TBR Football

After surviving some scares late on against Tamworth, Tottenham Hotspur and Ange Postecoglou eventually progressed to the next round of the FA Cup.

Tottenham went dangerously close to going 1-0 behind in the dying moments of the 90 minutes, with Spurs’ defenders just about doing enough to earn extra-time.

Then, when the likes of Dejan Kulusevski were introduced, Spurs’ quality was too much for their National League opposition, who may still feel aggrieved by the rule change that denied them a replay in north London.

Either way, Tottenham will certainly need to improve against Aston Villa when they meet in the fourth round.

Villa rivalled Spurs for the final Champions League spot last season, and it could be time for Postecoglou’s side to enact some revenge.

Andy Peaks pleased with Ange Postecoglou’s ‘respectful’ approach

But with a focus on Sunday’s victory, Tamworth manager Andy Peaks had some positive words to say about Tottenham following their 3-0 win against his side in extra time.

Peaks admitted that he was ‘so proud’ of his side, and then praised Spurs for their ‘respectful’ approach to the tie, something Postecoglou was determined to encourage.

Speaking to ITV Sport, Peaks said: “Disappointed because we were that close to causing a massive upset, but equally be massively proud.

“Everyone put a shift in and when you look at the team we were up against, it was unbelievable from our boys – I am so proud of them.

“We had chances, the keeper made saves but what was brilliant is we were in the game right till the end.

“We knew it was going to be tough. I wanted people to see what we were about, and I think we have done that.

“I wanted to come here and talk to you guys and be proud of what I have seen – I am immensely proud.

“To get a home draw was better. The chance we had to level it was them coming here. They have been so respectful and to bring a team like that says a lot – I cannot knock them.”

Tottenham still need to improve against Arsenal

Of course, Spurs only deserve so much praise for navigating their way past Tamworth, especially given that they required extra-time to do so.

Postecoglou may need to drop one Tottenham player when his side face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

Arsenal will be determined to improve on their recent cup defeats, and will perhaps see Spurs’ visit as the perfect opportunity to do so.

Like Arsenal, Tottenham will still be without several players for the North London derby.

But there’s still justification for Postecoglou to make key changes, with the likes of Lucas Bergvall pushing to start.

Ange Postecoglou will be well aware that his Tottenham Hotspur side need to step things up for their upcoming North London derby against Arsenal.

Tottenham made a few changes against Tamworth in the FA Cup, but certainly not enough to justify their poor performance on the whole, at least prior to extra time.

James Maddison was something of a bright spark, but even he wasn’t able to provide the winner despite his particularly good efforts in the first half.

And whilst Timo Werner was wasteful as ever with an excellent chance up top, it was perhaps one regular starter that caused most concern for Spurs.

With Djed Spence rested at left back and Sergio Reguilon coming in, Postecoglou had no such option on the right – he had to stick with Pedro Porro.

Pedro Porro struggles against Tamworth in FA Cup scare

Porro was up against Tamworth winger Beck-Ray Enoru on the right, who had the beating of him all afternoon in truth.

Chris Sutton predicted Tottenham’s defenders to struggle and the Spaniard, who cost Spurs £40m back in 2023, was being beaten inside and out by Enoru, who actually pulled up with a tight hamstring given all the running he was doing.

Porro has always been something of a polarising figure in north London – at times he’s as good as it gets for an inverted full-back, a truly excellent ball-striker.

However, when it comes to his defensive credentials, Porro is often found wanting.

Yves Bissouma was constantly bailing his teammate out of trouble on Tamworth’s artificial pitch – Porro simply couldn’t get to grips with Enoru.

And considering Spurs have a North London derby to contend with on Wednesday, Postecoglou could have serious issues at right-back.

Ange Postecoglou needs to be backed in the transfer market

In an ideal world, the Tottenham manager might drop Porro against Arsenal, perhaps even trusting Spence as his right-back.

However, Postecoglou simply doesn’t have the options available to him, predominantly because Destiny Udogie is injured.

Starting Reguilon again so Spence could play on the right simply wouldn’t be the answer – that would cause more problems that it would solve.

But in addition to Porro often being dribbled past, the Spain international was also looking very suspect under Tamworth’s set-pieces, a damning sight considering how much Arsenal focus on those situations.

Perhaps Porro will star against Arsenal – he’s more than capable of winning Premier League matches on his best day.

