Tottenham Hotspur

We have reached agreement for Maika Hamano to join us on loan from Chelsea for the remainder of the season.

Maika said: "Watching the team this season, I really felt they’ve been playing some great football and I thought if I joined this team, I could develop a lot as a player.

“I want to show fans the connection with my team-mates and exciting plays. At the end of the day, football is about winning and I’ll do my best to contribute to the team’s success.”

Our Head Coach Martin Ho, said: “We are pleased to welcome Maika to Tottenham Hotspur. Maika is a technically gifted and intelligent attacking player who brings creativity, movement and composure in the final third. She has experience at the highest level and will add quality and depth to our attacking options.

“This is a good opportunity for Maika to continue her development in a demanding environment, and we are looking forward to working with her for the remainder of the season.”

The 21-year-old forward started her career at Cerezo Osaka Sakai before joining Japan’s top-flight side INAC Kobe Leonessa at just 17 years old in 2021, where she made her breakthrough that season, featuring in 16 league games as they finished eight points clear at the top of the WE League table.

The following term saw the young Japanese forward make seven appearances for the defending champions, where she netted two goals in that period, before making the move to England to join Chelsea in January, 2023. She was immediately loaned to Swedish side Hammarby IF for that season, making 17 league appearances and scoring seven goals in the Damallsvenskan.

A versatile attacker capable of playing across the frontline, Maika made her Barclays Women’s Super League debut in a 3-0 win over Bristol City in December, 2023 and netted her first WSL goal against Aston Villa in April, 2024, making eight appearances in 2023/24.

Featuring 30 times for the Blues the following campaign, scoring six goals in all competitions, including two in the Women’s Champions League, she has racked up 45 games in total since moving to England – adding seven to the tally this term.

On the international stage, the energetic forward made her senior debut in October, 2022, before featuring once in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup a year later.

Maika was then named in the squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the summer and, at the beginning of this season, was amongst the goals in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup as Japan won the tournament – playing alongside Tōko Koga on both occasions.

It’s our first home match of 2026 on Sunday afternoon as we take on Sunderland in the Premier League.

Here’s everything you need to know...

What time does the match start?

It’s an unusual start time for a Sunday match this weekend – kick-off is at 3pm UK time.

How can I watch the game?

The match will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Football. Supporters based overseas should check our Spurs on TV page to see if the game is live in your area.

As always, our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official app will bring you full live text and audio commentary throughout the game.

Video highlights will be available across club channels from two hours after the full-time whistle, with a full match replay available on SPURSPLAY from midnight.

What is the team news?

Lucas Bergvall is a doubt for the game, having missed the New Year’s Day draw at Brentford after being forced off against Crystal Palace on 28 December.

Xavi Simons serves the last match of his suspension following his sending-off against Liverpool just before Christmas, while left-back Destiny Udogie is getting closer to a return after missing the last month through injury.

Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are away at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke remain sidelined.

Visitors Sunderland have six players absent due to their participation in the aforementioned showpiece international tournament – Reinildo Mandava, Chemsdine Talbi, Arthur Masuaku, Noah Sadiki, Bertrand Traore and Habib Diarra.

Defender Dan Ballard, meanwhile, is a doubt over an ankle issue.

Who is the referee?

Stuart Attwell will take charge of Sunday’s game, assisted by Constantine Hatzidakis and Marc Perry.

The fourth official will be Tim Robinson, with Michael Salisbury and assistant Natalie Aspinall on VAR duties.

Which kit colours will the teams be wearing?

We’ll be back in our home kit on Sunday, featuring the usual Lilywhite shirts, navy blue shorts and white socks.

Sunderland will wear blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks.

Our goalkeeper will be in pink, with theirs in orange.

Our impressive unbeaten run over the Black Cats

@SpursOfficial

Sat 03 January 2026, 15:30| Tottenham Hotspur

Our opening home game of 2026 is a Premier League clash with Sunderland in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

You have to go back almost nine years since our last league outing against the Black Cats which ended in a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light in January, 2017 to extend our unbeaten run to 14 top-flight games in this fixture.

