tottenhamhotspurnews.com

Joe Hart dubs Richarlison ‘pest’ after what he did in Tottenham win vs Crystal Palace

Richarlison was a massive handful in Tottenham’s much-needed win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Tottenham ran out 1-0 victors at Selhurst Park after Archie Gray’s first senior goal helped the Lilywhites take all three points back to North London.

Richarlison was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet after having two goals ruled out for offside by VAR, but he did get the all-important assist for Gray’s first-half goal.

The win has propelled Spurs up to 11th in the Premier League, and while it’s not an ideal position for Thomas Frank, it’s certainly an improvement.

Joe Hart was a massive fan of Richarlison’s performance, and new stats from the game suggest exactly why the striker deserves his praise.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Joe Hart praises Richarlison for Tottenham’s winning goal

Dominic Solanke is currently injured, which has only benefited Richarlison‘s playing time.

The Brazilian is now on 10 goal contributions after flicking a header into the path of Gray from a corner, and it’s no surprise to see him finally receive his flowers.

Not only was Richarlison winning everything in the air, but he completed 100 per cent of his dribbles, and was key in creating goal-scoring opportunities for his Tottenham team-mates with three key passes.

While speaking on the BBC‘s Match of the Day, Hart detailed why he loved the number nine’s display so much.

Hart said: “When you want people to roll their sleeves up and play, that’s where people like Richarlison come to the fore. Now, there’s no doubt about it; if Solanke’s fit, he’s leading the line, but this season he’s just been a pest, hasn’t he?

“He’s got good numbers; he’s a real threat when he gets in. He makes it difficult. But look, tough game, scrappy, he’s really strong there [for the goal], flicks it on for Gray, and he gets his big moment.”

Hart kept highlighting moments where Richarlison was a nuisance for Oliver Glasner’s backline, as he was not only impressed with the forward’s contribution to Gray’s winner.

Richarlison now among elite Premier League club

Richarlison has started just 11 games in the league this season, but has a tremendous goal return of seven.

Not only that, but the 28-year-old has three assists and was obviously unfortunate not to have another two goals to his name from the match.

Regardless, the assist has now put him joint-third in the Premier League for the most goal contributions, sitting on 10 with Morgan Rogers and Hugo Ekitike.

Erling Haaland is leading the way with 23, but Antoine Semenyo, Bruno Fernandes, and Igor Thiago are the only individuals ahead of Richarlison in the charts.

Not many would have expected the striker to have had such a great season so far.

Christian Eriksen is like every other Tottenham fan when it comes to the prospect of Harry Kane returning to N17.

Kane has been linked with a Tottenham return ever since he left Hotspur Way for Bayern Munich back in the summer of 2023.

The England skipper has continued his usual goal-scoring tendencies over in Germany and has shown that he would still be able to cut it at Premier League level.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank has welcomed Kane to come back, but the Lilywhites know how hard it will be to recapture their greatest ever striker.

The Englishman’s former team-mate Eriksen has now revealed his thoughts on a potential Kane reunion in a recent interview.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Christian Eriksen talks on potential ‘special’ Harry Kane return

Eriksen left Spurs during the 2019-20 season following crunch talks with former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho.

The Dane has suffered with life-threatening challenges since departing N17, and plays with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in his chest after collapsing during a game at the 2020 Euro tournament.

Now playing for Wolfsburg in the same league as Kane, the creative midfielder has spoken about what it would mean to him to see his friend make a stunning return to Spurs.

Eriksen said, as quoted by The Sunday Times: “I would love to see him back at Spurs. From the outside, I would love to see that because it would be a special reunion both for him and the club.

“It’s his decision, right or wrong, but as a fan, it would be fun to watch.”

Kane’s contract with Bayern Munich contains a £57million release clause that has to be triggered by the end of the January transfer window for him to leave the German giants the following summer.

Tottenham are not short of money for Kane amid new update

There have been suggestions that Daniel Levy’s departure has actually boosted the Lilywhites’ chances of signing Kane, given his relationship with the Lewis family.

Joe Lewis now has the majority of control at Tottenham, and he’s planning to make big moves to aid Frank in the upcoming transfer window.

Tottenham have a £150million war chest for Frank to play with, which is more than enough to trigger Kane’s release clause.

Although Spurs are struggling at the moment, Kane still has the opportunity to break the all-time Premier League goal-scoring record if he comes back to England.

