win the league title in the 2024/25 season.

Frank said: “John is a great addition to our coaching staff. His ability, personality and character will add huge value both on and off the pitch. He had an impressive playing career across Europe - including five years in the Premier League - and with the Dutch national team.

“As a former defender, that will be one of his main responsibilities on the training pitch, and he brings great coaching and management experiences from all levels of the game, which will really help us moving forward.”

While Heitinga has been brought in to solidify Spurs’ defence, he could end up playing a different role entirely.

Manager Frank is under immense pressure, and the rumour mill strongly suggests his job is on the chopping block. It comes as Spurs endure a dismal run of form, having won just one of their last eight matches - a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on December 28.

According to reports, Frank will be given one final game in charge - tomorrow’s Champions League tie with Borussia Dortmund - before being sacked.

If Frank is indeed kicked out of the London club, Heitinga’s experience makes him the ideal man to take the helm in the interim, before a permanent replacement can be found. While speculation is rife that Mauricio Pochettino could make a comeback, Spurs may hold on until the end of the season to appoint their new gaffer.

Should Heitinga take the wheel, he has one hell of a job in front of him - Tottenham are currently 14th in the Premier League, and although 10 points above the relegation zone, plenty of clubs beneath them are in far better form.

After a run of underwhelming results, Spurs wilted as they lost to West Ham on Saturday, going down 2-1 to a last-minute Callum Wilson strike.

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After last week’s televised FA Cup flop against Aston Villa, it has piled even more pressure on manager Thomas Frank, who has only been in post since the summer.

The Sunday papers were full of speculation about whether he would go soon - but at time of writing he is still in post while a debate goes on at Tottenham’s board level about what to do next. Even Spurs fans were chanting “you’re getting sacked in the morning” on Saturday, during what would be the side’s eighth defeat in 14 matches. Two events today will offer a clue to his future, if no official announcement is made.

Frank said afterwards that he had “the trust of everyone” in Saturday’s post-match press conference, but it is understood that talks have taken place at Tottenham over whether Frank should be given Tuesday’s Champions League visit of Borussia Dortmund.

The Dane took training on Sunday at the club’s Hotspur Way facility with no final decision over his future reached amid discussions between chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and other members of the executive board.

Frank is due set to face the media at 3.30pm on Monday, with an open training session due to take place at 2.15pm. If no announcement is made this morning, his presence or absence at those two times will speak volumes.

Tottenham Hotspur’s sporting director has announced he will be leaving the club in the coming weeks.

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Fabio Paratici is turning his back on Spurs in favour of a move to Fiorentina, and will move to the Serie A side in February - having seen out the rest of the January transfer window.

The Italian joined Spurs back in 2021, overseeing the signings of stars like Richarlison, Cristian Romero, James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.

Speaking about his departure, Paratici said: “I want to thank Vinai and the Board of Tottenham Hotspur for accommodating my desire to return to Italy and join Fiorentina.

“I have loved my time at the club, however this opportunity, together with the need to be based in my homeland, has led me to this decision.

“Spurs is a club that is very close to my heart. It has great people working for it, who are as passionate about the project as I am and want to bring sustained success. I have no doubt that they will achieve that and I will be watching closely from Italy.”

Tottenham’s chief executive, Vinai Venkatesham, added: “We have agreed that Fabio will return to Italy following the conclusion of the January transfer window, in line with his wish to move back home. We thank Fabio for his contribution to the club and wish him well for the future.

"Our management structure is designed to be resilient to personnel changes, and it will be business as usual moving forward."

The news comes as pressure mounts on manager Thomas Frank. The Spurs gaffer has been at risk of losing his job for the past month or so, with the club being knocked out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, as well as dropping to 14th in the Premier League table.

Eric Dier has been offered a route back into the Premier League - but he would be jumping head-first into a relegation battle.

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The defender spent a decade at Tottenham Hotspur before joining Bayern Munich on loan in January 2024. That deal was made permanent at the end of the 2023/24 season.

Dier then moved to Monaco on a free transfer ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. He made a strong start in France, starting eight of the club’s first nine matches in all competitions and captaining the side twice.

That momentum brought to a screeching halt by hamstring and calf injuries in October, which sidelined him for the rest of 2025. Dier did not return to action until January 10, when he featured in Monaco’s Coupe de France win over US Orleans.