But at his worst, Porro can be beaten all afternoon against Tamworth, as happened on Sunday.

Antonin Kinsky has had quite a baptism of fire in English football having played Premier League leaders Liverpool on his debut and then a real battle against non-league Tamworth FC.

But Kinsky has come out the other side with two clean sheets now to his name in Tottenham Hotspur colours.

Spurs signed Kinsky in a deal worth around £12.5 million from Slavia Prague and already it looks like a steal for Ange Postecoglou’s team.

The 21-year-old is expected to challenge Guglielmo Vicario for his number-one shirt when the Italian eventually returns from injury following another impressive display.

Tottenham fans are impressed by Antonin Kinsky

Tottenham fans were impressed by Antonin Kinsky’s dominant ability inside his penalty area – something which has been a major concern for Guglielmo Vicario. Vicario has struggled to deal with set-pieces and has been targeted by opposition players after it was highlighted how poor the Italian had become.

But in a very physical game and against a team with a dangerous long throw, Kinksy had very few issues against the non-league side. The goalkeeper made an impressive five high claims throughout the match as he managed to deal with Tom Tanks’ long throw-ins.

After the win against Tamworth, Spurs supporters took to X to share their admiration for how well their latest addition commanded his penalty area.

One supporter said: “Kinsky is light years ahead of Vicario when it comes to claiming balls in the air.”

“Kinsky I just saw that catch from a corner and pitch-perfect kick to Werner. We are noticing,” added another fan.

There was more big praise for the club’s new number 31: “The only real positive was the way in which Kinsky dealt with the long throws and set pieces. A bit of a baptism of fire for him starting at Liverpool, a physical game today and then again in the North London Derby. So far has dealt with everything superbly.”

“Kinsky has handled those mental throw-ins and corners on the goal line well. Get the feeling that if Vicario was in goal we’d be 1-0 down,” another added.

Antonin Kinsky proves Tottenham’s biggest positive vs Tamworth

Kinsky is certainly making quite an impression in his first two matches and his stats against Tamworth show how he was the team’s biggest positive.

The Czech Republic shot-stopper made two saves, five high claims and completed 27 passes out of the 30 he attempted.

Despite Tottenham Hotspur extending Timo Werner’s loan deal from RB Leipzig in May after he initially joined Ange Postecoglou’s side last January, he has shown little to no improvement in his displays.

It seems like the Tottenham forward, who failed to pull up any trees at Chelsea previously simply lacks what it takes to become a hit in the Premier League.

In theory, a player with bags of pace and an eye for goal like Timo Werner should make for a sure-fire success in England. But in practice, the German international has looked out of his depth at both Chelsea and Spurs.

Ange Postecoglou has urged Werner to improve behind the scenes but so far, there are no signs of a resurgence from the Champions League winner.

Werner has not lived up to Tottenham’s expectations, despite being able to offer Postecoglou the option of fielding him as either a striker or a winger.

As the 28-year-old continues to underwhelm in a Lilywhites shirt, perhaps some would wonder whether Tottenham are willing to cut ties with him and let him return to RB Leipzig this month.

Ange Postecoglou confirms Tottenham won’t let Timo Werner go

Ange Postecoglou was keen on Werner’s stay, who is considered “popular” within the squad as well.

However, it looks like Werner lacks any confidence in a Spurs shirt and even as an impact substitute, he has struggled to showcase his quality.

Ahead of Tottenham’s clash against Tamworth in the FA Cup, Ange Postecoglou confirmed that due to the injury crisis his side find themselves in, they have no intention to let Werner leave this month.

Postecoglou said via Football.London: “Yeah [Werner will stay at Tottenham until the end of the season]. The last thing I want is to lose another player at the moment.”

“The other night after Rodrigo [Bentancur] went off, we had 11 first-team players out. We’re not letting anyone go at this point.”

Ange Postecoglou was also asked how Werner’ reacted after he deemed the speedster’s display in Spurs’ 1-1 draw against Rangers as “unacceptable.”

“It was feedback, it was what I obviously felt that day. I think he’s made an impact, even at the weekend when he came on, he’s got certain attributes that can hurt any team.”

“You saw that at the weekend, he’s got a real turn of pace. We’ve needed that in games at times, particularly late in games.”

