TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur drew Newcastle United in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, and Jamie O’Hara has given his honest prediction of who will win that match.

Tottenham defeated Doncaster Rovers in the third round to earn their place in the next stage of the competition as Thomas Frank looks to guide the team to his first trophy in charge of the club.

Goals from Joao Palhinha and Brennan Johnson, as well as an own goal from Jay McGrath, decided Tottenham’s fixture, giving them a comfortable victory.

They have now been drawn against Newcastle United in an all-Premier League tie for the fourth round, and they will aim to continue moving forward in the competition.

Jamie O’Hara backs Newcastle United to progress in the EFL Cup

Newcastle United defeated Bradford City 4-1 at St. James’ Park, with Joelinton and William Osula both scoring a brace to ensure they remained in the competition.

It has continued Newcastle United’s journey in the competition as Eddie Howe’s side look to retain the trophy they won last season, and O’Hara revealed to talkSPORT that he’s backing the Magpies to win.

“We’re playing Newcastle, come on. Newcastle is a tough game, I don’t think we’ll go there and win, I don’t think we will. Newcastle want to win it, you’re playing the holders.”

While O’Hara is a notorious Tottenham fan and former player, he’s not confident that Frank’s squad will be able to get the job done at St. James’ Park later on this season in the EFL Cup.

Thomas Frank will be under pressure to deliver some silverware

Even though Frank is only in his first season in charge of Tottenham, there will be an element of expectation on him to deliver some trophies after what Ange Postecoglou achieved.

Postecoglou guided Tottenham to the Europa League, proving that they have the quality to secure silverware in a knockout competition.

Fans will want to see the former Brentford boss deliver after being financially backed by the board throughout the summer transfer window, and the EFL Cup could provide that.

TBR Football understands that Fabio Paratici has held shock talks with Vinai Venkatesham over a permanent return to Tottenham Hotspur.

Paratici was shocked by Daniel Levy’s exit, as TBR Football revealed, although his ties with the club were never cut and he remained a consultant.

Things have now changed, with the Italian director surprised that Spurs’ new CEO is so keen to bring him back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a permanent basis.

Back in August, Paratici agreed a return with Levy, but following the chairman’s departure, he was left unsure about his future with the North London club.

Exclusive: Fabio Paratici holds talks over Tottenham return

Sources have now informed TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey, that Fabio Paratici has been approached and has held talks with Vinai Venkatesham, who has been impressed with him and is prepared to offer him a full-time role.

Currently, Paratici is undecided whether to take on a full-time role at Tottenham Hotspur without Levy, but he, too, has been impressed with Venkatesham, and there is a chance he could make a return.

However, we can confirm that Paratici has spoken to several clubs in recent months, including Premier League rivals.

Venkatesham is aware of this, and he has told the Lewis Family that Paratici is someone they should bring back into the fold. He agrees with the previous stance of Daniel Levy.

Speaking about the situation, Bailey told TBR Football: “Paratici was very close to Daniel Levy and when he left, he was not thinking that he would still possibly return to Spurs but the club have reached out to him – they know the players he has brought in and Vinai Venkatesham recognises that fact, they know he is one of the best in football at what he does.

“But a big part is that Venkatesham and Paratici, during the Levy days, actually get on really well – they respect each other and Venkatesham feels they could work together very successfully.

“Venkatesham is pushing to the Lewis Family that Paratici knows the squad, he knows what the club needs, he isn’t starting with a blank sheet of paper, and that is a huge advantage. So, whilst far from done, it is a possibility now that Venkatesham has made the first move.”

What Thomas Frank said about Fabio Paratici

Thomas Frank has recently admitted that he shares a good relationship with Paratici and that the pair were in regular contact during the transfer window.

Frank told the media: “Fabio is a consultant. Of course, I speak to him. I’ve spoken to him mainly in the transfer window while he’s part of the group that works and deals with the transfers. I’ve got a good relationship with him.”

The Italian has made some superb signings for Spurs, and surely Frank would love for him to return premenalty at some stage.

Frank has made Cristian Romero his captain; meanwhile, Pape Matar Sarr, Guglielmo Vicario, and Pedro Porro have all become key players under him.

Tottenham Hotspur cruised into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup by defeating Doncaster Rovers, but it was the debut of Luca Williams-Barnett which has fans buzzing.

The 16-year-old came off the bench against the League One side to become the 900th player to play for Tottenham Hotspur.

Williams-Barnett has earned his senior debut for Tottenham following a hugely impressive start to life playing Under-21s football.

