TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur have made one signing so far in the January transfer window, bringing Antonin Kinsky to N17 from Slavia Prague.

Spurs signed the 21-year-old in a deal worth £12.5million as they reinforced their goalkeeping ranks in wake of Guglielmo Vicario’s injury and Fraser Forster’s illness.

Kinsky enjoyed a fruitful debut for Tottenham as they got the better of Liverpool in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.

Tottenham legend Graham Roberts praised Kinsky, while Spurs fans also expressed their delight with their new signing’s debut.

However, Kinsky struggled against Arsenal as Tottenham lost 2-1 in the North London derby.

Ange Postecoglou, speaking ahead of Spurs’ Premier League meeting with Everton, shared what he has made of Kinsky’s time at N17 so far.

The Tottenham boss also shared what “enormous benefit” the club will be getting from Kinsky and what they’re doing with him.

Antonin Kinsky has ‘all the attributes’ Tottenham want from a goalkeeper

Postecoglou acknowledged to football.london that Tottenham have given Kinsky a baptism of fire.

However, the Spurs boss believes throwing him in at the deep end is helping him gain experience quickly, which will be of benefit to player and team.

Postecoglou also said Kinsky is a “very assured young man” with “all the attributes” Tottenham want from a goalkeeper.

“It’s fair to say we have thrown him in at the deep end,” said Postecoglou. “He has had three pretty big challenges in different ways.

“He is certainly gaining experience very quickly when you look at the games he has played and the challenges within that.

“I think he has handled it really well. I said from day one, he is a very assured young man.

“From a goalkeeping aspect he has all the attributes we are looking for and feel would be a good fit for us.

“Like I said, we have thrown him in at the deep end but we will get enormous benefit from that.”

Who else could join Tottenham after Kinsky

Kinsky is a much-needed signing for Tottenham in wake of the issues that have impacted on Vicario and Forster.

However, Spurs aren’t done yet in the January transfer window.

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey understands that Tottenham are still working on a number of deals for January.

A new defender is a priority and Spurs would ideally like a left-sided defender, with Slovakian duo Milan Skiniar and David Hancko on their radar.

As for attacking players, a couple of names that have been put to Spurs in recent days include Barcelona winger Ansu Fati and AC Milan forward Noah Okafor.

Tottenham Hotspur were really poor against Arsenal in the North London Derby.

Spurs started the game without any intent. They were passive for large parts of the first half and gave Arsenal the time and space they needed to dictate the game.

That cost Tottenham and even though the score was just 2-1, it was complete domination from Arsenal.

Ange Postecoglou was a frustrated man after the game at the Emirates, but he has now claimed that one player’s performance off the bench was actually ‘really good’.

Ange Postecoglou impressed by Richarlison’s cameo vs Arsenal

Richarlison has had a really difficult season.

The Brazil international has only been able to play 185 minutes of football across all competitions this term because of injuries.

He has had to work extremely hard behind the scenes to come back, and he finally got his opportunity against Arsenal in the derby.

Richarlison only played the final 12 minutes of the game at the Emirates, but that was enough for Postecoglou to be impressed.

The Tottenham boss said, as per Football London: “I thought he was really good when he came on the other night, you could see his quality.

“He is one of these guys that does lead by example, particularly when he plays. It’s great to have him back. With Richy, it’s about him gaining confidence in his body as well. We can do that in the next few weeks.”

What happened the last time Richarlison played away against Everton

Tottenham take on Everton next in what will be a tricky game.

David Moyes is back at the helm at Goodison Park, and the Scot is more than capable of frustrating Spurs and getting a result over them.

Richarlison’s return is a huge boost for Tottenham. He loves Everton and enjoys playing at Goodison Park.

The last time he was there with Spurs was in February last year – he scored both goals in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw there.

Postecoglou has confirmed that Richarlison will get more minutes against Everton. It will be interesting to see how he will fare.

