Sports Mole

Preview: Tottenham Hotspur Women vs. Aston Villa Women

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Preview: Tottenham Hotspur Women vs. Aston Villa Women - prediction, team news, lineups - Sports Mole
Description

Tottenham Hotspur Women will welcome Aston Villa Women to Brisbane Road for Sunday's Women's Super League contest.

The hosts are sitting in ninth place in the WSL standings, while the visitors are six points worse off in 11th position.

Match preview

© Imago

Tottenham are in need of an upturn in fortunes after taking just one point from their last six league games since recording their most recent WSL victory over Crystal Palace in January.

In fact, they lost five consecutive top-flight matches, before they played out a 1-1 away draw with Leicester City in their final game before the international window.

Fortunately for Spurs, they are in no danger of being drawn into a relegation battle, given the fact that they boast a nine-point buffer to basement side Crystal Palace, with four games left to play against Aston Villa, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton.

Robert Vilahamn's side have already played Villa on a couple of occasions this season, recording a 2-2 draw in September's league game, before clinching a 1-0 victory in November's meeting in the Women's League Cup group stage.

While that League Cup win took place on home turf, Spurs have not claimed a WSL home win over Villa since they picked up a 3-1 victory in December 2020.

© Imago

Aston Villa boss Natalia Arroyo experienced a difficult start to life as a WSL manager, overseeing defeats in each of his first five top-flight matches.

With that in mind, Arroyo would have been relieved to clinch her maiden WSL victory in Villa's away meeting with Liverpool before the international break.

Kirsty Hanson cancelled out Marie Hobinger's penalty, before a late Jenna Clark own goal handed the Villans a precious 2-1 victory, boosting their hopes of extending their five-season stay in the top flight.

Villa currently boast a four-point gap to the relegation spot, with four games left to play against Tottenham, Arsenal, West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Villans head into the weekend with hopes of recording back-to-back WSL victories for the first time since December 2023/January 2024, and those aspirations may be boosted by the fact that they have won two of their previous three away league games against Tottenham (D1).

Tottenham Hotspur Women Women's Super League form:

Aston Villa Women Women's Super League form:

Aston Villa Women form:

Team News

© Imago

Vilahman has revealed that Tottenham attacker Hayley Raso will miss the final four games of the season with a quad issue.

Luana Buhler and Charlotte Grant are also out of Sunday's match after picking up injuries on international duty with Switzerland and Australia respectively.

In positive news, Tottenham captain Bethany England could return to the matchday squad following a three-game injury absence.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa defender Sarah Mayling remains sidelined with an ankle injury that she sustained in last month's FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Man City.

Villa skipper Rachel Corsie has returned to training following a lengthy spell in the treatment room, but it is unclear whether she will be able to feature in Sunday's squad.

Hanson could be rewarded with a starting spot after she came off the bench to score the equaliser in the 2-1 win over Liverpool before the international break.

Tottenham Hotspur Women possible starting lineup:

Kop; Morris, Rybrink, Bartrip, Nilden; Summanen, Oroz; Holdt, Spence, Naz; Thomas

Aston Villa Women possible starting lineup:

D'Angelo; Maritz, Patten, Parker, Pacheco; Taylor, Staniforth; Grant, Salmon, Hanson; Daly

We say: Tottenham Hotspur Women 1-2 Aston Villa Women

Aston Villa would have taken immense confidence from their much-needed win over Liverpool, and we think that they will build upon that result by claiming a narrow win in Sunday's away fixture, especially as they are facing a Tottenham side that have lost each of their last four competitive home matches.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!

Source

Man Utd, Spurs 'hold talks' to sign goalkeeper, but Neuer theory could scupper deal

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Man United, Tottenham 'hold talks' to sign 6ft 6in goalkeeper after Europa League heroics - Sports Mole
Description

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly both been in contact with Eintracht Frankfurt to enquire about a possible move for goalkeeper Kaua Santos this summer.

The 22-year-old was an unknown quantity when he joined Die Adler from boyhood club Flamengo in 2023, but he has quickly come into his own in the Europa League in particular.

