Sports Mole

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly prepared to bid around £52m for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Morten Hjulmand.

The Lilywhites made a positive start to their Champions League campaign earlier in the week, securing a narrow victory over Villarreal in North London.

Elsewhere in UEFA's top-tier club competition, Hjulmand played 70 minutes as Sporting Lisbon smashed tournament debutants Kairat Almaty 4-1.

Over recent times, the 26-year-old has gained the honour of captaining the Primeira Liga giants, highlighting his development in Lisbon.

Since making the switch from Italian outfit Lecce over the summer of 2023, Hjulmand has featured on 103 occasions for Sporting, scoring eight goals.

Tottenham plotting £52m move for Hjulmand?

According to Spanish publication Fichajes, Tottenham are plotting the reinforcement of their midfield ranks during the upcoming transfer windows.

The report states that the Europa League winners are keen on securing the services of Denmark international Hjulmand on a big-money deal.

It is understood that Tottenham are preparing to submit an initial financial package totalling £52m for the talents of the 26-year-old in the near future.

Despite being happy and content in Lisbon, it is believed that a lucrative switch to the Premier League could be too good to turn down for Hjulmand.

Fellow Dane and Spurs head coach Thomas Frank is said to be a major part in the North London club's interest in the engine room enforcer.

Sporting suffer raids

After a successful spell under the tutelage of Ruben Amorim, Sporting Lisbon's greatest talents continue to be snatched by Europe's elite clubs.

The most obvious example of this is the move of Swedish marksman Viktor Gyokeres to Premier League giants Arsenal over the summer.

Following his record of netting around a goal per game on the Portuguese scene, the 27-year-old was always destined for a transfer away.

Fresh from their midweek European triumph, Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to win their third successive game in seven days across all competitions when they travel to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Spurs will be seeking revenge against the Seagulls after losing both home and away meetings in the top flight last season, conceding seven goals in the process.

Match preview

Brighton entered September’s international break on a high after beating Manchester City 2-1 on home soil, but they were brought back down to earth last weekend when they suffered defeat by the same scoreline at the hands of Bournemouth.

Kaoru Mitoma’s first goal of the season restored parity for the Seagulls three minutes into the second half, but they eventually came away from the Vitality Stadium empty handed, as Jan Paul van Hecke clumsily stuck out a leg to concede a penalty which Antoine Semenyo converted to condemn the visitors to their second loss after four league games this term.

Fabian Hurzeler was left “frustrated” after his 50th game in charge of Brighton, as he felt that his players “didn’t get the rewards” they deserved for their tireless efforts, particularly in the second half. Nevertheless, the result leaves Brighton 13th in the table, one point above the relegation zone and five behind the top four.

Brighton will welcome a return to the Amex Stadium on Saturday, as they have lost just one of their last 10 Premier League matches in front of their own supporters (W6 D3) and they are unbeaten in their last six on home soil (W3 D3) since a 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa in April.

The Seagulls should back themselves to pick up maximum points against Tottenham considering they have won three of their last four Premier League meetings with the North Londoners, completing the double over them last season (3-2 at home and 4-1 away) which is the only time that they have ever won back-to-back league encounters with Spurs.

After suffering their first setback of the Thomas Frank era against Bournemouth (1-0) prior to the international break, Tottenham have since responded well as they have won their last two matches against West Ham United and Villarreal without reply.

A deserved 3-0 away victory over 10-man West Ham in the Premier League last weekend was followed by a narrow 1-0 home win over Villarreal in their opening League Phase fixture of the Champions League on Wednesday, courtesy of a fourth-minute own goal from goalkeeper Luiz Junior.

Outscoring the opposition was the mantra under former boss Ange Postecoglou, but Tottenham’s focus appears to have shifted towards keeping the ball out at the other end of the pitch under Frank, who was “happy with the defensive side of the game” from his new-look Spurs team after they did not concede a single shot on target against Villarreal.

Tottenham, who have conceded just one goal across 450 minutes of competitive football this term, sit third in the Premier League table and head into Saturday’s clash with Brighton having already won their first two away league games by an aggregate score of 5-0; not since November 2020 under Jose Mourinho have they won three consecutive PL matches on the road (four in a row).

