TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are both interested in signing young non-league defender Jack Taylor, TBR Football exclusively understands.

Ange Postecoglou is enduring several issues with his Tottenham defence right now and Graham Potter is yet to settle on a firm back four at West Ham – with Taylor now emerging as a surprise option for both clubs.

Sutton decided to recall Taylor in January given how much he was impressing in the National League South, and the defender is now a regular starter for manager Steve Morison.

Tottenham and West Ham interested in young English centre-back Jack Taylor

TBR football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey understands that Tottenham and West Ham have both been watching Taylor in the last few weeks, such has been his progress.

Both London clubs had scouts in place to see the young defender earn a Player of the Match display as Sutton caused a big upset against high-flying York City recently.

Taylor made two appearances for Sutton in League Two last season, but his stock has now risen immensely following his development this term.

In addition to Spurs and West Ham, Crystal Palace, Charlton Athletic, Millwall and Peterborough United have all been checking on the defender since before Christmas.

Swapping non-league football for any of the clubs mentioned would obviously be a huge step up for Taylor, but his progress is attracting a lot of interest.

Taylor was recently described as a ‘brilliant’ defender by Sutton Academy manager Jimmy Dack, who has helped mastermind all of his recent success.

Non-league success stories in the Premier League

Were Taylor to make a sensational move to the English top flight from non-league, he wouldn’t be the first player to do so.

Jamie Vardy is often the first success story to come to mind, who turned out for all of Stocksbridge Park Steels, Halifax Town and Fleetwood Town before joining Leicester City in 2012.

But West Ham do actually have their very own non-league star too, their captain Jarrod Bowen.

The England international didn’t join straight from non-league football but he did appear as a 17-year-old for Hereford United in 2014 who were battling relegation at the time.

And in addition to Bowen, Max Kilman also spent time playing in the lower tiers of English football for clubs like Welling United, Maidenhead United and Marlow before he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018.

A rare career path, but perhaps Taylor will be dreaming of eventually adding his own name to that list.

TBR Football can exclusively reveal that Tottenham Hotspur have been doing work on Rangers striker Hamza Igamane in recent weeks.

Tottenham are keen to sign an attacker in the final week of the transfer window after learning that Dominic Solanke will be sidelined for six weeks.

Ange Postecoglou’s team already needed another forward, however, Solanke’s knee injury has only heightened the need for a new forward to be brought in this month.

The North London club have now started work on a potential deal for the Rangers striker who is impressing north of the border this season.

Tottenham working on Hamza Igamane deal

Tottenham have been watching Hamza Igamane ahead of making a potential move for the striker, sources have told TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey.

Rangers’ chances of keeping hold of the 22-year-old are seen as slim with Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brighton, Brentford and Fulham having all made checks on him.

Everton have also been watching Igamane, as TBR Football has previously revealed, following his £1.7 million move to the Scottish club only last summer.

Spurs watched the Morrocan international score a hat-trick at Hibernian and also find the back of the net in their recent win over Aberdeen.

The North London club have been working on a deal for the youngster and will now need to decide which forward they plan to move for this month.

Hamza Igamane’s goal-scoring record this season

Igamane only arrived at Rangers in the summer following a low-cost move from the Morrocan side, FAR Rabat.

Rangers paid £1.7 million to sign the 22-year-old after he netted seven times in the Morrocan top flight last season and his goal-scoring form has continued in Scotland.

So far this campaign, Igamane has 13 goals in 26 appearances for the Scottish club and has netted four times in the Europa League, more than Dominic Solanke and Son Heung-min.

Spurs will certainly be taking a risk on a player who hasn’t spent much time at the top level, however, they are desperate to land a new attacker this month.

We’re heading into the final week of the January transfer window, and Tottenham are yet to really get moving.

Tottenham have only made one signing so far in this window in the shape of Antonin Kinsky.

Kinsky has received praise since joining Tottenham, but Spurs’ results as of late have been awful.

Tottenham have lost five of their last six league games, and it’s fair to say they need some fresh blood in the squad to get moving in the right direction.

Tottenham have tried to make signings this month. Spurs wanted Randal Kolo Muani on loan, but the Frenchman has headed to Juventus instead.

Spurs were looking into loan deals earlier this month, but according to David Ornstein, speaking on The Athletic FC YouTube channel, Tottenham may now change their plans and start looking at more permanent deals.

Tottenham could look into permanent deals in final week of transfer window

Ornstein shared what he knows about Tottenham’s transfer plans as we head into the business end of the January window.

According to the journalist, Tottenham do have money to spend, and given their current struggles, they may look to spend that money and make some permanent moves this month.

“I think Tottenham have some work to do. There is financial room to manouvre and in the attacking line and in the defensive line they would like to strnegthn if they can. Initially it sounded like they would do some loans after the arrival of Kinsky, but they perhaps they could go down the permanent route now as they’re struggling so much with injuries and struggling so much in the Premier League,” Ornstein said.