Santos excelled during Frankfurt's 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their quarter-final last week, making five saves and claiming five crosses to secure a positive result for his side.

Santos is set to guard the posts again in Thursday's second leg, where Frankfurt have the upper hand against Tottenham and will meet Bodo/Glimt or Lazio in the semi-finals if they can progress on home soil.

The 2021-22 Europa League winners still have the Brazilian under contract for another five years, but his performances over the past few weeks have apparently not gone unnoticed by the Premier League.

Man United, Spurs 'speak to Frankfurt' over Santos move

According to SPORT BILD, both Man United's director of football Christopher Vivell and Spurs' technical director Johan Lange were in attendance during Tottenham and Frankfurt's first-leg draw, and the two men spoke to Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche about Santos.

The Red Devils have supposedly been keeping an eye on the 6ft 6in goalkeeper since last autumn, at which point Frankfurt took action to extend his contract by two years and increase his salary.

Die Adler are therefore said to be planning with Santos for the long-term, and suitors have been warned that he will be 'very expensive' to prise away from the Deutsche Bank Park in the upcoming window.

Frankfurt only paid €1.6m (£1.4m) to sign the shot-stopper in 2023, but they would reportedly now demand at least €60m (£51.4m) to let him go this summer, and those close to him believe that he should follow the Manuel Neuer path.

Neuer stayed at Schalke 04 until he was 25 before signing for Bayern Munich, and Santos's camp supposedly feel that he would also benefit from staying at Frankfurt for a couple more seasons.

The 22-year-old has still only made 13 appearances for Die Adler in all tournaments - keeping three clean sheets - and he won two caps for the Brazil Under-20 side.

Could Man United and Spurs both change number ones this summer?

A new goalkeeping target appears to emerge on Man United's shortlist every week, such is the low level of confidence that Andre Onana inspires, while number two Altay Bayindir has not shown himself to be first-choice material either.

It seems clear that the Red Devils will try to upgrade in that department this summer, but Tottenham have already added to their goalkeeping ranks in 2025 with the January capture of Antonin Kinsky.

The 22-year-old inevitably dropped back down to second choice below Guglielmo Vicario following the Italian's recovery from injury, but Ange Postecoglou's number one has also been increasingly shaky of late.

Vicario seemingly still has Postecoglou's trust, though, so it would be a surprise to see Spurs also spend the big bucks on a new shot-stopper for 2025-26.

Source

Preview: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Preview: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Tottenham Hotspur - prediction, team news, lineups - Sports Mole
Description

Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur lock horns again for the return leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie at Deutsche Bank-Park on Thursday night.

The sides are level at 1-1 after the first leg in North London last midweek, but the pressure is much stronger on Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, who needs success in this competition if he is to save his job.

Match preview

It was the worst possible start for Spurs last week, when Hugo Ekitike put Frankfurt ahead inside six minutes, but the hosts grew into the game and eventually equalised before the interval through Pedro Porro.

Frankfurt's inexperienced stopper Kaua Santos proved to be an impenetrable force in the visiting goal though, keeping Spurs at bay throughout the second half, and earning his side a valuable draw ahead of the second leg.

Dino Toppmoller's side built on that with a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Heidenheim at the weekend, serving as the perfect preparation for the visit of Tottenham this midweek.

That marked a third straight home win for Frankfurt at home, and moved them five points clear inside the Bundesliga's top four, with Champions League football now looking a near-certainty, even if they do not win this competition.

The Eagles are even better at home on the continent, having won four in a row here this season, including the 4-1 thrashing of Ajax, as well as routine league phase wins over RFS, Slavia Prague and Ferencvaros, all without conceding.

Courtesy of that, Frankfurt enter the second leg as favourites to advance to a third Europa League semi-final, which could make them just the third team to achieve that feat, after Sevilla and Manchester United.

SGE have only won one of their five previous meetings with Spurs in Europe, and that came all the way back in 1982, but it was in a quarter-final, that time in the Cup Winners' Cup, coming out 2-1 winners.