Ange Postecoglou really wants to sign new players for Tottenham Hotspur in this window.

Spurs have done a good job in the domestic cups, but their form in the Premier League has been nothing short of disastrous.

Tottenham have won just one of their last 10 fixtures in the league. That win came against 20th-placed Southampton, who have lost 17 of the 21 games they have played.

Things need to change at Spurs, and a few signings in this window could make a big difference. But, one player Postecoglou wanted to sign is no longer an option.

Ange Postecoglou admits Tottenham ‘were in’ for Randal Kolo Muani

Randal Kolo Muani was Tottenham’s top target in the winter transfer window.

Spurs have been on the lookout for a new attacker, and the £77 million (Mail) PSG star was the one they wanted to sign for a few weeks now.

Reports claimed that the North Londoners were even close to wrapping up a deal for the Frenchman at one point, but Tottenham have missed out.

Kolo Muani has completed his medical at Juventus ahead of a loan move to the Turin club until the end of the season.

TBR Football exclusively revealed that Tottenham were internally gutted that they missed out on Kolo Muani in this window.

In his press conference ahead of Tottenham’s game against Everton, Postecoglou confirmed that his side were definitely interested in Kolo Muani.

He said, as per Football London: “We were in… Well, it depends what you mean for in. We’ve been interested and were looking at a number of players.

“But did we get to the point where we thought he was coming to us? No.”

What Tottenham could do now in the transfer window

Kolo Muani would’ve been a good fit at Tottenham, but he’s not the only player on the market.

Spurs have other plans in this transfer window, and TBR Football exclusively revealed the two forwards and two defenders who Tottenham could sign this month.

Barcelona star Ansu Fati and Noah Okafor of RB Leipzig have both been put to Spurs in recent days. The two forwards are both available in this window.

At the back, PSG’s Milan Skriniar and Feyenoord’s David Hancko are options for Postecoglou.

Tottenham are open to doing a deal for Hancko, who will cost around £30 million. But, Juventus are currently leading the race for his signature.

Tottenham Hotspur have had to deal with a lot of injury issues this season, which has culminated in them currently sitting 14th in the Premier League table.

Spurs have been without a multitude of key players, including first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and key centre-back duo Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario.

Although Tottenham have been trying their best to soldier on, results have been mixed, and there’s no doubt that reinforcements are needed.

TalkSPORT’s Simon Jordan has now spoken about Spurs’ strength in depth, naming three players he feels are not the kind that will help a team win silverware.

Simon Jordan not impressed with Tottenham trio James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner

Jordan has claimed that the likes of James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner are not players that will help Tottenham kick on as a club.

The former Crystal Palace chairman acknowledged that Spurs can get good results, but he feels that the side “doesn’t seem to change” even with big-money reinforcements.

Jordan said on talkSPORT: “There’s been games in there where they’ve beaten… I went to watch the quarter-final of the [Carabao] Cup against Manchester United and what I saw was two very poor sides.

“But they won a cup quarter-final against Manchester United, they’ve smashed Southampton 5-0, there are some results in there.

“The challenge for me is I look at players like [James] Maddison, I look at some of the signings.

“Maddison’s a good player, technically he’s a good player, but do you win things with players like James Maddison?

“I look at some of the signings like Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner, Timo Werner is a speedboat without a brain.

“I look at these guys and I think, ‘How are Tottenham going to kick on as a football club?’

“Despite spending decent money on [Dominic] Solanke and decent money every single year now.

You can’t argue that Spurs are spending a few quid but the side doesn’t seem to change.”

Who Tottenham could now sign in the January transfer window

Spurs could certainly do with bringing in reinforcements as Postecoglou looks to update and improve his squad with each passing transfer window.

Tottenham have already brought in a reinforcement in between the sticks, signing Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague.

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has now also confirmed that Spurs are looking at two defenders, with two attackers being put forward to the club.