Spurs have lost in both of the last two league visits to the Amex, but they have never suffered three consecutive away defeats to Brighton, while Frank has only lost one of his last six encounters with the Seagulls (W2 D3) - all while in charge of Brentford - having previously lost his first two PL meetings in the 2021-22 season.

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:

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Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):

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Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

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Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

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Team News

To compound Brighton’s disappointment at Bournemouth last weekend, Jack Hinshelwood (ankle) and Maxin De Cuyper (knee) were both forced off with injuries in the first half. While Hinshelwood has joined Adam Webster and Solly March (both knee) in the treatment room, De Cuyper is a doubt for Saturday, but Mats Wieffer (knee) and Diego Gomez (illness) are both fit and available for selection.

If De Cuyper is not deemed fit to start at left-back, then Ferdi Kadioglu will be expected to earn a place in the back four next to Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke and Joel Veltman, while either Carlos Baleba or Yasin Ayari is set to replace Hinshelwood in midfield.

Yankuba Minteh has the highest take-on success rate among players with 10 or more attempted in the Premier League this season (65% - 13/20) and the Gambian is set to continue in attack along with Mitoma, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck.

As for Tottenham, Dominic Solanke is “progressing forward" in his recovery from an ankle injury after returning to training, but Saturday’s contest will come too soon for the striker, who remains sidelined with Yves Bissouma (knock), Kota Takai (foot), James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin (all knee).

Frank will consider making a couple of changes to his starting lineup, with Destiny Udogie back fit and in contention to start at left-back ahead of Djed Spence, while deep-lying midfielder Joao Palhinha will be hoping to force his way back into the first XI at the expense of Rodrigo Bentancur.

Richarlison, Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani will all battle it out for the centre-forward spot, with the former likely to get the nod, and he could be joined in the final third by Xavi Simons and fellow summer signing Mohammed Kudus, although Brennan Johnson - who scored in an away defeat to Brighton last season - is ready to earn a recall on either flank.

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Palhinha, Bergvall; Kudus, Richarlison, Simons

We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

If history is anything to go by, a draw may not be on the cards this weekend as each of the last 15 meetings between Brighton (six) and Spurs (nine) across all competitions have produced a winner.

Spurs have not enjoyed their recent trips to the Amex, but they look a much stronger outfit under Frank this term and we are backing the North Londoners to outscore a Seagulls side who have not looked wholly convincing in the early stages of the new campaign.

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

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Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke was not seen in training ahead of the Lilywhites' Champions League showdown with Villarreal on Tuesday evening.

The £65m attacker has endured a disrupted start to the 2025-26 season, playing just 49 minutes across two Premier League appearances and one UEFA Super Cup substitute outing.

Solanke made second-half cameos against Burnley and Manchester City in Spurs' first two top-flight outings of the campaign, but he has since been sidelined with an ankle injury.

The 28-year-old is expected to be the next cab off the rank in terms of Tottenham's injury victims, as Thomas Frank revealed before the weekend's 3-0 Premier League win over West Ham United that he was "not too far away" from returning.

However, the visit of Villarreal may come too soon for Solanke to make his comeback, as he was not seen in open training with the rest of the squad on Monday morning.

Solanke missing from Tottenham training ahead of Villarreal clash

Frank will be expected to give a firm update in his pre-game press conference, but the signs are that Solanke will not be available for the meeting with Marcelino's side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The former Liverpool striker will be one of at least seven absentees for the Lilywhites in midweek, as Kota Takai, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are all nursing injuries.

In any case, the latter five were all left out of Tottenham's squad for the league phase of the Champions League, as a result of both their injuries and Spurs' well-documented problems signing and promoting home-grown players.

Mathys Tel was also omitted from Frank's 22-man selection for the first stage of Europe's premier tournament, during which Spurs will also take on Bodo/Glimt, Monaco, Copenhagen, Paris Saint-Germain, Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Randal Kolo Muani or Richarlison up front for Tottenham?