The winger has six goals and three assists in six appearances, despite having only made the step up this season.

Now, the teenager has already made his first senior appearance under Thomas Frank and more chances are likely to come his way soon.

Xavi Simons congratulates Luca Williams-Barnett on his Tottenham debut

Xavi Simons has taken to social media to congratulate Luca Williams-Barnett on making his Tottenham debut against Doncaster.

Simons, Tottenham’s new £52m signing, looks to have already become a rather vocal member of Spurs’ squad and was quick to send the youngster a message.

The Dutch international wrote on Williams-Barnett’s Instagram: “Don’t forget to smile!!!! Congrats!!!”

Despite only being young himself, Simons should be able to offer the Spurs academy star some good advice on dealing with pressure at such a young age.

The 22-year-old has been in the spotlight since the age of 12, when he was part of Barcelona’s famed academy, La Masia.

Mauricio Pochettino gave Simons his senior debut at Paris Saint-Germain, and it took him a while to finally find his feet at senior level.

Tottenham have high hopes for Williams-Barnett, so it will be great that the first-team squad are already showing him love after making his first appearance.

Thomas Frank ‘very happy’ with Luca Williams-Barnett’s first Tottenham appearance

Speaking after the game, Frank admitted he was ‘very happy’ with Williams-Barnett’s first appearance in a Tottenham shirt.

The Danish head coach said it’s ‘always a pleasure’ to be part of a young player’s development, and Frank will hope he’s just unleashed a new star.

Frank told the media: “Yeah, very happy with that. I think it’s always a pleasure to be part of a young player’s debut. So, yeah, happy with that.”

The teenager is likely to return to playing with the Under-21s for now, but should his form continue, he will soon be back with the first-team.

It was a positive night for Thomas Frank’s Tottenham, but one which highlighted how the Danish head coach is getting it wrong with one of his summer signings.

Tottenham Hotspur cruised through to the Carabao Cup fourth round as they defeated Doncaster Rovers 3-0 in North London.

Goals from Brennan Johnson, Joao Palhinha and a deflected Wilson Odobert cross allowed them to book their place in the next round of the competition.

Thomas Frank will be mostly pleased with what he saw from his players on Wednesday, although there was one star who struggled yet again against the League One side.

Thomas Frank needs to change Mathys Tel’s position

Tottenham’s display against Doncaster further reinforced the point that Frank needs to change Mathys Tel’s position.

Speaking ahead of the game, Frank suggested Tel’s best position is left wing, but in the Carabao Cup, the Frenchman led the line for Spurs.

The attacker struggled against weaker opposition, and despite his age, Spurs’ head coach needs to reassess where he is using him moving forward.

Throughout the tie, Tel showed some promising attributes, including his work rate off the ball and his ability to get into dangerous positions.

But ultimately, it was another underwhelming display from the former Bayern Munich star, who missed some big chances.

Tottenham view Tel as a ‘generational talent’ and there is a strong belief that eventually he will come good, but so far, the signs aren’t promising.

Tel was signed by Tottenham for £30m over the summer and the North London club are unlikely to be best pleased with their investment thus far.

Thomas Frank explains Mathys Tel’s best attributes

Speaking after the game, Frank was quite positive about Tel as he spoke about his best attributes.

The 51-year-old highlighted the Frenchman’s position, speed, pressing ability and his link play.

Frank told the media: “I think you can see that his ability in this game to arrive in the box and the pace he got to both running behind and also getting into the right areas, I think it’s good.

“I think his pressing ability is very good. I like the way he works in that situation. And then I think his link-up play is something that is at a good level, but he can be even better.”

Gary Neville and Ian Wright have now deliberated the prospect of former Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane making a return to England from Bayern Munich.

Since he left Tottenham for the Bundesliga in 2023, Harry Kane has continued to score an extraordinary amount of goals.

In 103 games for Bayern, Kane has netted 98 goals, meaning he’s eclipsed his goalscoring ratio at Spurs.

As things stand, Kane has a contract with Bayern until 2027, but the England captain can leave the German side next summer for less than £60m.

In fact, TBR Football recently shared that Real Madrid would rival Tottenham to sign Kane, even if he is now 32 years old.

Gary Neville and Ian Wright discuss Harry Kane going back to Tottenham

That being said, the likes of Ian Wright, Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher have all debated the merits of Kane returning to England and potentially Spurs on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast.

Initially prompted by the question of Kane returning to England as a whole, Wright said: “I think he’d probably want to come back.”

Neville then agreed: “I think he’ll come back.”

Keane asked: “Just for the record?”