Tottenham are interested in Paris Saint-Germain’s Milan Skriniar and Feyenoord’s David Hancko, central defenders who can also play at left-back.

TBR Football also understands that names that have been put to Spurs in recent days include Barcelona winger Ansu Fati and AC Milan forward Noah Okafor.

TBR Football can exclusively confirm what Tottenham Hotspur have planned for the remainder of the January transfer window.

Spurs have already made one signing this month, with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky arriving from Slavia Prague.

With Tottenham struggling for form amid a spate of injuries, there is a need for Ange Postecoglou to strengthen his squad.

Now, TBR Football can reveal what players Spurs are now looking at, with just over two weeks left before the transfer window shuts.

Tottenham eyeing Milan Skriniar and David Hancko as Ansu Fati and Noah Okafor put forward to Spurs

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey understands that Tottenham are still working on a number of deals for January with a new defender still the priority.

Spurs have limited funds to do a permanent deal this month and would like to do loan moves, potentially with options.

Spurs came close to landing Randal Kolo Muani, but that was not seen as filling a major hole in the squad but a move for a player they were huge fans of.

That being said, Tottenham are still looking at loan options for a forward.

We understand a couple of names that have been put to Spurs in recent days include Barcelona winger Ansu Fati and AC Milan forward Noah Okafor.

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

Skriniar is available on-loan from Paris Saint-Germain, but carries substantial wages – nonetheless, he is open to the idea of a move to England.

Galatasaray are also pushing hard for the 29-year-old and are holding talks with him.

Juventus also have an interest in Skriniar, but as it stands they are preferring Hancko – the Feyenoord defender, and international colleague of Skriniar.

Hancko is of interest to Spurs and they would be open to a deal, with Feyenoord looking at close to £30million.

However, Juventus have an advantage as they can offer Facundo Gonzalez – who is currently on-loan at De Kuip.

David Hancko factfile

David Hancko is a 27-year-old central defender who plays for Feyenoord and represents Slovakia at international level.

He has made 119 appearances for Feyenoord, along with 102 outings for Sparta Prague, 40 for MSK Zilina, and five for Fiorentina. He has also won 48 caps for Slovakia.

Hancko’s main strengths are his progressing passing and carrying, which is crucial to advancing his team up the field and creating dangerous opportunities.

He’s also a superb crosser of the ball and, along with these traits, he’s also a defender of the highest calibre.

Hancko produced an impressive performance when he was tasked with marking Erling Haaland when the pair met in the Champions League back in November.

Although Haaland managed to score twice, however, it wasn’t enough as Feyenoord snatched a point at the Etihad.

The Tottenham target even managed to get an 89th-minute equaliser as he headed home from close range.

Tottenham Hotspur have a defensive crisis on their hands right now.

There’s no getting around it, Spurs’ defence is a mess at the minute.

Archie Gray is an 18-year-old midfielder playing at centre-half every week, while Djed Spence was frozen out of the squad last year, but now he’s starting at left-back.

Gray is happy to play at centre-back, but a look at Tottenham’s recent results shows that it’s not great for the team.

Luckily for Spurs, the January transfer window is open, and help could be on the way.

Speaking on Last Word on Spurs, Mike McGrath has been discussing Tottenham and the idea of signing a new centre-back.

As much as Spurs do need a new defender, according to the journalist, it will be difficult for Spurs to make such a signing, with McGrath claiming that nothing is close as of right now.

Tottenham not close to new centre-back signing

McGrath shared what he knows about Tottenham’s situation.

Spurs are apparently not close to signing a new centre-half, and this is said to be a difficult market as things stand.

“I think that it is a really difficult market for them. At this moment in time I’m not hearing that Spurs are close on a centre-back. I’m sure they have targets from across Europe who are gettable and available, but it’s extremely difficult. You look at players who are available and it’s players who aren’t in the team really,” McGrath said.

Which centre-backs do Tottenham want?

Spurs may not be close to signing a new centre-back, but they do have some targets in mind.