With Solanke likely absent and Tel ineligible for the league phase, either Richarlison or Randal Kolo Muani can be expected to lead the line for Tottenham in their first Champions League clash of the season.

Tel was given the nod up front for the weekend's victory over West Ham, briefly playing alongside Richarlison after the latter replaced Xavi Simons in the 71st minute, shortly before Wilson Odobert came on for Tel.

However, new signing Randal Kolo Muani was left to watch proceedings from the bench as an unused substitute, meaning that the Paris Saint-Germain loanee has not played since Juventus' Club World Cup last-16 loss to Real Madrid on July 1.

As a result, Richarlison will almost certainly get the nod over his French counterpart to start against Villarreal, although Kolo Muani can feel optimistic of making his Spurs debut as a substitute on Tuesday.

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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Sevilla attacker Ruben Vargas in 2026.

After their shock Europa League triumph last season, the Lilywhites are preparing for their Champions League opener with Villarreal on Tuesday night.

Tottenham have made a solid start to the Premier League campaign after parting ways with Ange Postecoglou over the summer.

The North Londoners - now under the tutelage of Thomas Frank - sit third in the top-flight rankings, behind only Liverpool and Arsenal.

Frank's troops returned from the international break in style on Saturday evening when they smashed West Ham United 3-0 at the London Stadium.

Tottenham have Sevilla star Vargas 'on their radar'

According to Spanish publication Fichajes, Tottenham are keen on securing a La Liga talent during the January transfer window.

The report claims that Sevilla and Switzerland attacker Vargas is on the radar of the Europa League winners as 2026 approaches.

As well as Frank's men, it is understood that Europa League-competing Aston Villa are also closely monitoring Vargas's situation.

However, at this stage, it is believed that Spurs have the financial muscle and sporting ambition to beat the Villans in a race for the winger.

Vargas attracted interest during the most recent summer transfer window, with Villarreal supposedly seeing a bid rejected for the player.

Why is Vargas wanted in North London?

Focusing on the here and now, Vargas has made an exceptional start to the La Liga campaign, providing three assists in as many contests.

Following a near six-year spell at Augsburg in Germany, the Swiss attacker made the switch to Sevilla at the beginning of the calendar year.

After just 14 appearances for the Spanish side, Vargas is capturing the attention of clubs from the most-watched league in the world.

Tottenham Hotspur can reportedly recall one of their loanees to the club during the January transfer window, but only if the worst should happen injury-wise.

The Lilywhites have made positive strides under Thomas Frank so far this season, as the Dane oversaw his third win from four Premier League games on Saturday evening against West Ham United.

Spurs struck through Micky van de Ven, Lucas Bergvall and Pape Sarr in a 3-0 beating of the Irons, where Cristian Romero also had a first-half goal disallowed for an apparent foul.

Romero nevertheless registered a direct contribution at the London Stadium, pinging a long ball forward for Bergvall to latch onto, before Van de Ven finished low into the net from the Swede's own assist.

Frank's first-choice centre-back duo had their names up in lights during the London derby, and the Dane can also call upon Kevin Danso and the experienced Ben Davies in the heart of defence.

Tottenham have 'recall option' for Luka Vuskovic in worst-case scenario

However, new signing Kota Takai is yet to make an appearance for the club due to a foot injury, which could take another few weeks to heal, and injuries have not been kind to Tottenham's defence in recent years.

Van de Ven has already missed 48 games for club and country since joining Spurs - suffering four separate hamstring injuries - while Romero missed three months of last term with a hamstring injury of his own.

A repeat this season may not be so disastrous, though, as according to BILD - via The Spurs Web - the Europa League winners can recall Luka Vuskovic from his loan spell at Hamburger SV during the January transfer window.

Tottenham will only be able to bring Vuskovic back to North London if they are hit with more than one serious injury in defence, though, otherwise the Croatian youngster will continue his development in the Bundesliga.

Spurs agreed to sign Vuskovic from Hajduk Split in 2023, but the 2007-born defender did not officially join the club until his 18th birthday earlier this year, and he is still waiting for his competitive Tottenham debut.