Tottenham’s past January signings

It’s always alarming when you have work to do in the final week of the transfer window, but, somehow, Spurs do seem to find good deals in January.

Indeed, when you look at Spurs’ recent January business, you can see that they can find some real talents in January.

Pedro Porro, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur remain key players for Tottenham to this day, and while the jury is still out on Radu Dragusin, he still has time to grow and improve at Spurs.

Lucas Moura provided Spurs with perhaps their greatest moment in recent history with his hat-trick against Ajax in the 2019 Champions League semi-final, while Steven Bergwijn was a decent enough attacking option during his time in north London.

Spurs could do a lot worse than finding a player of Moura or Bergwijn’s quality in the final week of this January window.

Tottenham forward Timo Werner could finally see his miserable spell at the club come to and end with a move to the MLS now a distinct possibility.

Werner is currently on loan at Tottenham after the club decided to keep him after last season and he has been a regular for Ange Postecoglou.

However, Werner has once again struggled to make an impact this season and has scored just the one goal in 26 appearances this season.

Now, though, his time with the club could be coming to an end.

Timo Werner could leave Tottenham for New York Redbulls

According to a report from Foot Mercato, MLS side New York Redbulls are making a move to sign Timo Werner and take him off Tottenham’s hands.

It’s claimed that New York are wanting to press ahead with a deal for Werner, effectively ending his time with Spurs immediately rather than him seeing the season out.

As we know, Werner is contracted by RB Leipzig, meaning a move to New York should be simple enough to get done.

Werner has been linked with a move to Napoli this month but now, it looks like the MLS could be his next destination.

MLS could bring Werner back to life

Timo Werner’s career has been a strange one to witness.

He has gone from being a player both Liverpool and Chelsea were in a tug of war over, to being a player who simply doesn’t seem to be able to hit the back of the net.

His form in Germany before moving to England was superb but for whatever reason, he seems to have lost all his confidence and has struggled massively.

It says it all if Tottenham – despite their injuries – are willing to let Werner go.

However, the MLS could be the new lease of life he needs to get back on track and Leipzig may well be hoping this is the case, so they can eventually sell him for some money.

Tottenham Hotspur are yet to address their key issues in the ongoing winter window.

Spurs have had so many injuries this season. The likes of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have spent months on the sidelines, while Destiny Udogie is out injured as well.

Dominic Solanke is also out for over a month now due to injury, and that has left Tottenham short of options at both ends of the pitch.

Ange Postecoglou is desperate for incomings, but so far, it has just been Antonin Kinsky. The Spurs boss wants more, but he is aware of the possibility that nothing could happen.

Fabrizio Romano shares Tottenham’s plans in the final days of the window

January is always a difficult window.

Clubs rarely want to lose their big players in the middle of the season, and transfer demands in this period are usually higher than in the summer.

That complicates things for clubs like Tottenham as selling teams know that they are desperate. That’s why Postecoglou recently admitted that his side could actually end up with no new signings even though they are working hard on the market (Standard).

That has left many Spurs fans worried, but Fabrizio Romano has some positive news for the supporters.

The journalist has revealed that his sources at the club are still saying that ‘there will be movement’ at Tottenham in the final days of the window.

Romano told GiveMeSport: “No concrete update yet, but Spurs are surely expected to bring in new players before the end of the window.

“Sources believe there will be movements.”

Tottenham have to make two signings before the transfer window shuts

Tottenham are 15th in the Premier League table after 22 games.

That is simply not good enough, and if their form in the league does not improve in the next few weeks, they could find themselves close to the relegation zone.

That is why Spurs need new additions, and the two positions they have to strengthen in the coming days are centre-back and a new striker.

TBR Football revealed that Tottenham will definitely try to sign a new forward after Solanke’s injury, while Postecoglou has been looking for reinforcements in defence from the start of the window.

It remains to be seen who Spurs will go after in the coming days.

Tottenham Hotspur are making a real name for themselves as a football club that gives youth a chance.

From signing young talents to bringing academy players through, Tottenham have been giving opportunities to plenty of young players of late.

On Thursday night, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou handed a senior debut to another academy gem in Callum Olusesi.

The 17-year-old midfielder came on as a late substitute in the 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in the Europa League.

Postecoglou, speaking ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Leicester City, spoke highly of Olusesi and shared what happens now.

Ange Postecoglou praises ‘great’ Tottenham gem Callum Olusesi but admits he’s got a long way to go

Postecoglou, speaking to football.london, says Olusesi has been “great” for Tottenham, who have high hopes for him.

However, the Spurs boss admitted that Olusesi still has a “long way to go” before he can be considered an established first-team player.

