The Irish News

Roberto De Zerbi has scoffed at suggestions Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is too nice and is adamant Spurs can end their poor home on Monday against Leeds.

Tottenham’s survival prospects have been significantly lifted by back-to-back away wins, but they remain without a home victory in the Premier League since December 6.

The north London club have won only twice at home in the division all season and were seconds away from a third victory in De Zerbi’s debut in N17 before his old team Brighton produced a last-gasp equaliser.

Asked if the atmosphere at their ground might be part of the problem, De Zerbi insisted: “No, because there are a lot of big stadiums and very nice stadiums, like theatres in the Premier League.

“Tottenham’s stadium is hot. When I was in this stadium with Brighton, in the bench of Brighton, or against Brighton two weeks ago, the stadium was very, very hot.

“And for us, we are lucky to play in this stadium.

“The atmosphere against Brighton was amazing. The bottom of the (table), 60,000 fans to support you, to push you, to stay before the game, during the game, after the game, we have been very close with the (fans) and I think it’s luck for us.”

De Zerbi also pointed to Spurs’ 25-match unbeaten home record in Europe as evidence this season is a one-off.

He added: “I think it was a coincidence, because against Atletico Madrid, they won at home. Against Borussia Dortmund in January, they won at home.

“If you ask me against Brighton? We won, but we didn’t take three points. We took one point, but we won in my head as a performance and if we analyse the game against Brighton, it’s like a win. I think it’s a mistake if we keep the focus on this (poor home form) part.”

For Spurs to secure safety after a terrible campaign they will have to exorcise any demons at home in a similar manner to goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who suffered a nightmare display in Madrid last month but has bounced back admirably.

With Guglielmo Vicario still sidelined after hernia surgery, Kinsky will continue against Leeds and De Zerbi cited him as an example to the whole squad.

“He has a big character, a big personality, a great guy, a great professional and a great keeper. He’s playing very well. He has to stay focused and don’t take risks in any situation, but he’s playing very well. He’s very important for us now,” De Zerbi explained.

“Of course he is an example. Of course what he felt after Madrid, for sure was a big motivation for him.”

De Zerbi described Vicario as still “first choice”, but the Italian could miss the rest of the season and that is almost certainly the case for Dejan Kulusevski, who has targeted a place in Sweden’s World Cup squad despite making no appearances in 12 months after a right patella injury.

“For me it is difficult to understand how he can play the World Cup if he didn’t play any game this season, but I texted him after (Aston Villa),” De Zerbi said.

“He told me the next week I think he will come back (in the country) and I hope he can be available to stay with us (to watch) in the last game because he’s an amazing player.”

Premier League clubs are ready to pounce if Tottenham decide to let young forward Will Lankshear leave this summer.

Lankshear, 21, finished off a superb loan spell at relegated Oxford with a 47th appearance for the Championship side in Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Millwall.

While Lankshear was unable to keep Oxford up, the England Under-21 striker scored 12 goals and provided four assists during a successful season-long loan to catch the eye of numerous clubs in England and abroad, the Press Association understands.

Former Arsenal youngster Lankshear is due to return to Hotspur Way at some point over the next week for end-of-season testing before a well-earned rest.

Any decision on Lankshear’s long-term future at Tottenham will not take place until there is clarity over which division the club will be in for the 2026-27 campaign, but there is optimism about his prospects under Roberto De Zerbi, PA understands.

Spurs boss De Zerbi handed debuts to numerous young players at Brighton, including Evan Ferguson.

Ferguson scored 11 goals in De Zerbi’s first season at the Seagulls as a teenager and is a similar profile to Lankshear, who has developed physically in the Championship and broken his top speed on multiple occasions.

Antonio Conte was the first Tottenham head coach to work with Lankshear after his arrival from Sheffield United in 2022 and gave him a debut in a friendly fixture with Nice after the winter World Cup.

However, Ange Postecoglou presented Lankshear with his breakthrough during the 2024-25 campaign and the all-action forward scored on an eventful night against Galatasaray in the Europa League where he silenced the Rams Park crowd before he earned an unfortunate second yellow card.

Lankshear then scored the first goal of the ill-fated Thomas Frank era at Spurs last July in a friendly at Reading before he was sent on loan to Oxford despite other Championship options.

A run of three goals in his first five matches quickly endeared Lankshear to the Oxford faithful alongside his wholehearted displays, but Gary Rowett was dismissed by the U’s in December.

Middlesbrough were one of several clubs eager to sign Lankshear in January, but the forward wanted to stay at Oxford to help in their relegation battle and quickly gained the trust of Matt Bloomfield.

After Lankshear produced a stunning brace against Sheffield Wednesday last month, Bloomfield said: “His finishing, dedication to his craft and single-minded desire to be the best he can be, I think he’s a credit to himself. There’s so much to admire about him and he’s going to go to the top.”