It’s just down to Tottenham to make the first move.

Ange Postecoglou has been through a rollercoaster of emotions since being sacked by Tottenham earlier this year.

Postecoglou was dismissed by Tottenham back in June, just two weeks after guiding the North London side to their first major trophy in 17 years.

Spurs beat Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao to win the Europa League, but it wasn’t enough for the Australian to keep his job.

Now, Postecoglou has been spotted back in Australia, going back to the club where he spent much of his own playing career.

Ange Postecoglou returns to South Melbourne FC

As a player, Postecoglou spent the vast majority of his time at South Melbourne Hellas in the National Soccer League.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The former Tottenham manager joined South Melbourne at the age of nine, rising through the youth ranks and eventually making 193 appearances for the senior side.

Postecoglou was involved in all four of the club’s league title wins, winning two as a player and another two as a manager.

Last week, the Australian returned to South Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium and was filmed as he was given a tour of his former home.

In a post on X, South Melbourne FC said: “Ange returns home. Our very own Ange Postecoglou returned home last week for a short visit back to his football home at South Melbourne Hellas.

“Seeing Ange back at Lakeside Stadium, smiling and reconnecting with familiar faces, meant a great deal to everyone at the club.

“The timing made it even more special, coming only weeks after South captured its first national league trophy in 26 years. An emotional return. Back where it all started.”

Who will Ange Postecoglou manage next?

After being dismissed by Tottenham, Postecoglou had a woeful spell in charge of Nottingham Forest, lasting just 39 days at the City Ground before being sacked.

The Australian has been linked with multiple jobs since his departure from Forest, but in reality, his stock has never been lower.

It seems unlikely that a Premier League club would take a risk on Postecoglou, given his failures at Spurs and Forest, so he would have to drop down to the Championship if he wanted a return to England.

Instead, the former Tottenham boss may decide to look overseas for his next role, maybe returning to international management.

If he can find some success away from England, Postecoglou would be able to rebuild his reputation away from the constant media scrutiny, before potentially coming back to the Premier League in a few years.

Manager issues Omar Marmoush transfer verdict amid Man City to Tottenham links

Omar Marmoush’s international manager has responded to transfer links between the Man City forward and Tottenham.

He is currently away with his country at the Africa Cup of Nations but Marmoush is reportedly wanted by Tottenham ahead of the January transfer window.

Spurs were previously linked with Marmoush before he headed to the Etihad in the winter window last year, where he scored seven goals in 16 Premier League appearances but was unable to help City defend their title.

Despite costing an initial £59 million less than 12 months ago there are suggestions that he could be on the move again, having failed to score in the top flight in 10 brief appearances, in part due to Erling Haaland’s incredible goalscoring form.

Hossam Hassan dismisses transfer distraction with Egypt

The 26-year-old has led the line in both of Egypt’s AFCON victories so far, scoring in the 2-1 opening victory over Zimbabwe.

MORE SPURS STORIES

And international coach Hossam Hassan has ruled out the possibility of any transfer uncertainty affecting performances in Morocco during the tournament, although he backed Marmoush to remain in the Premier League if he does move.

Hassan told media: “Marmoush would be an asset to any team in the English Premier League, and I hope he stays there.

“He has an agent who will discuss his future with him, but nothing will distract him from the Egyptian national team during the tournament, especially after his outstanding performance in the first match.”

Richarlison luck doomed at Spurs

Tottenham may have recorded a vital win at Crystal Palace on Sunday thanks to Archie Gray’s first senior goal but it only seemed to demonstrate Richarlison is one of the most unlucky players in the Premier League.

Despite being a talisman at Everton the Brazilian never seems to get the rub of the green as a Tottenham player, even when his scoring record is statistically pretty good.

He was infamous for celebrating an equaliser at Anfield in 2023 deep into stoppage time, only for the late Diogo Jota to score an even later winner to cancel it out, and suffered a similar fate when he scored a presumed winner against Man United last month, only for Matthijs de Ligt to put one in at the other end.

Couple that with his habit of scoring meaningless goals in defeats and he can’t seem to catch a break, as was displayed once more when he had two strikes ruled out by VAR for narrow offside calls at Selhurst Park.

If Dominic Solanke can ever get fit that is part of the reason why the Englishman will probably reprieve the starting spot, or why the likes of Marmoush could be sought from outside.

Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday amid pressure on Thomas Frank.

Frank took on Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park on 28 December, with the North London outfit taking a one-goal lead into the break.

Archie Gray scored his first goal for the Lilywhites in the 42nd minute, which was enough to secure the three points in South London.

Spurs have been linked with Glasner amid uncertainty about the former Brentford boss’ future in N17, but it remains to be seen whether he’s seen as the right candidate to take over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Oliver Glasner stubborn as Tottenham win vs Crystal Palace

Glasner seems very particular about his system, with Palace playing with three centre-backs since his appointment.

MORE SPURS STORIES

With Daniel Munoz and Chris Richards out, the Austrian manager opted to play Jefferson Lerma out of his natural defensive-midfield position as the third centre-back.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt boss’ stubbornness may not be an envious attribute for fans in N17, with Ruben Amorim not doing particularly well at Manchester United.

It seems like Glasner is incapable of changing his team’s style of play, and supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have seen how bad that can get, as the club finished 17th in the Premier League under Ange Postecoglou last season.

Crystal Palace a threat despite missing key players at Selhurst Park

Glasner has to be given credit for consistently putting Tottenham under pressure despite missing Daichi Kamada and Ismaila Sarr.

Palace arguably dominated the North London outfit in the first half and would surely be disappointed not to go into the break with at least a couple of goals already on the scoresheet.

Adam Wharton and Will Hughes dominated the middle of the park, with Jean-Philippe Mateta a constant nuisance for Spurs’ defence.

The Austrian manager was certainly let down by the lack of quality from the Eagles, with the Lilywhites unable to control the game.

Oliver Glasner not proactive in loss vs Tottenham

Glasner was too slow to make his substitutions against Tottenham, with Justin Devenny lasting 85 minutes despite scuffing several opportunities to create chances for Palace.

While it can be argued that the Eagles didn’t have many quality options on the bench due to their injury crisis, he wasn’t proactive in the changes he did make.

Eddie Nketiah came on at around the hour mark in place of Nathaniel Clyne, but it wasn’t until the 77th minute that another substitution was made, with Christantus Uche replacing Yeremy Pino.

The Austrian manager could’ve certainly done more during periods when the South London club were dominating play, and fans in N17 may not be convinced that he’s the right person to replace Frank after all.

Micky van de Ven was superb in Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.

After Richarlison had an early goal disallowed, Archie Gray opened the scoring for Tottenham with a close-range header.

The Brazilian had another goal chalked off in the 75th minute, but Spurs comfortably saw out the game to record their seventh Premier League win of the season.

The result moves Tottenham up to 11th in the table, and they have closed out a rollercoaster year with an impressive win against a side that started the day five places above them.

Van de Ven had a tough battle against Jean-Philippe Mateta, but the Dutch centre-back was imperious when defending against the striker.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Micky Van de Ven delivers captain’s performance for Tottenham

With Cristian Romero suspended after his red card against Liverpool, Van de Ven wore the armband for Spurs on Sunday.

Despite the underperformance of many players under Frank, Van de Ven has been Tottenham’s best player this season and has remained blameless for the majority of their poor performances.

Against Palace, he won 100 per cent of his ground duels as Spurs returned to winning ways on the road.

According to FotMob, Van de Ven had won just 38 per cent of his aerial duels prior to the win at Selhurst Park, a figure which is exceptionally low among Premier League centre-backs.

However, against a striker as dangerous as Mateta, who has registered the second-highest xG in the league this season (10.4), he seemed at ease with the threat he posed and made a total of six headed appearances.

Tottenham have never lost consecutive away games to Palace, and the 24-year-old ensured that record wouldn’t be broken in Spurs’ last match of 2025.

The Dutch defender has proved himself to be one of Tottenham’s best signings in the last decade, and there’s no reason to suggest why he shouldn’t be the club captain.

Micky van de Ven shows why he should be the Tottenham captain

Tottenham have a problem when it comes to their discipline as a whole, and the likes of Romero and Richarlison could learn from Van de Ven.

The Argentine is known for his hot-headed nature, and while it can prove to be useful at times, it’s often a liability.

Romero is tarnishing his reputation as the captain as he continues to face suspensions and miss crucial games that Spurs need him for.

