Sports Mole

Seeking a sixth straight win over London rivals Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur make the trek to Selhurst Park for Sunday's Premier League showdown.

The Lilywhites eked out a 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League in midweek, while the Eagles lost by the same scoreline to Nottingham Forest on Monday, and here Sports Mole rounds up the team news for both clubs.

CRYSTAL PALACE vs. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

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CRYSTAL PALACE

Out: Rob Holding (club suspension), Chadi Riad (knee), Chris Richards (thigh), Matheus Franca (groin), Cheick Doucoure (toe)

Doubtful: None

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Henderson; Lacroix, Chalobah, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Kamada, Nketiah, Eze

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Djed Spence (groin)

Doubtful: Son Heung-min (knock)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Kulusevski, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Odobert

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

One of four Premier League matches taking place on an action-packed Sunday, London rivals Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur butt heads at Selhurst Park in a 2pm kickoff.

Ange Postecoglou's team are on a mission to make it three successive wins in all competitions, having conquered West Ham United 4-1 last weekend before a 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday.

On the other hand, Oliver Glasner's side are still searching for their first Premier League success of the season and were found wanting at Nottingham Forest on Monday, suffering a 1-0 defeat.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.

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Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 65

Crystal Palace wins: 13

Draws: 15

Spurs wins: 37

Not the most frequent fixture on the football calendar during the 20th century, Palace and Tottenham have now been familiar foes since the Eagles established themselves as a fully-fledged member of the Premier League.

There have now been a total of 65 clashes between the two capital outfits, and the latter inevitably lead the way with 37 victories compared to just 13 for the Eagles, while 15 more ties have ended level.

Palace do not have to go too far back for their most recent victory over the Lilywhites - a 3-0 thumping during the short-lived Nuno Espirito Santo reign - but Tottenham have since taught their London foes a footballing lesson time and time again.

Indeed, Spurs are on a five-match winning sequence against the Eagles, following up a 2-1 Selhurst Park win in October 2023 with a 3-1 home success in March 2024, where a stellar Eberechi Eze free kick was for nought.

Since Palace earned their Premier League stars again in 2013, the Eagles have only managed to best Tottenham four times in 24 attempts, and two of those victories have come in the FA Cup, including a 1-0 White Hart Lane success in 2016.

That triumph - which came via a Martin Kelly goal - marked the last time that Palace got the better of Spurs away from home, as they are still waiting for their first positive result, be it a win or draw, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

With 19 victories to show from 30 Premier League matches against Palace, Tottenham boast a better win rate against the Eagles than they do against any other London side in the competition at 63%.

Harry Kane bagged 11 goals in this fixture for Tottenham and is the highest Palace-Spurs scorer on record, but his former deadly double act partner Son Heung-min is not that far behind with nine of his own.

Last 20 meetings

Mar 02, 2024: Spurs 3-1 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Oct 27, 2023: Crystal Palace 1-2 Spurs (Premier League)

May 06, 2023: Spurs 1-0 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Jan 04, 2023: Crystal Palace 0-4 Spurs (Premier League)

Dec 26, 2021: Spurs 3-0 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Sep 11, 2021: Crystal Palace 3-0 Spurs (Premier League)

Mar 07, 2021: Spurs 4-1 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Dec 13, 2020: Crystal Palace 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Jul 26, 2020: Crystal Palace 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Sep 14, 2019: Spurs 4-0 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Apr 03, 2019: Spurs 2-0 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Jan 27, 2019: Crystal Palace 2-0 Spurs (FA Cup Fourth Round)

Nov 10, 2018: Crystal Palace 0-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Feb 25, 2018: Crystal Palace 0-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Nov 05, 2017: Spurs 1-0 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Apr 26, 2017: Crystal Palace 0-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Aug 20, 2016: Spurs 1-0 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Feb 21, 2016: Spurs 0-1 Crystal Palace (FA Cup Fifth Round)

Jan 23, 2016: Crystal Palace 1-3 Spurs (Premier League)

Sep 20, 2015: Spurs 1-0 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Last 10 Premier League meetings

Mar 02, 2024: Spurs 3-1 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Oct 27, 2023: Crystal Palace 1-2 Spurs (Premier League)

May 06, 2023: Spurs 1-0 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Jan 04, 2023: Crystal Palace 0-4 Spurs (Premier League)

Dec 26, 2021: Spurs 3-0 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Sep 11, 2021: Crystal Palace 3-0 Spurs (Premier League)

Mar 07, 2021: Spurs 4-1 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Dec 13, 2020: Crystal Palace 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Jul 26, 2020: Crystal Palace 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Sep 14, 2019: Spurs 4-0 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Read more on Crystal Palace vs Spurs

Click here to read our full preview for Crystal Palace vs Spurs

Son decision and Maddison milestone: How Spurs could line up against Palace

Mateta or Nketiah? How Palace could line up against Spurs

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Chasing a second London derby win in the space of two weeks, a revitalised Tottenham Hotspur meet lowly Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in Sunday's Premier League contest.

