Roman Egan-Riley has joined Premier League side Burnley on a permanent transfer.
Egan-Riley moves back to the north west two-and-a-half years after signing for us from Manchester City.
The Manchester-born centre back played 17 times for our Academy sides, scoring twice.
We wish Roman all the best for the future.
Martin Ho spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Friday morning, ahead of our Barclays Women’s Super League clash with Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (2.25pm UK).
Here are some key points on what he had to say…
Martin on playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and, secondly, facing Chelsea there…
“I think as a collective, as a group, these are the games you want to be a part of. Playing at the stadium is a massive thing for us as a team, as a club, to make sure that we can give the fans something that they can cheer about in a London derby. My first game there, so I'm really excited for it at the same time as a Head Coach. We're really excited and we know that we have to make sure we perform in our optimum if we want to win the game. We've got to be at our best and the players have trained really well all weekend. We'll have a couple more sessions to go for the rest of the week and then we'll see where we sit when we come to Sunday.”
Martin on Chelsea’s recent run of form and where he sees opportunities to threaten them...
“They're a wonderful team. If anyone thinks that losing two games turns them into a bad team, then you're very, very, very mistaken. They're a wonderful team, they have wonderful players, they have a wonderful manager. When a team has played Arsenal and Manchester City, two top teams, in those games, it's kind of nip and tuck, who takes the chances at that level. Unfortunately, Chelsea have been on the back end of that. You expect the response; you know they're going to be dangerous and we know what the threats are going to be like. [They have] very dynamic players in the front line, very good players in central areas, and they've got some of the most decorated central midfielders in world football, so we need to be aware. We will be, but we have to show no fear in that. We have to apply ourselves correctly and focus on ourselves and what we want to do.”
Martin on his squad’s ability to bounce back from defeat or falling behind in games…
“We have a wonderful group of players, who are willing to apply and adapt in certain moments. We've done so much work as a team to try and change the mentality when you go behind, and have a never-die attitude, if you like to say. If you go down in a game, there's always a chance to respond. Most importantly for me, it is the attitude and behaviour to respond. If you have that and you're willing not to give up, you probably have a chance in games. I think we've seen that on the weekend against West Ham. We had a poor performance against Liverpool, then we responded against West Ham. Maybe when you go 1-0 behind, the players think previously, you know what, we're kind of done here. But, the response straightaway was very good, we were creating more opportunities. Then, in the second half, we raised the level again and there were two wonderful strikes from Matilda [Vinberg] and Olivia [Holdt].”
Martin on his confidence in the squad to challenge for the Champions League spots…
“[I’m] not thinking too far ahead. We still have eight games and FA Cup games to play. We can't dive there from what we've done, if we come off the track we've been on and we start focussing on things we can't control, then you probably come in a situation where you become unstuck. We need to focus on this next game ahead. Every game we play is a big game for us, we want to make sure we can perform at a high level and build some consistency. Wherever that takes us in the last two or three games, we will know. What you control is your performances and your results and, if we do that, we give ourselves a chance. But, after the window, really pleased. We've done business early, as you said, and those players enabled us now, along with the players who are still here now, to make sure we have a really good, strong second half of the season.”
Martin on competing in a London derby...
“I think when you play a London derby, there's maybe your form and those sorts of aspects out the window because it's more bragging rights in a battle. But, we just need to focus on what we've been doing. If you look against the top teams in a quarter, we've had some good performance and we've built on those performances. Maybe we've been unfortunate with some of the results, the matches against United where we drew before Christmas, but we've actually performed better in those games. It takes time to build a team back to where you want it to be, it takes time to build confidence and momentum in a group, and they've certainly done that. The players now are relishing the opportunity to play against Chelsea at the stadium, that will bring an edge to us, it brings excitement definitely because you're playing in front of your own fans at the stadium and we just want to make sure that the performance backs up in terms of what we've been doing.”