Van de Ven has featured in every top-flight game this season, and not only does he look to be at peak fitness, but he looks to be back to his best after an injury-hit 2024-25.

There is no Tottenham player who is more valuable at the moment, and Frank may consider giving him the armband on a permanent basis in the near future.

Tottenham secured a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park to relieve some of the pressure on Thomas Frank.

Frank had been under heavy scrutiny following two straight defeats, but Archie Gray’s first half header ensured that Spurs took all three points back to North London.

Crystal Palace were clearly feeling the effects of a packed December schedule, but Tottenham were far from comfortable in victory.

The Lilywhites did have two goals disallowed, which would’ve put a shine on the scoreline, but Frank clearly still has a lot of work to do on the training ground.

Richarlison continues his good Tottenham form

Richarlison made a massive impact when he came on against Liverpool, and the Brazilian striker was heavily involved in proceedings once again in South London.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The 28-year-old was given a start by Frank following his cameo display last Saturday, and led the line well for Spurs.

Richarlison thought he had given Tottenham the lead after 17 minutes, but VAR ruled out the goal with Lucas Bergvall offside in the build up.

Gray did open the scoring just before the break, and Richarlison was involved once again, flicking the ball into the path of the midfielder who couldn’t miss from three yards out.

The centre-forward then had another goal chalked off in the second half, once again for offside, but his overall performance was still crucial for Frank’s side.

Thomas Frank hooks Randal Kolo Muani against Crystal Palace

After Xavi Simons was sent off against Liverpool, Frank opted to utilise Kolo Muani out on the left wing at Selhurst Park and allow Richarlison to play through the middle.

However, the 27-year-old was underwhelming once again for Tottenham, failing to have a real impact on the game.

Kolo Muani didn’t complete a single one of his four attempted dribbles against Crystal Palace, losing possession 13 times in total, despite only taking 26 touches.

The Paris Saint-Germain loanee could only manage a 64 per cent pass accuracy, and didn’t have a single shot at Selhurst Park

Frank clearly lost patience with Kolo Muani early in the second half, replacing him with Wilson Odobert on the 63rd minute.

Read More: Tottenham exit sealed as four-and-a-half-year January deal agreed prior to kick-off vs Crystal Palace

Tottenham player ratings vs Crystal Palace

Guglielmo Vicario – 6

Pedro Porro – 6

Kevin Danso – 6

Micky van de Ven – 7

Djed Spence – 5

Rodrigo Bentancur – 5

Archie Gray – 8

Lucas Bergvall – 5

Mohammed Kudus – 6

Randal Kolo Muani – 3

Richarlison – 8 – Man of the Match

Substitutions

Joao Palhinha (on for Bergvall ’63) – 6

Wilson Odobert (on for Kolo Muani ’63) – 7

Brennan Johnson (on for Kudus ’86) – 6

Radu Dragusin (on for Gray ’86) – 6

Tottenham fans were less than impressed with the performance of one of Thomas Frank’s regulars.

Tottenham secured a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday, though the result will do very little to paper over the cracks.

The general performance was still far away from what it needs to be if Spurs are to keep progressing up the Premier League table, with Frank still under a lot of pressure to keep his job.

However, on this occasion, the attention was diverted away from Frank and focused on one of his regular starters, who fans are quickly getting sick of.

Pedro Porro slammed for Tottenham display vs Crystal Palace

Since joining on a permanent deal in 2023, Pedro Porro has featured 115 times for Tottenham, and more often than not, as a starter.

MORE SPURS STORIES

That has again been the case this season, with the Spaniard starting in all but two of his Premier League appearances, much to the annoyance of Tottenham fans.

The Spurs fullback registered a remarkable 13 goal contributions last season, eight of which were in the Premier League, but has looked a shadow of himself in the current campaign, with fans in full agreement over the 26-year-old after his display at Selhurst Park.

One supporter on X said: “Pedro Porro having a disaster of a season, absolutely terrible week in week out,” while another exclaimed, “This version of Porro that we’ve seen so far this season might be one of the most useless players I’ve seen.”

Another labelled Porro as a “liability”, and it’s a commonly held opinion, with one supporter explaining how Tottenham must upgrade on the Spaniard as a priority.

Porro’s stats vs Crystal Palace speak volumes about his downfall

It wasn’t that long ago that Porro was in the conversation for being the best right-back in the Premier League, though those claims have died down signficantly this season.