The Lilywhites got the better of AZ Alkmaar by a goal to nil in the Europa League in midweek, while Oliver Glasner's meek men lost by the same scoreline at Nottingham Forest on Monday.

Match preview

Well on their way to a guaranteed last-16 place in the Europa League, Tottenham made it three for three in the continental competition on Thursday evening, when AZ Alkmaar left North London empty-handed thanks to Richarlison's confident second-half penalty.

Spurs could and probably should have marched to victory by a greater margin, only to be let down by their own wastefulness, but that was not the case when they hit local rivals West Ham United for four in Premier League gameweek eight, coming from a goal down to hammer the Hammers.

Firmly in European contention amid a mixed start to proceedings in 2024-25, Spurs enter the weekend seventh in the Premier League table and just four points shy of the Champions League places, although they are only three points better off than Brentford in 13th spot.

As much as Ange Postecoglou has been heralded for bringing entertaining football back to North London, the Australian has never mastered the art of Premier League away games, as Spurs head to Crystal Palace having won just four of their last 17 top-flight matches on their travels.

However, Tottenham have notched multiple goals in each of their last four away matches in all tournaments, hardly a surprise when taking a peek at their attacking statistics; 145 shots and 55 shots on target are the second-best records of their kind in the Premier League behind Manchester City.

A side who could do with taking a leaf out of Tottenham's attacking book, Crystal Palace should have sensed an opportunity to finally end their Premier League hoodoo on Monday evening, where they squared up to a Forest side without the suspended Morgan Gibbs-White or James Ward-Prowse.

Alas, the Eagles were found wanting in the final third again, and a solitary goal from Chris Wood was all it took to subject Crystal Palace to their third defeat on the spin, one that leaves them still searching for that elusive first top-flight win of the campaign.

A far cry from the scintillating attacking unit at the back end of the 2023-24 season, Palace have plummeted into 18th place in the standings and are one of four teams still without a single English top-flight win this term, the others being Southampton, Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The hosts can only take minimal comfort from the fact that two of their three points this season have been won at Selhurst Park, as they have failed to score in three of their four Premier League home matches in 2024-25, and just two goals in front of their own fans is the worst home attacking record in the division.

The history books also make for grim reading for those of a Palace persuasion, as the Eagles have been beaten in each of their last five matches against Tottenham, who followed up a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park with a 3-1 home victory last term.

Crystal Palace Premier League form:

Crystal Palace form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

Spurs' ruthlessness against AZ suffered in the absence of captain Son Heung-min, who was rested in midweek due to being "a bit sore" following the win over West Ham, which came just after he had battled back from a previous hamstring issue.

Postecoglou has now confirmed that the 32-year-old should not be back for Sunday's game either, so a three-way battle for the left-wing spot should ensue between Timo Werner and two teenage talents in Mikey Moore and Wilson Odobert.

Son joins Djed Spence (groin) as the visitors' only two missing players, and plenty of changes are afoot; James Maddison and Destiny Udogie are the only starters from midweek who should hold their places.

Palace also have a few concerns on the fitness front, as Chadi Riad (knee), Chris Richards (thigh) and Matheus Franca (groin) are all out of contention, and the visit of Spurs should also come too soon for toe victim Cheick Doucoure to return.

Ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner will at least be back in the squad after being unable to face parent club Forest, but the USA international should take his usual seat on the bench, even if Dean Henderson should have done better for Wood's winner.

Speaking of erstwhile Gunners, Eddie Nketiah - if he plays - will have a barren run to end on Sunday; the Palace number nine has gone nearly a year without finding the net in the Premier League since his hat-trick against Sheffield United in October 2023.

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Lacroix, Chalobah, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Kamada, Nketiah, Eze

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Kulusevski, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Odobert

We say: Crystal Palace 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham may have struggled to find their attacking bite against AZ, but Postecoglou did put out a second-string team, and his well-rested big hitters should have no problem teaching a profligate Palace a footballing lesson.