Now, TalkSport has reported that West Ham United are keen to sign the Englishman. Like many other English players currently abroad, it’s thought he wants to return home in a bid to make this year’s World Cup squad. The Hammers are currently 18th in the Premier League and are seven points from safety.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have not won a league match since early November, when they beat Burnley 3-2. They did, however, end a 10-game winless run in all competitions with a 2-1 FA Cup victory over QPR at the weekend.

After that match, Santo admitted he is still “trying to rebalance the squad” and said the team “still need bodies,” - pointing towards more signings in the January transfer window.

Dier would be West Ham’s third signing - Pablo joined from Gil Vicente for £18.3m and was Nuno’s first arrival as head coach, after scoring 10 goals in 13 league games in Portugal.

Taty Castellanos followed in a £21m move from Lazio. He made his debut the next day against Nottingham Forest and quickly opened his account by scoring the winner against QPR in the FA Cup.

During Santo’s 17 games in charge of Spurs, Dier started in 11 matches, so the pair already have an established relationship they can build upon.

Liverpool are playing a waiting game over the fitness of their record signing.

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The £130m man Alexander Isak hobbled off during the victory at Spurs yesterday, having broken the deadlock in the 56th minute. But his joy was short-lived as he was caught by Micky van de Ven on his left ankle.

This could pile striking woes on to the Anfield side with Mo Salah - who was already clearly put out after being dropped - at the African Cup of Nations and Cody Gakpo not expected back this week after a muscle problem suffered in the draw with Leeds.

Liverpool went on to win yesterday’s game 2-1 - it was Isak’s third goal for the club and after a terrible run of form was the side’s third consecutive win.

“I don’t have any news,” Arne Slot said about the injury. “But if a player doesn’t even try to come back, that is usually not a good thing but I cannot say anything more than that. That is just gut feeling and nothing medical.

“(The goal) is what we would like to see happening a lot. A good finish, a good pass, but let’s not be too negative yet. We don’t know yet. Let’s hope he is back with us soon.

“With Alex and Conor (Bradley) we have to wait. You could see our bench as well, but this is not the first time in the last few weeks and we’re picking up points. That’s the main thing.”

The noise around Slot’s position increased dramatically during a terrible November with a 4-1 home loss to PSV particularly painful. However, Liverpool have seemingly emerged stronger with three consecutive wins in an unbeaten run of six matches to move back into the top-four picture.

Slot added: “Of course we’re happy with that but when we started the season, it wasn’t as if I was thrilled and completely happy when we were top-four. We’re always aiming for the best possible and after the very good start we had, we were disappointed with the run of results we had afterwards, but we are now on equal points for top-four.

“I think it has never been as bad as people said, but it’s also true that we are definitely not perfect yet. We knew this and when we made so many changes in the summer, that it would take time.”

Spurs boss Thomas Frank is the current Premier League boss under the microscope and this latest home loss made it five defeats in eight matches.

Tottenham are seven points off Liverpool and will be without Xavi Simons for three matches after his first-half red card.

Captain Cristian Romero will also sit out the trip to Crystal Palace on December 28 following his sending-off, but Frank vented his frustration at Xavi’s punishment after his tackle on Virgil van Dijk.

“Yeah, that’s of course disappointing,” Frank reflected. “If it was intentional or a very stupid tackle, which I don’t think it is, then it’s one thing. So, I just think it’s too harsh a tackle like that can be three games. One game? OK, that’s one thing, but three games? Of course, is too much.”

Xavi added: “Mistakes happen. Virg is my captain, I would never intentionally hurt him or anyone. To my Spurs team-mates, my manager and the fans, I take responsibility. I’m really sorry.”

Thomas Frank has confirmed Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke has undergone minor surgery to get to the bottom of his troublesome ankle injury.

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Solanke, who last played for Spurs on August 23 against Manchester City, was absent from training again on Monday ahead of the Champions League fixture away to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.

England forward Solanke had returned to training earlier this month before he was pulled out last week, but Frank revealed in Norway that a final decision had been made to go down the surgery route.

“Dom has got that ankle issue that’s been bothering him for a little while, so now we’ve decided to make a minor surgery,” Spurs boss Frank told a press conference. “It’s a small procedure, so that will mean he is not ready for today of course and of course Leeds (on Saturday) as well. We’ll have more news about a timeframe after the international break, but I don’t expect it to be long.”

Frank had played down concerns over Solanke’s fitness in Friday’s press conference before a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves on Saturday night.

Solanke missed the majority of pre-season with an ankle issue, but it appeared to be fixed by the start of August after he featured in matches against Paris St Germain, Burnley and Manchester City.

