Sports Mole

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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 .

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.

Tottenham Hotspur and Eintracht Frankfurt will go head-to-head in the quarter-finals of the Europa League over two legs this month, with the first leg taking place in North London on Thursday.

Success in this competition came Frankfurt's way just three years ago, while Spurs are desperate to be the winners in Bilbao next month, in order to avoid extending their trophy drought to 17 years.

Standing in their way are a Frankfurt side who they faced in Europe just over two years ago, but this will be the first meeting between the two in the Europa League.

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

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 4

Spurs wins: 2

Draws: 1

Frankfurt wins: 1

Meetings between Spurs and Frankfurt have been rare, but when they have faced off, a lot has been at stake.

The upcoming encounter will see them battle for a spot in the semi-finals of the Europa League, and that was the same objective both had when they were drawn together in the Cup Winners' Cup back in 1982.

Likewise to the 2025 edition, Spurs were drawn at home in the first leg, and they came out 2-0 winners at White Hart Lane thanks to goals from Paul Miller and Micky Hazard.

However, Frankfurt gave them an early shock in the return leg, taking a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes, but fortunately for Spurs, they had Glenn Hoddle in their ranks, and the club icon netted late on to send Spurs into the semi-finals, but they were beaten by eventual winners Barcelona at that stage.

It would be 40 years until the two met again, with Frankfurt being granted a spot in the Champions League thanks to their Europa League success the previous season, and they were drawn with Spurs in the group stage, as well as Sporting Lisbon and Marseille.

The matchday three clash at Deutsche Bank-Park was cagey and underwhelming, with just three shots on target across a goalless 90 minutes, but the action was evidently saved for the return fixture a week later.

Still mourning from the passing of Gian Piero Ventrone, fitness coach and close friend of manager Antonio Conte, Spurs trailed early on through Daichi Kamada, but stormed back to lead 3-1 at the break thanks to a double from Son Heung-min and a Harry Kane penalty.

Tuta was sent off for the visitors just after the break, but they still gave Spurs a late scare thanks to Faride Alidou's goal three minutes from time, and Kane could not make sure of the win, missing a rare penalty shortly after, but Spurs did hang on for a 3-2 victory, eventually topping the group, with Frankfurt coming second, but both were eliminated in the last 16.

Previous meetings

Oct 12, 2022: Spurs 3-2 Frankfurt (Champions League Group Stage)

Oct 04, 2022: Frankfurt 0-0 Spurs (Champions League Group Stage)

Mar 17, 1982: Frankfurt 2-1 Spurs (Cup Winners' Cup Quarter-Final Second Leg)

Mar 03, 1982: Spurs 2-0 Frankfurt (Cup Winners' Cup Quarter-Final First Leg)

Read more on Spurs vs Frankfurt

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou could keep his XI largely similar to the one that won their Europa League last-16 tie when they welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to North London on Thursday.

This quarter-final first leg will be crucial to Spurs' season, and that was illustrated by the fact the manager was unwilling to risk either Micky van de Ven or Destiny Udogie in the weekend win over Southampton, given their injury record this season.

Ben Davies and Djed Spence started instead, but Van de Ven and Udogie are set to return to the side, especially with Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin absent at the back.

Dejan Kulusevski is the big injury miss elsewhere, with the Swede likely to miss both legs of this tie, as Postecoglou confirmed he is still a couple of weeks away at the start of the month.

Richarlison did make his return to the squad at the weekend though after yet another setback, and that could be hugely important to their chances, while also taking some of the pressure off Dominic Solanke, who is enduring a difficult spell in front of goal.

The summer signing from Bournemouth has not scored since January 4, with nine appearances passing without finding the net since.

There have been no such problems for Brennan Johnson, who returned to form at the weekend with a brace in the 3-1 win over the Saints, and that could be enough to hand him a start over Wilson Odobert, who scored the winner against AZ.

Another boost is the return of Rodrigo Bentancur, who was missing from the second leg against AZ, but has now served his European suspension and will be in contention to start, as he did at the weekend.

Spurs' January business and injury issues this season mean they have a few players unregistered for the Europa League, including Timo Werner, and young keeper Antonin Kinsky, so neither will play any part here.

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Under-pressure Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou will lead his side into the club's biggest game of the season so far at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday night.

After losing in the EFL Cup semi-finals to Liverpool, everything has felt geared towards a Europa League charge to save Spurs' season, with Postecoglou adamant he can still deliver a trophy within that two-year window.

Match preview

It has not been an easy week for Postecoglou, as he has had to deal with more questions about his future, as well as seeing VAR deny him a potential point at Chelsea, while hearing the Spurs supporters boo his substitutes at Stamford Bridge.

Spurs were beaten 1-0, but after bringing Pape Sarr off the bench to a chorus of boos from the away end, the midfielder found the net before it was disallowed for a foul, and Postecoglou appeared to cup his ears to the away end, something he vehemently denied.