With Jean-Philippe Mateta losing his touch, Eberechi Eze struggling for form and Michael Olise long gone, Glasner's men just have not found a Plan B in the final third, and their wait for a win will surely go on.

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

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Tottenham Hotspur will look to make it three wins from three to start the Europa League campaign when they welcome AZ Alkmaar to North London on Thursday.

Ange Postecoglou's side have won six of their last seven games, and have not lost a Europa League home game since moving to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, while visitors AZ are in the middle of their worst run of form for 22 years.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs. AZ ALKMAAR

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Djed Spence (groin)

Doubtful: None

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Vicario; Gray, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Moore, Richarlison, Werner

AZ ALKMAAR

Out: Wouter Goes (unknown), Lequincio Zeefuik (unknown), Mexx Meerdink (knock)

Doubtful: Ibrahim Sadiq (muscle), Sem Westerveld (knee), Lewis Schouten (knock)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Owusu-Oduro; Maikuma, Penetra, Dekker, Wolfe; Clasie, Mijnans, Koopmeiners; Buurmeester, Parrott, Van Bommel

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

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed that Son Heung-min will not be involved in Thursday's Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar.

The Spurs skipper returned from a hamstring problem in the weekend's 4-1 thrashing of West Ham United in the Premier League, marking his comeback with a goal against Julen Lopetegui's side.

However, Son was a notable absentee from Spurs' training session on Wednesday morning, fuelling fears that he may have suffered a fresh setback after spending three games out with his initial hamstring problem.

Postecoglou was asked about Son's fitness straight away in his pre-game press conference, and the Australian confirmed that the 32-year-old would not be involved on Thursday, although that was always the plan regardless of how he fared at the weekend.

Djed Spence was also absent from team training after picking up a groin strain last week, but Postecoglou did not deliver a detailed update on him, saying: "Sonny was a bit sore after the weekend, he was never going to be involved tomorrow anyway because he missed a bit," as quoted by football.london.

Postecoglou provides positive Richarlison, Wilson Odobert updates

"So we are just leaving him out of tomorrow and see how he is from there. Djed Spence trained individually today. Everyone else was out there."

Son's absence could open the door for Richarlison or Wilson Odobert to earn some minutes in his place, as the former endeavours to make his first start of the season in any competition after returning from his own issue off the bench at the weekend.

Asked if the Brazilian could start Thursday's match, Postecoglou replied: "Yeah, yeah. Richy got through the weekend really well, he's trained, this is almost the second week of training now, so he's ready to go in terms of being available, for sure."

However, the Tottenham boss is unsurprisingly taking a more cautious approach with Odobert, who has missed Spurs' last six games in all competitions with the hamstring injury he suffered against Coventry City in the EFL Cup last month.

"Yeah, potentially," Postecoglou replied when asked if Odobert could see the field against AZ. "Again, we've got to be a bit more careful with him because he's missed a lot.

"He's only had this week of training. He'll be involved tomorrow, in the squad. Game-time will be game-dependent with him but good to get him back and after this week he should be fully available."

Postecoglou responds to Tottenham fine from West Ham incident

Earlier on Wednesday, Tottenham were fined £20,000 by the Football Association after admitting to a charge of failing to control their players in the win over West Ham, where a late fracas saw Irons attacker Mohammed Kudus sent off.

Postecoglou was loath to discuss the incident in detail, though, saying: "We've been fined. All I said was I think we handled it the best we could but the FA thought it wasn't a good look and has fined us for it."

Tottenham boast a perfect record of six points from their first two games of the 2024-25 Europa League, seeing off Qarabag 3-1 before a nervy 2-1 win over Ferencvaros at the start of October.

Meanwhile, AZ Alkmaar triumphed 3-2 over Elfsborg in their opening battle before losing 2-0 to La Liga outfit Athletic Bilbao on matchday two.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly placed a £80m price tag on Manchester City target Pedro Porro.

The 25-year-old has been one of Ange Postecoglou's star performers in North London since making the switch from Sporting Lisbon on a permanent deal in the summer of 2023.

During his first full campaign in the Premier League, Porro made 35 appearances for the Champions League-chasing Lilywhites, scoring three goals and providing seven assists.

The Spaniard has not produced as much attacking output so far in the 2024-25 campaign, managing just the single goal across eight top-flight fixtures.

Alongside Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, Porro has formed a promising backline for Tottenham under Australian coach Postecoglou.