Both sides met in the Premier League for the first time in 1996/97 and we have gone on to win 14 of the 16 matches played on home soil, with the exceptions being a 1-2 loss in August, 2008 and a 1-1 draw in November, 2010.

Sunderland have been the pick of the newly-promoted teams this season and Régis Le Bris has made a strong start to his maiden campaign in England's top division after guiding his side to seventh at the halfway stage.

In what will be a stern test against the 2025/26 surprise package so far, we tend to fare well when facing promoted sides in the league with 11 wins in 14 games since the start of 2023/24 and scoring in 61 of our last 62 games as well as in our last 46 such home matches.

Here are some other headline stats, courtesy of Opta, ahead of our maiden outing in N17 this calendar...

We have won 15 of our last 17 home games against Sunderland in all competitions (D1 L1), winning each of the last six in a row and scoring at least once in each of the last 23.

We lost 11 home league games in 2025 (W4 D3), our most in a calendar year.

We have also lost the opening home league game in five of the last seven calendar years (W2), going down 2-1 against Newcastle United last year.

Richarlison averages a goal or assist every 55 minutes against promoted clubs for Spurs in the Premier League, scoring four and assisting four in 437 minutes.

The Brazilian has been involved in 13 goals in his last 16 Premier League starts for Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (11 goals, two assists).

Sunderland’s Régis Le Bris will face us for the first time. French managers have won just one of their last 15 Premier League away games against Spurs (D3 L11).

Sunderland have already won 2-1 at Chelsea this season. On just three occasions have they won multiple away games against London sides in a single Premier League season, doing so in 2000/01 (3), 2010/11 (2) and 2013/14 (2).

Sunderland's nine Premier League away games have produced just 14 goals in total (4GF, 10GA), the fewest in the division this term.

Sunderland have drawn (0-0 v Crystal Palace), won (2-1 v Chelsea) and lost (1-0 v Fulham) their three Premier League games in London this season.

Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey scored in Sunderland’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in November. The last Black Cats player to score against both Arsenal and Spurs in the same league campaign was our former striker Darren Bent in 2009/10.

Watch | A closer look at the Black Cats

Mikey Moore has made his mark in one of world football's biggest matches - scoring for Rangers in the Old Firm derby against Celtic in Glasgow on Saturday.

The Academy graduate, still only 18, on loan at Ibrox this season, struck Rangers' third goal to complete an incredible turn around in a typically all-action Scottish Premier League encounter at Celtic Park.

Celtic were the dominant force in the first half and led 1-0 through Yang Hyun-Jun's goal on 19 minutes. However, Rangers turned it around after the break thanks to two goals from Youssef Chermiti (50 and 59 minutes) and then Mikey's moment to remember, a low strike past Kasper Schmeichel for 3-1 on 71 minutes.

That was Mikey's third goal in 15 appearances in the SPL. Rangers are third in the SPL, level on points with Celtic and three behind leaders Hearts having played a game more.

"Sunderland have shone since promotion thanks to top signings like Granit Xhaka, the physicality of Dan Ballard and an admirable ability to adapt – but some crucial players are away at the moment."

Rob Daly, official club commentator, presenter and pundit

AFCON absentees...

Spurs have seen Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma leave on international duty in December, while Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City are without key players right now too. But, arguably, no team has had to adapt to the loss of players to AFCON like Sunderland. In the December derby win over Newcastle, Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, Reinildo and Bertrand Traore all started before heading out to Morocco the next day - while Arthur Masuaku and Habib Diarra have been at the tournament too.

Transfers and triumphs...

“We were new to this league with 14 new signings, so we had everything to discover (about the squad) everyday,” explained manager Regis Le Bris recently, of the club’s huge overhaul. There are numerous new recruits like Simon Adingra, Nordi Mukiele, Brian Brobbey, Robin Roefs and Xhaka (more on him later), while some established players like Jobe Bellingham left. However, they’ve enjoyed excellent results with a reshaped squad. Against Champions League teams so far this season, the Black Cats have won at Chelsea, beaten the aforementioned Newcastle and drawn with both Arsenal (H) and Liverpool (A) - only losing to Manchester City.