Indeed, Spurs have been linked with a few new defensive options during this transfer window already.

Ko Itakura has been linked with Tottenham recently, while Spurs were in talks to sign Milan Skriniar earlier this month.

Unfortunately, by the sounds of things, neither of those deals are close to being done just yet, but there’s still over two weeks to go in the window.

Whether or not Tottenham can get a body through the door in that time remains to be seen, but having seen how quickly Spurs got the deal for Antonin Kinsky done earlier this month, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Spurs did have a trick up their sleeve.

Tottenham do need defensive reinforcements before the deadline, but whether or not Daniel Levy will back Ange Postecoglou with new signings is still unclear.

There are so many exciting young talents in north London right now.

Arsenal faced Tottenham in the north London derby on Wednesday, and the standout performers on the day were the young stars.

Archie Gray earned praise after the game, while Myles Lewis-Skelly was brilliant too.

Speaking to Football JOE, Martin Keown has been discussing the young talents at Arsenal and Spurs right now.

Keown was asked to pick the best of the bunch between Lucas Bergvall, Ethan Nwaneri, Archie Gray and Myles Lewis-Skelly, and he made an interesting pick.

Martin Keown says Ethan Nwaneri is more impressive than Archie Gray

Keown shared his verdict on the young players making waves in north London.

The pundit said that all four players are brilliant, but he picked Nwaneri as the brightest of the bunch.

“Bergvall has really impressed me, he’s impressive, tenacious and he gets around the pitch. Archie Gray is going to have a really good career. I’m not sure he’s playing the right position, but he’s so versatile,” Keown said.

“Nwaneri is a wonderful talent, probably the youngest of the group, he’s an immense talent. Lewis-Skelly is another who has impressed me. Brave on the ball.

“They’re all really good players, Nwaneri is a wonderful talent, eye-catching, maybe some of the others are just as important, but Nwaneri is the one who unlocks the doors, so, for now, he’s the one who has impressed me the most.”

Nwaneri compared to other young stars

Keown says that Nwaneri is the most impressive of these young talents, but, at the moment, he’s not being given as many chances to show it.

Indeed, interestingly, Nwaneri has played the fewest minutes of all four of these players this season.

Intriguingly, Nwaneri has also scored more than any of these players too, but, that said, he is the most attacking of the quartet.

Nwaneri is highly rated, so he will eventually get his chance, but it may just be a case of Mikel Arteta managing the youngster’s minutes. After all, he is the youngstes of these four players too.

The future is bright for all four of these players, and this group of young stars could well define the north London derby in years to come.

Tottenham Hotspur ended up on the losing side in the North London Derby against Arsenal yet again.

Spurs have now lost three consecutive games against the Gunners for the first time in the Premier League era. The defeat on Wednesday night, in particular, was a tough one to take for Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham played nothing like their usual selves in the first half. They were extremely passive, didn’t show any urgency and just allowed Arsenal to dictate the game.

The hosts deservedly won the derby in the end, despite promising performances from two Spurs teenagers – Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

Archie Gray ‘shoved’ Lucas Bergvall away during Arsenal vs Tottenham

The fact that Gray and Bergvall were Tottenham’s two best players in the North London Derby against Arsenal tells you the position Spurs are in right now.

The senior players let Postecoglou and the Tottenham fans down in the derby – they were nowhere near good enough against their biggest rivals.

That was a real shame, but Bergvall and Gray’s performances were really promising and the duo proved to Postecoglou that he should build the Tottenham team around them.

In one moment in the second half, while challenging for the ball in the air, Gray hurt his head and could be seen in pain.

A worried Bergvall ran over to him to see if he was fine, but the young Englishman ‘shoved’ his teammate away because ‘there was no time to be hurt’, reports Football London.

Spurs were chasing the game at that point, and Gray’s actions show his incredible character despite only being 18 years of age.

