TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur’s recruitment structure is very difficult to figure out at times.

Daniel Levy is, of course, the head honcho at Spurs, and he signs off most things that happen at the club.

Meanwhile, Scott Munn is the club’s Chief Football Officer, making him a very influential figure at Spurs.

Johan Lange is currently Spurs’ Technical Director, while Ange Postecoglou is the manager.

To make things even more complicated, there’s also the role of Fabio Paratici.

Paratici was Tottenham’s Sporting Director, but 18 months ago he received a FIFA ban from football that meant he had to give up his role.

However, Paratici has continued working with Spurs on a consultancy basis, as Paratici is still allowed to do certain things despite his ban.

It’s been a while since we’ve had an update on Paratici’s role, and after Lange’s arrival at Tottenham last year, it would be logical to believe Paratici is no longer in such a key role at Tottenham.

However, according to Ben Jacobs, speaking on Last Word on Spurs, Paratici is still very much pulling the strings at Tottenham.

Fabio Paratici’s role at Tottenham

According to Jacobs, Paratici remains a key figure at Spurs.

The journalist says that Paratici is still pulling the strings at Tottenham despite the fact he’s not an official club employee.

“Yeah, Paratici is pulling the strings. It’s as simple as that.

“So he’s still heavily involved. Call it what you will, a de facto sporting director, a consultant.

“The ban obviously changed the title and the dynamic, but he’s still there and involved. And maybe that is one of the reasons for a bit of a mismatch in strategy because you’ve got one guy that was working under Conte. It’s a massive extreme to go from Conte-ball to Ange-ball.

“And naturally, somebody like Paratici is intelligent and doesn’t have a fixed recruitment style. But you’re planning three to five windows ahead in football usually. So he will have had to adapt.

“And so will all of the newer people in the recruitment team, because this is a completely different requirement needed for Tottenham to do business effectively in the market.”

Tottenham structure explained

Tottenham are a real mess on the pitch at the moment, sitting in 12th place in the Premier League.

However, the mess on the pitch may well be a by-product of the mess behind the scenes.

Indeed, there’s a real power struggle at Spurs it seems as five different personalities are all in key roles.

Between Levy, Munn, Lange, Paratici and Postecoglou, Tottenham simply have too many chefs in the kitchen at the moment.

All five men will have different ideas about how the club should be run, where money should be spent and which players should be signed, and it’s all a bit of a mess.

Paratici’s continuing influence is bizarre considering his current ban from football, and, in a lot of ways, his presence undermines the role of Johan Lange.

Tottenham need to fix a lot of problems at the moment, and this backroom issue appears to be just another area of the club that needs a bit of a revamp.

Tottenham need more bodies through the door in the January transfer window.

Tottenham have already made one signing in the shape of Antonin Kinsky, and more signings need to follow.

Tottenham want three new signings this month, and, understandably, one area that Spurs want to address is their defence.

Indeed, Tottenham have a defensive injury crisis on their hands right now as Djed Spence and Archie Gray finished the Newcastle game at centre-back over the weekend.

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

Speaking on Last Word on Spurs, Ben Jacobs has been discussing Tottenham’s January plans, and he’s claimed that there is substance to the links between Tottenham and Ko Itakura.

Tottenham were linked to Itakura last year, and this could be one to keep an eye on.

Tottenham interested in Ko Itakura

According to Jacobs, Spurs are genuinely keen on Itakura.

Via the Bundesliga website, Itakura has been described as ‘unbelievable’ in the past, and this could be one to watch.

“I think we also should keep an eye on Ko Itakura where there is substance to the Tottenham links. And it’s fair to say that Napoli are firmly in the conversation there as well,” Jacobs said.

“And a lot of people, by the way, ask me about Mark Guehi as well, because the feeling is that he might be available on the market.

“It appears that Chelsea are going to try and re-sign the player. And that’s not a name at the moment that Tottenham are considering. And when you think about the price over the summer, 70 million plus for Newcastle United, you can understand why. But interestingly, he’s only got 18 months left on his contract.”

Ange Postecoglou wanted Ko Itakura at Celtic

It’s not at all surprising to hear Spurs linked with Itakura.