History does not bode well for Spurs entering this fixture, because they have lost on six of their last seven trips to Germany in the knockout stages of a European competition, failing to score in four of the last five.

The most recent of those outings came in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2020, when RB Leipzig convincingly swept them aside 3-0, and the fact they failed to win the first leg at home is even more cause for concern.

Spurs' dramatic semi-final win over Ajax in the Champions League in 2019 is the only occasion in the last 10 where they have still advanced from a European tie after failing to win at home in the first leg, and five defeats from their last seven on the road in Europe goes some way to explaining why they are the slight underdogs here.

A 4-2 defeat to Wolves at the weekend made it six defeats from seven away games across all competitions for Postecoglou's men, and resulted in them dropping to 15th, now sitting just two points above 17th in the Premier League table.

Postecoglou simply must win this competition, because the league position they currently occupy would have seen him sacked much earlier, had it not been for their prospects in cup competitions.

Eintracht Frankfurt Europa League form:

Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Europa League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

After welcoming Can Uzun and Elye Wahi back to the squad in attack over the past week, Frankfurt will remain without the important Ansgar Knauff due to a knee injury for this clash.

Goalkeeper Santos was the star man in the first leg, and he should start again with Kevin Trapp still recovering from a shin injury, and Jens Grahl not registered to play in Europe.

Oscar Hojlund came in to play at the weekend with the likes of Hugo Larsson and Mario Gotze rested with this game in mind, but the Dane is also unregistered so will not play any part in this second leg.

Spurs skipper Son Heung-min is a doubt for this clash with a foot injury which ruled him out of the defeat at Wolves, and means he may miss the chance to set a new club record number of appearances in Europe with 68, but Postecoglou does believe he will be fit enough to feature.

Wilson Odobert played no part at the weekend, but that was just to protect the Frenchman ahead of this clash, while Porro, Destiny Udogie and Micky van de Ven were all left on the bench at Molineux.

Dejan Kulusevski made a welcome return at the weekend, and could be thrown in from the start here, especially if Son is absent, but Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin will remain sidelined in defence.

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

Kaua Santos; Kristensen, Koch, Theate, Brown; Shkiri, Tuta, Larsson; Gotze, Ekitike, Bahoya

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Pedro Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son

We say: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Frankfurt have become experts in this competition over the past few years, winning it in 2022, and reaching the semi-finals in 2019, and they are in good form, so are well worth their favourites tag heading into the second leg.

Spurs have been dismal on the road both domestically and in Europe of late, and missed the chance to take an advantage into this return leg, so the odds are certainly stacked against them on an evening which could seal Postecoglou's fate.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!

Source

Preview: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Preview: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Tottenham Hotspur - prediction, team news, lineups - Sports Mole
Description

Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur lock horns again for the return leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie at Deutsche Bank-Park on Thursday night.

The sides are level at 1-1 after the first leg in North London last midweek, but the pressure is much stronger on Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, who needs success in this competition if he is to save his job.

Match preview

It was the worst possible start for Spurs last week, when Hugo Ekitike put Frankfurt ahead inside six minutes, but the hosts grew into the game and eventually equalised before the interval through Pedro Porro.

Frankfurt's inexperienced stopper Kaua Santos proved to be an impenetrable force in the visiting goal though, keeping Spurs at bay throughout the second half, and earning his side a valuable draw ahead of the second leg.

Dino Toppmoller's side built on that with a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Heidenheim at the weekend, serving as the perfect preparation for the visit of Tottenham this midweek.

That marked a third straight home win for Frankfurt at home, and moved them five points clear inside the Bundesliga's top four, with Champions League football now looking a near-certainty, even if they do not win this competition.

The Eagles are even better at home on the continent, having won four in a row here this season, including the 4-1 thrashing of Ajax, as well as routine league phase wins over RFS, Slavia Prague and Ferencvaros, all without conceding.

Courtesy of that, Frankfurt enter the second leg as favourites to advance to a third Europa League semi-final, which could make them just the third team to achieve that feat, after Sevilla and Manchester United.