Tottenham fans should be excited about one thing with Gray and Bergvall

Bergvall has only become a regular in recent weeks, while almost all of Gray’s appearances for Tottenham have come in an unnatural position.

The latter is a big shame, but things could be different very soon.

Once the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven return from their injuries, Gray will be free to play in his natural midfield role.

We think he can form an amazing partnership with Bergvall in the middle of the park, and the two youngsters could dominate Tottenham’s midfield for the next decade.

Tottenham Hotspur may be having a difficult season but there are certainly some positives, such as the form of some of their youngsters.

For instance, Archie Gray has proven a revelation at Tottenham since moving from Leeds United last summer.

Spurs paid Leeds £30million to sign Gray and he is certainly showing signs of that fee being not only justified, but potentially becoming a bargain.

The 18-year-old has already made 25 competitive appearances for Ange Postecoglou’s side, of which 18 have been starts.

In addition, Gray has been doing amazingly well, despite also playing out of position – he has been featuring at centre-back of late.

Sam Allardyce, who managed Leeds when Gray was in the academy, shared what he’s now seeing from the Spurs starlet that he never imagined would happen.

Sam Allardyce stunned to see Tottenham gem Archie Gray playing at centre-back

Allardyce, speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, shared he never would have envisaged Gray playing as a centre-back.

He also spoke highly of the Gray family, with several of the Spurs gem’s relatives having enjoyed fruitful careers in the game.

“You’ve got to say this by the way, not in the memory of man would I ever have seen that lad playing centre-half,” said Allardyce.

“Not with anything in my time as a manager would I have thought, ‘is he playing centre-half?!’.”

Allardyce added: “Eddie still works at Leeds United and he’s a fantastic advocate for the club, a fantastic guy. He’d be gutted that they sold him [Archie].

“It was a good move for him as a lad going to Tottenham. Obviously, Leeds needed the money but another Gray gracing the football pitch is great to see.”

Karl Robinson, Allardyce’s assistant at Leeds, also gave his thoughts on Gray, saying he’s “everything I love about football”.

“He [Gray] was a lot younger when we were there but you could see he was technically very good,” he said.

“I never saw him playing where he’s currently playing for Spurs but it shows you his personality, because his family is in the game, that he’d happily play in any position.

“He’s everything I love about football. He just wants to play and it doesn’t matter where.”

What Archie Gray thinks about playing out of position

Late last year, Gray admitted he isn’t bothered about where he plays on the pitch, so long as he gets minutes.

“No, I’m not really focusing on what position I am right now,” he said.

“Look, this year and last year I’m more than happy to play anywhere just to get the minutes on the pitch.

“I just try to take every opportunity I get and just try to stay in the team.

“Like I said I’ve played central midfield since I was a young age… but I enjoy playing everywhere on the pitch and just getting the minutes.”

Chelsea and Tottenham have been on opposite sides in the legal battles that have quietly engulfed the Premier League of late, with wildly different opinions on everything from PSR to commercial rules.

In many ways, Chelsea and Spurs’ ownership regimes are almost diametric opposites to one another.

Daniel Levy and ENIC, Tottenham’s owners for over 20 years, are quiet and conservative, persisting with a business model that has left many fans disenfranchised but seen the club’s revenue and value skyrocket.

Nine miles away in West London, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have been a bombastic presence since their £2.25bn takeover of Chelsea in October 2021.

Their investment has almost defied logic, as well as the Premier League’s PSR enforcers, in that time. Chelsea have spent over £1bn on transfers in the last three-and-a-half years as the wage bill has spiralled.

Thanks to some crafty accountancy, however, the Blues have managed to avoid a Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) breach, as confirmed by the Premier League earlier this week.

Spurs are at the other end of the spectrum in terms of PSR.

For them, spending rules are essentially a non-issue given Levy’s emphasis on self-sufficiency, with every pound spent accounted for elsewhere in the business.