Indeed, Ange Postecoglou has a history of signing Japanese players after his stint managing in the J-League, and Itakura could be right up his street.

Celtic wanted to sign Itakura at one point during Ange Postecoglou’s time in Scotland, so this is clearly a player the Australian knows well.

Postecoglou has worked wonders with Japanese players in the past with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daezen Maeda and Reo Hatate playing key roles for his Celtic team.

Hatate has been linked with Tottenham too in recent times, so perhaps Itakura could be joined at Spurs by one of his international teammates.

Tottenham’s season isn’t going to plan at all so far as they sit 12th in the table.

Spurs will want to start moving in the right direction sooner rather than later, and bringing in a new defensive addition could be exactly what they need in order to re-ignite their form and start moving up the table.

Tottenham Hotspur take on Liverpool in the semi-final of the EFL Cup in what is their biggest game of the season yet.

Spurs were never in the running to win the Premier League and after how poorly they have started the season, it would be a surprise to see them even get into the top six.

However, Tottenham have the chance to do something for the first time in nearly 17 years – win a trophy. They are three games away from silverware, two of which are against the best team in the world right now.

Mohamed Salah will be Liverpool’s main man and he is in the form of his life. But, how would he fare if he played for Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou?

Ange Postecoglou predicts how Mohamed Salah would perform if he was at Tottenham now

Salah is arguably the best player in the world at the moment.

The Egypt international has been unbelievable this season. He has scored 21 goals and provided 17 assists in just 27 appearances in all competitions.

Salah is the biggest reason why Liverpool are the favourites to win the Premier League title now, but Postecoglou feels that the reason he’s so good is because he plays for a fantastic team.

The Spurs boss has claimed that if Salah and Heung-min Son swapped clubs, the Egyptian would struggle under him while the Tottenham captain would thrive at Anfield.

Postecoglou said, as per Football London: “You’ve always got to give context. Mo is an unbelievable player but he’s playing in a fantastic team that are flying at the moment.

“I’d hazard to say that if you put Sonny in Liverpool’s team, I reckon his goalscoring return would be decent.”

Speaking about Salah at Tottenham, Postecoglou added: “Mo is a world-class player but if you put him in our team now, I’m not sure he’ll have that same level of performance because of the situation we’re in as a group.

“His attacking play, who do you need? You need a team that’s kind of in good form creating opportunities, playing on the front foot, having a really solid foundation of a defence that is cohesive.

“None of these things exist at the moment. We’re relying on individual moments and you can say the same about Dom, Kulusevski and Brennan because they are playing all the time. They’re doing the best they can.”

How Son Heung-min’s stats at Tottenham compares to Mo Salah’s at Liverpool

Son is not having a great season, he will be the first one to admit that.

The South Korean has scored just seven goals this term and hasn’t looked anything like his usual self. Injuries have hurt him, but his poor form has had a big impact on Tottenham.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that Son is one of the best players to ever play for the club. His numbers are phenomenal, but they aren’t quite on the same level as that of Salah at Liverpool.

Salah is a level above Son, but if the Korean can help Tottenham knock Liverpool out of the EFL Cup over two legs, Spurs fans will love their captain even more!

However, Son can’t do it all himself – he will need all of his teammates to be at their absolute best to get anything out of the game on Wednesday night.

Daniel Levy is currently working on a deal to bring a £50 million player to Tottenham Hotspur and is in direct contact over a move.

Tottenham are working to bolster Ange Postecoglou’s squad this month given how badly affected it has been by injuries.

The Lilywhites will be without six players against Liverpool including Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Now, the North London club have a player they are ‘pushing hard’ to secure with their chairman being the main man in discussions.

Daniel Levy working on Tottenham’s deal for Randal Kolo Muani

Daniel Levy is currently in direct talks with Paris Saint Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi over a deal to sign Randal Kolo Muani, according to Ben Jacobs.

The journalist claims that Levy shares a strong relationship with the PSG president and he hopes to use that to his advantage in talks to sign the Frenchman.

Jacobs told the Last Word On Spurs: “If this [deal] gets done, it will not be done through Lange and Campos. It will be done through Al-Khelaifi and Daniel Levy – they have the relationship.

So if there’s any business to be done, this will be a Daniel Levy deal direct with the PSG president and that relationship between them, they are on very favourable terms.