© Imago

Tottenham set price tag for Man City-linked Porro?

According to Football Insider, Tottenham have laid down a marker for potential suitors in the race to secure the services of Pedro in the near future.

The report claims that the Lilywhites value the 25-year-old at £80m following his impressive displays in the Premier League over the past year.

It is understood that Manchester City are monitoring the situation of Porro ahead of a potential swoop during the summer transfer window of 2025.

With the Spaniard's current contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium expiring in the summer of 2028, Spurs will be able to drive a hard bargain for the player.

Porro is set to be in action for Postecoglou's troops as they welcome Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar to North London for a League Phase contest in the Europa League.

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Man City need a Walker successor

A stalwart during an era of success under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad, Kyle Walker is approaching the end of his time at the top level of professional football.

The England international will be 35 years old by the end of the campaign, meaning that the Citizens need to start thinking about recruiting a successor.

Entering the prime years of his career, Tottenham's Porro represents a solid replacement who has already proven his ability to perform in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison could make his first start of the season when they welcome AZ Alkmaar to North London in the Europa League on Thursday.

Richarlison had been missing since the 4-0 win over Everton in mid-August, with an issue that was often shrouded in mystery by manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Brazilian returned to the matchday squad at the weekend though, and was brought on for the final 10 minutes as Tottenham cruised to a 4-1 win over West Ham United.

Also back from injury at the weekend was Son Heung-min, with the Spurs skipper finding the net in an eight-minute spell where Postecoglou's side finished West Ham off early in the second half.

After missing South Korea duty though, and only just being passed fit to face West Ham at the eleventh hour, Son could be given a rest here to protect him for the weekend trip to Crystal Palace.

Returning from suspension is Radu Dragusin, as the central defender sat out the win over Ferencvaros after being sent off inside 10 minutes against Qarabag on matchday one.

That will provide Postecoglou with the opportunity to rest both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, and after playing twice for Romania during the international break, Dragusin's match fitness is assured.

On the injury front, two players that could have been of great use to Postecoglou will miss out, as a hamstring injury to Wilson Odobert and groin strain picked up by Djed Spence will rule them both out.

Having now played 90 minutes in six successive matches, Pedro Porro could be in line for a rest, but that would require Archie Gray to move into an unorthodox full-back role again, but the teenager was widely praised for his performance at centre-back against Ferencvaros.

Another young prodigy, Mikey Moore, also received rave reviews for his performance in Budapest, and the 17-year-old could be rewarded with another start in attack here for Tottenham.

After scoring in both Europa League games so far, and in seven straight matches for club and country, Brennan Johnson's hot streak finally came to an end at the weekend, and the Welshman is likely to start as a substitute here.

James Maddison was pulled off at half time in the win over West Ham at the weekend, posing a possible injury concern, but it was soon confirmed that the decision was purely tactical, and the midfielder is available, even though it is likely he will also be rested.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Gray, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Moore, Richarlison, Werner

Click here to see how AZ Alkmaar could line up for this Europa League contest.

No Data Analysis info

One of the competition favourites Tottenham Hotspur continue their pursuit of a long-awaited trophy when they host out-of-form AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday.

Ange Postecoglou's side returned to form with a crushing victory over London rivals West Ham United on Saturday, and are still on maximum points in this competition.

Match preview

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After an underwhelming start and a complete capitulation away to Brighton & Hove Albion shortly before the international break, a positive result was much needed in front of a home crowd for Tottenham at the weekend.

Despite an early scare that saw the Hammers go in front, Spurs rallied to level before the interval, and an eight-minute second-half salvo saw them plunder a further three goals beyond a hapless West Ham side in an ultimately routine 4-1 victory.

Thoughts of what could have been after their trip to the Amex remain though, as Spurs should have been out of sight, but still conspired to lose the game, meaning they are still four points off the top four despite Saturday's success.

The Europa League could be seen as a priority for manager Postecoglou though, considering he has promised Tottenham fans a trophy this season, and they have made an excellent start to the league phase.

In the last seven games, the only outing Spurs have failed to win was that trip to Brighton, and their opening two Europa League games ended in victory during that spell.

Despite going down to 10 men inside 10 minutes against Qarabag, Spurs still managed to win 3-0, and they produced a professional away performance in Budapest to beat Ferencvaros on matchday two.

That leaves Spurs as one of five clubs still to have a 100% record in the UEL, with only Lazio and Lyon above them on goal difference.