SGE have only won one of their five previous meetings with Spurs in Europe, and that came all the way back in 1982, but it was in a quarter-final, that time in the Cup Winners' Cup, coming out 2-1 winners.

History does not bode well for Spurs entering this fixture, because they have lost on six of their last seven trips to Germany in the knockout stages of a European competition, failing to score in four of the last five.

The most recent of those outings came in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2020, when RB Leipzig convincingly swept them aside 3-0, and the fact they failed to win the first leg at home is even more cause for concern.

Spurs' dramatic semi-final win over Ajax in the Champions League in 2019 is the only occasion in the last 10 where they have still advanced from a European tie after failing to win at home in the first leg, and five defeats from their last seven on the road in Europe goes some way to explaining why they are the slight underdogs here.

A 4-2 defeat to Wolves at the weekend made it six defeats from seven away games across all competitions for Postecoglou's men, and resulted in them dropping to 15th, now sitting just two points above 17th in the Premier League table.

Postecoglou simply must win this competition, because the league position they currently occupy would have seen him sacked much earlier, had it not been for their prospects in cup competitions.

Eintracht Frankfurt Europa League form:

Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Europa League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

After welcoming Can Uzun and Elye Wahi back to the squad in attack over the past week, Frankfurt will remain without the important Ansgar Knauff due to a knee injury for this clash.

Goalkeeper Santos was the star man in the first leg, and he should start again with Kevin Trapp still recovering from a shin injury, and Jens Grahl not registered to play in Europe.

Oscar Hojlund came in to play at the weekend with the likes of Hugo Larsson and Mario Gotze rested with this game in mind, but the Dane is also unregistered so will not play any part in this second leg.

Spurs skipper Son Heung-min is a doubt for this clash with a foot injury which ruled him out of the defeat at Wolves, and means he may miss the chance to set a new club record number of appearances in Europe with 68, but Postecoglou does believe he will be fit enough to feature.

Wilson Odobert played no part at the weekend, but that was just to protect the Frenchman ahead of this clash, while Porro, Destiny Udogie and Micky van de Ven were all left on the bench at Molineux.

Dejan Kulusevski made a welcome return at the weekend, and could be thrown in from the start here, especially if Son is absent, but Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin will remain sidelined in defence.

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

Kaua Santos; Kristensen, Koch, Theate, Brown; Shkiri, Tuta, Larsson; Gotze, Ekitike, Bahoya

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Pedro Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son

We say: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Frankfurt have become experts in this competition over the past few years, winning it in 2022, and reaching the semi-finals in 2019, and they are in good form, so are well worth their favourites tag heading into the second leg.

Spurs have been dismal on the road both domestically and in Europe of late, and missed the chance to take an advantage into this return leg, so the odds are certainly stacked against them on an evening which could seal Postecoglou's fate.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!

Source

Leeds' Solomon transfer stance revealed amid 'growing interest' in Spurs winger

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Leeds United transfer news: Manor Solomon stance revealed amid 'growing interest' in Tottenham Hotspur winger - Sports Mole
Description

Leeds United have reportedly established when they intend to make a decision over the future of Manor Solomon.

Having suffered a serious knee injury during his early months at Tottenham Hotspur, the winger soon dropped down the pecking order under Ange Postecoglou.

As such, a loan switch to Championship giants Leeds United was facilitated last summer in an effort to get the 25-year-old's career back on track.

The arrangement has proven to be an overwhelming success, the Israel international contributing eight goals and nine assists from his 35 appearances in the Championship.

With Leeds now sitting five points clear of third spot in the Championship table, they are closing in on a return to the Premier League for 2025-26.

What is Leeds' Solomon stance?

Nevertheless, as per Leeds Live, Daniel Farke and club officials have no intention of making a decision over whether to retain Solomon's services until it has been determined whether they will be competing in the Premier League.

That said, according to football.london, Solomon would be interested in remaining at Elland Road should the opportunity arise.

The relevant parties are seemingly aware that the player will not be short of offers during the summer transfer window, while it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Solomon returns to the Spurs squad.

With Postecoglou's future as head coach up in the air, Solomon may first return to pre-season training at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before making any further decisions.