Vuskovic scored and provided an assist in a 2-0 pre-season win over Reading, though, and he was on the bench in Spurs' first three games of the season against Paris Saint-Germain, Burnley and Manchester City.

How did Tottenham's Vuskovic perform on Hamburg debut?

The teenager experienced the true meaning of a baptism of fire on his Bundesliga debut over the weekend, being thrown into the starting XI for Hamburg's trip to reigning champions Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

Vuskovic and co were thumped 5-0 by Vincent Kompany's side, as Harry Kane struck a brace while Aleksandar Pavlovic, Serge Gnabry and Luis Diaz also found the back of the net for the Bavarians.

Vuskovic nevertheless contributed to the defensive effort with six clearances, one block and one interception, while completing 86% of his passes and registering a successful dribble.

The 18-year-old had forged a reputation as a major goal threat before his summer loan move, and he has already netted 11 strikes in his senior career.

Tottenham Hotspur's record signing Dominic Solanke is likely to miss out again when the Lilywhites host Villarreal in Tuesday's Champions League league phase contest.

The £65m striker sat out Saturday's 3-0 Premier League victory over West Ham United due to an ankle problem, albeit one that should not take too much longer to heal.

However, Thomas Frank should err on the side of caution with Solanke this week, especially as he has two fully-fit centre-forwards in Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani vying for minutes in the number nine role.

One of the pair will replace Mathys Tel - ineligible for the league phase - but as Kolo Muani was only an unused substitute against West Ham and has played little football recently, Richarlison should get the nod over the Paris Saint-Germain loanee.

The Brazilian ought to be flanked by Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons once again, while Lucas Bergvall is in no place to be dropped from the engine room after his goal and assist in the hammering of the Hammers.

Pape Sarr is in line to join the Swede in the engine room once again, but Frank could swap out Joao Palhinha for Rodrigo Bentancur, for no reason other than fresh legs.

The same goes in the left-back slot, where Djed Spence could be offered a rest as Destiny Udogie comes back in, but the rest of Frank's rearguard should remain untouched.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Kudus, Richarlison, Simons

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Both recent winners of the Europa League, Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal aim to take the first step towards Champions League glory in Tuesday's league phase opener in North London.

The Lilywhites conquered the second-tier tournament last season to return to the big time, while the visitors' fifth-placed La Liga finished sufficed for UCL football.

Match preview

Set to reap the rewards of his predecessor's hard work, Thomas Frank leads Tottenham into Champions League battle on Tuesday after Ange Postecoglou masterminded Spurs' run to Europa League supremacy last season, their first major trophy in a long and torturous 17 years.

Seventeenth place ultimately took precedence over 17 years when it came to deciding Postecoglou's future, but barring one mishap at home to Bournemouth, the early signs under ex-Brentford boss Frank are highly promising for the hosts.

Tottenham reverted to type on Saturday with their third win and third clean sheet of the Premier League season, making extremely light work of London rivals West Ham United as Pape Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven all found the back of the net in a 3-0 victory.

Spurs already have one UEFA defeat next to their name this season, but they came out of their Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain with a certain amount of credit, and the pre-game statistics make for pleasant reading thanks to last year's Europa League success.

Indeed, Tottenham have avoided defeat in each of their last 20 UEFA competition games played at home, while they have only failed to score in one of their last 16 continental matches - an inconsequential 1-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar in last year's Europa League last-16 first leg.

Four years before Tottenham hoisted the Europa League trophy aloft, Villarreal's penalty-shootout success over Manchester United in the 2020-21 final earned the Yellow Submarine their first-ever major honour, if we leave out a pair of Intertoto Cup triumphs.

An unforeseen Champions League semi-final appearance followed for the visitors just one year later, although they have not been back to Europe's top table since, suffering last-16 exits in the Conference League in 2023 and the Europa League in 2024.

However, thanks to Spain's high UEFA coefficient ranking, Villarreal's fifth-placed La Liga finish last season was enough to earn them a ticket back to the Champions League, but Marcelino's men have started to lose their way at an inopportune time.