Why sending Timo Werner back to RB Leipzig is “not quite as easy”

For Tottenham to send Werner back to Leipzig is far from an easy task as the Bundesliga side will have to approve of such a deal.

Journalist Alasdair Gold explained: “We have to kind of touch on Timo Werner as well. It’s one of those. Everyone is saying ‘send him back, send him back.’ We must reiterate that is not how these loans work.”

Furthermore, Gold revealed that Werner is one of RB Leipzig’s highest-earners, which makes it a difficult decision for them to just happily accept his return.

“Tottenham would have to convince RB Leipzig to allow him to come back and he is one of their highest earners, there’s no justification for Leipzig to say ‘oh yeah send him back and we will pay him’. It’s not going to work like that. Yeah it’s not quite as easy as just sending him back.”

“I get the frustration, he is definitely a player who can be frustrating but unfortunately contracts are a bit more difficult.”

Werner is being criticised and Ange Postecoglou’s confirmation should push him to prove his critics wrong at Tottenham and step up until the remainder of the campaign.

The Spurs attacker must have returned to the Premier League with a point to prove.

But up until now, Werner’s starting place has been questioned at Tottenham.

However, considering Ange Postecoglou and the Tottenham dressing room admire the experienced wide forward, he should back himself to change all the negative opinions surrounding him.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min has done more than enough to warrant a statue at N17.

Spurs got themselves arguably the bargain of the century when they signed Son from Bayer Leverkusen for just £24million back in 2015.

Now, nine-and-a-half years later, Son is Tottenham’s captain and has clocked up 432 appearances, 169 goals and 90 assists for the Lilywhites.

Needless to say, Son’s highlights reel at Spurs is pretty lengthy, but there’s one video in particular that he admits he has watched “probably more than 100 times”.

Son Heung-min says he’s watched Puskas Award goal ‘probably more than 100 times’

On Saturday, the Tottenham media team shared a video of Son Heung-min reacting to the Spurs fans’ favourite moments of him on video.

One of those moments was the stunning solo goal he scored in the 5-0 Premier League win over Burnley in December 2019, which won him the 2020 Puskas Award.

Son said: “I’ve watched this probably more than 100 times I think!

“What can I say? Unbelievable luck and will never score again like this and, yeah, what a goal.”

Son also gave a shout out to former Spurs teammate Dele Alli as the clip panned to the two celebrating, as he said: “You see my best friend Dele.”

Son shares his favourite Tottenham moment

Son picked the game between Tottenham and Norwich City at the end of the 2021/22 season as his favourite moment, specifically his second goal.

The Spurs star’s brace meant he finished the season on 23 goals, making him the Premier League’s joint-top goal-scorer, and he shared the Golden Boot with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

“When I pick one moment, I think it has to be the Norwich game,” said Son. “Just the journey, it starts from the journey.

“You know, the day before, you know how we prepare for the game. We were playing for Champions League, we were winning at half-time 2-0, and everyone was playing for me.

“That game just meant so much to me, because it’s just, everyone was sacrificing for me, and in the end scoring, that goal moment… wow!”.

Tottenham Hotspur are going to be active in the January transfer window.

Tottenham want three signings through the door this month, and they already have one in the shape of Antonin Kinsky.

Kinsky impressed on his Tottenham debut against Liverpool this week, and Spurs will be hoping to make a few more signings who can hit the ground running.

Fabio Paratici is still involved at Spurs, so, as you can imagine, the Serie A market is being looked at.

Tottenham want Milan Skriniar from Inter Milan, and he’s not the only Inter player Tottenham are keen on.

Indeed, according to Darren Lewis, speaking on Last Word on Spurs, Tottenham also have a concrete interest in Davide Frattesi.

Tottenham have Davide Frattesi interest

Lewis shared what he knows about the midfielder.

Tottenham were offered Frattesi earlier this month, and according to Lewis, that is a deal Spurs are keen to do, describing Tottenham’s interest in the midfielder as concrete.

“People are asking about Kolo Muani, he’s a fantastic player, very versatile in terms of where he can play as well,” Lewis said.

“He’s another one you guys could be in for. But that decisiveness is needed because other clubs will nip in there.

“Kolo Muani looks a good talent, Jonathan David, he’s scored goals for fun, he’s another who would strengthen you. Some really big clubs are keen on him as well.

“There are some other players as well. Davide Frattesi, he’s a really good player, 25 years old at Inter Milan. He wants to play more regularly. Napoli and Roma are interested in him, but Tottenham have concrete interest in him and have had for some time.”