Lankshear has often drawn comparisons to Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer Harry Kane given his predatory finishing ability along with a similar route into the professional game after being rejected by Arsenal.

After Lankshear this season bettered Kane’s own goalscoring tally from Championship loans with Millwall and Leicester, the young forward will wait to discover whether he gets a chance at Spurs or if another summer move away will follow.

New Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has already been dealt an injury blow after midfielder Pape Sarr was unable to feature for Senegal in their friendly with Gambia.

De Zerbi was confirmed as Spurs head coach on Tuesday on a five-year deal, which does not contain a relegation release clause, the Press Association understands, despite the north London club being only one point above the Premier League bottom three.

With seven games left this season, De Zerbi has limited time to work with a team without a league win in 2026, but has immediately been affected by an ongoing injury crisis in N17.

Senegal midfielder Sarr joined up with his national team last week and featured in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Peru, but was left out of the squad to face Gambia on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury, according to Senegalese media.

Any potential injury to Sarr would be untimely for De Zerbi, who has already discovered a lengthy list of absentees at Tottenham’s Hotspur Way training ground, with Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus all previously sidelined or currently unavailable.

It adds to an already-complicated start to life at Spurs after De Zerbi’s appointment faced opposition from sections of the fanbase.

Three supporters’ groups produced ‘No to De Zerbi’ statements last Friday, owing to past comments about Marseille forward Mason Greenwood.

Former Manchester United forward Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a woman after images and videos were posted online.

The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”, which meant there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”. Greenwood, who denied the charges, has since resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024.

In November, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a “good guy”, who had paid a “heavy price” and added: “It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described.”

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust explained on Tuesday they had “serious and far-reaching concerns” with this appointment.

PA understands Spurs carefully considered and discussed the comments and sentiments around Greenwood with De Zerbi during negotiations.

Later on Tuesday, Spurs’ LGBTQI+ fan group Proud Lilywhites said: “Whilst we disagree with the managerial choice, in terms of culture and competence, we will continue to support the players without pretending to be comfortable with the appointment.

“Staying silent is not the answer. But choosing when and where to be vocal matters.

“Managers come and go. Executives come and go. Players come and go. Fans remain. We are the constant in this club.

“We will continue to represent the views of our members to the club, alongside the other supporter associations.

“This is not noise or reaction. It is a considered position and it is not going away.”

Spurs Reach added: “As a group of fans who care about inclusion, representation and how people are treated, this one doesn’t fully sit right with us, both culturally and in the bigger picture.

“That said, we’re Spurs through and through… our support for the club we love, the community and each other goes way beyond any one appointment.”

Ange Postecoglou has described “curious” Tottenham as “not a big club” after their sacking of Thomas Frank.

Frank succeeded Postecoglou last summer but was unable to reverse their fortunes in the Premier League and was shown the door on Wednesday with Spurs sitting 16th in the table.

Speaking on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, Postecoglou said: “Having been in that position now twice in the last six months, it’s tough.

“You know that he can’t be the only issue at the club. It’s a curious club, Tottenham. It’s made a major pivot at the end of last year, not just with me but with (executive chairman) Daniel (Levy) leaving as well, and you’ve created this whole sort of environment of uncertainty.

“There’s no guarantee whichever manager you bring in – they’ve had world-class managers there and they haven’t had success. And for what reason? Thomas is walking in and what’s his objective, what’s the club’s objective?

“If you’re going to do such a major pivot, you’ve got to understand there’s going to be some instability there. Did Thomas know he was walking into that? I don’t know.”

Postecoglou was sacked despite winning the Europa League, and he believes a disconnect between Tottenham’s stated ambitions and their willingness to invest in players is at the heart of their ongoing struggles.

“They’ve built an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable training facilities but, when you look at their expenditure and particularly their wages structure, they’re not a big club,” he said.

“I saw that because, when we were trying to sign players, we weren’t in the market for those players.

“When you walk into Tottenham, what you see everywhere is ‘To Dare Is To Do’ (the club motto), and yet their actions are almost the antithesis of that. I think they didn’t realise that, to actually win, you’ve got to take some risks.

“I felt like Tottenham as a club were saying, ‘we’re one of the big boys’, and the reality is I don’t think they are.”

The Australian, who was also sacked by Nottingham Forest this season following a very brief spell, agreed with the club’s ‘Spursy’ tag that there is a lack of belief in success.

“One hundred per cent there is, and that was the thing I was trying to break,” he said.

“And then you break that by winning something and what do you do? You tear it all up and you go again. And it’s not because it’s me, but what are you trying to achieve?”

A host of jerseys from Northern Ireland football legend Pat Jennings have fetched more than twice what was expected at auction, and set a new record.