The Yellow Submarine claimed back-to-back wins over Real Oviedo and Girona at the start of the 2025-26 season, but they have taken just one point from the most recent six on offer, drawing with Celta Vigo before a 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

To make matters worse, Villarreal have remarkably never beaten an English team in the Champions League - losing eight and drawing six of their previous 14 such meetings - although Spurs have only ever won two of their previous 14 UEFA club matches versus Spanish sides.

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Villarreal form (all competitions):

Team News

Tottenham crushed West Ham at the weekend despite missing record signing Dominic Solanke, who is still nursing an ankle injury and is a major doubt for the visit of Villarreal, where he will likely only make the bench even if he is passed fit.

Guaranteed absentees for the Lilywhites are Yves Bissouma, Kota Takai, Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin and James Maddison - all of whom are both injured and ineligible after being left out of Frank's Champions League squad - while Mathys Tel did not make the cut either owing to Spurs' lack of home-grown players.

The latter led the line against West Ham, but his absence will allow either Richarlison or new signing Randal Kolo Muani to spearhead the charge on Tuesday, where Xavi Simons should retain his place on the left wing after banking an assist on his Spurs debut at the weekend.

Regarding Villarreal's injury situation, Logan Costa and Pau Cabanes are both on the long road to recovery from ACL issues, while ex-Manchester United defender Willy Kambwala is expected to remain out until December with a hamstring problem.

Gerard Moreno's own hamstring issue means that the experienced striker is also touch-and-go, so ex-Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe - who has just been voted the La Liga Player of the Month for August - could continue up front on his return to the English capital.

Speaking of returning North Londoners, Juan Foyth should start at the back against his old employers, while loanee Manor Solomon is eligible to face his parent club but will likely be kept in reserve.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Kudus, Richarlison, Simons

Villarreal possible starting lineup:

Junior; Mourino, Foyth, Veiga, Cardona; Pepe, Gueye, Parejo, Moleiro; Perez, Mikautadze

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Villarreal

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Villarreal's atrocious record against English clubs in the Champions League and Spurs' pitiful performances vs. Spanish teams adds another layer of intrigue to this battle, where the hosts have our vote to defy their old La Liga struggles.

Frank's men are finding goals from all across the squad right now, and even with a reduced selection, the Europa League winners can take down a Villarreal side on a slight downward trajectory.

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

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Back at Europe's top table following a brief absence, Tottenham Hotspur host Villarreal in their opening Champions League league phase battle on Tuesday evening.

Thomas Frank will reap the rewards of Ange Postecoglou's hard work after the Australian guided Spurs back to the continent's premier tournament last season, where the Lilywhites' run to Europa League glory earned them a UCL ticket.

Tottenham also have the wind in their sails heading into their midweek opener, having eased to a 3-0 Premier League win over West Ham United at the weekend courtesy of goals from Pape Sarr, Micky van de Ven and Lucas Bergvall.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up all of Tottenham's latest injury and suspension news ahead of the visit of Villarreal, who were beaten 2-0 by Atletico Madrid in La Liga action at the weekend.

Yves Bissouma

Status:Â Out

Type of injury:Â Knock/ineligible

Possible return date:Â September 20 (vs. Brighton & Hove Albion)

Yves Bissouma is still waiting for his first appearance of the 2025-26 season owing to a knock, but the Mali international was left out of Spurs' squad for the UCL league phase anyway.

Kota Takai

Status: Out

Type of injury:Â Foot/ineligible

Possible return date:Â Unknown

Similarly, Kota Takai was not named in Frank's selection for the first stage of the competition, as there is no timeframe on the Japan international's recovery from a foot injury.

Radu Dragusin

Status: Out

Type of injury:Â ACL/ineligible

Possible return date:Â October 19 (vs. Aston Villa)

Radu Dragusin continues to make positive strides forward in his recovery from an ACL tear, but a comeback is still a few weeks away at the very least, and he was also left out of Frank's league phase squad.