On our last meeting with Chelsea in the league…
“Everyone's opinion is different. I think, in that game, we had to surrender the ball a lot and we had to do a lot without the ball, but I thought they had lots of opportunity, lots of crosses, a lot of final third action and entry, but I thought our performance defensively was very solid. We were under a lot of pressure, alongside that you need some luck and we did have that, and then you have a wonderful strike from a world-class player in Keira [Walsh] to win the game. We've built on those performances since, we've had some really good performances since then until now, and we need to make sure of, accumulation of a lot of things, being better with the ball, braver with the ball, definitely more personality within character when we do have it individually, and then defensively we have to have the same robustness and compactness to our game. We have to be hard to beat, but we have to be front-footed and we have to make sure that Chelsea know that they're going to be in a game.”
On having more opportunities at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…
“I think this club has done everything. They want us to play at the stadium and we'll continue to do that. We will build on the amount of games we play there because the club are behind it - the owners, the leadership - which is nice. Then, to grow a fan base you have to deliver performances, in my opinion, you have to be performing consistently, you have to make sure the fans are excited to come and watch you, you have to give them an entertaining game where they can come and watch, and that's down to us and down to me to make sure I motivate the team and energise the team to put in their performances and, if we do that, we've seen throughout the season now, the fan base has grown at home and away. We have to make sure we make them want to come back and watch us at the stadium when we're playing and we want to have bigger attendances, by doing good performances you probably get that.”
Martin on whether we can exploit the weakness in Chelsea’s squad…
“There are areas we feel we can exploit as a team, from the way we play, with our style of play, how we step up and how we prepare ourselves. I never like to say there's weaknesses in our opponents because you probably downgrade their actual level and I think our style implements on their style. I feel there are areas we can get into in certain moments that will cause them problems, we've been working on those aspects through the week now and, I feel if we get into the right areas with the right quality on them, we can cause them problems.”
Martin on his first game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend…
“[I’m] really excited because it's my first game as a Head Coach at the stadium and, I've said it before, I feel it's the best stadium in world football. It's authentic, it's iconic and, when you're stood there, you feel that inside. So, I know it's a big opportunity for us, is it a big game? Every game is big. Is it bigger because it's a London derby? Yes and, as you're saying, because we play in the stadium, then maybe, yes, for other people. You have to remove all the emotion attached to the game and just focus on the performance, which is easy for me to say because I'm not one of those players that steps out onto the pitch and plays. But, I'll do my best to remove that pressure as much as possible and just give them really key focus points on what they've delivered so far and what we've done so far and, then if we can really put a performance in where it's just focused on us, we give ourselves a good chance.”
On the impact the supporters can make this weekend…
“You want to make sure that there’s a lot of noise, that it's hostile, and we've done that at home and I've tried to make that a really key message every time we play at home. I want them to they know that they're in for a game, they know it's not going to be easy and they're going to have to work for any result they get and, if we can do that again, the fans will play a huge part. They'll lift the players in moments when we need it, they'll be able to stick behind the group when we're in moments of adversity and, if we perform and we show what we're capable of, we've got to be able to excite the fans at the same time.”
On Araya Dennis signing her new deal…
“[It’s] brilliant for Araya, brilliant for the club, and shows real intention for us to develop younger players, English talent. Araya’s been here now for a good few years and I see a lot of talent in her, a lot of potential, she has a lot of work to do still, she's still very young, but I believe she can be one of the most solid players in this club moving forward if we get her in the right place. I think her ability physically and technically is very good, we just need to refine her game, and she needs a little bit more care in coaching - I think she's getting that now. You then need to give her the environment to be able to blossom into that play and I think we are doing that here. I'm delighted she's going to stay here because I feel she's got a lot of potential.”
Our squad for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League has today (Friday 6 February) been confirmed.
Three changes have been made to List A, which denotes the first team players who will be eligible to play from the round of 16 onwards.