Wright: “I think not just for the record, I just think to just finish off there and probably maybe try and see if he can be a part of a team that wins something at Tottenham.

“Obviously, they’ve won the Europa. But for him and his legacy to be at Tottenham and maybe win something at the end of it and then go on to maybe get the goals.”

However, the panel then discussed the clubs that would be available to Kane, eventually whittling it down to either Tottenham or Chelsea.

Neville then asked: “So he can’t go to Arsenal, but can he go to Chelsea?”

Wright: “I’d go back to Tottenham if Tottenham wanted me.”

Neville: “No, but he wants to win things that you just said at the end of his career…”

Wright: “If he comes back, he wants to win things with Tottenham.”

Carragher added: “I think he’d want to finish with his club, wouldn’t he?”

Neville: “Chelsea are the club that I can see them having the biggest impact in and shooting most.

“I think at Chelsea, if you look at the team at the moment and you think what’s missing, they have got a lack of sort of what would be prominence up front and they’ve got a lot of energy and enthusiasm and potential around it with Parma and all the rest of them.

“He would be great at Chelsea as a player, but can he go to Chelsea because of the rivalry?”

Wright: “I think he’d want to go back to Spurs.”

Harry Kane could replace Randal Kolo Muani at Tottenham

On-loan Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani has barely kicked a football yet for Tottenham.

Kolo Muani has been injured over the past week or so, meaning fans in N17 have been limited to one short cameo from the Frenchman.

But given that Kolo Muani’s loan isn’t thought to have an option or obligation to buy clause, perhaps the 26-year-old could be perfectly placed to make way for Kane, should he become available.

Perhaps owing to the striker’s injury issues, Thomas Frank seemingly feels the need to have one other established striker alongside Dominic Solanke.

And even if Kolo Muani goes on to have an excellent season for Spurs, the temptation to offer his squad spot to Kane might still be too much to ignore.

Tottenham are excited about Kolo Muani right now, they believe he can help Frank’s squad in more than one role.

But Kane has unfinished business in England, and Frank’s side would surely hate to see him playing his football anywhere else.

Harry Kane could leave Bayern Munich next summer for less than £60 million, sources have confirmed to TBR Football, and some suitors are looking closely at his situation.

The 32-year-old could leave Germany because of a clause in his contract which kicks in should Kane confirm that he wants to leave.

Bayern Munich are confident that Kane does not want to leave, given his huge success since arriving in Germany, scoring nearly a goal a game since he arrived. As it stands, he has 98 goals from 103 appearances.

Tottenham Hotspur have first refusal on Kane as part of their deal and their manager Thomas Frank was asked and quipped he would be more than happy to welcome him to the club.

“I didn’t know there was a clause. He is an unbelievable player who did fantastic for Spurs and is doing fantastically well for Bayern. Top player, if he wants to join us, he’s more than welcome,” Frank told the media.

Exclusive: Real Madrid want rival Tottenham to sign Harry Kane

Sources have told TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey, that Tottenham are aware of Harry Kane’s clause and would dearly like to offer him a return to the club, but they are aware that others are keen.

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a huge fan of Kane, as TBR Football has previously confirmed, and would love to bring him to Old Trafford.

But Spurs and United would face tough competition to land Kane. Chelsea have long been linked with an interest; meanwhile, TBR Football has been told Bayern are ready to offer him fresh terms with his current deal expiring in 2027.

However, we can confirm that both Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have a firm interest in Kane and they could be in the market for him next summer, should he decide that he wants or needs to leave Bayern.

Speaking about the striker’s situation, Bailey confirmed: “Both Real and Barca have huge respect for Harry Kane. They love the way he holds himself, the way he comes across; he is the consummate professional.

“Florentino Perez and Joan Laporta would both love to land him, and at 32, he still has a few very good years left in him.

“Clearly, should Kane move, a return to England would be appealing given the all-time Premier League goalscorer record is within his sights, which could be a huge lure for him.”

How close Harry Kane is to catching Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal record

Kane, who was told he was ‘nuts’ for leaving Tottenham, is just 47 goals away from matching Alan Shearer’s Premier League record for the most goals of all time in the competition.

The Tottenham legend’s goal-to-game ratio currently stands at 0.67, which just about beats Shearer’s, which is 0.59.

The 32-year-old would therefore need around 70 matches, continuing at the same goal-scoring rate to match the former Newcastle United star.

So it’s certainly possible that Kane could break the record, but he would need to join an English club where he’d get regular minutes and that can supply him with plenty of chances.

Tottenham Hotspur will face Newcastle United in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after beating Doncaster Rovers.