Dejan Kulusevski

Status: Out

Type of injury:Â Knee/ineligible

Possible return date:Â November 29 (vs. Fulham)

Dejan Kulusevski's knee concern is taking longer to heal than first anticipated, and the Swede is not expected to return until late November.

James Maddison

Status: Out

Type of injury:Â ACL/ineligible

Possible return date:Â April 2026

Likely the first name on Frank's mind when it came to leaving players out of his Champions League squad, James Maddison is on the long road to recovery from an ACL injury, and it remains to be seen if he will be back in action before the campaign is over.

Dominic Solanke

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury:Â Ankle

Possible return date:Â September 16 (vs. Villarreal)

Dominic Solanke is the next cab off the rank in terms of Tottenham's injured players, but his chances of recovering from his ankle blow in time for the visit of the Yellow Submarine are slim.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUSPENSION LIST

Tottenham have no players suspended for this game, but Mathys Tel is also unavailable on account of being left out of Frank's Champions League squad.

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Tottenham Hotspur defeated a woeful West Ham United 3-0 in a London derby demolition in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Despite an even first half on paper, with both sides mustering 0.27 expected goals (xG), Tottenham Hotspur were extremely unfortunate to not be ahead at the break, as Cristian Romero's header was controversially ruled out for a supposed foul by Micky van de Ven, leaving the game level at half-time.

However, Tottenham wasted no time in getting their lead in the second half when Pape Sarr headed home just two minutes after the restart, sparking an action-packed final 45 minutes.Â

Tomas Soucek received his marching orders less than 10 minutes later due to a reckless challenge, and Tottenham compounded West Ham's misery by doubling the lead just moments after, with Lucas Bergvall superbly finding the net with a looping header over Mads Hermansen.

A third was added minutes after the hour mark when Van de Ven made amends for his earlier foul by sweeping home with his weaker foot, adding the cherry on an outstanding 3-0 London derby victory for Tottenham Hotspur.Â

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Tottenham Hotspur appeared slightly timid in the opening 45 minutes, potentially aiming to find their feet again after a difficult defeat to Bournemouth before the international break, but they were certainly back in full flow in the second half.

Thomas Frank has already implemented a much stronger defensive foundation, though that is certainly helped by Spurs being able to name the same back four in all of their Premier League matches this season, and that has undoubtedly helped their performances going forward.

Sarr and Bergvall have been particularly impressive in the opening stages of this campaign, both making strong contributions in attacking and defensive areas of the pitch - only highlighted further by both getting on the scoresheet today.Â

While things look encouraging for Tottenham, the start of this season has brought about major concerns and worries for West Ham United.Â

The Hammers have now been hammered by two London rivals in Chelsea (5-1) and Tottenham Hotspur (3-0), while Sunderland have also secured a 3-0 win over Graham Potter's side.

Despite being just four matches into the new Premier League campaign, West Ham simply have to improve in the coming weeks if they are to have any chance of securing their top-flight survival, as all signs are currently pointing to the Hammers being one of the weakest teams in the division.

WEST HAM UNITED VS. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR HIGHLIGHTS

Pape Sarr goal vs. West Ham United (47th min, West Ham United 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur)

Sarr heads Tottenham Hotspur into a deserved lead!

Xavi Simons whips an in-swinging corner towards the back post, where Bergvall is holding off El Hadji Malick Diouf to allow Sarr a free header at goal.Â

Sarr powerfully heads back across goal towards the far post, and his effort flies past Hermansen and numerous West Ham players into the net.Â

It goes from bad to worse for West Ham, Soucek receives his marching orders!

West Ham's midfielder tries to bring the ball down on his chest, but his touch is loose and forces Soucek to challenge for the ball.Â

Soucek lunges at the ball but catches Palhinha high on the leg with his studs, with the referee immediately producing the red card.

Lucas Bergvall goal vs. West Ham United (57th min, West Ham United 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur)

Tottenham rub salt in West Ham's wounds - Bergvall brilliantly adds a second just moments after the red card!

The ball is played back to Romero from the free kick, and the defender spots the run of Bergvall through the middle of the West Ham defence.