The narrow 3-1 win to a now-relegated Southampton on Sunday will not have done much to improve the ill-feeling between the two parties, but an impressive performance and result in this first leg certainly will.

A positive first-leg performance was definitely not seen in the last 16 though, when Spurs were woeful away to AZ Alkmaar and were lucky to leave with only a one-goal deficit, but they made amends with a 3-1 win at home to book their spot in the quarter-finals.

Spurs were largely impressive in the UEL league phase, finishing fourth, and they are third-favourites to win the competition, but before even reaching the final, they will need to come through two challenging tests, as Lazio are set to await the winners of this tie, if they see off Bodo/Glimt.

This is the host's first European quarter-final since 2019 when they knocked Manchester City out on away goals on the way to the final after one of the most dramatic second legs in Champions League history.

However, the first-leg win they achieved in that tie remains the only quarter-final success they have managed in 13 attempts, so something must change here if they are to keep their season alive.

Spurs met Frankfurt in the group stages of the Champions League in 2022-23, but the only previous knockout tie between the two was at this stage of the 1981-82 Cup Winners' Cup when the English side edged out their German counterparts 3-2 on aggregate.

For Frankfurt, this is a path they have trodden before, with it being their third Europa League quarter-final in six years.

An ominous sign for Spurs is that Frankfurt have failed to win either of the first legs in those two previous ties, but they still went on to progress, famously away at the Nou Camp on the way to winning the competition in 2022.

This is their competition, with just two defeats in 23 UEL games, many of which did come in the 2021-22 season when Oliver Glasner led them to continental glory, but the current crop also looks capable of going all the way.

Dino Toppmoller's men thrashed Ajax 6-1 on aggregate in the last 16 after coming fifth in the league phase, but the truth is that they have looked slightly poorer since Omar Marmoush left for Man City in January.

The visitors have won just five of their last 13 matches, and suffered another defeat at the weekend, going down 2-0 at Werder Bremen, but they were still able to retain third place in the Bundesliga despite that result.

Tottenham Hotspur Europa League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Eintracht Frankfurt Europa League form:

Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):

Team News

Spurs will remain without Dejan Kulusevski and Kevin Danso for the next couple of weeks, potentially keeping them out of both legs of this tie, while Radu Dragusin will miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear.

Timo Werner will not be able to face the club from his homeland, as he is not registered in Spurs' Europa League squad, but Richarlison could be in line for some minutes after returning from injury at the weekend.

Rodrigo Bentancur is back from the ban that kept him out of the second leg against AZ, while Postecoglou was keen to keep injury-prone pair Micky van den Ven and Destiny Udogie in reserve at the weekend ahead of this tie.

Frankfurt will have Nnamdi Collins available after a European suspension at the back, but in goal, the inexperienced Kaua Santos may have to continue, given the injury to Kevin Trapp, and the fact Jens Grahl is unregistered.

Oscar Hojlund, brother of Rasmus, and Junior Dina Ebimbe will also be unavailable as they are not registered, while Ansgar Knauff and Elye Wahi are currently sidelined with injury, but Croat Igor Matanovic returned at the weekend after a two-month absence.

Youngster Can Uzun could be back after illness, but veteran defender Timothy Chandler is still on the treatment table with a long-term hamstring problem.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

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

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

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

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

Spurs have reserved most of their best form for the Europa League this season, and Postecoglou must ensure his side takes an advantage into the second leg at least, if he wants to alleviate the pressure on his job.

Frankfurt very rarely lose in this competition, and they knocked West Ham United out across London in 2022, but their form has taken a slight hit recently, following Marmoush's departure in particular.

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

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Tottenham Hotspur are back in action on Thursday evening when they play the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final with Eintracht Frankfurt.

At a time when Ange Postecoglou remains under fierce pressure at the North Londoners, he watched his team earn a 3-1 victory over Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

However, with Spurs remaining in 14th place in the table, it feels imperative that Postecologu's side continue to perform in this competition for the Greek-Australian to remain in the dugout for 2025-26.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up Tottenham's latest injury and suspension news ahead of their clash with Frankfurt, who sit in third position in the Bundesliga table.

Kevin Danso

© Iconsport

Status: Out

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: April 21 (vs. Nottingham Forest)

Kevin Danso hurt his hamstring in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last month, and Postecoglou has conceded that the Austria international will not return until later in April.

Dejan Kulusevski

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Foot

Possible return date: April 21 (vs. Nottingham Forest)

Likewise, Dejan Kulusevski is not expected to return from his foot injury for another fortnight or so, but the Swedish attacker will almost certainly be back before the campaign comes to a close.

Radu Dragusin

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Knee

Possible return date: Unknown

While Danso and Kulusevski are all on track to return this month, Radu Dragusin is unlikely to play again this year as the Romanian's ACL injury is expected to rule him out until 2026.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR'S SUSPENSION LIST

Tottenham have no players suspended for this game.

No Data Analysis info