How could situation pan out?

Solomon has played his football in England since 2022-23 when he made the switch to Fulham, his reward for his form at Craven Cottage a move to Spurs.

In total, he has 13 goals and 12 assists from 67 appearances in English football, and he has previously stated that he is a fan of living in London or Leeds.

Although offers may arrive from the continent, it is reasonable to expect Solomon to be playing Premier League football next season.

Source

Spurs make Postecoglou 'sack decision' before crucial Europa League quarter

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham make 'sack decision' before crucial Europa League quarter-final - Sports Mole
Description

Ange Postecoglou will reportedly be sacked by Tottenham Hotspur regardless of whether they win the Europa League this season.

The 59-year-old's future in North London has been under the microscope for some time, with Spurs in danger of ending their miserable Premier League campaign as low as 17th in the table.

Spurs currently sit 15th but only the bottom three clubs - already-relegated Southampton (26), Leicester City (22) and Ipswich Town (19) - have lost more Premier League games this season than Postecoglou's side (17).

A 4-2 loss at Wolves last weekend piled more misery on Tottenham, whose terrible total of top-flight defeats remarkably matches the total former boss Mauricio Pochettino suffered across a three-year period in charge of the club between 2015 and 2018 (17).

It seems highly unlikely that Spurs will miraculously sneak into the European places at this late stage in the season, as they currently sit 11 points behind the top eight with only six games remaining.

Levy to sack Postecoglou regardless of possible Europa League glory

Tottenham could qualify for next season's Champions League if they triumph in the Europa League, and Postecoglou has put pressure on himself to win silverware - and the club's first trophy since 2008 - after stating at the beginning of this season that he "always win things in my second year".

However, former Spurs scout Mick Brown, who remains well-connected within the game, has revealed that club chairman Daniel Levy has already made the decision behind the scenes to part ways with Postecoglou.

Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level recruitment after over a decade at Manchester United, claims that the only remaining decision for Levy to make is whether Postecoglou is given the opportunity to see out the rest of the season.

Levy is said to have already begun assessing potential replacements, but decisions are still to be made about the direction the club want to go in after Postecoglou's departure.

It has been suggested that Postecoglou's position in the dugout has now become untenable after a breakdown in his relationship with the club and the fans.

Spurs already searching for Postecoglou replacements

Speaking to Football Insider about Postecoglou's future, Brown said: "The pressure has been on Postecoglou all season.

"Every week people are speculating about when he will be sacked and at this stage it feels inevitable that he will go at some stage.

"Daniel Levy knows what he's going to do, he's made the decision already behind the scenes and for all intents and purposes it's done.

"Whether that is officially announced now or at the end of the season is the only question. I think they'll give him that chance to win the Europa League, but even that won't save him now.

"Now that decision has been made, I'm told they've already been looking for his replacement. They've got plenty of ideas on that, the direction they want to go in and who they want to get, but it comes down to that decision-making process.

"Levy has this high turnover of managers, and he'll know what he's doing, now it's a case of wait and see."

Spurs travel to Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final, with the tie currently level at 1-1 from the first leg.

Source

Tottenham suffer new injury concern before Frankfurt clash as attacker 'sent for scans' on hamstring issue

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Tottenham suffer new injury concern before Frankfurt clash as attacker 'sent for scans' on hamstring issue - Sports Mole
Description

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly been handed a new injury concern ahead of their Europa League quarter-final first leg with Eintracht Frankfurt, as Wilson Odobert has been sent for scans on a potential hamstring problem.

The former Burnley attacker should have been anticipating another successful evening in Europe's secondary competition after inspiring his side to a phenomenal comeback victory over AZ Alkmaar in the last 16.

Odobert was on target twice in the 3-1 second-leg win as Spurs overturned a 1-0 deficit from their opening encounter, and he has also played a part in each of Tottenham's last seven Premier League games.

The 20-year-old came off the bench in the weekend's 3-1 victory over Southampton, and there was no indication of a fresh issue in Wednesday's training session, nor did Ange Postecoglou mention a problem in his pre-game press conference.