Mathys Tel and Radu Dragusin have been added to the list along with new signing Conor Gallagher, while injured duo Ben Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur will no longer be eligible for this season’s competition.
Brennan Johnson is the third player to be replaced on the list following his January move to Crystal Palace.
Our updated List A can be found in full below.
As always, our squad can be supplemented by a number of young players from List B.
Tottenham Hotspur – 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Player List A (knockout phase)
Martin Ho reported no new injury concerns ahead of our return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday to face Chelsea in the Women’s Super League.
While our Head Coach confirmed that everyone who was fit to face to West Ham United last weekend is available once again, we will be without midfielder Drew Spence after she received a red card in the victory over the Hammers.
Drew will serve a three-match suspension, starting with this weekend’s London derby, while Maika is ineligible to face her parent club as part of her loan agreement, so she will be out of contention for our clash in N17.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning, Martin told the media: “The same as it was for West Ham, apart from that Drew [Spence] will miss out through suspension. There's a lot of good progress for the players who are long-term."
Meanwhile, long-term absentees Ella Morris, Luana Buhler, Jess Naz and Maite Oroz all remain sidelined.
Drew Spence and Maika Hamao will be unavailable for Sunday’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The experienced midfielder was shown a red card deep into stoppage time of our comeback win over West Ham United on Sunday – and is therefore suspended for this weekend’s London derby in N17.
The 33-year-old has featured in 13 of our 14 WSL games so far this term, 17 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice in total, but will not feature in our first game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this campaign.
Meanwhile, for Maika, the Japan international is ineligible to play against her parent club under the terms of her loan from Chelsea.
Thomas Frank hopes it won't be too long until Kevin Danso is back on the pitch.
Kevin, who has made 23 appearances for us thus far this season, missed our last outing in the Premier League - our 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Sunday - after snapping the ligament in his big toe in our 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
The injury means the defender will definitely miss this weekend's clash with Manchester United but Thomas is hoping it won't keep him out of action for too long.
Speaking to us ahead of Saturday lunchtime's trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United, our Head Coach said, "(the injury was) really unlucky. I think every time he has been called upon this season, he has just delivered. It is fantastic to work with him in every aspect. We will know a little bit more this week in terms of how long (he will be out). Hopefully it will not be too long."
Elsewhere, Thomas confirmed that Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are fit and available to take on United. Djed Spence, meanwhile, is 'touch and go' for the trip to Old Trafford.
Richarlison, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Pedro Porro, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus and Ben Davies remain sidelined.
Thomas Frank spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Thursday, ahead of our Premier League clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday (12.30pm).
Here’s what he had to say…
Let's start with team news - how is everyone?
Thomas: “Everyone, mostly, is okay. Micky trained today and is available for selection for Saturday, so that’s good. Djed is getting closer, it will be touch and go and there's a good chance he'll be ready.”
Are you expecting Cristian Romero to be back?
Thomas: “Yes, I do.”
What did you think Cuti Romero meant by his social media post and what was your reaction to it?
Thomas: “I think if you want to know what he meant you of course need to ask him. I think that is the right way to take that question. Cuti is a very passionate character and player that wants to leave everything on the pitch. He is very ambitious and wants to win every single time - sometimes when you are like that, sometimes there can be an outburst, which happened this time. It is something we of course dealt with and dealt with internally.”
How do you feel about him using social media to do that?
Thomas: “There are a lot of ways of doing things. Cuti has been very good for us this season and the past seasons and I think that is very important to be aware of. I would not have done it. That is my message.”
Are you happy with the amount of business that the club did during the transfer window?
Thomas: “We signed Conor Gallagher, who is a quality player for the starting XI. Of course, he needs to perform, and no one has promised any position, but we signed a quality player and we signed a young player for the future. I think if you compare that to a lot of the other Premier League clubs, I think that is very good. I think where we are is okay. We tried to do more, but it was not possible for whatever reason. I said it the whole time that it is very, very important that we take good decisions and are calm. It needs to be for the short-term and the long-term.”