They worked together at the ECA, they’ve known each other for many years and held the investment talks in January 2023. They have a strong and professional relationship.

If there was one club outside of the Premier League you would want Daniel Levy fighting in your corner, it would be PSG negotiations because he is probably capable of getting the kind of deal that Spurs would be looking for to pull it off.

“So I do think that Tottenham are going to very strongly push to try and get Munai over the line.”

What kind of deal are PSG hoping for in Randal Kolo Muani’s case?

The French club are hoping any deal for the forward will be on a loan with obligation-to-buy basis although Tottenham will be keen on more favourable terms.

Spurs are expected to make a ‘very strong push’ to land Kolo Muani who is now their top attacking target this month.

Juventus and Manchester United are also in the picture for the 26-year-old, although Jacobs has downplayed the latter’s interest in a deal.

Both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have positioned themselves to land the signing of a centre-back who has been considered among Europe’s best in recent years.

Ange Postecoglou has serious issues in his Tottenham back line right now, underlined by the fact that Archie Gray has been playing as a central defender for weeks.

On Aston Villa’s part, Unai Emery does have options at centre-back, but given the club’s ambition, they are always looking to improve.

And with that in mind, both clubs are now firmly in the race to sign Slovakian international Milan Skriniar from Paris Saint-Germain.

Tottenham’s interest in Skriniar isn’t necessarily new, but both Premier League clubs have now taken a step forward to sign a defender who is ready to leave PSG.

Milan Skriniar ready to leave PSG for Premier League move

According to L’Equipe, Skriniar’s future could be decided by the end of the week, with the defender asked to decide on his new club in the ‘coming hours’.

Galatasaray are among the front-runners to sign Skriniar, but his sizable wages could complicate a deal.

Now, Tottenham and Villa have also ‘positioned themselves’ according to the report, who would be very keen on a move to the Premier League.

Napoli could also be an option for Skriniar, who has played in the Serie A previously, but the defender wants solid assurances over his game time, which could scupper that option.

Skriniar made 246 appearances for Inter Milan after joining the club for £25m in 2017, before then moving to PSG on a free transfer four years later.

Tottenham informed about Milan Skriniar during Randal Kolo Muani talks

In addition to those reports, TBR Football understands that Spurs in particular were informed about Skriniar during Tottenham’s talks to sign Randal Kolo Muani.

PSG are pushing the defender to make a quick decision, a defender Luis Enrique has lost confidence in.

At the French champions, Skrinar is on nearly £200k-a-week, but PSG have now agreed to cover more than half of those wages, which has alerted English sides, who have been offered the chance to sign him.

It’s a busy month for Spurs, with the club recognising the need to strengthen the options available to Postecoglou.

Tottenham Hotspur are in desperate need of reinforcements in this transfer window, but there are a couple of players who could leave too.

Spurs are currently 12th in the Premier League table after winning just seven of their first 20 games. Things are not looking good right now, even though the performance in the defeat to Newcastle United was a lot better.

Ange Postecoglou has already brought in Antonin Kinsky, and the plan is to sign at least another player, if not two or three, in the coming days.

Irrespective of what happens with respect to incomings, one player could leave Tottenham before the February 3rd deadline – he could’ve even left in the last window.

Manager confirms talks with Sergio Reguilon about signing him from Tottenham last summer

Tottenham signed Sergio Reguilon from Real Madrid in 2020 in a deal worth £32 million (Sky Sports).

The Spaniard started his career at Spurs well. He played regularly under Jose Mourinho and even produced a few excellent performances.

However, Reguilon has been loaned out on three occasions over the last few years. It is very clear that he doesn’t have a future at Tottenham, even though Postecoglou has given him chances recently.

This was the case in last summer’s transfer window as well – Spurs were happy to let Reguilon leave the club as he was surplus to requirements.

Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir’s manager Cagdas Atan confirmed that he was interested and even held talks to land Reguilon back then. Unfortunately for him, the deal proved to be unsuccessful.

Speaking to BeIN Sports, he said: “I had a FaceTime call with Trippier in person. We tried to bring Alex Telles in a lot. We met with Reguilón.