Keeping clean sheets...

It has been increasingly apparent for promoted teams, the importance of being defensively solid and adapting tactics upon their top-flight return - going from a regularly dominating team to a more pragmatic one. Sunderland have navigated the balance well - and their recent 0-0 draw at Brighton was a sixth clean sheet of the campaign, as many as they got in the entirety of their previous Premier League appearance (2016-17). Last season’s bottom three, all promoted sides, amassed just eight clean sheets between them - Leicester (3), Southampton (3) and Ipswich (2).

Players to watch...

Towering centre-back Ballard has been key to this defensive success; a threat at the other end too from set-pieces, scoring against West Ham and former club Arsenal. An ankle injury saw him miss their late December draw with Leeds – and some fans felt his physicality was missed. Xhaka has come back to the Premier League from Germany to anchor midfield, win tackles, get Sunderland up the pitch, playing by far the most passes in the team, and assist goals too (5) – with Wayne Rooney calling him the signing of the season so far. Roefs has looked a really smart acquisition in goal, while Mukiele from PSG has the strength to cope in this league defensively, not to mention boasting a mammoth long-throw. Brobbey provides a stocky figure up front, winger Adingra scored his first goal recently against Leeds and striker Wilson Isador has struck four times since promotion.

Switching system...

Tactically, Sunderland operate well in a low block, but should also go man-to-man when Spurs play out from goal kicks and set-pieces deep in their own half. While mainly going with a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation, they’ve adapted for specific games, deploying a compact 4-4-2 for the recent draw at Anfield. This versality caught Chelsea cold too for a huge 2-1 away victory in West London. “Sunderland, nine games in the Premier League, they never played with a back five from the start. Never,” said now former Blues boss Enzo Maresca at the time, who admitted he had to tell his players to forget all the tactical preparation they’d put in that week as the Black Cats set up 5-4-1. No doubt Thomas Frank and his staff will be aware of all possibilities this afternoon.

Last time in N17 - 2016/17...

Tom Morris holds a unique place in our history.

Signed from Gainsborough Trinity - then in the old Second Division - on 1 May, 1899, Morris, a half-back comfortable in defence or attack, made over 500 appearances for us, including 101 in the Football League and FA Cup.

The only link between our historic 1901 FA Cup winning side and the team which entered the Football League seven years later, Morris is a man of many firsts - he featured in our first match at White Hart Lane, our first - and only - Southern League title side, our first FA Cup Final and FA Cup Final win, our first Football League match in 1908 and scored our first goal in the top flight - in a 3-1 loss against Sunday's opponents Sunderland at Roker Park on 1 September, 1909.

One of only three Englishmen in our successful 1901 FA Cup team, Morris played 38 FA Cup matches in our colours - a club record equalled by Jimmy Dimmock in 1931 but not surpassed until Cyril Knowles did so in 1973.

During the First World War, Tom served with the Royal Engineers, wounded four times. Employed on reconstruction work at White Hart Lane in 1919, he remained on our groundstaff until 1939. He passed away at Uxbridge on 25 April,1942.

New for this season, our Official Matchday Programme brings fans a collection of photos sourced from a deep dive into our Mirrorpix photography archive, most of which have never been seen before.

We'll bring you a taster of the gallery here on tottenhamhotspur.com...

Next up, Sunderland, ahead of our first meeting since the 2016/17 campaign and a team who, coincidentally, provided the opposition for our first match in the top flight, the old First Division, back in 1909/10!

Above - Paul Gascoigne leads the celebrations after Paul Walsh’s goal in the 3-3 thriller at the Lane in December 1990...

With the 21-year-old becoming our third winter signing, we get to know our newest signing with 10 things you might not know about her.

Sister reunion

The surname, Nildén, is one that many Spurs fans have come accustomed to over the years.

The arrival of Matilda to N17 is quite literally a family reunion as she us the younger sister of Amanda Nildén.