However, journalist Paul O Keefe claims that Odobert has now reported tightness in his hamstring, and the Frenchman has been sent for scans to determine how serious his issue is.

As a result, Odobert is set to sit out the visit of Frankfurt on Thursday evening, and his availability for the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers on April 13 and second leg with the German giants on April 17 is also clouded in uncertainty.

How long might Odobert be out for?

Several Tottenham players have had no luck with injuries this season, but Odobert is arguably the most unfortunate of the lot, having been restricted to just 15 appearances since making the move from Burnley last summer.

The youngster suffered his first injury against Coventry City in the EFL Cup in mid-September, although he briefly returned a month later, coming off the bench in the Europa League league-phase win over AZ.

However, a complication then forced Odobert to go under the knife to correct the injury to his right hamstring, and the France Under-21 international was out for three full months before finally being cleared to return.

It is not known whether Odobert's latest problem is on the same hamstring, but O Keefe has stressed that it is not certain that he has even suffered a proper injury, and tightness could theoretically settle down in a few days.

On the other hand, a grade one injury would likely require a layoff of at least two weeks, meaning that Odobert could miss both legs of the Frankfurt quarter-final as well as Premier League meetings with Wolves, Nottingham Forest (April 21) and potentially Liverpool (April 27).

Postecoglou is already without Dejan Kulusevski (foot), Radu Dragusin (ACL) and Kevin Danso (hamstring) at present, and he could also suffer a double suspension blow in Thursday's first leg with Frankfurt.

No Data Analysis info

Source

back with Premier League experience 'wanted by Tottenham Hotspur' in £17m summer deal

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Barcelona centre-back with Premier League experience 'wanted by Tottenham Hotspur' in £17m summer deal - Sports Mole
Description

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering making a move for Barcelona defender Eric Garcia this summer, but the North London club are likely to face competition from a number of La Liga clubs.

Garcia was heavily linked with a move away from Barcelona during the January transfer window, with Girona and Como both believed to have been in touch with the Catalan giants to register their interest.

Barcelona chiefs had allegedly been willing to let the Spain international leave for as little as €7m (£5.8m) plus add-ons, only for head coach Hansi Flick to block the move, as he viewed Garcia as an important squad player.

The 24-year-old has made 33 appearances at club level this season, including 21 outings in La Liga, but he is behind Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez and Ronald Araujo when it comes to the starting roles in the middle of the defence.

Garcia's contract is due to expire in June 2026, meanwhile, and it is believed that he will be on the move in the upcoming market, with Barcelona not willing to run the risk of losing him on a free transfer.

© Imago

Tottenham 'register their interest' in Garcia

According to Fichajes, Tottenham are keen on Garcia, with the North London club giving serious consideration to making a move for him during this summer's transfer window.

The report claims that Garcia's 'technical profile' and his 'experience in English football' make him attractive for Spurs, while it has been suggested that he could be available for as little as £17m.

The Spaniard represented Manchester City between 2017 and 2021, making 35 appearances for the Citizens, including 19 outings in the Premier League, before returning to Barcelona in 2021.

Garcia has represented his current side on 103 occasions, scoring four goals and registering three assists in the process, while he has also been capped on 19 occasions by his country.

© Imago

Deco recently addressed Garcia's Barcelona future

Barcelona sporting director Deco recently refused to offer any guarantees when it comes to the future of Garcia.

"I repeat. Each one has his own story and his own contract. Eric is a player who grew a lot last season at Girona. The Eric that the clubs wanted this season is not the Eric who left here a year earlier," Deco told SPORT.

"He is a much more accomplished player, much more mature. He has a lot of self-confidence, he has been an Olympic champion. He is 23 years old and is reaching his maturity. He has one more year of contract with us, the relationship with his agent is very good.

"I think we have to go little by little. In a season there are moments, sometimes a player feels valued and other times, not. Now he is in a good moment, but we don't know if he will continue.

"I think so because I think he has the capacity to reach a great level and then he must want to continue at Barca. Once this is over, he is surely a player that we want to count on, but I don't think now is the time yet."