“Yeah we’ve had quite a few young boys training with the group,” began Postecoglou.

“And obviously with the situation we’re in, it’s allowed them to understand what it takes to even train at this level and Callum’s been great.

“He’s obviously a very talented young player and he’s one of the ones we’ve got high hopes for.

“Obviously he got a taste of it (Thursday) night, which is great for him and for his family.

“Hopefully it gives him encouragement, but he’s still got a long way to go in terms of becoming part of the first-team.

“I guess in all these scenarios you hope the experiences they gain fuels it even further although he’s a very motivated young player and we’ve got high hopes for him.”

What Yaya Toure has said about Olusesi

Yaya Toure, one of the best midfielders of his generation, was a coach at Tottenham’s academy earlier this decade.

On Friday, Toure praised Olusesi and Mikey Moore on Instagram after they both featured against Hoffenheim.

“I am delighted to see Mikey Moore and Callum Olusesi progressing in their careers as young players I worked with during my time at Spurs’ academy,” he wrote.

“Both are great young people and very talented. I know they will keep working hard. Seeing them on the pitch together last night was great! Keep going lads!!”

In recent years, Tottenham Hotspur have made a name for themselves as a club that gives youth a chance.

Harry Kane is a prime example of that and is widely considered one of the greatest players to ever wear the Tottenham shirt.

More recently, the likes of Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray have joined Spurs and become established first-teamers.

In addition, Ange Postecoglou has given opportunities to the likes of Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear and Jamie Donley during his time at N17.

Now, former Tottenham academy coach Yaya Toure has singled two Tottenham youngsters out for praise.

Yaya Toure backs Mikey Moore and Callum Olusesi for bright future at Tottenham

Toure posted a video on his Instagram in which he praised Spurs duo Mikey Moore and Callum Olusesi.

Moore and Olusesi featured in Tottenham’s 3-2 win over Hoffenheim which saw Postecoglou’s team move into the top eight of the Europa League group stage.

Toure described both players as “great young people” and “very talented”, backing them to keep up the good work and become a success.

“I am delighted to see Mikey Moore and Callum Olusesi progressing in their careers as young players I worked with during my time at Spurs’ academy,” he wrote.

“Both are great young people and very talented. I know they will keep working hard. Seeing them on the pitch together last night was great! Keep going lads!!”

Toure also said in the clip: “There’s two players I want to congratulate from Tottenham’s academy. Mikey Moore and Callum Olusesi.

“In terms of the development and the involvement with the first team, brilliant. I think Tottenham fans, you should be happy about that.

“Don’t forget they have a lot to do, they have a lot of work in front of them. But I think and believe they’re going to succeed.”

What Moore told Olusesi which came true in Tottenham win over Hoffenheim

Moore and Olusesi have spoken about playing together for Tottenham for many years, and on Thursday it became a reality.

After the game, Moore said on X: “Congrats brother, something we’ve dreamed of and spoken about for years playing together for this club. Proud of you mate.”

Tottenham travelled to Germany with 14 players unavailable and could only name an eight-man bench which included two goalkeepers and six teenagers.

Spurs ended the game with five teenagers on the pitch, which highlights how much Postecoglou trusts in the youth – but also how limited his options are.

Tottenham Hotspur have endured an incredibly difficult season with many of their top players having spent considerable time on the sidelines.

Even though the likes of Richarlison and Mikey Moore have returned to action in recent weeks, Tottenham’s absence list remains in double figures.

Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner, Djed Spence, Yves Bissouma and Wilson Odobert are all currently unavailable.

Spurs have been so unlucky this season that they’ve been without both of their first-choice centre-backs, Van de Ven and Romero, for a large part of the campaign.

However, both of them could be back sooner rather than later, according to Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou.

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero could be back in time for Carabao Cup semi-final second leg

Postecoglou, speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, hinted that both Van de Ven and Romero could be back by early February.

They could be back for when Tottenham face Liverpool in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on 6 February, then Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round three days later.

“Of the long-terms, they are the only two, Micky and Romero, who have a chance of that week. But we’ve still got sort of 12 days or something,” Postecoglou told football.london.

“Part of that process is to see how they cope with training over the next week or so. Both of them are scheduled around that sort of time to be available.”

Postecoglou said in quotes published on football.london earlier on Friday: “Him and Micky are the next cabs off the rank in terms of the long-term ones. They’ve still got a bit to do in terms of getting some training into them with the team.

“Obviously we haven’t been training a lot and because the other day was sort of low tempo session, it was just good to get him involved, not just for him but the players involved because they need a bit of help and encouragement and Cuti training with them gives them a big lift.”

The current situation with Van de Ven and Romero

Van de Ven hasn’t played since the Carabao Cup win over Manchester City in October due to a hamstring injury.

He has clocked up just 894 minutes of game time for Tottenham this season, spread over 11 games.