Romero's long pass perfectly finds Bergvall near the penalty spot, and the midfielder loops his header over Hermansen and into the back of the net.

Micky van de Ven goal vs. West Ham United (64th min, West Ham United 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur)

This is getting messy for West Ham now - Van de Ven scores Tottenham's third!

Tottenham are combining wonderfully down the right hand side, working the ball to Bergvall inside the West Ham penalty area, with the midfielder looking to dribble his way through the crowd.

Bergvall loses control with a heavy touch, but the ball drops perfectly for Van de Ven to sweep into the into bottom left corner with his weaker right foot.

MAN OF THE MATCH - LUCAS BERGVALL

On his 50th Tottenham Hotspur appearance, Bergvall marked the occasion with a goal, assist, a standout performance and the man-of-the-match award.

The midfielder not only scored a stunning header and registered the assist for Van de Ven's goal, but Bergvall also played a key role in allowing Sarr to have a free header at goal for Tottenham's first of the evening - blocking Diouf from being able to challenge.

Bergvall was much more than just his goal contributions, though, showing a maturity and ability that make him one of the most promising players in the division at just 19 years old.

WEST HAM UNITED VS. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MATCH STATS

Possession:Â West Ham United 28%-72% Tottenham Hotspur

Shots: West Ham United 5-10 Tottenham Hotspur

Shots on target: West Ham United 3-4 Tottenham Hotspur

Corners: West Ham United 1-5 Tottenham Hotspur

Fouls: West Ham United 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

West Ham United will have a week to rest and recover before facing off against Crystal Palace in the Premier League in another London Stadium fixture next Saturday.Â

Meanwhile, Tottenham will get their Champions League campaign underway midweek against Villarreal, followed by an away trip to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion next weekend.

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Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank has made his stance over a Yves Bissouma transfer clear as the midfielder winds down his Spurs contract.

Mali international Bissouma has experienced a disrupted start to life under Frank, who firstly left the midfielder out of his squad for the UEFA Super Cup vs. Paris Saint-Germain as a disciplinary measure.

The 29-year-old has since struggled with an unspecified injury, is yet to make a single appearance for the Lilywhites this season, and he was left out of Frank's squad for the Champions League league phase.

Bissouma is now in the final 12 months of his deal with the Europa League winners, meaning that he can enter pre-contract talks with foreign clubs from January onwards before a potential free transfer in the summer of 2026.

Spurs could have recouped a portion of the £25.3m they spent on Bissouma by selling him during the summer transfer window, but the markets in all of Europe's big five European leagues and Turkey have now shut.

Frank expects Bissouma to remain at Tottenham amid transfer talk

The Saudi Pro League transfer window is still open until September 23, but Frank would be shocked to see Bissouma head elsewhere in the coming weeks.

"I will be surprised if anyone is leaving us now so yes he’s part of the squad," Frank said at his pre-game press conference ahead of Saturday's Premier League London derby with West Ham United.

Bissouma's stance over a late summer exit from the Lilywhites has supposedly also been revealed, but a new contract is seemingly still out of the question for the former Brighton & Hove Albion man, who is still on the same terms he penned upon his arrival in 2022.

The 29-year-old has made a century of appearances for the Lilywhites over the past three years, scoring just two goals and failing to provide a single assist.

Bissouma and Pape Sarr excelled as a midfield partnership in Ange Postecoglou's 2023-24 debut season, but the former has since been overshadowed by the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur and Bayern Munich loanee Joao Palhinha.

Frank responds to Bentancur Tottenham transfer question

As well as answering a question about Bissouma's future, Frank was quizzed on whether fellow midfielder Bentancur would sign a new contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Uruguay international is also due to become a free agent in 2026, although rumours of contract negotiations have begun to surface, as he has established himself as a key player for the club since joining from Juventus in 2022.

However, Frank was non-committal when asked about Bentancur's North London future, adding: "I think first and foremost, I'm very happy with Rodri.

"He's been a very good player for us, a top professional in every aspect. I'm happy with him, he's happy with being here. I know that for a fact. Let's see what's going to happen in the future."