Source

Team News: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Eintracht Frankfurt injury, suspension list, predicted XIs

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Team News: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Eintracht Frankfurt injury, suspension list, predicted XIs - Sports Mole
Description

Tottenham Hotspur and Eintracht Frankfurt will face off in North London in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night.

Frankfurt were winners of this competition three years ago and look set to qualify for the Champions League regardless of their performance on the continent, whereas Spurs are in dire need of success in the Europa League after a dismal league season.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs. EINTRACHT FRANKFURT

© Imago

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Dejan Kulusevski (foot), Kevin Danso (hamstring), Radu Dragusin (knee), Timo Werner (unregistered), Antonin Kinsky (unregistered)

Doubtful: None

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Vicario; Pedro Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Maddison, Bentancur; Johnson, Solanke, Son

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT

Out: Elye Wahi (knee), Ansgar Knauff (knee), Kevin Trapp (shin), Jens Grahl (unregistered), Junior Dina Ebimbe (unregistered), Oscar Hojlund (unregistered), Timothy Chandler (hamstring)

Doubtful: Can Uzun (illness)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Kaua Santos; Kristensen, Theate, Koch, Brown; Shkiri, Larsson, Tuta; Gotze, Ekitike, Bahoya

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match .

Source

Tottenham duo treading tightrope as Postecoglou faces possible Europa League blow

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Ange Postecoglou at risk of double suspension blow in Tottenham's Europa League clash with Frankfurt - Sports Mole
Description

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou could suffer a double suspension blow when the Lilywhites face Eintracht Frankfurt in Thursday's Europa League quarter-final first leg.

The Australian's unforgettable statement that he always wins things in his second year in a job - which is currently factually correct - could still ring true at the end of the season as Spurs chase continental glory.

The Lilywhites pulled off an eye-catching home comeback over AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their last-16 tie to earn a date with Frankfurt, prevailing 3-1 at home following a 1-0 defeat in the Netherlands.

Spurs had to make do without Rodrigo Bentancur due to suspension for the second leg with AZ, but the midfielder's return for Thursday's game means that the hosts have no players banned for the first leg.

However, both Yves Bissouma and Lucas Bergvall are walking a tightrope, as the midfielders are both on two yellow cards and are therefore just one caution away from serving a Europa League ban.

Spurs could lose Bissouma, Bergvall for Frankfurt second leg

In the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, three yellow cards trigger a one-game suspension, as do any even-numbered cautions after that (fifth, seventh, ninth bookings etc).

Yellow cards that do not result in a suspension are not wiped until the completion of the quarter-finals, meaning that Bissouma and Bergvall would miss the trip to Frankfurt if they are booked on Thursday.

Furthermore, even if the pair manage to avoid entering the referee's book in the first leg but are then cautioned in the second, they would miss the first leg of any potential semi-final should Spurs get there.

Dejan Kulusevski is also on two yellow cards for the Europa League campaign, but the Swedish attacker is still working his way back from a foot injury and is not expected to be available for either clash with Frankfurt.

Kulusevski joins Kevin Danso (hamstring) and Radu Dragusin (ACL) on the Spurs sidelines, but Postecoglou confirmed at his press conference on Wednesday that he otherwise expects to have everyone available.

Postecoglou delivers Spurs team news update and responds to sack claims

"Everyone is good from the weekend from a physical standpoint. It's a good place to be for us and not something we've had much," Postecoglou said, before also fielding a question on his own future.

Spurs' pitiful 14th-placed ranking in the Premier League table has naturally raised speculation that Postecoglou could be sacked, and BBC Sport claims that their Europa League performance will be a 'key factor' when it comes to deciding his future.

However, Postecoglou - whose Spurs contract does not expire until 2027 - affirmed that he has navigated his way through difficult times throughout the entirety of his career, adding: "I came to this club with a clear purpose of rejuvenating a squad that was coming to the end of a cycle.

"Whatever noise there is, now or in the future, that shouldn't diminish that desire. Everything in my professional life has come through a struggle," as quoted by football.london.

Source