Romero has been out with a quad injury, although he returned to training on Wednesday ahead of Spurs’ win in Hoffenheim.

However, he did not travel to Germany, with Postecoglou wary of rushing him back into action.

Romero has 1,118 minutes of game time under his belt for Spurs this term, across 14 games.

Tottenham Hotspur hit the ground running in the January transfer window but things have slowed down on that front since then.

Spurs were quick out of the starting blocks with the signing of Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague.

However, Tottenham haven’t made any more signings, and it’s not as though they haven’t tried.

Randal Kolo Muani was Tottenham’s top target in the winter transfer window, but he’s now set to join Juventus.

Spurs have been linked with a host of outfield players amid an injury crisis that has hampered the team’s form this term.

Now, former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood has spoken about what Spurs should look to do – and what they need to avoid – in the January window.

Tim Sherwood tells Tottenham ‘everyone will be open’ to a loan signing

Sherwood, speaking to Sky Sports News, said “the last thing” Tottenham would want to do is panic buy someone who isn’t right for Spurs in the long term.

However, he believes “everyone will be open” to a loan signing who can make up the numbers in the short term.

“They need to if they can,” Sherwood began when asked whether Spurs need to carry out some more January transfer business.

“But the last thing you want to do is bring someone in who shouldn’t be anywhere near a Tottenham shirt in the long run, just for the sake of a body.”

“If you can get a loan signing in then everyone will be open to that – you’re not going to commit yourself to a long-term deal with huge, huge money.

“The trouble is centre-backs is where they are struggling at the moment.

“You go and bring a centre-back in and at the end of the month, middle of February, they are all fit. Van de Ven is fit, Romero is fit – what do you do with the new signing?

“Unless you can get someone who is better than them two [that’s a different story] but very difficult to find.”

Players Tottenham have recently been linked with

Tottenham are keen on signing Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu. with Destiny Udogie ruled out with a hamstring injury for six to 10 weeks.

Tottenham have been offered Barcelona’s Eric Garcia as well to bolster their backline, while Spurs are keen on signing Thomas Kristensen from Udinese as well.

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey recently confirmed that Ansu Fati and Noah Okafor have been proposed to Tottenham.

In terms of defenders, Tottenham would ideally like a left-sider, and interest on Slovakian duo Milan Skiniar and David Hancko is strong.

Ange Postecoglou would be hoping that Tottenham Hotspur can help ease his burden by making moves in the winter transfer window.

Tottenham are in the midst of an injury crisis that could explain why they are having such a bitterly disappointing season.

Ange Postecoglou has done far too much groundwork for his Spurs side to languish in 15th place in the Premier League for far too long.

Pape Matar Sarr has suffered a fresh injury while Yves Bissouma has sustained a hamstring strain as well.

One of the names the Lilywhites are interested in signing is Patrick Dorgu, who Tottenham have contacted in the last 24 hours — as exclusively revealed by TBR Football.

Ange Postecoglou confirms Tottenham could make no more January signings

Tottenham have been offered Eric Garcia as well to bolster their backline.

While Tottenham are keen on signing Thomas Kristensen from Udinese as well.

However, ahead of Spurs’ clash against Hoffenheim in the Europa League, Ange Postecoglou confirmed the possibility that his side will make no signings this January after the addition of Antonin Kinsky.

Postecoglou said via Football.London: “Yeah, potentially. The club is working hard to get some help for the players. As far as I’m aware there’s nothing imminent but in the last week of the window things happen quickly.”

The lack of any transfer activity is not the best news for Ange Postecoglou as question marks have emerged about him through multiple reports.

Some Tottenham players have complained about Postecoglou’s training methods as his demands are considered quite intense on an injury-raved squad.

Other Tottenham players worry about Ange Postecoglou’s tactics being overtly attacking as they would like to play more conservatively in certain games.

The mood at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is far from rosy, with Postecoglou’s side losing 3-2 to Everton at Goodison Park.

Daniel Levy not thinking of sacking Ange Postecoglou

Recently, TBR Football revealed that Daniel Levy has no plans to sack Ange Postecoglou.

The belief within closed doors is that the former Celtic boss can turn things around.

As a result, Daniel Levy will continue to back the Australian’s corner.

But it goes without saying that Ange Postecoglou’s latest admission is a cause for concern.

Especially for Spurs supporters, who like their squad to be refreshed with new signings this month.

Apart from bringing in Kinsky in January, Tottenham largely brought in young players.

Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall have impressed but the Tottenham pair are just 18 years old.

Apart from the experienced Dominic Solanke, who is 26, all their other signings have been teenage talents.

With tough tests to come against Leicester City, Brentford, Manchester United, Ipswich Town and Manchester City, Tottenham could really regret not strengthening their squad if that does end up being the case.