“We chased the transfer of Onur Bulut until the last moment. We could have been in a much more comfortable position if those transfers had happened. We have to get a right-back and a left-back.”

Reguilon could reunite with an old Tottenham manager

Istanbul Basaksehir have struggled this season because they did not get their preferred full-backs in last summer’s transfer window.

Reguilon would’ve been a great option for them, and it is a possibility that they could try to get him this month after holding talks with him a few months ago.

However, Basaksehir will face big competition – Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce are interested in signing Reguilon as well in this window.

The left-back’s previous relationship with the Special One could give Fenerbahce the edge if they decide to make their move for him in the coming days.

Liverpool will hope to take a step closer to the Carabao Cup when they face Tottenham Hotspur in Wednesday’s semi-final first leg in North London.

The Reds are flying high in the Premier League and Champions League, and now they’ll have a chance to make progress in the Carabao Cup ahead of next month’s second leg at Anfield.

Liverpool will be up against a depleted Tottenham side that is currently in poor form and that lost 6-3 to Arne Slot’s side just before Christmas.

TBR Football looks at who Slot could name in the Liverpool starting XI for the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham v Liverpool team news

Liverpool are without Joe Gomez for the Spurs game due to a hamstring injury, while Dominik Szoboszlai remains a doubt due to illness.

Meanwhile, Tottenham will be without James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr, who are suspended after picking up two yellow cards in previous rounds.

Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert remain unavailable due to injury.

Liverpool predicted XI v Tottenham

Slot refused to confirm whether Caoimhin Kelleher, his usual cup goalkeeper, will start against Tottenham.

With that in mind, we predict that first-choice Alisson Becker will get the nod in between the sticks on the night.

Trent Alexander-Arnold could also start, with Slot possibly hoping he can deliver the kind of performance that will make people forget about his display against Manchester United.

Conor Bradley made his first appearance in six weeks for Liverpool after recovering from a hamstring injury, but the Liverpool boss may not want to rush him back into the XI.

Slot recently suggested that Ibrahima Konate would not be involved in two games in a week, so Jarell Quansah could potentially start at centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk.

With Accrington Stanley coming up in the FA Cup this weekend, Slot could potentially ring the changes then, so Kostas Tsimikas could start then while Andrew Robertson starts at Spurs.

Likewise, the likes of Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott could be saved for the Stanley clash, meaning we could once again see Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in midfield.

Liverpool’s attacking flanks could be made up of the in-form Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo, who came off on the hour against Man United, with Curtis Jones at No. 10.

As for the centre-forward slot, £45million ace Diogo Jota could finally get his chance from the off after biding his time following his return from injury.

Tottenham Hotspur will hope to take a step closer to the Carabao Cup final when they host Liverpool in Wednesday night’s semi-final first leg in North London.

Spurs overcame both Manchester City and Manchester United on the way to the final four and will hope for more joy against a fellow Premier League giant.

Tottenham will also be eager to get back to winning ways amid a serious downturn in form that has seen them pick up just one point from their last four league games.

TBR Football looks at who Ange Postecoglou could name in the Spurs starting XI for the game against Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham v Liverpool team news

Tottenham could potentially have striker Mikey Moore back in the squad after illness, with Postecoglou telling reporters: “Mikey potentially could be available to be on the bench.

The Spurs boss has also confirmed he’s yet to decide whether to start new goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after he completed his move from Slavia Prague.

Tottenham will be without James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr, who are suspended after picking up two yellow cards in previous rounds.

Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert remain unavailable due to injury.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will be without defender Joe Gomez, who is injured, while midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai remains a doubt due to illness.

Tottenham predicted XI v Liverpool

Postecoglou has a decision to make with regards to his goalkeeper on the night, as he has three available to pick from.

Brandon Austin made his long-awaited Tottenham debut against Newcastle, while Kinsky is a new arrival at N17 and Fraser Forster returned to training on Tuesday.

We feel Postecoglou will start Austin again, with Kinsky likely needing a bit more time to get up to speed at Spurs and Forster seemingly still struggling with illness.

The back four is a bit more clear-cut, with Radu Dragusin set to be available once again after having to come off at half-time against the Magpies.

Dragusin is likely to remain in the Spurs defence alongside Archie Gray, Djed Spence and Pedro Porro.