Thomas Frank picked up another victory as Tottenham Hotspur avoided a cup upset against Doncaster Rovers.

Joao Palhinha opened the scoring before a Jay McGrath own goal had Spurs 2-0 up by half-time.

Brennan Johnson added a third late on, safely booking Tottenham’s passage into round four.

Thomas Frank shares Mathys Tel verdict after Tottenham Hotspur victory

This was another positive night for Tottenham, but Mathys Tel couldn’t seize his chance to shine.

Tel was recently left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad, despite only completing a £30million permanent move from Bayern Munich over the summer.

The Frenchman showed some potential during his loan spell last season, but he has endured a difficult start to this season.

Tel featured as a striker in Tottenham’s 3-0 win over Doncaster, but squandered two great chances to score by failing to even make contact with the ball.

That summed up Tel’s start to the season, but Frank was still pleased with his contribution against Doncaster.

Speaking to Football London, Frank suggested that Tel’s display was actually a ‘step up’ and he was getting in the right positions to score.

Frank also claims that Tel isn’t in a bad run of form at all and praised his recent display as a striker against West Ham United.

“I don’t think he has a bad run, if I’m honest,” said Frank. “He played striker against West Ham, which I think he did quite well. Worked very hard for him to arrive in the right areas, which I think he did today. In terms of performance, that was a step up.

“Then we can look at the end product to score the goal, but the performance to arrive in the box I was very happy with. Just close with the first ball from Brennan, ready for the cutback. Second half got in there on two other good situations and had a nice shot. I think it was a step up in terms of performance,” he added.

Tottenham Hotspur fans shouldn’t give up on Mathys Tel

Spurs fans have been left frustrated with Tel’s performances this season, but it’s easy to forget that he is still learning.

Tel is still only 20 and deserves time to develop his game; for context, Harry Kane was coming back from a loan spell at Leicester City at the same age.

That isn’t to say that Tel can reach Kane’s heights, but it shows that it’s too early to write off a player of the Frenchman’s potential.

Kane has even praised Tel himself, having played together at Bayern Munich, with the former Spurs hero spotting real talent.

Frank appears to still believe in Tel, and Tottenham fans should keep the faith in him as he goes through a less-than-ideal start to the season.

Spurs need to figure out whether Tel is a winger or a striker, and then give him the chances to succeed – or that £30million deal will look like a mistake.

Manchester City are into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after beating League One side Huddersfield Town 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Pep Guardiola’s side suffered heartbreak on Sunday evening, conceding in injury time to draw 1-1 with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Guardiola made changes to his Manchester City side against Huddersfield Town, and goals from Phil Foden and Savinho secured a 2-0 win.

City dominated throughout with 76% of possession, but could only find the net twice, with Erling Haaland given the night off.

Manchester City fans send message to Tottenham Hotspur over Savinho

Guardiola would have loved to see City score a few more goals, especially having taken 17 shots against the League One side.

Foden’s first-half strike was a beauty, before Savinho smashed home number two via the crossbar.

The Brazilian was making his first start of the season on Tuesday night, having played just 37 minutes of first-team action before the trip to Yorkshire.

Injury has been the big problem, but transfer rumours surrounded the winger over the summer, with Tottenham keen to sign Savinho.

Savinho was interested in a move to Spurs, but City stood firm and decided to keep him at the Etihad Stadium.

City fans weren’t impressed with Savinho’s display despite the goal, though, and supporters sent messages to Tottenham.

Some suggested that City need to call Tottenham and offer up a new chance to sign Savinho, claiming that he is ‘miles off it’.

One fan stated, ‘Spurs should be counting their lucky stars we didn’t sell them Savinho’, while another added ‘Savinho is truly woeful and I cannot believe we didn’t accept that fee in the summer from Spurs.’

Another supporter said, ‘We should have sold Savinho when Tottenham wanted him’, with one fan adding, ‘We turned down a €70M offer for Savinho from Tottenham for what reason exactly? This guy can’t take on a League One RB’.

Xavi Simons move shouldn’t end Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Savinho

It should be added there that Savinho has missed a lot of football in recent times, and hitting top-level form immediately is a big ask.

Savinho has shown his quality in the Premier League before, and perhaps he just needs more minutes to get right back up to speed.

City have other wide men, though, with the likes of Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden and the currently-injured Omar Marmoush representing options out wide.

Spurs remain keen on Savinho and even asked City about a deal on deadline day, so a January bid would not be a surprise.

Tottenham snapped up Xavi Simons, but the Dutchman may be better off as a number 10 than as a left-sided winger.