They have more PSR headroom than just about any club, which is why they have lobbied for PSR to be tightened to stifle free-spending rivals like Chelsea.

Both clubs gave evidence in Manchester City’s challenge to the Premier League’s APT rules in November.

Spurs backed the Premier League while Chelsea were in City’s corner in the tribunal on the APT system, which dictates that commercial deals with owner-linked entities must be struck at fair market value.

Tottenham, along with Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United, have also reserved the right to seek compensation if City are found guilty in the hearing into over 115 instances of financial misconduct.

Chelsea have not, which represents another split in the lawfare that has gripped the Premier League in recent times.

However, the most controversial episode in this ongoing saga may be yet to come.

Premier League investigating secret Eden Hazard payments

While City’s 115 charges case may have taken up the most column inches, Chelsea have already admitted some allegations of a similar nature.

When Boehly and Clearlake bought the club, the due diligence process uncovered what have been characterised as irregular parallel payments to new signings during the Roman Abramovich era.

These payments were essentially off the books, so they did not impact Chelsea’s PSR/FFP calculation.

The new owners reported these irregularities to the Premier League themselves and are in no way implicated in any wrongdoing, nor are the players in question.

However, if they are deemed to have illegally bypassed PSR, the club itself will be penalised.

According to The Times, Chelsea are now negotiating a financial settlement with the Premier League, which would be seen as a victory in that it avoids a points deduction or other sporting sanction.

As well as Samuel Eto’o and Willian’s moves to the Bridge, it is said that payments linked to the signing of Eden Hazard have also been under investigation.

Hazard almost signed for Tottenham before he eventually chose Chelsea back in 2012, a move that saw him become an all-time Premier League great and a nemesis for Spurs.

Off-the-books payments gave Chelsea edge over Spurs in Hazard race, says finance expert

Speaking to talkSPORT back in August, legal expert and former Man City adviser Stefan Borson explained why the secret payments gave Chelsea an advantage in the battle for Hazard’s signature.

“What is interesting about these scenarios is that most of them occurred in competitive transfer situations for some very big players – players like Eden Hazard and Willian,” Borson told talkSPORT.

“They will have a problem, I think, arguing that there was no sporting advantage.

“We know from the Everton and Nottingham Forest cases that where the independent commissions sees sporting advantages, they like to go for sporting penalties.

“That is why I think there is a realistic prospect that this [punishment] won’t just be financial and it won’t just be transfer bans.

“It could be something more serious in terms of sanctions around sporting points and deductions.

“Just as an example, you look at Hazard and Willian in particular. Those were players that Spurs were in the running for.

“Spurs will argue that had those players signed for them, there would have been a different outcome on the field.

“We know a big driver of that is hidden payments. They have admitted that – it’s not in dispute.”

Could Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly take over Tottenham?

In other news, there has been little in the way of updates on the in-fighting in the Chelsea boardroom between factions led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake supremo Behdad Eghbali.

The two men are understood to have different visions for the club, with the future of Stamford Bridge and whether or not to move to a new stadium among the points of contention.

The dispute, of which details emerged last year, was believed to only likely be resolved by one party buying the other out.

Boehly, who only personally owns 13 per cent of the club, doesn’t have much leverage here, so it had been suggested that the private equity billionaire could cash out and look elsewhere.

Boehly held talks over investing in Tottenham alongside business partner and Spurs fan Jonathan Goldstein but a deal proved unworkable.

But with Daniel Levy in the market for minority investment, a return to the negotiating table has been mooted for the Chelsea co-owner.

The Premier League’s conflict of interest rules, however, would prevent him from buying into the club until he has divested his stake in the Blues.

As evidenced by John Textor’s failed bid to sell his equity in Crystal Palace to unlock the takeover of Everton, who have since been bought by Dan Friedkin, this would be no mean feat.

In fact, the limited pool of investors interested in buying a minority stake, particularly one that would be as expensive as Chelsea, would make the process exceedingly difficult.