Extending that to three wins from three appears a huge possibility too, considering Spurs have won all six Europa League games at their new stadium without conceding a goal.

Across all European competitions, Spurs are imperious at home too, having gone unbeaten in their last 14 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - winning 12.

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For AZ, they could not have picked a worse time to face their most difficult assignment on paper in the league phase, with Maarten Martens's side in the midst of a four-game losing run - their worst sequence in 22 years.

Since defeating Elfsborg on matchday one, the Alkmaar club have seriously struggled with the increase in quality of their opponents.

The next Europa League fixture saw them travel to Athletic Bilbao, a club who very rarely fail to win at home, and they had to face a dominant PSV Eindhoven side over the weekend.

Losing to both Utrecht at home and Fortuna Sittard is where the disappointment lies though, and those three consecutive league defeats have seen them plummet to fifth, with Martens's side now closer to the relegation zone than they are to PSV.

That is a remarkable statistic when it is taken into consideration that AZ took 16 points from a possible 18 to start the campaign, and the signs do not look great ahead of this trip to London either.

AZ have lost all eight previous European fixtures in England, conceding at least twice in each, while they have also lost five of their last six games on the road across all venues in European competition.

Tottenham Hotspur Europa League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

AZ Alkmaar Europa League form:

AZ Alkmaar form (all competitions):

Team News

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Spurs are set to be without Wilson Odobert and Djed Spence for this one in a blow to Postecoglou's plans, as both would have been in contention to start in order to give a rest to some first-choice options.

One of those is Pedro Porro, as the Spurs right-back has played 90 minutes in six straight games, including away in Hungary on matchday two, and twice for Spain during the international break.

After sitting out the Ferencvaros win due to suspension, Radu Dragusin will return here and is likely to start so Postecoglou can hand a rest to his two starting central defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Just a few months after leaving the club on a permanent deal, AZ striker Troy Parrott will return to the club where he spent seven years on the books, looking to find another goal on the continent after scoring the winner against Elfsborg.

Ibrahim Sadiq is a doubt after he returned from Ghana duty with an injury, joining the likes of Bruno Martins Indi, Mexx Merdink and Wouter Goes on the sidelines.

David Moller Wolfe's weekend red card will have no effect on his availability here, but the defender will be suspended when AZ face Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Gray, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Moore, Richarlison, Werner

AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:

Owusu-Oduro; Maikuma, Penetra, Dekker, Wolfe; Clasie, Mijnans, Koopmeiners; Buurmeester, Parrott, Van Bommel

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 AZ Alkmaar

Spurs have looked composed and comfortable in the Europa League so far despite an early red card against Qarabag and late consolation by Ferencvaros.

AZ's woeful recent form, struggles in England and Spurs' excellent home record in this competition suggests there is only one winner from this contest.

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

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Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly retain an interest in signing Lecce wide man Patrick Dorgu, despite the fact that he has only just extended his contract.

Over the summer, it was reported that all of Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester United - who viewed Dorgu as an ideal successor to Luke Shaw - were showing an interest in the Denmark international.

However, the transfer window slammed shut with Dorgu still on the books at Lecce, who paid just £166,000 to bring the teenager to the club from Danish outfit Nordsjaelland in 2023.

The 2004-born talent has since made a name for himself on the left-hand side, excelling in both an attacking and defensive position on the right and left-hand side for the Serie A side.

Dorgu has now scored three goals and set up one more in 42 appearances for Lecce, who announced on Friday that he had signed a new long-term contract extension until the summer of 2029.

Chelsea, Tottenham 'unfazed' by Dorgu extension

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Nevertheless, The Mirror claims that both Spurs and Chelsea remain in 'hot pursuit' of the promising teenager, and Lecce are under no illusions that he will likely secure a marquee move elsewhere soon.

While Dorgu has largely played on the right-hand side this season, Spurs are said to have earmarked him as an ideal option on the left flank, as both Ben Davies and Sergio Reguilon could leave in 2025.

The duo's prospective exits would leaves Destiny Udogie short of cover on that side, but Djed Spence has just signed a contract extension of his own after an unexpected revival under Ange Postecoglou.

Should Tottenham pursue a deal for Dorgu in 2025, Lecce would apparently hold out for at least £30m to let the teenager leave, after quoting interested partied a fee of £25m over the summer.

Meanwhile, Chelsea's plan for Dorgu reportedly involved adding the youngster to their ranks through sister club Strasbourg, but the move did not materialise due to the numbers involved being too complex.