Why Davide Frattesi wants to leave Inter

Lewis says that Frattesi wants to leave Inter in order to play more regularly, and it’s easy to understand why.

Indeed, the Italian isn’t getting the gametime he deserves at San Siro right now.

As Lewis says, Frattesi is a very good player, and he deserves to be starting most weeks.

Unfortunately, Inter aren’t currently offering the Italian midfielder that luxury.

However, Tottenham could potentially be a great landing spot for the 25-year-old.

Spurs have struggled to settle on what their best midfield is all season long, and a new body is clearly needed in the centre of the park.

Frattesi could be just what the doctor ordered at Spurs, and this is certainly a situation to keep an eye on as we head into the second-half of the January window.

Tottenham need new midfield additions, and Frattesi could be exactly the type of player they need in order to kick on.

Tottenham have a knack of selling players who go on to improve or kick on.

Luka Modric became a Ballon d’Or winner after winning Spurs, while Gareth Bale won countless Champions League trophies.

Emerson Royal has just won a trophy after leaving Tottenham in the summer, while Marcus Edwards is a Man Utd target after leaving Spurs as a youngster.

Over the summer, Tottenham decided to sell Troy Parrott to AZ Alkmaar for £7m.

Parrott was highly rated at Spurs as a young player, but he never quite broke through at Tottenham.

Since joining AZ Alkmaar, Parrott has been in great form, and speaking to ESPN, the striker has claimed that he’s actually a better player than Dominic Solanke.

Troy Parrott makes Dominic Solanke claim

Parrott was asked to compare himself to a number of top strikers, and it’s fair to say that the Irishman backs his own ability.

Indeed, Parrott claimed that he was better than a number of top-level forwards, including Tottenham’s current first-choice striker, Dominic Solanke.

Parrott also claimed he was better than a few other famous number nines.

Parrott clearly backs his own ability, and when you look at his stats this season, it’s easy to understand why.

Troy Parrott compared to Dominic Solanke

Parrott reckons that he’s better than Solanke, and the numbers back that up.

Indeed, Parrott has been outscoring Solanke this season.

Parrott was seen as the best finisher at Spurs during his time at the club, and he’s now showing that at the senior level in the Eredivisie.

Of course, the Eredivisie is a different kettle of fish when you compare it to the Premier League, but goals are goals at the end of the day.

Ange Postecoglou has been impressed by Parrott this season, and it may not be long before Premier League clubs are once again looking at this young man.

Who knows? Maybe one day Parrott could be back at Tottenham. After all, Spurs have re-signed the likes of Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Teddy Sheringham over the years, so they’re not afraid to revisit old strikers.

Tottenham Hotspur have had a defensive crisis over the last few months.

Spurs have been without Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven for quite some time now, while Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie are also injured.

That has forced Ange Postecoglou to deploy Archie Gray out of position at centre-back alongside Radu Dragusin. Both players haven’t had any rest over the last few weeks.

Many Spurs fans have been wondering why Alfie Dorrington has not got a chance at Tottenham. Postecoglou has had his say on that situation.

Ange Postecoglou’s plan for Tottenham defender Alfie Dorrington

Dorrington is one of Tottenham’s most exciting young players.

The 19-year-old has often been spotted in senior Spurs training sessions, and he is viewed by many at the club as a real talent.

Dorrington made his debut for Tottenham against Southampton in December. He came off the bench for the final 15 minutes of the game and did well.

Spurs fans have been hoping to see more of him, not just because he deserves the opportunity but also as Gray and Dragusin need a break.

However, Postecoglou has not been too keen on that option. The Spurs boss’ plan is to send Dorrington out on loan so that he gets minutes under his belt.

He said, as per Football London: “Alfie is training with us and he has been around the first-team squad and part of the first-team squad.

“He had a pretty significant injury which kept him out of football for quite a while. But he is part of the squad and he probably needs to get some game time so we will look for a loan for him.”

Tottenham’s plan to sign a new defender in this window

Tottenham are in desperate need of reinforcements in their backline.

Both Romero and Van de Ven have suffered multiple injuries, and although Dragusin is there and Gray can play there, they should bring in another centre-half.

GiveMeSport claim that Postecoglou has been ‘promised’ by the Tottenham board that ‘a new centre-back will arrive this month’.