The football memorabilia collection comprised some 165 items including from Jennings’ time at Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

The legendary keeper played some 119 international matches for Northern Ireland in an international career which lasted for more than 22 years.

Jennings, 80, previously said of the auction that he felt it was the right time to sell, adding that he had also kept a few items for himself.

During his career, he played for his native Newry Town and then Watford before moving to the first division with Tottenham Hotspur and then Arsenal, winning the FA Cup with both of the north London rivals.

The auction, hosted by English firm Budds, brought in more than £400,000 on Wednesday.

It had previously been estimated to fetch around £200,000.

Those snapping up the items included 100 foreign buyers from across the world, as well as those within the UK.

Budds said a new record was achieved for a UK goalkeeper’s shirt after Jennings’ blue Spurs v Norwich City match-worn goalkeeper’s shirt from 1973 sold for £33,480.

Among the many magic Jennings moments included a famous goal against Manchester United in the 1967 Charity Shield, when he kicked the ball from his own penalty area to see it bounce over the head of Manchester United goalkeeper Alex Stepney and into the net.

The items sold included Jennings’ green Spurs v Aston Villa League Cup Final match-worn goalkeeper’s shirt from 1971 for £21,800, and his green Spurs v Chelsea FA Cup Final match-worn goalkeeper’s shirt from 1967 for £20,600.

The lots also included shirts from other players such as a George Best green and white number seven Northern Ireland worn long-sleeved shirt from 1976 which sold for £20,600 and a Luis Arconada light blue and black Spain match-worn goalkeepers shirt from 1982 which sold for £16,700.

David Convery of Budds Auctions said they were honoured to be entrusted with selling the collection.

“This single owner auction will offered many different collectors the opportunity to own a piece of history from one of the greatest goalkeepers in football’s history,” he said.

“A record breaking goalkeeper, both internationally and domestically, Pat continues to generate admiration both on and off the field, and now this sale has continued his ability to generate excitement.”

Thomas Frank has talked up the potential of Tottenham’s Archie Gray ahead of his return to Leeds, insisting he can reach the levels of fellow midfielders Rodri and Declan Rice.

Gray left Leeds at the end of the 2023-24 campaign to join Spurs in a deal worth an overall £40million and will make his 52nd appearance for the north London club if selected in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off at Elland Road.

The 19-year-old played 52 times for boyhood club Leeds to earn admirers throughout England, with Frank interested when he was in charge of Brentford before Gray subsequently joined Tottenham.

“Let’s put it this way, yes, we spoke with him, but he ended at Tottenham and maybe that was good because I still have the chance to work with him,” Frank said.

“I see him as a midfielder who can play six or eight. That is his position and I think these days midfielders need to be more complete.

“You need to be a little bit of a six, little bit of eight and 10 and two of the best in the world right now are probably Rodri and Declan Rice.

“I think they can do a little bit of everything. I see Archie and they are big names to compare him too, but I see he has got the same potential.

“When do we judge a player? I think it is probably fair two years down the line where we can really make a big assessment.

“I am also being judged from game to game so I know how it works, but I think to judge it as a success or failure, I don’t think you can really do that before two years.

“That’s not to say you cannot be judged for your performances and if you haven’t done well, that’s fair.”

Gray has impressed when given opportunities by Frank in recent weeks, creating the late leveller at Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday and tidy against Doncaster in the Carabao Cup last month.

With Spurs’ midfield a problem area during a run of three draws from their last four matches, Frank could elect to start Gray at Elland Road.

The teenager is the great nephew of Leeds great Eddie Gray, while his grandfather Frank Gray was a league title winner with the club, and the Spurs boss feels that upbringing has helped the youngster.

Frank added: “He seems to understand that he needs to work hard. The foundation, if you want to achieve anything, you need to do that. I think his understanding of the game is good as well.

“So, those two bits and the discipline, I think are key areas if you want to achieve anything. Maybe that is from the blood of the family.”

A historic Belfast bar has announced that it could be selling pints of Guinness for less than £1 during the Europa League final next week.

The American Bar in Sailortown has said that if Tottenham Hotspur take the lead, Guinness prices will drop to just 70p, the same price as when the team last tasted European glory in 1984.

However, if Man United appear to be ahead, a pint will set punters back £4.20, just like in 2017 when they won the Europa League.

Speaking to the Irish News, co-owner of the bar Pete McCloskey said the idea stemmed from an ongoing joke between himself and business partner Tomas Gorman, who took over the pub in 2023.

“Tomas is a (Nottingham) Forest fan and I’m a Spurs fan so we’d sort of said if either of them get to the final we’d do a promotion,” he explained.

“It’s just for a bit of craic and something for the guys who have been coming into the bar and following the competition to make it a bit more interesting.”