Joao Palhinha says he’s really excited for the United game - how is the morale in the squad?
Thomas: “Joao has been very important for us in many, many ways and to have a versatile player like him that can play as a six, as a right-sided centre-back, he also played one of the two he did in the second half. He is very impressive and he is part of driving the team. I agree with him. I think there has been, I said it for a while, I think the performances are more competitive and consistent. Are they perfect? No, but we are getting closer and closer. I think, especially in the last four performances or more that we have a little bit of an unbeaten run. Can we, instead of only, not only, but have some top second-half performances, I think we can also add up more in the first half. I think we are in a place where we can look forward.”
What have you made of Michael Carrick’s time in charge of United so far?
Thomas: “Yes, I think he has had a great start. It seems like there was injected a little bit of energy into the team. I think it looks like some of the players are in a good place. We know the threats that I also think they posed before from Bryan Mbeumo, Amad, Cunha and Bruno Fernandes, he’s getting this team ticking. He has done that the last, I don't know, four or five years. It has been incredible. It is a threat, it is a challenge, but we are looking forward to it.”
Xavi Simons - is this just what you wanted to see from him - just enjoying his football a bit more and taking more risks?
Thomas: “Yes, but I think he took plenty of risks also when he started. I just think now, of course, naturally, he is more consistent. He is knowing his team-mates better. The team-mates know him better. We have become a little bit more consistent. He is adapting more and more to the Premier League and also to play in the Premier League and Champions League is just different. I agree that his last performances have been very good and the way he is creating for the team in different ways, I like that. He was touching the ball in behind, he was driving the ball, slide pass, outside the foot, cross, so I think he is getting better and better.”
Do you think (Cuti) that it is acceptable, and do you think that having had a word with him maybe on a couple of occasions beforehand, it is maybe not getting through to him?
Thomas: “Of course, like with a lot of things, we are dealing with it internally, in terms of what we are taking care of it, that is my main message to him.”
Would you prefer your squad not to go on social media?
Thomas: “Social media, I can't get rid of it. I think it is what some people call the future or it is the now, whatever it is. It is out there and one thing I do know, we all definitely put too much attention to social media, all of us. It seems like everything that is written on social media is the truth. It is such a small number of people who are actually writing something out there and everything we take for granted, ‘that’s the truth’, which I think is a challenge in general, overall. But of course, with everything, that is the way it is, and we just need to deal with it.
What is the ambition in the Premier League from here to the end of the season?
Thomas: “I also think it is maybe a nice little context to say that Man United don't play European football. I think we can all acknowledge that it is an extra challenge, something we embrace and we are happy with. So, I think let's judge us when we are on the same challenges. The ambition is that we want to do very well and carry on with the good performances and beat Man United in two days' time.”
So many players liked the post - does that make it even more of a delicate thing for you to have to deal with internally?
Thomas: “First and foremost, we don't know what a like means. I don't know how many words were there in the text. Is it, ‘well done guys, you did amazingly when I had to go off at half-time’? If that's a like, then perfect, then there's nothing.”
Can you understand the fans' fears about the lack of activity towards the end of the window?
Thomas: “What I like is that the fans are very passionate and they want the best for the club. And are very ambitious, which they should be. Tottenham is a fantastic club, and we should achieve great things. It's also, you say the chances, we have a few players out, some of them are coming back, and a lot of them are coming back also this season, and hopefully sooner rather than later. So, that's one thing. Of course we look into loan options, of course we look into other options, but for different reasons, nothing more happened. I still think it was not like we wanted to buy five players. It was not the case. So, we got a very good player in Conor Gallagher and a good young one in Souza.”
I know it's with hindsight now, but I just wonder, do you look back at all on the Brennan Johnson sale? Bearing in mind we now know no more attackers came in after that, do you still feel the timing was right?