£21million ace Rodrigo Bentancur, who was suspended at the weekend, is expected to return to the midfield, while Yves Bissouma could replace Lucas Bergvall.

Son Heung-min, who was rested on Saturday, is likely to return to the front line, with Timo Werner set to make way for the Spurs captain.

Tottenham Hotspur have just been handed a very negative update on Wilson Odobert’s hamstring injury with his return seeming a long way off.

Ange Postecoglou’s squad has been decimated by injuries this season with nine players missing against Newcastle.

Odobert was joined on the sidelines by Guglielmo Vicario, Fraser Forster, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mikey Moore and Richarlison.

From that list, Bentancur is back from suspension, meanwhile, Forster, Moore and Richarlison are all close to making their returns. But in Odobert’s case, it will be a while before we see the Frenchman.

Wilson Odobert ‘miles off’ returning from injury

Wilson Odobert is ‘miles off’ returning from a hamstring injury, according to Paul O’Keefe.

The winger suffered the issue back in September and now looks set to be sidelined until the latter stages of the season.

Odobert posted an image on Instagram suggesting he was nearing a return, however, that does not appear to be the case and there is still a long way to go.

The 20-year-old managed to make just six appearances for the Lilywhites before sustaining the injury in the Carabao Cup at Coventry.

Mikey Moore and Richarlison also being sidelined has put pressure on Heung-min Son to stay fit and perform and the South Korean now looks in need of a rest.

Moore and Richarlison returned to training on Monday although the former is only expected to be fit enough for the bench against Liverpool.

Moore has just returned from a lengthy recovery from illness and the 17-year-old will not be rushed straight back into the team.

Meanwhile, Richarlison needs to have two weeks of training before being back on the pitch to avoid him suffering a recurrence of the same injury.

Postecoglou told the media: “With what happened before, the whole plan for him was to get a solid couple of weeks of training and next week should be his second week.”

Antonin Kinsky must be itching to make his first start for Tottenham Hotspur as soon as possible and there would be no better test than to play against Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Kinsky is prepared to face Liverpool, who are currently the best team in the Premier League.

Johan Lange scouted Kinsky at Aston Villa, which goes to show how longstanding his interest has been in Spurs’ latest signing.

Antonin Kinsky has the chance to establish himself as Tottenham’s number one this season itself, if he proves to be a superior goalkeeper to the injured Guglielmo Vicario.

Ange Postecoglou says Antonin Kinsky could start for Tottenham vs Liverpool

Ahead of the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou revealed that while Kinsky could start against Liverpool, he is yet to have made a final decision.

Postecoglou told Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold: “We will see. He arrived on Sunday I think. He has had a couple of days of training. He is registered and eligible to play.”

“We still have got to do a couple final things with him and then we will see.”

Kinsky is proud to be at Tottenham, who he states is one of the biggest clubs in the world and if he does play against Arne Slot’s side, how the youngster performs could highlight both his quality and desire.

Dejan Kulusevski praised Brandon Austin, who impressed in the Lilywhites’ latest 2-1 loss against Newcastle United.

It was reported by The Athletic journalist Jay Harris that despite Fraser Forster’s return to training from illness, it looks like Postecoglou has decided to either start Kinsky or Austin against Liverpool.

Ange Postecoglou says Spurs new-boy Antonin Kinsky has “real quality”

Ange Postecoglou has concerns about Fraser Forster, particularly when it comes to his distribution as the former Celtic tactician prioritises goalkeepers who are comfortable in possession in his side.

Postecoglou went on to detail during his press conference that Tottenham tracked Kinsky throughout the ongoing season, with the initial intention being to sign him in the summer of 2025.

“He is one that we had earmarked for the end of the season to bring in during the summer. We’ve tracked him all season and he is definitely someone we are really excited about. Obviously, with our current goalkeeping situation, we explored the possibility of bringing him in this January.”

The Spurs manager went on to hail Kinsky’s quality, stressing that signing him was not the easiest task due to how well he was playing for Slavia Prague.

“It wasn’t easy because he is doing very well for his club, his club is doing well, they are in Europe and top of their league. The club worked really hard to get the deal done in this window and it is a huge benefit to us and adds real quality to our goalkeepers.”