Of course, Tottenham as a whole have been underwhelming this season, making it hard to pinpoint the blame on one player, but Porro will know himself that he needs to do a lot more to warrant his place in the team.

Via Sofascore, the Spaniard completed just 53 per cent of his 43 attempted passes and found a teammate with just one of his five attempted crosses.

Of those passes that came in the Palace half, only 43 per cent were accurate.

Attacking is usually his strength, though that was not the case against the Eagles, and his defensive numbers weren’t any better.

Porro won just three of his seven defensive duels, while being dribbled past on two occasions.

A major improvement is needed, or he will be at risk of being pushed away from the starting 11 one way or another, just months after he was one of the untouchables.

The Premier League Match Centre has provided an update after Tottenham saw a potentially-valuable goal ruled out at Selhurst Park.

Tottenham took on Crystal Palace in the Sunday afternoon kickoff needing to bounce back after consecutive defeats against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool.

Exit-linked striker Richarlison looked to have set Spurs well on their way early on in South London when he found the net in the 17th minute.

But a VAR review followed and turned the visitors’ celebrations to disappointment as the strike was disallowed for offside elsewhere.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Lucas Bergvall offside as Richarlison strike ruled out

Pedro Porro had combined with Lucas Bergvall down the right as the Spaniard had exchanged passes with the Norwegian before sending a delightful cross into the six-yard box.

Richarlison seized on it to turn home, after scoring at the City Ground last time out, but Bergvall was penalised for being beyond the last defender before he returned the ball to Porro.

The Premier League Match Centre issued an official clarification via X after the decision was made.

Archie Gray did eventually manage to give Tottenham the lead when he scored just before the interval with his first goal in senior football, nodding in from inside the six-yard box after Richarlison’s flick on at a corner.

The update said: “VAR checked the referee’s call of goal – and established that Bergvall was in an offside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was disallowed.“

Dominic Solanke return to add to Richarlison woes

Richarlison seems destined to forever be considered a disappointment at Spurs since his big-money move from Everton.

There is plenty of blame to go around for the struggles under Thomas Frank this term, but the Brazilian’s scoring record isn’t actually that bad.

He came into the game at Palace as the Premier League’s joint-fifth top scorer alongside Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers.

But his habit of scoring in losing efforts means his impact hasn’t been overly beneficial to Spurs, and may not be enough to save his place in the XI when Dominic Solanke is finally fit.

The Englishman has barely featured since Frank took over thanks to injury but, assuming the Dane stays in charge long enough to benefit, seems likely to be drafted in as the regular stater whenever he is available.

One of the key figures behind the scenes at Tottenham is set to depart ahead of the January transfer window.

Tottenham face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park now, looking to end the year with a win and relieve some of the pressure on Thomas Frank.

Then, attention will turn to the January transfer window, with several reinforcements needed in North London to push up the Premier League table.

However, Spurs’ ability to take full advantage of the market may have just taken a hit after the latest exit news.

Fabio Paratici’s Tottenham exit now set

Tottenham have made some questionable transfers over the years, but a lot of their success has come down to Fabio Paratici and his knowledge of the European market.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison and Lucas Bergvall all arrived at Tottenham due to Paratici’s influence, and his initial return was met with a lot of optimism.

However, that knowledge now looks as though it will have to be replaced, with the Italian heading for the exit.

That is according to Marco Conterio, who reported via X that Paratici is set to join Serie A outfit Fiorentina as their new Head of Football.

The Italian has a four-and-a-half year contract ready for him there, with the move described as the start of the “revolution” at Fiorentina.

As for Tottenham, they will now be on the lookout for their replacement.

What did Thomas Frank say about Paratici exit?

Paratici’s exit from Tottenham has been mooted for a few days now, and that will likely have allowed Spurs to start identifying potential replacements.

However, when the rumours first emerged, Thomas Frank remained tight-lipped and instead put his full focus on the Crystal Palace encounter.

“I think, first and foremost, it’s not the first rumour I need to speak about,” the Spurs boss said.

“If it’s a staff director or player, in general, I’m not speaking about that. I just try to focus on the Crystal Palace game and probably also something for someone higher up in the club.”

As to how he reacts to the latest developments remains to be seen, though he will be unlikely to have too much of a say, if any at all, in who replaces him.