However, with the 28-year-old not able to play for Tottenham during the last five weeks, Frank was asked whether the club could have opted for surgery sooner.

He said: “No, I think you can look at it two ways. That is the easy answer but it is not that easy because if we knew we could have done the surgery a month ago, we probably would have done it. For me I am always ‘it is what it is’. We deal with it now and no doubt the way we dealt with it was because we thought that was the right thing. In general no one wants surgery.”

Surgery for Solanke leaves Frank light on attacking options in Bodo, with Paris St Germain loanee Randal Kolo Muani unable to train on Monday.

Frank provided a positive update on the France international, but he will be unavailable for this rematch with Bodo four months on from a Europa League semi-final victory at Aspmyra Stadion.

Mathys Tel featured in the 2-0 win in the Arctic Circle, but is not registered for Tottenham’s Champions League squad, which is also the case for summer recruit Kota Takai and Yves Bissouma.

Takai and Bissouma took part in training on Monday along with Ben Davies – after a minor knee issue – but Frank revealed captain Cristian Romero has been left in England as a “precaution” after a bruising encounter with Wolves.

Frank added: “Kolo Muani, I think now we’re finally on top of his dead leg, so that is also progress there and good. Cuti was just a precaution.”

Danish coach Frank heaped praise on Norwegian minnows Bodo after their historic run to the Europa League semi-final was followed by qualification for the Champions League for the first time.

Asked about Spurs’ 2-0 win under his predecessor Ange Postecoglou, Frank admitted: “How many months is that? Four months ago? With all due respect, I was not the coach. This is a new game. This is a new situation.”

Tottenham Hotspur are on the verge of signing a £50m superstar - right from under the noses of their fiercest rivals.

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According to reports, RB Leipzig forward Xavi Simons has completed his medical for Spurs and is on the cusp of a £51.8m move to the Premier League club.

The 22-year-old Netherlands international has already undergone his medical in England and is expected to finalise his move to Thomas Frank’s squad within the next 24 hours.

Both clubs have an agreement in principle, with only minor details left to settle.

Chelsea explored a move for Simons earlier this summer - and seemed to be uncontested in their pursuit - but recently switched their focus to Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, now set for a £40m switch to Stamford Bridge.

Simons’ arrival will add to Spurs’ summer rebuild, joining Joao Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus in north London.

The club had earlier failed to land Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, while key target Eberechi Eze opted for Arsenal after leaving Crystal Palace.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has quickly changed his tune after being snubbed by a £60m attacker.

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The big drama from the transfer rumour mill this week was how Eberechi Eze was meant to be joining Spurs from Crystal Palace for the aforementioned fee.

But just as quickly as the news broke, it emerged that Eze was in fact turning them down in favour of a move to Arsenal - the club’s fiercest historic rivals.

The England international, 27, is expected to have his medical at the Emirates today (August 22) and subject to that, will be confirmed as a player for Mikel Arteta in a £60m plus add-ons deal.

When asked about this snub in his press conference, Frank spoke matter-of-factly about Eze turning down a move to Tottenham.

He said: “In general, talking generally, I don't want any players that don't want to come to this club and wear this fantastic badge.

“We don't want them here and I'm sure the fans feel the same.”

Spurs will play against Manchester City this weekend, with Frank’s side currently third in the league after a 3-0 win against Burnley in the opening weekend.

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s top talents could be offered as a sacrificial lamb in a massive swap deal.

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Manager Thomas Frank is hopeful of signing Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace before the transfer window closes in less than two weeks’ time.

Eze had a £65m release clause at Palace, but that has since expired - and now the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal have been flirting with deals closer to the £60m mark.

According to Sky Sports News, Spurs are considering including Brazilian striker Richarlison as part of a swap deal to bring Eze to north London.

The 28-year-old scored two goals for Tottenham during their opening game of the Premier League season, which saw them beat Burnley 3-0; winger Brennan Johnson bagged the third goal of the match.

A potential deal would see Richarlison heading to Selhurst Park, with a cash incentive also included.

According to reports, the impact of this is two-fold; Palace get a player to plug the hole left behind by Eze, while Spurs free up a striker position in their squad.

This could apparently give them an opening to approach Brentford centre-forward Yoane Wissa; the DR Congo international has been pining for a move to Newcastle United, but Tottenham could turn his head while keeping him in London.

Should Wissa choose Spurs over Newcastle, it could be the final nail in the coffin for the Magpies’ transfer window. A new striker is paramount for manager Eddie Howe, and a deadline day panic buy would likely be his sole remaining option.