Premier League clubs handed hope in Dorgu pursuit

© Imago

However, the report adds that Dorgu's agent is connected to a top British agency that conducts operations with several Premier League clubs, offering Spurs and Chelsea hope of a future deal.

Tottenham are thought to be at the head of the queue at this moment in time, but Dorgu is known to be a Chelsea supporter, which may or may not play a part in negotiations.

The 6ft 1in teenager made his debut for the Denmark senior team in September, coming off the bench and scoring in a UEFA Nations League win over Switzerland, and he has since made another two appearances for his country.

This season, Dorgu has one goal to show from eight appearances across the Italian top flight and Coppa Italia, albeit while also being sent off in a 1-0 win over Cagliari in August.

Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur bounced back from their humiliating 3-2 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion on October 6 with a 4-1 victory on Saturday afternoon against Julen Lopetegui's West Ham United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Hammers opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Jarrod Bowen fired a ball across the box from the right of the six-yard box towards an unmarked Mohammed Kudus, who swept past Guglielmo Vicario.

Dejan Kulusevski equalised for the hosts in the 36th minute after cutting inside from the right of the box and seeing his strike bounce off both posts before trickling in, before Yves Bissouma gave Spurs the lead in 53rd minute when Destiny Udogie teed the midfielder from inside the penalty area.

Postecoglou's side took a 3-1 lead just two minutes later courtesy of an own goal from Alphonse Areola after the ball deflected off Jean-Clair Todibo and onto the goalkeeper following a shot from Son Heung-min, but the forward got his goal in the 60th minute after carrying the ball into the penalty area before beating Todibo and Areola.

The victory means Spurs have now collected 13 points from eight matchweeks and they are now just one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

As for West Ham, they have won just three times in 10 games under the management of Lopetegui, and are in 14th place with only eight points from eight Premier League games, just five points more than 18th-placed Crystal Palace.

After his strong showing against Ipswich Town last time out on October 5, Bowen continued his fine form and registered his second assist of the season after he twisted past Udogie and played towards Kudus, who had been left free in the box by Pedro Porro.

Kulusevski levelled the scoreline when James Maddison carried the ball forward during a counter-attack before passing to the Swede who cut inside from the right and struck a shot off of the right post, which bounced onto the left and eventually crossed the line.

Spurs blitzed the Hammers in the second half, with Bissouma scoring after Udogie made an underlapping run into the penalty area and cut back towards the edge of the box, before Son forced an own goal when his effort was deflected onto Todibo and then Areola.

Pape Sarr brilliantly won the ball back from inside his own half, playing a defence-splitting pass into West Ham's half to Son, who carried the ball into the box and beat Todibo with trickery and beat Areola with a left-footed from the left of the six-yard box into the left of the net.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR VS. WEST HAM UNITED HIGHLIGHTS

Mohammed Kudus goal vs. Tottenham Hotspur (18th min, Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 West Ham United)

Dejan Kulusevski goal vs. West Ham United (36th min, Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 West Ham United)

Yves Bissouma goal vs. West Ham United (53rd min, Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 West Ham United)

Alphonse Areola own goal vs. West Ham United (55th min, Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 West Ham United)

Son Heung-min goal vs. West Ham United (60th min, Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 West Ham United)

MAN OF THE MATCH - DEJAN KULUSEVSKI

© Imago

Prior to Postecoglou's arrival at Spurs, Kulusevski was seen by many as a creative winger but the Swede has been allowed to showcase his creative abilities in more central zones, including against West Ham on Saturday afternoon.

The Spurs man produced one goal, created two chances and played four passes into the final third, and managed to excellently link play from midfield to the forward line.

On top of his strong showing on the ball, Kulusevski was also combative out of possession, winning eight of his 14 duels and making eight recoveries.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR VS. WEST HAM UNITED MATCH STATS

Possession: Tottenham Hotspur 57%-43% West Ham United

Shots: Tottenham Hotspur 22-11 West Ham United

Shots on target: Tottenham Hotspur 7-4 West Ham United

Corners: Tottenham Hotspur 13-5 West Ham United

Fouls: Tottenham Hotspur 10-15 West Ham United

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

Tottenham are set to host AZ Alkmaar on Thursday in their third Europa League game of the season, before travelling to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Meanwhile, West Ham have no midweek game but will play Manchester United on Sunday at the London Stadium, before facing Nottingham Forest on November 2.

No Data Analysis info