The bar has said from the “moment the ref kicks off” they will put on a fresh keg of Guinness, the price of which will be determined by whatever side is winning. However, “when it’s done, we’re done.”

“If Spurs get ahead in the first couple of minutes that keg mightn’t last very long, so there might have to be a bit of policing,” added Mr McCloskey, who hopes the promotion will help put a positive spin on the often “touchy” subject of Guinness prices.

“Our Guinness is usually priced at £5.40 – we tried to keep it under a fiver for a long time but it just got to a point where we couldn’t afford to anymore.

“So, we thought we may as well just eat the cost on this particular occasion and hopefully it gets few people through the door.”

Brennan Johnson insisted Tottenham’s bid to taste Europa League glory was not being driven by silencing their critics.

Spurs host Eintracht Frankfurt in Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final first leg, eager to continue in the competition to salvage a poor season, which has seen them drop to 14th in the Premier League.

Scrutiny on boss Ange Postecoglou seems at an all-time high, while on Tuesday night, fans of rivals Arsenal chanted ‘are you Tottenham in disguise?’ after a 3-0 victory over Real Madrid, but 16-goal Johnson played down talk of a trophy being the perfect response.

“Personally, I just want to win it for the group of players and the staff,” Johnson said. “I don’t really care about what other people sing and the critics to be honest. I feel like I switched off from that a long time ago.

“I love the lads, all the players in the squad, all the staff, the management team. I feel like we’ve created a real tight-knit group.

“I feel like we’ve all been under a lot of criticism, maybe different people at different points, so it’s something that we can all kind of relate to. So, we all have that understanding with each other.

“When it comes to tournaments like this and being able to progress, it’s something that we just want to do for each other because at the end of the day, we’ve had some tough times and there’d be no better joy to celebrate with the people that have had to go through it like I have as well.”

A notable incident from Sunday was also discussed after Mathys Tel was allowed to take a stoppage-time penalty in a 3-1 win over Southampton, despite Johnson being on a hat-trick.

When Postecoglou was quizzed on the topic, he described it as the latest example of “turning gold into crap” when it came to Tottenham.

Johnson added: “All of us attacking players, if there’s a chance to score from 12 yards without it being contested, all of us would want to take it.

“Once the decision had been made, it’s not really my nature to argue or have a fight about who takes a penalty.

“I’ve been in that situation before, where people are really reluctant to let someone else have a penalty and it can put you off. So, once the ball was with Mathys, I just wanted to get on the edge of the box and support him.”

Ange Postecoglou was pleased to see Brennan Johnson back in the goals to provide a welcome selection headache following Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Southampton.

Johnson scored for the first time at home in 2025 with two smart first-half strikes against Saints to take his tally for the campaign to 16 for Spurs, with 12 of those goals registered in victories.

Postecoglou has recently preferred Wilson Odobert on the right wing, but Johnson’s timely brace, having been hooked at half-time twice in March, served as a reminder of the Wales attacker’s ability before the visit of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday.

“I was really pleased for him, not just goals but his general (play) was really good. He’s important for us. As a wide player, there aren’t many around that are a constant goal threat like he is,” Postecoglou reflected.

“With Brennan, he’s always in the areas we need him to be. He’s probably one of the most disciplined players we have in terms of making sure he’s always in the right positions and that’s why he gets his goals.

“There have been times this season when his form has suffered because of the team more than anything else.

“I think like we played in the first half, Brennan becomes a really important player for us as we’re a constant threat, breaking lines, making half-space runs, we were getting balls into the box in the areas we need to and every time we went forward we looked like scoring.

“If we do that then I think it’s not a matter of confidence for Brennan, it just gives you more opportunities as the one thing about him is that he will always be in those positions so it’s up to us to match his discipline in that.”

Johnson missed out on a hat-trick after he won a stoppage-time spot-kick as Mathys Tel was given the ball by vice-captain Cristian Romero, but Spurs’ much-needed three points helped Postecoglou enjoy a rare drama-free day as Tottenham boss.

The 59-year-old was even able to keep Micky van de Ven “on ice” before Thursday’s last-eight first-leg tie where Richarlison – following a two-month injury lay-off – will be available after being an unused substitute against Southampton.

Postecoglou added: “Yeah, Destiny (Udogie) and Micky are fine. They have missed a lot of football this year so it made sense to put them on ice today.

“Richy is good. He’ll get a few more days in training and play a part from now on.”

Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale produced a string of fine saves at Tottenham, but it was not enough to prevent relegation and he is determined to help Saints past Derby’s record-low total of 11 points.

“It is a sad day and one that this group of players will learn from,” Ramsdale said.

“We want to get as many points as we can until the end of the season. No-one wants that record and we will do what we can to get more points on the board.”