Reports have claimed that Spurs are in talks to sign Milan Skriniar from Paris Saint-Germain along with Randal Kolo Muani.

Tottenham Hotspur have had a rollercoaster of a season so far as they navigate the campaign missing a multitude of key players.

Most of Tottenham’s main defenders, as well as their first-choice goalkeeper, are currently all on the sidelines.

Spurs have also been without Richarlison for a long time, while Rodrigo Bentancur is set to be out for some weeks after suffering a head injury in midweek.

Despite the current injury crisis at Tottenham, the team is still getting some decent results, as per their 1-0 win over Liverpool in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.

Ange Postecoglou, speaking to the press ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup third-round trip to Tamworth, spoke about one of the players who has stepped up during this injury crisis.

Ange Postecoglou hails Radu Dragusin efforts amid Tottenham adversity

The player in question is Radu Dragusin, who has been thrust into the starting XI in the absence of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

Dragusin struggled against Liverpool in their league encounter just before Christmas, but he was much improved in the cup, helping Tottenham record a clean sheet.

Football.london’s Alasdair Gold asked Postecoglou what he made of Dragusin’s performance against the Reds, and he spoke at length about the 22-year-old.

“I have said all along that some of our players, at times, are getting unfairly judged at the moment because of the situation we are in,” said Postecoglou.

“It’s not just that Radu is only 22 and still getting to grips with the Premier League.

“He would be okay if he was surrounded by players who are playing regularly but he has got an 18-year-old who is not a centre-back next to him.

“Three different goalkeepers, it is probably up to four, since he has been in the team. Different full-backs.”

Postecoglou happy with Dragusin development

Postecoglou went on to praise Dragusin for how “unbelievable” he has been, and stressed that Spurs are very happy with his development.

“I just think him and Archie have been unbelievable for us considering the circumstances and we will get growth from that,” continued Postecoglou. “I really believe that.

“He was great the other night. He was really focused and disciplined in his organisation and along with Toni [Kinsky] making his debut that is as solid as we have been as back four/back five.

“We are happy with Radu and the way he is developing. He has had to battle. He had an illness last week and he was nowhere near 100 percent.

“He is probably one who does need a bit of a rest but we have no options there. Every week he mans up and gets on with it.”

Dragusin is likely to feature for Spurs against Tamworth alongside Archie Gray, although there’s always the possibility that Postecoglou could opt for a youth team option like Alfie Dorrington.

Tottenham have done a good job of getting rid of their unwanted players in recent times.

Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele and Ryan Sessegnon all left the club in the summer, and now, the squad isn’t carrying much deadwood.

Sergio Reguilon is expected to leave Tottenham soon amid a lack of gametime, and he’s not the only potential departure at Spurs.

Indeed, according to Darren Lewis, speaking on Last Word on Spurs, Tottenham could be tempted into selling Richarlison if a decent offer comes in.

The journalist says that Spurs would be happy to sell Richarlison due to the fact he’s been struggling with his fitness so much as of late.

Tottenham open to selling Richarlison

Lewis shared what he knows about the Brazil international.

Richarlison is an ‘outstanding’ player at his best, but, unfortunately, injuries have been a big issue as of late.

Lewis believes that Tottenham are now open to selling Richarlison due to his injuries.

“I am deeply concerned about Richarlison because you can’t guarantee he’s going to stay fit. He hasn’t been fit for a prolonged period since moving from Everton,” The host said.

“You know, that is the reason why if you guys got a good offer for him my understanding is that the club would sell because he just can’t stay fit,” Lewis said.

“Yes, when he is fit, there is a player there, but you need someone who you can rely on.”

Richarlison’s injury history

Lewis says that Richarlison can’t stay fit, and he’s not wrong.

The striker has had plenty of setbacks at Spurs.

Richarlison said he was feeling great last season, but he picked up a knee injury just weeks after that.

Richarlison was back in training this week, but whether or not he’ll be able to stay fit is another matter.

The £60m man’s injury history doesn’t look pretty. He’s missed so many games for Tottenham through injury already, and with Dominic Solanke now overtaking Richarlison as Spurs’ first-choice number nine, you can see why he might be up for sale.

Whether any team is willing to take a punt on the attacker remains to be seen, but Newcastle have been linked to Richarlison in recent times, so perhaps that is a situation to keep an eye on.