That means Savinho could still slot into Thomas Frank’s side in 2026, but much will depend on how much playing time the Brazilian receives under Guardiola.

Tottenham Hotspur cruised through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable win over Doncaster, but it was the performance of one of their youngsters which has fans talking.

Thomas Frank’s team strongly kick-started their League Cup campaign as they saw off the League One side with a 3-0 win.

Brennan Johnson, Joao Palhinha’s impressive overhead kick and a deflected Wilson Odobert cross allowed them to cruise through into the next round of the competition.

During the match, one of Spurs’ top young talents was used in his favoured role, and his display proved to be one of the key talking points.

Tottenham fans dissect Archie Gray’s performance in midfield vs Doncaster Rovers

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been full of praise and excitement for the performance of Archie Gray, as he impressed against Doncaster.

For just the second time under Frank, the teenager was used in midfield, partnering Rodrigo Bentancur and was even given the freedom to get forward.

The Uruguayan played in a deeper number six role, whilst Gray was allowed to venture forward at times and showed his impressive skills in possession.

Last week, TBR Football revealed Gray is keen to stay at Tottenham and fight for his place, despite playing just 89 minutes of football prior to Wednesday’s cup tie.

The midfielder certainly showed Frank what he can do playing as a number eight and gives the Spurs boss food for thought moving forward.

During the game, Spurs supporters took to X to share their excitement for the potential of Gray and called for him to be given more chances in midfield.

One fan said: “Archie Gray is having a good game. Clearly a central midfielder, not a right back or central defender.”

“Archie Gray is still a teenager, just wait till this guy is in his 20s lol, Sarr, Bergvall and Gray we got some great players in midfield for the next five years,” added another fan.

There was further praise for the midfielder: “Archie Gray showing he’s a seriously good player at central midfield tonight! Running the midfield.”

Finally, another added: “Archie Gray as the more advanced midfielder in a pivot. Wow.”

Frank wants to use Gray in midfield, so he will be delighted to see the youngster play so well there in the EFL Cup third round.

The Danish head coach already has several options in midfield, including Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, Bentancur and Palhinha.

Joao Palhinha could be the Premier League signing of the summer

Palhinha could actually be a strong contender for the Premier League’s best signing of the summer for another strong performance.

The Portuguese international moved into defence to allow Gray to play in midfield and the 30-year-old showed his experience.

The former Bayern Munich man adds so much experience to this Spurs squad and this will be so important for Frank across the season.

Tottenham Hotspur have had a really solid start to this season.

Indeed, the Thomas Frank era is going swimmingly so far. Spurs have won three of their opening four league games and currently sit third in the Premier League table.

Of course, a number of Tottenham’s top performers have earned plenty of praise this season.

Joao Palhinha has been hailed as a revelation at Spurs, while Lucas Bergvall has earned praise.

Speaking on the TalkSPORT Daily Podcast, Ally McCoist has singled out another Tottenham player for praise, claiming that Pape Sarr is a player who goes under the radar at Spurs.

Pape Sarr goes under the radar

McCoist was speaking with Jeff Stelling about the most underrated players in the Premier League.

Newcastle United’s Joelinton got a mention here, while McCoist claimed that Pape Sarr really goes under the radar too.

“And the transformation in Joelinton has been remarkable. I like Pape Sarr, another one, at Tottenham. I think he’s another one that goes under the radar a little bit,’ McCoist said.

“Well, he has flourished this season in particular, hasn’t he?” Stelling asked.

Sarr may be underrated in the wider footballing world, but anyone who works with the £15m man knows how good he is.

Thomas Frank has already been impressed by Sarr, while Ange Postecoglou spoke highly of Sarr last season.

“Pape has a super energy about him. Every day he trains with a smile on his face but he works damn hard,” Postecoglou said.

“I think he’s a really exciting footballer. He’s one of these midfielders you need these days, he’s very dynamic, he covers the ground really well, defensively and offensively.

“He gets into the box, he’s scored a couple of goals for us this year. His technical ability is strong and he’s a good ball carrier as well, and he’s still young.

“He’s another one who I feel there is so much more growth in, in all aspects. I just really like his general demeanour.

“He feels like he’s been blessed to have this opportunity and he’s going to do everything to make the most out of it.

“It’s great to have him as part of the group He’s very popular within the group because of his nature, but he’s a hell of a footballer.”

At the age of just 23, Sarr is far from the finished product, but he seems to be getting better and better with each passing season at Spurs.

Tottenham have a young gem on their hands here, that’s for sure.