Amanda, who joined us in January, 2024, on an initial loan before making it permanent in June of that year, has racked up 50 appearances for us in all competitions to date – becoming a regular member of our backline this term.

She could now star in a Lilywhite shirt alongside her younger sister.

Family fortunes

Football certainly seems to run through the Nilden family as, alongside Matilda and Amanda, their younger brother, Charlie, is also a professional, playing as a midfielder for Swedish side Brommapojkarna.

Their father David and grandfather Jim also enjoyed spells as professional footballers, playing most notably in their careers for AIK – a club that both Matilda and Amanda spent time with in the early parts of their careers.

Asked about how football runs in her family, she added: “I think it’s really fun because I just love to talk about football so, for me, it’s not a problem. When we have family dinners or have a gathering – it’s always about football when we catch up, but I really love it.”

Debut goal

Matilda had a debut to remember as, at a the age of just 15 years old - one month shy of her 16th birthday - the young forward found the back of the net as she grabbed the opening goal in the 4-4 draw with Sandvikens IF.

It wasn’t just football

The Sweden youth international revealed to us that, alongside playing football when she was younger, she became quite handy at tennis and table tennis.

While she certainly enjoyed having a racket in her hand, she had to make a choice and football was always the one for her.

Favourite artists

Exploring her music playlist, the 21-year-old listed global icon and Spurs fan, Adele, as one of her favourite artists to listen too.

She then went on to reveal that ‘Hometown Glory’ is one of her favourite songs from Adele, a tune that was released when Matilda was just four years old!

Champions

Matilda played an important part in BK Häcken's successful Damallsvenskan season, winning the Swedish top flight for the second time in four years.

Our latest arrival featured in all but one game for her side, making 25 appearances in total, and was part of a forward line that racked up some impressive numbers in the league, scoring 86 goals - 14 more than any other side.

Matilda provided an assist in Hacken’s 2-0 win over Djurgardens IF in November – a result that secured a second league time for them.

From Gothenburg to north London

Matilda wasn’t the only player from Häcken to have made the move to north London for the winter, with defender Hanna Wijk also penning a long-term deal with the Club.

Hanna spent five seasons in Gothenburh and made over 150 appearances for the side, lining up alongside Matilda in the last two campaigns in the black and yellow striped shirts.

When speaking of her and Hanna’s arrival, she said: “We’re really good friends, so to come here together and have a familiar face, it’s brilliant!”

Favourite Food

The young Swede revealed her favourite food to eat is Tacos – just like one of other recent arrivals, Signa Gaupset.

The Norway international actually explained that, in her homeland, there’s a tradition of ‘Taco Friday’ and Matilda could soon be joining the midfielder in having one.

Social media

On TikTok, Matilda is a regular poster on the social media platform, with just under 15k followers, showcasing her life away from the football pitch.

To follow Matilda on the platform, search: @matildanilden123.

An impressive goalscoring return

In 2023, the energetic forward recorded her best goalscoring return to date, scoring an impressive 23 goals in 25 games in the Elitettan (Swedish second division).

She netted three hat-tricks to inspire AIK to the league title and promotion back to the top flight in Sweden.

Throughout her career so far, she has netted 39 goals and registered 10 assists in 144 senior appearances.

Training | 2 January  Tottenham Hotspur

Jamie Donley has joined Championship side Oxford United on loan for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.

The 20-year-old versatile midfielder spent the first half of the campaign at Stoke City and now links up with fellow Spurs loanee Will Lankshear at the U's.

A product of our Academy, Jamie made his senior debut for us at Manchester City in the Premier League in December, 2023, and impressed on loan at Leyton Orient last term to scoop the club’s Young Player of the Season and Supporters’ Player of the Season as they reached the League One play-off final.

Following his senior international debut with Northern Ireland in March, 2025, Jamie has earned six caps to date and scored his first international goal in a 1-0 win over Luxembourg to see them progress to the final stage of 2026 World Cup qualifiers where they face Italy in the semi-finals in March.