Thomas: “There's a lot of moving parts in every decision, in terms of when you sell a player or when you buy a player. You can say if you play 3-4-3, we have right now five available players to the front three, which is a decent number. Hopefully, Richy is back soon, then we have six, and when Mo comes back, then we have seven. So, if you look at it from that perspective, I think it's okay.”
I just wondered if you could clarify, was it yourself and Johan, Vinai, whoever, who spoke to Cuti again?
Thomas: “I can clarify that we dealt with it internally.”
Fabio Paratici has been unveiled at Fiorentina – he’s said Fiorentina have a serious set of owners - I just wondered what you make of those comments?
Thomas: “I haven't seen them. I don't know them. I back Fabio, so that's probably the truth.”
Spurs have conceded quite a lot of goals from outside the box this season. I just wondered if you had any particular thoughts on why that is the case?
Thomas: “No. That can be a big analysis on that. There can be unbelievable quality in the moment from players. It could be, for instance, that we didn't put enough pressure on the ball in a specific moment. You can say I think we scored two goals in the last four or five games. That should have given us more points than we got. There’s a lot of things we can improve, one of them is to concede less.”
Can you confirm that you've fined or discipline Cuti Romero?
Thomas: “I can confirm that we dealt with everything internally.”
What would be the argument to fine or discipline him when he stated he was ill, he felt he had to play because we had 11 players and he thought it was disgraceful - where in what he’s said is not true, I guess?
Thomas: “I think the beauty of written text is that you can read a lot into it. Nobody really knows what was the purpose of it, except Cuti, or the guys who have spoken to him, and everything is dealt with internally.”
I guess it shows he cares…
Thomas: “I think it shows that Cuti is extremely passionate. He wants to win. He wants to do everything he can, together with his team-mates, to achieve great things, but you need to ask him next time you speak to him.”
It felt like in January maybe one more signing could have made a difference in pushing to Europe. The club has spoken about ambition a lot, but it feels like the club is kind of settling for mid-table right now. Is that fair to say?
Thomas: “That's your opinion. This club is very ambitious. I think if it was like this, easy to get another play in, then I'd play Football Manager. I decided it was not as fun to be a Head Coach at Tottenham. So, it's never that easy. It's much more complicated. We all know that. We are in different stages of where we want to be, but that's not to say that we are not ambitious. We are very ambitious.”
Thomas Frank reports that Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven are both available and Djed Spence 'closer' to being ready for our Premier League clash at Manchester United on Saturday (12.30pm UK).
Micky has missed our last two matches against Eintracht Frankfurt and Manchester City with a minor issue. Djed was a late withdrawal from Sunday's draw against City with a calf injury, while Cuti fought against the effects of illness in Germany and started against City, only to be forced off at half-time.
Speaking at his pre-United press conference at Hotspur Way on Thursday, Thomas said: "Micky trained today and is available for selection for Saturday, so that’s good. Djed is getting closer, it will be touch and go and there's a good chance he'll be ready. Cuti is also available."
Meawhile, Kevin Danso, Richarlison, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Mo Kudus, Deki Kulusevski, Pedro Porro, Rodrigo Bentancur and Ben Davies remain sidelined.
Our Women’s Under-19s have been drawn away to Dulwich Hamlet in the first round of the Capital Cup competition.
The fixture is scheduled to take place on Sunday 15 February (2pm kick-off) at Champion Hill, giving supporters the opportunity to attend and watch the next generation of players at the Club.
Tickets are priced at £5.30 for adults (aged 18-64), £2.80 for Concessions (aged 65 and over) and free for Under-13s.
Click the link here to buy your tickets online.
The Hamlets compete in the FA Women’s National League Division One South East and are currently sat eighth in the table. They progressed from the preliminary round after a 4-0 win over Millwall Lionesses last month.
We faced the Hamlets in the semi-final of competition last season, where our youngsters put in a spirited performance against the senior side but fell short in the end, as we suffered a 2-1 defeat at Champion Hill.